Q+A: Safety Words vs. Exercise
photo by Leanna Kaiser
On Feb. 23, Eleven had the great pleasure of sitting down to interview DJ Parisian (Ian Jones) and Doctor Phelonious (Sean Price) of Safety Words, along with Bo Bulawsky and Trevor Berkholtz of Exercise, about their upcoming show (Friday, March 5th at the Firebird) What could have been a nice, civil discussion on music and philosophy quickly disintegrated into madness, when an anonymous Eleven staffer showed up with a case of beer and a video game called “NBA Hangtime.” Immediately, civil discourse gave way to barbaric trash talking and nonsensical yelling, and all hopes for a “normal” interview were tossed aside.
Exhibit A:
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Hit the break for more interview, trash talking, and an exclusive new track from Safety Words.
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This entry was written by , posted on March 2, 2010 at 1:34 am, filed under Live, Q+A and tagged Exercise, NBA Hangtime, Safety Words, The Firebird. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Broken Social Scene – World Sick
All hail and rejoice! Everybody’s favorite canadian posé, Broken Social Scene, has arrived in a golden chariot of a free mp3, to pass judgement on the waiting masses. “World Sick,” the latest rustling from the BSS moniker, is a good study of the band’s varied aural history. Pulling atmospheric sounds from Feel Good Lost, warm production from You Forgot it in People, and wide-open spaces from their self-titled album, “World Sick” promises a familiar but exciting future for their upcoming Forgiveness Rock Record.
Go here to download it. You’ll have to enter your email address, but in my case, Leslie Feist already emails me every other day*, so it wasn’t a big deal.
*Sorry Ms. Feist. I hope you don’t mind me appropriating my monster crush on you for a bit of good humor.
This entry was written by , posted on February 19, 2010 at 5:08 pm, filed under New Music and tagged Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Local Profile: Tawaine Noah
Welcome to our new feature, the local profile! Every Wednesday, we’re going to be interviewing people who are involved in the St. Louis music community; not necessarily in bands, but those who are interested in seeing St. Louis become a better place for musicians.
Today, I interviewed Tawaine Noah, Barista at Foam Coffee & Beer and lead singer/songwriter in local band Union Tree Review.
How have you been involved in the St. Louis music community in the past?
I started like a lot of the folks around my age at the time: You’re in high school, and you start going to local shows. If you’re like me, you get really inspired to be that guy or band up on stage. So, long story short, a couple of my friends and I put together a small acoustic band, and luckily it’s not really all that hard to get booked in St. Louis. Eventually, we put together an album and started playing out.
This entry was written by , posted on February 18, 2010 at 12:16 am, filed under Local Profile and tagged Foam Coffee & Beer, Tawaine Noah, Union Tree Review. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Joanna Newsom – “Good Intentions Paving Company”
If I had to pick a mascot for indie in the oughties (note to self: pitch Indie in the Oughties to PBS as a new Ken Burns documentary), Joanna Newsom would be in the final 4. With a voice that can quickly separate the hip wheat from the lame chaff, a quirky instrument—which also happens to be the logo for a hip foreign beer—and name-dropping opportunities like Steve Albini (10 points!) and Jim O’Rourke (10 points!), the psych-folk (high score!) songstress has one hell of a stacked deck.
But forget all that. Listen to Joanna’s newest song, and make a note in your planner ten years from now (because I know you have a decade-at-a-glance). I’ll probably be saying the exact same thing about indie in the ’10s.
Listen to it at Drag City (the stream is in the top-right corner of the page).
This entry was written by , posted on February 5, 2010 at 12:33 pm, filed under New Music. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Weekend show Forecast: 2/4
Friday, Feb. 5
So Many Dynamos, Capybara, and Sleepy Kitty
Where: Old Rock House
When: 8 PM
The sound of So Many Dynamos’ angular guitar riffs and nerdier-than-thou keyboards should be familiar to any self-respecting St. Louisan. Though calling them “local” might get a few rolls of the eye these days, it is impossible to not be proud of what the band has accomplished. Civic pride, people! Regardless, the Dynamos are giving their hometown a show before departing for a European run, and what a better place to send them off than the seemingly now-ubiquitous Old Rock House? Joining them from the other side of I-70 are Kansas City natives Capybara and Cherokee Street heroes Sleepy Kitty. Bring a bottle of champagne to break on the bow.
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This entry was written by , posted on February 4, 2010 at 7:19 pm, filed under Upcoming. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Weekend Show Forecast: 1/7
Friday, Jan. 8
Boulder Acoustic Society
Where: Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center
When: 8 PM
If Boulder Acoustic Society had a commercial on local television, its tagline would be this: “Appalachian folk with a Talking Heads attitude.” That’s the cheesy 2-bit version of BAS, a description they might just take well to. As the perceptive reader has already guessed, this Boulder-based four piece are partial to acoustic instruments: accordion, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and what have you. The sounds they make will be familiar to the initiated St. Louisan, as echoes of the Big Muddy world abound. Subtract the love for the Mighty Mississip’, add a slightly deranged attitude, move it down the street a few blocks to the Lemp, and there you have it: a show to be reckoned with.
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This entry was written by , posted on January 7, 2010 at 7:51 pm, filed under Upcoming and tagged Bad Plus, Boulder Acoustic Society, Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, The Bistro. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Show Forecast: Saturday, 12/5
Tomorrow, the 5th, Cherokee Street will be opening its doors to the community for its annual Print League Holiday Sale. The Print League is made up of some of the finest artists and printers in the city, who will be putting their art on sale for holiday shoppers and merrymakers. The event will be from 10am to 7pm, and if last year’s holiday sale was any indication, will be well-attended by many awesome people. But we’re most excited about the music! Here are three shows happening on the street that day:
Safety Words
Where: Typo Cafe
When: 5:00 pm
Safety Words is the newest hip-hop offering from the West Side, and represents an unprecedented sound: 8-bit music straight from your favorite nintendo games, mixed with some of the best lyricism from your favorite rap records. Sure, it’s been done before, but never this authentically; there’s no gimmick here. The Battletoads pause music might just be the next Amen Break.
Safety Words – Crimingelo
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This entry was written by , posted on December 4, 2009 at 7:23 pm, filed under Upcoming and tagged Cherokee Street, HUMDRUM, Safety Words, Skekses, The Mhurs. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Lykke Li – “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”
Sure, Sweden’s Lykke Li may be cute as a button. Sure, she may have had some production help from fellow Swede Björn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn and John. Sure, she has the voice of a Scandinavian angel. But her latest offering, a free download from her website, has proven that she has one more tool in her arsenal: a great taste in early rock. “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” is a cover of a Shirelles song of the same name. Lykke Li should be gearing up to record a follow-up to 2008’s Youth Novels, so grab the mp3 and quiver in heartbroken anticipation.
Lykke Li – Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
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This entry was written by , posted on November 20, 2009 at 6:59 pm, filed under New Music and tagged Lykke Li, The Shirelles, Will You Still Love Me tomorrow. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
On Sale: The Eleven Iconic Tee
Thanks to our friends at Sleepy Kitty Graphic Arts, we’ve printed the classic Eleven logo onto ridiculously soft Anvil 100% ring-spun organic cotton. It looks good, feels good, and with a little bit of salt, it even tastes good*. So take a gander over into our new “Merch” section, and pick yourself out a few; one for now, and one for when your roommate borrows it and never gives it back.
*Note: Eleven Media Group, LLC, is not liable for any damages incurred by shirt ingestion.
This entry was written by , posted on November 19, 2009 at 10:00 am, filed under Uncategorized and tagged Best shirt in the entire world. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Photos: 11/11
By Matt Ström. More on Flickr
Last Wednesday, Eleven put on the first in a series of events to introduce St. Louis to its burgeoning music scene. After Ian Jones (aka Parisian, half of Safety Words) started things off, Cold Bear Scout put on a great show, and Philadelphia natives Grandchildren showed up later to play an absolutely mind-blowing set. Eleven’s HQ was packed with friends old and new, and we’re looking forward to seeing you all again in the future. In the meantime, check out the photos on Flickr.
This entry was written by , posted on November 14, 2009 at 3:25 pm, filed under Live and tagged 11/11, Cold Bear Scout, Eleven HQ, Grandchildren, Parisian. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.