The talented and crazily-influential singer/songwriter Alex Chilton passed away Wednesday from a heart attack. (pic by Godlis)
Alex, his band Big Star, and his bandmate Chris Bell’s music always makes me think of my wife’s old Skylark. It was the perfect soundtrack for driving around in a big ol’ 70s boat while falling in love.
Though I’ll always love The Soup, it’s not on Hulu. And I don’t always want to track down a torrent. InfoMania satisfies the same need for rapid-fire pop culture tidbits, but broadens the scope from daytime TV to real-life absurdities, like the iTunes Top Five. Watch it, buddy.
As the (well-deserved) hubbub for OK Go‘s This Too Shall Pass music video, uh, passes, there’s another vid that’s worthy of your jaded eyeballs. A playful romp through the history of art: 70 Million by French band Hold Your Horses. (via Juxtapoz)
Their sincerity is so damn sweet. Just love it. Even better, the PS22 Chorus only took two rehearsals to learn the track. Now those are some pro rockstars. More info here. (via Waxy)
After I don’t know how long, the sun is finally out. Here’s some tunes to celebrate. And a couple Elliott Smith tracks for when the clouds inevitably return. On 04.06.10Kill Rock Stars will release remastered versions of Roman Candle and From A Basement On A Hill . (Not sure why … their raw ‘n rough quality is part of their charm, especially Candle.) Enjoy.
Love the idea for this flyer promoting the fifth annual Pitchfork/Windish Austin Party. Not stoked on the execution.
Why not have Austin’s Neon Indian on a Shiner label? And why put LA’s Local Natives on a Brooklyn Brewery label? Lazy if you ask me. But I’ll give ’em props for the Washed Out / Coors Light pairing. That’s almost Wacky Packs material.
Keep Your Eyes (and Ears) Open. Never know what you’ll see.
Spotted this chicken-filled stoop while cruisin’ around Petaluma. Coincidentally, just a block away from the ol’ Must-Hatch Incubator Co. building. Did you know the egg incubator was invented here? It’s one of the reasons we were known as The World’s Egg Basket. (And you thought we only invented the world sport of Wrist-Wrestling).
“Got chickens in the houses. We got chickens in the trees. Chickens in the pots of all the Petalumees … ”
What color should DEVO‘s new helmets be? They’re crowdsourcing for the answer.
The effort is a result of a partnership with oh-so-hot agency Mother LA (which opened their Los Angeles office specifically to service the band). More info at Creativity Online.
Caught Sean Hayes for the first time last night at the Mystic in Petaluma. We were pretty damn impressed. Highly recommend the trek up when he returns April 11. For now, hear his latest below. Along with other tasty tunes that’ve been circling the Ümlaut this week. Thanks for the Local Natives tip, Dylan!
