Get Out! :: The Placemats @ Art Bar :: 10.20.07

So you might have noticed a lack of posts from me lately, and well, here's the main reason why...


Yep, my Replacements tribute band The Placemats is playing for the first time tomorrow night at Art Bar. I'm pretty damn excited, and I think other people are too. Here's what the Free Times had to say about us...

The story of The Replacements is as much about the songs of Paul Westerberg as it is their self-destructive behavior, which was designed to keep them at an arm’s length of greater spoils. Along the way, songs such as “Can’t Hardly Wait,” “Bastards of Young,” “Alex Chilton,” “Left of the Dial” and “Color Me Impressed” typified the band’s knack for making some of the best racket of the 1980s. This show marks the public debut of a Replacements tribute band comprised of five of the most popular guys in Columbia: Bassist David Adedokun (of Courage Riley and Daylight Hours); lead guitarist Mike Schaming (Hot Lava Monster); drummer Mike McCormick (Hungry Models); rhythm guitarist Kenley Young (How to Vanish); and vocalist Tug Baker (Columbia’s answer to Dionysus). Also on the bill are tributes to The Misfits and The Doors. K. Foster

So that's the end of my shameless self-promotion. See you there!

New(ish) Noise :: Cake: B-Sides & Rarities

Blogging means never having to say you're sorry. Perhaps I'm mixing my metaphors, but my point is that I tell you, dear reader, without any trace of shame that I think Cake is pretty fucking awesome. I think it's unfortunate that the band's sometimes-wistful, sometimes-humorous, always-entertaining twang-pop never really and truly caught on with the American music-listening public — bunch of slack-eared retards that they are — despite two top-five Billboard singles ("Never There" and "The Distance") and two platinum records (not surprisingly 1996's Fashion Nugget and 1998's Prolonging the Magic, which spawned the band's hit singles). The most despicable part is that Cake's existence seems to be relegated, at least among my peer group, to the "Oh, ha ha, remember this band from when we were in middle school?" plane of existence — again, mostly by the slack-eared retards of the yada yada yada. If there have been any constants during Cake's popular — and, yes, I'm using the term loosely — years, one has been John McCrea's deadpan delivery and penchant for snappy wordplay and the other's been cover songs — sometimes sincere (see "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"), sometimes ironic (see "I Will Survive"), but, again, always entertaining.

Though it's disheartening that Cake's first proper release since 2004 is a covers and B-sides records, it does play well to the band's strengths — that is to say, tuneful, toneful and terribly terrific laconically voiced off-kilter country-fried-jazz-infused-funk-inflected-quasi-indie rock. You can order the cleverly titled B-Sides and Rarities on Cake's official website, where you can also hear clips of the tunes. Among the choice cuts: A cover of "War Pigs" that comes off surprisingly well; and a version of "Mahna Mahna," one of this indierocketeer's favorite songs of all-time. (Not surprisingly, Cake knocks that one out of the park.) There's also a swell version of Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night."

Cake — "Mahna Mahna"
Cake — "War Pigs"

Scene :: Free Times Music Crawl [Columbia, S.C.; 10.06.07]

If you weren't at the Free Times Music Crawl last Saturday, then you missed out big time. It was the probably the best line-up I've ever seen at the Crawl and the most fun I've had at one. I stayed at Art Bar for the most part to catch some of that indie goodness that Columbia has to offer. Here's some pictures I snapped of some of the incredible acts. Apologies to the bands not covered here. It was my first time using this camera for shooting shows, so some of them didn't come out so hot. We'll get you next time around, guys.


Magnetic Flowers
For the Free Times Crawl preview, I wrote this about Magnetic Flowers:

Magnetic Flowers’ last appearance at Art Bar was a revelation. It was one of those shows where afterwards everyone kept saying, “Where did these guys come from?” Well, they’ve been here a while now, but during that show, Magnetic Flowers truly came into their own as one of the best acts Columbia has to offer. The addition of new bass player Albert Knuckley freed up Adam Cullum to play keys throughout the entire set, adding a fullness and vehemence that was missing before. Their subtle blend of indie rock and Americana makes for an energetic yet poignant experience that shouldn’t be missed.

Ah, it's good to be right.


The Gadgets
This was probably my favorite show of the whole night. It was my first time seeing The Gadgets after listening to their MySpace tracks incessantly, so I was glad to finally be able to rock out up front and sing along to a few songs. It's pure pop bliss but done 80s hardcore style... if that makes sense. Anyways, I can't wait for them to play again.


The Heist And The Accomplice
Why aren't these guys on a label yet? Well, I suppose if Chaz's solo project keeps getting this kind of attention, then it's only a matter of time. Their set was the same bouncy, dance-y goodness that we've all come to expect from them. The new songs from their upcoming album sound incredible as well. Can't wait for that one.


Death Becomes Even The Maiden
As usual, DBETM came on the stage, rocked the hell out of the audience, then got off the stage, leaving everyone wanting more. Luckily, you'll be able to get more soon, when their new EP The Arragement comes out. Word is that it'll be sooner than you think. We here at IndieRocket will definitely keep you posted.

More of my crappy photos of amazing bands after the jump if you want to check them out.

Read on, IndieRocketeer...

More Magnetic Flowers...

The Gadgets...

The Heist And The Accomplice

Death Becomes Even The Maiden

New Noise :: The 4am :: A New Podcast by Warren Ellis

On Monday, British comic scribe, novelist, and Internet Jesus Warren Ellis started a new podcast. Warren's turned me on to lots of good music in the past (including some great Finnish freak folk stuff), and this is no exception. For this particular podcast, he just called for artists to email him a mp3 through his website, and then he picked out his favorites. As he put it, 'I'm podcasting new music by new bands and musicians, because that's what I love.' It's an ongoing series, so if your band wants to submit something to him, just email him at warrenellis@gmail.com (he wants the files at least 128kbps). Some standouts on this first podcast are the ambient pop of Newcastle's Lanterns on the Lake and Albuquerque's Yoda's House who sound something like Godspeed! You Black Emperor doing psychedelic folk. I highly recommend it.

To get the podcast, go here.

Get Out! :: Free Times Music Crawl :: 10.06.07

Tomorrow is the Free Times Music Crawl, featuring 24 of Columbia's best acts for only five bucks. You can read all about the individual acts and get showtimes and locations here. I'm pretty much going to be at the Art Bar stage all day, except for a quick jaunt to see my roomie at the Blue Marlin stage. Art Bar seems to be where all the IndieRocket-esque bands are playing, including Brave Horatius, Magnetic Flowers, Black Swan, The Gadgets, The Heist and The Accomplice, and Death Becomes Even The Maiden (and a few I'm sure I'm forgetting). If you're into a more modern rock thing, head to the Headliners stage, and if country, bluegrass, and the like is your basket of biscuits, then Flying Saucer's where you need to be. Either way, great acts are at all the venues, and it looks to be pretty fun. Hope to see you there!

Tube :: Couldn't You Wait?

In many ways, I was quite the late bloomer. A painfully shy, lilywhite, chubby suburban kid (which, in many regards, I still am today) who put in time on the school's debate team and newspaper staff (versus football and student council), I experienced many of life's firsts past the median age for such things, id est first birthday parties, first growth spurts, first dates, first kisses, first handjobs, etc. It carried into my later high school years (by which time I'm remarkably relieved to tell you that my major firsts — yes, Mom, handjobs both included and surpassed), when I was developing a taste for underground music, indie rock in particular. By the time my senior year of high school rolled around, Pavement had split up, Archers of Loaf were on the verge of splitting (albeit amicably) and Sonic Youth had long since given up any aspirations of playing this Southern shithole.

It's no surprise, then, that it took me at least another year or so, when I was firmly entrenched in the world of college radio, before I'd even hear the name Silkworm bandied about. Perhaps indicative of its criminal underrating, it wasn't even at the radio station where I'd heard of Silkworm — indeed, it was on a short-lived WB-generated-Adult-Swim-aired cartoon series that I heard "Couldn't You Wait?", a poignant and scathingly poetic ditty that hooked me into Silkworm's angularly attractive tunes.



It's fitting, then, that the name for the upcoming Silkworm documentary is entitled Couldn't You Wait? The true definition of a cult band — most especially in the indie rock world — Couldn't You Wait? chronicles Silkworm's eighteen-year existence, from 1987 to the tragic death of drummer Michael Dahlquist in 2005, and features interviews from a damnably large number of indie rock illuminati — Stephen Malkmus makes an appearance, as do Steve Albini, Jason Molina and members of Seam, The New Year and Bush. (Remember: Andy Cohen once toured with Bush. Strange but true.) Filmmakers Seth Pomeroy and Shawn Girvan still have more than two dozen interviews left to do, so go help them in making this needs-to-be-made documentary by visiting the film's MySpace site.

New Noise :: Toro y Moi + Brave Horatius

Ah, covers... When they're good, they're good. And when they're bad, they're horrendous. Fortunately, I have two really amazing ones for you today, and they're both local Columbia acts. First up is Toro y Moi, the solo project of The Heist and The Accomplice frontman Chaz Bundick. His take on Beach House's 'Master of None' retains the whimsical vocals of the original while throwing in a danceable beat, fuzzed out bass, and wavy keyboards, making the laid back song an indie dance track. Good stuff, that. Check Toro y Moi out at the Savant Guard label release party at Matchless during CMJ.

[Ed.'s note: Check out our boy getting some Pitchfork love. Just remember: You heard it here first, readers. -p.]

Toro y Moi Master of None (Beach House cover)

An admission first: fellow IndieRocketeer Pat played guitar on this track. But don't worry, he did good. I've talked about Brave Horatius before, but when he was stalling for time before his (now) former band Alaska the Tiger's last show, and he started playing Rihanna's summer jam 'Umbrella,' I knew that a match in cover heaven had been made. While there have been quite a few covers of 'Umbrella,' this one slows everything down to the sad, sweet truth that makes it a hit. It's one of those great covers that takes what seems to be a silly pop song and unearths the beauty underneath. There's no sexy beat implying that the song is about a lover (while I suppose it could be), but just a friend who you would do anything for. Look for it on Brave Horatius's new split with Toronto's Free Kisses during their upcoming tour together (dates here).

Brave Horatius Umbrella (Rihanna cover)

Pick Up :: 09.25.07

Pick Up is IndieRocket's guide to what's awesome out of the week's new releases.


I know this is a bit late, but it's been a busy week over at casa de Indierocket. And after all, you still can (and should) pick up these new releases. First up is Meneguar's highly anticipated sophomore effort Strangers in Our House. Now, I've been known to show up at a certain bar and request for the bartender to play these guys by drunkenly yelling, 'MENEGUAR!' so I might be a little biased, but their new album definitely holds up. Razor's edge vocals, jangly guitars, and must-be-sung-along-to choruses are still the name of the game for these post-punkers, and I, for one, am thankful.

mp3: Meneguar Bury A Flower

Buy Strangers in Our House here.


Next on your buy list should be the self-titled release from Two Gallants. The SF duo with the dirty amalgam of Southern rock, folk, country, and blues hasn't made too many changes here. The self-loathing lyrics, caterwauling vocals, and bombastic drums still stand out. It's loud, mean, and tough, and what else would you expect from these guys? Certainly not a whining 'Don't tase me, bro!' (Sorry. Couldn't help it. Check here for an explanation.) Hearing this record takes me back to seeing them live last year and makes me look forward to hearing these new songs the next time they come around.

mp3: Two Gallants Despite What You've Been Told

Buy Two Gallants here.


Finally, we have the newest from Winnipeg's own The Weakerthans. The Propagandhi-turned-indie popsters are taking a bit more mellow approach on this album, and I think it really works for them. 2007 seems to be the year of the indie rock drummer, and Jason Tait keeps the trend rolling on this album, turning in a great performance. I'm a bit confused about the track I'm posting here. Are they trying to make some reference to REM's 'Night Swimming,' or are they just blatantly ripping it off? Or hell, maybe they never heard it before? I would hope it's some kind of homage/reference that I'm just too dumb to get. You tell me, gentle reader. In any case, it's a great song. Enjoy!

mp3: The Weakerthans Night Windows

Buy Reunion Tour here.

Scene :: Carolina Chocolate Drops :: Columbia Museum of Art [Columbia, S.C.; 09.27.07]

New Noise :: Bat for Lashes, "I'm on Fire" [Bruce Springsteen cover]

I generally and genuinely think that I am one of the only people in my generation — especially among my peer group — without any sort of love or reverence for several "critical" bands — i.e. Guns 'n' Roses, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, etc. The most baffling to me, though, is Bruce Springsteen. His workmanlike, wholly American roots-rock has influenced so many bands I'm in to that it would see only appropriate — necessary, even — for me to have a certain degree of love for The Boss. You'd think that, but there's something about Bruce that I find absolutely repugnant. Indeed, I could never see it as William Ruhlmann of allmusic.com does: "When Bruce Springsteen finally broke through to national recognition in the fall of 1975 after a decade of trying, critics hailed him as the savior of rock & roll, the single artist who brought together all the exuberance of '50s rock and the thoughtfulness of '60s rock, molded into a '70s style. He rocked as hard as Jerry Lee Lewis, his lyrics were as complicated as Bob Dylan's, and his concerts were near-religious celebrations of all that was best in music." Perhaps those are even the precise reasons I don't like him — I find The Boss smug, jingoistic and too beat-you-over-the-head-and-cram-it-down-your-throat patriotic for my liking. As it stands, I find Born to Run boring, Born in the U.S.A terrible and Nebraska underwhelming. Odder still: My favorite Springsteen song — indeed, the only one I like (and yes, I know it's on Born in the U.S.A.) — is "I'm on Fire," not generally considered among the "Born to Run"s and "The Rising"s that comprise the best of The Boss' oeuvre. A desperate and harrowing obsessive-love song on par with The Police's "Every Breath You Take," "I'm on Fire" is criminally underrated.

So why is it that I don't like Bat for Lashes' cover? I think it's for the same reasons I didn't like Sun Kil Moon's Modest Mouse tribute piece, Tiny Cities. While I don't particularly have anything against artists taking liberties with cover songs — indeed, sometimes, as in the case of Pavement's cover of R.E.M.'s "Camera," it rewrites the song in an exemplary manner that enlightens and elucidates the listener to a radical interpretation of form and file — there comes a point where disregarding the source material is done at great disservice to performance. Again, I cite Mark Kozelek rewriting Isaac Brock — the former's velvety baritone and gentle picking aren't suited for the latter's jittery caterwaul and staccato fretwork. And so it goes with Bat for Lashes, who not only disregards "I'm on Fire"'s original tempo and ornamentation, slowing it to an ornate Victorian dirge, and The Boss' vocal cadence, but at times even changes the words. I'm not talking simple pronoun replacement — indeed, the song just fine from a female perspective; but the one thing I've always handed to Springsteen was his ability to cogently and masterfully string words together. To fuck with that is egregious. Pitchfork's Mark Richardson might say that "there's something to be said for a cover that transports the original song to another world," but maybe, just maybe, women from Venus shouldn't cover songs written by men from Mars.

Bat for Lashes — "I'm on Fire" [Bruce Springsteen cover] (via Pitchfork)