March 4th, 2010: Cause & Effect : Pavement

Senior year in high school I thought Pavement was the next coming of Christ. It was 1989 and my favorite record store (Pier Platters in Hoboken) had introduced me to their music via a few singles. I was a buyer at a different record store and in no time, we were carrying anything they did; starting with the 10" on Drag City. Like any devotee, owning their music wasn't enough, I needed to spread the good word.

I moved to Hoboken, NJ the Summer I graduated from high school and found myself in a social circle that overlapped with many of the bands who shared a practice a few blocks from my apartment there. The bands being Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, and Bewitched. I can't remember if Pavement also shared that same space but the band members always seemed to be around town between the venue Maxwell's, Pier, and various parties held by employees of both of those places. This was my first understanding of the barrier being more like a speed bump between band members and audience in underground music. These weren't untouchable characters, they sat on the floors at a crowded apartment party when their weren't any more chairs available. They accidentally spilled dip on their shirts and knocked over glasses when they were too tipsy just like the rest of us non rockers. I never stopped loving any of these bands but they incidentally offered a nice reality check to a star struck teen who quickly learned they were just like everyone else but they made music I happened to love too.

I moved to Seattle a few years later and a co-worker at C/Z Records played the Fall nearly every single day. This was the first time I really understood what is now the theme of this weekly show. Somehow I managed to go years without a proper introduction to the Fall and once I took in their catalog in bulk, I realized that Pavement borrowed heavily from them. I couldn't believe this signature sound existed in other bands! It sounds ridiculous to say that now but when you are kid, you truly believe you are the first man on the moon for every life experience, and Pavement's music was like that for me from 1989 to 1993.

Alex and I spent two week's working on this week's show. We have read books on the band, watched documentaries, browsed a ridiculous number of interviews and articles on them to bring you the best possible C & E this evening from 7PM to 9PM. We opted for a set list heavy on the influences and peer groups because we had so many fantastic tracks by that point, there wasn't enough time to play all the bands who have looked up to Pavement or followed in their shoes since.

The influencing bands we picked for this show follow many of Pavement's favorites and you will get to hear the more obvious choices like the Velvets or the Fall but then we throw in groups like Creedence, Guru Guru, The Swell Maps, Faust, and Pere Ubu for good measure. It's a solid line up of some terrific off kilter rock celebrating guitars and vocalists who have helped prove that you don't need to carry a perfect tune to make a damn fine song.

Listen to us on the dial in RVA at 97.3 FM or on line at www.wrir.org tonight from 7pm to 9pm.

40 Metal bands + One Cruise Ship

What spells a glorious Caribbean Cruise vacation better than one spent with 2000 aging heshers there to see 40 bands like Saxon, Raven, and Sodom?

I give you 70000 Tons of Metal. It's a cruise. It's a Heavy Metal Festival.

I suspect there will be a lot of people there whose bodies haven't seen the sun in half a century.

Nigerian Disco Heat

new technology for the old school

a couple of links to share is all.

first is a collection of stunning images done by the institute of optics at the university of rochestser. they put a vinyl record under an electron microscope to see what those grooves look like REAL close.

check it out:




See more via Synthgear

second is a pretty cool ad for technics cassettes from japan, circa the mid-80s. hat tip to Yoga Records for this one.

Vinyl: Magic Hat Brewing Company

We bought this beer tonight because it said Spring Seasonal and today's rain made me long for dreamier weather. Apparently the beer is named VINYL? I can't ever escape records, I tell ya.

Let's Hear It for the Old Guy : The Return of Walter Schreifels

Oh you know... that fella from YOT /GB / Quicksand /CIV/ Walking Concert / Rival Schools who has been bringing us quality rock for some 20 years. Walter is two years older than me so I use the term old guy with nothing but a loving affection. IE if he's actually old than I am next up at bat.

I am digging the new song / first single which comes from a new solo record coming May 4th (entitled Open Letter to the Scene), or so my lovely pal Pam tells me.

And what? There is a new Rival Schools record coming soon too? That's the gossip!

The video has touches of Sophia Coppola, Mike Mills , and Wes Anderson which fits the tribute to Arthur Lee rather perfectly. (And if you don't know who Arthur Lee is, shame on you!)

Walter Schreifels — Arthur Lee's Lullaby from The Town Pump on Vimeo.

Worse Case Scenario : Mummified Rat!

I have come across some really gross stuff in looking through people's used record collections (blood, boogers, rotted food, bugs of all sizes in various states...) but never have I encountered something this gross.

Let that be a lesson to you, latex gloves, handy-wipes, and antibacterial gels are a good idea when digging for records!

Thanks for passing along Tom.

Washarama.

I was an avid shopper at the Danville, VA thrift store circuit throughout the nineties. Love's Closet, D.A.V, Salvation Army, Ye Old Book Store, and Goodwill. Each store had its own unique offerings. Love's had the best deals. D.A.V had the best t-shirts. Salvation Army had the best jackets. Ye Old Book Store had the best (you can guess) books. Goodwill had a media section that was unparalleled. It was loaded with records, tapes, atari games, and electronic nick nacks left over from the now dated eighties. After my weekly search for the perfect Lou Barlow-Esq cardigan and vintage T commenced, I would typically walk over to the media section and flip though the records and tapes. It was just like one would imagine. Piles of Herb Albert, Bee Gees, and Jesus Christ Superstar albums. Despite the garbage, I would always flip through all of the albums hoping to find discarded college rock.

Occasionally, I would walk away with an R.E.M album or something of that nature. The local record store had abandoned vinyl, so this was my only outlet other than road trips to Chapel Hill.

On one particular visit I stumbled across an LP that looked sort of like the 7 inches I had been purchasing at punk shows. It was black and white and liked like a copied cover. The album was the Texas based band The Judy's, Washarama.

I was extremely disappointed with their striped down new wave sound. So NOT punk. I wasn't one to sell music, so the album hit the shelves.

Fast Forward to SIXTEEN years later.

It isn't uncommon to find me and Lightning's Girl grabbing a coffee, stopping by Deep Groove for a record fix, and trying on vintage clothing at Halcyon on a Saturday afternoon. It is pretty rare that I walk into Deep Groove and not buy a record or ten. I never take a bag, so my albums are normally exposed to the public. This has proven to be a great conversation starter as people seem to be shocked that records still exist or excited that I am holding a record they love.

We were on our normal route yesterday. By the time we were on the way to Halcyon, our coffee was gone and I had two records in my hand. We had a tip from the Halcyon proprietor that some shirts had arrived that we would be sure to love. The day was already shaping up to be a good one.

Enter Halcyon. A customer immediately noticed the art of one of the records I was holding. It is the best kind of predictable. She made a comment about the good old days and walked off. Me and LG went about shopping and after a little while made our way to the counter to pay for our vintage prizes.

Another customer made a comment about the records in my hand.

Customer: "There is a record I really want but I doubt anyone has..."

My internal dialogue was predicting the her next response. "I bet it is some stupid 70s record. Better yet, an 80s band that you can find at any used record store in the country."

Me: "Oh yeah, what is this record you speak of..."

Customer: "It is this little known Texas band called the Judy's."

I couldn't help but laugh.

Me: "Is it Washarama? If so, I have the record you are looking for. If you want it, it is yours."

In the time/space continuum of record buying and trading I couldn't be more jazzed about the situation that occurred yesterday. I don't know how long this person had been searching for The Judy's album. I do know that it has traveled with me through 13 moves. It has been sitting in a Pepsi Cola Record crate ever since it was purchased in 1994. Was it my job to buy this record so one day I could gift it to a random person in the year 2010? That I will never know.

The whole tale warms me heart. The real question is:

Will she ever call me and actually come pick up the record?

Who knows. It is sitting in the J section of my records waiting on her retrieval.

Hildur Guðnadóttir

This Icelandic cellist has quite a collaboration resume! She has worked along side Animal Collective, Pan Sonic, Thobbing Gristle, The Knife, and Mum but just as magnificent is her solo work. She released "Without Sinking" (mixed by Valgeir Sigurðsson ) last year on Touch and this is my favorite go to record when my ears need to be given a clean fresh start after listening to anything God awful.





And a few links to her:

http://reviews.headphonecommute.com/2009/04/21/two-and-a-half-questions-with-hildur-gudnadottir/

http://www.myspace.com/hildurness

http://www.hildurness.com/

PS: And very much looking forward to seeing this movie and she is included in the score.

February 18th,2010: Cause & Effect : Beach House

You may be expecting an entire two hours of our radio show to be dream pop shoegaze (ALA Galaxie 500 & Slowdive)but think again!

This Baltimore, MD duo has a wider variety of influences than you may think and after reading quite a few interviews with them, they have some pretty darn fine taste in music overall! Thanks to this band I have discovered a Grateful Dead song I actually love, revisited a Neil Young record I hadn't played in forever, and was turned onto yet another French chanteur. Thanks Beach House!

You can listen to use follow the music roots of Beach House tonight from 7pm to 9pm on WRIR. 97.3 FM on the dial (if you live in Richmond, VA) or you can stream us anywhere at www.wrir.org.