[photos: Jon Behm]

Pale Young Gentlemen

Murzik

Pale Young Gentlemen

Grandpall Jookabox

Murzik

Pale Young Gentlemen

Murzik

Pale Young Gentlemen

Murzik

Pale Young Gentlemen

Pale Young Gentlemen: (Official) (MySpace)
Murzik: (MySpace)
Grandpall Jookabox: (MySpace)

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Also: (Influenza with Mike Reisenauer of Pale Young Gentlemen)

Approach Influenza as a series which serves to help give insight as to where music is born; these are the thoughts, influences and the inspirations directly from the mind of the artists. Here, D. Kent Watson of Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Atlatl describes the band’s single “My Devil’s Evangelical.”

I didn’t know how to word this for some time. I have very specific references for most of my songs, but they are scattered. Scattered in the sense that I will pick up different verses from different parts of my life. Unless, say, I’m writing about love, which I try to avoid. I just don’t like to write about love.

(”So you can stick your little pins in that voodoo doll / Im very sorry, baby, doesn’t look like me at all / I’m standing by the window where the light is strong / Ah they don’t let a woman kill you / Not in the tower of song” - Leonard Cohen).

But when I do I can very easily write about a girl or a moment and continue with a continuity for the entire song. On the other hand a song like “My Devils Evangelical” came to me after experiencing several different things and piecing them together. I guess I believe a song should be about something, or mean something but I don’t think there should be any specific approach to attaining that. I don’t set out to write a song about the economic crisis and then just write it. I will usually get somewhere by accident. By living. By having as many experiences as possible. That’s my favorite approach right now anyways.

“My Devils Evangelical” is about fundamentalism. About not admitting you’re wrong, the necessity to admit your wrong. About not being yourself because its easier to blend in. About being human.

Me and a friend last summer started a project where we visited different churches and listened to the service. We wanted to know why people went to the churches they went to. How much of it was belief? How much of it was comfort and how much of it was convenience? Than we would go to brunch and discuss it. We than wrote responses on a blog called tour of the congregations. We went to a few evangelical super churches. I’d say a lot of the first verse came from that.

It was the first song where I got to be the conductor rather than a player. It was the first song where I got to bark orders in the studio. It was a great learning experience. It’s a lot of fun to play live and I think it was a stepping stone for us. - D. Kent Watson

Altatl “My Devil’s Evangelical”

Atlatl: (Official) (MySpace)

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Way, way, way down the line is the Dropkick Murphys next Twin Cities date, the band returning to the Myth in March. No word as of yet who the openers might be.

02/20/2009 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium
02/21/2009 San Francisco, CA The Warfield
02/22/2009 Eugene, OR McDonald Theatre
02/23/2009 Seattle, WA The Showbox SoDo
02/25/2009 Billings, MT Shrine Auditorium
02/26/2009 Fargo, ND The Venue
02/27/2009 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
02/28/2009 Chicago, IL Congress Theater
03/01/2009 Maplewood, MN Myth
03/03/2009 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
03/04/2009 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room
03/05/2009 Baltimore, MD Ramshead
03/06/2009 New York, NY Roseland Ballroom
03/08/2009 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
03/09/2009 Hartford, CT Webster Theatre
03/10/2009 Clifton Park/Albany, NY Northern Lights

Dropkick Murphys “Warriors Code” (mp3)
Dropkick Murphys “The Auld Triangle” (mp3)
Dropkick Murphys “Pipebomb on Lansdowne” (mp3)
Dropkick Murphys “Walk Away” (mp3)
Dropkick Murphys “Fields of Athenry” (mp3)
Dropkick Murphys “Bastards on Parade” (mp3)
Dropkick Murphys “The Gauntlet” (mp3)

Dropkick Murphys: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

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Also: (Dropkick Murphys on the Late Show with David Letterman) (Dropkick Murphys’ Boston Red Sox Performance & National Anthem) (Dropkick Murphys “State of Massachusetts” Video) (Dropkick Murphys “Flannigan’s Ball”) (Dropkick Murphys “Warriors Code” Video)

It is often difficult to gain a balanced perspective on an album after reading a single summary of the music. Bias can tilt the review, as can personal taste, history and just about everything else that is unique to the person writing it. So in an effort to offer an expanded perspective on the music here are four reactions, four impressions, Four Takes on Jedi Mind Tricks’ A History of Violence.

I have always considered Jedi Mind Tricks the underground Hip Hop equivalent of Insane Clown Posse: both have ridiculous names and utilize strange, violent lyrics that seem to resonate mostly in angry suburban youths. That being said, their new album A History of Violence, really isn’t as terrible as I thought it would be. I never realized what a terrific producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind is for instance. History has some extremely unique, complex beats that employ a variety of samples from Freddie Foxxx to Middle Eastern Psychedelia. Unfortunately Vinnie Paz and Jus Allah’s rhyming just isn’t up to the same level of quality. Paz in particular is all over the place. Lines like “The way my operation works is like a surgeon thesis / I’ll drink the period blood of a fuckin’ virgin priestess,” don’t inspire much more than a “what the fuck is he talking about?” And when he’s getting political it not only sounds generic, but also factually misguided. In “Butcher Knife Bloodbath” Paz asks “Why we in Iran if all that we want is Osama? / Why we in a jam when all that we want is Obama?” News flash – we haven’t been in Iran since the late Seventies. Or, is the reason the line is Iran instead of Iraq because “Iran” rhymes with “jam” better? It’s hard to take the lyrics seriously when Paz himself hasn’t taken them seriously enough to get them right. Stoupe may pull this album up out of mediocrity, but great beats aren’t enough to make the record shine. - Jon Behm

“Let me tell you mother fuckers who you fuckin with,” rips first voice heard on A History of Violence. While the blast is just a sample used on the album’s scratch-happy introduction, it sets a dark tone for History’s remaining 12 tracks. But with song titles like “Deathbed Doctrine,” “Deadly Melody,” “Butcher Knife Bloodbath,” and “Death Messiah” however, it’s hard to think of the album as something that wouldn’t have dark themes running throughout. That being the case, there’s an air of insincerity that generally accompanies any art that primarily focuses on gruesome death - and it’s definitely evident with History. Not to say that Jedi Mind Tricks’ songs are insincere, but after two decades of gangsta rap, spouting “where corrupt cops plant a fuckin’ gun in your vest / where we retaliate by puttin’ fuckin’ one in they chest” comes off as weak sauce. All the same, passively listening to the album is pretty good experience, Vinnie Paz’s voice peels the paint off of Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind’s bangers. In that respect the album fails to get old, but when considering the album as a whole however, A History of Violence is skin-deep at best. - Chris DeLine

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised with the amount of anger found in an album titled A History Of Violence, but still the abrasive nature of the lyrics and outright hostility within the rhymes caught me a bit off guard (full disclosure, this was my first introduction to Jedi Mind Tricks), and that animosity clashed harshly with the fresh, smooth beats found throughout the record. That’s not to say that there still isn’t shit to get riled up about regarding living in the city, and I identify with some of that anger and frustration, but perhaps the results of the election have caused me to think optimistically about things for a change. Some of the rage brought forth on this record rings a bit hollow to me, and distracts from the innovative mix of Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind that lays the foundation of the entire record. Some tracks bring the groups message forth in a unique way, even with the gangsta rap undertones, like “Godflesh,” “Death Messiah,” and “Trail Of Lies,” which examines in an interesting manner how television and the media can, and often does corrupt an impressionable mind, and are highlights of the album. But most of the record just feels like so much thug posturing to me, and I just can’t buy into the fury and vehemence in tracks like “Butcher Knife Bloodbath,” and “Terror,” no matter how banging the beats are. - Erik Thompson

Hardcore underground hip hop, on paper, should be a thing of beauty. You take some hard, boom-bap beats, some angry emcees yelling about Armageddon, and the energy of a death metal concert, and the end result has the potential to be a welcome alternative to the feel-good “positive” rap floating around out there. After all, hip hop should be rebellious, right? It should scare people, right? And again, on paper, Jedi Mind Tricks should be fun to listen to. Vinnie Paz has one of the most distinctive voices in hip hop, a gravelly, cartoon-villain roar (with lyrics to match), and producer Stoupe is more than competent when it comes to crafting beats that highlight the group’s common lyrical themes: violence, quasi-religious imagery, violence, pseudo-political commentary and violence. While JMT have dropped a couple bangers over the years, the new album is so formulaic, so predictable, that a lot of the shock just isn’t very shocking. Scratch choruses featuring the voices of better emcees, three-to-five syllable rhyme schemes talking about Jesus and shooting people, sped-up samples… we’ve heard this all before. Onetime member Jus Allah is back, and though he doesn’t really say much, at least provides a rhythmic contrast to Paz with his damn-near Lil’ Waynesian flow. All in all, JMT do nothing to build on or alter their formula; for the die-hard fans, maybe this is good news, but the rest of us may as well go listen to M.O.P. or Big L (or even 2000-era JMT) for our hardcore fix. - Kyle “El Guante” Myhre

Jedi Mind Tricks “Monolith” (mp3)

Jedi Mind Tricks: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

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Tenacious D “Dude (I Totally Miss You) (11/20/2008)” (mp3)

Tenacious D: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

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The show is free and festivities are set to kick off around 9:00 p.m.

Military Special: (Official) (MySpace)
Military Special “Warrant Error” (mp3)
Ouija Radio: (MySpace)
Gospel Gossip: (Official) (MySpace)
Gospel Gossip “Revolutions in Physic” (mp3)
Gospel Gossip “Shadows are Bent” (mp3)
Sleeping in the Aviary: (Official) (MySpace)
Sleeping in the Aviary “Write On” (mp3)
Sleeping in the Aviary “Another Girl” (mp3)
Sleeping in the Aviary “Gloworm” (mp3)

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Also: (Military Special “We’re Science: Chris Heidman Mix” Premiere) (Military Special @ Acadia Cafe 10/24/2008) (Military Special @ Uptown Theater 10/04/2008)

Twin Cities News:
— Perfect Porridge interviews Mighty Fairly.
— TC Daily Planet reviews Holly Golightly’s Monday night show at The Entry.
— Rift previews four upcoming CD release shows.
— Innovation! Become a friend of Culture Bully on MySpace and a fan on Facebook!

Local Concert Highlights:
— Vampire Hands, Birthday Suits & The Dynamiters @ Turf Club
Vampire Hands: (Official) (Official) (MySpace)
Birthday Suits: (MySpace)
The Dynamiters: (MySpace)
— Fishbone, Natives of the New Dawn, Heavy Mojo & The Funeral and The Twilight @ Station 4 (8:00)
Fishbone: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
Natives of the New Dawn: (MySpace)
Heavy Mojo: (Official) (MySpace)
The Funeral and The Twilight: (MySpace)
— Kid Dakota, Western Fifth & The Evening Rig @ Uptown Bar (9:00)
Kid Dakota: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
Kid Dakota “10,000 Lakes” (mp3)
Western Fifth: (MySpace)
The Evening Rig: (Official) (MySpace)

Daily Audio Downloads:
— Clivester “Hung Over” (mp3)
(Madonna vs. Tina Turner)
(Official)
— DJ Earworm “Britney’s Leaving Home” (mp3)
(Britney Spears vs. The Beatles)
(Official)
— DJ Magnet “Octopus’s Santeria” (mp3)
(The Beatles vs. Sublime)
(Official)
— DJ Reno “Sandman Go My Way” (mp3)
(Metallica vs. Lenny Kravitz)
(Official)
— DJ Schmolli “Wicked Wedding” (mp3)
(H.I.M. vs. Chris Isaak vs. Billy Idol)
(Official) (MySpace)
— Electrosound “Slowrozco” (mp3)
(Kylie Minogue vs. Tosca)
(Official)
— Gaston “Get Back To The Floor” (mp3)
(The Beatles vs. Hot Chip vs. Ludacris)
(Official)
— The Orion Experience “Heartbreaker” (mp3)
— The Orion Experience “Nice Guys Finish Last” (mp3)
— The Orion Experience “Obsessed With You” (mp3)
(Official) (MySpace)

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[review: Jennifer Hood]
[photos: Marcus Johnson]

The early nineties, for me, were marked by the lovely smell of the smoke machine and the heavy mystery of dark, dank clubs. I’ve always loved that smell and the excitement the ethereal fog creates as it fills the room. The reassuring thing about a Sisters of Mercy show is that it will always be enveloped in an abundance of smoke. It’s like a magical vapor released from a genie’s bottle, and Andrew Eldritch, the only original band member that is part of the current tour (save for Doktor Avalanche, the trusty drum machine), waits for the smoke to completely shroud the stage before he chooses to present himself.

The First Avenue show on Tuesday night opened with the beats of Doktor Avalanche but proved to be more about thrashing guitars than the groove machine. And although Andrew’s vocals were buried too low in the mix, we were in for a treat indeed. “Ribbons” and “Flood I” helped set a sexy, if not seedy, tone with skin, mascara, and stolen guitars. We heard the dark moral of “Alice” unfold and they played “Giving Ground,” a rarity by The Sisterhood! New song “Romeo Down” was introduced by Mr. Eldritch as a “murder mystery without the murder or the mystery…okay, just a bit of murder” and was performed against red and pink lights like a valentine. “Flood II,” my favorite song of the evening, was complemented by oceanic blue streams of light and healthy puffs of smoke, and found Eldritch hissing “like the sea” into the microphone, bringing the first set to a dramatic close.

The impressive light show continued for two more encores, before the show finished with “Temple of Love,” the stage awash in green and golden rays of light.

While I’m not convinced that the backing vocals should ever overpower Andrew Eldritch’s, as during the chorus on songs like “This Corrosion” or “Dominion/Mother Russia,” guitarists Ben Christo and Chris Catalyst’s did energize the live show. I feel lucky to have seen The Sisters three times in the early nineties (one of those shows was at DAR Constitution Hall, with Public Enemy and Gang of Four), and their shows are always more than mere melancholy. Sisters of Mercy songs, when you get past the smoke and despair, are quite smart. The lyrics transport one to another world: dark, glamorous, and exotic. Whether it’s a shadowy hallway or pre-perestroika Russia, it’s always a theater of the mind. And that sense of drama was what everyone turned out (and dressed up) to see, and it was on full display during the stirring Sisters Of Mercy show at First Avenue Tuesday night.

The Sisters of Mercy: (Official) (Wikipedia)

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[photos/review: Jon Behm]

I had to make some tough choices on Monday night, music-wise. While great Monday night shows are relatively rare, somehow we ended up with three of them falling on the same date: Atmosphere, Deerhunter, and Holly Golightly and the Brokeoff’s. In the end, Atmosphere’s overcrowding of First Avenue and the Triple Rock’s cash only policy tipped me towards The Entry. While Golightly may not have been the most obvious choice, I believe it was the right one. Not only was it a fantastic set but it also introduced me to the talents of Kiwi songwriter Delaney Davidson, who opened the show.

Davidson led off the night with tunes off of his self released album Ghost Songs, a bluesy collection of folk songs in the American roots tradition. To paint a picture of what it sounded like, try imagining Bob Dylan covering the songs off of Tom Waits’ Bone Machine with Son House accompanying on bottleneck guitar. Davidson has got Dylan’s current raspy and disaffected delivery, while his subject matter is filled with “Waitsian” images of seediness and mortality. He utilized loop pedals to craft his rhythm guitar licks, while doing some experimental and improvisational “soloing” on top of them. At one point he even let the looped guitar keep repeating itself for several minutes while he led a waltz competition on the floor of the club (which was won jointly by a pair of hard-competing unisex couples). Overall I thought very highly of Davidson’s set, and look forward to spinning my newly purchased copy of his record.

British folk singer Holly Golightly headlined the night, backed up by Brokeoff’s founder (and only member?) Lawyer Dave. Much like Billy Bragg, Golightly has taken up the American Folk tradition, and manages to do it a lot better than many Americans themselves. Her set included original songs off of her recent release Dirt Don’t Hurt, as well as some of the obscure folk covers that she is famous for. The highlight of the set was Lawyer Dave’s bluesy slide guitar work on a pair of gorgeous arch top Höfner’s, as well as he and Golightly’s humorous stage banter, musing on the dangers of Jagermeister and the popularity (or lack of) of their songs in ultra-religious Salt Lake City. Examples of such song titles include: “Gettin’ High for Jesus” and “Devil Do,” to give you an idea.

Perhaps what was most interesting about the evening was that it was some of the best American Roots music I have heard in awhile, though it was performed almost entirely by non-Americans (Lawyer Dave is the exception, being from Texas). Though both Davidson and Golightly spoke in the heavy accents of their native lands, when they sang the dialects almost disappear completely. Hearing Davidson in particular speak and then hearing him sing is sort of like the difference in taste between Marmite and Memphis Barbecue. I could care less who is keeping these traditions alive though, as long as someone is doing it. If American culture abandons its Roots music heritage completely, at least we can count on folks like these to keep the flame ablaze.

Holly Golightly: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

Delaney Davidson: (MySpace)
Delaney Davidson “Hate A Man” (mp3)
Delaney Davidson “Sinner’s World” (mp3)

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Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s “As Tall as Cliffs (11/20/2008)” (mp3)

Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

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Also: (“As Tall As Cliffs” Video) (Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s @ Turf Club 05/12/2008 Photos) (Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s “The Dust of Retreat” Review)