The New Metallica

So, it’s almost here.  Death Magnetic.  The new Metallica record.  And part of it’s been leaked onto YouTube. I don’t know about you, but I’m LOVING most of what I heard–it’s like the Metallica of old in a lot of ways.  (Thanks Rick Rubin!)  What’s Lars’s take on the leak, you ask?

“If this thing leaks all over the world today or tomorrow, happy days. Happy days. Trust me. Ten days out and it hasn’t quote-unquote fallen off the truck yet? Everybody’s happy. It’s 2008 and it’s part of how it is these days, so it’s fine. We’re happy.”

A-whaaaat?  Lars “I hate Napster” Ulrich doesn’t care if the thing leaks a little?  Mind blowing.  A “new” Metallica, indeed!  Then, like two days later my mind is blown further when Wired posts a video of Lars talking about all the “really cool interpretations of all the Metallica songs that you guys out there are so cool to put up on the net and share with everybody in the world.” The post includes links to a bunch of awesome YouTube videos of people playing Metallica songs.  Happy days, indeed.

The problem with the videos Lars posted is that there he didn’t mention any bands from New York State. Here at the ARChive, Bryan, Jon and I have been working on a project called the New York Music Index and Archive (the NYMIA for short), a freely available online database designed to provide information and access to all aspects of the popular music industry based in New York State.  We’ve not yet launched, but we’re getting real close.  Part of our work involves being on MySpace and learning about what’s going on musically in New York State and you might imagine, we’ve come across a fair number of bands that cover Metallica songs, so I thought I’d share a few with you here.

Scraping Bottom is “a 5-piece, heavy hitting, hard rockin’, cover band from Oswego County NY.”   They cover Metallica, Judas Priest AC/DC, Godsmack, Deftones and more.  On their MySpace page they include a version of “Seek and Destroy.”  They don’t really have a logo, but their homepage does include a animated gif of a very-metal looking dagron dragon, though (below, left):

Hailing from Staten Island & Brooklyn, Kill ‘Em All (see their logo above, right) is a five piece Metallica tribute band.  They formed in early 2007 and have two Metallica tunes on their site, “Four Horsemen” and “Ride the Lightning.”  Sweet versions that get extra points because they reflect the good taste of the band.

Just for kicks, why not compare Kill ‘Em All’s version of “Four Horseman” with that of Alcoholica, which bills itself as “Connecticut’s Premiere Metallica tribute band.”  (Yeah, yeah…they’re not from New York State, but the NYMIA isn’t intended to be used solely by people IN New York.  It’s for everyone, those in-state and those who might come…and Connecticut’s right next door!)  Alcoholica seems to be on sabbatical because lead singer Kai Blackwood’s in Hollywood working on a film of some sort.  I think they should win some kind of award for “Most Metal Blog Title” with their “Ron in the Emergency room again.”  Ron Celentano’s the “Cliff Burton” of the band.  Hope you’re feeling better, Ron!

Do you find yourself located in the greater Glen Oakes, New York area, love Metallica and need a band whose name is “synonymous with energetic renditions of a wide variety of songs” which has “palpable on-stage camaraderie?”  Then look no further than Scream! a cover band from Glen Oakes that includes an really nice cover of Metallica’s “Sad But True” in their set list.

Last, but not least, we have Syracuse’s own Septor.  The Fightin’ Septor! The call themselves “a high energy, in your face hard rock band” that plays “anything from Mudvayne, Pantera, Metallica, Godsmack, Disturbed, Tool, Rob Zombie and MUCH MORE!”  Hvae a listen to their version of “Fade to Black.”  You’ll see what they mean.

So, there you have it, folks, the “New” Metallica.  Discuss in comments.  If you know of any more Metallica tribs in NY/NJ/CT, let us know!

Go New York bands!

ps. if you like metal, keep an eye open next week when I post about the bands in New York State that cover Black Sabbath.  Brownie points to the person who guesses which is the most covered Sabbath tune in New York.

Are They So Very Different Today?

Hipsters, I mean.

No, Columbia wasn’t the hippest label in the 1950s, but the cover of their Columbia House Party LP did nothing to hurt them.  Covered with hipsters hanging around with portable pets, drinking martinis, smoking who knows what and carrying on, it eerily echoes the kinds of things that I see contemporary hipsters doing still.  The music on this one not so cool (snorelights include Norman Luboff, Liberace, Guy Mitchell, Rosemary Clooney, Mitch Miller), but the record is so beautifully well packaged I can’t not blog it.  Check out this amazing cover by Naiad Einsel (click the image for a fuller view)

The back cover is great too, detailing what would appear to be the full line of Columbia phonographs and tape recorders:

I think I’m going to hit up eBay for a set of “his and hers” model 412s.  My wife, I’m sure, will be speechless, but it’ll all be worth it if she and I someday end up on a record cover just like this one, shown listening to records on our matching 412s.

DTN FUDD

Sneaky Santa Holiday Sale!

Do you like music? How about the holidays? If you answered “yes” to both, then you’re in luck! It time again for the ARChive of Contemporary Music’s big Holiday Record & CD sale!

It all gets going on Saturday, December 8th and we’ll keep it going everyday, from 11-6, until Sunday, December 16th. We have 20,000 items for sale, and we’ll add new items daily. CDs are NEW donations from record companies, NOT used, returns or defects! We have mostly pop and rock recordings, but keep your eyes open for CDs from Rough Trade and reggae from Trojan and Sanctuary! Collectible LPs are priced below book value – all sorts of new things. Hundreds of CDs are priced at $1 to $5 each. cassettes $1.00 ea./ 12 for $10. Just released NEW & HOT CDs are $5 – $10 • MOST LPS $1! BEST DEAL = BOXES of 125 Pop, Soundtrack or Classical LPs = $5 a BOX • TONS of Film Soundtrack & Broadway LPs + CDs – MOST for a BUCK • Signed records • 100s of sealed/unopened LPs (Aretha, Troggs, Smiths) • BEATLES and more BEATLES LPs • African & world-music • Classical LPs $1 or LESS each! • Vintage punk, new wave & classic rock LPs • music books • videos • 7″ singles • PLUS, you’ll find CHRISTMAS Records to suit all of your holiday needs!

Here’s chilly Volunteer Jessica wearing one of our flea market sweaters and restocking a hot off the shelves Feotus On Your Breath LP.

(Wow, look at all that stuff!)

There’s even stuff for the dis-en-vinyled out there at our Astroturf Yardsale of 50s kitchen stuff and clothing!!! THERE IS STUFF FOR LITERALLY EVERYONE! YOU GOTTA BE THERE!

(Don’t you just LOVE that Dress!)

Admission is free! You’ll find us at 54 White St, just three short blocks south of Canal, between Broadway & Church in Tribeca. Take the 1 train to Franklin, or any train to Canal.

Dues-paying members of the ARChive, were treated to a cocktail party on Thursday, December 6 (6-9 PM) and treated to the hillbilly sounds of Susquehanna Industrial Tool and Die Co. It was ballads, boogie and blues to all, and to all a good night! (BTW, members get to shop before the general public! If you’d like to JOIN, call 212-226-6967 for details.)

The ARChive of Contemporary Music’s Holiday Record & CD sale promises to be THE musical event of the season. It’s cheaper than downloading and the shopping is LOADS more fun, so spread the word and tell EVERYONE you know to be there!

EDIT 12-3: We got Dugg on Digg! Click here to have a look, let everyone know, Digg us up, whatever man!

EDIT 12-4: TONS and TONS of Rough Guide CDs arrived TODAY. Music from all around the world!

(ThailandScotlandSouthAfricanJazz LuckyDubeBrothersJamaicaDominicanRepublic KlezmerNativeAmericanOkinawa ColombiaCanadaANDMORE.)

(Really amazing stuff, all between $3 and $10!)

EDIT 12-5: A HUGE shipment of CDs from those pioneers of weird electronic dance music, Warp Records! (Brothomstates, Gravenhurst, Prefuse73, Maxïmo Park, Req and MORE.)

Tis the Season…

 

Tis the Season. This time of year every night is party night in the city.

Tuesday it was The Gish Prize ceremony for Laurie Anderson. The event began with a short piano solo by Phil Glass, lots of nice words and some new-fashioned story tellin’ by LA. One bonus was the reunion of all of us who had worked on ‘O Superman,’ Laurie’s breakthrough single from 1981, the first time we had all been together in years. Lou Reed snapped photos like the proud partner he is, and I had a chance to speak with another old pal, Meredith Monk. For Laurie is was a well-deserved honor and a very nice evening for everyone.

Wednesday it was up to the Whitney for the Lawrence Weiner opening. Lawrence has been a good friend of the ARC, making sure we have all of his recordings/sound art pieces.

On Thursday I walked through the Lower East side (shockingly shinny boogie all of a sudden) for the launch party of Punk 365 at Manitoba’s bar. That’s Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators, and the book is by longtime ARC pal, Holly George Warren. Thick as a brick, this swell book offers little known photography, gritty + pretty, of America’s last iconic rock movement that will keep you occupied, well, for at least a year. A good time was had by all, despite the petty support from publisher Abram’s, who offered a cash bar and asked Holly to bring the snacks! Even the ARC offers its supporters a free drink now and then.

Next it was off to unashamedly boogie Soho for the Creem book launch at the John Varvatos shop. If everyone at Manitoba’s was dark, and wrinkled and long in the tooth, the Creem crowd had a born yesterday look, taller, dapper, thinner. I had gone to school in Ann Arbor during the original Creem-Detroit-garage era, and written a short-lived column, ‘Attic Cuts,’ during one of its revivals in the late 80s. Book authors and mag founders signed my copy and everyone was given an Iggy Live in Detroit DVD. Sadly, it seemed as if the designer had never seen an early edition of Creem, as it made it look more like Hit Parader. At least the drinks flowed freely and food was plentiful. I guess Harper Collins likes its authors.

Among the flotsam was some genuine jetsam; Phillip Seymour Hoffman (lost some weight) was there and I nearly touched Paris Hilton (gained a little) while reaching for the multicolored Jello shots covered in Boy Howdy whipped Creem. Now, if only Lester Bangs had showed up to trash the place…

TGIF when no one in NY goes out.

b.ARC

Old Dirty.

On this date in 2004, the world lost Ol’ Dirty Bastard, a.k.a. O.D.B., a.k.a. Dirt McGirt.

I had a brush with O.D.B. once. It was an afternoon in the late 1990s and I was sitting in front of the Knitting Factory on Leonard Street waiting for my friend Jordan, when out of nowhere O.D.B. walked by. I was the only one on the street, and he was clearly looking for something. He stopped and asked me if I knew where some club was. Unfortunately, I did not and he went on his way. It lasted all of five seconds. He didn’t identify himself, but I’d come to know his voice and his grill through the video for his early opus Brooklyn Zoo when it was a feature on The Box video channel. There was no mistaking who the man who I couldn’t help was.

So, as you enjoy whatever beverage you will enjoy this afternoon or evening, take a moment to have Ol’ Dirty in your thoughts. Wu Tang Forever.

dtn

Crazy like a fox.

God knows we love Britney Spears, y’all. But she’s troubled. Oh, so troubled. “Celebrity train wreck” troubled. The divorce from K-Fed, rumors of a sex tape, botched rehab, crotch shots, hair weaves that don’t fool anyone, greasy couture chicken fingers and a falling out with her momma. But now, we’re seeing reports that the next stop for her on the comeback trail will be a performance at the MTV VMAs. How in the world can this possibly be a good idea? Besides, what will she sing? It’s not like she can go back to any of her hits. Not now…not anymore. She needs something new. A song that shows she’s moved beyond her troubles and is still relevant, but one that also shows that she has good sense of humor about her past. It also has to be something that pushes the boundaries of pop taste. But what to choose…what to choose?

We here at the ARChive have a suggestion:

A real oldie, but a goodie. Yes, we realize that this suggestion is a little off the wall, but ask yourself: with all the trouble surrounding her, how crazy would it really be if she sang about selling a baby? Imagine Brit-Brit singing THIS jam through a vocoder over a heavy dance beat LIVE, on stage, at the Video Music Awards:

You know what we hear? A return to her rightful place as #1 Pop Princess, that’s what.

dtn

(The sheet music is a recent donation from Kevin Lanagan, a regular contributor to the ARChive’s sheet music collection. The sound file can be found on UCSB’s Cylinder Preservation and Digitization page. If you like the recording and want to hear others like it, I encourage you to click on over. It’s off the hizzy, y’all!)

Kioku / Happy Fun Smile

My friend Wynn Yamami leads a great experimental music group called “Kioku” (Japanese for “memory”), and they’re going on a west coast tour this summer. You can go to their myspace page to hear what they sound like, but if you’d rather see them in action (and who wouldn’t?) look no further. Here they are playing a piece called “Binalig”:

The group’s a trio and includes another friend, Christopher Ariza (live electronics, also a fine composer) as well as Ali Sakkal (saxophones, percussion). You can learn more about the group (and learn about their tour dates) by clicking over to the Kioku homepage. If you’re a fan of experimental music and live in California, you have to go check them out.

Lest we think that Wynn is all about being serious at the expense of fun, he’s also the leader of a group called “Happy Fun Smile” that “performs an eclectic mix of Okinawan pop, electric folk songs (ultraminyo), supersweet ballads (enka), festival rhythms and obon beats.” I’d be remiss if I didn’t say he’s joined in this endeavor by several friends, including Ryan Dorin, Billtron and MBQ who help make the group great. They’re something to hear – really, really fun – so you must check them out as well. Here’s a taste:

HFS also has a homepage. Go there NOW.

dtn

ALSO: Don’t forget about our “Greatest Contest Ever.” It’s still in full swing and will remain open until we give away BOTH cases of Moxie!

Paris Hilton has nothing to do with Hawaiian Shirt Day

This is a watershed Wednesday. Everybody came be-decked in their ersatz Polynesian finery. It’s getting embarrassing. Maybe next week we’ll bring in our ukuleles. Hang loose, wahinis.

Guess what I have in my hand

I’m becoming a bit of a specialist, I’m afraid. Whenever a comedy record comes over the transom, usually found tucked discreetly in a dark corner of a large donation of music, it lands on my desk. Don’t know what gave it away, but when this one surfaced there was a distinct suspicion that it might be in the funny-ha-ha category and hence my domain.

Well, whaddaya know, Ivor Biggun is in fact a comedy act! He is the alter ego of one Robert “Doc” Cox, though why he felt he needed a name change to make masturbation jokes is way beyond me. As if dick jokes aren’t enough to endear the ARChive gang, he’s also an artiste of the George Formby variety, a master of the ukulele. Here’s Mr. Biggun in action:

Ahh, ain’t life grand?

– Jonny

More Paris Hilton Madness!

Today is the ARC is annexing the adjacent space so we have some friends over helping us prepare four our BIG SUMMER SALE (I encourage anyone in NYC reading this to clink on the link and learn more). One of the folks lending a hand in the expansion is our friend BeBop. (Some context: BeBop was arguably the most important person on the 80s post punk scene. Why? Because he was the doorman at all the hip clubs when they were hip. In the 80s, if you wanted to get into a club and didn’t know BeBop, you weren’t getting into the club. Period.) He didn’t know about our blog, so I explained it to him. As I was telling him about the post in which I suggested Cher could be a good role model for Paris after she gets out of jail, he said “yea, but Marianne Faithfull would be a better.” BeBop, you are correct, so here we go.

Marianne Faithfull would be a good role model for Paris because she did it all before Paris did. Her mother was a Baronness. She had the famous boyfriends (Mick Jagger, anyone?), she had the drug problems, she dealt with the anorexia – all kinds of tragedy, but she’s managed to make it through. Should we be surprised that in 1985 she had an album called Rich Girl Blues (do I hear Paris Hilton In-Tha-Klub remix on the horizon?). Plus, they kind of look alike. Here is the photo spread from the back of the soundtrack for the 1968 film Girl on a Motorcycle:

Here’s Paris, from around the net:

Paris, if you’re looking for her, Marianne is currently living in Paris (the city, not you).