VT on the (digital) dial.

Everyone's favorite Prince of Darkness, Magister Matt G. Paradise, a.k.a. Matty the Greek, has put together a Vermont-only music program on RadioFreeSatan, an internet-based broadcast channel. In Matt's own words:

"I have decided to put together a one-hour block of Vermont-only music (tentatively scheduled to air on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6a and 6p, starting this coming Monday (2/20).

Called "The Vermont Rock Show," this will be a entire hour of Vermont music, both past and present, without interruptions. I've loaded a bunch of material from (roughly) 1993-1997, but I need more. That's where some of you come in. Here's what I'm looking for (and NOT looking for)...

Keeping the general formats of the station in mind, I'm excluding the following genres: folk, reggae, hip hop, country, R & B, jazz, blues, and the bulk of non-rock genres.

What I'm particularly looking for includes punk, hardcore, metal, indie pop, ambient, experimental, goth, and any aggressive or upbeat bands. Any questions, e-mail me at [email protected] and I should be able to give you a yes or no on your band.

Also, if any of you who know me could lend me a console cassette deck with RCA outs (yes, pre-amped), I'm also looking into digitizing a whole lot of cassette-only releases from the 90s. Again, e-mail me if applicable.

Likewise, those familiar to me that have CDs of bands who fit the bill, also get ahold of me and perhaps you could lend them to me so I can digitize tracks. Thanks."

Matt, a onetime DJ at Johnson College and WRUV, is getting back to his roots with this project. He's also forcing me to get back to mine:

"Hoo, boy, are you in for a treat: Chronic Decay, Black Hairy Tongüe, 12 Times Over... and, yes, even that first Rocketsled tape is coming back to haunt your ass."

Thankfully, he'll be spinning some Contrarian stuff too.

Here's the official, spiffy site for the program.

I'll be tuning in. So should you.

A wee little post.

This is hee-larious!

Oh, and could that Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins album possibly be any better?

Couple 'O Things...

I'm not gonna be around for Mardi Gras this weekend, so you better be on your best behavior. I think we might swing up to Maine, although I haven't told me family yet... Better that way, really.

I was at 1/2 on Tuesday night, enjoying some music. Activists/Dictators (It's f@#k'n plural!) particularly rocked me. Simon Plumpton is a Drum God.

Anyway, we were sitting at the little table close to the door, and I thought I saw Eugene Hutz walk in. I said, "Nah — why would he be in Burlington on a Tuesday night? It's probably just a Hutz-alike."

Well, it was actually him — when I went to grab another(!) drink, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and a heavily accented voice say, "Eh, Mussolini."

So we talked for a while. Turns out Gogol were playing in Montreal, so he swung into VT for a couple of days. It was good to see him in person. He's the same dude I remember.

He told me a hillarious story about a band I was in and Mother Russia. Maybe I'll tell you later.

I had a terrific night,  but never made it over to Honky Tonk. Apologies to those crushed by my absence. ;)

Okee — off to work it is.

PS: VOTE FOR HERB & ROSE!

PPS: HERB GETS HIS JUST DESSERTS! AND IT'S CHOCOLATE PUDDING!

Around our ankles.

Oh, the puns.

Here's another Pants update for yez:

Apparently, the show is selling quite well already. You know what that means, don't you? You should buy your tickets as soon as possible if you don't want to miss out on the party. The more are sold in advance, the greater the chance of a second show being added.

I personally want to see Neil work overtime. Make my dreams come true.

Oh, and check out the Jazz Guys concert review over at False 45th.

And Schoolbus' Worst Day Ever.

Really Bad Music.

Who's that chubby dude with the cornrows?

Those leaked Guns 'N Roses tunes from Chinese Democracy are far shittier than I could've expected. Anyone who says otherwise has no ears.

What you will do tonight.

Yeah, so there's another awesome show at 135 Pearl. That's like, three in a row!

Our pal Arthur Adams is swinging into town for a rare appearance with his new project, Blammos. Then of course, there's the crazed sounds of Sweet Ass Pussy and The Free Damned. And Soft Spot will surely be dropping some Moog science on 'yo asses.

Hey! Neil's new band with Ryan "Loco" Ober, Frank "Jazz Guy" Zamiello, and Jason "No nickname, but plays with Ryan Power" Pepe are gonna be there, too. Neil says "fuck alt-country" and I think he means it!

See you there. Not like last night, when I fell asleep before the Nest Material, Ryan Power & The Cripples show.

Grrrr...

Looks like that awesome G5 2.5 Dualie I bought as my music production machine has already been overtaken.

Way to screw me again, Apple.

Oh, yeah, and The Pants!!!!!

Really exciting news!

Man, I've been waiting to let this out for weeks!

On May 27, Seven Days and Higher Ground will present a show that will surely go down in local music history.

Get ready for a performance from Burlington's long-lost rawk heroes, The Pants. And I’m talking original lineup, too. Plane tickets have been purchased, accomodations arranged. The band is prepared to rock one last time.

For those of you who aren't familiar with these four geniuses, I'll try to catch you up.

In the '90s, there was a musical renaissance in 'ol B-town. The scene boasted dozens of good bands, and a smaller circle of truly great ones. Smack dab in the center were The Pants.

Featuring Tom Lawson, Neil Cleary, Paul "Pistol" Jaffe, and Eric Hutchins, the group created vibrant, intricate, balls-out rock that lives on in the hearts of fans.

The chemistry between the band, while never as volatile as say, The Police, contributed greatly to their power and presence. Ask anyone who saw one of their shows, and they’re sure to agree.

In fact, a lot of powerful folks took an interest in their career, including members of Phish. Needless to say, The Pants should've been huge.

Unfortunately, the band sputtered out before taking their music to a national level. For many, myself included, this was fairly upsetting.

Since then, Burlington has weathered some lean years. Clubs came and went, and for a while, the scene appeared to be on life-support.

But it’s a lot better now. In fact, one local band in particular, The Jazz Guys, remind me of The Pants in their prime. It's been my long time wish that the new batch of rockers could have the opportunity to see these trailblazers.

Now, after a great deal of negotiation, it's gonna come true.

Memorial Day weekend '06 is looking pretty awesome. Make sure to buy your tickets this Friday, 'cause if this first show sells well, they'll add a second one.

Here's an excerpt from The Pants' "Sometimes" for your listening pleasure.

Stay tuned to this blog, as well as my SoundBites column for updates, interviews and behind-the-scenes hullaboo.

Singing, dancing and kicking the shit out of each other!

Found this over at the Icebox Records site. Apparently, Herb turned them on to it. Not surprised in the least.

Yep, it's a Bollywood remake of Fight Club.

gd wows tastemakers!

Burlington electro-acoustic artist Greg Davis received a very favorable notice from Pitchfork Media for his latest collaboration with Sebastien Roux.

Still waiting for my review copy, wink.

Goodnight, Grandpa.

Al Lewis, who played "Grandpa" on The Munsters, has passed away at age 95.

Wonder if he'll be buried in his cape, ala Lugosi?

Past meets Present.

Our pal Matty sent this along to me recently. He's an authority on anachronism.

Yep, it's an iPod Victrola.

Great. Now I want one.

Higher Ground rocks the Indie.

WOLF PARADE

Holy crap! Look at the top-notch indie bands coming to South Burlington in the next few months — it's like a who's-who of the New Rock!

Higher Ground just added Canadian Invasion hotshots Wolf Parade to the schedule. That should be a fine show.

And let's not forget about my faves; electronic impressionists The Books on 5/15. I've been with these guys since the start. It's looking like I'll be doing a nice feature on them, as well. And to make things that much sweeter, our friend Greg Davis is opening.

Of course, there's the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah show on April 11. Those dudes are the DIY success story of the year. Even NPR is down.

I also hear rumors of an Editors show. The savvy euro-watchers among you will recognize these lads as the next Big Hype. My friend caught their Mercury Lounge (or was it Bowery?) set not to long ago, and said it was amazing. Their debut isn't out stateside yet, but will be by the time they hit VT. I have it, and can tell you that it's in the vein of Interpol. Let's cross our fingers.

Oh, and guitar geeks should be psyched to see Buckethead and the California Guitar Trio on deck...