Russian Circles’ Empros is the one to get…Metric remixes, Skinny Puppy returns with a vengeance…Scott Weiland releases a Christmas album…dad, Santa filled my stocking with dirty needles!…and Brian Wilson covers Disney songs…clearly The Rapture is at hand…see you in a week…

Kid Koala, Space Cadet
Metric, Fantasies Flashbacks [Vinyl box set] – Remixes of tracks from Fantasies
Raleigh Moncrief, Watered Lawn
Chris Watson, El Tren Fantasma
Ozric Tentacles, Paper Monkeys
Of Montreal, Cassette Box Set [10xCASS] – Limited edition of 500; includes tape versions of 10 LPs
Russian Circles, Empros
Roots Manuva, 4everevolution
MF Doom, Operation: Doomsday [2xCD or 4xLP] – Expanded reissue of 1999 album
Tom Waits, Bad As Me
Brian Wilson, In the Key of Disney – Covers of songs from Disney movies
Christina Vantzou, No. 1
Surfer Blood, Tarot Classics EP
Skinny Puppy, handOver
Christina Vantzou, No. 1
Scott Weiland, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

4. Steve Vai – The Devil Will Shred Your Face
That pic was taken when director Walter Hill told Steve Vai he had to lose in a guitar duel to Ralph Macchio. It’s bad enough the guitar hero had to wear those leopard prints.

3. Al Pacino – The Devil’s Advocate
(inevitable, sorry) Besides Keanu Reeves’ southern accent, another fascinating by-product of this movie is all the stank Satan offers the intrepid lawyer. White, Black, Asian, Ted’s gotta like something in there… But in the best scene, he trash talks a pair of thugs on the subway – and when one threatens to take him out, Al informs him his wife’s at home banging another guy. Al is perfect in an otherwise pretty imperfect film. Even his Spanish is damn good.

2. Tom Waits – The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. One of the few characters who isn’t overshadowed by the wardrobe department. With his gravelly voice and dapper Victorian tuxes, The Devil is always there when you don’t want him to be. Tom Waits just wants to bang poor old Christopher Plummer’s daughter (Lily Cole) and will strike a bad deal just to get her. And he wins. Here he proves he’s very much a fan of method acting…

1. Harvey Stephens — The Omen. Damien tries to kill his mother with a tricycle, unleashes some hellhounds on Gregory Peck, forces an annoying nanny to take a noose-tied nosedive off a ledge, and decapitates Sark from Tron‘s head with a plate of sheet glass. Don’t be fooled by that sissy Oliver Twist getup, the kids can make giraffes stampede on your head. Plus, I’ve taught kids, and they are satan. All of them.

Honorable Mentions: Elizabeth Hurley – Bedazzled: Elizabeth Hurley is okay in small doses, but as the devil, the bigger the better. Self explanatory..

*Honorable Mention: Lame Satan — In Prince of Darkness, John Carpenter simultaneously a) marked his own exit from the ranks of greatness and b) turned Satan into a gob of green goo. In a f*cking canister. ‘Fail’ doesn’t do this justice. That tub of angry jelly from Ghostbusters II was more evil.

*Thanks to Brian for the movie tip

HOBO-TECH is a type of, well… “depression-era” techno if that makes any sense. The genre is steaming full speed ahead thanks to Jon Margulies and his pioneering use of rocking techno beats, smashed up freight train noises, iron skillets and and synthed-out accordions. Added to this curious concoction are hooks and samples taken from some of Americana’s finest the likes of Tom Waits and John Lee Hooker.

HOBO-TECH has actually taken form as a movement with a look of its own akin to the Steampunk days of yore. Here is a suggestion on what to wear to a recent HOBO party that took place in Brooklyn. “HOBO-TECH encourages all partiers to dress up Hobo style including suggestions such as high-tech hobo, low-tech robot, tech-house hillbilly, boxcar betty, experimental plasma waves bundle scientist, stew bum sys-admin, and Utah Phillips K. Dick.” Sadly, my Dick costume at the cleaners.

This is no crazy faze either kiddos. Since it’s fireside conception at Burning Man in 2007; HOBO-TECH has taken the stage at Coachella (opening for Bassnectar) and has played gigs with ill.Gates, David Starfire and AN-TEN-NAE.

You can connect with HOBO-TECH at one of his upcoming shows: 4/09 Kingston, RI & 4/06 Montreal, QC, CA and if those are not in the cards, just keep your ear to the rail and try to hop on the next time around…

Words and images by Dustin Downing

Hobotech Mixes by jonm/hobotech

This is a big part of the reason I asked Molly to show me around the remaining bit of old-school, carnie-owned boardwalk park during my recent visit to NYC. Despite it being a gray, rainy Sunday afternoon, things weren’t as doomy and decrepit as I’d been warned by numerous in-the-know friends. On the contrary, the rollercoasters were chugging, juicy corndogs were abundant, and the cotton candy sent us on the sugar-fueled adventure we hoped for.

Still, it’s hard to avoid feeling a little gutted when faced with the city’s newest erection, Luna Park. Named after one of the original, long-gone Coney Island amusement parks, Luna Park is tooth-achingly homogenous and exceedingly SFW, with shiny expensive rides, a proprietary font on every ride’s title,  and zero originality, or anything at all to reflect the spirit of Coney. A long fence separates Luna Park from Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park – this family-owned kiddie park and fun zone with 25 rides has been around for 90 years, and is far more entertaining. I had the pleasure of convincing Molly to take her first ferris wheel ride, stuffing my face with every king of junk food I could get my hands on and exploring. Turns out, there’s still more to discover and enjoy. Here’s hoping!

If you’re interested in more in-depth Coney Island coverage, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/10/AR2007071002042.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR, and http://gothamist.com/tags/coney to start. And be sure to check out http://www.coneyisland.com/ for updates from an arts and advocacy group in charge of the freakshow and the famous Mermaid Day parade.

Words and photos by Zoetica Ebb

No other hotel has as much rock ‘n’ roll history.  So, it’s not perfect — or particularly opulent.  There is no room service, some of the rooms are more “grunge” than chic, & there is a bullet hole in the door in the 5th floor corridor.  But it’s absolutely worth a visit to soak up some atmosphere.

You’ll understand why after just one night in the Chelsea’s eclectic digs.  Sometimes it seems more like a home for the bewildered than a hotel, but it all adds to the charm.  Be warned, however: this is not a place to stay if you’re feeling particularly Type A.  It’s more suited to smoking cigarettes on the balcony, last night’s eyeliner & a trench coat worn with nothing but a pair of heels.

Jack Kerouac wrote On The Road in one of the rooms.  Charles Bukowski, Edie Sedgwick, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen & Tom Waits have all spent time here.  The central staircase winds around an ornate balustrade, artists paint in the hallways & every room is unique.

For the same price as a normal-sized room in most New York hotels, you can obtain a one-bedroom suite at the Chelsea — with a lot of ambiance.  If you need a couple of days to yourself to work on some kind of masterpiece, this is surely the perfect place to do it.

Hotel Chelsea
222 West 23rd St, New York NY
http://www.hotelchelsea.com

Words by Gala Darling with photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/hal990/

For the past 42 years Leonard Cohen has been making some of the most important, beautiful, passionate songs ever written. His ability to infuse a song with emotion transcends time, only getting better with age and experience.  Actually being able to see the man himself onstage is a little like the second coming. After all, he is the “jew who wrote the bible”.

On Friday at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival the legend took the stage to a sold out crowd.  With only about 50 minutes to entertain us he gave us all the hits from Bird on a Wire to Everybody Knows. The 74 year old’s voice flawlessly delivered every nuance of his signature sound. He even got down on one knee serenading us into a velvet trance. At one point after a heart felt rendition of I’m Your Man, he removed his hat and earnestly replied to the thunderous applause, “Thank you friends” (sigh). I just want to put him in my pocket.

Among the crowd there was much discussion before he hit the stage as to who was the better songsmith, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, or Bob Dylan? Not to take anything away from the masterful stylings of both Waits and Dylan but I’d have to say it’s hands down Cohen every time. His genius lies not only in his poetic lyrics, but his ability to deliver them wrapped in a sound that’s tuned to the frequency of your heart.

His performance was one of the absolute highlights of this year’s festival (possibly of this year period). Through teary eyes I watched him take his final bow and exit by youthfully skipping off stage. Those of us lucky enough to have been influenced and inspired by Mr. Cohen are still pinching ourselves.

Words and photos by Barbie Brady. Additional photos by Matthew Brady.

It seems like Eastern Europe is finally starting to get some respect from Americans. Nico Bellic and the GTA giant made thick accents cool. Gogol Bordello has been able to take his mustachioed gypsy punk to a mainstream audience while smaller acts like Golem and The Sway Machinery are putting a fresh spin on ancient sounds.

The Sway Machinery’s Hidden Melodies Revealed: “Anim Zemiros”

The Machinery boasts an incredible lineup of musicians who’ve played with Arcade Fire, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tom Waits and the Wu Tang. “People ask all the time what kind of music do you play, and I say ‘New York music,” says saxophonist Jordan McLean. The rollicking blend of music is nearly impossible to define. Inspired by Cantorial music and guided by the warped mind of Balkan Beat Box maestro Jeremiah Lockwood, The Sway Machinery are an organic mashup of world styles from Mali blues to Polish dances.

Playing such a selection basically dictates the band understand musical theory, world cultures and history, so it’s not a surprise that the five band members can be cerebral and mystical. “We’re moving beyond style and into idea,” says McLean, “because we’re creating our own myth with this music. We invite the audience to explore and create their own myths along with us—and kick their fucking asses at the same time.”

The underlying party rhythms of dance music is a huge influence for JDub labelmates Golem, a six-piece also out of New York. Golem began years ago covering klezmer traditionals, and has slowly evolved a hybrid rock version of the ancient songs. “It was originally party music so it’s not an academic pursuit for us,” says singer and accordionist Annette Ezekiel Kogan.  “The energy in the music is party energy,” she says. The new album, Citizen Boris, spins together accordion, horns, fiddle and feedback into dance rock that stands out for its creativity. History never sounded so fun.

By Jacob Cottingham

The Sway Machinery’s Hidden Melodies Revealed “Tell it All to Me”

Golem’s Citizen Boris: “Tucheses & Nenes”

Golem’s Citizen Boris: “Mirror Mirror”