Thanks Jack White - 70's Rec Room Soundtrack

my socioeconomic/historic placement in this life meant that i spent my formative years in places like this. every respectable suburban breadwinner supplied such spaces for their progeny. i can recall with vivid clarity my introduction to LedZep2 in my friends basement. a high-school graduation party - and all of the italian families in town showed up, young-ins in tow. while the responsible folks celebrated upstairs, the youth were invariably asked to go to the rec room to play pinball, bumper pool, etc. one guy in our neighborhood had a house PA in his rec room with a drumset on a riser. woody looked like sly stone - always wore a visor. his basement parties were like being invited into a movie. what i'm saying is that the rec room crossed all ethnic barriers. sadly - these spaces are a relic of american culture. you don't see this kind of stuff at your local "great indoors". damn shame.

i've been listening to the new White Stripes record Icky Thump for a week or so. the association with the aforementioned recreational spaces is strong. this time out the Jack/Meg pull heavily from all of that 70's sound. a few years back think i called elephant their "zeppellin album". that description was about 4 years premature. the references are pretty blatant "english/scottish folk", heavy handed slide riffs, country inflections, bigdrums. jack white is jimmy page&robert plant, he's angus young&bon scott, he's keithrichards&mickjagger, - all packed into one person and sprayed across these 13 tracks liberally (even a little eddieVH&DLroth on this one (rag&bone - recognize this riff and attack?)) . put simply - it's great fun listening to this record. maybe it's the proximity of columbus & detroit? but i'm still drinking the red and white kool-aid (even if originates in nashville these days).

perhaps the most remarkable thing about the Wstripes is their staying power and their fan base. they are the rare exception of a band who's appeal crosses many barriers. when i was working at the arts center in 2000 - all of the art types (undergrads, grad-students, curators) were in love with them. a Wstripes release is a cultural event. all the fashionable types that i work with these days are talking about this record, sharing it, and name dropping it. all the magazines have to cover it. whether you're headed out tonight to whole foods, the 9:30 club, your local starbucks, or your town art museum - you're probably listening to Icky Thump right now. me? i'd prefer shag carpet, wallpaper, and onkyo amplifiers for my listening experience.

MIA and her Zubaz greenscreening in jamaica

this thing can be watched a few times. go here to listen to a quality stream of the track - totally different experience. go here to see how her visual people present it. we may be sick of this track before the record is released in August, but it's fun in june.

you haven't picked up this many dance moves since the peanuts.

The Walkmen- Brandy Alexander


my man coreyH and i have had the pleasure of seeing these guys a few times over the years (he more than I). their sound is unique and the energy and care that they spend on their live sets is impressive. they are building a hefty body of work as well. i once watched them carry twelve packs of black label in cans on stage at a Jdaniels sponsored event. a stroke of coolness that only underscored the prevailing "vintage" impression that exudes from these guys. they never seem to stop touring, so if you check their schedule it's likely that you can catch them in the next couple of months at a venue near you. this is quite possibly my favorite song from 06. corey just shot me this video link. enjoy...