9.29.2009

kauai vidz!

i finally uploaded the kauai videos, so i figured id post em. most of the footage is from kipu falls. its a "secret" (totally in the guidebook) waterfall in the central part of the island. you have to walk thru hard junglezzz for 5-10mins, then it opens up. there was a rope swing & you can jump off the cliff. a jolly good thyme! our 1st visit there we met these serbian mugs that showed us the ropes (pun intended). they were crazy & one jumps out of a tree, which you will see. oh & then the last vid is the house that charmaines family stayed @ on the island. that place was thebombdotcom. we ended up camping in the backyard for 1/2 the trip, which was snice.

jung-lee walk to kipu


serbian drop


rope swang


cliff jhumpingz


thee mansion

9.23.2009

september playlist



alright, heres a lil something something for your collective ear holes.

dill vegas himself has hand-picked & comprised a bright, shiny, brand new playlist for download!

click me --> DILLVEGASVOL3.ZIP

track | artist | deetz

01. yacht - dance dance dance.
02. wild nothing - dreamy 80s lo-fi pop.
03. strange boys - twangy 60s-70ish psyche rock. 13th floor elevators+the seeds.
04. cotton jones - folk. slow-tempo, weathered voices, pretty harmonies.
05. neon indian - electro+80s. listen to this LOUD.
06. crooked fingers - a friend showed me this recently, & i dig, a lot.
07. white denim - the music kind of sounds like allman brothers for a second.
08. the beets - 60s garage punk.
09. dead mans bones - the actor ryan goslings band, damn good actually.
10. raveonettes - shoegaze/garage. fuzz bass, distortion, reverb.
11. health - single from their newest. hard hitting, industrial, cacophonous.
12. kurt vile - indie/pop.

9.22.2009

frisco daze / frisco knights


this kid knows what im talking about

back in SF after 8 great daze in kauai, hawaii. charmaine posted a bunch of pictures & you can check em out on fbook. we also have some vids of us cliff jumping, ill post those as soon as we upload em. radical trip, but im also glad to be back @ home base. you dont think about missing a city until your gone, its true. tons of great stuff coming up in SF -- treasure island music fest, clarion alley block party, charmaines solo art show, etc etc etc. very exciting!

ok so randumb sidenote tangent... always sunny in philadelphia had its season premier last thursday, & KUDOS, its back to being amazing! the 1st episode was a return to form after a dismal 4th season. hope they can stay on this path of hilarity. if you didnt get to see it, check it out; i posted a link to a decent quality stream of it below.
:: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 5 Episode 1 ::

oh & did i mention that GIRLS are blowing the F up? seriously...just this month --> story in spin where they are deemed "best new band", huge show @ ameoba records, cover of sf guardian, featured on p4ks don't look down series, & so on. its almost ridiculous how much press their getting. then again, i tend to agree...their debut is one of the (if not THE) best new album(s) of the year. heres some recent footage from girls playing "darling" on fader tv.


9.15.2009

kipu fall, kauai

so as you may or may not know, im currently in kauai w/ my gf & her fam. its been amazing - 90 degree weather & 80 degree ocean water. good people, good times! yesterday we found this "hidden" waterfall called kipu falls in lihue. you have to walk down a narrow path pushing through 6 foot tall vegetation for about 10mins before it opens up to the spot. the water was super deep, & there was a rope swing & cliffs you could jump off. heres a snap of the falls.



we took some video of kipu that ill post when we get back. there were also some serbian guys that were climbing like 40+ feet up in this tree & dropping in (we got some footy of that too). straight up nutzzz!

alright, music thyme...check out
"when they fight" by the band the Generationals. theyre a duo from new orleans that make sugary 1950s-style pop songs. perfect track for a sunny day!

mp3 --> generationals - when they fight

9.10.2009

showtime: girls / papercuts / cass mccombs


(girls)

ok, 1st & foremost... girls straight-up STOLE THIS SHOW. as the opening act, they blew the top off. the duo is touring as a 4-piece band, & the sound was killer. girls basically played the entire new album, & also an unreleased song "substance", that was really f-ing good. check out the shorty vid below.

"lust for life"

then papercuts & cassy mcC played; it was...alright. heres the thing, they probably both played great shows, but it just wasnt captivating. girls set the bar ceiling-high, & its difficult to keep that momentum going. pcuts did end their set w/ the jam "future primitive", which was rad. heres a couple snaps.



(cass mccombs)


(great american music hall)

it was our friend lindseys 21st birfday, so after the show we wandered around in the tenderloin & went to the lush lounge. its a dimly-lit joint w/ fun decor, full of strange light fixtures, hanging plants, & sundry tchotchke. oh & the most important part, they have ALCOHOLIC SLUSHIES. kind of like the ones you drank in middle school & got brain freezes, but stiff as ell. we all got watermelon, & it was GD delicious. everybody had a blast, & now lindsey can finally ditch the fake! check out the photo stream of the late night.






9.07.2009

beat it up: Heartbeater



"i will lead you astray, when youre tired of straight lines"

these are the kind of tempting lyrics you get from Heartbeater, 3-piece (now 4) rocknroll band straight outta Cashville, TN. they recently released their 1st self-titled ep on Meltface Music, which was recorded @ the glorious Toy Box Studio.


(studio pic: frontman greg mabry)

Heartbeater offers a solid sound on the 4-song record; permeated w/ thick bass lines, driving rhythms, layered guitar solos, & canopied in hazy reverb flowing from vintage tube amps. lead singer mabry pens crafty lyrics w/ memorable melodies, leaving remnants of songs stuck in your head for days.

after a couple listens you can start to pick out a subtle but potent concoction of influences: 1 part nirvana, 2 parts pixies, 1 part stooges, & a dash of black lips. that being said, they dont truly resemble these predecessors outright. instead, they blend sounds & ideas of the aforementioned groups to coin their own style of punk, surf, & garage rock.


the 3rd track "lead you astray" is the slowest song on the ep & my personal fave. it starts to build around 1:35, where a cello & electric guitar feedback swells into a huge sound bubble, then bursts, resulting in the heaviest jam on the album.


mp3 --> heartbeater - lead you astray

you can purchase a physical copy of the album (limited-edition, hand block-printed) for $5, or download it digitally for free on their Band Camp page.



  • greg & i formed the band DANG! the last year i lived in TN. you can download the 3-song ep we recorded HERE
  • greg has been known to drink copious amts of whiskey in parking lots before shows, & play shirtless wearing a massive golden eagle necklace

9.04.2009

a.a. bondy



a.a. bondy
(aka scott bondy) is a new school folkster & the former frontman of the band verbena. he put out his 1st solo album "american hearts" in 2007. his debut was a collection of slow contemplative folk songs, laced w/ finger-picking guitar work & clever storyline lyrics that evoke visions of woody guthrie & bob dylan. his latest release is entitled "when the devils loose" (Sep 2nd on fat possum records), & it features a similar down-tempo music styling as the former.

here is a clip of "the mightiest of guns", my fave track off the new album. recorded 8.11.2008 @ Exit/In, Nashville, TN

Backstage Sessions : AA Bondy - The Mightiest of Guns

9.02.2009

donora

song & video of the day:

THIS GURL IS UHMAZING



mp3 --> donora - i think i like you

9.01.2009

dude, cool dude

got back to SF yesterday night. heres a picture of me all surfed out in encinitas.




now heres a snap of me about 30 mins later after i got rocked in the chin by the board.




needless to say, i didnt catch onto short boards as quick as longs. i also didnt have a leash which made it rill difficult, esp on some hella choppy waves. it was still a blast tho. im going to kauai w/ charmaine & her fam sept 12th-20th. less than 2 weeks away! which reminds me, check out charmaines blog; she does artwork for the european home-furnishing company Bolia, & their newest catalogue just came out. were in one of the images that is an in-store wall display. crazy!




check out this track by Nite Jewel, aka Ramona Gonzalez from LA. its kinda 80s lo-fi disco dance. the song "artificial intelligence" is from "good evening", her album that came out last month on No Pain in Pop.

mp3 --> nite jewel - artificial intelligence