Literary Theory, Ancient and Modern

First, and foremost:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! And if you do not celebrate this non-holiday, then, feel free to hate me because I just alluded to a holiday that you do not celebrate...

AND NOW FOR THE REAL REASON WHY I AM POSTING:

I was in class on Tuesday, in my literary theory class, and all of a sudden my professor--man of almost sixty years old--started singing:

"Here she comes, you better watch your step
She's going to break your heart in two."

And I began laughing, and he looked in my direction, and asked, "Do you know this song?" And I shook my head, in agreement, and kept on laughing. The song is "Femme Fatale" by The Velvet Underground from their 1967 released album The Velvet Underground and Nico, featuring lead vocals by Nico.

THE VU is an American Band from the mid-sixties. They were definitely an experimental band, coming into phase before the punk era, making them simply a pre-punk band.

New artists that try to mock them are: Viva Voce, Pop Levi, and perhaps, The Dandy Warhols.

-C.S.H.
(Bollocks, I actually posted this right at 12 a.m. but it kept publishing it at three minutes earlier, and this is the "newer" version, which has my bloody initials, sorry for that!)


Here goes an actual video of The VU AND NICO...

Drum Roll Please...

We have decided to add a new addition to our blog...THE SONG OF THE DAY! We are very excited about this because will be consistently updated for all of our loyal readers. These songs will vary from current music to classic rock to whatever the hell we feel like picking. So brace yourselves because today is day one of the song of day amazingness!!!!

The Song Of The Day Is...

PAS/CAL -- C.A.U. (Sans Muscle)

So to start off our song of the day on the right foot, it was only appropriate that I chose the a feel good, borderline cheesy piece because secretly we all love a playful song every once in a while. Detroit indie rockers, PAS/CAL, never disappoint, and their song C.A.U. (Sans Muscle) is no exception. This track will keep your head bopping and your hand clapping along to its catchy lyrics and undeniably blissful tone. Complete with piano, acoustic guitar, and supporting strings this song will have you smiling all day long.

Here's their site:
pascalgoespop.com

-Clio

Harwood Halloween Concert with TL/Rx and Quasi

There is the common misconception that our society is somewhat a supporter of ageism. Perhaps, but then again, not? Well, it is not when we refer to Ted Leo, at least, I do not believe so. He is old, born September 11, 1970, according to the knowledgeable Wikipedia.org. Not as old as some of our parents--my mother was born '69, but getting there. Ha!

In any case, his age has created a masterful performer--let's not omit the fact that he has been performing for many a-years now. His gig at Pomona College, Sontag Greek Theatre, yesternite (October 27) was very impressive. I have seen Roger Waters live, and seen how this middle aged man can make the whole Hollywood Bowl stadium stand up and sing in unison, but Ted Leo can do it better, and he had no fancy effects like those aiding Waters's show. Even if you do not know much of his musical repertoire, Ted Leo can make you like him in an instant, at least that's one of the vibes I've received from a couple of friends I have introduced his music to. As like any true independent musician, Ted Leo give will you his piece of mind, and he will give you his best performance, even if he is just performing in front of a bunch of moronic college students.

The night began with an opening band who reigned over the name Quasi, an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. When you see them prepping for the show, you want them to stop, right then and there. The band consists of an ex-husband and wife team, and a new member on bass. Believe me when I say that they are not as good as the duo team Viva Voce; I refer to Viva Voce because they are a husband and wife team. Perhaps the breakup of its married members of Quasi never turned out as well as it should have, and it is affecting their performance. In any case, beware of the "experimental" tendencies of this trio.

After a murderous hour of listening to the prepping and playing of Quasi, I stood up from my seat, and ran to the front of the stage, awaiting for TL/Rx. I was lucky enough to stand right in front of the mic where Ted Leo stood, it was the first time that had ever happened, perhaps because I was in my scene? Ha! College is definitely not my scene! Hahaha... In any case, as TL/Rx set up for their gig, there was a bunch of morons standing behind my friends and me. Two of them kept making noises, and shouting praises. Being the humble and responsible musician that he is, Ted Leo got on the mic, and said in a sarcastic and somewhat irritated tone, something like this: "Can't you see that we are checking to see that everything is working? We are doing our jobs here, be quiet!" The morons did not stop, but TL/Rx were about to get some revenge, as the concert livened up.

The set began with a song from their new album, which was then quickly followed by "Me and Mia," which set the tone for the rest of the performance. In the middle, between "Me and Mia" and their last song "Timorous Me" there was a guy who was crowd surfing, and got to the edge of the stage, and before he had his feet settled on the grounds of the stage, he was kicked off by the guitarist, James Canty. Not only was it magical, but it was funny. The set began getting better and better, mosh pits flew in and out, kids sang along, and then, "Timorous Me" came on, and at the beginning no one knew the song, except for a couple, I was included in that couple, and then the song ended. Chris Wilson, on drums, quickly packed up, James did the same, and Marty "Violence" Key also followed--he's from The Young Pioneers--but Ted Leo was hesitant to leave the stage, and when the crowd began to clap, and shout: ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE! Ted Leo smiled, and with his energetic charisma began a song by himself, acoustic, but not there yet; the guitar was a bloody electric guitar, just imagine him singing with an acoustic guitar, that would be priceless! In any case, it was worthwhile to see him perform old material as well as new, at least, we can assure that TL/Rx are not following the trend of ageism!

Soon, it was time to leave. Soon TL/Rx also left.

*The picture above was when a college student gave his Viking hat to Ted Leo to wear, he wore it for a couple of songs, and then returned it.

Go see Ted Leo and The Pharmacists live! It is a must! No one can live in this world without seeing a musician as good as he is. No one!


-C.S.H.

The Junior Varsity Is No More

Its official, they've called it quits. Their lead singer, Asa, now plays drums for a new band called What's Fair, and Andy, their lead guitarist, now plays for The Deer Hunter. The band is still scheduled to play a few shows in Central Illinois, but that will be it.

Here's the message from the band

hey guys,

andy here with TJV.

If you've come to a show lately, you've surely been surprised by the current lineup. If you havent heard yet, asa quit the band and weve had our friend brandon carnes covering the lead singer/bass player duty until we decided what we want to do.

As it looks, all the current members of TJV are going to head back to college. So we're sort of putting this thing on the back burner. We might do some shows here and there for fun, but we probably will not be touring as a band again. We have a show on Saturday November 10th at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois. Currently, this is our last booked show, but we are planning to book a couple in december in the central illinois area. These may be the TJV farewell shows.

The support we have received from all these little cities in the cornfields has been overwhelming for the last 5 years. We couldnt have kept moving forward if it wasnt for the initial support we received from our home area. We are sorry for the demise of this band, but it is hard to replace a singer. Its almost like starting over again. Asa was our 2nd singer as it was.

November 10th in Jacksonville will definitely not be the last show though...we'll plan a couple fun events. Nobody has too hard of feelings about the events that transpired...i think we are all ready to start a new life.

ALSO--you can catch me on tour this november playing guitar and piano for a band called "the dear hunter." We'll be all across the US opening for Circa Survive and i am very excited about the opportunity.

www.myspace.com/thedearhunter

Check em out...im sure you will love it. And come say hi at some of the shows this fall.

If anyone has any questions about whats going on, hit me up on my blackberry at andywildrick@gmail.com

ill be driving 19 hours by myself to rhode island today...so entertain me haha.

thanks for the love guys.

-andy

The Higher

So after all the hysteria of the higher losing their drummer, and 16 year old emo kids suffering from more confusion than their little brains could handle, order has finally been returned to the universe.

We are pleased to announce we have a new drummer. Doug McCarthy is the newest member of the group and will be on tour with us for our upcoming run in the US with Daphne Loves Derby and This Providence, as well as our first trip to Japan in November. We would like to thank all who tried out and those who expressed interest in playing with us. We also would like to thank our fans for the support and understanding during this transition period. We have posted a Live EP on absolutepunk.net for FREE download for all of you to enjoy. One Love.

-The Higher

That was a close call, I don't know what I would do if The Higher broke up. I think I might be forced to listen to decent music.

-Clio

Beirut!

If you're like me, then you were disappointed to find out that you would be forced to miss both of Beirut's performances at the Avalon this week because of your unforgiving professors and your car breaking down. However, my luck turned on October 12th when my good friend Cindy told me in jest that they would be performing a free show at Amoeba Records that same day and I could always watch the live stream online. Little did my friend know, I was determined to see Beirut, and for this very reason me and one of my friends hopped into the "mom van" and drove to LA in rush hour. Not only did we make it in time, we were able to find free parking, and as any local knows, that is nearly impossible. The drive was worth it. This was my first Beirut show, so of course I was a little hesitant because there is always the fear that they will be terrible live. Of course, this was not the case. As the mini orchestra began to play, the entire audience was silent, hanging on to every note as if it would be the last piece of music they would ever here, and let me say that if they were the last band I ever saw live, it would be a good way to go out. They mainly played music from their new album, The Flying Club Cup, which I must say is excellent, but they did play some fan favorites from Gulag Orkestar. Much to my surprise, they did not play "Elephant Gun" or "Postcards to Italy" which was refreshing considering how overplayed both of these songs are. Their tone was impeccable, and they all performed as seasoned musicians despite their age.
Afterwards they held a signing where hundreds of hipster kids stood in line waiting to get a glimpse of the man that is Zach Condon. Of course, having driven all the way to LA, which is technically only thirty minutes from my house, I stayed to have one of my favorite bands sign my cd. Overall, it was an amazing experience and I was not disappointed at all. They were extremely professional but still had an air of approachability about them, which was refreshing.




More, and higher quality, pictures can be found at:
http://www.amoeba.com/live-shows/past-performances/index.html
-Clio