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Craig Reptile: Your Sunday Sonic Sundowner writesGuided by Voices Take Over Metro on Saturday Sept. 3!
[photo by Matt Davis]
by Craig Bechtel
Guided By Voices are back! Given that Robert Pollard is, and always has been the only constant member of Dayton Ohio’s GBV, it’s a fair question to wonder how any but the most hardcore fans will recognize the difference between this latest incarnation and any of the previous versions, not to mention delineating the distinctions between Pollard’s prolific solo output and his innumerable side projects. And this is coming from someone who’s listened to every Guided By Voices official release and most released under Pollard’s own name.
For the uninitiated, GBV are the best band you’ve never heard, who at their best sound like the weirdest, best Who songs in demo form and at their worst sound like the worst demos by Yes or Ween. Given that the volume of their discography can be intimidating (Pollard once released a 28 song “best of” just his solo material from 2010 to 2011, entitled, rather fittingly, The Kids Eat It Up, but didn’t slow down in 2012, releasing two solo albums and THREE Guided By Voices records) and despite moments (usually characteristically brief) of brilliance throughout their recorded output, the best places to start are still their breakthrough Bee Thousand (Scat, 1994) and the follow-up, Alien Lanes (Matador, 1995).
Josh Friedberg: Music Historian's Corner writesRediscovering Our Record Collections: Peter, Paul and Mommy and Peter, Paul and Mommy, Too
by Josh Friedberg
For many, Peter, Paul & Mary were the most accessible entry point for the folk revival of the 1960s. Surprisingly, this remained true in the decades following, and part of this has to do with their participation in children’s music with two similarly titled albums.
I grew up on ‘60s folk music, and these were the two albums of theirs I grew up listening to the most. To be fair, I grew up with the Peter, Paul & Mary of PBS specials in the ‘80s and ‘90s, so my interaction with their music was different from most of their fans. This meant that I played the 1993 children’s album that they did, Peter, Paul & Mommy, Too, more than the original Peter, Paul and Mommy from 1969, and while both have their moments of beauty and pleasantness, I prefer the ‘90s album, partly because it has more songs geared towards adults, including Woody Guthrie’s “Pastures of Plenty,” though it also has moments much more targeted at kids.
Peter, Paul & Mary were actually a group put together by folk manager Albert Grossman in the early ‘60s, which makes their longevity all the more surprising. I remember reading in an obituary for Mary Travers in 2009 that the group won five Grammy awards during their initial reign in the ‘60s, the final one being for the 1969 children’s album. In the 2004 DVD, Carry It On: A Musical Legacy, Peter Yarrow talks about how from the beginning, the group put children’s songs on all their albums, including “It’s Raining” and “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” both reprised on the 1969 album.
SKaiser writesWhat’s Happening at CHIRP Radio (Week of August 29)
Join us for the spontaneity of the 7th Annual Chicago Fringe Festival! Take a peek here for details of the twelve day art performance buffet.
NEW MEDIA
CHIRP's Jessi D recently sat down for a chat with Elaine Davis of Spaces of Disappearance. Check out Elaine's phone as a songwriting process and her work with Frontwoman Fest here.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesThis Week at CHIRP Radio (Week of August 22)
Special Announcements
- CHIRP Radio has crossed a major milestone in establishing our broadcast signal. As we continue to build for the future, please consider becoming a sustaining member of CHIRP Radio today at http://chirpradio.org/donatenow. Thanks!
Upcoming Events
- It’s time for CHIRP Night at the Whistler with Ditch Club and Cafe Racer on Wednesday, August 24th
- Join CHIRP for Classic Album Sundays at Saturday Audio Exchange - this edition features Daft Punk’s album Discovery, on Sunday, August 28th
New Media
- Dylan Peterson interviews Bloc Party
- Amanda Mayo interviews Vamos
- Dylan Peterson interviews Thao Nguyen of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
- Amelia Hruby interviews Savoy Motel
- Check out Greg Kontowicz’s poster for August CHIRP poster!
Lady Amelia writesAn Interview with Savoy Motel
[photo by Semi Song]
CHIRP volunteer Amelia Hruby met up with Nashville band Savoy Motel in July before their show at the Empty Bottle where they were opening for Royal Headache. Their debut LP/CD will be out October 21st on What's Your Rupture? And you can see them in Chicago opening for the Dandy Warhols on 9/24.
Amelia: Have you guys been to Chicago before?
Jeffrey: It’s our third time. We played here [the Empty Bottle] with the Black Lips and we’ve played at the East Room.
Amelia: Did you enjoy those shows?
Jeffrey: Yeah, it was great. The last time we played here with the Black Lips. It was a sold out show, and it was our Chicago debut and our third or fourth out of town show.
Amelia: How long have you guys been playing together as a band?
Dillon: About two years. We started recording two years ago, and we recorded for six months before we played the first show. We had two records done when we did our first show, but we practiced quite a bit. We wanted to make sure that the live set was its own thing.