I’ve never been a U2 fan. I’ve tried. Just not into ‘em. Don’t hate ‘em, just always been boring to me. No offense meant, most people dig U2 and that’s cool with me. Just not my thing. I spent a late night next to the pool with them at the Sunset Marquis and they were nice enough dudes. Those glasses are ridiculous but hey, you’re a rock star, do what you need to do.
But put a leash on your manager’s Interweb hate. He’s making you guys look silly out there, sounding like the old man in a Scooby Doo cartoon or at least Lars in the “NAPSTER BAD” cartoon.
The World Wide Web is good for culture. It’s good for people who make music. It’s good for people who love music.
I’m happy to sit down and chat about why you’re wrong anytime. It’d be fun. I’m easy to find (you could just ping your friend Dave Goldberg), let me know if you’re interested.
Everyone should read Gerd’s long analysis of Paul’s speech at MIDEM.
For the record, Yahoo!, YouTube, etc pay every time a U2 song is played, be it video, radio, or on-demand.
ian of FISTFULAYEN
I was fortunate enough to get an interview with Jonathan Bates (Bass/Vocals) of Mellowdrone to talk about guitars, pedals, and live shows. I always suspected Mellowdrone was named after a Failure lyric from "Stuck On You" but had read that Jonathan created it in relation to Sparklehorse. My suspicions have been renewed by his answer to question #10. I will be at Spaceland on Valentine's Day to catch Mellowdrone in hopes of hearing some new tunes and digging deeper into the Failure mystery.
LR: How has the change to three band members affected your songwriting process?
JB: It hasn't really affected the songwriting process. Since each song starts off differently than before, our process by definition is constant change. How we play live and record now is drastically different. No more superfluous parts. Everything has to be succinct and have mass.
LR: "Box" was very cinematic and densely layered. How is the new album coming along?
JB: Luckily, i have no time limit this time around. So with this extra time, comes more life experiences to draw from. So i got into a bunch of trouble and figured my way out. Now its about finding sounds to represent those stories and references. Tony and I have spent months searching for the right tones and sounds. In other words, the album is coming along nicely, thank you for asking.
It's been pretty quiet at Little Radio recently. With everything in plan mode, we've definitely missed having everyone around. But last weekend was like a good night at Little Radio again. Just add 150 vintage mopeds, riders from all over the country and more sleeping bags than a weekend in Joshua Tree. Friday thru Monday, our good friends The Latebirds (aka Brown Sound Clothing aka what Jimmy and I are always sporting) put together an amazing event that drew people from all over. Basically, The Latebirds turned Little Radio into the home base, workshop, bar and even hostel for a national Moped Ralley and easily the most partying campsite this side of 7th Street.
When I showed up on Friday, there was one moped inside the warehouse being assembled by hand to remind me that this was the weekend of Flock Yeah. By the end of the day, all 5,000 square feet of Little Radio would be filled with either mopeds, tents, blowup mattresses or just good ole sleeping bags. The bar was reserved for people of course.
I'm fresh to the Moped Community, but community is why I created Little Radio, so we're always down with it. Good people getting together for something they love? Nothing I like more.
Locked away in my office for the day, I had no idea what was growing next door. By the time I needed to get away from the computer and get some fresh air, people from all over the nation had completely taken over the warehouse.
My kneejerk reaction was that I never realized all the amazing styles (many customized) of mopeds that had been made. I mean seriously, we're not talking about Honda Sprees and shit, these are straight up works of art.
When I finally caught up with Rob and Charlie from the Latebirds/Brown Sound to have a drink, they started explaining to me the depth of what was going on. Rob was talking about people taking apart mopeds, shipping the motors thru the mail to Brown Sound in LA (you can't fly with gas motors people), flying with the parts and assembling them at Little Radio. Others even rented moving trucks for the bikes and a school bus for the riders. WHAT UP SAN FRAN! People came from all over the place to do one thing, RIDE.
The whole scene was very similar to Barcamp, with mopeds traded for laptops. Nights were mostly spent hanging at Little Radio, while days were spent riding out to places like the Rock Store on Mulholland, a roll though Big Tujunga Cyn, as well as local rides around town.
With only a few spills, no tickets, one trip to the hospital (nothing serious) and only two complaints from the lofts next door...I'd say that's one pretty kick-ass two wheeled weekend.
Our best to all the riders who made it out and the Latebirds who made it happen. Here's more pics of the weekend.
Check the video section for a great video by the San Fran Gang.
For more pics, LOOK HERE.
Dave
Mezzanine Owls
Mezzanine Owls EP
2008 | JAXART Records
Lately L.A. has been this machine that just can't stop churning out great bands. Mezzanine Owls is one of those bands that every music person around town wants to talk
to you about or ask why the hell you haven't gone to see them play yet.
With their newest release, the self titled Ep due out February 19, you
can now add this to your next music related purchase.
The four
tracks on the EP all share that similar dark shoegazer style but break
out of just being stuck in that mold by creating rich layers of fuzz
surrounded by catchy lyrics and enduring hooks. Tucked within the music
is also an earnest attempt at some strong lyric writing, complementing
each other for a complete package. The first track, "Drift", includes
some great builds with a subtle anthemic quality to it. It's quite
obvious here that they are drawing on some inspiration from some older
bands, most notably the Jesus and Mary Chain. But they're not holding
themselves just to having that particular sound. "Ghost Ship", probably
my favorite of the four, has just a touch a haunting sadness in the
vocals, while throwing out calls to bands like Ride or Bright Eyes.
Continuing these characteristics is the single from the EP, "Snow
Globe". Drums pulsing, singer Jack Burnside seems about to burst with
emotion in a genuine, non affected way. It makes me feel warm to hear
it. The closing track, "Temporary Health", starts off resembling
something very close to the Walkmen. However, about a third of the way
through they kick up the beat, creating a great juxtaposition between
their soft melodicness and their ability to get dancy. It's a
satisfying closing track, pushing you to hit play again.
-Elana Rintala
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