As can be plainly seen, school and life in general has interfered with my already-stifling creativity, and that goes double for this blog. And still, we press on. Here is yet another thrown-together blog post with some live videos of awesome rock and roll performances so I can catch up on The Daily Show and Colbert and go to bed and do it all over again tomorrow.
Above is the poster for the official Fun Fun Fun Fest aftershows, also known as FFF Nites, a series of performances at different bars in downtown Austin the weekend of the fest. As was the case last year, the Nites shows are free with your Fun Fun Fun wristband. Full schedule for the fest, the Nites, day passes, and student passes are all set to drop September 5th, which is right around the corner! Peep the full Nites lineup here and buy tickets here.
Here’s a new track from one of my favorite bands at last year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest, the abrasive, yet hook-laden Joy Formidable. The track is called “Wolf’s Law,” and the corresponding video has….you guessed it….a wolf in it. The band’s playing some festival dates in lands far far away but no word on a new album just yet.
Sorry about the short absence. Life has been chaotic as of late, with no end in sight, as I start my second year of grad school Monday. Rest assured I will make it a priority, however, to post here everyday. Cuz you know….I love y’all.
New Pornographer AC Newman continues his excellent solo trek with a new track, “I’m Not Talking” via his Facebook page. The track comes from the new album Shut Down the Streets, hitting those very streets October 9th. It’s his third solo album, and it’s going to be so very very awesome.
Habits and Contradictions is growing to be one of my favorites of 2012 for sure. And now Q has dropped an awesome new track for the summertime. Crank it on the weekend!
Apparently this was uploaded to YouTube a year ago, so why am I just now seeing it? According to the description, which I’m not 100% sure is correct, this is Rage Against the Machine’s first ever public concert, which took place October 23, 1991 at the Quad on the Cal State Northridge campus. If it’s not accurate, it’s certainly close: Zach de la Rocha’s former band Inside Out broke up around this time. Rage formed shortly thereafter; according to Wikipedia, their first show was actually at a friend’s house party, but whether that’s even true, I’m not really sure.
This is the entire concert in full, minus about ten seconds of the beginning of “Township Rebellion.” Though it seems there were no lyrics yet written for “Killing In the Name,” and some of Zach’s raps weren’t fully-formed, I’m surprised at how little the group’s onstage demeanor and their sound changed between this time and the release of their major label debut just one year later. It seems from the onset, the band’s ultimate musical and political mission was put in place. Zach is more enthusiastic with the crowd, though just as political, and Tom Morello sounds like…..well, Tom Morello, a legendary beast on the guitar that forever changed the face of rap and metal.
There are some rare gems here, including “Autologic,” “Hit the Deck,” and a cover of The Clash’s “Clampdown.” And of course there are the classics: “Take the Power Back,” “Freedom,” and “Bullet In the Head,” the latter of which the small crowd appears to enjoy quite a bit. About 3/4 of the way through, in between songs, you can hear one guy ask his friend, “So are these guys any good?” Now it seems like a hilarious question, but truly we can only imagine sitting in on the first ever Rage show, hearing what was to be a catalyst for the entire genres of rock and rap. If you are a Rage fan at all, especially of the first album, I think you’ll really enjoy watching this forty-minute, history-making set.
That’s the cover above to Information Retrieved, the first new album from Pinback in five years. So great seeing Rob Crow back with his main (and best) band, and from the sound of this new leaked track, “Proceed to Memory,” they are getting back to what they do best. 2012, you guys. FTW. The album drops October 16th. Listen to the song over at Rolling Stone.
There are few acts playing Fun Fun Fun Fest this year that I’m more excited about than Danny Brown. Simply put, the guy is one of my favorite new rappers of the past few years. His cadence, his wit, and his unmistakable voice have made him a hot commodity. Here he spits some NSFW rhymes about his libido. The Gesaffelstein remix below isn’t too bad either. This single’s out August 20th.
Seems like new info about Green Day comes out every day recently. This afternoon (though it was in the evening London time) BBC Radio 1 premiered the new single from Uno!, “Kill the DJ.” The track is very reminiscent of Combat Rock-style Clash and Franz Ferdinand. It should be noted this version is the edited “radio” version. A simple YouTube search will reveal the live versions of the track have been more F-bomb heavy.
And while we’re at it, here’s a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of the music video to “Oh Love,” which you can see in full Wednesday night at 6:49 PM CST on MTV.
You remember I told you guys 2012 just keeps getting better and better? It does! Dovecote is set to release a new single from one of my favorite groups in the past few years, Hooray For Earth, who I’ve praised nonstop here in this corner of the Internet. This is the A-side to the single, out August 21st. Like their best tracks, it’s immediately accessible due to stellar hooks, but the subtleties grow on you for a worthwhile listen that will likely stay on my playlists throughout the rest of the year.
