The Academy-Award nominated, Emmy-winning, ever-brilliant entity known as South Park returns this Wednesday following a brief hiatus. Over the last dozen years, Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s brainchild has evolved from a simple gross-out cartoon intent on pushing the boundaries of basic cable to a whipsmart satire of contemporary American politics and culture (intent on pushing the boundaries of basic cable). At times, the turnaround from current event to grist for the South Park mill has been staggering; many episodes have gone from conception to broadcast within as little as two weeks.
As such, it’s fairly likely that if a story is making waves in society, you’ll be treated to Parker and Stone’s refreshingly simplified and hilarious take before the ink has had time to fully dry. And when we’re really lucky, we get treated to an episode inspired by some inane aspect of the music industry that the duo just can’t resist picking apart, because let’s face it, there’s lots to make fun of here. So here we present our top 10 favorite South Park music-related episodes, realizing fully of course that there are many more we left out (including, for the obvious reason that it’s not an episode, the Academy-Award nominated South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut). Honestly, you wouldn’t even believe how many times we got Rickrolled while foraging for clips on YouTube, and yet we persevered to bring you the crème de la crème: Read more…
Loyal EF readers may remember Pale Young Gentlemen as one of our very first Band of the Week subjects almost a year ago. For that particular piece, I tried my hardest to listen to their stellar self-titled debut album without interference or persuasion from outside sources, i.e. no thumbing through others’ reviews in the vain hopes of instead arriving at a “pure” opinion. I failed, but not for lack of trying; I mean, just look at the gushing reviews that greeted this allegedly “unknown” band from Madison, WI.
And rightfully so, for that album was a breath of fresh air, an incredibly inspired way to introduce themselves to the broader world. The question on my mind was pretty simple then: what would they do next, and if it trumped their debut, would we even be able to tolerate the sheer mass of critical adulation that might trail in its wake?
Well, it’s now a year later, and we’ve gotten our hands on the sophomore album, Black Forest (Tra La La) (out tomorrow) and…. Read more…
Just because I didn’t like the first mix I had going, I scrapped it to go for a more well-formed mix. One that presents a clear mood throughout. Just because this year has been so full of good music I limited the selections to songs that have come out in 2008. And, because this year has seen major advances for women in American politics, I decided to limit the selections even further to music performed by female artists. To recap: gotta fit the intended mood, released in ‘08, women artists only. This one turned out pretty well…
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EAR FARM’s Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted whenever the mood strikes us. This time: three from Jagjaguwar Records, selected from their impressive spate of upcoming and current autumn releases. Click on the song name to listen to the song.
Nagisa Ni Te - “Premonition” from “Yosuga”, out now
Women - “Black Rice” from S/T album out 10/7/08
Parts & Labor - “Nowheres Nigh” from “Receivers”, out 10/21/08
“Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima” by Krzysztof Penderecki & National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra which clocks in at 10:00.
The following is Part 3 of a four part 8+ series based upon songs from the film ‘Children of Men’, the film itself, and the writing of Jorge Luis Borges. Read the first chapter HERE, second chapter HERE. Read more…
On October 10th EAR FARM will be turning 3 years old! That’s right, we’ve been harvesting music for your ears for three years now. Come celebrate with us and two of our favorite things… tasty barbecue and awesome music!
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Nothing says harvest like the crackle of hot, crispy pig skin, especially when that skin is covering a 200-lb Berkshire hog, roasted whole over an open barbecue pit by Tom Mylan, Brooklyn’s favorite butcher.
Hosted by Brooklyn Based, Sweet Deliverance, EAR FARM, and The Yard, the first annual Big Brooklyn Pig Roast and Harvest Hoedown is a prelude to the following day’s Harvest Festival at The Yard, and a celebration of all the best the season has to offer.
Snuggle up to someone special with a pint of Sixpoint and a plate of pork tacos, roast corn, fresh salsas, greens, warm apple crisp and cinnamon ice cream from Blue Marble. Then turn up your heels to the Americana twang and hillbilly swerve of The Jones Street Boys, Motel Motel, and Bel Air, as the lights sparkle on the Gowanus Canal.
Joshua Applestone of Fleisher’s Grass Fed and Organic Meats will be on hand to talk about why properly raised pigs are so delicious, and a member of the New Farmer Development Project, which the dinner will benefit, will speak about their work with farms. And Not Eating Out in New York blogger Cathy Erway is lending a hand with dessert.
Sixpoint beers $1 from 6-7. Five percent of proceeds benefit New Farmer Development Project. Tickets $32 in advance, available online HERE, or $40 at the door. (Free for kids 10 and under.)
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In order to get the music in before sound curfew, the first band will go on promptly at 6:15. It’s an early start, but with those $1 Sixpoints and Bel Air providing the happy hour entertainment, it’s going to be well worth it to be there right at 6:00. See you there!
From the Inside Looking Out is our opportunity to have those involved within the music world tell us a bit about things from their point of view. This time around, we have Daniel Neely
At some point during the summer of 2002, my mother-in-law sat my wife, her sister and I down to tell us how she “just loved that Ozzy Osmond and his wife Sharon,” because they took such good care of their kids. It was around the time the Osbournes reality show was getting popular and I think it was her way of being hip with the kids. It was probably the lounge-y version of “Crazy Train” they used for the theme that drew her in. Anyhow, two weeks later, we had finally stopped laughing about “Ozzy Osmond” and it began to dawn on us that Ozzy and his music had become more mainstream than we had realized.
This didn’t strike me as a bad thing. I grew up playing guitar and on occasion–like every adolescent boy with six strings and a dream–my friends and I would get together on Sabbath tunes. In fact, every kid in every band I knew growing up played Sabbath tunes. It was a kind of rite-of-passage that everyone went through. In my work Directing the New York State Musicians Index and Archive (NYMIA), I’ve come to notice that this hasn’t changed, so I started up a little project I call the “New York Black Sabbath Covers Project”. Here’s how it came about.
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….or, at least most of it is. It seems Deerhoof - Satomi, Greg, John and Edward - wanted to give us all an early taste of their forthcoming album Offend Maggie (out Oct 7 on Kill Rock Stars) via MySpace stream. And yet, technology has just not been cooperating with the gang; a recent blog posting on the band’s MySpace reveals the following:
“Due to the brand new Myspace players we have having problems uploading our new album “Offend Maggie” that is supposed to be streaming all weekend. Hopefully it will be fixed soon - in the meantime there are a few tracks that made it up.”
All in all, 10 of Maggie’s 14 cuts are up for your listening pleasure at the moment: “Jagged Fruit”, “Numina O”, “Eaguru Guru”, “Fresh Born”, “This Is God Speaking”, “Family Of Others”, “My Purple Past”, “Basketball Get Your Groove Back”, “Don’t Get Born”, and “The Tears And Music Of Love”. Add the MP3 for the title track offered below and we’re up to 11 tracks total, in other words, a hell of a lot of Deerhoof to tide you over until October 7th. Still, there’s the chance the rest of the album could be up and streaming at any point, so be sure to stay vigilant with your Deerhoof-watching. Try practicing by staring intently at the following video of the band in the studio during the sessions for Offend Maggie…
Listen: “Offend Maggie”
See Deerhoof Live:
Oct 03 Avalon, Los Angeles, California
Oct 04 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, California
Oct 06 Wonder Ballroom, Portland, Oregon
Oct 07 Neumos, Seattle, Washington
Oct 09 Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, Utah
Oct 11 Bluebird, Denver, Colorado
Oct 13 The Slowdown, Omaha, Nebraska
Oct 14 First Avenue, Minnapolis, Minnesota
Oct 15 Turner Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Oct 16 Buskirk Chumley Theater, Bloomington, Indiana
Oct 17 Cabaret Metro, Chicago, Illinois
Oct 18 Crofoot Ballroom, Pontiac, Michigan
Oct 21 The Spiegeltent, New York, New York
Oct 22 Irving Plaza, New York, New York
Oct 23 Middle East, Cambridge, Massechusetts
Oct 24 Pearl Street, Northampton, Massachusetts
Oct 25 Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 26 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
Oct 28 Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, North Carolina
Oct 29 Grey Eagle, Asheville, North Carolina
Oct 30 Mercy Lounge, Nashville, Tennessee
Oct 31 40 Watt Club, Athens, Georgia
Nov 01 The Social, Orlando, Florida
Nov 02 Crowbar, Tampa, Florida
Nov 05 House of Blues, New Orleans, Louisiana
Nov 06 Numbers, Houston, Texas
Nov 07 Granada, Dallas, Texas
Nov 08 Fun Fun Fun Fest, Austin, Texas
Nov 10 Club 101, El Paso, Texas
Nov 12 Club Congress, Tucson, Arizona
Nov 13 The Clubhouse, Tempe, Arizona
Dec 02 London, ULU (University of London Union), UK
Dec 03 Berlin, Lido, Germany
Dec 05 Trix, Antwerp, Belgium
Dec 06 Melkweg, Amsterdam, Holland
Dec 08 Cabaret Electrique, Le Havre, France
Dec 09 Antipode, Rennes, France
Dec 10 Grrrnd Zero, Lyon, France
Dec 11 Sonic Protest Festival at Trabendo, Paris, France
Dec 12 Barcelona, Primavera Sound Winter Edition, Spain
Dec 13 Madrid, Primavera Sound Winter Edition, Spain
Visit Deerhoof on MySpace.
Over the past week, Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been taking a lot of heat for the answers she gave in an interview with Katie Couric on CBS News. The portion that’s getting the most critical attention is that bit about Palin’s foreign policy credentials… Read more…
New York City musicians are showing their support of Barack Obama in a variety of ways; McCain, notsomuch. Perhaps because ‘John’ doesn’t rhyme as well with ‘rock’ as ‘Barack’ does?? Too simple? Regardless, there are two items worth noting that make use of the Barack-Rock rhyme scheme. First up, a live show/benefit happening next week in Brooklyn… Read more…
Last we checked, tonight’s scheduled presidential debate in Mississippi is still up in the air. But hey, that doesn’t have to stop us from putting together a soundtrack for the planned throwdown. So if things do go as planned tonight and you find yourself at home, beer nestled in crotch and eyes glued to the television, consider putting the below mix on for some soothing - and pertinent - background noise and/or soundtrack for when you need a breather (you will need a breather). Will they or won’t they delay it? Stay tuned, and let’s get ready to rumble!
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Two giveaways in one week, how about that? If you haven’t taken part in the Brian Wilson contest yet, consider getting on it NOW as it ends today. If you’re holding out for the next promise of “free”, you can exhale now: our latest offering is Fujiya & Miyagi’s excellent new album Lightbulbs (CD version) - which came out last week - as well as a F&M t-shirt. Not bad. Read more…
“Eternity’s Sunrise” by Paul Goodwin & The Academy Of Ancient Music which clocks in at 10:53.
The following is Part 2 of a four part 8+ series based upon songs from the film ‘Children of Men’, the film itself, and the writing of Jorge Luis Borges. Read the first chapter HERE.
After nine or ten nights staring into the firmament of her mind, transfixed on her students in the night sky, on the ground, in her presence, entirely in her mind and not at all, she understood with acute acerbity that she could expect nothing from those pupils who accepted her tenet passively, but that she might expect something from those who periodically dared to challenge her. The former group, although worthy of love and affection, could not ascend to the level of individuals; the latter pre-existed to a slightly greater degree. One afternoon (now afternoons were also dominated by sleep, she was at this point only barely awake for a few hours each morning at sunrise) she dismissed the entire student body for good and retained one sole pupil. He was a reserved, sickly boy, often obdurate, whose rounded dark features resembled of those of his dreamer and whose thoughts focused upon the other students. The swift elimination of his peers did not concern him for long though; and after a few private lessons, his progress was enough to amaze the teacher. Nonetheless, a catastrophe took place. One day, Kee emerged from her sleep as if from a vast desert, peered into the ineffectual afternoon light which she immediately confused with the dawn, and understood that she had not been dreaming. All night and all day long, the unbearable lucidity of insomnia fell upon her. She remembered her baby. She clung to the thoughts that danced through her mind and considered ways in which to exhaust herself. She tried exploring the nearby forest, to lose her strength, and among the willows she barely succeeded in stealing several short moments of sleep, dominated by fleeting, embryonic visions that were ineffectual. She attempted to assemble the student body but barely had she mouthed a few brief words of encouragement before it became misshapen and vanished. Her mind was weak. In this perpetual vigil, tears of anger burned her weary eyes.
She reasoned that exploring the disjointed and dizzying matter of which dreams are made was the most difficult task that a woman could undertake, even though she could decipher all of the enigmas of a superior order; this, this was much more difficult than weaving a rope out of sand or catching lightning in a bottle. She vowed that she would forget the hallucination which had displaced her thoughts and sought another method of work. Before putting it into action, she spent a week recovering her strength, which had been drained by her delirium. She abandoned the obsession with dreaming and almost immediately succeeded in sleeping a large portion of each day. The few instances that she did have dreams during this period, she ignored them. Before resuming her task, she waited until the moon’s profile was perfect. Then, in the afternoon, she bathed herself in the shallows of the river, worshiped gods of another era, and went to sleep. She dreamed nearly immediately, with her heart pounding steadily.
Kee dreamed of a warm secret, about the size of a clenched fist, and of a deep red color within the shadow of a human body as yet without face or sex; during fourteen lucid nights she dreamt of it with great care and effort, conscientious love. Every night she perceived it more clearly. She did not touch it; she merely allowed herself to witness it, to observe it, and occasionally to remedy it with a glance. She observed it and lived it from all angles and distances. On the fourteenth night she lightly caressed the pulmonary artery with her index finger, then the whole heart, outside and inside. She was pleased with the examination. She intentionally did not dream for an evening; she took up the heart again, invoked the name of an ancient god, and undertook the vision of another of the major organs. Within a month she had come to the skeleton and the ears. These were surprisingly simple to conjure. The nearly infinite roots necessary for hair were perhaps the most difficult task. But she soldiered on. She dreamed an entire man -a young man- who did not speak or move, and who was unable to even open his eyes yet. She maintained a peaceful existence of sleep for him. In dreams she rested; he rested. Night after night, Kee dreamt him asleep.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Buy Children of Men (Music from the Motion Picture) HERE.
*front thumbnail and top photo from HERE.
EAR FARM’s 8+ is a weekly feature that showcases songs longer than 8 minutes. Click HERE to see the songs recently featured in EF’s 8+.
Michigan-based quintet Mason Proper released their outstanding sophomore album Olly Oxen Free (Dovecote Records) yesterday. A tightly coiled collection of smart hooks, patient songwriting and restrained arrangements, Olly Oxen Free is both a creeper and an instant obsession, forging a comfortably warm landscape that often makes it damn hard for the listener to stop playing the first three songs on repeat (that is, until you realize how great the rest of the record is too). Bands like this - and albums like this - just don’t materialize from thin air, people. To that end, we cornered lead singer Jonathan Visger and prodded him with a vague series of origin-themed questions, from songs to cover art and lasagna to the gentle art of naming one’s band. Enjoy the inquisition… Read more…
Have you heard Brian Wilson’s new album That Lucky Old Sun? Sure okay, you’ve gotten your mitts on some compressed MP3s from the album but I’m asking whether you’ve actually HEARD That Lucky Old Sun; you know, as in cued up the limited-edition 180 gram vinyl and taken a mental holiday to California? No? Well, do you want to?
EAR FARM is very pleased to offer a prize pack that includes the aforementioned limited-edition vinyl copy of Sun as well as the 7″ single of “Midnight’s Another Day” to one lucky reader. The rules are simple: we will pose our usual arbitrary question, the most entertaining answer to which will be declared the winner. Ready? Read more…