Events

Beach Fossils Live 6/29 @ Santos Party House

Stephen Blackwell :: Thursday, June 24th, 2010 11:45 am

Next Tuesday 6/29 9PM @ Santos Party House in NYC, Death+Taxes and StyleCaster Present Beach Fossils as part of our Summer Concert Series.

Open Bar from 9 - 11, cocktails provided by 42Below Vodka.

Music provided by VDRK and Mick Boogie.

RSVP NOW!

Venison aka The Strokes Play First Show Since 2006 In London

Colin Jones :: Thursday, June 10th, 2010 3:15 pm

If you haven’t been privy yet to the fact that The Strokes have reunited you’re most likely living in some sort of damp hermit’s cave, high up in god-knows-where Appalachia.
In preparation for hitting the festival circuit this summer, The Strokes, under the pseudonym Venison, played a secret show—their first show since 2006—in London last night. The band will play this Saturday at the Isle of Wight and Sunday at Rockness. The show at Dingwall’s featured no new songs in the 18-song set list even though the band has apparently been working on a record since January.

Keep reading for videos of “Juicebox” and “NYC Cops” from the show, set list, and tour dates.
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A Review Of Elliot Allagash By An Attractive Girl - As Imagined By Simon Rich, Author of Elliot Allagash

Simon Rich :: Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 4:30 pm

Simon Rich is perhaps the funniest writer in America. A writer for Saturday Night Live, the show has enjoyed a serious upswing in funniness under his tutelage. His first two books of short essays, Ant Farm and Free Range Chickens, are some of the most hysterical writing you’ll find anywhere, and his fantastic debut novel, Elliot Allagash, releases today. Rich was kind enough to ~~review it~~ have his extremely attractive female review it for us.

Until discovering Elliot Allagash, I was only attracted to tall, virile men. But this novel was so hilariously funny that it turned my entire worldview upside down. I am now attracted exclusively to comedy writers, and specifically, to Simon Rich.

As soon as I finished Elliot Allagash, I thought to myself: “Wow. Whoever wrote this book seems intelligent, charming and sexually normal.” Intrigued, I decided to flip to the author photo. That’s when my attraction to Mr. Rich turned into a kind of physical obsession.

I mean, look how cool this guy looks! MORE »

“Get Out Of There!” Montage Is The Best Thing I’ve Seen All Week

Amy Laviero :: Friday, May 7th, 2010 5:00 pm

Although the Guy Bauer Half Hour’s “we’ve got company” montage was pretty good, the “get out of there!” montage is even better. Hh1edits, a video editor through Pajiba, created the four minute gem which contains clips ranging from Apocalypse Now, to Family Guy, to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. You may already know hh1edits’ equally genius “160 Greatest Arnold Schwarzenegger Quotes” video, or “100 Cheesiest Quotes of All Time” montage. If while watching the video you find yourself drawing a blank, Pajiba has provided a complete list of the shows and films referenced in the video. Click through to check it out. MORE »

Track Review: “Beautiful People” - The Books

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 4:25 pm

Wait, did Jorge Luis Borges write a pop song? “Beautiful People” was a pleasure to finish and begin again as I tried to properly map the splintering paths that this labyrinthine wonder deceives and delights with. The vocals in “Beautiful People” sound as though Jonsi and Imogen Heap had a difficult-to-understand baby, but that’s not a bad thing. The somewhat garbled vocals fit prettily in between the well-paced percussion. The melodies themselves recall structured scales for just a moment before quickly lapsing into what sounds like skillful, whimsical improvisation. The listener can tell, though, that the song is too nuanced and honeyed to be anything but the result of a keen ear and labored tweaking. Three minutes melted rapidly while I tried to keep up with the song as it raced ahead in unexpected directions and finally culminated in a startlingly ambient ending. This song is the musical equivalent of a brain teaser, and within that, it’s delightful. the The new Books album, The Way Out, is due out in July on Temporary Residence.

Jay Reatard Autopsy Released Today

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 3:25 pm

Despite a few rumors that Jay Reatard’s death was being investigated as a potential homicide, his death has been ruled to be a tragic result of “cocaine toxicity and…alcohol,” according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. His death is believed to be an accidental suicide. Reatard passed away on January 13 at the age of 29. Here is the cover story about Jay, his music, and his lifestyle in the current issue of Death+Taxes.

Vampire Weekend’s Sophomore Album Contra Out Today

Colm McAuliffe :: Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 1:20 pm

Are Vampire Weekend the most loathed band in recent history? Since the success of their 2008 eponymous debut, the band have been derided for the archness of their lyrics, their apparent ‘comfortable’ upbringings, and for being entirely responsible for all the world’s current ills.

Interview: Harold Ramis

Drew Fortune :: Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 11:00 am

Yep, that’s Egon. If you don’t know already, Harold Ramis is one of the titans of comedy. He’s the man behind Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Vacation, and and the list goes on.

D+T contributing writer Drew Fortune was one of the lucky attendees at last week’s 50th Anniversary gala celebration of Second City, the Chicago institution that brought us everyone from Ramis and Bill Murray to Steve Carell and Eugene Levy. He was tenacious enough to badger Ramis into an exclusive interview for D+T.

Follow the jump for Fortune’s reportage from Second City and his interview with Harold Ramis.
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New Music for the Philanthropist in You

Amelia Kreminski :: Friday, December 11th, 2009 5:40 pm

Augment your indie rock jams with a little social consciousness with this new download from Portishead. “Chase the Tear” is the latest output from the mellow English electro-rock group, and they are putting it out in conjunction with human rights advocates Amnesty International-all proceeds from the song will go to the organization. You can watch the video for the single here. In celebration of International Human Rights Day, the single was first available for download yesterday, December 10. IHRD marks the anniversary of the UN creating the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” in 1948, a doctrine of fundamental rights for people everywhere.

Ethical Floridians Destroy the Joy of Facebook Friendships

Amelia Kreminski :: Friday, December 11th, 2009 4:00 pm

How many times have you asked yourself: When is it okay to friend? Do I really know Water Cooler Joe well enough to be buddies on the Internet? Do I really want to know Water Cooler Joe on the Internet? Would you call him “a contact or acquaintance?” Or do you have “feelings of affection and personal regard” for said person? These universal questions of our technological age have recently been troubling even the austere minds of Florida’s Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee. Yeah, I know, kinda seems like those Floridians don’t have enough to do… But apparently the judiciary system of this great state of sunshine, orange juice and retired folks decided that judges and lawyers are no longer allowed to be friends on Facebook, according to this NY Times article. Now, the committee’s ruling is apparently only advisory-they think friending between judges and lawyers displays some “impropriety.” But I wouldn’t be surprised if next time Mr. Head of Ethics Committee logs into his Facebook account he’s got some angry wall postings awaiting him.

In my opinion, this is just yet another grand example of why Facebook is slowly destroying the world. After years of addiction, I’m happy to say I destroyed mine last month. Use this WikiHow article to stop the cycle yourself.

Andy Warhol: Sixties Icon, Hipster God, Artistic Legend…Becomes a Musical?

Amelia Kreminski :: Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 12:10 pm

This is definitely the most bizarre thing I’ve seen so far this morning. Really, how many angles can the artsy communities of the twenty-first century take on Andy Warhol? Are we maybe beating a dead horse here? Apparently Maggie-Kate Coleman and Anna K. Jacobs, orchestrators of this spectacle, would disagree. Coleman’s book and lyrics and Jacobs’s musical score combine to form “Pop!” a snapshot into those crazy Factory days with the Warhol gang. According to this review from The New York Times, the story plays out like a murder mystery, beginning with Valerie Solanis’s gunshot and the musical Warhol’s characteristically dry opening line, “Ouch.” Overall, the review was mixed-though the play appears to have potential and well-executed humor, it sounds like it may have made Warhol a little too touchy-feely at times, stripping him of all that unhealthy emotional disconnect we love about him. Still, I’m intrigued, and if I was anywhere near New Haven, I’d check this thing out (really, what else is there to do in New Haven?). “Pop!” will be at the Yale Repertory Theater until December 19.

Fucked Up Release Star Studded X-Mas Single

Braden Rosner :: Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 2:50 am

Just when you thought the Torontonian, living legends of post-hardcore couldn’t get any zanier they go and release a Christmas single that’s sure to ring in holiday cheer — well, as best a band with a frontman named “Pink Eyes” can anyways. More Canadian hardcore fun after the jump.
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What Up, Dogma?

Craig Gaffney :: Saturday, December 5th, 2009 2:45 pm

Where once only a lavishly jeweled crucifix could have feasibly linked the two, the Vatican recently added Tupac Shakur to its official MySpace playlist. Yes, the late “poet” responsible for such gems as “Fuck the World” (for lyrics click here), is now an honorary contributor to the soundtrack of the Catholic Church, available online here.

Father Giulio Neroni recently released the site’s 12 song compilation to include Tupac’s “Changes” remix, which was produced in 1998. The Fleet Foxes also made the divine cut with “He Doesn’t Know Why” off their 2008 self-titled album.

Though I’m delighted to see the church finally broadening its musical horizons, I’m going to have to chalk this one up as yet another failure on their behalf to properly acknowledge a significant historical event. For you see, Bruce Hornsby and The Range are the rightful owners of that spot for actually composing the song in 1986 (see here) …but I guess some things will never change!

Party Like It’s 1989!

Amelia Kreminski :: Friday, December 4th, 2009 6:10 pm

Do you remember your favorite club from your childhood or adolescence? Personally, I quite enjoyed jazz band and my high school’s chess club. But the new book Everybody’s Scene by Chris Daily chronicles the formation and growth of a favorite club for a bunch of kids who were obviously way cooler than me. The book, with a preface by famed hardcore guitarist John Porcelly (you may know him from bands like Youth of Today, Judge, Project X, or Shelter) and a foreword by alt-rock icon Moby, tells the tale of a humble little club called The Anthrax. Formed in Stamford, Connecticut in 1982, the club was a place for punk and hardcore kids to get together, place some tunes, and create all those awesome underground trends and ideas that punk kids today still look up to. But don’t take it from me-you can hear it straight from Moby, in this trailer for the book. And who doesn’t trust Moby? So spend this winter with The Anthrax-a holiday treat for the nonconformist in everybody.

Lissie: Why You Runnin’

Amelia Kreminski :: Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 5:00 pm

When I think about Illinois, I usually think Chicago first. Then I think about all things related to Chicago, like Obama and pizza and bears. Then I think about how many people I know who pronounce the state “Ill-uh-noy” and how many people pronounce it “Ill-uh-noise” (are they actually both correct?). My point is, I never think about Illinois’s country-that rural part surrounding the limelight-stealing Chicago. But Lissie, a new singer-songwriter that sounds like a mix of She & Him’s croon, Dolly Parton’s soul, and AA Bondy’s mellowness is calling attention to the other part of Illinois. She hails from Rock Island, and her gentle EP Why You Runnin’ encompasses everything good about old-school country folk that contemporary country seems to have throw out the pick-up truck window. It’s pensive. It’s sultry. It makes me want to sit on a porch swing and shuck some corn or something. And that’s impressive. Should I listen? Yes.