Cartoon! Cartoon!
In other Evan Dorkin-related news, word is that he'll be teaming up with Dean Haspiel to do a four-issue Fantastic Four miniseries. Perhaps inspired by the at one time highly controversial Coober Skeber #2 from Highwater Books, which enlisted a whole mess of mini-comics makers, self-publishers, and DIY wunderkind to take on their favorite Marvel heroes (which might have eventually lead to the beautful Bizarro project by DC), thus continues the trend of independent comics creators stepping into the mainstream in new and innovative ways. Think Jim Mahfood and the Fantastic Four or whatever. Michael Allred and Iron Man or Cat Woman, not to mention X-Force. Woohoo! Go, Evan! Go, Dino!
Monday, March 04, 2002
From the In Box: Music to My Ears IV
Wait'll Nate (the dude that wrote the songs [for X]) sees the likening to Weezer. He hates them. Heh. -- Andy Jungwirth
Wait'll Nate (the dude that wrote the songs [for X]) sees the likening to Weezer. He hates them. Heh. -- Andy Jungwirth
Read but Dead IV
This is hilarious. Even though the Industry Standard's been dead and buried since August, AOL's Time division continues to rent its old subscriber mailing list -- and former subscribers continue to receive Standard-related marketing messages via email. The email's are purportedly sent by the now-defunct magazine, although the spam does include a disclaimer that says the Standard is not affiliated with the offer. AOL picked up the subscriber list for $500,000 at a bankruptcy auction last September. The price former readers are now paying? I wonder.
Thanks to Interesting People.
This is hilarious. Even though the Industry Standard's been dead and buried since August, AOL's Time division continues to rent its old subscriber mailing list -- and former subscribers continue to receive Standard-related marketing messages via email. The email's are purportedly sent by the now-defunct magazine, although the spam does include a disclaimer that says the Standard is not affiliated with the offer. AOL picked up the subscriber list for $500,000 at a bankruptcy auction last September. The price former readers are now paying? I wonder.
Thanks to Interesting People.
Rock Shows of Note VI
If you haven't check out the Washington Street Center's First Sunday music series yet, now might be a good time to head to Somerville's own co-op artist's space. Last night, the series, which focuses on solo and scaled-back performances by people in some of Boston's most interesting indie-rock bands, highlighted three acts.
I missed half of Matt Henry's set, but what I saw impressed me. He talked a little bit about how indie-rock lacks the concept of standards -- which other musics such as country and jazz draw on for good effect. He even performed a couple that he proposed as possible standards: Daniel Johnston's "Speeding Motorcycle" and a song by the Magnetic Fields.
Next up, Verona Downs, the reason I went to the show. I could be wrong, but I think folks in the Downs -- or VD, as sitting-in Emily, kept calling them -- used to be in Weeping in Fits in Starts. Anyway, they actually played with Daniel Johnston last November. Nice continuity! Their laid-back set featured dreamy and pretty pop that included an excellent violin presence. I was also impressed by the excellent guitar interplay, especially in the really detailed note-by-note sections, and -- despite her vocals being mixed too low -- Emily's backing vocals added a much-needed touch. Word is that VD is looking for a new female bassist and singer. Interested? Email them.
Last up, Jonathan Donaldson, taking a break from his band project, the Colorforms, to perform a solo set of belabored '60s-style pop. I say belabored because I detected a level of pretension to his songwriting, and his singing style never really gelled with me. He also played several too-long songs with too many parts, which at times led me to think he'd moved onto another song when he was in fact still playing the same one. Granted, he positioned the pieces he was going to play as unfinished songs he wasn't totally comfortable with, but sheesh. Near the end of his set, he threw in a couple of numbers that hit me harder than the earlier songs, which leads me to believe that, giving another listen, I could grow to like his stuff. Just didn't thrill me last night.
Leaving the center, I thought I'd missed the 91 bus and started to walk home -- only to have the 91 glide past ghost-like as I neared the top of the hill. Still, the night was young and warm, and the walk home did me good. It's not that bad a hike from Central to Union Square.
If you haven't check out the Washington Street Center's First Sunday music series yet, now might be a good time to head to Somerville's own co-op artist's space. Last night, the series, which focuses on solo and scaled-back performances by people in some of Boston's most interesting indie-rock bands, highlighted three acts.
I missed half of Matt Henry's set, but what I saw impressed me. He talked a little bit about how indie-rock lacks the concept of standards -- which other musics such as country and jazz draw on for good effect. He even performed a couple that he proposed as possible standards: Daniel Johnston's "Speeding Motorcycle" and a song by the Magnetic Fields.
Next up, Verona Downs, the reason I went to the show. I could be wrong, but I think folks in the Downs -- or VD, as sitting-in Emily, kept calling them -- used to be in Weeping in Fits in Starts. Anyway, they actually played with Daniel Johnston last November. Nice continuity! Their laid-back set featured dreamy and pretty pop that included an excellent violin presence. I was also impressed by the excellent guitar interplay, especially in the really detailed note-by-note sections, and -- despite her vocals being mixed too low -- Emily's backing vocals added a much-needed touch. Word is that VD is looking for a new female bassist and singer. Interested? Email them.
Last up, Jonathan Donaldson, taking a break from his band project, the Colorforms, to perform a solo set of belabored '60s-style pop. I say belabored because I detected a level of pretension to his songwriting, and his singing style never really gelled with me. He also played several too-long songs with too many parts, which at times led me to think he'd moved onto another song when he was in fact still playing the same one. Granted, he positioned the pieces he was going to play as unfinished songs he wasn't totally comfortable with, but sheesh. Near the end of his set, he threw in a couple of numbers that hit me harder than the earlier songs, which leads me to believe that, giving another listen, I could grow to like his stuff. Just didn't thrill me last night.
Leaving the center, I thought I'd missed the 91 bus and started to walk home -- only to have the 91 glide past ghost-like as I neared the top of the hill. Still, the night was young and warm, and the walk home did me good. It's not that bad a hike from Central to Union Square.
Email I Would've Sent My Ex-Girlfriend III
Hey. On the walk to the T this morning, I saw a girl wearing a skirt exactly like the skirt you bought, hoping I'd be really jazzed -- but that I didn't really like at first. I never should've said anything! It was a little different than yours -- pink instead of orange stripes, I think -- but I thought of you. Hope your morning's going well!
Hey. On the walk to the T this morning, I saw a girl wearing a skirt exactly like the skirt you bought, hoping I'd be really jazzed -- but that I didn't really like at first. I never should've said anything! It was a little different than yours -- pink instead of orange stripes, I think -- but I thought of you. Hope your morning's going well!
See You in the Funny Pages VI
One of the more impressive Web comics projects just hit my radar. From an email:
"Modern Tales, the first professional Web comics site focused on top-tier alternative and indie creators (James Kochalka, Tom Hart, Gene Yang, Scott Kurtz, etc.) launched this past weekend to tremendous success: More than 200 people subscribed to the site in the first 24 hours, proving once and for all that people will pay for truly high quality original Web comics, when given the opportunity to do so."
And from the Web site:
"Modern Tales is a collective of Web cartoonists dedicated to presenting the best, most polished, most meaningful, and most interesting Web comics to a small but discriminating -- i.e. paying -- audience. We believe that our project is the first step in creating a viable, albeit low-key, Web comics industry. We're not some crazy dotcom. We're just folks, like you. We want to make a living, or at least a little bit of money, doing what we love. You probably do, too."
Until March 8, you can sign up as a charter subscriber for $1.95/month or $19.95/year. I just did. This is lower than the rate mentioned on the Web site now, so be sure to use the above link if you're interested in subscribing to what promises to be quite an interesting effort.
One of the more impressive Web comics projects just hit my radar. From an email:
"Modern Tales, the first professional Web comics site focused on top-tier alternative and indie creators (James Kochalka, Tom Hart, Gene Yang, Scott Kurtz, etc.) launched this past weekend to tremendous success: More than 200 people subscribed to the site in the first 24 hours, proving once and for all that people will pay for truly high quality original Web comics, when given the opportunity to do so."
And from the Web site:
"Modern Tales is a collective of Web cartoonists dedicated to presenting the best, most polished, most meaningful, and most interesting Web comics to a small but discriminating -- i.e. paying -- audience. We believe that our project is the first step in creating a viable, albeit low-key, Web comics industry. We're not some crazy dotcom. We're just folks, like you. We want to make a living, or at least a little bit of money, doing what we love. You probably do, too."
Until March 8, you can sign up as a charter subscriber for $1.95/month or $19.95/year. I just did. This is lower than the rate mentioned on the Web site now, so be sure to use the above link if you're interested in subscribing to what promises to be quite an interesting effort.
Silver Screen, Glass Ceiling?
The Guerrilla Girls, a media activism group, unveiled a billboard Friday criticizing the male domination of the Oscars.
Thanks to Utne Web Watch.
The Guerrilla Girls, a media activism group, unveiled a billboard Friday criticizing the male domination of the Oscars.
Thanks to Utne Web Watch.
Friday, March 01, 2002
Music to My Ears IV
A five-pack of new record reviews!
Arab on Radar: "Yahweh or the Highway" CD
Issued on Chicago's noise rock and free jazz haven Skin Graft, this CD from the Providence, Rhode Island, band is a wonderful assortment of angular Fat Day-meets-God Is My Copilot no wave. Call it the new no wave a la Pracky Pranky, the Flying Luttenbachers, and the much-missed anarcho-ensemble Math. Written between late 1999 and early 2001 and recorded by Weasel Walter, no less, the CD features churning bass, relentless percussion, and short, sharp shocks of guitar. Eminently interesting stuff -- not a record for background listening, but for attention. The vocals remind me of Couch Flambeau, which earns Arab punk points, and the saxophone on "God Is Dad" rocks. While this is a record to pay attention to, it's not a CD to belabor over or hold onto. The songs are all relatively similar, and they tend to run together. But instead of being a sign of monotonous mediocrity, it's an indication that Arab on Radar is larger than its LP's. The band is a sound and a thought process, one revealed by bits and pieces through the eight songs herein. Lyrically, the message is just as convoluted and misconstrued. With vocals delivered as poetry, songs touch on masturbation, reproduction, misplaced affection, homosexuality, tactics in the sack, and abstinence. But is Arab (as in Arab Strap On) a band about sex like the hardcore hip-hop project Double Dong? I'm not sure. The sex is there, but it might be too dangerous to provoke a dalliance. Arab on Radar, P.O. Box 603124, Providence, RI 02906.
Backstabbers Inc.: "While You Were Sleeping" CD
Gosh, these gents from New Hampshire are angry. Hardcore crust with shouted shouty vocals and plenty of sludgy aggression. It's not quite my bag, but I appreciate the energy, the anger, the technical skill, and the straight edge-like liner notes in which the band explains its lyrical content: angry takes on small-town life, responsibility, dead-end jobs, and fake friendship. While I don't totally dig the Backstabbers sound, I love "Concrete Evidence Supporting the Educational Valie of Snuff Films (When It's a Secret Everyone Knows)" and will listen to it again and again and again. They'd fit right in with the straight-edge crustcore scene in Quebec. "Buy That Fucker a Graveyard Dance (File Under Hostility Version 2.0)" oddly reminds me of Propagandhi, even. Hook these boys up with Mike Patton or John Zorn, and let's get cranking. Backstabbers Inc., P.O. Box 122, Dover, NH 03821-0122.
James Coleman: "Zuihitsu" CD
An all-star Boston free-jazz recording featuring James Coleman's theremin therapies with the able assistance of Greg Kelley, Tatsuya Nakatani, Vic Rawlings, Bhob Rainey, and Liz Tonne. Tatsuya's bowed percussion adds a lot, but this isn't your stereotypical theremin as sci-fi shenanigan or classical contrivance record. James gives his theremin(s) a working over on these 15 uneasy pieces, and the result is an intriguing yet incredibly restrained example of what the theremin can do. The record's even more interesting in that it's an example of what can happen when the theremin is given equal weight in an ensemble -- not a solo instrument, and not a demented detail -- and it is in these moments that James shines. The theremin is an instrument like any other. Get used to it, and get to using it.
I Don't Wanna/X: split cassette
On the first side, a Green Bay, Wisconsin-based lo-fi punk band doesn't want to go upstairs, pop zits, play A#, be your dog, or write songs about being in a band. It's a clever gimmick -- take the Ramones/Queers/Donnas protest song schtick and up the ante with a Scared of Chaka-like garage aesthetic -- but it doesn't go much further than that. On the flip side, a band that's not the X you might know and love chips in with eight more basement recordings. "Saturday Girl" is a poppy song about a girl sporting thin vocals but enough hooks and melody that I'm convinced. And the other songs? Reminiscent of Sweet Baby, the Ne'er Do Wells, and the Potatomen enough that despite the crummy recording and lame Weezer-like "Ooh!"'s, I'm tapping my feet and bobbing my head. The chorus to "Cultural Desert Fox" is a fine example of this, and "Carrie" might be their most fully formed pop song. The boys show their true colors a little with a cover of Green Day's "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield," but let's not hold it against them. Of the two sides, X marks the spot. Blank Tapes, 618 N. Ashland Ave., Green Bay, WI 54303.
Mistle Thrush: "Drunk with You" CD
Recorded between the end of 1998 and mid-2001, this record is a long time coming. The Boston-based fourpiece combines tempered goth rock and indie pop to create a dozen sogs that draw on the songwriting styles of Yatsura, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Chumbawamba, and other dissimilar musical groups. The songs, while a bit long for my tastes, are extremely good vehicles for the vocals of Valerie Forgione, the band's gift to the world. "Fanfare Spark" is an awesome love song, and "Lillies"' chorus makes for some dreamy, laidback cacophony. But Mistle Thrush is hard to peg. Like Over the Rhine, the band is amazing but slightly akimbo to most commercially or independently popular bands. They're enjoyable, slightly hard to describe, not totally original, and not entirely marketable. Those aren't bad things, but it's sad that a band as interesting and impressive as Mistle Thrush might not ever find a totally comfortable niche, even among fans. "Give a Little" might be destined for the most airplay. I mean, if you dig Mistle Thrush, what else are you listening too? Tell me. Because this is dark love rock, akin to Morphine, in which Mistle Thrush looks at intimacy, identity, and loss. And I'm left wanting more but not really recognizing what I've just been given. In a perfect world, this'd make the "Dawson's Creek" soundtrack. Mistle Thrush, P.O. Box 35485, Brighton, MA 02135.
A five-pack of new record reviews!
Arab on Radar: "Yahweh or the Highway" CD
Issued on Chicago's noise rock and free jazz haven Skin Graft, this CD from the Providence, Rhode Island, band is a wonderful assortment of angular Fat Day-meets-God Is My Copilot no wave. Call it the new no wave a la Pracky Pranky, the Flying Luttenbachers, and the much-missed anarcho-ensemble Math. Written between late 1999 and early 2001 and recorded by Weasel Walter, no less, the CD features churning bass, relentless percussion, and short, sharp shocks of guitar. Eminently interesting stuff -- not a record for background listening, but for attention. The vocals remind me of Couch Flambeau, which earns Arab punk points, and the saxophone on "God Is Dad" rocks. While this is a record to pay attention to, it's not a CD to belabor over or hold onto. The songs are all relatively similar, and they tend to run together. But instead of being a sign of monotonous mediocrity, it's an indication that Arab on Radar is larger than its LP's. The band is a sound and a thought process, one revealed by bits and pieces through the eight songs herein. Lyrically, the message is just as convoluted and misconstrued. With vocals delivered as poetry, songs touch on masturbation, reproduction, misplaced affection, homosexuality, tactics in the sack, and abstinence. But is Arab (as in Arab Strap On) a band about sex like the hardcore hip-hop project Double Dong? I'm not sure. The sex is there, but it might be too dangerous to provoke a dalliance. Arab on Radar, P.O. Box 603124, Providence, RI 02906.
Backstabbers Inc.: "While You Were Sleeping" CD
Gosh, these gents from New Hampshire are angry. Hardcore crust with shouted shouty vocals and plenty of sludgy aggression. It's not quite my bag, but I appreciate the energy, the anger, the technical skill, and the straight edge-like liner notes in which the band explains its lyrical content: angry takes on small-town life, responsibility, dead-end jobs, and fake friendship. While I don't totally dig the Backstabbers sound, I love "Concrete Evidence Supporting the Educational Valie of Snuff Films (When It's a Secret Everyone Knows)" and will listen to it again and again and again. They'd fit right in with the straight-edge crustcore scene in Quebec. "Buy That Fucker a Graveyard Dance (File Under Hostility Version 2.0)" oddly reminds me of Propagandhi, even. Hook these boys up with Mike Patton or John Zorn, and let's get cranking. Backstabbers Inc., P.O. Box 122, Dover, NH 03821-0122.
James Coleman: "Zuihitsu" CD
An all-star Boston free-jazz recording featuring James Coleman's theremin therapies with the able assistance of Greg Kelley, Tatsuya Nakatani, Vic Rawlings, Bhob Rainey, and Liz Tonne. Tatsuya's bowed percussion adds a lot, but this isn't your stereotypical theremin as sci-fi shenanigan or classical contrivance record. James gives his theremin(s) a working over on these 15 uneasy pieces, and the result is an intriguing yet incredibly restrained example of what the theremin can do. The record's even more interesting in that it's an example of what can happen when the theremin is given equal weight in an ensemble -- not a solo instrument, and not a demented detail -- and it is in these moments that James shines. The theremin is an instrument like any other. Get used to it, and get to using it.
I Don't Wanna/X: split cassette
On the first side, a Green Bay, Wisconsin-based lo-fi punk band doesn't want to go upstairs, pop zits, play A#, be your dog, or write songs about being in a band. It's a clever gimmick -- take the Ramones/Queers/Donnas protest song schtick and up the ante with a Scared of Chaka-like garage aesthetic -- but it doesn't go much further than that. On the flip side, a band that's not the X you might know and love chips in with eight more basement recordings. "Saturday Girl" is a poppy song about a girl sporting thin vocals but enough hooks and melody that I'm convinced. And the other songs? Reminiscent of Sweet Baby, the Ne'er Do Wells, and the Potatomen enough that despite the crummy recording and lame Weezer-like "Ooh!"'s, I'm tapping my feet and bobbing my head. The chorus to "Cultural Desert Fox" is a fine example of this, and "Carrie" might be their most fully formed pop song. The boys show their true colors a little with a cover of Green Day's "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield," but let's not hold it against them. Of the two sides, X marks the spot. Blank Tapes, 618 N. Ashland Ave., Green Bay, WI 54303.
Mistle Thrush: "Drunk with You" CD
Recorded between the end of 1998 and mid-2001, this record is a long time coming. The Boston-based fourpiece combines tempered goth rock and indie pop to create a dozen sogs that draw on the songwriting styles of Yatsura, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Chumbawamba, and other dissimilar musical groups. The songs, while a bit long for my tastes, are extremely good vehicles for the vocals of Valerie Forgione, the band's gift to the world. "Fanfare Spark" is an awesome love song, and "Lillies"' chorus makes for some dreamy, laidback cacophony. But Mistle Thrush is hard to peg. Like Over the Rhine, the band is amazing but slightly akimbo to most commercially or independently popular bands. They're enjoyable, slightly hard to describe, not totally original, and not entirely marketable. Those aren't bad things, but it's sad that a band as interesting and impressive as Mistle Thrush might not ever find a totally comfortable niche, even among fans. "Give a Little" might be destined for the most airplay. I mean, if you dig Mistle Thrush, what else are you listening too? Tell me. Because this is dark love rock, akin to Morphine, in which Mistle Thrush looks at intimacy, identity, and loss. And I'm left wanting more but not really recognizing what I've just been given. In a perfect world, this'd make the "Dawson's Creek" soundtrack. Mistle Thrush, P.O. Box 35485, Brighton, MA 02135.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Seriousness
Dave Eggers' sister, Beth, committed suicide last November. And once the Atlantic Monthly learned that that had happened, it killed a story it had planned to run about Dave and Gary Baum, Webmaster of a "Friends of Eggers" site that published some caustic commentary by Beth challenging Dave's take on their parents' death, who took care of whom afterward, and other familial frustrations. Beth later recanted her remarks on Dave's own McSweeney's site. The piece was nixed because it was a light-hearted view of Dave and Gary, and after learning about Beth's death, "it just wasn't funny any more."
Dave Eggers' sister, Beth, committed suicide last November. And once the Atlantic Monthly learned that that had happened, it killed a story it had planned to run about Dave and Gary Baum, Webmaster of a "Friends of Eggers" site that published some caustic commentary by Beth challenging Dave's take on their parents' death, who took care of whom afterward, and other familial frustrations. Beth later recanted her remarks on Dave's own McSweeney's site. The piece was nixed because it was a light-hearted view of Dave and Gary, and after learning about Beth's death, "it just wasn't funny any more."
Ravaging Radio
Net radio took a hit last week when the Copyright Royalty Arbitration Panel decreed that Webcasters pay a fixed fee per song per listener. That fee would be 0.07 cents if the song were simulcast on the radio -- and 0.14 cents if only broadcast online. The U.S. Copyright Office has yet to OK the decision, but if it goes through, it'll hit Web-only broadcasters especially hard -- quelling the development of online media... and cementing the future of traditional, mainstream, corporate media organizations that are already on the air... not just online.
Net radio took a hit last week when the Copyright Royalty Arbitration Panel decreed that Webcasters pay a fixed fee per song per listener. That fee would be 0.07 cents if the song were simulcast on the radio -- and 0.14 cents if only broadcast online. The U.S. Copyright Office has yet to OK the decision, but if it goes through, it'll hit Web-only broadcasters especially hard -- quelling the development of online media... and cementing the future of traditional, mainstream, corporate media organizations that are already on the air... not just online.
Jewelry and Journalism
TomPaine.com reprints a Phoenix New Times article today about the pressures that media mergers bring to bear. Among them, writes Robert Nelson, is an ever-increasing interest in featuring only the most beautiful and handsome newscasters, an encroaching "convergence" in which consumer reporters refer to the advertising circulars tucked into their sister newspapers, and a decline in the health of the market for ideas as the oddballs, eccentrics, and rebels who used to work as journalists are pushed out of the newsroom.
Robert doesn't say much that's new in this piece, but he says it with wit, energy, and solid reportage. And, he says he's got blackheads and a receding hairline, so I don't think we'll see him on TV any time soon.
TomPaine.com reprints a Phoenix New Times article today about the pressures that media mergers bring to bear. Among them, writes Robert Nelson, is an ever-increasing interest in featuring only the most beautiful and handsome newscasters, an encroaching "convergence" in which consumer reporters refer to the advertising circulars tucked into their sister newspapers, and a decline in the health of the market for ideas as the oddballs, eccentrics, and rebels who used to work as journalists are pushed out of the newsroom.
Robert doesn't say much that's new in this piece, but he says it with wit, energy, and solid reportage. And, he says he's got blackheads and a receding hairline, so I don't think we'll see him on TV any time soon.
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