March 31st, 2009

No Pumpkins For Jotto Drummer Either

Kristian Almgren, drummer for Philly’s own Jotto, has also weighed in rather thoughtfully on our question regarding Billy Corgan’s open audition to become the Smashing Pumpkins’ new drummer: “If you weren’t in your current band and had no other musical obligations, would you audition to become the drummer of the Smashing Pumpkins, and why or why not?”:

“While I did grow up listening to the Pumpkins and still consider them one of the better bands of that time, my short answer would be ‘Naw, I’m good.’ Reason? There are a few. First, I consider myself a musician and artist, not a hired gun. While I have massive respect for those cats that can run the hired guns game (’cause they are usually BAD ASS — I’m looking at you, Josh Freese), it’s not something for me. I enjoy being a part of the creative process and shaping songs and being inspired by my bandmates, not just just being told what to play. Second, I hate the idea of open auditions. I think there is a lot more to band chemistry than the ability to show who you are as a player in a tryout setting. I have had some of the best musical connections with people that I had personal ones with also. I know that could come over time with Bill et al, but it puts a sterile damp feeling on most open auditions.

Plus, wouldn’t that be just like Rock Band?”

March 31st, 2009

Win Free Tickets To See Sebastien Tellier This Saturday + 12″ Vinyl Of His Hit “Kilometer”

Confession time: we have a man crush on hirsute French electro pop star Sebastien Tellier. His new(ish) album Sexuality has been the unofficial soundtrack at MMMHQ for awhile now (running neck and neck with early ’70s Detroit punkers Death, who we also love, love, love), and whether it’s the Beach Boys inspired happy-time jangle of “Divine,” the smooth Euro-lushness of “Roche” or the intimate, instrumental sparkle of “Sexual Sportswear,” we find nearly every song on Sexuality an ear-pleaser, which, in the Aughties, is a rarity indeed. Our favorite track on the record is “Kilometer.” (Longest. Sentence. Ever.) It’s so very sleazy—female cooing and moaning in the background, the “over the top” lyrics, the pounding and simplistic synth riff that just sounds French. Plus, it’s got a great NSFW video. (Always a plus.)

So guess what? In honor of Tellier’s performance this coming Friday at Starlight Ballroom, we’re giving away a 12″ copy of “Kilometer.” We’ve also got a pair of tickets to the show. In order to expand the winner’s circle, we’re giving each away as two separate prizes. Send an email to tips@makemajormoves.com with either “Sebastien tickets” or “12″ of Sebastien” in the subject header, and we’ll pick two lucky winners by Friday. (Keep in mind the 12″ is shipping from France, and will take a couple weeks.)

Good luck!

March 31st, 2009

Philly Producer Brian McTear Forms New Local Arts Group

Philadelphia producer/engineer Brian McTear — who runs Fishtown’s Miner Street Recordings and has helmed albums by Matt Pond PA, Burning Brides, Espers, the Bigger Lovers, and many more — has teamed up with the Philly arts group PositiveSpace to form a new non-profit organization called Weathervane Music, whose stated mission is to “improve the state of music in our culture, and bolster the career potential of great independent musicians in the process.”

According to a press release issued today, Weathervane intends to annually award “great independent musicians the opportunity to produce recordings in a quality studio with a professional production staff, and the chance to be the primary focus of a series of video projects covering the artists, recording sessions, and studio process, all produced for the web.” The group plans to announce its first projects on Thursday, April 2nd.

Says McTear:

“Weathervane exists to produce and promote great works in independent music. The industry is surely becoming less and less effective for artists, which all but ensures shorter, less productive careers for even the best of the best. Every one of us, music fans and musicians alike, needs to step up and support great music and the people who make the music. Weathervane hopes to lead this effort by providing great opportunity and exposure for its artists, and by providing new ways for music fans to support the making of great music directly, year in and year out. At the same time, we’ll expand the general public’s knowledge and awareness of the recording process and a musician’s vision for his or her music as it comes alive in the studio. We will build a great educational resource for amateur and professional recording enthusiasts by maintaining a detailed music and video archive of the recording sessions.”

March 31st, 2009

Who Really Wants To Be A Pumpkin?

By now you’ve probably heard, and yawned at, the news that drummer Jimmy Chamberlin has quit the Smashing Pumpkins, who are still a recording and touring band despite their complete lineup overhaul and increasing irrelevancy. Rather than try to replace Chamberlin via a reality show or something equally stupid, Billy Corgan is holding open auditions for a new drummer in Los Angeles on Friday, April 10th. Interested? You can send a bio, photos of yourself, and performance links to pumpkinsdrummer@gmail.com and see what happens.

Of course, we wondered who exactly would want to be in a band with notorious control freak and taskmaster Corgan, especially a band whose best and most interesting music (and moneymaking potential) is almost certainly behind it. We turned to a local drummer, Mike Baurer of Philly’s rootsy, jangly, Mod-rocky Toy Soldiers (who have gigs this month and next at the Fire, Chestnut Hill College, the North Star, and elsewhere), and asked him this: “If you weren’t in your current band and had no other musical obligations, would you audition to become the drummer of the Smashing Pumpkins, and why or why not?” Baurer confirmed our suspicions:

“In all honesty, that might be the one day I forget to set my alarm. No offense, Mr. Corgan, but I don’t think I could waste more of my time unless I was watching the remake of the movie Rollerball. But dont get me wrong — it’s not that the Smashing Pumpkins weren’t a good band back in the ’90s. But how long can that last? I’d rather start a Smashing Pumpkins cover band, this way I can play the songs in my basement. For my mom, who will actually pretend to like them then after she would make me and my cover band dinner. Then I’d curl up with my body pillow and watch a re-run of King of the Hill or whatever is on FX at the time. That would be a better day then trying out for or joining the Smashing Pumpkins.”

Well said, Toy Soldier, well said!!

March 31st, 2009

Happy Birthday, Christopher Walken!

Two things are happening to Christopher Walken today: He’s turning 66, and he’s remaining completely fucking awesome. So awesome that we can’t find it in our hearts to hold him personally responsible for the tired “More Cowbell!” heckle that’s (mostly) supplanted “Freebird!” at shows in recent years.

Walken’s actually quite the lithe dancer and a really interesting singer (please Netflix 1995’s Search and Destroy if you haven’t seen it already). He’s also been in a couple of music videos, which we present here in celebration of his birthday:

March 31st, 2009

Matt & Kim Postpone Philly Show, But Our Interview Still Goes On

Bummer news: Our pals Matt & Kim — the spiky synth-pop duo from Brooklyn — have been forced to postpone their show this coming Saturday, April 4th, at the Barbary (which was to be the final show of their current U.S. tour) after drummer Matt (Johnson), who’s known for his energetic live-gig antics, suffered a back injury over the weekend. He’s currently undergoing medical treatment, and the band plans to reschedule the show for sometime this summer.

Prior to this incident, we chatted with Matt & Kim about Philadelphia-related stuff; this’ll just have to suffice until they make it back to town. Feel better, Matt!

What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you in Philadelphia?
Matt: The best thing that’s ever happened to me in Philadelphia…well, I’d love to say that someone finally took me to this fictional pretzel place that everyone always tells me about, these midnight pretzels. After every single show it’s like, it’s the one day a week it’s closed and I don’t know how we end up there on that day, and I’ve stopped believing in it. Apparently at midnight you can get soft pretzels for a quarter. That’s my fictional best thing that’s ever happened to me there.

What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you in Philly?
Matt: The worst thing? Not finding those goddamn pretzels! Well basically, the worst thing is that every single time we would drive to Philadelphia, somewhere right outside of Philadelphia there’s a road called Black Mountain Road, and I don’t know why our GPS and Mapquest and everything always directs us to that road. It takes us off the highway and it puts us on this road and we find ourselves on it for like an hour. It’s somewhere in New Jersey, right across the river, and I don’t know how we would end up on this road every single time, but we’d get lost. I guess it was before GPS…
Kim: The GPS still gives us that…
Matt: Really? I dunno what it means, but every time I would call the venue or whatever, like, “Okay, Black Mountain Road, what does this mean to you?” It’s the Bermuda Triangle between New York and Philadelphia for us.
Kim: That road will find you!

March 31st, 2009

Tonight In Shows

Quite a mixed bag of shows tonight; something for everyone! Over at the Troc, the Christian-leaning metalcore/screamo outfit The Devil Wears Prada — which does not include Anne Hathaway or Meryl Streep — drops by to rock the kidz. Who else is their target audience, really, with songs like “HTML Rulez, d00d” and “You Can’t Spell Crap Without ‘C’”? Their steez is to blend thrashy, chunky riffs and plenty of double-kick drumming with bloodcurdling screams and “scary” Cookie Monster growls, then throw in some soaring, melodic choruses like you’d find on a Jimmy Eat World album, with some creepy synths tossed in now and then for good measure. They’re in town in advance of their next album, With Roots Above and Branches Below, due out in May. The show starts at 6:30pm and is sold out, but I’m sure someone on the sidewalk will be happy to sell you a ticket.

Meanwhile, Glenn Tilbrook — who along with Chris Difford forms the songwriting tandem behind Squeeze — comes to World Cafe Live with his other band, the Fluffers (who are not expats from the porn industry). They’ve just released Pandemonium Ensues, which, as expected, doesn’t stray too much from the bright, sweet-voiced, classic pop sound of Squeeze, maybe getting a little rootsier here and a little New Wave-ier there. Hard to say whether they’ll tackle any Squeeze songs, but the new material certainly stands fine on its own. Show starts at 7:30pm; tickets are $30-40.

And Idaho native Josh Ritter — who was born to two neuroscientists and studied to be one himself until the songwriting bug bit him and screwed up his brain in all kinds of ways — is at the Sellersville Theater. Endlessly compared to the likes of Bob Dylan (what acoustic singer-songwriter isn’t?) and Leonard Cohen, Ritter’s earned most of that by being into the indie-folk storytelling thing. I’ve never seen him live, but I hear he’s got a quite compelling stage presence, so this may very well be worth the drive north. Show starts at 8pm and tickets will cost you $29.50.

Finally, as we told you yesterday, Seattle’s Steve E. Nix & the Cute Lepers have cancelled their appearance at the North Star tonight due to the tragic death of their guitarist, Travis Criscola. The show will instead be headlined by Philly snot-punks Goodbye, Etc., with the Percocettes and the Do Its supporting. Show begins at 8pm; tickets are $8.