I DARE you to listen to this:
Alice In Chains - A Looking In View

“A Looking in View” is a song by Alice in Chains, to be featured on their 2009 forthcoming studio album Black Gives Way to Blue. It was released as the first single from the album on June 30, 2009 through the iTunes music store and Amazon.com. It is the band’s first release with William DuVall, who is the replacement for the band’s late original singer Layne Staley. The music video will be premiered on June 30, 2009 on their official website.

Nowhere can I find the answer to, “But why?”

Black Moth Super Rainbow / Deastro / SikSik Nation tonight at the Magic Stick.

Someone from BMSR mail ordered a Deastro record from us pretty early on and I sent back a handwritten note that I was a big fan and then shoved their seven dollars back in the record sleeve.

I know you don’t want to hear about that other guy… so here is a review that pans Moondagger.  It will probably hurt his feelings, but oh boy! You’re going to love it! Eighteen percent of what?

I saw The Gories.  I’m not sure if you’re going to know what I’m talking about… but I only wanted to see this show to say I saw this show.  I wasn’t some superfan, I didn’t know much of the back story until I read the Metro Times opus, and I didn’t really get the idea of a band being bad on purpose.  My biggest complaint is that Mick’s voice was shot.  It was damaged to the point that I was hearing other people that I didn’t know around me commenting on it, but it was kept quiet because it’s one of those things where no one wants to dislike something that everyone else around them is liking.  At some point someone I knew was about four people away from me when he looked over and LOUDLY declared it as “Horseshit.” and then kept yelling “Do you like this?  There is no fucking way all of these people like this.”

I understand if you have some history, that seeing this reunion was a fantastic alternative to your usual weddings, baby showers, or house parties.  In all fairness, most of the sold out Majestic Theater were losing their shit about it.  I just kept checking my phone to make sure I didn’t miss Smith Westerns opening for Jay Reatard upstairs.

The Smith Westerns / Jay Reatard show was superior if you ask me.  When that fancy “Best of The First Half Of 2009″ thing goes up tomorrow, you will see that Smith Westerns record high on my list.  I saw them open for Nobunny a few months back and had been waiting for the record and their return ever since.  They delivered the goods, tenfold.

Jay Reatard gives you like 120 pop songs in 35 minutes, and that’s okay for me.  The merch table he brings with him is so insane that I can’t even fathom how much money that guy takes away from shows.  He had “exclusive” record store day splits, he had all of his “impossible to find” singles, and they were all priced accordingly at 10$ per.  The kids had their wallets out, too.

Somehow after all that I ended up at a dance party in a bar mostly known for being “THE PROUD HOME OF THE MR. LEATHER MICHIGAN AND MR LEATHER DETROIT CONTESTS.”  Someone had the fucking nerve to ask me if I wanted to go see old dudes blowing each other in the basement, like I’m some twisted fuck who will check out anything once.  So we’re on the way to the basement, but then it was locked.  Mike Trombley throws down the jams, though.  After Cityfest on Friday, you should go shop the Bar Bazaar at the stick and shake it a lil.

Starlight Mints - Power Bleed from Change Remains LP

Mew - Introducing Palace Players from No More Stories EP

Spoon - Got Nuffin from Got Nuffin EP

Suckers - Beach Queen from Suckers EP

Placebo - For What It’s Worth from Battle For The Sun LP

Deastro - Toxic Crusaders (Minotaur Shock Remix) from Ghostly’s Summer Solstice Mix Compilation Thingy.

The Flaming Lips - Silver Trembling Hands from Songs from The Future Album Embryonic EP

I wanted to mention a few non-CityFest things happening this week before all of the festing and after-festing commences.

The Present at Garden Bowl. Tonight.
The Majestic staff gets bonus points for knowing this act existed before last Friday, bringing them into Detroit on a not-so-big of a tour, and making it FREE. I’m not going to spend any time convincing you this is good, because as soon as I mention that the dude who formed The Present also produced Animal Collective’s Sung Tongs and Panda Bear’s Person Pitch, along with some Born Ruffians, Gang Gang Dance and White Magic, you’ll either immediately be tuned on or turned off. Letting him do his thing in the Garden Bowl will be the perfect soundtrack for getting drunk on a Monday. It is a holiday week, after all — don’t ruin it with any sober nights.

Black Moth Super Rainbow at The Magic Stick. Tuesday.
Normally, I’d say something about Deastro coming back home after 20 or so days on the road, or how this pairing is oddly coincidental since one of the dudes from Black Moth Super Rainbow was one of the first to mail-order a Spritle 7-inch, but all of that’s overshadowed by the fact that Black Moth Super Rainbow’s new album is really fucking good and you should be checking out this show regardless of who they’re paired with (Deastro, SikSik Nation) or how long this sentence is.

White Rabbits. Pike Room. Thursday.
I feel like I’d be overdoing it if I blogged about this band again. I’ll just say this’ll be a show worth driving from the New Center area all the way up to Pontiac for. Like an asshole, I’ll be hoping they play more from their first album than their current one — but it should all deliver live. Zoos of Berlin open the show, so be sure to leave early enough to get there on time. Somewhere around 4 or 5pm, I’d say.

JRC’s 40th Birthday Thing. Garden Bowl. Sunday.
I don’t know what sort of prick has their birthday party on a Sunday and expects people to show up, but that’s the sort of prick JRC is. This is FREE at The Garden Bowl with City Center and Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr. City Center, if you didn’t already know, is Fred Thomas’s current project and Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr is Josh Epstein from The Silent Years and Daniel Zott from The Great Fiction. I think. I dunno. Someone tell me. Honestly, we could tell “Jim” it was Prince and Adam Lambert (his two favorite artists) because it’s not like he’s going to remember any differently the next day.

It’s Friday, tell me a joke. I’ll start it off:

• Rumors that Michael Jackson was in the hospital suffering a heart attack are believed to be false, however he was seen in the children’s ward having a stroke.

• Due to his unfortunate death, Michael Jackson’s dates have been canceled. They were Thomas, aged 6, and Kevin, aged 9.

Am I wrong or did we not have a June last year? I’m pretty sure we had a June last year and the year before. I know we had some Junes when I was in school and had all summer off, so I’m going to say we’ve had a June almost every year since at least 1984 because I remember reading something about the Tigers playing baseball then. So if this isn’t the first June ever…why do I have to listen to people complain about the heat like it’s some new season invented last week? It’s June. It’s summer. It’s hot. Grow the fuck up. Just because you have to put pants on and go to work now instead of riding your bike to your friend-with-the-pool’s house does not mean “somebody’s got to do something about this heat.” It means you need to stop being a gaping pussy and make yourself some cut-offs.

The last three mornings I’ve had the emergency weather alert symbol on my phone, and I’ve thought, “It doesn’t look like a tornado is coming”. But then I click it and it says, “Gonna be a hot one. Try not to put gas in your car or cut your lawn today. Because the sun is out.” Jesus Fucking Christ. Was it always like this, or only after Al Gore invented global warming? You people are insane. It’s dark in Michigan for, like, nine months out of the year and as soon as the sun comes out, the sky is falling, the world is ending, you better be recycling because OH MY GOD THE HEAT!!

Yes, I just blogged about the weather.
Yes, I am a 65 year old man.
Yes, I hate you all.
But…

Speaking of the weather, The Dead Weather is taking pre-orders now for their full-length, Horehound. It “comes as a double-LP with a breath-taking Rob Jones art etching on side 4 and lovingly housed in a thick-as-thieves gatefold sleeve” for $25. Eh. My issue (because I’ve got to have one) isn’t the price (this time), it’s the etching. That’s a whole side of a 12″ record with no music on it? Wasteful. I shouldn’t single out this release because etchings aren’t anything new, but it kills me when bands can’t come up with something to put on the other side. It’s a vinyl record. Sounds go on it. Tell Alison to read the phone book sexily or have Jack blow bubbles through a straw into the sink to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” If I wanted an etching I’d make one myself with a screwdriver after I decided side 4 sucked. “That? Oh that’s a breath-taking Jasper WebVomit art etching of my cock and balls because side 4 can totally suck my dick.”

If you’ve come across any of the mentions of Real Detroit Weekly in the other guys comments or his image link to Perez Hilton along with his Real Detroit Weekly mention in his post yesterday, and his Real Detroit post today… you might have been confused.

I am contributing some Perezish type things to RDW, and all that secret stuff was an attempt to provoke you into an internet outrage about it, for some reason.  Now that it’s out in the open, go ahead and take your shots.

To celebrate this fantastic pairing, Real Detroit Weekly will be having a fireworks display in my honor tonight in downtown Detroit.  There is a rumor that these can be seen from the Alley Deck at the Magic Stick, so I think that is where I will go to watch them.  You should consider coming up there and buying me a beer.  Also, as I type this I just received an IM referring to me as SELLOUT and SELLOUT BOY.  So you can also come say things like that to me.  Fireworks start at 10:06.  Don’t be late.

On top of that, Dan Kroha & Elizabeth Butters will be playing a free show at the Lager House tonight.  I am not in charge of anything, or I would absolutely guarantee you that there is no way the Lager staff would allow either of them to start before the Jim Carroll Fireworks Spectacular ended.  If I was in charge, Dan & Elizabeth would play pretty close to 11:30 and 12:30.  If I get down there and realize I missed Dan Kroha, I’m taking the whole stack of Real Detroit’s they have and peacing the fuck out.

I’ve been told not to mention this, which is usually the only way you can be certain I will mention something…and this pretty much just ruined my lunch, so I’ve got to get back at him somehow.

This author’s middle name starts with an “R”. The rest, I’m sure you can piece together.

Jon Weier handles guitar and vocal duty and is the primary songwriter for The Dead Bodies.  He and bandmate Adam Cox are running a newish local studio called Brooksfield Gentleman’s Club out of the Russell Industrial Center and you should consider booking some time there.  Here’s an interview I did with him last week.

JRC: Do you want to answer a series of questions with a mix of honesty and humor?
Jonathan Weier: Yes.  Do you have the questions created yet?

JRC: I was just going to wing it.  That’s what bloggers do.  How old are you now and how old were you when you started writing music?
Jonathan Weier: I’m 26, and I’ve been writing music since I was 13, in a band called Unicorn Magic

JRC: Are there any Unicorn Magic era recordings floating around?
Jonathan Weier: I wouldn’t say they’re floating around, but I’ve got some on my iTunes.  Featuring a trans-pubescent Adam Cox on lead vox.

JRC: I imagine that to be a pretty hot seller on iTunes
Jonathan Weier: It was pretty awful shit.  As you would imagine.

JRC: So you’ve been working with Adam pretty much forever? How many bands were between Unicorn Magic and Dead Bodies?
Jonathan Weier: Just one called the Subtles.  It was a Trashcan Sinatras cover band.  Cox and I, and Jeff Main.  When we were 16 we played at the IO club with W-Vibe. It was awful, as you would imagine.

JRC: At what point did Dead Bodies form?
Jonathan Weier: I think it was in 11th grade.
JRC: The explains the dumb name.
Jonathan Weier: Yeah. We thought it was pretty dumb too.

JRC: Do you consider Dead Bodies only to be you and Cox? Everyone else is a hired gun?
Jonathan Weier: Eh. It started off as a recording project, with no intentions of ever being a real band. When we finally started playing out, and recruiting musicians, they definitely had an influence on what we were doing. Contributions, song ideas, etc. In the studio, we generally just function as Cox and I.
JRC: How much stuff have you put out with the Dead Bodies name on it?
Jonathan Weier: 2 albums were “put out”. The rest is just MP3s floating around. Mostly just shit my mom and high school friends have heard
JRC: on your iTunes
Jonathan Weier: Yeah.

JRC: There was a crazy story around that you had a bunch of stuff recorded, but some major label “owned” it because you interning for them when you recorded it… is there any truth to that story?
Jonathan Weier: Well, the vibe is there, but the facts are wrong. It was a studio that Adam and I interned at briefly. They wanted us to record a bunch of songs there… anyways some whack-ass contracts got involved. They flaked, but still owned the rights to those particular recordings. Thankfully, not the songs. So we spent a ton of time and energy making the shit sound sweet, with (Eric) Hoegemeyer at the helm. But were never able to take any of that work out of the studio, which I consider gay to this day.

JRC: Who was responsible for the bullshit? Was it studio based or label based?
Jonathan Weier: It was never a label… just two studio owners who just kind of flaked on us. I’ll tell you what though, Howard Hertz can type up an AIR TIGHT contract. Props where props are due

JRC: heh.  You should have hired him to try to help you get out of the contract he wrote for them.
Jonathan Weier: That would’ve been the best idea really. However, he is a dude that expects some type of payment, I would imagine.

JRC: That’s a pretty good guess, I think. So this was all before the Mr. Spookhouse record?
Jonathan Weier: Spookhouse was recorded in like 2003… and then released however many years later, by a friend. These recordings were happening shortly before the release.

JRC: Spookhouse was on Quite Scientific Records?
Jonathan Weier: that was some bunk grammar. Yes sir.

JRC: How was your experience with them?
Jonathan Weier: Pretty good. They got us to SXSW, got us some cool Ann Arbor shows. But, whoever they had press the album, FUCKED WITH THE MASTERS.

JRC: Is that on them?
Jonathan Weier: Nah, I think it’s on the pressing joint. You know, just taking the liberty to fuck with your shit. Thanks!

JRC: So you did a CD run with a label, and then the next release, “CCCCXX,” you handled yourself in the form of a free internet download to whoever wanted it?
Jonathan Weier: Yes.

JRC: Better experience?
Jonathan Weier: I don’t know.
JRC: Yes you do.
Jonathan Weier: We didn’t get to play SXSW. Well, then QuiSci offered to put it out but there wasn’t any marketing money behind it. Although, there would’ve been some college promotion, so who knows?
JRC: I always kind of thought SXSW was for unsigned bands…
Jonathan Weier: I always thought it was about the brisket.

Jonathan Weier: I like the free, intangible thing because you don’t have to sell anything at shows. I mean, if we would’ve pressed CCCCXX and tried to sell it we would’ve lost money and wasted time. If people actually want it, they can go on their own accord.

JRC: So what stops a band in your position from packing the van and heading to Texas?
Jonathan Weier: Money. That’s all. We all have regular jobs. I guess we could’ve tried and saved and stuff, but we didn’t and we don’t. We’re just kind of focusing more on recording and creating a larger catalog now.

JRC: So what are you working on right now?
Jonathan Weier: Recording some other local bands… which is a really nice change. Also working on re-creating some of those songs that were lost to the FAIL studio. Also some new stuff, sample based things. Really uncomfortable sounding music.

JRC: How long have you been doing your own recording?
Jonathan Weier: I had Cool Edit Pro and a GINA card when i was 14. I was making techno for mp3.com then using keyboard presets. Adam and I have been recording ourselves to boomboxes, cassette players, etc. since around then.

JRC: But now you’re good at it?
Jonathan Weier: We are about 12 years better at it.

JRC: I mean, good enough where other people want you to do it for them
Jonathan Weier: Yeah, I supposed you could say that. I’m comfortable enough with starting and finishing a project in return for money. Or whatever

JRC: You have some formal training?
Jonathan Weier: Yeah. Cox and I went to the Art Institute of Seattle. We had some time in their studios learning from some pretty cool dudes. The touring front of house guy for Heart. We got to record on Queensryche’s drum kit and have a pizza party with KMFDM.

JRC: So do you leave Seattle with some certificate that says you are able to record people?
Jonathan Weier: Adam did, and he owns most of the gear at the studio. Basically, it was a good opportunity to get out of the suburbs and make a lot of music on our own time and to smoke pot that wasn’t brown.

JRC: How much pot do you smoke in a typical week?
Jonathan Weier: not much. if any

JRC: Have you smoked pot today?
Jonathan Weier: None of your business.  It is my day off, dude.
JRC: Calm down. I’m not trying to harsh your mellow.
Jonathan Weier: I’m chill yo.  My mellow is un-harsable

JRC: So the studio has always existed?
Jonathan Weier: Yeah. In one location or another, but always under the Brooksfield Gentlmen’s Club name.
JRC: But now it’s awesome?
Jonathan Weier: Yeah now it is awesome. Now we have some pretty nice gear.

JRC: If I were some band off the street, and I wanted to record with you… How many dollars would I need, and where would I get in touch with you?
Jonathan Weier: Well, we are pretty flexible with band’s and their budgets.  Anyone can email me at jonathanweier(at)gmail(dot)com.  We sort of assess projects based on what the band is trying to accomplish. But, we are cheaper than a lot of established studios, and I think we turn out a comparable finished project. Say 1500-2000 for a full length.

JRC: I know you worked on that Darling Imperial record… is there anything else out there that you’ve done?
Jonathan Weier: We did Jason Croff’s last album, Beggars’s “Party to the People,” 52 Week High stuff should be wrapped up shortly. Although that Beggars stuff was recorded in my parent’s basement.

JRC: So with all of the recording, how long do we have to wait until Dead Bodies start playing live again?
Jonathan Weier: Huh. Well, we gotta write a bunch of new songs, and get a practicing band back together… Hopefully before the end of the year. I think we’re into taking our time and doing things more thoughtfully.  We have some pretty cool recording projects lined up and that is just as much fun for me, as working on our own shit. So… I’d like to get Bodies stuff going but, I’m not hurting for other creative output.

JRC: Do you record analog? Digital? I don’t even really know what that means but I think a lot of people care about that.
Jonathan Weier: Ah yeah, some people do. We have a Pro Tools 24/192 rig, we have a 4 track tape machine, that we just sort of use to warp stuff but tape is really expensive and hard drives are not. We save a lot of time in the digital domain.

JRC: Congratulations. Jack White thinks your dumb.
Jonathan Weier: Well, that’s fine. Consolers Of The Lonely sound incredible.

JRC: Did you see what he said recently in an interview about that stuff?
Jonathan Weier: No I didn’t.

JRC: Hold on, i will quote it
Jonathan Weier: Thank you.

JRC: When asked about using new recording technology, this is what he said…
“I think Pro Tools is highly inappropriate to record music. I think it should be used in films or on documentaries. I think for recording music and wanting it to be soulful it’s just the biggest mistake you can make. It’s too easy to correct mistakes. It’s too easy to “fix things.” Engineers love it because it makes their job easier, but I don’t think it’s great for songwriting or performing. All it ends up doing is if you hit a wrong note you want to go back and repair it. And then you’ve repaired it in this completely fake way. And that comes out to the listener, I think. We hear this sort of clean, plastic perfection that’s been applied to all the tracks. That is not the kind of music we grew up loving and listening to and wanting to be a part of. It becomes regimented and exactly, perfectly in time and perfectly in tune, and that just doesn’t exist in the real world.”
Jonathan Weier: huh. I get that opinion. I mean, it’s the debate I’ve been hearing about for years. You don’t have to fix everything in Pro Tools.  You can use pro tools to accurately capture a band’s performance in a room. Recording to tape is prohibitively expensive to a lot of people. And I would imagine not too many home recordists have a nice 24 track tape machine.

JRC: As a music fan, I can confidently say I’ve never listened to something and heard a spot where i thought they digitally “fixed” something.
Jonathan Weier: Yeah…and what’s the point of doing that? It’s like going to a movie and pointing out all the inconsistencies.

JRC: People have shown me instances of doors slamming, or fucking cell phones going off…
Jonathan Weier: Right. I’m more interested in the performance, the songs, and the content, then what medium it gets tracked to. Tape is awesome if you can afford it, and someone is willing to do it… but, digital recording has really enabled a lot of music to be made by broke musicians, that wouldn’t have been created otherwise.

JRC: Do you listen to music differently than your average fan?
Jonathan Weier: I don’t know if I do that. Everyone’s different.

JRC: Do you think you get caught up in the “how” it was recorded?
Jonathan Weier: It’s something I pay attention to, but not to the point where I don’t enjoy it. Like… if it sounds good, I’m more likely to blast it in my car and jam out to it. I still do that like an asshole with my radio cranked all the way at stop lights.

JRC: Air drums vs. air guitar
Jonathan Weier: Air drums… but air guitar is for everyone. You never see someone air drumming that hasn’t played real drums before

JRC: Have you played Guitar Hero?
Jonathan Weier: Yeah. My mom can kick my ass at it but i liked that they had Possum Kingdom on there. Have you?
JRC: I played once. My nephews get into tournaments and stuff and play for hours and hours.
Jonathan Weier: Yeah… I like that there’s money in that.

JRC: It kind of kills me that if they spent the same amount of time with a real guitar they could play those songs IN REAL LIFE
Jonathan Weier: Yeah. But that would require them to want to be musicians. Video games are sweet.

JRC: I only had an 8-bit Nintendo and I never upgraded from that.
Jonathan Weier: Were you into Monopoly for NES? it was really good.

JRC: No. I was into building ridiculous tracks for Excite Bike.
Jonathan Weier: You know, I have that technology if you wanna come play Excite Bike some time.
JRC: I’m in.

JRC: You moved from Shelby Twp to Ferndale?
Jonathan Weier: yes.

JRC: Do you like being close to the action? By action, I mean gay people.
Jonathan Weier: Yes I do. Karaoke at the gay bar on 9 mile is pretty good. I like being a pedestrian when I can.

JRC: What about local Detroit music? Do you think it’s moving in a positive direction?
Jonathan Weier: For sure. It seems a lot more collaborative these days. It’s nice to see a lot of good attitudes in musicians. Like… the main concern is making good music. What do you think?
JRC: I don’t listen to local music.

Jonathan Weier: Fair enough. Are you concerned with genre? You seem like you like all kinds of shit
JRC: Genre is really confusing to me. I don’t even know what chamber pop or americana is.
Jonathan Weier: I never really understand when people decide that their band is going to be one genre. Chamber Pop…. gentle metal.

JRC: I just listen to whatever people give me. I usually know if something is Rock, Pop, or Hip-Hop/R&B… other than that I get confused.
Jonathan Weier: I’m a pop kind of guy.
JRC: What do classify Dead Bodies?
Jonathan Weier: Pop. Mushing together all kinds of retarded pop music and skewing it a little. That’s all. We try to be timely in a way…

JRC: What kind of things are you listening to right now and what have you heard recently that you thought was awful?
Jonathan Weier: I’ve been into uh… electronic stuff. Skeletons, Matthew Dear, Justice… last years music. What I am currently not into is  Camera Obscura.

JRC: I love that new record.
Jonathan Weier: I can’t get into that stuff. I’ve tried man!

JRC: Is the amount of music available to people right now a negative thing?
Jonathan Weier: Not for musicians or fans. Hits are hits, man. That shit travels.

JRC: I had a conversation how I thought you could probably find, and download a decent record every hour.
Jonathan Weier: Well, decent yeah. That’s why I look for a lot of daily top ten lists… you need some sort of guide, or opinion you trust to guide you through the bullshit. Do you download a lot of music?

JRC: An insane amount, actually. I buy some too
Jonathan Weier: that’s good. How do you find out what and what not to download?

JRC: I am lucky enough to have a lot of friends into music and it starts with “Hey have you heard…” then I say no, and they send a link
Jonathan Weier: Perfect, right? I don’t have to get to Rockabilly’s to special order shit and then, after waiting two weeks the album blows.

JRC: Yeah. I think we all end up listening to music differently than we did when we got into music. I used to listen to an album for a week and a half straight because it’s all I could afford.
Jonathan Weier: Right.

JRC: I didn’t think it was weird to buy a release from the previous year or anything.
Jonathan Weier: Did you ever find yourself not liking the album you bought…  but listening to it for a while and then getting really into it? That happened to me with Rush and Blondie. HATED IT! LOVE IT!

JRC: I almost want to call bullshit on that way of listening. I don’t think anything grows on you, you just get used to it being bad and then accept it.  Which is weird, because I still really love 80s pop.
Jonathan Weier: Yeah. I can definitely see that. I guess you don’t have to try as hard to appreciate things

JRC: I don’t think there is anything I’ve ever been into musically that I am no longer into.
Jonathan Weier: Not even Stabbing Westward?

JRC: Stabbing Westward was sweet, and I would have no problem trotting that record out and listening to it guilt free. The Whither Blister Burn And Peel one.
Jonathan Weier: Ah, yes. I remember that one. It was like, fun industrial good timin’ warehouse jams… BUT there are a bunch of really good albums that i’ve downloaded that I still consider favorites that did grow on me. If there’s enough hype around something, I kinda like to see what the fuss is about and figure out why, Why? why?

JRC: Like Camera Obscura…
Jonathan Weier: Yeah! And that Why? album. I gave that one a pretty big chance… to no avail. Well done, though.

JRC: You didn’t like the Why? record?
Jonathan Weier: Nope. I don’t like his voice, and the lyrics are too over-intelligent bummer dude shit in my opinion.

JRC: What about locally? Overhyped / Underhyped?
Jonathan Weier: huh. I don’t know.
JRC: Yes you do.
Jonathan Weier: Maybe i’m not paying attention, but let’s see… what’ got some buzz around it?

JRC: You can just say “It’s bad for business, can we talk about my studio some more?”
Jonathan Weier: No, it’s fine. Deastro, Silent Years, Millions Of Brazilians. I haven’t heard the new Silent Years, or MOB. But those are examples of bands that know what they want, and they’re working hard at getting shit done. I don’t know if things are under/over hyped. It’s a small scene here, and everyone seems to know everyone and the more you hang around, the more it’s just like hanging out, and not going to a show. So I really don’t know… but if I’m correct, Deastro is the only new cat on a label that is supporting him? Is there anyone else?

JRC: I’m not sure what counts as label support anyway.
Jonathan Weier: Yeah.
JRC: A lot of things come off the back end of record sales, I think?
Jonathan Weier: Yes they do. Which would lead you to believe that there isn’t a lot of money floating around for people playing music. Especially for those doing weirdball shit.

JRC: You don’t think it’s worth it any more for people to quit jobs and go on tour?
Jonathan Weier: I don’t know about the ‘worth’ of it all… but shit, if you can afford gas and food. Why not? That would be really fun.

JRC: Well, I think you bank on the next show providing the dollars to get you those things…
Jonathan Weier: Yeah. It’s worth a shot I guess? The worst thing that can happen is you’ll have to bail yourself out and go home. Big deal. Didn’t work.

JRC: Will your next record be free?
Jonathan Weier: I’m not sure. I still want anyone who wants to hear it to be able to hear it, but I would like to get some vinyl pressed.

JRC: Not if it’s up to Adam Cox, that’s for sure.
Jonathan Weier: Oh yeah, he tell you that?
JRC: He doesn’t tell me anything.
Jonathan Weier: He’s paid not to tell you anything.

JRC: I’ve only had a few conversations with him and we’re usually on completely opposite sides of any issues with the music business.
Jonathan Weier: Ah. Adam is the man

JRC: He’s my facebook friend. So I think that means we’re still cool.
Jonathan Weier: That’s good. He’s nice. A friend is a friend just like Ween said. Adam draped our entire studio in blue velvet… FABU! You wanna get a beer somewhere?
JRC: Now? (it’s just after noon)
Jonathan Weier: I dunno I still gotta shower
JRC: Yeah, me too.
Jonathan Weier: I had a late night and I need a little hair o’ the dog.

Here are some things that have come from Brooksfield Gentleman’s Club.  52 Week High is Keith Thompson’s (Electric Six / Johnny Headband) new project.  Again, if you’re interested in setting up some studio time… jonathanweier(at)gmail(dot)com

Darling Imperial - Don’t Close Your Eyes (from I Know Everyone You Know EP)

52 Week High - Stimulus (unreleased)
Dead Bodies - Be Cool (unreleased)
Jason Croff - I’m Numb (from upcoming Fall ‘09 album)