What's the protocol on takeout from places with a salsa bar. Can I just load my shit up and take off? I just picked up a stellar cubano sandwich, and I'm really sort of let down I didn't load up some tortillas and pice de gallo to go with. If anyone can let me know on that, seriously, do that.
Anyways, I've been talking with an esteemed colleague and old friend about hopping on board this site, because he's got great taste in music and he's on the other side of the country so he hears about all those west coast bands that I'm always late to catching. Also thinking about renaming the page, since I'm worried I'm gonna get a bunch of people thinking I have hot dogs for fingers, or that this is a medical oddities page or something like that. I was leaning towards "Cobra-La", but my apartment has recently earned that name (don't ask), so anyone with suggestions let's hear 'em. Anyways, today's a special day here because I'm in a great mood after last night's Mogwai debacle (also don't ask), and I'm goin to see the hilarious Eugene Mirman tomorrow night. This ties in to today's post since the last time I saw him he was playing on what might be the greatest bill I've ever seen with Langhorne Slim and The Hold Steady.
Seriously, in additionn to being very, very drunk, it was one of those shows that you actually rock so hard it hurts, and you end up at home in a sweaty, pummeled mess just loving the feeling that just ripped through you. This isn't entirely uncommon, but the only band that came that close to just beating the shit out of me was the late, great Mclusky. Anyways, the Hold Steady get a lot of "Springsteen meets AC/DC" type descriptions of their sound, which definitely isn't far off. Craig Finn has the sort of lyrics that immediately conjure up the Boss. They paint pictures of kids drinking on playgrounds at night, and people finding seedy redemption at rock bottom. I don't know, the sort of lyrics that are mythical in stature and really make you want to follow these people's stories. I've heard a lot of people say they can't get into his voice, but that's a stupid line of thinking. His voice goes from a deadpan delivery to outright shouting, and it's perfect for the music that accompanies him. The band's sound is definitely on par with an classic rock radio sound (I've heard them describe their sound as "Classic Rock with a little 'c'"), but not in a lame-ass retread sort of way. Lead Guitarist Tad Kubler was the bassist in he and Finn's previous band, Lifter Puller, which only makes his skills that much more impressive. I don't know what he learned to play first or if he just picked up the bass in LP because it was an open slot, but THE MAN FUCKING JAMS. I kid you not, go out any buy their last album, because it will destroy you and make you give a shit about rock music again. Fuck that, buy both of their albums, because they're both incredible, though noticeably different (my favorite song of theirs "Knuckles", has blown out 2 seperate sets of speakers in my car) in a progressive, linear sort of way.
The track I'm posting here is a live accoustic version of "You Gotta Dance (With Who You Came To the Dance With)", a short song the band recorded for Craig's Crisp Music project. Anyways, I can't recommend the studio version enough (you can find it on iTunes), because it's 2 minutes of outright fucking rock, complete with handclaps, a harmonica, and what is currently my favorite fucking guitar solo ever.
This version is 5 seconds shorter, and a bit toned down, though it definitely has it's charms. Franz Nicolay's piano and harmonica take a much more prominent place, and Craig's delivery is almost casual, not having to compete with the amps.
"You Gotta Gance (With Who You Came To the Dance With)" (accoustic) - The Hold Steady (YSI LInk)
Buy all of the Hold Steady's albums here
So I can't make all this guitar praise without even a slight nod to the person who I'd probably be inclined to call my favorite person ever in music. Sterling Morrison wasn't the most technically proficient or prolific guy (his playing is never differentiated from Lou Reed's in all the VU credits), but I love his style. Compound that with what can only be described as a really fucking interesting life (after the Velvet Underground broke up, he taught English at UT Austin, and later worked as a tugboat captain). He and Mo Tucker were in the middle of the infamous Reed/Cale squabbling, and he put up with one of the most difficult personalities in music for a while before succumbing to non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma right after the Velvet Underground reunited to play in Europe. It's sad to think he never got to play the states again with his old band, bt at least we got to hear him play again.
I'm not gonna post a VU track, just because a)you should already have them and b)this song is fucking incredible. His non VU output is varied (Nico and Moe Tucker's albums, most notably), but this track, recorded in 1993 or 4, is just incredible, and adds so much to the track (anyone who's seen Luna play this song live can back me up). The lead guitar he plays in this song is just so awesome I can't put it into words. He's just got such a fluid sound it's impossible not to get into. I first heard this record in July 1995 from a guy who I was living with working as a camp counselor. It's odd, because I distinctly remember all the music I picked up from this guy and this album is the only one I still listen to with any joy at all, the rest just seems so cheerfully outdated. Anyways, like I said, I loved this record for years and it's really tied in to a specific window of my life. That's all I'm really gonna say about that. I hope you all enjoy it.
"Friendly Advice" - Luna (YSI Link)
buy Bewitched here
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