Not a lot of posting going on anywhere, but we’re in the process of moving the blog. Sorry wordpress, ya blew it (i like you, just trying something new). Don’t know if the link will be the same, but in the meantime, you can now find us here:
http://pinkteeth.tumblr.com
Thank you friends. Thank you to wordpress for the good times on this blog. Thinking of you fondly.
Bears woke up early last Friday to play on Cleveland’s Fox 8 morning news, which is über cool. They played a bunch of killer jams and a clip of one of them got posted on the Fox 8 website. The song in question is “Our Time”, a brand new diddy from their upcoming record which I heard last week and can attest that it might be the best record of all time.
That above is probably one of the coolest, most creative mainstream comic book covers I have seen in a long time. Also, it doesn’t hurt that the inside is all great! Check out the new Captain America, it came out this Wednesday!
Have you heard the new Sun Kil Moon record “April”? I slacked on it, getting it in May (gross), but I have it now and it is all that I can listen to. Looking forward to playing it on my train ride…
Yes, I am going to Cleveland this Memorial Day weekend to hang with the Bears folks which will be great. Hopefully I will get a ear-full of the new record they’re working on. Woo!
I have had a bit of an absence from the internet from February on to this very month of March. In fact, I wouldn’t even limit said absence to the web, but to real life as well. What to blame it on? Usually, I would say music but this has been a bit of a dull year/I don’t seem to be as interested and active in that community as I have been in the past, so I couldn’t be that. Is it love? Is it my non-stop recent obsession with reading? Drugs? Who knows, but with a new computing machine and Spring’s sun and flower children on the way, I feel my interests will return to their original placing.
Not much on the label front other than prep for the vinyl release of Bears’ “Shortest Day Of the Year” ep is going swimmingly. The band was recently featured as on of Alternative Press’ “100 Bands to Watch” and are currently on the cover of the newest Cleveland Scene Magazine, so we’re not the only ones who love them. Here is their update on our relationship:
And, in what is slowly becoming a tradition of releasing things on vinyl that were released on CD a while ago, the Shortest Day of the Year EP will be reissued as a delicious white 10″ very soon with one extra song by Pink Teeth Records! We’ll have a pre-order up for that as soon as there is a definite release date. Also in the near future is the Who Knows 7″, which will be released by Impose Records. More news soon!
Excited for that 7 inch.
If you’re looking for something to read, I’d suggest “Kirby: King Of Comics” by Mark Evanier. I’m still reading through it, but thus far has been beautiful to look at and informative. I always appreciated Jack Kirby growing up as a boy with a love for comics, but I never super got it as I was raised in the era of 90’s modern age of dark, grim, big muscles and bigger tits in my funny books. However, entering my twenties, I learned to love the art of the past and admire greatly Kirby’s work. This book is full of amazing art, so it would look mighty fine on your coffee table. The hardcover should be in bookstores everywhere or to order direct from the publisher right here.
HUGE friend to the label and one of our house designers, Japayork, has released a zip file of his home recordings from 2005-2008 called (fittingly enough) “Home Recordings: 2005-2008″. You can download that here and please, please, please donate some cash to his worthy cause and/or at least email him your thoughts. You’ll never correspond with a sweeter fellow, I swear it.
My current listening output is that Japayork collection of course, the new Sword record “Gods Of the Earth” (probably my album of the year), Juvelen’s “Don’t Mess” single, the new Neva Dinova record, the new El Perro Del Mar, random Built to Spill records, Fuck Buttons and I’m sure more. Not very exciting, but I also appreciate being able to focus on a select amount of truly exciting and wonderful music.
Alright, I’ll wrap this up. Hopefully I’ll be back soon, there are some things in the works that are blog specific, I promise. Good night and happy easter if that’s your bag (it’s not mine).
Being snowed in this weekend caused me to watch many movies with Netflix’s instant movies feature. One that I’ve been coming back and forth to since I got the service was Gary Hustwit’s 2007 “Helvetica“, a documentary about the font. Who knew (besides graphic designers and the like) that it is the most widely used font on the planet? Anyway, it was quite entertaining and I was happy to finally finish it. The general look of the film and the soundtrack (featuring some new bands for me to check out) was very inspiring and stellar. So yes, that is recommended by yours truly. In fact, if you have Netflix, add it to your queue or even watch it instantly on your computer! If you just want to Wikipedia the facts, you may do so at this link, though you really are missing out on the magic. Huzzah!
(photo by Dan S, an old co-worker in Indianapolis.)
Personally, it’s been an exciting time to be a nerd these last couple of days, on all fronts.
To start, last night’s LOST was another amazing entry in a fantastic season. I’ve never been one to be rabid over television unless it is something with my sense of humour, but this show has been very fulfilling to say the least. It’s not something I am public about, but if it comes up, I will be happy to participate in a chat about the complexities and over all genius of this program, any day of the week.
Moving along to the music front (which is why we’re all here, at a record label’s blog), P4K was kind enough to share the news that the reissuing mammal Rhino will be releasing an expanded compact disc of 1992’s Lemonheads masterpiece “It’s A Shame About Ray” come 25th. Besides countless b-sides and demos, the collection also comes with a dvd version of the long lost “Two Weeks In Australia” vhs from way back when (a film which I’ve never seen sadly). Now, I am not going to pretend that when I was a 2nd grader I ran to my local record store to pick up a copy on the release day, but when I finally did come around to this band/album, I never looked back. It’s a perfect pop rock record that is surprisingly as timeless as any of your parent’s quintessential records they claim as their own. If only the 90’s had produced more Lemonheads clones, we’d be in a far better state in the present. In fact, I’d go as far to claim that there would be no illegal downloading and no fall of the industry. Believe it. Anyway, here is what to expect and get excited for:
01 Rockin Stroll
02 Confetti
03 It’s a Shame About Ray
04 Rudderless
05 My Drug Buddy
06 The Turnpike Down
07 Bit Part
08 Alison’s Starting to Happen
09 Hannah & Gabi
10 Kitchen
11 Ceiling Fan in My Spoon
12 Frank Mills
13 Mrs. Robinson
14 Shaky Ground
15 It’s a Shame About Ray (demo) *
16 Rockin Stroll (demo) *
17 My Drug Buddy (demo) *
18 Hannah & Gabi (demo) *
19 Kitchen (demo) *
20 Bit Part (demo) *
21 Rudderless (demo) *
22 Ceiling Fan in My Spoon (demo) *
23 Confetti (demo) ** previously unreleased
Two Weeks in Australia:01 It’s a Shame About Ray (music video)
02 Ride With Me (live)
03 Mrs. Robinson (music video)
04 Being Around (music video)
05 Alison’s Starting to Happen (live)
06 Hannah & Gabi (music video)
07 Half the Time (music video)
08 Rockin Stroll (music video)
09 Confetti (music video)
10 It’s About Time (live)
11 My Drug Buddy (music video)
Read the full article here: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/48833-lemonheads-irayi-gets-deluxe-reissue-sxsw-show
Say Rhino, any chance of a vinyl issue? To conclude this rant on my Lemonheads adoration, my personal favourite song on the album, “My Drug Buddy” has been covered by 2 great bands: New Jersey’s own (and friends of the label) It’s a King Thing do a beautiful version and Lawrence’s own The Belles make the song their own. It appears the internet doesn’t have the mp3s of these anymore, but if you can’t track them down email info@pinkteeth.com with the subject “MY DRUG BUDDY COVERS” and I will rip them from my iPod and send them over.
And finally, I just finished reading “The Spirit” volume one hardcover by Darwyn Cooke. I am quite young and missed the boat on Will Eisner’s original hero but these new tales were really a rewarding read. Every issue’s cover contains the words “action, mystery, adventure” and that couldn’t be more true. As much as I love interconnecting grandiose plots leading to the bigger picture eventually down a long line, this series is simply one great story each month, easy to hop on whenever with no worries about remembering what occurred however many issues previous. Cooke left the series with issue 12 (which along with 11 I picked up before getting the collection,hoping volume two comes out soon!), which is an absolute shame because he really had a handle on this character. I will try not to rule out the new creative team, but it is so hard to not think about what we had lost in Cooke. After reading this, I plan on getting as many of the old Eisner Spirit tales that I can and also catching up on other of Cooke’s work as I am quite attached to what he’s up to. I highly recommend picking this up for yourself or a loved one if you like quality stories with a lot of heart and substance. On a side note, I am excited for Frank Miller’s upcoming film version. He was friends with Eisner so that’s a plus one and also his past stuff (all of his Batman, all of his Daredevil, Sin City, etc) is very enjoyable. Fingers crossed and good luck!
Millar and Hitch’s Fantastic Four debut did not disappoint!
Next Friday, Heirloom Arts is hosting the vinyl release show for a Connecticut gem (and a NORTHWEST CORNER CT gem to boot!) Most modern fans of our type of music are familiar with Gary Higgins and his long lost “Red Hash” record. Drag City is rereleasing a vinyl version of it and he is playing a rare gig to celebrate. I hope to talk to him as finding out about him by accident has been very fun: He lives a town away from where I grew up and many of the players on his album had children that I went to school with (and some were relatively close chaps). Gnarly!
In closing, my friend Hanz Bronze has finally gone and set himself up a myspace account so the world can rejoice in his brilliance. Please check him out and add him if you are feeling generous: http://www.myspace.com/hanzbronze
I’ll try to be back soon, I have a new idea for the blog I’d like to start on as soon as I can. Hopefully, I’ll hit the ground running throughout this weekend!
I dig on Peter and the Wolf a ton, and if the roads didn’t suck in my parts, I would so be there. But that’s no excuse for you (unless it is), if you’re in Connecticut you should check it out. Also next week Gary Higgins is playing that joint, how exciting.
From Range Life: Dri and Suzannah Johannes head up to Rock Island, Illinois today to A) record sessions at the famed Daytrotter studio, B) host a webcast Live Chat taking any and all questions and C) play live at Huckleberry’s Pizza, just below the Daytrotter studio, at 7PM.
It’s all gonna be pimp, but don’t miss the Live Chat, which will start at 5:30 PM, Central and which you can watch on Daytrotter.com and/or participate in HERE.
Both artists are Pink Teeth approved (SJ’s upcoming ep is all that plays lately on my joeyPod) .
Not much to report, check out this awesome video that Joana Linda directed for Marissa Nadler’s “Mexican Summer”:
Good days sirs and misses.
So much to be excited about: a new computer forthcoming for one, “Super Tuesday” tomorrow (hope I can make it over to vote before work, if not FUCK WORK), Criminal trade #2 (read this series) and much much more.
A big thing I am excited about is that I gave in and signed up for Netflix. Even though they have already fucked up pretty big right off the bat, I am still very very exited about. Send me your movie suggestions! I am looking to get into more noir so if you know some gems or anything else really email me at info@pinkteeth.com with the subject “Netflix picks!” and we’ll talk. If I can figure out the community, we can even be friends! I know a couple of Pink Teeth folks have the service, so hopefully in the future I can get their picks too.
I started a new job last week and it is exhausting. So the lesson is never work ever.
Word.
I fucking love comics. Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch start their (what I hope to be) legendary run on Fantastic Four next month and I might be more excited for that than I have been for any comic ever in my life. I love FF to death, but in my lifetime, there has never really been a great team on the book… which is sad. Here is hoping that the boys stick around for a couple of years and include the Inhumans once in awhile.
Moving on, on a non-nerd note…
Hello all of you beautiful babies. Not much going on over on our end, in a couple of days I will update the main site with an announcement that isn’t secret but hasn’t been out there from us either. Well except on our myspace page.
I saw Blonde Redhead in New Haven on Friday. It was quite the contrast from what I’ve seen/been feeling from CT shows (see my December rant) and I found that exciting. The kids didn’t move much, but anything is a start. Here is a video by BR with Miranda July in it:
Good night.
It’s a beautiful day here in the Northwest corner of Connecticut. Sorry for our blogging absence. I started work on my top 10 favourite 7 inches of 2007 (a blog exclusive), but then decided to re-work it and never got to posting it. It’s now up to 12 vinyls and I will try and finish it for tomorrow.
In the meantime, I posted some best of 2007 lists on the main site. You can catch that here if you haven’t already. For your viewing & reading pleasure, here is my list with some write ups on why I thought they were extra amazing. Enjoy!
“The Best of 2007: A list in 15 records” by Joey Gee.
1. Marissa Nadler - Songs III: Bird On the Water (Kemado)
A couple of weeks after I finally listened to this record while working at the shop, I knew it was going to be my number one. It had instantly erased memories of my previous intentions for the slot and I knew nothing could touch it. How could anything? This lp weighs heavy, covering the things I’ve been obsessed with my whole life: family, friendship, love and most importantly and entirely present: death. No one I know in conversation let alone music has ever been eye to eye with the subject with me before until Nadler’s masterpiece. Timeless and beautiful, this is a record I will play for my entire life and pass to my children and friends until my very own death.
2. No Age - Weirdo Rippers (Fat Cat)
I wasn’t completely sold on No Age at first. Their recorded output didn’t really impress me because I just didn’t get it. What it took was seeing them live in CT for a crowd of no more than 15 people in a absurdly large venue playing the most insane mindfuck rock and roll I’ve seen in quite some time, if not ever. I bought the cd and glued it in my eardrums ever since. It all clicked and then I went on my mission of collecting their vinyl output which was very fun and gave me a music collecting satisfaction I haven’t felt in years. Very excited for their Sub Pop debut in 2008 which I am almost positive will make my top ten of that year.
3. Spank Rock & Benny Blanco - Bangers & Cash ep (Downtown)
The most fun I had in music this year. 5 songs of Spank Rock and Benny Blanco’s ode to 2 Live Crew and 90’s lewd hip hop. Very amusing to read reviews for this ep, because typically it’d be 50/50 down the middle of those who get the joke and those who don’t. I get it, and I love it.
4. Welcome - Sirs (Fat Cat)
Fat Cat is probably my record label of the year. Welcome are another band that just slay mad gash, and know how to write a song: get in, get out, don’t get over 4 minutes.
5. Neil Young - Live At Massy Hall 1971 (Reprise)
The most honest and bare I’ve ever heard Young in my entire life. Since I was barely a twinkly in my father’s eye back in ‘71, I didn’t get to enjoy the man in his prime but thankfully this release came about to mend that wound. It’s insane to hear a lot of the “Harvest” hits before the world knew what they were (mostly hearing “Heart Of Gold” played on piano, tacked onto the end of “A Man Needs A Maid” and with no audience response, you expect the place to explode with cheers but they just hadn’t been schooled yet) and a couple of unreleased ditties. It’s just Neil and a guitar and sometimes a piano, stripping down songs that I’ve known to have multiple layers for my whole life and rewriting the book but only now publishing it. Also a gem is the dvd that comes with a version of it, with live footage and super 8 mm cameras following him on his range talking to his “Old Man” inspiration and drinking some beers with some dudes. NY rules all.
6. Dr. Dog - We All Belong (Park the Van)
An early contender for #1 and definitely the first truly amazing record I heard in 2007. Brilliant pop songs with even more brilliant harmonies, hands down the best album of Dr. Dog’s career (thus far).
7. Laakso - Mother Am I Good Looking? (V2)
Another possible #1 in it’s day. Large, arena sized pop rock gems from Sweden’s Laakso and their most accessible album to date. Matt has been trying to get me into these dudes for years and this was the lp that finally did the trick.
8. Wooden Shjips - s/t (Holy Mountain)
A stoner’s dream album. Psychedelia at it’s finest and even finer on wax.
9. Juvelen - s/t ep (Hybris)
The Swedish version of Prince. Can’t wait for the full length, even though the ep gets listened to in some form from me almost every day.
10. Dri - Smoke Rings (Range Life)
What I love about my favourite bands from high school is that most of them are doing new things that sort of follow the direction I am taking now. While most of that means “alt-country”, the Anniversary’s Adrianne went a different route: soulful dance driven ballads, dedicated to friends, drinking, drugs and ex lovers. “Smoke Rings” was given to me early on (I’m bros with the label, aren’t I amazing) while I was in Utah which I think was perfect timing. It soundtracked my drinking with old friends, getting stoned and riding bikes through the city during the autumn season and traveled home with me on the train to be spread throughout New England. Seeing her play this at CMJ was a total highlight (the whole showcase in general was honestly), and I think that if all goes well this album will blow up big. She deserves to be huge.
11. Dirty Projectors - Rise Above (Dead Oceans)
Working for Marriage is what got me into the Dirty P’s, their live gigs is what makes you fall in love. The lineup is finally perfect and the songs are near heaven sent. The concept of “Rise Above” is enough to make you head of heels, but actually listening to it and getting lost in the beauty and weight of it is the true payoff. One of the most original albums of 2007, and I can’t wait for the next one.
12. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum (Graveface)
Another great stoner album and it manages to get you off of your feet sometimes. The singing is all vocoder and it’s a pure audible dream. This was the album that got me into this band and I am now proudly a fan. Come play around my way sometime BMSR!
13. HEALTH - s/t (Lovepump United)
This year I officially started an mp3 blog. It’s been a fulfilling thing to do and one great thing about it is that pr companies have taken notice and started sending me free records. Actually, a few of these albums on here are because of this, including this one. HEALTH recorded this album at the Smell in LA (where the album cover of No Age’s “Weirdo Rippers” was shot) and it feels like a live show: the drums are huge and the songs are fireworks. “Perfect Skin” being a highlight (and one of my favourite songs of this year), it’s one of the most beautifully sparse and haunting songs ever. Another great one on wax (and it’s red!).
14. Jason Anderson - Tonight (ECA)
Conway released this one and it’s been a long time coming. Highly interactive and honest (they name check Cumberland Farms, that’s fucking amazing in my book), it’s all pure joy. All about having fun, but also about substance. If you want to make your other swoon, put the eight minute “So Long” on their mix tape and sing-a-long to the building conclusion of the song: “the best thing in the world is to love someone and they love you back”. Indeed.
15. The Fucking Champs - VI (Drag City)
Fuck yeah. Maybe the gnarliest album out this year, the Champs can never do wrong. Go team.Thanks for reading. I’ll probably post a couple more lists in the next couple of days, maybe in one post (you’d probably like that better and maybe I would too). Brrr. I need a new jacket.