If there ever was one, this is an entry fitting of a Friday afternoon.

Tommy Lee. Drum solo. Tacoma Dome. 1987.

What else can you say? (Just be sure to stick around, or at least fast-forward to the very end for a priceless, unexpected laugh.)

New York Magazine (from New York City, not this place) was behind a recent karaoke event where our very own The Thermals were the house band. The video above shows Hutch, Kathy, and drummer #3 (sorry, that was mean) blazing through a set of live band karaoke with drunken guest vocalists on the mic.

We all know that there are absolutely zero bands from the New York (and Brooklyn) area, so importing our fine Portland talent is understandable, but why didn’t we do this first? I’m a little jealous. We need to fire this event up here in town.

The year? 1995! And Adina Howard was getting the sexy party started with her one-hit wonder “Freak Like Me.” While the song is riddled with West Coast livin’/LBC cliches, it’s hard to deny that Freak is a classic ’90s R&B slow jam. Highlights: That hooky chorus with the girls yelling “PUMP! PUMP!” The ending refrain of “One to the two, to the two, to the three/Adina, do you want to get freaky with me?” as well the video featuring silver-clad dancers humping a wading pool. (Plus, check out the girl with the nails. You know she’s gonna get freaky.)

Slabtown’s not the only kid in town with a birthday. Portland’s best-situated club turns eight years old, and to celebrate, they’ve packed the weekend up with a solid lineup of shows. Here’s what’s in store:

Tonight’s show features:
- The Nice Boys, who ape ’70s pop music that was aping ’50s pop music
- The Family Gun
- The Rebel Drones, Matt Hollywood’s new band
- and, uh, this guy.

However, the real excitement comes from Saturday night’s line-up, which includes:
- Portland’s beloved Richmond Fontaine
- and the great John Doe (formerly of X).

And it doesn’t end there. Sunday night will see a show by Alaska’s Whipsaws, who seem to have a bit of a Neil Young fetish. Not only do they cover “Mr. Soul,” but they also have a song called “Ode to Shakey” – Shakey being a well-known nickname for the illustrious Mr. Young. Listen to ‘em here.

And here are some MP3s to whet your appetite for the weekend.

MP3:
John Doe with Kathleen Edwards - The Golden State
The Nice Boys - Johnny Guitar
Richmond Fontaine - Making It Back (live at the Doug Fir)

This has been all over the blog world today. It doesn’t matter: you need to see it again.

I was doubtful Les Savy Fav could translate their amazing live show to the late-night TV world, but watching the above clip for “Patty Lee” proves they can rock any stage, anywhere, at any time.

It sounds like there are a few people in the audience excited to have their faces rocked by a stripping Tim Harrington, but I can’t help but think those poor, unsuspecting Conan-goers had no idea what was going to hit them.

Pfork is reporting that Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy has unleashed a slew of new tour dates in support of Colin Meloy Sings Live!, which will be out on April 8th via local labels Kill Rock Stars (shiny CD) and Jealous Butcher (fancy LP).

Save your pennies for the merch table, because in addition to all the usual goodies (Colin Meloy signature windbreaker, Decemberists pantaloons), there will be a tour-only release, the Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke EP (where does he think of these clever titles?) for sale.

And just like Cooke, at the end of the EP, Meloy will be gunned down in a hail of bullets at the Hacienda Motel.

Tour dates after the jump.

MP3:
Colin Meloy - Everyday Is Like Sunday

04-07 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
04-08 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
04-10 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
04-11 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
04-12 Charlottesville, VA - The Satellite Ballroom
04-13 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
04-15 Somerville, MA - Somerville Theatre
04-16 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg
04-17 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg
04-21 Chicago, IL - Park West
04-22 Milwaukee, WI - The Pabst Theater
04-23 Madison, WI - Barrymore Theater
04-25 Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall
04-26 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
04-28 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre
04-29 Santa Cruz, CA - The Rio Theatre
04-30 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
05-02 Seattle, WA - Showbox
05-03 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom

(all shows with Laura Gibson opening)

SOUTHERLY, MINMAE, THE MINOR THIRDS (Kelly’s Olympian, 426 SW Washington) It’s easy for bands to get caught in a rut—playing the same set night after night, poring over every last note with a fine-tooth comb. But trying to brush out all the kinks can leave things a bit sterile, which Portland’s own Southerly are most certainly not. They proved it late last year while writing, recording, and releasing a song a week. Though it appears the band didn’t quite fulfill its stated goal—working continually from September 11th to the New Year—the seven songs from the first seven weeks are a testament to honest creativity and melancholic ability. Most tracks waltz in solemn and pretty, colored by clean pianos, atmospheric synths, buzzing guitars, and driven drums forced inside by the dark, chilly Portland fall. More important than any one particular instrument or lyric, though, is the airy spontaneity of the project—a perfect portrait of a time and place. ANDREW R TONRY

MP3:
Southerly - Buying In (from the “song a week” sessions)

Photo by Heidi Wirz

Remember when Homer joined Hullabalooza?

“Who is playing with the London Symphony Orchestra? Come on people, somebody ordered the London Symphony Orchestra… posssibly while high. Cyprus Hill I’m looking in your direction.”

And as they have so many times before, the Simpsons foresaw the future.

It’s happening tonight in New York as Joanna Newsome is to perform Ys in its entirety along with the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra. As an ethereal, mellow harpist with a cutting voice, the pairing seems to make sense. (And even though Portland’s music scene is just killing it right now, it’s strange events like these that occasionally make one pine for the Big Apple.)

But this meeting of indie and oldie (ok, classical) shouldn’t be the only one. Apparently the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra has a short list of artists they’d like to collaborate with including The Decemberists, Cat Power and Grizzly Bear. (What!? Grizzly Bear? They’re music is flat as an afternoon nap after weak tea…)

While the Cat Power collaboration sounds interesting, I can’t help wonder what else could be done. Let’s get real wild and pair ‘em with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Or how about mixing the Orchestra with some electronic music… LCD Soundsystem perhaps? Wanna go way out? Try the wailing future weirdness of Apes and Androids.

Any other suggestions?

Listening to the new Danava record—UnonoU, out on February 19th via Kemado— is akin to the image above, with each song feeling like they were birthed by the magnificent ray of godly light that fires from the open mouth of vocalist Dusty Sparkles.

His laser beam eyes are also responsible for the album’s killer cover art.

MP3:
Danava - Where Beauty And Terror Dance

Danava’s CD release show is on February 21st at Lola’s.

THE SLANTS, LICKITY, GEJIUS (Berbati’s Pan, 10 SW 3rd) We get it. The Slants are Asian. The Portland sextet has a boastful bio which constantly mentions it, all of their press seems to hinge solely on that fact, and the band plays up every possible stereotype by booking slots at anime expos and holding a contest for an adorable pink Hello Kitty guitar. Much like a white rapper with confidence issues, the Slants’ constant reminders of their ethnicity seem forced, if not a little desperate. Much like any white kid can rock the mic with the best of them, the concept of a few Asian kids playing keyboard rock isn’t exactly mind-blowing, nor does the experience lead to, as their bio puts it, “melting people’s faces off with ‘Chinatown Dance Rock.’” Instead, the Slants offer another take on the sterile dance rock made popular by Depeche Mode, The Faint, and countless others who clutter the stage with an abundance of keyboards and black clothing. While Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts (OMG! Slanted eyes, because, you know, they are totally Asian!) was released last September, tonight is another CD release, this time celebrating national distribution for the album.

Despite the faux threat on my life, I stand by that review. Their record is fine, it’s just one of many mediocre offerings of non-offensive retro dance music. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Listen for yourself…

MP3:
The Slants - Capture Me Burning

I ain’t afraid of no Yakuza.

Another Mercury music section to read during this rainy winter. Hurry up China, fix our damn weather!

Black Mountain = Mellow harshing Canucks. Also, does anyone remember when they toured with Coldplay? Yeah, that was weird.
MP3: Black Mountain - Angels

The Black Lips are the hardest working band around. They also have been known to pee in each other’s mouths while onstage. But, did I mention their work ethic?
MP3: Black Lips - Not A Problem

Chomp down on the mighty metal of Red Fang. It was either that, or “get a mouthful of Red Fang,” but after that whole pee thing with the Black Lips, I just couldn’t do it.
MP3: Red Fang - Prehistoric Dog

Evil metal… in shorts? Unless you are Scott Ian, you can’t pull off that look. Sorry, the Black Dahlia Murder, you just can’t do it.
MP3: The Black Dahlia Murder - What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse

And yes, I did notice the theme of this week’s music section:
Black Mountain
Black Lips
Red Fang
Black Dahlia Murder

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!

Yes, that is a picture of Lucero’s Ben Nichols in the studio with Craig Finn of The Hold Steady. Apparently Nichols is laying down some vocals for the new Hold Steady record.

And my day just got approximately 496 times better.

SOMEKINDOFSAD

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Yes, okay, the A.V. Club was probably right to list Ringo Deathstarr as having one of the worst band names of ‘07, but that doesn’t change the fact that these guys rock.

And yes, okay, this video for “Some Kind Of Sad” looks like it was shot in one of their basements for a total of $6 (that’s how much a 12-pack of PBR is, right?), but it seems to fit perfectly with this song. I mean, this is exactly what the videos they’re paying homage to look like, and in the age of digital video trickery when it’s so easy to make a technically amazing video, the back to basics approach seems a bit refreshing.

Can I be the first to say that this whole jangly, distortion-heavy, Jesus & Mary Chain revival needs to keep happening. Please? Big Muffs for all!

(HT to Indie MP3 for the video)

A huge double high-five to former Mercury Music Editor Julianne Shepherd, who scored a piece in New York Times earlier this week (on a Sunday no less). Along the way she’s contributed to the pages of the Village Voice, Spin, Vibe and even lent a hand to those cocksucking nerds at Pitchfork.

I think I speak for everyone here when I tell you how happy, jealous and hopeful this makes me.

Julianne was the one who first gave me a chance to write here at the Mercury. We met a barbershop on MLK where she was interviewing Libretto. I was a photo intern and I told her I wanted to write. She gave me a chance, god bless her.

So thanks, Julianne, and continued success in the world of giants. (Now where do you go from here? And what’ve you got, Pennington?)

JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT, WILL HOGE, JEREMY FISHER (Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan) Sure, he might not have the voice of Patterson Hood (really though, who does?), but former Drive-By Truckers guitarist Jason Isbell sure does know how to write a damn good song. His first solo outing since leaving the Truckers, Sirens of the Ditch, was recorded while he was still with the band, and, well, the similarities show. Full of serious riffage, bluesy punk, a few ballads, and some serious Southern swagger, it’s everything fans hoped it would be. Another album this good, and it’s not going to be necessary to preface his name with “former guitarist of” anymore. ROB SIMONSEn

A longtime Drive-By Truckers fan, I was doubtful that Isbell’s absence would affect the band too much. But judging by the mediocre nature of their upcoming full-length, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, the band misses Isbell (and his songs) terribly. Below is footage of him doing “Dress Blues,” easily one of the greatest songs written about the Iraq War, and the ripple affect it has on soldiers, their families, and the towns they reside in.

Jason Isbell - “Dress Blues” (live at Criminal Records, Atlanta, GA)

The flames of Yaphet Kotto flickered out sometime around 2005, and their breakup was a hushed affair. There was no final tour. No posthumous odes to their greatness. All that is left is a tribute MySpace page, oh, and the actor of the same name.

The real Yaphet Kotto is doing fine, living in Baltimore, and voting republican.

More on Yaphet Kotto after the jump.

Based out of Santa Cruz (and eventually San Francisco), the quartet quickly signed to Ebullition Records—you might know them for the HeartattaCk zine, the single most visible icon at a hardcore show, with the exception of a “Free Mumia” patch—and unleashed a flurry of fantastic recordings that utilized their rigid interplay between hardcore breakdowns and—brace yourself—emo vocals. Mind you, this is not mall emo, but more so the hurried, and pained, yelps made famous by Rites of Spring and other reluctant founders of the now-soiled genre. Their masterwork was the fantastically titled The Killer Was In The Government Blankets, which was a brutal assortment of heart wrenching political anthems. Meanwhile, just as worthy was 2004’s We Bury Our Dead Alive, which captured the growth of a band more focused on melody than the blunt edges of their punk rock carnage.

I always grieve for smalltime punk bands when they break up. While Rob’s excellent post about Life Without Buildings reminded me how an act like that can establish such a following on so few songs, bands that live in the punk rock basement circuit are seldom so lucky. With the exception of merch tables at hardcore festivals—or devote fans of FBI Agent Alonzo Mosely from Midnight Run—how will anyone hear of bands like Yaphet Kotto? Or even to a larger extent, bands like Born Against or Heroin?

I don’t really have the answers to these questions.

I do have some MP3s, though.

MP3:
Yaphet Kotto - First Meetings Agreement

Yaphet Kotto - Torn Pictures

This one was supposed to be go up yesterday, but technical difficulties w/ the mp3’s kept that from happening. So consider it an afterparty. Peace Greace

Here’s one for all my brothers and sisters headed out to the Phil Lesh show tonight!

YAH BRAHS! Say “high” to Jere Bear for me!

If you’d acted fast you could’ve scored some dank tickets to this show on craigslist for only $200

Or you could be a kind and help out these poor kids (also from craigslist):

My son and 5 of his friends drove from Colorado to see the show. I want to be pissed off at him for going without tickets, but I did the same thing at his age, had the time of my life, and wouldn’t trade it for anything. I want the same for him, please call one of us if you have tickets. These kids are true “hippies”, don’t have the money to pay more than face, but will pay it forward as they are all good people!! Call Rhonda at (720) 989-3414 or Jake at (303) 552-7866. Peace to all!

OK, well now it’s too late for that stuff. But this is for sale for just $75:

One slightly soiled ticket stub to last night’s epic phil show. Originally paid over $400 so you’re getting a real steal for $75!!! Price is firm so act fast.

Jesus, I hate the Dead. Growing up in Eugene, OR (the smallest stop on the Dead tour) will do that to you. But so will the 80-minute version of “Truckin”.

So here’s one for all you Deadheads out there, a song from Billy Jack, a band from Eugene who shared my sentiment.

Crank it: Crystal Up My Butt

Be sure to get to the end chorus. “Bring me the…”

And man, does this band ever bring back some fond youthful memories. One of the local acts we’d go see regularly when we were in middle school, right before we really discovered punk (or should I say before I did, because then most of my friends though I was fucking moron… and I was, but so were they, only in different ways…)

Anyway, Billy Jack was badass. I wish I could find some pictures of the bald-headed, barrel-chested, buddy-holly glasses toting, big-beard having, sweatpants-wearing singer. He was one big fat dynamo.

Fuck, those were the days.

And just for kicks, here’s a slightly more serious track from Billy Jack’s one and only album, Wrestling The Bald-Headed Champ.

Listen to: Stupid Questions

The Daily Swarm is reporting that the Juno soundtrack is going to top the Billboard charts this week with 68,000 albums sold.

Let me start with this: I hated Juno. A lot. Which is why I’m conflicted about seeing this soundtrack hit #1, because I love The Moldy Peaches, Kimya Dawson, and Adam Green.

This isn’t one of those “I loved them before you” scenarios. I’m just really confused why this soundtrack has managed to outsell all three of their respective catalogs combined? Shouldn’t people just being buying the self-titled Moldy Peaches instead? I mean, the soundtrack doesn’t even have “Nothing Came Out”, the mix-tape jam of ‘01.

Sure, there are some other great tracks on the album, like Sonic Youth’s cover of the Carpenter’s “Superstar”, but nobody is talking about those other songs. They’re talking about Kimya Dawson. I’m glad people are finally discovering her, but I hope it goes beyond just buying the soundtrack because it’s the hot new thing.

Garden State, in all its pretentious glory, managed to make legitimate stars out of the bands it featured. Somehow I can’t quite imagine a Kimya Dawson record breaking the top ten on the Billboard charts, and I think that is where my conflict lies: I want to see her blow the hell up, but that is never going to happen, so people buying this soundtrack are really only supporting of that piece of crap movie that not even the always-adorable Michael Cera could save.

What do you think? Am I being a baby about this? Should I just be happy that Kimya, Adam, and the Moldy Peaches are gaining some exposure? Or am I right to let my hatred of Juno spoil their party?

It’s happening tonight! The Yeasayer/MGMT tour finally rolls into town. I’ll be honest: I haven’t been this excited about a show for a while. Be aware that MGMT is now headlining and will be playing last; Yeasayer will be playing earlier. (The MGMT hype machine has definitely been picking up steam.)

And if you’re not as excited as I am, listen to this. It’s a song that appears on their album and I have been playing it over and over. I can’t stop. This appears to be an earlier version from an EP. I think the album version is a little better, a little darker. Still, a great pop song. No video on this, just sound.

Last year, nothing even came close to Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever by The Cribs in terms of sheer listening pleasure. That record is like a sugar-bomb of pop goodness, and will instantly lodge itself into your brain for nothing less than a few weeks at a time. Technically and aesthetically it’s nothing new, but it is mindless and fun in the best way possible, and sometimes that’s the greatest thing a record can hope to be.

Above is the video for “I’m A Realist”, the fourth (?) single from Men’s Needs. The video isn’t all that exciting, but did I mention that this album rules? Now is as good as a chance as any to start loving the hell out of it.

In other news, apparently Portland is now a Match.com for British musicians. Here’s to hoping PDX is able to launch a Patrick Wolf and Lily Allen collaboration. Hey, a guy can dream, right?

Ever wanted to know what David Lee Roth sounds like without Van Halen backing him up? Check out this VOCAL-ONLY version of “Running with the Devil.” Soooooo very awesome. I think I’ve found my new ringtone!

In addition to Ned’s Liars review, I’m going to throw in a short bit about the other half of that show — or should I say bill. The oh-so-hot No Age opened last night for the Liars, but I didn’t see them there. I saw them at the vegan grocery store, Food Fight.

It was packed. I couldn’t see the band at all, except when the guitarist climbed up on top of the frozen food section, so when they were talking in-between songs, I couldn’t tell who said what. But this summed it all up:

“We’re playing again later tonight at the Wonder Ballroom, but fuck, this is free.”

Which speaks a lot to who No Age are, and what’s propelling their success.

They didn't have to do double duty. They're on a big ass tour. But making that DIY connection has payed off in spades.

No Age has reaped a whirlwind of hype and acclaim usually suited for a band of greater range or innovation -- which is not to say they aren't a solid, fun band, they are.

But they've done things to separate themselves from the pack. Releasing five 7"'s on five different labels -- which would come together to form there first full-length -- was brilliant. So much extra-exposure, as each label is likely to have it's own separate fan base.

Then there's the Smell, a hot DIY venue space in LA, which I can't totally speak to as I have never been. Surely though, it's a scene that's putting bands on the map (HEALTH being another). Most importantly, it appears a very accessible scene, which I think is a major draw for No Age.

They're out interacting with the crowd while performing. They're easygoing dudes who fans can talk to after the shows. They make sure to play all ages venues. They've got a humble, aww-shucks air about them. They're psyched to be doing this and it shows. It's as if old-school punk ethics got thrown into the hipster scene, and No Age is just happily rolling with it.

So anyway, the show:

It was crammed inside the brightly lit grocery store. Loud too. Something stunk. Hopefully it was just all the rain-soaked bodies that were mashed together. The band rattled through song after song, washing and bashing all the way. One very large guy with pink shoes and matching underwear surfed the crowd from front to back, nearly tipping over one of the stores freestanding grocery racks.

Up in the corner a man with a fairly professional video setup taped the performance. (Which begs the question, if he was with the band, are they doing this DIY shows everywhere on top of the tour for some kind of video project? Wouldn't surprise me.)

No Age didn't keep things going to long, as the packed, fluorescent, smelly room wasn't a place you want to spend too much time (they also aren't a band who should every play longer than 30 minutes except on very special occasions). But that said, beneath the giant mural of Ronal McDonald being pursed by angry fruit, there was nothing but contentment, a few dancers, and a lot of bobbing heads. It just felt right. The band seemed more than happy to be pulling double duty, which was, for post-work 6pm show, really liberating.

For their last song -- the pseudo-hit, "Neck Escape" -- the duo entered a slightly extended jam before the guitar was handed to an unsuspecting audience member. He fumbled with it as it's owner tweaked the knobs on his pedals and amp to great noise effect. It didn't go on to long, and slammed shut to nice effect.

It's the little interactive touches, more so than the songs perhaps, that shoot No Age beyond the fray -- and therein lies their innovation and range.

Wow! Look how excited the Panther boys are. There must be some big news…

Panther announces Spring tour date

Oh, that’ll do it. Send me on a tour with a new record out on Kill Rock Stars (14 KT GOD, out Feb. 19), and I’d have the same look plastered on my face.

Tour dates after the jump, including their PDX 14 KT CD RLSE SHW. No, my ALL CAPS button didn’t get stuck.

2/08 - Mount Vernon, WA @ The Retrodoxy
3/01 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop - Noisepop
3/04 - Seattle, WA @ Nectar
3/06 - Portland, OR @ Holocene*
3/08 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Slowtrain
3/09 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
3/11 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory
3/12 - 3/15 Austin, TX SXSW
3/17 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon#
3/18 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn#
3/19 - Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light
3/20 - Washington, DC @ Red and Black
3/21 - Philadelphia, PA @ Khyber
3/22 - New York, NY @ Knitting Factory#
3/23 - Somerville, MA PA’s Lounge%
3/26 - Detroit, MI @ Scrummage University
3/27 - Chicago, IL @ Abbey Pub
3/28 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
3/29 - Fargo, ND @ Aquarium

* = w/ Parenthetical Girls
# = w/ WHY?
% = w/ Citay, White Hinterland

Last night’s show at the Wonder was pretty damn fantastic. As reported, Liars’ vocalist/guitarist Angus Andrew suffered a back injury some days back, but the band has decided to gamely carry on with their tour. Portland’s show was the third show so far, and Andrew spent nearly the entire set seated, as opposed to opening night in San Francisco during which he reportedly stood for a song or two. He had three chairs stationed around various parts of the stage, and would occasionally stagger from one to the next between songs. It was obvious he’s been in a lot of pain, but he seemed cheery and comfortable, probably due to some killer meds.

At one point he asked someone in the audience for a lighter so he could pop the top on his Beck's beer. If his back is not in great shape, his voice certainly is, and he howled and chanted his way through the Liars' repertoire with passion and commitment. He even wiggled his hands and fingers during some of the songs, as if he could hardly stand not to be playing. He did pick up a bass for a couple songs, but most of the time, he sat with mic in hand, occasionally looking as his band members with a look on his face like, "Damn, I had no idea this band was so good!"

And they were. They've brought in a fourth member to play guitar, and everything sounded tight and together. While many of their songs are atonal (and some are arhythmic), their skill of composition was striking in the live setting. Their records, while stunning, can sometimes sound like a shit slurry, a grand mess of sound created without design or form. Seeing the band live, it was obvious that nothing could be further from the truth. The craft and shape and progression of the songs (and yes, they most certainly are songs) was evident and inspiring.

It seems incomplete to mention the show without saying something about the Wonder Ballroom. I am consistently delighted with the shows I've seen there. Great sound, great sightlines, a warm and pleasant room, good bar service. They don't always book bands that I want to see, but when they do it's always a great experience. I'm certainly looking forward to the upcoming Pretty Things show in March. (The Pretty Things! The Pretty Things are coming!)

UPDATE: Pitchfork has pictures of last night's show here.

You will certainly recall the excitement you felt two weeks ago when I posted PAULA ABDUL’s new dance club single on this very blog. Well, if you were thrilled then, prepare to poop those pants—because here’s a sneaky peek at the video for “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow,” which inexplicably co-stars RANDY JACKSON playing bass, and SIMON COWELL miming fellatio? Seriously, I’m really confused. Not just about the fact that this video could be made, and that Simon’s girlfriend is doing the interview, but really… why is Simon miming fellatio?!?

Everybody’s favorite record label to the north, Sub Pop, has its twentieth birthday this year. Congratulations guys, you’re almost old enough to legally start drinking!

The Seattle Times recently did a nice little profile on the label in honor of their birthday. One thing, specifically, stuck out from the article. Take a look at the list of their top ten sellers of all time:

1. Nirvana, “Bleach” (1989), 1.6 million

2. Postal Service, “Give Up” (2003), 902,885

3. The Shins, “Oh Inverted World” (2001), 547,274

4. The Shins, “Wincing The Night Away” (2007), 500,813

5. The Shins, “Chutes Too Narrow” (2003), 462,574

6. Hot Hot Heat, “Make Up The Breakdown” (2002), 282,141

7. Sunny Day Real Estate, “Diary” (1994), 226,388

8. Iron & Wine, “Our Endless Numbered Days” (2004), 220,157

9. Iron & Wine, “The Creek Drank The Cradle” (2002), 133,752

10. Iron & Wine, “The Shepherd’s Dog” (2007), 133,490

That’s one album from the ’80s, one from the ’90s, and eight from the ’00s. Isn’t the music industry supposed to be, like, dying or something? Considering the label has always been synonymous with the early nineties northwest scene, it’s a little remarkable to see that, because of The Shins, Iron & Wine, and The Postal Service, the ’00s have actually been their strongest decade to date. Zach Braff better be getting a nice fruit basket for Christmas.

Local pop king, Chris Walla has just released a video for “Sing Again,” the first single from Field Manual, his debut solo album which came out last week.

The clip is pretty cute, and it’s a good opportunity to play “name that indie rocker,” as it’s loaded with local music cameos. Plus, not since Life Aquatic has the red beanie—or for all our readers north of the border, the tuque—been so damn hip.

Question: What do you get when you mix the always awesome Robyn with the best Snoop song in years?

Discobelle.net has the answer, and trust me, it’s going to blow your mind.

Old Growth, the new album by Dead Meadow, is released next week on Matador. Here’s a couple new tracks for you to check out. It seems that a lot of the acid-dipped stoner metal of their earlier stuff has given way to a mellow campfire vibe. Amber instead of silver. This is a good thing, because Dead Meadow have become better songwriters and musicians, and the laid-back approach allows these elements to shine.

MP3:
Dead Meadow - What Needs Must Be

Upon first listen, my initial reaction to this advance single was pretty blase. It’s a conventional chord structure and a relatively plodding beat. The melody doesn’t really arc in any particular direction. But then the guitar solo comes in. Now, I don’t know if it’s still fashionable to put guitar solos in songs anymore; I suspect it isn’t. But when you come across a good one, ooh boy howdy. After a couple listens, I began to love every second of this song. It took me a while to fully appreciate it, which doesn’t really make sense because there’s nothing particularly challenging about the song. But perhaps it takes a small adjustment period to sidle into the groove that they’ve created.

MP3:
Dead Meadow - I’m Gone

This one also initially seems fairly generic. This is only the second time I’ve listened to it, so it may well be a grower also. Hence the album title? It’s pretty much your standard “I’ll fuck you tonight and hit the road in the morning” kind of song. There’s a nice turn of the chord towards the end of each verse, and another guitar solo (which doesn’t play off the rest of the band as well as the one in “What Needs Must Be”). Still, enjoyable enough for me to really be looking forward to the new album.

In this new series entitled “Your Friend, the ’90s,” we will be exploring the most extremely awesome examples of ’90s pop music—and today we start with an exceptionally wondrous, yet troubling song, “The Rockafeller Skank” by Fatboy Slim. Born Quentin Leon Cook, this Brighton DJ had an amazing 1998 with the aforementioned hit single, as well as his album “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby” which also produced the UK #1 “Praise You” (video directed by Spike Jonze). While a fantastic dance number, “The Rockafeller Skank” is troubling for two reasons: 1) the complete breakdown of the beat halfway through the song, and 2) its most memorable sample “right about now, the funk soul brother” was lifted from Lord Finesse who was neither consulted beforehand about the sample, nor ever paid any royalties. BOOOOOO!!!

Regardless, while I could certainly give you the approved video that was broadcast on MTV, I think it’s far more revealing to show the cultural influence this song had on the nation’s teenage psyche, with this version of the Skank from the classic 1999 film, SHE’S ALL THAT (starring Freddie Prinze, Jr, and Rachel Leigh Cook). Check out this hilarious, and WAY overly choreographed prom dance scene. While it’s possibly the most unrealistic prom I’ve ever witnessed in my life (besides the fact that Usher is the DJ), I really, really wish my prom had been like this.

Only 28 more days until John Darnielle and the Mountain Goats come to Portland. Not that I am counting, or anything.

His new album, Heretic Pride, is out February 19th.

INDIE—You can’t say enough complimentary things about Liars. While some bands tweak their sound with each passing album, Berlin-via-Brooklyn’s Liars fearlessly salt the earth and start anew, a fresh band with every new recording. Meanwhile, Los Angeles’ No Age bring a skate-rat snarl to their brand of art-punk, so much so that they are pulling double duty today. They’ll be performing early in the evening in the aisles of Portland’s finest vegan grocery store, Food Fight!, then refueling with some vegan nachos and performing again a few hours later. EAC No Age at Food Fight!, 1217 SE Stark, 6 pm, all ages, FREE; Liars, No Age at Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 8 pm, $12, all ages

How cool is is that No Age is going to be playing between soy cheese and those tasty Uncle Eddie’s cookies? I mean, the show with Liars is great as well, but there just isn’t any vegan jerky at the Wonder.

Yesterday I read some news I couldn’t believe: the record companies were onboard for a free downloading service. You read that right. It’s called Qtrax and it is supposed to launch today. So far it hasn’t. Users would be allowed to download any of the twenty-five million files on a peer-to-peer style network from major label artists and keep the songs. The whole thing was to be paid for by advertising, with royalties being paid on a per-download basis.

Sounds too good to be true, right?

Well it is, at least for now. (What’d you think this was, some magical fucking fairy-tale world full of gumdrops and thoughtful, daring executives?)

The service is so far unavailable (and not just because it wont work on my Mac). But the problems appear to be much greater than technological.

The real rub is that the labels pulled out. Or, depending on who you ask, were never onboard in the first place.

Universal, EMI, Warner Bros. have denied ever signing a contract with Qtrax.

So I guess we’ll have to wait and see if…

- Major labels are really ready to try and fix a busted business model. (Let’s hope not. Let’s hope they all just burn and, with the fear of becoming poor without artist blood to suck, park all their hummers running in a big cement garage in Beverly Hills and suffocate. After that we’ll firebomb it and build a commune – and no, Devendra, you’re NOT invited.)

- If Qtrax can get the goddamn thing up and running (and create something I and all my brothers and sisters on a Mac can use, plus files that aren’t fuck Windows Media so I can iPod them).

- And most importantly, to see if Qtrax actually has any real music worth a damn in the 25-million song catalog. (Something tells me it’s all Laurence Welk shit mixed in with a few of Bobby Brown’s lesser outings….)

If anyone not running a Mac wants to see if this thing is working yet, please do and report back here about what you find.

Oh, you crazy British Sea Power keyboard (and cornet!) player. From the BBC:

The crowd at Leeds Irish Centre failed to catch Phil Sumner, who jumped off a 12-foot PA system landing head first.

A spokeswoman for the band said: “The impact knocked him out straight away. He was unconscious for three minutes and there was a lot of blood.”

Despite a broken molar and stitches he returned to the stage on Thursday.

‘Very brave’

I know you “like rock music” and all, but let this be a lesson: tired old rock clichés are, a lot of the time, kind of a bad idea.

As recently reported around these parts, the building that houses Jackpot Records (along with Naked City Clothing, and Bishops Barbershop) was recently sold for quiet a hefty price tag. Rather than risk being crushed by the overpriced condos (or tapas restraurants) that are probably going to occupy their former digs, owner Isaac Slusarenko and Jackpot are pulling up stakes and moving a block-and-a-half down the road.

Their new location at 3574 SE Hawthorne Blvd is set to open on the first of March. Full press release after the jump.

For ten years, Jackpot Records has been serving loyal customers at its 3736 SE Hawthorne neighborhood location. In 2005, Jackpot Records opened a second store in Downtown Portland at SW 9th and Burnside. As the independently owned music stores have grown from one to two stores so has their knowledgeable staff and customer base. Add a FREE annual Jackpot Music Film Festival and hundreds of FREE in-store performances and the facts show that owner Isaac Slusarenko is dedicated to bringing good music to a supportive Portland community.

And now in the new year of 2008 Jackpot Records is pleased to announce its move to 3574 SE Hawthorne Boulevard. The new building will provide additional space and offer expanded music-purchasing options. New paint, new fixtures and other building improvements will occur in February with a Celebration Opening planned on the first of March.

Slusarenko states, “When I was notified that our current building was being sold I made a list of priorities which included our desire to remain on Hawthorne. And when the opportunity arose to move just 1.5 blocks down from our current store; it provided the perfect solution.

Our goal is to take the best possible care of our staff and customers. In making the move to the new location we will be able to continue to provide our staff with the Health Insurance Package that we’ve offered since 2001. If we had stayed at our current location this would not have been possible due to increases in rent from the new owners.”

“Our staff is excited about the move to a larger and more comfortable space. This move demonstrates how Isaac, our staff and our customers believe in supporting a healthy and vibrant homegrown business.”
Says Brian McIntyre, Hawthorne Store Manager.

“Bishops Barber Shop and Naked City, our current neighbors have been great businesses to be associated with. Our new neighbors Cup and Saucer and Red Light Clothing have already welcomed us to their block. This means a lot to us to know that our move is welcomed and that they are eager to have us next to their businesses.” says Slusarenko.

Continuing, Slusarenko adds, “Portland is a city where music has always been appreciated and where independent record stores have been supported. We know our customers have lots of options for buying music and we are honored that they continue to choose us.