A few weeks back, Kelsey blogged about Asher Roth's heteronormative, hypermasculinized, fratboy-centric conception of college. Though Kelsey deemed Roth to be singing in a serious as opposed to satirical tone, I couldn't help but suspect that despite a Wikipedia page corroborating Kelsey's assertion, Roth was cleverly fooling us all and someday he would reveal his true identity as a down-to-earth funny guy who just wanted to make some sort of social commentary on stereotypical white upper middle class college student culture. Had this been the case, I could have continued to enjoy what I thought might be a mockery of said stereotypical white middle class college student culture, but alas, Roth's music is for realz and the popularity of "I Love College" is on the rise.
Seeing as their last full-length Mountain Battles took six years to come out (when you gotta tour with the Pixies, you gotta tour with the Pixies), it's nice to see the Breeders aren't slowing down any time soon! Fate to Fatal, the four track vinyl, is limited edition, so get your listening on in while the listening's good! Read on for a mini review, the title-track's video, and Kim and Kelley Deal in the (non-recording) studio!
Listening to Hunx and His Punx is kind of like listening to a sixties girl group--a really, really fabulously gay sixties girl group. Hunx is also a member of Gravy Train!!!!, which I first heard of when my bf at the time burned me a CD with this awesomely raunchy song on it. When I found these videos from his newest project, it felt like John Waters and the Shangri-Las had had a baby... and that baby was Hunx. It was garage rock meets trash culture at the local leather bar. They were just so... gay! And not "we wanna get married and be a little homo-sub-branch of heteronormative culture" gay... but just good, old-fashioned gay! We met up with Hunx while at SXSW, and he graciously agreed to send us a list of his ten favorite female musicians, which I'm going to reprint verbatim after the jump.
It's Friday, and that means BitchTapes! (Located on the sidebar to your right as well as after the jump, for you newcomers out there.) Today I thought it would be nice to visit the fabulous land of cover songs. Because this is BitchTapes, I thought it would be even nicer to hear some covers that incorporate a healthy dose of gender bending (they're good songs, too).
I have always enjoyed a good cover song, and to me that means that the artist doing the covering interprets the song in her/his own way, keeping the lyrics the same but altering the song's meaning through the performance. This happens especially when the coverer and the coveree are of different genders, and it can make for some pretty interesting listening.
Read on for the track list, and a little bit of background info as well. Enjoy!
L.A.-based Kim and Alice Talon released their first full-length album Thracian on iTunes April 9. Drawing comparisons to Sleater-Kinney and Mission of Burma, Eagle and Talon can be found all over the internets and in publications like Bust. Though their roots are very DIY (they found each other through Craigslist), Eagle and Talon are about to make it into the living rooms of tweens and teens (and okay, probably some 20-somethings and other adults, too) all over America with a performance on tonight's episode of 90210. Read (and hear and watch) more after the jump!
Charlotte and Christine Vinnedge were two sisters that decided to step outside of traditional gender roles and play Rock music together during the mid-‘60s. They became the foundation of two different bands, the Tremolons and the Luv’d Ones, and were acting on Feminist principles before the Second Wave of Feminism had even become a national movement. To learn more about these truly groundbreaking women, read on.
In that magic few weeks when springtime is imminent, the days are newly long, and the sun, while not in full effect, is at least making its presence known, I can’t get enough of simple, yummy, classic pop songs. Here in Portland, these days have recently been more frustrating than magical, with rain and even hail upstaging the sunny bits and making it unclear when we can expect the springlike part of spring to arrive. So I’m taking a stand, musically at least, with a playlist that all that bashes you over the head with riff-tastic, seasonally appropriate tunes perfect for blasting from your car or your headphones, or perhaps singing along to in the shower with your sponge mic.
WARNING: What you are about to see will amaze, delight, and possibly cause you to make a closet full of gem sweaters. Straight out of the Midwest, the following artist has been sweeping the nation, rapping about everything from zombies to gold pants, breaking down the barriers that divide us by turning people of all types into Junior Gems. Blog readers, meet Leslie Hall!
Leslie Hall is more than just a rapper, singer, dancer, crafter, fashion designer, and curator of the world's largest Mobile Museum of Gem Sweaters; she is also an inspiration. Through her unique (and always glamorous) style, catchy party jams, and midwestern diva attitude, Leslie and her friends (the LY's) have created a new style of music and living that the aspiring MC and feminist in all of us will be able to appreciate. Come with me and let's explore the wonders that are Leslie and the LY's.
To whet your gem sweater appetite, here is an amazing video and song about making crafts:
More shining, midwestern glamour after the jump, of course!
I've been feeling kinda stressed lately—and it shows with my BitchTapes mix. I collected a group of tracks about the external pressures we deal with day-to-day. You know, stuff like: Am I pretty enough? Tough enough? Smart enough? and on and on. The genres I've chosen are each so different, but the themes all come back to same stuff we all deal with at some point in our lives. Have a listen:
Spring is in the air – flowers are blooming, people are humming and folks are falling in and out of love. Here’s a soundtrack for change....
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