jOLOFSON'S jAM

If you have never seen the experimental Philly band Man Man, do yourself a favor and catch one of their shows ASAP! I don't think I have ever seen another band perform with as much energy and enthusiasm as Man Man. Originally supposed to headline the Cherry Bounce Festival in Raleigh, they switched spots last minute with Chicago's The Hood Internet. I was skeptical of how the night would turn out since the rain seemingly sent the majority of those attending Raleigh Wide Open & Cherry Bounce seeking shelter. After Fin Fang Foom (Chapel Hill) finished up their set, the crowd was still quite small.

By the time Man Man finished their setup and sound check, the crowd filled in on Hargett St and downtown came to life. The band, signed to Anti, took the stage ready for battle dressed completely in tight white denim and white war paint. From the first cymbal hit, Honus Honus (lead vocals, rhodes) was running around the stage, hanging from the canopy, drumming on the audiences' heads, changing into sequenced costumes, and playing exotic instruments like water being poured into a metal bowl.

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No time for talking directly to the audience, there was at most 30 seconds of total time where the band was not performing. The various percussive instruments ranging from pots and pans to toys and vibraphones give Man Man their unique piano-centric sound. Overlaid with Zappa-like lyrical squeals, the performance was anything but predictable, and that is something I will never-ever complain about. At one point I looked to the side of the stage and saw an older couple standing there with their jaws on the ground. It's not every day you walk down the street and come across a performance like that.

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At the end of the night, one of the bartenders from The Raleigh Times Bar (one of the event's sponsors) brought four jager shots to Honus Honus (their are five of them in the band...) which he didn't touch till the end of the show. The bartender and Honus took the first two shots, and my wife Lacie, being the champ she is, took the final shot with Honus Honus, making the night that much more memorable. Can't wait to see Man Man again!!

Let me start off by saying that the song craft of Dr. Dog is equally as great live as on record. The band's performance at Cat's Cradle on Wednesday, 10/21 drew a near (if not) sell-out crowd. The Indie pop/psychedelic rock band based out of Philly, signed to Park The Van Records returned to the Cradle (their first performance outside of Philly was at Cat's Cradle) for an electric performance with Jeffery Lewis & the Junkyard.

I arrived a little late to the show and only caught the tail end of Jeffery Lewis. This was my first time seeing the band and I left feeling a bit upset, since the three songs I did catch were so fantastic. After a quick turnaround, Dr. Dog took the stage and played a solid mix of songs from their catalog. In true triangle-style, the show was a plaid-clad PBR swiggin' sing-along from start to finish. Towards the end of the show, the dog was pulling out some sexy funk and Scott McMicken (rhythm, vocals, keys) requested all the lights to be shut off and politely addressed the audience, "would it be too much to ask all of you to fall asleep?" You could feel the crowd disobeying his orders, and by the time the number climaxed and the lights were switched back on, the Cradle was having a full blown dance party.

The band finished their set with the always pleasing The Rabbit, The Bat, & The Reindeer which left the crowd screaming for more. The band returned to the stage and Scott McMicken picked up an apple from the corner of the stage and stated, "no one ate the apple! You past the test, you are a crowd that can be trusted". A two song encore, which left the guy standing next to me saying, "could Dr. Dog possibly be The Beatles of our generation?" I don't know if I would call Dr. Dog The Beatles (though they are quite Beatles-esque) but they are incredible performers and writers who are a definite force to be reckoned with on today's Indie circuit.

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updated: thanks Lindsay for catching that mistake :)

In alphabetical order, here is a sample of some of my favorite music related blogs that I subscribe to.

20 Jazz Funk Greats

Last night, I went to catch the Birds of Avalon at The Pour House Music Hall in Raleigh, NC. The show was their record release party for "Uncanny Valley". I recently came into a new record player, so I have been a bit vinyl crazy lately, scavenging all the nooks and crannies of thrift stores for hidden treasures. When I arrived at the door which leads into a long dark alley along side the Pour House, the doorman said, "$8 for admission, $15 for door and a vinyl". SOLD!!! $7 for a new vinyl of the band I am going to see? Kick-ass!

Once I got inside, Hammer No More the Fingers, supporting their newest release "Looking for Bruce" was on stage. A trio from Durham with a fantastic name and a straightforward indie rock aesthetic seemed a bit uninspired last night. This was the first time I had seen the band and was not terribly thrilled with their stage presence. At times it seemed as though the drummer was going to hit rock bottom and fall into a deep depression. Lighten up man, you're on stage! The band's song "Shutterbug" with its heavy bass line and floating vocals got me moving along with the rest of the crowd. I definitely see a lot of potential in HNMTF, they just need to drag their teeth across the Pour House's concrete bar a few more times.

The turn around between HNMTF and the second band, Whatever Brains, was very fast. I spent those 15 minutes playing the naked lady matching game. Whatever Brains put on a great set that was short and sweet. Loads of passion and raw emotion pouring from the quartet (take note HNMTF) with little time wasted between songs. Recently recruited to the Matador ranks and deemed "Raleigh's best new band", Whatever Brains are building some serious steam around the triangle with definite national potential. I hope to see more from these restless rockers in the years to come.

"Birds of Avalon drew inspiration for their new record from a theory by a Japanese roboticist to describe the phenomena by which human beings become more unsettled by robots or other human facsimiles in direct proportion to how lifelike they appear" (Volcom news). Once on stage, BOA painted the Pour House with a fresh coat of distortion. Their compositions, lyrical depth, and powerful stage pressence makes the band a true force to be reckoned with. However, and this is a big however, the sound at the Pour House sucks! You can almost feel the sound hitting you from a million different angles (not a good thing). Call me pretentious, but I believe a great band deserves great sound quality. This was not the case last night. All in all, they put on a great show and the crowd didn't seem to mind the washy sound quality.
 

From January of 2009 until July, I was living in Chicago, and have now arrived in Raleigh, NC where I will be staying for many years to come. Moving here solidifies that Lacie and I will be opening the Long Tail Tavern in Raleigh. Not Portland, not San Fran, not Boise, Boston, or Charleston. After years of debate and analysis, we have mutually agreed that we will set up shop in Raleigh. Our tentative date right now is to open doors to the public in late September/early October of 2010.

More details to come!!! 

                          MARCO BENEVENTO TRIO To Make CHICAGO Debut
                          THURSDAY, APRIL 9 @ LOGAN SQUARE AUDITORIUM

Supporting New Album, ME NOT ME, Available Now On THE ROYAL POTATO FAMILY

"Benevento is actually a pop formalist, albeit a sneaky one, and, for all his improvisational chops, a textural minimalist very much in the tradition of Brian Eno or Sigur Ros. Chaos and chance are the calling cards, but his songs are always accessible." -- Village Voice

WHO:
MARCO BENEVENTO TRIO
(featuring Marco Benevento, Reed Mathis and Simon Lott)

LIQUID BEAT ALLSTARS
(featuring Matt Weis, Greg Spero, Geoff Shell, Drew Littell)

WHAT:
Marco Benevento comes to Chicago, Illinois on Thursday, April 9 at Logan Square Auditorium. Touring behind his new release Me Not Me on his own label The Royal Potato Family (distributed nationally by MRI/RED), the 31-year old Brooklyn-based pianist will be leading his trio, which includes bassist Reed Mathis and drummer Simon Lott. It marks the group's first appearance in the Windy City.

The Los Angeles Times' "Pop & Hiss" blog selected Marco Benevento as a "2009 Artist To Watch" in anticipation of Me Not Me. The ten-track collection, which debuted in the top five of the iTunes jazz and currently sits at no. 13 on the CMJ Jazz Chart, features Benevento interpreting the work of artists such as Deerhoof, Leonard Cohen, George Harrison and My Morning Jacket among others.

Marco Benevento, who first attracted national attention playing Hammond B-3 organ and Wurlitzer in The Benevento-Russo Duo, shifts the focus to acoustic piano for Me Not Me. Throughout the album he proves one of the most compelling pianists of his generation, re-imagining the instrument through guitar pickups, delay and distortion effects and a Fender Super Reverb Amp.  He further shapes and shifts the aural depth of the recording by adding layers of Ace Tone drum machines, Farfisa, Optigan, Mellotron, tack piano and other unusual keyboards, while using circuit bent toys to bring to life the emotional character of the songs. Applying this approach to music and sound into the live setting, Marco Benevento and his band are guaranteed to deliver an fierce concoction of post jazz and experimental rock wrapped in a warm blanket of sonic color and harmonic texture.

WHERE:
LOGAN SQUARE AUDITORIUM
2539 N Kedzie Blvd
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 252-6179

WHEN:
THURSDAY, APRIL 9
8:30 PM

PRICE:
$12

Here is a link to some shared items from my RSS reader. Sources from various blogs about music, music business, show/album reviews, green technology, economics, and other stuff that I found interesting for one reason or another.

Websites where I spent a good amount of time in 2008

Google : CD Baby : Twitter : MySpace : Facebook : Sonicbids : Pandora : Last.fm : songza : iLike : Delicious : Youtube : Cherrypeel : Indaba Music : Berklee Music Blogs : Music Think Tank : Music Marketing [dot] com : Kings of A&R : Hypebot : Media Futurist : Pitchfork Media : Jambase : MOG : Musical Stew Daily : The New Rockstar Philosophy : Wired Music : All Music Blog : The Butter Room : Spacelab Independent Music and Media : Hidden Track : Relix

I was watching the news this morning when I heard a statistic that said 56% of Californians support medical marijuana law reform. With only 8 days left until the '08 Presidential Election, the only statistics fresh in my mind are about who is winning in which state? This got me thinking. If pot were a person, and the election was based on popular vote, who would win? Obama? McCain? Or Mr. Nice Guy? I will compare the most current presidential poll statistics vs the approval rating marijuana legalization in the states that support medical marijuana. Let us break this down together.

• California: Obama-56%, McCain-33%, Mr. Nice Guy-56% Tie Obama & Pot
  
• Oregon: Obama-48%, McCain-34%, Mr. Nice Guy-55% Mr. Nice Guy
  
• Washington: Obama-54%, McCain-43%, Mr. Nice Guy-59% Mr. Nice Guy
• Montana: Obama-44%, McCain-40%, Mr. Nice Guy-62% Mr. Nice Guy
• Nevada: Obama-51%, McCain-46%, Mr. Nice Guy-65% Mr. Nice Guy
• New Mexico: Obama-52%, McCain-45%, Mr. Nice Guy-72% Mr. Nice Guy
• Colorado: Obama-52%, McCain-40%, Mr. Nice Guy-54% Mr. Nice Guy
• Maine: Obama-54%, McCain-39%, Mr. Nice Guy-61% Mr. Nice Guy
• Maryland: Obama-54%, McCain-39%, Mr. Nice Guy-75% Mr. Nice Guy
• Rhode Island: Obama-58%, McCain-39%, Mr. Nice Guy-69% Mr. Nice Guy
• Vermont: Obama-56%, McCain-38%, Mr. Nice Guy-55% Obama
  
• Alaska: Obama-42%, McCain-53%, Mr. Nice Guy-58% Mr. Nice Guy
• Hawaii: Obama-63%, McCain-32%, Mr. Nice Guy-72% Mr. Nice Guy

Official Number of States Won for the 2008 Election: Obama vs. McCain vs. Pot

1. Mr. Nice Guy - 11/13 States Won, Tie in California w/Obama
2. Obama - 1/13 States Won, Tie in California w/Pot
3. McCain - 0/13 States Won. Hahahaha!

Marijuana is clearly more popular than any presidential candidate, yet it is still illegal. Do something about it!