I've been a bit all-over-the-place this week, but I'm off to Belfast for the weekend. I'll hopefully be going to the Smog show at the Empire Music Hall on Sunday, but we won't be interviewing Bill Callahan as his publicists have told us he's "too shy". Awww. Speaking of interviews, I hope to have uploaded some of our new material over the next week. I've been keeping these close to my chest but I may as well tell you that the first of these will be
CALEXICO
BILLY MAHONIE
JANE SIBERRY
THE CLIENTELE
RICKIE LEE JONES
with a couple more to be confirmed.
The first print edition will be out around New Year and will be a 'London special', featuring bands mainly from the London area. I would really like to make it free so I'll have to get cracking with some fundraising, especially as I also want to remove all banners and ads across this website.
Meanwhile, I'm off to update the A-Z Index (zzzzzzz)
Friday, November 09, 2001
Tuesday, November 06, 2001
Doh! I knew I should have tried to go to Beyond Nashville, as it turns out that PJ Harvey was the surprise guest on Saturday night. She appeared on a bill headed by Giant Sand, which also featured Mark Linkous from Sparklehorse, John Parish, Evan Dando, Vic Chesnutt and Lambchop's Kurt Wagner. According to the NME, a stetson-clad Harvey performed X's 'Johnny Hit And Run Pauline' with old touring partners Giant Sand, as well as Sparklehorse classics 'Homecoming Queen' and 'Eyepennies' with Mark Linkous. She also appeared as part of her regular guitarist John Parish's 10-piece band, singing one song and contributing guitar.
The bill was put together by Giant Sand mainman and master of ceremonies Howe Gelb, who received a standing ovation from the 2,000 capacity crowd at the end of the evening.
If you've got tickets for one of the Goldfrapp shows this week in London, you'll probably know that the whole thing has been postponed because Alison Goldfrapp has tonsilitis. The shows are now confirmed to take place on December 3-5, with original tickets valid for the new shows. Tickets for November 5 are now valid for December 3, tickets for November 6 are now valid for December 4 and tickets for November 7 are valid for December 5.
Oh well, I'm off to the wilds of England (Worcestershire to be precise) to help "train people" for a couple of days, so don't expect much activity around here. I will be in Belfast over the weekend, but for anyone in London I have to point out that the wonderful Jacob Golden is playing in Notting Hill Arts Club for free on Saturday afternoon (10th) and then Mogwai are playing Brixton Academy that night. Should anyone still care, the Fall are also playing that night, at Kentish Town Forum.
Don't forget that The Clientele are supporting Ladybug Transistor at the Spitz on 8th November, and Olympic Lifts are supporting Ladytron at the Scala on the 14th. Apparently Mina and Le Hammond Inferno are also on the bill for that.
Finally the Undertones movie is being premiered this week. 'Teenage Kicks - The Undertones', narrated by John Peel, will be shown first this week (November 7) on BBC 1 (at 10.35pm GMT, Northern Ireland region). A longer version of the film (72-minutes - the TV version is 40 minutes long) will then be shown at the Regus London Film Festival on November 16 and 18. The film will also be shown as part of the Foyle Film Festival in The Undertones hometown of Derry on November 17.
'Teenage Kicks', features previously unseen footage of the band from their beginnings in 1975 to their split in 1983. Former frontman Feargal Sharkey, who no longer communicates with any of the other members, makes a rare appearance talking about his time in the band. The movie is still without a main distributor.
The bill was put together by Giant Sand mainman and master of ceremonies Howe Gelb, who received a standing ovation from the 2,000 capacity crowd at the end of the evening.
If you've got tickets for one of the Goldfrapp shows this week in London, you'll probably know that the whole thing has been postponed because Alison Goldfrapp has tonsilitis. The shows are now confirmed to take place on December 3-5, with original tickets valid for the new shows. Tickets for November 5 are now valid for December 3, tickets for November 6 are now valid for December 4 and tickets for November 7 are valid for December 5.
Oh well, I'm off to the wilds of England (Worcestershire to be precise) to help "train people" for a couple of days, so don't expect much activity around here. I will be in Belfast over the weekend, but for anyone in London I have to point out that the wonderful Jacob Golden is playing in Notting Hill Arts Club for free on Saturday afternoon (10th) and then Mogwai are playing Brixton Academy that night. Should anyone still care, the Fall are also playing that night, at Kentish Town Forum.
Don't forget that The Clientele are supporting Ladybug Transistor at the Spitz on 8th November, and Olympic Lifts are supporting Ladytron at the Scala on the 14th. Apparently Mina and Le Hammond Inferno are also on the bill for that.
Finally the Undertones movie is being premiered this week. 'Teenage Kicks - The Undertones', narrated by John Peel, will be shown first this week (November 7) on BBC 1 (at 10.35pm GMT, Northern Ireland region). A longer version of the film (72-minutes - the TV version is 40 minutes long) will then be shown at the Regus London Film Festival on November 16 and 18. The film will also be shown as part of the Foyle Film Festival in The Undertones hometown of Derry on November 17.
'Teenage Kicks', features previously unseen footage of the band from their beginnings in 1975 to their split in 1983. Former frontman Feargal Sharkey, who no longer communicates with any of the other members, makes a rare appearance talking about his time in the band. The movie is still without a main distributor.
Monday, November 05, 2001
Some fancy new releases for 5th November...
Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions Bavarian Fruit Bread
yep, it's her out of Mazzy Star with her debut solo album, ably assisted by Colm O'Coisoig from My Bloody Valentine. Lovely fragile music.
Sophia Da Nachten
Live album from former God Machine front man Robin Proper-Sheppard, recorded at festivals in Europe including four new songs,three reworkings and a cover of John Lennon's 'Jealous Guy'.
The Music You might as well try to fuck me Possible title of the year from the band with the internet unfriendly name - have you ever tried searching for them!? Their second single which carries on from where the debut left off.
The Sonics The Savage Young Sonics
Some of the most primitive recordings you'll ever hear, rougher than their legendary studio stuff which was distorted onto 2-track. Recorded at dances and at home between 1961-64, includes liner notes by Sonics founder/guitarist Larry Parypa
Current 93 Some soft black stars seen over London
7 track live cd (retail £8.99) from this years Bloomsbury Theatre performance - sleeved in a full colour gatefold digipack with 4 new paintings by David Tibet.
Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions Bavarian Fruit Bread
yep, it's her out of Mazzy Star with her debut solo album, ably assisted by Colm O'Coisoig from My Bloody Valentine. Lovely fragile music.
Sophia Da Nachten
Live album from former God Machine front man Robin Proper-Sheppard, recorded at festivals in Europe including four new songs,three reworkings and a cover of John Lennon's 'Jealous Guy'.
The Music You might as well try to fuck me Possible title of the year from the band with the internet unfriendly name - have you ever tried searching for them!? Their second single which carries on from where the debut left off.
The Sonics The Savage Young Sonics
Some of the most primitive recordings you'll ever hear, rougher than their legendary studio stuff which was distorted onto 2-track. Recorded at dances and at home between 1961-64, includes liner notes by Sonics founder/guitarist Larry Parypa
Current 93 Some soft black stars seen over London
7 track live cd (retail £8.99) from this years Bloomsbury Theatre performance - sleeved in a full colour gatefold digipack with 4 new paintings by David Tibet.
I went to see 'The Man Who Wasn't There' yesterday, another great movie by the Coen Brothers. I find it extraordinary that they can be so prolific and yet keep changing styles and settings with such success. This movie isn't a knockabout comedy like 'Raising Arizona' or 'O Brother Where Art Thou?', it's humour is very deadpan and overall it's deeply melancholic.
It reminded me of that Bob Dylan song that goes "People dont live or die/ People just float". I think all the complaints about boredom, slow pace, and lack of vitality are completely off the mark. The Coens obviously were making a point about spiritually drained people who let themselves float through life until they make fatal decisions. Comparisons with Albert Camus 'The Stranger' have been cropping up in a lot of the reviews. Ed Krane, The Barber (Billy Bob Thornton) is performing a perfectly stupid task that never ceases to repeat itself, without gathering the slightest meaning. He even, in his blank way, waxes philosophical, :"I want...I wanna put hair with...dirt, regular house dirt." "Ed, what the heck are ya talkin' about?" "I...Skip it." The movie gets you inside the head of a guy for whom the simplest, everyday stuff is ceasing to make sense.
Billy Bob's understated acting is so deceptively simple. He looks great and I have to say that this is the most gorgeous looking film I've seen in a long time. Cinematographer Roger Deakins, who filmed in color and processed into richly textured, silvery black and white, gives the film a lustrous tone and a often ghostly, dreamlike feel.
Overall, a really striking, memorable movie.
It reminded me of that Bob Dylan song that goes "People dont live or die/ People just float". I think all the complaints about boredom, slow pace, and lack of vitality are completely off the mark. The Coens obviously were making a point about spiritually drained people who let themselves float through life until they make fatal decisions. Comparisons with Albert Camus 'The Stranger' have been cropping up in a lot of the reviews. Ed Krane, The Barber (Billy Bob Thornton) is performing a perfectly stupid task that never ceases to repeat itself, without gathering the slightest meaning. He even, in his blank way, waxes philosophical, :"I want...I wanna put hair with...dirt, regular house dirt." "Ed, what the heck are ya talkin' about?" "I...Skip it." The movie gets you inside the head of a guy for whom the simplest, everyday stuff is ceasing to make sense.
Billy Bob's understated acting is so deceptively simple. He looks great and I have to say that this is the most gorgeous looking film I've seen in a long time. Cinematographer Roger Deakins, who filmed in color and processed into richly textured, silvery black and white, gives the film a lustrous tone and a often ghostly, dreamlike feel.
Overall, a really striking, memorable movie.
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