TGIF: Counting Crows x MJ Lenderman, songs from Sombr and Boyish, and more
Round here we love to see Cameron Winter attend a GQ party
A little Friday shortie with some light “reporting”:
At their Charlotte, NC tour stop the other night, Counting Crows treated the crowd to some MJ Lenderman improv during their always meandering nightly version of “Round Here,” while Lenderman himself and the great producer Brad Cook were in attendance. Here’s some video. (I was equally as excited about the inclusion of “Four Days” in the setlist, what a great show). I remain a big fan of Adam Duritz, one of the greatest songwriters of our time (simply true!), and also a good interview. I received this report via Lenderman’s manager Rusty Sutton:
Cameron Winter attended the Walton Goggins hosted GQ Party for Canali (with music by Matt Sweeney) at the restaurant Borgo in Manhattan this past week.
New episode of Bandsplain about the film Pavements came out this week with the great New Yorker staff writer and author Hua Hsu, as well as an interview with director Alex Ross Perry, who did something truly remarkable with this movie. Grateful for his mind, and for this very unusual piece of cinema. Related: What is the most annoying thing the band Pavement has caused YOU to say in your life? (This is the last episode for a while, we’ll be back in September with new ones).
Do you guys follow Jon Caramanica on Instagram and if not why are you denying yourselves the gorgeous pivot-to-video music journalism that is Popcast’s Song Of The Week video, filmed in motion in Jon’s car (beep beep)? He does in fact have his finger firmly on the pulse, and hopefully one at ten and one at two at all times. His recent pick, “Back To Friends” by Sombr, is extremely Yasi-Core:
I wasn’t up on the band Boyish, which was started a few years ago in Brooklyn as a pandemic project (again, unlike Jon, my finger is very often not on the pulse, it is instead turning pages in some out of print book about hair metal of the 80s or something), but I am super into their new song “Jumbos” and especially into the video, which features the duo playing their gorgeous lush little song (I really like the guitar) in what appears to be a scary dark basement, with an exotic dancer working the pole right in the middle of it. It’s still worth making cool videos!! Give your shit context. Made me like the song more, which is the point. They also did a cover of “Celebrity Skin” last year; coincidentally (or not, I don’t believe in coincidence!) Courtney Love was herself at one time an employee of Jumbo’s Clown Room, which I presume is the namesake of this track. Everything is one thing!
I don’t really care about the CEO/HR lady cheating on the jumbotron at Coldplay concert thing (sorry! Very banal to me) but this is a great opportunity for me to remind you of this Aimee Mann version of “The Scientist”, one of the top tier covers of all time.
Roddy Bottum, best known as the keyboard player for Faith No More but most importantly known to me for his work in the indie-pop band Imperial Teen (have you guys not seen Jawbreaker? You need to see Jawbreaker), has written a memoir called The Royal We, out November 4th and available for pre-order now. There is a bundle with merch; in this house we love merch. I can’t wait to read it (love that dreadlocks made this list; Axl Rose stories are also teased).
Bob Mould talked to Will Anderson of Hotline TNT on the Talkhouse Podcast.
And lastly, I am still deeply enjoying all the content coming out of the Oasis reunion shows - everyone seems SO HAPPY. Sami Reiss just went in Manchester and told me, and I quote, “it will change your life.” I’m going in London on August 3rd and I cannot wait (though my life is constantly changing already). If you are there come say hi, and if you work for Adidas UK can you please send me the black and white football jersey my bladder is too small to stand in that merch line.
I’ll be in London for a few weeks so if you want to invite me to something cool or shower me with gifts, send me a message! As always, all the songs I mention in this letter go on to live in THIS playlist.
Have a gorgeous weekend xx
1) fckn love that new Hotline TNT record. Important Stuff happening there
2) I’ll be at the Toronto Oasis show and the pre-show joy consumes me.