| August
1, 2008 Edition
E-MAIL CONTACT:
Rick@RARWRITER.com
RAR TUNE OF THE WEEK:
The shot above
is of Penelope Cruz in the 2006 Pedro Almodóvar film Volver,
nicked from the satirical Spanish literature website
trazegnies.arrakis.es. Penelope, in this shot, make's a perfect model
for the femme fatale depicted in RAR's satirical sexcapade "Para
Conquistarle"; another bit of sound clip silliness courtesy of
"Sexy
Spanish" and a site I have lost (still
looking) where a guy says things like "I like the meat raw," which
strikes me as funny in this goofy context. Click on the photo above to
hear another RAR original, "Para Conquistarle."
Click on the MySpace Music graphic to go to RAR on
MySpace
or click the photo below to go to the
RARWriter Music Page
ARTIST INDEX:
Click here to go to the
Index page to find the artists profiled on the
Links at RARWRITER.
FEATUREDARTISTS:
Click here to go to the
Featured Artist page:
DENNIS WANEBO / MARTIAN
ACRES
JOHN PIEPLOW
ANGIE MATTSON
TAMRA SPIVEY
LIBBY WINTERS
and more!
Photos, streaming MP3s
and more!!!
ESSAYS:
"Has the New York Times
Profiled the Devil?"
- Something about this
guy gives me the creeps
"President of the Subconscious
World" -
Why stop with the White House?
"John McCain's Wild Ride"
-
Pilot, Prisoner, Playboy, President?
"Death of Turtle Boy"
-
What will the Washington
press corps do now?
POLITICAL LINKS IN THIS
ELECTION SEASON -
points of view not necessarily endorsed by RARWRITER.com
DAILY KOS: STATE OF THE NATION
ATLAS SHRUGS
RARADIO:
Click here to go to
the new RARadio page to hear innovative acts from across the spectrum of
musical genres.
ARCHIVES:
Features from past
editions.
REVIEWS:
Books, albums, films
and bad baseball trades.
Recently Added:
FEATURED LINKS:
The Gibson guitar folks have a
Lifestyle zine section on their website that is well worth checking.
Click here.
RARWRITER
CONTRIBUTOR
PROSPECTUS
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exploding with new readers, new artist profiles, and new business
opportunities. Would you like to become involved as an editorial
contributor? If you are a great writer or photographer with particular
knowledge of your creative community, and you are looking for publishing
credits,
download the
RARWRITER Prospectus to learn what involvement
can mean for you.-RAR
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NEW
YORK CITY
LINKS
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FRANCIS
AND THE LIGHTS |
|
LANGHORNE SLIM |
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Welcome to the New York City
Links at RARWRITER. This page is a work in progress soon to feature the top
indie bands from NYC and near surrounds. Keep your eyes open to new artists, new
experiences, and new writers! All coming soon...
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rippin' at Bonnaroo
Sharon Jones and the Soul Difference
 Brooklyn,
New York - Is it just me or has the redefinition of the
sub-genres within what we used to call "Rhythm & Blues" been
confusing? To find "R&B" as those of us over...oh, 39 have known
it, you would need to visit the Urban Adult Contemporary charts,
which are currently ruled by the likes of Raheem DaVaughn,
Keyshia Cole, Mary J. Blige, Beyonce and Alicia Keys. These are
musical people who come the closest to continuing the traditions
of predecessors like Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Marvin
Gaye.
On
the other hand, if you listen to youth-oriented stations these
days you find another type of music going under the "R&B" banner
carried by popsters like Rihanna, Usher, and Chris Brown, and
also there you get the crossovers like Kanye West.
Oh
Kanye West...
Kanye
just brought his elaborate stage show - the one where he
interacts with extraterrestrials - to Tennessee's Bonnaroo
festival, of all places, where he angered a crowd by going on
almost four hours late - significant, when your show is
scheduled to begin at 1:30 a.m. (Kanye wanted the late start. It
probably seemed like a cool idea to mount that surreal show in
the dark.) He was only half-way through his romp when the sun
came up to reveal a largely empty "house." Lesson: smoke and
mirrors and mud may not work all that well together, which
brings us back to the blurred distinctions in today's "race
music."
Much
of the new confusion stems from the dual definition of
"hip-hop," which as a musical style is a 4/4 beat with a feeling
that can be demonstrated by clapping once, wiping down your
forearms on the 3 and the 4 beats, and clapping again to restart
the cycle with the next measure. Add scratches and samples and
you have the foundation for hip-hop poetry. "Hip-hop," however,
is also a "life style" and under that umbrella you find "rap,"
which puts street poetry to soul, metal and rock, and all of the
variations of "R&B" and classic soul.
There
is, among all of that, precious little left of the type of
swampy, juke joint sweat, Bourbon and pot soaked "soul" that
used to be the province of now-departed rhythm kings James Brown
and Ike Turner. But wait! While the youth culture gorges on Lil
Wayne and Young Jeezy, there is a hurricane blowing out of
Brooklyn in the form of 52-year old Sharon Jones and her
band the Dap-Kings. Hers is a show you could mount in
minutes on any street corner in any town in the world and no one
who stopped to listen would walk away anything other than blown
away. Like Kanye West, Sharon just played Bonnaroo too, and no
one went away mad.
Sharon Jones is one of those rare transcendent artists who come
across as a force of nature as distinct in character as an
earthquake is from a wild fire. Listening to her, you realize
that she is doing all of the old familiar stuff, but with a
voice so pure and original that comparisons do not come to mind.
This the pure ore, the crude oil, the real stuff. This is what
it sounds like when you hear talent without artifice.
Click here to go to Sharon Jones' MySpace and see if I'm
not right. - RAR
|
LIVE
PERFORMANCE REVIEW |
 Art
reprinted from The New Yorker |
| THE
FABULOUS ENTOURAGE
at The Annex, New York City,
March 21, 2008
at
9:00pm |
|
by Bryan Clark
Dance party band The
Fabulous Entourage made their thrilling return from an eight-month
hiatus last night at The Annex, playing a slim nine-song set which
featured three tunes from their 2006 CD Play
Nice Now, two newer songs that can be heard on their website, an
unrecorded live favorite, a new arrangement of one member’s solo work, a
brand new number, and a cover of a the title song from Cannonball Run II.
They started on time,
they didn’t bitch at the soundman about their monitor mix, and they all
but did away with the theatrical costuming of performances past.
(The day-glo tape on the men’s clothing was not in sight, and the
girls looked ready for an ordinary night of clubbing with the single
exception of Pamela Quinn’s green wig.)
All troubling signs, it seemed.
But unlike the result when KISS took off the makeup and revealed
that there was simply nobody home, this streamlined and straightforward
Entourage incarnation revealed an always-enthralling band which is
debating its own future as it teeters on the outer edge of its prime.
The standard Entourage
opening “Theme Song”, with its refrain of “We’re gonna satisfy,”
indeed continues to satisfy, especially when the shrieking crowd noises
are for real (as they were last night) and not canned (as they are on the
sole unfortunate moment of the album).
The band looked slightly unsure of themselves within seconds of
starting to play, and the smirks and giggles that they exchanged
throughout the number – and occasionally throughout the show – seemed
to veer between the excitement of playing together again and the search
for who had just played the wrong chord.
By the end of the opening
number, though, they had gained their footing, along with the tremendous
approval of the loyal crowd. And
then they pulled out “The Man Who Never Died,” one of the few tunes in
their repertoire which cannot be found on CD or mp3, although a brief live
clip from a previous show can be located on YouTube.
This number is reminiscent of their obscure EP “I Smell Danger”
from their equally obscure early days as a duo with a drum machine and a
proclivity for superhero musical fantasy performing in clothing inspired
by Madonna via the New York Dolls. But
the epic hero lyric “Gave up trying in the '20s/ Gave up feeling in
1945/ Gave up hoping in the 80s/ When I realized that I never would die”
now feels more overtly connected to the contemplation of growing out of
their 20’s and contemplating their lives ahead.
“
Midnight
Cowboy” was the usual crowd pleaser, as was the more recent “Out of
Beer.” The latter tune has
been through a tough birthing process in the web-released demos, including
a misguided version which featured a flute and an equally challenged mix
which was overwhelmed by synth pop keyboard stylings.
Fortunately, the song has now found its feet live, with the help of
a delightfully rough guitar part by vocalist Libby Winters.
|
In a typically
unsurprising surprise, the Entourage inexplicably covered the main title
theme from the movie Cannonball Run II, dedicating it to longtime groupie Gideon Levy.
They were joined on this number, and others, by Jimmy Owens on
saxophone. His overall
presence made little sense in the show and generally undercut the power of
the core quintet rather than supporting it, but his specific appearance at
this point – from the balcony, dressed as Jesus Christ (in celebration
of Good Friday) – was welcome, especially as it was a crucial reminder
of the spectacular drama and irreverence of the Entourage in their heyday.
“Revolution / Keep on
Movin,’” despite the annoying slash in its title, is inarguably their
strongest dance floor anthem, and will be the anchoring number of any
Album #2 that they might ever decide to record.
It drives hard and happy, even in its arresting
throwaway lyric “Dance tonight for tomorrow we die.”
The set took a brief dip
during “Deepest Cut,” not-so-successful reworking of “Don’t Come
Crawling” from keyboardist Kyle Jarrow’s rock musical Love
Kills, followed by the new number “Don’t Look Back / Forget Her
Face.” Bassist Travis
Chamberlain, amusingly outfitted with a pair of Kevin DuBrow prison-stripe
pants, noted with a gleeful threat of reunion-as-farewell, “This is the
only time you’ll ever hear this song.”
If true, that won’t be the greatest loss to the repertoire, as
the lyrics were tired (“I’m not broken” felt like a rehash of the
superior song “Save Me,” with its arresting lyric “I am a broken
person”) and the tune unmemorable.
But the gig suddenly
roared back up to speed with the Entourage masterpiece “Perry’s
Dream,” which provided the only glimpse of drummer Perry Silver on the
tiny stage when he rose from the kit to play the familiar sticks-on-the
wall section. The girls’
vocal “Just keep on dreaming that dream/Things are just as bad as they
seem” was as goosebump-inducing and Beatlesque as ever, yet Jarrow’s
final refrain “Let me sleep forever” was shocking in its reiteration
of the looming rumor that the band is calling it quits, especially as it
became clear that this would be the final song of the night.
After the show, Jarrow
explained that the band members have all gotten more involved in their
other pursuits during the “hiatus,” including acting, directing,
writing, and – gasp! – other bands.
So now they’re “trying to figure out how to stay together and
keep playing now and then, given the changes in everyone’s life.”
It certainly sounds like the Entourage is preparing to pack itself
away as a nostalgic recollection of youthful good times.
Its fans were plainly not interested in this plan, chanting
“Encore!” even as the band was packing up and the sound guy had
already left. If the Fabulous
Entourage really will “keep playing now and then,” I suggest you make
your booking for your thirtieth birthday party now.
Or your thirty-fifth. Forty,
anyone? Yes, guilty as
charged.
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The Raveonettes
www.theraveonettes.com
 The
Raveonettes are originally a Danish pop duo consisting of Sune Rose
Wagner (on guitar, instruments, vocals) and Sharin Foo (on bass and vocals).
They now make their homes in New York City and Los Angeles. Their music is
characterized by close two-part vocal harmonies inspired by The Everly
Brothers[citation needed], coupled with hard-edged electric guitar overlaid with
liberal doses of noise. Their songs juxtapose the structural and chordal
simplicity of 50s and 60s rock with intense electric instrumentation, driving
beats and often dark lyrical content, similar to another of the band's
influences, The Velvet Underground. "We are not scared of being blunt about
what the references are in our music," said Sharin Foo. "For instance,
if you look at our name, The Raveonettes, it's a complete direct reference to
The Ronettes and Buddy Holly Rave On. So, in that sense, we're pretty clear
about it." - Wikipedia
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The Raveonettes playing Beat Day in
Copenhagan, 2007
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| THE
RAVEONETTES MP3:
 Studio
albums:
Whip It On (2002)
Chain Gang of Love (2003)
Pretty in Black (2005)
Lust Lust Lust (2007)
 Hit
singles:
2002 "Attack of the Ghostriders" #73 UK
2003 "That Great Love Sound" #34 UK
2003 "Heartbreak Stroll" #49 UK
2004 "That Great Love Sound" (Re-issue) #52 UK
2005 "Love in a Trashcan" #26 UK
2007 "Dead Sound" (7" Only)
2008 "You Want The Candy" #15 UK Indie (7" Only)
Click here to go to The
Raveonettes MySpace site to hear MP3s.
Click here to see The
Raveonettes perform "That Great Love Sound" on YouTube.
WATCH
RARWRITER.COM FOR UPDATES ON THE RAVEONETTES
|
 The
duo met in Copenhagen and, after forming the band, began recording Whip It
On at Once Was & Sauna Recording Studio, a former Sony Studios
facility. They booked the studio for three weeks during non-session down
time late in 2001 and handled all production chores by themselves. Adding
guitarist Manoj Ramdas and jazz drummer Jakob Hoyer, the Raveonettes
booked one of their first gigs at the SPOT festival in Aarhus, the second
largest city in Denmark.
Officially the band was discovered by
Rolling Stone editor David Fricke at the SPOT festival and his rave review
of them immediately resulted in a number of offers from the major labels.
Unofficially the band discovered that David Fricke would be present at the
SPOT festival, and they rushed a band together and headed for the
festival.
Whip It On (in which every song was under
three minutes and in the key of B-flat minor) was named "Best Rock
Album of the Year" at the Danish Music Awards (Denmark's Grammy
equivalent) on March 1, 2003 while the Raveonettes were picked by Rolling
Stone and Q Magazine as being among the harbingers of the "Next
Wave" of contemporary music.
In 2006 Blender named Sharin Foo one of
rock's hottest women, alongside Courtney Love, Joan Jett, and Liz Phair. -
Wikipedia |
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Francis and the
Lights
www.francisandthelights.com
FRANCIS
AND THE LIGHTS are a New York City based band led by frontman Francis
Starlite. The band’s sound is propelled by two live drummers playing in
conjunction with sequenced percussion, balanced with intertwining guitar and
synth parts. The band was formed at Wesleyan University - their first show was a
performance of the posthumous Otis Redding record The Immortal Otis Redding in
its entirety. After secluding himself in Oakland, CA to write songs, Francis
Starlite drove cross-country in a decommissioned postal truck and formed the
current incarnation of the band in New York. The rehearsed for a full year
before unveiling themselves at a series of invitation-only shows at a white
fabric draped warehouse space featuring spring-loaded keyboards, young coconuts
and a chandelier that descended onto the dancefloor bearing champagne glasses.
They released the Striking EP in late 2007 and are currently recording a
follow-up.
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| FRANCIS
AND THE LIGHTS MP3:
Francis and the Lights'
"Striking" EP is available for download at
www.francisandthelights.com.
Click here to go to Francis
and the Lights' MySpace site to hear MP3s.
Click here to see Francis
and the Lights perform at Galapagos on YouTube.
WATCH
RARWRITER.COM FOR UPDATES ON FRANCIS AND THE LIGHTS
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The Panda Band
http://www.thepandaband.com/
THE
PANDA BAND is a transplant to Brooklyn from Perth, Australia and a
tremendous addition to the NYC scene.
(From their website) - The Panda Band
could be best described as art-tech-indie-pop. Art: because of their crafty
arrangements – tech: because they play with effects, keys and samples –
indie: because by choosing to run their own label, they are in the drivers seat
– pop: because they are big on catchy, layered melodies and sing-a-long bits.
You could also throw ironic, vaudevillian, intelligent and addictive into the
adjective stew, but we wont so pretend that we didn’t write this bit.
As the follow up to their 2005 EP "Sleepy
Little Deathtoll Town", The Panda Band independently released their first
album This Vital Chapter (we’re almost not even here) in Australia
(August 2006) where it has been met with critical acclaim from press such as
Rolling Stone, Sydney Morning Herald, The Melbourne Age and various street
press. National radio station Triple J selected it as their feature album and
presented the August promotional tour, which had sold out shows in Melbourne,
Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane.
|
|
| THE
PANDA BAND MP3:
Click here to go to The
Panda Band's MySpace site to hear MP3s.
The Panda Band's This Vital Chapter has, in
the eyes and ears of some music critics, put them in a league with those
Canadian darlings Arcade Fire. Click here to read a review of This
Vital Chapter.
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Langhorne Slim www.langhorneslim.com
LANGHORNE
SLIM is a young folk singer, born Sean Scolnick on August 20,
1980, based out of Brooklyn, New York. Originally hailing from Langhorne,
Pennsylvania, he graduated from the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College,
part of the SUNY system.
He
began to gain public notice through several years of touring with the
Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players and an appearance at the Bonnaroo Music
Festival. His song Electric Love Letter was recently number 5 on the Rolling
Stone editor's top ten picks. The song was also in the movie Waitress. He has
recently been seen on tours with Cake, The Avett Brothers, Murder By Death,
Jeffrey Lewis, The Violent Femmes, Lucero, and Rocky Votolato.
In
2006, Langhorne Slim and the War Eagles signed to V2 Records. For one EP (Engine
EP, 2006) and an LP due out in early 2007. However, after V2 folded on the deal
regarding the highly anticipated release, the band signed to Kemado Records, and
have selected a release date of April 29th, 2008 for the self-titled,
full-length LP.
A
Langhorne Slim Daytrotter Session was released on October 9, 2006.
Langhorne
Slim's band the War Eagles consists of Paul Defiglia on bass and Malachi
DeLorenzo on drums. - Wikipedia
|
Photo: Doug Seymour
WATCH RARWRITER.COM FOR
UPDATES ON LANGHORNE SLIM
|
| LANGHORNE
SLIM MP3:
Go to the Langhorne
Slim MySpace site to hear MP3s.
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MUCH MORE TO COME. ACTS WE
WILL BE WATCHING INCLUDE:
Andy
Friedman
Ani
DiFranco
Hamell On Trial
Rackett
Christina
Courtin
Fred Frith, Tim Hodgkinson, and
Chris Cutler of Henry Cow
Holmes
Brothers
Looker
24-7 Spyz
Vinicius Cantuária
SKELETON KEY
Chandler Travis Philharmonic
The Bravery
Radio 4
Mandingo Ambassadors
Howard Fishman
Regina
Spektor
Senses
Fail
Stand
The
db's
The
Fabulous Entourage
Built to Spill
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CLICK
HERE
TO RETURN TO THE
ARTIST
INDEX
PAGE
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©Rick
Alan Rice (RAR),
August, 2008
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