“We are as delicate as the wings of a butterfly with AIDS. Anything could crush us. And until we all decide that art is the only thing that makes life livable, we’ll just be another instrumental five-piece from New Jersey. Emotionally and intellectually, I’m not sure if the rest of the band is there yet. But I am.”

That quote was attributed to Delicate Steve bandleader Steve Marion in a recent press release sent out by Luaka Bop Records. Only, he didn’t say it. He didn’t meet bandmate Mickey Sanchez at Hebrew school, either. And as far as Rob Scheuerman dating Gossip Girl‘s Blake Lively, Adam Pumilla living in Scotland to “explore his bass style,” or Mike Duncan’s bloodthirsty urge to fight a dog, these are all lies, too. Probably.

These are actually the words of professional pop culture geek Chuck Klosterman, who wrote Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, Eating The Dinosaur and several other books about music and failure. He wrote a completely fictional bio of the band, and story behind it was covered much betterish by NPR, on Car Talk All Things Considered, but it is must-read.

The group just got back from a national tour with Akron/Family, which included several shows at SXSW, and ended with a wild show at The Stanhope House this past Friday. Steve also remixed a song by lady-rapper Dominique Young Unique(!), and the band will be playing the Our Band Could Be Your Life show on May 22nd at Bowery Ballroom, where they will be playing a set of Minutemen covers(!), along with the likes of Ted Leo, Dan Deacon, St. Vincent, Titus Andronicus and others. You can also see guitarist Christian Peslak at the Stanhope House on May 4th.

And duh, Rob Scheuerman didn’t date Blake Lively from Gossip Girl, he dated Hilary Duff, who appeared on Gossip Girl.

Check out Klosterman’s press release after the jump…

\m/ from Kate Sweeney on Vimeo.

I figured I’d point y’all to the moving pictures that sucked a good 30 minutes of my life away:

I met them at the now-defunct Basement Gallery in Ewing, NJ, and immediately — from a distance — thought they were infiltrating hipsters. although i was initially wary, i had been booking bands for a couple of shows at the spot & after being told that they were “really fucking good” i was more than willing to at least meet & greet… say hello, catch a vibe… be friendly, y’know?  it’s unfortunate that my traumatizing time in and out of Brooklyn (see: Le Rug) bore a prejudice that could have severely harmed the friendship about to be forged.  regardless, we talked.  and they were nice. “cool,” even…

This is Jim. Pic lovingly stolen from David Jolkovski of The Jersey Journal

Not just ’cause Mr. Testa mentioned our launch party or nothin’, but here’s a nice write-up of what’s goin’ down in das ‘boken/Jersey City area this weekend.

Via NJ.com:

One nice thing about January: The combination of bad weather and post-holiday malaise tends to keep touring bands at home, giving local acts a chance to seize the spotlight and snag prime-time gigs at prestige venues. In Hoboken, that means Maxwell’s, and the venerable club is offering local fans a chance to catch up on a rich assortment of local talent over the next few weekends.

Teenage Symphonies to Godot

Connoisseurs pay attention! Byrds of Paradise have released their soon-to-be monumental debut LP on Don Giovanni. Teenage Symphonies is an urgent pop blast of an album. You can sample a morsel here: “Touch Tunnel”.

Watch them drill through the blur, with Mountain Dude, Sparkle Shit, & Dry Feet at Meat Town this Saturday. Biff bang pow!

Screamales in green

In related Don news, Screaming Females released a video this week for “Wild,” where they play with some fancy instruments:

Via zie blarrrrghhh:

Trouble is very pleased to present a DJ set from NYC new wave luminaries Tom Tom Club this Tuesday. Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, who are playing a show at Irving Plaza on Wednesday the 12th, will come by to spin records and rap some about their many rich experiences. Expect plenty of heavy reggae and Tom Tom Club remixes. On This Is The Modern World, 1/11/11 <--(wow!) from 9 AM to noon.

Via their blarg:

We are finally excited to be able to announce full info for the first night of this years Don Giovanni Showcase. It is going to be at Death By Audio on Friday, February 11, 2011.

We were supposed to interview Jon Solomon about his 24 hour radio show on WPRB in Princeton, wherein he blasts some awesome Christmas vibes from 6 p.m. on Xmas eve until quittin’ time a good day later. Supposed to, but hey, apparently I have this thing called a j-o-b, and y’know, I had to work for like 36 hours straight. That said, Mr. Solomon’s show is starting in about 5 minutes and is still worth checking out, so here’s a collection of other places who did interview him (those bastards), as well as some other links and shit, so as to further exacerbate my shame. Enjoy!

Listen to his show here.

Via Beware of the Blog:

On Too Much Information this week, Benjamen Walker explores the Wikileaks scandal — what it says about the internet in this country and what it means for the future. On hand to comment further will be Douglas Rushkoff, Ethan Zuckerman, Evgeny Morozov, and many more… including Jillian York on why she thinks Mark Zuckerberg is such a poor choice for TIME’s Person of the Year. Monday evening 12/20, from 6 to 7 PM.

Trouble will welcome special guests Micachu and the Shapes to This Is The Modern World, Tuesday morning 12/21 from 9 AM to noon. The UK-based group, in Trouble’s own words, provides “rockets of guitar twanged through distortion, electronic slurps and chords of fire.”

I don’t think anyone’s a stranger to depression, sadness…shit happens. Give the few Green Arrows tracks floating around the Internet a listen. You’ll immediately be struck by the familiar melodies that emanate from singer and founder, Benjamin High. High’s music was at times exuberant, sometimes melancholic and searching, but always expressive, mirroring his brief and tragic life’s trajectory. While the Freehold-based Green Arrows seemed poised for success in the late aughts, High’s mind was gripped by something else, out of his control, that lead to his untimely and tragic death.

“Just as this wonderful, exciting, creative time was progressing Ben began to experience a decline in his health. Month long episodes of flu-like symptoms, apathy and sadness lead to a loss of interest in most everything, including his music,” states the organization created in his honor, The Project Matters.

To memorialize his life, The Project Matters will be hosting a benefit show at Maxwell’s on January 23rd, featuring Cymbals Eat Guitars, Wren’s musico Charles Bissell, and Escape Directors.

According to the show listing:

TPM’s primary focus is fostering the creation of music with emphasis on providing funding and support to musicians aged 21 and younger. In addition, these artists will be offered a network of advisors and mentors who will lend their expertise and guidance in the areas of, business, technical, performance, touring, legal and emotional support. The Project Matters is a recognized charitable non-profit corporation in the State of New Jersey with 501(c)3 status.

Regardless of whether you like the show’s line-up or not, I think that’s something we can all get behind. Buy yr tickets here.

I sensed movement within the Internet, and when I lifted my head from this cold that currently has me unshowered, coughing, and with very smelly socks, I was quite pleased with what I found. Brick Mower, the talented jacks that brought you the lovely Floors EP are heading back into the studio to record some new tunes.

According to zie band:

We’re going into The Hunt Studio to record with Eric Bennet, who did records for such awesome rib-stickin’ bads… oppps, I mean bands, such as Black Wine, Screaming Females, Full of Fancy and more. So, that’s where we’ll be if you need to reach us. And of course there are three good shows Fri., Sat., and Sun. that I wanna go see in Philly and NY, but duty calls. Bummer.

We shall go to these shows, and avenge the bummers! Nah, probably not. But you can check out their show on Jan 6th at Meat Town with Black Wine, and lots others.

Photo by Ross Heutmaker

You spend enough time combing through NJ bands’ MySpaces and Bandcamps and you come to a realization: 95% pop/punk or emo in composition, with other base metal. And sometimes you hit upon this rough and beautiful gem that makes you consider, “Maybe Gen Y-ers aren’t a bunch of self-hating dorks.” Such is Alien Father, brought to this planet’s country’s state’s Mercer County by Curtis Regian (synth, piano, guitar, vocals), David Hallinger (guitar, vocals), Michael Topley (drums), and Conor Meara (bass).

Self described “avant-garage,” (probably still dorks though) I’ll admit one of the first things that came to mind on first listen are Dow Jones and the Industrials…this is good, at least for me. Despite the aughties Trentonian’s (and thereabouts) obvious contrast with the post-punk Midwestern kiddos — mostly being that they don’t quite sound like anyone else — all the traits that turn me on are there. Mostly this perversely nerdish desire to defenestrate music. Fuck, I can’t type this. I’m gonna go poop. Listen to this:

I’d like to imagine CL Sosa as this swaggering character; a street tough with a permanent smirk. His lyrics are boasting and aggressive, possessing more confidence than you’ve got in yr stooped shoulders. When you hear him, you’ll probably share the feeling.

The reality’s seemingly more mundane: He’s full of anxiety, really earnest, and wears horn-rimmed glasses. In other words, the dream is over! Except it’s this divide is what makes him shine. All his big talk’s generously tempered by self-deprecating lines (“It ain’t hard to tell I’m still broke”) and verses that document his local ennui – downing drugs, stumbling around, throwing beers at cars.

Via Beware of the Blog:

On Tuesday, Trouble welcomes Dutch musician Lilian Hak to This Is The Modern World to perform live. Hak has a new album, Old Powder New Guns, out now which she composed when she was staying in Bangkok — it includes samples from a variety of classic film soundtracks (Hitchcock, Chaplin, and the like). Hear her set on Trouble’s show 12/14, from 9 AM to noon.

Filmmaker and author Steven Blush will join Bronwyn and Jay in the Thunk Tank Tuesday evening. He and the hosts will discuss his book American Hardcore: A Tribal History (2001) and the film version, American Hardcore (2006) — which document the history of that enormous and seminal movement, hardcore punk, in the U.S. Hear his interview on 12/14 from 7 to 8 PM.

Have at it, kids.

Via www.DonGiovanniRecords.com:

First of all, just to clarify things, The Steinways are now headlining the Friday show, and Lemuria will be playing in their place on the Saturday show. Tickets for Saturday go on sale today at noon: http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com/event/5690

More info including ticket info for the Friday show coming soon.

Better late than nevar:

C’est tout!

If ya ain’t psyched for the Don Giovanni Records night on December 18th, here’s some news you can hang yr hat on:

Via www.RiotActMedia.com:

Don Giovanni Records, the label that such incredible folks as Screaming Females, Shellshag, The Ergs!, Byrds of Paradise and Laura Stevenson & The Cans call home, is hosting its third annual DGR showcase on February 11th & 12th. We’re honored to announce the lineup in its entirety to you! The past years’ showcases have all sold out, and we expect that this year’s will as well, so we’ll be sharing the links to purchase tickets when they become available. Tickets for February 12th’s Music Hall of Williamsburg show go onsale this Friday, December 10th. Without further adieu, the lineup: