It's not for another two weeks, but....

The Booty Shoppe flyer for this show is too good to wait. Beautiful:


Will the Silver Apples live up to the expectations? Are there expectations? All I know is Deathly Fighter are the hottest band in Columbus right now. And that I'm probably the only one who feels that way.

Saaaiiiiling, Takes Me Away

Alright. So it looks like an advance copy of the new Wooden Shjips LP has leaked and already I'm hearing whispers of "disappointment". To that I say no way, José. Not having any of that. Expectations have been on the rise, for sure, after their instant classic, ultra-limited 10 and 7 inchers, both of which a year ago they could barely give away but now are fetching insane eBay heights. The San Fransisco quartet have quickly cemented themselves as a psychedelic taut-groove standard. Much like their home city's medicinal marijuana, their sound is potent and impeccably consistent if not a bit predictable. Still, you find yourself coming back every week.
The new, eponymous titled album on Holy Mountain takes no great leaps forward but does offer a recorded fidelity perfect for these five songs. Every sound - absolutely unhinged guitar leads reminiscent of Les Rallizes Denudes' Mizutani Takashi, locked locked locked rhythm that can boogie and motorik with the best, those Rev/Manzarek keys and a more prominent use of their echoed vocals (there are a number of places where they remind of those mainline moments Columbus' own El Jesus de Magico trigger) - is pristinely present, all perfectly placed in the mix. I imagine the gripes you'll hear about this brief record will be pertaining to just that; maybe the band left a little behind in composition to focus on that sound, and it may sound a tad too clean for some ears.
But damn, once the vinyl gets spinning on those tables there shouldn't be any complaints, especially when the solos are flying, which is for about half of the album's 33.3 minutes. It's an approachable half-hour that pinches more than punches but still gets you when you least expect it. Hum on.
Along with this full-length (out September 10th), the Shjips have two more 7"s due out before year's end, one a co-release they'll do with HM and another on Sub Pop.

There Ain't No Train to Stockholm...

I wrote a little tribute to Lee Hazlewood today over at Donewaiting. Go read it here if you like. Also, watch him perform "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" and a watch Nancy do "Boots" as well.

Columbus Summer Fun Times, Part 1

Alright, let's get straight to the point here: I've been out for quite a while and have missed out on writing about some really great stuff that's been happening in Columbus in these summer months so I'll try and take the next few posts to catch up. Then maybe a few thoughts about all the random sounds I've been filling my mind up with.
But first and foremost, I must mention what should be...no, scratch that....what will be the greatest debut show in a looooong time here in Columbus, and that is the unleashing of The Moon and Badtimes at Ruby's this Friday night. Surely to be shortened to "The Mab", this five-piece is the newest brainchild of Sir Dustin White and his "dream drummer" Travis Kline, who've carried over the look and feel of their short-lived Freedom project into something much more focused and awesome. REALLY AWESOME. I've only really heard three of the working tracks and it was enough for me to christen them Best New Band Ever. If you know Mr. Dusty you sort of know what you'll be getting: essentially all the good parts of 70's rock, from straight-up boogie to euro-prog to white-noise jams to drone. Think Crimson, Les Rallizes, Cactus, Captain Beyond, Ash Ra, etc., with plenty of stoner vibes, some vocoder and mellotron, Kraut-rhythms, and on and on. All that good shit. They like the good stuff. But one of the greatest things about this new project is that Dusty will be singing most parts, and from the sound of what I've heard he should have been singing in ALL of his bands. Now that I think about it he did sing a little in Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, correct?
The Moon and Badtimes are filled out by newcomer to the scene, the youngster Mike Leach on guitar, who, by the sound of it should quickly become one of Columbus finest, as well as Bob Silver (Brainbow) on bass and little Jason W. (also formerly of BTDATDBS) on keys. Unfortunately there are no songs on their myspace, as the band hope to present a clean debut to this weekend's on-lookers and listeners free of any previous opinions or expectations. But let me tell you it will be well worth your time. It may be historical. Dusty will probably kill me for hyping this up so much, but I guarantee you it will be awesome.
The 'Mab will be last at Ruby's, Friday, August 3rd, along with the Makebelieves, the Malabar Brothers, Necropolis, Greenlawn Abbey and Cotton Jackson, as part of the Lost Weekend Records Summer Blowout.