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Month: February 2007

  • This Week in Music

    I’m hard at work mastering The Killigans’ new record.  It is going to rock; go be their MySpace friend and get excited about it.  That is the major news.  The album was recorded by our friend Scott at Mookie Studios in Lincoln.

    We are also preparing for 5*C shows most every weekend for the next couple months, including some big ones.

    Also note the new MR|sampler link in the left column, as Furious Instance takes a break until we have some more songs to put on it.

    I’m going to write in-depth on The Killers’ Sam’s Town and The Hold Steady’s Boys and Girls in America soon.  In the meantime, I’ve been newly listening to Nas’ Illmatic, TV on the Radio’s Return to Cookie Mountain, John Legend’s new record, The Strokes, and a Replacements compilation.  Illmatic matches its reputation as a classic and absolutely essential hip-hop record from the first spin.  I was surprised to find that TV on the Radio makes, in my estimation, soul music; it’s all grooves, songs built on grooves and noise.  I expected more “rock,” but I have to say I think it’s soul and I think it’s pretty good.  -h

    h

  • The Shins and Viva Voce at Liberty Hall, Lawrence KS, 12 Feb

    First, Shacker has been featured on the ThinSafetyPin podcast in episode 9.

    Black Sweater, White Cat‘s Biotic is digging Tape/echoes.

    D-Rockets’ Matt Wisecarver’s Secret Fantasy got a great review from bt on its page at archive.org – “Five stars – Fantastic – Lovely, golden acoustic pop. Pared down sound, but beautiful production on catchy melodies.  It left me wanting more.”

    Miles has handily linked up MFR music + more from his Christmas podcast.

    Thanks for the support, Bruce, Biotic, Miles and bt!  We know that 99% of the listening, sharing, podcasting, burning, file-trading, etc. that you guys do goes unknown to us.  Thanks for that, too.  -Mr. Furious

    —-

    Tim, Jill, and I strolled in to gorgeous Liberty Hall about 7:45 after delicious Vietnamese at The Orient on Mass.  It was a perfect venue for the Shins (who played Tuesday night also); intimate and theatrical.  Openers Viva Voce did not “f*ck around,” firing up their Zeppelin-by-way-of-Secret Machines stomp within a few minutes of the 8 o’clock hour.  The duo ripped through a solid set, and it was at their shreddingest that I was most moved.  Giant riffs, guitar noise, and girl-boy harmonies (!) are their strengths.  The poppier songs were OK.

    My Shins experience coming in to the show was limited to seeing Garden State once and downloading “Kissing the Lipless” sometime last year.  I’ve read a bunch of interviews, but my expectations were pretty minimal.  After an obnoxiously long sound check (all those guitars, and one guy tuning?  This was the one missed opportunity of the night to capitalize on the show’s momentum) the Shins launched into their opening suite of songs from Wincing the Night Away.  Everyone seemed happy enough, until the band started in on Chutes Too Narrow, and the mood bubbled over.  From there it ebbed and flowed, but didn’t subside, and Jill got all of her picks.

    I liked the arrangements, the instrument-switching, and James Mercer’s no-nonsense approach to his guitar and showmanship.  I liked the songs, especially the Chutes Too Narrow stuff that juxtaposes the Shins’ quirks with a pop setting.  I wouldn’t say I’m a convert, yet, but it was a stellar night; thank you, Liberty Hall and Shins.  We walked out into a winter wonderland, the Christmas-card kind of flakes that are hell to drive in but beautiful to see.  -h

    PS – See what Back to Rockville, the Kansas City Star’s local music blog, had to say about the show.

    h

  • The Week In Music

    Great 5*C show last night at the Hurricane, thanks everyone.  We opened for Rattle & Hum, which was an excellent fit for us and the lads put on a hell of a rock show.  I was impressed with the selections from Achtung Baby especially.  It’s a compliment to those guys when I say I had my eyes closed for the second set.

    A big chunk of the week was devoted to practice, getting a good set together.  We played eight songs, no cover, meaning two more than New Year’s in only our second show without ERock: Cali Blues, Silver-Yellow Girl, Black Machines, Ms. Trouble, Transient, Collaborate, Under Spinning Lights, “Love.”

    —-

    Cory and I started talking about recording dates for his full-length.

    —-

    I talked to 5*Danny about doing an EP with me after the band finds a replacement bassist or his firstborn arrives.  He agreed; my plan is a Tape/echoes EP called Rogue Demon Hunter, and it will be a collection of various not-acoustic songs that haven’t been released and hopefully some collaborations with Danny.  This is long-term.

    —-

    I need your feedback on this; I have been meaning for a long time to start a blog for my recipes.  I don’t like to measure or time things in the kitchen, and I do like bold flavors, eating fairly healthy food, and cooking for my friends.  The problem is that I’m writing for six websites already and nobody reads them all.  So, I made a first post in a new category here at MFR, “The Bogaard Kitchen.”  You have to eat to play music, right?

    Anyway, holler if you think it doesn’t fit or is distracting from the ROCK.  -h

    h

  • Jill's Tortilla Soup

    I freely adapted this soup from Rick Bayless’ recipe when I needed to put something together for friends in a hurry. There were leftover corn tortillas in the fridge that night, so that’s what I use; if you have leftover chips, that’s good too. Black beans and mushrooms have replaced shredded chicken. This is a staple, and a favorite; every ingredient is something I almost always have around (you can even freeze the bagged avocado and keep it!).

    2 cans diced tomatoes

    2 cans black beans

    2 cans vegetable broth

    1 small can tomato sauce

    1 large white onion, chopped

    peppers – (I like to roast a few jalapenos or banana pappers over an open flame, then peel off the blackened skin and seed them. But you could also use roasted peppers from a jar, or chopped bell peppers, or another pepper flavor.)

    1 package of mushrooms (white, or something more interesting.)

    Leftover tortillas and/or tortilla chips

    Shredded medium cheddar cheese

    Avocados / guacamole (either cubed avocados, or in the processed-bagged form you can usually find in the deli section)

    Extra virgin olive oil, Tobasco, cumin, Crazy Jane salt

    Blend your pepper ingredient with the diced tomatoes. Put it and the veggie broth, tomato sauce, chopped onion, and black beans in a soup pot and cook (make it bubble lightly) for 15 minutes. While it’s cooking, season with a good shot of olive oil, as much Tobasco as you like (me = 15-20 drops, probably), plenty of cumin, and some Crazy Jane salt. If you’re entertaining, get to this step before the party starts; you can begin again from here at any time.

    Put the mushrooms into the soup pot and cook for 5-10 minutes more.

    To serve: put tortilla/chips in the bottom of a bowl, then ladle soup over it. Add a generous bit of cheese and the cubed avocado/guacamole on top.

    h

  • Properties of Early-90's Rock Music by Cory Kibler

    Cory wrote the following post; I’ll be continuing the conversation with questions and thoughts in the coming days.  -h

    Recently, I was listening to Pocket Full Of Kryptonite by the Spin Doctors, who are from New York, interestingly enough.  I got to thinking about how there is a conjuction of properties of early- to mid-nineties pop music that isn’t really seen in any bands these days.  But in order to paint a better picture of what I mean, here is a short list of bands I have in mind:
    Gin Blossoms
    The Proclaimers
    Blues Traveler
    Collective Soul
    Spin Doctors
    R.E.M.
    Alanis Morissette
    The Smashing Pumpkins
    Soundgarden
    Goo Goo Dolls
    Live
    Counting Crows

    Keep in mind also that some of these bands proceeded to make music that doesn’t adhere to the properties I’m about to describe, so when thinking of these bands and their catalogue, try and think of songs from 1990-1995 or so.

    The early nineties were a time of a collective cynicism, it felt like; every popular band at the time had at least a slight grunge-sound, and it reflected a community of dissatisfied Gen-Xers fresh of the heels of 80’s music.  The lyrics presented this attitude of “it sucks being in your teens/early 20’s, growing up blows, but we’re kind of all in this together.”  It felt really paradoxical, because the music behind these lyrics was usually warm and uplifting.

    Take songs like “1979” from The Smashing Pumpkins, “Two Princes” by the Spin Doctors, and “1,000 Miles” by The Proclaimers.  All of these songs were anthems for kids in their late teens, trying to find a community to be a part of.  These songs were catchy, mass-marketable, and musically optimistic.  The lyrics, however, contradict everything about the music.  “1979” was about teenage apathy that led to delinquent behavior and a “it’s like whatever” outlook.  “Two Princes,” while slightly more uplifting, was a song about two men pining for the same woman, one of whom will inevitably be rejected.  “1,000 Miles” is even weirder; it’s one of the most energetic, inspiring songs I’ve ever heard, yet the lyrics are all about an intense desperation for a girl.

    Another song that exemplifies the early 90’s music perfectly is “Dreams” by The Cranberries.  You know: “Oh my life, is changing every day, in every possible way.”

    It’s interesting to figure out what led to this short but prolific musical period.  Before the early nineties, you had the beginnings of rap (gangsta rap in particular) and cheesy metal bands like Poison and Motley Crue.  After the early nineties, you still had grunge, but after the death of Kurt Cobain, the only “alternative” bands worth listening to were bands like Foo Fighters, Superdrag, and Green Day, and these bands that were grungy AND popular were few and far between.

    I don’t think that early-nineties alternative music was easy to do; bands now that try to emulate the early nineties usually end up sound really trite and cheesy (Puddle Of Mudd, Nickelback, Creed), even though they might’ve fit right in with Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam, aesthetically, even if without the same value.

    h