Friday, July 04, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Dee Settlemier and Aaron Wheeler-Kay
This was a little song and dance from our birthday show on March 15.
This video makes me smile every time I watch.
Aaron is working it!
This video makes me smile every time I watch.
Aaron is working it!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
SXSW 2008 - the final chapter....
Hey all - I know this is a tiny bit post-facto, but I thought you might enjoy one more installment of my SXSW diaries, before the big show this Saturday.
Let's call this : SXSW - the Visual Diaries....
Here I am leaving the hotel to go prowl the hot and rock filled streets of Austin with my good friend Mr. Mike Jones from CD Forge...even elevators can provide for a rad rock and roll moment now and again....
We were off to see what was formerly an addictively danceable solo project by Charlie Salas-Humaras, PDX's Panther. They've expanded into a 2 piece, and now they not only forced my feet into funky submission, but they also looked pretty damn good doing it. They killed it at Emos...see below...
After Panther, I trucked over to the Sub Pop showcase and saw hometown heroes and close pals The Helio Sequence, whose dreamy epic rock duets consistently blow me away. These boys are on a pretty spectacular arc these days, with a new CD on Sub Pop that's garnering rave reviews, and a live show that kicks big booty. I'm kind of in love with this shot...
In all the ridiculous chaos of Texas, it really helps to see friends, share triumphs and terrors and get some good huggin' in....Here's Brandon Summers & Benjy Weikel of Helio with yours truly - now that's cute stuff!
OK, I have to ask - but when did Blitzen Trapper start rocking so hard? Granted these boys used to rule the quirky pop roost, but they must have bought the CCR box set and smoked a whole pile of doobies, cause their sound seems to have morphed, with a dirty Americana edge mixing itself thick into their brew. I can't wait to check them out PDX-side soon...special stuff.
OK, just one more bloggy bit about Scroobius Pip and Dan LeSac. They exploded my lobes more than once, see previous blog entry and below for proof. This pic was from a show that spilled itself onto the sidewalk come Friday at SXSW, enthusiastic fans in tow....I have such a mad crush on the Pip...can you tell?
During the day on Saturday, I decided to go without a gameplan and simply roam the streets and let me eardrums do the steering. Its a relatively surreal ambient experience to walk down the block in Austin during SXSW. A million sounds coming from a zillion doorways. Plus BEER, lots of BEER. Along my walk, I heard some pretty fancy tunes streaming from the left. It turned out to be a very well dressed Canadian combo called Islands. I have a record by them that's a couple years old. It's good, but not nearly as amazing as they sounded that day. Strings, keys, killer rhythms, skewered indie-orchestral rock with a nice juanty pop edge. Yay thanks Islands for catching my ears!!
After Islands, I ambled up the way to see the inimitably awesome Black Mountain. There's something pretty special about these guys. Dark, psychedelic, dirgy rock - but with enough form and function to woo all sorts of fans. Coldplay had them open up for them a while back. I still don't understand how that happened, but do check them out. Incredible stuff.
On my walk back from seeing Black Mountain, I took a little stroll by Austin's Capitol. Check it out!
Ah, Austin, you are a pretty little city. The rest of my SXSW adventures were pretty low-key. I saw a few more bands, and really had a great time hanging out with my peeps....Here's me with my girl Laurel and old friend Chris Swanson, who runs the Secretly Canadian label group. What a dumpling. Definitely take a moment to peep their roster of artists (including Black Mountain, Jens Lekman and a host of other hotties).
After a few more drinks, I hooked up with the Black Mountain crew and watched them kick each others butts in arm wrestling while watching seriously twisted metal bands at a really skanky bar. A welcome relief from the hustle and bustle that was outside the door.
Sometimes, you gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em...I think i bet on the wrong guy!
Anyhoo - that was my 2008 Austin SXSW-a-thon. I hope you dug my pix and commentary. I plan to bring some of the treats I discovered in Texas to Portland, via my new post as Music Curatrix for Live Wire...in fact, one of the bands that will be on Saturday's show - Grand Archives, was a direct hit from my trolling. Yay for that, and for the future! Onward and upward!
Lots of love
Alicia J. Rose
Curatrix of Radness
Live Wire
Let's call this : SXSW - the Visual Diaries....
Here I am leaving the hotel to go prowl the hot and rock filled streets of Austin with my good friend Mr. Mike Jones from CD Forge...even elevators can provide for a rad rock and roll moment now and again....
We were off to see what was formerly an addictively danceable solo project by Charlie Salas-Humaras, PDX's Panther. They've expanded into a 2 piece, and now they not only forced my feet into funky submission, but they also looked pretty damn good doing it. They killed it at Emos...see below...
After Panther, I trucked over to the Sub Pop showcase and saw hometown heroes and close pals The Helio Sequence, whose dreamy epic rock duets consistently blow me away. These boys are on a pretty spectacular arc these days, with a new CD on Sub Pop that's garnering rave reviews, and a live show that kicks big booty. I'm kind of in love with this shot...
In all the ridiculous chaos of Texas, it really helps to see friends, share triumphs and terrors and get some good huggin' in....Here's Brandon Summers & Benjy Weikel of Helio with yours truly - now that's cute stuff!
OK, I have to ask - but when did Blitzen Trapper start rocking so hard? Granted these boys used to rule the quirky pop roost, but they must have bought the CCR box set and smoked a whole pile of doobies, cause their sound seems to have morphed, with a dirty Americana edge mixing itself thick into their brew. I can't wait to check them out PDX-side soon...special stuff.
OK, just one more bloggy bit about Scroobius Pip and Dan LeSac. They exploded my lobes more than once, see previous blog entry and below for proof. This pic was from a show that spilled itself onto the sidewalk come Friday at SXSW, enthusiastic fans in tow....I have such a mad crush on the Pip...can you tell?
During the day on Saturday, I decided to go without a gameplan and simply roam the streets and let me eardrums do the steering. Its a relatively surreal ambient experience to walk down the block in Austin during SXSW. A million sounds coming from a zillion doorways. Plus BEER, lots of BEER. Along my walk, I heard some pretty fancy tunes streaming from the left. It turned out to be a very well dressed Canadian combo called Islands. I have a record by them that's a couple years old. It's good, but not nearly as amazing as they sounded that day. Strings, keys, killer rhythms, skewered indie-orchestral rock with a nice juanty pop edge. Yay thanks Islands for catching my ears!!
After Islands, I ambled up the way to see the inimitably awesome Black Mountain. There's something pretty special about these guys. Dark, psychedelic, dirgy rock - but with enough form and function to woo all sorts of fans. Coldplay had them open up for them a while back. I still don't understand how that happened, but do check them out. Incredible stuff.
On my walk back from seeing Black Mountain, I took a little stroll by Austin's Capitol. Check it out!
Ah, Austin, you are a pretty little city. The rest of my SXSW adventures were pretty low-key. I saw a few more bands, and really had a great time hanging out with my peeps....Here's me with my girl Laurel and old friend Chris Swanson, who runs the Secretly Canadian label group. What a dumpling. Definitely take a moment to peep their roster of artists (including Black Mountain, Jens Lekman and a host of other hotties).
After a few more drinks, I hooked up with the Black Mountain crew and watched them kick each others butts in arm wrestling while watching seriously twisted metal bands at a really skanky bar. A welcome relief from the hustle and bustle that was outside the door.
Sometimes, you gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em...I think i bet on the wrong guy!
Anyhoo - that was my 2008 Austin SXSW-a-thon. I hope you dug my pix and commentary. I plan to bring some of the treats I discovered in Texas to Portland, via my new post as Music Curatrix for Live Wire...in fact, one of the bands that will be on Saturday's show - Grand Archives, was a direct hit from my trolling. Yay for that, and for the future! Onward and upward!
Lots of love
Alicia J. Rose
Curatrix of Radness
Live Wire
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
SXSW - Or how I learned to tame the Armadillo in 4 HOT days...
Hello dearest Live Wirelets,
Alicia J. Rose, Live Wire's new Music Curatrix, reporting from the couch here in NE PDX. Now that i have sufficiently recovered from my bout of fun in the sun in Austin, TX I thought it high time to dig into my visual diaries and share some potentially compelling and moderately tawdry moments with you all....
Now...where to start. YES! Austin, Texas, land of delicious meats and sauces, keeper of far too many cheesy bars (on the main drag - 6th st.), and for one week in the middle of March, home to the funnest version of music business/fans summercamp EVER. I realized that this will be my (yikes!) 11th year attending....I must say it's always a treat to see old friends, and make new ones too....
Anyhoo - this is kind of a combo visual/verbal diary...so buckle up for a pictorial tour of some fun SXSW '08 adventures...enjoy!
Day 1: The Builders and the Butchers - Yard Dog Patio - NOON.
I dragged myself up at Texas' version of the crack of buns to see my PDX boyz at this Spin Magazine BBQ. Besides the gazillion official showcases held at night, there are also a bazillion non-official FREE parties happening all around town all day long for festival goers and freeloading music lovers. Basically, the fun never stops. So, noon is like 7am regular reality Portland time in Texas....so, it had to be love for me to shuck my buns outta that cozy hotel room so early. However, The Builders and the Butchers are one of my top 5 PDX combos, as they tend to rip the roof off virtually every show i've ever seen them play, so it was worth it. Their brand of broke-down punk folk reminds me of a cross between Neil Young's Crazy Horse and the Violent Femmes being gently massaged by a very dastardly early Decemberists Colin Meloy. Got that? Yeah...Of course I hadn't eaten anything when i got to the show, so I rooted around for the alleged complimentary snacks offered at this bash, eventually unearthing a choice between nasty looking sloppy joes and breakfast beer. Beer it was. I started getting a little lightheaded, then the B&B came on and rocked my pants off.
During the show the boys passed around various percussion treats, which me and my pal played, as did a suspicious looking pirate, who kept staring at us with a creepy grin on his face. Turns out he is a big Builders and Butchers fan...here he is (below) throwing the "peace" sign with the band. I don't buy it. What self-respecting pirate gives props to peace? Hmmm....
After the B&B I wandered the streets of Texas bleary and bloated on breakfast beer. I don't even like beer - so this was a unique state of mind. Somehow I made it to Gueros on S. Congress and ate some delicious breakfast tacos. Chorizo and eggs, you are my friends.
Then after a nice nap, I busted a move to see the amazing Scroobius Pip & Dan LeSac whose single "Thou Shalt Always Kill" has been breaking my brain for a few weeks now...peep it here:
Cool huh? But not as cool as this:
Who's the non-psuedo-Haside? Yeah, that's me on the right. I became a Scroobius Pip stalker. These cats rocked the scrappy 6th Street hole of a venue they were playing at with their relentless mix of hip-hop electronic ala The Streets but with just the right amount of kinetic Bob Dylan style snark. (Sidebar: During SXSW, Downtown Austin's mega-strip of 800 crappy college boobsnbeer joints turn into makeshift venues, some of which truly blow). More on the Pip 'n Sac soon....
After Pip n Sac was fabulous PDX uber-duo Yacht. Who were way more funky and awesome than i remembered. Props to them making the most of the room by getting up in it. That's Jona from Yacht in the crowd with the sexy sweat soaked tee hittin' it:
And then there was Yeasayer. Ah...Yeasayer. Perhaps my top new obsession, spawned directly from SXSW-land. A few prime insiders tipped me off to these lads, who somehow seamlessly blend bits of early Genesis, Kate Bush, TV On The Radio and early Talking Heads with their own poly-math rhythms and weird vocal genius. I was transfixed. You will be too. Check 'em out.
After getting my head blown off by the Yeay's, i headed outside with my pal Mike Jones for a Best Wurst..whose buns were about as soggy as mine. But it was the only late night snack that could quell my drunken lobe-deficient rocked-out stupor. Then it was back to the hotel for a nighttime nap sesh. Good stuff....
Stay tuned for SXSW DAY 2: How I learned to eat breakfast before beer! Also, don't miss my live report including even more sordid details at the April 12th live show at the Aladdin.
Alicia J. Rose, Live Wire's new Music Curatrix, reporting from the couch here in NE PDX. Now that i have sufficiently recovered from my bout of fun in the sun in Austin, TX I thought it high time to dig into my visual diaries and share some potentially compelling and moderately tawdry moments with you all....
Now...where to start. YES! Austin, Texas, land of delicious meats and sauces, keeper of far too many cheesy bars (on the main drag - 6th st.), and for one week in the middle of March, home to the funnest version of music business/fans summercamp EVER. I realized that this will be my (yikes!) 11th year attending....I must say it's always a treat to see old friends, and make new ones too....
Anyhoo - this is kind of a combo visual/verbal diary...so buckle up for a pictorial tour of some fun SXSW '08 adventures...enjoy!
Day 1: The Builders and the Butchers - Yard Dog Patio - NOON.
I dragged myself up at Texas' version of the crack of buns to see my PDX boyz at this Spin Magazine BBQ. Besides the gazillion official showcases held at night, there are also a bazillion non-official FREE parties happening all around town all day long for festival goers and freeloading music lovers. Basically, the fun never stops. So, noon is like 7am regular reality Portland time in Texas....so, it had to be love for me to shuck my buns outta that cozy hotel room so early. However, The Builders and the Butchers are one of my top 5 PDX combos, as they tend to rip the roof off virtually every show i've ever seen them play, so it was worth it. Their brand of broke-down punk folk reminds me of a cross between Neil Young's Crazy Horse and the Violent Femmes being gently massaged by a very dastardly early Decemberists Colin Meloy. Got that? Yeah...Of course I hadn't eaten anything when i got to the show, so I rooted around for the alleged complimentary snacks offered at this bash, eventually unearthing a choice between nasty looking sloppy joes and breakfast beer. Beer it was. I started getting a little lightheaded, then the B&B came on and rocked my pants off.
During the show the boys passed around various percussion treats, which me and my pal played, as did a suspicious looking pirate, who kept staring at us with a creepy grin on his face. Turns out he is a big Builders and Butchers fan...here he is (below) throwing the "peace" sign with the band. I don't buy it. What self-respecting pirate gives props to peace? Hmmm....
After the B&B I wandered the streets of Texas bleary and bloated on breakfast beer. I don't even like beer - so this was a unique state of mind. Somehow I made it to Gueros on S. Congress and ate some delicious breakfast tacos. Chorizo and eggs, you are my friends.
Then after a nice nap, I busted a move to see the amazing Scroobius Pip & Dan LeSac whose single "Thou Shalt Always Kill" has been breaking my brain for a few weeks now...peep it here:
Cool huh? But not as cool as this:
Who's the non-psuedo-Haside? Yeah, that's me on the right. I became a Scroobius Pip stalker. These cats rocked the scrappy 6th Street hole of a venue they were playing at with their relentless mix of hip-hop electronic ala The Streets but with just the right amount of kinetic Bob Dylan style snark. (Sidebar: During SXSW, Downtown Austin's mega-strip of 800 crappy college boobsnbeer joints turn into makeshift venues, some of which truly blow). More on the Pip 'n Sac soon....
After Pip n Sac was fabulous PDX uber-duo Yacht. Who were way more funky and awesome than i remembered. Props to them making the most of the room by getting up in it. That's Jona from Yacht in the crowd with the sexy sweat soaked tee hittin' it:
And then there was Yeasayer. Ah...Yeasayer. Perhaps my top new obsession, spawned directly from SXSW-land. A few prime insiders tipped me off to these lads, who somehow seamlessly blend bits of early Genesis, Kate Bush, TV On The Radio and early Talking Heads with their own poly-math rhythms and weird vocal genius. I was transfixed. You will be too. Check 'em out.
After getting my head blown off by the Yeay's, i headed outside with my pal Mike Jones for a Best Wurst..whose buns were about as soggy as mine. But it was the only late night snack that could quell my drunken lobe-deficient rocked-out stupor. Then it was back to the hotel for a nighttime nap sesh. Good stuff....
Stay tuned for SXSW DAY 2: How I learned to eat breakfast before beer! Also, don't miss my live report including even more sordid details at the April 12th live show at the Aladdin.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Curatrix Corner/Post # 01: Hello young blog lovers
Hello blog lovers of Live Wire land!
Allow me to introduce myself....I am Alicia J. Rose, the new girl. Otherwise known as Live Wire's brand new Curatrix of things musical. I am also rumored to wield a wily accordion and a snappy camera. That, and I am responsible for the music booking at Portland's favorite cavern of all things cozy and rockin - Doug Fir Lounge.
I've bopped around the show a little over the past few months interviewing bands (Chris Walla, Stars of Track and Field, Viva Voce), wearing fancy dresses and trolling backstage for ball-shaped snacks, tasty beverages and cast and crew hugs. It's been a glamorous and shenanigan filled journey, yes - but not one without purpose....the LW lady wizards and myself have been hatching a plan to step up the music quotient of the show, and this blog is just one aspect of the magic that we have in store for you all... I hope to drop some pearls and plop some earls for your ears to sop up over the months to come...so keep me RSS'd and ready.
love
Alicia J. Rose
aka
Puffysin
COMING SOON: Ms. Puffy hits the Texas - SXSW Style!! Saucy rock pics included!!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Oregon!
We've had some requests from people who attended our last show to post the lyrics to our our Oregon-ized version of Oklahoma, written by Faces for Radio Theater member (and show announcer) Tyler Hughs. The airdate for this show is Saturday, March 1st. Enjoy!
They couldn’t pick a better state with no sales tax
It ain’t too sunny and it ain’t too bright
Startin as a logger with a brand new axe
Soon be campin’ in a new campsite
New campsite, gonna treat you right
Gonna give you timber, filberts and salmon,
Pasture fer the llamas,
Berries for jammin’!
Beavers in the rivers, slugs on the rocks
Plen’y of dudes in Birkenstocks
Plen’y of chicks that don’t use soap
Plen’y of beer and medical dope
Ooooo-regon where the rain comes raining when it rains, (Oreguh-un)
And the logging camp can sure smell damp,
And more rain comes right behind the rain!
Ooooo-regon , my domestic partner and I, (domestic partner)
Drink a micro-brew, a pinot or two,
To forget what it’s like to be dry. (dry)
We’re singing this song to the land
From Grande Ronde all the way to LaGrande
And when we say
Dude! It’s just our attitude!
We’re only saying
You’re number one, Oreg-uh-un!
Oreg-uh-un, not Ore-gone!
Oregon, Oregon, Oregon, Oregon,
Oregon, Oregon, Oregon, Oregon,
We’re singing this song to our state
There’s no self serve, you’ll just have to wait
And when we say
Dude! We don’t mean to be rude!
We’re only saying
You’re number one, Oreg-uh-un!
Oreg-uh-un…O-R-E-G-O-N my friend
OREG-UH-UN!
Dude!
...See, Oregon is better than OK! Tune in next time when we present “Prius With a Fringe On Top”
Lyrics (c) Live Wire Radio and Tyler Hughs. All rights reserved blah blah blah don't copy them and say you wrote them or we'll be peeved and then things might get litigious and seriously, aren't the courts too full already with girlfriends suing their ex-boyfriends for the money they lent them to pay their electricity bill because they were about to be cut off and the guy's all, "It was a GIFT," and the girl's all, "It was a LOAN. Who gives somebody electricity bill money as a GIFT?," and Judge Judy's all, "I wasn't born yesterday!" and everybody shuts up. Anyway, don't steal our lyrics, y'all.
OREGON!
The folks at Travel Oregon know this state inside and out, top to bottom. See for yourself at traveloregon.com. But we recently discovered a surprising bit of Oregon trivia that we bet even they didn’t know about. It seems songwriting duo Rogers and Hammerstein’s musical Oklahoma! was originally inspired by our fair state. The story goes that at the last minute Oregon withdrew financial backing in favor of building a dam or a fish ladder or something, and Oklahoma was a hasty and awkward substitute. Tonight, as proof, we present a performance of the rousing finale from the first draft of Rogers and Hammerstein’s OREGON!They couldn’t pick a better state with no sales tax
It ain’t too sunny and it ain’t too bright
Startin as a logger with a brand new axe
Soon be campin’ in a new campsite
New campsite, gonna treat you right
Gonna give you timber, filberts and salmon,
Pasture fer the llamas,
Berries for jammin’!
Beavers in the rivers, slugs on the rocks
Plen’y of dudes in Birkenstocks
Plen’y of chicks that don’t use soap
Plen’y of beer and medical dope
Ooooo-regon where the rain comes raining when it rains, (Oreguh-un)
And the logging camp can sure smell damp,
And more rain comes right behind the rain!
Ooooo-regon , my domestic partner and I, (domestic partner)
Drink a micro-brew, a pinot or two,
To forget what it’s like to be dry. (dry)
We’re singing this song to the land
From Grande Ronde all the way to LaGrande
And when we say
Dude! It’s just our attitude!
We’re only saying
You’re number one, Oreg-uh-un!
Oreg-uh-un, not Ore-gone!
Oregon, Oregon, Oregon, Oregon,
Oregon, Oregon, Oregon, Oregon,
We’re singing this song to our state
There’s no self serve, you’ll just have to wait
And when we say
Dude! We don’t mean to be rude!
We’re only saying
You’re number one, Oreg-uh-un!
Oreg-uh-un…O-R-E-G-O-N my friend
OREG-UH-UN!
Dude!
...See, Oregon is better than OK! Tune in next time when we present “Prius With a Fringe On Top”
Lyrics (c) Live Wire Radio and Tyler Hughs. All rights reserved blah blah blah don't copy them and say you wrote them or we'll be peeved and then things might get litigious and seriously, aren't the courts too full already with girlfriends suing their ex-boyfriends for the money they lent them to pay their electricity bill because they were about to be cut off and the guy's all, "It was a GIFT," and the girl's all, "It was a LOAN. Who gives somebody electricity bill money as a GIFT?," and Judge Judy's all, "I wasn't born yesterday!" and everybody shuts up. Anyway, don't steal our lyrics, y'all.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Peter Yarrow Videos
The first video is Peter Yarrow singing "Puff the Magic Dragon" with help from Storm Large, Chris Walla, Holcombe Waller and a bunch of others.
There's an uber-cute part at the end of the song, where Holcombe Waller says to Chris Walla, "Oh, give me a hug."
Listen for Chris's response.
This next video is a funny little moment with Peter Yarrow, that I don't think made it into the broadcast.
There's an uber-cute part at the end of the song, where Holcombe Waller says to Chris Walla, "Oh, give me a hug."
Listen for Chris's response.
This next video is a funny little moment with Peter Yarrow, that I don't think made it into the broadcast.
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