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Video: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey - "Trampoline Phoenix"
Mike McKinley
July 8, 2010
Here's JFJO performing "Trampoline Phoenix" from the B-10 Club at Mass MoCA. The video was produced by Clinton Vadnais.

The band is touring in support of their latest record Stay Gold -- pick it up at iTunes. And they're playing great. I caught them up here Burlington at Parima a few weeks back and the show was stellar. J Hunter had a similar experience and wrote a powerful review of their performance of this show at Mass MoCA -- read it here.

"Trampoline Phoenix" by Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey from Clinton Vadnais on Vimeo.

The Village Voice Takes a Look at the Nitrous Mafia
Mike McKinley
July 6, 2010
Anyone who has hit a summer festival in the past few years has seen the growing‚ highly organized "Nitrous Mafia" take over. The Village Voice goes in-depth about the nitrous scene in their cover story this week. They interviewed everyone from Tea Leaf Green's guitarist Josh Clark, Umphrey's McGee's road manager Don Richards, label manager/publicist Kevin Calabro, festival security guards to the dealers and ex-dealers themselves. It's the first in-depth piece I've seen about these dealers capitalizing on the scene. This group is very well-organized, aggressive and can be potentially dangerous. They're pretty much the antithesis of the scene and have absolutely nothing to do with the music. Yet‚ they're banking.

I interviewed moe. guitarist Al Schnier recently (to be published later this week) and we discussed the nitrous infiltration on the scene:

I've sort of had a keen eye on the nitrous scene and just been sort of watching it. I've written about it from time to time‚ and I've blogged about it. I'm just trying to keep an eye on it. That's the one thing that kind of freaks me out. It's one thing when people are coming to the show and sort of do what they do‚ it sort of stays within the community. But when our community is targeted just by a bunch of thugs from the outside who see this as an opportunity to prey upon the scene and cash in on it‚ and have really little regard‚ I mean it's just absolute disregard for the people. Then it starts to get really creepy and you see the full seedy element that comes in. And I want to have nothing to do with that whatsoever. So‚ they're a very powerful group‚ and it's something I want to prevent at all costs. And you see it happening at different festivals and events and I want to make sure that it is not something that enters our world whatsoever.

Al's take reads similarly to the entire piece in the Village Voice. My recommendation? Like anything else in America‚ be a good consumer. Stop buying shit from shitty people. Akron/Family Home Demos 2010
Mike McKinley
June 24, 2010
Akron/Family's busy making a new record, touring, doing epic shit, etc. They just posted some home demos -- really, really nice sounding jams. Check it:

http://akronfamily.bandcamp.com/

Soap & Skin
Evangelos Dimitriadis
June 14, 2010
Anja Plaschg‚ the Austrian singer/songwriter/actress‚ is more widely known as Soap & Skin. Her work expels forth spine tingling beauty‚ and even her screeches are breathtaking. I first put on her record Lovetune For Vacuum on a late Brooklyn night in 2009‚ and I played it through twice -- completely engrossed with the sounds emitted from my player. A friend had given me it a couple weeks prior‚ but everyday obstacles kept it from my ears. Both times through‚ I laid there happily paralyzed at what this girl had created. She was merely 19 when she made this‚ and the magnitude of power it holds is astonishing.

Check this:





The opening track "Sleep" eases you into what's in store for the rest of the album: A mixture of classical piano‚ elegant/dark electronics‚ and a blend of sounds that provide stunning imagery. In "Turbine Womb" machine-like electronic gears start circling and you find yourself emerged in a boiler room with a million gadgets about. The song reminds me of a Brad Anderson film. "Spiracle" seems to be the most "poppy" (although it's hard to call it pop) tune off the record. She speaks on her childhood‚ and although we all look back on that being such a sacred time‚ there were definitely some dark patches we'd all rather not remember. But‚ that is what growing up is all about: attempting to not recreate those times and learn from them. "Marche Funèbre" will send you deep into the bowels of a mad scientist's lair -- visualize a mean pipe organ from the 1700's that leads 20 some odd feet in the air with skulls scattered along side of them. Yeah‚ chilling‚ but somehow‚ you aren't afraid.

Check out her interesting covers of Lou Reed's "Pale Blue Eyes" and Nico's "Afraid" to taste a couple of her influences. Unlike most girls her age‚ she's exploring many styles of music rather than shaking her ass in a club somewhere. Some critics have stated that her work is somewhat similar to Cat Power as well. This girl can move mountains and put out fires‚ just listen‚ wait‚ and see. Mostly performing everywhere in the world besides the U.S.‚ I eagerly await her September 4th concert in Manhattan at Le Poisson Rouge. This will be a show without her usual ensemble‚ but will be captivating nonetheless.





Seeing Sonny Rollins Play - "I'm Optimistic About the Soul"
Mike McKinley
June 12, 2010
I'm seeing Sonny Rollins play tonight and in anticipation I came across this interview from earlier this year. I have so much respect and admiration...

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