It was reported by Digital Music News that the RIAA spent a hefty $1,398,227 on lobbying initiatives this past quarter. Here is a list of things that we at TMT feel the RIAA should spend its money on instead:
1. Financing the tours of hard-working independent bands.
2. Splurging on a spa day, so it’ll stop being stressed out about how people are still downloading music illegally.
3. A time machine to get itself to 2010.
• RIAA: http://www.riaa.com
New mixtape from Das Racist, Sit Down, Man, up for download September 14!
“Stoner jokesters,” eh, New York Times? How typically dismissive. At this point, if all you know of Das Racist is a clever name and “Combination Taco Bell and Pizza Hut,” you’re seriously missing out. Their first mixtape, Shut Up, Dude, came out earlier this year, causing reviewers everywhere to cautiously tip-toe around terms like “pomo rap” and “ethnic electronic band” (these dudes’ words), quickly positing Das Racist as one answer not only to Sasha Frere-Jones’ lament about the demise of hip-hop, but also ye old racial polemic.
Das Racist are now preparing to unleash a second mixtape, this time more courteously titled Sit Down, Man. Check out the trailer (yes, a trailer) here, a nice fireside-style chat with Himanshu Suri and Victor Vazquez, including a few audio clips from Sit Down, Man tracks and a shout-out from Diplo. Sit Down, Man, presented by Diplo, Mad Decent, Greedhead Entertainment, and Mishka, will be available online September 14 at maddecent.com, greedhead.net, mishkanyc.com, and djbooth.net. For only their second mixtape, Das Racist is really packing heat: there’s production from Diplo, Boi-1da, Dame Grease, and Scoop Deville, plus guest artists El-P, Teengirl Fantasy, Vijay Iyer, and more. Holy shit, dude.
Check out the music video for “Who’s That? Brooown!” over at Pitchfork, diligently bringing hip-hop in all its forms to middle-class college students everywhere.
Sit Down, Man tracklisting:
01. All Tan Everything (Prod. Sabzi)
02. Town Business [ft. Kassa Overall] (Prod. Kassa Overall)
03. Puerto Rican Cousins (Prod. Gordon Voidwell)
04. Amazing (Prod. Keepaway)
05. Roc Marciano joint [ft. Roc Marciano] (Prod. Mike Finito)
06. We’re Rapping to You [ft. Lakutis] (Prod. Sha-Leik the Engineer)
07. Fashion Party [ft. Chairlift] (Prod. Chairlift)
08. Love It Mane [ft. Fat Tony]
09. And the White Man Get Paid Off of All of That (Dusk/Blackdown Cover)
10. Commercial (Prod. Teengirl Fantasy)
11. hahahaha jk? (Prod. Boi-1Da)
12. Return to Innocence (Prod. Dash Speaks)
13. Rooftop f/ Despot (Prod. Dame Grease)
14. Julia (The Very Best) (Das Racist Remix)
15. You Can Sell Anything (Prod. Diplo)
16. Sit Down Man [ft. El-P] (Prod. Scoop Deville)
17. Free Jazzmataz (Prod. Vijay Iyer and Das Racist) [bonus]
18. Fatima’s Oppression Part 2 (Prod. Das Racist/Ben Sinclair) [bonus]
19. Irresponsible [ft. Lakutis] (Prod. Das Racist) [bonus]
• Das Racist: http://www.myspace.com/dasracist
RIP: Noah Howard, jazz saxophonist
From Billboard:
Noah Howard, a New Orleans-born musician who spent most of his career in Europe, has died. Howard, 67, died unexpectedly on Sept. 3 while vacationing in southern France, said his agent, Florian Eisele.
Howard was born in New Orleans and performed as a young man with Louis ‘Satchmo’ Armstrong, Eisele said. Becoming a driver of the early Free Jazz movement, Noah quickly developed into one of the world’s most celebrated alto saxophonists. Eisele said. Howard debuted as a leader for the ESP label with Noah Howard Quartet in 1966.
Disenchanted by the lack of appreciation for musical avant-garde in the United states, Noah moved in 1972 to France and in 1983 to Belgium, Eisele said. Howard recorded more than 28 records, including “Voyage” in 2010.
• Noah Howard: http://www.noahhoward.com
Ponytail’s Dustin Wong will reveal the beautiful music lodged deep within his musty Baltimorean heart with solo album Infinite Love
When you listen to Ponytail, does your mind inevitably revisit that time in college when you decided to drop acid every day of finals week, “Just to see if I could do it, man?” I bet your parents sure do! Every generation needs a salty crew of psychedelic chaperones to cut swaths through what your therapist callously refers to as “basic human existence.” And luckily for today’s Twitter children, Ponytail are as spacey as any Joe Meltingwall or Jane Vibratinghands that’s come around since Albert Hoffman first took a bike ride through his own cerebral cortex.
But thanks to the cruel human construct of time and (most likely unsubstantiated) rumors of Ponytail’s break up, loyal voyagers across the cosmic ocean will have to wait a spell before they can get their ears on a follow-up to 2008’s transcendent Ice Cream Spiritual (TMT Review). Thankfully, Ponytail axe-man Dustin Wong will fill the void with his first solo album, Infinite Love. Out October 5 on Thrill Jockey, Wong’s double LP layers a pastiche of guitar textures and loops that crescendo into an “orchestra” of sound that stops just shy of cacophonous but includes just enough racket to please all the headbutters out there in Americaland. Have a listen to an excerpt of Infinite Love’s D side to see just what the hell I’m talking about.
If you just can’t wait until October to get your Wong on, he’s got a couple dates in September near his Baltimore homebase to slake your psychedelic thirst:
09.13.10 - Baltimore, MD - Soft House
09.16.10 - New York, NY - Shea Stadium
09.18.10 - New York, NY - 3rd Ward
09.23.10 - Washington, D.C. - Velvet Lounge
10.23.10 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
10.28.10 - Baltimore, MD - G Spot
• Dustin Wong: http://www.myspace.com/dustinclarence
• Thrill Jockey: http://www.thrilljockey.com
• Ponytail: http://www.myspace.com/ponytailtunes
Sleepercar (ex-Sparta/At The Drive-In) get their gear stolen, feelings hurt
No band deserves to have their equipment stolen, especially not Sleepercar, which features former Sparta/At The Drive-In member Jim Ward. Rumors at the TMT offices (started by me) claim that the thiefs are big At The Drive-In fans, so perhaps Ward would have more luck recovering the gear if he decided to to ring up Cedric Bixler or Omar Rodriquez and suggest a reunion tour. You know, just a suggestion. In the meantime, please read the following message from Ward and keep an eye out for any of the following pieces of equipment if you find yourself in the Texas area:
Our trailer was stolen early Saturday, August 27th, from a parking lot next to the Marriott in downtown San Antonio, TX. We lost a substantial amount of gear, some of which is pretty unique, so we area keeping our fingers crossed it’ll show up somewhere, someday… can you please pass this along to anyone you know who tours or buys gear, especially if they live around central Texas. The pawnshops should get the list from the police report, but every little bit helps-if you see this stuff out there please email or call our studio:
Clap of Thunder
915-881-4737
booking@clapofthunder.comthanks everyone, be safe out there
Jim Ward
List of stolen gear:
- 1961 Pelham Blue Les Paul Junior (SG Shape) w/ case stenciled SPARTA
- Blonde Fender Esquire black stripe across body, hotel key screwed into body w/ case stenciled SLEEPERCAR
- 2008 White Gibson Firebird w/ case
- 2001 Les Paul Wine Red Flame Top w/ case stenciled Sparta
- Fender Stratocaster Sunburst w/ case
- Epiphone Sheraton Blonde w/ case
- Squire P-Bass Brown w/ case
- Carter Pedal Steel Single Neck E9 w/ case
- Takamine EF360SC Acoustic in case stenciled SWIFT
- Kawai 88 key electric piano w/ case
- Roland Juno D Synth w/ case
- Fender Twin Amp 100w w/ case stenciled Sparta
- Ampeg SVT III in rack
- Fender Deville 4x10 w/ case
- Vox AC-30 in case stenciled SLEEPERCAR
- Vox 2x12 Extension cabinet in case stenciled SLEEPERCAR
- Acoustic Bass Cabinet 1x15
- Marshall 2000 2x12 Cabinet
- Electro Harmonix Swtich Blade A/B Switcher
- 4 Boss TU-2 Pedal Tuners
- Electro Harmonix LPB-1
- Ibanez Tube Screamer Keeley Mod
- Ibanez Tube Screamer
- Ibanez analog delay
- Klon Overdrive
- Boss DM-3 Analog Delay
- Boss DD5 Digital Delay
- Electro Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb
- 2 Ernie Ball Volume Pedals
- 2 Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2s
- Rogue Volume Pedal
- Morely A/B Switcher
- Furman Surge Protector
- Sennheiser E840 Vocal mic
- Shure Beat 58 mic
- Ludwig “Butcher Block” drum set (16x22” Bass, 16x16” Floor Tom, 10x12” Rack Tom)
- Ludwig “std Acrolite” Snare drum 5.5x14”
- Ludwig “Red Sparkle” Snare drum 5.5x14”
- Zlidjian 22” K light ride
- Zildjian 21” Sweet ride
- Zildjian 18” K medium Crash
- Zidjian 15” Vintage Hats, no markings but have Zidjian stamp on them
- DW serires 9000 cymbal stand x3
- DW series 9000 snare stand x2
- Tama “Iron Cobra” High Hat Stand (strap model)
- Tama “Iron Cobra” Single Bass drum pedal
- Pork Pie Throne
- 22”x22”x52” Flight Case
• Sleepercar: http://www.sleepercarmusic.com
[Photo: Jennifer Peyton]
Hip-hop on Sub Pop? BWUUUUUUUUH? It’s true, Shabazz Palaces sign to Sub Pop for debut album
Look, I know Sub Pop is a big label that covers plenty of stylistic ground in the acts they sign. But hip-hop on Sub Pop? Well, I never! Except I’m going to have to go ahead and change that “never” to an “ever,” because spacey hip-hop outfit Shabazz Palaces have signed to the label. Once upon a time last year, the group was self-releasing a pair of EPs: Of Light and Shabazz Palaces. But those days are over now! Instead, they’ll be releasing a full-length through Sub Pop next year.
Until then, they’ll be playing a couple of noteworthy shows. The first will be at The Stranger’s Genius Awards Party, having been the first recipient of the publication’s Genius Award for Music. That show will take place at Seattle’s Moore Theatre on September 17. Shabazz Palaces will also be hitting up another prestigious venue by playing the American Museum of Natural History on October 15, as part of a FADER-produced monthly music series called “One Step Beyond.”
Hey, did you know one of the guys in Shabazz Palaces used to be in Digable… oh never mind, you probably already know.
• Shabazz Palaces: http://shabazzpalaces.com
• Sub Pop: http://www.subpop.com
"How many of us do still believe in a linear musical history?" - Bernhard Günter
