FANTASTIC WEAPON

Los Angeles, CA

November 17, 2009

WE THE PEOPLE MUSIC FESTIVAL RESCHEDULED FOR 2010

Straight from the horses mouth, guys:

LOS ANGELES – The 2009 “We The People” Festival originally scheduled for Nov. 21 has been postponed until early 2010. From the Festival:

As organizers, we are committed to presenting only the finest event possible for this important movement. Due to ongoing economic challenges, we decided our best option was to move the event to a later date to insure these standards are maintained for the benefit of our important, loyal audience.

Further details will be announced soon.
Refunds are available for those who have already purchased tickets via their point of purchase.
Share your voice:
http://wtp.uservoice.com/pages/33893-2009-we-the-people-ticket-sale-feedback

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November 16, 2009

Durutti Column To Release Tony Wilson Tribute Early 2010

wilson-w-vini-wilson-w-vini-copyright-stephen-wright-smithsphotoscom-500x333

I fucking hate mondays. I hate them so much that I’d rather not participate in them at all, but this morning was cool cause while I was driving with one hand/tweeting/facebooking/smoking in shitty traffic, I came across the following news:

Manchester post-punk act The Durutti Column will release and perform A Paean to Wilson – a tribute to Factory Records co-founder and Hacienda nightclub manager Tony Wilson – in January next year.

Source: Durutti Column to release and perform tribute to Factory Records co-founder – Fact Magazine

Truthfully, I find it strange that this news has been tweeted, retweeted, posted, and reposted, only because I’m pretty sure it’s the first most people have heard of this “Durutti Column” business, but I must state that they are basically my absolute favorite thing in the world and if I had one dying wish it’d be to have Vini Reilly come to my deathbed and play me a little diddy on his guitar.

I’ve said that before – ask anyone who knows me. That’s why this is pretty special, because essentially this tribute album is EXACTLY that – a bunch of tunes written by Reilly for Wilson to groove on while in the hospital. Here’s what Mr. Reilly had to say about that:

“I was at the hospital when he died. We were very, very close. Afterwards, many things were done in his name. They were all about ‘Mr Manchester’, and about what Tony had done for music, art and literature. I didn’t attend many of them. I’d just lost one of my closest friends and I had all the grief that you feel under such circumstances. Once I’d got my act together though, I decided to do something for myself and for Tony.

“The Durutti Column was Tony Wilson’s baby. We were the first act signed up to his Factory club night and the first band signed to Factory Records. Over the years we worked on many albums together and the one thing that Tony and I always argued about was that he thought that I should make music and write rather than sing.

“After he died, I decided to make a body of work which did not have traditional song structures and which was concerned solely with the musical content. My only objective was to create some music that Tony would thoroughly approve of. I think I’ve done that and, if his spirit lives on – which I like to think that it does – I want him to know that this is for him.”

The record will be released on January 24th. Dig the video and track listing:

Paean to Wilson Tracklisting
Disc one – A Paean To Wilson
I Or Are You Just A Technician
II Chant
III Quatro
IV Requiem
V Stuki
VI Along Came Poppy
VII Brother
VIII Duet With Piano
IX Darkness Here
X Catos Revisited
XI The Truth
XII How Unbelievable

Bonus Disc: Heaven Sent
(It Was Called Digital. It Was Heaven Sent)
1 Bruce
2 Keir
3 Neil
4 Mike
5 Alan
6 Anthony

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November 14, 2009

The Money Mixtape

<p>Money Mixtape - Fantastic Weapon</p>

Welcome to another edition of the Sunday Mixtape, brought to you by Fantastic Weapon. Except it’s not Sunday, it’s Saturday. So what. I’m early. DEAL. Plus, this one’s good.

This week’s theme: PAPER. Benjamins. Dead Presidents. You know, the root of all evils:

DOWNLOADS

50 Cent – Window Shopper
Jay-Z (feat. Jermaine Dupri) – Money Ain’t A Thang
Mickey Avalon – So Rich, So Pretty

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November 13, 2009

Norah Jones on Soundcheck Nov 15th

I’m not really sure whether I’m all that into Norah Jones, but Sunday marks her return to Soundcheck. This time, she’s back to promote her upcoming record, “The Fall” which was co-written by the dude from Okkervil River and Ryan Adams, and which you can preview via NPR’s exclusive first listen. Apparently, according to NPR, It’s best to disregard much of the pre-release attention surrounding Norah Jones‘ new album, The Fall The award-winning singer/songwriter performs tracks her new record and chats with Soundcheck about some stuff – like Tom Waits. Watch live performances from the new disc, including the first single, ‘Chasing Pirates.’ Plus, Norah talks to Soundcheck about the inspiration of Tom Waits, collaborating with Ryan Adams, and making ‘The Fall.’ Come back on November 15th to see the full performance.

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November 13, 2009

PARTY WEIRDO Festival Saturday Nov. 14th

party-weirdo-flyer

The Academy encourages patrons to use the Blueline, public transportation or taxi services. Please be safe!
PARTY WEIRDO Saturday, Nov 14, 2009
COST: $10 • ALL AGES*
*= THE VENUE BECOMES 21+ AFTER 10PM!

Not really sure how I missed this one guys, considering the fact that I live like 2 miles away from where this shindig’s gonna go down, and 2 or 3 of my friend’s bands are playing. Better late than never though, hmm? If you don’t have plans, now you do. Unless you’re like me and you don’t have 10 bucks to spend on it. So someone go, support the crew, be stoked that some awesome tunes are gonna be live within walking distance from your house – without the support of the city.

partyweirdolineup_final

LINEUP:

DEAD MEADOW
RAINBOW ARABIA
GANGI
GENEVA JACUZZI
THE TYDE
POLLYN
60 WATT KID
RESTAVRANT
LIVING SUNS
DJ PUBES
DIETRA KRUSCHEV
DVA DAMAS
MY PET SADDLE
LOWER HEAVENLUMERIANS
LA GHOST
THE YEAR ZERO
GHESTAPO KHAZI
SCOTTY COATS

© c4 for FANTASTIC WEAPON, 2009. | Permalink | No comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: 60 watt kid, dead meadow, festivals, gangi, geneva jacuzzi, gestapo khazi, long beach, party weirdo, rainbow arabia, the tyde, the year zero, upcoming shows

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November 13, 2009

PARTY WEIRDO Festival Saturday Nov. 14th

party-weirdo-flyer

partyweirdolineup_final

LINEUP:

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October 31, 2009

Cover songs mixtape – Halloween 2009

The search for a new mixtape service (among other things) continues. 8tracks.com works, but it’s not the greatest. Enter mixtape.me, which ALMOST does the job, but I sorta hate the way it looks. Anyway, this playlist isn’t full of Halloween songs – just covers. You know, disguises. Like costumes.

HIGHLIGHTS

David Yow of Jesus Lizard with Shellac as the Sex Pistols, from a show on Halloween in 1998.
Hairdresser on Fire featuring the vocal stylings of Durutti Column’s Vini Reilly. Yeah, he’s kind of a shitty singer but it’s still pretty rad.
Marilyn Manson’s version of Rock N Roll Nigger – you know, that Patti Smith song that isn’t racist.

So there you have it. Happy halloween, and don’t get pissed if I steal your candy. Also, don’t skip out on your girlfriend to go shoot dope and then call her from the hospital after another overdose, cause she’ll probably be out trick or treating. Translation: be fucking safe. Please.

DOWNLOADS

Morrissey – Hairdresser On Fire (Vini Reilly Version)
David Yow & Shellac – Holidays In The Sun (Halloween, 1998)
Sublime – Badfish
Marilyn Manson – Rock ‘n’ Roll Nigger
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Deanna (Oh Happy Day)

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: cover songs, david yow, free downloads, halloween, marilyn manson, morrissey, patti smith, sex pistols, shellac, sublime, vini reilly

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October 27, 2009

NEW YEASAYER IN 2010

Yeasayer have confirmed details about their second album release; the follow-up to their highly acclaimed 2007 debut ‘All Hour Cymbals’. The new record is called Odd Blood and will be released on February 8th of 2010. STOKED. Hope it’s as good as the last one was. Yeasayer are also set to play a special show, headlining New York’s Guggenheim Museum on October 30. “Special Show” huh? Wonder WTF they mean by that.

TRACK LIST:
‘The Children’
‘Ambling Alp’
‘Madder Red’
‘I Remember’
‘ONE’
‘Love Me Girl’
‘Rome’
‘Strange Reunions’
‘Mondegreen’
‘Grizelda’

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: new york, odd blood, upcoming releases, upcoming shows, yeasayer

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October 21, 2009

WORLD PREMIERE OF ‘NIRVANA LIVE AT READING’ ON FUSE

nirvana-dvd

**Official Press Release**

On November 2 at 11 p.m. ET, Fuse, the national music network, will televise the worldwide premiere of Nirvana Live at Reading, the band’s legendary, never-before-released 1992 Reading concert. The show, marking the first time that Nirvana fans will experience the epochal August 30, 1992 headlining appearance at UK’s Reading Festival, will debut as an hour long broadcast the night before the limited edition 90 minute CD+DVD Deluxe Edition is by Geffen/UMe.

Featuring 25 songs including “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “All Apologies” and “Come As You Are,” Nirvana’s performance at Reading ranked No. 1 in Kerrang Magazine’s “100 Gigs That Shook The World” chart and was voted as “Nirvana’s No. 1 Greatest Moment” by fans in a recent NME poll.

“Fuse is excited to provide Nirvana fans with the first opportunity to witness this historic music event since the concert 17 years ago,” said David Weier, vice president, programming, Fuse. “Not only are we airing a highly anticipated, never-before-seen concert in more than 65 million homes, we are providing Nirvana’s loyal fan base with companion programming for a comprehensive and unique viewing experience.”

Leading up to the premiere of Nirvana Live at Reading, Fuse will air “Loaded: Nirvana,” a half-hour of Nirvana’s greatest music videos at 10 p.m. ET, followed by “Videos That Rocked the World: Smells Like Teen Spirit,” a celebration of the legendary music video which was a breakthrough for music, entertainment, culture and society.

While the show’s centerpiece was a performance of nearly the entire Nevermind tracklist, also noteworthy were early performances of three as yet unrecorded songs which wouldn’t be released until 2 years later on In Utero: “All Apologies,” “Dumb,” and in its first ever public performance, “Tourettes.” The career-spanning setlist also reached back to the band’s 1989 Sub Pop debut album, Bleach, for “Blew,” “About A Girl,” “School,” “Negative Creep” and first single “Love Buzz,” and even further back to the mid-’80s for “Spank Thru.” Other songs from the Reading set would appear in studio form on the Incesticide compilation later in the year: “Aneurysm,” “Been A Son” and “Sliver.” Additionally, the band played a pair of beloved covers by two bands that helped shape the formative Nirvana sound– “The Money Will Roll Right In” by Fang and “D-7″ by The Wipers.

Nirvana Live at Reading will be issued in a limited edition CD+DVD Deluxe Edition as well as DVD-only and CD-only configurations mixed in 5.1 on November 3, 2009, followed by a 2-LP version on November 17, 2009. For more information visit, www.hereisnirvana.com.

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: fuse, nirvana, upcoming releases

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October 20, 2009

Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms

psychic chasms

82% – “Damn Good Record.”

Ok, so you’ve heard it, I’ve heard it; it’s been all over the blogosphere lately. The hip thing for the past 3-6 months has been chillwave. You know what I mean, hopefully: indie pop music of the more “laid-back” variety. It was absolutely huge this summer, with its hazy undertones and minimalist grooves. I hadn’t really been interested in a lot of it, mostly because the majority of that particular genre just tends to meander without much purpose or sense of melody.

Surprisingly enough, there is one artist that avoids the ever-so-prevalent trap in indie music of being so avant-garde that it’s incredibly boring. This is Neon Indian, and his debut album Psychic Chasms. It’s an undoubtedly strange affair, but deftly balances between too straightforward and too ostentatious.

At times channeling some of Daft Punk’s mellower side – most evident in the all-too-brief “(If I Knew, I’d Tell You)”, which somehow evokes the French duo’s “Veridis Quo” and “Voyager” simultaneously – Psychic Chasms successfully manages to blend elements of funk, disco, lo-fi, and modern electronic sounds. It sounds delightfully retro and futuristic at the same time. Opener “(AM)” squelches and beeps its way for 25 bizarre seconds, firing off synth laser beams and overdriven modulation with drums and loops pushed to the back of the mix, then launches immediately into the fuzz-funk of “Deadbeat Summer,” which kind of sounds like a downtempo Van She. If one listens hard enough, they can certainly catch the mix of European indie-electro; especially in “Ephemeral Artery,” which almost becomes a borderline house groove, but teasingly never gets there.

The most traditionally pop point of the record is likely “Terminally Chill,” which bops along riding a slow dance beat, incorporates bird chirps, and features tastefully reverberated lead and backing vocals. A close second is lead single “Should Have Taken Acid With You,” whose ambiance sounds exactly like the song would suggest, essentially repeating the same vocal pattern with heavily layered synth washes and a ring modulation mindfuck that sounds like it was created on the Asteroid Belt. With a good pair of headphones on, it’s positively spellbinding.

That isn’t to say there isn’t a drawback or two. “Mind, Drips” lumbers at a super-slow tempo, as if it knows where it wants to go, but doesn’t actually arrive at a destination that’s all too memorable aside from the sonic flourishes. “Psychic Chasms” as a track has some interesting instrumental hooks going on between the verses (and the ending carries a nice twist as well), but could have stood to have its middle cut out by about 30 seconds. At certain points during the second half of the record, it almost becomes too much; songs start to blend together, which could leave the listening wondering where they were in the record. This isn’t all bad, as the art of listening to an album as a whole is dying (as we all know). But call me a stickler: I like knowing which song I’m listening to.

Ultimately, Psychic Chasms should be a crowning achievement for Neon Indian. Most impressive for a debut album, it keeps a decent pace, has some excellent hooks, and only rarely steps over the dreaded “being weird just to be weird” line. Album of the Year? Not quite. But it’ll definitely shake up some Top 10 lists.

DOWNLOADS

Neon Indian – Terminally Chill
Neon Indian – Should Have Taken Acid With You
Neon Indian – Ephemeral Artery

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: electro, FANTASTIC PICKS, free downloads, neon indian, psychic chasms

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FANTASTICWEAPON.com is a punk, indie, electro, shoegaze, and underground music blog bringing you what's hot: news updates, album reviews, mp3, free downloads, tour dates, and social media commentary from the new kids on the blog. Dig it. or don't. Whatever.