September 13, 2009
This Week In Shows
THIS WEEK IN SHOWS
TUES, SEPT. 15
Deerhoof, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Serengeti & Polyphonic
(le) poisson rouge
8:00 PM, $15, 18+
Deerhoof have been confusing audiences for over a decade now, but their brand of noise-infused indie-prog has only become more potent with time. The combination of Greg Saunier’s seemingly ‘roid-rage-induced drumming with singer/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki’s infectiously cute (albeit often nonsensical) vocal hooks consistently make for a captivating, if not bewildering, live show. Plus, who wouldn’t want to see Satomi belting out lines like “choo choo choo choo beep beep” while performing improvisational pseudo-Tai Chi?
- Sean Hallarman
FRI, SEPT. 18
Ty Segall, The Mantles, The Holy Experiment, Dome Theater
Death By Audio
8:00 PM, $8, all ages
Uh, the maze at Death By Audio is a little nuts. You may feel like you’re being corralled and you might have a hard time seeing the bands, but just squish to the front or find yourself a little corridor or dead-end to rock out in, and enjoy the San Francisco treat that is Ty Segall. He’s mastered that brutally distorted garage punk better than most, because the personality of his songs doesn’t get lost beneath all that noise. And he kicked ass last time he played Death By Audio. If you want a more traditional show format and a sexy, disorienting, frenzy of a double bill, check out Ty at Mercury Lounge with Golden Triangle on Sunday.
- Erin Sheehy
BM Linx, Township, Sorceress
Union Pool
9:00 PM, $8, 21+
If you’re looking for some bluesy glam played by guys with excellent hair, check out Sorceress on Friday at Union Pool. That twangy sound and those fancy boots may hearken back to early seventies glitter, but this isn’t just some retro shtick – seriously, these guys dress like this every day, and a variety of other influences sneak into songs like “Suffer Childe” and “Cum In My Kitchen.” You can read JM.com’s Local Spotlight on Sorceress tomorrow.
- Erin Sheehy
SAT, SEPT. 19
…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, The Secret Machines, Freshkills, Sleigh Bells
Music Hall Of Williamsburg
9:00 PM, $20, 18+
I don’t know what to say about this one. It’s …Trail Of Dead. And this time you/they won’t have to contend with an electrical storm.
- Erin Sheehy
Weekly Review
A piece in the NYTimes today discusses Radiohead’s new “singles only” release policy and their guru-like status in the music marketing biz. Okay, true that Radiohead has mastered the ability to throw the blogosphere into a crazed, conjecturing frenzy, but they’re not the only trendsetters in this town. Just take a look at the number of new fabulous fads sure to come out of the activity of this past week: talent-show tour openers, finger-puppet impersonators, cemetery sets at sunrise, signing oneself to one’s own label, turning art rock success into art film stardom, holding Willy Wonka-style CD-release sweepstakes…who knows what these crazy kids will come up with next.
And later today, one of the biggest trailblazers of them all, Mr. Original Laptop DJ himself, plays the second-to-last Jelly NYC Pool Party of the summer – which I’m sure will result in a half-naked, sweat drenched Greg Gillis crowd-surfing for the better part of his set. But that’s nothing new.
by Elana Jacobs
Karen O’s Where The Wild Things Are Soundtrack To Be Released In Late September, But You Can Get A Teeny Preview Here [The Tripwire]
Robert Zemeckis To Remake Yellow Submarine. Let’s Hope It’s Windy Enough for Yoko [The Tripwire]
Watch The Walkmen’s New Video, “On The Water” [Pitchfork]
Listen To New Atlas Sound Track, “Attic Lights” [Stereogum]
RJD2 Launches Own Label, Celebrates By Digitally Reissuing A Ton Of Rarities, Dropping Fatty Vinyl Compilation, And Finishing His Next Full-Length. Whew. [Pitchfork]
Uh Oh, UK’s Lovvers Are Comin’ Back For More Kissin’ At CMJ! [Brooklyn Vegan]
Deerhoof To Star In Art Film That Refashions Sympathy For The Devil. Too Bad It Ain’t Cocksucker Blues. [Pitchfork]
Phil Spector Would Like To Move To Better Prison With Fewer “Scumbags,” And More, Ahem, People Like Himself? [Prefix]
Download DJ Jazzy Jeff’s Remix of Peter, Bjorn, and John [SPIN]
Okay, I Won’t Wear The New “Kanye Is A Whiny Bitch” T-Shirt, But I Might Be Obligated To Buy A “Slow News Day” One [Idolator]
compiled by Erin Sheehy
Williamsburg Music Scene Massacre! (On Law and Order: Criminal Intent) [Prefix]
MGMT Forgives the French [NME]
Imogen Heap Gives Preview Performance in Gramercy Park Hotel [SPIN]
Mika Miko’s Kate Hall Directs New Deerhoof Video [The Tripwire]
New Passion Pit “Moth’s Wings” MP3 [Prefix]
Creed’s Comeback [Rolling Stone]
Vampire Weekend Hard at Work on New LP [Pitchfork]
Hulu Ousting YouTube? [The Tripwire]
compiled by Elana Jacobs
February 11, 2009
Deerhoof’s John Dieterich
HOLY MUSICIAN, BATMAN…
Imagine a bomb — one of those old-timey, cannonball-looking ones that usually backfires on Wile E. Coyote. A match is struck and applied; the perp flees hunched with a finger plugging each ear as the wick fizzles down to its base. The bomb then combusts. But instead of shrapnel and smoke and general fiery terror exploding into a horrible disruption, candy is blasted in all directions. Hershey Kisses, Lemonheads and Starbursts are spewed about the landscape, sweetening the hills and brightening the skies. Oh, how joyous are the people! This has to be the most accurate way of describing the guitar work of John Dieterich, the chomping force behind Deerhoof’s sugar-toothed bite.
More on Deerhoof’s John Dieterich
September 8, 2008
Kidz At Play
Even the way Deerhoof hop on stage damn near makes you giggle. Drummer Greg Saunier kicks off his shoes and rolls up each pant leg a couple of inches—like a mischievous kid running indoors after splashing around in puddles on the driveway—before he sits down behind his drum-kit. Satomi Matsuzaki—five-foot tall, Japanese vocalist/bassist—scurries over to her Paul McCartney-bass, which if she propped upright and stood next to would reach her shoulder. John Dieterich straps himself to his guitar and plugs in with a grin. Everything about the band and its members emits a light of childlike-wonder and their new album, Friend Opportunity, is certainly no exception.
The album’s initial track, “The Perfect Me,” begins with a blast of ascending synthesizer chords colliding with a bibbity-bobbity drumbeat, an introduction equally fitting for the theme song of a Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Imagine the Park Ranger chasing a picnic-basket-toting Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo though the woods. The groove eventually gives way to Matsuzaki’s naturally sweet, choppy falsetto, “Meet me. Meet me. Meet the perfect me.”
“The Perfect Me,” serves as an amiable introduction to Friend Opportunity. Both the opening track and the rest of the album induce the image of a fluttery-eyed child in the elementary school playground, extending a hand as if to say, “Wanna be my friend?”
The concept of an inviting, nearly-streamlined album is something that had been hinted at on previous works, but is nonetheless new territory for Deerhoof. Their second-to-latest record, The Runners Four, gave us the first glimpse of the band’s striking ability to create radio-ready hits. Certainly their general cuddliness dates back to their earlier work, with song titles like, “Panda Panda Panda,” “Midnight Bicycle Mystery,” and “Dog on the Sidewalk,” but pop was probably the sixth or seventh genre to come to mind upon first listen.
The earliest incarnation of the band surfaced in San Francisco in 1994 and included Saunier and guitarist Rob Fisk. With their experimental and rather inaccessible sound, they earned a reputation around the Bay Area as obscure- or outsider-rock.
In the ensuing years, Fisk exited and Saunier would meet future lead singer and current wife Satomi Matsuzaki, who had recently arrived in San Francisco via Tokyo. Eventually Deerhoof would settle into its current form: Saunier, Dieterich and Matsuzaki.
With a youthful sound contradictory to their actual ages, Deerhoof are able to seamlessly match catchy hooks and sing-along choruses with unconventional song structures on Friend Opportunity.
More on Kidz At Play
August 1, 2008
Deerhoof Leaks Sheet Music For New Single
At a July 18 concert in Brooklyn, Deerhoof debuted tracks of its upcoming album, Offend Maggie. The following Thursday, Deerhoof showed its support of music interactivity by posting raw sheet music to Offend Maggie’s single, “Fresh Born.”
On Deerhoof’s CASH Music website, the band uploaded the handwritten notes with the following invitation: “‘Fresh Born’ is the first single from Deerhoof’s upcoming record, Offend Maggie. Download the sheet music, make your own version, upload it to your webpage or blog, then post the link here.”
To upload an original cover of “Fresh Born,” users must agree to the license terms, in addition to submitting their name, e-mail address, and website link. Within the first four days of posting, eight artists had already recorded and published covers of “Fresh Born.”
Even those who cannot read sheet music can cover the song, thanks to blogger Lucas Gonze. Gonze uploaded the music to Sibelius to create MIDI files, separating them by instruments. He also posted a digital version of the sheet music. Gonze’s content can be downloaded from his website.
According to Deerhoof itself, the band will soon share its own studio version of “Fresh Born.”
The immediate success of “Fresh Born’s” sheet music leak could lead to more fan-interactive actions taken by musicians and organization like CASH Music. CASH Music calls itself a “platform for engagement” and strives for highly engaged audiences to create a healthier, more vibrant scene for artists.
Deerhoof’s Offend Maggie comes out on October 7 on Kill Rock Stars.
by Ben Benson
