You read that right, it’s the Top 9. Two qualifiers: 1) an album totally worth the price, your money will be well spent and 2) an album that’s stood up on replay, ad infintinum. Hence, there were only nine. Trying to squeeze in a 10th felt like a copout. And we can’t have that. So, just in time for your shopping lists, our faves around Outlandos HQ for the past year:
1. Michael Miller, I Made You Up 
Awash in a melodic swath of near-psychedelic ether, Miller’s sound teeters between that delicate dream state of newborn refuge and Milky Way haze. But don’t let the SoCal singer-songwriter thing fool you: Miller’s unassuming yet gumptious approach places him squarely alongside the likes of troubadours Pete Droge/Steve Forbert but with flecks of Supertramp/Bowie-style transcendental grandeur. No kidding. Which is why it’s my top pick. |
2. Chris Velan, Solidago
Solidago was on my tops last year because I had an early copy (the release was April 2009) but it’s so good I’m putting it on the list again. The scoop: cunningly disguised as jangly chill-lax pop, Solidago reveals whipsmart songcraft and no-bullshit guitar rockers juxtaposed amidst easy-going ditties. Think Paul Simon, Tom Petty, The Wallflowers, Bob Marley. The kind of political/romantic moxie that makes me think hell yes, I too am a Hard Way Learner. |
3. Mike Gent, Mike Gent
A pop masterpiece. Seriously. It’s easy, it’s smart, it’s fun, AND it has balls. Like Wilco used to (think Box of Letters, Monday). Speaking of balls, Mike’s other band, the Figgs, has long been one of my favorite badass live outfits. |
4. Glasvegas, Glasvegas
Timeless Glasgow glampop at its uber-finest. Echo and the Bunnymen-esque, bigger drums. Shit-hot. |
5. Gidgets Ga Ga, The Big Bong Theory
Fountains of Wayne meets Cheap Trick meets Strawberry Alarm Clock. Lots of bouncy, chimey guitars, and an authentic garage sound. Plus the album has a million songs on it. Loads of bang for your buck. |
6. Contramano, Contramano
Argentinian chamber-punk. Go figure. It’s spectacular. Seriously, you need to own this record IMMEDIATELY. |
7. Roman Candle, Oh Tall Tree in the Ear 
The Bees (US) are easily one of my fave bands ever. Unfortunately, for legal reasons, they had to change their name to The Silver Seas. They should have a new album out soon (yay!). In the meantime, Bees’ cofounder Jason Lehning has been keeping busy. Roman Candle is his latest project and everything you would expect from a Bee. Smart, fun, shades Steely Dan, Pretzel Logic-style. |
8. Passion Pit, Manners 
A dance record! Who knew. Fun fun fun. Very Jackson 5. Plus a lot of synth. |
9. Gary Yerkins, Compass 
Gotta have a touch of blues in your list. Gary has a sweet Robert Cray sort of thing going on. Produced by guitar great Pete Droge who plays all over it as well. Total gem. xo |
Tags: Bob Marley, Cheap Trick, Chris Velan, Contramano, CUT THROUGH THE NOISE, David Bowie, Echo and the Bunnymen, Fountains of Wayne, Gary Yerkins, Gerry Rafferty, Gidgets Ga Ga, Glasvegas, Jason Lehning, KATE BRADLEY, Michael Miller, Mike Gent, NOW PLAYING, OUTLANDOS MUSIC, Passion Pit, Paul Simon, Pete Droge, Robert Cray, Roman Candle, Steely Dan, Steve Forbert, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Supertramp, The Bees, The Figgs, The Jackson 5, The Silver Seas, The Wallflowers, Tom Petty, Wilco —
Good lord, perhaps the longest week of my life. It’s kind of like camp. With no sleep. And lots of drinking.
Predominant thoughts for me this year were:
1. Ach, my back is killing me… who knew that a top-tier hotel like the Driskill would have the worst beds ever. I slept on the floor all week.
2. Where is Glasvegas playing? (I saw them three times. Super-fan alert!)
3. Crap, I forgot to eat AGAIN. Starving.
4. No, I really don’t want another high-quality local microbrew… but twist my arm, they’re FREE.
5. Holy shit I have a lot of work to do next week.
6. Was today worth the $400 it’s costing me daily? As I put it to KEYE-TV (Austin’s CBS affiliate, naturally they misquoted me AND misspelled my name): “Not having a badge is kind of like being on the B-Team,” meaning, if you want to hang with the big dogs and actually get any serious work done, you need to go whole-hog. Duh. Multiple cases in point:
mind if I do a J? Yes, that’s Jeff Dowd, the real-life Dude who does indeed abide. But that night it wasn’t White Russians, it being St. Patrick’s Day. Try Guinness & whiskey. He talked to me for two hours; no idea what the hell he said.
Sweet, sweet Cary Brothers. Of Hotel Café Tour/Garden State
Becky from Slow Club, climbing down from stage to get right into the middle of us for the song “Christmas TV.” Somehow, everyone in the room knew the words. Quite lovely.
Apparently Justin Kirk from Weeds has killer taste in music… met him at the Mark Olsen/Gary Louris show at the Driskill. Hot.
Clearly I’ve got a thing for Scotland, here’s Found at the British Embassy showcase (easily the best venue during the festival — imagine this, a government that actually funds tours!)… was delightful to finally meet Ziggy et al. after e-mailing over the last few months. By the way, that screen behind them, all things that you might lose, things that might be “found.” Genius.
Of the tens of thousands of people in Austin last week who would’ve thunk that I’d meet the Austrian iPhone programmer who purchased my business partner’s badge through eBay? Or that he’d quickly become one of our favorite people to hang out with all week. Serendipity.
SxSW survival kit available at a local pizza joint… vitamin C, Tylenol, condoms, chocolate… all the essentials… for someone?
Damnwells lead-singer and dear friend, Alex Dezen at our showcase. They blew the roof off in spite of missing original lead-guitarist David Chernis. Although clearly, he was missed:
Montréal singer-songwriter, friend, and roommate for the week, Chris Velan (at Threadgills) who raided my closet and appropriated my Havianas all week.
Not the greatest shot I took but Winterpills (also at Threadgills) who I caught up with later for dinner. Margaritas? Pshaw. These guys don’t fuck around and went straight for Tequila Kamikzes. Yikes!
Semi-random. A mermaid carved out of an orange peel spotted en route to the Driskill during a midday pit-stop. Only in Austin.
Glasgow rockers James et al. from Glasvegas. The first time I saw them at Mohawk alongside Blurt editor-in-chief Scott Crawford, sweating my balls off and didn’t care a damn bit. Also the first time all week I was officially having pure fun (work does actually happen at this thing, believe it or not). The place was jammed. 90° day that was.
Our HEROES (Andrew & Dave from JamBase) who helped us score Stubbs/Spin Magazine party badges! Love them! Hello more free beer, free Haviana flip-flops (which, thanks to Chris Velan I desperately needed) and whatever else they were hocking at this party. No matter how much I think Spin is a piece of crap, they threw a good one:
Glasvegas (show #2 for me) at Spin party. Pinch me. Front row baby! Blissed-out of my mind. Pant, pant. Joe Strummer reincarnated anyone? Oh Jesus, James is the epitome of shit-hot.
Same party for Echo and the Bunnymen. Perry Farrell introduced them (he is so weird). Notice that Ian is wearing a fucking wool pea-coat. It’s 90°. Is he out of his mind? And while the Bunnymen were great, Glasvegas outshone them easily. Of course, I’m slightly biased.
Yup, you guessed it, Glasvegas again. Third time for me, twice that day. This go ’round opening for Primal Scream who were pretty freaking spectacular themselves. Again though, I’ve got it bad for the Scots so… no surprise Glasvegas were the stars on this night as well, which included a dreamy, spaced-out version of “You Are My Sunshine.” Mind blowing. And without warning during “Daddy’s Gone,” the audience started singing, sort of taking things over for a moment, one beautiful amazing moment where the crowd was making its own magic. Truly an incredible thing to be a part of. When people know the words to your songs because they too have seen you every chance they could in Austin. Good to know I wasn’t completely alone 
. Did I say mind-blowing? Now that was a $400 day worth every penny.
Whew. Now what? Oh right, back to reality.
See you guys next week. xo
3/23/09 | Comments (7)Tags: Alex Dezen, Blurt, Cary Brothers, Chris Velan, CUT THROUGH THE NOISE, Dappled Cities, David Chernis, Echo and the Bunnymen, Found, Gary Louris, Glasvegas, Hotel Cafe Tour, Jeff Dowd, Joe Strummer, KATE BRADLEY, KEYE-TV, Mark Olsen, OUTLANDOS MUSIC, Perry Farrell, Scott Crawford, Slow Club, Weeds, Winterpills —
So it’s off to Austin, Texas for me this Saturday. Going all-out this year for a 10 day stint, covering interactive, film & music at SxSW. If you’ve been before, you get that this is a fairly brave undertaking. Which is why I’ve got tons of Emergen-C, Tylenol, and eye-cream ready to go with. And I purchased an iPhone over the weekend to make it easier to navigate all those texts, etc., I feel so 21st century! God damn, this thing is friggin’ cool. It’ll be perfect once I transfer my “Truth Hits Everybody” ring tone from my old phone. In any case, by the end of Sx, all the walking, talking, the late nights, the tacos and Lone Star Ale having taken their toll, I’m sure I’ll feel at least 10 years older. But it’s a small price to pay. Showcases I’ll be at below, in case you happen to be in town . I’ll have a blog for you guys next Monday for the full report of the front half of the festival, at least insofar as much as I can take in the first couple of days. In the meantime… here’s what’s been spinning around the office this month so far:
Simone White, Yakiimo
If you haven’t met Simone just yet, the above is a decent taste… a commercial that played all over Europe and the UK with her song, “The Beep Beep Song” from the first album, I Am the Man. Spectacular record. The new one on the way is Yakiimo, with a release across the pond scheduled for June. Working on getting it out here as well. I think of her as a modern-day Joni Mitchell. Fave tracks from Yakiimo include Victoria Anne, Candy Bar Killer, and You Are Loved. You can hear them all here. Totally worth the import price.
Clem Snide, Hungry Bird
When Eef Barzelay isn’t busy doing his solo projects (which I equally adore) he’s got his hands full with Clem Snide. Always a good buy. My picks: Me No (a rocker!) and Pray, so very R.E.M. Hear them here.
Glasvegas, Glasvegas
Lamely, the actual video is no longer embed-able (Columbia Records, you fucking idiots). But still, holy crap, this is heaven. So very very Brit Box. Glasgow pop at its uber-finest. Genius name. Can’t get enough and can barely stand the wait to see them in Austin. So God damn brilliant. Echo and the Bunnymen meets The Family Cat. Double-shit hot.
Sometymes Why, Joey
Yep, it’s a Concrete Blonde cover, gorgeous. You can get it on their new album, Your Heart Is a Glorious Machine.
Michael Miller, I Made You Up
Unfucking believable. It’s a creeper so make sure you hang with it. Really hard to decide favorite tracks because the whole thing just builds. Nonetheless, “Munkie,” “Sweetness,” “Carolina Skyline,” “Gomer Put Your Fist Down,” “Sutures.” Hear them here. I’m telling you, this is a five-star record, all the way. Due out this summer. Pete Yorn, Tracy Bonham, Amy Correa and others guest. Plus it’s an all-star backing band. How the hell isn’t this guy famous? Working on that.
That’s all for now, talk to you guys from Austin next week. Here’s where I’ll be among other places:
- Breath of Fresh Air Showcase 12-6 PM, Wednesday 03/18, Threadgills, 301 W Riverside Dr (Brownshoe, Jeremy Messersmith, Romantica, Chris Velan, The Secret, Life of Sofia, Amy Speace, Winterpills, KaiserCartel, The Damnwells)
- Bloodshot Records Showcase 12-6 PM, Friday 03/20, Yard Dog, 1510 S. Congress (Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, Ben Weaver, Charlie Pickett, Exene Cervenka, Deadstring Brothers, Ha Ha Tonka, The Meat Purveyors, Dex Romweber Duo, The Silos, Andre Williams, Justin Townes Earle, Rosie Flores, Waco Brothers
xo
3/9/09 | Comments (2)Tags: Amy Correa, Amy Speace, Brit Box, Charlie Pickett, Chris Velan, Clem Snide, CUT THROUGH THE NOISE, Echo and the Bunnymen, Eef Barzelay, Glasvegas, Ha Ha Tonka, Jeremy Messersmith, Joni Mitchell, KATE BRADLEY, Michael Miller, NOW PLAYING, OUTLANDOS MUSIC, Pete Yorn, REM, Simone White, Sometymes Why, The Damnwells, The Family Cat, Tracy Bonham, Winterpills —
