The Pop Montreal festivities continue into Friday night with the help of Paper Bag Records’ artists who are guaranteed to set the dance floor in motion. The party kicks off with dance punks You Say Party! We Say Die! (YSP! WSD!), who recently released Remik’s Cube, a remix of their 2007 release Lose All Time.

The YSP! WSD! spectacle will be followed by DJ CFCF, who is known for remixing the likes of Spank Rock and Crystal Castles. Facial hair enthusiasts Winter Gloves close out the night with their highly concentrated synth melodies. The Blue Dog Motel will host the party and festival wristbands are required for entry. (more…)

Jazz/jam trio Medeski, Martin & Wood (shown left) leads our picks of the week, but its new disc is followed closely by dreamy hip-hop fusionist Koushik, organic hip-hop group Look Daggers, and more.

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A subtle ambiance flows through the songs on Decline of the West, which, combined with the lyrical theme of societal collapse, leave the listener with a feeling of paranoia that is hard to shake. Emil Amos, drummer for Grails and one half of Om, is Holy Sons and this is his fifth and most complete album. Originally released by Italian label Awful Bliss in 2006, the album had limited distribution in the U.S. until Partisan Records reissued the album with four new songs and a reorganized track list. (more…)

Performing at the Heavens in Seattle. Photo by Chris Blakeley.

I found a video of me performing my International Lover number at the Zipper Theater in Shelly Watson’s Interarts Variety show. It’s the same number I performed in Margaret Cho’s Sensuous Woman show. Although I’ve performed it in a few cities, I haven’t yet done it at festivals because it’s seven minutes long, and most festivals have a 4 or 5 minute rule. (more…)

Jeff Koons is the ex-Wall Street broker come wildly successful kitsch artist that critics around the world hate to love.

Previously married to Ilona “Cicciolina” Staller, a Hungarian pornstar who became a member of Italian parliament (true story), Koons is likely best known for his Statuary, Kiepenkerl series in which he cast several different inflatable toys in immaculate stainless steel. Pieces from this series are included in a current survey of his work at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago—his first solo US exhibition in 16 years. (more…)

After a few years of delays, political/humorist punk group Dillinger Four will finally release CIVILWAR, its fourth full-length album and first in six years, on October 14. Its label, Fat Wreck Chords, calls the band “the Redd Foxx - mixed with Chalmers Johnson - of punk rock,” and taking one look at its track listings makes that obvious. To mark the occasion, here are the group’s ten best song titles and their themes.
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Led by Tsugaru-shamisen master Kevin Kmetz, Santa Cruz’s God of Shamisen creates cultural collisions in the form of shredding, Japanese-infused progressive metal. Scott Morrow catches up with Kmetz and bassist/producer Mark Thornton on the heels of the group’s full-length debut release.

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Mark Knight: Toolroom Knights 2xCD (Toolroom)(UK)

Probably one of the best mixes of the summer comes from one of the fastest rising stars in dance music — the Kent-based Mark Knight. The Toolroom Knights series has actually been pretty uneven up to this point and I’ve found myself more irritated by the obviousness of some of the programming like on the Gabriel & Dresden installment and the overkill bombast of others like Martin Ten Velden than the delight of the small smattering of actual Toolroom releases appearing in the series. (more…)

Bad Dudes, our favorite “super fun party band from LA” have released “Eat Drugs” on vinyl today. We thought the record got a little tiresome at times, but the Rusty Jordan artwork is dope, so grabbing it for $12 from Kill Shaman seems like a good idea.

“Eat Drugs” feature appearances by members of Ozma, Upsilon Acrux, Silver Daggers, The Mae Shi, Miracle Chosuke, and Epsilons.

Those familiar with the national festival circuit might get a sense of déjà vu when looking at the lineup for Austin City Limits.  No matter - there are plenty of quality jams to go around the fest’s eight stages, and we have our recommended itinerary ready for you.
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