cheap bottle

Schwervon live once more

I recorded the Schwervon live set last october @ Le Point Ephemere, which was very good as usual... I'll give you 2 rocking songs from that evening (2006.10.17). After playing Fuzzy Math, Major Matt explains why the next song is called I Dream of Teeth... sometimes life really sucks you'll see (well, hear in fact).

download schwervon - fuzzy math (2006.10.17 @ point ephemere)

download schwervon - i dream of teeth (2006.10.17 @ point ephemere)

I felt bad for the band that night, coz they looked tired but still put up a great show, despite the fact that the venue was nearly empty (a thing that is a fucking shame since 20 minutes before their show it was crowded for the (lame) Lisa Li Lund show).

P.S. this blog is not dead !

The Rice & Beans... so 90's !

Just a quick post to tell you about a great band from my hometown, The Rice & Beans. I say great band though i only heard one of their song, but it rocked my mind ! The song is available on their Myspace page, and I don't have much more info about their projects... The guys (the ones I know) are really nice, and we may be doing some stuff together in the future - well, at least that's what we said when we met with the singer (after some years) at the local bar with a few drinks down our throats... we'll see !

For now listen to You Know, it reminds me of this old (?) 90's era of Dinausor Jr/Sebadoh/Lou Barlow... which is very nice !

Cat Power used to be the greatest...

oldies but goodies

A quick post just to say how much I like Time Was by Canned Heat ! This ultra groovy song comes from their 1969 album Hallelujah.

download canned_heat_time_was.mp3

And here some lyrics from their famous Goin' Up The Country song :

I'm goin', I'm goin' where the water tastes like wine
Well I'm goin' where the water tastes like wine
We can jump in the water and stay drunk all the time

Would I have been born at the time, I would have come along...

well it's been 2 years...

2 years already... My life has radically changed within this span of time, but don't worry, you're not reading a post saying "my life has changed, i've got new priorities, so it's the last post you'll ever get from me". I've seen a lot of these... and fully understand them. But well, i've never been posting very often, i can't say it took me a lot of time running this blog... it's just that i did not expect time to pass so quickly !

Looking back, here's what i feel about my cheap bottle blog :

1. i would have more readers if i had posted more often

2. do i really care ?

3. the ones who told me (just once, it's really enough, truely) they liked what i gave them made me fuckin' happy

4. i really love all the songs i've put here, it's like a magic playlist to my ears, one which i'm never tired of : when i don't have any idea what to listen to while lurking behind my computer, i listen to these songs, and always enjoy these sounds... that's what i'm doing right now... i've been true to my heart in a way (does it mean something ?)

5. i'll go on this way

6. yes, it means you won't get 2 posts a week, but probably 1 post every 2 months...

7. what else ? nothing i guess...

I've got my own band, Two Hats in a Crowd, and i've been working (hard) on a website for it... and well, it's ready ! It's online ! It has a cheap design, but i think it feels right with the band... here's the URL (will you be kind enough to give it a try ?) :

www.twohatsinacrowd.com

You'll find info about us, songs and videos to download... and more to come !

Thanx to everyone who reads these lines, who has read the previous ones, and who will ever fall on this page !

after all this time...

Within the last few days I received a bunch of killer cds, i really needed stuff like that to blow away the layer of dust which was covering my mind... Here's the list :

The Colmar Tapes : released at last, 2 years after the recording ! It's a collection of songs by Herman Dune, Jack Lewis, Turner Cody, Prewar Yardsale & co.... the cd comes with a very nice color booklet including interesting/funny texts and beautiful photographs. You can (should !) order it here.

Jeffrey Lewis - Tapes from the Crypt : at last (again !), some of Jeff's early songs. "14 songs dug up from Jeffrey Lewis' home recordings 1997-2001" as is written on the cover (in fact it is written on a tombstone !).

Schwervon ! - I Dream of Teeth : new album, 13 songs, as fucking good as usual, and - surprise ! - a cover of Herman Dune's Winners Lose... (reminds me of a previous post on this very blog, isn't it strange ???)

Hefner - Catfight ! : a collection of 43 (yeah, 43 !!!) unreleased tracks (1994-2001) by Hefner, "Britain's Largest Small Band"... a collector's dream come true, trust me !

Another vital info, you should (must !) download The Unisef Box song by Jack Lewis, which is available on his Myspace page. The song was one of my favorite of his live sets, and the studio version is amazing !

Otherwise Two hats in a Crowd (my band, he he...) has an album available : it is called Short Stories, you can hear some stuff on our myspace page, for more info don't hesitate to write us @ twohatsinacrowd@gmail.com.

the big pile of mud

Lazy as usual, yes i am... or maybe not so... spent some time mixing my own songs (it's a world of pain, trust me), but still had time to see the Lewis brothers 2 times in the last few months.

I really love the Flood song, they played it on their opening act for Adam Green on 2006.04.12 @ La Cigale in Paris : it is most excellent, and the keyboards by Nathan Brown (from Adam Green's band) bring a very special mood on top of it.

It was quite weird to see a Jeffrey Lewis Band show with your ass deep in a seat ("WTF" were my first words when stepping into the venue), but it happened to be very enjoyable in fact.

Download jeffrey_lewis_flood_2006.04.12 @ la cigale.mp3

still on top

You'll think I've become kinda monomaniac, as I'm posting another live version of Not on Top by HD today. It's just to show how differently they can play the same song... which makes each show so cool ! This one has a sort of double guitar metal solo (Iron Maiden anyone ??? :-P) which is quite surprising (and funny).

Download herman_dune_not_on_top_2005.11.26 @ trabendo.mp3

Herman Dune on top

I was listening yesterday to Herman Dune's last album, and I remembered the first time I heard the Not on Top song... It was way before the album was out, and they played it quite differently (i.e. better according to me). So ? Which is your favorite ? The early live version or the final studio one ?

Download herman_dune_not_on_top_2004.06.17 @ guinguette pirate.mp3

I'm so busy man !

Two months and not a single post... I guess it's time to react !

I should have put this song a while ago, as I recorded this in october last year : enjoy Artland by Jeff & Jack Lewis (with David Beauchamp on drums), as performed @ Le Point Ephémère on 2005.10.20.

Download jeffrey_lewis_art_land_2005.10.20 @ point ephemere.mp3

For those keeping track of the previous posts, you'll notice that it's the same date (and venue) as the Schwervon ! excerpt back in november. Scherwon ! was in indeed opening for the Lewis brothers, as they did on the most part of their european tour...

I'll try to post more often... (really, I'll try) (but I'm so busy, you know)

happy is the country !

Last month, Herman Dune & Julie Doiron (with some support from Doctor Sean Berg) performed a very nice show on 2005.11.26 in Paris, @ le Trabendo.

You can find my recording of the HD set here. Sorry for the many shouts on the recording, but the audience was very very excited !

I also made a partial recording of Julie Doiron's performance : one solo song and all the part of her set with Herman Dune as a backing band. They played some very good tunes, including a Pavement cover... Shady Lane !!! And well it was quite nice... There was also a very groovy song (!), No More Singing, which I propose you to download today...

Download julie_doiron_herman_dune_no_more_singing_2005.11.26 - live @ trabendo.mp3

Two Hats in a Crowd

Hey folks,

You can listen to some of my own songs here... please be kind enough to give it a try !

The band's name is Two Hats in a Crowd, and well it's just me with my wonderful cousin Olivier, a.k.a. the Davidman.

Feedback always welcome !

Coming soon : live set by Herman Dune & Julie Doiron in Paris last november.

Schwervman Düne !

Schwervman Düne ? Here's a very good Herman Düne cover by Schwervon, performed on 2005.10.20 @ Le Point Ephémère in Paris. They ended their set with this surprising version of Winners Lose, to the audience's delight ! So please enjoy !

Download schwervon_winners_lose_herman_dune_cover_2005.10.20 @ point ephemere.mp3

new sound at last !

I stated 2 posts ago having nothing new to listen to... but I forgot to mention the Goodbye Little Doll album by EZT, which I bought a while ago. What brought me to this band ??? The sticker on the cd, which mentioned Bill Callahan as producer ! Bill Callahan ? Damn, that's the man behind (Smog) if you don't already know... It was enough to make me buy the cd, without even looking at the price !

It happens that beyond being a faithfull devoted fan, I spent my money very well. Just give a try to Downs-pain.

Download ezt_downspain.mp3

Notes :

1. Nothing to do (I guess) with the EZ T torrent site...

2. It's a kinda all star band (at least for the small indie world), check out on the net !

the man is back in Europe !

If you're living in Europe, I hope you didn't (or won't) miss Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks on tour ! I have seen them last week in Paris, and it was really cool, oh yeah, really cool...

Want to listen to the complete show ??? Just click here : I've upped a torrent of my audience recording on EZ Torrent (Dime).

If you can't wait to download the whole set, here's a little foretaste : Pencil Rot, recorded live on 2005.09.22 @ Le Café de la Danse (Paris, France).

Download stephen_malkmus_the_jicks_pencil_rot_2005.09.22 - Cafe de a danse, Paris.mp3

Thank you to Matthieu "Zip" (I'll explain you if you ask me someday) for the photo (I never thought I would think of a mobile phone taking pictures as being useful !).

And a private message to Matthieu B. (another one) : you're damn lucky to have had some drinks with Malk after the show, I'm almost jealous ! Ok, I am jealous !!! As I told you, would I have known, I would have stuck with you ! I'll know better next time, so be warned !

But I'm not resentful, so I'm adding another song just for you (will you ever see this page ???) : Baby c'mon, as you told me you really liked it live that evening !

Download stephen_malkmus_the_jicks_baby_c_mon_2005.09.22 - Cafe de la danse, Paris.mp3

Pictures of the show can be found here.

the easy way

I'm not the kind of guy who finds a new fantastic band to listen to each week or so... and well it's been a few months with almost nothing new in fact.

So here's a song I've been listening to for years : Range Life, by Pavement. It is an early version, and doesn't sound as on Crooked Rain, Crooked rain. It has more of a fatalistic feeling... and well I love this despairing mood ! Malkmus at his top !

info : song from the 1992.09.11 - Cat's Craddle, Chapel Hill, NC show

Download pavement_range_life_live_early_version_1992.09.11.mp3

(sorry for the lame artwork, but I had some time to kill...)

M. Ward Live Jungletape

I don't know anything about this live recording, except what's on the tag of the mp3... Live Jungletape. It's the first song I heard by M. Ward, thanx to Tati (again !) who sent it to me trough the mail across the ocean. I was really surprised, coz I had heard it played by Chan Marshall at a live show. The song sounds really different than on the album Transfiguration of Vincent (which came out after this recording, a few months I guess).

Download m. Ward - Sad, Sad Song (live).mp3

he only sings when he's sad

Last night I went to the M. Ward show in Paris (@ Le Café de la Danse, one of my favorite venues) and... well, it saddened me. I'd never seen the venue with so few people.

Even worse, there were more people for the bands playing before him ! And I can tell you they were pretty lame (CALC and Morning Star)...

It wasn't an amazing M. Ward show, true, but the man didn't deserve people leaving in the middle of the songs (the best ones in fact...).

Just a fact : I love when it's a girl on the drums.

hell she can play

I've been wondering for a while which song I could put on the cheap bottle... Still trying to focus on rarities and live recordings, I had to find something exciting...

So I'm glad to offer you today A Junior Hymn by Shannon Wright, from the nearly impossible to find vinyl. I wish I could stumble upon one someday...

Download shannon_wright_a_junior_hymn.mp3

oh yeah !

f***ing s***

EZ Torrent was shut down today... Here's the message found on their site :

April 6, 2005, 16:00 GMT

Hello gals and guys,

We're very sorry having to tell you that we had to shut down EZT just a couple of minutes ago.

We got a call from our provider, they had received a few letters from a couple of lawyers. They requested EZT to be shut down immediately, otherwise we and the hosting service would be sued.

As you may imagine, we do not have the funds to fight a battle we most probably can't win anyway.

We would like to thank everyone here for their contributions to EZT, one way or the other, for sharing the music, sharing an ideal, for all your mails, rants, praises...

To say it with Joan Armatrading:

We had fun, fun, fun, fun
fun, fun, fun, fun
we had fun -- while it lasted...
--"Tall in the Saddle"--

You all take good care!

The EZT team:

   diana_woei
   dnbmusic
   erwe
   featfanmike
   fredgermany
   harm
   JimmyMack
   jupiter2101
   MissMarple
   nightshifted
   nullmodem
   phantom51
   Phenix059
   raytobe
   simplex

schwerv on and on

Schwervon ! What a band ! What's giving them their incredible rockin' strength ? Could it be their love ??? They're such a nice couple... 2 albums, guitar + drums, forget about the White Stripes ! Their music is what rock'n roll should be !

Enjoy Poseur live from 2005.03.03 @ le Point Ephémère, where they opened for Kimya Dawson.

Download schwervon_poseur_2005.03.03 @ point ephemere.mp3

world of slaves

World of workers, world of slaves... I've become a fucking slave, it's a shame.

Download herman_dune_world_of_workers_2001.01.26 - la cave aux poetes, roubaix).mp3

the big family

The Herman Dune - Lewis brothers - Moldy Peaches connection, extending to a big part of what has been called the antifolk scene, forms a big nice family. There's a lot of talented artist in their midst, some (most ?) of them almost unknown at this time... Shall their time of glory come soon ! I still hope to listen someday to Schwervon ! or The Piltones on the radio...

Jeffrey Lewis's great, he has some form of success (as small as it is)... but his brother Jack is awesome too, and still hasn't put out a single "real" record (only cheap (but oh so cool) cdrs sold at the shows) ; for those of you who never heard his songs, don't despair... just give a try to The Day Neil Young Died (with Herman Dune as a backing band), recorded live by my little self at the MO FO #4 festival in Mains d'Oeuvres. I don't know if that's the proper title of this tune... anyway.

Download jack_lewis_the_day_neil_young_died_2004.06.30 - live @ Mains d'Oeuvres.mp3

wave of Pavement torrents !

Hey,

I just uploaded 2 Pavement torrents on the Ez Torrent site, I guess some of you could like it.

The first is a TV appearance @ Nulle Part Ailleurs (a.k.a. NPA, a French TV show) : Pavement gracefully played a single song, Spit on a stranger.

The second is a radio broadcast from FRANCE INTER, on 1999.05.10 - with a pretty cool setlist !

Here are the links :

torrent 1 : Pavement @ NPA 1999

torrent 2 : Pavement - 1999.05.10 - La Boule Noire, Paris, France

Photos of the last show by Laurent Orseau can be found on his wonderful site, here.

I've never seen these shows on the net, so i thought something had to be done about this.

Deeply yours,

Azoun

soul reminder

Never forget how much you love Nirvana.

Download nirvana_very_ape_1994.02.22 - Roma, Italy.MP3

File removed.

Yaya show !

It seems like an eternity since I last went to a live show... But in 3 little days, I'll have the joy to see David Ivar Herman Dune (a.k.a. Yaya Herman Dune for his solo projects) playing live, at Mains d'Oeuvres in St Ouen (France !). It wil be a show among others, as it is a kind of party celebrating the 4th anniversary of the venue.

Back to DIHD, the label Shrimper had the wonderful idea to release his solo album (Ya Ya) in october. Ya Ya worldwide !!! Formerly to get the album, you had to buy it at a show or to send an e-mail to the man himself - which I rightly did in the first place. I even bought it once more when it came out on Shrimper. This album is a killer ! Run and buy it !

DIHD plays some of his songs while touring with his band Herman Dune (with his brother André [I told you about him some days ago, remember ?] and Neman on drums, as well as his sister Lisa sometimes) ; so I picked up for you a Ya Ya song (Time of glory/NYC) from a HD set in Paris, at La Maroquinerie last fall.

Download herman_dune_time_of_glory_nyc_2003.10.21 - La Maroquinerie).mp3

no more lies

Two weeks ago i promised you a live song by Pavement. I went through my "collection" of live shows, but as usual, it was hard to make a choice. But now it's done. Once more, I opted for Infinite Spark. It comes from a 1997 show in Germany, at the Bizarre Festival in Köln. You're gonna like it.

Download pavement_infinite_spark_1997.08.16 - Bizarre Festival, Germany.mp3

amazing evening

Saturday night (2004.11.27) I was lucky enough to be at a private show by André Herman Düne. But hear me : when I say private show, it is not like with a Lenny Kravitz or Madonna private show... we were about 15 lucky ones to assist the show, held at Frédérique's flat (a very nice girl by the way). AHD has been doing such shows in november all around France, meeting people in their homes, playing beautiful songs and talking about his music. Such was the case on saturday, an amazing and peaceful evening for everyone who was there I'm sure...

Oh, if you meet AHD someday, keep in mind that he tends to trust people who smoke as much as he does. He's really a lovely guy.

back in time

I lied. Please forgive me. No live from Pavement today. But you'll have it pretty soon, for sure. For now it's a Velvet Underground tune. A true rock n'roll song. You know, the kind of song you can't resist dancing to ! You'll love it, I'm sure of this ! Turn up the volume, and listen to Foggy Notion !!!

Download velvet_underground_foggy_notion.mp3

File removed.

back to the gold soundz !

It's weird. Very weird. It's my 14th post, and  I realize that my dear (few) readers/listeners had no Pavement song on my (lame) blog... It's a shame, really, so I've got to do something about it. But I'm facing a big problem : which song to give you ??? It seems impossible to choose from the excellent albums and countless amazing live shows... It's a real dilemna.

Oh ! Did you buy the Crooked Rain Crooked Rain - L.A.'s Desert Origins edition ? Do you love it as I do ?

Well, back to the tough choice. First an album song. Next post I'll put a live one (I guess). So here comes Infinite Spark (a.k.a. Fin on some editions) from the 1997 album Brighten The Corners.

Download pavement_infinite_spark.mp3

File removed.

...

It's a sad sad day. John Peel, defender of the art, passed away...

The sadest news.

the acid song

Some people hear my acid song and seem to take it kinda wrong, sings Jeffrey Lewis on his No LSD Tonight song. The famous "acid song" is one of my favorites, the lyrics sound so true while still being funny, and the music itself has a delightful kinda droning tone...

The lp version could be used as an illustration for the lo-fi song, would an audio dictionnary ever be made. Or maybe for the antifolk song (as if such thing could be defined ! anyway...).

I'm still in my "live music rules" mood, so today i suggest a 2002 John Peel session recording for your ears : The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane...

If you have the chance (as I do) to see Jeff (and his amazing brother Jack) playing live, don't hesitate : you'll be stunned by the performance.

Download jeffrey_lewis_the_last_time_i_did_acid_i_went_insane_peel_session_2002.mp3

it's so hard to wake up...

Hey... I've been pretty lazy lately... I thought that in order to wake up from this slumber, an energic song could do the trick. So go back to 1995 with Blonde Redhead's big hit I'm Still Taking Out My Eurotrash (I Still Get Rocks Off).

Oh - I think that my cousin the Davidman is in love with Kazu.

Oh (bis) - I changed my mind : I won't put the LP version. Here's a wonderful live version.

Download blonde_redhead_i_still_get_rocks_off_live.mp3

(2000.12.04 - Bottom of the Hill, San Fransisco)

File removed.

check that frisbee in his Volvo

What about a complete acoustic session at the BBC ? Yeah right, Stephen Malkmus alone with his guitar, playing 3 wonderful songs from his first solo album. Here's the info :

2000.12.04 - Acoustic BBC Session

1. Vague Space
2. Jenny and the Ess-Dog
3. Trojan Curfew

Hope you'll enjoy it...

Download stephen_malkmus_2000.12.04 - Acoustic BBC Session.zip

Sorry folks, I had to remove the file in order to have space to provide you with more songs... send me an e-mail if you want the set, I'll be glad to send it to you.

big news !!!

Hey, what about that ? The complete tracklisting of the forthcoming Crooked Rain Crooked Rain deluxe edition ! How cool is that ? Well it seems we'll have a kind of "lost album", an early version recorded with Gary Young on drums... Pavement rules !

Thanx again to Matt, I owe you a big one.

DISC ONE

THE ALBUM

1. Silence Kid
2. Elevate Me Later
3. Stop Breathin
4. Cut Your Hair
5. Newark Wilder
6. Unfair
7. Gold Soundz
8. 5-4 = Unity
9. Range life
10. Heaven Is a Truck
11. Hit the Plane Down
12. Fillmore Jive

B-SIDES

13. Nail Clinic
14. Camera
15. Raft
16. Cooling by Sound
17. Haunt You Down
18. Jam Kids
19. Strings of Nashville
20. 5-4 Vocal
21. Exit Theory
22. Unseen Power of the Picket Fence
23. Stare
24. Kneeling Bus

DISC TWO

GARY SESSIONS

1. Broke in November
2. Soiled Little Filly
3. Follow Gently
4. Range Life
5. Stop Breathing
6. Ell Ess Two
7. Flux = Rad
8. Bad Version of War
9. Same Way of Saying

ALBUM OUTTAKES

10. Hands Off the Bayou
11. Heaven Is a Truck (Egg Shell)
12. Grounded
13. Kennel District
14. Pueblo (Beach Boys)
15. Fucking Righteous
16. Colorado
17. Dark Ages
18. Flood Victim
19. JMC Retro
20. Rug Rat
21. Strings of Nashville (instrumental)
22. Instrumental
23. Range Life (w/ horns)
24. All My Friends

Please note that this listing may not be the final one, but it gives a nice idea I guess.

Hefner time !

Just a few minutes ago, I still didn't know which Hefner song to propose today. I first tought of The Sad Witch. Of course, as this song is Hefner for a lot of fans (and haters). But I eventually took a song from The Hefner Soul EP which is just as good. So here is Broodmare : it is a classic Hefner song featuring Darren Hayman's (not so) slightly out of tune but nevertheless wonderful singing.

Download hefner_broodmare.mp3

i wrote a letter to a wildflower

Some people love Pavement and despise the Silver Jews. I'll never understand that. D.C. Berman's music is awesome. Just take this song, The Wild Kindness. Not only is the music great and his voice amazing (and the backing vocals by Malkmus are so cool, right), but also the lyrics are true poetry. That's it : Berman is a songwriter. And a poet. Every word he sings sounds true, you can't fight against it.

Download silver_jews_the_wild_kindness.mp3

File removed.

live music rules

I'm a live music addict. The quest for complete live shows and other sessions is an endless one, but the reward is great. Here's American Flag by Catpower, as heard on a Brave New World session. If you know the studio version (available on the Moon Pix album) but never heard this song played live, you're about to experiment the true strength of this tune.

Download catpower_american_flag_live_brave_new_world.mp3

File removed.

i can't wait for october !

Just in case you didn't already know it, october will see the release of a deluxe edition of the 1994 Pavement's excellent second album, Crooked Rain Crooked Rain. It will come as a double CD, with a bunch of extra tracks. I'm very excited about this, since the deluxe edition of the Slanted and Enchanted album totally rocked.

Portland on and on

Portland seems to be the place where to dig out invaluable jewels... This city brought us Stephen Malkmus (a god in my book), but today it is a song by M. Ward (M. for Matt) which I submit to your ears. It is a beautiful ballad which has an hypnotic power. Carolina is perfect for lonely nights...

Download m. Ward - Carolina.mp3

File removed.

i love sunny sundays

It's time for a new song... Another fine fine one, by Herman Düne this time : Going to Everglades. This tune is stunningly beautiful, and burn my soul if it has not turned into a classic in the 10 years to come...

This tune is a killer, i can't understand why it isn't #1 in the charts and why it isn't even heard on the radio... This is the kind of song i love to play with my band and love to listen to on sunny sundays (just think of Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground).

Download herman_dune_going_to_everglades.mp3

Back as per request.

blog birthday !

2004.08.11...... Well it is the birth of this cheap bottle blog, so get your ears used to fine fine songs !

First song on this blog is the amazing Our Anniversary by (Smog). Time to relax....

Download smog_our_anniversary.mp3

I had to remove the file since I'm running low on disk space... As usual, give me a sign if you can't sleep at night and want the song back.

G.A. blog ! time to taste this cheap bottle...

Summer's gonna rock...