I admit this is the Bud Light of WIS. You could find all this info by following these record stores on Facebook if you don’t already. But if you’re lazy, like me, you like things spoon fed to ya. So get up off your ass after you read this post and fill your messenger bag with delightful vinyl treats.
@Crooked Beat Records
Just in today (6/23) on used vinyl: Zombies, Raspberries, Neutral Milk Hotel, Joy Division, Von Bondies, Television, The Faint, Blonde Redhead, Pere Ubu, Germs, NY Dolls, plus many others.
Television: Adventure (4 Men With Beards pressing) and the live double LP Roir colored vinyl pressing of The Blow Up
Neutral Milk Hotel: In The Aeroplane Over The Sea original pressing with insert (may have been purchased, call the store for details)
Blonde Redhead: Misery Is A Butterfly
Pere Ubu: Dub Housing and Modern Dance, red vinyl pressings on Get Back Records.
The White Stripes: very limited black vinyl 7″s just in today of “Let’s Shake Hands/Look Me over Closely” and “Lafayette Blues/Sugar Never Tasted So Good,” only ten of each!
@SomRecords I didn’t know Som had an ebay store! You can find all kinds of rare goodies including an unpeeled Beatles Butcher Cover. (Bidding starts at $9.99.)
I like my music like I like my summer: distorted, loud and full of gain. Fans of Dinosaur Jr.’s classic album Bug have everything to gain because you have a chance to hear it in it’s entirety this Saturday (6/25) at 9:30 Club. This is the album that brought the Dino boys to the mainstream and sparked the wave of indie that ravaged the early ‘9os and the boom boxes of every crush-worthy skater boy.
If hearing Bug in it’s entirety isn’t mind blowing enough, the band will be interviewed by Henry Rollins, live, on stage, and the entire thing will be filmed as part of In the Hands of the Fans. Nothing like ranting banter to keep you entertained.
Supergroup OFF! are opening, and I’m pretty stoked because I missed them last time they were in town, and friends say they were amazing. Keith Morris (Black Flag/Circle Jerks), Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), Steven McDonald (Redd Kross), and Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless/Hot Snakes/Rocket From the Crypt) play a fast and furious set similar to (RIP) Jay Reatard’s twenty-minute approach, a thrashing rock and roll explosion that will leave you feeling breathless.
Are you in the mood for three shows in one? The Vinyl District is giving away a pair of tickets to Dinosaur Jr. with Henry Rollins and Off! at the 9:30 Club Saturday (6/25).
What’s your favorite dinosaur, real or imaginary? Comment below for your chance to win.
The winner will be chosen Thursday (6/23) at noon.
Warchild will melt your face with pure thrash metal mayhem. If you like whiskey, head-banging and sex on the first date, then you’re my kind of fuck up and you belong at this show.
Extra special treat, FUNBAG DJ’s Du Jour (Windian Records) and DJ Jennder (Lipstick/Noise Academy) will spin before and after the show as if they’re even necessary to keep the energy up.
These ladies will play the ususal glam/punk/garage/bubblegum classics plus a splattering of hair metal. It’s $5 to take your summer up a level because they are also filming a video tonight, so you better bring your sleaziest A game.
@CrookedBeatDC: Per Bill: Just in 6/13 on Used Vinyl: Okkervil River, Kinks, lots of Frank Zappa titles, Frank Sinatra, Chrome Cranks (3 titles), Blue Velvet Strk, Iggy Pop, 20/20, Blind Faith, Fleshtones, plus many others. We also got the Radiohead 12″ of “Supercollider/ The Butcher” in. [Really, another “Butcher” title, Bill?] It was orginally released in the UK for Record Store Day. But the label decided to release a limited pressing of 5000 of them in the US. We got 25 of them in. But as of 5/13 there are only about 7 left, so head over to the store or check Crooked Beat’s online inventoryto see if there are copies left.
@SomRecordsDC: Neal just bought an amazing Latin collection with lots of original Fania Salsa classics as well as a mess of Cuban releases on Egrem, which don’t turn up too much in the States. You can catch Neal DJing a specialBrazilian Rhythms party this Thursday (6/16) at Cafe Saint-Ex, where he and special guest DJ Guilherme (Alma Tropicalia) will be featuring tropicalia all night, all on original vinyl. Sounds like the perfect music for this gorgeous weather. If you miss them, come out on Sunday, June 25th, when he’ll be at the Capitol Skyline Pool with special guest Greg Caz (Brazilian Beat Brooklyn).
@RedOnionRecords: Red Onion Books and Records is having an in-store this Friday starting at 6pm, and it’s F R E E: Josef Van Wissem with Heresy of the Free Spirit & Paul Metzger. Red Onion Books and Records is located at 1901 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. Featuring lutenist Jozef Van Wissem and multi-instrumentalists Robbie Lee and Che Chen, Heresy of the Free Spirit plays Van Wissem’s arrangements of lute compositions and improvisations that draw on early music, folk traditions, modern composition, and noise. Their set will be followed by a performance from Paul Metzger, whose singular brand of solo banjo music is equally influenced by American primitive, Indian raga, and Middle Eastern tonality.
@Smash! Records: Daisy Lacy, co–owner of SMASH! Records, will be DJing just steps away from SMASH! Records this Saturday (6/18) F R E E !! at the MiG bar 2226 18th St NW 2nd Floor (this hidden gem is one block south of Smash! above the Rendezvous Lounge). HOT WAX: deejays Robles Rouser (City Slang Booking) & Daisy Racy (SMASH RECORDS), spinning R’n’R, Punk, Garage, and Soul. [Oh my heart melts with woe, for I will be out of town and am so sad to miss this kickass collaboration of talented spinstresses.] $3 Pabst and Natty Boh, $4 Rail Drinks, Sangria & Margaritas. Dance Your Ass Off or Don’t.
I danced for the first time in a month the other night, and it felt so freaking good. I’ve been nursing a broken toe and was finally able to get my groove on with a random girl who liked to talk shit about boys and then make out with them.
I’m pretty sure that I’ll be dancing as Reptar, just named #4 in the NME 50 Best New Bands list, are opening for Art Brut on Wednesday, June 22nd, and will take over the Black Cat with their irresistibly dancy indie-pop. Their debut 7″, featuring “Houseboat Babies” produced by Benn Allen (Sean P. Diddy Combs, Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective, and Matt & Kim) has been making waves and will probably be responsible for breaking more of my toes as I get trampled by crazed 20-year olds fueled by the sheer force of their youth and Coke-drenched corn-syrupy sugar highs.
Reptar | Houseboat Babies
They will likely also play jams from their appropriately named EP Oblangle Fizz Y’all on Black Bell Records (Passion Pit’s Ayad Al Adhamy) due out next month.
And if Reptar are the kind of band that like to hang out backstage after a show, stick around because you might catch Eddie Argos of Art Brut shooting pool with the Black Cat staff in the Red Room. If you recall in the April interview I did with Eddie, he’s stoked on playing this venue. So not only do you get the usual wit, charm and energy Art Brut are known for, but they’ll be in a comfortable venue, so who knows what could happen. It just might be Brilliant! Tragic!
And you can see for yourself because The Vinyl District is giving away a pair of tickets for this show.
To enter, please comment with what shoes you’ll be wearing that might re-break my big toe so I can be as prepared as possible for this show. I might just go buy a ski boot.
This Saturday (6/4) is the DC Record Fair! Brought to you by Som Records, DC Soul Recordings, and The Vinyl District, almost thirty dealers will be taking over the space at vitaminwater® uncapped LIVE near the U Street Corridor, presented by Brightest Young Things, Art Whino, and G40.
As always, we’ll have vendors from up and down the East Coast augmented by our ever-revolving Guest DJs, plus food, drinks, and everything you’ve become accustomed to.
DJ Set Times:
11-12 Lipstick DJs: DJ Jennder (TVD) & William Alberque (BYT)
12-1 Jon Meyers (TVD)
1-2 The Metaphysical (TVD)
2-3 Nitekrawler (DC Soul Recordings)
3-4 DJ Smudge
4-5 DJ Mojo Gogo
All week, the DC Record Fair DJs will be talking up some music and some vinyl to get you ready for the DC Record Fair. BYT’s William Alberque will not only be DJing the Record Fair as part of the dynamic duo Lipstickwith our own TVD DC Editor DJ Jennder (Jenn Bress), but the Lipstick DJs will also be dealers at the Record Fair! Here’s a brief history of how Lipstick evolved into the dance-gasm it is today.
William
I was going to write this in the first person, but that just sounds stupid. DJ Jennder (aka TVD’s own Jenn Bress) and I, DJ William Alberque (I “write” for BYT and have the least creative DJ name in the business), share a dance night (Lipstick) and a love for inspired amateurism. In other words, neither of us can DJ per se. Sure, we show up at our DJ nights with tons of 7”s, 12”s, cds, and mp3 files, overload our mixer, and send music pulsating over the PA, but we can’t beatmatch to save our lives.
Jennder
Yeah, I never pretended to even try to beat match. I guess it doesn’t really work with the music I play out (punk / indie / elecro / glam / metal) etc. Besides, I’m all over the place. I usually don’t plan my set and play according to my mood and try to adapt to the crowd. So, William will tell you, I usually bring WAY too much music and have trouble honing in on a genre, because, I guess I view my Djing from an abstract expressionistic approach, a rebellious process that emphasizes spontaneity and mood.
Over time I’ve learned to reel myself, but for Lipstick, I think drawing from many genres to synthesize a hyper dance frenzy works well for the night.
William
That’s true – she brings music to DJ nights the way heiresses pack for weekend getaways. Except I’m the nightporter. You know, I verged on knowing how to beatmatch, once, when I DJ’d a night called Filler at the Blue Room (now Bourbon) at the turn of the century. It was a fantastic evening of leftfield electronica (e.g., Andrea Parker, Ellen Allien, Aphex Twin, KLF trance b-sides, Main, Seefeel) and compelling visuals, and the other DJs there – Richard, George, and Milo – were so absurdly good at what they did that I felt compelled to keep up. I never could, though.
This Saturday (6/4) is the DC Record Fair! Brought to you by Som Records, DC Soul Recordings, and The Vinyl District, almost thirty dealers will be taking over the space at vitaminwater® uncapped LIVE near the U Street Corridor, presented by Brightest Young Things, Art Whino, and G40.
As always, we’ll have vendors from up and down the East Coast augmented by our ever-revolving Guest DJs, plus food, drinks, and everything you’ve become accustomed to.
DJ set times were just finalized yesterday! The DC Record Fair DJs are previewing the Record Fair all week, and so far William Alberqueand The Metaphysicalhave schooled us a little bit on the subject of vinyl.
11-12 Lipstick DJs: DJ Jennder (TVD) & William Alberque (BYT)
12-1 Jon Meyers (TVD)
1-2 The Metaphysical (TVD)
2-3 Nitekrawler (DC Soul Recordings)
3-4 DJ Smudge
4-5 DJ Mojo Gogo
And we’d like to confirm a little rumor you may or may not have heard. Yes, it’s true,Crooked Beat will no longer be selling CDs. CDs suck anyway, but if you’re into them, William Alberque and Jennder will be selling them on the cheap at their table at the Record Fair on Saturday (along with tons of vinyl), or you could just be a scumfuck and shop at Best Buy.
If you haven’t checked out the Brightest Young Things + Art Whino collaboration: vitaminwater® uncapped LIVE, you better get off your ass tonight and go check it out. TVD’s DJ Jennder (Funbags) and BYT’s William Alberque (Razzmatazz) are DJing tonight in the garage. Incidentally, we will also be selling records and DJing at the DC Record Fair that will be happening in the vitaminwater® uncapped LIVE space next week, Saturday, June 4th 11am-5pm, at 2217 14th St NW (14th and Florida).
The vitaminwater® uncapped LIVE space is really awesome, it’s like Art-O-Matic with standards. (Sorry AOM, I heart you, but this is just amazing.) This space is a fucking adult playground featuring four floors of graffiti and installations, a rave cave in the parking garage, a trippy lounge with ping-pong, a ball pit, cash bars, and a main stage for bands and DJs to perform.
There is TONS of kick ass local art to see. For instance, I discovered this little pleasure on the second floor:
Brilliant!
Now, what to expect this evening. I’m pretty sure we Lipstick cunts will be downstairs in the garage. There’s a make-out maze and tons of room on the dance floor for (hopefully) Captain Sass (Gareth Moore) to claim a very large portion of the dance floor.
Doors at 8:30 pm. $5 to enter. 18+
Here’s a sneak peek at what we have planned for you:
The dealers who will be present at the DC Record Fair have been announced. As always, the Record Fair is brought to you by Som Records, DC Soul Recordings, and TVD. The DC Record Fair will be held at the Brightest Young Thing’svitaminwater® uncapped LIVE space at 2217 14th Street NW on Saturday, June 4th 11am-5pm.
1- Neal Becton/Som Records
2- Chris Knott
3- Kevin Coombe/DC Soul Recordings
4- Tim Harris (VA)
5- Red Onion
6- Tom Engle
7- John Stanton (NY)
8- Richard Harrington
9- Tony A. (PA)
10- Smash Records
11- Jimmy Blackford (VA)
12- Chaim O’Brien
13- Dori Hadar
14- Johnathan Hartley
15- Chris Armbruster
16- Oldie Al
17- Memory Lane
18- Joe’s Record Paradise
19- Mike Murphy (VA)
20- CD Cellar (VA)
21- Aaron Vandeursen
22- CD Game Exchange
23- Scott Silberman
24- Gary (Gees Records) (CT)
25- Ryan Pieper (VA)
26- Jenn Bress (TVD)/William Alberque (BYT)
27- Nate Lewis (Tee Shirts)
28- Christian Sturgis (Representing the Historic Globe Poster Company)
29- Rich Bernett (Record Fair Poster Designer)
Last week’s WIS got nice props from TBD, exploring whether or not Bill will sell the “holy grail” of records, The Beatle’s “Butcher Album” that he found in a recent acquisition. Read the TBD post to find out why he’s keeping it.
The Dig get around. They have toured with many respectable bands including The Editors, The Joy Formidable, The Walkmen and now, Scottish indie band, Glasvegas. A lot of positive buzz brought this band to my attention, plus a comment from a good friend who compared their likeness with The Walkmen, so I arrived early and snagged a bar stool to check them out. The place was not packed, but at 9pm on a Tuesday evening, this was not a shocker.
Seeing the The Dig live, one might close their eyes to imagine a suited up gaggle of Paul Banks oogling back at them, but The Dig are more than just an Interpol impression. Their songs are textured with layered distortion at times and climax with rhythmic satisfaction. Singer David Balwin lends a bit of Jonathan Fire Eater charm to some of their catchier songs, but they never reach the arty angst that The Walkmen dutifully master. These boys are young, and at times there is an awkwardness to the performance that suggests this might be their second performance ever. Until the last song they played, it was in such direct contrast to their entire set. It stuck out like a sore thumb, a blues-rock college bar tune with lots of fun clapping that seemed odd in contrast to their previous songs.
Pocketed behind the arresting emotional climax of each song is a sincerity that every girl wants in first date. That’s the thing, The Dig play out like a pretty good first date; they charm you, they flirt with you, they tease you emotionally and then beg to see you again, on June 11th at the Red Palace, where you can meet their friends, The Postelles.
James Allan is not Bono, so why is he suddenly just as pompous? Taking to the stage minus the dramatic lights and fog that complimented the self-titled Glasvegas album so well, the band now seem like they are a caricature of themselves. When I saw them in 2007 (I think it was), the dense fog and dramatic stage presence complimented the dramatic allure of Allan’s vocals. Oh sweet salvation, his voice is like a bathtub full of Nutella, sultry velvet cream that I want to lather my entire body in. Sadly, it’s evident that the UK success of their first album (deservingly so) has gone to his head. He struts around stage like A Clockwork Orange’s Alex parading songs off of Euphoric///Heartbreak\\\ around like a beating stick.
Five years ago, I was staring at the back of her neck and the long bleached blonde hair cascading down her neck. She was a freaking Amazon goddess, and she was dating my ex. I was finally over him, but seething with jealousy just the same. After all, she was a gorgeous punk-rock model, and she was also friends with the band we all were going to see. Also, I couldn’t stop picturing them having “playful sex” (Asobi Seksu is Tokyo slang for this). My friend and I attended the show because of the ex’s recommendation. He swore up and down that we would fall in love with Asobi Seksu. So, I was lucky enough to catch the NYC quartet in 2006, during their Citrus tour, and I was pretty blown away.
The Citrus tour was intense. Speakers were stacked high and Yuki Chikudate’s vocals were buried behind distorted paisley underground jangley guitars. It was heaven for lovers of shoegaze fans.
Last Friday, the unexpected happened. I thought I was going to see a dream-pop band, and I got more of an arty pop-rock show.
I arrived with Sun Airway finishing their last song, eager for something amazing from Asobi Seksu, who did a quick sound check. I spotted Crispin Glover on the drums—oh no, it was just Larry Gorman. Before I knew it, Yuki Chikudate took to the stage, and they were ready to start. It was odd seeing them at the 9:30 Clubopening for White Lies. They are completely worthy of the venue, but I feel like they would be more at home on the Red Palace stage, where they could flood the audience with their wall of sound but also connect with the audience on a more intimate level.
As “Trails” opens the band’s set, I was a bit shocked as Chikudate’s voice was pasted over the guitars like a band-aid that I wanted to rip off, a bit too loud and unexpectedly a little garish. She angled her delightful cooing over the track, decoupaging the audience with her vocal range. “Strawberries” is noisy and delightful as expected, but this time Hanna’s guitar is ferocious, and the Sonic Youth noise influence trumps any obvious My Bloody Valentine reference I could insert into this review.
The fall out of singer Chikudate and guitarist James Hanna’s decision to replace two band members and head in a pop-friendly direction is evident on this tour… “Sooner” is not layered in the plush guitars it was five years ago during their Citrus tour, but takes on a much more Jesus and Mary Chain feel this time around. In fact, many of the songs start with more aggressive, almost grimy, Big Black-like intros. The juxtaposition of Chikudate’s vocals over the new sound is alarming, but not as interesting they could be. I have no fear of pop music, and Asobi Seksu are heading in a more accessible pop direction. I am more fond of the flowery shoegaze side of Asobie Seksu, which I didn’t get from this live performance, but they were still quite enjoyable and worth the effort of hobbling up stairs on crutches to see.
Oh, and what was with that ’80s new wave regurgitated on me in hostile retaliation, like a baby rejecting mashed peas onto an adoring mother? Yeah, that was just White Lies spitting out the thrice processed sounds of The Editors into my poor unsuspecting eardrums.
We all have likely daydreamed while thumbing through thrift store stacks or rummaging through rejected records at a neighbor’s yard sale about finding something awesome, like a brand new copy of Patti Smith’s Horses or some other gem that might cost us like $15 bucks at at a local record store. That tingle of anticipation is what makes thrifting so addictive, the treasure hunt, the chance of a huge score, of finding a needle in a haystack.
“I have to sit down and take this in! I was just going through a bunch of used vinyl I recently bought. I started staring closer at the Beatles’ Yesterday & Today record cover. I said to myself, no way! I noticed it was slightly peeled. I have finally found the highly sought after Butcher album! One of the holy grails of all albums! In all my years I have seen them, but have never found one myself.
A person came in and said they recently came across a bunch of old 1960-’70s records at a yard sale. But people come in and say that to me every day. Most of the time, the records are trashed. Most of the records were trashed this time. But this time I also found a needle in a haystack, though I did not know it when I initially looked at it.”
The original album cover shows The Beatles dressed in smocks and covered with “butchered dolls.”Approximately ONLY TEN sealed examples exist!
This album has everything: historical significance, rarity, controversy, and demand. In fact, a sealed example is the MOST sought after record in record collecting history!
“In order to quickly replace the ‘butcher cover,’ the background of the replacement ‘trunk’ photo [pictured below and with Bill above] was airbrushed white, and the printing from the ‘butcher’ version was laid on top of the new graphics. Alternate forms do exist, but these lack the artistic flair that went into creating the earlier ‘trunk’ designs. Although the order had been given to destroy the old covers, it was more cost- and time-efficient to glue the new front cover on top of the rejected ‘butcher’ covers. Doing this saved time, and the new records were on the stands within five days. This is an amazing turn-around time, considering the fact that the mono pasteover is not exactly rare. It appears, though, that the Jacksonville, IL, plant did destroy nearly all of their butchers.”
So basically they pasted the “trunk cover” on top of the “butcher cover” because y’ know, a lot of people don’t dig bloody dismembered baby dolls.
Bill’s got a copy of this rarity in his shop and is likely researching a price for it as you read this. Give a call to 202-483-BEAT for more information.
The Belles have recently returned from a trip to Inner Ear to capture their primordial garage soul spectacle to tape. Here are a few of the early offerings from that session.
There are a million things going on this Saturday night, but this is your chance to support local rock, because that’s how you roll.
We love garage, we love local music, and we love giving away free stuff. Leave a comment below by Thursday at noon telling us why you deserve them to win a pair of, count em two, tickets.
Both Amanda Pittman and Jenn Bress had plenty to say about the Lykke Li and Grimesshow at 9:30 Club this past Sunday, so they joined forces to bring you both reviews while Olivia Ung (wo)manned the digicam.
“Lykke Lipounced on 9:30 Club like a vixen cat sorceress,” remarked Jenn. She was a shadow in her signature head to toe black to a stage engulfed in illuminated fog, as if a thunderstorm threatened to break over the crowd. Instead Lykke Li broke into a bewitching rendition of “Jerome,” one of the more upbeat songs on this year’s Wounded Rhymes. She waved a drum around like a wand and we were all certainly spellbound as she shifted into crowd favorite, “I’m Good, I’m Gone.” Lykke Li is capable of taking the sad, melancholy of her music and making it sensual, a quality that seems beyond the grasp of her contemporaries.
It was “Sadness is a Blessing” that had us tightly wound into an emotional coil that would unfurl and condense as the night progressed. The poetry of “Sadness is a blessing/sadness is a pearl/sadness you’re my boyfriend/sadness I’m you’re girl” is not just a chorus, it’s a tribute to something anyone who has ever loved anyone, and gone unloved knows, when you don’t want to let go, we all hold on to the sadness of knowing our heart’s desire can’t be our own.
“Have you ever been heartbroken? What about in Paris?” she asked the audience. We have, perhaps not in Paris, but at some point. “Paris Blue,” the B-side on her “Get Some” single, continued the feeling of lost love. The lighting was appropriately blue at this point as she wrapped herself in one of the drapes as if to hide from her overwhelming emotions. She then swept into “I Follow Rivers” and for a moment, one might have mistaken her for Stevie Nicks.
We didn’t have a catfight… TVD was a bit overzealous in our coverage of the Lykke Li and Grimes show at 9:30 Club. We’re overachievers?
So Amanda Pittman and I joined forces while Olivia Ung (wo)manned the digicam. We all loved Grimes so much that we decided that she deserved her own review, and then it was time for the Seductress Lykke Li herself.
Canadian singer/producer Claire Boucher, known better by her stage name Grimes, opened for Lykke Li Sunday night. Her particular brand of synth-pop can best be compared to Bat for Lashes and La Roux. Boucher creates all her music with the help of two keyboards and expert use of Garage Band. What started out as a project in her bedroom has launched music critics into a frenzy over the dreamy tunes.
Boucher seemed oblivious to the crowd Sunday night as she waltzed from one keyboard to the next and warbling softly into her microphones. She had almost a Chola presence with high pony tail and a “don’t mess, I’m about to fuck shit up” stance, until she meekly admitted “this is the largest crowd I’ve ever played for, I’m a bit nervous.”
The experience of watching her is slightly uncomfortable. She’s alone and has little to say to the audience gawking over her tiny body and tiny voice. Listening to her, you can envision a full band, an earthy setting, but it’s just her up there, dominating. She doesn’t have fancy props or lighting, just fierce presence.
