J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 14th October 2009

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. It always feels good to get back after a week off and this week was no exception. I was joined in-studio by Cara Craig and Mike Wallace, co-organizers of this year's Greensborofest. It was fun to have them up and to get a listen to just a small handful of the bands who are going to be playing the four day event, starting tomorrow, Thursday, October 15th at Dana Auditorium here at Guilford College at 8pm. All the shows are free, so make sure you get out and celebrate Greensboro music.

Now, while the going's good, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 14th October 2009 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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A Place to Bury Strangers - "It Is Nothing" [from the new exploding head. i saw these guys live last week and was completely wowed by their stage show. they get called out for channeling jesus and mary chain and things like that, but i hear touches of big black and public image limited in what they do as well. in other words, it's very good.]
Brother Ali - "The Preacher" [from us. i haven't paid a lot of attention to ali before, though that's to my detriment seeing as the rhymesayers scene from minneapolis is one of the best hip-hop scenes in the nation, without question.]
Spoon - "Small Stakes" [from kill the moonlight. one of the ongoing decade albums over at aquarium drunkard where we're going through our favorite albums of the 2000s. read the piece on it here. i'll be featuring the albums that went up the previous week here on the show each week. so stay tuned.]
Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Born on a Day the Sun Didn't Rise" [from eating us. i got this song stuck in my head the other day. maybe it's because i'm longing for the summer again in the midst of this cold, grey autumn rain we've been in the middle of for the last week. i guess i'll have to turn on my heat tonight finally. or else crank this album.]
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Lake Inferior - "Johnny B" [from the forthcoming pegasaur 10". one of my favorite north carolina bands right now and they're doing an album relese show for this EP on november 12th at the local 506 in chapel hill. i'll be there. no doubt.]
the Church - "Columbus" [from heyday. in honor of monday having been columbus day. such a complex holiday for so many reasons. at least we got an awesome song out of it.]
Built to Spill - "Planting Seeds" [from the new there is no enemy. they'll be at the cats cradle in carborro this sunday, october 18th, so go check out one of the best live shows out there. wish i were going. show overload that week.]
the Bronzed Chorus - "Underpass Sunrise" [from i'm the spring. i don't get into instrumental bands very often, but these guys are a lot of fun everytime i go see them live or give the records a listen. greensboro, represent.]
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Finn Riggins - "Furs" [from the new vs. wilderness. we had their last album in rotation up here at QFS and this new one is even more fantastic. we'll be hearing more.]
Danger Mouse and Jay-Z - "Change Clothes" [from the now legendary the grey album. this was my first entry for the aquarium drunkard decade series. this album seriously changed a lot about music, or at least was the most public face of that change. read my piece here. great, great stuff.]
the Glands - "Livin' Was Easy" [from their self-titled 2000 album. this was the head drunkard's first entry in the decade series and honestly i've never listened to this band before, but i need to get on it after hearing this. check it out here.]
Bon Iver - "Skinny Love" [from for emma, forever ago. this really is one of the most beautifully crafted albums this decade and i agree every bit with people who put it on their list of best albums. check out j. crosby's piece on it here.]
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the Flaming Lips - "Convinced of the Hex" [from embryonic. i'll be honest - i've not really been super jazzed about new flaming lips albums in awhile. yoshimi.., for all its glory, was underwhelming for me and at war with the mystics was practically unlistenable. but embryonic, while not hearkening back to my favorite flaming lips era by any means, is at least challenging and interesting. i'm still trying to figure out what i think of it, but it's certainly one of the most unique releases of this year.]
My Morning Jacket - "Mahgeetah" [from it still moves. another of the decade posts from aquarium drunkard. i've never been as keen on this album as i was on at dawn, but a great song is a great song and this one in particular is pretty moving. my morning jacket is a band that has truly laid out some masterful work this decade.]

[Here's where I did an interview with Cara Craig and Mike Wallace, co-organizers of this year's Greensborofest. Greensborofest is a yearly four-night festival that celebrates everything great about Greensboro music - all the shows are free, at different venues and feature a range of styles. Greensboro fest has a great lineup and Cara, Mike and I talked about how long the festival has been going, how they got involved, who all is playing and what to expect. A fun time with fun people. Also, since we didn't play bands from these nights, Saturday night's show starts at 8pm at the Green Bean with Basalt, Sugar High Gang and Rough Hands and then continues at Westerwood Tavern at 11 with Mutant League. Sunday afternoon also features an early show, 5:30pm, at My Favorite Things with Our Horse Jethro, JP Smith Jazz Unit and Sundrone.]

Romancer - "The World is Exploding" [romancer is a band featuring former members of health and is a pretty great little group. they'll be playing thursday night at dana auditorium at guilford college. 8pm start time.]
Secret Message Machine - ? [sorry for not knowing the name of this song, but you can ask the band themselves on thursday night at the guilford college show alongside romancer, yank yer blue jeans and computer geek salad.]
Casual Curious - ? [another apology for not knowing the song name, but ask the band on friday night at 8pm when they play at the lyndon st. artworks along with workday schoolnight, genghis khan, pens and needles, and treason; a dj dance party will follow also with l in japanese, tim trouble and harley lyles.]
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Kaleidoscope Death - "Cinder" [another excellent band. they'll be playing on sunday night at legitimate business alongside low sky, resister, pinche gringo and torch runner. show starts at 8:30.]
Lucero - "The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo" [from 1372 overton park. i've never really gotten into lucero the way some people have, but i like what i'm hearing on this album. maybe it'll change my tunes. the love and rockets references don't hurt either.]
Sunny Day Real Estate - "In Circles" [from the diary re-issue. both this album and its follow up, LP2, have gotten nice reissues. this is one of my favorite songs by them, so of course it gets a play.]
Travis - "Writing to Reach You" [from the man who. this was my second contribution to the aquarium drunkard decade pieces and the comments were interesting. glad there were a number of folks who shared my love of this album. especially this song. man, it's brilliant.]
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Vic Chesnutt - "Dick Cheney" [from skitter on take-off. this is vic's second new album of this year, this one a collaboration with jonathan richman. this song sounds mostly like vic with himself, but it's a fantastic analysis of our former vice president. vic and his at the cut / north star deserter band will be at the soapbox in wilmington on halloween, a saturday evening. i'm thinking i'm heading down there to catch him because that backing band and those albums are too much to believe.]
J.K. and Company - "Christine" [from suddenly one summer. i'm really blown away by these tracks and you can check them out over at drunkard. i'd never heard of this 1968 album and band, but it sounds so far ahead of its time in weird, exciting ways. i love it. you could've told me it was recorded this year and i wouldn't have batted an eye.]
Unrest - "West Coast Love Affair" [from perfect teeth. a band that only really put out two LPs in the early 90s and then were done, but it's an amazing mix of early 90s indie, power-pop, krautrock hypnotism and sunny vocals. we will have to hear a lot more.]

That'll do it for this week. I'll be back next week with my first interview-free show in some time and tons of new music. Until then, Go Panthers!, and take care.