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While flipping through the pages of the August 2010 issue of MOJO Magazine last night, I came across and advertisement for Grinderman’s upcoming European tour that I thought was pretty funny.  I went surfing around today for a digital copy of the ad, and I found it on a website called Nick Cave Fixes.  It’s “a blog for Nick Cave addicts & devotees.”  I definitely fall into that category.  So, please welcome this blog to the Blogroll.  You Nick Cave fans are now just a click away from all the latest news about Nick, the Bad Seed, Grinderman, The Birthday Party, and other related artists.

Here’s the ad:

The US release of Grinderman 2 is scheduled for September 14th.

Check out the Grinderman website for more details. You’ll lover the intro…

No US tour dates yet.

This post is all about catching up with Nick Cave and Grinderman, so I might as well direct you to this story in Paste Magazine about Nick’s recent novel, The Death of Bunny Munro, being made into a TV movie directed by John Hillcoat. He directed The Proposition, screenplay by Nick Cave, and The Road, soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

Scott H. Biram is performing at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard tonight. Who? Scott H. Biram!!!

From his website:

Rock ‘n’ Roll ain’t pretty and neither is Scott H. Biram.  The self proclaimed ‘Dirty Old One Man Band’ successfully, and sometimes violently, lashes together blues, hillbilly and country precariously to raucous punk and godless metal. Biram ain’t no dour ass singer/songwriter either, sweetly strumming songs about girls with big eyes and dusty highways.  HELL NO!!!  His singing, yodeling, growling, leering and brash preachin’ and hollerin’ is accompanied by sloppy riffs and licks from his 1959 Gibson guitar and pounding backbeat brought forth by his amplified left foot.  The remainder of this one-man band consists of an unwieldy combination of beat-up amplifiers and old microphones strung together by a tangled mess of guitar cables.  Years of non-stop touring have honed his assault to a fine edge; his wide-eyed throw downs in the First Church of Ultimate Fanaticism routinely lead giddy followers to a fiery baptism.  Scott H. Biram wont die.  On May 11th, 2003, one month after being hit head-on by an 18-wheeler at 75 MPH, he took the stage at The Continental Club in Austin, TX in a wheel chair – I.V. still dangling from his arm. With 2 broken legs, a broken foot, a broken arm and 1 foot less of his lower intestine, Biram unleashed his trademark musical wrath. When Scott H. Biram took the stage at his 2004 SXSW festival showcase right after Kris Kristofferson he was quoted as growling “They said that was a hard act to follow….I’m a hard act to follow motherfuckers!!”   The stunned crowd looked on.

speaking of bad mutherfuckers…

and since Valentines Day is on Sunday…

Today is Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday.  Celebrate by watching a few videos.

Start with the man himself.

Followed by the Mexican Elvis.

El Vez Suspicious Minds

Followed by Seattle resident Vince Mira, (better known for his Johnny Cash covers).

And because it is Friday, click here to watch Nick Cave’s cover or “In the Ghetto.”

It’s New Year’s Eve and KEXP is just about ready to star their countdown of the best albums of 2009.  I’ll be listening and commenting on that later but, for now, here’s what you need to know.

The Top 10 Albums of 2009

1. Rising Mountains – Capsula:  I first heard Capsula on KEXP on July 3rd and I was immediately hooked.  They are the most exciting band I’ve heard since discovering The Duke Spirit three years ago.  The band is originally from Buenes Aires, Argentina and they relocated to Bilbao, Spain.  They are a guitar driven, hard rocking band that knows how to write songs with catchy lyrics and great hooks.  The album is currently available as an import only.  You can get it at Amazon.  I suggest you go there now and buy it.  They will be coming to the U.S. in March for a show in NYC and then will be in Austin for SXSW.  See them if you can.  More about them here.

2. Something’s Wrong/Lost Forever – Scott H. Biram:  Gorby turned me on to this guy by giving me an earlier album to listen to.  In May, I went to Austin with Gorby and Zippy, and we saw Scott live at The Continental Club.  GREAT one-man show.  I bought the album shortly after that, and I’ve been listening to it constantly.  Junkyard blues just don’t get any better than this.  Scott Biram will be in Seattle at the Tractor Tavern on Friday, February 12th.  See you there.

3. Truelove’s Gutter – Richard Hawley:  I read a review of this album in MOJO magazine, and immediately went out and bought it.  It is by far the most sonically interesting album of 2009.  He uses some really rare instruments:  the glass harmonica (based on the haunting tone you get when rubbing a wet finger around the rim of a wine glass – a.k.a. the hydrocrystalphone invented by Benjamin Franklin), the waterphone, the cristal Baschet, the ondes Martenot(kind of like a theremin), and a musical saw.  The key track on this album is “Remorse Code.”  Can’t stop listening to it. 

4. One Fast Move or I’m Gone, Kerouac’s Big Sur – Jay Farrar & Benjamin Gibbard:  I am a huge fan of Jack Kerouac, so I bought this they day it came out.  The cd is the soundtrack to a movie about Kerouac’s journey back to California to get some down time at Ferlinghetti’s seaside cabin.  The film is excellent.  It features readings of Big Sur by the man himself.  Kerouac’s voice is intoxicating.  I could listen to it for hours.  Oh, and the music by Farrar and Gibbard is stripped down and soulful.  I recommend “California Zephyr” and The “Void.”  They will be performing at The Showbox in Seattle on Sunday, January 24th.

5. Wilco (the album) – Wilco:  The guitar work by Nels Cline on this record is incredible.  The songs are great.  Tweedy sounds great.  What more can you ask for from a Wilco album?

6. I and Love and You – The Avett Brothers:  This is a beautiful sounding album produced by Rick Rubin who fleshed out the trio of banjoists and drummer with piano and sometimes lush orchestration.  The title track and “Tin Man” are my favorites. 

7. Broken – Soulsavers:  This is Mark Lanegan at his best.  A dark brooding album that matches his voice perfectly.  He gets excellent vocal support from Rosa Agostino (a.k.a. Red Ghost), and Richard Hawley makes an appearance too.

8. Welcome Joy – The Cave Singers:  I heard of this band, but never really knew what they were about until I saw them at Bumbershoot.  It’s real rootsy stuff with catchy lyrics and great vocals.  “At the Cut” and “Leap” are my favorites.

9. The Spirit of Apollo – N.A.S.A.:  That stands for North America South America.  It’s a duo that pulled together a whole lot of artists to sing vocals on twenty-some songs.  Who?  David Byrne, Chuck D, Tom Waits, Kool Keith, Kanye West, Mia, Del the Funky Homosapien, and more.  The first song I heard was “Spacious Thoughts” featuring Tom Waits and Kool Keith.  You just have to hear it.  The two with David Byrne, “The People Tree” and “Money” are really great.

10. A Woman A Man Walked By – P.J. Harvey & John Parish:  The album starts out with one of my favorite songs of the year, “Black Hearted Love,” a pop song, and then it veers off in all different directions.  Thanks to “That Irsih Fella on my block, I got to see P.J. and John put on a great show at The Moore Theater this year.  P.J. was in perfect form, and John and the band were tight.  They are PROFESSIONALS!

The Top Teen Albums of 2009

11. Tell ‘em What Your Name Is - Black Joe Lewis and the Honeydrippers:  My Austin pals told me about this band last year.  Black Joe Lewis has a huge fan base in Austin, and I was lucky to see the band at a sold out show there in May.  I love the fun energy in this album.  “Get Yo Shit” and “I’m Broke” are the shit.

12. ¡Let Freedom Ring! – Chuck Prophet
13. Horehound – The Dead Weather
14. Middle Cyclone– Neko Case
15. Together Through Life – Bob Dylan
16. Hombre Lobo – Eels
17. Through the Devil Softly – Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions
18. Secret, Profane, & Sugarcane – Elvis Costello
19. The Eternal– Sonic Youth

and number 20…
Backspacer  – Pearl Jam

This year’s best series of reissues is of course the first four albums by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds out on Mute records:  The First Born is Dead, From Her to Eternity, Kicking Against the Pricks, and Your Funeral, My Trial.  Buy them all and play them loud.

The best live album of the year is Tom Waits’ Glitter and Doom.

From Bob’s latest album:

And here’s one of Bob’s favorite artists, Howlin’ Wolf doing “Smokestack Lightning” in 1964.

It’s Friday night and you should be listening to Nick Cave, so here he is doing Johnny Cash’s “The Singer.”

Jack White’s latest project, The Dead Weather, is made up of Alison Mosshart from the Kills on vocals, “Little” Jack Lawrence from the Raconteurs on bass, Dean Fertita of The Waxwings and QOTSA, and Jack White on drums and vocals. Their debut album, Horehound, was released this week. Their sound reminds me of the blues-driven, guitar heavy rock sound of the late sixties and early seventies. Here’s a the video for “Treat Me Like Your Mother.” Number one with a bullet! Lots of them… In this video you learn that Jack and Alison are indestructible.

uh… that kind of made me want to hear “Machine Gun” by the master of blues-based guitar rock.

It is Friday night, and you know who you should be listening to… Here’s a UW student film project set to Nick Cave’s f-bomb laden version of ”Stagger Lee” that was filmed at the Paramount Music Hall in 1996.

On Tuesday of this week the newly remastered first four albums by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds were released by Mute Records.  Each album also comes with a DVD that includes the album in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound plus extra tracks and “a specially commissioned short film made by acclaimed UK artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard.” 

I’ve been listening to the CDs for the past couple of days, and there is a noticable improvement in the quality of sound and the mix.   Nick’s vocals are just a little more up front, and the instruments all seem to be more separate and clear.  So to all of you fans of Nick Cave:  What are you waiting for?  Go buy the new releases!  Go to your local record store or click on one of the Amazon icons for the albums that you see on this page.

With that said, here is a video of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds performing ”Tupelo” from the album, The Firstborn is Dead.

I’ve been listening to Flunk quite a bit since I first heard them on KEXP a couple of months ago.  Here’s Flunk doing ”On My Balcony.”

The song “California Stars” by Billy Bragg and Wilco was my son’s favorite song a few years back.  Here’s a live version from Sessions on West 54th.

X – The Band will be playing two nights at The Showbox in Seattle on April 10th and 11th, Friday and Saturday night.  Buy a ticket, take the ride.

This tour is being billed as the Total Request Live tour, so the band wants your input on the songs they’ll play at the show you go to. Go here to register to vote for your favorite X songs.

Bobby Bare, Jr. is playing an early show in Seattle tonight at The Sunset Tavern. This guy hardly EVER comes to Seattle so you better go buy a ticket quick and go see him.

And speaking of performs who hardly ever come to our town (for real), here’s PJ Harvey with a solo performance of “Rid of Me.”

Bonus Video!!  PJ Harvey with Nick Cave singing the murder ballad “Henry Lee.”

…because if you’re not listening to Nick Cave on a Friday night, you might as well not be listening.

Appearing at The Showbox in Seattle tomorrow night.

Part of the endless loop in my head.

Do you know how to pony like bony maroney?

Patti! It’s been too long. When you coming back?