New Young Widows Track

 OK, this has been out for a few weeks now, but I haven't had a chance to let it marinade.

I love Louisville's Young Widows. They're austere, noisy yet unfussy, and completely reminiscent of the best AmRep fuckfest you've never heard. And it's been way too long since 2008's Old Wounds. So I'm thrilled that they've released "Future Heart," the first song from their forthcoming album, In and Out of Youth and Lightness.

Featuring a fuller intonation than their prior release (half of which was recorded live at gigs), "Future Heart" starts off with a lush urgency before reverting back to Young Widows' stark, stripped-down sound. And then there's their trademark percussion-only bridge—when all other instruments drop out. Is this the musical version of using negative space the way an artist would? Maybe; and they've mastered it. Listen for yourself right here.

And buy In and Out of Youth and Lightness when it comes out on April 12 on Temporary Residence.

Here's the track listing:
1. Young Rivers
2. Future Heart
3. In and Out of Lightness
4. Lean on the Ghost
5. The Muted Man
6. Right in the End
7. Miss Tambourine Wrist
8. White Golden Rings
9. In and Out of Youth

Overflow: These Arms Are Snakes, Young Widows & More

It's been some time since I blogged for myself on any kind of regular basis—but that doesn't mean there haven't been exploits worth posting.

The increase in social events on my calendar exploded during late September and continues until the end of October. There's so much to look forward to, too: the Big Apple Comic Con, the CMJ Music Marathon, Eyehategod* and St. Vitus (not together) at Europa, a visit to a taping of That Metal Show featuring Ratt's Stephen Pearcy and Warren DiMartini, the Dethklok/Mastodon/Converge/High on Fire extravaganza, and my favorite holiday ever, HALLOWWWWEEEEEEN!

With so much to plan for—not to mention my recent adventures in pantyhose trying to land a day job—it's been hard keeping up with the documentation part of the fun times. That said, I had an excellent time further losing my hearing at the Down/Melvins show at Nokia, followed by Naked Raygun at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Young Widows and The Fall of Troy at Bowery Ballroom, then an electric two-night stint with These Arms Are Snakes.

Somehow I'd never managed to catch These Arms Are Snakes live before last month. Still, I always really dug their work, especially their last album, Easter. But it was after I heard their third record, Tailswallower and Dove, that I knew I needed to have the live experience.

Doing this was no easy task as I set out for Shea Stadium, a gallery space off Bushwick Ave. that was hosting the show—sketch, yo. Shortly after arriving, I was pleasantly surprised to see my old friend Derek Evers from the newly relaunched Impose Mag, whose own in-house artists, DD/MM/YY were opening the show. The guys were amazing art-rock multi-instrumentalists that switched up instruments and vocal duties every few songs to keep things exciting. Definitely check them out.

Soon enough, Seattle's These Arms Are Snakes came out and blew the roof off the place with their laser-focused post-hardcore sound. Trying to describe their tight, driven, forceful, eclectic, moody performance—words simply fail me. Add to that singer Steve Snere's lithe, expressive dance moves (which, at one point, bordered on autoerotic asphyxiation) and you've got a can't-miss show. How transcendent was it? So fucking good that I decided to go see it again the following night at Mercury Lounge.

Check out the crappy pics of some shows below, and if I bump into you at St. Vitus, EHG or any of the CMJ festivities, buy me a drank! For more amateur live photos, check out my Flickr set.

These Arms Are Snakes @ Mercury Lounge




Wino @ Irving Plaza


Young Widows @ Bowery Ballroom


The Fall of Troy @ Bowery Ballroom


Naked Raygun @ Music Hall of Williamsburg


The Melvins @ Nokia Theatre



*The jury is still out on the Eyehateboat cruise show situation.

SxSW: Day One

My ears are still ringing from last night.

Even though I didn't rage into the wee hours of the night on Wednesday, the first day of the SxSW's music festival, I still managed to put in a solid 12 hours of partying and loud music. Partying really is such hard work.

After scooping up my badge and getting a breakfast burger at my beloved Casino El Camino, I was off to the Brooklyn Vegan day party at Emo's (and no, that irony was not lost on me) to catch a spectacular lineup of Annihilation Time, Young Widows and The Bronx. Unfortunately—if that's even the proper term—I missed Annihilation Time as it conflicted with a previously scheduled smoke session. Oh well, they'll definitely be around this week for more shows. I did, however, made sure to catch the spectacular Young Widows who were absolutely awing with their tight AmRep-infuenced sound. They were followed by a sweaty set from The Bronx, who did not disappoint.

No matter how intense the Bronx's set, it definitely seemed like everyone couldn't wait to check out their alter ego faux band—Mariachi El Bronx. But art always seems to come at a price, so I had to suffer through one of the worst bands I've ever seen (seriously who mixes a keyboard, a horn section AND a Flying V?) to watch the mariachi explosion. Happily, Mariachi El Bronx were a fun to watch and not an utter riff on Mexican culture (that is, if you don't count the songs dedicated to registered sex offenders and the one track comparing the similarities between Jesus Christ and Pablo Escobar).

Though it seemed most of Austin was determined to catch Jesus Lizards' David Yow jam with The Dicks at Austin Music Hall, I met up with HT's Bobby Black and Pot Star to watch the most exciting rock n roll band in years—BLOWER! If you like Kiss or Turbonegro, there's absolutely no reason for you to miss them when they open the [HIGH TIMES Doobie Awards |http://www.myspace.com/htdoobieawards|CLICK HERE] on Saturday at Red 7.

From there, Diane Kamikaze of WFMU (my official partner in crime) and I bounced between a ton of clubs on Red River seeing everyone from Oslo's Arabrot to Texas' own Iron Age—a young hardcore band more reminiscent of old school crossover than anything suffixed with "-core."

From there, it was time for my last session of the night. After all, I've got to be at four parties today: Alternative Press', Quack! Media, Full Metal Texas and Maggadee Records—all before 5 pm.


Bands Seen: 7
Beers Consumed: 7
Beers Paid For: 2
Smoke Sessions: 3 1/2

Pray for Mojo.

Young Widows Make A Video

I've long championed this Louisville, KY band. And if you're a fan of Breather Resist and Jesus Lizard, you'll love Young Widows, too. Coincidentally, YW will be playing no less than three shows at South by Southwest, making this post the perfect way to kick off my pre-SxSW prep week.

Enjoy... and keep coming back for more bloggy-style posts about my favorite times spent in Austin, as well as my schedule for this year for all my (ha!) stalkers.

That said, here's some "Old Skin."


Old Skin - Young Widows from J.J. Johnstone on Vimeo.

2008's Finest: Music Edition

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