INTRODUCING… TMT FILM!
By Judy Berman on 05-02-2008
Surprise! While you were smoking pot and passing out on your couch for the 17th night in a row, we gnomes were working overtime at TMT headquarters, running dangerous experiments, and offering human sacrifices to the media gods. Well, our work has finally paid off. Allow us to introduce to you the one, the only, the first, the last, the ultimate... TMT FILM!
That’s right, kids, your favorite music site is venturing into the world of moving pictures. We’ll be bringing you new content every week, including reviews, features, and coverage of film festivals around the country. Because TMT Film emerged organically from the interests of the TMT staff, we’ll be covering the kinds of movies that are most exciting to us and, we hope, to all of you. Our focus will be on independent and underground movies, foreign films, revivals, and cult stuff. That isn’t to say that we won’t offer a unique take on more mainstream fare from time to time, but, as with our music content, we want to spread the word about great work that is flying under the radar rather than add to the overexposure of blockbusters.
We know that change can be frightening at first, so we want to make sure everyone understands that the old TMT that we all love isn’t going anywhere. Music is still the center of our universe, but, as Woody Allen feared in Annie Hall, the universe is expanding. We’re not going for world domination, brand expansion, or any of that other bullshit. And we wouldn’t dream of reducing our music coverage by even a little bit.
So, click here for TMT Film. We hope you love it and can’t wait to hear what you think.
No Band Is an Island. Except Islands. Islands Is an Island; Also, Diamonds Reported on the Human Highway
By David Nadelle on 05-02-2008
When you look past the trees and see the forest, you know you’re in a safe, sane state of mind. When you look past the trees and see islands, you know you are in for a long time spent McGyvering tools, spearing fish, and talking to yourself and to painted volleyballs. Not all is lost if you see the right Islands, however. For example, if you see the six good-time goofs that comprise the band Islands, consider yourself blessed for the opportunity, regardless of the given geographical location. Islands have been playing dates already but have announced a more expansive tour that will take them throughout North America, starting May 22 in Washington, DC. Forever exuding optimism, a bit of deadpan comedy, and a love of patchwork quilts (possibly), Nicholas Thorburn and co. are a perennial audience favorite.
La isla bonita:
05.01.08 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
05.22.08 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
05.23.08 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unit
05.24.08 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
05.25.08 - Boston, MA - Middle East
05.27.08 - Ottawa, Ontario - Babylon
05.28.08 - Montréal, Quebec - Le National
05.29.08 - Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix
05.30.08 - London, Ontario - Call the Office
05.31.08 - Waterloo, Ontario - Starlight
06.01.08 - Detroit, MI - Crofoot
06.02.08 - Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium
06.03.08 - Minneapolis, MN - First Ave
06.04.08 - Fargo, MN - The Aquarium
06.05.08 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - West End cultural Centre
06.06.08 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Amigo’s
06.07.08 - Edmonton, Alberta - Starlite
06.08.08 - Calgary, Alberta - Warehouse
06.10.08 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Plaza Club
06.12.08 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
06.13.08 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne
06.14.08 - Eugene, OR - U of O Grad Fest
06.16.08 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo’s
06.17.08 - Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater
06.19.08 - San Diego, CA - Epicentre
06.20.08 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
06.21.08 - Phoenix, AZ - Club House
06.23.08 - Austin, TX - Emo’s
06.24.08 - Dallas, TX - Granada
06.25.08 - Houston, TX - Walter’s
06.26.08 - Baton Rouge, LA - Chelsea’s Café
06.27.08 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
06.28.08 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre
If seeing the Montréal-bred sextet bounce around on stage isn't your bag, you have to at least pick up Arm's Way, Islands' second coming, which will be available May 20 through ANTI-. To not do so would be a crime against both good judgment and sanity. Period.
The Ways of The Arm:
1. The Arm
2. Pieces of You
3. J’aime vous voir quitter
4. Abominable Snow
5. Creeper
6. Kids Don’t Know Shit
7. Life in Jail
8. In the Rushes
9. We Swim
10. To a Bond
11. I Feel Evil Creeping In
12. Vertigo (If It’s a Crime)
Thorburn (don’t you hate it when musicians grow up and revert to their given surnames? Bring back Nick “Niel” Diamonds!), together with Canadian singer-songwriter, former Islands player, and Royal City/Three Gut Records lynchpin Jim Guthrie, have formed an old-fashioned r ‘n’ r combo called Human Highway. Human Highway will release its album Moody Motorcycle August 19 on Suicide Squeeze (Secret City Records in Canada). Expect an orgy of Everly Brothers-styled oldies and, according to label monkeys, “hot man-on-man vocal action.” Hmm, about time!
I Will Not Confuse You With Unnecessary Technical Jargon: Asthmatic Kitty to Release Castanets Covers on Optical Disc Storage Media Format: A Digital Versatile Disc
By David Nadelle on 05-02-2008
In addition to Jonathan Richman’s assertion that Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole, the chameleonic Cubist was good for a quote or two, too. Speaking about the still-life paintings of Cezanne, he said, “If there were not anxiety behind those apples, Cezanne would not interest me any more than Bouguereau.” The same thing can be said about the music of Ray Raposa, who plies his trade under the guise of Castanets (minus the Bouguereau thing). Although he often adds a deft dose of experimentation to his brittle beauties, it is what is not on display that is so admirable and intriguing. There's always tension beneath the sparse but passionate surface.
Few labels embrace the audio/visual relationship quite like Asthmatic Kitty Records. Not that long after issuing their first DVD collection Encyclopedia Asthmatica, which details the rich history of the label from early, charming (I won’t say amateur) works to full-bloom works of art, comes the announcement of Tendrils, a DVD of Castanets cover songs to be released May 22 by the label. In keeping with his own declaration that “The recorded version of the song is not necessarily the definitive version of the song,” Raposa sees his songs interpreted by a host of friends and past collaborators, including Phosphorescent and members of The Dirty Projectors and Vanishing Voice, as well as original vids by director Mia Ferm. Pre-orders and orders will come with a download card for an exclusive new Castanets EP.
1. Rain Will Come (Dave Longstreth)
2. Remix On Post Apocalyptic Music (G. Lucas Crane)
3. This Is The Early Game (Golden Ghost & Silver Spokes
4. Jump Cuts And Hip Hop (John Chavez)
5. Strong Animal (Sayard Egan and Angel Deradoorian)
6. Dirty Jokes & Billiards (Jesse Ainslie)
7. Sway (Marla Hansen)
8. Lost Lyrics (recited by Matt Lorenz in Farsi with Polish subtitles)
9. Three Months Paid (Jesse Ainslie)
10. Interlude At Miller's Pond I
11. Night Is When You Can Not See (Tucker Dulin and Ben Piekut)
12. Interlude At Miller's Pond II
13. Noise Prelude To City Of Refuge (Ray and G. Lucas Crane)
14. On Genre/Spaces (Ben Piekut)
15. And the Swimming (Phosphorescent)
Well, you can call him Ray, or you can call him Jay... um, on second thought, you should call him Ray because that is his name! Ray being Ray Raposa, Castanets’ one steady soul, who will be playing a bunch of dates, with Meg Noe in tow. Go and see these, Euro buuuu-ddies (and you can call me Pauly Shore)
05.02.08 - Haarlem, Netherlands - Patronaat
05.03.08 - Offenbach, Germany - Hafen 2
05.04.08 - Lille, France - La Malterie
05.05.08 - London, England - Windmill
05.06.08 - Hove, England - Greenhouse Effect
05.07.08 - Manchester, England - Dulcimer
05.08.08 - York, England - The Basement
05.10.08 - Coventry, England - Taylor John's House
05.11.08 - Nantes, France - Cafe Grimault
05.12.08 - Rennes, France - 1929
05.13.08 - Paris, France - Le Point Ephemere
05.15.08 - Basel, Switzerland - Kaserne
05.16.08 - Düdingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn
05.17.08 - Ravenna, Italy - Hana Bi
05.18.08 - Trieste, Italy - Tetris
05.19.08 - Zagreb, Croatia - Kset
05.20.08 - Maribor, Slovenia - Pekarna
05.21.08 - Prague, Czech Republic - Skutecnost
05.22.08 - Berlin, Germany - Schokoladen
05.23.08 - Hamburg, Germany - Ãœbel und Gefährlich #
05.24.08 - Bremen, Germany - Spedition (Guterbahnhof)
05.25.08 - Cologne, Germany - Kulturbunker-Mulheim
05.26.08 - Trier, Germany - Ex_Haus
05.27.08 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
05.28.08 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Ekko
# Stereo Total
Get Me A Double-Disc of Patti Smith, Stat. Kevin Shields and Grandmother of Punk Team Up To Save Your Soul With Coral Sea Release
By Hanky Panky on 05-02-2008
Oh, shit! Insipid enemy pop music has infiltrated your brain, triggering a meaningless obsession with sing-song melodies and catchy, vapid lyricism that makes you both docile and boring as hell. Is it too late for you? Probably. But look! Here comes bad-ass musical vigilante Patti Smith, arriving live, on the scene to save your soul from the black hole of Vampire Weekend CD-Rs from which there is no return. And by her side? None other than Bloody Valentine/upcoming ATP curator Kevin Shields.
Their master plan: take two live recordings of sold-out performances of The Coral Sea, Smith's posthumous tribute to friend and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, dust ’em off, shine ’em up, and inject them into your C-G-D chord progression-loving veins.
The double-disc is set to be released July 11 on the duo's own imprint, PASK, and will be the first official issuing of the 2005/2006 recordings of the two London shows. Now, this ain't no pussyfooting around. Shields and Smith are serious about emotional resuscitation, and you best not let them down. Dealing with Mapplethorpe's terminal illness by way of frenzied spoken-word prose and backed by a climactic storm of drone and noise, Coral Sea is an epic elegy of what can only be described as "a kind of screaming requiem." Nineteen years after Mapplethorpe's death, Smith's performance is as raw and anguished as ever, which should move your cold heart to feeling a little compassion, a little distress, a little empathy -- anything? No? You selfish bastard, you.
Lemuria Touring with The Queers, Bomb the Music Industry; What the Hell Kind Of a Band Name is Bomb the Music Industry
By Joe B. on 05-02-2008
Lemuria are from Buffalo, New York. I’m told there’s a house in Buffalo that used to be a funeral parlor where they put on shows and have loud parties. The basements of funeral parlors are traditionally (and probably) used to hold terrifying things. As a person entrusted with an audience of millions, I feel obligated to inform any potential attendees of the shows listed below that Lemuria is probably haunted.
Lemuria are, however, a fine band. You may be considering taking the risk and seeing them anyway. I certainly am. As such, I have included here a list of notable ways to ward off various kinds of popular monsters:
- Vampires: Garlic, holy water, wild roses, sprinkling mustard seeds on your roof -- sometimes vampires can’t come into your house unless you invite them.
- Werewolves: Wolfsbane and pure silver (which will cause more pain) are the easiest ways. Contrary to popular belief, you probably can’t become a werewolf just by being bitten by a werewolf. You usually need to be the seventh son or to run afoul of a satanic sorcerer.
- Cthulhu: Neither your memory nor the written word itself will have any use, but if you know one of the Air Beings, you might want to give him or her a call.
- Banshees: Don’t worry too much about banshees; they probably only mean one of your friends or family is about to die. They are also attractive.
PS: Lemuria’s newest LP, Get Better, was released a couple of months ago on Asian Man Records.
News You Can Use:
^ The Ergs!
% Los Nervios, Hay Silencio
# Anti Sociales, Gio y Los Policias
& Diente Perro, Juventud Crasa, Un Final Fatal, Jenny Fatale & Los Degolladores
* The Queers, Bomb the Music Industry, Andrew Jackson Jihad, and Kepi Ghoulie
