Jul 18 2003
After watching waaaaay too many
After watching waaaaay too many hours of basketball yesterday(The Cetics / Hawks game was just as good as I remembered and it had an extra bonus, a few minutes of PT for rookie Reggie Lewis - RIP buddy), I thought I would throw a changeup today and devote my space entirely to music. This is very easy to do as Moday is the UK release date(Tuesday for the US) for Phantom Power, the next opus from my favorite band in the world, the Super Furry Animals. I will note that the guys are all very good friends of mine(for many years I felt like their only fan in the US) for which I am a bit biased. They are all super nice and because of my friendship I have been able to take part is some amazing adventures with them, including:
- Going upstate to Bearsville and watching them record what would become their last album, Rings Around the World. I just sat their for hours with huge grin on my face listening to the guys bang out songs. Words do not do justice to watching your favorite band make their new record right in front of you, occasionally asking me what I thought of a particular tune. I remember Cian taking a long time to nail the piano line in "Patience" and also him piecing together the beats that would make up "All The Shit You Do" and "Edam Anchorman". The last night they were there, they played all the finished songs back over the PA for everyone to hear. My 3 favorite the songs didn't even make the record (they were relegated ot B-Sides) but that just shows you how good that album was.
- I liked the record so much(and since I ws unemployed at the time), I saw 8 shows of their US tour.
- I also traveled to the UK to attend the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2000. The Furries were of course playing. I was also excited to finally see Oasis in the UK as well as Primal Scream, who were touring behing XTRMNTR, by far my favorite record of that year. I rode with the band on the bus from Reading to Leeds and they blagged me tickets, passes etc. for the gig. Part of their set at the time was to have 5 crew members dress up in various animals costumes and come onstage during the end of the set when Cian is going techno on "The Man Don't Give A Fuck." For some reason, in Leeds, they were 2 people short. Upon hearing the announcement in the tour bus, I immediately think "No way are they going to ask me" then Guto turns around and says, "Kyle, up for it?" Shit I was mad for it. "Hells Yeah!" I said and backstage I went to suit up. I was nervous as hell but I did alright. Check it out here. That's me in the center in the green gorilla costume. It was the coolest thing I've ever done in my life. I didn't want to leave the stage. 65,000 people were going mental, cheering, taking pictures, whatever. I can see how fame goes to people's heads. Anyway we come off stage and I'm so fucking juiced from what I just did I can't even begin to deal. I went to the dressing room to chill but Jarvis Cocker, Justine Firschman and the guys in Gomez all came to hang out. Talk about a surreal day.
- In 2001 I went to Dublin when the Furries staged one of their Furrymania weekends. This consists of a DVD screening on Friday and afternoon acoustic show on Saturday followed by a full on show Saturday night followed then by a DJ set by the band at some club after the gig. I went. Shit was crazy. The band dedicated my favorite song, "Citizens Band"(the hidden track on Guerilla) to me. It was the third time they'd ever played it. Gruff couldn't remember the second verse. It was the coolest thing ever. I wrote a 6 page recollection of my time in Dublin, I'll have to dig it up and post it here. It was intense. I'll just sum it up by saying that in 4 days in Dublin, I drank 33 pints of Guinness.
But I digress...
So Phantom Power is out next week. Go Buy It. It's even better than their last record. Here are reviews from NME and Rolling Stone. Have I mentioned Rolling Stone sucks?
Want tour news? Where do you live? The UK or in the US?
Other MUSIC NEWS AND STUFF FROM THE INTERWEB:
- This just in! Music Industry is in a slump. Really? I had no fucking idea. Maybe it's because record labels promote piece of shitbands like COLD in 1/4 page ads?
- New music from My Bloody Valentine? Momentous!
- Greatest Hits from the Chemical Brothers. I remember being in college and watching 120 minutes one night and Tim Burgess said that Exit Planet Dust was his favorite record of that year. I went and bought it the next day.
- Siren tomorrow...Ted Leo is also doing something on WMFU but not sure what. Idlewild get some love from the NY Times. Nice one. They are on the Ted Leo stage at 8 PM.
Cheers all.
Remember, throw the knife toward the meaning of life.
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