Tag: CXCW

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Boxed Wine: Cheap, Fun

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If you missed CXCW last week, you missed out! (Except you didn’t because you can still see the whole thing on the site.) One of the stand-outs for me (aside from performances from our friend Kroyd of the Wind-up Birds with his project Forgets, our friend Pete David of the Payroll Union taking a solo turn, and our friend Christian D. once again inspiring panty-flinging), was a band out of New Jersey called Boxed Wine, who not only played a great cover of Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks”, but also trotted out an original called “Boomerang”.

 

 

Check out their EP Cheap, Fun which includes “Boomerang” as well as two other energetic, catchy songs that will get stuck in your head without making you hate them.

 

 

Boxed Wine @ Bandcamp

Boxed Wine @ Twitter

Boxed Wine @ Facebook

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Feel Bad for You, March 2013: CXCW Edition

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CXCW (Couch by Couchwest) is on! It’s been great fun so far. If you missed the first day, don’t worry: unlike at other festivals, you can always catch performances later (and even previous years’ performances) at the website. For added fun, be sure to join in the chatter on Twitter by following @couchxcouchwest and the #CXCW hashtag.

“This month we celebrate Couch By Couchwest (http://couchbycouchwest.com/). That’s the alternative music festival that can be enjoyed from the confines of your own home, on your very own luxurious couch! Who needs SxSW? You’ve gotta take time off from work and deal with crowds and drunkards. I don’t know about you, but I’m too broke and lazy to go to the trouble of heading to Austin. Criminy, you can be your own crowd and revel in your own drunkeness!

Thanks to AnnieTUFF (@AnnieTUFF) for this month’s artwork. Grab a beer, a shot or… some herb if you live in Colorado or Washington (like me!), kick back and listen to some tunes. Oh! And leave some comments!”

Download

Feel Bad for You, March 2013: CXCW Edition

1. Title: Aluga-se-Vende
Artist: Móveis Coloniais de Acaju (translates as “colonial mahogany wood-made furniture”)
Album (year): Idem [2005]
Submitted By: hoosier buddy
Comments: In the song, this couple breaks up and he says things to her about keys and the living room and brokers, all of which may make sense to him. What I love about it is the weird Bill Murray/Oingo Boingo vibe, the complicated but well-orchestrated arrangement, the drumming, and the way the song builds, then chills out a lot, and finally comes back like gangbusters to knock your socks off.

2. Title: Moving Furniture Around
Artist: The Handsome Family
Album: Odessa (1995)
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: Couches, love seats, ottomans, futons, etc. They’re all Sofa King pieces of furniture that must be moved from time to time.

3. Title: This Is A Notice
Artist: Mic Harrison And The High Score
Album (year): Still Wanna Fight
Submitted By: annieTUFF
Comments: Keeping with the CXCW theme I chose Mic Harrison and The High Score. I filmed Mic Harrison and The High Score’s CXCW video last year…in the dirtiest motel in Tennessee. No joke, that place was disgusting. I set my beer down to take some photos and when I went to pick it back up a roach was on the can. That motel is condemned now by the way… Anyway, back to the music, this song is on “Still Wanna Fight” the same album as the song they sang for CXCW last year “The Colonel Is Dead”. Good stuff, check it out.

4. Title: Da Couch Dat Burps
Artist: Da Yoopers
Album (Year): For Diehards Only (1995)
Submitted By: Gorrck
Comments: There’s a fine line between participation and mockery.
[Editor: FOR.THE.WIN! If I were to give awards for monthly contributions, this is the March winner.]

5. Title: Falling Apart
Artist: Billy Pilgrim
Album (year): Bloom (1995)
Submitted By: @philnorman
Comments: Feels like a CXCW song to me, “left me here in these ragged
chairs, stuffing snowing everywhere.” Golly, I loved this band. You
might know Kristian Bush now for being “the guy in the hat in
Sugarland.”

6. Title: Wicker Chair
Artist: Kings Of Leon
Album (Year): Holy Roller Novocaine (2003)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: I love early Kings Of Leon. Their sound was so ‘swampy’, but they had the occasional laid back song and this fits that lazy, laid-back ‘sofa/chair’ theme.

7. Title: Friends in Bottles
Artists: The Takers
Album (year): Taker Easy (2009)
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz
Comments: This is one of the best songs of the last five years, however, to my knowledge, The Takers as a band no longer exist. Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that they split in 2010. Devon Stuart, formerly of The Takers, and Michael Claytor played “Narrow Road” for CXCW 2011. At CXCW2012, Chase 56 did a damn good cover of “Friends in Bottles.”

8. Title: When Our Love Passed Out on the Couch
Artist: X
Album: Wild Gift (1981)
Submitted By: @tincanman2010 (http://tincanland.wordpress.com/)
Comments: Was tempted to send in The Couch by Alanis Morris Settee, but X tiCX a heap of CXCW boXes – to wit, crunchy guitars and depraved indifference to polite society. On TGIF, God gave man the couch so that we might spend our days of rest passed out or making out – or, in this case, making out with other girls while yours is passed out.

9. Title: Sleight of Hand
Artist: Kassy Key & the Raindoggs
Album (2012): Kassy Key & the Raindoggs
Submitted By: @popa2unes
Comments: Don’t know how they’ll all fit on a couch, but we shall see, I expect something really special shall transpire

10. Title: Run Away
Artist: The End Men
Album (year): Play With Your Toys (2013)
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: One of my favourite 2012 CXCW performances came from the The End Men, here’s a slice of primal rock n roll taken from their current album Play With your Toys available at http://theendmen.bandcamp.com

11. Title: Chimayo
Artist: Will Kimbrough
Album (Year): This (2000)
Submitted by: erschen
Comments: This guy has collaborated with people like Todd Snider, Jayhawks, Matthew Ryan and Guy Clark but is an great musician on his own.

12. Title: No Honey for Anybody
Artist: The Bear
Album (year): The Bear (2011)
Submitted By: TheOtherBrit
Comments: Never would’ve heard of the crew out of North Alabama if it weren’t for CXCW. Looking forward to their video this year!

13. Title: Italian Leather Sofa
Artist: Cake
Album (Year): Fashion Nugget (1996)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: Who doesn’t like Cake? I had this and Wicker Chair as my choices for this month’s comp and since we are a little light this month, I added this one too.

14. Title: Irene
Artist: Trixie Whitley
Album (Year): Fourth Corner (2013)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: What the hell?!? One more. Trixie Whitley is my current artist crush. I first heard her on Daytrotter in January and she’s won my ears. If you like neo-R&B/Soul, check her out. She’s the daughter of Chris Whitley, a well-regarded guitarist who died too young. You should check out catalog too.

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Friday Link Session

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  • It’s about that time: Bands, if you can’t – or don’t want to – make it to SXSW this year, start getting your submissions ready for the third annual CXCW (Couch by Couchwest), March 10-16. Find submission details here.
  • If you’ll be in the Cleveland area on June 22 and would like to move from the couch to someone’s porch, the 5th annual Larchmere PorchFest is accepting submissions until May 1.
  • Wonderful CXCW alumnus Daniel Knox is playing a residency at the Hideout in Chicago, IL. For a highly interesting read, check out his pre-residency interview with ChicagoMusic.org.
  • Spacehog – yes, the “In the Meantime” band – are preparing to release their first new album in twelve years, As It Is On Earth. They have a fundraiser project for the album, with part of the proceeds going to the David Lynch Foundation.
  • On February 7, Patti Smith received the Katharine Hepburn Medal from Bryn Mawr College. The medal “recognizes women whose lives, work and contributions embody the intelligence, drive and independence” of the great feminist actress.
  • Roots artist Frank Fairfield is selling off some of his record collection on eBay. As you can imagine, there are some unique and fascinating old platters available.
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CXCW is Coming!

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It’s almost that time again. Time to sit around on the couch in your underwear with a beer in your hand and your laptop overheating your legs. Okay, for some of you this is just known as “Thursday”, but come March 11th – and extending through the 18th – you’ll be able to do this while communing with your fellow poor and lazy people who won’t be attending South by Southwest and still get to witness one-of-a-kind performances from up-and-coming musicians

This is Couch by Couch West, where the beer is cheaper, and the only hipster is you. Run by a secret cabal, CXCW started last year as an alternative entertainment gathering for those uninterested in or unable to go to SXSW, and we are thrilled that it’s being brought back for a second year because it was a hell of a good time.

The virtual showcase takes place over two platforms, with sharing of beer recommendations, pictures of zonked-out pets, and, most importantly, couch session videos on the CXCW Tumblr shiny new main stage to be announced this weekend (follow on Twitter or Facebook for the premiere) shiny new main stage and lewd and drunken conversation happening on Twitter (follow @couchxcouchwest and hashtags #cxcw, #cxcw12 and #cxcw2012).

MUSICIANS! If you want to participate by taping a couch session, post the video of your session to YouTube or Vimeo, then e-mail your video link to cxcwest at gmail dot com. You can begin submitting now and keep submitting until the 18th. It’s a unique and fantastically fun way to gain a little exposure. (And if it’s good enough for Neko Case, well…)

Here are a few favorite couch sessions from last year (you can check out more at last year’s CXCW Tumblr)…

 

Conrad Plymouth – “Texas in a Drawer” (A Heidi Spencer Cover)

 

The Imperial Rooster – “God Has Left the Building”

 

Doc Dailey – “German Train”

 

The Ridges – “Not a Ghost”

 

Daniel Knox – CXCW – You Win Some, You Tie Some from Daniel Knox on Vimeo.

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Bits: Pinetop Perkins, The Dead Milkmen, Arthur, The Twilight Singers, CXCW

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  • Blues piano great Pinetop Perkins has passed away at the age of 97. Perkins played with Robert Nighthawk, Earl Hooker, Muddy Waters, was the oldest Grammy winner and toured until the end.
  • The Dead Milkmen have released their first album of new material in 16 years. You can listen to song samples and download The King in Yellow at their website.
  • Arthur is dead, long live Arthur. While music and culture mag Arthur has gone on “indefinite hiatus”, they have begun archiving their back issues online. While it’s a work-in-progress, there’s already a lot to dive into.
  • The Twilight Singers will be hitting up Letterman on April 26.
  • Even though Couch by Couch West is over, one of the advantages it has over SXSW is that you can still experience all the music – and see the hipper-than-humans dog and cat contingent – on the CXCW Tumblr. And you should. Great performances from Conrad Plymouth, Doc Dailey, Tim Lee 3, Two Cow Garage, The Imperial Rooster, Neko Case (that’s right – Neko Case. In bed. You didn’t get that at South By) and so many more talented folks. Can’t wait to do it again next year.
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Bits: TV on the Radio, Booker T. Jones, J Mascis, Mark Lanegan, Royal Bangs, Patrick Sweany, CXCW, etc.

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  • TV on the Radio’s Gerard Smith was diagnosed with lung cancer at the conclusion of recording for the new TVoTR album Nine Types of Light and will be unable to accompany the band on their current tour. A statement on the band’s website throws a hopeful light on Smith’s recovery, and we are sending good thoughts Smith’s way.
  • Head over to the Rolling Stone website to get a taste of the new Booker T. Jones album as he and the Roots cover Lauryn Hill’s “Everything is Everything”.
  • NYC’s Bowery Ballroom will play host to a show celebrating the 10th anniversary of one of my favorite books, Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life, on May 22.
  • The 2nd installment of Oxford American’s ABALABIP! concert series celebrating Alabama music and music makers will take place on June 4 in Florence, Alabama, and will feature Dexateens, G-Side and Candi Staton.
  • J Mascis’ new acoustic album, Several Shades of Why, is streaming at Spin.
  • A new Mark Lanegan track, “Burning Jacob’s Ladder”, is free to download on the Rage website.
  • And a new Royal Bangs track, “Fireball”, is free to download at Spin.
  • Patrick Sweany has added more tour dates including some in Austin this week.
  • Speaking of Austin, can’t make it to SXSW this year and envious of your friends who are hitting up Austin? Want to show just how hip you are by not going to SXSW? Then CXCW – Couch by Couchwest – is the event for you. While the so-called mover and shakers are standing in long lines and getting alcohol poisoning, the CXCW crowd will be drinking beer, ordering pizza and moving as little as possible. Join the thrill ride on Twitter and Tumblr. CXCW – Where the beer is cheaper and the only hipster is you.