Days 1 | 3 | 4

[MP3]: These New Puritans  ”£4″
Beat Pyramid, Angular/Domino; 2008

[MP3]: Black Mountain  ”Tyrants”
In the Future, Jagjaguwar; 2008

[MP3]: The Fiery Furnaces  ”Restorative Beer”
Widow City, Thrill Jockey; 2007

Days 2 | 3 | 4

Here are a few shots from the first day on Wednesday. Mostly street shots and one of Cut Copy, the best live act I’ve seen so far.

Cut Copy at Karma Lounge

It’s been a little while since we posted a song on here to get you hype – the last two weeks have been pretty downbeat. So, here’s a little something to get you over the Wednesday hump and ready for the dancefloor.

Like Los Angeles’ Guns ‘n’ Bombs and New York City’s Thieves Like Us, it’s only a matter of time before a label like Kitsuné gobbles up Denton, Texas trio Ghosthustler. The trio’s electro funk meets italo disco meets Daft Punk sound is sure to land them a record deal soon, even though they only have a few live dates under their belts and a scant catalog.

The few tracks the band has put out, however, have been solid. After the “Robot Rock” like beginning of “Parking Lot Nights” the song moves over to funky electro similar to fellow Texans Ghostland Observatory. Italo disco synths streak across heavy bass riffs and dirty electro breaks on the band’s best and most appealing track “Busy Busy Busy.”

Ghosthustler makes their New York City debut on July 13th at The Charleston for the Finger on the Pulse party and plays again at Cakeshop on July 17th.

[MP3]: Ghosthustler  ”Busy Busy Busy”

Austin natives The Mercers pop their NYC cherry next Thursday night at the Knitting Factory. CU and friends will be there getting in on the action, so be sure to grab your tickets and come join us.

Picking up where the late Choking Ahogo left off, The Mercers bring a fresh sound to the table, serving the better flavors of indie rock and brit-pop with a strong side of alt-country twang. Front man Peter Wagner’s wavering-yet-strong vocals anchor every song while the brothers Ray (twins Brian and Eric) alternate between catchy guitar hooks and country-western chord progressions. Ethan Herr rounds out the four-piece from behinds the drums.

Referencing such seemingly-disparate bands as Guided By Voices, The Psychedelic Furs and The Gourds, listening to The Mercers brings CU right back to Austin without having to leave the five boroughs. Now if only this place would open sooner…

Be sure to check out CU-favorite track By Mistake at their MySpace. Then head on over to CDBaby and grab their new full-length release, Pretty Things Walk.

:: Upcoming shows ::

05.31.07 :: The Knitting Factory :: NYC :: [Tickets]
06.01.07 :: Mountain Jam Festival :: Hunter Mountain, NY
06.09.07 :: The Double Wide :: Dallas, TX
07.07.07 :: Emo’s :: Austin, TX

:: Press ::

“MySpace friends of Nada Surf and Dr. Dog, these Austin misfits claim to be influenced by “cheap beer, big dreams; sad, sarcastic pop bursts.” Who isn’t? The band’s best MySpace MP3, “Sexy Youth,” sits at the shady crossroads of swagger and sensitivity; one day this one’s gonna be an excellent soundtrack to a show-closing montage on Grey’s Anatomy.” [Andy Langer @ Esquire]

“Despite their immense talent, they’re not famous yet and aren’t in any apparent hurry to ink any deals, choosing instead to focus on writing brilliant, instantly catchy songs that make you almost wish they were pop radio sweethearts, tastefully drowning out all the crap we’re force fed by Clear Channel and their ilk on any given day.” [Whoopsy Magazine]

So I set out to listen to some of the daunting SXSW torrent last night (without the drinking), but was interrupted around 9:25 PM by a slew of gunfire followed by sirens and slight chaos outside my window. Being the concerned citizen that I am, I ventured outside after about 50 squad cars, vans, choppers, etc. showed up to the scene. Early reports and gossip on the street indicated that there was a shootout on Sullivan and Bleeker and that a couple people were hurt. Almost immediately, we were whisked away by the cops and I returned home and never got back around to listening to the torrent. Details of what happened surfaced late last night and early this morning.

However, one band I came across that is sure to be good times was Montreal synth rockers, Dandi Wind. The trio consisting of Dandilion Wind Opaine (vocals), musician Szam Findlay, and drummer Evan Pierce graced our fair city with their “mindblowing live show” back in February. David Bruno recommended them in his “Week In Dance” piece and for good reason. The band has toured with some big names including Justice, The Klaxons, Erol Alkan, Simian Mobile Disco, Broken Social Scene and more.

To date, the trio has put out 4 EP’s/singles along with a full-length titled Concrete Igloo. The band’s second album is due in 2007 on Alt:Delete/Because/SLUM and titled Yolk Of The Golden Egg.

If you CU guys in Austin are reading this and not incredibly drunk or hungover at this point, don’t miss Dandi Wind on Saturday, March 17th at Beauty Bar. If you miss them, don’t worry because they play Hiro Ballroom on March 22nd, so you can catch them when you get back.

Dandi Wind  ”Apotemnophilia”

According to Wikipedia, Apotemnophilia is “the overwhelming desire to amputate one or more healthy limbs or other parts of the body.” Gruesome.

I didn’t have the time to make it to this year’s SXSW, I have one too many things going on with my life. Boo hoo. Fortunately, Nghia, Theo, and Paul (who has yet to post on this site) are representing CU down in Austin this year. I’m 100% convinced that they’ll be missing my drunken antics though, that’s for sure. Have a Shiner and breakfast taco for me you fools!

However, I can still “pretend” I’m in Austin with Hypebot’s “How to Pretend You’re at SXSW,” I’m going to opt for their final suggestion and “grab take-out from your local rib joint, pop open a few too many Lone Star Shiner beers, and listen to this torrent of 739 bands playing the festival until you pass out on your couch. The hangover in the morning should connect you cosmically to the multitude in Austin.”

The weather certainly feels like Austin here in New York, doesn’t it?

I have no clue how I missed Indian Jewelry last year. After hearing great things about their legendary live shows and finally getting around to listening to Invasive Exotics, I’m kicking myself for missing them back in December. For those of you heading out to SXSW this year, do your ears a big favor and be sure to catch Indian Jewelry. They’re playing two shows on March 16th at Victory Grill (3:00pm) and Blender Balcony at the Ritz (11:45pm). If you already have something scheduled at one of those times, fuck it, cross it out on your little itinerary and write in “heart shaking hallucinogenic experimental techno shit recommended by CrackersUnited.com” and don’t forget to go.

The Houston, TX three-piece consisting of Tex Kerschen, Erika Thrasher, and Rodney Rodriguez has been described as a “dream marriage between Suicide and early Butthole Surfers, monotonous rhythm married to guitar pyrotechnics, vocal histrionics, and squealing synth stabs, all bathed in the blinding flash of the strobe light.” Like Invasive Exotics, their live shows also feature an array guest musicians. Check out the stomping leadoff track, “Lesser Snake” and “Come Closer” from Invasive Exotics below and pick up the album at Monitor Records.

Indian Jewelry  ”Lesser Snake” (via Funtime OK)
Indian Jewelry  ”Come Closer”

What does this mean?

1. Same great bands – Ghostland Observatory, Favourite Sons, The Mugs, and DJ Gorgeous Undertow.

2. No asshole door guy telling you to stand all the way up on Houston to smoke a cigarette.

3. Same great Crackers to hang out with.

4. No asshole door guy not letting you back in after you went to the deli.

5. Awesome rooftop garden for before and after the show.

6. No asshole door guy…

So leave the iPod at home, make sure to listen to the In Studio sessions with each of the bands on KEXP, get your tickets ahead of time, and come support live music and join us for an incredible Tuesday night at The Delancey.

Ghostland Observatory is Aaron Behrens and Thomas Turner, undoubtedly influenced by the likes of Daft Punk, Bowie and LCD, they offer up their own brand of electro-dance soul rock. It’s as if a piece of every musical genre of the past and present were blended together to create a keyboard. A keyboard that could only be used by this one band. We dare you to listen and not dance. [Gothamist]
Ghostland Observatory – streaming audio

If post-punk took one step back towards rock and added a dash of sentimentality, Favourite Sons might be the result…the lyrics and vocal work couple together in one of my favorite performances of the year. [You Ain't No Picasso]
Favourite Sons – Down Beside Your Beauty

The Mugs were tasty. well worth checking out. reminded me of something like a french kicks, but with a little big (just a touch) darker side though you wouldn’t have realized with their ear to ear grins. [Yeti Don't Dance]
The Mugs – Broken Signals

KEXP 90.3 FM [mp3 feed]
For those of you that aren’t familiar with this Seattle-based radio station, it’s the nation’s best independent radio station. Well, at least in our book. Be sure to tune into John in the Morning’s playlist everyday at 9AM (EST) and listen for songs from past and present FRICTION bands and other great independent artists. If you miss John’s show or any other KEXP program, KEXP’s streaming archive allows you to hear anything from the past two weeks in both Windows Media and Real format.

L Magazine
The L Magazine is the only independent magazine left in our fair New York City. And we have our own pair of portable 35mm film projectors. L Magainze covers New York nightlife, politics, theater, shopping, fashion, restaurants, events in New York City, and especially Friction, the best night of the month.

Subscribe to FRICTION events with

Mind you, I am adamant hater of our favorite little Texan, but this still makes me ask a couple questions:

- we have been at war with Iraq for 3 years, Fahrenheit 9/11 came out in June of 2004, Willie Nelson and Toby Keith was stringing up people in the trees back in 2003 – don’t you think he is a little late for any kind of revolutionary anthem that will change the way people feel about our President or the war? Everyone already hates him!

- how would Canada like it if an American released an album about how bad THEIR government was? Oh right I forgot, Neil’s a self-declared citizen of the planet.

- seriously, the guy can’t really sing and is only decent at best on the guitar. Maybe the Dixie Chicks should pick up the vocals for him.

You know I am one of those weird people who does not really listen to the lyrics of songs and find my passion for music in the feel of a song musically more than lyrically. So, I rely on the experts to tell me if the lyrics are good or not and apparently this album is quite a gooder. I seem a little hesitant to listen to the experts when I see lines like:

impeach bush
Kerry was a push
impeach bush
he got no blow job
he’s giving snow jobs
impeach bush
he’s a mistake
nawlins a lake
rum’s a snake
osama’s a fake
bombs against a rake

And this one doesn’t really make me shudder with awe:

Let’s impeach the president for lying
Misleading our country into war
Abusing all the power that we gave him
And shipping all our money out the door

Regardless of all this, I think the more we talk, the better. At this point there are few people who would ever defend what is left of our Preseident – so if Young is willing to continue his protest of the administration, I will support it 100% just for the sake of the protest not for continuing to put him on a pedestal that most would be too quick to do. Especially before the calls of ‘Neil Young For President’ start up.

Details are sketchy at best, but the featured song, “Impeach the President” contains Bush’s voice accompanied by a choir chanting “flip/flop.”

Classic. ?

For me, I will go back to my little bubble-world of music making me happy and turn up some more Lee Greenwood.