Showing posts with label Guided By Voices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guided By Voices. Show all posts

Friday, March 15, 2013

Jam of the Day | Big Dipper - Robert Pollard

Photo by Donald Lee

Last year, Boston indie rock staples Big Dipper released their first record in 22 years, Big Dipper Crashes On the Platinum Planet; I discovered them when one of my music podcasts featured "Robert Pollard" a few weeks ago. A tongue-in-cheek cheerful pop song about the travails of being a songwriter, it pays ode to Pollard's ability to churn out huge numbers of songs, and takes pot-shots at Big Dipper songwriter's Gary Waliek's own inability to finish a song. It's part tribute, part self-effacing shrug, part record industry critcism, and it reminded me of nothing so much as it reminded me of the Replacements' "Alex Chilton".

Which is, after all, one of my favorite songs, played by one of my favorite bands, about one of my heroes. None of that applies in this case -- I'd never heard of Big Dipper before this, and I'm not actually a huge Guided By Voices fan -- but I still love the hell out of this song. Sometimes you just need some hand-clapping sunny mouthy indie pop on a spring day, and this is for today.
 

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Hopscotch Music Festival | Days One and Two in Photos

Robert Pollard of Guided by Voices | Photo by Aggie Donkar

Much, much more coming, but here is a taste of what we've seen thus far at the 2011 Hopscotch Music Festival. It's been a blast thus far, and even though our heads hurt, our ears are still ringing, and our feet are KILLING us, there is still one night to go.  And tonight features a little band called The Flaming Lips. Rawk.

Dinosaur Feathers | Photo by Aggie Donkar
Spider Bags | Photo by Aggie Donkar
Last Year's Men | Photo by Aggie Donkar
The Dodos | Photos by Aggie Donkar
Drive By Truckers | Photo by Aggie Donkar
Drive by Truckers | Photo by Aggie Donkar
Guided by Voices | Photo by Aggie Donkar
Wooden Wand | Photo by Aggie Donkar
Annuals | Photo by Aggie Donkar
Swans | Photo by Aggie Donkar

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Hopscotch Music Festival 2011 | The Speakers-Endorsed Track


Goooood Lawd! This little blog cannot BELIEVE it is almost the start of September - that means the 2011 Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina is quickly approaching! Two out of the four of us just celebrated the dawning of LouFest II in Saint Louis. Now, it's time to start doing liver calisthenics, training our stomachs to digest dirty-water dogs, practicing the fine art of insomnia, and getting our calves ready for copious amounts of club hopping in good ol' Raleigh.

This year is even better than an inaugural year that left everyone hoping The Independent wouldn't somehow fuck up something so awesome. Luckily, they apparently raided the iPod we collectively use here at Speakers in Code, presenting the seasoned indie-veterans we all love, alongside the freshest of the fresh artists just beginning to blip on our rock 'n' radar.

This year we'll see The Flaming Lips, Drive By Truckers, Superchunk, and the very last live performance by "Uncle Bob" and his band, Guided by Voices. But those are just the slots before the 9:00 club shows begin! Check out the below, carefully crafted list to see where we'll be - and where you should highly consider being too.

And if this is not enough, we'll be sending out our day party track as well just as soon as that shiz is all firmed up.

The Speakers-Endorsed Hopscotch Track

Thursday, September 8th
8:30 - Dinosaur Feathers @ King's
9:00 - Super Vacations @ Slim's
9:30 - Lower Dens @ King's
10:00 - PC Workshop @ Slim's
10:30 - Grandchildren @ King's
11:00 - Xiu Xiu @ White Collar Crime
11:30 - Weekend @ Pour House
12:00 - Jeff the Brotherhood @ Slim's
12:30 - Black Lips/Cold Cave @ Lincoln Theatre/Pour House

Friday, September 9th
5:45 - The Dodos @ City Plaza
7:00 - Drive By Truckers @ City Plaza
8:40 - Guided by Voices @ City Plaza
9:00 - Brain F≠ @ Slim's
9:30 - Pepper Rabbit @ Five Star
10:00 - Wooden Wand @ Berkeley Cafe'
10:30 - Braids @ Pour House
11:00 - Generationals @ White Collar Crime
11:30 - Twin Shadow @ Lincoln Theatre
12:00 - Beans @ Tir Na Nog
12:30 - Japandroids/Earth @ Pour House/King's

Saturday, September 10th
5:45 - Dreamers of the Ghetto @ City Plaza
6:45 - Superchunk @ City Plaza
8:15 - The Flaming Lips @ City Plaza
9:00 - The Caribbean @ Tir Na Nog
9:30 - The Hairs @ King's
10:00 - Onward, Soldiers @ White Collar Crime
10:30 - Toro y Moi @ Lincoln Theatre
11:00 - Beach Fossils/Bass Drum of Death @ Tir Na Nog/Slim's
11:30 - Future Islands @ Lincoln Theatre
12:00 - Lost in the Trees/Titus Andronicus @Fletcher Opera Hall/Tir Na Nog
12:30 - Times New Viking/Yelawolf @ Lincoln Theatre/The Union

Also, for those challenged by the layout of the festival, make sure to print out this schedule, as well as the map below, and bring them with you. We all know how directions can become challenging after PBR number twelve.


Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Hopscotch 2011 Lineup Announced!


The initial list of names for Raleigh's Hopscotch Music Festival was announced this morning, and holy shiz, we are excited!  The Flaming Lips, GBV, and DBT lead the pack for the main stage, but there is a solid list of small-club headlining bands as well.  And if things work they way they did last year, other major acts will be announced as we draw closer to September. NICE!

See below for the list thus far!

All Tiny Creatures (Madison, Wis.)
Andrew Cedermark (Charlottesville, Va.)
Annuals (Raleigh, N.C.)
Apache Dropout (Bloomington, Ind.)
Apex Manor (Pasadena, Calif.)
Apple Juice Kid (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Bandway (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Barn Owl (San Francisco, Calif.)
Beach Fossils (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Beans (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Bird Peterson (Austin, Texas)
Black Lips (Atlanta, Ga.)
Black Twig Pickers (Ironto, Va.)
Bombadil (Durham, N.C.)
Braids (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
Budos Band (Staten Island, N.Y.)
Bustello (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Caltrop (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Carlitta Durand (Durham, N.C.)
Cassis Orange (Carrboro, N.C.)
Charlie Smarts (New York, N.Y.)
Cheyenne Marie Mize (Louisville, Ky.)
Chip Robinson (Austin, Texas)
Cold Cave (New York, N.Y.)
D&D Sluggers (Wilmington, N.C.)
Dan Melchior Und Das Menace (Durham, N.C.)
David Daniell (Chicago, Ill.)
Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross (Chicago, Ill.)
Des Ark (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Dinosaur Feathers (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Disappears (Chicago, Ill.)
DJ Thien (Raleigh, N.C.)
Drive-By Truckers (Athens, Ga.)
Duane Pitre Sextet (New Orleans, La.)
Dustin Wong (Baltimore, Md.)
Dylan Gilbert (Charlotte, N.C.)
Earth (Seattle, Wash.)
Embarrassing Fruits (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Empress Hotel (New Orleans, La.)
Eric Carbonara & Jesse Sparhawk (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Family Dynamics (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Fight the Big Bull (Richmond, Va.)
Filthybird (Graham, N.C.)
Flight (Oxford, Miss.)
Ford & Lopatin (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Frank Fairfield (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Frontier Ruckus (Detroit, Mich.)
Future Islands (Baltimore, Md.)
Gauntlet Hair (Lafayette, Colo.)
Generationals (New Orleans, La.)
Grandchildren (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Gross Ghost (Carrboro, N.C.)
Guided by Voices (Dayton, Ohio)
Heads on Sticks (Raleigh, N.C.)
Hog (Durham, N.C.)
Horseback (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Invisible Hand (Charlottesville, Va.)
J Mascis (Amherst, Mass.)
Jack the Radio (Raleigh, N.C.)
Japandroids (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
JEFF The Brotherhood (Nashville, Tenn.)
Jennyanykind (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
John Vanderslice (San Francisco, Calif.)
Jon Lindsay (Charlotte, N.C.)
Julianna Barwick (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Justin Robinson and The Mary Annettes (Durham, N.C.)
King Mez (Raleigh, N.C.)
KORT (Nashville, Tenn.)
Krallice (New York, N.Y.)
L.E.G.A.C.Y. (Fayetteville, N.C.)
Last Year’s Men (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Le Weekend (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Little Scream (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
Liturgy (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Lonnie Walker (Raleigh, N.C.)
Lost in the Trees (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Lower Dens (Baltimore, Md.)
Man Will Destroy Himself (Raleigh, N.C.)
Man/Miracle (Oakland, Calif.)
Mandolin Orange (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Mount Eerie (Anacortes, Wash.)
Mount Moriah (Durham, N.C.)
Mouthus (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Old Bricks (Carrboro, N.C.)
Oneohtrix Point Never (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Onward, Soldiers (Wilmington, N.C.)
Organos (Carrboro, N.C.)
Oulipo (Raleigh, N.C.)
Oxbow (San Francisco, Calif.)
PC Worship (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Peter Lamb and The Wolves (Raleigh, N.C.)
Prurient (New York, N.Y.)
Reading Rainbow (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Rhys Chatham (Paris, France)
Royal Bangs (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Royal Baths (San Francisco, Calif.)
Shit Horse (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Sir Richard Bishop (Oakland, Calif.)
Soft Company (Carrboro, N.C.)
SPCL GST (Raleigh, N.C.)
Spider Bags (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Steve Gunn (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Super Vacations (Norfolk, Va.)
Superchunk (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Swans (New York, N.Y.)
Tender Fruit (Carrboro, N.C.)
The Body (Providence, R.I.)
The Caribbean (Washington, D.C.)
The Dodos (San Francisco, Calif.)
The Flaming Lips (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
The Foreign Exchange (Durham, N.C.)
The Light Pines (Carrboro, N.C.)
The Loners (Raleigh, N.C.)
The Love Language (Raleigh, N.C.)
The Moderate (Washington, D.C.)
The Necks (Sydney, Australia)
The Old Ceremony (Durham, N.C.)
The Prayers and Tears (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
The Strugglers (Washington, D.C.)
The Tomahawks (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Toro Y Moi (Columbia, S.C.)
Twelve Thousand Armies (Carrboro, N.C.)
Twin Shadow (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Tyvek (Detroit, Mich.)
Unknown Mortal Orchestra (Portland, Ore.)
Weekend (San Francisco, Calif.)
Wembley (Hillsborough, N.C.)
Wesley Wolfe (Carrboro, N.C.)
Whatever Brains (Raleigh, N.C.)
William Tyler (Nashville, Tenn.)
Wooden Wand (Lexington, Ky.)
Woodsman (Denver, Colo.)

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Jam of the Day | La Sera - Never Come Around

Photo credit: Marya Zoya

Here in Saint Louis we are currently experiencing what I like to call "Summer (Reprised)." With temperatures in the eighties during the day, the cozy autumn sweaters have been shelved for the time being. And even though this weather technically calls for a functioning air conditioner, it is almost the middle of October. An open window will have to do.

Today's Jam of the Day, La Sera's "Never Come Around" hauntingly whispers of that surf rock trend that surged last spring and then crested on the summer festival circuit. More so, it contains 1950s sweet-as-pie chord changes, a la The Drums' "Down By The Water," yet it's satisfyingly vandalized by a little lo-fi grit. Think of it as the couple that prefers the dark corner parking spot of the drive-in versus the corner stools at the milkshake counter. You know those kids I'm talking about.

Most importantly, it's the perfect track for "Summer (Reprised)." "Never Come Around" is transient, a fugitive on the run from warm weather, yet a stranger not welcome in fall. Turn it up at high volume when the sun starts to set and you open your windows for the evening.

La Sera - Never Come Around

La Sera is Katy Goodman's (Vivian Girls) new band, and she's joined by Jenn Prince on guitar and Brady Hall on vocals/keyboards/drums. Look for a 7" coming out on November 16th (Hardly Art) with the PJOTD and a track called "Behind Your Eyes." The band will also cover "Watch Me Jumpstart" for an upcoming Guided By Voices tribute album.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Jam of the Day | Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People

The last time Sufjan Stevens released a proper record, the world, for me at least, was a very different place. In 2005, my son had yet to enter this world, and my best friend had yet to leave it. Katrina was just a pleasant sounding woman’s name. Bennifer was still a term, Beiber was still pooping his diaper, and MySpace was blowing up the social media world. Tiger Woods was still playing good golf, and John Edwards was getting $400 haircuts because he effing could.

In fact – some newly minted indie-kids may not even realize how big albums like Seven Swans and Illinoise were to us old fogies who’ve been livin’ the dream since Robert Pollard only had 37 albums under his belt.

Well, this weekend Sufjan shook up things by releasing his new EP online for a mere five bucks - so it's time for us all to reacquaint ourselves. Our JOTD, "All Delighted People," gives us the perfect ten minutes of song to do it.

The EP, All Delighted People, is built around two different versions of Sufjan’s long-form epic ballad "All Delighted People," a dramatic homage to the Apocalypse, existential ennui, and Paul Simon’s "Sounds of Silence." Sounds delightful, yes! The song was originally workshopped on Sufjan’s previous tour in the fall of 2009.

Check it out and download the MP3 free below. You can buy it as well, and it's well worth it before the double LP EP (you read that right) drops later this fall.
<a href="http://sufjanstevens.bandcamp.com/album/all-delighted-people-ep">All Delighted People (Original Version) by Sufjan Stevens</a>

Monday, July 12, 2010

10 to Spin | Maps and Atlases


If you're anything like us at Speakers in Code, the music tips you take most seriously are the ones that come from musicians themselves. That's why we started this here new feature, 10 to Spin, which includes a carefully crafted mix of songs by our (and your) favorite artists. We're giving bands free reign to design playlists based on a theme, featuring both cutting edge tunes and favorite, old standbys.

For our inaugural 10 to Spin, Shiraz Dada, bassist for the Chicago quartet, Maps and Atlases, put together a playlist meant to quell the inevitable homesickness from life out on the road. Says Dada, "Many of these songs were first heard when I was at home or [on] the very beginning of a tour, comfortable and excited and getting that feeling you get when you first fall in love with a song. Being away sometimes can be uncomfortable. But, I know that when I hear these songs, I can count on that feeling of comfort and excitement, and that brings me closer to home."

The band's first full-length, Perch Patchwork, is out now on Barsuk Records. Maps and Atlases is currently on tour with The Globes, soon to be joined by The Cults. They opened for Frightened Rabbit last spring (and rocked).

Yeasayer - O.N.E.


Electric Light Orchestra - Telephone Lines


The Byrds - You Ain't Going Nowhere


The National - Conversation 16


Guided By Voices - Game of Pricks


Foals - Total Life Forever


Phantogram - You Are the Ocean


Elvis Costello - All the Rage [listen]

Drag the River - Bug Country [listen]

Chad VanGaalen - Sing Me to Sleep