“The trouble with the American burlesque show, from beginning to end, is either that is has been too dirty — or else that it hasn’t been dirty enough.”
Though written forty years ago, the first sentence of The American Burlesque Show, Irving Zeidman’s history of burlesque in the United States (primarily New York), cites a dilemma that continues to haunt burlesque.
With Best War, their full-length debut, fuzzy indie rockers Baby Control have provided a tonal treat for fans of said genre.
On September 18, disparate psychobilly outfit Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers returns with Swampblood (cover shown left), the final installment in its “Tent Show Trilogy” for Yep Roc Records.
Idiot Pilot, a duo from Bellingham, Washington, made their name performing live with nothing but a laptop and guitar, recording their debut album on Pro Tools, and merging influences like U2, Aphex Twin, , Jeff Buckley, and Blood Brothers…all before reaching drinking age.
By singer/songwriter Ezra Furman‘s third or fourth album, comparisons to Bob Dylan and Violent Femmes probably will cease. Until then, he’s stuck with them. It’s a shame because his debut album with accompanists The Harpoons doesn’t ape Dylan’s influences as often as it cites them.
To aid New Global Citizens‘ efforts to end world poverty, ALARM is sponsoring an art and music exhibition titled Who is Mr. Brown? at San Francisco’s 111 Minna Gallery this Friday, August 10.
Hip hop MC/artist Buck 65, born Ricardo Terfry from Nova Scotia, will return October 30 with a new full-length disc titled Situation. Being billed as a quasi-concept album, the multi-genre work spends time discussing the events of 1957 and the following fifty years.
When obscenely talented classical/jazz/metal fusionists Estradasphere released Palace of Mirrors last year and toured in support, the six-piece outfit stated that live DVD accompaniment would follow. On October 2, The End Records will make good on that statement.
There was music and silence, companionship and alienation, activity and stillness, violence and peace. It was the best of nights and the worst of nights. Basically, it was just a typical night in author Haruki Murakami’s world.
Listeners might recognize Immaculate Machine vocalist Kathryn Calder from one of those New Pornographer’s concerts that Neko Case couldn’t attend.
Although the weather report predicted thunderstorms, Sunday’s sky was clear at Lollapalooza. Other than not getting soaked, the day’s high points included Juliette and the Licks, the Diffs, The Stooges, and Pearl Jam among others.
Songs III: Bird on the Water plays like a passive flipside to Nick Cave’s aggressive Murder Ballads, with folk songstress Marissa Nadler meditating on being haunted by loss and mortality as fervently, in her way, as Cave waxed about the cathartic pleasures of homicide.