HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAYTROTTER!

March 26th, 2007 , by


Congratulations to one of our favorite music related websites, Daytrotter, as they hit their first birthday this week! That’s like 16 years in Indie-Time!

If you’re one of the few who doesn’t visit daytrotter.com every 45 minutes to see what new content they’ve posted, you should be. Their website is an oasis of deft and hefty writing on independent music in what is a desert of floaty news and mp3 aggregation. These guys seriously know how to lay it on thick when it comes to studio sessions and insightful feature writing. Click on more to see their Asthmatic Kitty related content for examples.

To Daytrotter, we hope for many more years like this one!

THANKS AUSTIN

March 22nd, 2007 , by

Chocolate from Miles of Chocolate, Photo by Adam Voorhees

Last week at SXSW, we ran a showcase and held a day party. We’d heard that Austin locals aren’t particularly welcoming of SXSW. Austin proved that rumor completely unfounded.

At both of our events, Austin locals were so welcoming, we were ready to move and become one ourself.
Emo’s hosted our Thursday night showcase, and their entire staff was professional and friendly. They kept the club clean and the bar well stocked the whole night. Daytrotter, a content-packed website no doubt read by many people in Austin, sponsored the Thursday night showcase.

Then, for our Saturday day party, several local businesses helped us out. The fruit juice from the award winning Goodflow Honey & Juice Company was not only hearty but also refreshing. Local brewery Saint Arnold sent over a few cases of root beer, which tasted as if they had carefully handcrafted every bottle. The brownies from Miles of Chocolate were so succulent and complex that they fully satisfied our sweet teeth for a long time to come. Okay Mountain Gallery (just behind the pinata shop!) let us hang out on their lawn and listen to great music for the final afternoon of SXSW. KTRU in nearby Houston promoted both events, and provided excellent company at each. Finally, Nick Hennies of the Austin’s own Weird Weeds spearheaded the Saturday party and curated the band roster.

If you live in Austin, you probably already know about all these local businesses and organizations, but if these are new to you, we recommend each with all our heart.

All in all, everything was a success because Austinians helped us out. Thanks Austin! We owe you one!

SHAPES AND SIZES TOUR DATES CANCELLED

March 21st, 2007 , by

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Shapes and Sizes is regrettably canceling all remaining dates on their tour with Castanets.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

Luckily, they had time to complete a tour diary for our sidebar, which you can read here. Their second album, Split Lips, Winning Hips, a Shiner, remains on target for release on May 22.

Castanets will complete their tour dates, which you can view here.

UNUSUAL ANIMALS IN VINYL AND REAL LIFE

March 12th, 2007 , by


Unusual Animals is appearing in two forms over the next few weeks. Last Tuesday, we released the second volume in vinyl, which features Castanets on one side and the Dirty Projectors on the other. The album is available for purchase and has a full, free stream here.  But for those who don’t have a device that translates grooves in vinyl to sound, Asthmatic Kitty and KTRU Radio are presenting the Unusual Animals show at SXSW on Saturday, March 17th at Okay Mountain Gallery (1312 E Cesar Chavez) from 1-8PM.

With a stellar music line-up curated by Nick Hennies of The Weird Weeds, the show celebrates Texas music and businesses reminding us why Austin is such a great place the other 51 weeks of the year.  This completely free daytime show features a stellar music lineup with Texas bands Peter & the Wolf, The Weird Weeds, The Theater Fire, W-S Burn, and The Field Guides along with some very special guests from New York City, The Shivers (first time performing outside of NYC) and Asthmatic Kitty recording artist Castanets.  As if that weren’t enough, local Austin/Houston businesses Goodflow Juice, Saint Arnold’s Root Beer, and Miles of Chocolate Chocolatiers will be providing complimentary beverages and sweets for all to enjoy.  This is a truly unique event among the seemingly endless number of events during SXSW that should not be missed!

Full schedule:
1:00pm – The Field Guides
2:00pm – W-S Burn
3:00pm – The Theater Fire
4:00pm – The Weird Weeds
5:00pm – The Shivers
6:00pm – Peter & the Wolf
7:00pm – Castanets

Jared Chapman, the illustrator behind the cover art of the albums, has also done the promotional poster, viewable here.

A HALF-WEEK OF MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND

March 10th, 2007 , by

Last month we ran a Half-Week of Rafter Love to celebrate Valentine’s Day and the release of his new album, Music for Total Chickens. Due to the half-week’s wild success, we thought we’d turn a gimmick into a legacy! This week, My Brightest Diamond’s remix album Tear it Down, hits the stands worldwide. So, all this half-week (beginning Wednesday March 7 to Saturday March 10) we’ll run a veritable cornucopia of My Brightest Diamond related content: interviews, pictures, AKRadio playlists, videos – surprises all around!

AKRADIO GETS SHINY

March 9th, 2007 , by


Thanks to My Brightest Diamond, AKRadio now has a bit more class. Shara Worden has added two sets of tracks. The first, from her performance at Session Planet Claire, demonstrates that the magic in her voice has nothing to do with a soundboard in a studio. The second set predates My Brightest Diamond to her previous work in AwRY. A small intrepid band of New York DJs took to remixing some AwRY cuts, and Shara has released them into the Great Internet Stream, which just happens to pass right through AKRadio central.  Click on the "akradio" just beneath our banner to launch.

SHARA PLAYS IN THE FOREST AND SOMEONE HEARS IT

March 9th, 2007 , by

Ok, this isn’t so much Tear it Down material as it is Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond doing what she does best: being awesome. But that’s ok, because it’s beautiful and haunting all in one nice little YouTubed package. See the original feature and a better quality video at La Blogotheque.

CHRIS ANDERSON VISUALIZES A MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND REMIX

March 8th, 2007 , by

Video by Chris Anderson to an excerpt of Kenny Mitchell’s remix of "Freak Out" from the album Tear It Down.

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND IS A DANCING CRIME FIGHTER

March 7th, 2007 , by

Video directed by Vaj Potenza to an excerpt of Gold Chain’s remix of "Freak Out" from the album Tear It Down.

HAPPY CASIMIR PULASKI DAY!

March 5th, 2007 , by


Put on your Polka dots and broil a few sausages! It’s Casimir Pulaski Day! Who was this Polish American War General and why do we have so many bridges and tunnels named after him? Good questions. Outdated biographies and internet history sites tells us this much:

Born into a wealthy family in Poland in 1747, Casimir Pulaski, as a young man, fought for freedom from Russia in his homeland until 1771, when he was exiled to France. In Paris he met American envoy Benjamin Franklin, who influenced him to help Americans fight for their independence. Washington was so impressed with Pulaski’s abilities during the Battle of Brandywine Creek that he recommended the Continental Congress appoint Pulaski as general of the American cavalry. In 1778, Pulaski organized an independent corps of cavalry and light infantry known as the Pulaski Legion. It is reported that he spent $50,000 of his own money to help train and equip his troops.

"I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it," wrote Casimir Pulaski to George Washington in a letter in which he offered his military services to America during the Revolutionary War. He proved true to his word. At age 32, his heroic death at the Battle of Savannah on October 11, 1779 was received with sorrow across the land. General Pulaski’s life represents the dedication of countless Americans of Polish and other ethnic origins to the principles of personal liberty and independence, which have always defined the spirit of the United States of America.

Amen, brother!

Fast Fact: Illinois is the only state to officially recognize Casimir Pulaski Day, which falls on the first Monday of March. School is out!

In celebration, we’ve decided to post an early home demo of the song “Casimir Pulaski Day,” from Sufjan’s Illinois album, with clumsy banjo and slightly different lyrics. Q. What does the speaker consider doing “when your father found out what we did that night?" A. Pulling his hair and kicking him in the face! Woah. We’re not condoling violence in any way. But perhaps Casimir Pulakski, a remarkable fighter, would approve.

[Sufjan Stevens, "Casimir Pulaski Day" Demo (MP3)]

« Previous Page — Next Page »