Stephanie's blog

Fire the Librarian or Don't Bring Back the Book

Two fabulously successful censorship strategies were highlighted in the news this last week. 

According to an interesting little Time article, our new favorite bible-banging, gun-toting VP candidate

"...continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor."

On the other opposite side of the country, grandmother JoAn Karkos paid a $100 fine for refusing to return It's Perfectly Normal to the Lewiston Public Library, calling it a "sex initiation book."  But the bright side (and there is almost always a bright side in censorship cases like this), as reported in an ABC News article?

"Karkos' grip on the book hasn't stopped children from viewing it at the library. When news of her crusade first hit the media in the fall, Speer said, the library received eight copies in the mail, five of which are now on the shelves."

Two more reasons to celebrate Banned Books Week at the end of the month!

 

Don't Discard Me: Celebrity Vocals

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Goldmine's Celebrity Vocals: Attempts at Musical Fame from 1500 Major Stars and Supporting Players

Ron Lofman

You're no doubt familiar with William Shatner's and Leonard Nimoy's forays into the musical arena.� That, my friends, is just the icing on the cake.�� My latest weeding jag uncovered a GOLDmine, literally AND figuratively:� Goldmine's Celebrity Vocals.� The subtitle says it all. �It wasn't clear from the cover, but the author is definitely in on this joke, as the interior alternate subtitle demonstrates:� "...Attempts at Musical Fame from 1500 Major Stars and Supporting Players."

�

I flipped to the first page and hit the motherload:

�

Manson, Mantle, and Marceau!

And�there are gems�by Tootie from Facts of Life, Ed McMahon, Radar O'Reilly, Kojak, 20/20 anchor Hugh Downs, Don Meredith, and, yes, Mr. T.

Treat Your Mother Right

�

�

Even Senator Robert Byrd�did some�"Bippin' and a Boppin'" and�"Strawberry Stomp"in', which reminded me of two awesome carriers of the singing politician torch, John Ashcroft and Orrin Hatch, sure to be in the next edition.

��

Let the Eagle Soar

�

�

�

They're heeeeee-ere...

They're heeeeee-ere...

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The Lollapalooza Report, Part 2

Lollapalooza was a great chance to check out bands that piqued my curiosity but hadn't yet turned me into a fan.

 

Yeasayer  I got to hear some of this band's swirling psychy rock before running off to Jeff Tweedy, and the interesting rhythms were intriguing enough to make me run back for the end of the set. 

Sunrise

Gogol Bordello  It's true.  They put on an awesome show!  No Dogs We're Barking, but there was plenty to boogie to, including American Wedding.  And the dancers' underoo marching band costumes at the end of the show were fashion inspiration!

American Wedding

Mates of State  This husband-wife duo was charming to start off with and the strings added dimension, but it wore a little thin by the end.

Fraud in the 80s

Raconteurs  I caught the first part of their set, which was and I knew would be rockin after seeing their First Ave show a couple years ago, but I had to miss the second half so I could catch...  

 

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks  I wouldn't have missed this set, just to see former Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss in action.  Overall I had the same reaction to the set as I did to the discs, though.  Really solid, but nothing overly exciting.

3/4 of The Jicks

Radiohead  I am the only one on earth who is not a Radiohead fan.  I certainly liked the radio hits, but it took all I had to keep listening to In Rainbows in prep for the show.  That said, their live show gave me a better sense of why they are popular.  They definitely set an intriguing mood, which their lighting heightens.

 

Dr. Dog  I really liked my first listen of Dr. Dog's latest release Fate.  Which made it surprising that I had the same reaction to Dr. Dog as I did to the Jicks.  Really solid musicians, but they just seem to be lacking a certain something that would make their 60s-era pop modern or unique.

 

Gutter Twins  The former frontmen of Screaming Trees and The Afghan Whigs didn't seem to be bringing much new to the table. 

 

Okkervill River  I got to catch the last four songs of this set, including Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe.  Will Sherf and Co played with so much energy I wish I had seen the whole thing.   (Though that would have meant missing Spank Rock, which never would have happened)  I liked The Stage Names, but wasn't enamoured, but I'll definitely be giving it and the upcoming The Stand Ins, a closer listen.

Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe

Devotchka  Like Iron and Wine, I think this band needs to be seen in a more intimate setting. It was fun to hear some of the more uptempo stuff from Mad and Faithful Telling, and they totally rocked the tuba and theremin (is it a multivitamin or an instrument?), but the set got a little snoozy by the end.
 

Devotchka

Broken Social Scene  Booooor-ing, even with the woman from Stars there.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings  Fun set, but Ms. Jones was not happy with the sound and let it be known several times.  --Once right in the middle of a song, she complained "I've got another show tomorrow, you better get this right"

Nicole Atkins and the Sea  Surprisingly, this ended up being one of my favorite sets of the weekend.  I had listened to her full-length Neptune City and liked a few songs, but her voice bothered me a little.  But wow, she's the real thing.  Brooklyn's on Fire was awesome, and she ended the set with, of all things, a cover of a Doors song, and it was really cool!   I'll definitely be checking out that CD again.

Nicole Atkins and The Sea

Brooklyn's on Fire!

Love and Rockets  I was basically just waiting to hear So Alive, but got bored and hungry, so I didn't even hear that!

Nine Inch Nails  Hearing Closer brought back fond memories of my dancing days, but I was exhausted by Sunday night and got bored with the instrumental stuff, so we left early. 

 

Sets I wish I had caught

Bang Camaro and Ha Ha Tonka (they started too early)

The Ting Tings and Rogue Wave (we started too late)

The Weakerthans (they didn't show!)

DJ Momjeans (just kidding!)

The Lollapalooza Report, Part 1

Welcome to Lollapaloooooooooza!

I had another awesome music weekend in Chicago.  The weather was perfect all three days, I wasn't completely overwhelmed by choice as feared, and I obviously heard some great music.  I will now write WAY too much about it!    I'll start with the bands I was most psyched to see:  Wilco, Amadou and Mariam, Spank Rock, Iron & Wine, and The National.

Wilco topped my list.  They came on stage Saturday night in lovely sequined suits reminiscent of Gram Parsons and the Old Elvis, and they sounded awesome. Though the Wilco faithful seemed pretty unexcited by Sky Blue Sky, I liked it and Impossible Germany and Hate It Here were sooooo good live.  The Being There stuff, Misunderstood, Monday, and Outtasite (Outta Mind), were definitely my highlights, though.  They also played a new song, One Wing, which didn't get me super-excited, but kept the extremely drunk and horny couple next to me going strong. 

One Wing

I also caught Jeff Tweedy at the Kids stage on Friday, and it was hilarious to hear him try to be kid-friendly.  At one point he asked for requests, but a kid asked for "On and On and On," and he said that song was too serious and played Hummingbird instead.  At another point he said something to the effect of "This guitar sounds like hell.  Oops.  I mean H-E-double toothpicks."  He introduced Heavy Metal Drummer by saying he had changed the lyrics to be more kid-appropriate.  He tried, singing "...playing Kiss covers beautiful and unknown" the first time, but slipped back into "...beautiful and stoned," saying it sounded better anyway, and left in "she lifted up her shirt at the Battle of the Bands."

Amadou and Mariam sounded great.  Amadou rocked a gold-plated guitar, and the band was high-energy.  Mariam sometimes looked a little bored, but smiles would creep up, and she playfully rubbed Amadou's head on the last song.

Amadou and Mariam

 
Though I didn't get to hear as much Spank Rock himself as I would have liked, he and talented sidekick Amanda Blank entertained.  I got to hear fav Bump, and they dedicated a song called "Hoochie Mama" to me (...she ain't nothin but a Hoochie Mama.  Hoodrat, hoodrat, hoochie mama...), which I've since learned was a 2 Live Crew cover.  

Spank and Amanda

Bump

Iron, Wine, and Sam Beam's beard's set started off promising with some of their more uptempo stuff off Shepherd's Dog, but they lost me pretty quickly.  I think they'd be way better in a more intimate setting. 

The National had some frustrating sound problems, so I'm glad I got to see their great show at the 400 last summer.  But they played all of my favorites from Boxer (Mistaken for Strangers, Fake Empire, Apartment Story, Slow Show, Ada) the guitars sounded great, and they had brass with them, all of which helped make up some for the sound issues.

Lolla By Night

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Following in God's Footsteps!

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Don't Discard Me: Approaching Nowhere

 

Approaching Nowhere: Photographs

I've been a weeding slacker, and a blogging about weeding slacker, lately.  I finally got past all of those craft books and into photography, where at 779.47309 I found this woefully undercirced item.  Seriously.  Photographer Jeff Brows sees ugly, abandoned, decayed, run-down, understandably overlooked parts of the contemporary American landscape and turns them into fascinating, haunting, and often beautiful images.  His work reminds me of another photographer I've blogged about, Greg Stimac. 

Car in Landscape, Route 248, Four Buttes, Montana, 2003

I never thought I would find an abadoned car beautiful. 

Fraleigh Street, Red Hook, New York, 2005

Doesn't this one look like a still from a Coen Brothers reel? 

Robert Taylor Homes (since demolished), Chicago, Illinois, 2002

West Motel Drive, Lordsburg, New Mexico, 2001

The Day After, or a failed escape?

Strip Mall #1, Minneapolis, MN, 1993

Minnesota even makes a couple appearances in the book.  I always thought the old Woodbury outlet mall was one of the ugliest things I had ever seen.  Not even Brouws can make it pretty, but it is a striking image. That mall's no longer there, but one of those equally ugly fake downtowns has since taken it's place in Woodbury along I-94.  Hmmm...fake downtowns....  That would be another interesting subject!

Speaking of other Brouws projects, I just got into the 791s where I pulled another cool-looking, undercirced book for blogging.  It took me a moment to realize that Inside the Reptile Tent, The Twilight World of the Carnival Midway is also the work of Jeff Brouws!

Inside the Live Reptile Tent: The Twilight World of Carnival Midway

Bruce Caron

You can check out lots of Mr. Brouws work at his website or the Robert Klein Gallery.  Please, as a favor to me, check out any Jeff Brouws books you have in your library, several times!  

 

Cheating Death

A fellow music-obsessed friend and I headed to Da Chill (dat's right, homie) last weekend for my very first multi-day music extraaaavaaaagaaaaanzaa, the Pitchfork Festival in Union Park. 

 

The Hold Steady and Spoon played completely and totally awesome shows.  It's hard to even imagine THS putting on a bad show since they just seem to be having so much fun.  The Stay Positive stuff sounded just as good as the old stuff, probably because they've already been playing it live.

 

Yup. That's a Twins Visor He's Wearing.

Later that night, I even had a chance to tell Franz Nicolay, THS's keyboard dude, how great the show was!  I look terrible, but Franz is looking quite handsome in the way only Franz can.

Franz und Steph

The already fabulous Spoon seemed a little more relaxed and happy than usual, Britt Daniel playing around with his vocals in a very good way.  They had horns for the full Underdog experience, played alot from the back catalog, including my faves Beast and Dragon, I Turn My Camera On, Stay Don't Go, and Vittorio E, and Bradford Cox joined them for closer Mountain to Sound.

 

 

That's Bradford on the Far Right

Les Savy Fav's set was alternately awesome and obnoxious. The band was tight and Tim Harrington was hilarious, but Harrington was in the crowd half the time with things over his head or slithering in the mud, making it a little little difficult to make out the vocals!

 

Keep the Kiddies Away from this Grandma

Only Cutoff Lycra Pants I Saw That Day

Jarvis Cocker of Pulp fame is a born front man, with just the right amount of banter, as well.  Fat Children was the best song from his set, though Black Magic and Girls Like It, Too, were a close second.  M. Ward's set was great, probably because it was outside and live which meant I couldn't hear the nuances of his voice as well.  Another reason might have been because he has a kick-ass female drummer.  Had never heard the song Vincent O'Brien before and loved it.  I also caught some of Chicago's Occidental Brothers Dance Band International fun set.

 

We tried to squeeze a little bit too much into the weekend, with visits to Ernest Hemingway's birth home and Frank Lloyd Wright's Home and Studio, and a quick visit with my brother's family at the Garfield Park Conservatory, so we missed The Fleet Foxes, The Dirty Projectors, and a few other newer bands I was hoping to catch.    Luckily I have three days at Lollapalooza this weekend to find some new music.  And really, I was just happy to make it home alive, having passed Casket Company semis on the ways up AND down 94, AND stupidly wandered into a sketchy part of town to try to avoid the crush of festivalgoers waiting to board the El.  

Harbinger for a New Cold War?

No one seemed to pay much attention to Russia after the Cold War ended,  but lately I've been noticing several bands with Russian references in their names.   Could Russia be in style again?  It would only make sense, since Putin's bringin authoritarian back (Medvyedev's a puppet), and the Bushies are probably getting bored with having the Middle East as The Enemy.  In case it is, I'll fill you in on these bands and the meaning behind their names, putting my Stolaf education to important use once again.  

 

The Decemberists  The Decembrists were a group of 3000 Russian army officers who revolted against Tsar Nicholas I's 1825 assumption of the Russian throne after his older brother Constantine opted out.  Colin Meloy and the rest of this semifamous Portland lit rock band were probably not there, but they are the most likely to be actually saying something with the band name.

Sons And Daughters

Ghost of the Russian Empire The Russian Empire began with Peter the Great and ended with the Russian Revolution of 1917.  It's hard to say whether autocracy or serfdom is more deserving of the honor of ghost from that period that still haunts Russia today.  But both are more likely than this Austin shoegaze outfit.  My bro the Russian historian went with autocracy, so that's probably what I'd put my money on.

 

August 1914

Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin Boris Yeltsin was, of course, the first president of the Russian Federation, 1991-1999.  He surprisingly resigned before his term was up, begging forgiveness for not fulfilling the Russian people's economic dreams, as he had promised.  At least the four members of this Springfield, MO indie pop group forgave him. 

I Am Warm and Powerful

 

¡Forward Russia!  A political party formed by Yeltsin's finance minster Boris Fyodorov during 1993-94.  It was still going as of 2003, but does not play a significant role in Russian politics.  This Leeds, UK, dance rock band put an inverted exclamation point at the front of their name, so I'm sure their name is full of deep political significance.

Twelve

 

Russian Circles This one's tough.  My best guess is that their name refers to an early Soviet period phenomenon of "mathematical circles," since their music can be described as "math rock".  Apparently all large Soviet cities had lots of study circles, including math ones.  They were like school math clubs, but much more intense, both intellectually and socially.  With the Chicago trio's taste for experiment and math rock, maybe they think of themselves as a mini Russian circle themselves. 

Death rides a horse

 

The Russian Futurists  This Toronto electropop outfit is named after a group of artists, actors, and writers who were influenced by the original futurist Marinetti's Manifesto, which rejected traditional art, theater, and writing, and embraced technology, speed, and violence.   Russian Futurism took on an even more socially and politically revolutionary nature than the Italian version.  The poet Vladimir Mayakovsky was probably the most well-known Russian Futurist. 

Paul Simon

 

Since this a post about Russians and music, I suppose I should include one ACTUAL Russian act.   Hmmm...  t.A.T.u is definitely the most famous Russian export, but it's because the two members of t.A.T.u. pretended to be lesbian lovers, playing into Lolita and girl-on-girl fantasies, as exemplified by their first hit single about a lesbian affair between two young girls, "I've Lost My Mind (I Want Her)."   Good stuff.  Then there is Dima Bilan, the Russian Enrique Iglesias who recently won the international Eurovision Song Contest with an R&B ballad "Believe."  Instead, I'll go with St. Petersburg's Jane Air, one of the most popular alternative bands in Russia right now (which isn't saying alot, but hey).  Since I would sooner throw my laptop out the window of my third floor apartment during a flood than download an MP3 from a .ru website, their MySpace will have to suffice.