MEN will release EP in a month (or less!)

  

MEN on Tour 2011!

I've seen MEN twice before and they put on a great show. You may have remembered the small Q&A I did with JD a while back.  Can't wait to go and dance dance dance.
 
2/01/11 – San Francisco, CA @ Amoeba (DJ Set)
2/01/11 – San Francisco, CA @ secret location
2/02/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Amoeba (in-store)
2/03/11 – Long Beach, CA @ Fingerprints In-Store
2/04/11 – New York, NY @ secret location
2/08/11 – London UK @ The Lexington
2/10/11 – Aarhus, Denmark @ Vox Hall
2/11/11 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ Trouw
2/12/11 – Utrecht, The Netherlands @ Tivoli
2/14/11 – London UK @ Heaven NME Brat Awards Show w/ Sleigh Bells
2/17/11 – Paris, France @ Nouveau Casino
2/18/11 – St Gallen, Switzerland @ Theatre Palace
2/19/11 – Schaffhausen, Switzerland @ Tap Tab
2/22/11 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique
2/24/11 – Vienna, Austria @ Flex club
3/09/11 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
3/10/11 – Boston, MA @ TT The Bears yes, I'll be there!
3/11/11 – Montreal, PQ @ Il Motore
3/12/11 – Toronto, ONT @ Wrong Bar
3/13/11 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
3/14/11 – Chicago, IL @ Subterenean
3/15/11 – Madison, WI @ Frequency
3/16/11 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
3/18/11 – Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
3/19/11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
3/21/11 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
3/22/11 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Theater
3/23/11 – Portland, OR @ Rotture
3/25/11 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
3/26/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
3/27/11 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
3/28/11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
3/29/11 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launch Pad
3/30/11 – El Paso, TX @ Lips
3/31/11 – Austin, TX @ Beauty Bar
4/01/11 – Dallas, TX @ Loft
4/02/11 – New Orleans, LA @ Republik
4/03/11 – Atlanta, GA @ EARL
4/04/11 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
4/05/11 – Washington, DC @ R and R
4/06/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
4/07/11 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

      

Interview with JD Samson of MEN and Le Tigre

I caught up with JD Samson (of Le Tigre, and MEN) but instead of doing the typical Q/A format of most interviews, I gave her some prompts and asked her to complete the statements (just think of those Myspace surveys that people fill out.)  MEN is JD's newest project, and they are currently on tour with Gossip and then they are soon going on tour with Peaches!  If MEN aren't coming to a city near you, you can still pick up their limited edition demo on Itunes and Amazon.  Here's a picture of MEN from the Paradise in Boston, courtesy of Sarah.

Ohio is where nana and papa live.

I became interested in feminism when I.

Film making is done with one's fingertips.

Art is what you have passion for.

Music can feel like love.

The first song I wrote was about love.

Dykes Can Dance was a whole other world.

The New England Roses is all about love.

Le Tigre will never stop.

MEN began in an airport.
   
MEN evolved from chimps.

"What would a man do" is a way for women to build confidence.
 
Our EP is epic.

Touring is my job.

Something I thought I'd never do travel around the world.

Something I plan on doing moving to the country.

I'm listening to a lot of talking heads.
  
Lately I'm inspired by nana and papa.

My biggest challenge as an artist is not worrying about what other people think.

Something I wish someone would ask me in an interview is where do you like to be silent.

For Halloween women.

In the future children.

        

Gossip, MEN and Apache Beat Show

I was waiting to post until I figured out how to upload my own videos from my iphone (HELP ANYONE!?!)  But I can't wait any longer! So... I went to the Gossip, MEN and Apache Beat show at the Paradise on Sunday.

Apache Beat are from NY and were low-key, pretty, melodic, experimental, indie rock. They remind me of someone, but I can't think of who. Tara Slone/Joydrop maybe?

MEN also hail from the Big Apple and have catchy, upbeat socially conscious dance jams.  Their current lineup is JD Samson (Le Tigre), Michael O'Neill (Princess, Ladybug Transistor) and Ginger Brooks Takahashi (LTTR, The Ballet.) Past contributors include Johanna Fateman (Le Tigre) and artist Emily Roysdon. MEN performed with some great props, including two large hands, one which read "fuck your best" the other which read "fuck your friends" for the song Credit Card Babies.  They had a sign that said "Science=Death" which I believe was during the song Simultaneously.  They also had large arrows that said "Boom" for the song Boom Boom Boom. I was excited to pick up their limited edition EP too!  If you can't catch MEN on tour you can pick up a digital version of the EP. 

And I've seen the Gossip a few times, but this was several years ago. So I guess I somehow forgot how powerful Beth's voice is, because I was blown away. DAMN! What a great live show!  This totally renewed my interest in this fabulous band. I wish the US would appreciate them as much as they are loved in other parts of the world.  We are so far behind... Anyone know why they dropped the "The"?

I will also be doing an interview soon with JD so stay tuned! And let me know if you have any questions here.


 

Le Tigre and Christina Aguilera!

I never thought I'd be writing about Christina Aguilera in this blog, but she is working with Le Tigre, MIA, Lady Tron, Goldfrapp and Santigold for her next album! WOW! What a lineup of fierce women. I am psyched to hear this. ALSO, Kathleen wrote a blog post on Le Tigre's Myspace that can be read here stating Le Tigre did not break up, and it mentions some of the projects she's been working on! As you probably know, JD has been touring with MEN who I saw (and loved in Boston) can't wait to see them when they loop back around with Gossip in October!

I don't know a lot about her, but I've always felt like Christina Aguilera was a feminist, here is a cool article called Christina Aguilera, Riot Grrl, How a Pop Princess Became a New Voice for Feminism from Julianne Shepherd in the Portland Mercury in 2004.

Here's Christina's song "Can't Hold Us Down" with Lil Kim.