Super Underwealming Jeremy Jay Video

Well, he's on K Records. And he sounds like a slightly moddish italo dancing queen.

Robert M. Wolf's Videos // Abe Vigoda // Masters and Johnson

This dude I know from the Redmond/all-ages Old Fire House scene named Robert has produced two crisp videos in the last few months. Both pieces have a violent, clean quality that uses a few too many jump cuts. The theme of nature is also quite prevalent. The first video is for a band called Masters and Johnson from Seattle. I just saw Masters play on Thursday and those dudes are on the top of their woodsy-ex-suburbs, post-grunge game. The song is about a dog.

masters & johnson--our dog. from robert m. wolfe on Vimeo.
The second video is for a band you may already know. Robert has lived with Abe Vigoda on and off in LA. "Hyacinth Grrls":

ABE VIGODA--hyacinth grrls from robert m. wolfe on Vimeo.

Best Single Of 2009?

Animal Collective "My Girls" from Chad von Nau on Vimeo.

Animal Collective are the new Coldplay.

checking in

So it's been a second, but I'm here in LA and quickly engrossing myself in the bevy of activity that this place has to offer. The first night in town, I went over to this weird, free DFA/Scion party that featured DJ sets from The Juan MacLean and T & T (Tim Goldsworthy and Tim Sweeny), in additional to a live set from the PNW's very own YACHT. The night started with a local DJ duo whose name I forget, who were good but a little heavy on the bangers for me. When the two Tims took the stage, however, I was as a giddy as a schoolboy. Beats in Space, Sweeny's weekly NYC radio show has long been a staple for those electronically inclined with a penchant for cosmic sounds. And, it didn't disappoint. Actually, it far exceeded whatever hopes I had upon entering. I will even go so far as to say it was the best DJ set I've ever witnessed and I dare anyone to sate my dancing feet in the same way. It was super refreshing to see a DJ who was so intwined with his music that he knew exactly how long he could draw out a song, play it so that the audience could actually get a feel for it, and still make things exciting. And the selection! Amazing. Bravo for being authentic, Mr. Sweeny. Unclear to me was exactly what Goldsworthy was up to during the set, as he did a lot of pacing and standing. I think he was altering sounds with a touchpad he had, but that's mere speculation. But whatever, the dude helped found the best record label (yes, I went there) out there, so anything he does is cool by me. YACHT took the stage to a backdrop of pulsating computer images and proceeded to exude that same spastic energy for the next forty-five minutes or so. Now a two-piece, YACHT have kept the epic dance moves and brought it some bigger production and funky-ass grooves. Their set affirmed the greatness that is their recent Summer Song EP and is sure to be their upcoming LP with the DFA. And while the Juan MacLean set sounded like it was off to a great start, I was pooped and took off. 

A few nights later, I headed to infamous Echo Park to see local heros Mika Miko. While the opening band was an embarrassment beyond belief, the girls (and now male drummer) were as raw and catchy as when I saw them this summer. I'm unsure if they played anything new, but I am sure that the gay boys love Mika Miko. As, of course, everyone else does.

Then it was to the Henry Fonda Music Box to see Johnny and the Moon, Beach House and the Walkmen. The side project of Wolf Parade bassist Dante DeCaro, Johnny and the Moon had a half Alt-country, half basic-but-not-basic-because-we're-Canadian rock thing going on that was very pleasurable to start the night. Next was Beach House, the band I was there to see. I've been obsessed with Devotion for a while now, and seeing them live was every bit as simultaneously beautiful and haunting as hearing the record in the solitude of one's room. Victoria and Alex were joined by a drummer, and all three filled out the sound very fully and even added some really interestingly little tweaks. Highlights included "Gila," "Used To Be," and "Wedding Bell." And then the Walkmen put on the best show I've seen by them, dedicating "The New Year" to recently sworn-in President Obama. It was a great night from start to finish, and lest we forget the odd patio/lounge/make out room were you could escape between sets and catch some fresh air. Oh! and I knew I was finally in LA when I realized the dude in the shorts and Dolphins' jacket ahead of me was the Cobrasnake. Nothing like realizing silly things like that are actually just goofy looking guys with a camera. 

Other than that, I've been listening to lots of Van Dyke Parks and The Pharcyde, eating all the Mexican food I can get my hands on, getting my bearings on the city and enjoying the sun. 

Phew, I'm sleeeeeepy. That' s all for the time being. Going to see High Places on Thursday, Animal Collective (!) on Friday and then the crazy marathon lineup of No Abe, Abe Vigoda, Mika Miko, Wavves and others at The Smell on Sunday. And I thought I was going to quit my coffee addiction...

Department Of Eagles

A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I were driving to a bar in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. It was a cold, damp winter night in the emerald city. Fog from the ship canal crept up hillsides and down arterials. The holidays were in full effect, and North Seattle seemed to be in a deep slumber. We were listening to a burned CD which happened to be the new Department of Eagles record, Welcome to Ear Park.

"It's just so bad," she said anxiously, smiling.

"What?" I asked. I thought it sounded pretty good.

"Well, it's just that they got a really high rating on Pitchfork. And I love this album. And I feel bad about it."

The problem with popularity and the problem with developed taste is that sometimes the right art feels wrong for inexplicable reasons. This album is fantastic and I don't think there is any reason to pay any heed to Pitchfork's rating, except that Pitchfork seems to represent a certain kind of success, which may or may-not signal the end of authentically unacknowledged talent. But fuck that authenticity shit. There is great, completely obscure, music everywhere.

The point is, that night in Ballard, against the backdrop of a gentrifying nexus for what was old Seattle, I discovered a wonderful band with wistful, ghostly aspirations to songs that speak to dark city streets, darker personal histories, seeing old friends, and passing time with the people you care about.

Department of Eagles are currently playing a sold-out US tour. Tickets are still available for San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle dates.

Apes and Androids Video Shoot

Last weekend I helped out with a That-Go music video project for a Brooklyn band called Apes and Androids. The band's two principal characters, Brian and David were absolute darlings in front of the camera, and very nice people over catered Vietnamese food and a little light conversation about the Wu-Tang Clan. Between shots we watched rap videos on YouTube and tried to recall the greatness of 90s MTV production.

The band has a fairly glamorous, danceable sound. Apparently the ingenuity of their live shows is overwhelming (3D glasses applied to digitally-enhanced Michael Jackson videos?!) but Brian expressed some concern later, at a bar, that the band might run out of creative energy for live performance. I hope it doesn't happen before I get to see them.

The new video for the single "Golden Prize" should be done in a month or so. Until then:

SSION

I saw this band on tour with CSS in the fall. I guess they are trying to be queer rock icons. It's probably working. Video proof:




From a blog they did on the Vice website:

"We sold all of our merch in DC due to rumors that I had AIDS. OK, so maybe I might have mentioned that in passing onstage, but it was a joke. A joke!

p.s. I think CSS is the best band in the world right now! Seriously! We've decided to join forces and start a supergroup called CSSSSION. Be on the lookout for our debut album, The Devil's Dildo.

CODY CRITCHELOE"

Adieu, Adieu!

8 fucking years. 8 fucking years since The Pharmacy evolved out of the Terrodactyls and the Eds on Vashon Island. 15, 16, 19 year old kids playing garage punk, then moving to wild noisy synth laden awesomeness. I first saw the Pharmacy on Vashon Island in 2005, at the Ober Park building. It was their first album release show, for "B.F.F." I didn't know much about punk music, but i was fucking thrashing along to that shit. A year and a half later, after buying the CD and sort of listening to it, i went to see the last show with Joey, a punk dude who helped shape the Pharmacy into its synthcore popularity, and generally, a chill guy who was getting uncomfortable with the rising fame of his band. The show was at this lady, Jean's house, who put on shows for local kids alot. Dashel Schueler opened, so did Occupied Nation, and like some band from California. It ruled, I had an amazing time. Like a crazy fun time at this show. Then i got obsessed. Living on Vashon, there wasn't much to be proud of, we had the Crux, a teen center type thing that put on shows, that i was too young to go to, and The Pharmacy, Branta, Secret Dance Band, The Terrordactyls, Dashel and others who were from, or had Vashon kids in them. I listened to the Pharmacy obsessively until the end of my sophomore year, when they started to dick me around personally, and I backed out. My band got the honor of playing the Pharmacy's last show as a Seattle band, and I was super super stoked. It was an honor to play with a band that had influenced me in such a big way. I liked all of the opening bands, (TacocaT, A Million Years Ago and The Raggedy Anns) but i was there to see the Pharmacy. After some technical difficulties (that never got resolved), they started with a classic, that hadnt been played in over a year, and my internet namesake "Fedex Planes." That song was and still is my favorite song. Its pure youth, anger and readiness to party all in one big synthy noisy mess. Their set was great, a dispersment of classics throught new songs and songs from the middle of their career as a band. No matter who they are, they are a good band, and will continue to be a good band as they start their new life in New Orleans, Louisiana. So i bid you adieu, Brendhan, Scotty and Stefan. I'll miss you guys alot.

New Year Off To Rocky Start

It seems that all our writers are missing in action, Chop Suey, the club a few of us work at got shot up, and I can't find time to listen to the new Animal Collective album that I (somewhat ashamedly) illegally downloaded. On top of this, it snowed again in Seattle, canceling a night on the town, and all my winter-quarter college classes are really challenging and serious. 2009: I will begin complaining about you as soon as possible.

But enough of this. If you too feel the new year's blues, download the PA Mixtape (below) and try to imagine the good moments of last year, projected in to a new, freshly terrifying, calendar year.