man, what's there to do in dubuque i wonder
― goole, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 17:35 (eleven years ago) link
Not be in a band for one
― grandavis, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 17:37 (eleven years ago) link
i bet the dubuque not being in a band scene is pretty vibrant, yeah
― goole, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 17:40 (eleven years ago) link
My friend's parents live there, he could give me some ideas. I think it's mostly mischief, and avoiding East Dubuque.
― ɥɯ ︵ (°□°) (mh), Wednesday, 24 October 2012 17:40 (eleven years ago) link
When I was growing up in the 70s and 80s, Dubuque was an extremely depressed industrial town, with massive layoffs from the meat packing plant and John Deere. One passtime I had was throwing railroad spikes at rats down by the Corner Tavern ;) I liked to call it Satan's Taint. It's cleaned up a lot the past decade, given the gambling casinos, new convention center, a winery at the former location of the Star Brewery (where parts of Take This Job and Shove It were filmed, along with F.I.S.T. with Sly Stallone, in which my gramps was an extra). It's also sort of a Midwest tourist destination along with Galena and House On The Rock (which is featured in a great scene in Gaiman's American Gods) with riveting features like the bluffs overlooking Lock & Dam #11, 4th St. Elevator and Julien Dubuque's grave. There's actually a bar that hosts some good touring bands lately called Off Minor at 1689 Elm St.
For some reason, Dubuque is regularly referenced in books, movies and TV, as some sort of mythical Midwestern city that nobody on the coasts have ever been to. It was just mentioned in Elementary last week, the Sherlock Holmes show with Johnny Lee Miller & Lucy Liu.
― Fastnbulbous, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 18:08 (eleven years ago) link
Early Mercury Players tracks. Hope it works, I can't test it here. http://chestfirst.blogspot.com/2010/01/mercury-players-5-songs.html
― Fastnbulbous, Wednesday, 24 October 2012 18:32 (eleven years ago) link
That makes me wistful for my industrial midwestern adolescence.
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Wednesday, 24 October 2012 18:35 (eleven years ago) link
xpost. That Dead Rider album is pretty great, and thanks for the heads-up. Interesting because you can hear bits and pieces of US Maple, but it comes off very much as its own thing. The next-to-last track morphs into something that sounds very Bowie (Low/Lodger) that has me hitting repeat a lot.
― dlp9001, Saturday, 27 October 2012 15:37 (eleven years ago) link
Ok I have a new favorite -- Total Fruit Warning.
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 29 October 2012 20:41 (eleven years ago) link
aw y'know that's my #1 mapes track too!i'd recommend the arto lindsay trio's "aggregates 1- 26" to anyone who hasn't heard it & wants maple-wise ticklage. the dry cubist DNA thing gets a bit more fluid, but it's still scratchy / fractured & arto's growly singing voice is clowny no-wave blues-geek hilarity.
― iglu ferrignu, Monday, 29 October 2012 21:43 (eleven years ago) link
"whoopee invader" off of purple on time. is another fave. about their live performance, i was surprised at the frequency of rittman's secondary vocals, and how i mistook them for al johnson's vocals on their albums.
― braunld (Lowell N. Behold'n), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 15:22 (eleven years ago) link
Man, "Whoopee Invader" is so good. Biggest plus of this thread revive is that I am relistening to Purple On Time for the first time in a long time and it is so cool. It's like their classic rock/glam record, if that makes sense.
― grandavis, Thursday, 1 November 2012 15:52 (eleven years ago) link
Thanks, always interested in what the U.S. Maple folks are doing, though I didn't love Singer or D. Rider as much as I wanted to.― grandavis, Thursday, October 18, 2012 12:18 PM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― grandavis, Thursday, October 18, 2012 12:18 PM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
this Invisible Things record is amazing -- sadly only three tracks from it are up on bandcamp: http://invisiblethings.bandcamp.com/
― a slow tempo, and existential lyrics with YOLO imagery. (crüt), Thursday, 1 November 2012 15:56 (eleven years ago) link
Whoa, thanks crüt. More Mark Shippy! Can't listen right now but looking forward to it.
― grandavis, Thursday, 1 November 2012 16:07 (eleven years ago) link
Arto Lindsay album (with Melvin Gibbs and Dougie Bowne?) is awesome.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 1 November 2012 16:31 (eleven years ago) link
All my posts today are basically "this is on Spotify" but anyway, Invisible Things is on Spotify...
― dlp9001, Thursday, 1 November 2012 21:26 (eleven years ago) link
Cool interview with Al Johnson here.
I’m fascinated with the degradation of language; I am also disgusted by it. Languishing linguistics, slurring, mispronunciations, street-slang, street-code, conversations one can and cannot make out. I love the mumbled death. This is where I pulled from. I continue to do so
La Lechera, is this your favorite band yet?
― xanthanguar (cwkiii), Monday, 5 November 2012 21:21 (eleven years ago) link
I can totally tell from their song titles that he's like that. I love the mumbled death.
<3
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 5 November 2012 21:24 (eleven years ago) link
wow awesome interview....thanks!
― captain angeroo (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 5 November 2012 21:36 (eleven years ago) link
I remember two things: chasing a cockroach while eating a Snickers bar outside the venue before the show and then tumbling off the stage in beautiful slow motion.
― xanthanguar (cwkiii), Monday, 5 November 2012 21:42 (eleven years ago) link
He has an impeccable ear for detail, that's for sure.
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 5 November 2012 21:43 (eleven years ago) link
poor Adam Vida was on clean-up crew that night;_;
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 5 November 2012 22:53 (eleven years ago) link
magic job!
― passion it person (La Lechera), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 19:05 (eleven years ago) link
Hell yeah. One of the few U.S. Maple songs you can say has a killer groove. Really fun walking down a city street listening to U.S. Maple, especially songs like "Magic Job".
― grandavis, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 20:24 (eleven years ago) link
I know I can't resist spinning some classic Al Johnson moves when I do that
― Master of Treacle, Thursday, 20 December 2012 01:36 (eleven years ago) link
Really sad that I did not see this band live. Which I already said upthread. But shit, I wish I had seen this band!
― grandavis, Thursday, 20 December 2012 02:59 (eleven years ago) link
More accounts of the Pavement tour would be great
― Master of Treacle, Thursday, 20 December 2012 03:33 (eleven years ago) link
Seconded. I assume that at least someone in Pavement was a fan, as otherwise that would have been crazy.
― grandavis, Thursday, 20 December 2012 16:21 (eleven years ago) link
So I was reading about larva trapped in amber that was discovered in Spain that carries trash to camouflage itself, and the phrase "dense trash packet" reminded me of US Maple. Can I be an official fan now?
― passion it person (La Lechera), Saturday, 29 December 2012 16:40 (eleven years ago) link
good mental association imo
― mh, Saturday, 29 December 2012 17:20 (eleven years ago) link
"Dense Trash Packet" would certainly make a good U.S. Maple song title, so yes, you are an official fan!
― grandavis, Sunday, 30 December 2012 15:38 (eleven years ago) link
For some reason I just remembered the MC Paul Barman line, ”I almost threw up when I saw you at US Maple”
― Andrew WKRP (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 01:17 (eleven years ago) link
Some recent Al in Dubuque:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14LtqVbxL-Q&feature=youtu.be
― grandavis, Friday, 5 April 2013 20:02 (eleven years ago) link
wow thanks for sharing. that's the most i've ever heard Al speak.
― ums (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 8 April 2013 17:19 (eleven years ago) link
It's pretty cool for sure, interesting mix of approaches!
― grandavis, Monday, 8 April 2013 17:22 (eleven years ago) link
also reading maple lyrics, crazy!
― ums (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 8 April 2013 17:22 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah, I loved that bit. So weird without the music. I have never had to memorize lyrics, but I imagine that I would need to remind myself of a bunch of them (or read them) if I did this kind of thing.
― grandavis, Monday, 8 April 2013 17:24 (eleven years ago) link
First album is getting reissued on vinyl w/metal sleeve and the bonus track. Nice.
― dlp9001, Friday, 12 April 2013 15:01 (eleven years ago) link
original is super expensive now so that's cool
― ums (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 12 April 2013 19:55 (eleven years ago) link
oh word? pretty sure both mrs. a & I have our copies from our chicago days
― not feeling those lighters (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Friday, 12 April 2013 20:06 (eleven years ago) link
http://www.discogs.com/buy/Vinyl/US-Maple-Long-Hair-In-Three-Stages/22249499?ev=bp_titl
― ums (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 12 April 2013 20:12 (eleven years ago) link
whoa
― not feeling those lighters (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Friday, 12 April 2013 20:20 (eleven years ago) link
It's time to go down the U.S. Maple listening hole again. This is awesome:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JarSldMzLfo
― grandavis, Wednesday, 8 January 2014 18:32 (ten years ago) link
i was just wondering what al johnson was up to last week, and i found no answers. i was going to revive this thread but i forgot!
― mambo jumbo (La Lechera), Wednesday, 8 January 2014 18:34 (ten years ago) link
Huh, embed didn't work for me, but that is a full set from Baltimore in 1997. Pretty good audio and the band seems "on", though I never got to see them personally. Whoever posted the video claims the band is in good form, and it sure seems like it to me. Best band.
― grandavis, Wednesday, 8 January 2014 18:35 (ten years ago) link
oddly enough, i just got this emailTODD RITTMANN'S DEAD RIDER SIGNS TO DRAG CITY; NEW ALBUM, CHILLS ON GLASS, OUT MARCH 18TH!http://youtu.be/TWNCaRAuMH4Dead Rider's third ride, Chills On Glass, is as distinct from the second time around as The Raw Dents was from their debut, Mother of Curses. The goal for Dead Rider, always: super-heavy, super-driving, more 'up' moments than ever before. An album experience; listening, you're put through some changes. Illusions radiating out from the real. You're rocked into submission, but asked to participate on the listening level. Rebuilt, regrooved, with favorable upgrades. Chills On Glass moves forward in this tradition, juxtaposing high and low values - serious playing, danceablity, controlled-outcomes experimentation, don't-give-a-f**k rad-itude. Shocks don't surprise the band - it was the effect they were looking for, just what the song needed. All the sounds in the songs - the shouts, croons and whispers - draw you into the fantasy of Dead Rider, the spectacle of a night on the town, gliding through the darkness while thrust up, out of the limousine's sunroof. Scribble, confetti and other sonic details rain down like snow, providing an exquisite dressing for thick and thrashing rhythms and expertly maneuvered tight corners. Vocal textures smooth and sandy rub together and ignite, blowing glass as you head your body through the labyrinth. Rhythm is king in Dead Rider, but melodies, changes and production carry the crest in this processional. Self-recorded, produced and mastered, Dead Rider leave no stylistic stone unturned in their restless path and no knob on the board untwisted in their search for the mixe parfait. This is composition that uses improvisation as an element within a larger structure - the ultimate streamlining of production, where songs are processed on several levels, mirroring and flashing their meanings through tactics and layers, backgrounded by a panaroma of yawning, silent, benevolent and black velvet. Todd Rittmann, infamous from his daze in U.S. Maple, is a guitar warrior with intensive craft at his fingertips. For the past five years, he's been furthering his reputation by doing further damage with his instrument and others, reconfiguring sonic relationships, imagining the sound of a rock band reshaped into a gleaming spectacle, and by spreading the carnage wide with Dead Rider, comprised of Matthew Espy (drums, conga, percussion), Andrea Faught (synth, piano, trumpet, trombone, vocals), Thymme Jones (synth, trumpet, vocals) and Rittmann (vocals, guitar, drums). Lurching from pole to pole, pausing mid-stop, leaping and bursting into a double-twist and then resolving into a sweet glide; the dust they kick up in this fracas glitters gold, spicing the recipe with elevated powders of perception, deflecting metallically, hip-hoptically, free and jazzy, operatic, electronic, flashing like squad-car rollers.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 8 January 2014 18:36 (ten years ago) link
Scroll up the thread for a bit. There is some recent Al posted there. He is on twitter, and goes on bouts of posting but has been pretty quiet recently.
― grandavis, Wednesday, 8 January 2014 18:37 (ten years ago) link
does he really live in iowa?
― mambo jumbo (La Lechera), Wednesday, 8 January 2014 18:38 (ten years ago) link
Yes.
― grandavis, Wednesday, 8 January 2014 18:39 (ten years ago) link
woah this is weird...for some reason I chose to wear my U.S. Maple t-shirt to work today for the first time in ages!
― ilx snitch (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 8 January 2014 18:45 (ten years ago) link