Happiness is a Warm Gun

Back on Air

noreply@blogger.com (Conor) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:33:00 PST

After a near two-month hiatus, my radio show, Sirens on the Rocks, is back on the air at WZBC Newton. To those in the Boston area, tune into 90.3 from 7-10 a.m. on Tuesdays. The concert report, which is read periodically throughout the day (8:30 during my time slot), is of particular interest to the showgoers and moviegoers in the immediate area. Free tickets are given out to some of the best venues around, including the Middle East Lounge, Great Scott, and the Coolidge Corner Cinema.

If you hail from outside the hub, check out the show as well as other programs put on by WZBC at the stations website.

Requests are welcome! Give a shout to the on air DJ's at 617 552 4686.

For now, here's a tune for your listening pleasure. It's by the South Carolina outfit Coma Cinema, who are kind enough to put up all their songs for free on their website.

Mixtape Mondays: A Touch of Brian

noreply@blogger.com (Eli) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:46:15 PST

The Mixtape continues...

After reconstructing half of my music collection, I have re-categorized some of my musical collection based on production styles. This mix titled "A Touch Of Brian: Brian Wilson Productions" is a nice little nugget of the sounds and production style of Beach Boy genius Brian Wilson. It is pretty easy to see the influence of Phil Spector on Wilson's production style. Some of these tracks like "Pamela Jean" feature Brian as a back up vocal, while others like "After the Game" could easily be a discarded instrumental around the Pet Sounds era. Sit back and enjoy these rarities and gems that sit neatly between the Ronnettes and Beach Boys.

Tracklist:

The Survivors - Pamela Jean
Paul Petersen - She Rides For Me
American Spring - Fallin' in Love
Sharon Marie - Story of My Life
The Honeys - Pray for Surf
Glen Campbell - Guess I'm Dumb
Sharon Marie - Run-Around Lover
The Survivors - After the Game
American Spring - Shyin' Away
The Honeys - The One You Can't Have
Rachel and The Revolvers - Number One

A Great Night for Local Music: The Love Language and Archers of Loaf 1/15/11

noreply@blogger.com (Eli) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:39:21 PST

The Love Language / Archers of Loaf

What a great night for local music.

After seeing Stu McLamb’s amazing vocal performance at the Big Star Third Show, I decided that I would check out his band the Love Language at the cradle. Unfortunately, by the time I was ready to purchase tickets the band had sold out due to the buzz around a special guest performance. I started searching the Internet forums and craigslist listings for a ticket and eventually ended up having to purchase a ticket at over three times the face value. However, the show was well worth the thirty-five dollars I reluctantly shelled out because the hype around the secret performance turned out to be one hundred percent true.

The cradle was packed with two distinct groups, a fresh young crowd and seasoned veterans of the local 90s music scene. The excitement in the room steadily grew as rumors and stories about the secret band were exchanged between the two different groups. A Dj from Winston Salem took the place of the usual house music and spun old school funk gems like the Communicators, occasionally taking up a tambourine and demanding attention from a crowd that was preoccupied with the rumored special guests.

The stage lights dimmed and all the fans that were “in the know” exploded with joy. The rumors were true; Archers of Loaf took the stage for the first time in thirteen years. The local band, which had formed in 1990 had disbanded due to one of the members onset of carpel tunnel. If you are unfamiliar with Archers Of Loaf, think of them as an edgier, more punk rock version of Superchunk. Some of the audience members had informed me that they had driven all the way from New Jersey just to possibly get the chance to see Archers of Loaf.

Archers burst the Cradle wide open with Eric Johnson’s beat up Gretsch guitar and a flawless, high energy “Audio Whore”. I was utterly amazed, they sounded as if they had never stopped playing. I felt nostalgic, as the sounds that were permeating from the stage were reminiscent of the Chapel Hill scene in the mid nineties. After “Audio Whore” started winding down thousands of marshmallows were thrown on stage during “Harnessed in the Slums”.

Photo By Lydia

Bassist, Matt Gentling, was truly a sight to see as he was thrashing his bass around the stage all while marshmallows were flying from every direction. Later in the night after the sticky mashed mess onstage kept catching the chord Matt joking said, “ I regret having the marshmallow emporium”. Stickiness aside, the band continued their twelve song set with out any foreseeable flaws. They played mostly key tracks from Icky Mettle and Vs The Greatest of All Time, topping off the set with hits like “Web In Front” and “Wrong” and finally “Slow Worm”.

By the time “Wrong” was performed it was pretty clear that Archers of Loaf had gained a fair amount of fresh new fans, as the entire crowd was reflecting the high energy and enthusiasm that Archers had given them. Archers of Loaf finished their set and thanked the crowd as one man that was just introduced to the band screamed ,“You Fucking Changed My Life! . The crowd demanded and screamed for an encore that never came, three die-hard fans rushed the stage to get their hands on the first Archers of Loaf set list in thirteen years.

Archers of Loaf set list
Audiowhore
Harnessed in Slums
Revenge
Nostalgia
Lowest Part Is Free
Freezing Point
Greatest of All Time
You and Me
Might
Web In Front
Wrong
Slow Worm

Hardly able to comprehend the greatness of Archers of Loaf, I thought to myself “I really would hate to have to follow that act”. The few remaining marshmallows that were not stuck to the audience members’ shoes were swept up as an illuminated heart made out of Christmas lights dawned the stage. The crew prepared the stage for the Love Language by appropriately giving a shot or two of scotch where each band member would be sitting along with PBRs and the occasional Miller Lite.

Stu Mclamb and company walked onto the stage and remarkably kept the same high energy that Archers had left the awaiting crowd with. The Love Langauge eased into “Blue Angel” with an incredibly full rich sound that completely blew me out of the water. “Blue Angel” sounded as if Beach House had grown a spine and listened to sixties garage surf rock growing up. Without wasting any time, The Love Language blasted through their freshman single “Lalita”.

It was pretty apparent that this was a different sounding Love Language than we have seen at previous shows. The Love Language has fostered an incredibly full sound and have perfected their live show since the Libraries record release show last year. At some points The Love Language sounded like early Dr. Dog and at other times the Love Language sounded more like early but refined garage rock of the 60s. All in all the Love Language were intoxicating.

photo by Kevin Norris

The heart wrenching instrumentation and emotion in “Nocturne” better prepared the audience and myself for a very emotionally powerful concert. The set list brought the crowd through the ups and downs of life with a mix between the Love Languages new album Libraries and the older heavier self-titled release.

Stu Mclamb addressed the crowd of brand new and old fans, “I am still trying to wake up from this…but its fucking happening”. Stu… if this is a dream, please do not wake up for all of our sakes. The Love Language has surpassed all of my expectations.

The Love Language also performed a brand new song that fit quite nicely with their new playing style. The new song was then followed by “Strychnine”, an amazing Sonics cover that provided so much energy that even the sound guys were dancing along.

I was completely blown away at the new professionalism of the band, even with the technical errors that were present during the encore; the band played a pretty solid set. When commenting about the lack of sound coming from the guitar, Stu said, “Shit happens… but that’s what our songs are all about”.

If you missed your chance to see the Love Language last Saturday, don’t fret. The local heroes will be playing a rescheduled show at the Blind Tiger in Greensboro on February 4^th. Following the Blind Tiger show, the Love Language will be going on tour with Telekinesis.

The Love Language set list
Blue Angel
Lalita
Nocturne
Anthophobia
Providence
Manteo
Two Rabbits (1^st song ever written for Love Language)
Sparxxx
Heart To Tell
This Room
(new song)
(Strychnine Sonics cover)
Horophones
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Wilmont
This Blood is Our Own
Brittany's Back
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Stars
Graycourt

Watch VIDEO from concert!!!

Archers of Love - Wrong Live at Cats Cradle

Love Language- Brittany's Back Live at Cats Cradle

Harddrive failure

noreply@blogger.com (Eli) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:09:03 PST

Hello Happiness Readers,

I am sorry to announce that it will be a while until I post another music post. This holiday season I was plagued by a faulty hard drive. While backing up my expansive music library the external hard drive reformatted itself and I lost all of my music. This is a very difficult time for me as much of the music was a result of years of scouring the internet, music shops, and radio stations for rarities, bootlegs, and unique sounds. I am doing a deep search within my drive but I am not getting my hopes up.

Sorry for the hiatus,

Eli

Strike It, Noel Concert Review

noreply@blogger.com (Eli) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 13:15:35 PST

“Sometimes I can't help but worship you
I love you and all the things that you do”

Tackling Big Star is a feat in itself, tackling Big Star’s third album 3^rd/ Sister Lovers is something even Alex Chilton had difficulty with. 3^rd/ Sister Lovers was an album created in a time when Big Star was effectively dissolving, and the album clearly reflects the time. The intricacies of each song transformed the power pop group into more of an orchestrated event with backing strings and wind instruments. The wide range of 3^rd / Sister Lovers sets it apart from the other Big Star albums by tackling psychedelia with “Kangaroo”, heart retching remorse with “Holocaust”, and sophisticated lyrics of pop ballads that were reminiscent of a band on the brink of collapse.

3^rd / Sister Lovers was never performed by the original Big Star as its release came four years after the band had gone its separate ways. Following in the wake of both Chilton and Hummel’s death, 3^rd / Sisters Lovers was finally slated to be performed at a special event called Strike It, Noel. Jody Stephens and an All Star band consisting of Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Mitch Easter (Let’s Active), Chris Stamey (the dB’s), and Jeff Crawford &; Charles Cleaver (the Tomahawks), Lost in Trees members, and members from the NC Symphony fit the bill on Thursday night at Cats Cradle.

Having gone to hundreds of shows at the Cats Cradle in Carrboro, I was very surprised at the set up for Strike It, Noel. The stage in front of me was riddled with instruments with barely enough space to move around freely. In addition to the menagerie of instruments there was a sitting area on the floor space in front of the stage. At half past eight the entire section was filled with middle-aged men and women sitting patiently for the opening band to start performing.

As Birds and Arrows opened up the event, I came to the realization that I was standing out in the crowd as one of the only college aged kids in a venue that typically houses my kind. But as the music started I quickly became engulfed in the sweet melodies of Birds and Arrows. Their distinct Appalachian harmonies were accompanied by a cello, which often reminded me of sweet and somber scenes in cinema. More importantly, the livelihood and stage presence they brought lightened the mood amongst the crowd. Jokes about releasing a fragrance to be paired with their new album sparked chuckles, especially in the row of women to my left all holding wine. Although I enjoyed the music, I felt increasingly out of place. It wasn’t until Birds and Arrows ended their set with a song about the rock quarry that I had frequented as a child. The vibrant lyrics and sweet melodies left me satisfied and comfortable to my surroundings.

A busy scuttle towards the instruments ensued as the musicians entered the stage. There were as many as twenty people on the stage at one time, carefully placed in between red giant floating balloons each branded with three stars. Soon an aged Jody Stephens welcomed the crowd. His face was defined and I watched as he carefully put on his black drumming gloves and made his way toward the back of the stage.

The concert began with a Nature Boy excerpt that led into a Mike Mills led “Kizza Me”. The immediate intensity of the string section and the backing band screamed professionalism. Every note had been practiced and the entire production was polished. Before I could get acclimated to the big sounds of Big Star, “O Dana” filled the small venue with a full sound I thought was not possible in the tiny venue of Cats Cradle.

Vocally, each track was a little different but had a distinct Chilton-like sound and delivery.

All Photos by Kevin Norris

Jody Stephens grabbed the mike for a “1^st time premiere” of “For You”. Jody explained that one-day Alex Chilton had taught him a couple of chords and “For You” was composed shortly after. Jody grabbed the mike and started a remarkable vocal performance. He had a shy presence and his voice showed his age but the delivery and sound was as beautiful as the orchestra accompanying him.

Another shining moment was shown by the amazing arrangement of “Jesus Christ”. Mike Mills jokingly stated that this was the time for a “Math rock moment” as the quirky introduction began. Beautiful sleigh bells and an impressive saxophone performance brought the merriment and cheer of the season.

After a slow, sad rendition of “Big Black Car”, the All-Star band stumbled through the introduction of “Strike It, Noel” stopping a few chords into the song to make sure that the song was close to perfection. Chris Stamey said in jest that the album “is a loose record, [the performance] could be loose too” and “we didn’t want you to think that this is on tape”. The second take of “Strike It, Noel” began in three- part harmony led by Stu McLamb who delivered an amazing vocal performance that sounded strikingly similar to Chilton.

Django Haskins vocal performance of “Holocaust” was a key highlight of the show. The crowd was extremely attentive as the orchestra filled up the space with a sense of loss that was overpowering. Chris Stamey kept mouthing “Wow” and the heavy presence of the song materialized in goose bumps all over my body. The sense of abandonment in the lyrics drew power as the orchestra boiled over with intensity. Effectively the song served as a eulogy for the late Chilton as people to my right and left wept quietly to themselves. The performance ended with the entire crowd on their feet, where they remained for the rest of the show.

The All Star band wasted no time before divulging into “You Can’t Have Me” where it was clear to see that Jody Stephens can still rock out on the drums. The high-energy ensemble ended in an impressive drum and saxophone solo that left you wanting more. Other key highlights included the Rosebuds rendition of Lou Reed’s “Femme Fatale”, a quirky basketball performance by Ivan Howard on “Downs”, and another vocal performance by Jody Stephens on “Blue Moon”, as well as an impressive take on “Kangaroo” complete with cowbell and tablas.

The encore was a mini concert in itself with an amazingly appropriate “Thank you, Friends”, a high energy “September Gurls”, all culminating with the Ray Davies take of “Till the End of the Day”. Before the band performed their last piece, Mike Mills jokingly said to the crowd “If we’re gonna be bad, be bad loud”. The performance of “Till the End of the Day” was reminiscent of the big bands of the seventies. Big Star may have never established themselves in the popular charts, but based on the performances at Strike It, Noel it is clear that they deserved it.

As the crowd left the venue, Jody Stephens approached the stage once again garnishing a glass of red wine. Jody was moved to speak, “Alex’s presence was in the room tonight, with out him…none of this would have happened”. A smile drawn from ear to ear was plastered on his face as he graciously held a toast to the crowd and the late Alex Chilton. Finally, here was an ending that Big Star deserved.

Setlist:

->Nature Boy excerpt

Kizza Me

O Dana

For You

Nighttime

Jesus Christ

Take Care

Big Black Car

Stroke It, Noel

Blue Moon

Femme Fatale

Downs

Dream Lover

Holocaust

You Can’t Have Me

Kangaroo

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Thank You, Friends

You and Your Sister

September Gurls

I am the Cosmos

Give Me Another Chance

------

Till the End of the Day

If you are in the Carrboro, Chapel Hill area please go out and see this show tonight! For tickets click here. Also, be on the lookout for the upcoming Big Star documentary.