Activist/musician/writer Pat Thomas has been busy the past five years compiling music, speeches and photos from the height of the Black Power movement, spending much of that time in Oakland, California, the birthplace of the Black Panther Party. The result is Thomas' forthcoming book, Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 (out March 5 through Fantagraphics Books ), which entrenches us in one of the most politically and culturally explosive times in America, and more specifically in the writings and music of black revolutionaries like Bobby Seale, Huey Newton and [...]
I caught Zodiac Death Valley at a recent performance in front of a rather motley crew at Portland's Kenton Club. Needless to say it felt right. The San Francisco five-piece fully embraces rock and roll's hedonistic tendencies, and this night seemed like everyone was feeling a little unhinged. Then again, it was the Kenton Club. ZDV is touring in support of their self-titled debut-out now-which has been getting some serious spins here at TDoL HQ. The best thing about these rawk and rollers is that their music is difficult to pin. Their back-alley blues is prone [...]
I caught Zodiac Death Valley at a recent performance in front of a rather motley crew at Portland's Kenton Club. Needless to say it felt right. The San Francisco five-piece fully embraces rock and roll's hedonistic tendencies, and this night seemed like everyone was feeling a little unhinged. Then again, it was the Kenton Club. ZDV is touring in support of their self-titled debut-out now-which has been getting some serious spins here at TDoL HQ. The best thing about these rawk and rollers is that their music is difficult to pin. Their back-alley blues is prone [...]
This might be the creepiest two minutes you'll spend all day. We might as well spend it here. Together. I promise not to squeeze your hand too tight. Pharmacy drummer Brendhan Bowers made this video on the cheap on 16mm film. The song the vid's attached to-"Dig Your Grave"-is just as fuzzy and ramshackle as the film itself. Dont' fret-just when you're getting bugged out by what's transpiring onscreen, the song kicks into its cheery first verse. Saved by rawk ... again. "Dig Your Grave" appears on the Seattle trio's latest 7-inch of the [...]
Today is Dolly Parton's birthday. And this is a lovely duet by two of TDoL's favorites. Enjoy. Like The Days of Lore on Facebook . Follow TDoL on Twitter .
On Wednesday, Jan. 11, The Days of Lore Presents a night at The Know in Portland with our noisy friends Nucular Aminals , Koko and the Sweetmeats and Still Caves . Not only is the show a doozy that's sure to get out of hand (in a very polite, indie-rock sort of way), it also marks the third in a series of shows this week celebrating The Know 's seventh anniversary . Seattle trio Koko and the Sweetmeats killed me (softly) in 2011 with their latest album SACRIFICE [...]
Well, hello there. Remember when we used to hang out? Right here? I would tell you about the music I liked. And you'd get me up to speed on everything going on in your life-that new job, your new love interest, or that new zany electro-twee trio from Brooklyn-in the comments section. I miss that. It's been a fantastical year for The Days of Lore , filled with all sorts of life-shaping events ... ahh hell, here it is in digestible list form: 1. I got married! Yes, married! Me! Married! To [...]
LIVE: Wild Flag and Drew Grow & the Pastor's Wives at Doug Fir, 11.9.11 Supergroups are never super. Therefore, Wild Flag can't be considered a supergroup. The former Sleater-Kinney/Minders/Helium members have formed a great American rock band-incredibly fun songs, endless energy-I almost forgot what it's like to experience a real rock show. Rock 'n' roll mythology seems to be what fuels Wild Flag. They unabashedly celebrate it in their songs. They act it out onstage. And I love them all the more for it. So did the sold-out crowd at the Doug Fir, which [...]
I can't say I've actively followed Battles ... more like remained aware of their presence through my peripheral (I think they're after me), and that came more from my love for drummer John Stanier. But, I'm liking this new(ish) release Gloss Drop . Battles trudges on minus the zany vocal stylings of Tyondai Braxton, who all but took over 2007's Mirrored LP. Instead, they bring in guest vocalists like Boredoms' Yamantaka Eye and new wave cool-as-shit grandaddy Randy Numan. Needless to say their contributions are [...]
There's a pretty darn good chance you've never heard of The Zoltars , but they're starting to make a little noise (sort of a lo-fi rumble). The Austin trio just made an appearance on Matador honcho Gerald Cosloy 's Casual Victim Pile II comp, and they're mere days away from getting a turn over at Daytrotter. And now this. Main man Jared Zoltar (née Leibowich) recorded a batch of songs last year called Broken Rimbaud , which his brother Alex Leibowich turned into a 28-minute short film-a "visual album" [...]
I'm not going to go into my love affair with San Francisco (and its inhabitants, restaurants, bands). I'm not. But when the lights go down in the city, and the sun shines on the bay ... do I wanna be there in my city? Oh ooh whoa. Whoa ohhh oh ooh whoa. I'm slightly convinced that John Dwyer is insane (yet not as insane as I am for quoting Steve Perry). The leader of San Fran's Thee Oh Sees has taken every project he's been involved with to the far reaches and nether-regions of thee arty [...]
I've had my eyes (and ears) on these gringos for some time. Now I've got my poison quill on them. Don't let Atlanta quartet Gringo Star 's name frighten you-the joke will be on you. These guys write some damn fine pop songs, and they're getting a little polish on their forthcoming platter Count Yer Lucky Stars (out Oct. 25 on Gigantic Music ). For their sophomore LP Gringo Star went with producer Ben Allen, who lent his knob-twiddling skills to a couple of big-sounding records in Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere and [...]
I was recently asked by Spin Magazine to hang out at Stephen Malkmus' house and talk to him about random objects that were ineteresting or held some sort of significance to him. I closed the e-mail, changed my underwear and schemed how I would call in sick to my day job in two weeks. "There's something going around," I schemed. I rarely get star-struck these days-only Rhett Miller holds that distinction-but that's only because he's so darned good-looking. Malkmus is a pretty handsome fellow, too. And aside from a few more gray hairs, he's hardly [...]
It's officially been a couple of months since my last post-the longest drought in TDoL history. "What gives?" so say you three avid readers. Well, among the many things keeping me away from this blog (including a hack), I got hitched, and kickass, rock 'n' roll weddings on California's Central Coast don't plan themselves. Needless to say the ceremony went off without a hitch. Life is back to normal. And I'm feeling rejuvenated. Expect good things from here on out. So yes, there is a Mrs. TDoL ... although I don't advise ever calling her that unless you want [...]
It's no easy task to take the Ghosts of Music Past and turn them into something new. But Unknown Mortal Orchestra have cobbled together a mass of junky sounds and flesh and bone), and have created a true Frankenstein's monster (or The Modern Prometheus if you wanna get all snooty about it). Unknown Mortal Orchestra is a somewhat unknown, about-to-be extremely well-known trio from Portland, Ore., led by NZ-PDX resident and Mint Chick Ruban Nielson . And it's really ( reeeallly ) good. The band just released their self-titled debut on Fat [...]
I've had my head buried in the sand for the past two months. Between a full-time job that sucks my will to live (boo!) and planning a wedding (yay!), I have had little time to scope out new music. Not such a bad thing-it's been nice listening to music from my past with slightly wiser ears ( 5150 is the greatest Van Hagar album of all time!), and cozying up to old vinyl. My latest obsession: Digging for old country records. A friend recently turned me on to Steve Young , whose first two records-his 1969 [...]
Here's a little teaser from Viva Voce 's forthcoming long-player The Future Will Destroy You , out June 21 on Vanguard Records . The title track is lush and noisy. And the clip (filmed by Aubree Bernier-Clarke) shows the Robinsons in their home studio-Kevin taking the lead with a sassy beat, and Anita handling the lead vox, lead git, and Ace Frehley lead guitar! guitar strap, and Larry the dog handling lead headphones/awesomeness. I'm liking what I hear here. Ya hear? It's been two years since the release of Viva Voce's [...]
You'd have a hard time pinning down Psychedelic Horseshit ... though the band's name kinda says it all. The Columbus, Ohio two-piece coined the term "shitgaze" to describe their music, thus giving music scribes something to cling on to (Does this count as a pun? Maybe a really bad pun?). Their latest LP Laced is slightly less shitgazy, a little less soiled if you will. That's a good thing if you ask me. Lo-fi/shitgaze/pee-twee/poop punk-whatever you want to call it this week-has ruined many a good song. The new record [...]
I have a great idea! Instead of releasing new music Weezer should, from here on out, only record unexpected and wacky covers. In Vegas. Dressed as the Village People. Weezer recently covered Radiohead's "Paranoid Android" in the studio (they've also done Gaga and MGMT in the past), and I must say they did a pretty good job. But it's not enough for me. I need more. I need something zanier. More out of their element. Here are TDoL's Top 5 Zany Cover-Song Suggestions for Rivers & Co. ... or are they zany? [...]
A friend mine said this would make his "top 20 songs ever list." I'd have to agree with him.
The Days of Lore
James Blake – Live Album
Circo Voador anuncia shows de The Kooks, Foster The People, Friendly Fires, Gogol Bordello e mais
The Kills on Letterman (Video)
Download: James Blake Live Album (Unofficial)
