Blog Mental - Skate Rock

Free Tickets to MTV WOODIE Awards

Fri, 04 Nov 2005 14:54:56 -0800

If anyone gives a shit. Or, if anyone in NYC gives a shit...mtvU, MTV�s college network, has given us free tickets to the �mtvU Woodie Awards� on Nov. 2 at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. The live awards ceremony and concert event will premiere on mtvU and mtvU.com on Nov. 10. Live performances by The Go! Team, Death Cab for Cutie, Matisyahu with Saul Williams and Little Brother.

The Fourth Element of Hip-Hop...

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 15:17:44 -0700

...And Proverbial Biting of Shit
Skating's like a path set out for others to follow and has been from its early beginnings. From Kate Hepburn carving up a storm to Matt Hensley�s chain wallet and cargo shorts. We've always felt a kinship with the raw, urban roots we share with hip-hop culture. What were skaters listening to in the late 80s?

Mental Minutes: Guerrero Performs for Katrina

Sat, 22 Oct 2005 17:10:46 -0700

Hurricane relief has never sounded better, and by that I mean to the tune of Guerrero's guitar. Tomorrow night San Francisco peeps get a chance to hear him (and Money Mark!) live as well as help out all the victims refugees residents of Hurricane Katrina-ravaged areas. It looks like there's another whopper bitch hurricane on the way, so get there early and spend a lot of money.

Good-Bye Randy "Biscuit" Turner

Sat, 22 Oct 2005 17:07:46 -0700

I heard over the weekend Randy �Biscuit� Turner died. It's been a month since he passed, but even in this day and age, news can take time to travel. Even the news itself � I heard the other day� took time to resonate. Biscuit was front man for the legendary Austin, Texas skate rockers Big Boys. Incidentally, I happened to be interviewing a person the next day whose life was greatly impacted by The Big Boys.

BM Music Interview: Two Gallants

Sat, 22 Oct 2005 17:12:17 -0700

Listen - You Losin Out
Two Gallants
Native San Franciscans Two Gallants have signed with Saddle Creek records, and their debut album The Throes (released on Alive Records just last year) got rave reviews from pretty much everybody. They even charmed hardened New Yorkers like a breath of west coast fresh air at the recent CMJ fest. Not an easy task during the over-booked, too hectic, schizo-like marathon music festival...

BM Music Review: Wolf Parade

Sat, 22 Oct 2005 17:11:26 -0700

Listen - Shine A Light
Wolf Parade
Apologies to the Queen Mary (Sub Pop)
Just when I start to think that this independent rock thing has putterred out and been co-opted into some strange universe of Fox teen dramas and car commercials, in blows another gust of fresh air from Canada. Wolf Parade's "Apologies to the Queen Mary" comes bolstered with a good bit of the indie hype machine behind it, but it is all for good reason.

The Man Who Fell to Earth ...

Sat, 22 Oct 2005 16:34:03 -0700

...and landed in Central Park. The world's original metrosexual made a suprise appearance at the Arcade Fire show in Central Park last night. Appearing for the encore on a sweltering September evening, Mr. Ziggy Stardust himself took the stage capping off an incredible show. "This is a David Bowie song" said Win Butler, lead singer of the Arcade Fire, and out comes Bowie.

BM Music Review: Big Bang

Sun, 23 Oct 2005 14:49:26 -0700

Listen - Saturn Freeway
Big Bang
Poetic Terrorism (Grandsport Records)
Virtue is a rare characteristic these days. Living in a time that is like a long winter, the choices how to raise this dim stretch are narrow and less than few. More time than one can realize is present and a constant reminder of how long or how short the stay will be. This drills holes into a human and come spring-thaw the sinking begins.

BM Music Review: Architecture in Helsinki

Sun, 23 Oct 2005 14:52:38 -0700

Listen - Maybe You Can Owe Me
Architecture in Helsinki
In Case We Die (Bar None Records)
Is this a woman singing? Or some kind of eunich? Whatevever it is, I like it. The record is kind of sloppy and daring. It's the best parts of Arcade Fire mixed with the irreverence of Pavement and some singer guy who sounds like he got his balls caught in a vice. At their heart they are poppy but the songs are daring. It straddles the line of corniness, but never really crosses the boundary.

BM Music Review: Gravy Train

Sun, 23 Oct 2005 14:56:40 -0700

Listen - Wanna Get Rid Of You
Gravy Train!!!
Are You Wigglin? (Kill Rock Stars)
Think John Waters directing a production of Grease with a half-naked cast plucked straight out of a gay crack den (John, you should get on this). The album plays like a soundtrack, telling a tale of twisted love. The female vocals are on par with the Pink Ladies (on speed) but instead of summers and lemonade, they sing about a whole different kind of lovin�: Ass, ass, titties titties, ass�n'titties.

BM Music Interview: Lou Rogai from Lewis & Clarke

Sun, 23 Oct 2005 14:58:04 -0700

Listen - Bare Bones And Branches
Lewis & Clarke
Eons above and beyond the current "freak-folk" trend, Lewis & Clarke�s modern folk continues to thrill and amaze audiences. These Woodsmen from Pennsylvania resonate authenticity, unparalleled songwriting and other-worldly excellence. Harps, guitars, flutes, drums, analog synthesizers and piano yield a subtle form.

BM Music Interview: th' Haint

Sun, 23 Oct 2005 14:50:41 -0700

th' Haint is comprised of three wise-cracking hillbillies who also happn to love ice skating and speaking in their non-native tongues, or something like that. M. Dirshel and Wm. Moulton share bass and drum duties and R. Erickson handles guitar and vocals. Wm. also sings parts (looking a TINY little bit like Adam Corolla - just a TINY bit, we swear).

BM Music Review: Definitive Jux

Sun, 23 Oct 2005 15:03:02 -0700

Listen - The Harvest
Definitive Jux Sampler CD
Definitive Jux is a NYC-based label responsible for putting out some of the best independent hip-hop you ever heard or maybe never heard. This sampler CD offers you a small taste of all good things in hip-hop: original tracks, beats that will make you nod your head, and lyrics that rattle you to the core. See how unhappy childhoods, hard times, poverty and crime can be recipes?

BM Music Interview: Joel Peterson

Sun, 23 Oct 2005 15:05:55 -0700

Listen - The Distance Is Nearsighted
Broken Spindles
Inside/Absent (Saddle Creek)
We'll bet you didn't know that Joel Peterson, bassist from The Faint and Beep Beep, is an avid skateboarder who recently took a skateboarding vacation. He's also just released a third album via his solo project, Broken Spindles. Read on to find out what else BM learned from this budding music producer who can knock his bandmate's head off...

BM Music Review: The Gun Shys

Sun, 23 Oct 2005 15:08:10 -0700

Listen - Easy On The Eyes
The Gun Shys
When I first heard this EP, I didn�t care for it at all. I couldn�t help but think to myself that the last thing the rock/indie music scene needs right now is a band like The Gun Shys. How many pouty, mod hipsters can we take before our eyes and ears bleed? Hailing from L.A., the three young lads sound too much like a blend of The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, and The Stills for their own good.