Cass McCombs, Manic Crooner

I've been following this artist for about 3 years now. It was one of his first singles, "I went to the Hospital" that got me hooked.

It is hard to get the entire impression of him by just going to his album and being digital with his music (picking one and done). Try sitting in a room, and non-stopping an album. Its hard not to feel strong inside after listening. Not patti smith strong. comfort strong. what?

His original site had drawings that people made and sent to him. His new site says fire in the hole. yes it does. This is the misdirection in obscurity that I cannot get enough of. Is it only me that he does this for? I hope not, but wouldnt be surprised.

I am suddenly realizing the similarities to Radiohead that my friends have mentioned. that soft sweet puffy lipped drawl.

Cass McCombs is playing 3 dates in NYC in the next month

May 3 2007 2:30P Canal Room, Tribeca Film Festival New York
May 5 2007 8:00P Don Pedro's Brooklyn
May 6 2007 8:00P Mercury Lounge New York

See you at the last two.

Is it just me, or are you getting seriously tired of linking to youtube?


A - Prefection

Tiny Masters of Today

"Dude, have you heard of this band playing in brooklyn, its like 2 13 year old kids. Its like a mini white stripes... Tiny Masters of the Universe I think..."
That was last Saturday, my friend Chet was trying to tell me about them, but this was one of those drunken, last brain cell memory type of "did you know?" type of pontifications.

I took it to heart. I love kids trying and also jack white. I believe in our future. So I bookmarked it somewhere in my head, and yesterday I found who he was talking about.


Tiny Masters of Today



Is this the legitimate return of lo-fi? - in the vain of the stooges and the Ramones. Especially in their sub 2 minute songs. What made punk rock so cool in the 70's was the lack of money and good recording equipment, the do what you can in order to F with the man attitude. In this day and age, only a couple of pre-teens can legitimately do this. They probably have no allowance, they havent been influence by the news or even the daily show yet. They are not intellectuals, pseudo or actual, and their edges havent softened at all. In a world where people are growing up so much faster and becoming more knowledgeable about society so quickly, the only way we can now create the too stupid to quit, unfiltered mind of the 1969 22 year old punk rock icon, is to find a couple of 11 year olds and give them one pick. too dramatic? fuck you.

In the normal brooklyn band, the lead singer wears a mickey mouse shirt b/c he thinks its ridiculous in a hipster sort of way. Ivan, of Tiny Masters, wears it because, yes, he actually likes Mickey Mouse and wants to go to Disneyland.

I really don't even feel right grouping them with other bands in the same age group. I won't even mention them. That would demean what the Tiny Masters are.

If that's not enough, they have a fucking dancing panda on their webpage.

Nancy, Brazilian import

Heres another band I found on myspace.

I was attracted to this band for 2 reasons.
1 - Brazil. Anything from South America is automatically killer. After CSS (not the code, you geek), I am convinced that music coming out of arid countries in turmoil must be good. I imagine a house boarded up, with ransom driven kidnappers at the doors. Guns put together from Russian army surplus. Inside, a recorder, a computer, and a hotspot from the coffee shop next door. these mothers bang out the track live, and post it to myspace. for me.

2- the red/orange hue myspace photo. They tease you consistently with pictures of the lead singer. We all want to see the face. They never give it to us. Very close on the website. not satiated though.


Nancy originally was an instrumental band. Eventually they stopped being background music and signed Camila Zamith. Smooth and original. unfiltered.
Astrud Gilberto stops you in your tracks.


Victoria Bergsman makes you sit and close your eyes (see the video in the Swede post)

El Perro Del Mar (another swede) is just a really sweet girl

Frida Hyvonen is also very sweet - but don't tell her lyrics this.


Camila Zamith speaks well.



Theres still a lot more to hit in order to be revolutionaires. The potential is definitely there. Lets see where this takes them.



The old bassist left the band to be in the TV show "Lost"

Envelopes and more Swedes

Envelopes "smoke in the desert, eating the sand..."


seems like a nintendo throwback video until you start getting destroyed.

What is this? another swede? the Scandinavian music import scene is strong. vVerYy strong. Serena Maneesh already broke up to become some other band, but apparently they are back and touring with NIN. Trent Reznor (phone number 216-333-1810) always has a heads up on whats good. and whats God. Emil is god-like on stage. off too. At a show in NY, I realized something: Scandos are huge! every body unnative to the states was pressing 6'2 - and the women were on the cusp of 6 even. Some singer from some death metal norwegian band told me that back in the bulbous triple threat, every band plays. every night. every band is this just as good as this or better. I believe him and I want to go.

and if you havent hear the songs playing in your local abercrombie, here is some sweet sweet music to sit with. courtesy Peter, Bjorn and John.

Be sure to thank them on your way out.