Music

Several of you saw the ultra cultural appropriation performance of performances from Ke$ha on American Idol last Wednesday night - who decided in all her infinite wisdom to come out half-way through her "blah, blah, blah" song in a headdress and her version of "war paint" (I think).



It's obviously racist, ignorant, and beyond silly, but it's also an interesting statement (that I definitely won't give Ke$ha credit for knowing) about mainstream society's imagery of Native women. Not that it's her first time donning Native gear - apparently it's something she does on the regular with different pieces.

In 2008 I wrote about Juliette Lewis and her continued decision to "dress up like an Indian" with her band and what this means in her attempt to appear strong, raw, and yes even "savage" with her music. There are some particular intersections to address when we see women dressed up like this - and it has nothing to do with the fact that these people are of course getting our actual culture, traditions, and teachings all wrong.

Wrap your work week up with an *extra special guest Bitchtapes!* Misty, a Bitch mag reader and winner our subscription contest last month for a Bitch goody bag and a shot at Bitchtapes, has handpicked a great selection of covers side-by-side with their original. Here's Misty's mix in her own words:

My choices are 5 original songs and 5 covers (though as I created this playlist, I saw some songs that I thought were originals were not, so there may be versions of even these songs from way back when). As I have no talent for music, I have always found it interesting how one musician can put out a song and another artist takes it and really makes it their own. With instantly-recognizable classics, a musician must possess a self-confidence in their abilities to take a song that so many people relate to or love and put their mark on it. Though I wouldn't describe all these originals as timeless classics, I like how each of the covers are so much more than just repeated lyrics.

Check out Misty's track list below and enjoy this reader-deejayed Bitchtapes!

While the blogosphere is still wrapping their head around the epic Telephone video, Out Magazine got a hold of Heather Cassils, whose prison-yard smooch with Gaga is one of the most talked about portions of the video. A long-time performance artist, Cassils went to the "Telephone" audition on a whim, and the kiss she and Gaga shared was completely unscripted. While her interactions with Gaga are worth a read, Cassils also speaks about her art ("I use the fact that the image is live to try to capture and transfix people, because people can walk away from a painting.") representation ("binaries are dangerous across the board"), about the co-option of queer identity for pop stars. ("That's been going on since the dawn of time.")

In honor of the music video that is sweeping the virtual nation today, (it's Lady Gaga and Beyoncé's "Telephone," but I bet I didn't have to tell you that) a few of us here in the office got on our trusty GChat accounts and commented along with the video. Read what we had to say about transmisogyny, pastiche, and sandwiches – and leave your own comments – after the jump!

It’s gray and rainy here in the Northwest today, following some beautiful glimpses of spring…not very inspiring when you’re ready for winter to end. But on the way to work, Cannonball came on the radio, immediately shedding some light on the gloomy day, which started a listening trend that made the day better…rockin’ with Kim. I love Kim Deal, whether she is just singing, or playing bass, or wrote the song, or all of the above. Here are some rocking Kim tunes to put a little light in your day…

The new record from Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings is less than one month away. I Learned It the Hard Way is their first full-length since the record-breaking (but by no means debut) album 100 Days, 100 Nights which catapulted Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings into indie stardom. And their latest proves their musical momentum is just as strong as ever. Due April 6th (Jones' birthday), it's another solid album of songs that sounds decades-old but for some reason feels anything but anachronistic, and is equally fit for a cocktail party as your headphones. Stream the title track, "I Learned It the Hard Way" after the jump!

Carolina Chocolate Drops will defy, and redefine, your presumptions regarding the pure power of the kazoo. The trio, comprised of Rhiannon Giddens, Dom Flemons and Justin Robinson, met in 2005 at the Black Banjo Gathering in Boone, North Carolina. The event was dedicated to those who wished to better understand the banjo’s roots in African and African American music and history. Their music is an eclectic and lively mix of fiddle, banjo, kazoo, jug, beat boxing and (literally) the bones. String music finds its American roots in a white Appalachian tradition, and grew from the seeds of slavery for the most part. And yet Carolina Chocolate Drops have taken this seemingly tenuous foundation for an all-black band and made the music distinctly, powerfully their own.

While snow is coming down all over the country, spring is poking its head out of the rain clouds in Portland, and I find that nothing suits the tease of spring better than cutesy female harmonizing. This mix features women from the 1920s to the 2010s bringing in the spring with vocal precision and fun tunes.

Musician, activist, and all-around cool lady Kathleen Hanna was interviewed by Laura Flanders for GRITtv last week. While the interview covered a range of topics (from endorsing Willie Mae Rock Camp's own Awkward Turtles to reflecting on the "arrogance of youth"), Hanna's most interesting comments regarded the complicated and sometimes problematic sides of building feminist leaders, archiving riot grrrl history, and comparing blogs to zines.

Video of the interview and more after the jump! 

A a very literal BitchTapes seasonal musical sampling, from (the Pacific Northwest's) rainy cold winter to the green green spring... 

 Track List follows...