Guitar Center Accused of Price-Fixing Fretted Instruments

By Brom on

Move over Intel. Move over Microsoft, there’s a new monomaniac in town!

On September 22 a nationwide class-action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in California by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, who claims that Guitar Center and the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) have been conspiring to fix the price of fretted instruments. The plaintiff argues that “NAMM organized meetings and programs where competing retailers including Guitar Center, were encouraged to discuss and agree upon strategies for price fixing along with other anti-competitive agreements with manufacturers.” They also claim the defendants tried to boycott manufacturers who sold their goods through online competitors. Steve Berman, lead attorney and managing partner at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, says, “We contend that, even with its market domination, the company acted illegally to rig the marketplace to its benefit.”

As rigorous purveyors of underground culture, the staff at Tiny Mix Tapes had to spend several days finding out what Guitar Center actually was. After completing a field trip to our local store, we recommend to all readers that if you do have to visit one of these capitalist abominations then please make sure you go in a group, hold hands, and avoid as much interaction with the staff as possible.

Throbbing Gristle Release Pocket-Size Ambient Noisebox of Horror, Perfect for the Goth on the Go!

By Liz Louche on 09-29-2009

All across America, discount retailers and department stores are only seconds away from putting up their holiday displays. Those brightly colored candy canes, that glittering winter wonderland all signal one thing: the thrill of consumerism! That quest to answer the eternal question: “what do I get the art student/sulky teenage brother/neighbor who’s always coming home from S&M clubs when I’m getting ready to go to work who has it all?!” Well now, thanks to our friends in Throbbing Gristle, the solution is clear, and it is neither a (confusingly) scary cute owl-looking thing or [insert former “hit” toy of yesteryear here]. From the people who once drove out a group of travelers from their neighborhood through the use of intensely annoying and painful sound effects, comes the Throbbing Gristle Buddha Box—just in time for the 2009 holiday season! It’s conveniently priced, attractively packaged, and the perfect size for use as a stocking stuffer! It also (probably) sounds like death.

What’s a Buddha Box, you ask? Well... it’s a small box that emits loops of ambient electronic noise, designed a few years ago by Beijing-based artists Christian Virant and Zhang Jian. The former is on board for the TG edition, which is being marketed simply as "Gristleism." You can expect "thirteen original and uncompromising loops" and the choice between three vibrant colors!!! It’s available for pre-order on the band’s website and is set to ship in November. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the ambient noise provided by the Gristleism will have anything to do with perennial ambient faves “Peruvian Panpipes of the Local Shopping Mall” or “Whale Sounds of the Pacific Northwest.”

Looplisting:

1. Persuasion
2. Hamburger Lady
3. Twenty Jazz Funk Greats
4. Thank You Brian
5. Maggot Death
6. Rabbit Snare
7. Lyre Liar
8. Wimpy Bar
9. Sex String Theory
10. Heathen Earth
11. Industrial Intro
12. R & D
13. After After Cease To Exist

Because You’ve Always Dreamed of Rivers Cuomo on Sizzurp, Lil Wayne Guests on New Weezer Album

By Heidi Vanderslice on 09-29-2009

Topping off the unlikely combination of Weezer and R&B producer Jermaine Dupri is the news that Lil Wayne also lends a few rhymes on the upcoming Weezer album, Raditude. The track in question is titled “Can't Stop Partying,” though Cuomo sounds unsure as to how much of a party mood Weezy was in:

...we got Lil Wayne to come in and do a rap on it... Any other rapper would've just done, 'Yay, we're partying! Let's drink and have fun,' but he gave it the edge I was looking for. You can hear in his voice, it sounds so dark, like he was gonna get shot or something when he walks out of the studio. So I was real happy that everyone involved got what we were going for.

Yeah! The fear of getting popped when you exit the building! Paaaarrrrrtttyyyy! (What!?) Obviously, Weezer are going in a new direction with this album, which includes tracks like “The Girl Got Hot” (co-written with additional producer Butch Walker) and “I'm Your Daddy.” Original album title "Bring It" was changed to the current name at the insistence of Rainn Wilson, better known as Dwight Schrute from TV's The Office. This is so ironic my skinny jeans just turned into JNCOs. Hey, at least it's a step up for Weezy... the last rock band he worked with was Fall Out Boy.

Raditude is due November 3 on Geffen, with tons of deluxe edition and iTunes bonus tracks waiting to be snatched up by your grubby little paws. I know you want that cover medley of MGMT's “Kids” and Lady Gaga's “Poker Face.” Somewhere, Girl Talk is feeling vaguely disturbed.

Thom Yorke Starts a New Band with Nigel Godrich and Flea! “The battle of the bulge is on,” says Colin Greenwood.

By Mr P on 09-29-2009

So that's what he's doing in LA! According to Radiohead's Dead Air Space blog, Thom Yorke has started a new band to perform his solo tunes. The lineup features longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, R.E.M./Beck drummer Joey Waronker, Mauro Refosco, and, oddly enough, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea on bass. (Apparently he's unhappy with Colin Greenwood in underwear?) The band has already scheduled two shows at The Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, CA.

In the interest of making this news post look meatier, here's Yorke's full post:

in the past couple of weeks i've been getting a band together for fun to play the eraser stuff live and the new songs etc.. to see if it could work!
here's a photo.. its me, joey waronker, mauro refosco, flea and nigel godrich.

at the beginning of october the 4th and 5th we are going to do a couple of shows at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.

we don't really have a name and the set will not be very long cuz ..well ...we haven't got that much material yet!

but come and check it out if you are in the area. we've also got locals Lucky Dragons playing.

I think it's safe to assume that Radiohead has broken up:
10.04.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Orpheum Theatre
10.05.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Orpheum Theatre

The Rosebuds Take On China and Europe This Fall, Seek New TV Show To Watch On The Road

By Annapocalypse on 09-28-2009

The last time I wrote a news post about The Rosebuds, I recalled a story about the time I drunkenly embarrassed myself in front of Rosebuds' Kelly Crisp and also managed to drop in a few references to Degrassi and awesome deli meat. It turns out that The Rosebuds decided to Google themselves during a fit of boredom one day, found my story, and professed their love of Degrassi to me via email (and salami, but that’s another story). Now that they’re back on the road again in support of their newest album Life Like, out now on Merge, Kelly and parter-in-crime Ivan Howard are seeking out some new TV shows on DVD to watch in their van. After all, there are only so many times you can see Drake get shot before you start to get bored.

I recommend Gossip Girl and Skins, FYI:
10.02.09 - Belfast, Ireland - Black Box
10.03.09 - Cork, Ireland - Cyprus Avenue
10.05.09 - Manchester, England - Dulcimer
10.06.09 - Cardiff, England - Buffalo Bar
10.07.09 - London, England - Windmill Brixton
10.09.09 - Toulouse, France - Le Saint Des Seins
10.10.09 - Vic, France - Jazz Club
10.12.09 - Barcelona, Spain - FNAC In-Store
10.13.09 - Valencia, Spain - El Loco Club
10.14.09 - Madrid, Spain - Moby Dick Club
10.15.09 - Murcia, Spain - Media Club
10.16.09 - Salou, Spain (Terragona) - Zeppelin Club
10.19.09 - Dudingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn
10.21.09 - Munich, Germany - Feierwerk
10.22.09 - Mannheim, Germany - Alte Feuerwache
10.23.09 - Bochum, Germany - Banhof Langendreer
10.25.09 - Dresden, Germany - Beatpol
10.25.09 - Berlin, Germany - Lido
10.27.09 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust
10.28.09 - Amsterdam, Germany - Melkweg

Karl Blau Schedules Lengthy Tour in Support of Zebra

By Liz Louche on 09-28-2009

Karl Blau is the type of musician guy who lives in the Pacific Northwest: Anacortes, Washington, to be exact. But if you have a “bottomless glass of wine” like I had for lunch, his name sorta kinda sounds like he could be the front dude of a forgotten post-punk band from, oh say, Belgium, whose "newly discovered" debut LP is getting a limited reissue and who is maybe playing, like, one show at a club in London before fading back into obscurity.

But as made-for-rock-writing as that mythology is, there is so much more to Karl Blau, even more than the ol’ K Records-style narrative. For example: he’s got a new African pop-influenced/freak folk/lo-f rock record coming out October 6 on — yes — K Records, entitled Zebra (which was recorded at Dub Narcotic Studios in Olympia, WA). He's also about to set out on a lengthy tour with LAKE. His music is, as they say, "haunting" and "well-crafted," and I can think of nowhere better to watch the man perform than one of the approximately 5,000 tourdates Blau has charted over the course of the fall season.

Zebra tracklisting:

1. Waiting for the Wind
2. Crucial Contact
3. Apology to Pollinateurs
4. All Over the Town
5. Free the Bird
6. Goodbye Little Song
7. Dark Sedan
8. Welcome in NW
9. Tha’ Ole Moon Smile
10. MT Handed
11. Nothing New
12. Gnos LeVohs

Tourdates:
10.11.09 - Olympia, WA – Northern
10.12.09 - Tacoma, WA - The Den
10.13.09 - Seattle, WA - The Josephine
10.15.09 - Pullman, WA – Belltower
10.17.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
10.18.09 - Denver, CO – Rhinoceropolis
10.20.09 - Lawrence, KS - The Jackpot Saloon
10.22.09 - Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern
10.23.09 - Grand Rapids, MI - The DAAC
10.24.09 - Bloomington, IN - Russian Recording
10.25.09 - Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Artworks
10.28.09 - Plattsburgh, NY - North Country Food Co-Op
10.29.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel
10.30.09 - Haverford, PA - Lunt Basement
11.02.09 - Charlottesville, VA - Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar
11.04.09 - Greensboro, NC - Square One
11.05.09 - Lexington, KY - Al's Bar
11.07.09 - Athens, GA - Secret Squirrel
11.08.09 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under
11.10.09 - Dallas, TX - Swiss House
11.11.09 - Austin, TX - Emo's Jr.
11.12.09 - Lubbock, TX - Bash Riprocks
11.13.09 - Albuquerque, NM - Burt's Tiki Lounge
11.14.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space
11.17.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Smell
11.18.09 - Santa Barbara, CA - Biko Garage
11.20.09 - San Luis Obispo, CA - SLO Art Center
11.21.09 - Santa Cruz, CA - Resource Center for Non Violence
11.23.09 - Arcata, CA - The Green House
11.24.09 - Salem, OR - Ike Box

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