Me and Mani

There’s no question that one of the bands I was most excited to see at SXSW 2009 was Primal Scream. Since the early 1990s, I had been a worshipper of Bobby Gillespie and company’s hedonistic, ever-shifting styles of rock.

Gary “Mani” Mounfield joined the Primals in 1996. The SXSW 2009 night I caught him with Primal Scream, he was filling a quick break in the set with one of the most famous bass lines ever:  James Jamerson’s lick from The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”.

When Mani kicked into that bit, I was thinking to myself: “This is one of the best bass lines ever… but it’s not as good as the one from ‘Fool’s Gold’ is it?”

Mani was – of course – the bassist of the legendary Manchester group The Stone Roses who exemplified the “Madchester” scene mixing dance, funk and rock and have stood the test of time to prove they were one of the best bands ever.

After the Primals feiry SXSW set at Cedar Street Courtyard, I got to say cheers to Mani for a sec and then ran into him the next day when we were both freaking out to ’60s garage legends The Sonics.

Being a Manchester rockophile, I’m very excited about Mani’s new band Free Bass alongside fellow Manc four stringing friend Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order) and Andy Rourke (The Smiths) due at some point this year… allegedly.

The once and always mighty electro-art-punk spuds DEVO close out their amazing set with a rendition with “Beautiful World” with their elemental manchild mascot Booji Boy taking the lead vocal.

To me, seeing the original DEVO was every bit as great as seeing the original Kiss reunited with makeup on, hearing Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens playing as Big Star and watching David Bowie pull “Quicksand” into a set at Shea’s.

SXSW 2009 is but a memory.

So the live blogging didn’t work out as there were some… ummm… network issues with mobile service that made it almost impossible. I was able to Twitter and the big feature hits the street and artvoice.com on Thursday.

The Heartless Bastards at Stubbs (courtesy my iPhone)

In the coming days I’ll add some more pictures, stories, reviews and various nonsense from the magical, musical week that was in Texas here at Record Needles blog. Think of it as the expanded version.

This will be my sixth year attending SXSW – the massive music festivals in Austin, TX where thousands of performers play and the global music industry converge for one week – and the half decade thus far has proven an interesting gauge of changing winds of technology, how we communicate and how  media delivery is changing.

With each passing year, it was at SXSW where I really noticed how getting – in myself and those around me – how getting and sharing information was rapidly changing.

In 2004, I remember lugging my heavy old laptop PC and having a tough time getting the internet in my hotel room and checking my email twice a day.  Now I can’t fathom not checking my iPhone every ten minutes for updated information.

The Fratellis with Pete Townshend in 2007 (courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan)

In 2007, my Who-obsesed eye spied Pete Townshend’s amp, guitar rig and trusted guitar tech Alan Rogan on the side of the stage during a day time set by  The Fratelli’s set. I quickly started sending text messages to friends and cohorts to get there post haste. When they all started pouring in and with time catch the legendary guitarist roll through a version of “The Seeker” with the young Scottish band, I saw the ease, directness and power of text messaging.

SXSW revelry circa 2008: Rachel Ray (L), Donny Kutzbach (R) / photo - David L. Dewey

In 2004, I had to get a new suitcase for all the compact discs I acquired. In 2009, I will fit as much as I can on my hard drive… and maybe still need a  suitcase for all the vinyl!

Also in 2009, my reporting will change but still stay somewhat the same.

In addition to the final SXSW recap in the March 26-April 1 issue of ARTVOICE, I will be doing live blogging and Twitter “tweeting” throughout the maddening  blur of the sun-baked, alcohol-soaked and music omnipresent week in Texas.

No matter how the flow of info changes and how much wired – or wireless – we become, the other thing SXSW also proves: there’s nothing that can kill live music and it’s ultimately one of the most powerful forces on the planet.

Feel free to join me for the ride either here at Record Needle In The Camel’s iPod or at Twitter

Beatles toys are back in 2009!

It’s not a surprise as it’s been bantered about in video game and music circles for the better part of year, but the official announcement came today.

Apple Corps, Harmonix and MTV Games officially announced the global release of Rock Band: The Beatles this morning.

The press release declares:

The Beatles: Rock Band will allow fans to pick up the guitar, bass, mic
or drums and experience The Beatles extraordinary catalogue of music
through gameplay that takes players on a journey through the legacy and
evolution of the band’s legendary career. In addition, The Beatles:
Rock Band will offer a limited number of new hardware offerings modeled
after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison
and Ringo Starr throughout their career.

A teaser website is up at www.thebeatlesrockband.com and the game will be available for XBOX 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii with retail ranging from $59.99 for basic verison to $249.99 for a premium bundle.

While The Beatles: Rock Band is not the first video game platform to highlight a single band’s music (that milestone belongs to last year’s hohum Gutiar Hero edition of Boston’s once badboys, Aerosmith)  it is significant is it’s the first time Apple Corps – along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing – has agreed to present The Beatles music for a video game.

It’s further remarkable to see such notoriously particular copyright holders unleash an entire catalog on such a scale but it says a lot of where the music business is right now and how it is hoped that legacies will be intact

With aim not only to hook the gamers but also legions of Beatles diehards, careful attention paying attention to details including Rock Band-playable  replications of the Fabs’ original gear to a release date of September 9, 2009  (Get it??? Number nine… Number nine… Number nine…)

Here’s to hoping there will be a sitar so I can virtually master “Within You Without You” or a Yoko Ono expansion pack to hover over the procedings and annoy your opponents.