You’ve all heard him. At more of the shows you’ve gone to than not, there’s that guy. The one who insists on yelling “Freebird!”, regardless of appropriateness of the request. In the first section of his book, The Boy Who Cried Freebird: Rock & Roll Fables and Sonic Storytelling, author Mitch Myers personifies this shady character into the fictional Adam Coil.

Utilizing both straight fact and outright fiction, Myers gives readers a blend of history and tall-tale, often blurring the line between the two. Anti-hero Adam Coil serves to put a personal spin on various musical experiences, such as giving “Freebird”-guy a name and giving a fresh perspective to the hippie-tastic era of The Grateful Dead in San Francisco as a time-traveler from 2069.

Other fictitious tales include a musical face-off between a DJ and jazz drummer for club supremacy and bringing about the world-wide destruction of aliens posing as humans with Black Sabbath recordings (*coughMarsAttackscough*). There are several pieces that are more or less straight-laced music history essays, and a smattering of probably true but most likely embellished stories (like getting locked into a Tower Records overnight).

Though The Boy Who Cried Freebird would tip toward ‘enjoyable’ on a scale, the fuzzy line between real-life and make-believe can get a bit tedious. Also, Myers’s narrative voice skews toward middle-aged male, both in tone and reader appeal. There’s nothing wrong with either of these traits, but it does have the potential to turn off some readers.

Residing on an isthmus, the people of Madison, WI can’t help but love a good sea chantey. Lucky for them, Colin Meloy of The Decemberists brought his hyper-literate musical tales to the Barrymore Theatre on April 23, 2008.

The stage was of a simple set-up: a few guitars, a couple of microphones, and a table complete with a bottle of red wine and a framed picture of a sock puppet. Meloy took the stage and filled the remaining space with his signature vocals and oodles of charm.

Some may have had doubts about Meloy’s ability to carry The Decemberists’ dense material as a solo act, but the bespectacled troubadour stripped them down and made them his own without losing the integrity of the original arrangements. This occasionally required the employment of the audience as backup singers and instrument impersonators, but the crowd was more than happy to oblige.

In addition to several crowd favorites, the set also included a few surprises. One was a surprisingly moving rendition of soul legend Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” with opener Laura Gibson (a recording of the song is available on the tour-only EP Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke). The other was a three-part supersong from The Decemberists’ forthcoming album, set for recording later this year. The song has been referred to as “Hazards of Love” and can be heard here.

On the whole, the night was a cozy sing-along, replete with intimate interaction between Meloy and his followers. Laughs were had, requests were taken, and the crowd was treated to the ever-so-rare feeling in live music that they were sharing a night with a roomful of friends rather than an anonymous gathering of individuals dominated by the untouchables on stage.

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PARTIAL SET LIST: Hazards of Love, Cupid, The Sporting Life, Red Right Ankle, The Engine Driver, The Perfect Crime #2

Just a couple things for you kids to check out on this lovely weekend:

1) No Age is offering a free download of “Eraser” from their upcoming release Nouns. You can get it here or listen in the player below. It’s full of jangly summer goodness.

2) More happy summer-friendly music comes your way from Architecture in Helsinki with their tune “Like It Or Not”. The video features some hapless coconuts on an embroidered journey. It takes almost half a minute to get into the actual song, but its worth it.

When I picked up Last Night A DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey, I expected it to be a history of popular music on the radio. After all, when one encounters the term “disc jockey” the mind generally doesn’t jump to an image of a man behind a set of turntables, pulsing lights and thudding bass abound - but this is in fact the type of DJ authors Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton are referencing in their 1999 release.

The radio DJ does get a fair shake in the book, providing context for the history of bringing music to the masses.The focus, however, is a thorough history of dance music and its accompanying culture in the US and UK.

Northern soul is the first trend to be covered, revealing a culture of obsessive collecting of obscure tracks partying until the break of dawn. A celebrated example of northern soul is R. Dean Taylor’s “There’s A Ghost In My House” - a surprisingly gritty Motown track from 1967.

Next to be covered is raggae, with its early remixes and soundclashes. Elements from both the raggae and northern soul scenes paved the way for the two most expansive genres of DJ-led phenomena, disco and hip hop. Brewster and Broughton set the record straight on the origins of these genres and shine a light on their far-reaching impact on both culture and music.

Later forms such as house and techno are also covered, with the final portion of the book tying everything together and offering commentary on the then-current state and future of dance music. At the book’s press time, late-90s dance music was cracking into the American mainstream with acts like Fatboy Slim, Moby, and the Chemical Brothers, but the authors did not comment on the trend, instead focusing on the more established UK/European success of acts like Sasha and Paul Oakenfold.

Though I’d consider myself a dabbler at best in the field of dance music, Last Night A DJ Saved My Life was a a great read. Brewster and Broughton make even the most foreign of experiences seem accessible while seamlessly providing snapshot after snapshot of cultural history.

The first show we decided to sponsor ended up being a bit of a disaster, but all was not lost. On April 17, 2008 at Club 770 in Madison, WI, we were planning on having a wonderful live event featuring Minus the

Bear, Portugal. The Man, The Big Sleep, and The Felix Culpa. Unfortunately, the promoter cut The Felix Culpa from the bill the day before the show, and Portugal. The Man’s van broke down in Chicago on their way to the venue. This led to pushing back doors and starting the show at 9:30 instead of the advertised 8 PM. This also led to many disappointed kids who had come from far and wide (some driving five hours) not getting to see the concert they paid for. Alas, the show did go on.

Kicking things off was The Big Sleep, a name surprisingly apt for the act. There was nothing particularly original or moving about the music, often just coming off as an amalgam of overused hooks and unfocused psychedelia.

Minus the Bear got off to a bit of a rocky start when a fight broke out in front of the stage, but the bassist and vocalist jumped offstage and escorted the offending party outside. The rest of the set went reasonably well, save a few minor technical difficulties. In any case, the crowd enjoyed the set, and playing “…Crisco Twister” was enough to make M|H happy. Thanks to everyone who came out to support us! We hope to bring you more shows in the future.

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SET LIST: Knights, Memphis & 53rd, Thanks For The Killer Game of Crisco Twister, Double Vision Quest, White Mystery, I’m Totally Not Down With Rob’s Alien, We Are Not A Football Team, Dr. L’Ling, Part 2, Throwin’ Shapes, The Fix, Lemurs, Man, Lemurs, Pachuca Sunrise, Ice Monster, Fulfill the Dream, Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse

Fleet Foxes has released the harmonic gem “White Winter Hymnal” in support of their upcoming June 3rd full-length release on Sub Pop. Lush and glorious, the track instantly begs another listen upon completion.

Listen to “White Winter Hymnal” in the player below, or click here to download it.

If you could capture sunshine and press it into little, compact discs, you’d end up with the latest EP from The Little Ones, Terry Tales & Fallen Gates.

Unapologetically happy, the twenty-minute EP is an upbeat burst of indie pop in league with dios and countless beach-bumming acts of the sixties. The band follows the average pop-rock set-up of guitar, bass, drums, and keys, but spritzes things up with varied percussion and the occasional group vocal.

The six songs on Terry Tales & Fallen Gates pair off nicely to cover three musical notions. Bookending the EP are “Tallies” and “New Branches”, which embrace the ideals of American popular music in the sixties with their sunny feel and catchy hooks. Rhythm is key to the drive of “Forgive Yourself” and the general feel of “O-A (There’s A Sun)”. On “Boracay” and “Unlock the Door!” there’s a definite island influence, similar to that heard in bands like Vampire Weekend. The overall package is a delightful romp that leads straight into summer.

Click the player to listen to “Boracay”:

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Terry Tales & Fallen Gates dropped 04/08/08.
Find out more about The Little Ones here.

Hey Midwest friends! Don’t forget to stop by Club 770 in Madison, WI this Thursday for our first show.

Minus the Bear, Portugal. The Man, The Big Sleep, and The Felix Culpa will all be there.

April 17, 2008 - 8 PM
Club 770 @ Union South
227 N. Randall Avenue
Madison, WI

Tickets available at the UW Box Office
Students: $16 advance, $18 DOS
Non-students: $17 advance, $19 DOS

Order tickets:
https://www.choicesecure01.net/mainapp/eventschedule.aspx?Clientid=UnivMadWisconsin
or
608.262.2201

For more information on the artists:
www.myspace.com/minusthebear
www.myspace.com/portugaltheman
www.myspace.com/sonofthetiger
www.myspace.com/thefelixculpa

For more info on our co-sponsors, the Wisconsin Union Directorate Music Committee, click here.

Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes (crazy. awesome. crazy awesome.)
The Black Keys - Strange Times (laser tag with real lasers)
Justice - DVNO (lyrics into logos)
Ben Lee - American Television (Ben Lee in your favorite childhood shows)
The Acorn - Flood Pt. 1 (engaging animation)
Bishop Allen - Click, Click, Click, Click (for photography nerds)

With The Pirate’s Dilemma, journalist Matt Mason shows how changes in music, technology, and youth culture in general affect the marketplace and our day-to-day existence.

Covering everything from punk and hip-hop to street art and sea-fort dwelling principalities, Mason shows how the pirate mindset and “cut-and-paste” culture have created a new brand of marketplace competition and unforeseen developments in how we create and consume.

Part history, part commentary, The Pirate’s Dilemma proves to be an engaging and surprisingly fun read. Mason utilizes a conversational tone and youthful patois that still comes off as intelligent and well-informed and doesn’t end up sounding like a graying, tweed-wearing professor attempting to incorporate words like “bling-bling” into the discussion in an attempt at keeping up with the times.

To find out more, check out www.thepiratesdilemma.com.