Via MetalSucks, here’s Dave Grohl’s SXSW keynote speech.

I learned a lot about Dave’s story, from growing up, to Nirvana, to starting the Foo Fighters, that I hadn’t known before. (And I follow the Foos pretty closely!) But what was best, and most affirming, was his twin themes of “Do it yourself” (DIY) and developing your “voice.”

On the first, it’s how I’ve always understood punk; not a sound, not an era, not an aesthetic, but an attitude or stance or philosophy. “Don’t wait, don’t get permission, don’t be dependent on commerce, just make whatever you want happen. Do it yourself.” Really, more than just punk, too, it’s the original spirit of rock & roll; kids making music independent of the mainstream cultural/commercial power structure. I love that our biggest rock star is preaching independence and DIY from a pretty big stage.

Artistic “voice” is related to DIY, but not mutually inclusive with it. (Imagine a culture with a highly developed infrastructure for identifying and supporting artists as they develop, and some kind of stigma or punishment for those who try to work outside of the system.) Voice includes your style, your choice of subjects, your medium, your distribution, your creative process, and more. It’s your being-as-an-artist. It should be the most interesting, most important thing about you-as-an-artist, and so it should receive most of your attention and effort. We ought to talk about it more, and less about sales, industry stuff, and how cool or not an artist’s listeners are. I do a bit of this at MR|Review, and Dave does more in his keynote.

SXSW gave him a platform and Dave made the most of it, talking about some vital-but-often-overlooked aspects of music when we’d have been happy just to hear some road stories. Good man.

Blogging has been light as we anticipate the digital release of the new Strawberry Burns album, but we’ve been pretty busy making music, too.

• Dark Satellites has one more show in this run, next Friday in Omaha, and then probably a break until late March.  Drew is picking away at recording new stuff, song-by-song.
• Mars Lights – Drew’s main guitar tracks were finished in December, and now all of my bass and guitar is done, as of a couple nights ago.  We’re moving on to vocals, and a few more guitar overdubs for Drew on my songs.  Perhaps a fall release for the LP?  Plus, he’ll get Side 3 mixed before then.  I’ve written three or four new Mars Lights ideas lately, too.
• Sally M/S Ride – Ventura is on pause while the mic I need for acoustic guitars is occupied by the Mars Lights sessions.  I’ve written some more doom riffs for the doom experiment, and I’m tracking bass at home for an EP that will be sort of unofficial (but anyone who wants to will be able to hear it).
• Cory’s done guitars for his next solo joint, and will be doing vocals soon.  (He might be doing them right now.  I forget when that was planned to happen.)  Then he’ll send those to me to mix back into the main sessions, and I’ll record bass and background vocals.

That’s the bulk of it, though I’m sure I’m forgetting odds and ends.  I’m rrrrrrrl excited for Mars Lights, especially.  -h

The reliable Riot Room hosted a good show last Saturday night, featuring a band I’ve wanted to see for a long time; Ladyfinger (ne), whose third record, Errant Forms, is coming out in a few weeks. The sound was outstanding (clear and loud, but not uncomfortable), the stage changes were fast, and I enjoyed a Firestone Wookie Jack black IPA and a Boulevard Rye on Rye from their excellent beer selection. It only occurs to me as I type this, but I think the Riot Room has become my favorite club in town.

Ladyfinger hit pretty hard, mostly with new jams from Errant Forms. Being a long-time fan seeing them for the first time, the two older songs (“Over and Over,” “Little Things,” from Dusk) were my highlights, but the new record should be another great one, and more consistent with their previous work than the leaked “Dark Horse” indicates.

Chris’ vocals are more raw and punk live than on the albums, which revealed the band’s sonic roots in DC hardcore, which I hadn’t noticed before but are clear in retrospect. Pat’s drumming, on the other hand, is exactly as precise and hard-hitting in person as it is on their studio work. I’d see Ladyfinger (ne) again, any time.

All the way back at the beginning of the night, Back When, also from Omaha, opened the proceedings with a lead-heavy vibe that allowed melodic fragments to cut through only periodically. They’re in their second incarnation (the first was as a crushingly loud, slightly blackened doom band), which operates with more conventional tempos and arrangements than before, but is still plenty weird. Bass chords all over, on a Rickenbacker; that’s a win. I haven’t found Champion Hologram, which most of the set was pulled from, to be necessary listening, but I’d be happy to see them on another bill.

The second act, locals Everyday/Everynight, are still working through their influences (The Shins, The Arcade Fire, Death Cab for Cutie). They had some nice vocal harmonies and played solid background-level indie music, but were a strange pick for a Ladyfinger show; lots of extended slow songs, and a overly long set for an opener.

Maps for Travelers played to the biggest crowd of the night. They’re fantastic at what they do, which is a strain of early-aughts emo-core. Enviously tight, great guitar tone (cleaner than you’d imagine, but it summed to a beautiful roar), big energy; the downside, for me, was that only one riff really transcended genre. Your mileage may vary.

Tim interviewed Cory recently about work, music, and getting things done.

I’m learning all the time how to use words with utility and to be as brief as possible. I think that carries over into storytelling when you’re writing lyrics.

-Cory

Also, Tim was the subject of a related video and interview.  (I’m a little late in posting this, but it’s still good.)  He’s leaving Dark Satellites for a great job in Portland, and we’re going to miss him.

This is Where I Rock from Forty Two on Vimeo.

Cory’s being weird and funny for the holidays, Jim made the AV Club’s annual list of band names, and Drew and I will see you in Lincoln on Saturday.