Here’s what’s been keeping me company as of late:

Lizzie Grant, Gramma SparkalerTrailerHeaven [sic]
Who is this girl? Un-freaking-believable. Don’t let the bad graphics scare you away.

Men at Work, Overkill
They always somehow find a way onto my mixtapes. If you haven’t heard Collin’s solo work, you must. Transcendental Highway’s my favorite.

Lykke LI, Little Bit
Kate Bush meets Thompson Twins. Kind of looks like that broad from The NeverEnding Story. Thanks Karl!

World Café
Thought I’d give it a try again and listened all day every day last week. Too much new music. David Dye bores me. Yes, I said it.

Sultans of Ping, Where’s Me Jumper?
Again, all Karl but I forgot how God damn funny this video is. Freddie Mercury meets The Clash.

Violent Femmes, Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)
I drove my dad crazy with these guys, he couldn’t understand how we could possibly like them, especially because they can’t sing! But still, they made us feel badass. Ballsy cover. Thanks for the tip Chris!

Cake, Prolonging the Magic
Excellent music to clean to! Forgot how much I loved this. Long live the vibraslap.

The Beatles, Rain
Yes, you’ve heard it a million times. But still. Gives me the tingles. And George was so damned hot.

The Flight of the Conchords, Boom Boom
Just started Netflixing it (a little slow to the, punch I know). She’s like a curry.

Does that dance look familiar?

xo

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Guest post this week from one of my closest pals, musician, painter, fashionista, and all-around wickedly wonderful guy, Karl Mullen:

Dear Kate,

Thanks for the request to be a guest blogger. This is my first …. though back in the late 70’s early 80’s as an illegal alien I played in the punk band Carsickness under the nom de guerre ‘Joe Bloggs’.

But that was old schooling blogging,……. ‘banging and shouting like a kid gone wrong’ ….remember Patrik Fitzgerald? I had his record which was LP size so we used play it at 33 speed until some sober guest read the cover and informed us it was to be played at 45.

Those were the days when we lived in the old Hare Krishna house in Pittsburgh and at least 4 bands rehearsed there….all at once. Which is how I still like to listen….. to many different styles at the same time.

Love the ipod shuffle …… the Sultans of Ping and then John Mc Cormac… Thin Lizzy to Moondog, Rachel Unthank to Midlake. Brilliant!

And in no particular order…. just shuffle.. here is just a few of the recent artists I’ve been listening to:

http://www.myspace.com/honestjonsrecords where I buy my CD’s
http://www.myspace.com/gillespeterson
http://www.myspace.com/thelasttownchorus
http://www.myspace.com/louismoondoghardin
http://www.myspace.com/loscampesinos all the way from cardif!
http://www.myspace.com/robertwyatt
http://www.myspace.com/johnnyflynn
http://www.myspace.com/bellx1… someday we’ll all wear the crown
http://www.myspace.com/raphaelsaadiq
http://www.myspace.com/soilpimpuk
http://www.myspace.com/boniver
http://www.myspace.com/samamidon
http://www.myspace.com/rachelunthank cant wait to see them live.
http://www.myspace.com/muhly
http://www.myspace.com/bedroomcommunity
http://www.myspace.com/christineantoinette

All the best, Joe Bloggs a.k.a Henry Flower

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Perhaps it’s inherently American, this idea that you CAN have it your way, an innate sense of entitlement — even arrogance — that, on the one hand, has its merits (the very foundation of our constitution, for example). 

A preemptory bumption perpetuated by Democracy.  Capitalism.  The American Dream.  Liberal Arts degrees.  Starbucks, among other things. 

So that on the other hand, it’s this very country-born hubris/desire which induces the most insipid sort of denial, known to induce fabricated reworkings of reality from weapons of mass destruction to bedtime stories.

Worse, arrogance hinders imagination:

“Imitation is not the highest form of flattery.  Imitation is the last, and sometimes the only, resort of the terminally unimaginative.  When Britpop icons Blur emerged on a sea of rewritten Ray Davies songs, a lot of people compared them with the Kinks.  The difference was, the Kinks weren’t copying anybody.  So, sorry to rain on your Coldplay parade, but whatever magic spark you’re hoping will raise your band to a new plateau, you’re not going to find it sniffling around the local used record store, wondering what the heroes of the past came up with when they were stuck for word to rhyme with YouTube.”  — Dave Thompson

I love Blur but that dude has a point.

Same goes for accountability; just because you CAN drink a triple-shot of espresso dumped over ice (sacrilege!) doesn’t mean you SHOULD.

Which is all the long way of saying standards must be maintained.  Whether it’s the next leader of the free world, the thickness of the foam on your cappuccino or the quality of music you choose to make… at a certain point, there is no subjective.  It’s either good or as Lemony Snicket might put it, very unpleasant.

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Folks, I’m slackin’ on you this week. Truth be told, I’m neck-deep in writing a business model and let’s just say that crunching numbers: not my favorite.

So instead of the usual musings, I’ll be following my own advice. Here goes:

“Before any of you start a band, or join a band, or aid or abet a band, it is better by far that you pump gas for sub-sub-minimum wage, fish pennies out of port-a-pots at NASCAR hoedown’s, change the deep fat at White Castle, go back to school for a degree in pus forming, or poke an ice pick through your tongue.”

— Richard Meltzer from I Hate New Music, the Classic Rock Manifesto by Dave Thompson.

And that’s just the Preface!

He had me at “I Hate.”

Of course, there’s plenty of new music that I, for one, unabashedly LOVE. And certainly, I’ve been known to aid and abet. That said, one can be reasonably sure that talent the likes of Joplin, Hendrix, Lennon, etc. won’t exist again, let alone en masse. Ever.

Now more than ever, what we’ve gained in quantity overall, we’ve lost in quality exponentially. At least that’s the general gist of Thompson’s book so far.

Kind of depressing although, admittedly, quite true. When you get down to the genuine nitty-gritty, the music since then? since back in the day? Nothing measures up. Not even Radiohead.

It’s a tall order: music that stands the test of time… eternally great rock ‘n roll. Greater than great. Can it happen again? Even I’m dubious.

Perhaps it’s all this spreadsheet-ing that’s got me down. Or maybe Sarah Palin.

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Oops!  I forgot last month… here’s what was spinning at the Outlandos headquarters.  You know the drill.  Some of it new.  Some of it new-ish.  Some of it just plain new to me.  And then there’s the old and the just because….
                

Eef Barzelay, Lose Big

Clem Snide front-man/main-man back with another solo project.  Holy crap, it’s amazing.  Intense, smart, a masterpiece of sorts.  Could Be Worse (reminds me of The Smithereens), The Girls Don’t Care, Take Me, Apocalyptic Friend, Me No, I Love the Unknown.  Buy it.

NPR, DNC

Astounding coverage, and since we don’t have TV, the theater-of-the-mind-factor was HIGH.  Bill made me laugh.  Teddy made me cry.  Conversely, Sarah scares the crap out of me.  Tell me you’re registered.

KatJonBand, Do You?

Jon Langford of The Mekons and Kat Ex of The Ex teamed up on a record they are calling Duo.  This song is shitloads of freakin’ fun!

Winterpills, Central Chambers

Philip is my favorite.  If you haven’t heard his solo work, it goes best with bad weather and a stiff drink.  Rip your heart out kind of stuff but stunning.  His band, Winterpills (which includes his lovely wife Flora on vocals, piano, and keyboards) is a bit more on the lighter side — at least at first listen.  They have two previous albums, you should own both.  The new one, Central Chambers (streaming in full at the link above) is out 10/14.  You’ll want that one too.  Beesting, We’ll Bring You Down, and You Don’t Love Me Yet are standouts but really, the whole thing is pretty damned fine.

Matt Mays & El Torpedo, Terminal Romance

In case you don’t already know how I really feel about Matt….  Yes, this one’s still in the car.  Still loving the entire thing although my new favorite is Digital Eyes.  Got my sites set on catching a show this October.  Look out.

Vampire Weekend, Everywhere

Honestly, these guys are overrated.  But I’m a sucker for a Mac cover.  Likey.

Neon Neon, I Told Her On Alderaan

Hey, I liked the 80s.  Men at Work meets Psychedelic Furs.

The “New” Classic Rock, Classic Hits 92.9

I can’t even believe I’m listening to terrestrial radio but I LOVE this station.  The DJs are awful.  The commercials are awful.  The production is god-awful.  And Lord knows, segues are out of the question.  It’s a weird mix of classic rock and 80s pop, loads of album cuts.  Next NPR, it’s my new go-to.

Calexico, Carried to Dust

These guys are incredible.  Carried to Dust = work of art.  Whoever thinks the album is dead a) is an idiot and b) needs a heavy dose of Calexico.  Everything they do is gold.  And one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen featured a cover of Love’s Alone Again Or, mind-blowing:

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Guest post this week from legendary singer-songwriter and one of the best musicians I know, Jon Pousette-Dart.

Dear Wandering Musicians,

A few thoughts, from a road well traveled. The truly great thing about music, is that it transcends everything that is passing by. In the end, the ones who were focused on what they should be, the song, remain standing.

Any young man who tells you he didn’t pick up the guitar to get laid, is probably lying. It is a seductive, physical and empowering instrument. Especially after one makes it through the immediate minefield the music industry lays at your feet. I was exactly the same as so many of the young bands I see and hear now, though I might have done bit more homework, listening and studying, and gleaning every note I could get off the records my older sister would have in her collection. But I succumbed to every pitfall, temptation and pure joy out there, playing every roadhouse from Coast to Coast, sleeping with as many women as I was physically capable of, and ingesting every substance I could inject into my system to prove to myself that I was indestructible. I was luckier than many of my contemporaries. I survived all of it, and I learned the most important lesson of all.

Is success based on how much money you make?

That is a question only you can answer. I don’t believe it is and I know that fame is a horrible thing to have happen to you. So many people think those two things will make you happy. They don’t, and they never will.

I have had both and neither one opens any doors to your own happiness. I have never believed great art is measured by the amount of money it commands. Yet, in our society, the so-called greatest artists, musicians, actors, are measured by who is paid the most money for their services.

Don’t get me wrong. Money is a good thing when it gets you what you want. The question is, how much do you really need to be happy. Do you need a few chateaus and a fleet of cars? Perhaps an island?

What is it that brought us here?

The song.

To me, the song is everything. It is the question the answer, the end, the ruler, the provider, and the teacher. If I can connect with it, and make it be the best that can possibly come out of me, I have done my job, and the rest of this discourse holds no importance. All I am concerned with now is walking away from every song knowing that I gave it the best that I have in me. After 38 years playing music and still being in the game, it is the one friend I have at the end of the day that is still the measure of everything that is right in this world, and will remain with me till I am long gone.

May your journey be long and fruitful, and full of the things that made you fall in love with music.

Jon Pousette-Dart
http://www.pousette-dart.com/nav.php

2 Comments »

Seriously. Even I’m over it. Not the novelty of Guitar Hero (God willing, that’ll never wear off)….

Rain forests, black rhinos, the ozone layer; now that shit needs saving. But the music industry? Puh-leeze.

First, CNN is ridiculously late to this story. Then there’s the RockBand Live Tour. Get this…headlined by Panic at the Disco and Dashboard Confessional.

Um, more like the Un-Rock Live Tour. Oh boy.

Let it go is what I’m thinking. Doneski. The MARKETING industry is where it’s at. Hell, the music industry has been proving this for years.

Even if your band blows chunks, you can STILL get people to give you money for your music. Only now, you can do it on your own. And in large part, for free.

So bootstrap yourself in and start thinking like a Turkish rug seller ALL THE TIME. Everyone you meet = $$.

Save the saving for yourself.

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Certainly, what unites us here at Cut Through the Noise is music… but it’s more than that… more than just something that goes on between your ears. It’s an axiology that extends from the music to our music-lover lifestyles: how we vote, what we drive, what we eat, what we wear, etc.

We are a tribe — a super-tribe even, an “umbrella” tribe of sorts — a tribe that unites tribes.

So it’s more than the Pandora model (if you like Ryan Adams chances are you’d like Wilco). We’re talking about the sonic-psychographics of a demographic… a massive co-branding/cross-lifestyle union underneath the umbrella, the super-tribe of music, where all sorts of different sub-tribes overlap.

But it’s not age, race, gender or income… music is the magic that connect us.

That said, I thought that a brief monthly compendium of music/music lifestyle related whatnot — as it pertains to our tribal interests — would be in order: a tribal shortlist.

Feel free to add to it!

1. Tribal Fever
Speaking of tribes (and if you’re wondering what inspired me), if you haven’t heard of Seth Godin’s latest bit of marketing genius www.triiibes.com,” you MUST. An invite-only, uber-niche of entrepreneurs, creative thinkers, tribe-devotees, go-getters, type A personalities, risk-takers… who can really describe it? I’ve never seen so many interesting ideas exploding all at once… just logging in feels like your tapping the secret brain-juice of the universe. It opens to the public in October. I haven’t thought of a way to steal this crazy brilliant idea yet and make it my own but working on it :-).

2. Pandora
Damn. They’ve got a good thing going. Certainly, not monetizing it from the get-go wasn’t the best. But industry greed… that monster needs to be quelled once and for all. DO SOMETHING about it.

3. Web/Code Designers
On a lighter topic, these guys are either the new lawyers or the new bartenders. Everyone needs one/wish they had one in their family. Also, a great way to make side money while you’re working your way up the proverbial ladder.

4. Rock ‘n Roll Wine
I don’t know about you but I drink a lot of wine. Probably more than I like to admit. And now that I don’t live near a Trader Joe’s anymore, buying the stuff requires a little work. So how cool was it to discover that Fred Smith makes a great bottle AND is my neighbor? At a wine tasting over the weekend, we tried them all. Rock ‘n Roll Red got the top vote. Delish.

5. Obama Buttons
Remember that whole idea of getting your fans to work for you for free? Here it is in action. Go for the $20 purchase. Suddenly, you’ve got so many buttons, you HAVE to give them away. Genius.

1 Comment »

I LOVE driving. The freedom to just go, $4/gallon be-damned. Inherently and wonderfully American, isn’t it?

But as carbon-footprint-conscious as I like to think I am (and although I’ve never actually owned a Volkswagen) the idea of “driving pleasure,” to me, is as self-evident as apple pie.

Which is why last weekend, on the return home from New Hampshire, I took the long way. It was, after all, a Sunday drive of sorts; I had the entire afternoon if I wanted… just me, an impossibly sunny sky, the adventure of unfamiliar, squigley backroads, my hand-me-down Volvo station wagon (dubbed “Meatball”), and my new favorite rock crush, Matt Mays. Hubba hubba.

For 2 + hours, I had it bad. Terminal Romance on replay baby!

Were those (gulp!) guitar solos? In 2008? Pant, pant.

Thank you Jesus, a red light at the intersection: cue feral air-guitar spaz-out.

My poor eardrums. The volume couldn’t possibly have been loud enough… a family of Berkshire tourists gawking? I turned it up louder. We’re talking knee-driving, hand-dancing-out-the-moonroof-loud.

I wanted everyone to know: I was hopelessly (and clearly shamelessly), shit-hot in love with the whole damned record.

And still am.

1 Comment »

Guest Post this week from one of my favorite artists, Ashton Allen:

Dear Music Industry,

So, I have a question. I’m confused. Ok, so you got Miley Cyrus, right? And then there’s Hannah Montana. Buuuuuut…ok wait. Are they the same person? Cause umm, one’s a brunette annnnd…the other’s blonde annnnd….but….I heard it was the same girl….but then I was thinking…wow…I guess that’s working out well for her …or them..or…her dad. or their dad. But then I thought about people it didn’t work out so well for. Like Garth Brooks and that Chris Gaines guy. They had different hair too…so…I dunno. Oh yeah…and I know for a fact that last week, it was either Miley, Hannah, or Coldplay that sold over 750,000 copies of their new release. But I can’t remember which. I wanna say it was the second one. Wait, is she the blonde? *brain aneurysm* …..Is one of them related to Hulk Hogan? It’s not Chris Martin. Nope nope nope. It’s one of the girls. Yeah, one of them is the Hulkster’s daughter. He’s like, “I pity ‘da fool. that. won’t.. buy….my blonde-haired daughter’s …new album.” It just gets really dicey.

In closing, stop it with the beards. Just please. Look. I am far passed my cool years. I know this. But. How long is this “I’m the lead singer of this hip indie band, so I have a long-ass disgusting beard cause I hate it” thing going to continue? News flash. You will get older. You will look back. And you will think it silly. Trust me. I do it when I look back at pictures and see my “Flannel in the summer time, Doc Martin’s with shorts and shoulder length hair cause I hate it” grunge phase. And yes, at the time I felt it meant something. And yes, I lived it and thought that no one really “got” me (which I secretly loved even though it was a lie), and ok, yes, I did think I looked kinda cute with Eddie Vedder hair. And speaking of Yes…

Ashton Allen

Ashton is a non-hip, non-grunge, non-threatening songwriter from Florida whose second solo effort “Wellspring” will be released exclusively October 2008 through Barnes & Noble.

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