Tuesday, August 30, 2005 John gave me a copy of the new Half-Handed Cloud 7" "What's the Remedy?" when I saw Sufjan last week. After listening to it, I realized that I had to invite John to do a one-sided LP. John and Half-Handed Cloud always make me smile. So, at some point in the future, there will be a Half-Handed Cloud one-sided LP in the sporadic little series. Saxon Shore play the last show on their short tour tonight in Fredonia. Please go out and see them at BJ's if you're a local or in the area. Thanks for everyone who's come out. Unwed Sailor are still on tour, so be sure to see them rock when they come to a town near you. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 07:16 PM CST Monday, August 29, 2005 I saw Denison play with Hail Social and Rainer Maria in the blistering heat of the Unitarian church basement. It's always great to see him play. A lot of people were at the show who I hadn't seen in a while and that made the waiting much easier. Rich and Tim showed up right before Denison was going to start, driving down on impulse from Williamsport. It's a rare occassion to see them both so we ended up hanging out late after Denison delivered the sleepy rock. Bosque Brown will be playing in Philadelphia on 15 September at a venue TBA en route to their CMJ show on 16 September in NYC. R.I.P. Reels of White Softly Flow, May 2000 - August 2005. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 10:02 AM CST Sunday, August 28, 2005 So I just got back from a weekend in NYC. Cake, Nicole, and I went to Foodswings to have some vegan delights before heading over to Zebulon for the Unwed Sailor show/party. We made it to the show and James was hooking everyone up with free drinks. A very special thanks to James and his Public Salon for sponsoring the evening. Unwed Sailor played an early set and sounded great. Oliver, Lesley, and Louise came in during the middle of the set. We all lingered for a quite a while after and had to liberate their friend Anna's bike. Apparently someone had chained their bike to hers and the signpost and she couldn't get her bike free. We were trying to figure it out and made a friend who had a junk shop and a pair of bolt cutters. He handed them to me and I was all set to cut the lock. I felt a little guilty about it and we were trying to figure out if there was another way and the guy just ended up cutting the lock himself. It was quite the scene. After, we went over to Oliver's house for a little roof party with everyone. The next day, Cake and I met up with Louise and her sister and Oliver and Lesley stopped by, as well. Cake and I ended up at the McSweeney's store in Park Slope and then headed over to the Magnolia Bakery where we bought each other a birthday cupcake since his is the day after mine. I'm off to see Denison play with Hail Social and Rainer Maria in the Unitarian church basement. My parents are supposed to go see Saxon Shore rock at Ball State tonight. If you go and see them, be sure to say hello. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 02:38 PM CST Thursday, August 25, 2005 Amazing news!! The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore cds are now at the airport. The band should be getting a shipment of them for the Saturday show and rest of the tour once we clear everything through customs. Thanks to the wonderful Gockley, the band now has a 6 button set of artwork from the album available at shows. I think you can buy your favorite images individually as well. Friday night, Mike and I and others (?) will be off to see Unwed Sailor in Brooklyn and meet up with our New York pals to hopefully include Cake, Nicole, Oliver, Leslie, Mary, and Keyes. Note: if I name drop you and you don't show, won't you look a little ridiculous? Just a little guilt trip to get you to come to Zebulon for the rock, for the free rock and party. Denison rocks the unitarian basement with Rainer Maria on Sunday. I'll see you there. I forgot to give the props yesterday, but Jaret from Corpse on Pumpkin is the one shooting Unwed Sailor photos on their tour. We're still working on the song order for The White Ox and a potential sister ep to be released at the same time. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 03:24 PM CST Wednesday, August 24, 2005 The Unwed Sailor show last night was spectacular. The band is touring as a 5 piece with a photographer. Johnathon sang the vocal parts to both "Pelican" and "Gila" from The White Ox album and there was a good mix of old songs with slight updates and changes with the newer songs. Thanks to everyone who came out for my birthday celebration. You are loved by an old man. We ended up at Pat's for cheesesteaks super late and met up with the mewithoutyou crew. Tonight the band is off to Wilkes-Barre, but I'm staying in to make sure the Saxon Shore postcards are finished and the backlog of orders is cleared up. I'll be at the Zebulon show in Brooklyn on Friday, see you there. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 03:23 PM CST Tuesday, August 23, 2005 Denison and I made the trip up to NYC and arrived right on time for the start of the Yankees/Blue Jays game. I think someone needs to explain the supposed charm of Yankee Stadium to me. The only stadium nearly as crappy that I've ever been to that hasn't already been imploded is the one in Oakland. But, it was at least a worthwhile trip. After, I showed off Two Boots Pizza and we each had a slice of the Bayou Beast which has BBQ shrimp, crawdads, and cajun sausage on it. We got to the Sufjan show and met up with Cake and Nicole before mingling backstage in true rockstar form. It was great to see so many old friends...Mike Kauffmann and Liz Janes, James MacAlister and Jeff Shoop from Ester Drang, Sufjan, John Ringhoffer, and everyone else in the Illinoisemakers who I'd either met before or just met last night. It was fake facial hair and fake tattoo night. I already had the real facial hair, but John gave me a hott wizard 'too on my arm. It's super sweet and the sharpie doesn't seem like it's going to wash away too soon. Anyhow, Sufjan and gang played quite a few songs from Illinois broken up by a few Illinois cheers, it being "Spirit Week" and they being dressed up as cheerleaders. The Bowery Ballroom was super packed and a bit uncomfortable, but it was worth it, including the late night drive back home. Philadelphians, come out to see Unwed Sailor tonight at the Khyber. We'll have a little birthday celebration for a certain old man. Oh My Rockness has the Chicago Saxon Shore show as the only recommended Chicago show this week. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 09:59 AM CST Monday, August 22, 2005 Happy Birthday Mom! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! I'm back from a weekend of rock with Saxon Shore. They're on tour for the next week or so, be sure to go see them play. I saw them last night in Wilkes-Barre with The Cassettes whose therimin player was completely amazing. I'm expecting copies of The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore any day now and will be getting them to them on tour immediately. Tonight, Denison and I are taking advantage of Matt Doty's Yankees tickets while he's on tour. Is it appropriate to root against the Yankees in Yankee stadium? I'll let you know how that goes if I survive. After the game, we're going to see one of Sufjan Steven's sold out shows at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC with Cakeater and maybe Eddings. Bob Moog, the visionary synthesizer innovator, died yesterday. He will be missed. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 09:41 AM CST Friday, August 19, 2005 Everyone should see the amazing artwork for the new Mt. Eerie : No Flashlight LP+CD on Phil's own P.W. Elverum & Suns label. It's a two sided huge foldout that is about 5ft. x 6ft. Seriously, the biggest cover I've ever seen and the album itself is utterly amazing. Soon on its heels will be the Mt. Eerie : Singers LP+CD which features sing-a-long versions of some of the best Microphones/Mt. Eerie songs. It's really incredible. I updated the btv online store to add No Flashlight and two new Thanksgiving releases. These releases, as well as the Mt. Eerie/Love of Everything 7", make excellent combinations with the Mt. Eerie : Live in Copenhagen 3xLP which are nearing out-of-print status. Get those credit cards ready! Unwed Sailor and Saxon Shore on tour now! Did I mention Nic Tse is playing guitar for Unwed Sailor on all of their dates? He's here from Hong Kong to deliver the rock. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 09:26 AM CST Wednesday, August 17, 2005 Bosque Brown : Plays Mara Lee Miller is #172 on the CMJ top 200 this week, the 7th week on the charts. Thanks to everyone for their support. I've updated the tour information for both the Saxon Shore and Unwed Sailor touring, so check it out. Be sure to see them when they come, separately, to a town near you. Unless you live in Pittsburgh where you have the fortune of seeing them both together (brothers Twichell are you still alive? you must go!). There have been some slight manufacturing delays and The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore may not be ready until somewhere in the middle or end of their touring. I'm on top of it and hoping for the best. Maybe everyone in Fredonia will get the chance to be the early adopters. I forgot to mention that I've finished reading Harry Potter #6 recently after a marathon effort to finish both #4 and #5. It's been a fun run and the end of #6 was a big shocker. For reals. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 11:24 PM CST Tuesday, August 16, 2005 The amazing Miss Gockley visited this weekend. We braved the 115 degree temperature at space 1026 with Willis and Lauren to see Colleen play a sold out show. Matthew and Carrie were weak and afraid of the heat so they stayed home. I think I would have enjoyed it much more in air conditioning, but maybe I'm just a whiner. She played all of her songs without samples or a laptop, just plenty of looped parts she created live, it was very impressive. A storm on Sunday knocked down part of a tree in the backyard and knocked out my internet access. Everything got fixed up super quick. Luckily, I was able to get Unwed Sailor's new album, The White Ox, before everything bit the dust. This album is going to be a bit of a shock for some Unwed Sailor fans. The band has moved in a direction more in line with the track they submitted for the For Jonathan compilation. The sound is very layered and ambient and a few songs have vocals from Dan Burton and at least one female voice. You can stream "Pelican" from the Unwed Sailor myspace page to take a listen yourself. Both Saxon Shore and Unwed Sailor will be touring starting this week. Take a look at the dates on the btv site. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 03:35 PM CST Friday, August 12, 2005 Bosque Brown : Plays Mara Lee Miller was #123 on the CMJ top 200 this week, the 6th week on the charts. Thanks to everyone who is playing this record. Thanks to Travis who hooked me up with a copy of the Hammock : Stranded Under Endless Sky 12". A really beautiful ambient instrumental ep. I'll have some available in the btv store soon. A bunch of us are planning to see Colleen at Space 1026 in Philadelphia on Saturday night if all goes well. Her new album is amazing. See you there! :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 10:39 AM CST Thursday, August 11, 2005 Randall from Jetenderpaul is having his doctoral thesis published by the Harvard University Press. Congratulations. Unwed Sailor have a new song from The White Ox streaming on their myspace page. I'm still waiting to hear the final mixes, but think it might be today. Johnathon is just back from a short tour playing bass for Chase Pagan. Nic Tse has arrived in Little Rock from Hong Kong and is going to be the guitarist, along with his boomerang pedal, for the August Unwed Sailor tour. Saxon Shore are gearing up for their August dates, as well. Bosque Brown will be playing on Saturday, 13 August in Denton as part of a special Women who rock showcase. They are going to be playing CMJ in September and should have some dates set for the trip out and back. More details once they are ready. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 02:50 PM CST Tuesday, August 9, 2005 I'm back from an amazing weekend in Chicago. Thanks to Gockley, Siri, Max, and Chester for their hospitality. We watched the entire season of Freaks and Geeks with such an urgency since I hadn't seen it before and I was hooked. There were some experimental vegan flambés created for breakfast. Coffman came over to visit and we went to a cool little diner for some tasty Kahlua pancakes. We made it to a chic hipster restaurant for dinner with the Hortons. Horton claims the Mt. Eerie 3xLP will become a family heirloom because of its packaging. He exaggerates sometimes, but I think he may be right on this one. Saxon Shore t-shirts are being printed up right at the moment in time for their August touring. The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore is arriving from the factory early next week. We're all really excited. Unwed Sailor have finished recording The White Ox and I'm dying to hear the final mixes. We're working on getting it mastered in August or September. Thanks to Willi$ for the Sigur Ros hookup. Takk is really incredible. Also one of the few Scandinavian words I know. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 07:41 PM CST Thursday, August 4, 2005 Some new titles have been added to the btv online store including the new Mt. Eerie split 7", Starflyer 59 Last Laurel 12", and Sufjan's Illinois cd. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 11:20 AM CST Tuesday, August 2, 2005 Bosque Brown : Plays Mara Lee Miller is #113 on the CMJ top 200, the 5th week on the charts. Saxon Shore : Luck Will Not Save Us from a Jackpot of Nothing is #149, the 7th week charting. Thanks to everyone who keeps playing these releases. Bust magazine has this to say about the Bosque Brown album: "...after several listens, I now like Bosque Brown more than Damien Jurado...she squeezes all of the intensity of Cat Power into her vocals, while referencing her country-blues roots--Hank Williams twangs and Robert Johnson pangs--with such a sincere ferocity, you'd think her soul was spilling out." I was going to see Chinese Stars play at the Unitarian Church tonight, but they cancelled. I'm home getting caught up on orders before I go away to Chicago this weekend. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 08:06 PM CST Monday, August 1, 2005 There is a nice review of Bosque Brown Plays Mara Lee Miller on Delusions of Adequacy (thanks for spotting it, Ken) and a really favorable one in the current issue of Bust magazine that I retrieved from the P.O. Box last night. There's something nice in the current issue of Sonic about Bosque Brown, but it's in Swedish. Krister needs to help us out with some translating. Insound is throwing around some hefty amounts of love for The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore, listing it as one of the best records yet to come in 2005. They're selling Starflyer 59 Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice LPs over at Insound soon, along with most other btv releases, in stock now. Dave, Nicole, their son Vincent, and I went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Saturday. Willie Wonka seemed to scare Vince, but I thought this was a very solid remake, the darker Tim Burton world was very fitting to the somewhat dark style of the Road Dahl storyline. Sunday, I saw Ben's display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and wandered around the modern wing a bit after. It had been a while since I'd met up with Cy Twombly's works. I should take a moment to celebrate Celis White's return to PA after a 5 year hiatus. We've all been missing you, it's been far too long. In the spirit of shout outs that I know you all love and crave, Mike Stichter was in the house for some Celis celebrating. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 01:20 PM CST [ Archives ]