Big Star- Nobody Can Dance

Nobody Can Dance is a collection of unreleased tracks, the first half of the disc is a band rehearsal and the second half, a live set. The rehearsal is a real treat, the band is loose, raw and Alex Chilton is spirited and the band is tight and crisp. Personally, in some ways I prefer these versions compared to the studio albums (#1 Record and Radio City). The live set is okay, but the sound quality isn't quite as good as the rehearsal half, as it suffers from a bad mix and a rough performance. The live segment was recorded a couple of months later and even features a version of The Letter, a classic tune made famous by Chilton's previous band, The Box Tops.

This is a must for Big Star fans! Please seek out some of their other releases and see for yourself why they are considered the quintessential American band.

BIG STAR
Nobody Can Dance (1999)

1		Don't Lie To Me	3:25
2		Back Of A Car	2:56
3		O My Soul	5:33
4		Mod Lang	2:33
5		She's A Mover	4:02
6		September Gurls	3:02
7		In The Street	3:16
8		You Get What You Deserve	4:00
9		Baby Strange	3:54
10		Mod Lang	2:55
11		You Get What You Deserve	3:07
12		The Letter	3:12
13		September Gurls	2:56
14		Way Out West	2:32
15		O My Soul	6:01

Tracks 1-8 studio rehearsals, Ultra-Sonic Studios, Hampstead, NY, March 1974
Tracks 9-15 live at The Overton Park, Memphis Tennessee, May 1974

BIG STAR- Nobody Can Dance. rar

The Replacements- Shit, Shower And Shave

When I think about some of my favourite bands and their influences, one name that seems to often pop up is Big Star. Though they only really recorded three proper albums, their musical influence and underdog attitude can't be denied in the history of alternative-rock. Bands such as the Replacements, R.E.M, Teenage Fanclub and the Posies carried on the spirit and melodic gift Big Star brought to the world and you can imagine my shock when I heard Big Star front man, Alex Chilton died at the age of 59 today.

Paul Westerberg immortalized Chilton on the song, Alex Chilton with, Children by the million sing for Alex Chilton when he comes 'round. They sing "I'm in love. What's that song? I'm in love with that song." . In fact, Westerberg was considered or possibly turned down an opportunity to join a revamped version of Big Star in the early 90's, instead Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow (of the Posies) filled in alongside Chilton and drummer Jody Stephens for the reunion. The Replacements often included Big Star covers into their set, as Westerberg was instrumental in educating the masses (modern music fans) about what a great unsung band Big Star was.

If you want to seek out some Big Star music, essential listening should start with #1 Record and Radio City and if you have the cash, buy the recent 4-disc box set, Keep An Eye On the Sky, which pretty much includes everything, plus demos, rehearsals, alternate and unissued tracks.

I was originally going to post a Big Star show or some outs, but I need to search on my other hard-drive or "the room with the boxes" to find something good first. As a consolation, I'm posting a live concert compilation from the Replacements' (ill-fated?) 1989 tour with Tom Petty. Shit, Shower And Shave isn't the Replacements at their best live (I personally love their loud and sloppy), but offers up some fine songs and the sound is excellent soundboard quality, probably the best sounding Replacements bootleg out there. This is still a reminder of what a great band the Replacements were live and why they should have released a 4 disc live anthology instead of Tom Petty. SS and S also features an outstanding version of Big Star's, September Gurls and Westerberg's tribute song, Alex Chilton.

REPLACEMENTS
Shower, Shit And Shave (1989)

1		Talent Show
2		'Round And 'Round
3		The Ledge
4		Can't Hardly Wait
5		September Gurls
6		Another Girl, Another Planet
7		Within Your Reach
8		Left Of The Dial
9		Alex Chilton
10		Nightclub Jitters
11		I'll Be You
12		Bastards Of Young
13		Talent Show
14		Answering Machine
15		Anywhere's Better Than Here
16		Another Girl, Another Planet
17		Here Comes A Regular
18		Achin' To Be
19		Waitress In The Sky
20		Don't Ask Why
21		Unsatisfied
22		I'll Be You
23		I Will Dare

Tracks 1-12 Bristol Connecticut August 31 1989 Tracks 13-17 Milwaukee Wisconsin, June 1989 (originally released on Sire’s Inconcerated promo CD) Tracks 18-23 Mansfield Massachusetts August 28, 1989

THE REPLACEMENTS- Shower, Shit And Shave. rar

Before They Was Famous- Emily Haines

Long before she fronted Metric or even before she was part of the Broken Social Scene, Emily Haines self-released a solo album called, Cut In Half And Also Double. Released in 1996, this album is rare and very hard to find and sells for big bucks on eBay, as there were only about 1,000 copies made. She wrote and recorded the songs while in university, UBC in Vancouver 1992-93, Toronto 1995 and Concordia University in Montreal 1995-96. This is actually a really strong sounding record, it has the foreshadowing of what's to come, as the influences and the pop rock sounds are evident even before she recorded Grow Up And Blow Away with Metric. Compared to her second solo project, Knives Don't Have Your Back, the acoustic guitar is foundation for the songs instead of piano, but that might be attributed to the fact it's easier (and more portable) to write songs on guitar than piano when changing locales every few years. A fine record worth a listen especially if you're a big Metric fan. Emily might be embarrassed to see this recording being traded and shared amongst her fans (she shouldn't be!), but this is a chance to hear Emily Haines before she was famous, or at least life before Metric. EMILY HAINES Cut In Half And Also Double (1996)

1. Dog

2. Bore

3. Eden

4. Pretty Head

5. Freak

6. The View

7. Eau De Toilette

8. Carpet

9. Pink

EMILY HAINES- Cut In Half And Also Double. rar

Baseball Project Every Month! (At Least Until November)

Baseball and music, is there a better combination? And if you're a fan of the Baseball Project (Scott McCaughey, Steve Wynn, Linda Pitman and Peter Buck) you are in for a big treat this season as the Baseball Project present, Broadside Ballads. Since the band members are such hardcore ball fans, they have offered up their musical commentary throughout the season by writing and recording one song per month. Technology has allowed McCaughey and Wynn to pass portions of a song back and forth to complete the songs while at their homes on the opposite sides of the country (New York City/Portland, Oregon). They will be draw their inspiration on what actually transpires during the season. As Scott McCaughey says, "We figured out a way to give ourselves even more work and make less money," while Steve Wynn offers up, "I think doing one a month, that'll be a breeze -- I think I could do one a day, but I don't know if my bandmates would agree with my enthusiasm on that". This promises to be a fun and interesting season and of course will be soundtracked by a great band.

Read more: ESPN- Baseball Project Steps Up To the Plate.
ESPN- Chat: Steve Wynn

Download: BASEBALL PROJECT- "All Future And No Past" mp3

Jonathan Richman- The Laura Palmer Tape

If you are a true Jonathan Richman fan (like I am!), this recording is truly an amazing find! I stumbled upon this recording when I was searching for information about the "Living Room demos" and I can't believe I hadn't heard about this before. This is another home recording from Jonathan, circa 1974, that is essentially an audio love letter to a girl named, Laura Palmer. Jonathan sings and talks directly to Laura about the difficulty he's having balancing the mic and how he has to stop the recording to change a string. This was recorded after the original Modern Lovers broke up so Jonathan was in a transitional period in his career. He experiments and "wings it" while he casually performs these demos of demos in his bedroom or living room. All I can say it that this is one of the most unique and special performances I've heard in a while and you MUST hear this!

The supposed back story about this tape is that many years after Laura received the tape she packed it away. She was visiting a friend who was playing some Jonathan Richman and she recognized the voice as someone she once dated. She still had the tape he had made for her and passed it onto the Jonathan Richman fan trading circles.
The volume is a little low, so crank it up!...Enjoy!!

JONATHAN RICHMAN
The Laura Palmer Tape (1974)
Government Center
The New Teller
Thunderbolts Of Joy
My Honest Dear
Singing In The Rain
So Much Respect For You
I'm Not Alone (The Heaven's Love Me)
Cumbaya
Hi Fred, We Still Love You
Flying Saucers Rock n' Roll
Wonderful Girl

JONATHAN RICHMAN- The Laura Palmer Tape. rar

Jonathan Richman In Your Living Room!

Not quite IN your living room, but pretty darn close. If you close your eyes while listening to this, you'd swear it was Jojo performing at your house, a strange, but unique concept. This recording surfaced as an acetate which are generally produced in very low quantity and often had hand written labels. It may have been made possibly for a promo or Jonathan was using this format much like recording to a cassette tape recorder. The intimacy of this recording makes it very charming and his loose performance is reminiscent to a practice in a bedroom or living room, hence these recordings became known as the Living Room Demos (aka: 74 Acetates). The music fills the gap between Richman's break-up from the Modern Lovers and post-76, the new version of the Modern Lovers. While some of the songs are fragments and some are repeated, this recording has some great songs still on it and offers an early look at Jonathan's unaffected child-like approach to performing that he started to embrace at this time and continued with throughout his career.

JONATHAN RICHMAN
The Living Room Demos (1974)

I Feel Alright

Veil Of Cold

Crazy Little Mama

I See Your Light

Falling In Love Must Be Two Way

Awkward Love

Song Of Remembrance For Old Girlfriends

Hey There Little Insect

Goin' Home

Guitar Doodle No.1

Touch Me If You Want

Do You Believe In Magic

It Will Stand

Chat And Guitar Doodle No. 2

Let's Take The Long Way Home

Young And In Love

Just Wanna' Be Young

Government Center

Do de do do

Little Latin Lupe Lu

Winters Get Hard In New England

Song Of Remembrance For Old Girlfriends (LA Version)

Twist And Shout

Willie And The Hand Jive

Trip To The Sea

JONATHAN RICHMAN- Living Room Demos. rar

Talking Heads- 1975 Demos

The Talking Heads were one of the most influential and critically acclaimed American bands from the 1980's. Their new wave musical style combined elements of punk, pop, avant-garde, world and art rock. In 1975, the trio of David Byrne, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz recorded a series of demos for CBS, the label didn't sign them, but in 1977, Sire Records did.

What I'm posting today are those original CBS demos from November 1975, these are pretty much the earliest recording the band made. It contains songs that would appear on their first album, Talking Heads 77 and More Songs About Buildings and Food, as well as four songs that went unreleased until they appeared on the Vaseline In The Sand compilation. I'm not a huge Talking Heads fan, but I do love their first two albums. In fact, I think Talking Heads 77 is one of the best debut albums of the 70's! Maybe it's because they have a simple straight forward sound before they added more instrumentation and other worldly influences to their music. The demos are even more raw and basic, but the band is tight and precise. This is a historic and important recording that is a must for any Talking Heads fan and a very satisfying listen for anyone else.
Enjoy!
(Note: I'm out of town for the first part of this week, but I have some more demos and unreleased material to share when I return.)

TALKING HEADS
Demos, CBS Studios
New York, NY November, 1975

01 Psycho Killer
02 Sugar On My Tongue
03 Thank You For Sending Me An Angel
04 I Want To Live
05 I Wish You Wouldn't Say That
06 The Girls Want To Be With The Girls
07 Who Is It?
08 With Our Love
09 Stay Hungry
10 Tentative Decisions
11 Warning Sign
12 I'm Not In Love
13 The Book I Read
14 Love Goes To Building On Fire
15 No Compassion

Talking Heads- Demos 1975. rar

Blake Babies- Sunburn Demos

To celebrate the release of Juliana Hatfield's latest album, Peace & Love this week (release date February 16, BUY IT!), I thought it would be appropriate to post some demos from her early days as a member of the Blake Babies. These demos are from their last full length release (until they reunion), Sunburn which was in my opinion their strongest, most commercially accessible album of their short, but influential career. Juliana Hatfield went on to fame and a long and successful (for the most part) solo career, while John Strohm and Freda Love kept it more small scale and indie, performing together in the band, Antenna. The Blake Babies reunited briefly in late 1999 and embarked on a US tour in 2001. Also in 2001, they released, God Bless The Blake Babies and their final release, an EP, Epilogue in 2002 before their "final" break-up.

• I can't recall where I got these demos from, but a couple of my files were mislabeled (tracks 9 & 10). The sound quality is pretty good and for the most part the tracks are similar, but they have a slight looser, raw sound. As a fan of the band, that's what I like about demos.
  
• Take Me and Downtime were not on the official release of Sunburn, but later appeared on the EP, Rosy Jack World.
  

BLAKE BABIES
Sunburn Demos (1989)
1. I'm Not Your Mother
2. I'll Take Anything
3. Star
4. Look Away
5. Train
6. Kiss And Make Up
7. Watch Me I'm Calling
8. Take Me
9. Downtime (file mis-labeled as, "Look Away")
10. A Million Years (mis-labeled as, "Sanctify")

BLAKE BABIES- Sunburn Demos. rar

Nothing Illegal Here!

Here's interesting piece of news courtesy of Pitchfork.com, that may or my not affect the future of this TDIT (from February 10, 2010):

Over the course of the past day, the Google-owned blogging service Blogger has shut down a number of popular mp3 blogs, including Pop Tarts Suck Toasted, I Rock Cleveland, LivingEars, and It's a Rap. If you follow the links to any of those blogs, you'll see that they've been wholesale deleted. All you'll find is the Blogger message, "The blog you were looking for was not found." The apparent reason? The music posted on the blogs allegedly violates Blogger's terms of services.

The bloggers whose sites were affected are currently trying to understand the situation. Many of them argue that they have followed the rules and taken down unauthorized songs when asked in the past. They say they received no warnings prior to the removal of their blogs. The Daily Swarm has compiled a few blogger responses to the situation.

Google rebuttals with this response (Pitchfork February 11, 2010):

Over the past few days, the Google-owned blogging service Blogger has been deleting a number of popular mp3 blogs. After news of the removals circulated, Google's Blogger Buzz blog issued a statement. (Via the Daily Swarm.)

It said, "When we receive multiple DMCA [Digital Millennium Copyright Act] complaints about the same blog, and have no indication that the offending content is being used in an authorized manner, we will remove the blog".

The post points out that the company's usual policy when receiving a DMCA complaint is to notify the offending blogger and to reset the offending post to "draft" status to allow the blogger to delete it. The post also acknowledged that the company sometimes gets DMCA complaints about material that a blogger is actually legally allowed to use, like the authorized mp3s that publicists and record label marketing departments send out for promotional purposes. "If this happens to you, it is imperative that you file a DMCA counter-claim so we know you have the right to the music in question. Otherwise, if we receive multiple DMCA complaints for your blog, this could very well constitute repeat offenses, compelling us to take action."

The statement doesn't explain why so many blogs were removed in such a short period of time.

First of all, I should state I have posted copyrighted material on this blog in the past, including advance copies of albums that weren't available yet. That's a big no-no, as large record labels are extra touchy about leaked content getting heard before it's release date. I've had a 2 requests from the DMCA to remove content they deemed were a violation and I've complied with all their requests and deleted those posts. But, on one other of my posts, it just disappeared without warning and without sending me a request. Since those incidents, I've been more cautious not to post full-albums of popular major label releases, instead sticking to smaller label, out-of-print, import, unreleased and live recordings. I post songs, albums and shows because I love the music and want as many people as possible to listen. If I was in a band, I would embrace the extra exposure that good music blogs offer and it gives the fans an opportunity to share and sample the music.

I think a lot of bloggers are worried their hard work, writing, promoting and sharing will be wiped out without notice and without recovery, years of writing gone! I've read on a couple of blogs that they have been backing up their posts on MS word doc, Wordpress, Dreamhost or moving everything to their own domain in fear their blog will be removed. I've given this issue much thought and it isn't so much an issue of legality and moral stands because Blogger and Google technically own all the content, it's more of protecting what I've already written, as it's been my music diary for the last past years.

As a disclaimer I should re-emphasize that if you're an artist that appears on this blog and would like to have something removed, please let me know and I'll address your concerns ASAP. In the future I will be extra careful what I post, but regardless I'll try to keep it as interesting as possible without watering down the content.

p.s. Another interesting article about the issue of illegal downloading of copyright material and peer to peer sharing was in this weekend's Winnipeg Free Press. Kamal Dhillon was the winner of Glassen Ethics Competition with the topic, "Is It OK to download music, movies and games without paying?" Kamal's essay was titled, "Not Wrong, Just Illegal". For a thought-provoking read, follow this link to the Free Press site. Let me know your thoughts on the issue.

Whiskeytown- Forever Valentine Demos

I was going to post this yesterday (February 14th, thought it would be appropriate), but watching Winter Olympic action distracted me too much.

Ryan Adams fronted the 1990's band Whiskeytown who were known to be very prolific, recording more material than they had room for on their official releases. Though they only released three albums, now many of these unreleased recording sessions have been available through tape trading and the wonder of the world-wide web. Adams continues his frantic recording pace well after Whiskeytown, writing and recording tons of good unreleased music, solo and with the Cardinals.

The Forever Valentine demos were recorded in December 1997 in Ralaigh, North Carolina. Here are some notes about the session from the website, Answeringbell.com:

Personnel:	Ryan Adams; Caitlin Cary; Mike Daly; Ed Crawford; Skillet Gilmore; Chris Stamey; Ben Folds

Chris Stamey - "Skillet played drums, I played bass. Recorded in Raleigh at Scores/Slackmates, and at Modern, my place." "Addendum: I forgot to add that the piano player on the Forever Valentine Whiskeytown sessions was Ben Folds. My memory was jogged by his smashing show this Saturday at the Cradle."

Skillet Gilmore - "Forever Valentine was recorded around Xmas '97. The band at the time (for the purposes of recording) was Ryan, Caitlin, Mike Daly, Ed Crawford on guit, Chris Stamey on bass and me." "Although the record was made in about a week, the challenge was actually that Ryan wanted to make a record without the label knowing about it. And so we did." (Thanks to Jonathan Lee for the information).

WHISKEYTOWN
Forever Valentine (1997)

01 Anyone But Me (a/k/a Dial Tone)
02 Don’t Wanna Know Why
03 Easy Hearts
04 Sittin’ Around
05 Rays Of Burning Light (a/k/a Rays Of Light)
06 Ghost Without Memory
07 Runnin’ Out Of Road
08 Can’t Take A Lover (a/k/a Talkin’ In My Sleep)
09 Think About Me (a/k/a (What You) Think About Me)
10 Crazy Lonesome (a/k/a A Memory Away)
11 Caroline  

WHISKEYTOWN- Forever Valentine. rar

Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash- Demos And Outtakes

Here are the bonus tracks from the deluxe reissue of the Replacements debut album from 1981. Can you believe this album was released almost 30 years ago! I wouldn't consider this the Mat's finest moment, but if you're a fan of their faster punker music, this is a good place to start. As a matter of fact, if you purchase (or find downloads) the Replacement's library, I recommend you start at the beginning with Sorry Ma and proceed forward in order with Stink, Hootenany, Let It Be, Tim, Pleased To Meet Me, then listen to a bunch of Mats bootlegs up until 1987, then repeat. Only after listening to these releases repeatedly, then advance on to Don't Tell A Soul and All Shook Down, you'll thank me later.

The Sorry Ma... bonus tracks are interesting because they include some alternate versions and demos of songs that made it onto the album (Customer, Raised In the City, Shutup), as well as outtakes that never were heard from again (Like You, Get Lost). The early Mats were basically a great straight up rock 'n' roll band influenced by classic rock with a punk attitude. They weren't a punk band, at least not in the way a band like Husker Du or Black Flag were. On their first two albums, Westerberg and the band were still finding their "sound" and honed those skills by playing frequently at any small bar and club that would take them and all this despite the fact Tommy Stinson was only 14 when Sorry Ma was released. These early tracks display the energy and character that would define their sound by the time they recorded Let It Be. Every album they released up until Pleased to Meet Me, showed a progression and maturity in their sound and songwriting. Since I have all the Replacements records on vinyl (without the bonus tracks), the reissues are essential for serious fans and I'll try to eventually post the demos and outtakes from them all. About a year and a half ago I posted the bonus tracks from Pleased To Meet Me and I think they're still active for download, so get them while you can!

THE REPLACEMENTS
Sorry Ma, I Forgot To Take Out The Trash
(Deluxe edition bonus tracks only)

19. Raised in the City (demo)
    
20. Shutup (demo)
    
21. Don't Turn Me Down (demo)
    
22. Shape Up (demo)
    
23. You Ain't Gotta Dance (demo)
    
24. Get on the Stick (demo)
    
25. Oh Baby (demo)
    
26. Like You (outtake)
    
27. Get Lost (outtake)
    
28. A Toe Needs a Shoe (outtake) (Bob Stinson)
    
29. Customer (alternate take)
    
30. Basement Jam (rehearsal) (Chris Mars/Bob Stinson/Tommy Stinson/Paul Westerberg)
    
31. If Only You Were Lonely
    

• Tracks 19-30 previously unreleased.
• Tracks 19-25 are studio demos.
• Tracks 26-28 and 30 are session outtakes.
• Track 29 is an alternate take.
• Track 31 originally released as the B-side of "I'm in Trouble".

THE REPLACEMENTS- Sorry Ma, demos and outtakes. rar

Demo Week- Wilco A.M. Demos

Sorry for the lack of posts this past week, I've been sorting through my CD's and I've been stockpiling some interesting music to post. Along with live recordings, I'm also a big fan of demos, outtakes, rough mixes, rehearsals and alternative versions, this is music that usually doesn't appear on the official release. Sometimes the songs sound pretty much the same as the official release, sometimes totally different, but regardless, these recordings often provide a glimpse into the creative process of the band and we get to hear some material that was recorded, but for whatever reason never sees the light of day. Just as a forewarning, the sound quality of most demos aren't up to the sound quality of the released version, so don't expect perfect hi-fi. Many of these recordings have pops and static or they might sound a little muffled or the mix might be a little off...so, they might be recommended more for fans or completest.

This week I'll be posting some random album demo recordings by random bands that should be heard. To kick off the week, I'm offering up some demos from Wilco's excellent debut album, A.M.

• This was Jeff Tweedy's first release after the break-up of Uncle Tupelo and this album more than Wilco's later releases, continues musically where Uncle Tupelo left off, at least with Jeff's songs.
• Jeff Tweedy forms Wilco only days after Uncle Tupelo's last show (May 1, 1994), he retains bassist John Stirratt, drummer Ken Coomer and Max Johnston from U.T. (minus Jay Farrar).
  
• Brian Henneman, the lead singer of the Bottle Rockets plays lead guitar on the album. After the recording of the album, Henneman has to leave the band and is replaced by Jay Bennett.
• Demo tracks were recorded in June, only weeks after the band forms. Wilco gets signed to Reprise and they record the full album in August.
• Promising appears on the Chelsea Wall soundtrack and a 10" promo. Let's Hear It For Rock and Gone are never officially released (correct me if I'm wrong).
  

WILCO
A.M. Demos (1994)
1. I Must Be High
2. Shouldn't Be Ashamed
3. Box Full Of Letters
4. Pick Up The Change
5. Passenger Side
6. Promising
7. Let's Hear It For Rock
8. Gone

WILCO- A.M.Demos. rar

B.T.W.F- More Flake Music

As a companion to the Shins pre-fame band, Flake Music's Spork EP, here's their full-length debut. This album, more than Spork, has more of the trademark sounds that soon would be heard (and critically acclaimed) from the Shins. When You Land Here, It's Time To Return was recorded in 1997 and very much could have passed as The Shin's debut as it was recorded while still known as Flake Music. In an interview with Pitchfork in May 2009, Shins (Flake Music) frontman James Mercer announced plans to re-release the album on his own record label. It's a very respectable CD that isn't quite as good as Oh, Inverted World or Chutes Too Narrow, but I prefer it to Wincing The Night Away.
It's well worth a listen!

FLAKE MUSIC
When You Land Here, It's Time To Return (1997)

1. Spanway Hits
   
2. Blast Valve
   
3. Roziere
   
4. Structo
   
5. (untitled)
   
6. Deluca
   
7. Mieke
   
8. (untitled)
   
9. The Shins
   
10. (untitled)
    
11. Vantage
    

FLAKE MUSIC- When You Land Here, It's Time To Return. rar

MFM Showcase- Live Music!

Usually I'm not a big fan of attending showcases because it's basically a big promo for something, you have to sit through speeches and self-promotion before you see what you came for. This was the second annual Manitoba Film & Music showcase that featured participants from our local film groups and music performers from our Province, a three hour show for FREE. Free was good, because I really wanted to check out just a few bands that I'm familiar with, but these type of shows are meant as a sampler so you can to get a taste (teaser) of some of the local talent I've been neglecting. Again, if I didn't have to sit through all the interviews and speeches, the music portion would have taken up only a fraction of the total 3 hour show. Don't get me wrong, there were some other interesting non-music items such as Cordell Barker's 9 minute short, Runaway and Talia Pura performed a beautiful breathtaking aerial dance, twisting and turning high above the stage grasping a pink silk fabric...nice. Showcases like this are meant to remind people what a diverse and talented community we have here in Winnipeg.

The music ranged widely: country-folk sounds of Nathan and Sierra Noble, rap' n 'roll of Grand Analog, pop-rock of Quinzy and Paper Moon, blues-rock of Billy Joe Green And Romi Mayes, metal thrashings of Domenica, unique sounds of Daniel Roa, classic rock of Harlequin and the indie-rock stylings of the Weakerthans. Everyone got to perform one song (except the Weakerthans-2) and in between each band, the time was used for the interviews and film clips. To close the show, kid's performer Fred Penner led a sing-a-long of his classic, The Cat Came Back, with many of the previous performers joining in. An appropriate way to end this (too?) long show.

I have to admit I had an ulterior motive for attending this show, I received a new portable digital recorder, Tascam DR-07 for Christmas and this was my opportunity for a trial run. This is the first recording I've made with this machine and I thought a casual crowd in a nice acoustically sounding building, like the Concert Hall would be ideal to test out how the recorder performed. The seating area was dimly lit (not too dark, so I could see the controls) and I seated myself close to the back of the main floor, but dead centre with no one immediately beside, in front and behind me. I played with the volume levels and tried both the built-in mic and the external Sony mic I've been using with my mini-disc recorder. The results are very satisfying and I'm excited to share this recording exclusively with the TDIT blog.

Manitoba Film & Music Showcase
Winnipeg Centennial Concert Hall
January 31, 2010

1. Nathan *
2. Quinzy *
3. Billy Joe Green *
4. Grand Analog
5. Romi Mayes
6. Domenica
7. Paper Moon
8. Daniel Roa *
9. Sierra Noble
10. Harlequin
11. Weakerthans
12. Fred Penner & Friends

* used the internal mic (can you tell the difference?)

I decided to post each artist/song separately in case you wanted to just sample a couple of artists instead of downloading them all. I didn't record any of the other on-stage presentations (talking, interviews etc.), only the music (except JP Hoe who opened the show and I arrived late), so I stopped the recording after each song.
Enjoy!

Before They Was Famous- The Shins (Flake)

Remember The Shins? They really haven't released anything in almost 3 years now and I just read that front-man James Mercer wants to take a break from The Shins until 2011 when they're next album will be released. As you're anxiously anticipating their next album, take a look way back before The Shins were The Shins. The Shins were known as Flake (later Flake Music), they formed in 1992 and released a whole bunch of 7''ers, a EP and a full-length album. Initially The Shins were a side-project for James Mercer and Neal Langford and when Flake Music disbanded in 1999, it's former members became The Shins. The Spork EP was released in 1995 and this lo-fi recording shows a much different sounding band than 5 years later. The Shins soothing lush indie-pop sound is replaced by a more rockier crunchy, fuzzy guitar sound and Mercer's vocals have a more uncontrolled urgency. Their sound reminds me a bit like Superchunk or early Buffalo Tom. Personally, I'm kind of enjoying this EP, I'm sure you won't find this CD at your neighborhood Walmart or Starbucks and you'll be still hard pressed to find it at any indie record stores (try eBay or download it here). If you're a Shins fan this is an interesting listen and stay tuned as I'll post the Flake Music's full length album as well. Now you don't have to wear out your copies of the first two Shins albums as these should tide you over until the new album arrives. FLAKE MUSIC Spork EP (1995)

1. Pull Out of Your Head Size
2. Dying Lack of Spit
3. Totto
4. Nuevo
5. Dilly Dally
6. 6.

FLAKE MUSIC- Spork ep. rar

Live From The Women's Club Vol. 2

Sorry for taking so long to post The Jayhawks, Live From The Women's Club Vol. 2, I'm in the process of reorganizing the room that houses my boxes of live concert CD's. They were previously stacked on my drafting table that hasn't seen a clear surface in over 10 years. This is part one of my plan to organize and catalog the shows and try to figure out which boxes I've already inputted into the computer (I haven't updated since 2004). This whole process may (will at least...) take weeks, but that means I will come across some cool stuff to post here as I'm sorting through the boxes. I've already found a couple unlabeled discs that feature a live in-studio performance by Winnipeg band, B'ehl and a 2000 SXSW show by the Weakerthans. Stay tuned! In case you're counting I have 37 "orange boxes" and shoe boxes of concert discs on the shelf, the boxes that have the pink tags have already been cataloged...should be fun!

Live From The Women's Club Volume 2 continues where Vol. 1 left off, almost literary, because it's songs are taken from the same concert (04/26/02). Volume One was edited to one disc before the band probably considered to release the rest of the show. Personally, I like to hear the complete concert from start to finish in it's original setlist order, so in some ways these were the left-overs from the first disc. Unlike Lou Reed's albums, Rock 'n' Roll Animal and Lou Reed Live which featured different tracks from the same concert (Rock 'n' Roll Animal was far superior to Lou Reed Live), WC Vol. 2 is equally as strong in quality and performance as Vol. 1. As a bonus there are demos from the Smile album (12-13), Rainy Day Music (14) and a demo recorded at The Jayhawks practice space (15).

THE JAYHAWKS
Live From The Women's Club Volume 2

1.One Man's Problem
2. What Led Me To This Town
3. The Man Who Loved Life
4. Tampa To Tulsa
5. Somewhere In Ohio
6. Settled Down Like Rain
7. Angelyne
8. Jennifer Save Me
9. Clouds
10. All The Right Reasons
11. Reason To Believe
Bonus Tracks -
12. Gypsy In The Mood
13. Okhee's Theme
14. Save Me From Myself
15. Boston Maid

THE JAYHAWKS- Live From The Women's Club Vol. 2. rar

The Jayhawks- Live From The Women's Club

The Jayhawks are one of those bands that I've travelled out-of-town to see live. A road trip to nearby Grand Forks in December 1999 and Bemidji, MN in October 2001 were very memorable shows and I also saw them when they played Winnipeg in 2003 and the Winnipeg Folk Festival in 1988. They were and still remain a favourite band of mine and I seriously considered heading to Minneapolis last July to see one of their reunion shows with original member Mark Olson. No matter what the line-up of the band is, they always offer up a great live show and amazing musicianship.

A few years back, the band released a live recording of one of their all-acoustic shows featuring the stripped down trio of Gary Louris, Marc Perlman and Tim O'Reagan. Originally, this "official bootleg" was only sold at shows, but later you were able to find it at some independent record stores (and apparently now at Amazon). The concert took place on April 26, 2002 at the Women's Club in Minneapolis, MN. If you're a fan of the band already, this album is a beautiful companion piece to their studio recordings and if you've never listened to the Jayhawks, this recording reveals the quality and depth of Gary Louris's songwriting and the how much their melodies and vocal harmony define the Jayhawks' sound. I still prefer their electric full-band sound, but the intimacy of an acoustic show can't be denied.

THE JAYHAWKS
Live From The Women's Club
1. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
2. Nothing Left To Borrow
3. Drivin' Wheel
4. Crowded In The Wings
5. Say You'll Be Mine
6. Save It For A Rainy Day
7. Two Hearts
8. Smile
9. Trouble
10. Bottomless Cup
11. Tailspin
12. I'd Run Away
13. Break In The Clouds
14. Blue
15. Waiting For The Sun
16. Sound Of Lies
17. Sister Cry -
Bonus Tracks - Demos from Smile Album
18. Desperate Serenade
19. Someone Will

THE JAYHAWKS- Live From The Women's Club. rar

Sara & Tegan -Live On CBC Radio 1998

Back in 1998 at the age of 17, the Quin twins (identical) entered a Garage Warz Battle Of the Bands competition in their hometown of Calgary, beknownst to them this would be the start of a very successful career in music. Since winning the contest, they have toured extensively and have just released their sixth album, Sainthood to much critical acclaim. They played a pair of sold-out shows in Winnipeg last week on a cross country tour where they will play pretty much every major city in the US and Canada...ha! who needs American Idol when Garage Warz can open so many doors.

I must admit I'm not really a huge Tegan and Sara fan, but I can appreciate their dedication and hard work and keeping true to their own vision. I have their first couple albums, but honestly I can't remember the last time I gave them a spin. I've heard a few cuts from the new album and it's not bad, I'll have to give it a complete listen.

I'm in the process of converting some of my live concert tapes to CD (or digital files) and I thought this T & S recording might be of interest. It's a radio broadcast of CBC's Radiosonic, a program that aired Saturday night on the FM dial. Each week they featured a live concert and sometimes a live in-studio performance in their Vancouver studio. I had a habit of recording any band that sounded interesting or that I was familiar with already. This night, Sara and Tegan (this is not a typo, this was before they were officially known as Tegan And Sara) who were virtually unknown at the time, were interviewed and performed live in-studio. This is a rare early live recording and it's a good raw performance...that sounds great!
I also posted the uncompressed FLAC version on Dimeadozen.org (you need to be a member)

SARA & TEGAN
CBC Studio 2
Vancouver, BC
May 30, 1998
(FM Master)
1. Intro
2. Interview
3. Here I Am
4. Interview
5. I'm Falling Asleep
6. Interview
7. Days And Days
8. Outro

SARA & TEGAN- 5-30-98. rar

Absolutely Nothing!

I can find absolutely nothing in the way of pictures of the band, this is as good as it gets.

If you're a hardcore Plumtree fan you may be already familiar with Carla and Lynette's early side-project, Absolutely Nothing. They formed in 1994 with members, Carla Gillis, Lynette Gillis and Lisa Verge (later replaced by Derrick Hiltz) and they released a couple of cassettes and played mainly around Halifax. Absolutely Nothing would never be mistaken for Plumtree, their sound was more aggressive, their songs are short and fast and they definitely had a punk edge to them. Carla still sang, but instead of playing guitar she switches to bass. As their MySpace page says, they are a "lean and teen Halifax punk band". They disbanded by 1997, which enabled Carla and Lynette to tour freely and concentrate on their main project, Plumtree.

A number of years ago (at least 10 years ago!), I received a Absolutely Nothing cassette tape and a VHS tape full of Absolutely Nothing and Plumtree live performances from someone on the East Coast, I can't remember who it was, but thanks! Unfortunately the video tape was probably a few generations old, so the quality is a little rough and is not by any means high def, but it's a great documentation of both bands. The tape made me even more of a fan and created a need to see them perform live. I'm hoping there will be a renewed interest in the band, cause I figure the new Plumtree.ca site is a way for Carla and co. to maybe gain some attention because of this Scott Pilgrim movie and to give their fans (new and old) a glimpse into what they were missing. The t-shirts are just a tiny way they can cash in. Plumtree was a band that broke-up at the height of their popularity and called it quits much too prematurely. Check out their discography page and buy their studio albums! Show your support for the band and who knows...!

Carla and Lynette have continued to form bands together and record great music. While living in Vancouver they formed, Bontempi (They mailed me their CD) and Bells Clanging. Currently in Toronto, Carla and Lynette's latest project is, Sisters.

Getting back to Absolutely Nothing, I'm posting this rare cassette demo I have. The sound is fairly lo-fi and raw and there's some tape hiss and the sound volume fluctuates a bit (again a few generations old). I just transferred the tape to digital files and honestly I hadn't played the tape in years. Maybe one day if the members of the band re-release it on CD and clean-up the sound, with a better mix and less distortion, this could sound really good. On their MySpace, the song samples sound much bassier and cleaner.
Enjoy!

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
Demo cassette (1994?)
1. Fako
2. AWOL
3. Ol' Blue Eyes
4. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
5. Lawyers Suck
6. Pointed
7. I'm A Boy
8. Milli
9. Loser
10. Armidillo
11. PDS / 4 Track
12. Ich Habe Angst
13. I Don't Know
14. Top Of The Morning
15. Liberated Woman

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING- demos. rar

Plumtree - Scott Pilgrim

With the release of the upcoming film starring Michael Cera, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, it should be noted the film is based on the graphic novel by Bryan Lee O'Malley. More importantly before the books, the name of "Scott Pilgrim" originates from the song by Plumtree.

In the film, Michael Cera's character (Scott Pilgrim) will be seen wearing a Plumtree t-shirt. The band is selling those very same shirts on their newly launched website at http://www.plumtree.ca/. It should be also noted, I just bought one! (buy here!) Photos later when it arrives!

More Plumtree videos can be found on YouTube or on Plumtree's site.

Plumtree Live!

I know there are at least a few readers to this blog that have heard of the late great all-girl Halifax band, Plumtree. If you are not familiar with the band, have a look from their Wiki-bio.

Plumtree was formed in 1993, when the original line-up of the band were teenagers. Carla Gillis (aged 17) on vocals and guitar, sister Lynette (14) on drums, Amanda Braden (15) guitar and vocals and Nina Martin (16) on bass. In their 7 years of existance, they produced 3 full-length CD's, one EP and five 7" singles. In 1996, they were awarded a YTV achievement award for the best Canadian band under twenty and appeared on the nationally broadcasted show. Their popularity was helped by the fact around this time, a boom of great young bands sprung up in the Maritimes region (Sloan, Jale, Eric's Trip), that gained national and American attention (think, Sub Pop!). Plumtree earned a solid fan base with their down to earth, fresh approach to indie-rock that took them on tour throughout Canada and the US. They toured with bands such as, Superfriendz, Thrush Hermit, Inbreds, Weakerthans and the Local Rabbits.

I had the pleasure of seeing the band 4 times during their last tour in 2000 and I wished I had discovered them sooner. About a year ago, in one of my past blog postings I talked about meeting the band after a show and about how I recorded their shows I attended (Also you can still download the Flutterboard cassette ep). If there is interest, I could transfer some of my tapes to CD (or mp3's) and post some more live Plumtree.

Today, I have a recording that was broadcast on the CBC during a East Coast Music Awards showcase concert. Plumtree played a short set (I'm not sure if this was edited down) at the Halifax Convention Centre on January 31, 1998. The sound quality is excellent, as it's a radio broadcast, but there is a glitch between Effin' and You Just Don't Exist, I must have knocked the tuner dial or something as I lost reception for a few seconds, other than that, it's good.
Enjoy!

PLUMTREE
Halifax Convention Centre
Halifax, NS
January 31, 1998
FM Broadcast

1. Hang Up Baby
2. Fatherhood
3. The Game's Over
4. Sodium Chloride
5. Effin'
6. You Just Don't Exist
7. Racing Gloves
8. Go! / outtro.

PLUMTREE- 1-31-98. rar

The Minus 5- Hello EP

Since the last post featured Scott McCaughey's first band, The Young Fresh Fellows, I thought it would be appropriate to follow-up with Scott's "other" bands' first release. In 1993, Scott formed the Minus 5, a loose pop collaborative that was designed not to have a consistent line-up album to album. During the early Minus 5 records, the only constants were McCaughey and Peter Buck, who had recently moved to Seattle from Athens, GA, home to his "other" band, R.E.M.

The Hello EP was the Minus 5's first release and it was put out by the They Might Be Giant's mail order record club, Hello CD Of the Month Club.

MINUS 5
Hello- EP (1993)

1. Loser So Supreme
2. Only One Thing
3. Brotherhood of Pain
4. Drunkard's Lullabye

MINUS 5- Hello EP. rar

The Fabulous Sounds...

...Of The Pacific Northwest!
Since it's a new fresh year, I thought I should start the year by making good on some requests. Back in November, when I wrote a posting celebrating 10,000 views to this blog, I posted 4 versions of the Young Fresh Fellows song, Teenage Dogs In Trouble, the title-track to this blog. The original version of that song appeared on their first album, The Fabulous Sounds Of the Pacific Northwest. I know it's kind of late, but to Kev from the UK, I'm finally posting the original album you requested for download. This album is from over 25 years ago and this classic album launched the career of this great Seattle band that is finally receiving the recognition they deserve. I've stated many times on this blog that the YFF are my favourite band, so please take advantage and have a listen because I have lots of YFF rarities to post in the future.

YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS
The Fabulous Sounds Of The Pacific Northwest (1984)

1. "Rock 'N' Roll Pest Control"
2. "All Messed Up"
3. "Gus Theme"
4. "Think Better Of Me"
5. "Power Mowers Theme"
6. "Empty Set Takes A Vacation"
7. "View From Above"
8. "Big House"
9. "This Little Mystery"
10. "A Humble Guy"
11. "Down By The Pharmacy"
12. "Teenage Dogs In Trouble"
13. "You Call That Lonely?"
14. "That Letter"
15. "Young Fresh Fellows Theme"

YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS- The Fabulous Sounds Of The Pacific Northwest. rar

Welcome to 2010!

Will this be the year we make contact?
Welcome to the new year and new decade! I trust everyone had a great 2009 and have high hopes for the upcoming year. I don't think I'll post a top 10 albums or songs of 2009, mainly because I doubt I listened to enough CD's to make qualified choices for this year. I will say that I purchased some very fine products from folks such as Wilco, Neko Case, Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows, The Hold Steady, Condo Fucks (Yo La Tengo), The Disciplines (Ken Stringfellow-led Norwegian band), Jeffrey Lewis & the Junkyard, Dinosaur Jr, Metric, Amy Millan and Wendy Bird. As well as some great (long-awaited) compilation sets from the Jayhawks and Big Star. I'm not usually one to keep close tabs to "the scene" or to follow what's "hot" in music, as I've spent a lot of my recent time downloading and buying music from past decades, sort of that re-acquiring of music I had on cassette and LP, that I now want to upload on my iPod.

To celebrate the end of 2009, here's a rockin' New Year's eve party song from Pittsburgh's late great, Frampton Brothers, circa late 90's, not 2009..."Let's make believe, things are really gonna get better, yeah everythings gonna be better, this time..."
Happy New Year!

FRAMPTON BROTHERS- Party Hat mp3