Kalpana, Unrest, SECRET TREAT!

I'm sorry I haven't posted much lately, so here is a treat.

I've been busy at www.thepunkguy.com posting about Kalpana and Unrest.

I am a fan of radio shows on the personal portable mp3 player. Recently I've been working my way through a collection of This American Life mp3s. Thus, here is something for your ears:

LINK

Kind of Like Spitting - "Valentine's Day is over"

Only a short time ago I was lucky enough to see Billy Bragg play. Tickets were kind of pricey, and thus I could not find anyone to go with me. Most of my friends had never heard of Billy Bragg, and I could only give so much explanation about how he was a big influence on tons of our favorite bands (The Weakerthans and Ted Leo are the ones that quickly come to mind). I definitely knew Billy Bragg would be great, and so I went it alone. I got to sit in the front row! I hardly ever go to shows with seats and rarely if they have seats, will I sit in the front.

Billy Bragg was fantastic. His between song banter was really great and despite me only having one of his albums, I knew a lot of the songs he played.

I figured I might run into someone I know there, and I figured that person might be Ben Barnett. I've met Mr. Barnett on a few occasions, and I saw him walking up the street with a cup of coffee in his hand a few months ago when I was driving to work. Unfortunately, I didn't meet anyone I knew there, but I did have lovely chats with the other people there by themselves (an older woman who was so happy to meet Billy a few years ago at a show in the midwest, a kid who looked exactly like me). Also, I recently heard Ben Barnett is not going to be recording under the Kind of Like Spitting name any longer. At one point a year or two ago he was supposedly going to record with my friends Kalpana as his band and be called Worker Bee. (He was even billed as Worker Bee formerly known as Kind of Like Spitting at a NY show.) In any event, had he been there I would have thanked him for introducing me to Billy Bragg through this cover.

This song is "Valentine's Day is over," which was originally off of Mr. Bragg's "Workers' Playtime" record.

Kind of Like Spitting - "Valentine's Day is over."

Buy Kind of Like Spitting releases at Redder Records

Someday boy you'll reap what you sown
You'll catch a cold and you'll be on your own
And you will see that what's wrong with me
is wrong with everyone that you want to play your little games on

Poetry and flowers, pretty words and threats
You've gone to the dogs again and I'm not placing bets on you
coming home tonight
Anything but blind
if you take me for granted than you must expect to find
surprise, surprise!

Valentine's day is over, it's over
Valentine's day is over

If you want to talk about it, well you know where the phone is
Don't come 'round reminding me again how brittle bone is
God didn't make you an angel
the devil made you a man
That brutality and the economy are related now I understand
When will you realize that as above
so below there is no love

Valentine's day is over, it's over
Valentine's day is over

For the girl with the hour-glass figure, time runs out very fast
We used to want the same things, but that's all in the past
And lately it seems that as it all gets tougher
Your idea of justice just becomes rougher and rougher

Valentine's day is over, it's over
Valentine's day is over

Thank you for the things you bought me
Thank you for the card
Thank you for the things you taught me when you hit me hard
That love between two people must be based on understanding
Until that's true you'll find your things all stacked out on the landing
Surprise, surprise!

Valentine's day is over, it's over
Valentine's day is over, it's over
It's over

New Kalpana track!

OMG! Geneseo/Rochester now Brooklyn, New York band Kalpana now have a new track! Although my reviews of "This Dead Horse" and "Hors de Combat" are long overdue, I'll just skip to it and go to their new song.

It's called "O Carcass! My Carcass!" It's live, and it has yelling. Chances are it will be on Kalpana's next record, which rumor has it will be one continuous piece of music from start to finish and will be called "How to talk to God (if you must)."

http://glassanimalindex.com/media/music/carcass.mp3

This track starts off slow-ish, like many Kalpana tracks do, but then speeds up a bit with double timed drums that are still slow. The electronics are really taking over the band too, and where the "Hors de Combat" songs had a metal influence, the ones on "This Dead Horse" have more of a glitch influence. At the half-way point the song breaks into a really emoish scream/breakout section. It must be Aaron singing on that part, I'll guess. Aaron kind of sounds like the dude from Sparta, if you like to think of singers in relation to each other.

At just over eight minutes, the song isn't short. But breaking it into two parts keeps it tight and actually cuts the fat. The screaming verse only goes for four times.

Listen and hear for yourself.

Pictures

Kalpana / L-R: drew, blair, aaron, michael / march 2004


The GAN / L-R: dan, jeff, zach / march 2004


The Detachment Kit (NYC) / September 6, 2004


The Pink Cammies / L-R: russell, brad, jeff / feb 11, 2005

[I was checking up on WGSU, and it seems they have a gallery of pictures. Many of these pictures were taken at shows I organized or promoted at SUNY Geneseo, and surprisingly many were shots I had not seen. These four are some of the best ones there.]

[click on the pink cammies one - it gets bigger]

Remembering the Battle of The Bands

Two years ago in February, SUNY Geneseo held a “Battle of The Bands.” The Pink Cammies made their debut performance, as did The Tennies and The Get Awesome Ninjas, while Castawaves made their final performance. It was held in this big ballroom on campus. It was a fantastic, strange, and sad event. Four of the bands were organized around members of the campus indie radio station, WGSU, while three of the bands were of unknown origin and could have been borne out in the DK house or out in York, New York for all I know. With four incredibly original and inspired bands, versus three “I love you babe” forgettable fare*, including one band that covered “Sympathy for the Devil” in a jam band style, which three do you think would “win”?

Yes, the three jam bands won. The Pink Cammies fucking blew everyone’s minds, specifically at the exact second Brad stomped the pedal to activate the drum machine. Their two songs “Robot Love” and “Cramp Yr. Style” were downright incredible. While “Robot Love” is a meditation of the disassociation of being in and out of love, “Cramp Yr. Style” is more of a punk song, commenting on the social life of a party school. Both were and remain brilliant.

The Get Awesome Ninjas were the “fuck you” to the school and everyone, but not even a “fuck you.” They were a punk band that kids would turn off to because they “didn’t get” them, but the irony was that the joke was on everyone else. There was nothing to get! The GAN didn’t promise anything to anyone and were only there for enjoyment: union suit, viking hat, CCCP shirt, and all. They were a brilliant group, and still might be in existence. (They are rumored to be working on a farewell album titled “Purposefully Posthumous.”)

The Tennies were an odd group who only played two shows. They began as a secret recording project with the intent to write songs only about one of their Geneseo friends. They didn’t survive much beyond the two shows and the one, 8 song album. Both unfortunately and fortunately, they have been resurrected by Kalpana’s drummer (who performed with them at their final show), who is reworking their songs on his website. One of their songs (which totally stole the chords from Radiohead’s “Banana Co.”) has been reworked into “Tock/Remembrance” by Glass Animal. Another was reworked into “College Girls!” Both are available, along with the originals, from www.glassanimalindex.com.

Also at www.glassanimalindex.com will you find The Pink Cammies’ incredible Stephin Merritt-namechecking rocker “Blood: The Song.” I cannot stress how awesome this song is. It is perfect. You must do what I did after I downloaded it: turn its volume up by 20 to 25 percent. Also, when listening to it you must hold your fist up in the air strong during the first bit of the song. Listening to this song makes me more consistently happy than a the vast lot of the other music in my collection.

The Castawaves, well, I won’t write about them right now. I will write that after the show we had a great party at our old Orchard Street apartment that I got a huge kick out of calling a “meet and greet.”

Here is what an astute Geneseo listener had to say about the show:

What Battle of the Bands Were You At?
"Lamron Staff Writer Doesn't Know What She's Talking About."
by Pat Puccini

After reading Karyn Patridge's Battle of the Bands write-up in this week's "The Lamron," and I really have to wonder what qualifies her to be reviewing music. She first compared the Castawaves to the White Stripes based solely on the fact that there was one guitarist and one drummer. First of all, the Castawaves clearly have more akin to the Pixies' brand of indie-surf noise than the White Stripes' bluesy garage rock revival. If we're going to compare bands based solely on the make-up of their members, then why not say Jet Lag is like Sonic Youth because there's a woman in the band? She claims that the lyrics weren't always clear in the Castawaves' songs. Oh, I forgot, music is only good if you can understand every lyric. She had similar complaints about the Tennies which also didn't have foundation in reality. She claimed the Get Awesome Ninjas were "unbearable to listen to," and I have to wonder if she was even there. She loved the 'jam band' outfits because of their "chemistry" together and the "sultry saxophone" from the Padraic Band. She goes on to describe the "well-balanced levels between [their] instruments and [their] vocals." Once again, I do not believe music is only great when the levels are balanced, and if that was true then some of the best recordings in history are no longer "good."

But none of the above compared to her greatest offense, yes that's right: hating on the Pink Cammies. First of all, I don't know that I would describe them as "mid-80s funk," since that brings to my mind Rick James. She then goes on to describe Brad's "silly antics" and "humorous lyrics," and calls the band "wacky." I'm sorry, but the Pink Cammies aren't a comedy act. They aren't joking. They are making brilliant music, and there's nothing funny about that. Not even Brad's "quirky dance moves." Oh and the melody lines were "simplistic"? Sorry hun, I don't agree. She later writes that when the Pink Cammies didn't win, the crowd's reaction was "disappointing." From where I was standing the crowd was disappointed, and I don't see how someone could be disappointed with the crowd. That seems a little pretentious to me, considering most Battle of the Bands let the crowd decide who wins. Woah Karyn, sorry the 'disappointing' crowd didn't agree that Lame Jam Band should have won.

Note: Pat’s original “Pink Cammies Fan Club” site was awesome and is still online: http://pinkcammiesrock.blogspot.com/

Also, The Pink Cammies’ own blog is still up, and is still very funny: http://pinkcammies.blogspot.com/

* - Did The Bessemer Process play at this? If so, those guys were cool and their show with Castawaves opening at The Statesmen was one of my favorite Castawaves shows ever.

The Mix Tape Song

In mid November, I made my first mix tape in years. It made me really happy, putting it together and then listening to it shortly thereafter. Although the last time I made a mix tape was either 1999 or 2000, I did a lot of music programming at WGSU (all of the loop show beginning in the Great Summer of 2003, and never really disappearing to this day).

To keep costs down, I taped over an old tape that was labeled “Fried Phish” on one side and “Baked Phish” on the other. I thought this was really clever back when I was 15. It was a mix of various tracks off of Phish’s studio albums, before I got a small collection of live tapes. I kept the labels on the tape anyway.

Recording on a little boombox, it didn’t come out that clear. Maybe after so long the tape can’t be taped over. During the quiet songs, particularly Explosions In The Sky and Low, you can hear “Guelah Papyrus” and “Split Open and Melt.” I tried to negate this effect by including many loud, punk songs. The punk songs are also there because this tape has one purpose and that is to keep me awake at the wheel. I have been listening to a tape of London Calling, by The Clash, and this was meant to compliment it.

Since I was listening at work, many songs talk about work (Millencolin, Russian Futurists, Bouncing Souls). I also wanted to choose songs that I wouldn’t get sick of, so I chose a lot of old favorites (Promise Ring, Pinhead Gunpowder, Jawbreaker, Get Up Kids). I also wanted to change it up – starting with a country song (B.P.B.), going to a shoegazer song (Stars), then 80s pop, then punk – you get the idea.

Here is the track listing:

Bonnie “Prince” Billy “Agnes, Queen of Sorrow” from Greatest Palace Music
Stars “Ageless Beauty” from Set Yourself On Fire
The Replacements “Alex Chilton” from All For Nothing / Nothing For All
Millencolin “Random I Am” from For Monkeys
The Promise Ring “Best Looking Boys” from Boys and Girls
Explosions In The Sky “Memorial” from The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place
Little Wings “Boom!” from Light Green Leaves
Little Wings “Look at what the light did now” (ut oh left the tape rolling too long – who cares this is a good song too)
Pinhead Gunpowder “Junkpile” from Shoot The Moon
The Lucksmiths “Great Lengths” from Warmer Corners
The Russian Futurists “Let’s Get Ready To Crumble” from a free label mix cd
Summer at Shatter Creek “My Neighbor’s Having a Seizure” from an Absolutely Kosher sampler
The Postal Service “Suddenly Everything Has Changed” (Flaming Lips cover) {IMMEDIATELY CUT OFF!!!}

Side B:

The Bouncing Souls “Kate is Great” from an old warped tour sampler
Kalpana “And They Were Dubbed Assassins” from their new ep
The Mountain Goats “Pigs that ran straightaway into the water, Triumph of” from We Shall All Be Healed
Braid “A Dozen Roses” from Frame and Canvas
Belle and Sebastian “Dirty Dream Number Two” from The Boy With The Arab Strap
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone “Number Ten” from Pocket Symphonies for Lonesome Subway Cars
Jawbreaker “Basilica” from Dear You
Low “Laser Beam” from Things We Lost In The Fire
Novi Split “Me an Andy” from Keep Moving
The Get Up Kids “I’m A Loner Dottie, A Rebel” from Eudora
The Pink Cammies “The Moon” from Game Over, Baby
Bright Eyes “Easy/Lucky/Free” from Digital Ash In A Digital Urn
Pretty Girls Make Graves “Speakers Push The Air” from Good Health
Superchunk "Pink Clouds" from Come Pick Me Up {IMMEDIATELY CUT OFF WITHOUT MERCY!!!}

I’ve had over a month to listen to this. The Bouncing Souls song is consistently great. With the opening line “I used to have a home with a room and a bed, a porch and a driveway and a big garage, but I traded it in…” how could it not be? The Kalpana song slays and I can’t wait for them to give it a proper release. The biggest surprise on this tape is “Alex Chilton.” This song’s energy gets me every time. The Casiotone song is sweet, short, and perfect. Jawbreaker’s guitars come in like flames, especially at the end. The Pink Cammies fucking rock the boat in a big way, to say the least.

The biggest disappointments on this mix are the emo tracks, which were the ones I didn't think I could go far wrong with. The Get Up Kids rather flop on bringing me back to 2001. Off of their Eudora comp, the last two tracks would have been better. Braid, too. I don’t know what possessed me to put one of my favorite songs ever on a mix tape to myself. I would have been better off with a less-played Hey Mercedes track. The Bright Eyes song was my attempt to stay current, yet party like 2002, which is impossible.

The Novi Split track is dead on, though. I like to stay positive with music, but man that new Death Cab blows. Sell it and head over to Redder and buy this (it’s on sale) instead. This is inventive, spontaneous, and great – a project of Death Cab’s friends David J and Ben Barnett (Kind of Like Spitting). It’s a great car listening track, you’ll know when you hear it.

Here is a link to that song: Novi Split - Me an' Andy
Cloak and Dagger also has more on this release: link
Redder Records has it for sale: link

The trick to this is finding tracks that are both familiar and not familiar. Music listening is a paradox in this sense. You have to know what’s going on, but you have to be surprised. When making a tape like this – pick the third best song on the cd, pick your friend’s favorite song on the cd. You have to change it up. That’s what I miss about WGSU, and what I was trying to revive a bit with this tape.

I love the last track, though. “Speakers Push The Air” asks me if I remember what the music meant. With this mix tape, I think I do.