So Man…or Astro-Man? did two reunion shows last year and due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to attend. However, I did film two introductions for either show. The first one, in Birmingham, actually aired. The second one for T&G25 didn’t due to logistic issues. Both were filmed by Adam Wingard and Kyle McKinnon one night at the Bottletree. Kyle later edited them all together.
Am I really that hairy?
Long-time Chunklet illustrator Aye Jay Morano is back with yet another in his long series of specialty fun books. Aye Jay is known for doing The Gangsta Rap Coloring Book and the follow-up Indie Rock Connect The Dots Book. Obviously, this comes highly recommended.
Are you taking some suggestions for further volumes, Aye Jay?
How about the Garage Rock Crossword Puzzle, the Two-Tone Etch-a-Skatch (sorry, I tried), the Jazzcore Press Your Luck (sure, no whammies!), or the Drone Rock Bingo-slash-Checker board?
Just a thought, Aye Jay. Oh! And I only take 15% of net. Shop around, that’s a STEAL!
Check it out. For all of you that have asked about when it’d happen, your questions have been answered. Scroll to the bottom for more. Thanks for your patience.
From craigslist. Sent in by Billy C:
Your chance to possess the same TV once owned & enjoyed by the godfather of grunge, J Mascis! That’s right, I inhereted the Dinosaur Jr axe-wielder’s TV when he left his apt in the 20s for the bucolic setting of North Hampton some years ago. And you’ll be reassured to know that J likes his TVs just like his music: old and HEAVY! 27 inches of pure rock fury, vintage 1990 (the year punk broke) Hitachi color TV, weighs about as much as fullstack. Authentication certificate not available but 90s underground rock memorabilia experts will corroborate this fascinating piece of alt-rock history — this TV could be your life!
So I got back from Europe last week and was shocked to see Beth from The Gossip everywhere I looked. Honestly, more power to her……but Beth? The Gossip? Did I miss something? I am completely gung ho for breaking female stereotypes, and Beth’s as good a candidate as anybody. So go for it, Beth!
When The Gossip played Chunklet’s SXSW party a few months ago, she was begging for a "We’re All In This Together" shirt and she was as sweet and down to earth as I’ve always known her to be. I reckon you can’t take the Arkansas out of a girl, huh?
I guess when it comes to the British press, there’s absolutely no rhyme or reason, but seeing a headline read "Beth Ditto says: I Love My Lesbian Porn Collection" it’s like, did I just step through a weird time portal? However, every once in a while, the NME and their equally shit mongering bretheren cling onto something that I think is actually worthy of checking out, and The Gossip fits the bill.
Hell, I remember saying similar things when Nirvana "broke" so I guess it just shows both how old and how behind the times I am.
So in honor of The Gossip, I’m posting this Peel Session they did a few years back.
The Gossip – Eyes Open (Peel Session)
The Gossip – Jason’s Basement (Peel Session)
The Gossip – Ain’t It The Truth (Peel Session)
The Gossip – Yesterday’s News (Peel Session)
The original idea of this record was to encourage local bands and local retail business. And judging by the reaction, it worked out just perfectly. It was available exclusively at Criminal Records and showcased four of the best bands Atlanta has to offer.
Just to keep you connivin’ eBay hounds from paying too much for this single, here’s a modest repress to keep ya’ll happy. Original and exclusive material from Deerhunter, The Carbonas, The Selmanaires and The Coathangers.
Due to the limited numbers, two copies per customer limit. Orders ship on June 10, 2007.
Order it here for a limited time.
I think Alan McGee can be credited with this one (and I might be paraphrasing):
English bands take the most mundane thing in the world, put a hat on it, and call it "revolutionary".
American bands take the most innovative bands, dress them down and call them "nothing special".
I saw Bloc Party last night and felt that quote particularly relevant.
I’m not particularly ashamed or proud of how much music I have stored on this computer I’m typing you from, but when iTunes shuffles across The Mice, I get a particularly fuzzy feeling inside. Hailing from Cleveland in the mid-80’s, I can’t imagine what a head-scratchin’ group they must’ve been at the time. Power pop in a time when four pieces like The Replacements and R.E.M. were bankable commodities. In Ohio when the main export was Pere Ubu. The Mice were such a disturbingly sensible band that I can only say that Scat’s 2004 reissue of their two EPs is nothing short of absolutely mandatory.
Bill Fox went on to be a solo artist releasing a few records on SpinArt during the 90’s, but otherwise, they just dropped off the face of the earth.
Below are 7 samples of the Mice at their peak. 5 of the tunes are from a deleted title (the name of which I don’t know) but the rest of the CD includes many cover songs and demos and thankfully, I have it. The final two tracks are from the reissue and just show how many bands they went on to influence from the more mopey indie sounds like Superchunk or Seam or perhaps the more rough and tumble Uncle Tupelo.
I know I champion less-known records quite often on this site, but this one is absolutely essential for those that find contemporary "pop" a bit lacking and yearn for an age when bands like The Mice should’ve reigned supreme.
The Mice – Public Television
The Mice – Resurrection Day
The Mice – Music Here
The Mice – Something Pushed
The Mice – Can You Walk On The Water, Baby?
The Mice – Not Proud of The USA
The Mice – Down In The Catacombs
Sent via Ryan Russell Dot Net while he was combing thru the musical tastes of his 9000+ friends on myspace. So bizarre.
I should also add that Chunklet has a slew of videos up at Superdeluxe.com which you can check out here.
A few things. One, this was the first tape that’s been sent in via my request on chunklet.com so I feel urged to post it. Secondly, this tape is massively depressing but also kind of funny in its repetitiveness.
I hope Cole eventually cheered up and found a guy that’d pick up the phone when he called because, man, this would seriously bum me out if it were my life….
The Cole Springer Tape