Thursday, August 14, 2003

Attention Birthday Shoppers! Aug. 17 is almost here, but thanks to the miracle of overnight shipping you can still make it! Check out my Amazon Wish List if you are in a present buying mood.

Say perchance you already got bought something for me on my wish list and had it sent to the default shipping address. I just double checked it-- and it was a wrong address. I have corrected it now. The previous address was my old workplace-- the stuff should just get shipped back to Amazon who will then contact you and ask you where to send it. Or maybe you can make a pre-emptive strike and let 'em know what happened. Who knows.

And speaking of my birthday-- I won't be updating this blog again until Monday 'cause I'll be too busy celebrating. Doing what exactly, I don't know. My darling wife will tell me when the time is right. Or so she says.

• The Stooges come home: New appreciation, loyal fans and a phone call from Iggy Pop got them back together
  Very nice overview in the Detroit Free Press about how the Iggy Pop & The Stooges reunion came about and is chugging along quite nicely. They play tonight in Detroit-- a home town reunion show that should be off the chain.
  
  
• Europeans to get Windows music store
  Yes, that is a shark you see in the water.
  
  
• Jay-Z And Damon Dash Reportedly Parting Ways
  This rumor started back when Dash signed Cam'Ron to Roc-A-Fella and the whole signing ODB fresh outta jail thing has just added fuel to the fire. At this point, it is still just a rumor.
  
  
• Party Hard With The Vines
  The second album from The Vines will not be coming out this year. According to group bassist Patrick Matthews, it will come out in early 2004 and will have a Van Halen -like "party metal" vibe to it-- mixed with some influences from Pavement. Lord knows how that will work-- David Lee Roth wouldn't sound any better singing "Summer Babe" that Stephen Malkamus would sound singing "Hot For Teacher."
  
  
• Selena's 'Last Performance' Heads To DVD
  Selena 's infamous 1995 Houston Astrodome concert is coming to DVD on Sept. 2. It will also include a documentary about the making of "Selena." You can pre-order "Selena Live - The Last Concert" by clicking here.
  
  
• Rock's 10 Most Infamous Copyright Battles
  This list in a nice summary (with sound clips!) but is instantly invalid because it leaves out Gilbert O'Sullivan vs. Biz Markie and The Turtles vs. De La Soul-- two cases that changed sampling forever.
  
  
• I heart Duran Duran
  Very nicely done piece in Salon about one woman's feeling about Duran Duran and her thoughts at seeing a reunion concert with all the members playing. Some very nice lines in there-- well worth reading.
  

posted by Randy on 12:26 PM | permanent link to this entry

Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Attention Birthday Shoppers! I'm really not that hard to buy for-- check out my Amazon Wish List!

And if you wanted to buy me this, I would not object.

• San Francisco's Virgin Mega Store Makes A Funny Joke
  It's a joke only a handful of people would get on first sight-- I reckon that many of y'all will get it too.
  
  Since I'm not all hip with the digital camera action, I'll have to recreate the scene for you. The SF Virgin Mega Store is on the busy corner of Market & 4th. The center window on the Market St. side looks like this:
  
  
  
  
  
  Get it? It cracks me up everytime I see it.
  
  
• Primus Reunite for EP, Tour
  Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People, a combo DVD/EP set, will hit store shelves on Oct. 7th. Do the alt.rock stoner kids of today like Primus as much as they did back in the 90s? Just curious-- I don't see their catalog ever getting a big push, so it is something they would have to seek out.
  
  
• CMJ Music Marathon Line-Up Announced
  Oct. 22 - 25 in NYC. A good line-up of bands-- but Shoen Knife? I love 'em and everything but just seeing their name on the line-up makes me think that of all the bands that popped up in the mid-90s, who woulda thunk Shoen Knife would be one of the survivors.
  

posted by Randy on 12:03 PM | permanent link to this entry

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

The countdown until my birthday continues! Aug. 17 is just around the corner. I am a Leo and require a lot of presents! Peep the Amazon Wish List and do what you can.

This Week's New Releases Of Note

• Mutant Mindframe- Big Gipp (from Goodie Mob)
  
• Funkiest Man Alive: Stax Funk Sessions 1967-1975- Rufus Thomas
  
• A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar [Limited Edition CD/DVD Package] - Dashboard Confessional
  
• Songs for Dustmites- Steve Burns (you know, from Blue's Clues, though this time not so much for the kids.)
  
• Shit I Never Dropped- MC Lyte
  
• Triggernometry- Onyx
  
• Cypress/Afoot [Re-issue with 2 bonus tracks]- Let's Active
  
• Total Entertainment- Pansy Division
  
• Head- Pigface
  
• Badmeaningood- Scratch Perverts (It's a mix CD featuring their mixing and scratching, not a buncha original compisitions)
  
• BBC Radio 1967-1971- The Soft Machine
  
• Forged Perscriptions- Spacemen 3
  

Next Week's Releases Of Note (Get Your Pre-Order On)

• Earthquake Glue- Guided by Voices
  
• Gettin' Wise - Brassy
  
• Welcome To The Monkey House [ENHANCED] - The Dandy Warhols
  
• Greendale (w/ Bonus DVD)- Neil Young
  
• On the Beach[ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]- Neil Young
  
• American Stars N Bars [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] - Neil Young
  
• Hawks & Doves [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] - Neil Young
  
• Re-ac-tor [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] - Neil Young
  
• The Neptunes Presents: Clones- Various Artists
  
• Tour De France Soundtracks- Kraftwerk
  
• Unleashed- Bow Wow
  
• Or Stay Tuned- People Under The Stairs
  
• From Me to U - Juelz Santana
  
• Everyone Deserves Music- Michael Franti & Spearhead
  
• Indestructible - Rancid
  

And Now, The News:

• Clear Channel sues former concert employees' firm
  The evil media monolith is suing some former emplyees who broke free and booked a big Bruce Springsteen show in San Francisco. CC alleges that they stole trade secrets and did the booking while still employed at Clear Channel.
  
  
• Rap Industry Probe Suspect Cuts Plea Deal
  That whole Murder Inc.-being-a-front-for-crime-money case seems to be winding down now that two dudes have taken the fall. The two dudes, of course, not being Irv Gotti and legendary drug kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff. Although I guess there is still time.
  
  
• Austin Music Fest Gets Five Year Extension
  Damn good news. The Austin City Limits Festival has in just two years become one of America's best. I wish they would get a touring version of it going, though.
  
  
• New Basement Jazz Album Info
  Get your dancin' shoes ready, sukkas! Basement Jaxx will release Kish Kash on Oct. 20. It is set to feature appearances from Siouxsie Sioux, Me'Shell NdegéOcello, JC Chasez and The Bellrays' Lisa Kekaula
  
  
• Charge: Snoop Offered Teen Drugs To Get Naked
  The two girls standing next to Snoop Dogg on the cover of his Girl Gone Wild video? Turns out they were only 17. Oooops.
  
  
• Warner, BMG Close in on Merger - Sources
  Dear Warner Music and BMG,
  
  How many times do I have to tell you that the internet age will be kinder to smaller labels that can move quicker and make more money selling less product? Why must you create a bigfger dinosaur that will just thud louder when it finally collapses? *Sigh* Oh well.
  
  Your pal,
  
  Randy From rocktober.com
  
  
• China Destroys 42 Million Pirated Discs
  With wood chippers! How awesome is that?
  
  
• Kenny Chesney Loses Bootlegger Ban
  It's not that the judge endorses peopole selling bootleg T-Shirts outside his concerts. It's just that Kenny Chesney presented his case in a sloppy manner. He never showed the court an official T-Shirt. He never identified any bootleggers-- even the ones he said have been following his tour around the U.S. Dude, fire your lawyer and try again.
  

posted by Randy on 10:27 AM | permanent link to this entry

Monday, August 11, 2003

Hey-- My birthday is on Aug. 17! If you wanna hook me up with some presents, please consult my Amazon Wish List!

• Judge Rejects Subpoenas in Music-Use Case
  U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro ruled on Friday that the R.I.A.A. must file their subpoenas for info about file traders in the district court where the file traders actually are-- not just in Washington D.C.
  
  
• RIAA Subpoenas - Complete Artist and Song Breakdown
  An excellent look at what artists and songs are spurring the R.I.A.A. to send off subpoenas to a user's ISP. At the top of the heap is Avril Lavigne who appears on 105 subpoenas. I'm sure 80s one hit wonder Taco is proud that, at 3 subpoenas, the trading of his music is more dangerous to the music industry than current hit makers Dixie Chicks (2), Shaggy (2), Eminem (1), Godsmack (1) and blink-182 (1). check out both lists, they're very interesting reading.
  
  
• Recording Industry Campaign Faces Scrutiny
  Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn), chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, wants to bring the recording industry before his subcommittee next month to answer questions about its campaign to root out and sue Internet music swappers. The the Senate Judiciary Committee is also considering a hearing on the subpoena process this fall.
  
  
• Independent music magazines extend niche appeal with record labels
  Interesting article about zine that also double as indie record labels. Ya' know-- outfits like Bomb Hip-Hop and Gearhead.
  
  
• Interscope, Showtime To Launch Rap Series
  "Interscope Presents 'The Next" will feature battles from all acorss the U.S. and histories of the hip-hop scenes in all the cities they visit. Winners from each city will battle in a finale. "8 Mile" meets "American Idol," basically.
  
  
• Update: Bassist Lenchantin Exits Zwan
  And no, she isn't crawling back to A Perfect Circle, either. Instead she's joining fellow Zwan member David Pajo's Papa M project for a new album and tour, beginning Oct. 4 in Chicago.
  
  
• Bright Eyes, Beck on List
  This year's "long list" of notable records that sold less than 500,000 albums. An all-star panel will whittle the list down to ten albums by the first week of September. The winning album will then be announced on October 16th at the Shortlist Music Prize award show at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. Anyway, here's the list:
  
  Alexander Fadoriouk- Art of the Cimbalom
  Beck- Sea Change
  Blur- Think Tank
  Bright Eyes- Lifted
  Burning Brides- Fall of the Plastic Empire
  Burnside Project- Networks Circuits Streams Harmonies
  Campfire Girls- Delongpre
  Cat Power- You Are Free
  Cave In- Antenna
  Chip Taylor + Carrie Rodriguez- Lets Leave this Town
  Cody Chesnutt- Headphone Masterpiece
  Coral- The Coral
  Damien Rice- O
  Daniel Lanois- Shine
  David Banner Mississippi (the Album)
  Dead Prez- Turn Off the Radio
  Diplomats- Diplomatic Immunity
  Eels- Shootenanny
  Etta James- Lets Roll
  Field Mob- From tha Roota to that Toota
  Floetry- Floetic
  Four Tet- Rounds
  Freeway- Philadelphia Freeway
  Gillian Welch- Soul Journey
  Goalpele- Even Closer
  Grandaddy- Sumday
  GZA/Genius- Legend of the Liquid Sword
  Hot Hot Heat- Make Up The Breakdown
  Ibraham Ferrar- Buenos Hermanos
  Interpol- Turn Off the Bright Lights
  Iron & Wine- Creek Drank the Cradle
  Jesse Malin- Fine Art of Self Destruction
  Jolie Holland- Catalpa
  K-Os- Exit
  Kathleen Edwards- Failer
  Kenna- New Sacred Cow
  Kindred the Family- Soul Surrender to Love
  Little Brother- Listening
  Longwave- Strangest Things
  Luciana Souza- North & South
  Mark Olson & the Creekdippers- Decembers Child
  Metro Area- Metro Area
  Mogwai- Happy Songs for Happy People
  Moistboyz- Moistboyz III
  Ms. Dynamite- A Little Deeper
  Nanci Griffith- Winter Marquee
  Natacha Atlas- Something Dangerous
  Neko Case- Blacklisted
  Nick Cave- Noturama
  Northern State- Dying in Stereo
  Orchestra Baobab- Specialist in All Styles
  Pete Yorn- Day I Forgot
  Primal Scream- evil Heat
  Radiohead- Hail to the Theif
  Rilo Kiley- The Execution of all Things
  Rooney- Rooney
  Royksopp- Melody AM
  Sidestepper- 3AM in Beats We Trust
  Sigur Ros ()
  Solomon Burke- Dont Give up on Me
  Sondre Lerche- Faces Down
  Soulive- Soulive
  Soundtrack of our Lives- Behind the Music
  Spoon- Kill the Moonlight
  Squarepusher- Do You Know Squarepusher
  Stephen Malkmus + the Jicks- Pig Lib
  Steve Earle- Jerusalem
  Supernatural- The Lost Freestyle Files
  Talib Kweli- Quality
  Tegan and Sara- If It Was You
  The Black Keys- Thickfreakness
  The Cramps- Friends of Dope Island
  The Jealous Sound- Kill Them With Kindness
  The Libertines- Up The Bracket
  The Mars Volta- De-Loued in the Comatorium
  The Mooney Suzuki- Electric Sweat
  The Music- Music
  The Postal Service- Give Up
  The Sounds- The Neptunes
  The Streets- Original Pirate Material
  Tomahawk- Mit Gas
  Turbonegero- Apocalypse Dudes
  Turin Breaks- Ether Song
  Wire- Send
  Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Fever to Tell
  
  That's too many albums to do Amazon links for, sorry.
  
  If I were picking 10 from that list, I'd choose:
  Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Fever to Tell
  The Postal Service- Give Up
  Talib Kweli- Quality
  Solomon Burke- Dont Give up on Me
  Orchestra Baobab- Specialist in All Styles
  Ibraham Ferrar- Buenos Hermanos
  Goalpele- Even Closer
  Cody Chesnutt- Headphone Masterpiece
  Beck- Sea Change
  The Mooney Suzuki- Electric Sweat
  
  Check at all the listmakers and the nominees at the official Short List of Music website.
  

posted by Randy on 2:29 PM | permanent link to this entry