Califone’s Tim Rutili Lends Support to Song+Stories Project, You Should Too
Independent radio artists Elizabeth Meister and Dan Collison are working with acclaimed Califone songwriter Tim Rutili on a documentary called Journey of the Asian Carp.
For the uninitiated, the Asian carp is a destructive non-native fish that has wreaked havoc on Midwestern waterways by crowding out native fish and uprooting plants. Notorious for their jumping ability, they also pose a physical danger to fishermen and their feeding habits make them hard to capture.
Meister and Collison hope to weave the documentary with Rutili’s music to create something that is more than the sum of its parts. Rutili’s music will supplement the documentary’s narrative as it follows the invasive carp’s slow migration from the American south ”to the brink of Lake Michigan, focusing specifically on communities along the Illinois River that already have been invaded.”
If all goes well (more on that later), Meister and Collison will visit some of the small American communities that depend on their waterways and native fish but have been devastated by the Asian carp’s invasion.
Click here to learn how you can help…
Interview: Charles Yu
Owl and Bear met with up-and-coming author Charles Yu, who braved 8-foot Pikachus and zombie brides at Comic-Con International 2010 to talk with us about his new book, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (Pantheon Books), due in stores September 7, 2010.
At first blush, Charles Yu’s How to Live Safely in A Science Fictional Universe is a classic science fiction comedy complete with a sobbing, suicidal time machine operating system and an ontologically ambiguous robot dog. But surrounding the dark humor of the protagonist, a lonely repairman of chronogrammatical vehicles with temporolinguistic architecture (read: time machines), is a small, sad universe that challenges the polarity of science and art through a unique narrative “technology.”
“I was trying to explore a fake science of storytelling,” Yu said, when asked about how his book collapses the barrier between science and language. “Reading a book itself is definitely a pretty advanced form of time travel, one we’ve had for a long time… I wasn’t so much trying to rigorously work through any kind of science about it, but just the idea that this is a really amazing technology we already have.” Continue reading…
Poetic Memory: Zoo Seven (Interview)
Irish-born San Diegan Del Currie, also known as Zoo Seven, has been writing music and working in the industry since the 90s, but he only recently released his debut solo album. Called Lifesaver, the album is a rich and layered work that easily showcases his talent and self-professed love for melody and harmony. You can download the entire thing for free over at his website.
We asked Del to tell us about his influences, and he happily obliged. It’s a little different from what you might expect, but it’s nonetheless interesting. Check out Del Currie’s Poetic Memory below. Continue reading…
The Comic-Con Has Landed
Westboro Baptist Church counter-protesters
Every July the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and my heartbeat quickens. I can sense the gathering of nerds from all over the globe. It’s a mecca for the most hardcore geeks. I’m talking about San Diego Comic Con. It is the Super Bowl for the sci-fi/fantasy/horror/pop-culture fan in all of us. Between the days of July 22-25, the San Diego Convention Center houses thousands of vendors selling toys, statues, costumes, video games, movies, memorabilia, and of course comic books. Continue reading…
Poetic Memory: Charles Yu (List)
Excerpt from How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, by Charles Yu
Charlie Yu is the author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, surely my favorite book about “a son searching for his father…through quantum space–time.”
Yu is also the author of Third Class Superhero, an excellent collection of short stories. You should pre-order How to Live Safely (out Sept. 7) and pass the time by reading Third Class Superhero immediately.
And if you’re going to Comic-Con on Saturday, you’ll have a chance to meet him. After reading Charlie Yu’s Poetic Memory, we’re really looking forward to it. Check it out below.
Contest: Win Califone’s Film ‘All My Friends Are Funeral Singers’
In the early 2000s, art/folk/experimentalists Califone played a few shows in which they improvised accompaniment to silent films. The sessions were documented in the Deceleration series, and though the discs are quite good, they seemed like a different side of Califone, rather than a natural path.
Enter 2009 and All My Friends Are Funeral Singers. Tim Rutili set out to make a movie using only cell phone cameras. Things changed, ideas grew, and a feature film was born. This time, it had a Califone soundtrack and Califone stars, and the film itself had the Rutili touch. Funeral Singers is a remarkable, wildly imaginative film that — along with the band’s 2009 album of the same name — sees Rutili at a creative high point. All My Friends Are Funeral Singers premiered at Sundance, SxSW, and Sarasota film festivals. Paste magazine called it one of the highlights of Sundance, a “whimsical movie…full of fascinating characters…directed with a light, deft touch.”
To win a copy of All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, just comment below and include your email address in the form (your email won’t be visible to the public). The winner will be chosen at random on July 12, 2010. Califone tour dates are below…
New Bill Withers Documentary: ‘Still Bill’ (Video)
Even if “Lean On Me” has been played a billion times, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a great song. And even though Bill Withers basically retired from music in 1985, the fact that he’s a great songwriter remains.
Aside from the numerous Grammys Withers has won since his retirement (thanks to re-recordings and samples taken from his songs), little news has come from the Withers camp — until now. On May 11, filmmakers Damani Baker and Alex Vlack released “Still Bill,” a documentary about their quest to track him down. Continue reading…
Poetic Memory: Sparrow and the Workshop (List)
Sparrow and the Workshop are the latest indie folk offering from across the pond. Comprised of Jill O’Sullivan (vocals/guitar), Gregor Donaldson (drums/vocals), and Nick Packer (bass), the Glasgow three-piece churn out soft, ambling ballads with ominous undertones. The lovely Ms. O’Sullivan was kind enough to provide us with a list of some of her favorite musically inspiring films:
This is a list of films I have seen throughout my life that have inspired me to go out and either a) buy the soundtrack, or b) buy music by nearly every artist on said soundtrack. I also think people might like to check these films out. This is by no means a list of the best movie soundtracks ever, because I haven’t seen enough films to have anything resembling authority on the matter. Okay, so here is the list in no particular order…
To find out how O’Sullivan gets from Jim Jarmusch to Winnie Cooper in four moves — after a quick stop in Finland — check out her Poetic Memory below. Continue reading…
Interview: Ron English
You may have seen Ron English‘s artwork before. Remember Super Size Me, the documentary by Morgan Spurlock, in which Spurlock bravely eats nothing but McDonald’s for a month straight? The 32-year-old gained 24.5 pounds, a 13% body mass increase. His cholesterol level also rose to 230 and it took him 14 months to lose the weight and get his body back to normal. Fun stuff.
Spurlock needed a representation of what Ronald McDonald would look like if he actually ate his own food. Enter Ron English, a notorious artist known for what has been coined as Agit-Pop, but which English prefers to call POPaganda. His painting of a super-sized McDonald made its way into the film and became one of the Oscar-nominated documentary’s most resonating images. (more…)
The Curious Case of Jay Leno
When considering whether ancient aliens landed on Earth thousands of years ago and got civilization boost started here, you’re bound to create a few sentences ending with question marks. This is precisely what happened to Erich von Daniken when he wrote Chariots of the Gods, a book that reimagines Earth’s ancient origins. Among others, von Daniken poses the following questions: “Was God an astronaut?”; “What connection have mummies with our theory of space travelers in the remote past?”; “Will hospitals in the year 2100 be spare-part stores for defective men?”; and “Ought we not ask such questions?”
With more than two hundred question marks in the slim book, von Daniken leaves the reader clamoring for answers. But you have to appreciate the fact that von Daniken’s willing to ask the questions everyone else is perhaps too afraid to.
It’s with this inquisitive spirit that we consider Jay Leno’s unprecedented return to The Tonight Show. There are lots of questions, to be sure, but let’s start with what we do know: airwaves are soon to be The Jay Leno Show-free and new episodes of The Tonight Show will begin airing March 1, with Leno as the permanent guest host of the show, which has no permanent host. Now for the questions. (more…)
The Judgment of Conan O’Brien
In the final moments of Friday’s The Tonight Show, the now former host, Conan O’Brien, grabbed an ax (that’s slang for guitar) and joined The Max Weinberg 7 to perform “Freebird,” which also included one of the dudes from ZZ Top (the long-bearded guy), Ben Harper, Beck, and Will Ferrell on lead vocals. The spectacle turned an otherwise melancholy moment into something amusing (the segment, along with the rest of O’Brien’s final episode at the helm, can currently be viewed, with limited commercial interruption, at Hulu). The supergroup’s competencies notwithstanding, there were two remarkable things about the performance. First, O’Brien’s ability to shred (that’s slang for play ax); and second, his alternating expressions of joy, sadness, and, more interestingly, relief.
He’s been through a lot (frankly, we all have). O’Brien was having fun jamming, for sure, but by the end it was like watching someone who, after coming to terms with the fact that there’s nothing more the doctors can do for him, happily dies in his sleep while dreaming and, once dead, ascends to heaven. Or something to that effect. (more…)
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros – ‘Kisses Over Babylon’ (Video)
As if being one of 2009′s breakout bands—thanks to their incredible Merge release Up From Below—wasn’t enough, it appears that Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros also have some cinematic ambitions. They’ve just released “Kisses Over Babylon,” the second installment in a 12-part video series entitled SALVO! The videos depict a Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic wasteland where water is in short supply and Edward Sharpe is a wanted man. The clip costars character actor-extraordinaire David Strathairn, best known for his riveting performance as Edward R. Murrow in Good Night and Good Luck.
And, since no indie rock video these days is complete without some gratuitous nudity, you should be warned that the video is slightly NSFW. Finally, in case you missed it, we’ve also got the first part of the epic series, “Desert Song”, after the jump. (more…)
Factory 25 to Release Films/Vinyls Featuring No Age, Sufjan, Rosie Thomas, Others (Video)
Factory 25, a new independent film and vinyl label based in Brooklyn, specializes in packaging indie DVDs with limited edition vinyl, posters and other goodies.
They’re about to release a slew of new stuff on October 27, including the films High School Record, All The Way From Michigan Not Mars, and You Weren’t There. The latter two releases come with special edition vinyls.
Out already (September 29) is Damon and Naomi’s 1001 Nights, a comprehensive anthology of videos and live performances from 2001 through 2009.
The folks at Factory 25 are rightly excited about these films, some of which feature indie music luminaries like No Age, Minutemen, Rosie Thomas, and Sufjan Stevens. More info and trailers after the jump. (more…)
Book Review: ‘That Summertime Sound’ by Matthew Specktor
That Summertime Sound is a vivid and memorable document of ’80s-era musical obsession.
Screenwriter Matthew Spector’s debut novel centers around a nineteen-year-old college kid who decides to skip summer back home in L.A. for the comparably more interesting Columbus, Ohio. The narrator (who wishes to remain nameless) seeks new experiences, as well as Lords of Oblivion, his mythical favorite band, so the trip doubles as a hajj to pray at lead singer Nic Devine’s wailing wall of sound. (more…)
David Lynch Solo Show Opens at Griffin in Santa Monica (Links)
David Lynch Solo Show Opens at Griffin in Santa Monica David Lynch’s exhibition “New Painting”, opens September 12th at Griffin and runs through December 12th. The Tale of a Fucked-Up Comic Signing Alex Pardee did not have a typical book signing in Seattle. German Study: Humour is an ‘Act of Aggression’ Humour is an act of agression and telling jokes is a method of reinforcing a social hierarchy. Review of Steely Dan at the Gibson Amphitheater A few minutes before Steely Dan took the stage to play the entirety of its 1977 album Aja, a man wandered the grounds dressed as Jesus—wavy, honey-colored hair, a shapeless sackcloth and a benevolent gaze for every sinner who cheered him on. You Are What You Listen To A new study says that your choice of music could mark you as boring, dim, or unattractive. White House Moments: A Time Lapse View From the East Room, where most official functions are held, to the Rose Garden, the South Lawn and the West Wing, I set the cameras up to fire one picture every 5 to 10 seconds before, during and after the events.
Why Facebook is Sooooo Gonna Get You Fired (Links)
Fahrenheit 451 in Comic-Book Form As the end time for printed books draws near, Fahrenheit 451, the 1953 novel that envisioned it all, has just been published as a graphic novel. New Coen Brothers Short Film World Cinema has finally found its way onto YouTube. Tom Waits Terrifies in Parnassus Trailer Tom Waits plays Satan in Terry Gilliam’s forthcoming film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Beyond Belief The comedy scene has become the latest arena for the God debate. A new wave of irreverent, atheist stand-ups are taking on the rise of religion. Why Facebook is Sooooo Gonna Get You Fired Even more dangerous than friending your parents on Facebook? Friending a) your boss and b) the cubicle-mate you kinda can’t stand. Errol Morris: Seven Lies About Lying I had an example from the Bible, specifically about Jacob and his 12 sons. The Nine Eyes of Google Street View Never hiding its presence, but never announcing its arrival, the Street View vehicle is a systematic pursuer of fleeting moments.
She & Him – “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” (Video)
(500) Days of Summer is a formulaic, twee romantic comedy masquerading as an iconoclastic rethinking of the date movie designed to lure in unsuspecting hipsters by flattering their self-perceived sophistication and esoteric musical taste (“You like the Smiths?“) that ultimately perpetuates the same silly, shallow, and juvenile worldview it claims to transcend, and, in doing so, sends the increasingly trite and predictable indie-rock film aesthetic careening even farther toward the mainstream whilst offering a version of He’s Just Not That Into You for Buffalo Exchange shoppers.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun.
Case in point: the new video for She & Him‘s “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” (courtesy of USA Today), which stars (500) Days odd couple Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel (aka the She to M. Ward’s Him) in the charming tale of a mid-heist boogie session. Had this video been included in the movie, it would have stood out as a rare reprieve from watching Gordon-Levitt agonize over Deschanel’s vacuous, Ringo-loving heartbreaker.
You can watch the video, preceded by an introduction from the perpetually dazed pleasant Deschanel, after the jump. (more…)
Why So Modest? (Video)
In January, it will have already been two years since Heath Ledger died. And as much as the world continues to miss him, that loss is eased somewhat by the continued unveiling of Ledger’s latter-day projects. Last summer, we were treated to a little film called The Dark Knight, which won Ledger a much-deserved posthumous Oscar.
This fall, we will get to see his final film, the Terry Gilliam-directed The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (also starring Tom Waits), which finds Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell assuming Ledger’s role for the scenes left unfinished at the time of his demise.
But, in even more exciting news, today has seen the belated release of “King Rat”, an animated music video Ledger directed for indie darlings/smart-asses Modest Mouse. Completed in collaboration with LA’s THE MASSES, the video’s release is timed to coincide with Modest Mouse’s new EP No One’s First and You’re Next. The EP contains newly recorded songs from the We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank and Good News for People Who Love Bad News sessions, as well as two rare b-sides.
In addition to being entertaining, the video has a conservationist bent. According to THE MASSES:
Proceeds from iTunes video downloads in the first month of release will go toward Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization organization committed to ending the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. Sea Shepherd uses direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas. We encourage you to visit their site if you are compelled to make a larger donation or volunteer your time.
We’ve got the video for “King Rat” after the jump. (more…)
Ever Downloaded a Copyrighted Song? You Owe Infinity Dollars (Links)
Ever Downloaded a Copyrighted Song? You Owe Infinity Dollars Jammie Thomas-Rasset, the first woman who was charged with copyright infringement and offered to settle but decided to fight the RIAA, is guilty and owes the recording industry 1.92 million dollars, or $80,000 per song. Get a Life, Holden Caulfield What once seemed like courageous truth-telling now strikes many students as “weird,” “whiny” and “immature.” Playboy Acquires Rights to Serialize Nabokov’s Final Work Every now and then, Playboy publishes something that really does compel people to pick up the magazine for the articles. The latest addition to this list is The Original of Laura, the novella Vladimir Nabokov was scribbling onto index cards until his death in 1977. Photographer Got $30 for Time‘s “New Frugality” Cover Image “How wonderful for you!” a commenter writes on the photographer’s message board. “You get to work and work and work to produce great imagery and a multi-national, multi-billion dollar company with an advertising budget in the tens of millions gets to use your image on the cover for $30.” More Than Just Pretty Faces Ideas of beauty have changed considerably over the last 60 years. Cleavage Power: A Scientific Inquiry A writer takes her endowments to the streets and finds not just leering but also liberation. The KKK in Photos Anthony Karen has photographed today’s Klan for LIFE magazine.
Zach Galifianakis Wants Pics of Your Tunts
Yup, Tunts. I’m not exactly sure what a Tunt is, but I do know Zach Galifianakis is definitely a Level-3 one of them. Another thing to consider is, you are or become a Tunt at the Jeffers Corporation, which, if you didn’t know, is “the largest and friendliest and most profitable corporation in the history of all mankind.”
Also, everyone at the Jeffers Corporation greets one another by flipping the bird, which seems to have spread like some sort of meme in New York and Los Angeles. This makes sense, since Zach is willing to meet you in one of these places if he’s really into pics of your Tunts.
Ready to send Zach pics? It’s for a contest, so make sure your Tunts are fetching. Here’s what’s going on: First, host a screening of Visioneers, a movie starring Zach, which comes out on DVD July 21. Second, take pictures of the audience, who, it seems, by virtue of viewing Visioneers, are now a bunch of Tunts, and so will you be among them. Third, send those Tunts to Zach, or whoever’s judging the contest. Finally, win, meet Zach in NYC or LA, and have him sign your beard, which you grew to win a consolation prize in case your Tunts did nothing for Zach and his people. (It’s probably better to go to the movie’s official website where they can officially tell you about the contest all nice and official-like.) (more…)
The Swell Season Share the Joy (News)
Who doesn’t love The Swell Season? Ever since charming moviegoers with the romantic sleeper hit Once, Irish/Czech odd couple Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova have been trotting around the globe, bringing their heart-wrenching ballads to sold-out, adoring crowds. Their live performances have become renowned not just for the terrific music, but for Hansard’s endlessly engaging stream of anecdotes. And who could forget their much-deserved Oscar win for Best Original Song, which dutifully trampled the three obnoxious nominees from Disney’s Enchanted, and introduced the world to Hansard’s aw-shucks modesty and Irglova’s soft-spoken adorability?
Those who have played out their copies of the Once soundtrack now have cause to rejoice. The Swell Season—led by Hansard and Irglova and featuring members of Hansard’s other band The Frames—will be releasing Strict Joy on ANTI- Records on September 29th. Borrowing its name from a poem by James Stephens, the album features twelve new songs influenced by the band’s sudden and tumultuous success, as well as the birth and death of Hansard and Irglova’s offscreen romance.
The Swell Season will be touring in support of the new album, the dates for which will be announced soon. Also coming soon is a documentary that captures the band’s whirlwind post-Once tour, and which, if we’re lucky, will contain a performance of the hilarious children’s song “Banana Man”. We’ve got the track list for Strict Joy after the jump, as well as a video of Hansard and Irglova performing the inexorably awesome “Falling Slowly”. (more…)
Issue-Having Michaels and the State of Things (TV)
Michael & Michael Have Issues, a headbirth of Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter (note that, so as to not get political, from now on I’ll refer to them as M&M because I can’t be sure which Michael comes first in the title, and I only mentioned Mr. Showalter after Mr. Black above for alphabetical reasons), is, simply put, an upcoming television show. Premiering on Comedy Central July 15 at 10:30 EST, the show is a sketch show about M&M making their own sketch show, according to a press release from Comedy Central. We’re in store for some meta-sketching, it seems. But not to worry—we may be in good hands.
The folks over at Punchline Magazine, a website that takes comedy seriously, had the good fortune of seeing the pilot. The show, according to Punchline, is “fucking hilarious” and suitable for those who got down on the idiosyncratic humor of Stella and also for newcomers unfamiliar with M&M but looking for something edgier than SNL.
Comedy Central has had mixed results with its original seasonal programming. Many shows, like Freak Show and Dog Bites Man (and Stella, for that matter), go unappreciated and don’t live to see a second season. Others, like Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist and Strangers with Candy, have a decent go at it. And still others, like South Park and Reno 911!, endure. (more…)
Watch Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel Live at Jittery Joe’s (Links)
Watch Jeff Mangum Live at Jittery Joe’s One week only at PitchforkTV. Where Hiphop is “Going” And where it never was. Eight Druggiest Rock Star Stories Some of the twisted highlights or low-lights of rock star behavior. Phil Spector Gets 19 to Life The only wall of sound Phil Spector will be hearing is the night howls of a state penitentiary. Will Shakespeare’s Come and Gone One writer beautifully captures the mood of most audiences at Shakespeare performances as “reverently unreceptive,” “gratified that they have come, and gratified that they now may go.” Madame Bovary Goes Interactive Thanks to an unprecedented international collaboration between scholars and volunteers, we can now trace the development of Flaubert’s masterpiece online, draft by draft.
