Ghostfinger at Star Bar tonight (ATL)

Disclaimer: This is a revised/updated version of a C&T post from Feb. 19 of this year.

Tonight (Weds., May 31), Ghostfinger is at Star Bar in Atlanta. I was turned onto them about three months ago by the fine folks at the wonderful Grand Palace Records complex in Murfreesboro, TN. Grand Palace is a great space with a record store, recording studios, a live room, and a screen printing shop all in-house. While I was there, I asked about M'boro artists of note. It went something like this:

Rich: What's local and kicks ass?
Clerk 1: Ghostfinger!
Clerk 2: Ghostfinger!
Random customer: Yeah, Ghostfinger!
Rich: Well, alrighty then. I'll get that.

So, I bought Ghostfinger's 2005 release, These Colors Run, on Set International Records. Then I listened to it on the way home to Atlanta. Several times.

Ghostfinger's sound is difficult to succinctly define. They can sound like thrash-loving punks one moment and like descendents of Little Feat in the next. There's surf guitar, pedal steel, organ solos, NASA chatter, and multiple songs about the joy of rocking the fuck out. Richie Kirkpatrick's vocal is reminiscent of classic Stones fused with Stephen Malkmus, although the music is derivative of neither. To further confuse matters, The Nashville Scene called Kirkpatrick the city's "best reincarnation of Prince" in a recent piece. Basically, this is a really fun record by a trio of lads clearly having a great time and not taking themselves too seriously. A couple tracks (with some NSFW lyrics [the f-bomb], by the way):

Ghostfinger - Shine a Light
Ghostfinger - Rock

More songs are available on their MySpace page. If you're local and you dig these guys, come check them out at Star Bar tonight in Atlanta. It promises to be a hell of a show.

These Colors Run is available from Amazon.

(ed. note - isn't that publicity photo awesome?)

Margot and the Nuclear So and So's cancelled

from Google Image Search for "sick margot"

This post is too late to do anybody any good (outside of Texas), but tonight's Margot and the Nuclear So and So's show in Atlanta was cancelled. I was at the Braves-Dodgers game and left between the 5th and 6th innings to hit The EARL right at 10pm (and got there at 9:57!). Once I got through the door, I was informed that the band's primary vocalist (Richard Edwards, I presume?) had been diagnosed today with pneumonia. I didn't really want to see Film School, so I turned around and came home. So, I left the ballgame early for nothing. Shit. It looks like the Braves got their asses handed to them anyway, so I guess it's not that big a deal. Meh.

Those of you hoping to catch Margot with Film School on the Texas leg of the tour, I suggest you check into whether those are cancelled as well. Odds are...

Anyway, this is normally where I share a song by a band I've posted about, but I don't feel like posting any Margot at the moment. Instead, here's a song with (kinda) related lyrical content:

Unrest - So So Sick (thanks to Sugartown for the file!)

Now I guess I'm gonna settle in and watch Dial M for Murder before bed. Not what I had in mind for tonight, but it will do. Tomorrow night... Ghostfinger!!!

Modest Mouse 9-26-2001 @ Criminal Records

Fishermen often tell tales (truthful or otherwise) of "the one that got away." Today, and along the same lines, I'm sharing a show I just couldn't make. I remember being highly perturbed at the time, but I was in my first month of grad school and working harder than I ever had before. It was a grueling time and music had to stay on the back burner for a while. As a result, I wound up missing both an in-store and a full show by Modest Mouse on September 26, 2001, here in Atlanta. Dammit.

The "in-store" was actually in the parking lot of Criminal Records, where Modest Mouse played an acoustic set in the early evening before their show at the Variety Playhouse. Recently I was fortunate enough to come across a recording of that set. Now you too can listen to what was going on a few miles from my apartment while I was home reading piles of literature on research methodology, philosophy of science, and judicial politics.

Modest Mouse
September 26, 2001
Criminal Records
Atlanta, GA

01. Paper Thin Walls
02. Third Planet
03. Trailer Trash
04. Lives
05. Diggin' Holes in the Water [Ugly Casanova "cover"]
06. I Came as a Rat

Don't know the source info, but it sounds quite nice.

For all C&T's beautiful Atlanta friends, note there's some good stuff going on this week:

Tues, 5/30 - Film School, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, My Siamese Self @ The EARL
Tues, 5/30 - Brandi Carlile @ Variety Playhouse
Weds, 5/31 - Ghostfinger @ Star Bar
Weds, 5/31 - Soul Position @ Drunken Unicorn
Thurs, 6/1 - A Hard Day's Night @ Screen on the Green, Piedmont Park (free)
Thurs, 6/1 - All The Saints, The Redkelly Band, Extra Blue Kind @ The EARL
Thurs, 6/1 - Colour Revolt, Manchester Orchestra @ 10 High

This is Spinal Tap

"As long as there's, you know, sex and drugs, I can do without the rock and roll."
-- Mick Shrimpton (R.J. Parnell), This is Spinal Tap

So what's the most logical follow-up to Pete Seeger and Final Fantasy here on C&T? Spinal Tap, of course. Well, perhaps not, but I'm about to head out the door to go watch This is Spinal Tap (1984) with friends... so here you go. Download these and put them up to eleven.

Spinal Tap - Big Bottom
Spinal Tap - Tonight I'm Gonna Rock Ya Tonight
Spinal Tap - Hell Hole

This post is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Spinal Tap's many drummers (list courtesy of Wikipedia):

John "Stumpy" Pepys (1964-1969) -- Died in a bizarre gardening accident
Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs (1969-1974) -- Choked on vomit (possibly not his own)
Peter "James" Bond (1974-1977) -- Spontaneous combustion
Mick Shrimpton (1977-1982) -- Onstage explosion
Joe "Mama" Besser (1982) -- Missing, presumed dead
Richard "Ric" Shrimpton (1992-1999) -- Allegedly sold his dialysis machine for drugs, presumed dead
Plus 14 other drummers at various times of whom all are dead

Hope everyone's having a grand Memorial Day weekend!

Final Fantasy 1-11-2006 @ The Great Hall, Toronto

As I imagine many of you know, Final Fantasy is the project of violinist/vocalist Owen Pallett. Pallett has collaborated with The Arcade Fire among other acts, but his solo career has taken off in the last year or so. This is a pretty nice audience recording before an appreciative crowd. Owen is chatty between songs and sounds great. Along with some older material, Pallett and his "band" here play through a number of songs that will appear on his forthcoming release titled He Poos Clouds.

Final Fantasy
January 11, 2006
Over the Top Festival
The Great Hall
Toronto, Ontario

01. Spell For A Weakling Heart
02. Hey Dad
03. He Poos Clouds
04. Song Song Song
05. That's When The Audience Died
06. The Sea
07. Furniture
08. The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead
09. Many Lives -> 49 MP
10. Please Please Please
11. Robot Ponies*
12. This Modern Love [Bloc Party cover]

* with Laura Barrett

Also on the bill were Akron/Family and Great Lake Swimmers

Pre-order He Poos Clouds here. While you're at it, visit his official site.

The Legendary Pete Seeger

"A good song can only do good, and I am proud of the songs I have sung."
- Pete Seeger statement to federal district court while on trial for contempt, 1961

Thanks to the current release by Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger has been getting a great deal of attention lately. Seeger is a legendary folk musician and surely deserves the renewed interest in his catalog. He was greatly influenced by such music pioneers and contemporaries as Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie, and later became friendly with the latter as well as a young Bob Dylan. Seeger's political outlook was leftist and sometimes controversial; he was among those targeted by the now-infamous House Un-American Activities Commitee during the Red Scare of the 1950s. It may not be surprising that some of his work was appropriate for Springsteen's recent effort and its statement about contemporary American politics.

Featured here are two tracks of a political nature, including one covered on Springsteen's album, as well as two additional tracks. Nirvana fans may be particularly interested in checking out "Black Girl" as they may know it as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" from Cobain and company's great MTV Unplugged performance. "Big Rock Candy Mountain" is included here simply because it's a fun romp, even if it is a tale of a hobo's fantasy of a utopian land with lemonade springs and cigarette trees.

Pete Seeger - John Brown's Body
Pete Seeger - Oh, Mary, Don't You Weep
Pete Seeger - Black Girl
Pete Seeger - The Big Rock Candy Mountain

Seeger, born in 1919, is still living and resides in New York. He remains a committed political activist and environmentalist. Learn more about Seeger at Wikipedia or The Pete Seeger Appreciation Site.

The Pete Seeger Appreciation Site also features recordings of Seeger performing each of the songs included on Springsteen's Seeger Sessions album. Very, very cool to hear.

Buy Pete Seeger recordings from Amazon.

Tom Petty & the Chili Peppers, together at last

If you've been paying attention to music news the past couple days, you may have heard that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are in a bit of hot water. It seems their current hit single "Dani California" may well be a blatant rip-off of Tom Petty's hit "Mary Jane's Last Dance" from a decade or so ago. You can read a bit about the controversy here.

In response, one of C&T's awesome readers, Los Angeles-based producer DR. DEUTSCH, sent me a mash-up of "Dani California" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance" that he created. It's called "Mary Dani Janey, CA" and it's badass. Although something tells me Flea would have a hissy fit if he heard it. Check it out:

Tom Pepper and the Red Pettys - Mary Dani Janey, CA (Dr. D mix)

I say this should be used as evidence in the civil suit. Kick their asses, Tom. See you at Bonnaroo.

Check out Dr. Deutsch's website here. Thanks for sending it my way!

The Roy Owens Jr. - "Commercial Radio Ruined My Chances of Greatness!"

You know that feeling when you hear a song for the first time, but it's strangely familiar? That's what this tune did for me. And I like it.

The Roy Owens Jr. is the best I've heard among Atlanta's alt-country offerings. They're certainly one of the few bands out there who cite Buck Owens, Jerry Reed, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Kinks, Guided by Voices, Superchunk, and Dungen among their influences. Not a bad little stew, if I do say so myself. I really like this song, and it's always the highlight for me when I see 'em live.

The Roy Owens Jr. - Commercial Radio Ruined My Chances of Greatness!

Does it remind you guys of something in particular? I just can't place it. Hmm...

Buy their wares from their official site. Hear more songs on MySpace.

Harry Nilsson - "Jump Into the Fire"

It occurred to me a moment ago that many readers may not be familiar with the Nilsson song that Fruit Bats are jamming on in the opening track below. Here it is for your enjoyment:

Harry Nilsson - Jump into the Fire (single version)

The song was a hit for Nilsson in 1971, and appears on the same album as his famous "Coconut" song. You may also recognize it from a scene in Goodfellas. Ring a bell?

For more on Harry Nilsson, see Wikipedia. Buy Nilsson stuff from Amazon.

Fruit Bats 4-24-2006 @ Drunken Unicorn

If you read this space a month ago, you know that I very much enjoyed the recent Fruit Bats show at Drunken Unicorn. Spelled in Bones (gently) rocked my world last summer/fall and I was pleased to finally see Eric Johnson and his band live. I mentioned at the time that I had taped the show, but I just got around to doing the transfer. Once again, I've made .mp3 files available here and .flac files available via dimeadozen.org.

Fruit Bats
April 24, 2006
Drunken Unicorn
Atlanta, GA

Taped and converted by Rich Vining

Taping: SP CMC-4's > batt box > Nomad Jukebox 3
Conversion: JB3 > Dell Inspiron 6000 > Cool Edit Pro 2.0 > CD WAV > mkwACT

01. banter
02. Union Blanket > Jump Into the Fire*
03. The Wind That Blew My Heart Away
04. Traveler's Song
05. A Bit of Wind
06. The Little Acorn
07. Magic Hour
08. banter/tuning
09. Dragon Ships
10. Black Bells (Make Me OK) >
11. Legs of Bees
12. When U Love Somebody
13. Earthquake of '73
14. applause/banter
- Encore -
15. Canyon Girl
16. tuning/banter
17. The Old Black Hole

*Harry Nilsson cover

Eric from Fruit Bats is also a fellow devoted Chicago Cubs fan, so give him a hug if you see him. He probably needs it right now.

For the lossless version, click here to grab the torrent at Dimeadozen.org.

More information on Fruit Bats can be found on their official site.

Destroyer 3-31-2006 @ Variety Playhouse

As I continue converting my recordings from the past several months, I'll be posting them both here (as .mp3 files) and at Dimeadozen.org (in .flac format). Today I'm offering one set from what was a loaded night at Variety Playhouse.

On March 31, the marquee outside the VP was a bit crowded. Mates of State, Destroyer, Magnolia Electric Co., and Maria Taylor each played that night. I got there during the Maria Taylor set (oops!) but did manage to tape the other three acts. Available here now is Destroyer's set. Not my best recording, but it reflects the sound in the venue that night. Was a little "hollow" for my taste. Then again, nobody's yet asked me to quit grad school and be a sound engineer.

One word of warning -- don't worry with the tuning or banter tracks on this one unless you want the show to flow as it was played. Bejar almost never speaks so most of them are 28-48 seconds of dead air and stray notes. So there you go.

Destroyer
March 31, 2006
Variety Playhouse
Atlanta, GA

Taped and converted by Rich Vining

Taping: SP-CMC4's > batt box > Nomad Jukebox 3
Conversion: JB3 > Dell Inspiron 6000 > Cool Edit Pro 2.0 > CD WAV > mkwACT

01. Crystal Country
02. tuning
03. European Oils
04. tuning
05. Your Blood
06. tuning
07. A Dangerous Woman Up to a Point
08. It's Gonna Take An Airplane
09. tuning
10. Rubies
11. tuning
12. Streethawk II
13. banter/tuning
14. Looter's Follies

There's a nice bio of Destroyer on the Merge Records site, where you can also purchase their wares. I imagine if you visit the awesome Catbirdseat.org on a regular basis you've seen much about Dan Bejar in the last several months as well.

Lossless enthusiasts, go download the .flac version from Dimeadozen.org here.

Stay tuned. More to come as I continue cleaning up the hard drive...

Giant Drag, 5-18-2006 @ Criminal Records

As mentioned a few times here recently, I attended Giant Drag's in-store show on Thursday at Criminal Records. In what has been a minor miracle as of late, I've actually had time to promptly make my recording available for C&T's readers. It was an enjoyable little set, with the band playing electric and Annie Hardy being quite chatty between songs. They also played a new song, which I believe Annie introduced as "Swan Song" as indicated below. There were some minor PA issues, but in general I'd say Giant Drag rocked the store as much as anyone I've seen there. Hopefully they'll be back soon.

Anyway, on to the show...

Giant Drag
May 18, 2006
Criminal Records
Atlanta, GA

Taped and converted by Rich Vining

Taping: SP-CMC4's > batt box > Nomad Jukebox 3
Conversion: JB3 > Dell Inspiron 6000 > Cool Edit Pro 2.0 > CD WAV > mkwACT

01. banter
02. YFLMD
03. banter
04. This Isn't It
05. banter
06. Wicked Game [Chris Isaak cover]
07. banter
08. Tired Yet
09. banter
10. My Dick Sux
11. banter
12. Swan Song [new song]
13. banter
14. Kevin is Gay

Notes:
In-store performance at Criminal Records in Atlanta's Little Five Points
Some minor static was present in PA throughout show.

For those of you who prefer lossless format, I've also seeded the show at dimeadozen.org as .flac files. You can download by clicking here (registration required).

SoCo Music Experience this weekend

First of all, great to see so many folks tonight. Greg from Captain's Dead, Tessa from Drive a Faster Car, Matt from KissAtlanta, the Criminal crew, and everyone else were cool as could be this evening. Giant Drag and Mark Kozelek more than held their own too. And Greg, thanks for the beer!

For those Atlanta-area C&T readers planning ahead for the weekend, a kind soul has passed along the set times for the free (!!!) Southern Comfort Music Experience at Centennial Olympic Park. Here you go:

Sat., May 20
Beatin Path 12PM-1PM
Bonerama 1:30PM-2:30PM
Theresa Andersson 3PM-4PM
Hot 8 Brass Band 4:30PM-5:30PM
Family Force 5 6PM-7PM
Ozomatli 7:30PM-9PM
Cowboy Mouth 9:30PM-11PM

Sun., May 21
The Moaners 1PM-1:45PM
American Princes 2:15PM-3PM
The Gourds 3:30PM-4:30PM
De La Soul 5PM-6PM
Big Star 6:30PM-7:45PM
Flaming Lips 8:15PM-10PM

Spread the word. Regular readers already know that I'm hyped for that 5-10pm lineup on Sunday. Woohoo! Hope to see some of you there.

Also this weekend...

On Saturday night, Athens rock monsters The Whigs will be at The EARL with Augustine and Army of Me. They'll also be on a side stage Sunday at Centennial Olympic Park. Oh, happy day!

If you're looking for something low-key (and hangover-friendly) to do on Sunday afternoon, head down to The EARL for brunch and dunch. The Georgia Fireflies (featuring Leanna Fugate and Jeff Holt of Silent Kids) will be playing good ol' Americana/old-timey tunes and it promises to be a good time. Joe and I should be there, so come have a pre-blowout beer with us. Music starts at 1pm.

Sampler platter:
The Whigs - Violet Furs
The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize?
Beck with The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize? (KCRW, 11-24-2002) [Flaming Lips "cover"]
Big Star - The Ballad of El Goodo
Colin Meloy - The Ballad of El Goodo [Big Star cover]
De La Soul - Me, Myself, and I (Badmarsh + Shri Remix)

Thursday night (cont.) / Corndogorama!

Looks like I won't have time to do a proper post on Mark Kozelek, but our friend Greg from Captain's Dead has come through in the clutch. He's posted a Kozelek show from February 2005 in three installments. Go there to download it.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Part 3 has a bonus pic of Annie Hardy from Giant Drag lookin' downright crush-worthy.

UPDATE, 5/18, 2:20 PM: Captain's Dead has the final installment of the show up now!

Part 4

In addition to the happenings at The EARL and Variety Playhouse tonight, I completely overlooked the fact that Pinback is playing at The Roxy this evening. Yeesh.

While I'm yammering about local events, I wanted to note that The EARL has released the lineup for the annual Corndogorama in June, and it looks awesome. See for yourself:

Thu - June 22, 2006 - 9:30pm, $10/$12
Corndogorama opening party:
Band of Horses w/ Mt. Egypt & The Can't See

Fri - June 23, 2006 - 6:00pm, $5
Main stage:
The Artist Formerly Known as League of Evil (performing Prince's "Purple Rain")
Snowden, I am the World Trade Center, The Close, Luigi, Psychic Hearts, The Orphins, Cassavetes, Elevado
Side stage:
Shock Cinema, Morishi Dolls, The Blue Hour

Sat - June 24, 2006 - 12:00pm, $5
Main stage:
The Dickens, Anna Kramer, Man Man, Deerhunter, Dropsonic, The Hiss, Day Mars Ray, Tiger! Tiger!, Human Television, Hot Young Priest, The Preakness, The Silent Kids, Moresight, Jetty
Side stage:
Thee Crucials, The Sweet Loves, The Lovely Feathers, Hubcap City

Sun - June 25, 2006 - 4:00pm, $5
Main stage:
The Carbonas, Gentlemen Jesse & His Men, Rizzudo, The Liverhearts, Heir Apparent, The Despised, The Jupiter Watts, Hell Mach 4
Side stage:
Lay Down Mains, Brass Castle, Untied States

The short, short sets for some of the bands border on criminal but I'll be happy to see Man Man, The Lovely Feathers, and Band of Horses alongside a bunch of our best local acts. Tix are available now via the website of The EARL. Click on the monkey.

Thursday night / Giant Drag

Here in Atlanta, this Thursday night is a good one. We have two big shows in town. Pretty Girls Makes Graves will be at The EARL with Giant Drag and The Joggers, and Mark Kozelek (of Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon) will be at Variety Playhouse. In addition, Giant Drag will be playing an in-store at Criminal Records on Thursday at 6pm.

I'll probably hit that Giant Drag in-store and then wander over to the Kozelek show. I will try to put some Kozelek material up before the show, but at the moment I'd like to encourage folks to check out Giant Drag either at Criminal or The EARL (or both!).

Giant Drag is a duo out of L.A. and they've been making quite a name for themselves over the past year. Their Hearts and Unicorns was one of my favorite albums of last year. It's just a damn good indie rock record (stunning analysis, to be sure). The band is made up of singer/guitarist Annie Hardy and drummer Micah Calabrese, with Annie handling vocals and swagger. If you're not yet familiar with 'em, the tracks below are a pretty good introduction. If you are, maybe you'll find a cover below to pique your interest.

Giant Drag - Kevin is Gay
Giant Drag - YFLMD
Giant Drag - This Isn't It

Giant Drag - Who's Crying Now [Journey cover]
Giant Drag - God Only Knows [Beach Boys cover]
Giant Drag - Wicked Game [Chris Isaak cover]

Remaining dates (all with Pretty Girls Make Graves):
May 17th - Exit In: Nashville, TN
May 18th - The Earl: East Atlanta, GA
May 19th - The Beta Bar: Tallahassee, FL
May 20th - Culture Room: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
May 21st - Orpheum: Tampa, FL
May 23rd - The Social: Orlando, FL
May 24th - House Of Blues New Orleans: New Orleans, LA
May 25th - Emo’s: Austin, TX
May 26th - The Gypsy Ballroom: Dallas, TX
May 27th - Emo’s: Austin, TX
May 29th - House of Rock and Roll: El Paso, TX
May 30th - The Clubhouse: Tempe, AZ
June 1st - The Casbah: San Diego, CA
June 2nd - Glass House: Pomona, CA
June 3rd - The El Rey Theatre: Los Angeles, CA
June 4th - Great American Music Hall: San Francisco, CA

There are also a bunch of photos from Giant Drag performances on Flickr.

MySpace.
Official site.

Time for The Daily Show, so I'll leave it at that.

El Madmo (featuring Norah Jones)

Stereogum, Village Indian, and Gothamist have been all over El Madmo this week, and I admit being left wanting more. Namely, something to hear. Well, guess what? Problem solved.

For those who don't know, El Madmo is the new "punk" (but not so much) project of Norah Jones. Yes, that Norah Jones. Although the hot pictures of Norah in a wig and fishnets (see links above) were enticing, I had no idea what El Madmo sounded like. That is, until someone linked to their MySpace page (which has under 200 views right now, I might add). They had two streaming tracks, which I've captured and decided to liberate. Both are heavy on simple rhymes and sophomoric lyrics, but they're fun. This is clearly Norah goofing off and doing something different. It won't win any Grammys, but it's interesting to hear from her.

El Madmo - Vampire Guy (removed at band request)
El Madmo - Carlo (removed at band request)

El Madmo has a pretty bare homepage/blog, as well as their MySpace page. Neither says a thing about who is actually in the band, but we know...

UPDATE 6:45 AM, 5/17: The band asked me to take down the files, so they're gone. Sorry.

Screen on the Green - Atlanta in June

Some of my favorite summer events here in Atlanta are the Screen on the Green viewings at Piedmont Park. They're free every Thursday in June, and the lineup for this year is out now. Links go to IMDB entries for each film.

June 1 - A Hard Day's Night
June 8 - The Wiz
June 15 - Ferris Bueller's Day Off
June 22 - Breakfast at Tiffany's
June 29 - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Looks like a great lineup, and I've never seen The Wiz. Woohoo.

For more info, see the official site.

Lily Allen - "Little Things"

Well, happy Monday everyone. Another Lily Allen song has emerged! I see this actually showed up on some French blog about three weeks ago, but I haven't seen it around. So here you go.

Talk about guilty pleasures, but I'm sticking with this one for now. This is more mellow than "LDN" or "Knock 'Em Out" but it's a nice little track. "Little Things" features Lily sweetly singing about her memories and the endearing traits of a lost love. Piano is prominent throughout, which is nice. Sounds like a vinyl rip, but I don't have the 411 on its origins.

Lily Allen - Little Things (LINK REMOVED)

For more on Lily Allen, see her MySpace page. I must say though, the comments on her MySpace reinforce why I feel about 10 years too old to be listening to this. Heh.

The other 8 circulating demos can be downloaded from Slap You in Public.

You can pre-order her album, Alright, Still, from Amazon UK. It's due out July 17. The 7" for "LDN" is also available. No info yet on U.S. releases that I'm aware of.

Elsewhere...

Very good interview with Sufjan Stevens up at Pitchfork today. Talks about his writing, his favorite music, and his growing interest in ornithology.

Shake Your Fist has an interview with darn good Chicago-based band Office.

M Coast - new songs

I'd like to offer a prediction right now. The forthcoming M Coast album, Say It in Slang, is going to be terrific. For those who don't know, M Coast is the new incarnation of Athens-based Marshmallow Coast. The band was formerly the project of Andy Gonzalez (ex-Of Montreal) and friends, but in its current version it is also spearheaded by musical jack-of-all-trades Derek Almstead (who has collaborated and/or toured with just about every band under the Elephant 6 umbrella). I wound up on their MySpace page today where they have some new tracks streaming, and they're just killer. So much so that I wanted to share them with C&T's readers. Check 'em out:

M Coast - Sail Around the World
M Coast - Out of the Water
M Coast - Johnny Kasai

"Sail Around the World" and "Out of the Water" are ridiculously good little pop songs. The former is a fun romp, while the latter has a sort of ominous psychedelic mood throughout. Slow-jam "Johnny Kasai" has a new wave feel to it, and I'm not sure how anyone could resist that opening line. "There lives in town a badass dude who goes by Johnny Kasai..." The Pat Metheny-esque guitar and hand claps at the end flat out rule.

No idea when the album will be released just yet, so for now go be their friend so they can keep you posted. I'm sure I'll share the news here as well. Bet you guessed that though, huh?

M Coast on MySpace.
Derek Almstead on MySpace.
Homepage.

Thanks to Optical Atlas for doing the interviews linked above!

Al Gore on SNL last night

He's totally serial, you guys.

In Atlanta tonight...

Local folks, here are some options for your Friday night:

Modern Skirts, Gates of Berlin, Noises 10 @ Smith's Olde Bar ($10, 21+)

Modern Skirts are a fast-rising band from Athens, and will be playing their Catalogue of Generous Men album complete with a string quartet. They've been selected as the best pop band in Athens by Flagpole's readers, which you can imagine is quite a feat in that musical hotbed. They generally employ lush instrumentation (there's even a harpsichord on the album!), occassional vocal harmonies, and solid pop sensibilities. I'll be at this one, so say hi to the dude in the Cubs (sigh...) hat and glasses. Odds are I'll be anchored near my microphone stand most of the night.

Modern Skirts - My Bully
Modern Skirts - New York Song

Official Site.
MySpace.


Magnapop, The Spunks, Charm School @ The EARL ($7, 21+)

To state the obvious, Magnapop are a veteran Atlanta power-pop group. They're fronted by Linda Hopper (vocals) and Ruthie Morris (guitar). They have recently returned from a European tour and I imagine they'll be recharged and ready to rock the hometown show. Their current release is Mouthfeel on Daemon Records. I know the EvilSponge.org gang will be at that show for Tracy's birthday, so be sure to say hi if you see them.

Magnapop - Smile 4u
Magnapop - Satellite

Official site.
MySpace.

-----------------------------------

Recent additions to The EARL's music calendar....

7/1 - A Fir-Ju Well (final show)
7/6 - The Mendoza Line
7/12 - Six Organs of Admittance
7/31 - The Minders

Also, if anybody goes to that Steven Seagal show at Variety Playhouse (6/13, $22.50), I want a review. According to the VP website, "SEAGAL’s lifelong dedication to martial arts is rivaled only by his devotion to the guitar and the inspiring power of music." Oh. My. God. I bet it's all part of an elaborate sting to catch some Columbian drug-runner and go all "real ultimate power" on his ass. At least I hope so.

C&T Presents: Duets

While covers get ample attention throughout the blogosphere, a related variant fails to get near as much attention. These are duets. Such pairings can tackle originals or covers; part of the fun is that the results can be triumphant, disastrous, or somewhere in between depending on the chemistry and stylistic synergy between the artists involved. Today C&T features a variety of duets, and you can make the call with regard to what works and what stinks.

First, here are a few classic duets from the 1980s that belong in everyone's music collection. Even if you think they're cheesy as can be, they're essential reference points. Also, I have once again assured myself of a complete and total loss of indie cred. It won't be the last time.

Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder - Ebony & Ivory
Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton - Islands in the Stream
Barbara Streisand & Neil Diamond - You Don't Bring Me Flowers

Now, while those tracks were each released during the Reagan era, the fascination with covers hasn't subsided altogether. A number of recently released duets have featured well-known artists, including those who have passed away. It's an odd trend, but recent years have seen duet-heavy posthumous releases by Tupac, Notorious BIG, and Ray Charles. I suppose Natalie Cole is to blame. Other releases have featured music legends toward the end of their lives, such as Frank Sinatra. Tracks from Ray and Ol' Blue Eyes are featured here.

Ray Charles & Van Morrison - Crazy Love
Frank Sinatra & Bono - I've Got You Under My Skin

Those efforts aside, artists can obviously pull off duets while neither cheesy nor dead. For example, the tracks below feature artists still relevant and breathing at the time. The first is from the legendary 1969 CBS studio session with Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash; the second is Elvis Costello leading a version of "Veronica" backed by Paul McCartney. While these don't feature both artists in the manner of some tracks linked above, they showcase rare interactions between rock legends.

Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash - Careless Love
Elvis Costello & Paul McCartney - Veronica

Notably, the art of the duet is not restricted to music legends and dinosaurs. As any blog reader is likely aware, they're also popular with the indie rock set. And why not? Here are a number of fun collaborative efforts featuring popular indie artists from the past decade or so. Nifty, huh?

Bjork & PJ Harvey - Satisfaction [Rolling Stones cover]
Beck & Thom Yorke - I'm Set Free (live) [Velvet Underground cover]
Ben Kweller & Evan Dando - Your Own Thing (live)
Kim Deal & Tanya Donnelly - You and Your Sister (with This Mortal Coil) [Chris Bell cover]
Natalie Merchant & Tracy Chapman - In the Ghetto (live) [Elvis Presley cover]

In addition to all these fine duets, my friend Joel reminded me that SNL did magic with this 1982 parody of "Ebony and Ivory" featuring a faux Stevie Wonder (Eddie Murphy) and Frank Sinatra (Joe Piscopo). Worth watching, even if you saw it 20+ years ago. Go watch it here. Classic.

UPDATE: Links removed...

New Kite Flying Society demo - "If I Could Split"

In what I presume is one fortunate cosmic coincidence, Kite Flying Society have just posted a new demo track on their MySpace page. Luckily, they made it available for download so I can share it with all of you. The song is titled "If I Could Split" and is a bit of a departure from the other demos they've released. Grab it here:

Kite Flying Society - If I Could Split

It's a song about love and devotion; the lyrics express a willingness to share all with the object of the narrator's affection. Here's what's probably my favorite lyric from the song:

Well she's an angel in the air
and a demon in the sheets
and now she fills my room with trinkets
I haven't slept for weeks
But if I split my bed in two
I'd share the pieces with you

Musically it has much in common with the recent material from The Boy Least Likely To -- it's a mid-tempo song with toy piano, hand claps, and gently-strummed guitar complemented by synths and vocals harmonies from one of KFS's female members. Such a sweet little tune it's addictive. In fact, I've had it on repeat pretty much all morning.

The band has also just announced that the title of their album will be Where Is the Glow? and it is due for a mid-June release. Mark your calendars. For now, visit them on MySpace.

If you haven't yet done so, be sure to download the Kite Flying Society demos that I offered last week. Happy Hump Day, true believers. Excelsior!

Natalie Merchant

I hope C&T's readers will indulge me, but I'm going to post today about one of my favorite veteran artists. I've been enamored with Natalie Merchant and her music for more than a decade, and I just recently discovered her 2003 album The House Carpenter's Daughter. I had completely overlooked it at the time of its release, and have just now been giving it a listen.

The album is billed as a collection of folk music, but I imagine that those who enjoy Merchant's work with or without 10,000 Maniacs will enjoy it. It's not as poppy as her other post-Maniacs work (as you might expect) but the songs still showcase her warm and emotive vocal. Given my roots in the Midwest and South, I've decided to feature the traditional "Owensboro" named for a Kentucky town relatively close to my old stomping grounds. Here it is, along with the lyrics for those of you playing at home:

Natalie Merchant - Owensboro
traditional, as arranged by Natalie Merchant

well, I lived in a town
way down south
by the name of Owensboro
and I worked in a mill
with the rest of the “trash”
as we’re often called
as you know

well, we rise up early
in the morning
and we work all day real hard
to buy our little meat and bread
buy sugar, tea, and lard

well, our children
grow up unlearned
with no time to go to school
almost before they learn to walk
they learn to spin and spoon

well, the folks in town
they dress so fine
and spend their money free
but they would hardly look
at a factory hand
who dresses like you or me

would you let them wear
their watches fine
let them wear their gems
and pearly strings

but when that day
of judgment comes
they’ll have to share
their pretty things

As a random pop culture aside, the other folks about my age might also remember that Owensboro is/was the home of Jon Brennan on the second season of The Real World (Los Angeles). Remember the country singer guy who always performed "Boot Scoot Boogie"? That dude. I can't believe I remember that. Yikes.

While I'm rambling about Natalie, here's a selection of tracks that feature her lovely voice:

From Mermaid Avenue, Volume II:
Billy Bragg & Wilco (with Natalie Merchant on vocals) - I Was Born

Various live tracks:
Natalie Merchant - improv > Son of a Preacher Man [Dusty Springfield cover]
Natalie Merchant - Space Oddity [David Bowie cover]
10,000 Maniacs (with Michael Stipe) - Candy Everybody Wants

Over at Amazon, Natalie shares her favorite music you should hear. I also noticed that they have many dirt cheap used copies of Tigerlily and Ophelia. They're worth picking up.

Radiohead - "Just" demo

Just a quick post, as I'm very busy today. I've seen tales of woe all over the blogs regarding attempts to buy Radiohead tickets over the weekend. I didn't try myself, as I already have a ticket to their only show within a reasonable distance (Bonnaroo). Hope some of you got through. It seems the live versions of a few new songs are circulating widely, so I thought I'd throw up a neat little demo of an older Radiohead song. This is an acoustic stab at one of my favorite Radiohead songs, "Just" from The Bends.

Radiohead - Just [acoustic demo, 1995]

Buy The Bends here for the "real" version.

If that's just not enough, here's a cover of "Just" by Tinkers Punishment (now known as The Films) that I taped back in April 2003 at Vinyl.

Tinkers Punishment - Just [Radiohead cover; live 4-26-2003]

I still remember how the room erupted when they started this track as the encore. Whew!

The Mountain Goats - Babylon Springs EP

Thanks to Largehearted Boy for the tip on this one.

Good news for the Mountain Goats fans out there. As John Darnielle promised, the recent Australian tour EP has finally been released domestically. The Babylon Springs EP is now available via Chicago-based Moops Music for only $6. I just ordered mine. I've already had a chance to hear it, and it's pretty typical of recent Darnielle fare. Here's a sample:

The Mountain Goats - Sail Babylon Springs

The songs on this EP aren't of the introspective, personal kind found on The Sunset Tree, but that's just fine. Darnielle and his band sound tight; I'm particularly fond of the piano in the track linked above. The Trembling Blue Stars cover "Sometimes I Still Feel the Bruise" is also a nice addition, but I wanted to feature a Darnielle original.

Oh, and for all the people who thought the Stereogum contest for Red Hot Chili Peppers stuff was lame, I've found an alternative for you.


All you have to do is attend a Gwinnett Gladiators game during the playoffs and enter. By the way, last night they had a thrilling come-from-behind 5-3 victory over the Toledo Storm. Woohoo.

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Atlanta locals, note the happenings in town tonight (5/6):

A Fir-Ju Well, Anna Kramer (free, acoustic, 7pm) @ Aurora Coffee (Virginia Highlands)
The Shut-Ups, Silent Kids @ Star Bar
Southern Culture on the Skids, The Forty-Fives @ The EARL

Cinco de Mayo / Luigi

Hooray! Another ethnic holiday that's an excuse to drink! In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, here's a picture of Fernando Valenzuela eating a traditional Mexican breakfast.

Atlanta folks, note that local power pop outfit Luigi is playing at The EARL tonight. I'll probably try to make it down there after the Gwinnett Gladiators game. Here's a track from their current album:

Luigi - Mariposa

In addition, here's their video for "Single Cell" courtesy of YouTube:



It's sure to spark a whole new round of political debate over the ethics of cloning.

Supporting acts include My Siamese Self (featuring Deb from Hope for Agoldensummer) and The Partisan.

Luigi official site.
Luigi MySpace.

Kite Flying Society

Have you heard Kite Flying Society yet? If you like Rogue Wave, The Shins, Fruit Bats, and the like these guys will be right up your alley. If you're a fan of indie pop, you need to check them out. Seriously. I don't think there's an act whose future (and first) release I'm more looking forward to at the moment. I posted on them back in February, but C&T's audience has grown enough in the time since that I think they deserve another go.

KFS is a seven-piece act out of San Diego (I'll spare you the Anchorman joke this time), and my understanding is that they haven't yet ventured far from their home base. I learned of them through the wonderful IndiePages.com, and I want to make sure others learn about them too. They're perfect music for this beautiful day here in Atlanta. Gotta love that Rushmore-inspired moniker as well. Give these demos a listen:

Kite Flying Society - 6000 Shipwrecks
Kite Flying Society - Groundflower
Kite Flying Society - Love & Seagulls
Kite Flying Society - Esthetes are Easy

They don't have any releases yet, but they're hard at work recording material. For now, you should go pay them a visit on MySpace. Be their friend, let 'em borrow your bike, share a milkshake with them.

Feel free to share your thoughts. I've been surprised at the drop-off in comments lately. Was it something I said? Have a good one, y'all.

The Shut-Ups

This Saturday night (May 6) at Atlanta's Star Bar, The Shut-Ups will be celebrating the release of their new release The Stud Album. Although they're from Atlanta I've never seen them live. Looks like I'll correct that oversight in the near future. The Shut-Ups play power pop/new wave music that would have found a home on the radio in the days when The Cars, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, and Gary Numan were FM mainstays. Note the synths, harmonies, and basslines in particular. Perhaps not the most unique sound in the history of pop music (what is at this point?), but certainly enjoyable. Check out these tracks from their prior release, It Hurts to be Seen:

The Shut-Ups - Don't Know Why
The Shut-Ups - Permission
The Shut-Ups - Too Late for Disco

You can buy their album, grab more tracks, or learn more at their official site. You can also be their friend on MySpace. Stream the entire album here.

On the bill with The Shut-Ups on Saturday are Silent Kids and What The?. For those of you in the Athens area, they're playing at Caledonia Lounge on May 12.

Elsewhere...

If you care about Atlanta music, go bookmark Drive a Faster Car. Tessa is the bee's knees.

The Torture Garden has some fun stuff available -- there's a grab bag of sorts available right now, as well as a great track from Danielson.

Daytrotter has a live-in-studio set from Hockey Night, as well as several other great indie acts.

Snowden - Anti-Anti

Jade Tree Records sent a release today announcing that they are now taking pre-orders for the forthcoming full-length from Atlanta's own Snowden. These guys have been playing their own brand of indie/shoegaze both locally and otherwise the past few years, and it's nice to see them building a national audience. As some of my readers know (hi breathmint!) I taped their recent show at Drunken Unicorn and I'll try to work on the transfer in the near future. If only doing transfers was as fun and painless as taping and listening..

Here's a track from the album:

Snowden - Anti-Anti

Pre-order the album from Jade Tree and receive a free Snowden poster as well. Orders will ship for an August 4 arrival. For more information and free downloads, visit their official site.

Stream more songs from the forthcoming release via their MySpace page.

Also -- this image, though unrelated to the band, cracked me up.

Bonus mp3:
Snowden - Time of the Season [Zombies cover]

More on the "Average Homeboy"

So, by now I imagine most of you have seen the legendary "Average Homeboy" video. If not, here it is:

Thanks to DJDood's comment at Marathon Packs, you can also download an mp3 of "Average Homeboy" for your ipod. This is prime workout music, people.

D. Blaze - Average Homeboy (demo)

What you may not know is that the gent featured in that video is one D. Blaze. His full name is Denny Blaze, and my curiosity coupled with some time on Google revealed a lot about everyone's favorite white middle-class rapper (sorry Iceman).

Apparently he's just going by Blaze now, and he's made a new track available. Oh, hell yes.

Blaze - I'm a Star

Yes you are, you big lug. For the big Blaze fans out there, you can also order an autographed pic of our hero for only $2 (postage paid). This is the perfect accessory for every hipster's den or office. He is also selling CD's via the catalog section of his website, including the "Average Homeboy" single ($5!). The site also features booking information, so everyone be sure to book Blaze to play your upcoming events. He's blazin'.

UPDATE: Brooklyn Ski Club has a recent live performance of "Average Homeboy"! Sounds like it was done over the phone or something, but includes the third verse. Woohoo!

Ramones tribute and rarities

Wow, the gems that get lost in our music collections. Just stumbled across this today, and forgot I even had it. This is a Ramones tribute compilation released in 2003, shortly after Joey and Dee Dee Ramone passed away (in 2001 and 2002, respectively). Titled We're a Happy Family, the album includes a who's who of mainstream rock stars from the time. Notably, the artists included were apparently selected by Johnny Ramone and Rob Zombie. Mr. Zombie also seemingly took enough time off from scaring small children and driving Grandpa Munster's car around to design the album's artwork and packaging. Here are a few tracks from the compilation -- I'd say my favorite is probably the Pete Yorn entry. Then again, I used to play the hell out of musicforthemorningafter.

U2 - Beat on the Brat
Pete Yorn - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
The Offspring - I Wanna Be Sedated
Rob Zombie - Blitzkrieg Bop

The album also features tracks by The Pretenders, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Waits, Eddie Vedder, KISS, Rooney, Green Day, Metallica, and others. If you're a fan of the Ramones or any of the above acts, this is probably worth picking up. There are a number of inexpensive used copies available from both Half.com or Amazon.com, or you can even order it directly from Sony for $9. Each of those retailers has the full tracklist for your perusal.

For more on the Ramones see their homepage or their Wikipedia entry.

Bonus mp3:
Joey Ramone - Story > I Wanna Be Sedated (acoustic, live 7-11-1991; with Andy Shernoff)
Dee Dee Ramone - Sheena Is a Punk Rocker (Barbara "Ramone" Zampini on vocals)
The Ramones - Surfin' Safari [Beach Boys cover]

Also, I can't stop listening to "LDN" by Lily Allen. Someone may need to stage an intervention. Stereogum has the mp3. Help!

Frequent rotation potpourri

Today I thought I'd feature a few lesser-known artists that I've had in frequent rotation. Seems only proper after featuring such obscure artists as Pearl Jam, Frank Zappa, U2, and Sufjan Stevens recently (ahem). Some have been popping up on music blogs for a while; some have received less attention. Anyhow, away we go...

Struggle in the Hive

Like recent blog favorites Track a Tiger and Grogshow, Struggle in the Hive are on the roster of Future Appletree Records. Struggle in the Hive is an indie folk act consisting of B. Patric and Nigel Jeffrey and calls Rock Island, Illinois, home. For what it's worth, these tracks actually remind me quite a bit of the aforementioned Future Appletree projects. They cite among their influences such acts as Red House Painters, Nick Drake, The Decemberists, and Elliot Smith. The extent to which each is evident varies within the material I've heard, but guessing each wouldn't be too difficult after giving them a listen.

I haven't heard the full album just yet, but Future Appletree was kind enough to send along these tracks to sample. I'm particularly fond of "Angela" but both are work checking out.

Struggle in the Hive - Summer Nights
Struggle in the Hive - Angela

For additional 411 and tunes, see their MySpace page.


Grumpy Bear


Grumpy Bear is another band on the growing (and impressive) roster of Abandoned Love Records. If that label's not careful they're going to get a reputation as a damn fine indie outfit. Grumpy Bear is actually the duo of Tyler Black and Lattney B. (per their MySpace). They play lo-fi indie pop with great harmonies and sparse instrumentation. I really like this track, as the chorus that kicks in at about the 1:45 mark just grabs me every single time. As they say on their MySpace, their music is "the balm." Definitely check them out.

Grumpy Bear - Luis Bunuel
Grumpy Bear - Mona (unreleased edit)

For more on Grumpy Bear, visit their grumpy homepage or their grumpy MySpace.

You can pick up Grumpy Bear's EP Songs from the Abbatoir for only $5 from Abandoned Love Records. They're also selling some older material and demos on their own GrumpyMart. I just bought 'em. Woohoo.


The Lovely Sparrows


Another band affiliated with Abandoned Love, and one I've posted on here before, is The Lovely Sparrows. I've said here before how much I like what I've heard of them, but it appears they've raised the stakes. They are currently working on their first CD release and have just made the first finished track available. It's called "Chemicals Change" and I've been playing it repeatedly since downloading it. It's a bit of a departure from the more straight-forward power pop part of their catalog, and it's very good (imho). Here 'tis for your listening pleasure:

The Lovely Sparrows - Chemicals Change

More more information visit their website or go befriend them. The forthcoming album isn't for sale yet, but I'll certainly be keeping an eye out. You better believe I'll say here when it's available.


qr5


Another album I've been enjoying since I got my grubby paws on it is the new release from Toronto-based quartet qr5. I'm inclined to think that acts like qr5 are why we need such vague umbrella categories as "indie" within which to lump bands. I have no idea how else I'd go about characterizing their sound in succinct terms. Think Wolf Parade meets Heypenny, with a bit of Kingston reggae. Maybe along the lines of the Police? I'd rather not leave the impression that they're a reggae band though, as they're not. Some songs feature prominent banjo or piano, while others include organ, strings, or horns. They describe themselves as a folk-funk-reggae act, and I suppose that fits appropriately. See for yourself.

qr5 - Revisited Gone
qr5 - Viviana

For more information, visit their official site or their MySpace page. You can buy qr5's current release, Pharmakon, here.


Hey Hey My My


Like each of the above, I have also had French act Hey Hey My My in heavy rotation lately. Like Grumpy Bear, they have also received a good bit of blog coverage but hadn't yet appeared here on C&T. I've played "Too Much Space" so often that it's imperative I remedy that oversight. It's an incredibly catchy tune, and I seem to get it stuck in my head every few days. Now you too can wander around randomly muttering lyrics to French indie pop while you're grocery shopping. Isn't that what all the cool kids do anyway?

Hey Hey My My - Too Much Space

See their site or their MySpace for more songs and info.


Santa Dog



Last but not least is another band from across the Atlantic -- Bristol, England's own Santa Dog. Aside from having an odd moniker, they also make some fine power pop. Santa Dog is a quartet fronted by Rowena Dugdale. Other outlets have compared their sound to Broadcast, Tuscadero, Throwing Muses, or The Delgados. Personally, they remind me a lot of Atlanta's own Luigi. Friends, Romans, etc., give 'em your ear:

Santa Dog - Rosa
Santa Dog - Chemical

Once again, I suggest checking their site or MySpace for more.

I also encourage you to check out Cold War Kids and Beirut if you've not yet done so. Plenty of links for each can be found via the elbo.ws Top 10 in the sidebar. They've been the new hotness lately. Cold War Kids will be in Atlanta with Tapes 'n Tapes on June 9. You better believe I already bought my ticket.

Stephen Colbert

For anyone who hasn't seen it, here's Stephen Colbert's roast of the press and president at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. Here it is in two parts you can stream online:

Colbert part 1
Colbert part 2

Transcript here (via DailyKos).

Stephen Colbert is taking over the world. Visit the Colbert Report website here.

Pearl Jam

So Pearl Jam's new CD drops tomorrow, and I guess that's kind of a big deal. It's been 5-6 years since I've listened to Pearl Jam much, but I like what I've heard of this album. I had no idea it would be as political as it is... or that it would rock nearly as much as the early '90s PJ that once captured my attention. The Pearl Jam aficionados out there will see it's obvious that I'm out of the PJ loop. I imagine that those of you who are interested have already hunted down what tracks are online, but here's a taste:

Pearl Jam - Marker in the Sand

Now for Eddie and co. to reunite with Neil Young and stage a massive anti-war extravaganza. Rockin' in the free world, indeed.

Speaking of Neil Young, his Living With War album is currently streaming here and will be available for purchase on Tuesday as well. I imagine neither are on Donald Rumsfeld's wish list.

While I'm at it, here are a few PJ covers you might enjoy:

Pearl Jam - Roadhouse Blues (live Doors cover)
Pearl Jam - Harvest Moon (live Neil Young cover)

Hope your manic Monday is a hoot.

Bonus track:
O.A.R. (Of A Revolution) - Release (Pearl Jam cover; live 4-8-2005)

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The Cubs have sucked ass this weekend, but the Baby Bulls have been hangin' tough (NKOTB style, yo) with the Heat. Here's hoping they can keep it up. Go Bulls!