Smoking Section by Austin Scaggs

April 2009 Archives

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Off the Grid

April 24, 2009 12:04 PM

We're heading down to the Mexican jungle today, so the S.S. will be off the map for the next week or so. 

When we come back we'll have tons of good stuff. We've had some amazing bands come up and play in the S.S., like Elvis Perkins in Dearland, the Moondoggies, Of Montreal, Daniel Merriweather and Sara Watkins. So stay tuned. 

Meanwhile, enjoy Mungo Jerry's 1970 classic, "In the Summertime."   


Video

Billy Corgan Further Defiles the Pumpkins

April 23, 2009 11:44 AM

Check out Billy Corgan in this commercial for the recent TNA pay-per-view wrestling event, Lockdown.

Warning: fans of the Pumpkins' '95 hit "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" may want to avoid watching this clip, as Corgan defiles the spirit of the song to promote a steel-cage match.

Is anything sacred?

Does Billy Corgan have the worst instincts of any musician on the planet?

What is the matter with him?  


Random!

Dylan Goes Back to the Minor Leagues

April 23, 2009 11:24 AM

Slowly but surely, Bob Dylan's summer tour of minor league ballparks is taking shape. Joining Bob on the trek (estimated at 40 dates) will be Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp.

We saw one of those ballpark gigs with Willie and Bob a few years back, in Wappinger Falls, New York. It was a beautiful thing.


The first few dates have leaked.

Jul. 04 - Coveleski Stadium - South Bend, IN
Jul. 05 - Rothbury Festival - Rothbury, MI (festival appearance by Dylan and Nelson only)
Jul. ?? - GMC Stadium - Sauget, IL
Jul. 24 - Ripkin Stadium - Aberdeen, MD


Tour Dates

The S.S. Meets Anvil!!!!

April 23, 2009 11:02 AM

Photo: Granitz/WireImage

Was 4/20 a special day for you, too? 

It was a cold a wet day in New York, but we took the subway down to the Bowery Hotel, where it was our pleasure to hang with Anvil!

If you're not hip to Anvil, they're the Canadian heavy-metal band that, in the early Eighties, inspired Metallica and Slayer, but somehow failed to strike it big. For more than thirty years, the bands co-founders -- singer-guitarist Lips and drummer Robb Reiner -- have toiled away in relative obscurity, working shitty jobs to keep their metal dreams alive. Their struggle is laid out for all to see in the new documentary, The Story of Anvil.

It's a must see. While the film's trailer may give you the impression that Anvil are as hapless as a real-life Spinal Tap (yes, they visit Stone Henge in the film, and the fuckin' drummer's name happens to be the same as the man who directed Spinal Tap) but the film is a testament to human endurance. How far will these two dudes go to get the recognition they deserve? How eternal is their optimism? How much shit will they put up with just to be able to play their songs? You'll definitely laugh during the movie, but like us you'll weep like a small child. It's some powerful shit!

When we walked into room 1001 at the Bowery, Lips and Reiner were reclining on either side of a king size bed, for their Rolling Stone photo shoot. Lips was reading the New York Times, while Reiner held a cup aloft as it was refilled by a butler. (The hotel's manager dressed up for the part, because he loved the movie so much.) 

After the shoot, the three of us sat around the coffee table. "I celebrate 4/20 every day," Reiner told the S.S., sparking up a joint. (He didn't share with anyone.) Lips rolled up a Drum ciggie, and off we went. Below are some of our favorite moments.

(more...)


Exclusive

Help Wake Up Lucid Get To SXSW

April 22, 2009 1:11 PM

A few weeks ago, we acted on tips from our loyal SS readers to check out the LA-based trio Wake Up Lucid. We were impressed, tracked 'em down and talked to frontman Ryan Baca about their music and their rapid rise since hitting the SoCal circuit just a few months ago.

Now, we'd like to pass on a little more good news.

Ryan Baca just sent us a note saying that Wake Up Lucid will be hitting the legendary Village Studios in Los Angeles to track their first EP. No word on when it will be finished, but if their demos are any indication of what's in store, we're expecting raunchy rock at it's best.

Also, if you dig the band and have a spare thirty seconds, head here to vote for Wake Up Lucid in the Urban Outfitters "Your Band Here" contest. 

The winning band will receive a slot at next years South by Southwest.

Wake Up Lucid - "Broke Down House"


Lebowski Fest Goes West

April 22, 2009 11:33 AM

Attention achievers! The Lebowski Fest is back, and this year's tour takes the two-day, screening and bowling parties through the west coast with dates in Los Angeles, Louisville, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego and Las Vegas.

Lebowski Fest is a special time when super-fans of The Big Lebowski dress up as their favorite characters. In addition to the bowling, there will be games such as the Marmot Fling, where "Achievers" catapult a stuffed ferret into a small bath tub, or the Ringer Toss, which involves tossing a bag of tightie-whitie underwear out of a '72 Plymouth Fury III toward a Nihilist dummy target. There's also live music, scene reenactments and art exhibits.

The Lebowski Fest kicks off in LA on May 7th and 8th, where fans will get to meet the original Dude, Jeff Dowd, as well as a bunch of actors from the film, including the two jerks who soiled the Dude's rug. Louisville's fest will have a special stand-up performance from the Daily Show's Rob Riggle and music by the Black Diamond Heavies and Whistle Peak.

Click the jump for the dates, and go here for more information.

Mark it.

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Festivals

A Plethora of Pixies

April 21, 2009 2:47 PM

The Pixies have confirmed the release of a new box set, Minotaur, available June 15th, featuring all five of their brilliant albums -- Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde

You'll also get a DVD of a live gig from 1991 at London's Brixton Academy, all of their music videos, bonus tracks, and a 54-page book of reinterpreted artwork by artist Vaughn Oliver, who has done the design work for other high-profile box sets such as Nine Inch Nails' Ghost, Beck's The Information and Sigur Ros' In a Frozen Sea

For more information, or to pre-order the set, click here, and check out the video below for a deeper look at the design process for Minotaur

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Manchester Orchestra Enters the S.S.

April 21, 2009 2:32 PM

Manchester Orchestra - "The Only One" [Video: Pete Maiden/Eric Helton; Editing by Pete Maiden]


Andy Hull and Chris Freeman of the Manchester Orchestra were nice enough to swing by the Smoking Section to play us a few tunes from their new record, Mean Everything to Nothing, which comes out today!

Manchester Orchestra hails from Atlanta, and features Hull on guitar and vocals, Freeman on keys and vocals, Robert McDowell on guitar, Jonathan Corely on bass and Jeremiah Edmond on drums. Mean Everything to Nothing is their third LP and was produced by Joe Chicarrelli (the Shins, My Morning Jacket), Dan Hannon and the band.

In 2007, the band spent 300 days touring, and the bulk of material on Mean Everything to Nothing  is drawn from the road. "The first half of the record is about the anxiety and angst of the road and traveling in a van," Hull tells us. "The second half is kind of like where I found God on the road." Where was he, we ask? "He was under the back seat of the van."

Check out "The Only One" above, and click the jump for "Tony the Tiger," "The Party's Over," which is a Willie Nelson/Mountain Goats mash-up, and an exclusive interview with Hull and Freeman. And if you dig what you see, make sure you catch the Manchester Orchestra on tour this spring.

(more...)


Beyond Here Lies Dylan

April 21, 2009 12:19 PM

Click here to check out Bob Dylan's new video for "Beyond Here Lies Nothin," off his latest, Together Through Life

Classic!


Video

The World Gets Another Grohl

April 21, 2009 10:33 AM

Photo: Beck/AFP/Getty

The S.S. is stoked to report that Dave Grohl and wife Jordyn have just welcomed their second daughter, Ms. Harper Willow Grohl! Born on April 17th, Harper is named after her father's great uncle Harper Bonebreak. According to our pal Dave, Harper is "7 lbs 8 oz, 20 inches long and loud as hell!"

Like father, like daughter!

The more Grohls the merrier.


Random!
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