J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 30th July 2008

[Oh, man, did it feel good to get back for J's Indie/Rock Mayhem tonight. Three weeks away gives me the jitters. Tonight's show was pretty awesome, though I didn't get to everything I wanted to thanks to a really interesting and fun interview with Sean Coon of the Dot Matrix Project. So plenty of more good, new things for next week. We'll also return to the BB's New and Used CDs and DVDs gift certificate give-away as well.

Greensboro folks, I couldn't do this on the air, but I can't recommend enough that you guys come check out the Dot Matrix shows. They're fun, you get to hear local music you may or may not have heard and best of all it's free! I've been to every one that I could so far just to hang out and have a blast at the Green Burro with a really friendly community of people. If you've got nothing to do on the last Thursday night of each month, get downtown and check it out. And say hi to me if you're a reader.

Now, on to the good stuff. Onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 30th July 2008 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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the Hold Steady - "Sequestered in Memphis" [from stay positive. i've been itching to get back so i could play songs off of this album and this song will not. leave. my. head. they're playing at the cat's cradle in carrboro on tuesday, august 12th. i'll be there, so you better be too if you want to see one of america's best rock bands in action.]
the Stranglers - "Nice 'N' Sleazy" [originally from their 1978 album black and white but also from peaches: the very best of the stranglers collection. a very fun band and well worth seeking out.]
King Khan and the Shrines - "Welfare Bread" [from the supreme genius of.. i've heard two songs off of this album and enjoyed both of them very much. and i need to see them live if this video from the pitchfork music festival is any indication.]
the Streets - "The Escapist" [from the forthcoming album everything is borrowed. this dropped in my lap, literally, right before the show tonight. it's quite good, but i'm not going to get worked up as the rather tedious and disappointing the hardest way to make an easy living also had good singles. we'll wait for the album. in the meantime, check out the video for this song.]
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Silver Jews - "Strange Victory, Strange Defeat" [from lookout mountain, lookout sea. i have really enjoyed this album a lot and this song is just note perfect.]
the New York Dolls - "Puss 'N' Boots" [from 1974's too much too soon. if there was ever an album aching for a re-mastering, it's this one and its self-titled predecessor. please? songs like this and "chatterbox" and "babylon" and, hell, the entire album, are crying out for a thicker mix. please? someone?]
J-Live - "Be No Slave" [from then what happened? i know i played this song last show, but it's good. really good. so we'll hear it again.]
the Avett Brothers - "The Greatest Sum" [from the new the gleam II EP, their last for ramseur records. the brothers have signed a contract with american recordings and their new record is being helmed by rick rubin. exciting times. check out my review of this EP over at aquarium drunkard.]

[Here's where Sean Coon came in to talk about the Dot Matrix Project and the upcoming concert tomorrow night with Possum Jenkins and Tom Beardslee at the Green Burro downtown starting at 8pm. We talked about the origins of the project, how open it is to genres of music, what its goals are, what positive things are happening as a result and various other things. If you're into the ideas of technology and community, this is a great interview. We played a selection of live recordings from past Dot Matrix shows and a pair of songs from tomorrow night's performers.]

Sorry About Dresden - "Deadship, Darkship" (live) [this was recorded at the first dot matrix show back in april. sorry about dresden was nice enough to pop down from chapel hill to play a show. i hate i missed this one as they are a really good band live.]
the Radials - "Talkin' to the Blues" (live) [also from that first show. the radials are a local greensboro band. tom beardslee, playing tomorrow night, is lap steel player for them and he has a nice fat solo on this song. check out their myspace.]
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Dawn Chorus - "I'm Cured!" (live) [a song from their new album, florida st. serenade, from the last dot matrix show in june.]
Citified - "Haze" (live) [a new song that is unreleased except on this live release, also from the last dot matrix show. we'll be hearing more of this song because it's really, really good.]
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Possum Jenkins - "Carrboro Nights" [from their album on time. possum jenkins is from up in boone, north carolina, so this'll be the furthest anyone's come to play so far. again, check out the myspace.]
Tom Beardslee - "I Would" [from his album good company and his myspace.]
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Sloan - "The Other Side" [from parallel play. i wasn't as won over by this song, but it's still pretty good. sloan is a reliable band for good music.]
Ben Folds Five - "Where's Summer B?" [from the self-titled debut. the first two ben folds five albums (but especially whatever and ever, amen) are pretty classic mid-90s alternative rock in the sense that nothing else really sounded like them, yet they were incredibly classic.]
Dr. Dog - "The Old Days" [from their newest album fate. i still think they have an awful name, but the new album is good.]
Robert Forster - "Demon Days" [from his new solo album the evangelist, an album written largely about the passing of forster's writing partner in the go-betweens. a sad loss for indie-pop.]
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Paul Westerberg - "Who You Gonna Marry?" [from the new album 49:00 which is for sale, online, for 49 cents. but is also put together as one track, no separations between songs. songs overlap, interrupt one another - it's a ragged, lo-fi radio show and it's awesome. it really is one of his best albums of late, really fun. well worth the 49 cents.]
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - "Gardenia" [from real emotional trash. got this stuck in my head this week and it wouldn't leave. so here it goes.]
Julie Ocean - "My Revenge" [from the excellent long gone and nearly there. power pop perfection.]
Supergrass - "Rebel In You" [from diamond hoo ha and yes, right after i get done complaining about this album in the previous post, here i am playing things from it. this is good. i didn't say there weren't good songs on it, after all.]
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Calexico - "Two Silver Trees" [from the forthcoming carried to dust. an interview with calexico's joey burns is in the works for early september, so keep your eyes here on the blog for that.]

A great show. I'm slowly getting up to speed on posting here. Look for regular reviews to return and the Friday column as well. Until then, take care.