Shalitas bring their rock and roll dance party to BScene

Check out the video of our favorite soul girls, The Shalitas, shot right here in Brooklyn.



The busy girls and their band are playing Philly, Baltimore and DC, but will alo haunt their favorite Greenpoint club, Matchless, on March 6th. And then they are of to Switzerland, of all places: March 29th at Midnight The Shalitas play The Kuppel as the only American Band invited to the BScene Festival in Basel.

Animal Band Names Swarm SXSW

Taking the risk that you are not even going to see my raving Jam and Hugh Cornwell revue below, I have to post this email from Heather. Okay, the girl doesn't play soccer anymore, but that doesn't mean she's ain't funny no more. Underscoring her obsession for animals is the picture they put up for Heather and Jay's new band, Peng used to be this picture:



But here is Heather in her own words:

so, i have been kind of obsessed with animal band names for a while (rather...i'm obsessed with the fact that people keep naming their bands "bear/wolf/grizzly-something" and nobody seems to notice/is afraid to look silly by noting that there are 7 bands with that species of north american mammal in its name already. so for fun i looked at the list of south by southwest bands, which, no matter what you think of it, is some kind of cultural barometer, to see if there
were a slew of animal band names (or should i say, a "pride" or a "flock" or a "murder" of animal band names). and i was not disappointed! most prevalent were birds, especially pigeons, and tigers! so, by analyzing the syntax of some of these names, i have come up with some new ones that i will use for my next band. or you can, if you want, i do not have time for a new band right now.
so this is what i have:
(clever word play incorporating animal name): "PHANTOM LAMB"! "ROY OR BISON"
(funny combination of animal names/punctuation): "¿POODLE-POODLE-ELK?"
">>>>WHALE.PARROT<<<<"
( ): SHINY PLATYPUS! STARK RAVEN! DOUBLE-SPACED LEMUR

okay, here are the names of some animal-themed bands performing at
SXSW next month, weird, right?

Bear in Heaven (Brooklyn NY)
Bearsuit (Norwich UK)
Beasts and Superbeasts (Victoria BC)
Big Red Rooster (Dallas TX)
Biirdie (Glendale CA)
Birds Of Avalon (Raliegh NC)
Birds of Wales (Toronto ON)
Black Moth Super Rainbow (Pittsburgh PA)
Bowerbirds (Raleigh NC)
Buffalo Stance (Philadelphia PA)
Care Bears on Fire (Brooklyn NY)
The Chocolate Horse (Cincinnati OH)
Cobra Krames (Brooklyn NY)
Death Sentence: Panda! (San Francisco CA)
Deer Tick (Providence RI)
DJ Chicken George (Austin TX)
The Dodos (San Francisco CA)
Doveman (New York NY)
Dr. Dog (Philadelphia PA)
Eagle Seagull (Lincoln NE)
Faux Fox (Dallas TX)
Fleet Foxes (Seattle WA)
Frightened Rabbit (Glasgow UK)
Goat The Head (Trondheim NORWAY)
The Golden Dogs (Toronto ON)
The Goodbye Horses (Brisbane AUSTRALIA)
Gram Rabbit (Yucca Valley CA)
Grim Skunk (Montreal QC)
Guinea Worms (Columbus OH)
Horse + Donkey (Austin TX)
The Iguanas (New Orleans LA)
Lions (Austin TX)
The Lovely Sparrows (Austin TX)
Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds (Washington DC)
Mostly Bears (Tucson AZ)
Ocelot (Leeds UK)
The Octopus Project (Austin TX)
Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man (London UK)
Panda (Monterrey MEXICO)
Panther (Portland OR)
Papercranes (Gainesville FL)
Pata de Elefante (Porto Alegre BRAZIL)
Peter and the Wolf (Austin TX)
Pidgeon (San Francisco CA)
The Pigeon Detectives (Leeds UK)
Pigeon John (Los Angeles CA)
Pig Out (Buckinghamshire UK)
Plants and Animals (Montreal QC)
Pride Tiger (Vancouver BC)
Pterodactyl (Brooklyn NY)
Ravens & Chimes (New York NY)
Sea Wolf (Los Angeles CA)
Snowbyrd (San Antonio TX)
Spring Tigers (Athens GA)
Tigercity (Brooklyn NY)
Tiger Lou (Stockholm SWEDEN)
Tiger! Tiger! (Atlanta GA)
Tiny Animals (New York NY)
Vancougar (New Westminster BC)
Videohippos (Baltimore MD)
White Mice (Providence RI)
White Rabbits (Brooklyn NY)
Woodpigeon (Calgary AB)

From The Jam: A Dream Come True

Who needs Paul Weller - long live the Jam! Don't get me wrong: In my opinion, he is one of the most talented living songwriters and deserves every award the music world has to offer. It's just that this Saturday night, when a teenage dream came true and I heard the Jam live, heard "Eton Rifles," "Private Hell" or "In the Crowd," I did not miss him a second. Russell Hastings, who has to fill the big shoes, does a great job, staying close to how Paul sang the tunes in melody as well as in timbre. In great British understatement he doesn't try to be Paul, nor does he show too much ego and attitude. Hastings delivers a solid, honest job, and one can only hope that he is as gifted a songwriter as a singer/guitar player. Bruce Foxton, whom I had the honor to talk to after the show, says they have new material that he believes is as strong as the Jam's stuff. Rick Buckler says hello to D-J Stieger. The new man on second guitar and keyboards, Dave Moore, is the quiet man in the background, precise and precious. He is also ready to testify that I sang along every single song. "Saying find here enclosed one son, one medal, and a note to say he won." Take that, America. Who says songs grow old? People do, but some of them get better, also. And yeah, we sang "We Are the Mods," but tonight we were.

The Blender theater at Gramercy is, surprisingly - a stylish old cinema, reconverted into a live theatre, bit like The Palace in St.Gallen, but that tad bit grittier, British working class. There was Debbie Harry and a few people from VH1 from New York, but the rest - xcpt me an d. - was all british blokes, the sort you would wanna see the Jam with. Quentin was missing, Brett was there (kudos!). Ex-Strangler Hugh Cornwell warmed the audience up with some dirty Stranglers versions (more about his show see below). FTJ say, they will have a record out with new material by early 2009. First, the weather proof Brits go to enjoy Australian summer.

That guy from Blondie, Bruce Foxton, the bloke who sang 'we are the mods' with me' and Rick Buckler in New York.

Hugh Cornwell: "Why can't the Stranglers Say Something Nice about Me?"

Talking backstage after the show at the Blender on Staurday, Hugh Cornwell said he is no longer in contact with his old band members from the Stranglers. Though Cornwell as well as the remaining Stranglers still tour and play some of their old material, they have not performed together since 1990. No chance for reconciliation and a reunion? "I'm just waiting for them to finally say something nice about me, you know?" Hugh told me. "Why can't they ever say something positive about me?". In the meantime, Hugh is proud of his new band and his new found lust for rock.
Cornwell has always been a gutsy guy: He left the safe career of teaching for the rocky path of punk rock, flirted with global success and horrible funk, got out of the Stranglers and went solo. He still gets Toni Visconti to produce his album, but almost nobody to buy them. (They do have great moments, though. See a review of his newest CD, "Beyond Elysian Fields," on the right sideline of this blog).


What Cornwell, opening for "From the Jam" in New York did, was very courageous: As a trio, Cornwell, a girl on bass and a maniac drummer, they went through old Stranglers material as if Greenfield's keyboards weren't an integral part of the Stranglers, and showed that Cornwell's songs indeed easily stand the test of time. Hurrahs for Hanging Around, Down in the Sewer and Get A Grip. The tough man also stayed away from the sugary Stranglers stuff like Golden Brown and Always the Sun. Bravo.
Then again, asked, if he gave the new Stranglers LP "Suite XVI" a listen, Cornwell replied with a disinterested "No." He should, and maybe say something nice about it.

The Abundant Adventures of Jim Avignon

The tirelessly creative Jim Avignon is roaming the streets and clubs of NYC again, playing at the knitting factory old office this
saturday in his musical incarnation, Neoangin. All kind of weirdos will enter the stage, there will be dancers and Jim will decorate the entire place . His show will be around 10pm and next to his grand pop tunes he also announces the big welcome the year o the rat. Other performers: The Honeycomb Theatre Group, Adirana Stimola, Elizabeth Harper, Woodshellm and more. The venue will have strange people in costumes will be giving psychic insight, "an element of fire" plus much more we don't want to put on the blog just in case the feds are...oops.

The Snow In Your Living Room!

At long last, you can experience The Snow in your Living Room! Please join Hilary (one l no Clinton) and Pierre and their excellent band this Friday, February 8 at 9.30 pm to celebrate the release of their first CD, True Dirt. The CD is not yet available anywhere else so come get your copy hot off the press. The Poor Things will open, and Pierre recommends get there early! It's also the last snow show for a while - Hilary flies south until spring, we hope she'll be blogging again from there.

LucidCulture.com writes “Add the Snow to the shortlist of the half-dozen or so best bands in New York…” And if all of the album is as good as the song True Dirt, which we had the pleasure to pre-listen, then add the CD to your shortlist of things to buy. Pierre's going on tour soon, too, so seize the chance to see em and say adieu.

THE MONKS documentary screening in NYC -- one-time only -- Tuesday!

Hope y'all can come, it's free and it's one-time only. The timing is particularly poignant following so closely on the heels of Dave Day's death. Which I still haven't gotten over.

This is a very good film, even if he did cut me out of it. Grouse grouse. Wendy's in the film, still!

(Actually that's not entirely true. You see me onstage with them at Cavestomp '99 during the curtain call, for about a second and a half, with no explanation as to who the goofy-looking guy might be. But you'll know. Don't blink.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRESS RELEASE / U.S.A.
INVITATION TO THE SCREENING OF DOCUMENTARY FILM BY DIETMAR POST & LUCIA PALACIOS

the monks – the transatlantic feedback

http://www.playloud.org/themonks.html

NEW YORK GOETHE-INSTITUT
TUE JAN 29 AT 7 PM (no cover charge)
Goethe-Institut New York
1014 Fifth Avenue@83rd Street
New York, NY 10028
(212-439-8700)

http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/ney/deindex.htm

FILMMAKER DIETMAR POST WILL ATTEND THE SCREENING

Me too.

Seriously, it's free and you'll love the film even if you're not a Monks fan. Their backstory is just ridiculous.

R.I.P.

Almost A Rose Garden...

...in the middle of winter. Kerry Kennedy and her Ghost-Wise band treated us to a bunch of fine songs, mostly about love and again everybody was raving, from producer Quentin Jennings to cabaret star Paul Wallfisch, President De Gaillande, Lady Schmiani and all the nice folks who came to Rose on Grand Street in Williamsburg. We can't wait till Kerry sings her heart out at the studio - it's high time, girl! The band did not sound as grand on the tiny stage at Rose as at their first gig at Greenpoint's Europa, but this band comes together so nice and naturally, they already have their own unique sound. To which, of course, Mrs. Kennedy's tender songs and grandiose voice contributes. Tobimeister took the above photograph. He's got more. Then Anton Sword and his excellent band took the stage. He hasn't changed the lyrics yet, but that's okay - what else would I have to complain about?

Room Test New Songs Acoustic

Your favorite Roomies have been holed up for quite a while now, enjoying their rehearsals and exploring new musical fields. Tonight, at Bar on A (Avenue A and 11th Street in Manhattan) is by no means the comeback of the euro trash rockers, since les deux frenchies are absent, one covering the elections, the other busy opening his own shop! Bernd, Jan and Roman will hence play a stripped down, folked-up version of some of their new songs.

Union Hall of Fame, Williamsburg Hall of Music

Melomane Live At Union Hall

So they said it might sell out and, boy, it did. Beautifully convincing sets by both Melomane and Lucinda Black Bear on Friday night were proof that solid handmade live music will always have a special place in our souls. Pierre "rocked his heart out" and looked almost as presidential as Mitt Romney, if it werent for the mean moustache that makes him decidely European, where Melomane will be heading in March. Kenny is still the most entertaining drummer since Ringo to watch, and Quentin duelling Pierre on guitar makes up for all the lack of entertainment value a Melomane show had ca. '99, hiho. C. Gibbs meanwhile is heading towards Broadway, seriously, but no more (yet) about that - just put on "Capo My heart" and relax. Lucinda Black Bear is probably the best live folk pop band you get to see for under $10 in New York City.

Misson of Burma live at Willis Hall of Music
Saturday brought the return of Mission of Burma upon Heather's request, at the new Williamsburg Hall of Music... you still can tell it's the old North Six, but then again, it's not. MoB sounded pretty shitty in the beginning, messy mixing and that didnt seem planned or wanted. It got really good towards the end, and we like legends. All in all, too loud, but then again, we knew this years ago.

Eva Trash Here and Hares and Faster Blokes

Shrine! Making it worthwile on MySpace are the older generation, meanwhile. Go check out Magazine, XTC, Captain Sensible, Martin Bramah and the Blue Orchids, the Nightingales, Fabulous Poodles and what have you. We guarantee you a pleasant nostalgic trip down the audio memory lane.

Newly found on the gloabl shrine thousand times the size of the Alexandrian library that MySpace is, are now the eastern Swiss blokes from Here Hare Here, thanx to Rafka, drummer extraordinaire in said quartet. In surprisingly clear sound you can hear the Hares brash hectic energy (including wildly distuned guitars) live at one of their last shows at Grabenhalle in St. Gallen in March 1990 - 18 years ago - here. And the other hare is here. You be the judge, but time's on the Hare's side. Also, check out Rafkas new project Eva Trash with fellow music space travellers Carlo and Tombo.

Anton Sword and the New Word

Ladies and Gentlemen, the new word is MEAN. Who's gonna read you if you don't attack them, right? Who wants to hear about another nice concert of another really good band? Either you find spectacular vocabular to describe how the music hit you, or you go brutally honest. T'least that's what they're telling me in front of Club Midway last Tuesday, where JoeMcGinty welcomed the audience with a bittersweet "Thanks for coming to the real Lower East side, we know you could have had such a nice time in the virtual LES...." So, goodbye to all the nice jingle jangle, lets dish out the dirt. Right. Go. Anton Sword has some really, really bad lyrics. He should listen to Dylan, Cash, Cave, Waits and the likes. He is a romantic beyond help, plucking his inspiration from that horrible phase of literature when they wrote love poems for flowers and had sex on a meadow, ifunowhaddamean. So Keates and Yates are on your side, but Wilde and Weller are on mine. The band is great though, mighty guitars from Kristofer and driving cello lines from Jessica, pleasant harmonies from Joanna. There's even one or two hits in there, ifuaskme, especially "The instrument, your friend" which Anton is making into a video. Come see him and the band at Rose in Williamsburg on January 23rd. Ask him about the bad lyrics and whether his words are important. Opening up will be Kerry Kennedy with her new great band, an spectacle we still dont get to see often enough. Her words are important.

Roman Game And The Playstation

Ah, the Swiss quality of life. We were welcomed at the Palace in St. Gallen, the new best club of Switzerland, as such celebrities as Kurt Wagner from Lambchop to Dean and Britta will confirm. I had the pleasure to play with the powerduo of my cousins Dani and Fredy Stieger and the two amazing guitar artistes Peter Lutz and Marius Tschirky, with the magic hands of Silvan Lassauer on the knobs and faders, mixing up a beautiful, strong sound. One of the nices concert experiences for me in years. We'd witnessed Jeffrey Lewis there before Christmas and he lectured the large crowd on the history of Punk Rock in a most entertaining manner. DJ Stanley picked up on the good vibe and brought even old St. Gallen wood to dance. Sophie Hunger sold out the place and was very convincing. We were hired to play as the show band for a quiz called "Wosch Züri". Sam won the quiz and desrves it. A week later we played at Mariaberg in Rorschach, where this picture was taken and a whole lotta people from the early days at the lake of Constance turned up - it was nice to see so many of you, you're looking good, folks.

Season's Break!

Guys and girls and dear readers (I know you're out there!), forgive me, but I'm taking a break over the holidays over there in the Swiss alps, snowboarding in Winter Wonderland, taking long walks in the freezing cold and the deafening silence, reflecting on a busy 2007 and purging my ears and soul from the dirty rock and rolling rack, so that I'll be all fresh and open for the new year. What do I want for Christmas? More comments and input from you guys (hey, you can do it anonymously!) and a new Rickenbacker guitar. There's Room to come, ladies and gentlemen. In the meantime, listen to the Sad Little Stars, they are worth the while! Happy Holidays!

Beatles, Balkans and Other Stars and Jams

Ah, shucks, now the Paul McCartney tribute show at Joes Pub is sold out - no place for us tonite at the Loser's Lounge! Was looking forward to see and hear Joe, Mike and Julian as Paulies. I'll leave you with the very original flyer they came up with for this show and welcome comments by anybody who saw the gig!



The Jam are coming to town, at least as close as it can get to the real thing: Bass player Bruce Foxton and Drummer Rick Buckler teamed up with two mates who replace Weller, and judging from stuff on MySpace, they sound pretty convincing. Now, Blender had the good sense to bring em to the States! I got my tickets for their show at Blender Gramercy on February 9th already. So dont tell me I didnt tell you to get yours early, there's more than enough loyal Brits in this city to sell this show out quickly!



Last week, Import-Export came to town with their crazy Balkan gypsy beats and made the night to day. I guess they say Switzerland is too rich of options for real full-blooded musicians, but these guys have pure rhythm flowing through their veins. Their love for playing is infectious and got crowds in Brooklyn, Manhattan and even Staten Islands dancing and up late. Before we checked them out at NuBlu, we paid visit to the ever amazing Sad Little Stars, who played a short, highly energetic set at the Annex. I will put a song from their new excellent record on the blog soon. Moreover, Room will play their first comeback show with the Stars will in late February - we'll keep you posted!