Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three: Hard times Come And Go

another reason to be proud of the music coming out of STL, Pokey LaFarge is the real deal. Fresh off a set at the prestigious Newport Folk Festival, here's their latest video:

Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three "Hard Times Come and Go" from Filipe Bessa on Vimeo.

And the first video from their latest album, Riverboat Soul, the song La La Blues:

Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three "La La Blues" from Filipe Bessa on Vimeo.

Here's some dates. These boys are busy spreading the word:
Today
2:00 PM Brighton, England | The Prince Albert
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
2:00 PM Topsham, England | The Globe
Thursday, August 12, 2010
2:00 PM Pulborough, England | Blue Coconut Club
Friday, August 13, 2010
2:00 PM West Ashling, England | West Ashling Village Hall
Saturday, August 14, 2010
2:00 PM Nottingham, England | The Maze
Sunday, August 15, 2010
2:00 PM Leicester, England | Summer Sundae Festival
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
2:00 PM Edinburgh, Scotland | Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s (Edinburgh Fringe Festival)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
2:00 PM Edinburgh, Scotland | Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s (Edinburgh Fringe Festival)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
2:00 PM Edinburgh, Scotland | Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s (Edinburgh Fringe Festival)
Friday, August 20, 2010
2:00 PM Findhorn, Scotland | Universal Hall Arts Centre
Saturday, August 21, 2010
2:00 PM Stornoway, Scotland | An Lanntair
Sunday, August 22, 2010
2:00 PM Inverness, Scotland | Eden Court Theatre
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
2:30 PM London, England | The Luminaire
Friday, August 27, 2010
All Day Event Tonder, Denmark | Tonder Festival
Saturday, August 28, 2010
All Day Event Tonder, Denmark | Tonder Festival
Sunday, August 29, 2010
All Day Event Tonder, Denmark | Tonder Festival
Monday, August 30, 2010
All Day Event Tonder, Denmark | Tonder Festival
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
2:00 PM Buckinghamshire, England | The Hop Pole Inn, Aylesbury
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
2:30 PM Norwich, England | Norwich Arts Centre
Thursday, September 2, 2010
2:00 PM Stirling, Scotland | The Tolbooth
Friday, September 3, 2010
2:00 PM Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England | The Jumpin Hot Club
Saturday, September 4, 2010
2:00 PM Peebles, Scotland | Eastgate Theatre
Sunday, September 5, 2010
2:00 PM Neilston, Scotland | Crofthead Hall
Monday, September 6, 2010
2:00 PM Glasgow, Scotland | Classic Grand
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
2:00 PM Kilbarchan, Scotland | The Old Library
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
2:00 PM Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland | Carnegie Hall
Friday, September 10, 2010
All Day Event Belfast, Northern Ireland | Open House Festival
Saturday, September 11, 2010
All Day Event Belfast, Northern Ireland | Open House Festival
Sunday, September 12, 2010
All Day Event Belfast, Northern Ireland | Open House Festival
Monday, September 13, 2010
2:30 PM Clonmel, Co Tipperary, Ireland | Raheen House Hotel
Thursday, September 23, 2010
8:00 PM Farmington, MO | Bauhaus Kaffee
Saturday, September 25, 2010
9:30 AM St. Louis, MO | Tower Grove Park
7:00 PM Carbondale, IL | Neighborhood Co-op & Grocery Local Harvest Picnic, Turley Park
Friday, October 8, 2010
8:00 PM St. Louis, MO | Off Broadway w/ Two Man Gentleman Band & the Hot Seats
Saturday, October 9, 2010
8:00 PM Louisville, KY | Zanzibar w/ Two Man Gentleman Band & the Hot Seats
Sunday, October 10, 2010
8:00 PM Fort Wayne, IN | Brass Rail w/ Two Man Gentleman Band & the Hot Seats
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
8:00 PM Harrisburg, PA | Der Maennerchor
Friday, October 15, 2010
7:00 PM Nazareth, PA | Christians Spring Hotel w/ Two Man Gentleman Band & the Hot Seats
Saturday, October 16, 2010
8:00 PM Brooklyn, NY | Southpaw w/ Two Man Gentleman Band & the Hot Seats
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
7:00 PM Sheperdstown, WV | The Opera House
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
8:00 PM Velvet Lounge w/ the Hot Seats
Thursday, October 21, 2010
8:00 PM Richmond, VA | The Camel w/ Two Man Gentleman Band and the Hot Seats
Saturday, October 23, 2010
8:00 PM Private Event
Sunday, October 24, 2010
8:00 PM Nashville, TN, The 5 Spot w/ Jacob Jones

WEEE! Gonads And Strife.

from a time when the internets was a simpler, but just as crude, place:

Cheap Trick, Blondie, Coming To Illinois State Fair Together

It's just like I was in high school in the eighties again! God bless bands that are in it for the long haul. Here's the date: Friday, August 20, Springfield Illinois. And here's some great songs to remind you of why you may want to make the short trek to see these bands.



Well, I could go on and on with Cheap Trick. But here's some Blondie:
Oh, they're on EMI Records, and EMI doesn't want you to see these videos here. They would rather have you seek them out, and watch them only in official channels. Sorry Blondie, your record company sucks.

LL Cool J Meets Kevin Rowland

You may know Kevin from Dexy's Midnight Runners, and the song "Come On Eileen". Here's what happens when you add that song with "Mama Said Knock You Out":

Quite nice, I think. And here's the original source material, for all the purists out there:

Pavement: Cut Your Hair

I've always been hot and cold about Pavement. Mostly cold, though.

There are times when the shambling dissonance came together to create a gem, and Cut Your Hair is one of those moments. And I had forgotten how much low-key fun this video was. In honor of their recent Pitchfork Festival appearance here it is:

The Happiest DJ In The World

He indeed looks to be enjoying himself:

Jozin z Bazin polskie napisy

Something to get you through your Thursday:

The Summer Mix Series Has Returned

Although it can sometimes feel like you are trying to get a drink from a firehose, one of the joys of summer is the return of the Summer Mix Series, from the creator of the very nice blog, Yewknee. New mixes are being added throughout every day of the summer, and there are some inspired themes. Poke around, and download some stuff you may have never heard before. Click here to unleash the torrent.

My Speakers Need To Go LOUDER

Because that's the only way to listen to the Dead Weather: As loud as possible. Here's the newest video:

Flaming Lips Coming To The Blue Note In Columbia

September 18, 2010. Tickets go on sale Saturday, through Ticketmaster, at 1 PM. Coming to STL the Friday before?

End of transmission.

WOOGITY WOOGITY WOO HOO!

Tonight: Blitzen Trapper At Off Broadway

You have two opportunities to see Blitzen Trapper tonight. The first is at Vintage Vinyl, at 6 PM, and this is your opportunity to see them for the low, low price of free! And then, later tonight, at Off Broadway, they will be playing with the Moondoggies from Seattle opening for them. Perhaps one is thinking about catching them at both places, being a BT glutton. I say I like the cut of your jib. Make it so.


Not in STL? Here are some other dates:
Mon 06/21/10
St. Louis, MO Off Broadway Nightclub
Tue 06/22/10
Kansas City, MO The Record Bar
Thu 06/24/10
Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen

Appearing at "Telluride Wine Festival"
Sat 06/26/10
Telluride, CO Telluride Town Park

Mon 06/28/10 T
Tempe, AZ The Clubhouse Music Venue
Tue 06/29/10
Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
Wed 06/30/10
San Francisco, CA The Fillmore

Appearing at "High Sierra Music Festival"
Thu 07/01/10
Quincy, CA Plumas County Fairgounds

Fri 07/02/10
Quincy, CA Plumas County Fairgounds

Appearing with Avi Buffalo
Fri 07/23/10
Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal Ballroom

Appearing with "Capitol Hill Block Party"
Sat 07/24/10
Seattle, WA Capitol Hill Festival Grounds

Appearing with Avi Buffalo
Tue 07/27/10
Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
Wed 07/28/10
Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom

Appearing at "Beachland Concert Series"
Thu 07/29/10
Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

Appearing at "Newport Folk Festival"
Sat 07/31/10
Newport, RI Fort Adams State Park

Appearing at "Osheaga Festival"
Sun 08/01/10
Montreal, QC Parc Jean Drapeau

Appearing with Avi Buffalo
Tue 08/03/10
Toronto, ON Opera House Concert Venue
Wed 08/04/10
Detroit, MI The Majestic
Thu 08/05/10
Indianapolis, IN The Vogue

Appearing at "Lollapalooza" / Soundgarden
Sun 08/08/10
Chicago, IL Grant Park

Tue 08/10/10
Iowa City, IA Gabe's
Wed 08/11/10
Lincoln, NE Bourbon Theatre
Thu 08/12/10
Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
Thu 11/11/10
Muenster, Germany Gleis 22
Fri 11/12/10
Berlin, Germany Comet Club
Mon 11/15/10
Munich, Germany Kranhalle
Thu 11/18/10
Cologne, Germany Blue Shell

New Klaxons: Is The Music Good?

With an album cover like that, who cares?

The Devo-lution Will Be Televised. On Youtube.

Devo has a new Youtube 'reality' series, and it is a lot of fun:

You're going to be seeing these guys a lot here lately, I have a feeling. And that's OK with me.
See them tonight on the Colbert Report, too.

Devo On Letterman

In case you missed it last night, here's Devo doing one from their new album Something For Everybody:

And yes, they do sound "fresh".

Now someone make sure they come to STL. Please?

Josh Ritter: The Curse

One of the better new releases this year has been Josh Ritter's new album, So Runs The World Away. And now he has a nice video to accompany it, for the song The Curse.

It's your typical mummy comes to life, falls in love with a pretty archeologist. But wait! Before you say "yeah, who hasn't written a song about THAT?", please note that the video is a gem performed all by puppets! And the video was created by Josh's drummer, Liam Hurly, who is also a puppeteer. It's a great, deceptively simple video:

You can read more about the creation of the video over at NPR, where they have a nice description from Liam.

Norah Jones Covers The Kinks At Bonnaroo

Well, this was a welcome surprise. I admit to liking the Kinks but never truly falling head over heels for them. This cover version sounds more like a lost piece of Americana, something from the Band's discography, rather than a track from an English rock act. Here's the song "Strangers", which was originally released on the album "Picture Book"

She sounds good, doesn't she? Here's the lyrics:

Where are you going I don't mind
I've killed my world and I've killed my time
So where do I go what do I see
I see many people coming after me
So where are you going to I don't mind
If I live too long I'm afraid I'll die
So I will follow you wherever you go
If your offered hand is still open to me
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one
So you've been where I've just come
From the land that brings losers on
So we will share this road we walk
And mind our mouths and beware our talk
'Till peace we find tell you what I'll do
All the things I own I will share with you
If I feel tomorrow like I feel today
We'll take what we want and give the rest away
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one
Holy man and holy priest
This love of life makes me weak at my knees
And when we get there make your play
'Cos soon I feel you're gonna carry us away
In a promised lie you made us believe
For many men there is so much grief
And my mind is proud but it aches with rage
And if I live too long I'm afraid I'll die
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one

Sage Francis: The Best Of Times

Li(f)e, by Sage Francis, is a very good release that came out a couple of weeks ago. Here's a key track from the album, The Best Of Times:

Sage Francis has a handful of dates in the States before heading off to Europe. The closest he has come to St. Louis was in May, when he came to the Blue Note in Columbia. It doesn't seem like we get many of the indie rappers here, which is a shame. I'd like to check out more of these types of shows:
Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre - 6/14/10
Austin, TX - Mohawk - 6/15/10
Houston, TX - House of Blues - 6/16/10
Orlando, FL - Club at Firestone - 6/18/10
Atlanta, GA - The Loft - 6/19/10
Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle - 6/21/10
Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel - 6/22/10
Baltimore, MD - The Ottobar - 6/23/10
Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero - 6/24/10
New York, NY - Webster Hall - 6/25/10
Rap oftern gets categorized as simple-minded. It is, and can be, so much more in the right hands. I think Sage is a perfect example of a person using the musical form to get across his ideas and personality. Here's the song Got Up This Morning. As a sidenote, the video also has Buck 65 as one of his card-playing buddies, and Jolie Holland sings the female parts.

Happy Creepy Friday

Trololo!

One For My Baby

Johnny Mercer was a classic songwriter. It's interesting to compare Fred Astaire to Dean Martin, the different takes on the song. Fred is surprisingly dark with his take, and Dean is, well, Dean. The guy ALWAYS looked like he was having fun. No breaking champagne glasses for him.

The Astaire clip has about 4 minutes of his film, superfluous for this comparison, but the best clip I could find.


I wasn't around when these songs, these versions, were released. But I still feel a pang, realizing that they are slowly slipping away. And by 'they' I mean all of these songs that were before our time. The obsession with 'what's next' at the expense of what came before is a crime.

New Video (Or Is It The Only Video?) From Don Bailey, Called American Inspiration

Here's a song that I helped shoot and edit the video for. Not bad I guess, considering it was shot on a Panasonic home video camera, with an American flag, a bunch of hats, and a work light.

From the description under the video:
"America, look how far we've come..."
A protest song wrapped up in a patriotic message from Don Bailey, AKA the band BOB from Millstadt, Illinois. Don wanted to comment on today's government shenanigans, but also remind us that things aren't that bad. The hats represent a wide survey of American workers affected by a constantly changing world.

BOB's been around for a while, and they play good honest music. I wonder if they've ever played Twangfest... Here you go: