Record Club Reunites??

Many, many years ago in a magical land far, far away, a group of friends gathered together once a month to share music, love and laughter. They called themselves Record Club. After a nearly two-year hiatus, I'm thinking it's time to get the group back together. I'm pretty excited about the prospect, and hope my fellow Record Club members are ready to get back into the groove!

What say you, ladies and Nick Miller? Shall we reunite? I hear it feels so good.

I'm thinking we start back up in February. Topic suggestions are welcome.

Help! My Wallet Can't Take It

{Hot Chip}

There are far too many good shows coming up!! I simply can't afford to attend them all...time to pick and choose. Help!!!

April 13th - Spoon at the Fox Theater

April 14th - Passion Pit at Freeborn Hall

April 14th & 15th - Miike Snow at the Independent

April 16th - Hot Chip & the XX at the Fox Theater

April 19th & 20th - Vampire Weekend at the Fox Theater

The Mighty Quin

Last night I went and saw Tegan and Sara at the Fox in Oakland and it was amazing! I love those ladies. They played most of the tracks from Sainthood as well as some old favorites, including "Walking with a Ghost," "Where Does the Good Go" and "Back in Your Head." The highlight of the show was the encore, in which the rest of the band took a break while Tegan and Sara played an acoustic set - it was brilliant.

Hot Chip at the Fox

Anyone interested in going to see Hot Chip at the Fox in Oaktown on Friday, April 16th? Tickets go on "pre-sale" - whatever that means - this Thursday at 10am. They'll be $29.50.

Bows & Sparrows Blog

So, I have another blog called Bows & Sparrows, it's all about art, design and pretty things that inspire me. Check it out - you know, if you like. No pressure.

Tegan and Sara at the Orpheum

This past weekend I flew down to L.A. to catch Tegan & Sara at the Orpheum. The show was amazing - hands down one of the best performances I've seen in a long time. The energetic set included all the tracks off the duo's new album, Sainthood, as well as some older stuff. In between songs, the twins joked around with each other and the audience. I enjoyed the show so much that when I got home, I bought tix to the Oakland show in March. If you've never seen these guys, I highly recommend you do. Brilliant.

August RC Meeting

It seems that many of the articles/new stories I've read lately have opened with the phrase "given the current economic situation." What comes next is usually tips for surviving said situation or tales of woe from someone who is not surviving it. Point is, this seems like a good time to create a mix that consists of upbeat/hopeful tunes. So, that's our theme for August's RC meeting. Hope to see all you RC-ers at my house next Thursday (August 27th) at 7pm.

Better Late Than Never

I never did get around to posting a review about the Jarvis Cocker show...still not gonna write much, but here are some photos of the World's Sexiest Man.

Oh, I Want to Take You Home

My obsession with Jarvis Cocker started in the mid-'90s, around the same time that we used to drive into SF to go to Popscene at 330 Ritch Street. When I moved to London to study for a semester my obsession grew, and I was devastated that Pulp didn't have any shows while I was there. I had the above poster hanging on my wall for years. Well, tonight is the night I finally see this beautiful man in person. Yup, I'm off to see him at the Fillmore tonight. I can hardly contain myself. Concert review TK.

RC :: May 2009

Here is the cover art for the May 2009 RC mix. Thanks to all who participated.

Dance, Dance, Dance!

Gwyneth Paltrow’s latest newsletter (yes, I subscribe and I’m not afraid to admit it) features dance-party playlists by famous deejays and music-industry folk. Included in that list are DJ AM, Guy Oseary, Phil Harvey (of Coldplay), Samantha Ronson and Gwyneth herself. Here are two of those playlists:

Samantha’s Picks:
1. “Another Star” – Stevie Wonder
2. “Stomp!” – The Brothers Johnson
3. “Into the Groove” – Madonna
4. “Can You Feel It” – The Jacksons
5. “Big Pimpin’” – Jay-Z
6. “Groove Me” – King Floyd
7. “Toxic” – Mark Ronson feat. ODB
8. “Electric Feel (Justice Remix)” – MGMT
9. “Music Sounds Better with You” – Stardust
10. “The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind)” – The Bucketheads

Gwyneth's Picks:
1. "You Only Live Once" – The Strokes
2. "Time to Pretend" – MGMT
3. "Let's Go Crazy" – Prince & The Revolution
4. "Paper Planes (DFA Remix)" – M.I.A.
5. "Someone Great" – LCD Soundsystem
6. "Strawberry Swing" – Coldplay
7. "Mr. Brightside (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix)" – The Killers
8. "Keep The Car Running" – Arcade Fire
9. "Single Ladies" – Beyonce
10. "Wrong Prayer" – Jaydiohead (Jay-Z & Radiohead)

Anchor Man

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, has cemented his place in my heart. Not only is he attractive, smart and funny -- he also has good taste in music (his iPod includes artists like Interpol, Cat Power and Feist). Now Williams has launched a web-only music interview series called BriTunes. The first segment features an interview with the Brooklyn-based, alt-country act Deer Tick.

The Artist Formerly Known As Santogold

It’s old news by now that Santogold has changed her name to Santigold, and while Santi White (Santigold) isn’t doing much talking, there’s been mention of a lawsuit. According to various blogs, lawyers for a 1980s infomercial dude named Santo “Santo Gold” Rigatuso filed a lawsuit claiming name infringement. In actuality, the artist formerly known as Santogold is probably the best thing that could have happened to Rigatuso, who most people have probably never heard of or had completely forgotten existed in the first place. At any rate, Santigold will be performing at the Empire Events Center on Friday, May 22nd. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 day-of-show. Check out Santigold's MySpace page here.

Making a Splash

Canada’s Great Lake Swimmers specialize in alt-country tracks that hearken the sounds of Americana acts like the Pernice Brothers, Scud Mountain Boys (which features Joe Pernice) and Iron & Wine. The group released its fourth album, Lost Channels, back in March. Frontman Tony Dekker and gang are currently on tour in Europe, with a few shows in Canada and one stop in New York. For a sampling of tunes, check out the group's MySpace page.

I'm the O.G. Playlister!

Thanks to Nick Miller of the Sacramento News & Review for publishing my playlist. Here's a link to my playlist and those of some other notable Sacto peeps.

Out of this World

My new favorite band is The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, a Danish band that has been featured in an iPod commercial (the track was called "Around The Bend") and opened for Amy Winehouse on a leg of her European tour. The band is poppy with a funky flare and I love, love, love it!

Listen to "The Sun Ain't Shining No More" and "Lady Jesus" from the album Fruit.

RC Rescheduled

Due to el presidente contracting a temporary case of Avian Swine Flu, the next RC meeting will now be Monday, May 11th at 7pm. See you then.

A New Mix

Tomorrow marks the start of another work week (ugh), here's a mix to help keep you pepped up.

1. “Until We Bleed” / Kleerup (featuring Lykke Li) / Kleerup
2. “Caravan Girl” / Goldfrapp / Seventh Tree
3. “I Get Around” / Dragonette / I Get Around EP
4. “Can I Get Get Get” / Junior Senior / Hey Hey My My Yo Yo
5. “Drugs In My Body” / Thieves Like Us / Play Music
6. “Those Dancing Days” / Those Dancing Days / EP
7. “Meddle” / Little Boots / Arecibo EP
8. “Hurricane Jane” / The Black Kids / Partie Traumatic
9. “The Boys Are Too Refined” / The Hush Sound / Goodbye Blues
10. “Lemmings Anthem” / The Oohlas / Chinchilla
11. “Ensemble” / Coeur de Pirate / Coeur de Pirate

What's All the Hype About?

According to the Hype Machine, a web site that follows music blog discussions, the most blogged about artists are:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs » Bat For Lashes » Phoenix » Papercuts » Metric » La Roux » Peaches » Silversun Pickups » Bombay Bicycle Club » Daft Punk » Britney Spears » Cagedbaby » Circlesquare » Little Boots » Deer Tick » Dirty Projectors » Fever Ray » Kanye West » Lykke Li » Bjork.

Apparently, this list gets updated every 30 minutes. At any rate, it's a good way to discover new music.

Zooey Gibbard?

According to Us Magazine (not to be confused with U.S. Magazine, heehee!), Zooey Deschanel is engaged to Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie. Man, first Ryan Adams goes and gets hitched to Mandy Moore and now this! And now a quote from the Us Magazine web site:
"Deschanel and Gibbard, 32, are 'so thrilled,' the source tells Us. 'Zooey was swept off her feet, and Ben is so excited.'"

Horses of a Feather Flock Together

I'm not sure if I've blogged about Horse Feathers before, but I am really loving their latest album, House With No Home, which was released back in September of '08. The Portland-based band has a distinct Americana sound, described by many critics as minimalist. The album provides the perfect soundtrack to a warm summer evening spent watching the sun dip below the horizon.

Swashbuckling Songstress

Coeur De Pirate (a.k.a. Béatrice Martin) is a 19-year-old ubercute singer-songwriter from Montreal. Her self-titled debut album was released back in September 2008, but I only just now stumbled upon it. Before going solo, Martin lent her keyboard skills to another Quebec act, Bonjour Brumaire. Check out her video for "Comme des enfants." I have no idea what she is saying (as she sings in French), but the video is adorable.

No Nose Wrinkling Allowed!

Here's the mix list provided by my other Twitter friend, Laura. You can check out here blog here. I've been informed that no nose wrinkling is allowed. Can't wait to check out these songs.

Song / Artist / Album

Bad Things / Jace Everett/ Theme from “True Blood”

Zombie / The Cranberries / The Cranberries: Stars - The Best of 1992-2002 Alternative

Summertime / Brother Love / Album of the Year

I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You / Colin Hay / Garden State (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)

I Don't Care / Fall Out Boy / I Don't Care - Single

Free Loop / Daniel Powter / Daniel Powter

Whole Again / Granian / Hang Around

Lost My Way / Matthew Ebel / Goodbye Planet Earth

Home / Marc Broussard / Carencro

Big Ups / Ms. Triniti / Ragga Hop

A Light in the Dark

Dark Was The Night, is a double-disc compilation featuring 31 exclusive tracks by the who's who of the indie world. Bon Iver, Yeasayer, Feist, Iron & Wine, Spoon, the Arcade Fire, Cat Power, Andrew Bird, Blonde Redhead, My Morning Jacket and more have lent their talents to the project. Proceeds from the compilation will benefit the Red Hot Organization, an international charity that raises money and awareness for HIV and AIDS research. Learn more about the organization by visiting its web site.

The "Cure For What Ails You" Playlist

My new friend, Miranda, posted this mix on her blog and I thought I would share it with RC. There's some stuff on it that I'd never heard before and that I'm really enjoying. Here's her post:

This list of some of my favorite songs and artists is dedicated to Laura & Erin! I hope you enjoy the diversity, girls. They're not as underground as your selections, Erin, but I'm sure you'll enjoy them!

These selections are in no particular order, but I will add that the song by Muse is my all-time favorite song.

1. "Me and the Skirts"/ The Features/ Exhibit A
2. "I Like You Better When You're Naked"/ Ida Maria/ Fortress 'Round My Heart
3. "The Pumpkin Song"/ Kate Nash/ Made of Bricks
4. "Electric Feel"/ MGMT/ Oracular Spectacular
5. "Black Wedding"/ Meg & Dia/ Here, Here & Here
6. "One Day"/ The Juan MacLean/ The Future Will Come...
7. "Henrietta"/ The Fratellis/ Costello Music
8. "Hang Me Up to Dry"/ Cold War Kids/ Robbers & Cowards
9. "I Know What I Am"/ Band of Skulls/ Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
10. "Time is Running Out"/ Muse/ Absolution
11. "Intervention"/ The Arcade Fire/ Neon Bible
12. "No Rest For the Wicked"/ Cage the Elephant/ Cage the Elephant