durham indie nerds, unite!

wow, something going on in my adopted hometown, where I rarely am for very long at the moment (yes, as usual, apologies for the lack of posting but I've been on the road and I travel sans laptop, unlike the rest of you). the cannanes! I heard they were making the big trip to the usa this spring to do some recording, so it's good they're coming down to these parts. I've been away again (after the west coast and london) in d.c. for a job interview! we'll see how that goes. and soon off again to beautiful new york city and boston to see various films, people, and things and interview some of them for the stephin merritt and the magnetic fields documentary. other things going on around here: sorry to have missed last night's amor de dias show in london! listening to the new jennifer o'connor album, which is bee-yoo-tee-ful and coming out in august on matador, and writing something about the forthcoming dolly mixture and kid montana reissues! I didn't make it to see obama last night in NC but various members of the o'hara clan were there and I am off to early-vote today -- woo hoo! wish I had some news to report. I need a job. I need an apartment. I want to set up a big pop festival on the east coast in october. who is going to help me!?

the return of bridget cross!

miss bridget cross, the fabulous covergirl of chickfactor numero deux as well as the talented singer-etc for unrest, velocity girl and air miami, among others, is back after years of disappearance. it's pretty damned exciting news too based upon these tracks here you can listen to at digital other music. it is kind of an unrest reunion -- see the teenbeat site for details on the new album by her new project, maybe it's reno. dude, I would babble on more about this but I have to order my compact disc of the thing just now. her voice is sounding cooler than ever.

how about 'record store century' instead?

thora birch and steve buscemi in ghost world (2001).

I remember watching ghost world and feeling like the rest of the world was getting a little glimpse into the tribe. the record-squeezing, glasses-wearing nerd tribe. I've been accused of being an enid in the past, but I feel like a seymour when it comes to music (and god knows I've dated several). I sold my stereo when I moved to london, but I kept the turntable. I don't have a digital camera (the one I want is too expensive); I still use real film. I'm a throwback. I know, I don't care. I can't deny that record stores have had a huge impact on me...
1. I remember going to plan 9 in richmond back in the 80s. the snooty goths who worked there (okay, they weren't all) may have sneered when I bought those import everything but the girl singles, but at least they had them! and propaganda, etc. and when I occasionally bought something they approved of (like squirrel bait), they eyeballed me like I temporarily lost my new-wave mind.
2. I was in vinyl ink when I first heard the magnetic fields' "100,000 fireflies" seven-inch and I was so startled. mike schulman worked there then and I'm sure played it for me, along with lots of east coast indie pop that was happening then. when he saw me buying the verlaines' juvenilia, he would then suggest some other stuff that I might like. and he was usually right.
3. pam and I used to drive up to new york city in the early '90s, but the main agenda was going to pier platters, having a snack and then seeing a show at maxwell's -- all in hoboken, new jersey. ah, those were the days.
4. once I moved to new york city, I spent all my hard-earned cash on 45s at kim's underground on bleecker street, where josh, chris and jeff noticed what I bought and recommended lots of good stuff to me. I would usually see people there too, like thurston, pavement boy, ira robbins, etc. they had everything you'd want, and if they didn't, they'd get it.
5. so it was no surprise that I started shopping at other music when those guys from kim's opened it up in the mid-'90s. I took a decent amount of guff for overly promoting them when I worked at time out new york, but so be it! chris and josh are married to two of my best friends! and more important, the entire 'decadanse' section was laid out before me, filled with records screaming my name (gal, caetano, serge, saint etienne, momus).
6. the only other record store I adored shopping in as much in new york was footlight -- this one is for the gay men and the wfmu crowd and, hey, even my parents! anyone who loves a crooner or a great record sleeve. sadly they are an online-only affair these days but at least they're still there!
7. another super-fun place to shop if you're in chicago is dusty groove. you just have to love a shop that has so many specialties that are right up your alley (brazil, france, soundtracks, singers).
8. carrie brownstein, whose record-store ruminations are here, took me to jackpot records and we both ended up at the cash register with shirley collins compact discs. well, great minds...
9. hard to imagine record shopping in san francisco without amoeba, which I find utterly overwhelming and impressive at the same time. it's all very silly and old-fashioned, but you've gotta love it. they probably have what you need!
10. I found shopping for records in london to be un-satisfying (and I can feel a barrage of pro-london comments heading my way). I always *wanted* to enjoy rough trade more than I did. if only it could have been bigger and slightly more organized! be careful what you wish for. the new and improved, bigger better shinier rough trade shop has opened in shoreditch's "hipster alley" (that is what lupe and I used to call it) and it is just awful. far more adorable is intoxica, or shopping in other countries where music costs less. there are many gems to be had when it comes to car boot sales and the like.
11. sometimes it is just easier to find something online, isn't it -- so head to yesterday and today, parasol, insound or darla.
12. I am a little out of the loop, having lived elsewhere for the past 4 years, but the east coast still has princeton record exchange, in your ear, newbury comics and crooked beat. my temporary hometown recently saw schoolkids records close down its chapel hill location.
13. and then there is the lovely, life-affirming wfmu record fair. see you there.
14. lastly, we're not sure what "record store day" is all about but why not go to a record store? if not that day, another day. don't give amazon all the money!
(readers, what did we miss? please guide us by adding a comment with your top record shopping destinations!)

son of salford.

before we had boring so-called rock stars like james blunt and the like we had characters like mark e. smith, who walked the walk and who little tykes like pete babysham and amy winehouse have been using as a lifestyle blueprint -- but lil pete can't touch the old geezer. shockingly, the chemical-addled frontman of the fall has managed to retain enough brain cells to write his memoirs and we can't wait to read them! we have to wonder if mark e. smith was able to remember enough of his own life to pen the memoirs, or like donovan, did he have to ask other people to remember it for him?

free readymade.

oh how we love readymade magazine and now the berkeley-based publication is offering its latest issue online and free. if we had all the money in the world, we would buy lots of those cute boxy prefab house kits from the readymade shop/classifieds and start a little commune so all our artist friends could live in them and pay no conventional rent! wouldn't it be fun to have a nice little bamboo-floored eco box? I believe so.

terrastock 7!

in case anyone was under the impression that there is a folk revival going on, that is not the case at all. the amalgam of minigenres lumped under this category has been present at varying levels of hipster awareness. back in 1997, we went to the very first terrastock in some giant awesome building in providence, rhode island, and had our ears blown out by the likes of flying saucer attack and alternately soothed by barbara manning and her ilk. terrastock is the underground's music fest; not like green man in the UK, which has been known to feature big names for the sake of it. we are shocked and delighted to hear of the existence of terrastock 7, scheduled to happen at melwood arts center, louisville, kentucky, on 19-22 june 2008, featuring many fine acts such as antietam, windy & carl, damon & naomi, marissa nadler, MV&EE and umpteen members of the loose collective once known as elephant six. we shall see you there (unless we win the lottery and spend that evening in barcelona with some other silly pop group). bearded gents and their sulky, aloof ladyfriends should purchase tix now to avoid having to attend lollypalooza instead.

TMFs!

are these not the coolest cover models you've ever seen?!

vinyl lives, part 3 the magnetic fields have announced that they will be issuing their entire catalog on vinyl, beginning with the charm of the highway strip out may 6 on merge and a summer pressing of distortion on nonesuch, and then merge will put out get lost in the autumn.
magnetic fields eurotour dates and if that is not excitement enough, the band is off to europe this summer for some dates in some of our favorite old towns -- we hope to see you there...
june 22: barcelona / auditori del forum
june 23: madrid / teatro coliseum
june 25: malaga / teatro cervantes
june 26: lisbon / aula magna
june 28: gothenburg / lorensbergsteatern
june 29: stockholm / cirkus
july 8: dublin / vicar street
july 9 & 10: london / cadogan hall
click here for more details.


could this visage sleeve possibly be the inspiration for the get lost cover?

life in slumberland.

vinyl lives, part 2: we check in with mike schulman from slumberland records, who have a new seven-inch split single series...


chickfactor: what's up with slumberland? we hear you are putting out seven-inch singles. can it be? how retro.
mike: what can I say? i just love these little things. I think the 7" is the perfect format for pop, just the classic bite-size burst of energy. a great showcase for tunes both timeless and ephemeral.
is there an american indie-pop scene or will you be focusing on un-american activities?
there are some american bands that I'm really excited about right now and am working with like the pains of being pure at heart, pants yell!, crystal stilts, vivian girls, caUSE co-MOTION! and others. not all strictly indie-pop, but then neither are we I guess. we're of course also looking outside the states as always, as evidenced by recent albums from sarandon and the lodger. wherever the tunes are, we hope to be.
tell us about your new split single series.
it's called 'searching for the now' and the idea is to showcase as many great new bands as we can. we can't afford to do singles and albums with every group that we like, so we started this split single series with the intention of working with as many bands as possible. we're hoping to release two splits every 10-12 weeks, then compile every 8 or so onto CD for posterity. all singles will be on lovely color vinyl and come wrapped in nicer-than-usual sleeves. of course we're behind schedule already for the second set, but c'est la vie.
how was it hitting the road with the lodger back in... december? have things changed on the open road?
it was a blast but also tough going. I'm a bit older than the last time I attempted such an escapade, and let me tell you it's not quite as easy as it used to be to rock all those late nights, long drives and hard floors. it was great fun meeting lots of new people though, seeing the other bands and getting a taste of the south for the first time in a whole. fried everything –- pickles, okra, oreos!
are there many fun bands in the bay area these days?
you know, I'm ashamed to say I don't really know. I get out so little it's shameful. I like the mantles a lot, they're a local garage-pop band. there are some good clubs too -- teenage kicks is a monthly that stands out for consistently great music and savvy crowds. and, hey, they let me DJ on occasion so it must be good!
what's getting your goat / floating your boat at the moment?
getting my goat: weak dollar == expensive import records, the primary season without end, being unable to stay up past 10pm. floating my boat: calla lilies in my garden, baseball is back, soundway records' continuing run of amazing reissues, the riches and 30 rock new seasons.
see the slumberland site for more details!