This is a time-lapse of Pearl Jam performing KLRU’s “Austin City Limits” (ACL) PBS concert series taping on October 3rd, 2009. This time-lapse was created from photographs taken every 6 seconds from 9:09AM – 11:29PM. Over 10,000 images we’re taken. (more)

Pearl Jam are on Austin City Limits this weekend.

Picture this. You’re a musician. You’re in a local band that’s created a steady fan base. You want to test the waters of your talent, so you accept a challenge that matches you randomly with four other people to form a band. You then have 8 hours to come up with two original songs and one cover with these people whose musical limitations are potentially a mystery. Following the minimal time spent conjuring up and practicing these songs, you must perform them in front of a full audience of your Columbus peers. Oh, and on top of all that, this year you get filmed every step of the way. Nervousness ensues, the pressure’s on. Welcome to the Rock Potluck of ’09.

In its 5th year of existence, the Potluck continues its raw artistic event, boasting a roster of 41 musicians from 41 Columbus bands. Though both the challenge and combination of personalities thrown together seem like an equation for an explosive reality TV show, there is an underlying positivity. The Potluck’s coordinator, Bobby Miller, feels that the event “helps bring the entire Columbus music community together in a very unique and supportive way. Each band creates a bond and ultimately the experience they go through and the music they make together is something really exciting to hear and watch and something they can all be proud of.” More than one band created within the event has continued to play out after the fact. Sandwitch, born in the ’03 Potluck (made up of Ron House, John Olexovitch, Brett Burleson, Bobby Silver and Zac Szymusiak) has put out a 7”, played at last year’s SXSW and will soon be releasing a full-length record on Columbus Discount Records.

Full documentation of each band’s creative processes will be the new spin on this year’s event. Teams of local filmmakers have volunteered their services to follow each band with a goal of compiling all of the footage into a feature that will hopefully screen in late spring.

This year’s event will take place on December 5th at Skully’s. Guests are encouraged to bring food that will be served at 9pm, along with donations from local businesses. The music will start promptly at 10 and there will be a $5 cover. Portions of the proceeds will go to the Columbus Music Co-op as well as the making of this year’s documentary. Please go out and support our local musicians and all the hard work that has gone into continuing this event. Who knows what Columbus superband could come out of the woodwork this time?

Sandwitch:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I made a cassette dub of the La Bamba soundtrack when I was in high school. The movie was pretty good (from what I can remember) and did a bang-up job of showing the early days of rock n’ roll. Simpler times, simpler music, much of it with a rockabilly slant. Something about Heavy Trash’s third album, Midnight Soul Serenade, makes me think of La Bamba, like maybe had the duo (Jon Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray) been around back in the ’50s, they’d have done the Winter Dance circuit with the likes of the Big Bopper, Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. As with anything Spencer’s associated with, Heavy Trash can be a bit sleazy, a bit garagey, a bit blistering, but there is still the basic element of early rock n’ roll in the short blasts the duo spit out.

MP3: Gee, I Really Love You (from the Fat Possum release, Midnight Soul Serenade)

Cheater Slicks and The Unholy Two open this BenCo show. $10 will get you a night of noisy rock, $2 more if you’re over 18 and under 21.

I know a lot of people hate Rush but when you slow their music down and turn them into a doom metal band, they sound much more palatable. I’ve been playing around with Audacity a bit, trying to remix their greatest hits and am having a blast turning them into a Black Sabbath-worshipping band. I can’t take create for creating the slowed-down version of “Tom Sawyer” but I’ve been working on my own version. Pretty awesome that somebody slowed down the video too to make it all sync up.

(Thanks to Pop Culture Panopticon 2.0 for turning me onto this in the first place)

Bella Union is preparing for a bumper 2010, with new albums due in Q1 from Laura Veirs, Lawrence Arabia, Midlake, Beach House, The Acorn, The Kissaway Trail, and Abe Vigoda. The label’s recent signees include Lone Wolf, I Break Horses, John Grant with Midlake, and Simon’s own new band, Snowbird (where does he find the time!). Many Bella Union artists also have US labels, so it isn’t always possible to host every band on the roster but their SXSW 2010 schedule is starting to look pretty exciting! (more details)

MP3: Stillness Is the Move

This premiered on Pitchfork a few hours ago and I’ve listened to it like five times. It’s definitely the easiest way to trick your friends into liking Dirty Projectors (THEIR MELODIES AND TIME SIGNATURES ARE SO COMPLICATED AND WEIRD!!!!).

2/3 Victoria, BC Element
2/4 Vancouver, BC Venue
2/5 Seattle, WA Neumos
2/6 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge (2 shows, 6pm + 10pm)
2/8 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
2/9 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theater
2/10 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Taverm
2/11 Phoenix, AZ Rhythm Room
2/13 Denver, CO The Bluebird Theater
2/15 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck
2/16 Iowa City, IA The Industry
2/17 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall
2/18 Chicago, IL Metro
2/19 Pontiac, MI The Pike Room at The Crofoot
2/20 Columbus, OH Outland on Liberty
2/21 Pittsburgh, PA Diesel Club
2/23 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theater
2/24 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
2/25 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church – Sanctuary

Wildbirds & Peacedrums open all dates.

“Chicago Netlabel” Rock Proper is offering Columbus trio The Sun’s new/last album, Don’t Let Your Baby Have All the Fun, for free. From the site:

“We hawked the gear, we sold the van, we squeezed as much as we could out of the label and severed all ties,” singer, Chris Burney laughs about early stages of what would become their newest record. But selling the gear and splitting with the label was not the end of the logistical nightmare that would plague the creation of this record; continued legal battles, arguments with management and the departure of two bandmates made for some other highlights along the way.

For this project, The Sun boys teamed up with producer Mike McCarthy, best known for his production work with the band Spoon. McCarthy has produced everything Spoon has put out from 2001’s Girls Can Tell to their latest Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. “[Mike] has a technique of pushing you psychologically until you are in the mood he wants you in for the particular song you are working on.”

The intensity of the working environment, combined with the high stakes of the situation the band found themselves in, is evident in the sonic qualities of this record. McCarthy’s work with Spoon is often sparse and spacious but these arrangements are packed with squeaky synths, happy accidents, off-mic shouts, and mumbled stories about booty and Bella Lugosi.

The album’s opener Cocaine & Tunes, starts off with a chaotic jumble of instruments falling into place like a flock of birds, tumbling and over-correcting until completely locking in. The prozac saturated roller rink organ on Watch Out is directly juxtaposed with the speedy/anxious saxophone squeaks of Do the Sucker.

The scope of this record is wide, (the scope of each song is wide) but The Sun finds unity by balancing influences and sounds, equal distances from one another. The final song, In Perfect Time seems so loud that it somehow becomes quiet again.

MP3: Loyal Divide – Young Blades
MP3: Blastronauts – Even the Score
MP3: The Town Monster – Born of the Pines