It was at Ardent Studio, Memphis in the late 20th Century. Mudhoney were doing overdubs for the record that would be called TOMORROW HIT TODAY and the legendary Jim Dickinson was behind the board with a bag of gris gris in one hand (aka producer vuggum) and a box of CDs in the other. During a down-moment of the session, Jim called to order what was included in the box: CDs that to him were Muses…music he tries to have at most sessions…the stuff that at this point was had been incorporated into his DNA. Upon the release of the Spectrum Meets Captain Memphis record, I asked Jim if he might remind me of some of the records that were included in his sacred box. He gave me the following list:

• Jam Session Coast to Coast- Eddie Condon- A perfect recording. This started it all for me. Wild Bill Davidson on top.

• Trouble is a Man- Judy Holiday- Document of her marriage to Gerry Mulligan. Sad songs.

• At the Pershing- Ahmad Jamal- Total groove. Chess Records. Poinciana perfect for sex.

• Introducing Vellegas- Richard Villegas- The secret to my piano style. Coolest of the cool.

• Sketches of Spain- Miles Davis- My test for new audio playback environment. World wide.

• Weary Blues- Langston Hughes- Charley Mingus leads the band. Langston Hughes reads like pre-Kerouac

• Blues from the gutter- Champion Jack Dupree- Wexler and Tom Dowd on a humid afternoon in New Orleans.

• Happy All the Time- Joseph Spence- Like a religious salvation experience in Bimini.

• Amazing Grace- Mississippi Fred McDowell- Keith Richards’ vocal model. (The male harmony).

• Moondog- On the Streets of New York- Discovered at a dime store in Little Rock, AR in 1956. My inspiration for the keyboard parts on Paris, Texas.

MODEY LEMON LAUNCH FIRST US TOUR IN FOUR YEARS

The Modey Lemon are back on the road as of this week, hitting the USA hard for the first time in four years. The trio, Phil Boyd (guitar, vox), Jason Kirker (Keyboards, Bass), and Paul Quattrone (King Traps) are supporting their brand new album Season Of Sweets on Birdman Records. Part full-blown garage shock, part epicly pounding krautrock, Season Of Sweets provides the fodder for a stunning live show, as demonstrated at last years South By Southwest conference. Quattrone has just gotten off the road as substitute drummer with !!!.

MODEY LEMON tour dates as follows:

June 19 @ Talking Head Club- Baltimore, MD
June 20 @ Hunter Gatherer- Columbia, SC
June 21 @ the Earl- Atlanta, GA
June 22 @ JJ’s Bohemia- Chattanooga, TN
June 23 @ Pilot Light- Knoxville, TN
June 24 @ The New Deli- Fayetteville, AR
June 25 @ The Bluebird- St. Louis, MO
June 28 @ Emos (Inside)- Austin, TX
June 29 @ Blue Iguana - El Paso, TX
June 30 @ Trunkspace - Phoenix, AZ
July 1 @ the Casbah- San Diego, CA
July 3 @ 21 Grand- Oakland, CA
July 4 @ The Hemlock- San Francisco, CA
July 5 @ Someday Lounge- Portland, OR
July 6 @ The Comet- Seattle, WA
July 7 @ Badlander- Missoula, MT
July 9 @ The Uptown- Minneapolis, MN
July 10 @ Borg Ward- Milwaukee, WI
July 11 @ Beat Kitchen- Chicago, IL

What the press has said about SEASON OF SWEETS thus far:

“Epic Psych Odyssey”
-NME

“The Sweetest Savagery”
-Time Out, London

“The Modey Lemon are most definitely back with a vengeance”
-Artrocker

“a dazzling head trip.”
-Mother Jones

“…loud, fuzzed-out distorted…Modey Lemon are the real deal.”
-CMJ.com (live review)

“Season of Sweets rocks hard…the devil, and its horns, is in the details.”
-Dusted

“Sickeningly sweet racket…everything explodes into one grin-inducing chorus”
-Spin.com

The boys from North Carolina are hitting the road next month.

Come out and enjoy what the CHICAGO READER calls "a filler-free collection of openhearted, empty-bottled country rock fueled by the bitterness and scalding wit in the indelible narratives of front man Dan McGee.”

• May 12 -

  The Cave- Chapel Hill, NC

• May 14 -

  Talking Head Club- Baltimore, MD

• May 15 -

  The Khyber- Philidelphia, PA

• May 16 -

  Trash- Brooklyn, NY

• May 17 -

  Silent Barn- Brooklyn, NY

• May 19 -

  123 Pleasant Street- Morgantown, WV

• May 20 -

  Now That's Class- Cleveland, OH

• May 21 -

  The Carabar- Columbus, OH

• May 22 -

  The Empty Bottle- Chicago, IL

• May 23 -

  Frank's Power Plant- Milwaukee, WI

• May 27 -

  Hailey's- Denton, TX

• May 28 -

  Beerland- Austin, TX

For all you Birdmen who will be in Austin for SXSW, please come down to Room 710--Saturday night---starting at 8pm--for our annual showcase. Details on the flyer below created by the magnificent Cameron Forsley--but please note: special guest Powell St John will be playing first and he will be featuring some numbers he wrote for the 13th Floor Elevators wayyyyy back in the day. Not to be missed.

Labels: Apache, Birdman Records, Greg Ashley, Howlin Rain, Lou Lou and the Guitarfish, Modey Lemon, Powell St John, Room 710, Spider Bags, SXSW

You guessed it. The Howlin Rain bros are on the path to destruction with a three month trek through North America and straight through Europe. Supporting its forthcoming long-player Magnificent Fiend (Birdman/American), the band will be headlining these dates so if you showed up a little too late to the Rain's shows supporting Black Mountain, now is your chance to experience the the new wave of good vibes and killer times. Oh, and if you can't wait until the boys get to your respective town, you can pre-order the album from Insound and get 10% off. Magnificent!

Tour Dates:
02/22 Big Sur, CA: Fernwood Resort
03/04 San Francisco, CA: Bottom of the Hill
03/05 Los Angeles, CA: Spaceland
03/06 Los Angeles, CA: Amoeba Hollywood
03/27 Chicago, IL: Empty Bottle
03/28 Pontiac, MI: Pike Room
03/29 Pittsburgh, PA: 31st Street Pub
03/30 Philadelphia, PA: Khyber
03/31 Allston, MA: Great Scott
04/02 New York, NY: Mercury Lounge
04/03 Washington DC: DC9
04/04 Chapel Hill, NC: Local 506
04/05 Atlanta, GA: Drunken Unicorn
04/06 Memphis, TN: Hi-Tone
04/07 Bloomington, IN: Buskirk-Chumley Theatre
05/01 Belfast, UK: Aunt Annies
05/02 Dublin, UK: Tower Records In Store
05/02 Dublin, UK: Whelans
05/03 Cork, UK: Pine Lodge
05/04 Manchester, UK: Kings Arms
05/05 Birmingham, UK: Custard Factory
05/07 Cornwall, UK: Miss Peabod's
05/08 Cradiff, UK: Clwb Ifor Bach
05/09 Camber Sands, UK: ATP
05/11 Brsitol, UK: The Croft
05/12 London, UK: Scala
06/23 Ardenal, UK: Hove Festival
08/16 Wales, UK: Green Man Festival

Photo By Hilary Hulteen

Labels: American Recordings, Birdman, Black Mountain, Howlin Rain, Magnificent Fiend

While many folks often attribute the term "ambient" to shitty chill rooms at raves in the '90s or compilations featuring obscure whale sounds and the like, it's important to note that there are still labels and artists that help define the genre as something more than a post-new age fad. Point in case, the forthcoming Ambient Not Not Ambient compilation. Released by the Portland-based imprint Audio Dregs, this 17-track escape into the subconscious is indicative of the spirit of punk, channeled through a haze of mescaline and trippy vibes.

Featuring trippers from Valet (a.k.a. Homney Owens), Chris Herbert, Lucky Dragons, Yellow Swans, White Rainbow, and way more, the collection travels through layer upon layer of delay, modulating pads, subtle noise, and the occasional vocal treatment. And even though you may not here the sounds of sludgy decay and avant-noise on many forthcoming Birdman releases, rest assured that every artist on this comp could satiate the apetite of any drunk garage enthusiast or psych warrior alike.

Ambient Not Not Ambient is out April 29 on Audio Dregs.

Labels: Ambient, Audio Dregs, Birdman Records, Honey Owens, Lucky Dragons, Valet, White Rainbow, Yellow Swans

As if it hasn't been long enough (almost 8 years, to be exact), we're proud to announce the return of Monkeywrench with a new studio album, Gabriel's Horn (Birdman). Featuring Mudhoney's Mark Arm and Steve Turner, plus The Big Boys' Tim Kerr, this supergroup's return has been long overdue. In honor of the album's February 25 release, we enlisted guitarist Kerr to bestow everyone with the top ten records that helped inspire the bounty that is Gabriel's Horn. Be on the lookout for more details and exclusive content soon.

John Coltrane–Impressions
I want this played at my funeral, actually this whole list and an Irish/oldtime wake would be reslly great!

John Martin–Spencer The Rover
Really great and really sad.

Aaron Copland–Piano Blues
Love his chords and fanfare for the Common Man as well,

Otha Turner–Sittin On Top Of The World
A joyful noise indeed!

James Keane– Foxhunters Reel
James has a really great story about this tune and he has become a great friend. If you ever get the chance to see him, go.

Vernacular–The Blood
This is Lawrence singing.He plays bass in This Moment In Black History. What an amazing voice!

Iris Dement–Pretty Saro
This version is off the SongCatcher soundtrack.

Tommy Jarrell and Fred Cockerham–Sugarhill
We play this tune most Tuesdays at RioRitas and my friend Michael belts out the words...always makes me smile.

Sun Ra–Spaceways
I really like all the stuff with June Tyson singing.

Fugazi–Waiting Room
So dead on!

Labels: Birdman Records, Fugazi, John Coltrane, Mark Arm, Monkeywrench, Mudhoney, Sun Ra, The Big Boys, Tim Kerr