Spoon Scoops Panel

Mild-mannered shoeshine boys no more, Texas indie heroes Spoon (Merge) hit the top of the Mediaguide Specialty chart with their aptly titled “The Underdog,” which increased its spins on the panel by more than 33%. Their album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, likewise jumps from 5-3 on the Album chart. It was a good week for Merge: Swedish exports Shout Out Louds (Bud Fox/Merge) stay at #3 on the song chart with “Tonight I Have To Leave It,” while the full-length, Our Ill Wills, remains firmly ensconced in the Top 5. Last week’s #1 song, Editors’ “Smoking Outside the Hospital Doors” (Epic), remains strong at #2 this week, while album An End Has a Start hangs in at #4. The big mover this week was ubiquitous DJ/producer Mark Ronson (RCA), who rolled a pair of sevens--“Valerie” jumped from 30-7 on the singles chart, while the album, Version, went from 17-7. Looks like all that time Mark has spent DJing in Las Vegas is paying off! The big debut on the song chart is Parisian club bangers Justice (Because/Ed Banger/Vice) with “D.A.N.C.E.,” which enters the ranks at #7. Meanwhile, indie godfathers They Might Be Giants (Idlewild/Zoe) also made some impressive moves: full-length The Else leapt 46-13 on the album side, while single “I’m Impressed” likewise advanced 26-9. Color us impressed, too.

Record Of The Week: Scissors For Lefty

ROADHOUSE – When discussions of cinematic classics occur, it’s rare to hear mention of “Roadhouse,” the late ’80s vehicle featuring Patrick Swayze as the best and toughest bouncer in the land…conveniently ignoring the fact that Swayze stands all of five-foot-five and might weigh 125 pounds when freshly out of the shower. Still, the owner of the “Double Deuce” club in Jasper, Missouri--a place where the patrons are so tough, eyeballs are swept off the floor with some regularity--brings in Swayze’s character of James Dalton to turn the bar around. Because, really--who wouldn’t be intimidated by a featherweight bouncer sporting an elfin pompadour? Well, Brad Wesley, for one: he controls Jasper in a style reminiscent of Boss Hogg and immediately clashes with Swayze’s Dalton, leading to an appearance by Sam Elliot as Dalton’s old mentor. To see a scene of Swayze layin’ down the law at the Double Deuce, simply click HERE.

Perez Hilton needs no introduction as far as I’m concerned, however for those of you who haven’t had the chance to check out his blog in the past, I suppose I’ll give you a briefing.  He’s gay and has a LOT of pull, no pun intended... Check this.. Blender made the bold statement of saying that “Perez Hilton is the new Pitchfork” recently, a statement which made a lot of people take a closer look at what he’s actually doing with his blog.  It’s a fairly simple formula, get people to come back for more every single day.  Many people will never admit to actually reading his blog (like many don’t admit to owning a Creed album, ha!!) however in both cases the numbers don’t lie... PerezHilton.com gets twice as many page views than Stereogum, Pitchfork and Hype Machine .... combined!!  While the blog is not exactly a music blog, you can’t deny the impact it can have when you have a captive audience that trusts what he writes about, or is at least intrigued by it.  When asked about Perez’s influence on Amy Winehouse, Universal Music President Monte Lipman said “The site is making a huge difference.”  I can’t imagine how many label reps, new media kids, managers, unsigned artists etc are sending their crappy demo tapes to Perez in hopes that he writes about it, and who can blame them? With features on Time, Forbes, LA Weekly, LA Times, MSNBC, and ABC News among many others, it is undeniable that there is a lot of buzz on this kid, so check it out!  Hell, hushhush ATTACK’s very-own Molly Peters swears by his blog, which should be all the convincing you need!!

Gods of Blitz “New Wave Wipe-Out” – Hailing from Berlin, Germany and Gothenburg, Sweden, the rockin’ quartet Gods of Blitz are moving past their pan-European boundaries and rapidly gaining acclaim worldwide. Need examples? Well, Rolling Stone Australia raved, “[T]hey cut a punchy swathe through the Hives’ precision and panache and early Strokes guitar interplay and inherent hipness,” while Drum Magazine (Australia) enthused, “Here we have a band that may just become Germany’s first international indie-pop rock stars.” The excitement is spreading to American shores, too--among the specialty tastemakers spinning “New Wave Wipe-Out” are Brian Oake’s “Freedom Rock” on KTCZ Minneapolis, Andy Langer’s “Next Big Thing” on KROX Austin, Divakar’s “New Music & Indie Label Show” on WEND Charlotte, Alf’s “Adventure University” on KTCL Denver and our old pal Jonathan L’s “Lopsided World of L” on KUPD Phoenix. To hear “New Wave Wipe-Out” and view videos from the four-piece, hit up their MySpace page HERE or listen to single, “New Wave Wipe-Out” HERE.

Corey O'Brien

hhA!: Corey, is it true that you worked with Rick Dees at KIIS FM Los Angeles prior to X96?

COB: “No, I really have no experience aside from this gig [though] there were a few David Mamet scenes I nailed in ‘Acting for Theatre 1100’ at the University of Utah. It began when I was in High School, senior year, working in a music store. There was an internship program the West Jordan High was test-driving. My counselor tried to talk me out of participating--when I wanted to not only go into the program but intern for radio. He argued it wouldn’t lead anywhere. He was a piece of shit. I went from working at a music store to working in radio. What a transition--something akin to a smoker finally getting lung cancer.” 

hhA!: How have things changed in radio since you’ve been in the field?

COB: “I fear I’m a part of the last generation to see an actual cart deck or have to work for my paycheck, firing off elements one by one. We don’t seem to have the freedom we once did. They get away with more indecency on Fox News than I can at 11pm. Not that I want to shock anyone, but when a guy can’t play ‘Detachable Penis’ in Salt Lake we have lost a once great use of public airspace.”

hhA!: How important is the station’s online presence? Do you stream?

COB: “We are in the midst of upgrading our stream, as a matter of fact. We are also redesigning the entire site. It is always an experiment. I want to consolidate everything. With the web it is easy to get scattered and so in-your-face that a web page can make you want to puke rather than participate in information gathering. If my five-year-old brother can navigate it we are on the right track.”

hhA!: For the label and radio guys out there (and for hhA!), what is the deal with Grapes Into Wine and O’Brien Public Radio. What music are you looking for? I’m confused.

COB: “‘Grapes Into Wine’ is my now-defunct weekly update newsletter that updated my specialty playlist and an occasional slice of life behind the Zion Curtain. I will return with a new newsletter soon, called either ‘All Times Are Call Times’ or ‘The Don’t Waste My Time Sending Me Shit That Sounds Like Hinder or Nickelback Tribune.’ The material I’m looking for are hits. That being said, I will buckle to audience demand. David Cross once said these bands sing the kinds of lyrics, ‘written by 14 year-old girls coming out of the mouth of 40 year old men.’ I avoid those songs because I am against literary pedophilia--unless your last name is Nabokov.”

hhA!: What do you see yourself doing in the future in terms of radio/entertainment?

COB: “Entertaining listeners by putting them on the air and introducing them to new music. It is important to keep radio relevant. Oh, and keeping myself employed.”