Iron, Copper, Timber… Shout Out Louds!

Who needs the Swedish Bikini Team when you can enjoy the Shout Out Louds instead? “Tonight I Have to Leave It” (Bud Fox/Merge) jumps from 3-1 on the Alternative Specialty Songs chart, supplanting fellow Merge artists Spoon, whose “The Underdog” drops from the top slot to number three. Holding strong in the number-two slot, meanwhile, are Editors (Epic) with “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors.” Big movers this week include some old friends and some newcomers: Smashing Pumpkins’ (Reprise) “Tarantula” leapt from 19-4, while 1990s (Rough Trade) “See You at the Lights” jumped from 20-5. Another pair of old favorites made big splashes on the Song chart: Frank Black’s “Threshold Apprehension” (Cooking Vinyl) debuted with a band at *8, while Bad Brains’ “Universal Peace” (Oscilloscope/Megaforce) bowed at #13. On the album side of things, Jack and Meg White’s triumphant White Stripes return, Icky Thump (Third Man/Warner Bros.), ascends to the top slot, while big moves on the chart are turned in by Polyphonic Spree’s The Fragile Army (Good/TVT), which moves 20-6, and the aforementioned Smashing Pumpkins, whose Zeitgeist zooms 39-7. Frank Black and Bad Brains repeat their feat from the Songs chart on the Album side, with Black’s 93-03 debuting at #11 for the highest debut of the week, while the Brains’ Build a Nation checks in at a respectable #14.

Record Of The Week: Bad Brains

STOP MAKING SENSE – A: “Stop Making Sense.” Q: What is a phrase that Rich Michalowski has never heard? hhA! Editors Note: “Thanks, Tom Maguire.”

Okay, that’s not fair (though quite fun!)…but if anyone reading this newsletter ISN’T familiar with director Jonathan Demme’s landmark Talking Heads concert film of that title, the question can’t help but be asked: Were you raised in a bubble…in Borneo? “Stop Making Sense” ranks alongside Scorsese and The Band’s “The Last Waltz” as one of the greatest concert documents ever caught on film. Filmed during a three-night stand at Hollywood’s famed Pantages Theatre in December 1983, “Stop Making Sense” captured Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and the “Big Suit”-wearing David Byrne at the peak of their creative powers, ably augmented by former Parliament/Funkadelic keyboard wizard Bernie Worrell and Brothers Johnson guitarist Alex Weir. The film is also notable for a couple of innovations: it was the first made entirely using digital audio techniques, and, unlike most previous concert films, there isn’t a single shot of the crowd until the very end, during “Crosseyed and Painless.” See a bit of their “Once in a Lifetime” performance HERE.

If I had a dollar for every time a colleague of mine in the music industry started a ‘blog’ to try and be one of the cool kids I’d probably have enough money to buy every hipster at Check Yo Ponytail a round of drinks and a Klaxons album.  It amazes me how many people are trying to write blogs now, some with stupid monikers in fear of their bosses realizing how much time they waste online, others giving “insider” information on the music industry when in actuality all that they are doing is copy/pasting what they read on VelvetRope or HITS.  Enough ranting, the point of this is that through all of the bullshit of ‘industry blogs’, there ARE a few good ones.  With that being said, allow me to introduce (or re-introduce) you to Lee Abrams’ Blog.  For those of you who don’t know who Lee Abrams is, do your research and then check out his blog.  What I love about his blog is that it’s simple and to the point.  There are no stupid flash animations, lame mp3 downloads, cheesy advertisements or anything of the like, its straight from the gut and the kicker is this – he actually knows what he’s talking about! (Well, most of the time anyway) Seriously though, he’s one of the most educated executives in the radio community that we’ve ever met.  Lastly, while most industry blogs are updated once a quarter, he’s been at it since April of 2006 so he’s earned his blogging stripes.  Allow me to pause with the ass licking ceremony and give you a moment to check out his blog, get your click on.

Girl Talk “That’s My DJ” – Girl Talk is the stage name of electronic music producer Gregg Gillis, a Pittsburgh native who’s now released three albums on the Illegal Art label. His latest effort, 2006’s Night Ripper, has attracted extravagant praise from a variety of sources--Rolling Stone hails the album as an “endlessly entertaining mega-mashup,” while Blender states, “Gillis’ craft is stunning and his tastes are exquisitely diverse,” and Pitchfork raves, “Massively recommended…the voracious music fan’s dream.” Gillis utilizes a laptop to mash together elements from as many as a dozen different songs, including such odd pairings as “Bitter Sweet Symphony” with “The Whisper Song” and “In Da Club” with “Where is My Mind?” In addition, Girl Talk attracted notice during early shows thanks to Gillis’ habit of spontaneously removing the majority of his clothing during performances. Girl Talk will be on tour throughout the summer; check his MySpace page (www.myspace.com/girltalkmusic) for specific dates, and lend your ears to the massive “That’s My DJ” HERE.

Brian Joens

hhA!: Brian, what is your background in broadcast media?

Brian: “Well, this is really going to date me, but I graduated with a Speech: Radio/Television major from the University of Northern Iowa all the way back in 1981. I worked at the college station for starters. During the weekends I hosted a 50s-60s oldies show on KCFI-AM in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Then I started interning at public stations KUNI/KHKE, where I was given the responsibility of monitoring ‘Morning Edition.’ During my early morning shift I also relieved the overnight announcer, the infamous Ivy Iverson, a then 30-something man beginning his transgender transformation to womanhood. Hell hath no fury like a man subjected to massive hormone injections and the emergence of budding breasts.

“After graduation I was hired by KKRL-FM in Carroll, Iowa. It was freeform FM radio that played stuff hardly anybody would touch and this tiny station was situated about 1/4 of a mile down a one-lane gravel road, deep inside an Iowa cornfield. During harvest season, mice and other vermin would hightail it out of the cornfields and seek safe haven in the station. We had two station cats that gorged themselves on the seasonal flood of food--part of our duty was to make the occasional round of the building looking for barfed-up mice and voles. Realizing that I had indeed seen it all, I decided to leave Iowa for Los Angeles, sight unseen. Those 10 years will be saved for another time.”

hhA!: Do you work full time at the station or do you also work outside of radio as well?

Brian: “Do I actually ‘work’ at the station if I don't get paid? I do the show for the fun of it. For money, I deliver Meals On Wheels, teach ESL and play my own music.”

hhA!: How and when did your specialty show “Dirt Road Radio” launch?

Brian: “Atlantic, Iowa is a small town of maybe 9,000 residents. I approached the management at KSWI-FM in early 2004 about doing a one-hour show featuring indie artists. They said yes, if I also featured some Iowa musicians. I sent out thousands of emails to bands, labels, promoters and various industry lowlifes seeking music for the show. The first cut I ever played on the show was ‘Wake Up’ by String Cheese Incident. The show was expanded to two hours in '05.”

hhA!: What genres of music are you looking for? What gets played?

Brian: “I just have to like the music. I'm sure many of the promoters I work with scratch their heads because I don't always play the singles or suggested cuts. It's also an extremely eclectic show. A typical ‘Dirt Road Radio’ show can include bluegrass, rock (pick a category), chill-out stuff and whatever else might cross my desk. I have my ideas of melody and I like something with melody, whatever that may be. And, I love lyrics.”

hhA!: I could be mistaken, but I believe you are a musician as well? Is this true?

Brian: “Yep, I've been a regional, touring singer/songwriter since 1996. I play guitar and harmonica and do a solo, singer/songwriter thing. I'll be releasing my seventh disc, Quarter Moon View, in July.”

hhA!: Who are you talking to these days in regards to DRR (please name drop)?

Brian: “Well, since I have a couple of jobs, a radio show, a music career of my own and am recently married to a lovely woman with lots of pets and a desire to grow a huge garden, I don't actually talk to anyone. (Rich [Michalowski], you can vouch for this.) Email is my chosen mode of communication. Everyone has been great: Notorious Liz, ChaChi and all at U.N.C.L.E, Nick Petropoulos, Jeremy Goldstein at Beggars, Newman at The Grill, everyone at Planetary, Rich [Michalowski] at hushhushATTACK!, Dave at Spectre, the folks at Ryko, Astralwerks, Sub Pop, Minty Fresh, Kriztal and Northern Blues, to name a few. Many have not been named here, but I thank you all for the great music.”

hhA!: What are some of your favorite releases on the show?

Brian: “I think the new Dinosaur Jr. is my favorite of '07. I love The Hold Steady, Willy Mason, The Breakers dk, Bjork, Eddie Spaghetti, The Bittersweet and Iowa bands Deathships, The Mittens and The Marlboro Chorus.”