The Days of Lore

TDoL Presents: Rock and Roll at the Doug Fir

Monday, April 12th, 2010 | musiX, pdX | No Comments

This Friday, April 16 The Days of Lore Presents The Mother Hips, Jared Mees & the Grown Children and The Hugs at the Doug Fir.

TDoL is giving away two pairs of tickets as well as two vinyl platters of The Mother Hips’ latest LP Pacific Dust. Just become a Facebook fan of The Days of Lore and list songs you’d like to hear live, or why you want to check out the show in the comments. It’s that easy!

Winners will be notified Thursday, April 15. There will be more goodies divvied up at the show. Come say hi, give a high-five, get yourself a drink, and enjoy the rock. In that order.

“Pet Foot” - The Mother Hips

“Shake” - Jared Mees & the Grown Children

“She Was High” - The Hugs

Tags: Doug Fir, Jared Mees & the Grown Children, The Days of Lore Presents, The Hugs, The Mother Hips

Mother Hips tickets/vinyl giveaway

Monday, April 5th, 2010 | musiX, pdX | No Comments

I wasn’t kidding when I said I was giving away some Mother Hips loot to coincide with the first The Days of Lore Presents event. TDoL is giving away two pairs of tickets to the show, which goes down Friday, April 16 at the Doug Fir, and will also feature Monarques The Hugs [Monarques are off to New Jersey to perform live on A Prairie Home Companion 4/17--Ed.] and Jared Mees & the Grown Children. TDoL is also giving away two vinyl copies of The Mother Hips’ excellent new LP Pacific Dust.

To enter, just become a fan of The Days of Lore on Facebook (go here, log in, and you will be directed to it); once there and newly befanned, simply list five songs (or more) you’d like to see The Mother Hips perform live. If you’re new to the band, tell me why you’d like to check them out—could be a sentence or a rambling essay. Also, specify where you’re from (if you’re from far, far away—say, Portland, Maine, or the Martian moon of Phobos—we’ll put you in the drawing for the records instead of the tix). Winners will be chosen at random, and will be announced/notified/high-fived Thursday, April 15.

“White Falcon Fuzz” - The Mother Hips

The Mother Hips performing “Pacific Dust” for Hear Ya session in Chicago

Tags: giveaway, Pacific Dust, The Days of Lore Presents, The Mother Hips

TDoL Presents: Rock and roll at the Doug Fir

Monday, March 29th, 2010 | musiX, pdX | No Comments

Like rock ‘n’ roll? Debauchery? Rock ‘n’ roll and debauchery skipping hand in hand in a golden field of wheat? Uh … me, too.

The first The Days of Lore Presents show featuring San Francisco’s The Mother Hips is coming to the Doug Fir Friday, April 16 (the key word here being “the”). Joining them are a couple of great Portland bands in Jared Mees & the Grown Children and Monarques The Hugs [Monarques are headed to New Jersey to perform on A Prairie Home Companion 4/17--Ed.] All three make sweet, sweet rock ‘n’ roll … you and I will take care of the debauchery.

Tickets are $15, and can be purchased here. TDoL will be giving away two pairs of tickets as well as a couple of vinyl platters from The Mother Hips in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

“TGIM” - The Mother Hips

“The Tallest Building in Hell” - Jared Mees & the Grown Children

“Cold Cold Heart” - Monarques

Tags: Doug Fir, Jared Mees & the Grown Children, Monarques, The Days of Lore Presents, The Mother Hips

Aqui. Ahora. En el futuro.

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 | musiX | 1 Comment

I come to you from the past. I wrote this almost a week ago so that it would reach you in the future … as we meet here at this very moment in the present. ¿Confundido?

As you read these words I am in Guanajuato, Mexico—the birthplace of Diego Rivera—perhaps inside the very house he lived in … that or I’m looking at dead people at the Museo de las Momias. And there’s a very good chance I have a cold Negra Modelo in one hand and a fish taco in the other (TDoL likes to multi-task). Or there’s a chance my tender, white flesh is cooking on a beach in Melaque (with a cold Negra Modelo in one hand and a fish taco in the other). I can’t really tell you because … well, I’m not even here yet. Or am I. Am I not?

That said—this is all you’re going to get from The Days of Lore until el 15 de marzo. So I’m taking this time to tell you what’s on the horizon. First off, I’ve been listening to Soft Crash, the new LP from Orland, Calif. trio Nothing People (whom I’m convinced are actually from a distant planet), and it is creeping me out … in a good way. And Titus Andronicus‘ new album The Monitor is teaching me what really happened during the Civil War—it rocked! Look for more thorough reports on these and much more upon my return. If I return.

But the big news here at TDoL HQ is that I’m gearing up for the first-ever The Days of Lore Presents show on April 16 at the Doug Fir that will include The Mother Hips along with a couple of great Portland bands in Jared Mees & the Grown Children and Monarques. It’ll be an unforgettable night of rock … and with any suerte I will have a Negra Modelo in one hand and a fish taco in the other. Look for giveaways of some Mother Hips goodies in the coming weeks.

I leave you now with a little slice of Mexico with Los Dug Dug’s, a band out of Durango that created their psychedelic sounds after hearing the Beatles in the late-’60s. The band’s self-titled debut is still one of my favorites … probably the best 127 pesos I’ve ever spent.

“Let’s Make It Now” - Los Dug Dug’s

“Eclipse” - Los Dug Dug’s

Tags: Jared Mees & the Grown Children, Los Dug Dug's, Mexico, Monarques, Nothing People, Soft Crash, The Mother Hips, Titus Andronicus

MoHips go Daytrotting

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 | musiX, pdX | No Comments

Last year The Mother Hips quietly released Pacific Dust, a record that continues the band’s knack for seamlessly blending country, ’60s pop and pure rock ‘n’ roll. Goddamn right it made the TDoL Best Of Twenty-Oh-Nine list.

The Hips are on tour and recently made a stop at Daytrotter to record some raw and rambunctious versions of a few tunes off Pacific Dust and Kiss the Crystal Flake as well as a cover of Gene Clark’s “Kansas City Southern.” You can download all four songs here.

The band will hit SXSW in March before returning to Portland on April 16 at the Doug Fir. And yes … you’re goddamn right TDoL will be there.

Tags: Daytrotter, Kiss the Crystal Flake, Pacific Dust, The Mother Hips

Best of 2009: TDoL and the Furious 15

Sunday, December 20th, 2009 | musiX, pdX | 12 Comments

Seems like it was only yesterday that I was cobbling together the TDoL best of 2008. Yes, time flies when you’re old and surly. And, yes, I know year-end lists are everywhere, cliché, overdone and a dime a dozen—but I do love them so.

These lists are difficult to make, too. I mean who has time to really absorb a full record when you’re being bombarded with hundreds of albums and mp3s? It was chore to make a list that exorcised both my discerning (wax-clogged) ear and my (beer-besotted) gut—the “I can see what this artist is trying to do here” versus the “this fucking rules and I’m going to sing it at the top of my lungs in my car/boxers” if you will. I prefer the latter—less thinking involved.

The following is a semi-in-depth look at what I liked about music in 2009 … in list form. It’s a magical place where good and evil coexist, where big, dumb rock mingles with smarty-pants indie, a place where it’s Christmas year-round. But before we get down to it, I’d like to present to you the following pre-list list.

Thing(s) to do after reading the TDoL Best of 2009:
1. Leave your own list in the comments.
2. Harshly ridicule and mock my list, also in the comments.
3. Praise my list for its fine taste and heterogeneousness.
4. Tweet/tell your friends to read it and do the same.
5. Explain to me what the hell heterogeneousness means.
6. Click on the album cover to purchase.
7. Note there is no Animal Collective on this list …
8. … or Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
9. But there is a KISS on my list.
10. Thank you for reading.

15. Pacific Dust - The Mother Hips (Camera Records)

After years of wrestling with major label politics and personal demons—all of which led to members taking a two-year hiatus—The Mother Hips came back to release one of their best albums in 2007’s Kiss the Crystal Flake. Pacific Dust feels like its sister record, the Hips again playing to their strengths—gorgeous Bee Gees-inspired harmonies, pop hooks, country licks and the occasional Sabbathian riff. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The Mother Hips are criminally underrated.

“Young Charles Ives” - The Mother Hips

14. Crack the Skye - Mastodon (Reprise)

I’m still trying to figure out how Mastodon became so popular among non-metalheads … though they aren’t your typical metal band. With Crack the Skye Mastodon has created a sweeping monster of a record that piles riffs on top of mind-bending prog passages. It’s as beautiful as it is brutal, sort of like Tool. And I guess if hipsters are listening to Mastodon, it means less time spent doting on Merriweather Post Pavilion and It’s Blitz … which is never a bad thing.

“Divinations” - Mastodon

13. Amorum Tali - Purple Rhinestone Eagle (Eolian Records)

Led by lanky guitar-whiz Andrea Genevieve, Purple Rhinestone Eagle strings together mighty riffs that crackle over the rib-rattling rhythm section of Morgan Ray Denning and Ashley Spungin. Amorum Tali (Talons of Love) stands firmly at the intersection between San Francisco flower power and Birmingham doom, especially on “Walk With the Wizard.” Add the fact that the lyrics often touch on deeper social and political issues and you have an incredibly potent rock machine.

“Walk With the Wizard” - Purple Rhinestone Eagle

12. Now We Can See - The Thermals (Kill Rock Stars)

The Thermals’ Kill Rock Stars debut doesn’t quite match the barbed nastiness of 2006’s The Body, the Blood, the Machine—it’s still intense, however, as guitarist/vocalist Hutch Harris reflects on his time on Earth after offing himself in the very first song. Now We Can See is a polished piece of wicked pop punk—songs are more refined, hooks sharper. And it took only, what, three releases for bassist Kathy Foster to finally lay down some backing vocals? Now we can hear!

“I Let It Go” - The Thermals

11. Popular Mechanics - Surrogate (Tooth & Nail)

Surrogate hails from Chico, Calif., touring only occasionally and putting out some incredible pop records on a label that puts out some incredibly god-awful records. Multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Chris Keene has come into his own after playing hired gun in his previous band Number One Gun, writing smart, earnest, well-produced indie rock that should make fans of Nada Surf take notice. Keene’s influences are all over the map, but it only takes one spin to make Popular Mechanics feel like home.

“Whiskey (Vomiting Words)” - Surrogate

10. Wilco (The Album) - Wilco (Nonesuch)

Well, hand it to Jeff Tweedy and Co. for coming up with their most experimental album title in 2009. So the music within doesn’t come anywhere near the eclecticism of masterstroke Yankee Hotel Foxtrot —it’s simply another tried-and-true batch of songs that further cements Tweedy as one of the great tunesmiths of his generation. And musical wunderkinds Glenn Kotche and Nels Cline again show magnificent restraint. I just like that Wilco continues to simply do what comes natural.

“Country Disappeared” - Wilco

9. Power Move - Screaming Females (Don Giovanni)

Screaming Females got a lot of play at TDoL this year, usually in my car as I was being transformed into a screaming male. The aptly-titled Power Move is a fuzzed-out, riff-laden rock ‘n’ roll that shrewdly pulls from each of the last four decades. The highlight, of course, is Marissa Paternoster, the band’s 5-foot-2 guitar goddess who cranks out noodly solos over an air-tight rhythm section. Album opener “Bell” shows that, as is the case with most shredders, it’s usually the riffs that really scream.

“Bell” - Screaming Females

8. Breaks In the Sun - WEINLAND (Badman Recording Co.)

What strikes me most about Portland’s WEINLAND, is the Jekyll and Hyde they pull with their recordings and live shows. Although Breaks In the Sun comes from less of a dark place than 2008’s La Lamentor, there’s still a calmness and beauty to it. Adam Shearer’s hushed vocals are the centerpiece, floating through emotionally-charged country folk songs brimming with pop hooks. Live WEINLAND transforms into a gritty bar band that would probably buy you a beer. It’s rather impressive.

“Autumn Blood” - WEINLAND

7. Love and Curses - Reigning Sound (In The Red)

It’s unfortunate that Greg Cartwright is known only by weirdos who still like to spend hours scouring dusty bins for records by dead people. Love and Curses is the North Carolina quartet’s first record of new material since 2004, and big guitars and swirly organ still rule here. Cartwright’s voice is a little more ragged this time around, but he sure knows how to convey tenderness and despair whether he’s representing the everyman or a jilted lover. Yes, everyone should listen to more dead people.

“The Bells” - Reigning Sound

6. Sonic Boom - KISS (KISS Records)

Chaim Witz and Stanley Eisen made good on their promise to deliver a klassik KISS album, and the former’s songs are the best of the bunch … don’t tell him I said that. Sonic Boom is one kick-ass rock ‘n’ roll party loaded with sexual innuendo, cheesy lyrics (I’m talking Easy Cheese between two slices of Velveeta sprinkled with Cheetos), riffs, cowbells, ripping guitar solos, walking basslines and anthemic choruses. Attn. hipsters: Wouldn’t it be totally ironic if you played this at your next party?

“Yes I Know (Nobody’s Perfect)” - KISS

5. S/T - The Yule Logs (self-released)

A holiday album on a year-end list? Take away the snow, Santa and menorahs and you’re left with some damn catchy songs with Brit pop jangle and Beach Boys harmonies. The hardest working band in snow business plows through classics as well as a few equal-opportunity originals like “Hanukkah Mambo!” and “Christmastime Is Here (Again!).” And I’ve been listening to it non-stop since August … which means either I’m weird, or it’s just that good. Probably a little of both.

“Christmastime Is Here (Again!)” - The Yule Logs

4. Seconhand Runner - Bodhi (self-released)

Bodhi’s influences are as clear as day—Bowie, The Stooges, Gary Numan—yet they manage to end up sounding like nobody but Bodhi. “Kids Are So Nice” is a fine slice from MTV’s early days when new wave, Nina Blackwood (and videos) ruled. Brian Carr’s voice is the glue that holds the myriad influences in place, even when the band decides to throw a new wave country song into the mix (”Bystander”). Went from 0 to No. 4 on my year-end in less than three weeks.

“Kids Are So Nice” - Bodhi

3. S/T - Harper Simon (Tulsi/Vagrant)

“Shooting Star” grabbed me before I even knew who Harper Simon’s pops was. Simon’s debut is a love letter to Nashville. He recorded there, recruited producer Bob Johnston (Nashville Skyline) as well as noteworthy Nashville musicians including pedal steel player Lloyd Green (Sweetheart of the Rodeo). Not surprisingly, he ended up with a beautiful, warm country record. Simon can’t help but sometimes sound like his father Paul—not a bad thing unless, of course, we’re talking about Graceland.

“Shooting Star” - Harper Simon

2. S/T - The Pains of Being Bure at Heart (Slumberland)

Boy-girl harmonies, jangly guitars and hooks up the wazoo (which is less painful than it sounds) reign throughout the New York quartet’s debut. As guitarist/vocalist Kip Berman explained to TDoL earlier this year: “I feel that pop is so wonderfully broad a style of music that you could never ever get bored or fully exhaust it—it’s infinite.” With all the press that TPoBPaH received in 2009, it’s nice to know that they aren’t interested in resting on their laurels. Hell, they might actually be in this for the long haul.

“Young Adult Friction” - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

1. And Girls Club - The Strange Boys (In The Red)

In The Red put out some incredible records this year from King Khan and BBQ Show, Reigning Sound and Thee Oh Sees, but nothing grabbed me as immediately as the debut from Austin, Texas’ The Strange Boys. The combination of chops, songs and enigmatic confidence made these young(ish) boys sound well beyond their years. The band doesn’t go for lo-fi or silly garage-rock aesthetics, instead churning out no-nonsense, R&B-fueled rock ‘n’ roll that falls somewhere between Meet the Beatles! and Bob Dylan’s Newport Folk Festival performance. Guitarist/vocalist Ryan Sambol coyly unleashes his general disaffection through nasally vocals, while jangly guitars and a booming rhythm section crank out the soundtrack for a misfits sock hop. Effortless and fun. Come to think of it, the only thing lo-fi about The Strange Boys might be the album’s cover. But who really looks at those anymore?

“This Girl Taught Me a Dance” - The Strange Boys

The Best of the Rest of the Best …

Bitte Orca - Dirty Projectors

Paint the Fence Invisible - Drug Rug

To Be Still - Alela Diane

Rose City - Viva Voce

Survival Strategies in a Modern World - Liechtenstein

Tags: Alela Diane, Amorum Tali, And Girls Club, Best of 2009, Bitte Orca, Bodhi, Breaks In the Sun, Crack the Skye, Dirty Projectors, Drug Rug, Harper Simon, KISS, Liechtenstein, Love and Curses, Mastodon, Now We Can See, Pacific Dust, Paint the Fence Invisible, Popular Mechanics, Power Move, Purple Rhinestone Eagle, Reigning Sound, Rose City, Screaming Females, Secondhand Runner, Sonic Boom, Surrogate, Survival Strategies In a Modern World, The Mother Hips, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Strange Boys, The Thermals, The Yule Logs, To Be Still, Viva Voce, WEINLAND, Wilco, Wilco (The Album), year-end list

Mother knows best

Monday, November 2nd, 2009 | musiX, pdX | 2 Comments

There are probably only three improbable bands that are more ingrained into my being than The Mother Hips (three guesses on who they are). Bands whose songs have been there through the best and worst times of my life, songs that bring the warmth and comfort of mom’s homemade mashed potatoes. That’s saying a lot.

And The MoHips seem to get better with age. The San Francisco four-piece just released Pacific Dust, which continues where 2007’s Kiss the Crystal Flake left off—breezy harmonies tempered with crunchy guitars (”White Falcon Fuzz”), and pop hooks that amble along with noisier passages (”Pacific Dust”). Hell, the Hips have been doing it for some 20 years—criminally out of earshot of audiences who worship bands like Wilco and Blitzen Trapper—and these days sound quite comfortable embracing the psychedelic, country, pop and multi-passaged songs that occupy their seven studio records.

A ferociously dedicated fanbase doesn’t hurt, either. TDoL has prattled on numerous times about The Mother Hips. The band still tours incessantly—mostly on the West Coast—playing to rabid followers in both dingy clubs and posh theaters. The Hips will return to Portland Nov. 6 at the Doug Fir … another place that sorta feels like home.

“White Falcon Fuzz” - The Mother Hips

“Pacific Dust” - The Mother Hips

Tags: Pacific Dust, The Mother Hips