Music Blog

inmemoryofjohnpeel / March 28, 2009
No. I rate Gnarles Berkeley & Alice Russell highly -Nina Simone is simply the best. Cloud City Rollers? They are wry people, so it probably is a mickey-take, but it's still an awful name. On your playlist: I like Annie Clark's work a lot (St. Vincent) - will she ever break through or is she too much for the majority? Which - for some reason makes me ask what's Devandra Banhart up to lately - got a favourite you want to play?

gunky / March 28, 2009
Devandra Banhart was recommended by Courtenay last week and I liked the song. Good stuff - first I'd ever heard...

Jeremy Petersen / March 28, 2009
Hmm, don't know on St. Vincent. She certainly has the charm to go far....guess it depends on what you mean by "break through". Like... Spoon size? Or Bjork size? It's a good question....but if the Decemberists can do it, certainly she can. We're a bit light on the Devendra stuff-- don't even have the stuff of his I like best, in fact, but I threw on his Tropicalia-aping "Samba Vexilographica."

inmemoryofjohnpeel / March 28, 2009
Evenin' JP, while you were in Austin at SXSW I was in the UK targeting the EndOfTheRoadFestival from my home county. I have the poster from the 2008 event and it reads like a playlist fom your show... eg Mercury Rev - Low - BritishSea Power - Bon Iver - The Young Republic - Bowerbirds - Devon sproule - Noah & The Whale - Asentee, were the Garden stage Sat 13th... How did Dirty Mittens perform at SXSW given the step up in exposure?

Jeremy Petersen / March 28, 2009
Sounds like we both took in our fair share of live music, in that case. I didn't actually see Dirty Mittens' show, nor have I found any reviews after the fact. I'll have to look, but were they there for an official showcase or a day party? Starf**ker killed it and impressed a few people, as did Blind Pilot and Loch Lomond. Of course, I was trying to see other bands than what I might see at home, so that was about it for Portland aside from Blitzen Trapper. Who did you see?

inmemoryofjohnpeel / March 28, 2009
I didn't see anyone, I was trying to get a few bands booked for the next festival. Agree with your approach to SXSW - I'd be wanting to see stuff I hadn't seen too. ScarfMucker are amazing live of course. In the UK some raging debate over the neo-soul scene and the pop girls too. I've generally liked Lily Allen's stuff, but over there she's alomost a parody and the humourists have picked up on it. There also seems to be a lot of less-than-genuine claims to 'growing up woth Motown' proven false. Very interesting was a Rough Trade documentary which, in it's new incarnation signed Duffy 4 years before she released a song (and paid her) telling her to listen and find what she wanted to say. She heard stuff like Joy Divisoin etc. that she had no idea about, then eventually she came out as Dusty Springfield re-incarnate. Word is that had she not been under RT's wing she would have won a TV talent show and released some old pop trash. Although pop, I have to say it comes across as more authentic than most to me. Have you ever played her? The worst phenomenon in the UK are the tribute bands that get the crowds in and keep out the local talent.

Jeremy Petersen / March 28, 2009
Hmm, that's interesting because I know you mostly detest the neo-soul stuff, the majority of it coming outta the UK. I say that because Duffy to me has always been one of those cheap versions of the real deal, whomever the real deal is. Just, you know, one of those cheap afterthoughts trying to cash in on the success of the first wave. Maybe I'm wrong here, and I haven't spent a lot of time with her music. I think that tribute band phenomenon is all over the place-- not just relegated to the UK, unfortunately.

inmemoryofjohnpeel / March 28, 2009
Well I don't really hate it all, I dislike some of it and don't like Duffy that much, but she seems genuine North england Pop imitation of US pop soul which is what Springfield etc were. It's a hard call, what's genuine or not. We don't disagree with the value of Gnarles Berkeley or Alice Russell... or Nina Simone come to that! The Tribute thing is all over but at least here in Portland there are many outlets and great promoters, well priced. last night I caught an unknown and badly named band Cloud City Rollers, who were in fact quite excellent.

Jeremy Petersen / March 28, 2009
So, umm, you don't like Nina Simone? Cloud City Rollers? Oh please tell me that's a Bay City Rollers tribute band!