SO, here it is. The line up. I think it's pretty good. There are a lot of good small bands. Locals are represented o.k: No Age, Silversun Pickups, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, The Newno2, The Airborne Toxic Event adn Steve Aoki though a good majority of the artists probably live in LA anyways. The headliners are nothing special. I would want to see Superchunk reunion but not at fucking Coachella. I think it's a 'no go' for me this year, besides, Superchunk will probably be in LA sometime on a reunion tour anyway. All of the bands I would see there will be in LA at much smaller/better venues I bet. SO that's that. Go have fun and cook yourself live out in the dessert. Might go to this tonight, Sheeeeep and Okie Dokie are rad. Oh and tomorrow night TPF! is in San Diego!!!! Fucked Up is playing Coachella. Here is them live. OH, AND they are playing next Friday at the Echoplex with Mika Miko, Trash Talk, and Underground Railroad to Candyland. I AM FUCKING GOING FOR SURE!!!!!!!
SO, here are two for ya. Easy listening/Ambient/Experimental/Dub shit with tripped out videos. The type of stuff you hear in The Standard's lobby. This is art people, enjoy.
SO, two for you. First Telepathe, yes again. Here is an official video of theirs. Second is Foot Village. I finally just got their newest album. I guess I was reminded by Aaron from Anavan, who is doing our record, that he did that album too. It's cool, I like it. Drums and yelling, my two favorite things. This video is done by Bret, from Anavan. Nice.
SO, went to go see Metronomy and LA locals, The Mae Shi at the El Rey the other night. Ran into some friends and had a great time. The Mae Shi was on first. I had just saw them a PehrSpace a week prior. Pehrspace, for those of you who don't know is a little art space no bigger than your living room. The El Rey on the other hand is a bigger venue, with a capacity of about 900, opposed to a capacity of about 50 for Pehrspace. Regardless of small or big The Mae Shi killed it for me once again. They are so fun live and never cease to destroy even when the crowd (el rey) is a little stiff. They did their signature parachute/blanket over the crowd again, which is always interactive fun times. There are some pics here or that. Then Metronomy came on, they were fun, again the crowd was a bit stiff and the sound was too quiet I thouhgt, but really likable chaps from the UK. They had people dancing pretty good toward the end. Guess what, Metronomy is doing a secret show tomorrow night and yes, I have the info here. Check out the flier. Oh, and I added a video and pics of Metronomy. Metronomy Metronomy The Mae Shi Parachute The Mae Shi Pumpkin Costume (He had a pumpkin shirt under this outfit too. Ha!) Metronomy Live @ El Rey
UPDATE: Sis Bar. 326 Avalon Blvd. Wilmington, CA 90744 for The Thorns of Life Show Tonight!!!
SO, The Danforths are from Minneapolis/St. Paul. They are my all time best buddies and I have played in countless bands with them over the years. Now that I am in LA I don't get to hang with them much besides the times I get back to MSP for the holidays and during summers and their occasional visit to see me. Through music we are all still best of friends and here is just another example. A video done by Tommy Two Tone Rude Dog Rex Kemmer, also the drummer of the Danforths. Hes gots talents mans. The Danforths have some new stuff out so go and check it out. I also added a video he did of this little kid I used to skate with all the time, Luke Hampton, but man he has grown up and he rips!
SO, TPF! has these two shows this weekend. Come out, we are playing the songs that will be on our new EP, "Es Slash Tee" on Modern Sleeze Records. Woooooo!! Oh, and here are two videos, both with a 'Bjor' in them, whoa!!. One new one from PB and J, and this crazy dude doin' a Bjork song all by himself.
Peter, Bjorn & John: "Lay It Down"
Reyn vs Björk: "I've Seen It All" [Dancer in the Dark]
Yep. Yet another Animal Collective Post. I went to see them live last night at the Grand Ballroom here in Manhattan. Not a bad venue - super close to my apartment, ample room, great sound. I've come to share a few things I've learned as a result of the show. The setlist was primarily MPP with a few older songs thrown in (Banshee Beat, Slippi, Fireworks, one other that is slipping my mind). There was one song, however, that I didn't recognize. Judging by the audience response, however, this was a crowd favorite. I looked up some lyrics on my phone and discovered the song in question was Summertime Clothes from the new album. Having listened to the album many times by now, I was a little confused as to why I didn't recognized it. Then I figured out why - my ipod had been skipping over both Summertime Clothes and Taste. Dammit! Looks like my review was a bit premature. They finished with My Girls (meh - I think I like the fuller album version better) into Brothersport (absolutely banging live (can I say that?)) Here is a live version of Summertime Clothes. Enjoy.
SO, beginning with a new era, here is a video celebrating our new president, Mr. Barack Obama Daft Punk and Adam Freeland (DJ/Producer) style!! Watch it here on you tube or here for good quality.
SO, here are two easy listening ones for ya. Friendly Fires have a good pop album from 08'. My girl loves it and I like it quite a bit too. They made cLAy TV's top 20 of 08'. This is their new video. The next one is by a band that I don't really like, at all really, BUT when I saw this video I knew I had to put it up. Funny stuff.
SO, two videos for two bands that are close to home. I saw Chicago's Pelican in my old home, Tokyo and Little Joy is the bar down the street from my home now. That's it. Watch em. OH, TPF!, my band at this crazy live on air radio benefit where there are 20+ bands and they each play like 15 minutes show tomorrow (Saturday). We go on at 5:30.
Hey Angelenos. I heard a nasty rumor. Popular "indie" radio station 103.1 is out of commission? Is this true? If so, that's a major blow to good radio in LA. I loved me some 103.1 when I lived out there. I guess it's back to KROQ and occasionally KXLU when it's not being willfully obscure.
SO, wow, how exciting to see Kyle, my brother who lives in the Manhattan in the New York of Cities, being a regular contributor over here on da blog. Thanks Kyle! I am always very excited to see what you have to bring to show us from over yonder. The total number of posts has increased like crazy, we sometimes have more than one a day. It keeps cLAy TV super duper fresh. Me likey, and you likey too I bet. So, here we go with two new videos. One from the band that Kyle just did a post on: Telepathe and one from a band that I am going to see at the El Rey next Wednesday, Metronomy (The Mae Shi is opening that show!) The Telepathe video is long so maybe go up there in your 'tool bar', go to a different web site, and periodically check back to watch the video, but while searching for other web content listen to the entire song as if you were listening to your itunes, OR NOT. THEN, watch the Metronomy video because it's really entertaining and the song is catchy as all hell.
Yet another Brooklyn band that is probably going to hit it big in the Niner (The Niner is how I refer to 2009. 2008 was the Ocho. 2010 will be Ten. As in, "My Birthday falls on a Tuesday in Ten), The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. I like simple videos with cute girls doing stuff. This fits the bill!
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: Everything with You
SO, last night was a riot man. Sean Carnage has been doing Monday nights for a long time and this one was one to remember. By the time The Mae Shi (cLAy TV top 10 albums of 08) went on everyone was ready to get nuts. Ananvan (cLAy TV show #1) and Hawnay Troof got that shit started right too. There were other bands as well but they kind of got lost in mix of aweomeness. Oh, the comedian Stave Stevenson was pretty crazy, he just talked shit on Pandas for about 20 minutes. The night was full of LA elite, Mika Miko girls, Abe Vigoda dudes, Dean from No Age, Health etc... and me of course. Right. SO, here are some pics and two videos of the madness. Woooooo!!! The Mae Shi Check the buldge. Hawnay Troof
SO, got two for ya. First we have this weird ass hardcore pop screamo band called Bionic Ghost Kids. They are from Berlin. Man, kids these days and their genre mash-ups. Whoa, you gotta check this shit. I am pretty sure I hate this, BUT it does have that catchy chorus.
Second is a video I somehow missed over the holidays. It's from Sean Tillman, aka Har Mar Superstar, aka Drew Barrymore's bff. He went my elementary school, funny, so did Steve Zahn, Anyway, his buddy and mine, Preston is in the video too. Check it out! Funny stuff.
Bionic Ghost Kids: "Poison Ivy"
Har Mar Superstar: "Crappy Holidays"
ps Thanks for the everyone that came out last night! Good times were had by all. Look for a big big big cLAy TV show late March!!!
While we wait to hear about the cLAy TV endorsed show last night, here is a little something to tide you over. This is a (admittedly pretty shitty quality) live video of Brooklyn's Telepathe. Following some pretty well recieved EPs, the duo are set to release their debut long player, Dance Mother in February. Good stuff. The video is actually at one of the infamous Todd P shows. Todd P is a Brooklyn promoter with a penchant for picking out "the next big thing." So now you know about Telepathe (and their new album) and Todd P, promoter extraordinaire.
SO, shows galore! Here are some fliers of some shows that I will be at, most likely. This Sean Carnage night is gonna be off the hizzy! Our (TPF!) friends Anavan are playing and there are going to be secret guests! Guess who they are. Well, let me tell you. The Mae Shi and Hawney Troof! WOW! Besides my show and Sean's show the rest are F Yeah Fest shows. Oh and F Yeah is also doing that Thorns of Life (Jawbreaker, Crimpshrine) show with No Age that is totally sold the fuck out. Damn. Plus I have tickets to go see The Mae Shi and Metronomy on the 1/21 and Murder City Devils on 2/17. Whoa dude, like totally! I have tickets for this already. I can't wait to crowd surf. And last but not least my show tonight!! TPF! also has a ton of shows this month so be sure to come out to some of them. We are playing some of the songs that will be on our new EP. Here is a new video from cLAy TV's favorite album of 08', Fucked Up!
SO, these two would be on like Alternative Nation or 120 Minutes if cLAy TV was Mtv in the 90's. Two solid songs and two solid videos. The UK's Frightened Rabbit who are slightly a guilty pleasure of mine and LA's very own Bodies of Water with a really great video.
Hey kids. A non-video post on ClayTV? Whatsa!? I told Clay that I'd like to contribute to the site - but he does such a good job scouring the web for the best vids that I wanted to try something a little different. Diversify ClayTV's portfolio, if you will.
Clay posted a pretty rave review of the new Animal Collective album,Merriweather Post Pavillion, the other day. I posted a comment suggesting I agreed with his enthusiasm. After a few more listens though, I'm taking a step back from my earlier praise. There are two absolute barn burners on MPP ("My Girls" and "Brothersport") that book end a bunch of other pretty good songs. The middle of the album really just kind of melds together for me. I guess that's good and bad - it's cohesive but, dare I say, a wee bit boring. The strength of "My Girls" and "Brothersport" alone make this a great album (much like Sigur Ros' album from last year), but not a 9.6. For me, it's their weakest album since Here Comes the Indian. That being said, I still love me some AC and I can't wait to see them in a couple of weeks. I just hope they stick (mainly) to the last three albums. I reserve all rights to disown this post at a later date.
"I just want four walls and adobe slats for my girls/WOOOOOOO"
SO, cLAy TV is having another show soon with our label Modern Sleeze backing me too. The last one was awesome. This one should be good good good too. It's this Sunday 1/11/09 at everybody's favorite punk rock establishment in the LBC Alex's. Come out at 9 and get your Sunday night drink on.
Here is the line-up: Danger Strangers Members of Pterodacdudes. Fullerton punk rock, got to love it!
Crazy Joe Davola Modern Sleeze brown brothers, straight outta L.A.
TPF! My band, first show of 09'. Playing new songs that will be on our new EP from Modern Sleeze!!
Narwhal Party Modern Sleeze brothers from different mothers. Gotta see em, it's a party!
Kyle here. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of Blitzen Trapper's new album, but it continues to grow on me. I do, however, really like the song, "Furr". Here is a video of it!
SO, this is cLAy TV's first official video premiere. Ooooohhhhh, sooooo exciting! This is from our label mates, Halloween Swim Team's new album The End of the Sky out now on Modern Sleeze Records. Go there to get it. Also got an Mp3 you can stream from the new one here. It was sent to me by Charlie from LA Record. Thanks! Here we go:
Halloween Swim Team: "Thin Airlines"
Stream "Inside Out T.V." by Halloween Swim Team by clicking here.
They have a bunch of shows coming up too, and some with us too! Jan 6 2009 AIRLINER: TANK TUESDAYS Lincoln Heights, California
Jan 9 2009 J DEE’S LANDING w/ JIM MERSON’S MONSTER MASH Palm Springs, California
Jan 10 2009 ECHO CURIO w/ SHITN A, KEVIN LITROW (of 60 Watt Kid) Echo Park, California
Jan 22 2009 THE AIRLINER w/ SHITN A, KEVIN LITROW (of 60 WATT KID), BILLYGOAT Lincoln Heights, California
Jan 25 2009 8:00P L’KEG w/ NARWHAL PARTY, THE PRESS FIRE, PIZZA!, NOT THE GOVT Echo Park, California
Feb 1 2009 THE VIPER ROOM w/ DALMACIO VON DIAMOND, POLYAMOROUS AFFAIR, THE PRESS FIRE Hollywood, California
Feb 7 2009 INDIO w/ THE GIRL W/ VIOLENT ARMS Indio, California
Feb 8 2009 SODA BAR w/ THE GIRL WITH VIOLENT ARMS San Diego, California
Feb 13 2009 VERMONT (FRIDAY THE 13TH!!) Los Angeles, California
Feb 14 2009 CLUB M.LA @ MOTION LA w/ CONEJOS & more Los Angeles, California
SO, it's only the 5th day of the new year and I think I may have just heard my favorite album of 09'. It's Animal Collective's new one, Merriweather Post Pavilion. It's really good. Pitchfork gave it a 9.6, that's one of the highest ratings ever. I found a link to it and have been listening to it a bunch. The LP comes out tomorrow, CD later. It leaked though so go find it, or buy it when it comes out. I will probably buy it once it comes out still so I can get it with the best quality. Track 2, "My Girls" kills. The whole thing is interesting too, it is more accessible than their other stuff. Some it sounds like the Beach Boys under water. Gurgggle gurgggle. Here are some videos.
Animal Collective: "Who Could Win A Rabbit" from 2004.
Animal Collective: "Water Curses" from 2008's Water Curses EP.
SO, if you didn't know we (TPF!) are putting our new record out on Modern Sleeze Records sometime in the next couple months. On New Years Eve another band on the label, Halloween Swim Team, released their album at midnight 09'. It was a release/new years party and it was fun as hell. Crowd surfing at the Vermont House is always fun. So click here to order Halloween Swim Team's new album and support Modern Sleeze. They made a new fancy web site too. It's gonna be a rad year for Modern Sleeze!
Click here for a stream of "Inside Out TV" from their album The End of the Sky.
Here are a couple videos.
We (TPF!) are playing with them here: Jan 25 2009 L’KEG w/ NARWHAL PARTY, THE PRESS FIRE, PIZZA!, NOT THE GOVT. Echo Park, California
Feb 1 2009 THE VIPER ROOM w/ DALMACIO VON DIAMOND, POLYAMOROUS AFFAIR, THE PRESS FIRE Hollywood, California
Our buddies Audacity and NonPlus are playing at The Smell tonight. Non Plus has my old buddy Preston from MN in it. We (TPF!) have played with Audacity a bunch of times, including one time in Mexico. It was nuts, they were so messed up, it was hilarious. Here is a video they have.
This is the line-up tonight:
9:00 Saturday January 3rd:
AUDACITY Nonplus Terminal Island Mike Vidal (member of Abe Vigoda)
SO, my good buddy from work Chad did a best of 08' list for all ya all. Also, check out my brother Kyle's list, Jay's Book List, Scott's List, and Neil's list, not to mention my killer list in the archives under December of 08', over there in the margin. Chad's list is super strong. Check em.
Just under the wire, a list of my top ten albums of the year in a generally ascending order of majesty...
10. Algernon Cadwallader- Some Kind of Cadwallader. LP/CD
These kids (and I stress kids, the average age in the band is 21) from Philadelphia have constructed an pop gem so blatantly inspired by Cap’n Jazz that it would be unforgivable, if it weren’t so fucking good. Clever, quirky, playful, and inspired, these ten songs inspire the 19 year old emo kid in me to make some hyperbolic simile likening their sound to a beating heart in the rotting corpse of genre ravaged by theatrics and commodification, but the 32 year old just wants to ask, “How the fuck have these guys heard Cap’n Jazz?”
9. Have a Nice Life- Deathconsciousness. 2X/CD
While there are scattered less-than-stellar moments over the course of this double CD, it remains nothing less than an astounding achievement. Catchy, droned out indie-goth songs performed and recorded by two guys over a period of two years in a bedroom and then self-released. The double CD comes with a book researched and co-written with a comparative religions teacher drawing parallels between death consciousness and the cross-cultural invention of religion, all for ten bucks. Punk as fuck.
8. Ceremony- Still Nothing Moves You. LP/CD
This Northern California hardcore band have graduated from flawlessly rehashing Slap A Ham style blistering hardcore to creating a masterpiece of a record that truly advances the genre. Incredibly fucking dark, ridiculously heavy one moment and frenetically fast the next, this record is a monster. It’s difficult to pick a favorite lyric but I would have to say “Fuck the government with your fist!” gets the trophy for most rad youth crew vocal since Crucial Youth’s “Cross on green for a positive scene!”
7. The Middle East- The Recordings of the Middle East. LP/CD
I know next to nothing about this group of individuals hailing from Townsville, Austrailia except that they live in shithole town next to a huge fuckin reef. They supposedly broke (and then unbroke) up but somewhere in the process have written a great album that is a sort of confluence of Nick Drake, Radiohead and Sigur Ros. Beautiful.
6. Sigur Ros- Med Sud i Eyrum Spilum Endalaust. LP/CD
Speaking of... my award for song and video of the year definitely goes to Gobbledigook, the opening track from Sigur Ros’ unpronouncable new one. It’s also a really great album even if there is a stretch in the middle that sounds like it was lifted from the soundtrack of Far and Away, (Ron Howard’s epic tale of the travails of Irish immigrants when the US was young and still attempting to manifest its destiny.) It contains what I believe to be their first English lyrics which could have been cringe worthy but ended up being lovely. Plus, I saw them from the absolute worst seat in the Greek Theater and it was riveting, the only band that has improved each of the 4 times I have seen them.
5. The Dodos- Visiter. LP/CD
It should be a requisite that every drummer go through a metal phase because the fellow who comprises the rhythm section of this San Francisco psych-folk duo definitely sessioned some double bass before co-creating one of the most rhythmically inventive albums this side of Animal Collective. It also doesn’t hurt that the singer is an accomplished blues guitarist capable of writing melodies (within a genre that couldn’t bore me more) that feel fresh and exciting.
4. Portugal the Man- Censored Colors. LP/CD
This band has long been a guilty pleasure but this album is so good that I am stepping out of the closet. These guys from Wasilla, Alaska by way of Portland, Oregon have crafted in my opinion 2 of the best albums of the millenium, 2007’s somber Kid A-ish “It’s Complicated Being a Wizard” and 2008’s “Censored Colors”, a record so different that the only recognizable links are the name and the voice. But man, what a fucking voice. John Gourley’s soulful melodies are the sweetest tones to come out of a white man since Astral Weeks. It’s an album that echoes the Beatles, Zeppelin and the Police but is still totally Portugal the Man. It’s simple and inspiring and sincere. Classic without being retro.
3. Evangelicals- The Evening Descends. LP/CD
I like to imagine that these Norman, Oklahoma weirdos met at a Flaming Lips show in the mid-nineties frying on acid and overjoyed to find other individuals who shared their love of spacey indie-rock, Italian Horror, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. A completely underrated album that sounds like Tim Kinsella joined the Unicorns and brought along a smoke machine.
2. Ruby Suns- Sea Lion. LP/CD
One of my absolute favorite albums of the new millenium. Ruby Suns mastermind Ryan McPhun makes Sea Lion a journey around the globe refracted through a prism of psychedelic indie-rock. What should come across as an exercise in leacherous trend-jumping is in actuality a sparkling, wide-eyed, irreverent work of genius because it all feels tempered by trademark New Zealand humility, like Ryan genuinely loves the melodies that somehow came through him. and does his best to bashfully present them. Our generation’s Os Mutantes.
1. Beach House- Devotion. LP/CD
The fact that my fiancee and I got engaged while listening to this album in Hawaii probably has considerably influenced my opinion that it is the most genuinely romantic album in years, but fuck, this girl can sing. Kinda like a dreamy, dark, trpoical update of the very best moments of Fleetwood Mac, created by couple of angels from Baltimore.
SO, Happy New Year! I am pretty slow today. Got messed up last night. Had a total blast at the Vermont House though. So, finally we make it to number one. This is my favorite video of the year. So good. It is so tense and realistic. It caused controversy which means it's gotta be good. It got pulled from a bunch of sites at first due to it's rowdiness, including You Tube. I just love it. It continues the tradition of insanely good Justice videos. To see the rest of my top 40 videos of 08' click on that little grey arrow next 2008 over there in the margin, then click on December. Or, scroll down to see some. Here we go. Watch this shit.
1. Justice: "Stress"
AND, just for fun, here was the Mtv Video Music Award for best heavy metal video 20 years ago, 1989.
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