Screaming Females Buried in the Nude

Sorry for the sparse posting lately. Been working on something, hopefully something big. But here's a little rundown of what I've been up to lately:

Saw The Hangover. Probably one of the funniest movie I've seen since Old School. Not as great of a movie as Pineapple Express, but equally as funny.

Cursed the warm weather/Wished for warmer weather. Living in Wisconsin you generally either find yourself wishing it was warmer or cursing the warm weather during the summer, because it's usually either too cool to really enjoy being outside or too muggy and buggy to enjoy being outside. You never really get those great summer days that you get most of the year in places like San Diego. Or anywhere.

Not getting a hair cut or shaving. I really wish I had the patience/gumption to just go Zach Galifianakis on everyone and grow out my beard and hair so that I too could look like a "fat Jesus" (quote from The Hangover). But I'm pretty sure my wife, work, and society would frown upon that.

Not been helping my friends work on their new house. But I did leave a gas grill over there because we couldn't figure out how to turn it on. And I have been drinking their beer. So at least I'm doing something for them.

Heading to the movies today to catch Public Enemies, since part of it was filmed up here with some local talent. Seen it? Like it?

And since you're tired of reading about me, on the the music...

Screaming Females Buried in the Nude

Now, when I heard the phrases "Screaming Females" and "Buried in the nude" I thought to myself, "what's that, the plot for the next Saw movie?" but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that those two phrases actually involve music, and some pretty interesting music at that.



Screaming Females is actually a New Jersey trio who have put out three full length albums but somehow managed to stay out of the VLM spotlight thus far, perhaps because their third record, Power Move, is their first ever label release with Don Giovanni Records. Hailing from the very DIY punk community of New Brunswick, the Screaming Females have played over 300 self-booked shows in the past four years, opening up for the likes of Dinosaur Jr. and Jack White's Dead Weather, who they will open up for on select dates this summer.

Spring over to Rolling Stone to check out a video from the band for the song "Buried in the Nude" and some interesting bio factoids, and peep the upcoming July tour dates with Dead Weather, below:

07.13.09
Washington, DC
9:30 Club

07.14.09
Washington, DC
9:30 Club

07.16.09
New York, NY
Terminal 5

07.17.09
New York, NY
Terminal 5

07.18.09
Boston, MA
House of Blues

07.21.09
Montreal, Canada
Olympia De Montreal

07.22.09
Toronto, Canada
Kool Haus

07.24.09
Detroit, MI
The Fillmore

07.25.09
Columbus, OH
The LC Pavilion

07.27.09
Minneapolis, MN
First Avenue

07.28.09
Chicago, IL
Vic Theatre

07.29.09
Chicago, IL
Vic Theatre

07.30.09
Nashville, TN
War Memorial Auditorium

Updates from Whale Tooth and The Gossip

Whale Tooth

I've always heard good things of Toronto. Fun. Friendly. Clean. And hey, the Bluejays are always interesting as well, especially when you have Roy Halladay on your fantasy baseball roster as I do.

Much to my delight, I can now add the Toronto outfit Whale Tooth to my current list of positive about the 416.

Whale Tooth are a five-piece rock/pop/indie group that will be hitting the road this July for a Canadian tour in support of last year's release of their EP and their upcoming full length.

Drop by the band's MySpace page and check out their standout single "Hibernation Song." It's super catchy, and shows the potential the band could produce on a full length. They've got a sound that I would classify as if Ben Folds picked up a guitar and started touring with Shapes and Sizes. Yeah, they've got that kind of range.

Tour Dates

June 18 @ The Boat, TORONTO (*NXNE w. Les Handclaps)
July 3 @ The Black Sheep, WAKEFIELD (w. Dress Whites, The Monster Show)
July 5 @ Green Room, MONTREAL (w. Dress Whites)
July 7 @ Gus's Pub, HALIFAX (w. Steve Gates, The Monster Show)
July 9 @ Babas, CHARLOTTETOWN
July 10 @ Paramount, MONCTON (w. Clothes Make the Man)
July 11 @ The Capitol, FREDERICTON (w. Black Diamond Bay)

The Gossip are trying to steal my birthday


I've never really known how to feel about The Gossip. My good friend from Philadelphia, Chris, had turned me on to a lot of really great punk bands like Avail and Texas is the Reason before recommending I check out The Gossip a few years back. And while I fell in love with his other recommendations, The Gossip never really hit the mark for me. But I think they're out of for my heart this year as they plan to release their first major-label offering this fall, on my birthday no less, October 6th.

You'll be able to get the album, Music for Men, earlier than that digitally (in June), but you'll have to wait until October for the shiny little CD. Having sampled a few tracks available at the band's MySpace site I still sort of feel like I'm listening to the soundtrack for a bad 80's American Ninja movie, but hey, maybe that's the appeal.

I can't promise I won't shake my groove thing at the bar if their new single, "Heavy Cross," comes across the jukebox come October when I'm out celebrating my 28th year of breaking out of the womb, but I certainly won't feel proud about it in the morning.

Minimalist music with We're into Survival and The Woodlands

We're Into Survival

I like my rock sometimes like I like my interior design: rocking yet minimalist. That's probably why I enjoyed the few tracks I streamed tonight from Mississippi band We're Into Survival.

They've got a small 3-song EP out, titled Booby Trap, and you can stream it over at their MySpace page. They're far from a finished product, but they've got a raw appeal that makes me want to head down to a club and catch a rock band, which would be a great idea if I wasn't 3 hours from one.

The Woodlands


We're fond of duos from Portland like Talkdemonic, so it seemed only natural that we enjoyed listening to a few tracks from the self-titled debut album from the husband-and-wife duo that is The Woodlands. Continuing with our minimalist theme tonight, The Woodlands offer a delicate sound that dances along quite wonderfully on tracks like "Summerland" and "Asleep in September." Drop by their MySpace page and check them out for yourself.

Nathan Oliver

I spent a good amount of time this evening deleting my way through my inbox with little luck before I fell upon a few interesting tracks from Chapel Hill, NC band Nathan Oliver. Fronted by musician Nathan White and made up of members of local Chapel Hill bands such as Schooner, Rosebuds, North Elementary, and Ticonderoga, this band really has me digging their track "Icicles for Fingers."

White and band's second album, Cloud Animals, was released earlier this year in March, and now White and crew are receiving some noteworthy praise in the Triangle NC area. I'm definitely going to recommend my sister-in-law who lives in Raleigh drop by one of the shows.

The music has a great feel to it - like something you might happen to wander upon in an empty club and wonder "why the hell aren't these guys playing bigger shows?" I put the sound somewhere between Franz Ferdinand and Conor Oberst, but you can judge that for yourself. Either way, it was the best offer tonight by far.


Nathan Oliver - "Icicles for Fingers"
Nathan Oliver - "French Press"
Nathan Oliver - "State Lines Pt 3"

Visit the band's website for more information.

Stream the new Sunset Rubdown album all week

National Public Radio has long been a bountiful provider of quality independent music, as is evidenced by their programs such as All Songs Considered and World Cafe (which first introduced me to bands like The Rosebuds). Now that cornucopia has again spileth over, this time in the exclusive first listen of Sunset Rubdown's new album Dragonslayer, which you can stream all week free courtesy of NPR.

According to the press release, Dragonslayer is a stripped down album, with most songs recorded live in the studio, much like their 2007 release, Random Spirit Lover.

If you like what you hear like I do, pre-order the album to receive an instant download, and be sure to catch Sunset Rubdown on tour this summer:

06/11/09 Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/12/09 Brooklyn, NY - Studio B w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/13/09 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/14/09 Washington, DC - Black Cat w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/15/09 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/16/09 Atlanta, GA - The Drunken Unicorn w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/18/09 Baton Rouge, LA - Chelsea's Cafe w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/19/09 Houston, TX - House of Blues - Bronze Peacock w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/20/09 Austin, TX - Mohawk w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/22/09 Tucson, AZ - Plush w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/23/09 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/24/09 San Francisco, CA - The Rickshaw Stop w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/26/09 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/27/09 Seattle, WA - Chop Suey w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/28/09 Victoria, BC - Sugar Nightclub w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
06/30/09 Vancouver, BC - Richard's On Richards w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
07/02/09 Calgary, AB - The Marquee Room w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
07/03/09 Edmonton, AB - The Pawn Shop w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
07/04/09 Saskatoon, SK - Louis' Pub
07/05/09 Winnipeg, MB - West End Cultural Center w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
07/06/09 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
07/07/09 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
07/08/09 Bloomington, IN - Jake's Nightclub w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
07/10/09 Toronto, ONT - Lee's Palace w/ Elfin Saddle and Witchies
07/11/09 Montreal, QC - Il Motore w/ Elfin Saddle

Also wanted to share this story about the power of social media in the modern day world. And you thought you had a tough time getting to the computer to post a blog.

Cleveland rocks, can Coffinberry prove it?

I spent a good part of last evening having a few beers and a couple laughs with some old friends that I hadn't seen for over a year, including my good friend C, a pilot from Cleveland. We were talking about the music scene in Cleveland he mentioned that "Cleveland rocks, but nobody knows that." Well, perhaps the new self-titled record from Cleveland rockers Coffinberry, available June 30th from Collectible Escalators Records and elsewhere online, will help change that.

ON THEIR NEW, SELF-TITLED ALBUM, Coffinberry move beyond their early post-punk affections to revel in a rootsier place ever more acoustic guitars and piano, some surprising yet undeniable vocal harmonies while never failing to make a terrific and powerful racket.

Benefiting from their previous studio experience (including time at Chicago's Electrical Audio), the band retreated for months into the dimly lit basement of the house they occupy on the Cleveland/Lakewood border, to record dozens of new songs on modest tape equipment.

The resulting cut is an astonishing 14-song LP, its sound at once down-to-earth, detailed, and exuberant. Its workmanship points to Coffinberry's dedication and isolation: the bandmates live on a heavily trafficked yet anonymous roadway (a jumble of bars, car washes, and drive-thrus), an appropriate locale in which to create blue-collar narratives of sorrow and sanctuary like New Colorand The Vapors.

Check out a few tracks from the band deemed the “BEST INDIE/UNDERGROUND BAND” of 2008 by the Cleveland Free Times, below:

Coffinberry - "Long Story Short"
Coffinberry - "Smashed On Honey"

The Turf

Getting ready to enjoy some Brewers baseball here in a bit but wanted to take a moment to talk about the debut album from The Turf, titled Fascination of a Sort.

The Turf are an indie/rock/pop band from Nashville, TN that are finally releasing their debut album after a few years of playing together. Fascination of a Sort will be available for streaming this upcoming Wednesday, June 10, which I'm guessing will be at their MySpace page. There are four tracks up right now on their MySpace page that you can check out (our fav is "To the Disco"). I'd say their music is danceable, without being overly glitzy or glamorous, and raw enough to appeal to your indie rock sensibilities without being pretentious.

Drop by their MySpace page to have a listen and decide for yourself.

New MP3 from Black Mountain founders now playing as Lightening Bug

I'm a big fan of music that isn't always easy to stuff into a genre, which is why I found myself really digging the first mp3 off the sophomore album Infinite Light from the Vancouver duo Amber Webber and Joshua Wells, otherwise known as Lightening Dust.

As the founding members of Black Mountain, Webber and Wells as Lightening Dust create a sound that is less melancholy and more grounded in classical pop beats and upbeat vocal harmonies, which you can hear in the track "I Knew" below:

Lightening Bug - "I Knew"

Lucinda Williams tour stops by Green Bay

It's not often that we get a real musician up in my neck of the woods here in Northern Wisconsin, but that will change June 7 when Lucinda Williams drops by Oneida Bingo and Casino for a performance. Williams is touring in support of her latest album, Little Honey.

Since Brett Michaels is about the biggest act we get around here, the stop up from Williams is a pleasant surprise in an area generally devoid of any quality musical acts, especially for only a $10 entry fee. If you want an idea of what it's like to catch her live, check out this recent performance of "Real Love" on Letterman.

Lucinda Williams Tour Dates:

5/28: Anaheim, CA @ House Of Blues
5/29: Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
5/30: Phoenix, AZ @ Mesa Arts Center
6/01: Santa Fe, NM @ Paolo Soleri Amphitheatre
6/03: Denver, CO @ Denver Botanic Gardens
6/04: Boulder, CO @ Chautauqua Auditorium
6/06: Council Bluffs, IA @ Whiskey Roadhouse
6/07: ONEIDA, WI @ ONEIDA BINGO & CASINO - PAVILION NIGHTS
6/09: Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
6/10: Covington, KY @ Madison Theatre
6/12: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
6/14: Louisville, KY @ Brown Theater
6/15: Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
6/17: Kansas City, KS @ Harrah's Casino
6/18: Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
8/18: Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre w/ Elvis Costello

Looking forward, Social Distortion will also be dropping by the Oneida Bingo and Casino July 31. You can grab tickets for that show starting tomorrow.

Vacation, all I ever wanted...

My backyard is bigger than your backyard...

Here in Northern Wisconsin, enjoying Day 3 of my prolonged Memorial Day vacation, along with what seems like half of Chicago. It always irks me that this town, a summer "resort town" if you will, turns into "Little Chicago" on the weekends with all the vacationers from Milwaukee and Chicago coming up to visit their cabins and hit the lakes for some fishing or jet skiing. It does help infuse some younger blood into the bar scene that is usually either dead or filled with people who are nearly dead from old age.

Since I don't feel like sharing the town this weekend, I'm heading over to Minneapolis with some friends to catch the Brewers-Twins Saturday night game, do a little shopping, and then pick the wife up at the airport. But before I start packing I've got some stuff to pass along for you to check out this weekend when you get tired of Uncle Roger trying to get you to go swimming with those annoying little nephews of yours.

Portland's Nurses set to release debut LP Apple's Acre on August 4


Portland pysch-pop trio Nurses will be releasing their debut LP Apple's Acre on August 4 through Dead Ocean, but you can have a listen to a track off the album titled "Caterpillar Playground," a light and whistling little tune that goes well with this warm sunny afternoon, below. We're normally not into the whole psych-pop stuff but this is a pretty catchy tune:

Nurses - "Caterpillar Playground"

Nurses have some upcoming June tour dates on the West Coast that you can check out on the band's MySpace page. If you can't catch a tour date, peep the band's blog to stay up to date on their happenings.

Josh Ottum new album out in fall

Staying in the Northwest, take a second to drop by the MySpace page of Seattle musician Josh Ottum. There you can stream a couple previously released tracks (our favorite is "It's Alright") that are as "refreshingly refreshing" as his MySpace page says. It's Beckish, but with a little Ben Folds, um, folded in. He's got a new album, Like Season, due out in September, so stay tuned to VLM in the future for more on his newest release.

What the @#$@ is a Tamagotchee?

This is a pretty terrible video and an equally terrible song but damn it's catchy. I only wish I knew what the hell a Tamagotchee was (edit: apparently it's a Japanese toy. I guess it would help if I read the email).

Cold War Kids Interactive Video for "I've Had Enough"

Head over to MTVMusic.com to check out the interactive Cold War Kids video for "I've Had Enough," directed by Sam Jones (same guy that did Wilco's "I am Trying to Break Your Heart").

It's pretty interesting because you can click on each member of the band to either have them play along or mute them - so if you're wondering what "I've Had Enough" might sound like should Nathan Willit go Jeff Tweedy on CWK and embark on his own tour here's your chance. Or how it might sound without drums. Play around with the video, it's cool.

Au Revoir Simone new album Still Night, Still Light, free track for grabs

As you've probably seen on Muzzle of Bees upcoming shows page, Brooklyn indie pop darlings Au Revoir Simone will be stopping by Madison June 24th to do a show at my favorite Wisconsin venue, the High Noon Saloon. We really hope you choose to attend as not only is it a great place to see a show but also because Au Revoir Simone are really good, like, apple pie in summer with a scoop of ice cream tasty good.

The band released its sophomore album Still Night, Still Light this week, and if you haven't run out and grabbed it yet, you should take advantage of the deal over at Amie Street where you spend $7.98 on the new album and get the entire Au Revoir Simone back catalog for FREE. In addition, you can stream all of the tracks at Amie Street before you buy.


As if that price wasn't enough to entice you to click Buy Now, here's a free track from the new album to wet your whistle:

Au Revoire Simone - "All or Nothing"

More info on the band available at their website.

Book Review: Pygmy, by Chuck Palahniuk

I picked up Chuck Palahniuk's new novel, Pygmy, this week after taking a couple of books off from one of my favorite authors. It was nice to see Palahniuk return to the more classical novel style - I had a really hard time wading through the multiple narratives in Haunted - so I was glad to see some linearity in this book at least. Of course, Palahniuk throws a curveball this time by altering the syntax of the language to reflect the language capabilities of his main character, Pygmy, a foreign exchange student/terrorist who has come to live with an American family.

It's a typical Palahniuk novel filled with deviant sexual acts and sordid language, but that's half the appeal. Palahniuk is ever the voyeur, and in this novel, he takes those voyeuristic feelings, pairs them with a modern day deviant sexuality, and turns the pages into a postmodern love story that only he could write. It's a pretty quick read at 200 some odd pages, even with the oddly constructed syntax, but as always, thoroughly enjoying.