August 4, 2008

Chicago

I think it is safe to say, Chicago has become the musical capital of our country. Two major Summer music festivals (Pitchfork and Lollapalooza), the poster boys for American indie rock (Wilco), and the producer of all things indie, Steve Albini. Add to this numerous second tier bands (Smashing Pumpkins, Tortoise), the whole “return of dance” to Chicago (Kid Sister, Flosstradamus), and the alumni — Ray Charles, Mavis Staples and even Richard Marx was from Chicago? This city is on top of the world.

We could argue that New York, LA or San Francisco are better suited, or that Austin, Seattle or Portland have more fertile scenes, but the bottom line is, Chicago has snuck up on all of us. There wasn’t any hype, there wasn’t any warning. It just happened one day. This just occurred to me while I was sitting at my computer. And I felt like I needed to share. Go ahead, think about it. You know I’m right.

August 1, 2008

American Top 40

I am who I am, in large part to Casey Kasem. The Saturday morning staple (it played from 9am to 1pm in RI) remains the most endearing memory from my childhood. The theme music, the Long Distance Dedications, they were all classics. Apparently Ryan Seacrest does the show now, but the 80’s was when I was really listening. Minus a few years by the miserable Shadoe Stevens, this was Casey’s show. My love of music really came form the songs he played, and the countdown itself. I distinctly remember holding my breath to see where Survivor’s “The Search is Over” would land on the countdown.

Times have changed. While it is great to hear Casey’s classic shows repeated on XM Radio, I have always thought it would be great to reproduce the concept of the American Top 40, using modern music. And no, not Top 40, but indie rock, electronica, the stuff anyone who reads BigYawn would actually be interested in. And it seems to me that CMJ is the right chart to look at for content.

I’ve thought about this for a long time. Putting a podcast together, starting an internet radio station, there are so many ideas out there that could actually make this happen, I honestly don’t know where to begin. But I want to. At a point where i search for my motivation to keep writing BigYawn — have you seen some of these posts? — I feel like i need to reach back and find what inspired me to listen and learn to love music in the first place. While I likely cannot replicate the sound of my Dad’s lawn-mower and the fresh smell of cut grass, I can try to replicate my old Saturday morning experiences in some way. So, over the next few months, look to see something here. Something that perhaps takes you back to your youth, and possibly, back to Casey Kasem

July 30, 2008

Release Dates

If I may be so bold as to bitch for two consecutive days in a row. Today’s topic: the Release date cycle.

My question for you, dear reader, is how some week’s release schedule tops out with Takka Takka, while the next hits us with the Faint, Conor Oberst, Oxford Collapse, Oneida and Apollo Sunshine? This trend seems to have an every other week rhythm to it as well. Small release schedule one week, over-whelming the next. With a ton of labels making release calendars all year long, I find it hard to believe they all actually look to avoid “down weeks.”

“So, this new Faint album, when’s the planned release on this one, it is the first album of theirs in four years?”
“Damn, well Takka Takka is the only thing coming out on the 29th.”
“But isn’t that an off week?”
“Oh yeah, let’s kick it back a week. There’s a lot coming out the following week. It will get lost in the crowd, but it is better than coming out on a “down” week.”

Yeah, I just don’t get it. And why is it so hard to find a comprehensive release list? It takes me 5 different sites to feel confident I haven’t missed much. Perhaps some day in the future, I will solve the riddle of the release calendar. Until then, Tuesdays will continue to be a big mess.

July 29, 2008

Corn Dog Anyone?

So, I have to admit it, I don’t get it anymore. I don’t think it is the inclement weather, the people, the out of the way locations, the awkward potential of camping, or the lack of a discerning theme among the events/artists. Ok, maybe it is the people. Regardless, my romanticism of music festivals has passed. Not to say I’d never go to one again, but it seems unlikely. The closest I came was the original Field Day, planned for Summer of ‘03 on Long Island, where apparently no one bothered to tell the locals about this whole festival thing that was happening in the their back yard. Before that you have to go back almost 10 year, to Woodstock ‘99, which I did attend. Maybe that’s why I don’t really get into music festivals anymore.

I have been to two Siren Festivals in Coney Island over the past few years, but that is less about the music and more about the experience. I can’t say I really even saw all that much music. It is a bit claustrophobic. When you are jammed in between a stage, a tall fence and a rickety old roller coaster, there really isn’t any place to go when the shit goes down, should it go down somewhere other than those nasty-ass Don’s Johns.

The more I write the more I understand my feelings and why I have them. Which brings us to the Virgin Mobile Festival, held at Pimlico race track, located somewhere uncomfortably close to Baltimore. Or maybe not all that close. Either way, tickets are $175 for both days of the event. Did I mention Siren was free? Other than the risk to your well being of course. Yeah, seems like a lot of money to get a George Hamilton tan and catch Citizen Cope and Jack Johnson. Of course, the lineup does contain some interesting, and some downright great bands. But to battle crazy people, crazy food/drink prices and need I mention the audience previously located in the mosh pit at the HFStival, just to catch Bloc Party, Dylan, Underworld and some DJs (in the middle of the day)? At 32, I just can’t see it.

So, to those of you who can, grope some topless girl’s boobs for me. I guess.

July 28, 2008

We’re Bored

Some days are slow, so occasionally I’ll try to provide you with some interesting previews, notes and most importantly, music. In no apparent order of course.

- betterPropaganda did a spotlight on a favorite label of our, Morr Music. Here is a the spotlight and a sampler they put together Morr Music sampler (via betterPropaganda)

- We reviewed CSS‘ new album, Donkey, last week. Here is CSS - Rat is Dead(Rage)
- Sub Pop is also previewing new tracks from Oxford Collapse and Death Vessel.
Oxford Collapse - The Birthday Wars
Death Vessel - Bruno’s Torso

-Our good friends Bellflur are playing a show this week at the RnR Hotel. Thursday the 31st to be exact. Consider this your call to action.

July 24, 2008

Lolcats and reviews do NOT Mix

Have you seen this? This is exactly why Pitchfork sucks. I had a whole rant on this subject, but the new version of Wordpress ate it. So draw your own conclusions.

July 22, 2008

Vikings and Hot Dogs, a Tale of Conquered Iceland

Every year I find myself contemplating heading to Iceland for the annual Iceland Airwaves festival, and every year it just doesn’t quite seem affordable. At some point this has to give. If you’ve ever been to Iceland — and I have — it is hard not to appreciate the amazing nightlife in Reykjavik. Couple this already amazing nightlife with a couple hundred bands of all shapes and sizes, and truly, there is little that could compare. And, instead of being forced to deal with the heat, sun and rain that seems to plague so many music festivals around the world, you are basically in 15+ hours of darkness. Having never been, I’m sure there are some negatives. Is it possible that some of the venues might be crowded? Sure, I guess. Can the extended darkness actually be a bad thing? I suppose it could get gloomy, sure. Could the country run out of Icelandic hot dogs and Viking beer? No, it couldn’t, so problem solved, the Iceland Airwaves Festival is the greatest place on Earth just like I thought.

The truth is, it isn’t cheap. But unfortunately no place overseas really is, so pick your poison. Iceland is only 5 to 6 hours away from the east coast of the US, so traveling there isn’t bad. And there can’t be that many people in the city to make it seem crowded, there just can’t. This year’s festival takes place October 15th - the 19th, in downtown Reykjavik of course. Bands confirmed so far include Junior Boys, Simian Mobile Disco, GusGus, Crystal Castles, Final Fantasy, Handsome Furs, Dirty Projectors, These New Puritans and many others to still be announced. It is apparently an amazing place to see and learn about the amazing Icelandic music scene, as lots of local artists take part.

I may or may not make the festival this year (or ever) but it does truly seem like one of the coolest things to happen in one of the greatest cities on Earth. Have I convinced you yet?

July 22, 2008

Doing it for the Kids

With prices for Terabyte drives dropping through the floor it’s really not all the hard to find some cheap space to hold an entire music collection. I’m not talking about the 600 to 700 hundred CD’s you put together since high school, though that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Let’s think big here. I’m talking 25,000 albums; a virtual top to bottom of anything worth listening to; the Ultimate Discography.

Sounds frightening, and we all know no project like this would ever be complete. And what happens when the hard drive crashes? Well, you need to have a back-up with this sort of thing, which is something I’ll worry around 500 GBs or so. I could be making a bad decision here, but I feel like what better gift to give my unborn kids than the perfect music collection? The problem is, it’s not easy bringing together so many different genres. And I’m really trying not to miss out on the important artists and albums. So, even putting together all the A’s is a tricky task. But, I’ve got a solid working list, and as I pull them all together the B’s are starting to take shape.

My plan is to pass along updates on how it’s going on the weekends. So look for the occasional weekend post a couple times a month. I’m not confident this is a sane project, but it is worth trying, that’s for sure. So, from ABBA to Azure Ray, I’m looking forward to hearing how it all goes. Feel free to send any suggestions on artists to consider.

July 21, 2008

No Advance Tickets

I won’t fault you for not knowing who Anthony Bourdain is, but if you don’t, you’re missing out on one of the best personalities in the ever-expanding foodie culture, where chefs are now celebrities and food porn can be seen on a number of cable stations at any given moment. No, this post isn’t about food, but it is sorta about Bourdain, who is as we speak roaming the streets of DC to find some culinary adventures for his Travel Channel show, No Reservations. Bourdain is a bit of a music head, but the former chef focuses on the food. But, what if his focus was on the music? DC would likely move up from 5th or 6th season status (they hit Cleveland before us) to a 2nd season episode at worst. NYC, LA, Athens, GA, Austin, Seattle, London, Manchester, maybe a couple others ahead of us. But, where on his musical odyssey of DC would he visit?

It seems likely he would start at one of two places: Bohemian Caverns or Blues Alley. Bourdain tends to visit a place’s roots first; an open-air market, the crazy Asian food courts, someplace similar. Blues and Jazz seem to be the likely starting points. Maybe he would go left field and start at HR57. That would be more Bourdain’s style; the hole in the wall. After the commercial break he would hit Dischord House, with the prerequisite interview with Ian Mackaye. They’d talk about all the old punk bands, maybe Anthony would get to meet Guy Picciotto or even Jenny Toomey. If he were filming during the Summer they’d hit a Ft. Reno show for sure. Around the half way point he’d walk by the spot of the old 9:30 Club and then hit the current location. Seth Hurwitz would give him a tour and talk about all the old bands that have come through. This would lead to the penultimate part of the show, which would be Chuck Brown at the 9:30 Club. After the show, Chuck would take Tony to some hole in the wall go-go club whose name I’m not old-school enough to know. There Bourdain would rub asses with all sorts of young ladies, and avoid getting stabbed.

The show would end where it began, with Bourdain having the balls to jump up on stage and take a couple of jams on the skins at HR57. This would serve as an homage to DC is so many ways. After the show, Bourdain would comment that his only regret was not hanging out with Marion Barry during his stay. This would be followed by a fade out of Tony walking past the Black Cat while a Thievery Corporation remix played in the background. The only lyrics being “The bitch set me up, the bitch set me up.”

July 18, 2008

Where is my U-Pop?

As you can likely tell by my many references, I have XM radio. It sits in my car, and get’s listened to pretty much anytime I’m driving. I prefer the randomness of radio, yet hate the shittiness of terrestrial radio, so, XM works. Yeah, it can get a little bland too, but at least I got options.

So, from time to time XM will occasionally change a station temporarily. This often happens around the winter holidays when a number of channels become Christmas or, even Hanukkah music. As much as I hate it when The Heart goes away, I understand. Recently they have taken to giving a station entirely over to a band. Led Zepplin is the one example that comes to mind, but I believe there have been others. Well, the latest band to take over a station is none other than Coldplay. Now, Coldplay has a total of four albums to their credit since 2000. Led Zep? Yeah, their first four album all came out within a span of 2 years. Looking at the comparisons one can tell — wait, I’m not going to look at the comparisons, Led Zepplin is one of the legendary rock bands of all time. And Coldplay is, well, Coldplay. Hey, I like “The Scientist” as much as the next sensitive guy, but to devote an entire channel to simply playing four Coldplay albums supposedly intermixed with rare live tracks seems like a bit much no matter how much Atlantic Records spends. Hell I can name four Coldplay songs played daily on top 40 radio right now, why do we need a whole station?

On top of this tragedy of sound, the station Coldplay temporarily replaced was U-Pop. Where am I going to get my Girls Aloud, or my Mika, or my Sam the Sheep? Or in all seriousness, my Utah Saints? “Something Good ‘08″ is great!!

July 17, 2008

The Only Blog Post Ever to Reference Katy Perry and Sparks

I have to admit, when I first saw Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” fly across my XM dial I moved on, thinking it was a cover of Jill Sobule’s song of the same name from the mid-90’s. It was only while walking the streets of Berkley, CA and hearing a pack of girls on some balcony drunkenly singing along did I figure out I was wrong. The 23 year old Perry apparently wrote this song herself, and it is kind of catchy, but the numerous dance remixes out there seem to do it more justice. She gets compared to Lily Allen but I just don’t buy it. When American girls sing about boyfriends and bad dates it just sounds cheap and over-produced. Honestly that description fits this song. But yet, maybe it is the guy in me, or maybe it is because this version is much better than the Sobule song, I still listen to it when it comes on the radio. Though I do feel badly about it.

If you spend too much time listening to the pop of the Katy Perry’s of the world, you likely missed (or didn’t care about) the recent release from Sparks. Exotic Creatures from the Deep is a good, if not stellar album from the brothers Mael. But the real interesting news out of the Sparks camp was the 21 day spectacular that took place in London a month or so ago. Sparks played each of their twenty albums in chronological order, one each night, and then debuted their new album on the 21st. There has been a rash of shows lately where bands play an entire album. But their entire discography? Unheard of. Pearl Jam tried to play their entire catalog a number of years ago over the course of three nights at Great Woods in Massachusetts, but the nights were spread out throughout the summer. And to be honest, I’m not even sure they did it. But twenty albums? That’s good stuff. If I were a diehard fan of Sparks, that seems too good an opportunity to miss. Good for them. With over 30 years in the business it is nice to see a band continuing to do something different.

July 16, 2008

One Fort Reno Please, Hold the Arsenic

Have you glanced over the Ft. Reno schedule for this year? Well, you should have since the annual Summer long concert series is hitting it’s mid-season stride. But the point I’m trying to make here, is that the almost wiped out schedule — thanks to all those damn buried WWII bombs — is full of the not-so-usual suspects. If you’ve not been paying attention you’ve already missed sets by the Black and White Jacksons, True Womanhood, Perfect Souvenir and Zulu Pearls, all of whom have Myspace pages started in 2006 or later.

Add that to the upcoming shows with the Ex-Motorcycle Couriers, Kid Congo Powers and *gosh* dare we say it, even a headlining slot from Exit Clov (on their fifth try) and you’ve got a very diverse line-up. If we were any less lazy than we actually are, we’d go back a couple years and dig out all our posts about the Ft. Reno schedules. You’d see a lot of the same complaints, year after year, about the band line-ups. I’m happy to say it seems like someone was listening to us. Or, more realistically, too many bands have broken up or are out of town this year. Either way, we’re excited to see so many new names.

We’d like to highlight one such unsung band from this coming Thursday’s show. Playing alongside the Apes and Police and Thieves is We Were Pirates, the largely one man outfit from Mike Boggs. We Were Pirates indie pop is extremely catchy, and reminiscent of the Death Cab for Cutie, Mates of State school of pop, and that’s a good thing. They sound nothing like the Apes, but no one said two very different musical styles can’t work together. We Were Pirates are playing first, so be sure to show up early.

We’d normally give you some mp3s here, but in lieu of that please check out We Were Pirates myspace page.

July 15, 2008

The Return of Reviews

As you can see to the right, we’ve actually got some real reviews posted. No offense to Justin Jones, but the fact that he was sitting on the front page of BigYawn for so long may have been the saddest part of our near death experience. We are extremely excited to actually be posting timely content again.

As you can see, both Ratatat and Albert Hammond Jr.’s CDs came out last week, but since this week is such a slow release week — minus the new Hold Steady — well, you get it already. Moving forward in the future, our goal is to have 3 to 5 new releases reviewed for that week’s release schedule. We’re getting there, these are only our first reviews in nearly a year. It could be worse.

This week is really meant to clean out the cob-webs, shake the tree, drain the weasel, whatever. We just need to get it all out of our system, it has been way too long.

July 14, 2008

A Bastille Day Revolution!!

So… Hi there, how you doing? If you are still checking this site, you are one of only a very, very sad group of people. We’ve been on what really works out to be a year and a half hiatus, minus the occasional drib and drab now and again. The reasons why really don’t matter, just been a whole lot going on. Kinda just ended up tired of trying to be something bigger than we really needed to be. So, when the going got tough, we stopped writing about music.

Man, what a mistake. The whole thing, the concept, the big staff of writers, the crazy festivals, who were we kidding? But worst of all, was walking away. While we were gone, the DC musical landscape has changed some. Lots of bands have come and gone, and we need some time to figure out who is who. And good lord, Brightest Young Things have taken over the music blogging scene in DC. Though, they sure do write a lot about things that have nothing to do with music. Whatever happened to just writing about the music? Less filler, less cool looking graphics, just music?

If anything really hit us while we were off doing anything but BigYawn, it was that no one was really documenting the music, no one was really sticking to their non-hipster guns and really just saying, hey, check this band out, go see this show, etc. We like to interview our heroes and get free tickets to shows too, but we just kind of want to simply and eloquently write about one thing… the music we like.

So, I decided to bring BigYawn back. What can you expect? Not sure entirely myself, but whatever it is will only come from a handful of writers. BigYawn was my idea, because i wanted an outlet to talk about music. I got so far away from this concept that I forgot what I actually liked to listen to. So, BY goes back to basics. Sure, there will still be a couple of reviews a week, but this whole thing started with a post a day, and it seems logical to go back to that strategy. Hopefully, some people come back and start reading BY again. Maybe we’ll get some new people eventually too. But the goal here is to reach back and figure out what was great about music. We’ve lost that — I’ve lost that — and I’d like to see if I can get it all back. Here’s to another go round and to finding some oxygen for this very musically starved soul.

January 23, 2008

Top Songs of 2007

It is belated, but we’re at least happy we finished this before January ended. It’s time once again for our personal favorite Songs of 2007. After compiling all the accompanying videos for you to watch, our heads are now filled with questionable fan television tributes, meg white lookalikes, girl-on-girl make-out parties, broadway choreography, oscar nominations, teen pop idols, multiple DAM!Fest alums, trampolines, and pipe organs. You know, in a good way.

January 22, 2008

Late Nights with EB

I almost missed the announcement of the Coachella line-up today. I suppose this is a big enough event that they really don’t need to pay too much attention to the timing of their press releases, but for us amateurs out there who weren’t pulling our 9 to 5’s today, this is clearly something that could have gone overlooked. The unfortunate thing is, I’m not really sure what I would have missed.

There was a time when Coachella was a heaven on Earth, especially to an East coast music lover. We are finally starting to get a few non-hippie festivals on this side of the continent but that never really took away from the awe of this magical place in the desert. No, the awe went away when Jack Johnson was announced as a headliner for Friday night in the desert. I can almost buy Roger Waters recreating Dark Side of the Moon on Sunday, almost buy it. But Jack Johnson tips the scales here. This is all a great shame, as I will be on the West coast as Coachella starts, and it was seriously something I thought about. Though, Saturday night is a classic Coachella night; A reunited Portishead, Kraftwerk, Death Cab for Cutie, Sasha and Digweed, this is a line-up I could get behind. Obviously, a look through all three days will uncover a plethora of artists that draw your interest, but the vibe on Friday and Sunday is decidedly disappointing. And this is including the reunited Verve and Love and Rockets, the sort of back together Madness and the Breeders, and the usual festival favorites: My Morning Jacket, Justice, the Raconteurs etc.

Does all of this mean I will not go? The jury is still out due to my geographical opportunity, you never know when you’ll get another chance as timely. But the $90 day passes are certainly looking a lot more practical right now. The happy news coming out of Coachella’s press release today, was the official announcement that the All Points West Festival — a Coachella East if you will — will be happening August 8, 9, and 10th, just outside of NYC. The irony of these dates, is that they are also the planned dates for this year’s Virgin Festival and the rumored festival taking place in southern Jersey. How this all shakes out, i just don’t know. As a fan, and an avid concert-goer, I’m just hoping they don’t fuck it all up.

January 18, 2008

Exit Clov — “MK Ultra” Video

Full disclosure, BY used to be very involved in the lives of Exit Clov. Not so much anymore, but it looks like we’re still on the mailing list. Score!

I felt the need to point out this video for a couple reasons: Because very few DC bands make legit videos not on a label’s dime — I’m looking at you Georgie James – and because that Toxic Avenger hi-five at the end made me laugh. “MK Ultra” is a Clov song that has been around for a long time, but it is still quite catchy. Exit Clov are in the mixing stages of a new album, of which I know very little about, but having heard a few songs meant for the album, I am excited to hear about what they do with their debut LP (finally!).

January 17, 2008

Nocturnal Releases

Early January does not offer much in the way of fabulous new releases, but hope is on the horizon. Looking at the releases from the last two weeks, very little sounds terribly memorable, at least not in a good way. Marah’s Angels of Destruction is an alt-country album that goes absolutely no place. They have earned enough of a following to headline at the 9:30 Club next week, but this show cannot possibly be based on the strength of this album. Another bland release from last week is Sia’s Some People Have Real Problems. BY hasn’t been a big fan of Sia since her days as a Zero 7 vocalist, and it doesn’t really matter what commercial or TV show her music appeared in, it hasn’t helped. The title is ironic, as this is a troubled album of pure hook-less pop. Oh, she’s also at the 9:30 Club next week. Odd coincidence, no?

This week’s releases were also lite, but Distortion by Magnetic Fields at least reminds me I still have a pulse. Watch for our review of that soon. Rings also came out with Black Habit. I did not know much about these girls, but apparently the current Mrs. Panda Bear Kria Brekken, herself late of Mum, turned the producer knobs on this one. And Avey Tare’s sister is on board as well. All of the nepotism aside, this is very lock and step for a Paw Tracks release.

It is basic and harmonically dense, yet can certainly be pretty at times. Par for the course, as they say. Or Paw for the course, in this case…

Thankfully next week brings a slew of new releases, including CDs from Black Mountain, Blood on the Wall, Cat Power and others. We’ll try to point out some new releases each week, and will continue to throw up reviews as well. Welcome to your 2008 BigYawn.

Rings - “Is He Handsome?”

Rings - “Scape Aside”

Rings - “All Right Peace”

January 16, 2008

Late Nights with EB — Live Music Edition

Just got back from the Editors show at 9:30 Club. While not as great as their show last year at the club, they still played quite well, and got the crowd pretty enthused, epecially for a Tuesday night.

As you recently saw, we thought An End Has a Start was one of the best albums of 2007, and I had it in my personal top 10. But a lot of people did not agree, and that I just don’t get. Looking at where the Editors stand within the current UK field of music, they are less homogenized than Snow Patrol, less generic than both the Kaiser Chiefs and the Futureheads, far more memorable than the Arctic Monkeys, and way less “dance” than the Klaxons. All of these good things. This doesn’t address the repetitively bland “The” bands that over-populate the likes of NME, nor does it address bands such as Radiohead or others who exist on a separate plane of existence. Perhaps in the eyes of some, this all means Editors hit right smack dab in the middle and suffer from mediocrity. I beg to differ.

An End Has a Start is a large step forward from their debut, The Back Room — itself a gold record in the UK. Hardly a bad song on the whole album, Editors moves away from their previous comparisons to Interpol by avoiding bass-heavy riffs, and moving the vocal stylings of Tom Smith away from the monotone vocals of Daniel Kessler. The band has taken everything that made “Munich” such a great single, including the increased focus on guitar riffs, and flipped it into this album.

In some ways this is old news, oh so very 2007. But January is such a slow month in terms of music, that sometimes we can’t help but think back, since we’ve got the time. Seeing the Editors one more time — and likely the last for the next two years — left me shaking my head in disbelief, wondering why so many critics outside the UK just don’t see it. Listen for yourself:

Editors - “When Anger Shows”

Editors - “An End Has a Start”

January 14, 2008

Big Yawn’s Top 50 of 2007

It might be 14 days into the New Year, but our Top 50 is a bit of a tradition around here, even if it is a little late. Besides, we needed to kick off our return to posting with something memorable. And a review of the terrible new Marah album simply wouldn’t cut it. So, take a long look back at the music burning up BY’s turntables, CD players, cassette decks, mp3 players and 8-Tracks in 2007.

November 19, 2007

Riding Shotgun :: the Blakes

Megan, Megan, Megan. She does like those bands with bad boy tendencies. In the Riding Shotgun spotlight this week are the Blakes, Seattle’s latest, finest export.

November 1, 2007

Riding Shotgun :: Nada Surf

Longevity. It is a goal to which a good many strive, and only a handful achieve. Nada Surf have been blessed with such longevity, which is fortunate for all since they are pretty much the bee’s knees. For those of you who have ever wondered what the Nada Surf tourbus smells like, or what they’d be if they weren’t part of a ridiculously good band, it’s your lucky day. Megan asked the questions, and can officially report that drummer Ira Elliot gives good interview. Read on.

September 30, 2007

DAM!Fest 07

So we know to all appearances, we’ve abandoned BigYawn. Not true.

What’s happened, we’ve been unreasonably busy planning an adjunct project, the 2nd Annual District’s Awake! Music Festival, October 11 - 15. Currently scheduled to appear: Cat Power, stellastarr*, iLiKETRAiNS, Dirty on Purpose, Slaraffenland, Pela, A Place to Bury Strangers, So Many Dynamos, The Big Sleep, The Teeth, Via Audio, Foreign Islands, Casper & The Cookies, Hallelujah The Hills, Spouse, Exit Clov, Craig Wedren, The Silent Years, Metropolitan, Time of Orchids, The Subjects, These United States, Sanawon, Greenland, Southeast Engine, Dragons of Zynth, Kris Racer, The Beanstalk Library, Drunken Sufis, and probably still more to be announced.

Also this year, we’ve put together a Rock’n’Roll Lottery, in which local DC musicians will be mixed and matched through a random drawing. Each “superband” will have a limited amount of time to craft a few original songs to be performed at the end of the festival. And for $35, you can buy a weekend pass to all the shows, including Cat Power at the 9:30 Club (if you get there early enough).

If you’re a DC-area reader, we hope you can attend.

September 3, 2007

Heima

As far as we can tell, Sigur Ros’s new concert film has no plans to be released theatrically, but the trailer is so beautiful, we would be really tempted to pay $10 to see it with fellow fans somewhere on a huge screen in digital 5.1 surround sound. In fact, we won’t even post the handy youtube version here, you need to go to the source to see it in its hi-def glory. The DVD will be released November 6th.

August 23, 2007

Riding Shotgun with These United States

You might have noticed a plethora of Brit bands floating around this column lately. But fear not, lovers of local music. Megan has once more dipped into the reserves of the DC music scene. This week’s victims are These United States. They’re the kind of band to give you warm fuzzies…unless you’re a certain venue in Seattle. Or the state of Maine. And they play Friday, August 24th at the Rock’n'Roll Hotel.

Oh, and also at this little party we’re putting together.

© 2007 BigYawn, all rights reserved