*Culture: Russia may outlaw emo culture (dress, websites, etc.). Why did Mexico not think of this? [thedailyswarm]

*Dancing: You must learn how to C-Walk if you want to win friends. And influence people. (Featuring lovely how-to videos!) [mefi]

*Telephony: Phoning It In has posted their entire archive of telephonic performances, including some from Petra Haden, Poison Control Center, Jens Lekman. Lovely? [largehearted boy]

*Punk Princesses: Silicon Alley Insider does the math on the supposed mint (around $2M) YouTube owes Avril Lavigne for all those "Girlfriend" (and other) plays.

*Question and Answer: Why do chicks dig musicians? The answer is based on SCIENCE. [medialoper]

*Off-topic video: College Humor collects the Top 10 eye-gouging scenes in cinema. I have no idea why, but my father took me to see Blade Runner in the theater when it first came out (I was 8 years old at the time of its release). That double-thumb eye-gouge not only was the point at which we left the theater, it has also doggedly haunted my dreams ever since. [waxy]

Baroque is the new black? A thatched weave of stunning symphonic elements and contrapuntal orchestration, Miss Murgatroid & Petra Haden’s new album Hearts & Daggers is a freeform fantasia that is both challenging and languid all at once. The songs, ambitious in their aversion to any one sensibility, effortlessly entwine classical elements, gypsy cadence, and choral harmonics to great effect. The songs amount to much more than blatant pastiche, though; they are as consummately contemporary in their approach as they are sonically cohesive and progressive.

[ download ] "Hummingbird" - from Hearts & Daggers

=tyler=

Of Montreal - Final Countdown (Europe)
The Polyphonic Spree - Lithium (Nirvana)
Nickel Creek - Just (Radiohead)
Petra Haden - Thriller (Michael Jackson)
The Watson Twins - I Summon You (Spoon)
Death Cab For Cutie - All Is Full Of Love (Björk)
Muse - Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (The Smiths)
Death Cab For Cutie - This Charming Man (The Smiths)
The Watson Twins - Just Like Heaven (The Cure)
We Are Scientists - Hoppípolla (Sigur Rós)
M. Ward - Let's Dance (David Bowie)
Of Montreal - Raspberry Beret (Prince)

Petra Haden (MySpace) har gjort nettopp det. Hun har resirkulert den amerikanske gruppa Journeys "Don't Stop Believing" som de ga ut i 1981. Låta er en real powerballade og vi kan vel skjønne at den rocket USA når vi ser dette konsertopptaket.

Petra Hadens versjon av "Don't Stop Believing" finnes på albumet Guilt by Association (2007) hvor du også finner Devendra Banharts versjon av Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger".

Som et lite bonus kan det nevnes at Journeys versjon ble brukt i sluttscenen til The Sopranos.

Musikkvideoen under er vinneren av sin kategori i konkurransen som ble arrangert i forbindelse med at indie rock-artister ble invitert til å lage cåverversjoner av sine favorittpopsanger.

Petra Haden trivia:

• Petra Haden er svigerinna til Jack Black, som er gift med de ene trillingsøstera til Petra, Tanya Haden.
• Den andre trillingsøstera til Petra heter Rachel Haden (MySpace). Petra, Tanya og Haden spilte sammen i gruppa The Haden Triplets (video).
• Petra, Rachel og Tanya er døtre av jazzmusikeren Charlie Haden.
• Petra (fiolin) og Rachel (bass) spillte sammen i bandet That Dog (MySpace).
• Petra Haden er også/har vært medlem av bandene Tito & Tarantula (MySpace), The Rentals (MySpace) og The Decemberists (MySpace).
• Petra har i tillegg bidratt på utgivelser av de følgende bandene/artistene: The Twilight Singers, Beck, Mike Watt, Luscious Jackson, Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Weezer, Victoria Williams and Yuka Honda.

(Phew ...!)

Bonus: Stikk innom MySpace-sida til Petra og lytt til hennes versjon av Beach Boys' "Only God Knows" og Michael Jackson's "Thriller".

Stikkord:

• http://www.myspace.com/petrahaden
• http://www.petrahadenmusic.com/
• http://www.myspace.com/guiltbyassociation
• http://www.engineroomrecordings.com/gba/

Ref: Undrelyd

The video was contributed to a music video contest and was the winner of its category, that's why it doesn't feature Petra Haden herself.

Linkorama:

• http://www.myspace.com/petrahaden
• http://www.petrahadenmusic.com/
• http://www.myspace.com/guiltbyassociation
• http://www.engineroomrecordings.com/gba/

Location: Tribeca, NYC
Bands: Fred Armisen + Petra Haden and the Sellouts
Venue: Knitting Factory
Food: Pakistani Tea house
Drink: Walker’s
Miscellaneous: J&R

Not just a “Not Ready for Prime-Time Player,” Fred Armisen is a brilliant comedian who started out as a drummer, while Petra Haden, daughter of Jazz bassist Charlie, has had a great career as a singer, even covering the complete album “The Who Sell Out” and Michael Jackson’s song “Thriller.” Tonight she plays with the Sellouts. Perhaps a pun on that Who album? For eats, the Pakistani Tea house is a great little discreet Indian restaurant serving five to six different types of Indian food that is way cheaper than this show. For a drink, try Walker’s. This local hang serves up inexpensive drinks and makes a great burger. Being in the financial district, there’s not a lot going on in Tribeca, but thank god for J&R. With music, electronics, and computer stores all in one area, you chances of getting bored are slim.

Lest my lack of posting be interpreted as a concert drought, I should point out that I have seen a good amount of live music this month. A lot of the shows I've gone to, though, have featured artists I was seeing for the first time. So I guess part of the reason for the dearth of recent reports has to do with not having a tremendous amount to say about some of those shows because of a lack of familiarity with the music. (Also the reason for a relative lack of setlists below.)

Not a very good excuse, I admit, but I'm going to try and write a quick update of the month now. And I'm going to rely on that old sportswriting standby to do it: the notes column. So without further ado...

The New Year's festivities in Chicago got off to an early start with a Dec. 30 show at Schuba's with a pair of Midwestern bands, Catfish Haven and Margot and the Nuclear So and So's. I dragged Sam along, and she agreed mainly because we both like Catfish Haven. They were fun, as usual, and I always dig seeing them with the two backing vocalists who usually sing with them at their hometown gigs. Then it was onto Margot, who played a similar set to the one they had played a couple of weeks earlier in New York. Similar, but not completely the same since we got to hear a couple of new songs they hadn't played in New York. It was cool to hear everyone singing along with "hits" like "Skeleton Key." While the New York show was sold out, it seems like Margot is much beloved in Chicago. ...

I couldn't make it to Margot's New Year's Eve show the following night because I already had a prior engagement with a bunch of friends and Jon Brion. I usually don't write about Jon's shows because it's hard to do them justice, and because they are recapped so much better here. But just to make a brief mention of his two Chicago performances this time around, on New Year's Eve (and early New Year's Day) at the underground Harris Theater and a hastily announced club date Jan. 2 at Martyr's, they were each memorable in their own way. The New Year's Eve show was sort of two shows in one with Jon first coming out and playing a couple of songs with surprise guest Britt Daniel of Spoon, followed by a mini Autumn Defense set by John Stirratt and Pat Sansone. Then all three guests joined Jon and a drummer for a few numbers. Following an intermission, Jon's main set began. It was, as you might expect given the night, a pretty rowdy affair that included a raucous singalong to "Bohemian Rhapsody" and a brief moment when I thought the show was spinning out of control after Jon invited people on stage to write requests on a big pad of paper. But as with so many Jon shows, seeming chaos developed into flashes of brilliance with a closing salvo of "Cortez the Killer," a Bruce Springsteen-esque song that was actually made up on the spot and a crowd singalong to "God Only Knows."

During the New Year's show, Jon announced another show two nights later with a simple message on the aforementioned pad of paper (though our friends had been fortunate and had gotten a little advance warning). Martyr's was an intimate venue much more suited to Jon's act, and he obliged with two sets that showed why his small cult of fans is so devoted. From a beautiful "Amateur" early on to "Cathy's Clown" later, the keyboard was the star of the first set. That gave way to a guitarfest in the second set, particularly when Jon invited Pat Sansone to join him once again. Pat, in turn, brought a drummer, Ryan who plays for Chicago band Vee Dee as well as working as Wilco's light tech. The quartet was rounded out by a bassist plucked out of the front row and who, unlike some who have joined Jon on stage, knew his stuff. The impromptu group launched into a rocking Beatles mini-set that included "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey," "Revolution," and "Tomorrow Never Knows." By the time Jon came out for a brief encore of "Knock Yourself Out" (which is where the above photo was snapped), we were all filled with enough warmth to endure the frigid Chicago night. ...

A day after getting home from Chicago, I was at it again when I went down to the Mercury Lounge to check out The XYZ Affair, a New York band I had heard good things about. Having not heard any of their music before, I walked away a bit underwhelmed. None of their songs really grabbed me right away, and they seemed very young. But I would check them out again. ... I managed to sell my ticket for the last night of Natalie Merchant's show run and buy a ticket for a Rough Trade showcase at Joe's Pub featuring Basia Bulat and Jeffrey Lewis. Primarily I wanted to see Bulat, a young Canadian singer-songwriter about whom I have heard several raves. She definitely was as good as advertised, even though I didn't know any of her music. Switching from autoharp to acoustic guitar to something I later found out from her was an old-timey instrument called a pianoette, Bulat was wholly charming. I'm very much looking forward to her upcoming record. I stayed for Lewis, who mostly played stuff off his upcoming record of remakes of songs by the British anarchist band Crass. I've always been kind of intrigued by Lewis, who is also a talented artist and incorporates that into his live show. I'm not sure that I would go out of my way to see him, but I've definitely seen much, much worse. ...

The next night I headed out to Union Hall, a relatively new venue in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, to see Tift Merritt (pictured above). I had wanted to see Merritt for a long time, but it had never worked out until now. I loved the intimate little venue, which was located beneath a sprawling bar with a couple of indoor bocce courts. Opening the show was Hotel Lights, a band led by former Ben Folds Five drummer Darren Jessee. I had seen them once before ages ago with a fuller lineup (as I remember, anyway), but this time it was a stripped-down duo that played quiet music reminiscent of the Autumn Defense. It was a little mellow for me, but at least they played one of my favorite Jessee songs, "Amelia Bright." Then it was time for Merritt, who played solo. With a new record coming out, she previewed a good amount of that material but also included what I later discovered were some pretty old songs. Apparently she has relocated to New York from North Carolina, so I hope to have a chance to see her again soon. ...

One night later, on Jan. 12, my run of shows continued with a performance by Petra Haden at the Stone, a tiny Lower East Side avant-garde club. I figured she wasn't going to be doing conventional stuff, but I didn't really know what to expect. As it turned out, she was joined by experimental music veteran Laurie Anderson on violin and keyboard. The two proceeded to do an eclectic 40-minute uninterrupted "piece" that featured Haden's improvised vocals. It veered from haunting to rocking to almost melancholy at times. Definitely a far cry from Haden's work with the Decemberists and Foo Fighters or even her own unique vocal style when covering songs like "I Can See For Miles" and "God Only Knows." It's good to see Haden stretch out and do some different stuff, though. I always felt like she was kind of misunderstood in her time with the Decemberists. ...

Just before heading downtown to see Haden, I was over at the New York Times' Arts and Leisure Week talk with Feist, pictured above with interviewer Jon Pareles. The session mostly featured on the immense success of her 2007 record The Reminder. We learned about how the song "1 2 3 4" came to be used in an iPod commercial, which she explained came about when she refused to play at a birthday party for the daughter of some Canadian music bigwig who, in turn, had her essentially blacklisted from Canadian radio. When Apple approached her about using "1 2 3 4," she felt like it was her chance to sort of get revenge on the bigwig by getting her music out there and heard. And boy did it ever get heard! Other topics included her work process (she likes to work with a small group of trusted people), how she hooked up with the Kings of Convenience (she met them at a noise fest in Europe, amazingly enough) and how she feels about musical collaborations (she doesn't really believe in them that much). I found it amusing how people would address her as Feist, as if she didn't have a first name (Leslie). Like "Hi Feist, here's my question" or "You are great, Feist." And I can't say that Pareles was the best interviewer, but eventually the conversation warmed up to transcend most of the awkwardness. ...

The last show I'll mention in this post is one of the best I've seen in a while by an artist I hadn't seen before. I had wanted to see Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings for some time, but they were another act that slipped through the cracks. I rectified that by traveling down to Washington D.C. and, joined by Heidi, making it to their show at Black Cat on Jan. 17. And what a show! I'm sure it wouldn't be any surprise to anyone who's seen them before, but I loved just about everything about this retro soul/funk band. I imagine it's about as close to seeing James Brown as you can get today. I had heard that Mrs. Jones got the crowd involved, but she really fed off the audience's energy by bringing various members of the front row (thankfully not us, this time!) up on stage to dance to just playing to the crowd. By the time the band launched their encore with a cover of "It's A Man's Man's Man's World," they had us eating out of their hands. The bottom line: If you want to see a fun show in which ass-shaking just can't be helped, do yourself a favor.

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Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s//12-30-07//Schubas, Chicago, IL//support: Catfish Haven

new song ("carnival")/new song ("when all the liquor is gone, gone, gone")/Paper Kitten Nightmare/On A Freezing Chicago Street/new song-Bad Case of the Blues ("I want to gouge your eyes out")/new song-The Ocean ("don't you cry my darling")/Broadripple Is Burning/Vampires In Blue Dresses//Quiet As A Mouse/new song ("this is how you teach someone to drive")/Skeleton Key/Bookworm//e: new song-Lightning Rod ("I am a lightning rod")/Barfight Revolution

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jon Brion and Friends//12-31-07//Harris Theater, Chicago, IL//support: none

Set 1

[with Britt Daniel] Everything Hits at Once/The Underdog/[with Britt Daniel, John Stirratt, Pat Sansone, and Howard Windmiller] I Feel Fine/with John Stirratt and Pat Sansone] Sentimental Lady/Row/Eternal Sunshine Theme/Happy with You

Set 2
Meaningless/New Year's countdown>Auld Lang Syne/Happy Birthday [to Brett]/Walking Through Walls/minor key improv/Just Like a Woman/I Believe She's Lying/ragtime instrumental/Bohemian Rhapsody/Sail Away>Knock Yourself Out/Life on Mars/Ruin My Day/Words of Love>Lithium>Uncomplicated>Deathly/[with John Stirratt and Pat Sansone] Cortez the Killer/[with John Stirratt and Pat Sansone] fake Springsteen song/Queen Elvis/God Only Knows//e: Maple Leaf Rag

*—setlist courtesy of easily fooled

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Jon Brion//1-2-08//Martyr's, Chicago, IL/support: none

Set 1

I Fall in Love Too Easily/Why Do You Do This to Yourself/Tainted Love/I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)/Amateur/We Didn't Start the Fire/Girl I Knew>7 Nation Army>James Bond theme>Peter Gunn>Secret Agent Man>Surrender>Police on My Back>Girl I Knew/Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now>Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want/Same Thing/Further Along/I'm Gonna Lock My Heart and Throw Away the Key/Trouble/You Say You Don't Love Me/What a Fool Believes [Les Paul style]/Cathy's Clown/Everyday/She's Not There>/I'm Waiting for the Man

Set 2

So I Fell in Love with You/Ishtar medley/Cheers theme/Western-style instrumental
[with Pat Sansone and Ryan (Vee Dee)] Daydream/You Didn't Have to Be So Nice/Summer in the City/Sunny Afternoon/[with Pat, Ryan and Packy] Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey/Revolution/Don't Let Me Down/I Want You (She's So Heavy)/Tomorrow Never Knows//e: Knock Yourself Out

*—setlist courtesy of easily fooled

I learned of this video courtesy of Slate.com's recap of the year's best singles. I'm not sure anyone in the world does better a cappella guitar solos.

Petra Haden, daughter of jazz bass legend Charlie Haden, has made a brilliant a capella facsimile of The Who's Sell Out album and you need to hear it. Here's what Pete Townshend had to say about the 2005 album...

''I was a little embarrassed to realize I was enjoying my own music so much, for in a way it was like hearing it for the first time," Townshend said in a lengthy e-mail interview. ''What Petra does with her voice, which is not so easy to do, is challenge the entire rock framework: the traditions, the processes, the decor, the accessories, the entirety of the established dynamics of traditional pop-rock. 'I Can See For Miles' is powerful not for the restrained electric guitars and suppressed and distant thundering drums of Keith Moon but for the torturously sustained vocal harmonies that John Entwistle added over my fairly conventional four-part. Petra is the first analyst who heard the vocal harmonies as they were written and reproduced them properly. When she does depart from the original music she does it purely to bring a little piece of herself -- and when she appears she is so very welcome. I felt like I'd received something better than a Grammy."

Here it is. Dig it! And many thanks to Willard over at the fantastic 'Never Get Out of the Boat' blog! Listen and then go buy some other Petra Haden stuff.

Petra Haden - Don't Stop Believin'

Spoon - Bring It on Home to Me(Sam Cooke cover)

[audio http://highrize.wordpress.com/files/2007/10/petra-haden-thriller.mp3]

[audio http://www.box.net/shared/static/87pylnotc4.mp3]

From: Guilt By Association (Engine Room, 2007)

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This was Pete Townshend's reaction to Haden's version of "Sell Out":

I was a little embarrassed to realize I was enjoying my own music so much, for in a way it was like hearing it for the first time.

Her latest acapella creation is a cover of Journey's shlocky '80s hit Don't Stop Believin' (most recently revived on the Sopranos' final episode). Haden's version appears on a new album called "Guilt By Association", on which cool indie artists cover uncool non-indie tunes. Here's a video of the song:

You can hear Petra Haden do the Beach Boys and Bach on her myspace page, and listen to her version of Thriller here. Also, a live (acapella choir) version of one of the songs from "Petra Haden Sings The Who Sell Out" is here.

petrahadenmusic.com

joespub.com

• Chromatics - Night Drive
• Maria Mena - Just Hold Me
• Kyle - When We're Gone
• Candie Payne - By Tomorrow
  
• Petra Haden - Don't Stop Believin' (Journey Cover)
• Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind

BONUS TRACK

• Chromatics - Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush Cover) Popped up online about 36 hours after my previous Kate Bush post. How about that?

Don't Stop Believin' (Journey)

Artist: Petra Haden

Album: Guilt by Association (2007)

This inaugurating what should be a weekly feature: a review of a specific a cappella recording. This one comes via unlikely source Idolator.com. Seems a bunch of indie musicians decided to make an album of "guilty pleasures" cover songs (I feel no guilt over taking pleasure in Journey, but ok, whatever). And Petra Haden--an artist who I must get to know better--decided to contribute an a cappella (mostly) version of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"--you know, a cappella 80s metal. It should be cringe-inducing, but it works.

From the opening "keyboard" section, the piece falls into place as though it were written for voice. Petra layers on the background vocals and then digs into the lead vocal with a snarl and an attitude that's absolutely true to the spirit of the original. You heard it first here: this is badass acappella.

The chorus, spoken word over drums, isn't as strong. Maybe Petra felt she needed some ironic distance from the original; maybe she wanted to make the song her own. But this comes across as pretentious and more unintentionally humorous than the original. Fortunately, she's back singing again for "Don't stop believin' / Hold onto that feelin'." And suddenly I'm a believer. 

Idolator post with link to MP3

Petra Haden (MySpace)

Guilt by Association (MySpace)

And I think I've found my favorite cover in Petra Haden's version. The video itself reminds me of something Miranda July might think up. Or maybe it's just Haden's version that evokes July. I'll let you know when I put my finger on it.

directed by Kerri-Ann Doherty of Juicebox films

Tracklist:
1. Armenia City in the Sky
2. Heinz Baked Beans
3. Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand
4. Odorono
5. Tattoo
6. Our Love Was
7. I Can See For Miles
8. I Can't Reach You
9. Medac
10. Relax
11. Silas Stingy
12. Sunrise
13 . Rael


Petra Haden, hija del musico de Jazz Charlie Haden, es conocida por haber formado parte como cantante y violinista de grupos como That Dog (junto a su hermana Rachel), Tito & Tarantula, The Rentals y The Decemberists; ademas de haber colaborado con muchos otros artistas: Beck, Mike Watt, Luscious Jackson, Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Weezer...

En Febrero de 2005 lanzo este disco, que no es sino un homenaje A'Capella del clásico The Who Sell Out de la banda de Pete Townshend. Grabado de manera completamente casera en un misero 8 pistas, el álbum fue después adaptado para 10 voces femeninas con el objetivo de realizar una serie de conciertos bajo el nombre de Petra Haden and the Sellouts.

Echadle un ojo también a la maravillosa versión (también A'Capella) del God only knows de los Beach Boys que tiene en su myspace:

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/petrahaden

Contraseña para descomprimir: rockmebaby

by Pinker

It's a great album. Like "Odelay," it is peppered with well-conceived samples and stellar production from The Dust Brothers. Unlike "Odelay," he has a wider array of guest musicians helping him out. Not just his normal back-up band (featuring, among others, keyboard whiz Roger Manning, Jr. from Jellyfish), but Jack White of the White Stripes and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Petra Haden (who did an all a capella version of "The Who Sell Out" earlier this year) come in and lend a hand. The results are as sprawling as "Odelay" is, from the catchy pop of "Girl" and the funky electronica of "Hell Yes" to the earthy, late night cool of "Black Tambourine. The strongest cut on the album is "Rental Car," simply because it's a whirling dervish of a song that is more befitting of a listen rather than a spewing of copy here.

That's the odd thing that I've noticed about Beck more than any other artist. Each one of his albums has needed to grow on me, but when they do, they hook into me pretty deeply. Turns out "Guero" is no exception.