Okay, I’m not ashamed to admit how much I really love Death Cab for Cutie. I really love their music and own all of their albums.

However, this did not stop me from giggling when I read via the DCFC blog that vocalist Ben Gibbard got stung by a scorpion not once, but twice.

As the story goes, Gibbard had changed into his outfit before their show in San Diego yesterday and felt what he said like a wasp sting in his thigh. Much to the band’s surprise, a small scorpion came scurrying out when he pulled off his pants. Awful? Yes. Kind of really funny? Yes.

Gibbard was checked out and was fine. He played the show that night, like a trooper. He even went on to claim that he now had scorpion powers in his veins. Bassist Nick Harmer, who wrote the blog post, also added:

“I’m still not convinced that he is 100% fine because nobody eliminated the possibility that it was a radioactive scorpion and that Ben will now develop super powers, so I’m keeping a close eye on him just in case.”

Clearly, the only way to recover from a random scorpion attack is to gain some kind of superpower in the process. Sadly, I think Ben Gibbard would make a sub-par superhero. Stick to the songwriting.

I’ve classified this as a WTF moment because, well, how do you not notice a scorpion in your pants? Honestly. You don’t see this happening to Neil Young, do you?

Bless your heart, Ben Gibbard. You’re lucky I love your music so much.

MP3> Death Cab for Cutie ‘You Can Do Better Than Me’

photo: doron guild

I discovered Ra Ra Riot in the summer of 2007, when my editor at the time handed me their just released self-titled EP to review. While the magazine I wrote that review sadly no longer exists, I still hung on to that CD. Although the EP only contained 6 songs and had a somewhat unpolished edge (due to the self-produced effort), I still thought that this band had quite a bit of promise for one that had formed as early as 2006.

A common trend these days is up and coming indie rock bands that are often the product of college kids coming together and jamming out at local venues (Vampire Weekend, anyone?). Ra Ra Riot is not an exception to the rule; they got their start playing around Syracuse University. Their energetic live shows were what got them noticed and they’ve gone on to open for bands like Art Brut and the Editors.

If I had to compare them to anyone, it would most likely be The Shins. Personally, along with their upbeat indie beats, I’ve always enjoyed when a band makes good use of string instruments. Ra Ra Riot is able to incorporate the use of violin and cello in their songs consistently, adding a nice little twist to their music.

Their debut album, The Rhumb Line, was released in August of this year. While it has newer versions of songs from the EP, including my favorite, “Dying is Fine”, there also new tracks that show how the band has expanded musically since 2007. While I have yet to see them live, if they make their way to Austin, I’ll be sure to try and catch them.

MP3> Ra Ra Riot ‘Oh, La’

We all know that Matador Records sports one hell of a lineup, and has been doing so for years. Their current roster is an all-star cast of some of the best indie-rock bands around currently. The label is showing off it’s talent by releasing a collection of tracks from past and present artists, and is giving it to you for free. I know that most of you probably don’t pay for your music anymore, which pains me a bit cuz I still make the weekly trip to the local music house and plop down my hard earned wages for tunes.

The compliation download contains tracks that haven’t been available in MP3 form previously and tracks from albums that haven’t been released yet, as well as cover art.

Download: Intended Play Fall 2008

Track listing:

1. A.C. Newman There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve (from Get Guilty, due out January 20)
2. Belle and Sebastian The State I Am In (BBC Version) (from The BBC Sessions, due out November 18)
3. Jennifer O’Connor Here With Me (from Here With Me, released August 19)
4. Shearwater The Snow Leopard (Remastered) from Rook, released June 3)
5. Lou Reed Caroline Says, Pt. II (Live) (from Berlin: Live At St. Ann’s Warehouse, due out November 4)
6. Mogwai The Sun Smells Too Loud (from The Hawk Is Howling, released September 23)
7. Fucked Up No Epiphany (from The Chemistry Of Common Life, released October 7)
8. Jay Reatard An Ugly Death (from Matador Singles ‘08, released October 7)
9. Jaguar Love Humans Evolve Into Skyscrapers (from Take Me To The Sea, released August 19)
10. Pavement Cataracts (from Brighten The Corners: Nicene Creedence Ed., due out December 9)
11. Brightblack Morning Light Oppressions Each (from Motion To Rejoin, released September 23)
12. Times New Viking Call & Respond (from the Stay Awake EP, released October 14)
13. Condo Fucks What’cha Gonna Do About It? (from Fuckbook, due out March 2009)

I usually stick to posting tour dates that bring artists to my neck of the woods, but Bon Iver (pronounced  “bohn-ee-VARE”) is quickly becoming my newest musical obsession. The first time I caught Justin Vernon, who performs under the moniker Bon Iver, was at SXSW 2008 on the same bill with the Fleet Foxes. Oddly enough, I left that show with Bon Iver making more of an impression on me than the Foxes. What took me so long to finally pick up the self-titled debut escapes me, but I couldn’t be happier that I did. It’s quite an amazingly beautiful and comforting piece of work.

Although Vernon won’t be making his way to these parts, I urge anyone near any of these performances to not miss the opportunity to see this songwriter who will soon enough find himself in the company of some of the most talented and creative singer songwriters of our time.

MP3> Bon Iver ‘Lump Sum’

MP3> Bon Iver ‘RE: Stacks’

Bon Iver Tour:

December
3 – Dublin, Ireland @ Dublin National Stadium *
5 – Brittany, France @ Rencontres Transmusicales
6 – Ghent, Belgium @ Vooruit *#
7 – London, England @ Apollo Victoria Theatre *
10 – New York, N.Y. @ Town Hall ^
11 – New York, N.Y. @ Town Hall ^
14 – Boston, Mass. @ Wilbur Theatre ^
15 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Trocadero ^
18 – Chicago, Ill. @ The Vic ^
19 – Madison, Wis. @ Barrymore Theatre ^

* with Sarah Siskind
# with Land of Talk
^ with The Tallest Man on Earth

The list of Fun Fun Fun Fest afterparties is out. I can’t say that it’s nearly as exciting as last year’s opportunity to see The Murder City Devils tear up the Mohawk stage, but it has potential.  The potential for this guy, lies in the Saturday night lineup @ Mohawk with White Denim, Dead Confederate, and Apollo Sunshine. White Denim fans can wallow in the record release celebration and DC fans can wallow in some of the best new rock (I mean rock) currently coming out of Athen’s, GA. You know we dig the DC here @ the SIM.

Dead Confederate just finished up filming a video for the track “Start Me Laughing” and you can bet we’ll have it here once it hits release.

MP3> Dead Confederate ‘Start Me Laughing’

The full list of afterparties: Read more

Our good friends over @ Ultra8201 have just reported that The Decemberists are going to be playing @ Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX. Just a few miles north of Austin. How this news has managed to slip past the majority of Austin music blog sites, is beyond me.

Just the other day, I was mentioning how much I want to see these guys live, as I caught only a couple of songs at ACL 2007, and I really enjoyed the few moments I experienced.

The show takes place @ The Corbin J. Robertson Center with admission being $10 for students and $20 for non-students. More Info.

Definitely a personal fav.

MP3> The Decemberists ‘Crane Wife 1 & 2′

photo : valerie@fremin.net

My favorite band from Oxford, MS roll into town not long after their ACL Festival appearance, which was one of my favorite performances at this year’s fest, and pretty much saved Sunday for me, as it had been pretty bleak until that point. Yep, Colour Revolt are back in town, and it’s the show of the week for me, and hopefully a few of you as well. I’ve tried to explain what wonderful noise these guys make, but I thought best to share the band’s bio for you this time.

Band bio for Colour Revolt which I don’t know how to write, and God knows I’m trying. Starting with the obvious: there’s a lot of guitars in Colour Revolt. But they’re not dumb guitars, that’s what I’m saying. It’s pretty sometimes, sure, but it doesn’t do to leave gorgeous alone, and sometimes you have to punch the blushing bride in the face, you the low-hearted puggish bridesmaid with nary a suitor. Ugly babies born with buck teeth which will fall out only to be replaced by wolf fangs. All of your children need braces, says Colour Revolt. All the dogs are better christians than we are. At best one can approximate the howl, but it isn’t worth much.

What I’m saying is, all your ugly babies will grow into baying canines who love Colour Revolt. We’ll all go to Oxford together, a city famous for its many dignified dead, and get bit by the mosquitoes that come at you like pteradactyls with all their raging prehistory. We’ll all have the same disease. All our hidden pasts, what our gandparents wrote. And it will be fun and hurt in our bones. The insects will grow fat on our blood.

And what of it? The dogs will outlive us, by God. And they deserve it. What have you ever done?

To be bludgeoned to death by sound, by music, says Colour Revolt. We have you and are not afraid.

What more is there to say? You have to see what that’s all about.

MP3> Colour Revolt ‘Swamp’

A small issue with the laptop which landed it in the shop for a few days, semi-forced a short break from the blog grind and the constant search of the Internet for interesting reads. The machine is back in action and while playing catch up, I’ve come across a few notable mentions on the web.

-This joke isn’t funny anymore, but I’m sure that there are folks that will hold their breath anytime anyone wants to try to put this rumor back into circulation. It would be pretty awesome though, and seeing as how 3/4 of The Smiths seems to be spinning their wheels out of the music limelight for some

time now, the right amount of money just might tempt them enough. Smiths ‘closer than ever’ to reunion. It is the Sun reporting this, and their reliability is always in question.

On a side “Smiths” note: I recently watched a DVD documentary on the Smiths from the A Classic Album Under Review series which you can find on Chrome Dreams. If you are near the music documentary geek that I am, I highly recommend this film that examines the legendary album The Queen is Dead.

MP3> The Smiths ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’

-I subscribe to the Bob Lefsetz letter for a couple of reasons. He knows a bit about the music industry and has been around it long enough to call bullshit when he sees it and does so in an informative and humorous manner. He also picks the most random shit to write about, which is the case in a more recent post about a Kenny Chesney song titled ‘Fat Girls and Weed’.

If you don’t subscribe to Bob’s letter, I recommend that you do, if it only is for a good laugh now and then.

-Local blog site Flux=Rad, has an interesting post about the newest AC/DC video being released as an Excel file. Sounds interesting, and might be a little more interesting if it weren’t AC/DC, who I once loved dearly, but now believe should be riding first class on the Highway to Hell since their Wal-Mart deal.

Check out AC/DC Video Distributed As Excel File @ Flux=Rad and download your copy of the video in Excel.

-Over @ The Austinist they posted Fun Fun Fun Fest Anounces Vendors, Green Initiatives. More reasons to get excited about this year’s installement of the local music fest.

Not thinking about attending Fun Fun Fun Fest? I would suggest that you rethink that think. It’s gonna be a good time. I promise.

-A more recent site that I have discovered that is full of great industry information and insite provided by some pretty knowledgeable folks in the biz, is Music Think Tank. Another highly recommended read for anyone interesting in the workings of the current state of the music industry.

Bands and musicians might want to check this post out in particular: 10 Mistakes Bands and Musicians Make

-Local music blog site new to the scene, Austin Town Hall starts up a new feature for Fridays, titled Friday Top Five. The initial installment is titled Friday Top Five: Worst Things In Music.

I can probably name a few more than five things about music that completely suck these days, but this is good working base. MySpace…what a horrible wreck this has turned out to be. And for crying out loud, take some time to sit down with an album and listen to it all the way through!

Man, it feels good to be back with the ol laptop, and back on the blog.

I’m slowly starting to realize that the majority of the music I know of and enjoy today was discovered in one single summer. Clearly, Cold War Kids falls under that category.

While the singles from their debut album, Robbers & Cowards, ultimately could not avoid being used (an annoying amount of times) in mainstream media, some people might be surprised that the all the songs on the album are rather good. They actually create one cohesive sound, full of the right amount of grit and slightly Southern-sounding twangs. And if that doesn’t convince you, they’ve also opened for the lacks of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Muse. Not to mention that they released their sophomore effort, Loyalty to Loyalty, last month and it’s also worth a listen.

Cold War Kids play tonight (the 24^th) at Emo’s. Opening act is A.A. Bondy (AKA Scott Bondy, former member of Verbena), who will start the night with his brand of soulful rock.

Doors @ 9 p.m.

It’s here, It’s official, and it’s rad! Check out the schedule, plan your weekend and save yourself some dough and buy the 2 day pass!

$59.99 for the 2 day pass or $34.99 for a single day pass. Students receive a discount.

Check back soon with the Sonic Itch for our recommendations and little insight as what to expect from the most anticipated festival of the year.

Somebody give me a drum roll please!

DAY 1/November 8th

Stage 1A                                                                   Stage 1B
The National (8:40-9:40)                   Atmosphere (7:35-8:35)
Deerhoof (6:30-7:30)                            Rival Schools (5:40-6:25)
Trail of Dead (4:50-5:35)                      Bishop Allen (4-4:45)
Centromatic (3:20-3:55)                       Sleepercar  (2:45-3:15)
Parts & Labor (2:10-2:40)                    Colourmusic (1:35-2:05)
Experimental Dental School (1-1:30)   Paul green school of rock (12:25-1:55)

Stage 2
Neil Hamburger (8:45-9:45)
Tim Fite (7:45-8:30)
Magnetic Morning (6:45-7:30)
Coldetowne comedy hr (5:30-6:30)
Golden arm trio (4:35-5:15)
Pepi Ginsberg (3:40-4:20)
Walter Schreifels (3-3:30)
El Paso Hot Button (2:20-2:50)
David Dondero (1:40-2:10)
Frank smith (1-:30)
Grampall Jookabox 12:30-1

Stage 3A                                                       Stage 3B
Dead Milkmen (8:45-9:45)              ALL (7:50-8:40)
Integrity (7-7:45)                            Adolescents  (6:10-6:55)
Municipal Waste (5:20-6:05)       Killdozer (4:30-5:15)
Swingin Utters (3:40-4:25)       Young Widows (3:05-3:35)
Krumbums (2:30-3)                        Broken Gold (1:55-2:25)
Mammoth Grinder (1:20-1:50)        Yuppie Pricks (12:45-1:15)

Stage 4
Ztrip (8:10-9:40)
Dan Deacon (7-8)
Brownout! (6-6:45)
Yacht (4:45-5:45)
Octopus Project (3:45-4:45)
Hawnay Troof  (3-3:30)
Dengue Fever (2:00-2:45)
Terp2it (1:30-1:55)
Richard Henry (12:30-1:25)

DAY 2/November 9th

Stage 1A                                                                     Stage 1B
Clap Your Hands (8:40-9:40)    Minus The Bear (7:35-8:35)
St Vincent (6:30-7:30)                       Black Angels (5:40-6:25)
Islands (4:50-5:35)                            The Annuals  (4-4:45)
Spinto Band (3:20-3:55)                 Frightened Rabbit (2:45-3:15)
Black joe lewis (2:10-2:40)                              27 (1:35-2:05)
Till We’re Blue or Destroy (1-1:30)                 Ume (12:25-12:55)

Stage 2
Tim and Eric Awesome show (8:45-9:45)
The cynics (7:45-8:30)
Ugly beats (7:10-7:40)
Matt bearden, chris Fairbanks, dragonboy suede (5:35-6:55)
Revival tour: chuck ragan (hot water music), ben nichols (lucero), tom gabel (against me), tim barry (avail) (3-5:30)
Kevin seconds  (2:20-2:50)
Altercation punk rock comedy tour (1:35-2:20)
Spot and Albert (12:30-1:30)

Stage 3A                                                           Stage 3B
Bad Brains (8:45-9:45)                     Bouncing Souls (7:40-8:40)
Cro-Mags (jam) (6:50-7:35)            Scared of Chaka (6-6:45)
DOA (5:10-5:55)                                High Tension Wires (4:35-5:05)
Leftover Crack (3:45-4:30)               Trash Talk (3:10-3:40)
Cute Lepers (2:35-3:05)                       Bitter End (2-2:30)
Camp X-ray (1:55-2:25)                      Born To Lose (1:20-1:50)
tba (12:45-1:15)

Stage 4
Clipse (8:45-9:45)
grupo fantasma (7:30-8:30)
kool keith/dr octagon (6:30-7:15)
franki chan (5:25-6:25)
toxic avenger (4:25-5:25)
J*davey (3:25-4:10)
Starlynx/bigface (2:10-3:10)
zeale and phranchyze(1:35-2:05)
shane tyson (12:30-1:30)

Monday night at the Parish presented a rare opportunity to see local indie rock band Spoon, perform as they dedicated their evening to Texas Democrats and Railroad Commissioner candidate Mark Thompson. Whatever the cause may have been, good bet is that most in attendance were there to watch the band that established itself as an indie rock mainstay while consistently increasing their status and popularity as a contemporary rock band.

My relationship with Spoon spans many years, more than I care to admit, but I’ve been there since the beginning, even before the beginning to be specific. Anyone that knows me well, knows that I’ve always been a fan, and have heralded each accomplishment as if it were almost my own. As I look back, it’s hard to believe what an amazing catalog of materiel the band has managed over the years, each new album expanding on the craft of the previous. Britt Daniel consistently proving why he will be regarding as one of the more prolific and creative song writers of his generation.

Britt and Co. came out Monday night attacking their expansive catalog of hit worthy songs, reaching back into the bands rich history, as far back as, if memory serves me correct, 1998’s A Series of Sneaks. Personal favorites “The Beast and Dragon Adored”, “My Mathematical Mind”, “Don’t You Evah”, along with number one fav “Me and The Bean”, sounded great in the intimate warm confines of The Parish. Right from the start it was evident that Spoon came to play. With each song, came a reminder of how rich the bands history in music is, and will be for years to come. It’s easy to appreciate just about everything that the band produces with few holes in any recording that they have produced over the many years.

It’s been almost a year and a half since Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, and understanding the song writing machine that Daniel has proven himself to be, one can only speculate that studio time is either in the works or in the near future, with the band scratching out another success. Rest assured that what comes next will be another well executed Spoon record, but will the band venture to stretch itself into uncharted territory, as many of it’s contemporary peers have done over the years? Only time will tell.

The television appearance doesn’t really do the band’s live performance justice, but this video from EntertainmentResearch.org is pretty sweet.

photo : valerie@fremin.net

The Walkmen are one of those bands shrouded in a bit of mystery to a certain degree. It’s not that you can’t find out as much about them as you would want to if you tried, but they seem to maintain a low profile for the most part. The opportunity to catch them live seems to be a bit more of rarity than it is with most bands these days. I can’t remember the last time they played Austin, but it seems like it’s been a few years. The lengthy wait for some, including myself, came to an end on Thursday @ The Parish.

Hailing from Los Angeles, The Little Ones opened the show with their easily familiar brand of indie-rock pop, tight, bouncy, and happy as all get out. The band’s debut album Morning Tide made release just 3 days previous to tonight’s show.

My first time to see The Walkmen, I had no preconceptions of what to expect. The music I have familiarized myself with is unique in it’s nostalgic ambiguity and as mentioned before, they have managed a somewhat low profile by today’s standards.There is an air of mystery that surrounds the band.

The performance by the band tonight was one of the most well executed and enjoyable performances that I’ve seen in awhile. The most striking aspect of the band and it’s presence, is the member’s affinity for older, classic instruments. All of the guitars that the band members were using were old Gretsch, Vox, and vintage Fender, being played through vintage amps with little to no pedal effects. Also present on stage was a wooden stand-up piano that has seen better days, and a four piece horn section. The horn section being Austin’s own Hellfire Horns, and an excellent compliment to bring the true sound of the songs to life.

Easing into the set, vocalist Hamilton Leithauser set the pace for what would be a journey that wound itself in and out of soft ballads and high energy takes on musical poetry with guitarist Paul Maroon weaving his magic along the way. Tracks from the latest You and Me, “I Lost You”, “New Country”, and “In The New Year” were well received by the crowd as the band slowed to a crawl midway through the set with the beautiful and haunting “Red Moon”. Leithauser sings each song with a passion and fervor no less than the previous, pushing his vocals to accent the poetic musings like:

But the stars are cold
And the air is bright
And I see you now
You shine like the steel on my knife
The darkness is wrapped all around me tonight

The band reached back into it’s catalog during the latter portion of the set, breaking out familiar tracks “The Rat” and “We’ve Been Had” much to the delight of the audience who consistently proved their familiarity and admiration for the band’s work.

Take a listen to a Walkmen record and what you hear is what you get. No gimmicks, no overly produced sounds, just straight from the simple instruments and complex poetic visions of a modern band living in some modern past.

I stumbled upon this the other day, and thought it was a pretty cool concept, put together by local station kut 90.5. Thus, I share with you, the Retread Sessions.

KUT’s Retread Sessions are unique live performances in which musicians are given a chance to reexamine and reconstruct songs outside of the traditional performance locales. Stepping out of the studio, off the stage and into the world that influences their sound to give intimate performances, these artists showcase the beauty of great songwriting, the art of improvisation and a devotion to evolving that quickly becomes addictive to watch. Paige Maguire curates, directs and produces the series for NPR affiliate KUT 90.5 FM in Austin, Texas.

Mates of State “My Only Offer” from Retread Sessions on Vimeo.

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Chan Marshall aka Cat Power, returned to Austin on Saturday night to make good on the show that had to be rescheduled from earlier in the summer due to her ailing vocal chords. My first experience with Cat Power at last year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest was a sour one, to say the least, so I was a bit hesitant to give her another shot. Hesitant, I may have been, but after Saturday night, I believe that I have experienced the better side of Chan Marshall, and my feelings about Cat Power are back in the black.

Taking the stage seemingly in good spirits, smiling and waving to the crowd, Marshall began with an apology to Austin, as if to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. Whether the apology was for the bitter, cranky, trouble riddled performance that took place just less than a year ago, or for having to reschedule the Stubb’s performance, one can only speculate.

Marshall and band worked through an hour and 45 minute set at a slow, sexy pace, spending a majority of the first half of the set on material from the Jukebox release. Marshall displayed her affinity for the artists that she pays tribute to on the album, passionately working her way through each song, taking time to acknowledge the band and reach out to the audience consistently throughout the set. Multiply the physical attractiveness of Marshall tenfold while watching her perform on stage, dancing and belting out the soulful sounds of legends past as well as her own works. Cat Power wrapped up the evening spending time with audience favorites off of The Greatest , taking a moment to toss flowers into the crowd, and dedicating tracks to friends in attendance. The performance leaves me mindless of any adverse feelings I may have harbored for the last year, content and won over by Marshall once again. No apology necessary next time.