Antena & the Scr***m Poles

…one of the great things about living in Austin is hearing absolutely random good music any time of day on the radio(unless you happen to be listening to John Ailey in which case the music is only good to fall asleep to).   I consider myself very lucky for having KUT, KVRX, and KOOP programming to listen to on the weekends. I tend to like the stuff they play late at night because…well that’s when I’m up. Anyway, Saturday night programs are my very favorite with Stronger than Dirt on KOOP followed by Rick McNulty’s Saturday night programming over on KUT. I’m on my third weekend in a row of calling one of them to catch a song title or ask about a release. A few weeks ago, I got turned on to the Scrotum Poles from Scott’s fill in on Stronger than Dirt and this week it was a wonderful new discovery of the band Antena from Rick.  I love that all the DJs are true music lovers and not only do they have name/title info, but they can make recommendations of similar artists and tell you interesting things about the bands.  Chatting with these guys makes my week although - I’m a pretty boring guy so that might be part of it.

To Climb a Cliff by Antena - I believe one of the guys from the Pet Shop Boys dubbed this “Electro Samba” or something like that. I have to say that it sounds especially contemporary now for a band that was making records in the 80s on the Factory Record label(the one with Joy Division & Happy Mondays). The lead singer eventually split from the band and made several records under the name Isabelle Antena which aren’t bad either.

Various songs by the Scrotum Poles - I heard Pick the Cat’s Eyes Out(the second song in this clip) on Stronger than Dirt and knew I had to learn more. They sound A LOT like the Television Personalities and seeing as how I have a soft spot for DIY punk, I am certainly glad to have been turned on to this. Actually, I had to call the station because they couldn’t say “scrotum” on the air so they said “S** Poles”. I went nuts trying to find a band called the Shit Poles(or maybe I misheard and it was the Shit Holes, etc) until the DJ straightened me out. He also recommended a collection called Messthetics(several volumes) on the Hyped 2 Death record label. The Messthetics comps are early/rare DIY punk/post punk stuff from the UK while they have a Homework comp series for US bands of the same genre, a Teenline compilation series for American powerpop, and a Hyped to Death comp series for US punk. After listening to some of their stuff on the web I have to concur this is a very very very good series for music off the beaten path. According to the DJ, you can’t find these in stores so you have to order online, but it appears as though the label prices their discs fairly and luckily it doesn’t suffer from the weak dollar like import series record labels do(talking about you Soul Jazz Records).

NEWS FLASH - Legend Tom Waits to tour with three dates in Texas!

I missed this News Flash from back in March when it was first announced but I’m trying my best now to get tickets. Tom Waits is going on a short tour of the South/Southwest and is playing three shows in Texas. I’ll be in a studio recording during two of the shows, but the third show is in Dallas on a Monday 6/23 and I think I’m going to try and find someone to watch the baby and go. Anyone want to skip work and go check out Waits in Dallas?

Find tour dates here:

Tom Waits is notorious for an erratic (at best) touring schedule. He won’t tour for years and years and then he might go out and hit a few dates in Europe and a handful in the states - then you don’t hear from him again for another few years until he comes out of hiding to do a live soundtrack of a play and then it’s back into hiding again… He played Austin’s SXSW festival nearly ten years ago(a last second add) - a show in which a much younger version of yours truly showed up very(very very very) early to try and get in only to be greeted by a long line who were already camped out. At the time, it was Wait’s first shows in the area since his 1978 Austin City Limits taping….and maybe it was the last time Austin will see Waits.

via: Houston Chronicle entertainment section blog writer:

Waits’s last Texas performance came at Austin’s Paramount Theater during SXSW 1999. Music biz insiders wrangled many of the tickets, too many for one overly-ardent fan who heckled him as a sell-out, and an even gloomier note would toll the next night, when Waits’s friend and occasional promoter Don Hyde was fuckstomped by La Zona Rosa bouncers in a stupid melee following an Alejandro Escovedo concert. Waits vowed then never to play Texas – his father’s native state – again. He kept his word for nine long years, but then again, why should a whole state have to pay for the actions of a few Austin lunkheads?

So there it is - if your from Central Texas, don’t hold your breath waiting for him to come back. If your from anywhere else in Texas, you should be informed that Wait’s last trip to Texas before the SXSW show was in the late seventies when he opened for Bonnie Rait. In other words, if your a Waits fan this is your one and maybe only chance to see him anywhere nearby. Be there!

Step Right Up by Tom Waits - I know Mason found this song in particular funny.

The Piano Has Been Drinking (not me) by Tom Waits:

Innocent When You Dream by Tom Waits

Maxwell Street was the Spot

…I don’t want to be the “only the lost bluesman are any good” guy, but I have to give respect where it’s due and this guy deserves a lot of praise. In a nutshell, the Maxwell Street Market in Chicago was known for it’s live street performers in the 60s - specifically as a hub for blues performers. Similar to how 52nd street was for jazz cats in New York, the blues scene in Chicago centered around Maxwell’s and the king of those mid 60s blues jams on the streets was Robert Nighthawk who pulled up a chair on a streetcorner and played some of the nastiest slide guitar licks Chicago has ever seen(even in a town that was home to Muddy Waters!).

Eli’s Place by Robert Nighthawk - This is an interesting video. I believe it comes from a documentary capturing the scene there in the mid 60s. The audio certainly comes from the same performance that was captured on Robert’s Live on Maxwell Street Album(a really excellent live blues album - one of the best in fact) and it appears as though the clips are mostly spliced together but at least the beginning of the performance seems to be filmed from the audio although it doesn’t quite sync up during the solo section. Anyway, technicalities aside this is a really interesting video that captures the raw blues just as you would have heard them on the sidewalk in Chicago.

Anyone else remember the 8 track?

…we had this one and I think I listened to the title track a zillion times:

Abracadabra by the Steve Miller Band - of all the music my parents would listen to while I was growing up, I think Steve Miller was the one I remember the most(and some of the outrageous Alice Cooper & Frank Zappa album covers too). My Mom had a thing for psychedelic jam music and when you write a song with lyrics like “time keeps slipping - into the future” complete with space sound effects you were pretty much guaranteed to be in heavy rotation at my house growing up. I remember listening to this 80s Steve Miller track in the car and rewinding it many many times. To me this song completely reminds me of the 80s - from childhood nostalgia as mentioned and also from the 80s production aesthetic. The completely synthetic synth keyboard riffs, the blues guitar fills, the dry instrumentation, and the chorus effect on the vocals in certain parts. This screams 80s.

How I chose to take back one my favorite songs

….before you heard Iggy Pop’s songs chopped up into bits to sell whatever shiny new product was on TV, Iggy Pop was dangerous and making the type of immediate music that needed to be made - not the kind of guy you would want to be with on a luxury cruise with. Anyway, I always hated how this song managed to be mangled into the main riff and the “la, la, la” part when the whole song is so good…so here it is in it’s entirety.

The Passenger by Iggy Pop - in lieu of a good live performance of this one or a suitable video, I thought I would link to this one which is set to classic scenes in cinema…I guess if the music has to carry something, it’s better for it to carry something of substance rather than poorly made cars or overpriced cruises….

Sixteen by Iggy Pop - this is NOT the guy who corporate America wants to align with. Now can I have my deviant heroes back please?

Bitch, you breakfast

…introducing Le Le - the french trio who warmed hearts with their romantic electro hit “Breakfast” earlier this year. Before I go on any further, let me warn you that this video is not suitable for most work environments. Another warning - after watching it you may be humming it to yourself randomly while at work weeks from now just like the time you heard that Da Da Da song on that VW commercial….

Breakfast by Le Le - As far as catchiness goes, this is a tough one to beat. I like the way it sounds like NERD could have made the main rhythm track(maybe they did - it’s close to some of their beats). Also check out their song Skinny Jeans.

Da Da Da by Trio

Two from Sub Pop

…I happened upon Sub Pop records’ Youtube channel and saw a few videos I hadn’t seen. The first is a really decent version of Sleeping Lessons from the last Shins album. In my mind this was the standout track from that last album - by far. Anyway, I think it’s really cool that the intro sounds come from those wind tube thingies(I assumed they were synth lines). I’m a sucker for when a band makes a great sound out of something relatively mundane and unmusical like when the Arcade Fire used a page ripping from a book as the sound where jazz brushed might have been used on the snare drum or when Cibelle built the entire drum track of one song(Mad Man Song) from the normal clank of a cup and saucer over breakfast.

Sleeping Lessons by the Shins (live in rehearsal)

…the next clip is just silly. These guys have a really funny sitcom where they always pull together really high quality tongue in cheek songs that draw from the pop music tradition. I need to get the whole series on DVD as I have really enjoyed every episode I have seen.
Ladies of the World by the Flight of the Conchords

I must be feeling angry these days…

….because recently I have posted clips from pimps, whores, and now literally “bad kids”. I just heard this again the other day after not having listened to it for probably 8 months and was reminded again of how brilliant the album was. If you don’t have already have it, I strongly recommend you pick up the Black Lips’ “Good Bad Not Evil”. It’s really quite excellent and I have yet to find anyone who it didn’t grow on very quickly - even for those who throwback garage rock isn’t their thing.

Bad Kids by the Black Lips

Ghoul A Go-Go

…this is pretty much a gem of a show that features all kinds of weird outsider music. Thank God there are people out there who would rather be interesting than hip.

Petty Booka on Ghoul a Go-Go

Hasil Adkins on Ghoul a Go-Go -this was the reason I actually posted this in the first place - I wanted a Hasil Adkins post as he is one of my favorites.

The 5, 6, 7, and 8’s on Goul a Go-Go

Kids say the darndest things

Honestly, I should really hate this band but I think I actually like them.  Maybe it’s because they are so vain, and so over the top with their vulgarism that I think this can’t be anything more than an act - right?  I mean, actors who play terrifying characters well are cool(like De Niro in Cape Fear) but actual killers are not cool.  Same thing here - if you realize this is mostly tounge & cheek and an act by some sardonic performers, then it’s actually pretty (dare I say) “Fun” music.

Homecoming by the Teenagers:  There are just so many things wrong with this song but I can’t help but like it despite the persistent though that Dov Charney is probably masturbating in the middle of board meeting while listening to this song.