Music

Music is a necessity. Though I focus mostly on alternative/industrial/EBM/electronic styles, my tastes are eclectic and wide-ranging.

Oh, go ahead and point, it's okay

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Much as I enjoy the Vogue, it does have one definite downside — there is very little ventilation in the club, so it gets incredibly hot on summer nights. Thankfully, the Vogue has a fairly relaxed dress code, so it’s not at all uncommon for people to lose articles of clothing as the night goes on (so maybe it’s not that much of a downside after all…). When this happens, it’s not at all uncommon to get some odd looks from the “straights” (non-regulars) that are at the club, as in many normal clubs, you’d get kicked out for doffing your shirt midway through the night, so getting the occasional surprised look or getting pointed at is something that I’m fairly used to.

Tonight, I’d taken my shirt off during one of the songs, and once the song was done went outside to get a breath of air. As I walked out, I noticed a couple girls out of the corner of my eye, one of whom was doing a fairly obvious “oh-there-he-is-look-wait-don’t-make-it-obvious” motion to her friend. Being used to this, and rather amused that I’d caught her, I turned around with a grin and told them, “Oh, go ahead and point, it’s okay.”

What I wasn’t expecting was to have the girl laugh, then say, “No, no, wait — you’re from Alaska, right?”

“Um…yeah…”

“You’re DJ Woody, aren’t you? From Gig’s? And that little place up above Chuck-E-Cheese?”

“Holy shit! Yes!”

“I knew it! I told you it was him! We used to go see you spin at Gig’s when we were 14 and 15!”

Just incredible. Shannon and (oh, lord, I hate being brainless…Jen?) had been club kids back in Anchorage when I was working at Gig’s, and then later at the Eclipse. They’d seen me dancing and thought they recognized me, but since I’ve shaved my head since they’d seen me last, they weren’t sure. It wasn’t until I went outside without my shirt and they saw my tattoo that they were fairly sure, and Jen tried to point me out to Shannon. Apparently they’re both fairly recent escapees (Jen’s been here for about five months, Shannon for about one), and are living down in Tacoma.

Too freaking cool. We spent a good amount of time talking outside the club and catching up, I met their friends Kate and (again…Beth?), and then once the club closed, they headed off for breakfast and I came home. They said they should be back at the Vogue at some point, though, so I should get a chance to run into them again. All sorts of cool.

I love it when stuff like this happens.

The spectre of Spinal Tap

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We opened and closed the show, starting after a film sequence featuring a businessman searching sand dunes for a half-buried laptop, and a gravelly-voiced man saying in a so-baritone-it-must-be-important, film-trailer way, “There was a search for an internet business…”

The rest of the sequence was always lost to me as I was concentrating on standing upright and not wetting myself with laughter: Gravel Man was our signal that the revolving circular stage we were on was about to turn us briskly to face the audience and, we suspected, hurl our much ridiculed, old before his time guitarist into the front row like a ball off a dodgy roulette wheel. The spectre of Spinal Tap never leaves a rock band.

— Jesus Jones frontman Mike Edwards describing playing corporate gigs, in the Guardian Unlimited

(via kottke)

Starship and Kickshaw

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If you get a chance to see Starship perform, and it’s cheap, and you don’t have anything pressing going on, it’s not a bad show. The band, of course, is entirely different, and it’s just Mickey Thomas providing the voice that really lets them use the name, but they do a decent job. Not stellar — the drummer wasn’t always on, the harmonies often weren’t very harmonious, and the duets just aren’t the same without Grace Slick — but not horrid, either. Even when it’s not dead-on perfect, it’s still fun to be able to hear “We Built This City on Rock and Roll” live.

You know you’re in trouble when someone’s doing their nails during your set.

— Mickey Thomas, pointing out an audience member during Starship’s set

Now, if you get a chance to see Kickshaw perform, you should, with absolutely no qualifications whatsoever. This local acapella powerhouse is flat-out incredible on stage. The things they can do with their voices are just mindblowing, they’ve got great stage presence, and each time I’ve seen them, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely recommended if you get the chance.

Running away…

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Just a quick note right now — about to head out to the Taste of Edmonds food festival, about half an hour outside of Seattle, to see Starship and Kickshaw. Kickshaw was actually the reason I wanted to head out there, getting to see the current incarnation of 80’s band Starship (nee Jefferson Starship, nee Jefferson Airplane) is just an added bonus.

iPhish

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Cool little mini-article over at Apple’s site about their involvement with a recent Phish concert.

The first weekend in August, Phish headlined a massive three-day festival which attracted 70,000+ fans from across the country to a decommissioned airforce base in Limestone, ME. In addition to performing, the band set up a tent where fans could make their own free custom mix CD of live Phish tracks with iTunes. The tent ran at full capacity, with lines outside until 4AM each night.

(via MacSlash)

Jane says…

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Jane’s Addiction rocks.

Jane’s Addiction has a new album out.

Jane’s Addiction’s new CD appears to be copy-protected (at least, the single from the new album had a prominently displayed ‘copy protection’ logo on it. I didn’t see one on the album itself, but if the single had it, there’s at least a good chance that the album will too, and I don’t know what the labeling requirements are for the new copy protection technology).

Jane’s Addiction just lost a sale.

If anyone can verify that the new album is not copy protected, then I’ll buy it. But I refuse to purchase a CD that likely will not play in my computer, but may not play in my normal CD player either. Besides, I listen to most of my music these days by legally copying it to my iPod. If I can’t do that, I’m not nearly as likely to listen to it, so why buy it? Grrrrrr.

BuyMusic ripping off artists

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Another good reason to avoid the BuyMusic service: apparently, through snapping up the back catalog of a very shady distributor, much of the BuyMusic catalog comes from independent artists who are not receiving any compensation for their work.

This from recording artist Jody Whitesides:

I did a search for one of my old CD’s that will be going onto iTunes and It turns out my CD was there on BuyMusic.com. As were the CD’s of several other bands that I’m friends with. All of whom were not contacted about being placed for sale there.

Here’s what I’ve deduced… BuyMusic.com (which I will refer to as BM) got their “vast” music library of 300,000 plus songs from a company called the Orchard. The Orchard is a distribution company that has consistently shafted artists by not paying them for CD’s sold nor returning unsold CD’s or cancelling contracts. So, without the express consent of what is likely lots of the Orchards catalog, BM has put it up for sale at the bargain price of \$.79 a song.

So now, they can tout they’re selling tracks at \$.79 and they can say they have a library of music of over 300,000 songs. But what they don’t tell you is that it comes from musicians/bands that were not asked for permission, and who will likely not see a penny of any sale made through BM. By their very own site policy they are committing copyright infringement. They have done this to lure PC/windows users to their site in hopes to sell the few major label aquired songs they do have, at a price that is much higher than Apple’s \$.99.

I’m currently looking into legal means to have my music removed from their site and strongly encourage users to not browse BM’s site nor purchase from it.

(via MacSlash)

When You're Evil

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I found this song by Voltaire on a sampler from Projekt Records. It’s a good sampler, but this is easily the best of the bunch. Gypsy-ish melody, music that’s mostly violin and drumkit, and wonderful lyrics that sound to me like they’re sung with a quite mischevious glint in the eye. Gets me grinning every time I hear it.

When the Devil is too busy,
and Death’s a bit too much,
They call on me — by name you see —
for my special touch.
To the gentlemen I’m Miss Fortune,
To the ladies I’m Sir Prize,
But call me by any name,
any way it’s all the same…

I’m the fly in your soup,
I’m the pebble in your shoe,
I’m the pea beneath your bed,
I’m a bump on every head,
I’m the peel on which you slip,
I’m a pin in every hip,
I’m the thorn in your side,
Makes you wriggle and writhe —

(Chorus)
And it’s so easy when you’re evil!
This is the life, you see
The Devil tips his hat to me.
I do it all because I’m evil,
And I do it all for free…
Your tears are all the pay I’ll ever need.

While there’s children to make sad,
While there’s candy to be had,
While there’s pockets left to pick,
While there’s grannies left to trip down the stairs
I’ll be there, I’ll be waiting round the corner
It’s a game, i’m glad I’m in it
’cause there’s one born every minute.

(Chorus)

I pledge my allegiance to all things dark
And I promise on my damned soul
To do as I am told, Lord Beelzebub
Has never seen a soldier quite like me,
Not only does his job but does it happily.

I’m the fear that keeps you awake,
I’m the shadows on the wall,
I’m the monsters they become,
I’m the nightmare in your skull,
I’m a dagger in your back,
An extra turn upon the rack,
I’m the quivering in your heart,
A stabbing pain, a sudden start.

(Chorus)

And I’d do it all for free,
Your tears are all the pay I’ll ever need.
And I’d do it all for free,
Your tears are all the pay I’ll ever need.

It gets so lonely being evil.
What I’d do to see a smile,
Even for a little while,
And no one loves you when you’re evil…

I’m lying though my teeth!
Your tears are all the company I need!

And who says Goth’s don’t have a sense of humor? ;)