Finally took in Anton Corbijn’s arresting Ian Curtis biopic Controlthe other night. Poke me in the eye for waiting so long. This masterful piece of cinema is a must see whether you’re a fan of Joy Division or not; a stark black & white vision of early 70′s industrial Britain that brilliantly captures the disaffection of England’s youth and the escape they found in the glam rock of Bowie and post Velvets Lou Reed before the sonic liberation provided by the Sex Pistols and punk later in the decade. Hard to believe this is the debut of both the film’s director and its principle actor. Sam Riley becomes the troubled Curtis so completely it is impossible to imagine any one else in the role. The soundtrack is just as surprising as all of the live performances are played by the actors.
To get you in a moody JD mood I thought I’d post this set of studio sessions from 1979.
Genetic Records session, Eden Studios, London, Sunday, March 4, Producer: Martin Rushent
The improvement of sound under the guidance of studio genius Martin Hannett is startling. Many of these tracks appear on the ‘Heart and Soul’ box set but none of these recordings are from that release. Tracks 1-6 are from a tape source (several generations away from the master tape so please forgive the hiss) and are actually a different mix with the lead guitar a much stronger presence (far preferable to the ‘official’ mix IMHO). Tracks 7-15 are from the ‘Atmosphere’ vinyl bootleg. Caveat: ‘Exercise One’ sounds (to these ears anyway) like a live recording so it’s inclusion with the Eden Studios material is questionable.
Yes sir, we’re giving away free tickets to both Lucinda Williams shows at the Fillmore (November 16 & 17). We’ve also got tickets for local favorites the Dodos (at Bimbo’s 365 Club on November 6) and for the red hot TV On The Radio (at The Warfield on November 9). The only catch is that you’ve got to help keep a spiffy little radio station called KALX on the air for another year. I DJ there every other Wednesday from 6 to 9 PM as my otherness Cuppa Joe. This week I’ll be taking hat in hand humbly trying to separate listeners from their hard earned cash and in order to sweeten the deal we’ll be throwing in the above mentioned tickets free as add-ons to any $50 packages. So tune in this Wednesday at 90.7 FM between 6 and 9 PM if you’re interested in getting any of those tickets as well as the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with doing the right thing. If you’re in some exotic locale you can tune in online by clicking right here. Feel free to peruse the current crop of schwag we’re offering for your kind donation right here (BTW: the double vinyl 45 featuring Talking Heads live in Sproul Plaza in 1978 is in extremely limited supply).
Whoever took the fantastic photos posted at Hippies Are Dead must have been standing right in front of me. Whether or not they were using an iPhone I’ll probably never know but Friday’s show brought out about a dozen of the hippest hand accessary there is within a couple of yards of where I was standing, re-inspiring my planned photo essay of rock fans holding aloft their picture/video capturing electronics. I can see it now: posts with pictures of people taking pictures. Of course I’d have to remember to take notes unless the angle provides a view of the band as well (not likely, right).
Anyway, thanks to HAD for the shots, a real nice review and for knowing the name of every song KOL played Friday:
Crawl My Party
Taper Jean Girl
King Of The Rodeo
Sex On Fire
Fans
Revelry
Milk
Razz
Molly’s Chambers
The Bucket
Somebody Like You
On Call Closer
Cold Desert
Charmer
Slow Night, So Long
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Knocked Up
Manhattan
Four Kicks
Many thanks to the wellspring of must-hear music & curios that is WFMU’s Beware Of The Blog for posting part of Wooden Shjips‘ set from ATP’s first East Coast shindig at Kutshers Country Club in Monticello, NY last month. The Bay Area prog-psych kings are plying their fuzzed out mayhem across Europe at the moment but return in triumphant style supporting Mudhoney with SF Dirty Stealer at The Independent Friday, December 12. Sure hope they pull out this amazing Neil Young cover again!
Wooden Shjips live @ Kutshers Country Club, Monticello, NY 9/08
There are several reasons I’m excited to be seeing the Godmother of Punk over in the city tonight. The first is that today is Arthur Rimbaud’s birthday. Anyone worth their salt knows Patti is first and foremost a poet and that Rimbaud had a profound influence on her life & work. “Piss Factory,” the b-side of her first single & #718 on Cream magazine founder Dave Marsh’s The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made,describes the salvation Smith found in a shoplifted copy of the 19th century French poet’s Illuminations. Another reason is the impending presidential election. I can’t wait to hear her take on McCain vs. Obama. We already know how she feels about W (see below). And of course there’s the recent premier of Steven Sebring’s documentary Patti Smith: Dream Of Life, currently showing at the Lumiere Theater @ 1572 California Street in SF (click here to check out the trailer). Here’s hoping the movie turns on the uninitiated to a true national treasure.
Declaration Of Independence – Patti speaking Bush truth like only she can, live @ The Bowery Ballroom, NYC 12/31/05
And while we’re Bush bashing I have to include a song I’m sure Patti would appreciate, Bright Eyes‘ anti-presidential diatribe that’s still available for free on iTunes:
Getting ready to see the Kings Of Leon at the Warfield in San Francisco tonight. Listening to this fine show broadcast on German radio back in 2004 has gotten me so excited I had to share the joy.
Kings Of Leon live @ The Kleiner Sendesaal, Koeln, Germany 11/17/04
The only thing missing is my fave tune “King Of The Rodeo”. Hope they pull that one out tonight but the new material from Only By The Night is so strong that’ll do for sure
I host the Cuppa Joe show on KALX in Berkeley every other Wednesday from 6 to 9 PM. You can tune at 90.7 or online by clicking HERE
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NEXT SHOW: October 28 FUNDRAISER SHOW!!
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Check out past playlists HERE
Got something I HAVE TO HEAR? Wanna send me free stuff? Email me at mike@nowhearthismusic.com
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Quick note about the tunes
The mp3s on this blog are to give folks a little taste. Imagine they're those little pouches on the bag your Sunday paper comes in. You know, the one's with a packet containing just enough toothpaste to brush your teeth once or twice. They are left up for a limited time. If you find something you like support the artists by dragging your friends to their shows and/or buying their CDs/records/schwag. If you are the artist (or their label/representative) and don't want an mp3 on here, please email me (mike@nowhearthismusic.com) and I'll remove it posthaste.
