I just found out that my hometown, Crosby, Minn., was supposedly the first town in America to elect a communist mayor. How weird is that?! "The World According to Jim Heffernan" :: Considering that "Hef" has been writing columns for three-and-a-half decades, whittling down more than 1,500 columns to 52 for his new book was the "huge, daunting task" you can probably imagine. "CD Reviews: Three
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"Suffering" through an hour-and-a-half-long power outage really puts your priorities in perspective....1. The White Stripes - "Jimmy the Exploder"Surprisingly, googling "famous people who have exploded" doesn't yield any results of the Spinal Tap manner.2. Oranges Band - "Wild Ride""I got out my little black book / I told a little white lie." Surf-tinged post-punk deception has never
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Soon enough, it'll be a new America. Until then, we rock out ... er, read about rocking out, on another unnecessary music blog.1. The Mighty Underdogs - "Monster"Annoying kids in the beginning and at the end aside, this Outkast-leaning superhit* from indie rap's newest supergroup (featuring, most prominently, Blackalicious' Gift of Gab) is as instantly appealing as songs come. (For a taste of
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For the most part, today's selections come from artists I've largely neglected in recent (read: the last 45 or so) mix tapes. My apologies. 1. Pig - "Serial Killer Thriller" This terrifying KMFDM-related slice of industrial mayhem was illegally used to score the opening scene of my first/only film, "Xenophobia: Some Bloody Bastard is Killing the Germans in America." Like my favorite director, I
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Stories to keep you warm at night, like ... Michael Moore's favorite former first lady visiting my (kind of, sort of) alma mater: "Hillary Clinton Visits Duluth" :: Hillary Clinton, New York senator and former first lady, stumped for fellow Democrats at the University of Minnesota Duluth's Romano Gym Monday evening. She was joined by U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Senate
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Matt, accept the fact that your "witty" anecdotes accompanying these "awesome" mix tapes have become increasingly far too personal. There is no possible way that Joe Sixpack, reading this from his sports memorabilia-infested "man cave," could possibly benefit from any of this. --Sincerely, [REDACTED] Eat me. --"Anonymous" 1. Green Day - "'The Simpsons' Theme" I've been on quite the "Simpsons"
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Reading (and writing) is fun!"Live from Hell, It's Rubber Chicken Radio" :: There are a couple reasons Brian Matuszak has done 20-odd radio specials in the last five years. Some, you’ll find, are more noble than others. An interview with the funnyman."After Homegrown, Halloween Weekend is King" :: A list of all the Halloween/All Saints Day concerts we know of, from the star-studded Bob Dylan
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I'm sad: Walt Dizzo's KUWS radio show (only the best in the Twin Ports) has been pre-empted for SPORTS. And I'm not talkin' 'bout no Huey Lewis album ... oh, the humanity! Nevertheless, we will soldier on, and these 22 glorious tracks are sure to make it a little easier. Jebus be praised! 1. The Terrordactyls - "Decoration Daniel" I don't know if you know this, but these Seattle kids -- sorry,
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RADIOHEAD: IN RAINBOWS SALES DATA REVEALED Little more than a year since Radiohead's October 10, 2007 pay-what-you-like self-release of its seventh album, In Rainbows, some conclusive statistics were made available at the recent "You Are In Control" conference in Reykjavik, Iceland. For those who missed coverage of the
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The Endorsement: Claeys Candy's green apple old-fashioned hard candies. Straight outta South Bend, Ind., I couldn't imagine a better "JR" alternative than these suckers.Anyway....1. Hand Over Fist - "Northstarrr"When Doomtree's Mike Mictlan and Aaron "Lazerbeak" Mader combine forces, they are ... Hand Over Fist. Some of the most imaginative hip-hop you'll hear all year.2. The Pink Spiders
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He's quite a character, isn't he? In "Drew Danburry on the Reality of Being a Touring Musician," the Utah troubadour gets candid with the Budgeteer and explains what it's really like to take cross-country "vacations" for a living. And, to honor this monumentous interview -- Danburry is someone I admire greatly -- I've rounded up all my past coverage of this talented singer/songwriter: This
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Illuminative Tour Followed by Two Appearances with Meshell Ndegeocello After marching together at the Democratic National Convention and playing together at both the DNC and the RNC, Boots Riley (the Coup) and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, the Nightwatchman) are going on tour together. The famed guitarist and activist has tapped the incendiary political MC to be main support on
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BEASTIE BOYS & FRIENDS ANNOUNCE SWING STATE VOTER AWARENESS TOUR Selected Dates in Battleground States Beastie Boys have confirmed selected dates through the crucial swing states of the upcoming election. Joining the band in various markets will be Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, Crosby & Nash, Santogold, Tenacious D, and special guests, as well as representatives from the
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Songs to keep you entertained while it remains very Seattle-esque outside.... 1. Pearl Jam - "Leash" The most powerful PJ track ever recorded. Really brings me back to my "angst-y" days. 2. Terry Lynn - "Kingstonlogic" [Angry Mix] Imagine if Basement Jaxx's "Crazy Itch Radio" disc had been overseen by KMFDM's menacing mastermind Sascha K.... 3. Del the Funky Homosapien - "Things You Can Do"
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That's Tony Derrick's take on one of Giljunko's most infamous shows. But I wasn't talking to him solely about that group; we were actually discussing (for the most part) his new group, the Tisdales, which he founded with former Glenrustles/Ol' Yeller frontman Rich Mattson. The two are rounded out in their "post old-school" outfit by Jason "Kokes" Kokal (one of Derrick's Hotel Coral Essex
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Overheard in Epitaph's weekly newsletter: "I'm sitting at my desk listening to my boss, Brett, put together his sequence for the new Vanna record. I didn't realize the importance of a really good sequence, especially on 'harder' records. You tend to put the best songs in the beginning because you want to capture the audience instantly. And then you want to make sure it 'flows' well. That all of
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That's what Henry Rollins said. To Me. About his myriad film projects. I still can't believe it either. Either/or, make sure to check out what else he had to said during his exclusive Budgeteer interview in "Henry Rollins Continues the 'Recountdown' in Duluth." (Hint: He's bringing his new spoken word tour to Sacred Heart Music Center.) Elsewhere in the bin... "Local CD Review BLOWOUT: Yeltzi,
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Thanks, I like to play/make lots and lots of mix tapes.1. Kanye West feat. Mos Def and Freeway - "Two Words"I know I've used this before, but, seeing as how Kanye's debut disc was the soundtrack to my Trollwood summer, I'm gonna use it again: Strange how my memory improves tenfold when aided by music. -> This one brings me right back to the summer of '04, when I worked at Fargo's glamorous
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