Spoon in Muscular Dystrophy benefit, the sequel

One down... a couple more to go.

Britt Daniel (Spoon) just confirmed he's on for the second Muscular Dystrophy benefit show (hosted by my good friend Mitch,) which will happen Monday May 7, at the Crocodile here in Seattle. You may recall the first benefit featured James Mercer (The Shins,) Eric Bachmann (Crooked Fingers, ex-Archers of Loaf) and Joel R.L. Phelps (ex- Silkworm,) and it also was a hit, raising around $13K for the MD research.

With Daniel on board, it's just a matter of time for the other two slots to get filled. Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie, Postal Service) was tentatively on the bill, but tour responsibilities had forced his exodus. One rumor swelling involves a certain Portland trio from the 90's who are due for a reunion. Perhaps you know of an artist available around that time to contribute? (Keeping in mind, of course, the performers mentioned so far.)

Spoon recently revealed the album name (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga) and track information for the new album, due to drop in July (about the same time as baby # here in Drakeland.) Producer/multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion produced the track "The Underdog" (hooray) while the rest were handled by longtime collaborator Mike McCarthy (Chartattack.)

Here's the tracklistin for Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga:
01 Don't Make Me a Target
02 The Ghost of You Lingers
03 You Got Yr Cherry Bomb
04 Don't You Evah
05 Rhthm and Soul
06 Eddie's Ragga
07 The Underdog
08 My Little Japanese Cigarette Case
09 Finer Feelings
10 Black Like Me

I doubt Britt will be bringing new friend Flavor Flav, unfortunately.

More:
SXSW Spoon photos by kk+
Aidan Leffler
Charley's Fund - Benefitting Research toward a cure or treatment for DMD

tags: playlist, music, indie rock, muscular dystrophy, dmd, the shins, james mercer, britt daniel, pond, spoon, benefit, aidan leffler

There goes my career as a hand model

Call it one hand empathizing with the other, or perhaps a need for symmetry... but I've gone and dislocated my left pinky finger. Caught an errant/tipped basketball in the second play of our championship game last night and next thing you know, I've got another crooked finger. I wish I could've gotten a scan with the x-ray to share with you, as it was sick... like the top half of my finger decided to move next door.

Meanwhile, the right one I mangled and fractured back in December has now been diagnosed as a boutonniere deformity, thanks to it not being in a splint for the first couple weeks. The past four months have been so much fun.

Song: "Wrecking Ball" - Crooked Fingers

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the emergency room was not at all like SGH on Grey's Anatomy.

Full range of emotion

There was plenty of magic in Seattle to go around this past Saturday night.

Shortly after someone sprinkled pixie dust on Quest Field (for one of the craziest NFL playoff finishes I've ever seen,) Neumo's was host to some plenty of great music and loads of generosity making for one special event. It might seem like a comedown to go from football screams to the laid back acoustic stylings of James Mercer (The Shins,) Eric Bachmann (Crooked Fingers, Archers of Loaf) and Joel RL Phelps, but the excitement never let really let up. Mercer summed up the evening with his final song, a cover of the Violent Femmes' track "Good Feelings." Longtime friend Mitch Leffler hosted, introducing each act with some personal recollections and witty asides, and the musicians took it from there.

Song: "Good Feelings" - Violent Femmes

Well... not just the musicians. The event raised around $13K for Charley's Fund, an organization gathering funds for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. So a big thank you goes out to all that attended, and especially to those that contributed even more at the show. The Leffler/Schneider clan were visibly in awe by all the goodwill shown.

But it's not over folks.

Thankfully, there's another benefit show coming in late April/early May featuring Britt Daniel of Spoon, and a couple more exciting (and unconfirmed) special guests. So be on the lookout here (and here.)

Right-On has some fantastic shots from the show (like the Eric Bachmann one above)
Saturday, the Seattle P-I did a great story on the show, Aidan and the whole family.

tags: playlist, music, indie rock, muscular dystrophy, dmd, the shins, james mercer, eric bachmann, joel rl phelps, silkworm, benefit, aidan leffler, seahawks

Cruel Swing

I was a huge fan of the Jawbox album For Your Revolutionary Sweetheart, even though the DIY community through their arms up at it as a sell out. You see Jawbox were the first band to jump ship from legendary Dischord Records out of D.C. and to a major (Atlantic Records, in this case.) But it afforded J. Robbins and company the ability to make their masterpiece, and one of the best songs of that year ("Savory.")

Robbins has since achieved cult status thanks to his prolific production work from 1997 until now. He's pretty much replicated his post-punk/math rock/early emo prototype in the studio for artists like Dismemberment Plan, Promise Ring and Jets to Brazil. While I'm not a big fan of a lot of those bands, his production is pretty f*cking great every time out. No wonder he was called on so often.

Robbins went on to form Burning Airplanes, and more recently, Channels with his wife, Janet Morgan. Robbins and Morgan recently had a son, Callum, who's been diagnosed with SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy,) a disease which causes a loss of the motor neurons of the spinal cord and brainstem. Life expectency is less then two years, but with diligent treatment, sufferers can go on to live into adulthood. Treatment and care is expensive, and they'll need a lot of help. Click here to learn how.

Playlist: Essential J. Robbins
Playlist: Produced by J. Robbins

More info: This is Callum Robbins. He needs your help. (Desoto Records)

I don't know how many more of these tragic stories this indie rock father can endure, but it's certainly pulling me into action.

tags: playlist, music, indie rock, sma, spinal muscular atrophy, jawbox, j robbins, callum robbins, joel rl phelps

Where Jerry Lewis and indie rock meet

On January 6th, James Mercer (The Shins,) Eric Bachmann (Crooked Fingers, Archers of Loaf) and Joel R.L. Phelps (ex-Silkworm,) will convene at Neumos here in Seattle to play a benefit show to help find a cure for Muscular Dystrophy.

UPDATE: Tickets available here
Playlist: Indie Rock for Muscular Dystrophy

Three-year old Aidan Leffler was diagnosed this past spring with DMD (Duchenne muscular dystrophy,) the most common form of Muscular Dystrophy. It's a degenerative disease with no cure and a 100% fatality rate, which means unless a cure is found soon, this happy-go-lucky kid will die within 20 years of respitory failure. He's a great kid who deserves so much more.

Aidan's father, Mitch, is an old friend and former bandmate of mine, and the quality of the lineup is quite a testament to his character (and his drumming.) For instance Spoon's Britt Daniels (who recently moved to the Northwest) was also on board for the benefit, but a scheduling conflict (finishing up the new album in Austin) prevented him from playing (but it also means there might be another benefit in April when his schedule clears up.)

I'll elaborate more on the subject as the date approaches, but felt the need to do a quick post upon learning the final details.

More facts about DMD:
* 15,000-20,000 children in the US are afflicted
* Around one in every 3,500 boys is born with DMD

Help:
The Aidan William Leffler Trust
Charley's Fund - Benefitting Research toward a cure or treatment for DMD

tags: playlist, music, indie rock, muscular dystrophy, dmd, the shins, james mercer, eric bachmann, joel rl phelps, silkworm, benefit, aidan leffler