The Dollyrots punk El Corazón

Last Tuesday was an interesting night to say the least. I ventured out to review the band The Dollyrots at El Corazón and woke up the next day with a flat tire, a screaming headache, and a Dollyrot’s t-shirt I’m sure I didn’t pay for. And thats how I guess I can describe The Dollyrot’s show, it kicked my ass. On tour to support their latest album “Because I’m Awesome” the band was amazingly receptive and humble, and the Jäger at El Corazón is friggn tainted I swear…

Currently signed to Joan Jett’s label Blackheart Records, “Because I’m Awesome” is super punk-pop with catchy verses and solid hooking choruses. And at first listen (and I’m sure the band is gonna love me for this) it reminds me of Avril Levine meets The Sounds. But that’s because of the high production quality of the album, once you see the band live it all comes together. I talk with my peers all the time about how to capture on recording the ‘live” feel so the listener can “get it” in their car as well as they do at the show. But with The Dollyrots that wouldn’t work, the album is only one-up’d by the live show. The polished poppy recordings are great, and help you get the jist of the songs, but when you see them live, Kelly Ogden’s raw badass vocals with Luis Cabezas guitar and Chris Blacks drumming punch you right in the face and let you know the band is for real, and punk as fuck. It’s a great combination to help them break through the hard-crusted lining that is the major label scene. And along with playing SXSW the last two years in a row, and sharing labels with bands like Green Day, Rancid, Ted Leo/Pharmacists, and Pretty Girls Make Graves the band seems to be on the high road to success.

With all that in mind you’d think they’d be on a tour bus with a ryder like as thick as The Odyssey. But no, they travel in a van with a trailer, eat pink malt balls (sorry Kelly I forgot which brand), stick to the per diem and drink tickets, and keep a level head (unlike me at their show). I was highly impressed with how grateful and humble the band is about being fortunate enough to make a living playing music. I’m not sure how I ended up with a free T (like i said the Jäger at El Corazón is tainted) but I hope they can forgive me cuz I’m gonna have to mail them $15. If you get a chance to see them live, DO IT… compared to the album it’s totally not what you’d expect, proving once again, you can’t judge a Dollyrot by its album cover.

Popularity: 23%

20Q with Jack White of The Raconteurs

The phone rang down here at NWMB World HQ this morning, and a strange voice was on the other line. “Hang on, I’ll get him for you. He’s just stepping out of the studio.”
“Huh? Who’s stepping out of the studio? It’s 7:30 in the morning!”
“Hang on… here he is.”
Clueless, I asked the caller again, “Hello?”
A new voice: “This is Jack. Go ahead.”
Wha?
After an awkward minute of getting acquainted, we were on our way. It was Mr. White, taking a break from some rehearsing in an undisclosed location.
Me: “So the new album sounds great. Where was it recorded?”
JW: “In my secret basement studio.”
Me. “How long did it take?”
JW: “Takes? It took two takes. About three hours. We really gel, we like to bang it out, you know?”
Me: “Wow! Three hours? Did you even have enough time to get a caterer over there?”
JW: “We subsisted on tater tots and beer. My mom brought brownies.”
Me: “What sound were you going for here? It sounds like you were listening to a lot of Bad Company/Paul Rodgers or something.”
JW: “How’d you figure that out?”
Me: “Title track, dead-on Rodgers vocal sound. Real throwback stuff. Nice…. So is ‘Rich Boy’s Blues’ autobiographical?”
JW: “Come on. That’s totally about Warren Beatty.”
Me: “Go figure. My next guess was Pete Townshend.”
JW: “Whomever you like.”
Me: “I guess I had a lot of Who and Queen on the brain, listening to ‘Consoler of the Lonely’. What’s going on there?”
JW: “Yeah, that was Brendan’s input. The harmonies on ‘Stones’ and ‘Top Yourself.’ Yeah, that’s what we were after.”
Me: “Can you elaborate a bit more on the other influences you had in the recording of this album?”
JW: “Uh, the Stones, Los Lobos, Meatloaf… Ravi Shankar.”
Me: “Shankar?”
JW: “I totally stalked him for a week in February. Had my ear pressed to the wall of Abbey Road while he rehearsed.”
Me: “Did you go to London just to do that?”
JW: “Nah, I ran into him while shopping for tapestries for our tour van. Followed him around. Had to change out of my red pantsuit just to absorb his genius. I bought a Utilikilt off a guy on the street, borrrowed an Oxford hoodie from a student in the square.”
Me: “Did you keep the Utilikilt?”
JW: “It was seized at Kennedy on the way back home.”
Me: “Hmph. What do you think of the new Dirtbombs?”
JW: “Sucks. No. Kidding. It’s outstanding.”
Me: “PBR or Milwaukee’s Best?”
JW: “The Beast.”
Me: “Barack or Hillary?”
JW: “Who? Next question.”
Me: “What else are you listening to?”
JW: “‘In Step’ by SRV [Stevie Ray Vaughan], Stones’ Brussels Affair bootleg. 1973? Awesome. And I pledged to PBS so they sent me the entire Monterey Pop Festival on DVD. Amazing!”
Me: “Last questions: will there be another Raconteurs album?”
JW: “Before you know it.”
Me: “Any last thoughts?”
JW: “April Fool’s, readers. I didn’t really call NWMB.”

Popularity: 22%

Q & A with CJ of Drowning Pool

Calling from a tour bus rolling through Colorado, CJ from Drowning Pool checked in with us here at nwmusicblog.com World Headquarters to shoot the breeze about the band’s upcoming appearance in Seattle. They are scheduled to play tonight at the Showbox with Saliva.

Q: What was your last experience in Seattle like?

A: The crowd was great, and we were stoked that the opening bands were so good. You know, sometimes you get some openers that just haven’t cooked long enough? Not the case here. And the people are great, they really respect music.

Q: Are you guys big in Germany, like Hasselhoff?
A: You know, we did really well there! Those crowds know *all* the words to our songs!

Q: No kidding? Is that your biggest fan base?
A: Actually the most amazing response we’ve ever had overseas was in Oz. Down under, they love us. But in the U.S., the people in Kansas City go nuts for us. Even bigger than back home in Dallas.

Q: So you’re in new towns all the time, being on tour. Who do you trust when you look for a place to go after the show? Because I don’t think you want to just ask a cabbie to take you “where the kids go”, right?
A: We’re surprised that more people don’t come up to us after the show and hang out. We’ll finish the set, go backstage, but when we come back out into the club, people are gone. It’s surprising. We’re pretty approachable. We’re at the merch booth, at the bar, whatever. Come say hi.

Q: Have you ever had big bands ever come to your shows? I heard Henry Rollins tell a story once about how Billy, Frank and Dusty of ZZ Top showed up at a Rollins Band show and how humbling it was.
A: Yeah, you know, Pantera showed up one time… ha ha. This was like ten years ago. One of the guys [in our band] owed Dime[bag Darrell] some money… We were stoked that they were there but at the same time, we had to go to him and say “Hey, could you hold off on kicking Dave’s ass ’til after the show?” It was pretty funny. I mean, it was a matter of like, a couple hundred bucks, and they were like, “uh, yeah, we’re here to see you guys play, man. Who cares about the money?” Ha ha. That was pretty funny.

Q: Does a guitarist from a big-time national touring band get to play his own guitars? Do they just hand you stuff?
A: Well, after our first album got big, I was approached by some companies… Fender, Gibson. They wanted me to play their guitars, and I said I would if I could design them. They said: “We have people for that.” So I waited til I found the right deal. Washburn was really cool in the beginning. So I play Washburn.

Q: What’s the rest of your setup like?
A: I really searched for the right gear. I mean it, I spent 8 hours a day, three days in a row at a convention hall, plugging into amps to try to find the right sound.

Q: And what’d you come up with?
A: Kustom was the one. From the second I plugged in. Instant rock guitar sound. In all the clubs we play, it’s just… set a mic in front of it, and turn it on.

Q: So what’s playing on your iPod this week?
A: Pantera, and Mudvayne. But then it’s like, Sade is singing the next song.

Hear CJ and the rest of the band tonight, 24 March, at the Showbox at 8pm opening for Saliva.
They’ll return to Kansas City a few days after that to face rabid fans. Their tour schedule is here.

Popularity: 91%

P-Town Props (aka Rose City Respect)

One of my resolutions for the new year was to involve, write about, and generally give credence to (not that I have such awesome power…) the long-since-burgeoned music scene in our li’l sister town to the south, Portland. This is the Northwest Music Blog, after all, not the Washington Music Blog (don’t worry, I’ve no interest in Idaho). I’ve spent a great deal of time down there over the years—even paid rent for awhile—and despite what may be the prevailing notion of “just a smaller version of Seattle”, that’s not really an accurate comparison. IMHO, anyway. It happens to be laden with rivers and bridges that make urban navigation a cinch—or an adventure if you’re directionally challenged like me. Portlanders have great resolve when it comes to mass transit, blowing our collective brain-freeze out of the water. They eat more granola and ride more bikes. They seem to do a better job of supporting local artists. The “big city feel” that some Seattleites claim (myself included) plays as more of an “urban community” in P-Town. I’m decidedly in favor of the Emerald City as a permanent residence, but friends, family, and a vibrant music scene make PDX well worth the short, 180-mile trip.

Speaking of the music, there are plenty of bands worth hemmin’ and hawin’ about—we’re all familiar with the Shins, the Thermals, Helio Sequence and the like—and my goal this year is to give some of my existing Portland favorites some shout-outs, and hopefully discover some new ones along the way. Generally in this here blogostate, I’m mostly interested in live reviews (just sort of a ‘thing’ I have), so travelling south will be of the utmost importance to check out the bevy of venues Oregon’s finest has to offer. Places like the Roseland Theatre, the Crystal Ballroom, and Dante’s I’ve been to, but there are many others—Doug Fir, Berbati’s Pan, Holocene—that I’ve yet to see a live show in.  And in the hopes of gaining some readership outside Washington, I’ll try to keep you (yes, YOU) apprised of any sweet Seattle bands gettin’ their rock on in P-Town.

So, anyway, here’re some recommendations based on the aforementioned criteria I thought you (yes, YOU) might enjoy:

Popularity: 31%

My Favorite Albums of 2007: A Post by Lord Bison (Part II)

So, yesterday I posted the first half of my “dissertation” on my favorite records of the year. Now I give you the rest:

6. Les Savy Fav – Let’s Stay Friends (Frenchkiss)

If they could package and sell the insanity and exuberance of a Les Savy Fav live show, the returns would surely be fast and great. Tim Harrington is a one-man wrecking crew, simultaneously entertaining and bamboozling any available on-looker into the sensation of a sweat-and-scream-induced hangover (read my own personal account here). For now, the recordings will have to suffice, and oh, do they ever. These Brooklyn art-punks have always been trendsetters, more willing to rebuff their own machinations than to embrace them; but here they seem—and sound—more comfortable in their shoes than ever before. The most intriguing aspect of the cheekily titled Let’s Stay Friends is the variety of chances these artists take throughout the record: Harrington’s poetic reflection over Syd Barret’s dub-inspired bass line in “Brace Yourself”; the surprisingly pleasant placement of horns during the chorus of “The Lowest Bitter”; the pop-inspired melodies of “Patty Lee” and “What Would Wolves Do?”; and the sentimental acoustics of “Comes & Goes”. The record is not without vintage Les Savy Fav, thankfully, as “The Equestrian” puts Seth Jabour’s brash guitar proudly on display, “The Year Before the Year 2000” would be right at home on 3/5, and Jabour’s swirling guitar combined with the thumping drum march of Harrison Haynes places “Slugs in the Shrubs” squarely in another category. I haven’t even mentioned “Raging in the Plague Age,” a decadent punk-disco jam fit for a king. These guys would know, after all.

Popularity: 38%

Interview with Kim Kix and Atomic Child of Powersolo

Powersolo is a punk/rockabilly trio (the railthin brothers Kim “Kix,” and Bo “Atomic Child” with drummer J.C. Benz) from Aarhus Denmark. This is their second North American tour supporting Heavy Trash. We sat down before their Chop Suey show to chat about their new album Egg, their love for American music and other music-good-times.

Before we could get right down to business Jon Spencer, Kim and Bo tried to organize their evening – where to eat, where to get J.C. Benz’s specs mended, and where the heck was their hotel? For some reason, unbeknownst to me, they conducted much of this planning in a British accent. We concluded that Kim was a very organized fellow, and has added “organized” to his name, making him: Kim “Organized Kix” Jeppesen. (I wonder if it will stick?)

Popularity: 27%

Interview with Ross Beamish

Ross Beamish at Trabant Chai Lounge in the U District, March 9, 2007

Ross Beamish is a twentysomething Seattle singer/songwriter. Listen to Every Day That I Wake Up.

NWMB Where did you come from? When?

Popularity: 36%

Interview with Stan Reed, pt. 2

This is part two of a two part interview with Stan Reed, an experimental musician/artist based in the Seattle area since 1995. PLETHORA is his solo project.

Reed performing with Blue Sabbath Black Cheer at the Lobo Saloon, Feb. 2007

[…continued from part one.] Other current projects I am working in are Blue Sabbath Black Cheer, the blackest bogdeath one can experience, and hopefully I will begin recording with Dull Knives now that they have a spot open on the board of directors…

NWMB Influences? What do you listen to at home/car/headphones?

Reed I am influenced by all different types of sound and music, ranging from early psychedelic kraut rock to the hidden gems of world music to Japanese no wave post punk to the most extreme noise. Favorites include: Nurse With Wound, Faust, Dead Can Dance, Pink Floyd, Hirsche Nicht Auf Sofa, Black Sabbath, The New Blockaders, Rudimentary Peni, Mlehst, Caroliner, Flux of Pink Indians, Crash Worship, BrainTicket, UFO or Die, irr.app.(ext.), Subhumans, Small Cruel Party, Runzelstirn & Gurgelstock, Zoviet France, Smell & Quim, Organum, The Haters, Hedningarna, Current 93, Cyclobe, Hanatarash, Volcano The Bear, Chrystal Belle Scrodd, Rowenta/Khan, Mirror, Mimir, Rudolf Eb.er, Andrew Chalk, Vivenza, Samla Mammas Mana, Thirsty Moon, Krokodil, Moving Gelatine Plates, Mixed Band Philanthropist, Smegma, Brume, Contagious Orgasm, Boredoms, Crass, Led Zeppelin, P16 D4, Schimpfluch Gruppe, S.B.O.T.H.I., MB, Taj Mahal Travellers, Frank Zappa, Ora, Monos…..oh and so many more…

Popularity: 41%