music and life in iowa city
Voted the funniest comedian in Chicago by Time Out, the hilarious Hannibal Burress will be in Iowa City on Tuesday, July 1st as part of the F Yeah Fest at the Mill. I could go on about his comedic talents but it makes more sense to let the stand-up speak for itself. Check it out and if you like it swing by the Mill at 8PM on Tuesday, July 1st.
Say what you will about the piles of sonic bullshit that Weezer has piled on us in the years following their debut and Pinkerton (1996), but I think we all have to admit that their new video / single, “Pork and Beans” is a stunning return to form. Snarky as ever, Rivers Cuomo and the boys have rubbed out a pure pop nugget that would make Ric Ocasek proud of them all over again. The music is melodically punchy and the lyrics comprise one long post-modern, pop culture-referencing, cheeky rant. The accompanying video is an homage to the You Tube era, pitting various You Tube celebrities against the backdrop of Weezer’s music. It’s funny, it’s sharp, it’s irresistible: it’s a surprising new high for one of our generation’s best (and worst) pop bands. Click on the link below to see / hear “Pork and Beans”.
New Weezer! Yay! “Pork and Beans”
If you missed the Blacks’ show in Iowa City this past spring perhaps this video will give you an idea of you what you would have seen: a normal enough guitar / drums duo enhanced by a well-dressed man-beast who gives new meaning (and respect) to playing the tambourine. His name is JDK Blacker and during the band’s recent NYC run, he allegedly distributed 100 tambourines to the audience. The idea was to get them to release their inner-tambourinists and play along with the band. It all sounds very Merry Prankster or Ken Kesey-ish but apparently it was a blast. This so-called “Tambourine Experiment” carried over a three-night residency at Pianos on the Lower East Side and a one-off at Brooklyn’s Union Pool. Some audience videographer caught the band playing at Pianos and it gets real cool when he turns the lens on the crowd. The experiment is currently making its way to San Francisco. Makes us wonder: when will it hit Iowa City?
The Tambourine Experiment at Pianos (NYC) Video
and…
I saw Daft Punk this summer and lost some brain cells. Openers Sebastian and Kavinsksy were pretty sick as well. At the time I also thought the other opener, The Rapture, made sense. Well, they did, but after catching a couple of Porno Galactica shows it’s clear to me they should have been on that tour as well. In due time, in due time. Until then, we can all see Porno Galactica in their underground glory as they pass through the Picador for a show tonight supporting Ex-Action Model. Porno Galactica is the alias for Philip Rabalais a guy from Fairfield, Iowa who fancys cutting up beats and making funky-electro dance music. Less frantic than Girl Talk and more lo-fi than Kavinsky, Rabalais has only played a few shows (often joined by his brother, Dom, who goes by the name Zap!Rowsdower) but each one gets better. If you’re into dance music and spectacle, head down to the Picador tonight. But don’t take our word for it…
Download: Porno Galactica - Super Whore
Porno and Zap at Mission Creek ‘08 (Video)
Show Details: Picador - Wednesday - 9PM - $5
You should already know that Champaign’s Headlights will be blowing up one of this year’s hottest bills, April 3rd at the Picador alongside Neva Dinova, Evangelicals, and the Western Front. Their new album, Some Racing, Some Stopping is out now via Polyvinyl and is a Freak fave - you can read the nice words our friend Clay had to say about them here . We’re beyond excited about having them back for their second gig in Iowa City in the last half-year. They played back in December and rocked us thoroughly. We anticipate this next one to be even better.
Now they have a video for the lead single from the album, “Cherry Tulips.” It’s a wonderfully hazy Rilo Kiley (pre-More Adventurous) meets Beach House dream-pop song that we’d like you to fall in love with. As for the video, there isn’t much going on besides enough shots of Erin Fein’s pretty face to make you blush a little. Or, make me blush a little. Or something. Anyway, have a look. Directed by Julian Acosta.
Once more, lest you forget:
Thursday, April 3 :: 9pm
The Picador
Neva Dinova w/ Headlights, Evangelicals, and the Western FrontPLUS: Props to Muzzle of Bees for posting this insane new Evangelicals video.
Thanks to John, author of the review below this post, for pointing out that there seems to be a new ft (the shadow government) video floating around the internets. This Youtube video starts off with a clip from a British costume drama and gets better from there. It’s one more piece of evidence pointing to the potential awesomeness of this new record, which we previously noted will be celebrated with a CD release party at the Picador on November 10th. Watch and learn:
