Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

It was an interesting day weather wise here in Northern Wisconsin. It was supposed to snow all day, 6-8 inches we heard, but from 8-4 there was nothing. Then all of a sudden the sky opened up and it was practically a blizzard. The turn of weather didn't exactly make anyone getting ready to drive home in the next hour happy, but that's the Midwest for you.


Tonight we were very happy to receive an email from the band All of Us/None of Us. The indie-alt group out of California is promoting their new EP, Arcane and Able. The band has a sound that puts them somewhere between early Radiohead to Kid A Radiohead and modern day Beck, but with a flavor uniquely their own. We enjoyed the hauntingly catchy tones in the track "Hurts My Head" which you can stream over at their MySpace page. It has a really nice acoustic riff that lends itself well to a slow, clapping crowd.


If you're looking for a little more fuzz in your amp then you might want to jump across the coast to check out the three-piece New Jersey outfit Lima Research Society.


They just released their debut album Don't Give Up, Don't Get Down, and have put up five of their tracks on MySpace for you to have a listen to. Their sound is fairly experiemental, jumping from showtune-like harmonies to more rocking stuff like "Giant Moth", one of their tracks currently available for steaming. They've played a ton of shows in the northeast over the past few years, and hope to tour the rest of the planet soon.

New Cold War Kids new music video

Cold War Kids released a new video for the second single off Loyalty to Loyalty, titled "I've Seen Enough." This is one of my favorite records, and a thoroughly enjoyable video. Check it out at MySpace.

Musings on new Carolla, Swan Lake

Happy Monday, hope you enjoyed your weekend. I've got a couple of things to mention today to help kick off another week here at VLM...

First and foremost, if you are as big of an Adam Carolla Show fan as I am, you were probably as sad to hear about the cancellation of his CBS radio show as I was last Friday. I was apprehensive about going to work this morning and checking out his new, one-man podcast...things like that have a tendency to fall into obscurity rather quickly. Luckily, there was a lot to love about the first podcast. More vulgarity, similarly vulgar topics, and that wry bit of wisdom that I came to look forward to each and every morning...a smaller dose, sure, but golden nonetheless.

I want to do my part to help spread the word and get the show back up and going, so if you're a fan of intelligent, funny conversation then you really should check out Carolla Radio each and every morning. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

We've got a couple hours until the new "No Reservations with Anthony Bourdaine" comes on so until then we'll be enjoying some Jared Diamond and a few tracks from Canadian outfit Swan Lake. The band is set to release their newest album, Enemy Mine, worldwide on March 24.


Enemy Mine has been discussed on blogs such as Stereogum in the past couple weeks, and there's plenty of reasons why. They've got a mature sound that just oozes talent. We especially enjoy the track "A Hand at Dusk", which you can check out below:

Swan Lake - A Hand at Dusk


Stream more tracks and learn more about the band via their MySpace page

The Decks

A band that I was recently introduced to that I think you might enjoy is the Detroit garage-rock foursome The Decks. The band, formed back in 2003, will be releasing their first LP, Breath and Bone, May 26th. The album was recorded in two parts; the first half was recorded with Jim Diamond of The Dirtbombs, while the second half was recorded with Eddie Gillis, brother of White Stripes frontman Jack White (whose real name is actually John Gillis).

If you dig the stuff that bands like Tokyo Police Club and Arctic Monkeys have been putting out, you should enjoy the effort by The Decks. You can have a listen to a track from the upcoming album below:

The Decks - "Skeleton"

And drop by the band's MySpace page to learn more or to order Breath and Bone. Alternatively, you can email the band at decksinfo@yahoo.com to find out how to get your hands on the album as well.

Wisconsin to tax digital downloads?

Ace with Jordana Brewster

It has not been a very good day. First, I find out that my favorite radio program, The Adam Corolla Show, has been cancelled. And just now I almost choked on my chicken nuggets when my friendly local news informed me of Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle's proposed budget plan that would include a 5% sales tax imposed on digital downloads.

The tax would apply to music, e-books, ringtones, and basically anything else that you can download digitally. That $99 download from iTunes? Not under Doyle's new budget plan.

Doyle believes the plan would generate about $11 million in two years.

It would also piss off a lot of people. But would people continue to pay, or would that spur more to look online for free, illegal downloads? What say you, good idea or bad?

Introducing North Elementary

We're back and finally healthy after suffering through what turned out to be a week long cold of sorts - chest pressure, sore throat, a whole bunch of phlegm - yummy!

While we're sitting here enjoying the UConn-Pitt matchup on ESPN, we wanted to take a moment to introduce you to Chapel Hill indierockers North Elementary.

North Elementary is set to release a new full-length entitled "Not For Everyone, Just For You" on Feb 24 via Eskimo Kiss Records. The forthcoming album was recorded over the winter of 2006 and 2007 with producer Alan Weatherhead (Hotel Lights, Sparklehorse).

Our first listen to the tracks off "Not For Everyone, Just For You" that are available below made us want to hear the rest of the album; they've got a very catchy and accessible sound that works just as well with the foot-tap as it does with the shoulder bob on the dancefloor. Although, if you're doing either of those moves, you probably shouldn't be dancing in the first place (I'm a chronic footapper, though).

The band will be on tour around the East Coast this summer in support of their new album, so be sure to drop by the band's website to check out the tour dates near you.

North Elementary - "Golden Tigers"
North Elementary - "Decade Stylin'"

Heartless Bastards "Early in the Morning solo acoustic"

Last week we mentioned how excited we were about the release of The Mountain from Heartless Bastards. This week we're glad to bring you a solo acoustic version of "Early in the Morning". It's different than the album version, so make sure you snag it before it's gone.

Heartless Bastards - "Early in the Morning" Erika Wennerstrom solo

Also make sure you catch Heartless Bastards Daytrotter session. Available for full download after the jump.

Performance of "Out at Sea" on Letterman [video]

Catch them April 2 at the Turner Hall Ballroom in Milwaukee

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible live in an elevator!

Geez, and I thought Der Rathskellar was packed for Los Campesinos

Meat Puppets to release new material, new album

One of America's most influential punk bands, the Meat Puppets, are set to release an album of new material in May.

There's not a lot of info on the new record as of yet, but those heading down to SXSW should make sure to include a stop at Stubbs on March 19th, where Meat Puppets will debut songs from their forthcoming album.

Recorded at The Saltmine in Phoenix, Arizona in winter 2009, the album, Sewn Together, features the Kirkwood brothers, Cris and Curt, with drummer Ted Marcus.

I know Felicia will be excited to hear the new album, as she continues to live in the grunge-rock era of music thanks to her iPod, but what about you?

The Walkmen Announce US Tour With Kings Of Leon

We were pretty stoked to hear that The Walkmen were going to be on tour with Kings of Leon this spring. Unfortunately, none of those dates are yet set for a Wisconsin venue. But that doesn't mean you can't catch them at a venue near you. Dates and locations below:

US Tour With Kings Of Leon
4/19: Agannis Arena, Boston, MA
4/20: La Sala Rossa, Montreal (Solo Headline)
4/21: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
4/22: Palumbo, Pittsburgh, PA
4/24: Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA
4/25: Spectrum, Philadelphia
4/27: Constant Convocation Center, Norfolk, Va
4/28: Koka Booth Ampitheatre, Raleigh, NC
4/30: Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
5/04: St Augustine Ampitheater, St, Augustine, FL
5/05: UCF Arena, Orlando, FL
5/07: Bank United Center, Miami, FL
5/08: Sundome, Tampa, FL
5/10: North Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, SC
5/12: National City Pavillion, Cincinnati, OH
5/13: Tower City, Cleveland, OH
5/19: Mesa Ampitheatre, Phoenix, AZ
5/21: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA

The Walkmen will be out in support of their record, You and Me, released last year for your listening pleasure. If you somehow missed that bus, you can check out the Onion A.V. Club review of the album here.

The Walkmen MySpace page
Kings of Leon website

Los Campesinos at Der Rathskellar concert review

"Don't be afraid to make eye contact with the hot girls" - written on Gareth's glock

The wife and I tripped down to Madison Friday night to catch the free Titus Andronicus/Los Campesinos! show at Der Rathskellar. It was our first show at Der Rathskellar; we've been to The Annex and the High Noon Saloon before, but never made it over to the Union (which houses Der Rathskellar for those that aren't familiar with the UW Campus) to catch any of the shows the WUD puts on. However, after last night's stellar outing, we'll certainly be returning in the future for a show.

The venue: Der Rathskellar, Memorial Union

Once I remembered where the Union was, we made our way down Langdon Street to the already packed Der Rathskellar at 8pm. The show wasn't scheduled to start for another hour, but already there wasn't a seat available in the area facing the stage, or anywhere around it for that matter. We were able to get our first round of MGD & Newcastle at the bar quickly, and then perched ourselves outside Der Rathskellar for a little while to take in the atmosphere.

After a drink and some people watching, we wormed our way to a table for two behind the stage which had opened up; at the time, it seemed like our only option if we wanted to be able to sit and still see the show. It's really not a bad vantage point back there, but acoustically it's a terrible location. You can hear the music just fine, but I couldn't make out most of the vocals during the show. Unfortunately there were some issues with crowd control as the bands didn't want anyone sitting in front of the stage at the tables or directly behind the stage either, so an already packed venue became very crowded right in front of the stage and towards the corner when people were forced to pick up and pack in. Luckily our spot towards the back was far enough to the side that we didn't have to move.

As a venue, I found Der Rathskellar very accessible; beer was just few feet away and always pretty available; there was a door you could slip out to go smoke or cool off right behind me; and the bathrooms were right outside, fairly clean, and uncrowded. Were it not a free show the crowd of sweaty college students up front might have had a little more breathing room, but that comes with the territory I suppose. Ok, on to the bands.

Titus Andronicus

As I mentioned to fellow blogger and event co-sponsor Ryan from Muzzle of Bees at the show, I was really surprised by the showing that both the bands brought. I didn't expect to see people packed in front of the stage a half hour before the opening band came on, but that's exactly what you had that night. A young crowd, very eager for some music, and two excellent bands that were more than willing to respond to the challenge.

I didn't know a lot about Titus Andronicus before Friday night, but I probably should have. They played a short but very raucous set that provided an instant spark to a crowd just waiting for a catalyst.

Titus Andronicus

Within the first few songs students were already crowd surfing, as was Titus Andronicus frontman Patrick Stickles, and the fans up front were swelling over the stage like sweaty rats trying to stay on a ship being battered by heavy waves from every direction. The Titus Andronicus set was a mix of electronic and punk, very raw and energy filled, and much appreciated by the crowd.

Los Campesinos!

After a fairly brief intermission, the Welsh outfit that is Los Campesinos! took the stage, armed with a case of Old Milwaukee, a bottle of dark liquor which I took to be whiskey, and benefited by an already energized crowd. I've only had a listen to two of Los Campesinos! albums before, so there were a few songs on the set list that were new to me, but I enjoyed pretty much everything they had to offer (my favorite last night though was probably "My Year in Lists").

Los Campesinos! and the sweaty student crowd

Our view from the back

She was wearing black hi-top Chuck Taylors. Awesome.

I'm generalizing here, but like a lot of euro rock bands, the women in Los Campesinos! were gorgeous, the guys were skinny, and they all like to get crazy during the show.

At one point in the set the guitarist, Neil, was crowd surfing while playing:

Neil makes the leap

Los Campesinos! singer Gareth was a whirling dervish on most songs, all while fighting off an asthma attack:

Gareth, rocking the glock, but not making with the eye contact.

Admittedly, it's a lot harder for us to "work" a show when we enjoy it as much as we did last night. And while Titus Andronicus and Los Campesinos! only combined for what turned out to be a little more than an hour and a half of music (the show was over, with no encore, by 11:45 pm), it was an intense show that was certainly worth the free price of admission for all in attendance. I'd easily pay to see both of these bands again, and I recommend catching them on the road if you have a chance. You won't be disappointed - we certainly weren't; not with the venue, not with the crowd, not with the bands or even the beer prices - and certainly not with the post-show Long Island ice teas we enjoyed at The Red Shed.

Shows and evenings like the one we were experienced Friday night thanks to Titus Andronicus, Los Campesionos!, The WUD and Muzzle of Bees make you never want to leave a town like Madison, which probably explains why most of my friends never have.

Review and much, much better pictures at Muzzle of Bees
Review at 77 Square

Update: Los Campesinos! will be returning to Wisconsin April 3rd to play the Turner Hall Ballroom in Milwaukee. So if you missed the Madison show, hit up that one.

Get Divisible

Enjoying a new episode of The Office right now, but we wanted to take a moment to help introduce you to the LA duo that is Divisible.

Lead singer Shola is a Harvard graduate and drummer Albert Sadia is a poet and writer. After meeting in downtown Los Angeles, the duo set out to make songs that were moody, atmospheric, and accessible. Divisible recorded their first demo in the confines of their rehearsal room, and Bryan Cook (Gary Jules, Meiko, Inara George of The Bird & the Bee) volunteered to mix the record.

Divisible's debut release, The Alchemy EP, quickly garnered local attention from Filter Magazine, ABC Television, and LA’s Indie 103.1. The band also gained international attention from Music Pool (Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins) who invited the band to come to Germany for the renowned PopKomm Festival and showcase dates with Canadian band The Cliks.

Their first full-length album, Less Than Lion, coming out in April, speaks to the band's African ancestry. The songs explore singer Shola's journey to West Africa to reconcile with her father, who lives in Ghana.

We enjoy the band's complex sound, and think you will too if you are a fan of acts such as the Yeah Yeah Yeah's or TV on the Radio. You can stream some music from the band at their MySpace page, or visit their website, where you can signup for their mailing list to hear about free song downloads and upcoming shows. Better yet, drop by one of their gigs, like the one February 19th at the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles, and pick up some free CDs from the band at the show.

We found our first spin through Less Than Lion to be sultry, intoxicating, and invigorating, like a good strong sangria. We particularly enjoy their cover of Radiohead's Exit Music (For a Film), which you can snag below:

Divisible - Exit Music (For a Film) (Radiohead cover)

Heartless Bastards The Mountain out today

The Mountain artwork by Michael Carney

As I'm sure you've read elsewhere, a band I've really come to enjoy as of late, Heartless Bastards, are releasing their third album today, The Mountain. I fell in love with Cincinnati's Heartless Bastards through WOXY.com, where they are an almost daily play. Even more unusual for me is that I like a band fronted by a woman. I'm certainly not a sexist musically by any means, but I tend not to enjoy woman-vocalists of rock bands as often as I should. Luckily, Heartless Bastards are so damn good it doesn't seem to matter to my particular musical tastes. The Mountain is certainly going to be on my list of things to pick up this weekend.

The band is currently on tour and will probably be stopping by a location near you. Wisconsinites can catch Heartless Bastards April 2 at the Turner Ballroom in Milwaukee. I'm hoping I can go. For a complete list of tour dates visit the band's MySpace page.

If you're new to the Heartless Bastards, you can check out the lead track from The Mountain below:

Heartless Bastards - "The Mountain"

Harlem Shakes/Tokyo Police Club dates

The Harlem Shakes

The Harlem Shakes will be joining Veritas Lux Mea favorite Tokyo Police Club this winter for some select dates. We're a little disappointed none of them are in Wisconsin, considering how much we enjoyed the last time we caught Tokyo Police Club in Madison. But then again, we still need to go on a honeymoon, and Florida in March would be nice....

Winter 2009 Tour

Feb 24 2009 Lupo’s w/ Tokyo Police Club Providence, Rhode Island
Feb 25 2009 Webster Hall w/ TPC & and Born Ruffians New York, New York
Feb 26 2009 Black Cat w/ TPC & Born Ruffians DC, Washington DC
Feb 27 2009 Swarthmore College w/ Tokyo Police Club Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Feb 28 2009 Mr Smalls w/ Tokyo Police Club Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mar 1 2009 Grog Shop w/ Tokyo Police Club Cleveland, Ohio
Mar 2 2009 Basement w/ Tokyo Police Club Columbus, Ohio
Mar 3 2009 Mad Hatter w/ Tokyo Police Club Covington, Kentucky
Mar 5 2009 Earl w/ Tokyo Police Club Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 6 2009 Downunder w/ Tokyo Police Club Talahassee, Florida
Mar 7 2009 The Social w/ Tokyo Police Club Orlando, Florida

Keep your eyes on the blogs for more on the Harlem Shakes as their debut LP Technicolor Health will be out March 24th On Gigantic Music.

This is why I love the Internet

I got one of these fabulous letters in my inbox tonight. Now I can sleep peacefully knowing that my "contract payment is 100% genuine and hitch free from all facet!"

Federal Bureau of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001, USA

RE: FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION SEEKING TO WIRETAP THE INTERNET

We the Federal bureau of investigation (FBI) Washington, DC have been informed through our Global intelligence monitoring network, that you are presently having a transaction going on with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in regards to your over-due contract payment which was endorsed in your favor.

This is to let you know that we have taken out time in screening through this project as stipulated on our protocols of operation and have finally confirmed that your contract payment is 100% genuine and hitch free from all facet and of which you have the lawful right to claim your fund without any further delay. To this effect, we will further advise that you go ahead in dealing with the Central Bank office accordingly as we will be monitoring all their services as well as your correspondence with them at all level.

It might also interest you to know that we recently had a meeting with the Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, in the person of Prof. Chukwuma C. Soludo along with some of the CBN officials, regarding your case and they made us to understand that your payment file has been held in abase for some reasons depending on when you personally come for the claim. They also complained that the only problem they are facing right now is that some unscrupulous element are using this project as an avenue to scam innocent people off their hard earned money by impersonating the Executive Governor and the Central Bank office.

We were also made to understand that a lady with name Mrs. Joan C. Bailey from OHIO, USA. has already contacted the Central Bank office on your behalf and also presented to them all the necessary documentations evidencing your claim purported to have been signed personally by you for the release of your contract fund valued at about USD$8,000,000.00 (Eight million united states dollars). The Central Bank of Nigeria did the wise thing by insisting on hearing from you personally before they go ahead on releasing your fund to the Banking information which was forwarded to them by the above named Lady, so that was the main reason why they contacted us so as to assist them in making the investigations to avoid irregularities.

They further informed us that we should warn our dear citizens who must have been informed of this same contract payment, to be very careful so that they don't fall victim to this irregularity and should in case you are already dealing with anybody or office that might be posing to be the Central Bank of Nigeria, we advise that you STOP further contact with them in your best interest and contact the genuine office of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN,) ONLY with the below information accordingly:

NAME: PROF. CHUKWUMA C. SOLUDO

OFFICE ADDRESS: Central Bank of Nigeria,
Central Business District,
Cadastral Zone,
Abuja, Federal Capital Territory,
Nigeria.

TEL: 234-1-7393100
234-8023-687-555
234-8038-366-048


Email: contractclearingunit.ngg@live.com

NOTE:
You are to contact the genuine office of the Central Bank of Nigeria ONLY with the above information and then request that they attend to you payment files for subsequent release of your contract fund to you. Also be informed that any message that doesn't come from the above official email address, should be disregarded for security reasons.After contacting the Central Bank office with the above information, ensure you follow their directives as that will further hasten up the whole processing as regards to the routing of your fund to you as designated.

We will be monitoring all your dealings with them as you proceed so you have nothing to worry about. All we require from you henceforth is an update to enable us be on track with you and the Central Bank of Nigeria. Thank you for your anticipated co-operation and have a wonderful day !

Yours in service,

Robert S. Mueller III
Federal Bureau of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001, USA