In House Podcast

Lee Hazlewood, 1929-2007 The legendary singer-songwriter-composer-character died Saturday after an extended battle with terminal cancer. His most recent effort, Cake or Death, (out in the U.S. early this year) saw Hazlewood going out on his own terms, including appearances from Tommy Parsons, Bela B., and his grand-daughter, Phaedra. He was 78. In House #1769 (Originally aired last December, featuring Hazlewood's Cake or Death)

A Conversation with John Vanderslice We spent some time recently with San Francisco-based musician, producer, and all-around nice guy John Vanderslice. He talks film, photography, and Emerald City, the new album out last week on Barsuk. Stream: A Conversation with John Vanderslice

In House #1876: New Bloodshot Records Tribute to Larry Brown More via Bloodshot. In House #1876. Airdate: 5/23/07 Focus: New Bloodshot Records tribute compilation, Just One More: A Musical Tribute to Larry Brown, A Great American Author, featuring cuts from Greg Brown, Alejandro Escovedo, Robert Earl Keen, Vic Chesnutt, and more. Plus, new music from Ryan Adams, The Avett Brothers, Robbie Fulks, Mark Olson, and more. BONUS MP3s- From Just One More: A Musical Tribute to Larry Brown: "Song In C" (MP3) "Here's to My Disgrace" (MP3) PLAYLIST In House PODCAST #314

In House #1872: Page France's ...and the Family Telephone Page France In House #1872. Airdate: 5/17/07 Focus: Recent release from Page France, ...and the Family Telephone, plus new music from Benni Hemm Hemm, Vandaveer, Sea Wolf, and more. PLAYLIST In House PODCAST #311

In House #1875: The National's Boxer; New Adult Swim Compilation A couple of years ago, The National released what would prove to be a truly slow burn of an album with their third effort, entitled Alligator. Although it hit stores early in 2005, it received little more than a casual reception. By the time the end of the year lists were upon us, however, Alligator had worked its way into more than a handful of top fives. Others still wouldn't discover its brilliance until well into 2006. No chance of a similar scenario unfolding this time around, as The National's Boxer has been at the top of the "much anticipated" list for many for the last couple of months. A bit moodier and more reserved than its predecessor, the album is marked in its brooding dignity, as Matt Berninger's words and vocals once again cast a dark musical hue. Songs like "Fake Empire," "Mistaken For Strangers," and "Start a War," are moving even before one deciphers the cryptic lyrical snippets which comprise them, and the deliberate intensity is perhaps best coupled with the liquor of your choice. Measured, intelligent, and occasionally caustic, Boxer is music that requires listening. The rewards will follow. The National embarks on a North American tour beginning next week in New York. The National In House #1875. Airdate: 5/22/07 Focus: New release from The National, Boxer, plus selections from a new compilation from Adult Swim, featuring music from Broken Social Scene, The Raveonettes, TV On the Radio, Sound Team, and more. BONUS MP3s- The National, from Boxer: "Fake Empire" (MP3) "Slow Show" (MP3) Warm & Scratchyadult swim "Dead Sound" (MP3) "Half Century" (MP3) "Me-I" (MP3) PLAYLIST In House PODCAST #313

In House #1874: The Meat Puppets Play Salt Lake City Tonight Just ahead of their first studio release in seven years, The Meat Puppets play Salt Lake City's Urban Lounge tonight. The rather legendary trio, including the brothers Kirkwood, Curt and Cris, return in July with Rise to Your Knees, perhaps an apt description following a 25+ year career that has seen the band hit plenty of low points. Cris Kirkwood, in particular, has weathered his share of stormy events, including a well-publicized heroin addiction and the overdose death of his wife, and a bizarre run-in with a post office security guard that left him shot in the back and in prison. Following his release last year, the Kirkwood brothers announced plans for a regrouping of sorts and began work on the new album, their eleventh. The album finds them settling back in to the comfortable sound of much of their more polished, post-SST work, with songs like "On the Rise," and "Enemy Love Song," playing to the pop side of things before the psychedelic guitar noodling of "Disappear." Rise to Your Knees drops July 17th to be exact on the Anodyne label. The Meat Puppets In House #1874. Airdate: 5/21/07 Focus: New music from The Meat Puppets, playing Salt Lake City tonight. Plus, new music from The Shaky Hands, Backyard Tire Fire, The Mendoza Line, and more. BONUS MP3- The Meat Puppets, from Rise to Your Knees: "Rise to Your Knees" (MP3) The Scenery of Farewell "Seems Like Home" (MP3) PLAYLIST In House PODCAST #312

In House #1873: Julia Dawn Live; New Utah Carol Today's in-studio guest is Fresno, CA-based singer-songwriter Julia Dawn, in Pocatello for a performance tonight at Portneuf Valley Brewing. The up and coming artist recently released the Falling EP, an effort that features a disparate mixing of sonic elements that led one reviewer to compare her sound to Bjork if she performed in the 1930's. Indeed, Dawn's music is easily described as genre-shifting, moving between pop, folk, americana and speak-easy jazz to create emotionally-charged numbers like "Darwin's Fall." Also included on her latest is a rare minor-key take on the classic "You Are On My Sunshine," slowed to a crawl and utterly changed in meaning. Julia Dawn's been out on the road for the past month, playing solo dates in California, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah before being joined by Joe Simpson on keys and trumpet for remaining dates in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Julia Dawn In House #1873. Airdate: 5/18/07 Focus: Fresno, CA-based singer-songwriter Julia Dawn live in the studio, plus new music from Vermillion Lies, Utah Carol, Kristy Kruger, Rocky Votolato, and more. BONUS MP3s from today's live set- "Thank God I'm Ugly" (MP3) "Darwin's Fall" (MP3) "Sweet Lord" (MP3) PLAYLIST

In House #1871: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Plays Salt Lake City A couple of years back, L.A.'s Black Rebel Motorcycle Club surprised everyone with the soulful and largely acoustic musical about-face that was Howl. Immersing their music in country, blues, and even gospel flavors, BRMC essentially recreated their sound, transforming themselves from a frantically-paced, multi guitar layered, Jesus & Mary Chain-compared rock & roll act to an old world, gospel-tinged trio with a bit more on their minds. Plenty of harmonica, slide guitar, and good old fashioned soul-searching propelled Howl to one of the best-sounding releases of the year. Two years later, and the band is back to their rock & roll ways, albeit tempered with a few of the new-found elements employed with such success for Howl. Baby 81 finds the guitars plugged back in but doesn't necessarily rock with wild abandon. Instead, bluesy moments like album opener "Took Out a Loan," come across like a louder, less classic blues driven version of The Black Keys, while other moments suggest the influence of past acts like The Stooges and The Rolling Stones. Despite all of the volume, which is generally (much) higher this go around, there are moments of comparatively delicate texture to be found within: Robert Turner's piano turn that drives the rather epic "Window," for example. For the most part though, it's a loud and loose return to form, which is fine, except that Howl suggests that their real strengths lie elsewhere. BRMC plays In the Venue in Salt Lake City tonight. BRMC In House #1871. Airdate: 5/16/07 Focus: New release, Baby 81, from the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, also playing Salt Lake City tonight. Plus, new music from Spoon, Electrelane, The Ponys, The Arcade Fire, and more. PLAYLIST In House PODCAST #310 Coming soon: Our Filter Tourzine report from tonight's BRMC show

In House #1869: Wilco's Sky Blue Sky; New Track a Tiger Once upon a time, with efforts like A.M. and Being There under their belts, Wilco was considered at the forefront of the alt-country movement. That began to change a bit with 1999's Summerteeth, with nods to the lushly orchestrated pop of Brian Wilson in the mix, before the band excused themselves almost entirely from the genre on their two 21st-century releases, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born. It's ironic then that the tweak to Wilco's formula this time around, the flavor switch that differentiates their new Sky Blue Sky from their previously recent work, is at the very least a nod to the rootsy beginnings they strove so hard to get away from. The band's sixth studio album (or eighth is you count the Mermaid Ave. volumes they released with Billy Bragg) is a creation culled largely from the influence of folk-leaning material from the 1970's, The Band to The Dead to Neil Young. Which is not to say there aren't some gloriously experimental moments here: "Walken," "Impossible Germany," and "Hate It Here," all have their moments of enjoyable difficulty, though it's generally tempered with warmer tones than you'll find on most of A Ghost Is Born. Whether one takes this as a creative step backward, or more of a coming full circle, the results are once again consistently great, unpretentious pop. In short, more distinctly American music from this most American of bands, which, in the context of this discussion at least, is the ultimate compliment. Wilco In House #1869. Airdate: 5/14/07 Focus: New release from Wilco, Sky Blue Sky, out tomorrow, plus new music from Track a Tiger, Ian Hunter, Nick Lowe, The Mother Hips, and more. PLAYLIST In House PODCAST #309

In House #1866: The Avett Brothers' Emotionalism The Avett Brothers In House #1866. Airdate: 5/9/07 Focus: Upcoming release from the Avett Brothers, Emotionalism, plus new music from Ray's Vast Basement, Bright Eyes, Bill Callahan, and more. PLAYLIST In House PODCAST #307

In House #1867: Elliott Smith's New Moon; New Jason Collett, Page France It's been over three years since the mysterious and untimely death of Elliott Smith, and almost four years since his last public performance at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. It's easy to romanticize and martyr Smith-- the delicacy of his music and often dark intimacy of his words lend themselves to an Earthly afterlife reserved for the likes of Cobain and Drake, Morrison and Joplin. That's unfortunate because it's a largely contrived and easy myth that begins to inaccurately define Smith and his work, much like it does these artists before him. What tends to be lost in all of this storytelling about the musician, ironically, is the music itself. Out this week on the label that released some of Smith's most revered work (kill rock stars), New Moon features two discs and twenty-four tracks worth of material culled from outtakes, demos, and home recordings made during his most consistently brilliant period, 1994-1997. These were years spent in Portland near the end of his involvement with Heatmiser that saw him creating the DNA for what would later become his first two releases, Elliott Smith and either/or, each held in high regard but particularly so for fans of Smith's less polished, less produced material. There are early versions of songs here that would become well-known later on, including unadorned takes on "Miss Misery," and "Pretty Mary K," as well as some diamonds in the rough (ocasionally, very rough) like "High Times," "Whatever (Folk Song in C)," and the Americana-leaning "Georgia Georgia." Also included is a stunning version of Big Star's "Thirteen," previously made available on the soundtrack to the film Thumbsucker. New Moon is a welcome reminder, however bittersweet, of the rare and affecting quality of Smith's work, and another testament to the argument that he was the greatest songwriter of his generation. In as much as that matters. Elliott Smith In House #1867. Airdate: 5/10/07 Focus: New posthumous two-disc collection from Elliott Smith, New Moon, plus a new EP from Jason Collett and new music from Page France, Shannon Wright, and more. PLAYLIST In House PODCAST #308