Lightning's Girl

March 4th, 2010: Cause & Effect : Pavement

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:20:00 +0000

Senior year in high school I thought Pavement was the next coming of Christ. It was 1989 and my favorite record store (Pier Platters in Hoboken) had introduced me to their music via a few singles. I was a buyer at a different record store and in no time, we were carrying anything they did; starting with the 10" on Drag City. Like any devotee, owning their music wasn't enough, I needed to spread the good word.

I moved to Hoboken, NJ the Summer I graduated from high school and found myself in a social circle that overlapped with many of the bands who shared a practice a few blocks from my apartment there. The bands being Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, and Bewitched. I can't remember if Pavement also shared that same space but the band members always seemed to be around town between the venue Maxwell's, Pier, and various parties held by employees of both of those places. This was my first understanding of the barrier being more like a speed bump between band members and audience in underground music. These weren't untouchable characters, they sat on the floors at a crowded apartment party when their weren't any more chairs available. They accidentally spilled dip on their shirts and knocked over glasses when they were too tipsy just like the rest of us non rockers. I never stopped loving any of these bands but they incidentally offered a nice reality check to a star struck teen who quickly learned they were just like everyone else but they made music I happened to love too.

I moved to Seattle a few years later and a co-worker at C/Z Records played the Fall nearly every single day. This was the first time I really understood what is now the theme of this weekly show. Somehow I managed to go years without a proper introduction to the Fall and once I took in their catalog in bulk, I realized that Pavement borrowed heavily from them. I couldn't believe this signature sound existed in other bands! It sounds ridiculous to say that now but when you are kid, you truly believe you are the first man on the moon for every life experience, and Pavement's music was like that for me from 1989 to 1993.

Alex and I spent two week's working on this week's show. We have read books on the band, watched documentaries, browsed a ridiculous number of interviews and articles on them to bring you the best possible C & E this evening from 7PM to 9PM. We opted for a set list heavy on the influences and peer groups because we had so many fantastic tracks by that point, there wasn't enough time to play all the bands who have looked up to Pavement or followed in their shoes since.

The influencing bands we picked for this show follow many of Pavement's favorites and you will get to hear the more obvious choices like the Velvets or the Fall but then we throw in groups like Creedence, Guru Guru, The Swell Maps, Faust, and Pere Ubu for good measure. It's a solid line up of some terrific off kilter rock celebrating guitars and vocalists who have helped prove that you don't need to carry a perfect tune to make a damn fine song.

Listen to us on the dial in RVA at 97.3 FM or on line at www.wrir.org tonight from 7pm to 9pm.

40 Metal bands + One Cruise Ship

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:32:00 +0000

What spells a glorious Caribbean Cruise vacation better than one spent with 2000 aging heshers there to see 40 bands like Saxon, Raven, and Sodom?

I give you 70000 Tons of Metal. It's a cruise. It's a Heavy Metal Festival.

I suspect there will be a lot of people there whose bodies haven't seen the sun in half a century.

Nigerian Disco Heat

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:13:00 +0000

new technology for the old school

noreply@blogger.com (baconfat) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0000

a couple of links to share is all.

first is a collection of stunning images done by the institute of optics at the university of rochestser. they put a vinyl record under an electron microscope to see what those grooves look like REAL close.

check it out:

See more via Synthgear

second is a pretty cool ad for technics cassettes from japan, circa the mid-80s. hat tip to Yoga Records for this one.

Vinyl: Magic Hat Brewing Company

noreply@blogger.com (Spaceboy) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:44:00 +0000

We bought this beer tonight because it said Spring Seasonal and today's rain made me long for dreamier weather. Apparently the beer is named VINYL? I can't ever escape records, I tell ya.

Let's Hear It for the Old Guy : The Return of Walter Schreifels

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:55:00 +0000

Oh you know... that fella from YOT /GB / Quicksand /CIV/ Walking Concert / Rival Schools who has been bringing us quality rock for some 20 years. Walter is two years older than me so I use the term old guy with nothing but a loving affection. IE if he's actually old than I am next up at bat.

I am digging the new song / first single which comes from a new solo record coming May 4th (entitled Open Letter to the Scene), or so my lovely pal Pam tells me.

And what? There is a new Rival Schools record coming soon too? That's the gossip!

The video has touches of Sophia Coppola, Mike Mills , and Wes Anderson which fits the tribute to Arthur Lee rather perfectly. (And if you don't know who Arthur Lee is, shame on you!)

Walter Schreifels — Arthur Lee's Lullaby from The Town Pump on Vimeo.

Worse Case Scenario : Mummified Rat!

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:22:00 +0000

I have come across some really gross stuff in looking through people's used record collections (blood, boogers, rotted food, bugs of all sizes in various states...) but never have I encountered something this gross.

Let that be a lesson to you, latex gloves, handy-wipes, and antibacterial gels are a good idea when digging for records!

Thanks for passing along Tom.

Washarama.

noreply@blogger.com (Spaceboy) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:24:00 +0000

I was an avid shopper at the Danville, VA thrift store circuit throughout the nineties. Love's Closet, D.A.V, Salvation Army, Ye Old Book Store, and Goodwill. Each store had its own unique offerings. Love's had the best deals. D.A.V had the best t-shirts. Salvation Army had the best jackets. Ye Old Book Store had the best (you can guess) books. Goodwill had a media section that was unparalleled. It was loaded with records, tapes, atari games, and electronic nick nacks left over from the now dated eighties. After my weekly search for the perfect Lou Barlow-Esq cardigan and vintage T commenced, I would typically walk over to the media section and flip though the records and tapes. It was just like one would imagine. Piles of Herb Albert, Bee Gees, and Jesus Christ Superstar albums. Despite the garbage, I would always flip through all of the albums hoping to find discarded college rock.

Occasionally, I would walk away with an R.E.M album or something of that nature. The local record store had abandoned vinyl, so this was my only outlet other than road trips to Chapel Hill.

On one particular visit I stumbled across an LP that looked sort of like the 7 inches I had been purchasing at punk shows. It was black and white and liked like a copied cover. The album was the Texas based band The Judy's, Washarama.

I was extremely disappointed with their striped down new wave sound. So NOT punk. I wasn't one to sell music, so the album hit the shelves.

Fast Forward to SIXTEEN years later.

It isn't uncommon to find me and Lightning's Girl grabbing a coffee, stopping by Deep Groove for a record fix, and trying on vintage clothing at Halcyon on a Saturday afternoon. It is pretty rare that I walk into Deep Groove and not buy a record or ten. I never take a bag, so my albums are normally exposed to the public. This has proven to be a great conversation starter as people seem to be shocked that records still exist or excited that I am holding a record they love.

We were on our normal route yesterday. By the time we were on the way to Halcyon, our coffee was gone and I had two records in my hand. We had a tip from the Halcyon proprietor that some shirts had arrived that we would be sure to love. The day was already shaping up to be a good one.

Enter Halcyon. A customer immediately noticed the art of one of the records I was holding. It is the best kind of predictable. She made a comment about the good old days and walked off. Me and LG went about shopping and after a little while made our way to the counter to pay for our vintage prizes.

Another customer made a comment about the records in my hand.

Customer: "There is a record I really want but I doubt anyone has..."

My internal dialogue was predicting the her next response. "I bet it is some stupid 70s record. Better yet, an 80s band that you can find at any used record store in the country."

Me: "Oh yeah, what is this record you speak of..."

Customer: "It is this little known Texas band called the Judy's."

I couldn't help but laugh.

Me: "Is it Washarama? If so, I have the record you are looking for. If you want it, it is yours."

In the time/space continuum of record buying and trading I couldn't be more jazzed about the situation that occurred yesterday. I don't know how long this person had been searching for The Judy's album. I do know that it has traveled with me through 13 moves. It has been sitting in a Pepsi Cola Record crate ever since it was purchased in 1994. Was it my job to buy this record so one day I could gift it to a random person in the year 2010? That I will never know.

The whole tale warms me heart. The real question is:

Will she ever call me and actually come pick up the record?

Who knows. It is sitting in the J section of my records waiting on her retrieval.

Hildur Guðnadóttir

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:08:00 +0000

This Icelandic cellist has quite a collaboration resume! She has worked along side Animal Collective, Pan Sonic, Thobbing Gristle, The Knife, and Mum but just as magnificent is her solo work. She released "Without Sinking" (mixed by Valgeir Sigurðsson ) last year on Touch and this is my favorite go to record when my ears need to be given a clean fresh start after listening to anything God awful.

And a few links to her:

http://reviews.headphonecommute.com/2009/04/21/two-and-a-half-questions-with-hildur-gudnadottir/

http://www.myspace.com/hildurness

http://www.hildurness.com/

PS: And very much looking forward to seeing this movie and she is included in the score.

February 18th,2010: Cause & Effect : Beach House

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:22:00 +0000

You may be expecting an entire two hours of our radio show to be dream pop shoegaze (ALA Galaxie 500 & Slowdive)but think again!

This Baltimore, MD duo has a wider variety of influences than you may think and after reading quite a few interviews with them, they have some pretty darn fine taste in music overall! Thanks to this band I have discovered a Grateful Dead song I actually love, revisited a Neil Young record I hadn't played in forever, and was turned onto yet another French chanteur. Thanks Beach House!

You can listen to use follow the music roots of Beach House tonight from 7pm to 9pm on WRIR. 97.3 FM on the dial (if you live in Richmond, VA) or you can stream us anywhere at www.wrir.org.

Record Fair Characters

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:30:00 +0000

The reality is this. I have been a serious record collecting addict since I was in grade school. Thirty some years later I have spent a great deal of time in record stores and attending record fairs. I helped run a table at the legendary WFMU Record Fair for slightly under a decade and while I am aware there are many similar shows like this one in the world, WFMU is legendary for its size, wide variety of vendors, and its massive crowds. (Not to mention it is put together by one of the best radio stations known to man...but I digress.)

For Valentine's Day this year my sweetheart and I attended the DC Record Fair and I have to say two key things about it: 1) HOLY FUCK IT WAS CROWDED !!!! 2) dang was it dark. It was so packed and so poorly lit that that I gave up trying to look for records after the first hour and spent my time catching up with friends I am grateful to have run into into and enjoyed the various DJ sets.

On the long car ride back to Richmond I began thinking about all the very special personality types one finds at a record fair and formed a list in my head. Mind you, I hold a special place in my heart for this cast of characters because I am very much an active part of the circus so while this list does have a sarcastic mocking tone to it, these weirdos have also been my people for the better part of my adult life.

And I give you my Record Fair Cast of Characters:

The Linebacker- This husky type takes up 3 rows at a time and there is no way around them.

The Cutter - Sure they see you waiting to browse at a table when a spot opens up but these impatient types will shove right past you as if you weren’t even there. You may be left asking yourself AM I INVISIBLE? And the answer is yes...to these people, you are.

Duck Duck Booze - This classic character takes one look at the crowd, circles the room once, and then heads to the bar rather than look for records. How does this story end? Drunk by 3. Leaves with no records by 4 and is home passed out by 5.

Rude Boy- Manners shmanners. These people will pull records from the bin your are looking at as if you are their servant doing the dirty work for them. You know how annoying the whole waiting tour turn / getting your hands dirty thing can be.

Pokey Pup - This slow poke takes a painfully long time at every table looking at every record and price as if they were in only person in the world and their eyes were on loan from Mr. Magoo.

The Megaphone- NO INDOOR VOICE FOR THIS PERSON. Why waste time looking through records when you can just scream at the dealer to see if they have whatever records you are looking for.

Smart Phonos – This is a relatively new addition to the world of record fairs thanks to iPhones and the like. These people can’t look at a single record without checking on the cell phone for price comparison, details about the record, how rare it is…

Sitting Bull- There might be 20 people crowded at the table but this person will sit on the floor in front of the table to look at dollar records for an hour. Oh and will haggle those dollar records down. Maybe they have a foot fetish?

Too Shy Shy- This poor passive guy or gal can't seem to muscle their way towards the front of a record table. They end up looking like the runt of the litter who gets no milk from mama because the more aggressive types have pushed them out of the way. I believe if there was one character I relate to the most, this is it.

Tigger – These bouncing balls of energy hop up and down a few rows back from the table to get a sneak peek at the records they are waiting in line for.

The Coat Rack- This is A-typically a girlfriend and usually she is not into records. This poor person gets stuck holding all the crap their record obsessed buyer friend or loved one has shed for optimum shopping.

Dicker - No price is firm to this penny pincher. If haggling was a sport, these people would be wearing a gold medal.

Freshmen - New to collecting records, this guy or gal will overspend for records the rest of us know are the very definition of a dollar record.

The Peeping Tom- Their head appears for just a few seconds between the shoulders of two shoppers in front of them and it is assumed that this impatient wiggly worm is either looking at what type of records are for sale or is eyeing the same records you are.

Space Invader – This person not only doesn’t seem to understand the boundaries of personal space but has no qualms eyeing the record you have in your hands as if they are a bird of prey and you are holding lunch.

Oops I've Pooped Myself- This unfortunate walking stink pile smells like the CBGBs bathroom did at 3am on a hot summer night. They may also have a legit fear of soap.

Miracle - Any female record collector.

The Groper- Nope- not a 7" box, that was my breast.

Long Duck Dong – This person has a very poor grasp of the English language yet seems to ask the most questions to a dealer.

Messy Marvin- You know the kind, they pull out the records they want and leave them all over the tops of every section making it impossible for others to browse. This selfish shopper can best be spotted at your local record store.

Momma’s Boy- He is over 50, still lives with his parents, and lives for records(okay and maybe science fiction) (and comics). Don’t expect to find any social skills here unless you are packing the original Amazing Spider-Man #1.

The Obscurist- This wackadoodle is always looking for all the stuff you never have heard of or dreamed existed. Algerian goat herding yodelers, harmonica playing lumberjacks from the ‘40s, mating calls of under water Nigerian frogs… Whaaa? Your not familiar? You haven’t heard music until you hear these!

The Lucky Bastard- It’s the end of a long day at the record fair and you and your friends are exiting the premises with just a few records no less ones you paid full price for yet on the way out you always run into that one person who found every record they have ever wanted at a quarter of the price. Hmph!

Zen Master – I don’t know how they do it. After 5 hours in a stinky, noisy, jam packed room, this cucumber hasn’t broken a sweat and is still smiling. You can step on their feet and they may even apologize to you. They have to be on something, and it must be mighty powerful stuff.

Au Pairs

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:40:00 +0000

I scored "Playing with a Different Sex" LP this weekend (no less at a great price - thank you Red Onion ) and I can't stop listening to it. They carry such a great combination of sounds I love...a little ESG, Pylon, Gang of 4 and Delta 5 ! Angry and angular - HOT!

Cause & Effect: February 11th 2010: Four Tet

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:43:00 +0000

What began as the usual exploration into one artist's influences has rather accidentally has turned into the cliff notes to the history of electronic music and many of its offshoot genres likes glitch and IDM.

It seemed logical enough to start with some obvious early influences to the style like Goblin, John Carpenter, and Mike Oldfield as well as the key roots to the UK artist Four Tet's sound which is in the vein of experimental Jazz like Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra, and later Miles Davis.

From there it was just common sense to pull track from artists that help shape the genre from early on, electronic pioneers (that also cross over into hip hop) like DJ Shadow, Autechre, and Squarepusher.

Before I knew it I had over two hours of music following the progression of this genre from its inception until present day. It's always interesting and exciting when your ears can hear the connection between songs but then when you go back to look into the story behind each of these songs and it turns out there is a genuine historical connection between them, for a dork like me, it becomes really exciting! For instance I grabbed an Adem track to follow Miles Davis not realizing at first that Adem was in fact a member of Fridge, the group that Kieren Hebden AKA Four Tet grew out of. Only to read further that the Miles Davis record I picked a song from (On the Corner) is considered "a strong forerunner of the musical techniques of post punk, hip hop, drum and bass, and electronic music.^[1]"As a wise man once said, "I love it when a plan comes together" and this Four Tet show really fell into place quite nicely if I don't say so myself. While mostly instrumental music isn't traditionally my favorite, some of these songs are among my favorites in the genre of Electronic music and more importantly, this show will be a great 101 for those of you who never gave this style of music much care. It's rooted in some incredibly fantastic stuff so maybe those of you who love Jazz, Rap, or even Ambient New Age, you might just discover a few new groups that share a common thread.

Tune in from 7PM to 9PM at 97.3 FM on your dial for you local Richmond types or tune in on line at www.wrir.org.

And after the show, you should head over to Balliceaux where Cherry Bomb will be DJing all night, myself included.

VA / Next Stop Soweto

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:52:00 +0000

I don't know Duncan Brooker and Francis Gooding but I owe them an enormous thank you. Do to their incredible taste in music and due diligence, they have created one damn fine collection of rare '60s and '70s "featuring music recorded primarily for the local market, the album takes the listener far beyond the accepted township jive template into fusions with jazz, gospel, rumba, funk and traditional mining songs, all under-pinned by a gritty, uncompromising edge."

For those of you who love African music collections or are interested in the revival Affican Pop thing happening with bands like Vampire Weekend, this record isn't a just listen to. It is a must own.

I am a little bummed that the LP doesn't seem to come with the same kick ass booklet the CD version comes with but luckily the music is good enough for me to bite my tongue and be happy with the wax alone.

Out now on Strut Records.

All in the Family

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 10:33:00 +0000

There was a small slightly out of tune piano that sat in the living room of my grandparents home. I had seen and heard plenty of instruments as a child but this piano was the first one I was allowed to touch and explore. For some reason while a child's plonking away would be pure torture to any normal adult, my Grandmother didn't seem to mind. Not only was she willing to teach me the basics of how the notes were organized, I was given the opportunity to experiment with all of them for an extended amount of time. Her patience was epic and while I never learned to officially play it, I could fake my way through several pieces (classics like the "Nadia's Theme" from the Young and the Restless) and in hindsight was my first lesson in how music worked. My parents loved music deeply, took me to classical performances and the likes as a very small kid, but it was my Grandmother who offered me hands on training and was willing to expose me to a musical instrument first hand... no less with the patience of a saint.

Thanks Granny.

What I didn't realize as a child was that my Grandmother's father wasn't just an exceptional piano player with a passion for music, he wrote sheet music and poetry. Actually he didn't just write music for the piano and shelf it, he was a published multiple times and apparently made quite a name for himself. A few of his pieces are still being published today and his original pieces show up on Ebay and sheet music sites from time to time. Frederick Keats passed his love of words and music as well as the ability to create it to his daughter only to eventually be passed onto me.

Some families pass along recipes and quilts, I have the deep appreciation for music and almost 150 years of my family producing it pumping through my veins. The beauty of this is not lost on me and I am proud to carry on the tradition.

It's unbelievably sad to say good-bye to my Grandmother today but as painfully sentimental as this sounds, the part of her that lives on in me ...pretty much owns me.

Cause & Effect : February 4th, 2010: Air (French band)

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:08:00 +0000

Some bands are a seasonal thing for me and I find my ears crave Air the most when snowy weather hits. I also find myself getting sentimental about the group because I had the honor of working with a great number of their earlier records when I worked for the distribution side of their label Astralwerks.

I fell in love with them instantly because they truly delivered this perfect complete package of dreamy space-age modern pop songs, their art work was impeccable, and let's face it, they aren't exactly uneasy on the eyes. (Plus touring outfits? Yes!)

I also have a comical memory of seeing them play in DC at the 9:30 club and wondering if the whole crowd hadn't taken some sort of love drug. It was a very coupled audience and everyone was getting frisky around me during the show. It was like a PG-13 audience orgy, so weird.

Anyhow, so for those of you not living in Richmond, we have been buried in snow and there are rumors of more to come this weekend. This icey magical landscape offered the perfect backdrop as I pulled songs for this week's Cause & Effect and revisited the Air catalog. Tonight from 7PM to 9PM we will be basking in out of this world synth sounds (occasionally new age sounding in fairness) as well as space-age goodness by Tomita, Jean Michel Jarre, Pink Floyd, Neu, Stereolab, Mellow, Brian Auger, Boards of Canada, and a whole lot of other fantastic artists!

If the snow and cold weather is stressing you out, tonight's show will offer you the ultimate relaxing experience. Sit back and enjoyed the ride.

You can listen to us at 97.3 FM on the dial or at www.wrir.org.

Please Don't Suck

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:54:00 +0000

I have high hopes for this one, name of the girl DJ collective I am a part of aside.

Ice Cube Before and After : God Bless America

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:03:00 +0000

Kinda blows my mind to go from this:

And let's not forget about the classic lyrics of NWA's Gangsta Gangsta

"Here's a little somethin' bout a nigga like me
never shoulda been let out the penititary
Ice Cube would like ta say
That I'm a crazy mutha fucka from around the way
Since I was a youth, I smoked weed out
Now I'm the mutha fucka that ya read about
Takin' a life or two
that's what the hell I do, you don't like how I'm livin
well fuck you!
This is a gang, and I'm in it
My man Dre'll fuck you up in a minute
With a right left, right left you're toothless
And then you say goddamn they ruthless!
Everwhere we go they say [damn!]
N W A's fuckin' up tha program
And then you realize we don't care
We don't just say no, we to busy sayin' yeah!
To drinkin' straight out the eight bottle
Do I look like a mutha fuckin role model?
To a kid lookin' up ta me
Life ain't nothin but bitches and money.
Cause I'm tha type o' nigga that's built ta last
If ya fuck wit me I'll put a foot in ya ass
See I don't give a fuck 'cause I keep bailin
Yo, what the fuck are they yellin".....

to this:

Oh the irony of a line like "Do I look like a mutha fuckin role model?"

Garage Band New Colony Six on Kiddie-A-Go-Go - 1967

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Sunshine) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:32:00 +0000

While LG recovers from shoveling snow, I thought I'd post this find from Boing Boing. Nothing like elementary kids dancing to some light psychedelic pop to ease the sting of a Monday.

And for the show's intro and more details, you can go to Rocktober.com.

This Weekend : Cherry Bomb !

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:05:00 +0000

Good news! I will DJing this event! Even better, since there are just 5 of us this time, we all get slightly longer sets. We are loading the gear in this afternoon.... so snow or no snow - CHERRY BOMB AT COUS COUS IS HAPPENING! Even if we ladies have to all walk to get there.

I was oddly inspired after putting together the Spoon set for WRIR so my Cherry Bomb set will reflect a lot of rock classics I normally wouldn't play. The good news is we all know the words (admit it, you know the words to Billy Joel's "Big Shot") to these songs and they are total cut loose on the dance floor favorites.

PARTY!

Cause & Effect : 1/28/10 : Spoon

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:50:00 +0000

Tonight's set has me skipping down memory lane holding a spoon (no pun intended) for a microphone.

My parent's had a hi-fi set up in nook of the giant windows of our formal dining room. The year is a little fuzzy but it would be the late '70s to the early '80s and I would relentlessly listen to the handful of records my brothers and sisters had abandoned by the turntable. It was mostly classic rock and in time I had memorized many of these records from front to back. With a spoon in my hand as a mic I would sing along to these records while standing on a dining room chair, barefooted like a half pint version of Janis Joplin ...only with wobbly baby teeth and armed with a glass of milk.

Many of the songs included in this Spoon set for this evening were part of my childhood dining room live performance and I suddenly realized that when placing these songs along side with Spoon, how incredibly classic rock timeless Spoon really is. In modern times we tend to love placing bands under niche banners but ultimately Spoon makes very accessible yet not 100% straight ahead rock songs that anyone could appreciate. The songs are catchy as hell. Each album is solid and well written. They are rock and roll classics turned on their side and I can imagine the 8 year old me digging them as much as the umm....30 something year old me does now.

So tonight we celebrate the Texas rock group Spoon and along music from their catalog you will also hear : The Velvets, The Kinks, Billy Joel, Thin Lizzy, Tom Petty, Guided By Voices, The Walkmen, Deerhunter, and more!

Listen in from 7PM to 9PM at 97.3 FM for you RVA local types and stream us at www.wrir.org on line.

Richmond Record Group?

noreply@blogger.com (Spaceboy) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:16:00 +0000

via Analog Apartment, Anyone in the Richmond Area interested in a group like the one below?

12/31/2009
Analog Apartment in a city near you...

Hope everyone had a great holiday and is gearing up for their New Year celebration tonight.

Those of you that have been following us on Twitter may have noticed that we're gearing up for a little experiment in 2010 in an effort to build and strengthen the vinyl movement in communities all over the world.

What we're doing:

In October, we started the NYC Analog Apartment Meetup group where local record lovers will come together to listen to, share, lend, and discuss vinyl records. We'll be having casual Meetups at local record stores and pubs / cafes to discover new music and build a local community that brings record lovers and local stores together. We're not really sure what will happen but we're really excited to see how it shapes up.

What others are doing:

We reached out via Twitter to find people in other cities that are interested in organizing Analog Apartment Meetups in their own town to build local communities of record lovers, support local record stores, and introduce / expand the love of records with others in the area. Everyone will be a part of a network of record collector Meetups and we will work together to help make our local Meetups better.

The response has been phenomenal and we've got about 7 people in cities all over lined up to be a part of the movement. Here's our initial idea for what someone can do to get one started in their city:

* An organizer starts a Meetup on Meetup.com called #Location Analog Apartment (or another name if they like). It costs around $12 / month and I can either help pay for or we can work together to get sponsors to cover the costs down the line. I'd like the local organizer to see what kind of ways they can offset the cost (with local sponsors) or if they're cool with $12 / month, they can pay for it themselves like I do for the NYC Analog Apartment Meetup.
* Organizer designs their group home any way that they want. Ours is here: http://www.meetup.com/analogapartment
* Organizer selects Meetup group topics such as vinyl appreciation, music on records, record swap, analog apartment, etc.
* Meetup.com finds people in your town that are interested in those topics and emails them about the new group
* Once the group has got some members, they can get a Meetup scheduled. It can be anything from a casual gathering at a local record store to local record swap. It's up to you but if you need ideas, we (and your members) can help out with that. You can also have assistant organizers, event organizers, etc. to help share the load.

What's in it for the organizer:

We're opening up this Analog Apartment blog, Twitter account, and Facebook Page to organizers so they can make announcements, share success stories, and post interesting articles.

Why are we doing this?

One of the greatest things about collecting vinyl records is the endless pursuit of discovering new music and expanding our collections and knowledge. Personally, my collection has been shaped by people that I've met, discussions I've had at local record stores, and places that I've visited.

Rather than relying solely on the web to be our guide, we think there's a great opportunity to strengthen and share our passion for vinyl by with other collectors, record stores, labels, musicians. Those people are a lot closer than we realize and we all have something to share and learn.

We're not making any money off of this and don't plan to - that's not what this is about. We just hope to see communities of record lovers self organize in their own cities and strengthen the overall network. How great would it be to visit a city and see a community of people that come together around something you love?

How do I become a part of this?

Organize - If you are interested in organizing a Meetup in your city, contact us here and I can send you the details on what we were thinking. The bullet points above should help you get started but be sure to email us so we can coordinate all of the organizers and stay in touch.

Join - If you are interested in joining a Meetup in your city, simply sign up for a free account at Meetup.com and when you're asked to select topics that you're interested in, select things like vinyl appreciation, music on records, record swap, Analog Apartment, etc. At the bottom of that page, you can request to be notified when a Meetup group starts in your area. When a Meetup starts nearby, you'll be notified!

Sponsor - If you are a local business that wants to support this type of movement, you can sponsor a local record collecting Meetup. This mean be anything from providing a venue for people to Meetup, offering a discount at your store, or whatever you can come up with. Contact us here if you are interested in this.

What's next?

As we work to get organizers in other cities up and going, we'll make announcements and introduce you to these people here on the blog. From there, these organizers will be able to share their experiences with everyone by posting articles here on the blog.

That's all for now but if you have ideas, feel free to post your comments.

Thanks and we hope you have a great night ringing in 2010!

Japanese Mexican Jumping Bean Ice Cream?

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:00:00 +0000

You got me.

Free Bird Joke Applies Here

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Friends, many of you know my genuine and deep fear of our feather "friends" but regardless of my irrational feelings towards them, this footage created by French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot is an interesting watch.

According to the YouTube explanation this is the backstory to the footage: "For his installation in The Curve, Boursier-Mougenot creates a walk-though aviary for a flock of zebra finches, furnished with electric guitars and other musical instruments. As the birds go about their routine activities, perching on or feeding from the various pieces of equipment, they create a captivating, live soundscape."

Misa Digital Guitar

noreply@blogger.com (Lightning's Girl) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Thanks Chope for passing this link along to me.

Software engineer Michael (who ironically worked for a guitar tube amp & effects company) invented this gadget because he wanted to bring electronic music to life in a live setting.

Here is a quote from his website "I love all kinds of music from Pantera to Pink Floyd, but my favourite music is electronic, bands like Daft Punk, Boards of Canada and Justice for example, and in fact Justice - Waters of Nazareth is the song that made me decide to make the digital guitar in the first place! If you listen to that song, you can just tell it is heavy/death metal guitar translated to synthesizers. I wanted to see that sort of music performed live, by a real band with digital drums and digital keyboards etc - but there were no digital guitars."

Guitar players by nature take the old fashioned more traditional stringed instrument you strum very seriously and don't welcome change often to their lively hood (take that Guitar Hero / Rock Band) so I don't see this be a welcomed invention in their circles but I can certainly see fans of gadgets and electronic music embracing this new instrument.