50 Ways to Cleave Your Brother

I am fascinated with numbers. I'm never happier than making a little list. So here's 10 reasons to celebrate my little brother's 50th birthday. And you know you're getting old when your younger brother turns 50.

9. We are all born with a gift. It's up to each of us to cultivate it. Scott's gift is the deceptively difficult art of being able to create well crafted pop songs. Whether the masses have found them or not, they're out there (see the end of this post for a few examples). I once asked Scott why the creative well seems to run dry for so many talented bands and artists. His answer was direct and succinct - "It's hard to write a good song".

8. A Dark Rage, Burn This, Redemption, Blue Moon Revisited - a string of four excellent albums full of asphalt rock, each one better than the last. Here's to # 5.

7. Back hair, shoulder hair, bottom of foot hair. Woof.

6. Scott lives his life in exclamation points and all caps. He grabs each experience and savors it... or wallows in it. And if that exuberance means no watching hockey in my living room, then it's upstairs or to the basement you go. Sean gets enough of that colorful language during Eagles and St. Joe's games. Plus... it's hockey.

5. My youngest brother Kevin was a college basketball player, as tenacious a gym rat as you are likely to find. I have spent my life trying in vain to perfect the pump fake, and fear no shot. Yet the last time we played Utah (that's three man roughhouse), Scott won. On a free throw. In the rain. In the dark. Talk about A Dark Rage.

4. Laura. Who knew Scott would make a great husband?

3. 577 concerts - that's how many shows we've seen together. Now there's a book. And in the book, and later on the movie and even later in the fictionalized TV series, guess who's buying the first round?

2. Turtle Dove - my mom's nickname for Scott. God bless the internet.

1. Ian - Scott's greatest hit. Father turns out to be the gig of a lifetime.

0. Zero. As in PSA score. Hell yes. F cancer.

Happy 50th, dude!

Scott McClatchy - Call Out My Name (from Blue Moon Revisited)
Scott McClatchy - Margaret Ruth (from Blue Moon Revisited)

Scott McClatchy - Late Night Rodeo (from Redemption)
Scott McClatchy - I'll Follow You (from Redemption)

Scott McClatchy - Just One Kiss (from Burn This)
Scott McClatchy - Come Across The River (from Burn This)

Scott McClatchy - A Dark Rage (from A Dark Rage)
Scott McClatchy - Forever With You (from A Dark Rage)

New Fiction

A couple of months back, we brought you the lovely first single from Summer Fiction. It turns out there are more lovely singles from Summer Fiction, including this one,"Throw Your Arms Around Me."

Middle Brother

Trip has heard the whole album and loves it. I've heard a couple of tracks and concur. Middle Brother is a summit meeting between members of Dawes, Deer Tick and Delta Spirt (members of Devo, Decemberists and Dire Straits: unavailable), and they play a loose-limbed Cosmic American Music that would make Gram Parsons proud. But unlike Gram, they have their own free iPhone app for news and streaming. Middle Brother hits the road in a couple of weeks, including a stop at Philly's TLA on March 9. Here's the song that gave the band its name (or vice versa):

Middle Brother, "Middle Brother"

Flight Brigade

I don't know this band, but they make a pleasant noise. They also made the video for "A Girl Who Loves Her Smoke and Wine" for 53 pounds (someone else will have to do to the exchange calculation. Check them out here.

Flight Brigade // "A Girl Who Loves Her Smoke & Wine" (The £53 Official Music Video) from Flight Brigade on Vimeo.

Rave On

The Ravonettes return on April 5 with the album Raven in the Grave, and they're hitting the road to support it. They'll be at the TLA in Philly on March 30, and at Record Bar in Kansas City on my birthday (for those not keeping track, April 9). While you wait, enjoy the icy cool first single, "Forget That You're Young."

The Raveonettes, "Forget That You're Young"

Bands That Broke Up At EXACTLY The Right Time

As a follow-up to yesterday's news that The White Stripes now belong to you and me, here is a list of bands that timed their break up to the exact moment when they should break up (and death was not a factor) - and stayed broken up.

1. The Beatles
2. The White Stripes (TBD)
3. The Jam
4. Husker Du

And I wonder if The White Stripes planned yesterday's announcement to coincide with the 52nd anniversary of "the day the music died".

God bless Jack White.

The White Stripes have broken up

Long live the White Stripes.

A Raging Good Time

It's well-known that the proprietors of Teenage Kicks have a certain affection for Philadelphia singer-songwriter Scott McClatchy, and for one of us, the affiliation is familial. And so when we tell you that Scott's new album A Dark Rage is terrific, his best yet, you might be skeptical. So don't take it from us, take it from the Philly Inquirer's Nick Cristiano who writes "Back in the Philadelphia area after about 20 years in New York, Scott McClatchy is still turning out spirited, heart-on-his-sleeve roots-rock. And getting better at it with age: A Dark Rage is his best effort."

The very wise Mr. Cristiano writes even more that you can read here.

Enjoy the Stonesy kick of "Cigarettes, Breath Mints & Visine," which I am told is a true story, but please don't mention it to the authorities.

Scott McClatchy, "Cigarettes, Breath Mints & Visine"

The album is available on iTunes and at Amazon, among other fine retailers.

The Whigs, "So Lonely"

The Whigs released an album a couple of years ago that I really liked, but then I kind of lost them. So much music, so little time. So it was a pleasure to stumble across a new video for the track "So Lonely" (and by stumble across, I mean find while wading through the dusty stacks of emails in the inbox). They make a hellacious racket for a three-piece, but they keep it tuneful, and I dig the way the singer slings his guitar high like John Lennon (Keith Richards, whose autobiography I just finished and about which I'll try to comment here at length, would not approve at all).

By the way, double click on the video to go to YouTube and watch in widescreen. I haven't yet figured out (or, haven't tried) how to embed a widescreen player, so the right side of the picture gets cut off here.

Objects of Influence

Esquire's Chris Jones has a terrific new blog called Son of Bold Venture, and it's clear from this entry that he's trying to seduce us.

When I Stop Dreaming - R.I.P. Charlie Louvin

Charlie Louvin, country music pioneer and master of that high, lonesome sound with his brother Ira, died earlier today from complications due to pancreatic cancer. It's difficult to overstate The Louvin Brothers influence on classic country music and today's americana artists. Their incredible harmony singing still thrills 50 years later and their gospel leanings gave their music an otherworldly intensity. Charlie Louvin was never really able to make up for the loss of his brother Ira, who died in an automobile accident in 1965, but continued performing and recording until as recently as last year. As Mr. Louvin recounted to host Terry Gross on a 1996appearance on NPR's Fresh Air:

“When it comes time for the harmonies to come in, I will move to my left because my brother and I always used ... one microphone. Even today, I will move over to the left to give the harmony room, knowing in my mind that there’s no harmony standing on my right.”

If you're not familiar with them, you're familiar with some of their devotees they influenced, including such Teenage Kicks faves as the Everly Brothers, The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris and Uncle Tupelo. If any of those artists reside in your collection, you owe it to yourself to check out Ira and Charlie Louvin - and you can start with When I Stop Dreaming, The Best of The Louvin Brothers, Razor & Tie's 5 star 1995 compilation. This is truly moving, spellbinding, timeless music.

The Louvin Brothers - When I Stop Dreaming

The Louvin Brothers - Cash on The Barrelhead

Gram Parsons - Cash on The Barrelhead / Hickory Wind

The Louvin Brothers - The Great Atomic Power

Uncle Tupelo - Atomic Power

Everly Brothers - Sing Me Back Home

Noah and the Whale, "L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N."

Heard it. Liked it. Sharing it.

Album out either March 7 or March 15, depending on whether you believe the website or the email that caught my attention. More here.

Merry Christmas - I've Built My Dreams Around You

I can say with absolute certainty that at least 50% of the Teenage Kicks staff is 100% positive that The Pogues "Fairytale of New York" is better than 99.9 % of all other Christmas songs, and 78% sure that it's almost impossible to ruin. It blends the sweet and sadness of Christmas, gives equal import to both the hope and desperation prevalent during the holidays. It also lends credence to the notion of Shane MacGowan as one of rock's greatest songwriters, as only he could conjure up this mixture of blood, beer, sweat and junk commingling with simple dreams of domestic bliss.

Pogues (with Kirsty MacCool) - Fairytale of New York

Florence And The Machine (with Billy Bragg) - Fairytale of New York

Stars - Fairytale of New York

Jesse Malin (with Bree Sharp) - Fairytale of New York

In-Flight-Safety (with Jenn Grant) - Fairytale of New York

KT Tunstall (with Ed Harcourt) - Fairytale of New York

Cold Blow These Winter Winds - Fairytale of New York

The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir - Fairytale of New York

Yoni Gordon & The Goods - Fairytale of New York

Matthew And The Atlas - Fairytale of New York

Pilate - Fairytale of New York

Merry Christmas!

Captain Beefheart, 1941-2010

No Time To Cry

Two songs have been sustaining me over the past few weeks. Thanks to all those who have reached out and my apologies to those I have not been able to get back to - I will soon.

"Up above my head, up above my head
I can hear music in the air, I hear music in the air
Up above my head, up above my head
I can hear music in the air, I hear music in the air
Up above my head
I hear music in the air, oh lord.
And I really do believe
I really do believe
There's a heaven somewhere
There's a heaven somewhere"

"Up Above My Head" is a 1940's gospel song by Sister Rosetta Tharpe. It brings together two things that loom large in my life - music and religion. My faith in music never wavers and quite frankly dominates my thoughts. Kicks ass all over my religious faith. Not something I am terribly proud of, although I often wear that dichotomy like a badge of honor. But this old gospel song (brought into my world in the mid-80's in a wondrously upbeat version by alt-country stalwarts The Jayhawks) brings both together in such a simple way that it seems to give ample weight to both faiths. The last few weeks have had these lyrics swirling around and above my head like an oncoming tornado.

"No Time to Cry" by Iris DeMent is a simple portrait of dealing with grief in the most ordinary way, which is really what we do - bills still get paid, phones still ring, children still need help. I guess when the music stops is when things get truly desperate. So I guess the only way to make sure you make it through the tough times is to make sure the music never stops. And to make sure you're making that house a home.

The Jayhawks - "Up Above My Head"

Iris DeMent - "No Time to Cry"

p.s. I promise the next post will bring the rock.

A Little Light Reading

Today, the inbox brings "Chandeliers," a divine slice of pop from Summer Fiction, the brainchild of singer/songwriter Bill Ricchini. For our Philly followers, Bill & company are slated to play Johnny Brenda's on December 1.

Summer Fiction, "Chandeliers"

"Neil Young" & Bruce Springsteen - Whip My Hair

I assumed Jimmy Fallon's staff had written a song parody for "Neil Young" and Bruce Springsteen to sing as Bruce commandeered Fallon's show last in an entertaining hour where Springsteen let his hair down a little while still maintaining the requisite amount of Boss-ness. But now that I know that it's a current pop hit by Willow Smith, the obviously fabulous progeny of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett, only one word comes to mind... genius.



Go buy The Promise - fanatics need the full boat six disc enormo-package, casual listeners can settle for the two disc version that contains 21 unreleased top shelf castoff gems from what is arguably Springsteen's creative peak.

Jimmy Fallon & Bruce Springsteen - "Whip My Hair" (live 11/16/10 on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)

Bruce Springsteen & The Roots - "Because The Night" (live 11/16/10 on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)

Willow Smith - "Whip My Hair"

Pat yourself on the back if you even knew Will Smith had a daughter, much less one with the current # 13 chart hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Promise

For guys like us, the only thing better than Darkness on the Edge of Town is a three-CD, three-DVD exploration of every crevice in that spectacular record's creation. It comes out next week, but I'm told that if I wait five weeks or so, it might show up under some radom tree. In the meantime, read Joe Posnanski's lovely meditation on the connection between Darkness and real life. And while you're reading, listen to the treasure chest of previously unreleased Darkness-era tracks now streaming on Spinner.

Front Row at The Bon Jovi Concert

"To truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it hurts"
---Sapphire (Almost Famous)




Bon Jovi - "Bad Medicine"

Of Field and Fire

I’ve been meaning to wax poetic about this for weeks now, but I haven’t found the time, so instead I’ll just wax.

Field Music has made the best album I’ve heard all year and nobody gives a damn.

It’s arty, it’s quirky, it’s melodic. It’s accessible without being obvious. It’ll appease those (like me) who think Dirty Projectors are a little too out there (and in case I've buried the lede, it's called Field Music (Measure)).

It’s impossible to know how a band or a record is going to strike the public. Kings of Leon are the biggest contemporary rock band going, and they’re a nifty little combo I suppose, but why them and not The Gaslight Anthem?

I fall victim myself. Arcade Fire, whose first two albums I liked, released an album earlier this year, and I had it within five minutes. Field Music, whose first two albums I loved, released one, too, and it took me five months. Both albums are ambitious, arty and anthemic. One of them has sold hundreds of thousands of copies. The other one is great.

Arcade Fire captured the zeitgeist. Field Music captured my attention and little else.

Trip has been carrying my sorry ass on this blog for months now. I’ll try to do better. Let’s call this a start.