Monthly Archives: November 2008

B-Sides in the Bins #36 – Cedar Rapids, Half-Price Books 11/7/08

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I needed to hit GNC for the last night of Gold Card Days for Sherry, so I stopped in at Half-Price Books. A fairly productive stop– found some essentials.

Bruce Springsteen – Darkness on the Edge of Town (LP, Columbia JC 35318, 1978) ($2.98) Cool! Decent copies of the Springsteen catalog are tough to find. Next to The River, this is my favorite Springsteen record. slight cover wear, sleeve in tact as well as the lyric sheet. Vinyl impressively minty. I got into Springsteen pretty heavily after Born in the USA. I bought everything on cassette. Never bought any Springsteen on CD. So, it’s a bit strange to be picking this up on vinyl. I suppose Sony/BMG has already started pressing Bruce’s catalog in 180g vinyl. (apparently not?)

Bruce Springsteen – The River (2 LP, Columbia PC2 36854, 1980) ($3.98) My other big favorite from The Boss. I think The River is the blueprint for what would be the most-identifiable Springsteen sound with the hard-working E Street Band on board.  The River shows all the different sides to Springsteen from the out-and-out rocker of “Cadillac Ranch”  to the FM-ready “Hungry Heart” and the melancholy of “The River.” (I always wondered if the couple in the song “The River” actually drowned themselves?) Dad bought this on cassette back when it was new and I remember that we went through a couple of copies of it. It’s a little-known fact that 60-minute cassette and 90-minute cassettes use the same amount of tape. The 90’s are just stretched thinner than the 60’s. This needed to be done because otherwise the tape wouldn’t fit in the shell and be too heavy for most cassette decks. Unfortunately, this caused the double-length cassette to be prone to breaking. The River was a double-length album on cassette since it was 2 LP’s. The cover of this copy has some edge wear and sleeve wear which is very typical of copies of this album. Unfortunately, this wasn’t pressed as a gatefold, so both records are sandwiched precariously into one sleeve. The inside record sleeves which serve as the inside art are in tact as well as a slightly tear-stained lyric sheet. The vinyl is in great shape. I’ve seen some sealed copies of this show up on eBay, so this will be one I’ll want to upgrade.

Mickey Jupp – “Old Rock ‘N’ Roller” b/w “S.P.Y.” (7″ Stiff Records BUY-36, 1978)($0.98) I didn’t know who Mickey Jupp was before I picked this up. This single was notable in that it is on Stiff Records– one time home of British notables as Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe among others. Also it has the paper sleeve intact (“If it means Everything to Everyone… It Must be a Stiff” “Today’s Sound Today”). In addition to that, the A side was produced by Nick Lowe. I’m considering putting this out on eBay, but it is a pretty cool piece, so I may just keep it. I haven’t had a chance to listen to it, but it would appear to be from his Wiki article that his signing to Stiff Records was as a result of a resurgence of interest in “Pub Rock” in the 70’s.

Pieta Brown – Remember the Sun (CD, One Little Indian OLI782, 2007) ($5.98) I had this in mp3 but I wanted to own this on CD. This is a fantastic album, and certainly Pieta’s best so far in my opinion. Produced by Bo Ramsey and has that signature sound. I listen to this album quite a bit and is a good companion to Bo’s new album Fragile.

Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger (CD, Lost Highway B0009130-02, 2007) ($6.98) I have this on vinyl and mp3, but I couldn’t pass this up. Apparently Half-Price got in a bunch of sealed, new copies of Easy Tiger and are selling them for– wait for it– HALF PRICE! 😉 This is my favorite Ryan Adams album, but Cardinology is catching up quickly.

B-Sides in the Bins #35 – My 40th Birthday Party 11/1/08

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I turned forty this year and Sherry wanted to throw a big party for me that included family and friends. My family wanted to know what to get me so I advised Sherry to tell them “vinyl.” What I meant was “go to a record store that has used vinyl and pick something out– even if I might already have it.” What I got for vinyl was all new vinyl, but some very cool stuff nonetheless!

Black Mountain – In The Future (2 LP, Jagjaguwar JAG90, 2008) (gift) This one was a complete surprise! While I was familiar with Jagjaguwar (home of blog-friendly bands like Okkervil River, Oakley Hall, Bon Iver, and Sunset Rubdown) but not Black Mountain. I’m floored by this album! Psych/Folk/Metal– would be a good companion to Thrill Jockey bands Arbouretum or Pontiak. 180g in a sweet gatefold. Also comes with 192Kbps mp3 download. I’ve listened to this album 5 or 6 times already on the iPhone, but I need to spend some time with the vinyl, for sure. The song “Wucan” was included in the Spiderman III soundtrack.

Beck – Modern Guilt (LP, DGC Records B0011630-01, 2008) (gift) Right now this is my favorite Beck album EVER. Produced by Dangermouse of Gnarls Barkley fame. Just brilliant, whatever. Comes with nifty 320Kbps mp3 download that they claim was ripped from the vinyl master, but I have my doubts. They could have added the needle drop and pickup noises afterwords. Still, way cool. 180g

The Traveling Wilburys – The Traveling Wilburys Collection (3 LP, Rhino R2 167868, 2007) (gift) Sheesh, this is the motherlode! This is the 180g vinyl boxset version of the much-awaited re-release of the Traveling Wilburys catalog. Most folks know the story: Petty and Jeff Lynne were working together around the same time George Harrison was working on Cloud 9 and ended up working together with Dylan on “Handle With Care.” This spawnned the most unlikely supergroup ever when they included Roy Orbison. The first album took off with two huge singles. Orbison passes away but the group decides to carry on and record the sarcastically-named Traveling Wilburys III. Time passes, the catalog goes out-of-print, Harrison passes and Petty feels like he shouldn’t perform any of the material until Harrison’s widow requests it. This starts the ball rolling to get the albums back in print. Thankfully, too, as the eBay prices for the album were approaching $50, not to mention all of the bootlegging that was happening. This box includes both of the albums plus an LP of bonus material from the singles and b-sides. The box includes a booklet of history and non-history of the band. The LP’s are in their original sleeves, and the box includes a set of postcards that must have been used to promote the records when they first came out.

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals – Cardinology (LP, Lost Highway B0012195-01, 2008) ($17.95) I’ve written about this on the blog before. This is the very limited pressing of Cardinology that comes with special artwork done by Leah Hayes. It is pressed in Red, clear vinyl and came with a special 7″ and a comic that illustrates the lyrics of the album. Amazing version of this album and completely blows-away the likely “robot cardinal” black-and-blue cover of the future pressings. Comes with the same 320Kbps “vinyl rip” mp3 download. According to posts Ryan has made to his blog, he is considering making his next release a vinyl-only release, which would be interesting.

Free Download: Umphrey’s McGee Mantis Pre-Order “Early Bird Bonus”

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I have been watching the Umphrey’s McGee Mantis page for updates on newly unlocked Levels and as a result I’m signed into the Meebo chat (as “playbsides” if anyone wants to talk). Other than the grand debate about whether 1000 copies of the Deluxe Package depreciates the “value” or rarity of it versus the fact that some fans are bummed they didn’t get in on it– there hasn’t been a lot of useful chatter. I’ve helped some folks understand what the deal is with the pre-order mostly.

But, today I happened to catch someone mentioning the free downloads in the UMLive accounts and sure enough– I signed into “My Stash” and in addition to the pre-order for Mantis, there was another item ready for download called “Mantis Pre-Order: Early Bird Bonus” which showed available for download! I didn’t get an e-mail about it, but my e-mail gateway does whitelisting so it bounces the mails for resend and that adds some time to e-mail receipt for me.

At any rate– very cool deal! I got two tracks: both from the amazing 10-31-2008 Halloween show at the Warfield in San Francisco. This show was pretty cool in that they decided to do live performed “mash-ups.”

The two tracks we got were “Women, Wine and Song” (a 128Kbps rip) from the show and a Backstage Vocal Rehearsal of the band working out the vocals to “Thriller” which was mashed with “Another Brick in the Wall” (a 192Kbps rip).

You can listen to “Women, Wine and Song” from the Warfield show at Archive.org.

In other cool news, the Umphrey’s Camp has noticed my Mantis Bonus Watch article and linked to it from The Floor, which is their blog. It’s driven my page views to the highest they’ve ever been! Hello to new visitors, I hope your stay is pleasant.

B-Sides in the Bins #34 – Highway to Hell : Retail Confusion With AC/DC Black Ice Vinyl

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My family has been fans of AC/DC since Dad brought Back in Black home in 1980. At the time we had a black GMC Suburban with red cloth interior and Dad wanted to put vanity license plates on it that said “BAKNBLK.” This Suburban would be traded on another one later and its next owner was appropriately enough a funeral home! When Dad brought Back in Black home, I initially didn’t like it– I was more into The Moody Blues and The Beatles, I guess. During my Honda Express-riding Jr. High years I gained the appreciation for all-things metal, and that included AC/DC. John, who was born 1976, pretty much grew up with AC/DC. As a result he has been an AC/DC fan for most of his music-appreciating years. John’s vanity plate he’s been moving from vehicle to vehicle since his first car is “HWY2HEL.” Or, “Highway to a ‘Bad Word'” according to his daughter!

When I heard that there would be a vinyl pressing of the new AC/DC Black Ice album that would be available to Independent record retailers, I knew that this would be a cool gift for him for his birthday. In the past I bought him the 180g version of Back in Black (I got it at Hot Topic of all places!), as well as an Australian version of High Voltage on vinyl that had some different tracks on it.

I figured– incorrectly as it turns out– that because of the Wal-Mart exclusive nature of the CD version of Black Ice, that there would be decent availability of the 180g vinyl pressing at other record stores since the only way a retailer that wasn’t Wal-Mart could have the biggest new releases on a major label would be by stocking the vinyl. Trying to track this down in Eastern Iowa turned out to be a comedy of errors!

The first place I called was what I considered to be my mainstay record store– The Record Collector in Iowa City.

“Record Collector.” the young girl on the phone answered.

“Do you have the new AC/DC album Black Ice on vinyl?” I asked, trying to be as specific as possible.

“The new AC/DC album is only available at Wal-Mart” she answered in an obviously-rehearsed tone.

“Yes, that’s right. The new AC/DC on CD is available at Wal-Mart, but the vinyl pressing is available at Independent record stores.”

She conferred with someone else off the phone about it, “Uh, we won’t be carrying that. We only sell used vinyl.”

This was pretty confusing to me since I have seen and purchased new vinyl there in the past. In fact, I was looking at some very cool Sundazed repressings of Skip Spencer’s “Oar” solo LP. I wondered if I should call back when the owner Kirk might be working.

I got a sinking feeling. I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to buy this in time for when I’d see John if I had to order it on-line and it was less than a week before I’d see him. The other local options for new vinyl had dried up over the last couple of years. I remembered hearing that Real! Compact Discs and Records was back in business. I had been a frequent shopper there during the late 80’s but hadn’t shopped there since I moved back to Iowa in 1997. In fact, I think it might have been out of business for a while. I noticed that Bo Ramsey thanked Real! in the liner notes to Fragile, so I figured they must be in business. A quick google turned up the phone number…

“Real Records” the man on the phone answered.

“Do you sell new vinyl?” I asked hopefully.

“Yep. that’s why we are called ‘Real Records'” he cracked.

I was trying to ascertain if they had new records, not just used, but whatever.

“Do you have the new AC/DC Black Ice vinyl?”

“Wal-Mart is the only place that carries the new AC/DC.”

“Well, that’s true– Wal-Mart has the new AC/DC CD, but there is a vinyl pressing that indie record stores can carry.”

He checked his distribution lists, and said “Oh, yeah, we might be getting that next week.”

“Well, I was hoping to pick it up this week as a birthday gift, thanks anyway. By the way, what’s the deal with the Record Collector? I called there and they said they don’t sell new vinyl. I’m pretty sure I’d seen new vinyl there in the past.”

“I don’t know. I’ve been hearing from other people that they haven’t been able to find anything there.”

“Well, that’s too bad. It’s been one of my favorite record stores forever. By the way, will you be getting the Ryan Adams vinyl for Cardinology?”

He checked his lists again, “yes, it looks like we will be getting that next Tuesday. It seems to have pushed back a week.”

“Thanks.”

So, at least it looks like I should be visiting Real! some time in the future.

The next place I called was BestBuy. I’d seen vinyl there recently– notably the new Coldplay Viva La Vida. It seemed to me that if there was a big-box retailer battle between BestBuy and Wal-Mart what better field of war than the new AC/DC? After navigating through their phonejail menus I got a human.

“BestBuy, home of the Geek Squad. How may I help you?”

“Can I speak with some one in CD’s and DVD’s?”

“How can I help you?”

“Would you happen to have the new AC/DC album Black Ice on vinyl?”

“The new AC/DC album is only available at Wal-Mart” he offered helpfully. This was beginning to sound like a phone prank.

Well, I was stuck with this one. Should I explain the vinyl situation, or just assume that if they had the vinyl he would have mentioned it?

“OK, thanks” I said choosing the latter.

I remembered that I had purchased the 180g Back in Black at Hot Topic in Lindale Mall, so I gave them a shot.

“Hot Topic” a guy answered.

“Do you sell vinyl?” I asked.

“What are you looking for??” It occurred to me that based on the clothing one can purchase at Hot Topic, I wasn’t specific enough by asking about “vinyl.”

“I’m sorry, I mean vinyl records.”

“Oh! Yeah, we sell records.”

“Do you have the new AC/DC Black Ice?”

“No, we don’t have that. You should try Wal-Mart. They are carrying that.”

The rest of the conversation involved me educating him on the vinyl version of Black Ice. I’m sure he appreciated it.

My last hope would be that Mad City Music Exchange in Madison, WI would have it. They are close enough that I shouldn’t have to worry about overnight shipping either. I gave them a call.

“Mad City” the guy on the phone answered.

“Hi, do you have the new AC/DC Black Ice on vinyl?”

“Yep.”

Frankly, I didn’t know what to say! I gave him a brief version of my trials of trying to find this record. I left it that I’d call him the next day to confirm. He said that he typically visits the post office twice a day so the next day he should be able to get it sent out. I called, and we talked about shipping options. He wasn’t sure what the shipping would have been for 2-day, so I gave him my credit card information and asked him to let me know.

What I found out talking to Dave Zero is that he’s the new owner of Mad City Music Exchange taking over for the previous owner who’d had it since 1986. Here is an article from the Isthmus about Dave buying the store from last December. It’s clear that Dave is very focused on keeping the customer happy and I think went way out of his way to get me the record and he even checked up to make sure that I got it in time. As a result, I ordered Ryan Adams and the Cardinal’s new Cardinology in the limited edition clear red vinyl and unique artwork from him, and I got that this week.

The record showed up in time for me to give it to John. and I have a diligent store owner to thank in Dave. It really is a beautiful piece. Unlike the CD artwork which are white on black, all of the album graphics are matte black on shiny black gatefold with a very bright red AC/DC logo on it. It makes it a bit tough to read unless you tilt the record, but still a very impressive pressing.

There are other record stores in Madison, but certainly you should make Mad City a stop if you’re in town. Tell them “It’s Time To Play B-Sides” sent you!

B-Sides in the Bins #33 – Zzz Records – Des Moines, IA 10/18/08

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Sherry and I were in Des Moines to talk to an Espresso Machine distributor about a machine for her cafe/bakery that she is planning. While were were there, I got to make a quick visit to Zzz Records. Apparently this would be my last trip to their old location as they have moved. I quickly thumbed through the new vinyl and then made my way back to the 80’s/New Wave/Alternative section. It was an 80’s day…

Simple Minds – Once Upon A Time (LP, A&M/Virgin SP-5092, 1985) ($4.25) I’m getting pretty close to having all of the Simple Minds I want. If there are any other period 12″es maybe I’ll pick those up. I want to get Live in the City of Light, which was recorded during the tour of this album.

The Fixx – Reach the Beach (LP, MCA Records MCA-5419, 1982) ($3.50) Possibly one of my favorite albums. I can put this on and listen to it at any time. I got this on cassette from the Kennedy Mall Wards in Dubuque along with U2’s Live Under a Blood Red Sky on the same day. I remember seeing footage on TV of U2 at Red Rocks and knew I wanted that. I distinctly remember being sick with the flu at home in bed with the vaporizer running listening to those two cassettes back-to-back all day long.

Free Download and Sale at Amazon: Daptone Records Sampler

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For a limited time Amazon is having a sale on the entire Daptone Records catalog in mp3 format. All titles are $6.99 each! Daptone, for the uninitiated is the incredible indie record label out of NYC that specializes in retro R&B and funk and is the home of the amazing Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings as well as The Budos Band and the Sugarman 3. To promote the sale, Amazon and Daptone are providing for a limited time a free 14-track sampler download. DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS!

Click Here to download the Daptone Records Sampler

Daptone Records Digital Sampler on Amazon.com

1. The Sugarman 3 Feat. Naomi Shelton “Promised Land”
2. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings “100 Days, 100 Nights”
3. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings “Pick it Up, Lay it in the Cut”
4. The Budos Band “Chicago Falcon”
5. The Mighty Imperials “Thunder Chicken”
6. The Budos Band “Up From the South”
7. The Daktaris “Eltsuhg Ibal Lasiti”
8. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings “How Long Do I Have to Wait for You?”
9. The Sugarman 3 “Chicken Half”
10. The Sugarman 3 “Turtle Walk”
11. The Poets of Rhythm ” More Mess On My Thing”
12. Bob & Gene “I Can Be Cool”
13. The Como Mamas Feat. Mary Moore “Trouble In My Way”
14. Menahan Street Band “Make the Road by Walking”

New Video from Backyard Tire Fire

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The boys from Bloomington, IL have a new video for the rockin’ “How In The Hell Did You Get Back Here?” from their new release The Places We Lived. The video, directed by Filipe Bessa, is shot in Bloomington and captures locals at their various jobs which draws a comparison to the band embracing their music as their job and craft. Bessa explains, “The local musician has a lot more in common with the local mechanic than we tend to imagine. Ideally, they both represent what makes up the American landscape as we know it. The joy and the sadness of work are present in both, and that’s a powerful correlation.” Being a Midwesterner myself, the video provides very familiar scenes which is so rare in popular music videos today. I can relate more to some honest grease under the nails than I can the typical ‘sturm and bling’ in today’s typical video.

Kick back with a PBR and enjoy

Neshui Ertegun Paid Tribute With Boxset from Rhino Handmade

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Nesuhi Ertegun was the younger brother to Altantic Records label founder Ahmet and from 1955-1967 was the VP of the Jazz division of that label. The always-fantastic Rhino Handmade is releasing Hommage A Nesuhi on December 15th– a 5 CD Boxed Set compilation of essential tracks recorded by artists that Nesuhi signed and/or recorded for Atlantic during his tenure there. The set will be limited to 3,000 individually numbered copies. When they’re gone, they’re gone! This set will have a list price of $149.98.

I often forget that Atlantic had Jazz artists. Usually when one thinks of Jazz, labels like Blue Note, Prestige, Fantasy, Riverside, Verve and Columbia come to mind. I tend to associate Atlantic with Rock and R&B, but one look at this list of acts and it’s obvious that Nesuhi drew some big talent to the label during his time there (and some from the aforementioned labels!)– Milt Jackson, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus and others.

The first and last discs of the collection feature artists that Ertegun signed to Atlantic. The second disc “Shades of Blue” focuses on his Blues influence on the label during his career there and includes tracks he produced for Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, LaVern Baker and Hank Crawford. The Live disc provides Ertegun-period performances by the Atlantic stable of Jazz and Blues artists. The One the Edge disc shows the groundbreaking Jazz influence Atlantic provided during Ertegun’s time at the helm. While this isn’t a collection of rare or previously unreleased tracks in the Atlantic catalog, it is a nice collection with a broad stroke capturing Ertegun’s influence and work for the label.

On a bittersweet note, this was the last project that producer Joel Dorn worked on. Joel was the protege of Ertegun and went on to produce Roberta Flack, Les McCann, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Yusef Lateef and many others. He passed away just days after finishing it.

HOMMAGE À NESUHI
Track Listing

Some Atlantic Jazz
1. “Hard Times” – David “Fathead” Newman
2. “Summertime” – The Modern Jazz Quartet
3. “Stay With Me” – Yusef Lateef
4. “Listen Here” – Eddie Harris
5. “With These Hands” – Les McCann
6. “Sweet Sixteen Bars” – Ray Charles
7. “Your Mind Is On Vacation” – Mose Allison
8. “Martians Go Home” – Shorty Rogers & His Giants
9. I Miss You So” – Chris Connor
10. “The Golden Striker” – The Modern Jazz Quartet
11. “A Ladiesman” – Oscar Brown, Jr.
12. CMemphis Underground” – Herbie Mann
13. “Come Rain Or Come Shine” – Ray Charles

Shades Of Blue
1. “Cherry Red” – Big Joe Turner
2. “Doodlin’” – Ray Charles
3. “Deuces Wild” – Sonny Stitt
4. “Am I Blue” – Ray Charles
5. “In The Evening” – Yusef Lateef
6. “Empty Bed Blues” – LaVern Baker
7. “The Entertainer (Done In The Style Of The Blues)” – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
8. “What Will I Tell My Heart” – Hank Crawford
9. “Stop This World” – Mose Allison
10. “Cousin Mary” – John Coltrane
11. “I Wish You Love” – David “Fathead” Newman
12. “Oh Lord Don’t Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me” – Charles Mingus
13. “Like It Is” – Yusef Lateef
14. “Blues #3/Willow Weep For Me” – Ray Bryant

Live
1. “I’ve Got A Woman” – Ray Charles
2. “Bluesology” – The Modern Jazz Quartet
3. “After Hours” 0 Ray Bryant
4. “Comin’ Home Baby” – Herbie Mann
5. “If I Loved You” – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
6. “The Catbird Seat” – The Mitchell-Ruff Trio
7. “Compared To What” – Les McCann & Eddie Harris
8. “I’m Having Fun” – King Curtis & Champion Jack Dupree
9. “One Ton” – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
10. “Drown In My Own Tears” – Ray Charles

On The Edge
1. “Giant Steps” – John Coltrane
2. “Silver Cycles” – Eddie Harris
3. “My Favorite Things” – John Coltrane
4. “Ramblin’” – Ornette Coleman
5. “Vibrafinger” – Gary Burton
6. “Una Muy Bonita” – Ornette Coleman
7. “Hog Callin’ Blues” – Charles Mingus
8. “The Inflated Tear” – Roland Kirk
9. “Passions Of A Man” – Charles Mingus
10. “Day By Day” – Jimmy Scott
11. “In A Little Spanish Town (T’was On A Night Like This)” – Yusef Lateef

Some More Atlantic Jazz
1. “The Spirit-Feel” – Milt Jackson
2. “Love Theme From “The Sandpiper” (The Shadow Of Your Smile)” – Eddie Harris
3. “One No te Samba” – The Modern Jazz Quartet with Laurindo Almeida
4. “Naima” – John Coltrane
5. “Nubian Lady” – Yusef Lateef
6. “The Soul Of A Village – Part II” – Joe Zawinul
7. “Ain’t No Sunshine” – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
8. “Let Her Go” – Hubert Laws
9. “Sombrero Sam” – The Charles Lloyd Quartet
10. “The Story” – Hank Crawford
11. “Barbados” – Phineas Newborn, Jr.
12. “Nommo” – Max Roach
13. “Equinox” – John Coltrane

Umphrey’s McGee Mantis Madness / Mantis Bonus Watch

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On January 20th, 2009– Inauguration Day– Umphrey’s McGee will be releasing their next studio album, Mantis. According to their press release, Mantis is different from their last studio albums in that it is entirely new music written in the studio as opposed to songs that had been given workouts on the road. The band considers this the “centerpiece of a new era” and extending the notion of innovation, they have set up a unique pre-order for Mantis.

So, hang tight– this gets a bit complicated. I have done my pre-order already, and recommend that if you’re interested you do, too. Here is the shizzle:

First, there are three versions of Mantis. In addition to the CD and mp3 versions you’d expect, the band is pressing a very limited number of 180g LP’s! That’s right! VINYL! The vinyl is included in the Deluxe Package which includes a CD and mp3 download plus other goodies.

The CD version of the album is will be the “key” to unlocking exclusive bonus content that the band will be providing throughout the year through Push Entertainmentincluding live versions of the Mantis songs, rehearsals and impromptu “bus jams” and more. This content– referred to as “Bonus Part II” will be available to anyone who buys the album either as a pre-order or after the release date.

As if that isn’t cool enough, anyone who pre-orders the album in either CD format (for $19.99) or as part of the Deluxe Package ($49.99) will have access to “Bonus Part I.” This is where it gets interesting. If you pre-order the album, you will get a free download of the album in mp3 format to make sure everyone who pre-orders can listen to the album on its release date in case there are unpredictable mailing delays. In addition to that, the band will be making available up to 8 Levels of bonus material encoded as 160Kbps mp3’s that will be available on January 20th as well. The number of levels made available will be based on how many pre-orders are placed of either of the versions. Pre-orders were taken starting October 27th, and as of 11/5, five of the eight levels are unlocked. The special Mantis page has a progress bar at the top of the page that shows how many levels are unlocked and floats a box with what is included in each level. On December 4th Level 1 will be available for download to all who pre-order.

Anyone who pre-orders will also receive a lifetime subscription to the digital edition of Relix Magazine, and be entered in a drawing for a “RelixBand” which is a bracelet made from guitar strings from Jake and Brendan used in a live performance.

When the pre-order opened, there was initially only going to be 500 of the Deluxe Package, but they sold out in TWO DAYS! So, the band increased the number to 1000. At this moment, there appear to still be some available for order. The Deluxe Package has a bunch of great content, and totally worth $50. You get the CD of Mantis, the mp3 download, the 180g vinyl, a special DVD of the 10th Anniversary Retrospective that was shown at last years’ New Year’s Eve shows plus some other video content, a Mantis poster plus other goodies from UMHQ all in a box signed by the band! Apparently, every box will have slightly different extra goodies added by the band themselves.

Here are the levels for the pre-order Bonus. The band scoured the Internet boards to see what rare content was most in demand, so that determined what they’ve included. As cool as the pop-up boxes on the website are, I’ve decided to type it up here, and I will be updating this as the new levels are added, so check back or subscribe to updates on this article to stay up-to-date.

Level 1(8 tracks total, and available in December to pre-orders) unlocked

  1. 1 track from Greatest Hits Vol. III – The long out-of-print first record selected via a fan poll.
  2. 4 tracks from annual Acoustic Christmas Show 2005
  3. 2 tracks from Jake Cinniger’s home studio 4-track archives -One track you’re likely to recognize and one you’re not.
  4. 1 track from inside the studio control room during an album tracking session – Fly on the wall perspective.

Level 2 (8 tracks total) unlocked

  1. 1 track from ‘beat guru’ Andy Farag -Andy often spends his spare time cooking up a variety of hip-hop and r&b beats that are rarely released for public consumption.
  2. Jake’s original demo version of feature track ‘Made to Measure’ with different lyrics. Long before this song evolved into its current state, Jake sang about the joys of man’s best friend.
  3. ‘Made to Measure’ alternate take with scratch vocals.
  4. 2 acoustic tracks from the soundtrack The Trip There written and performed by Brendan Bayliss.
  5. 2 ‘Solo’ audio stems from the title track “Mantis” – Hear instruments and vocal arrangements of this track with everything else stripped away, a microscopic view inside a dense Umphrey’s composition.
  6. 1 potential album cut that was ultimately left unfinished.

Level 3 (7 tracks total) unlocked

  1. 2 control room montage tracks – Experience what it’s like to be a fly on the wall inside the control room of our studio. Hear songs come to life (or be put to death) as the recording process unfolds.
  2. 3 tracks from UM sound checks – “What songs are we going to screw up if we don’t practice them?”
  3. Early sketch version of album track #4.
  4. 4-track studio version of the song EAT, recorded in Jake’s home studio.

Level 4 (7 tracks total) unlocked

  1. ‘Dance Remix’ of album track 5 from Andy Farag
  2. ‘Work in Progress’ track – Listen to the conception of album track number 7 from an improvisation during a live show. Follow it through adolescence and beyond!
  3. 4 tracks from Acoustic Christmas 2006.
  4. ‘Birth of a Song’ – Listen as an album cut is constructed, deconstructed, written, rewritten, tweaked, and birthed from recordings taken from basement tapes, pre-production writing sessions and ‘Grammy take’ sessions.

Level 5 (8 tracks total) unlocked (as of 11/5)

  1. 2 live tracks from the mythic ‘Taper Appreciation Nights’ at Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI
  2. 2 tracks from Jake Cinninger’s home studio 4-track archives.
  3. Early demo version of album track #6
  4. Mistake Montage – Listen to the less glamorous side of being in the studio with UM.
  5. 2 ‘Solo’ audio stems from album track #4 – Hear various instruments and vocal arrangements of this track with everything else stripped away.

Level 6 (8 Tracks total) unlocked (as of 11/16)

  1. “Radio” edit of an album track
  2. “Work in Progress” – Listen to the conception of album track #9 from an improvisation during a live show. Follow it through adolescence and beyond!
  3. Early 4-track versions of track #7 including Jake’s first scratch version from 1994. Yes kids, 1994.
  4. 3 tracks from the Acoustic Christmas Show 2005.
  5. Time Relevant Track – The original solo guitar audio that became “Wizard Burial Ground” recorded during album brainstorming sessions.

Level 7 (7 Tracks Total) unlocked (as of 12/11)

  1. ‘Birth of a Song’ – Listen as an album cut is constructed, deconstructed, written, rewritten, tweaked, and birthed from recordings taken from basement tapes, pre-production writing sessions, and ‘Grammy take’ sessions.
  2. 2 alternate versions of Jake’s guitar solo from album track #6. Listen to the options we sorted through before deciding on this monstrosity.
  3. Umphrey’s Round Table Pt. 1 – A discussion of all things Mantis.
  4. 2 tracks of solo grand piano from Joel’s Holiday show in 2006
  5. Early rough version of the title track ‘Mantis’ recorded in Joel’s attic in early 2007.

Level 8 (video + 7 Tracks Total) unlocked (as of 1/05!)

  1. ‘Puncle Wally’ – Video the lone performance at historic CBGB’s in NYC.
  2. 1 track of solo grand piano from Joel’s Holiday show in 2005
  3. 2 tracks from Joel, Jake & Andy from Joel’s Holiday show in 2006
  4. Mantis Ghetts – Just wait and see. Guaranteed to please!
  5. 1 track from the mythic ‘Taper Appreciation Nights’ at Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI
  6. Unreleased track from the Acoustic Planet Tour ’06 featuring Bela Fleck
  7. 2 tracks from Acoustic Christmas 2008

Level 9 (1 Track + Video + 1 Live Set) Unocked (as of 1/7/09) A new level added after 8 unlocked to drive more presales!

  1. FOH Jam – Video from the soundboard jam on 12/31/07
  2. Early scratch version of album track 1348
  3. Entire set from the 1/19/09 CD Release show at the Vic Theatre

I have to say that in the last year since I became aware of Umphrey’s McGee, one thing I have been really impressed with is how they’ve embraced new avenues for keeping the fans up-to-date and providing content as well. They have had regular podcasts with interesting songs from shows, their site provides RSS feeds, the band as well as their soundman regularly blog with photos, you can purchase every show, they allow taping and trading as well. They have also implemented an interesting TXT service via kadoink that sends updates to your cell phone and provides the ability for the band to send recorded messages and music to your phone. This new approach to releasing an album is just another step. It’s clear that Umphrey’s McGee understands their fanbase and seems to cater to them. The Mantis website has an embedded player that is getting updated daily with recent live tracks and has an embedded chat tool as well that the band seems to check.

Click Here to visit the Mantis Website and pre-order Mantis. While you’re there sign up for updates from UM, and be entered into a contest for the “Ultimate Umphrey’s Package.” The grand prize is tickets to any and all 2009 UM shows, a signed copy of Mantis and a signed lithograph of the Mantis artwork, ten first prizes are tickets to three shows and the signed album and litho, and ten second prizes are a signed Mantis and litho.

Click Here to subscribe to an RSS feed of this article to watch for updates.

Streaming Calexico Concert at FabChannel.com

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Thanks to the folks at the Yahoo Group CasadeCalexico, we bring you a streaming video of Calexico’s concert on 10/15/08 at Paradiso Main Hall in Amsterdam. Calexico plays a nice set that focuses on Carried to Dust but also delivers old standbys like “Across the Wire” and the cover of Love’s “Alone Again, Or.”