ChordStrike

Oates' 'Stache Explained!

 

As a wee child, I was a massive Hall & Oates fan. Oates always struck me as the mysterious one--the stealthy, lick-spewing, sidekick to good-guy front-man Daryl Hall. Only years later, after spending a few hours staring at various photos of it, did the profundity of Oates' mustache dawn on me. Apparently, the 'stache holds profound meaning for Oates as well. As he explains in the foreword to the new book, Sweet 'Stache: 50 Badass Mustaches and the Faces Who Sport Them, "that dark swath of hair became my living logo." Throughout the foreword, Oates' sense of humor, as well as his strange, dramatic descriptive talents, are revealed: "As I begat the ’stache, the mustache became me, symbolically thrusting forward from its prominence in the center of my countenance." (Um, brilliant?) Head over to Pop Candy for an exclusive peek at the full foreword in which Oates explains the origins, significance, and demise of one of Rock & Roll's most startling 'staches.

And here's one for those of you itching to see the 'stache in action (check out Oates' signature stealthy moves at the 1:00 and 1:45 marks):

Levon Helm's "King Fish"

For a limited time, we've got a behind-the-scenes video of Levon Helm (drummer and vocalist of The Band) performing "King Fish" from his new album Electric Dirt. Check it out:

5 Things I Will Remember About Sasquatch 2009

Now that I've finally recovered from three exhausting and thrilling days of sun, music, and elephant ears, here, in descending order, are the five things I will remember most about this year's Sasquatch Music Festival:

5) Finding out about Jay Bennett's death from Silversun Pickups' frontman, Brian Aubert, who dedicated a song to Bennett, adding, "may he rest in peace" --

I'm so utterly addicted to the interent/blogosphere that it was shocking to actually hear a breaking news item from a real live person, let alone a quasi-rock-star. It was a sad, strange moment.

4) Meeting one of my favorite singers, Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon), during the Bon Iver set --

I was on my way to go pull a friend away from the YYY's mainstage show when I spotted Kozelek in the crowd taking in the Bon Iver set. I shook his hand, told him how much I love his music (especially his album of acoustic AC/DC covers) and moved on. He seemed genuinely appreciative and I was thoroughly stoked.

3) St. Vincent --

After taking in this performance, my crush on St. Vincent's Annie Clark escalated from "slight" to "unhealthy." H-E-L-P!

2) Shearwater --

Shearwater was flat-out fantastic live. I liked 2008's Rook, but I wasn't expecting much when I meandered over to the Wookie stage to check out this Texas-based band, fronted by former Okkervil River member and bird-enthusiast Jonathan Meiburg. I won't go into the details, but if you like this band at all, don't miss them the next time they roll through town--they are the real deal.  

1) Bon Iver --

Closing out the first night of the festival on the Wookie stage, Bon Iver came off less like a new-kid-on-the-indie-singer-song-writer-block and more like an elder statesman showing all the wannabes how it's done. The sun had just set when Justin Vernon and co. took the stage, the waning light and surreal landscape of the Gorge providing the perfect backdrop to Vernon's sad, rousing melodies. Even Mos Def, who I spotted checking out the set from stage-side, was bobbing up and down to "Skinny Love." 

Oh, 'Squatch, I miss you already.      

Pearl Jam Bassist Mugged in Hot-lanta

Check out this mildly shocking video (courtesy of CNN) of Jeff Ament, Pearl Jam's bass player, getting mugged outside of an Atlanta recording studio in late April. According to police, the men got away with $3,000 cash, along with some laptops (read: macbook pros) and other equipment worth more than $4,000. The laptops n' gear make sense--but what dude was doing rolling around with three grand in cold hard cash, the world will never know.

Neko Case on Letterman

Big-lunged songstress (and expert sword-wielder) Neko Case brings her saucy brand of alt-country to the masses tomorrow night (4/15), performing on the Late Show with guest guitarist Eric Bachmann of Crooked Fingers. Don't miss it!

The Late Show airs at 11:30 PM ET/PT on CBS.

Top 10 of the Decade According to Me: Ryan Trager

Okay... I know that 2010 is still 9 months away, but it's never too soon to start thinking about that all-important list of lists: Best of the Decade. Whether you choose 10 or 50 or 100 of your most-beloved records, looking back on the music that most affected you during this first--and somehow still unnamed--decade of the millenium is bound to both trigger a flood of memories and to provide a window into the evolution of your own musical taste. I will probably tweak my own list endlessly, but I thought I'd kick off the conversation by posting a first draft of my picks. Post your own picks in the comments section below.

Drumroll please:   

  

1) Radiohead - In Rainbows
2) Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
3) The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
4) The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
5) Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
6) Radiohead - Kid A
7) Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People
8) The Strokes - Is This It
9) Cat Power - You Are Free
10) Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days

PJ Harvey & John Parish on Leno Tonight, 3/24

Cool collaboration alert: tune in tonight to check out PJ Harvey and John Parish performing "Black Hearted Love" from their forthcoming album, A Woman A Man Walked By. The Tonight Show airs at 11:35/10:35c on NBC.