Thursday, May 31, 2007

Don't Tell a Soul, Vol. 29: If you can't dance, there's someone else in line

For the uninitiated, "Don't Tell a Soul" is my ongoing, semi-regular awesome* mix tape series.

This is just the latest installment.

As always, to encourage the consumption of music (that doesn't suck), I have provided --
wherever available -- links to free, artist-sanctioned MP3s of the songs.**

*No joke.
**At least they were free and artist-sanctioned at the time of this here blog's posting.

Enjoy!
Matt

(Questions or comments? E-mail mperrine@duluthbudgeteer.com.)

1. Josh Harty - "Trouble"
Josh Harty is a former North Dakotan and a very nice man -- and "Trouble" is the folk rock equivalent of Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People."

p.s. If you missed his show at Beaner's Central last weekend opening up for labelmates Tom Feldmann & the Get-Rites (and something tells me you did...), you should be kicking yourself.

Hard.

2. All Smiles - "Summer Stay"
Believe you me, I said enough for the both of us right here. Either/or, a strong contender for single of the year and album of the year (for its "parent album," mind you).

3. The Format - "The Compromise" (acoustic)
Speaking of meaningless lists, this song's studio version probably would've been last year's single of the year had its parent album not been a member of ... you know, "The Best Albums of 2006." (Remember the rules, boy, the rules....)

So -- you got through all that already? -- what's stopping its acoustic version from getting some "DTAS" lovin'?


4. Brendan Benson - "Get it Together"
R.I.Y.K.O.S.O.H. the Raconteurs.***

5. Dizzee Rascal - "Stand Up Tall"
R.I.Y.L. the Surfactants but wish they were a little less electro-hybrid straight outta the Land of 10,000 Lakes (whatever the hell that means...) and a lot more U.K. grime.

6. Tim Armstrong - "Oh No"
R.I.Y.L. Rancid's "sunnier" sides -- like "I Wanna Riot," the group's collaboration with the Stubborn All-Stars on the "Beavis and Butt-head Do America" soundtrack.

7. Arcade Fire - "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)"
I once thought "Funeral" was an overrated album. What a fool! This is easily one of the most beautiful songs of all time (right up there with its "sequel," "Intervention").

The harmonies are simply haunting, like something off a stellastarr* or Pixies album.

8. My Diet Pill - "Cockroach Blues"
For me (and you too, hopefully), My Diet Pill is France's pre-eminent musical export/gift to the world (sorry, Air!) -- and I only came across them by accident.

Remember the good ol' days of Audiogalaxy, when every f*cking song was labeled wrong? Well, for the longest time I was under the impression that a live version of My Diet Pill's "Sandy's Bathroom" was a long-lost Pixies gem. So, determined to (obsessed with, really) finding out the track's true author(s), I somehow stumbled upon the right group.

Fast-forward half a decade later (that was another one of those UMD freshman episodes...) and singer Vlad is sending me a secret link to the group's forthcoming EP.

And let me tell you, my friends, it is four songs of compacted pure imagination; this sh*t will blow you away when it drops. It's like the group kind of just took off after albums one and two (samples available here), kicking their collective songwriting skills into interstellar overdrive.

9. Tiger Army - "Afterworld"
Imagine a world where J Church, the Smoking Popes and the Reverend Horton Heat shared the stage, and then you might understand what this song sounds like through words.

No?

Not even close?

I tried.

Kind of....

10. Charlie Parr - "You Can't Win"
I don't want to say too much about this hot new track from the prolific Parr's next masterpiece, "Jubilee," since I'll be ... using all the clever phrases I can muster next week in the Budgeteer when I review it. (Want to hear it yourself? "Jubilee" and Parr's Porter will be both be unveiled June 6 at his weekly Midweek Bracer at Fitger's Brewhouse. Click here or here for more information.)

11. Tom Feldmann & the Get-Rites - "One of These Days"
Hopefully Feldmann's "Jesus is magic" vibe doesn't turn you off, because this guy (and his Get-Rites ... I'd never forget the Get-Rites!) has talent -- and his spot-on show at Beaner's last Saturday night was proof positive. (Although "One of These Days" isn't available for sampling on his Web site, others are.)

12. Beulah - "If We Can Land a Man on the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart"
"Beulah Saves." That's what my favorite T-shirt says, and I'm stickin' to it. (I'll get around to linking to my interview with Miles Kurosky someday, I swear.)

p.s. Best song title ever, no?

13. Peter Walker - "Talk to You"
FYI: Peter Walker is the co-founder of Dangerbird Records (thanks for putting out Jim Fairchild's All Smiles debut!) and a couple of his tracks are available on his personal Web site.

14. The Old Soul - "River of Daughters"
The Old Soul breaks the mold; this is some of the most original music to come out since Tim DeLaughter unveiled his sun cult ... err, the jubilant Polyphonic Spree.

15. Band of Horses - "The Funeral"
This is common awesome mix tape fodder, I admit, but it's been in my head lately.

16. Stephen Malkmus - "Leisurely Poison"
As has this glorious track from the Pavement renegade master.

17. Oasis - "Don't Look Back in Anger"
This is for my co-worker "Suoj' Bomb," since he never shuts up about these blokes.

Pleasant tune though, I must admit.

18. Locksley - "Why Not Me?"
Unlike Oasis, this nameless, faceless Britpop group could actually benefit from a little sibling rivalry-splashed-all-over-the-news action.

Ha! I just checked to make sure Locksley was actually British, and they're from freakin' Mad Town ... they're fellow Cheeseheads!

19. Busdriver - "Less Yes's, More No's"
R.I.Y.L. Grayskul's collaboration with Aesop Rock, "Voltronic Instructional Espionage," or P.O.S. -- when he actually sings.

20. The Draft - "New Eyes Open"
This is like a generic, pop punk Roy, but, still, it's not like Roy's put out anything this year.

21. The Hush Sound - "Crawling Towards the Sun"
Yes, this group's latest album features production work from Fall Out Boy vocalist Patrick Stump, but don't hold that against them; this is like a succulent (ha!) fusion of Let Go and the Apples in Stereo. Pretty decent, indeed. (Plus, I know this shouldn't matter -- at all -- but vocalist and keyboardist/pianist Greta Salpeter is a stone cold fox! As Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar would say/motion....)

22. Northern Room - "We're on Fire"
Like fellow Cheeseheads Locksley, the lads in Northern Room definitely play up a certain amount of U.K. influences on this track. (Think positive, like the Doves.)

23. Storyhill - "Loose Summer Clothes"
You can never go wrong with the pride and joy of Bozeman and/or Montana's answer to the Jayhawks.

Never.

***Hey, if you can figure out that acronym, you're either A) "Small Wonder" Wendy Jo or ... is there a B) outside of me?

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Today's Moment of Zen: Great minds (photographers) think (snort Pixy) alike

(Proof positive that I was recently enlightened by my friend Wendy -- love it!)

An inconvenient Duluth truth

The music video for Low's "Belarus" (shot wonderfully by Hansi Johnson) tackles a subject that is becoming less and less a reality in the Northland: cross country skiing. (On a less-catastrophic note, I appreciate the shots in and around Grassy Point Trail, an area I'm quite fond of.)

Sunday, May 27, 2007

For Built by Snow's consideration...

Austin indie rockers Built by Snow are challenging the world at large to design its next album cover. Very cool.

So, here is my feeble attempt (my "byline" would eventually be replaced by the album title or removed altogether ... I'm not sure what looks better yet).

Anyway, for more information on this cool contest, check out MySpace.com/BuiltbySnow.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Don't Tell a Soul, Vol. 28

It's always really cool to get e-mails from my favorite musicians, letting me know what they're up to. It happened again today with a nice note from Dan Hutt of Acme ("Stay, Don't Go," DTAS25). He's in Lincoln, Neb., now, playing in a few different groups. (Don't worry; Acme's status is still considered "ongoing.")

Anyway, I just thought I'd share that he can now be reached online either here or here.

Keep those letters coming!

1. Soundgarden - "Pretty Noose"
Recommended if you like pretending singer Chris Cornell hasn't totally sullied his good name with the embarrassing Audioslave.

2. Brendan Benson - "Feel Like Myself"
I'll admit, this record took a few spins to completely get under my skin like his previous ones had -- I mean, what's not to like ... it's a perfect marriage of his early career and the best '70s FM rock had to offer -- but, after the disappointing Raconteurs record with Jack White, it sounds like the greatest thing in the world.

3. Steely Dan - "Pearl of the Quarter"
R.I.Y.L. George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" when it sounded like he might almost take it to the limits of C&W.

4. The Wannadies - "Because"
What's that, a flute solo in the middle of this angst-ridden gem? Whatever it is, Zelda would be proud....

5. Self - "Cater to Your Ego"
R.I.Y.L. Self's rocking debut (when the group flirted with post-grunge approaches to songwriting).

6. What Made Milwaukee Famous - "Sweet Lady"
R.I.Y.L. Sloan's "Between the Bridges" ... you know, "creamy" tours de force complete with perfect harmonies.

7. Smoosh - "Find a Way"
An open apology to the members of Smoosh: Somehow I ended up with one of your stickers (most likely from the gracious fellows at Barsuk). Not knowing what your music sounded like, I applied it to a plastic bin that sits in my closet -- next to a "Horn Broken ... Watch for Finger" sticker from my teenager years, no less. If that wasn't enough, when I went to see who was in your band, I found it was two teenaged girls (12 and 14!). At that point, I had no remorse whatsoever about placing your sticker in such an undesirable spot (on the top of the record player is really the "sought-after" locale in this bizarro sticker hierarchy).

But then I heard this song = sheer brilliance!

(Don't let their ages and dispositions turn you off; this is quite an enjoyable track.)

8. Belly - "Slow Dog"
R.I.Y.L. Belly. (I really don't think there's any other way to put it.)

9. The Minus 5 with Wilco - "Where Will You Go?"
R.I.Y.L. Golden Smog.

(p.s. I found this record on Yep Roc's Web site
for $5 ... that almost feels like stealing!*)

10. The Standard - "Red Drop"
This is how good singer Tim Putnam is at his job: He could be backed by farting elephants and he would still make it work.

The best comparison I can think of is Live's Ed Kowalczyk circa "Throwing Copper's" most vulnerable moments, but that only begins to scratch the surface of what Putnam possesses in terms of sheer listenability.

11. Southern Culture on the Skids - "Doublewide"
R.I.Y.L. key Beach Boys passages so much that it would be "wrong" if other bands didn't rip them off verbatim.

12. The Chemical Brothers - "Do it Again" (edit)
R.I.Y.L. Justin Timberlake and Timbaland collabs and/or ruining your appetite for the new Chemical Brothers masterpiece by playing its first single over and over again ad nauseum. (Man, this happens every time they release a new record.... I can distinctly remember wearing out "It Began in Afrika" as a UMD freshman months before the "Come With Us" album came out.)

13. Craig Wedren - "Laughing Liddy"
R.I.Y.L. poignant little instrumentals that help bridge the awkward gaps between epic techno tracks and out-and-out rockers on your mix tapes....

14. Superdrag - "Comfortably Bummed"
R.I.Y.L. not-so-clever song titles that successfully mask the enjoyability of the track they're supposed to give character to.

15. The Flashing Lights - "Highschool"
R.I.Y.L. the best power pop has to offer (under the guise of indie rock, that is), the Raspberries, Sloan, the Who's wonderful, abrupt instrumental bursts between verses and choruses.

16. Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 - "Adventure Rocket Ship"
The Venus 3 is actually R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, the Young Fresh Fellows' Scott McCaughey and Ministry's Bill Rieflin -- what a backing band!

17. Justice - "DVNO"
R.I.Y.L. the Gorillaz album "Demon Days."

(Note to self: Check out this group's remix of Simian's "Never be Alone.")

18. Maximo Park - "Girls Who Play Guitars"
R.I.Y.L. thinking girls who play "Guitar Hero" on PS2 are somehow cooler than girls who don't.

19. The Get Up Kids - "All That I Know"
R.I.Y.L. "Blue Jay Way," poignant lyrics about ships and lights in the harbor, falling in love in the Twin Ports.

20. The Boggs - "Little Windows"
R.I.Y.L. Duluth and Minneapolis indie rock aesthetics coexisting in some sort of bizarre love triangle with the entire K Records roster.

21. Brakesbrakesbrakes - "Hold Me in the River"
R.I.Y.L. the Clash, if they sounded Irish.

22. Okkervil River - "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe"
I haven't completely committed to this group yet, but I include their music as a public service because one day, I feel, they will grow on me and you.

23. Bob Mould - "Missing You"
R.I.Y.L. anything Bob Mould has done since Hüsker Dü.

24. Cheap Trick - "All I Really Want"
R.I.Y.L. good ol' American rock 'n' roll.

Um, yeah....


25. The Veils - "Advice for Young Mothers to Be"
Isn't it sad that the Veils are out-Pulping Jarvis Cocker these days? (Man, what the hell happened to him anyway?)

*And this is probably an entire column in itself, but when you buy records from them -- and a number of other forward-thinking indie labels** -- you get the entire album for free on MP3. Thereby totally making the CD obsolete, which is fine by me since vinyl is the most desirable format; with MP3 coming next because of its portability and ease of use.
**Hell, even Sony sent me a free CD of the new Modest Mouse album when I pre-ordered the vinyl edition. I believe either of these options is really the way of the future for music lovers.

This Week's Shameless Budgeteer Plug: More possible mayors, Pattison State Park pics, Josh Harty and (even) more CD reviews

"Gilbert and Pratt Join Crowded Mayoral Race" -- This piece accompanies the earlier "With Bergson Out, Mayoral Race Heats Up," which profiled the first three candidates: Bell, Bye and Ness. (Hint: Knowledge is power.)

"Discover Duluth: Pattison State Park" -- My photo essay series continues with the closest state park to Duluth ... which just happens to be in Wisconsin. Of note is this park's waterfall, which is the largest in the state and (at least reportedly) the fourth-tallest east of the Rockies. (Gadzoinks!)

"Mad Town Troubadour Returns to Beaner’s" -- Said troubadour is Josh Harty, who left Fargo to pursue his dream in Madison. But now he's movin' on up again: Before his new album, "A Long List of Lies," drops in six weeks, he'll be a resident in the Windy City (the real one ... he's not moving back to Fargo or anything!).

"CD Reviews: New Releases from Comedian Patton Oswalt and Grandaddy’s Jim Fairchild" -- Two solid releases ... wish I could say the same for the other records I reviewed this week (in brief): William Tell's "You Can Hold Me Down," Joseph Israel’s “Gone are the Days” and Kevin Steinman’s “Things to Keep in Mind While Balancing."

Monday, May 21, 2007

Don't Tell a Soul, Vol. 27: Wear your headphones, and I'll whisper you the code

I had so much fun keeping my mouth (relatively) shut last time, I think I'm gonna ride that "R.I.Y.L." wave until HBO brings "Carnivale" back.

Hint: It's going to be a long, long, long time....

1. James - "Avalanche"
R.I.Y.L. Primal Scream (when they're rockin').

2. Superdrag - "She Says"
R.I.Y.L. the Fab Four*, Sloan's "Never Hear the End of It."

3. Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter - "Tell the Boys"
R.I.Y.L. Wilco's country sides, women who (probably) smoke, the "Brokeback Mountain" soundtrack.

4. Frank Black - "(Do What You Want) Gyaneshwar"
R.I.Y.L. Black Francis better than Frank Black, weird** music that teeters between throwing smooth pebbles at rock 'n' roll's window and hinting at what a modern, acoustic-based Pixies release might sound like.

5. Stars - "Ageless Beauty"
R.I.Y.L. the lights, and you like 'em pretty bright.

6. John Vanderslice - "Time Travel is Lonely"
R.I.Y.L. Beulah, a slightly less experimental "Kid A," the Barsuk sound.

7. Wilco - "Theologians" (live, "Sky Blue Sky" bonus disc vers.)
(Since I featured so many "Sky Blue Sky" tracks on my awesome mix tapes before it was released, I thought I'd celebrate its legal street date by including this stellar live version of my favorite Wilco track; which is only available on the bonus disc that accompanies purchases of the album at fine independent retailers nationwide. Hint: the Fetus has it!)

8. American Music Club - "Royal Cafe"
R.I.Y.L. "The Who by Numbers," jubilant tracks best expressed by music videos of the band playing on a raft that's floating down a river (?).

9. Self - "Microchip Girl"
R.I.Y.L. really, really, really ridiculously overpriced albums. (Ha ha ha, and I found it at Pawn America!)

10. Travis - "Why Does it Always Rain on Me?"
R.I.Y.L. feeling like a sad, sappy sucker.

11. Coldplay - "The Hardest Part"
R.I.Y.L. feeling like a sad, sappy sucker but lacking access to any one of Travis' fine products.

12. Nick Heyward - "Stars in Her Eyes"
R.I.Y.L. knowing stupid facts like "While Matthew R. Perrine was being conceived in the early '80s, Nick Heyward was busy giving birth to the stupidest band name of all time: Haircut 100." Well, either that or Radiohead's "The Bends."

Your call.

(No hard feelings, Nick, your solo career saved you from ... well, remember that one particularly nasty scene in "Pulp Fiction." That's probably what you deserve if you had anything to do with naming a rock group "Haircut 100"....)

13. Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Hey Tonight" (live at the closing of the Fillmore West, July 4, 1971)
R.I.Y.L. American bands that were as consistent (or more so) than the Beatles -- yet are considered one-fifth as talented.

Oh, and shams, bloody shams.


14. The Cardigans - "My Favourite Game"
R.I.Y.L. pretending the Cardigans are only a quasi-pop group.

15. The Dambuilders - "Kill Haole Day"
R.I.Y.L. umm ... wait a second, did you know that Kill Haole Day is actually "an annual ritual in Hawaiian public schools in which any haoles, or Caucasians, that dare to come to school are beat up by non-haole locals." (Thanks, Everything2.com!)

Wow, did not know that when I selected this song for this (awesome) mix tape....

16. Jimi Hendrix - "Message to Love"
R.I.Y.L. going against the grain. Let's face it: "Voodoo Soup" isn't nearly as bad as Hendrix purists would lead you to believe.

17. Tom Tom Club - "As the Disco Ball Turns"
R.I.Y.L. the B-52's, but know saying, "It's OK, it's actually the Tom Tom Club" will score you more points with that cute Disc-Go-Round clerk.

18. Dylan Hicks - "Waterbed"
R.I.Y.L. Valet. Pure and simple.

19. Fields - "Isabel"
R.I.Y.L. My Bloody Valentine, but wish Kevin Shields absorbed pop music into his sound "just a wee bit more."

20. Craig Wedren - "Do You Harm"
R.I.Y.L. Shudder to Think (if only because Wedren is that group's singer), the Afghan Whigs' most successful singles.

21. Cary Brothers - "The Last One"
R.I.Y.L. Big Country, Arcade Fire (when they lean on '80s college radio a little too much for your mom's liking).

*I actually do mean the Beatles here. "The Fab Four" isn't some pretentious indie rock group's "clever" name or anything!
**If you know anything about Black Francis/Frank Black, you know this is a good thing.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Don't Tell a Soul, Vol. 26: Sit straight, smile, shut your mouth

Ladies and gentlemen, my latest awesome mix tape.* (I'm at a loss for words this week, so I'm trying something a little different with this mix tape. ... Excuse me: awesome mix tape.)

1. The Old Soul - "Nectar of the Nitwit"
Recommended if you like the Avalanches (sans samples) and songs that make you bounce off the walls -- magnificently orchestrated by some cheeky bastards, no less.

2. BS 2000 - "It Feels like ?!@#?!"
R.I.Y.L. Money Mark's fun-loving, experimental side and/or the Beastie Boys' *ahem* fun-loving, experimental side. (BS 2000 is actually Beastie Adam "Adrock" Horovitz with Amery "AWOL" Smith.)

3. Faunts - "Memories of Places We've Never Been"
R.I.Y.L. Fleetwood Mac during its late-'70s peak, Midlake.

4. Fleetwood Mac - "Not that Funny"
R.I.Y.L. No. 3's R.I.Y.L.

5. Servotron - "Electric Avenue" (Eddy Grant cover)
R.I.Y.L. Eddy Grant's impeccable original, "MST3K," robots (that just happen to be on fire).

6. Har Mar Superstar - "Sex Tape"
R.I.Y.L. Prince at his lewdest and crudest.

7. Joe Jackson - "I'm the Man"
R.I.Y.L. misogyny (kidding ... totally kidding), Elvis Costello's debut.

8. The Blow - "Hock It (YACHT remix)"
R.I.Y.L. dance parties, IDM.

9. The Loungs - "Throughout it All"
R.I.Y.L. long walks on the beach, hay fever (?).

10. Fuck - "No Longer Whistler's Dream Date"
R.I.Y.L. bands with the sand to name themselves "Fuck."

11. Electric Light Orchestra - "Mr. Blue Sky"
R.I.Y.L. to consider Jeff Lynne your "almighty."

12. Pearl Jam - "Not for You"
R.I.Y.L. lost highways, lonesome nights and shimmering moonbeams shifting between swaying pine trees. Oh, and shadows.

Yeah, shadows....

13. The Actual - "This is the First Day of My Life"
R.I.Y.L. big, dumb rock and "Guitar Hero."

14. Cotton Mather - "Payday"
R.I.Y.L. Redd Kross, Jellyfish.

15. Miracle Fortress - "Have You Seen in Your Dreams?"
R.I.Y.L. rock bands floating around on clouds, immense doses of wormwood.

16. Camera Obscura - "Alaska"
R.I.Y.L. Low's "The Great Destroyer" (with a sprinkle of sunshine), states that aren't "contiguous."

17. The Whitsundays - "It Must be Me"
R.I.Y.L. the Beach Boys' "Smile" sessions, Herman's Hermits.

18. All Smiles - "Moth in a Cloud of Smoke"
R.I.Y.L. resting assured that at least one member of Grandaddy is still turning recorded sound into magic post-breakup. (All Smiles is pretty much just Jim Fairchild left alone with his surprisingly romantic thoughts -- with a few indie rock royalty guest shots thrown in for good measure.)

19. Grandaddy - "Chartsengrafs"
R.I.Y.L. perfection.

20. Supergrass - "Richard III"
R.I.Y.L. the days when "120 Minutes" was king.

21. David & the Citizens - "Now She Sleeps in a Box in the Good Soil of Denmark"
R.I.Y.L. dudes who would make horrible librarians, fierce acoustic strumming, knots in your stomach, a general feeling of uneasiness.

22. Mark Mallman - "Nights of Devastation"
R.I.Y.L. Roy Orbison, the AM dial ... after midnight. (No?)

23. Oasis - "All Around the World (reprise)"
R.I.Y.L. Oasis' "All Around the World," the commercials of telecommunication supergiants.

*As always, links denote a free, artist-sanctioned MP3 of the song. (At least they were free when I published this puppy.)

This Week's (Belated) Shameless Budgeteer Plug: The 'other' Duluth, Interstate Bridge pics, the return of the MAC and 'Growing Up Duluth'

Sorry for the delay. Here's this week's winning numbers:

"That Other Duluth: Georgia's 'Tree City' Has a Lot in Common with its Northland Namesake" -- Wow, what a headline! ... Eh? (In all serious, though, a special thanks to everyone in Duluth, Ga., for making this story possible.)

"Discover Duluth: Interstate Bridge" -- Duluth is a (very) cool city indeed.* Although it's now just a fishing pier, the old Duluth-Superior bridge is ideal for amateur shutterbugs such as myself.

"Zeppa Foundation Brings MAC Back"
-- Wow, what a great year for the local scene: The music has never sounded better and the Music and Arts Collective will most likely be back by the end of the year.

"'Growing Up Duluth' Project Seeks Local Submissions" -- Did you spend any of your formative years teetotaling in the Zenith City? Do you know how to operate a word processor? Me neither ... how about a keyboard and Microsoft Word? Yay, congrats; this is the project for you.

*DULUTH IN THE MEDIA ALERT: Have you seen "The Comedians of Comedy: The Movie" yet? Great stuff (on par with "Let America Laugh," in fact), but what really got my attention was comedian Maria Bamford -- a Marshall School grad (!) -- sporting one of Bullseye's "Duluth is a Cool City" T-shirts in a few pivotal scenes.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Duluth is a very cool city (Take 3)


‘God Rocks!’ mockumentary seeks extras
Budgeteer News - 05/16/2007

4 Track Films, Duluth’s new film studio, is looking for multiple extras to be featured in its upcoming film, “God Rocks!”

The project, a musical mockumentary about a Christian battle of the bands, requires audience members for two staged concerts, June 3 and June 30. Speaking roles will also be available for audition.

T-shirts and CDs will be given out to participants.

If interested, e-mail auditions@4trackfilms.com.

For more information about the film (or the film company), call Carrie at (218) 464-0184 or check out www.4trackfilms.com.

EDIT: I've just been advised that the June 3 event will be an all-day shoot at the College of St. Scholastica and the June 30 one will be an overnight at Sacred Heart. Happy shooting!

p.s. To prepare for such a role, I do recommend you watch Ricky Gervais' new(ish) HBO series "Extras." The Kate Winslet episode in particular is sublime.

Friday, May 11, 2007

This Week's Shameless Budgeteer Plug: The return of 'Tony X,' some nice snapshots of an old bridge and the Commons

Pleased to meet me, I'm "shore"....

"Greetings from the Carnegie Library, Pt. 2" -- Tony talks about his love of vintage lithographic postcards and X-comm's biggest hit, "Will to Murder."

"Ease Your Way Into Volunteerism" -- Chatting up the Commons' Nikki Townsend (a Jax transplant, no less) and DATA's Andy Holak (yes, again).

Finally, "Discover Duluth" returns with my "expose" on the Oliver Bridge, which connects Gary-New Duluth to the village of Oliver, Wis.

Next week I hope to return with a lengthy feature on "the other Duluth," (sweet) pics from the Interstate Bridge/Rice's Point and stories on the new MAC, Starfire's new business and -- if all goes according to plan -- a catching-up-with story on the mayoral race.

Cheers!

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

TOMORROW'S Moment of Zen: Miss May 1998

While an autographed Playmate headshot is, in itself, not very humorous, I find the way I acquired it to be: It was in a hotel room (a nice one, I might add) and I was 15 or 16. "Risky Business 2"? Hardly, but my inner awkward teenager can always remember it that way, right? It was actually at -- in simplest terms -- a trade show for independent video store owners and, in my case, a lucky employee or two. (Yes, yes; I thoroughly enjoyed "Clerks.") The vendors would set up in their posh hotel rooms and try to hawk their shit. One of them (Playboy Video, perhaps?) just happened to have the lovely Ms. Brooks.

Oh, Deanna.... (he he he)

Today's Moment of Zen: Goose!


Friday, May 4, 2007

Don't Tell a Soul, Vol. 25

Can you believe my awesome mix tape series has yielded 25 tubular installments?

Me.

Neither.

But the more pressing question is this: Can you believe I actually enjoy doing this with my free time?!

1. David Bowie - "Modern Love"
This song never fails to get me "movin'" -- you know, doing some sort of "choo choo" herky-jerky dance that really makes my wife question her vows.

Then again, I'm happy, so consequences be damned!

2. The Russian Futurists - "Paul Simon"
Alas, the bombastic sound of triumph.

3. The Frames - "God Bless Mom"
I'm not a terribly religious man, but a damn fine message nonetheless.

4. Pearl Jam - "Habit"
Hey, remember the '90s, when PJ's rockers didn't sound so ... calculated?

5. New Order - "Temptation"
If anything, this song should be longer. (Love it to death.)

6. Butterglory - "She's Got the Akshun!"
If you jumped for joy whenever Pavement released a radio-friendly pop nugget, it's time to get back your trampoline.*

7. Coloured Balls - "Flash"
While a great many of my "Guitar Hero III" suggestions would probably warrant the PBRs inevitably thrown at some sad, sappy sucker's friend's set, this one might actually work. Sure, they spell "colored" the pretentious Brit way, but this group was from Australia -- aka "a full island of joyous Brit criminals ... yay!" (Don't believe me? The CBs were skinheads, through and through.)

Enjoyable '70s guitar rock regardless.

8. Dntel feat. Jenny Lewis - "Roll On"
I think I made my feelings known well enough here, but I'll reiterate: I (HEART) -- like so many female singers before her -- Jenny Lewis.

Almost enough to make me want to move to L.A.

No, you're right; I take that back.

(p.s. Did you know she was born in Vegas? Weird, I thought that was a city people only moved to.)

9. Midlake - "Head Home"
The next best thing to "The Mac's" mellow highs.

10. Sir Salvatore - "Hooray this Projector"
Wow, what a find -- thanks, Idolator!

11. American Analog Set - "The Green Green Grass"
I think the review on eMusic said something to the effect of "This would be an ideal song for hawking Saturns."

Good.

Call.

Brother.

(FYI: That means it's safe for girlfriends and grammas alike.)

12. Storyhill - "One Toke Over the Line" (Brewer & Shipley cover)
I desperately want to make love to this song ... err, I mean ... is it just me, or does listening to this kind of make you feel like you're in some sort of religious cult?

I mean no disrespect to the almighty Storyhill, but their cover is even more joyful than the joyful-to-all-hell original.

Yadig?

You don't dig....

13. Sonic Youth - "Sleepin Around"
If you can get past the annoying (and unnecessary) feedback in the beginning, this is quite an enjoyable number. -> You must understand, I jumped on the Sonic Youth bandwagon at "Dirty," so I prefer the "pleasant" side of the feedback kings (and queen).

14. Polytechnic - "PEP"
I've never been that great with acronyms (although WYSIWYG was somewhat of a no-brainer), but that little piece of trivia -- in no way -- should affect how much joy you derive from this upbeat, all-too-brief handclapper.

15. Fischerspooner - "The 15th" (Wire cover)
Sorry to say, Wire, but your songs just sound better when other people are playing them.

Especially when those other people are in Elastica.

A HA HA ROTFLMFAO

Giggles aside, 'Spooner's pretty damn tight as a Wire replacement, too.

16. Olivia Tremor Control - "Fireplace"
I'm not gonna lie -- not enough benefits for doing so, to be honest -- but I think this overlooked gem somehow influenced the Blue Man Group when they recorded "Up to the Roof."

There. I said it. Now the world has to live with this "inconvenient truth."

Or half-truth.

17. !!! - "Must Be the Moon"
This is funky.

And a little scary. (Like a less "kid-centric" Junior Senior.)

Again, not gonna lie.

18. Future Clouds and Radar - "You Will Be Loved"
Of course I would endorse this band. It's practically a modern-day Britpop-meets-ELO concoction, and -- no matter how you describe it -- it's a formula that works.

Like I've always said, "Beam me up, Jeff Lynne."

No?

Time to retire, you say?

19. Dancing Hoods - "Baby's Got Rockets"
If you weren't totally opposed to the Soul Asylum album "Let Your Dim Light Shine," I think you might enjoy this lost-in-the-'80s track from the group that would eventually spawn Sparklehorse -- via member Mark Linkous, that is.

20. Acme - "Stay, Don't Go"
Who knew "Minnesoter" indie pop could be so jangly? I won't mix words: I very much appreciate this song. (It was quite a find on the dismal MNArtists.org comp "The Music of Here. Now.")

*Unabashedly corny as hell, and that's exactly why I'm not quitting my day job.

This Week's Shameless Budgeteer Plug

At right: The latest quilt to arrive in the mail from grandma dearest. (Looks like she was snacking on the dog's worm medicine again.)

Anywho....

"Skullduggery on the High ... Teas?" -- Lame hed, I know, but it makes me laugh. I love it!

Oh, right, the story is about Superior's Fairlawn Mansion. What I've always* loved about that place is that it's just down the road from my house and it was also built the same year ... BAD JOKE OF THE CENTURY: "Looks like I got the better deal there."

*Dodging "toms" and moving on....*

"Senior Aides Program Helps 55-plusers Get Jobs" -- Question: Is "55-plusers" even an AP-sanctioned term? We here at the Budgeteer are sure hoping so.

"Jesus, Mary and Harley-Davidson" -- We're also banking on the fact that the fine folks at the Vineyard Church in Lakeside have a sense of humor!

"Greetings from the Carnegie Library, Pt. 1" -- Publisher and author Tony Dierckins is the man. Sample quote: “I learned a lot,” he said of his first job at a publishing house. “Mostly about what a jerk some publishers can be.”

Finally, there's also "Brighton Beach's Next Top Model," a standalone photo I managed to sneak into this weekend's edition -- but I don't know how to link to it, so look for it here.

*OK, for the last month.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Melford E. Robinson, 1922-2007

The city of Duluth lost a great citizen this weekend.

Mel Robinson, who survived the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor, died in his home at the age of 84.

Roughly a week before the 65th anniversary of those attacks, I had the honor of visiting Mel -- a fellow Bemidji native -- in that very home to discuss what it was like to be there on O'ahu that fateful morning.

Mel was a little hard of hearing back in November, but still as sharp as a whistle -- as the vivid details he provided me can attest:

A Certain Sunday in Pearl Harbor

By MATTHEW R. PERRINE / DULUTH BUDGETEER NEWS
(Originally published Dec. 3, 2006)

Mel Robinson’s Pearl Harbor story sounds like something straight out of Hollywood. And, had the machine gun mechanisms on Japan’s attacking planes not been so unsteady 65 years ago, he might not have been here to tell it.
“You could just imagine going down the road and a plane coming down, machine gun is strafing, and you’re in line,” he said. “You know doggone well that something is going to happen. Fortunately, they stopped and, after they got by us, they started again, because they were firing in bursts.”
Best of all, Robinson was riding around in a roofless truck.
“You could hear the bombs dropping. The Japanese planes were coming down so low you could see the red ball insignia, and you could see the pilots,” he said. “For a little old farmer boy from Duluth that never heard anything louder than a firecracker, it was kind of scary.”
Robinson was in Pearl Harbor working for the Navy as a civilian. He and four other classmates left Central High School around the 10th grade to work there.
“That was right in the height of the Depression,” he said, “People were leaving school, getting jobs and going into the military — anything to make a living.
“People were trying to support families on 50 cents an hour. The starting wage over there, for a punk like me, was 85 cents an hour.”
He said lodging in the Naval cantonment was cheap, and they were fed well, but the real highlight was the nightlife in Honolulu — which he compared to the 24/7 atmosphere of Las Vegas.
“It was a fun area,” he said. “One thing I know about the Hawaiians is they don’t have any bad times in their life, as far as I could see then. Everything to them was fun and happy.
“You kind of, sort of, did the same thing when you were there.”
In fact, the night before the attacks had just been another spent out on the town.
“Well, Saturday night in Hawaii we were out playing,” Robinson said. “(Sunday morning) I was sound asleep and all of a sudden they come in and they woke everyone up. ‘Get dressed, we gotta take you down to Pearl’ and so forth and so on. They got us out in the vehicles and started down the road to Pearl.”
Something was up: They didn’t even get breakfast that morning.
Robinson and his mates were dropped off at the gates that day, told to hoof it to their assigned shop.
He recalls walking past the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard and examining the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38), which was in drydock, when … “We got there, and there was a helluva big explosion,” he said. “It kind of shook us up a little bit, but we did get down to the shop. From there, we just did what we were told.”
While most of their days were spent doing routine yard maintenance, their duties for the day that lives in infamy revolved around cleaning up debris so fire trucks and ambulances could get around — all the while worrying about more attacks.
“It was kind of scary,” Robinson said, before pausing and continuing, “Not kind of scary. It was scary.”

Turning the page
After he grew tired of his position at Pearl Harbor, Robinson returned to Duluth … only to join the Army.
“The only way I could quit was if I promised to join the service,” he said. “So I quit there, came back here and enlisted in the Army.”
He was sent back to the Pacific — with stops in New Guinea and the Philippines — as an engineer specializing in small boat maintenance. The Army also sent him to New York training for hard-hat salvage diving.
“The closest we ever come to combat would be on a landing craft when they would be coming in,” Robinson said.
Upon returning to Duluth, he said he “goofed around” for a few months, living off the Army’s unemployment compensation — which he referred to as “52-20” ($20 a week for 52 weeks).
“I was trained as a salvage diver for the Army. I got back here, and it was a closed deal,” Robinson said. “A guy by the name of Thompson had all of the diving jobs in town here. He did everything. There was nothing.”
Eventually he found work with Diamond Tool and, after that, doing water and gas maintenance for the city. After 28 years, he retired from that job as a superintendent.
Robinson, now 84, currently resides in the most interesting of living situations: with Caroline Gradine, a girl he couldn’t get a date with in high school.
“I told her she was stuck-up then,” he said, laughing.
They both lost their spouses in the early ’90s, so when Robinson needed a suitable place to live after falling ill, longtime family friend Gradine opened up her home.
“I told him he could come here and stay for a couple of weeks,” she said, “That must have been about seven years ago. … So now we’re stuck with each other.”
“I just got so comfortable I never left,” he piped in.
Despite telling his story hundreds of times, Robinson always looks back at the time fondly.
“It’s not that I did anything important at Pearl,” he said, “but people want to know about it.
“It’s kind of been a feather in my cap.”

("All Those Yesterdays" photo by Matthew R. Perrine for the Duluth Budgeteer News)