Kyle Gilkeson

Grinderman

Concert Photos: Grinderman @ the Riviera

Grinderman: “Heathen Child”
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Grinderman_Heathen_Child.mp3|titles=Grinderman: “Heathen Child”]

Grinderman, the debauched incarnation of Nick Cave and key members of his Bad Seeds, is currently on tour in the US, with dates in Australia and England scheduled for early 2011. Contributing photographer Drew Reynolds attended the band’s recent show in Chicago at the Riviera and captured the band’s blues-rock swagger in high-contrast grayscale.

Check out the ALARM’s recent interview with Grinderman and profile of its new album, Grinderman 2.

Grinderman

Grinderman

Ariel Pink

Concert Photos: Ariel Pink @ Metro

LA-based psych-pop artist Ariel Pink has been touring Europe and the USA for the past year in support of The Doldrums, the Paw Tracks debut album from his band, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti. Pink played at the Metro in Chicago recently, and contributing photographer Laura Gray captured these images.

Ariel Pink

Cosmos Records

Behind the Counter: Cosmos Records (Toronto, ON)

Each Tuesday, Behind the Counter speaks to an independent record store to ask about its recent favorites, best sellers, and noteworthy trends.

For more than a decade, independent record store Cosmos Records has supplied the Toronto area with hard-to-find vinyl releases. In addition to its flagship Queen St. West location, a sister store specializing in hip-hop and soul records opened down the street in 2005. Owner Aki Abe is known for his encyclopedic knowledge, an expertly cultivated record selection, and his downtown-Toronto nightclub, Una Más. Below, Abe answers a few questions, and Cosmos employees show off their favorite records.
 

Cosmos Records
Aki Abe holds Machine: s/t

What was your motivation for starting a music store? / What is your background in music?

In the late ’80s, I used to wholesale rare disco and soul LPs to Japan, which paid for my college tuition. I always seemed to obsess about something, whether it was rare action-figure erasers in grade two or obscure soul LPs I’ve never seen. If I didn’t open a record store, my apartment would’ve burst. I have no background in music.

Sole

Guest Spots: Sole picks the West’s five greatest myths

Since leaving longtime label Anticon, indie rapper Sole has released The Pyre — a collaboration with artist Ravi Zupa — as well as a free mixtape of his signature rhymes over radio-hit beats from the likes of Rick Ross and Kanye West, titled Nuclear Winter: Vol. 1. In addition, Sole and the Skyrider Band has been working with the label Fake Four. Inc and just finished a US tour with IDM artist Egadz.

Sole (a.k.a. Tim Holland) took a few minutes out of his busy tour schedule to pen a piece on the greatest myths in Western civilization. On the list, just in time for the holidays, is a new perspective on the story and significance of Santa Claus.

Five Western Myths
by Tim Holland, a.k.a. Sole

1. Santa Claus

The modern Santa gets his roots from Sinter Klaas, the Dutch father of Christmas. Sinter Klass, with the help of his ‘”Zwarte Pieten,” a.k.a. enslaved “black devils,” brought gifts to children. He moved his residence to the North Pole, where he seemingly swapped out the Moors for Inuits. Today this myth lies at the center of our entire economy and arguably our way of life.

My biggest problem with Santa is that it teaches children that something comes out of nothing, and it gives them an early and tangible affirmation of the supernatural. Even during periods of relative prosperity, it’s not uncommon for an American parent to take a second job around the holidays simply to perpetuate this myth. Maybe history laughs last, as yesterday’s “Moors” are replaced the world over by today’s work force.

Sole

Concert Photos: Sole @ Soda Bar (San Diego)

Politically conscious rapper Sole performed recently at Soda Bar in San Diego, and ALARM contributing photographer Candice Eley was on hand to document the show.

The co-founder of Anticon recently left the label to record and release music completely independently. Recent releases include a free mixtape (Nuclear Winter) and The Pyre, a a 72-page illustrated poem with an accompanying full-length “audiobook/album” — the result of a collaboration with artist Ravi Zupa. Look for a guest column by Tim Holland, a.k.a. Sole, on AlarmPress.com in the near future.

Sole