So - what the are YOU gonna be doing on Saturday, April 17? Summary executions for all who patronize Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart that day.

By Blurt Staff

A missive from the good folks behind Record Store Day. Guarantee: all dialogue reported verbatim. This has been a public service announcement - with vinyl!

As 2009, the Year of the Ox, aka the Year We All Want Wiped From Our Memories finally came to a close ushering in the Year of the Tiger, many businesses across the board were left nearly decimated. The unemployment rate had soared to a staggering 10% (on record), underemployment was at 17%, while property foreclosures remain at an all time high, all this while incomes became increasingly less proportionate to the cost of health care, real estate and general cost of living.

The music biz, already beat up from the preceding years of abuse precipitated largely (and arguably), from the industry's quick-to-condemn/slow-to-adapt reaction to the digital age, was not immune. Whereas the great big chains, (Virgin, Tower Records, et al), had pretty much reached their demise before the great big freefall, indie music retailers worldwide, reliant on passionate niche clientele, were also really starting to feel the burn as disposable incomes became, well, less disposable.

Enter Record Store Day, a now global event set this year for Saturday, April 17th-a single day in celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 1,400 independently owned record stores worldwide-- one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music.

Notable/platinum-selling artists have rallied for the cause by issuing everything from quotable shots in the arm to doing in-store appearances and performances to releasing exclusive/special product for indie retailers.

For example, this year, Billy Corgan's label, Rocket Science Ventures will be doing an early release of a new EP by The Smashing Pumpkins along with a performance to fans hosted by Amoeba Records and Urban Outfitters in Los Angeles on Record Store Day. Corgan says, "I used to work at an indie record shop so I'll always have a soft spot for the places where I still go to find the most vital music, whether new or still hidden."

Among other notable luminaries who have participated in Record Store Day in some significant way, shape or form, include Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Radiohead, Eminem, Lil' Wayne, Jay Z, Bruce Springsteen, Wilco, Queens Of The Stone Age and Kanye West.

Last year's Record Store Day can take credit for an extraordinary spike in traffic to the stores on that specific day, largely due to the limited availability of more than a handful of exclusive releases. When RSD launched in 2008 there were approximately $10,000 products made and sold on the day. By 2009, this increased to over $250,000. According to Soundscan, overall indie retail sales on Record Store Day 2009 grew 21% from the prior year, and organizers expect this to be closer to $500,000 this year. Record Store Day is now the biggest retail sales day of many indie stores, surpassing Christmas.

Vinyl sales were remarkably high, with a growth spurt from RSD 2008 to 2009 by a whopping 225%. For example, 30% of all products sold at the Coachella Record Store Day store in 2009 were vinyl. In addition, DVD sales for the indie retail sector grew 13.8% on RSD from the prior year, as well.

However, getting folks into the record stores to buy product is just one part of the event's raison d'etre. As well, Record Store Day is about focus and support for a mere faction of an ailing industry, but one that can arguably be looked upon as its heart and soul. This, not only because the indie music stores, run by passionate music lovers, cater to the passionate record buyers, but also because, from a solely economic standpoint, the indie music stores are now responsible for 10% of all record sales in the United States, alone. In general, the percentage of sales that the indie retail community represents grew from about 7% in early 2009 to closer to 10% in early 2010, which indicates that the indie sector is now more focused and growing.

Perhaps the grandest example of that growth is the aforementioned Amoeba Records in California. Supporting 3 fantastically stocked and staffed stores (Los Angeles, San Francisco and Berkeley), Amoeba is one of the most trafficked outposts for independent music in the country.

On the other side of the world exists the longstanding, uber-influential, London-based retailer, Rough Trade Records. Not just a record store, but a viable "brand," Rough Trade also houses a record label and promotes shows around the city. Most notably, they recently opened another 5,000 square foot space in the East End complete with coffee shop, performance stage, exhibition space, and an internet center.

Indie retailer, Dimple has 6 thriving locations in the Sacramento area and in addition to music sales, regularly host in-store performances and contests.

The lasting success of Criminal Records in Atlanta, the city's largest and most popular indie music store, can be attributed to well, pure passion, engaging the local music community as much as possible. Store owner, Eric Levin adds, "We're heading towards our twentieth year better than ever. Sales are down somewhat, sure, this is America 2010, but we've never had more fun. We produce music, promote shows, throw parties, listen to music 24/7, read comics, play with toys and talk to pretty girls all day long."

Waterloo Records in Austin remains thee pilgrimage point for the throngs of music folk (over)attending the South by Southwest conference in March. Hosting regular in-store performances, Waterloo is one of the most successful music retailers in the country, with consistent yearly revenues above their profit margin.

Washington DC's CD Warehouse continues to thrive, benefited from a great location on M Street, where the foot traffic is especially heavy. The store also attributes their good clientele to fair pricing, a knowledgeable staff and an extensive stock of imported product.

Other noteworthy retailers include Boise, Idaho's Record Exchange, Seattle's Easy Street Records, New York City's J&R Music World, who, at last year's event, played host to a ceremony including Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Official Declaration of Record Store Day. There's also Denver's awesome, Twist & Shout, Rockaway Records in Los Angeles, Rasputin Music in the Bay Area, Boston's Newbury Comics and Minneapolis' Electric Fetus (the store who's shirt Ringo Starr sported at the Grammys).

The cold hard fact is that the past year did still see the closing of dozens of independent music stores, some of which had been in business for decades. Certain markets were more profoundly affected by the fiscal collapse than others and can cite factors such as location and state or city economics as culprits. That said, the ingenuity and staying power of the independent music retailer stands as a front-line barometer for the rest of industry- generally, those who stay in it are those labels, independent contractors, managers, booking agents and artists whose passion gives birth to the smartest, most innovative and adaptable and inclusive ideas.

A worthy example of this is Junketboy Distribution. Formed in 2002, Junketboy was launched to give indie record retailers a competitive edge within the retail music industry.

By providing indie retailers with special releases, including exclusives, rarities, tour items, live releases, merchandise, toys, books, etc., Junketboy gives the true music fan the opportunity to find quality,  collectible, hard-to-find pieces and to support their local, independent retail community.

Owned and operated by the Coalition of Independent Music Stores, Junketboy sells directly to over 400 customers, including direct indie store accounts, one-stops and importer/exporters and has over 2,000 titles in its catalog ranging from partnerships with Pearl Jam and The Black Keys/Damon Dash hip-hop project Blakroc, to special releases from John Mayer, Kings of  Leon, Phish, Beck, My Morning Jacket, Beastie Boys to hundreds of independent and developing artist releases.

Michael Bunnell, Executive Director of Junketboy Distribution and the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS), states, "Junketboy was created to service and partner with independent record  stores across the country. We are proud to continue our support of indie record store culture as a founding and active member of Record Store Day. By helping indie stores survive in today's ever-changing music retail world by providing quality special releases, Junketboy Distribution hopes to make every day Record Store Day."

Out with the ox, in with the tiger...

Record Store Day is managed by the Music Monitor Network and is organized in partnership with the Alliance of Independents Music Stores (AIMS), the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) and celebrates the culture of independent record stores by playing host to in-store events/performances, signings and special product releases on a global scale. It takes place on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

Record Store Day Sponsors:

Crosley Radio, EMI Distribution, Fontana Distribution, Gotta Groove, NARM, RED Distribution, Sony Music, Universal Music Distribution, Vivendi Entertainment, WEA Distribution, and Warner Bros. Records.

For more information on exclusive Record Store Day events, products and participants, visit http://www.recordstoreday.com

Offers version of "When My Baby's Beside Me" via his MySpace page.

By Fred Mills

Wow - cover songs don't get much better than this.

In the wake of Alex Chilton's sad, far-too-premature passing, the accolades and remembrances from the music community have been coming fast and furious - among them, musical tributes, such as the one by Jeffrey Dean Foster and Mitch Easter, a cover of "Ballad of El Goodo," that we posted to the Blurt site the other day.

Now comes a positively spot-on version of Big Star's "When My Baby's Beside Me" recorded by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit and posted yesterday to Isbell's MySpace page. Seriously - it kicks ass, and any fan of Chilton and Big Star will not be disappointed. The band cut it last year during sessions for their self-titled album (reviewed here at Blurt). Thanks Jason - you went above and beyond.

***

In other Chilton/Big Star news, in Austin at SXSW there was some concern about the fate of the Big Star showcase tonight (Saturday) at Antone's. It's on, and is now being billed as "Big Star - A Tribute to Alex Chilton." Apparently the band's Jody Stephens, Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer talked with Chilton's widow and decided that turning it into a tribute was in order, and they've lined up a slew of guests to perform including Chuck Prophet, X's John Doe, R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, indie-folk singer M. Ward, the dB's Chris Stamey, and Doug Garrison and René Coman (pals of Chilton who had played with him many times over the years).

Blurt blogger and shutterbug Scott Dudelson is roaming the highways and clubways of Austin this week and he's got the photos to prove it. Check out his report from Wednesday, March 17, and Thursday, March 18, as well as his regular photo blog.

By Scott Dudelson

Friday, March 19

(above) Emily Haines of Metric @ Stubbs

(below) Metric @ Stubbs

Mike Mills of R.E.M. @ Ghost Bar

Wayne Kramer @ Ghost Bar

Billy Bragg & Wayne Kramer @ Ghost Bar

Billy Bragg @ Don't Mess With Texas

Frightened Rabbit @ Don't Mess With Texas

Audible Mainframe @ Spin Party

Foxy Shazam @ Spin Party

Fucked Up @ Spin Party

Miike Snow @ Spin Party

Rogue Wave @ Spin Party

Wooden Birds @ Mohawk

Steel Train @ Encore

Citizen Cope @ SXSW Day Stage

Diane Birch @ SXSW Day Stage

Jakob Dylan & Neko Case @ SXSW Day Stage

Dead Confederate @ Little Radio Party

***

Scott Dudelson is a music journalist and concert photographer based in Los Angeles.  Scott is also the Chief Operating Officer of Prodege, LLC, the company behind www.swagbucks.com.

Massively influential journalist and author operated on the frontlines of the music industry.

By Fred Mills

Charlie Gillett, British journalist, archivist, artist manager, label operator and author of seminal rock tome The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll, passed away Wednesday, March 17, from a series of health complications. (He apparently had been diagnosed with Churg-Strauss syndrome a few years ago.) Gillett was 68; he is survived by his wife Buffy plus children Suzy, Jody and Ivan.

Commenting on Gillett's passing, noted UK music critic Barney Hoskyns noted, "Charlie's contributions to music are too numerous to be listed here. Briefly, he was the author of TSOTC (1970); he was the host of the wonderful "Honky Tonk" show on Radio London; he co-managed Ian Dury's Kilburn & the High Roads; and founded Oval Records, enjoying a No. 1 hit with Paul Hardcastle's '19'; and he played a massive role in introducing world music to the UK, on both radio and record."

During the ‘70s both English and American music fans were aware of Gillett's sparkling writing style, as he contributed regularly to both the NME over there and Rolling Stone on these shores. His influence spread even further when, as the host of the "Honky Tonk" show on Radio London, he helped break the likes of Dire Straits, Graham Parker and Elvis Costello.  He remained active in various capacities throughout the decades, most recently broadcasting his "Charlie Gillett's World of Music" on the BBC. A good overview of Gillett's backstory can be viewed at his Wikipedia page.

On a personal note: by 1970-72 I was a music-obsessed teenager steadily moving away from the AM radio mainstream but, as I was living in a small Southern textile town at the time, with limited avenues for discovering musical alternatives. Copies of Rolling Stone, Crawdaddy, Phonograph Record Magazine and even the very occasional Melody Maker and NME would find their way in to my hands like gifts from heaven. Among the greatest gift, however, was a battered copy of The Sound Of The City, which an older hippie friend bequeathed to me with the kind of conspiratorial wink generally reserved for drug transactions: "This will open your eyes, brother," he said.

And indeed it did - my ears, too, as I made it my mission to track down music by as many artists mentioned in the book as possible. Gillett brought to life a primal strand of rock ‘n' roll I'd only heard in passing or never even knew existed, and he helped set me down the road of discovery just as surely as any of the aforementioned music magazines all those years ago.

May he rest in peace.

Check out Charlie Gillett's personal website.

[Photo Credit: Philip Ryalls]

Look good, have fun, leave a little mystery: that, they most certainly did, as evidenced on the new archival set, due from KRS next week. Check out the video, below.

By Joe Warminsky

When Kill Rock Stars released Kleenex/LiLiPUT (The Complete Recordings) in 2001, the two-CD set truly was a gift: Until then, the Swiss band's music -- minimalist and womanly, odd but accessible -- was legendary to the Robert Christgaus and Greil Marcuses of the world, but it was virtually inaccessible to average record-shoppin' Americans. You either could hunt down the mega-rare late-'70s/early-'80s vinyl (good luck with that), or you could send $30 to an obscure mail-order label in Switzerland for an earlier version of the compilation CD. Anecdotal evidence suggests that most people waited for the Kill Rock Stars release.

A decade later, Kleenex/ LiLiPUT may be less of an enigma -- there are clips on YouTube, natch -- but the oft-changing, mostly female band is just as important: If it once was a riot-grrrl totem, it's now a valuable example of how to be, in the broadest sense, indie as hell. (They were big enough, however, that the tissue company pressured them to change their name in 1980.)  Live Recordings, TV-Clips & Roadmovie, a new self-explanatory DVD/CD combo from KRS, compiles two live shows, six great TV clips (three as Kleenex, three as LiLiPUT), and their 30-minute film, Roadmovie, which documents a 1982 European tour.

The CD's live shows, both remastered, are for die-hards and completists. The 1979 Kleenex show in Biel is scrappy and intimate, and the 1983 LiLiPUT show in Zurich confirms that the group had become an art-punk powerhouse by then. If the goal is a fresh look at things, however, then Roadmovie, is the real selling point here. There are no performances, and the Super 8 footage is typical band-on-the-run fare: rest stops, cigarette breaks, friendly dogs, highway signs, snacks, blurry headlights, tourist traps, people mugging for the camera, and so on. But it has an undeniable timelessness: The editing is snappy; the soundtrack is nothing but the band's songs; and everybody looks eternally cool, as if you could've dropped them comfortably into any watershed indie scene in the nearly 30 intervening years. It's slightly hypnotic.

And there's the lesson for any band with a van, an ever-present Flip camera and a documentary jones: Look good, have fun, leave a little mystery, and let your music do the talking.

Virtuoso bluegrass/roots/rock combo will make your head spin.

By Blurt Staff

Progressive twang-grass merchants Cornmeal, of Chicago, have a new live album, Live in Chicago, IL Vol. I, available, recorded live last year at Martyrs' in the Windy City, and this one is designed to pay tribute to the fans. Anyone who's ever seen the band in concert - the BLURT crew caught ‘em last December at the annual Warren Haynes Christmas pre-Jam Jam - knows what that means ‘cos this group positively smokes.

In the winter of 2000, a band stepped on stage for the first time and called themselves Cornmeal.  For the next six years, Cornmeal performed each and every Wednesday in Chicago to small yet loyal crowds.  Throughout the winters of 2007-2009, Cornmeal returned to Chicago to pay homage to that tradition.  This album is for the fans as a thank you for all the years of dedication, for believing in Cornmeal, and for creating a wonderful community for them to come home to. 

Unlike Cornmeal's three previous albums, Live in Chicago, IL Vol. I  captures the band in its raw, intense format, bouncing through song after song of fast paced, fierce originals and extensive improvised jams that showcase the immense talent and connectivity that have gained them so much fan appeal from coast to coast. Cornmeal is: Chris Gangi on upright bass, Dave Burlingame on Banjo, Allie Kral on fiddle, Kris Nowak on Acoustic Guitar, and John Paul Nowak on Drums. 

Heavily influenced by American roots and folk music, Cornmeal blends lightning fast tempos and impeccable harmonies into an unrivaled live performance that continues to expand upon the five-piece acoustic-electric groups' vast musical repertoire.  While steeped in the tradition of John Hartford and New Grass Revival, Cornmeal continues to forge their own path, pushing the boundaries of bluegrass, Americana and folk for a whole new generation of music lovers. With a rapidly growing fan base and ever-evolving sound, Cornmeal challenges the recipe of the bluegrass sound and live performance. 

In 2008, the band won its first Jammy award for New Groove of the Month.  The band has graced the stage at almost every major festival across the country including Bonaroo, Wakarusa, All Good, High Sierra, 10K Lakes, Del Fest, Summercamp, and Telluride Nightgrass just to name a few. They have also been fortunate enough to perform with many influential bands including Leftover Salmon, Sam Bush, John Hartford, Little Feat, The Del McCoury Band, Moe., and Dark Star Orchestra among others.

You can nab the album at Cornmeal shows or at www.cornmealinthekitchen.com and at all online outlets.

Blurt blogger and shutterbug Scott Dudelson is roaming the highways and clubways of Austin this week and he's got the photos to prove it. Check out his report from Wednesday, March 17, as well as his regular photo blog.

By Scott Dudelson

Thursday, March 18

(above) Band of Horses @ Stubbs

(below) Drive-By Truckers @ Stubbs

Broken Social Scene @ Stubbs

Athlete @ Billboard Bungalow

Sara Haze @ Billboard Bungalow

Bears In Heaven @ Mohawk

Besnard Lakes @ Emos Annex

The Lovely Feathers @ Emos Annex

Oh Mercy @ Emos Annex

Camper Van Beethoven @ Encore

Mother Hips @ Encore

Cocoon @ French Party

Dead Sexy Inc. @ French Party

The Bewitched Hands @ French Party

Damon Suomi @ Paste Party

Gringo Star @ Habana Calle

Quest For Fire @ Habana Calle

Jason Collett @ Little Radio Party

Local Natives @ Emos

Sondre Lerche @ SXSW Day Stage

The Walkman @ SXSW Day Stage

The Moondoggies @ Kayceman Party

Surfer Blood @ Club DeVille

Vivian Girls @ Club DeVille

***

Scott Dudelson is a music journalist and concert photographer based in Los Angeles.  Scott is also the Chief Operating Officer of Prodege, LLC, the company behind www.swagbucks.com.

Don't worry folks, that's not the Ku Klux Klan coming for ya - just some wacky new artwork from the Dead Weather

By Fred Mills

They're calling it Sea of Cowards and they're saying that it is "coming soon" - and not much else. Dead Weather (you may have heard of them) founder Jack White had previously been floating March as when the second album would drop, although March is about done, so unless he's got plans for a guerilla release, don't count on it. But at least they've settled on a title, and the graphic above may or may not be part of the sleeve artwork.

Meanwhile, a new digital single, "Die By The Drop" & "Old Mary" reportedly arrives next week, March 23, via White's Third Man label, although there's word that the March 23 date might not happen either. So who knows. At least the band is being consistent in its vagueness.

Anyhow, as previously announced, a US tour starts on April 15 in San Francisco, and opening for the Dead Weather will be none other than Blurt faves The Ettes (below). Yay!

South By FauxWest: SXSW Day 3

Traipsin' the light fantastic in Austin without spilling a single beer!

By Johnny Mnemonic

Ed. Note: With South By Southwest 2010 in full swing, we decided to send BLURT blogger Johnny Mnemonic, who pens the "Music Journalism 101" blog for us, to Austin and report back with his daily misadventures, er, observations. Only hitch was, he neglected to inform us that he's currently in England and won't be back in the States until the summer. "No problemo," he assured us. "I've attended SXSW numerous times since its inception in 1987. At this stage, I think I can wing it." We hereby present the erudite Mr. Mnemonic's long-distance account of this year's SXSW - as he imagines it might be going down. Guarantee: all dialogue not reported verbatim.

Read also: Day 1

Day 2

***

Day 3: Thursday, March 18

Ask any SXSW oldtimer what's the main difference between the first decade or so of the event and now, and to a person, the answer will be "the size" - many of them will complain that SXSW has gotten too big, and not without some justification. Where the festival started out as a means of spotlighting up-and-coming artists and paying tribute to a host of deserving non-mainstream musicians while also providing a means of connecting up industry professionals who didn't necessarily work for some foreign-owned corporation occupying several floors of a NYC skyscraper, in 2010 it has become, by some estimations, just one huge protracted exercise in marketing/branding and an even more protracted excuse to - not to put too fine a point on it - get really, really fucked up.

Doesn't mean it ain't a helluva lot of fun. Just sayin'.

Based on how I felt this morning when I woke up more or less in my own bed and in my own clothes but with a pair of shamrock-shaped pasties affixed to my forehead and crimson lipstick on my left earlobe, I can attest to the latter notion - the getting fucked up part. As a result, today I have promised myself to stay sober until at least 3 pm, and anyway, I want to hit some of the panels at the Convention Center. Attendees tend to frown upon someone who continually stands up, brandishing a beer, to interrupt the panelists.

Smokey Robinson is delivering the keynote address this morning and I can't miss that. On second thought, maybe I should, as the well-preserved (like, Botox quality) Motown soul legend delivers platitudes like "I'm fortunate and blessed to be able to do what I do. I'm never going to forget that, ever. Keep your feet on the ground -- and keep a thick skin." He sounds like a goddam motivational speaker. What's next, sell me a book? A couple of awkward moments do occur when interviewer and nationally known pop critic Dave Marsh apparently forgets where he is on his page of notes and asks, three times in succession, "So, is there still racism in the music industry?" A visibly amused Chuck D is spotted down front in the second row, rolling his eyes and giving the universal "what a dumb honky" up/down motion with his shoulders. The general consensus among the folks I poll later is that SXSW should have stuck with their first pick for the keynote, Lemmy from Motorhead, who reportedly got crossed off the deal when he kept insisting on being able to smoke cigarettes during the keynote session. Smokey or no Smokey, the Convention Center is smoke-free. Ha-ha, I just made that little pun up!

I go straight from the keynote to the "Does Rock and Roll Belong in a Museum?" panel, with the rhetorical thesis being, "Initially, many thought the idea of the Rock Hall was antithetical to the spirit of rock and roll. Despite its success, the question of whether rock and roll belongs in a museum persists. What efforts are being made to preserve this art form?" Things get lively almost immediately when Jim Henke, who you may recall has had more than a small hand in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, gets into a verbal sparring match with Lenny Kaye, no mean archivist himself but clearly more enamored of the immediacy of rock than its enshrinement. Onstage with the Patti Smith Group, Kaye often seems the calm at the eye of the hurricane, but here he's in full bitch-slap mode, such as the moment when he jumps up from his chair and starts screaming at Henke, "I knew Lester Bangs! He would be mortified to learn that rock music was being stuffed like a dead animal and propped up in a display case!" Journalist Ann Powers, also on the panel, but with rumors swirling about another round of pink slips coming down at the Los Angeles Times is reportedly vying for a job at the Rock Hall herself, diplomatically keeps mum through all this and busies herself updating her Facebook page and Twittering about the panel ("OMG, LK just spit on JH, I think I will get chile cheese corndog after this is over").

En route to another panel, I happen to spot Dave Marsh strolling down the corridor, barking into his cell, as a small, sweatily earnest entourage that looks suspiciously like aspiring music journalists trails in his wake. Hold on - I don't think those two African-American guys on the periphery are entourage per se, as they are doing that up/down shoulder thing. Score! SXSW meme spotted! Or at the very least, somebody's being mocked here, but far be it from me to get involved.

That next panel: "Where Goes English Folk Music?" Thesis: "English folk music has been used as a rich source of material for everyone from Bob Dylan to Devendra Banhart, but it has been frequently written off as dowdy and irrelevant. What place do old, anonymous ballads, passed down over the centuries, have in the modern pop pantheon? An exciting panel..." Whoops, no it isn't. Next.

Ergo: "Merge Makes Noise". Thesis: "Merge Records principals share stories from the book Our Noise and answer questions from author Michael Azerrad. From modest beginnings documenting the Chapel Hill scene, Merge has evolved into a highly regarded independent label nurturing significant acts such as Spoon and Arcade Fire." This is a lot of fun since it has Mac and Laura from Merge/Superchunk reading passages from the Merge oral history that was published last year while Azerrad tosses in little contextual quips. They have the audience, comprised almost exclusively of 30-somethings like myself who grew up on Merge, in a rapt state, one which turns to rowdy delight when a pair of surprise guests saunters onto the panel stage: Britt Daniel, from Spoon, and his old Elektra Records A&R nemesis Ron Laffitte. Spoon, of course, had ripped Laffitte a new one a decade ago with their "The Agony of Laffitte" single, detailing his mishandling of their career, and ultimately rendering the music executive a music industry punchline. Apparently time heals all wounds, however, for Daniel and Laffitte now embrace warmly before sitting down to join the discussion; they even laugh about their warring days, with Laffitte going so far as to call his former Elektra boss Sylvia Rhone "a serial bitch."

 At the end everyone brings out guitars, Laffitte and Azerrad included, to perform a massed version of Superchunk's "Slack Motherfucker." For an indie rock devotee like me, you couldn't ask for a better present.

Whoah - I'm starving. Time to head downtown for some grub. I text my roomie Artie, who was long gone by the time I woke up, to see if he can pick me up and drive me down to south Austin, but he doesn't hit me back, so I start walking. At the corner of 6^th and San Jacinto I spot Ann Powers camped out next to a vendor's cart, apparently making good on her Tweet. I'm in more of a barbecue mood, however, so I opt for the dude across the street whose specialty this year has turned out to be astoundingly popular: pulled pork drenched in caliente sauce and wrapped up in a massive flour tortilla. Wow, I am going to be shitting fire later tonight, but it's worth it. Maybe I can score some pain pills from someone... While squatting on the curb I spot Cary Baker, majordomo of p.r. agency Conqueroo, walking past, and I call him over to congratulate him on another Guitar Town/Conqueroo SXSW kickoff party (see yesterday's report), adding that I was still disappointed not to get my usual emailed copy of his annual compendium of SXSW day parties and events - Cary's as legendary for that as he is for his many exploits in the music biz for the past few decades. He grimaced, then explained that he actually had sent it out, but as SXSW parties have now officially outpaced the actual showcases that badgeholders and wristband wearers are paying to see, his 917-page word document (up in size somewhat from last year's 56-pager) wound up crashing servers and clogging email inboxes across the board. "Next year, I'm just gonna Twitter that shit," he added.

One thing I'm pretty excited about this evening is seeing the premiere of the rock biopic The Runaways, so I hoof it over to the Paramount Theatre. It's not bad, although the music's way better than the acting, but as it officially opens in theaters in the U.S. today, I'll let you read the reviews and decide for yourself. Meanwhile, though, in attendance are the stars, Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, plus director Floria Sigismondi and Cherie Currie from the band. Significantly, Joan Jett is not on hand, which is probably a good thing.

 After the screening, while all the girls are onstage taking applause, an obviously plastered Jacqueline Fuchs, aka "Jackie Fox," the original Runaways bassist who was essentially written out of the film due to a legal dispute, runs down front screaming obscenities and promising to "stick a goddam cherry bomb up everyone's asses before we're done here!" Apparently Fuchs/Fox and Jett have had a longstanding beef over lingering band issues, and the film has aggravated matters even further. Cat fight!

I notice Kim Fowley standing over to the side, near the left-hand exit sign, with a Cheshire-like grin. Spotting him in the audience at the Bellrays show later that night I will ask him, "So, what was that all about at the screening?" And he fills me in on the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the film, and Fuchs, and how he's "sorta been playing Joan and Jackie off each other" in his various contacts with them. "Just like I used to do with the band in the ‘70s!" he crows, beaming. I grin back, then try out that up/down shoulder thing on him. He just stares at me blankly, as if I'd asked him to recite all the American presidents in order. So much for SXSW memes.

Way back in the first paragraph I was talking about the convergence of marketing/branding and getting blitzed at SXSW: no better example of that can be found at this year's festival than at the Stone Temple Pilots' StubHub showcase at the Austin Music Hall out on the western end of the downtown area. It's almost as teeth-gratingly annoying as the Metallica show last year at Stubbs (and possibly more so since I was able to walk to Stubbs while the cab drive to the AMH costs 12 bucks), for the simple reason that Metallica and STP are, or at least should be, the antithesis of what SXSW is all about, crass commercialism dressed up to look like rebellion, with a side dish of Hooters-type girls shoving handbills into your face every time you turned around.

After waiting in line for an eternity I finally gain admittance in time to see the last song from TAB the Band, which is apparently the group that Joe Perry of Aerosmith's two sons formed, and which I'd suggest a name change to something that sticks in the mind a bit easier - like, SUCK As A Band. From the mountains of gear the group has you wouldn't expect the kind of niggling garage rock that comes out of the PA, although the main attraction here actually appears to be the four-rows-deep cougar brigade that's crowded down front, woo-hooing and high-fiving at every move the singer makes. Said brigade steadily grows in size during the wait for STP until it resembles an entire assembled nunnery minus the funky headgear. Women in their forties need to avoid camisoles and feathered hair. And those butterfly tattoos on their shoulders just make them look desperate.

The band comes on and pretty much the first thing Weiland does is make a shameless plug for product: "The reason why we're touring right now is we're about to put out a new album." And from that point on it's corporate rock by the numbers, just like it's the early ‘90s again - hey, I understand Alice In Chains is touring too! The cougar nuns go wild for all the hits and I see an army of journalists scribbling furiously whenever a new song is played, and I also see a couple of shoving matches and some beers getting tossed and some seriously stoned motherfuckers zoning out. Hey, it's an old-school RAWK SHOW, baby, none of that limp-wristed indiepop shit, and to prove it, somebody disembalms Doors guitarist Robby Krieger in time to guest on a boozy version of his old band's "Roadhouse Blues." Jeez, Robby looks like my dear departed 90-year-old granddad shortly before we had to put him on the ventilator.

I can't take this charade, so I cut out early to beat the crowd and manage to catch one of the shuttles into town. En route, a surprisingly chatty fellow passengers engages me in conversation and I soon learn he is in possession of a big ol' sackful of Percocets. This strikes me as the perfect way to revive my delicate sensibilities, having been numbed from an overdose of TAB and STP, so we engage in the time-honored barter system: we detour over to my hotel room, him huffing several lines worth of Colombia's main export and me washing down a pair o' Percs with the quarter-bottle of Tequila that somehow magically appeared on the nightstand between yesterday evening and this morning. "Boo-yahhh!" he hollers, for no particular reason, and away we go on our respective itineraries.

First stop: Prague, over on Congress, just in time for the Jim Jones Revue. Jones used to be in Thee Hypnotics, and the BLURT editors advised me not to miss him, and I am not disappointed as his group emits an amped-up take on early rock ‘n' roll that'd singe Little Richard's mustache clean off. With Kid Congo Powers' Pink Monkey Birds up next, followed by The BellRays, it's a retro rock and soul party at the Prague like nobody's business.

I realize I had promised myself to take it easy tonight, but the Percs have kicked in big time so I'm in the mood to wander and socialize. Second stop: the Encore Patio (Red River), just as Camper Van Beethoven are coming on, and they'll be followed by Cracker, which makes for a David Lowery double-dip that can't be beat. Unfortunately everyone's buzz gets shaved when, during Camper's set, Lowery gets an electrical shock, which sends him into a hissy fit: "This place is bullshit!" he screamed. "Don't ever come here again! Don't ever spend any money here if you like Camper Van Beethoven." Out of the corner of my eye I see the bartender huddling furiously with the two doormen and another bouncer, who is now glaring at Lowery like Mike Tyson about to come out of his corner. Memo to bands: don't scream at the employees of a venue, at least not until you are finished and your gear has been packed away. Sensing trouble and intent on maintaining my mellow disposition, I make my exit and decide to head down to Stubb's.

Good choice. Drive-By Truckers are in full flight when I get there, although I have to listen to them while standing in line as my "virtual reporter" pitch to the folks at the entrance doesn't work for me this time like they did Wednesday at the NPR showcase (see yesterday's report). But I'm in for Band of Horses, followed by Broken Social Scene, and here late at night in Austin under the big ol' Texas moon, the music washes over me like an emotional tsunami. I wave my arms in the air like I just don't care, knocking a few beers out of the hands of the folks on either side of me, but like I said, I just don't care.

Two Hooters girls walk past me, and in an impulsive move, I yank all their handbills away from them and toss ‘em up in the air, and as they flutter down delicately over the crowd, glistening in the multicolored Stubb's spotlights, a huge cheer erupts, which turns out to be because the Drive-By Truckers' Patterson Hood has just appeared during BSS' set to do a stage dive but in my addled state I think it's for my act of symbolic rebellion. A pair of hamhock-sized hands grabs me by the shoulders and I am escorted speedily from the venue. En route I twist around and do the up/down shoulder thing, but apparently Stubb's bouncers aren't down with the SXSW meme thing. No problemo, amigo. Life is sweet when you're young and single, a good buzz on, and partying on a national music magazine's expense account.

To be continued.

***

Johnny Mnemonic is the pseudonym of a "highly-regarded" national writer with, he advises us, over two decades' experience working as a music critic, reporter, editor and marketing consultant. We've never met him face-to-face, and he further advises he will be delivering his blogs to us via the "double blind drop-box method," whatever that is, to ensure his anonymity.

Releases first album in 15 years.

By Blurt Staff

Darla Records will be releasing on May 24 the seventh album by iconic post-punk/new wave pop craftsmen Modern English. It's titled Soundtrack, and it's the long-overdue followup to 1996's Everything Is Mad.

The group of course best known for their hit song "I Melt with You". Their classic album After the Snow (4AD: 1982) featured what became a radio/club mega-hit and MTV staple, "I Melt with You", which was used in the film Valley Girl, in more than one TV advertisement and became the flagship track on the popular Nouvelle Vague covers album.

Now as then, Modern English is smart, modern pop, firmly rooted in post-punk yet undeniably Beatle-esque. Described by Robbie Grey as, "Some real music for real people with real emotions", Soundtrack marks the convincing return of a band with a solidly recognizable, signature sound and pop sensibility. The songs ranging from the uplifting, jangle-pop with infectious, sing-along chorus and dance-able beat of "It's Ok", the record's obvious single, and the equally inspired "Blister" and "Up Here in the Brain", to dark, downtempo grooves with somber keyboard washes in which Grey sings of never-far-off blackness and suicide, "Soundtrack", "Bomb", "The Lowdown", are all characteristically introspective and consistent with Modern English's best work.

Modern English now is Robbie Grey (vocals), Steven Walker (guitar), Nik Williams (bass), Matthew Shipley (keyboards) and Jon Solomon (drums). Modern English's George Martin, Producer Hugh Jones ("I Melt With You", After The Snow, Ricochet Days, plus Simple Minds, Echo & The Bunnymen, That Petrol Emotion, Pale Saints, The Charlatans, etc.) produced Soundtrack. The album was recorded residential style - living, eating and sleeping music at Chapel Studios in the English countryside over a two month period, then mixed at Pete Townsend's studio, The Barge, on the Thames in London and mastered at Metropolis Studios, London.

Album design is by Vaughan Oliver, 23 Envelope.

Tracklist:

1. It's Ok
2. Blister
3. Bomb
4. Soundtrack
5. Call Me
6. Here Comes the Failure
7. The Lowdown
8. Up Here in the Brain
9. Deep Sea Diver
10. Antique Future
11. Fin