PICK OF THE WEEK
It Hugs Back – “Work Day”, “Now + Again”
OTHER FREE DOWNLOADS
Papercuts – “You Can Have What You Want”
Camera Obscura – “My Maudlin Career”
Spain Colored Orange – “Who Am I”
1090 Club – “Itson”
The Atomic Bitchwax – “Revival”
Lewis & Clarke – “Petrified Forest”
The Veils – “The Letter”, “Killed By the Boom”
Anni Rossi – “Ecology”
These guys have helped me fall asleep for years and that’s a good thing. Their easy/breezy singer-songwriter stuff is so kind, so gentle, and like a bath in Calgon, it helps set your mind at ease and put your worries aside.
I’ve never seen the Great Lake Swimmers live so I can’t tell you if they’ll lull you to sleep, but I’m hoping to experience their stuff in person some day. They’re touring now to support the recently-released Lost Channels, an album that the New York Press says “belong to a dreamtime” (See! I told you so!)
Apr 10Â Â Â Atlanta @ The Earl
Apr 11Â Â Â Asheville @ Grey Eagle
Apr 13Â Â Â Charlottesville @ Gravity Lounge
Apr 14Â Â Â Washington @ Black Cat
Apr 15   Philadelphia @ Johnny Brenda’s
Apr 16Â Â Â Northampton @ Iron Horse Music Hall
Apr 17Â Â Â New York City @ The Bowery Ballroom
Apr 18Â Â Â Cambridge @ The Brattle Theatre
Apr 20Â Â Â Newport @ The Southgate House
Apr 21Â Â Â Chicago @ Schubas
Apr 22Â Â Â Madison @ High Noon Saloon
Apr 25Â Â Â Toronto @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
From one of their dozens of day shows during SXSW (but the only one I managed to see), check out Dead Confederate’s “Heavy Petting” shot at The Sidebar.
SXSW 2009
New CD – Swoon – hits stores April 14. Here’s the first video, “Panic Switch.”And starting Tuesday at noon you’ll be able to stream the CD during the week leading up to the release.
The initial attraction to Crippled Black Phoenix – at least for me anyway – was seeing bassist Dominic Aitchison’s name listed as a band member. Not sure that I’d recognize him walking down the street or even be able to pick him out on stage (other than the fact that he’d be the only bass player), but for the last 14 years Aitchison’s name has consistently been listed in the liner notes of the CDs of the band he helped form with Stuart Braithwaite in Scotland … MOGWAI.
Reading through the Crippled Black Phoenix legendary tale, however, it seems as if Aitchison’s initial inclusion with the band came after he encourage Electric Wizard drummer Justin Greaves to record some of the music he had been brewing in his head for years. Greaves did just that in 2006 with A Love of Shared Disaster in which he called upon the talents of many of his friends, including Aitchison. Three years later and the band – helmed, of course, by Greaves, is just weeks away from officially releasing 2 albums worth of new material to U.S. audiences. To coincide with the releases, Greaves and compatriots have just landed in the U.S. and are embarking on a short, 2-week tour.
On the eve of his plane flight to the U.S., Greaves spit out some answers (via email) to the questions I sent him. “I did my best with your smart questions,” his email began. “But I am very tired and need my head fixing.”
Continue reading “Interview: Justin Greaves (Crippled Black Phoenix)”