Author Archive
Gucci Mane Arrested… Again
November 2nd, 2010 by Jared Davis
It’s about to be time to hang up your “Free Weezy” t-shirts, just in time to break out your “Free Gucci Mane” shirts. Again. It looks like the Atlanta-based rapper is once again facing jail time.
It was only a matter of time before Radric Davis, aka Gucci Mane, was going to get in trouble again. According to records, Gucci has been in Fulton County Jail on at least five separate occasions throughout the past five years on charges ranging from drugs, aggravated assault, as well as aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. This trend indicates that, in any given year, there is a 100% chance that Gucci Mane will go to jail. He was released from Fulton County Jail only a few months ago for violating parole.
This time Gucci is back in the slammer for some ridiculous traffic violations including; Driving on the wrong side of the road, running a red light or stop sign, damage to government property, obstruction, no license, no proof of insurance and other traffic charges, according to Curtis Davenport an Atlanta Police Department spokesperson.
Around 11:30 a.m. today, Tuesday 11/2, an off-duty officer noticed a white Hummer driving recklessly. when police finally caught up to the Hummer it was parked in a lot where Gucci and another individual were in a verbal dispute. When cops tried to break up the dispute, the rapper assaulted the other person, causing the police pepper spray Gucci. They brought him to Grady Memorial Hospital for a check up before being brought to his home away from home, Fulton County Jail.
For a closer look into the mind of Gucci Mane, watch the video below, and keep in mind that he was more than likely on parole when the video was recorded. We’re pretty sure he’s been on parole for almost a decade at this point.
New Website Lets You Know What The Fuck Obama Has Done So Far
November 2nd, 2010 by Jared Davis
The Democrats haven’t been able to do it, but now a website can tell you exactly what you wanted to know: What the fuck Obama has done so far.
We’re not sure when this website launched, but this is the first we’ve heard of it. And it’s next to impossible to not notice its relevance on social networks today. What the Fuck Has Obama Done So Far is a simple website (definitely not funded by the Koch Brothers) that informs visitors of what the Obama administration has accomplished over the past two years.
With just a single sentence, a link, a button, and a few social media share widgets, this website is able to accomplish something Democrats have been trying to accomplish for years. If it turns out that the DNC had anything to do with the creation of the site, I just might vote in the next election, but for now I’m just going to click the “I voted” button on Facebook so my annoying politically active friends will stop giving me shit.
Smith Westerns Return With New Song and LP
November 2nd, 2010 by Jared Davis
On their self-titled debut, the Smith Westerns’ sound was a bit like playing long lost T. Rex outtakes on an 84 Honda Civic’s blown-out stock speakers. It appears they’ve polished their sound and have a few more influences for their sophomore release “Dye It Blonde.”
“Weekend” is the second release off the album. It still has traces of the Bolanesque guitar riffs though they’re no longer as prominent. The guitars are still fuzzy, but the vocals are crystal clear — there’s more to it than just power-pop hooks and glam-rock riffs.
The first release off “Dye It Blonde” is a demo version of “Imagine Pt. 3″ which surfaced online roughly a year ago and was later released on a split seven-inch with the Magic Kids. Both of the songs are lengthier than the majority of songs on their first album, perhaps because they have an actual recording budget after signing with Fat Possum.
The blown-out glam rock of their first album made for one of the best releases of that year, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this young band evolves now that they’re on one of the major indie labels.
“Dye It Blonde” will be released on January 18th on Fat Possum.
The Smith Westerns have a few more tour dates in the U.S. left before the take off for Europe with MGMT.
“Dye It Blonde” Tracklist
Weekend
Still New
Imagine Pt. 3
All Die Young
Fallen in Love
End of the Night
Only One
Smile
Dance Away
Dye the World
Tour Dates
11-02 New York, NY – Terminal 5 #
11-03 Toronto, Ontario – Sound Academy #
11-05 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
11-12 Milwaukee, WI – Club Garibaldi
11-20 London, England – Luminaire
11-21 London, England – Brixton Windmill
11-22 Paris, France – FMR *
11-23 Landshut, Germany – Wintergarden
11-24 Frankfurt, Germany – Sinkkasten
11-26 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Trouw
11-27 Cologne, Germany – King Georg
11-29 Dusseldorf, Germany – Stahlwerk ^
11-30 Hamburg, Germany – Docks ^
12-01 Gothenburg, Sweden – Eriksberg
12-02 Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene ^
12-03 Stockholm, Sweden – Berns ^
12-04 Copenhagen, Denmark – Vega ^
12-06 Berlin, Germany – Columbiahalle ^
12-07 Munich, Germany – Tonhalle ^
12-08 Vienna, Austria – Gasometer ^
12-10 Prague, Czech Republic – Archa Theatre ^
12-11 Bologna, Italy – Covo
12-12 Milan, Italy – Alcatraz ^
12-13 Zurich, Switzerland – Maag Hall ^
12-14 Lyon, France – Le Transbordeur ^
12-15 Bordeaux, France – Saint EX
12-16 Barcelona, Spain – Razzmatazz ^
12-17 Madrid, Spain – La Riviera ^
12-18 Lisbon, Portugal – Campo Pequeno ^
# with Florence & the Machine
* with Wavves
^ with MGMT
Total Slacker Releases Video For ‘Crystal Necklace’
October 27th, 2010 by Jared Davis
Brooklyn’s Total Slacker have released their first music video for “Crystal Necklace” and it’s full of crystals, necklaces, and other imagery.
The video debuted on Pitchfork, and is a well-shot low budget freak out directed by Matthew Caron. It features all sorts of fun things including the ghost from Pac-man (I believe it’s Blinky), as well as a ghost made out of a tropical bed sheet and sunglasses haunting some poor girl. Once you add lead singer Tucker Rountree’s signature bowl cut and a My Little Pony attached to the head stock of his guitar, and you’ve got yourself some entertainment.
If fan videos are more your thing, there’s also one courtesy of some bored, and presumably drunk or stoned, college kids in their dorm room. I’d recommend checking out both.
The “Crystal Necklace” seven-inch is out now on Impose Records.
Heavy Hawaii Debut EP Now Streaming
October 27th, 2010 by Jared Davis
It’s getting cold outside, but San Diego’s Heavy Hawaii have put out an EP that’s perfect for closing your eyes and imagining those lazy summer days spent wasting away in the sun
Heavy Hawaii has already been featured as a band to watch, only after two tracks. Those two tracks join four more for their debut EP “HH,” out now on Art Fag Recordings. Thanks to the fine folks over at Art Fag, as well as Friendship Bracelet and Altered Zones, you can stream the whole EP now.
There isn’t a better set of songs coming out this fall to take you out of your winter blues and bring you back to the days of sipping mimosas in the park and trying to pick up girls with your friend’s dog.
Heavy Hawaii “HH” by Art Fag Recordings
Rapper T.I. Goes Back To Jail For 11 Months
October 15th, 2010 by Jared Davis
A federal judge ordered rapper T.I. back to jail for 11 months for violating probation, proving that hot-boxing in the state of California is in fact a serious crime.
The ruling stems from T.I.’s September 1st arrest when cops arrested the rapper and his wife after suspecting the two of smoking weed. After searching the car, officers found ecstasy and amphetamines in the vehicle.
The day after the arrest, T.I. was ordered to take a drug test, in which he tested positive for marijuana and codeine, the key ingredient in lean.
The arrest and the positive drug tests were violations of T.I.’s parole from his previous arrest on gun charges, for which he spent 10 months behind bars.
T.I. begged the judge to have mercy, pleading that he has a drug problem and needs help, and saying that he “screwed up.”
The sentence comes only two days after T.I. talked a man down from jumping off a 22-story building.
Apparently in California, if you’re a white actress or hotel heiress/porn-star who has nothing to offer you get off easier than a black rapper who saves lives.
Keith Richards Reveals Mick Jagger Has A Tiny Johnson And Is ‘Unbearable’
October 15th, 2010 by Jared Davis
Keith Richards’ long awaited autobiography, entitled “Life,” is set for release later this month. He has a few things to say about his longtime friend and bandmate, most of which aren’t too flattering.
'Get away from me, needle dick.'
In his autobiography, Richards delivers the ultimate low-blow by saying Jagger has, as he put it, a “tiny todger.”
He reveals that Marianne Faithful, Jagger’s long-time partner who also had a fling with Richards, said she “had no fun with his [Jagger's] tiny todger. I know he’s got an enormous pair of balls – but it doesn’t quite fill the gap.”
In the book, Richards also says, “It was the beginning of the eighties when Mick started to become unbearable.” As evidence, we’d like to add that this statement can be backed up by Jagger’s solo albums from that era.
Jagger, who has read the book, only asked for one thing to be left out of the book—surprisingly, it wasn’t either of these statements. The only thing he wanted omitted was the part about his having a vocal coach. According to Jagger, he’d rather be an unbearable person with a small penis than the type of person who has a vocal coach—which in a weird way kind of makes sense for Jagger.
Mick Jagger isn’t the only one Richards takes a shot at, though. He goes after early guitarist Brian Jones, which shouldn’t be a surprise from what has been documented about their relationship. Jones was known to be a womanizer in his day; it’s speculated that he has as many illegitimate kids as Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
In the book Richards wrote about Jones’s relationship with Anita Pallenberg, with whom Richards went on to have three children. Richards writes, “I learned later just how violent Brian had already become with her as the downward slide began, throwing knives, glass, punches at her, forcing her to barricade herself behind sofas.”
This book isn’t just about talking shit on bandmates, Richards also opens up about his drug-crazed past as well as how he thought Johnny Depp was his son’s drug dealer for two years—until one day at dinner he realized, “Woah, Scissorhands.”
“Life” will be released October 26, making it the perfect place to gather awkward stories with which you can later pepper already-awkward family gatherings during the holiday season.
CVS Is The Reason Your Redneck Uncle Is A Meth-Addict
October 14th, 2010 by Jared Davis
In what turns out to be the largest civil penalty under the Controlled Substance Act, CVS Pharmacy agrees to pay $75 million in fines for allowing customers to make repeat purchases of a key ingredient in making meth.
Bitchin' wizard staff
For all you people who don’t watch “Breaking Bad” one of the key ingredients in meth, pseudoephedrine, can be found in most common cold medicines. This is why in the past five years most of these products have been put behind the counter and customers have been limited to how much they can purchase. Even going as far as being put on a watch list if they make multiple purchases in a certain period of time.
It appears CVS saw a way to make money off of this, and the way they made money was by not doing either of these things. This unethical business plan finally caught up to them.
It came to federal agents’ attention during 2008 in Southern California when authorities arrested several people for unlawful possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture meth. When asked how these people obtained all the pseudoephedrine, they ratted out CVS, the largest U.S. pharmacy chain.
U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. said, “CVS knew it had a duty to prevent methamphetamine trafficking, but it failed to take steps to control the sale of a regulated drug used by methamphetamine cooks as an essential ingredient for their poisonous stew.”
Not only will CVS have to pay the $75 million by Friday. They will also have to forfeit $2.6 million in profits from their help in making the “poisonous stew.”
Thomas Ryan, chairman and CEO of parent company CVS Caremark said, “To make certain this kind of lapse never takes place again, we have strengthened our internal controls and compliance measures and made substantial investments to improve our handling and monitoring of (pseudoephedrine) by implementing enhanced technology and making other improvements in our stores and distribution centers.”
By implementing an ethics and compliance program and agreeing to pay the fine, CVS will not face any potential criminal charges.
Magnetic Fields Documentary ‘Strange Powers’ Coming Soon
October 14th, 2010 by Jared Davis
Stephin Merritt, the prolific frontman of The Magnetic Fields, is a bit of a recluse. He generally keeps to himself, only leaving home to go to gay bars, which he finds to be the best place to write songs. This is why it’s great news that there’s a new documentary coming out about Merritt and his band.
“Strange Powers” has received rave reviews at film festivals and it’s finally now going to receive a theatrical release. The trailer starts with an awkward conversation with a cabby who is surprised to find out that the man he is driving around is a semi-celebrity, whom he’s never heard of.
Just based on the trailer and the reviews, the film looks like an entertaining look inside the head of Merritt and his relationship with friend/manager/bandmate Claudia Gonson.
The film will open October 27 at Film Forum in New York City. The band and the filmmaker will be present at the 8:10 showings on the 27th and the 29th to answer questions. The film will open in secondary cities throughout November and December. Head over to the film’s website to see if your city will be one of the lucky ones.
Death and Taxes Debut: The So So Glos’ ‘Fred Astaire’
October 13th, 2010 by Jared Davis
If you’re into energetic, poppy, punk with squeaky clean production, look no further than The So So Glos.
The Brooklyn band known for starting the infamous all-ages DIY venue Market Hotel is back with a brand new EP titled “Low Back Chain Shift.”
The EP clocks in at 13 minutes, and the band didn’t waste any time getting things started. The lead-off track, “Fred Astaire,” is a high-energy dance-punk anthem where hints of Elvis Costello shine through its glossy production. They couldn’t have done a better job at setting the pace for their new release than sounding things off with this track.
“Low Back Chain Shift” was released on 10/12/10 on Green Owl Records.
The So So Glos will be returning to New York to play Force Field’s CMJ Showcase at Pianos on October 22nd.
Listen to “Fred Astaire” here:
“Fred Astaire” by So So Glos
CMJ: Bands To See
October 12th, 2010 by Jared Davis
CMJ is coming soon, and there’s no way to see even a quarter of the bands that will be playing. To make things easier we’ve compiled a cheat sheet of the best acts to see at this year’s CMJ.
We will be posting features and interviews with the artists below leading up to CMJ, but for now this should help you plan out your week:
Barreracudas - Saturday (Night) @ Cake Shop
Beach Fossils – Wednesday (Night) @ The Rock Shop, Thursday (Day) @ Pianos
The Beets – Tuesday (Night) @ Shea Stadium
Big Freedia – Friday (Night) @ Southpaw, Saturday (Night) @ Santos Party House
CoolRunnings – Thursday (Day) @ Pianos, Friday (Night) @ Knitting Factory
Crocodiles – Friday (Night) @ Bowery Ballroom, Saturday (Night) @ Public Assembly
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – Wednesday (Day) @ Cake Shop, Wednesday (Night) @ Bruar Falls, Wednesday (Night) @ Santos Party House, Thursday (Night) @ Studio at Webster Hall, Friday (Night) @ Mercury Lounge
Dead Gaze – Tuesday (Night) @ Shea Stadium, Saturday (3:50pm) @ Bruar Falls, Saturday (Night) @ Cake Shop
Dent May – Wednesday (Day) @ Pianos, Thursday (Night) @ Cake Shop
DOM – Wednesday (Night) @ Santos Party House, Saturday (Night) @ Bowery Ballroom
The Drums – Wednesday (Night) @ Webster Hall
Flight – Saturday (8:50pm) @ Bruar Falls, Saturday (Night) @ Don Pedro, Saturday (Night) @ Cake Shop
Fluffy Lumbers – Friday (Night) @ Shea Stadium
Frankie Rose & The Outs – Thursday (Night) @ Don Pedro, Friday (Night) @ Coco66
Gold Panda – Saturday (Day) @ Southpaw, Saturday (Night) @ Public Assembly
Happy Birthday – Tuesday (Night) @ Irving Plaza
Heavy Hawaii – Saturday (Night) @ Don Pedro)
Marnie Stern – Wednesday (Day) @ Cake Shop, Wednesday (Night) @ Santos Party House, Saturday (Night) @ The Delancey
Prince Rama – Wednesday (Day) @ Cake Shop, Wednesday (Night) @ Don Pedro, Thursday (6pm) @ Elizabeth Foundation For The Arts, Thursday (Night) @ Cake Shop
Salem – Tuesday (Night) @ Santos Party House
Screaming Females – Wednesday (Night) @ Showpaper 42nd St Gallery, Thursday (Night) @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Sisters – Friday (Night) @ Don Pedro, Saturday (Day) @ Cake Shop
The So So Glos – Friday (Night) @ Pianos, Sunday (Day) @ Silent Barn
Total Slacker – Thursday (Night) @ Don Pedro, Saturday (7pm-acoustic) @ McCarren Park
Ty Segall – Saturday (Night) @ Knitting Factory
Woven Bones – Thursday (Night) @ Don Pedro, Thursday (Night) @ Shea Stadium, Friday (Night) @ Pianos, Saturday (11pm) @ Bruar Falls, Saturday (Night) @ Don Pedro
You can head to Oh My Rockness to see a full list of shows during CMJ.
Fat Possum Sign Tennis
October 7th, 2010 by Jared Davis
Earlier this year Tennis released a seven-inch that caught the eye of many critics. It apparently also got the attention of Fat Possum.
Fat Possum announced today that their newest artist is Tennis. The band’s currently working on their debut LP which is set to be released in January. The husband-wife duo from Denver have a few upcoming shows, including some opening for their new labelmates, The Walkmen.
Tennis played a sweaty show at Brooklyn’s Glassands that was captured by Chocolate Bobka, so if you can’t wait until their tour and are craving a live performance, you’re in luck.
10-16 Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room *%
10-17 Boulder, CO – Fox Theater *%
11-11 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo $
11-12 Claremont, CA – Pomona College
11-13 Visalia, CA – Cellar Door
11-14 San Francisco, CA – Hotel Utah
11-16 Portland, OR – Holocene
11-17 Seattle, WA – Crocodile
11-24 Denver, CO – Bluebird #
12-02 New York, NY – Terminal 5 *
12-03 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club *
* with the Walkmen
% with Japandroids
$ with Sonny & the Sunsets
# with Gauntlet Hair
