Weekly Burlesque: Tribute Numbers

BOB and Ruby at the New York Burlesque Festival | Photo by Kitty Kowalski
BOB and Ruby at the New York Burlesque Festival | Photo by Kitty Kowalski

Every year at The Burlesque Hall of Fame Striptease Reunion, several performers bring numbers constructed to tribute their favorite superstars of classic burlesque. Sometimes they are recreations; sometimes they are simply inspired by and include elements of movement, costuming, and/or lore associated with those performers.

Weekly Music News Roundup


Femi Kuti confirms US tour dates, Ennio Morricone will write music for Quentin Tarantino, and we have previews for new albums by Andrew Bird, Burnt by the Sun, William Elliot Whitmore, and Powersolo. Read on.

DIY Venue Spotlight: WonderRoot Community Center

The Wild performing at WonderRoot. Photo credit: Jeff Wolk

The WonderRoot Community Center supports and encourages a variety of creative endeavors; they are the elementary school art teacher of DIY venues.

Members of this non-profit arts organization strive to inspire positive social change; they feel that artists have the ability to change the world. Those who enter WonderRoot can expect an accessible, low-pressure environment where self-expression is welcome.

Nous Non Plus: Menagerie

The Francophile New Yorkers of Nous Non Plus have given us American indie rock sung almost exclusively in French. Many hip musicians have long been obsessed with the nation that gave us both the pencil and duck-vomit cracker spread.

On its second album, Menagerie, the six-piece Nous Non Plus expresses a desire to “imagine Gainsbourg and Bardot as indie rockers in 2008.”

What We’re Doing This Weekend

Dub Trio, photo by Bryan Sheffield
Dub Trio, photo by Bryan Sheffield

Heading the “mustn’t miss” portion of our weekend, ALARM cover artists Dub Trio return to Chicago. If we have enough time (or the ability to clone ourselves), we hope to also catch Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, Calexico, the Melvins, Big Business, and a number of other musical talents.

BPM Counter: Five to Consider This Week

Sean-Michael Yoder feels that this week’s “Five to Consider” are all appropriate for late fall / early winter. This week’s list includes the house, techno, and urban sounds of Butch‘s double-disc release, the melodies and dreaminess of Guy J‘s Esperanza, and the break beats, booty bass, and turntable trickery of Stanton Warriors.

The Bad Plus Q&A Preview and Exclusive MP3: “You and I Is a Comfort Zone”

The Bad Plus
The Bad Plus

Infused with the energy of a hard-rock outfit, The Bad Plus wields its jazz chops with considerable force. In anticipation of the trio’s forthcoming covers album, For All I Care, ALARM has an exclusive MP3 streamer of “You and I Is a Comfort Zone,” an original song that will only be included on the album’s vinyl edition.

Weekly Burlesque: Book Review, Vintage Hairstyling

photo by Jo Weldon
Vintage Hairstyling by Lauren Rennells

I am pretty lame about my hair, seriously. When I was in high school–I had curly hair in the 70s, not a good thing–I hated my hair as only a high-schooler can. It took me years to learn to just tolerate it, and when I worked in strip joints I was constantly flinging it around so no one could really tell what it looked like. Now I rely mostly on hairpieces, and if I’m not wearing one, my hair is usually what I call “put away,” in a ponytail or bun.

Ten Songs in Our Headphones

The Bad Plus
The Bad Plus

Care to peek at our personal playlists? Here is a collection of ten songs that we’re jamming at the moment, including work by Mike Patton, Helms Alee, 2 Foot Yard, Ocean, The Bad Plus, and more.

Wilderness: (k)now(w)here

In a city often overshadowed by its DC neighbors, Baltimore has quietly contributed to many musical movements. From new wave and hardcore in the Eighties to a rise in the club scene this century, the town has shown a knack for producing forerunners of the tide. A prime example is avant-garde rock band Wilderness.

Weekly Music News Roundup

Garage a Trois
Garage a Trois

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez announces a new solo album for Stones Throw; Saul Williams speaks about the aftermath of The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust; Garage a Trois announces tour dates and posts an album preview; Don Caballero returns to the Northeast, and much more.