Mp3s of the Week: 1992 Sub Pop Vermonstress Fest
Posted on January 24, 2005 at 9:56 am | No Comments
This week, and for the final time, I’m highlighting my hosting of the (nearly) entire 1992 Sub Pop Vermonstress Festival in Burlington, Vermont. Having finally finished posting all the mp3s after two years of set-by-set conversion from the original cassettes, I’ll be pulling them off the Almanac on Monday, January 31st.
Over 130 soundboard-sourced live songs by 14 bands, including Codeine, Come, Drop Nineteens, Velocity Girl, Crow, Beat Happening, Six Finger Satellite, Green Magnet School, Sloan, Giant Sand, Barbara Manning, Eric’s Trip, Chris Harford & the First Rays of the New Rising Sun, and HP Zinker. Great stuff, all around.
So go ahead and grab ’em before they’re gone for good, and if you miss out, there’s always trading.
Snow = Yes, Ida Show = No
Posted on January 22, 2005 at 2:22 pm | No Comments
Severe weather warnings on the teevee, supposed blizzard heading eastwards… and it was enough to keep Ida trapped in NYC instead of heading north for their now-cancelled show tonight at the Museum of Fine Arts.
Which is a real bummer, but probably the best move for all concerned. Tonight should probably be spent at home with a fire burning and a dvd spinning.
Was completely surprised yesterday to find out that Ida’s new album, ‘Heart Like a River‘ (which wasn’t due out until February 22nd), is already available to buy online. I couldn’t download it fast enough. And, hey, the first 40 downloads over on eMusic are free, and then you can cancel at will (I grabbed Pilot To Gunner’s non-album ‘All the Lights‘ while I was there). Hopefully Ida’s label, Polyvinyl, still gets some cash for that free action, but it’s not like I won’t be buying the thing when it hits the shelves.
The album is just beautiful, and on the first few listens I think it’s their best since 1996’s “I Know About You“. As if I couldn’t have been more excited for tonight’s show… plus, we would have had the Thalia Zedek Band and Jodi Buonanno opening up. Rats. Hopefully there’ll be word of a rescheduling soon, and with the same lineup.
So it’s official: The Wedding Present has set a date for their return to Boston. Thursday, April 28th, at the Middle East Down. Waiting for that is going to make the winter even longer.
I heard the new House of Love single yesterday on BBC6 Music’s Roundtable, and I was… well, slightly underwhelmed. It certainly sounded like House of Love, but ‘I Love You Too Much’ seemed like one of their average tracks. Maybe the expectations were too high… maybe I need to hear it in context of the whole album. I was glad to learn that it’s not just Terry Bickers and Guy Chadwick, but drummer Pete Evans on the recordings as well. The only new member is the bassist.
The single will be out on Valentines Day (same day as the new Wedding Present), and will be on 7” vinyl only, with a solo-Chadwick b-side called ‘Skies Alive’. The full album, ‘Days Run Away’, follows on the 28th. Cover art, tracklisting, and lyrics here. New, official House of Love website coming soon.
ANONYMOUS QUOTE OF THE DAY
(aka ‘I read it on the inkernet!‘)…
On the subject of shocking band reunions:
“It’s the Smiths next, BTW. I know it sounds nuts, but I have it on very good authority.”
I offer no evidence, and I can’t reveal the source. But there it is. Take it with an immeasurable grain of salt.