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Guitar god/Dinosaur Jr. front-man, J.Mascis had around 60 Facebook friends when he asked us to be his friend a week or so ago. This might not strike you as weird but it sure did us. Why would he ask us to be friends? Don’t get me wrong, it’s quite flattering and we love the man and his band. But he hasn’t even asked Pitchfork or Stereogum. Here are some ideas on why:

1. We have the word Indie in our name.
2. We stole one of our logos from a classic skateboard icon (the mouth screaming thing, and we all know J. loves skateboarding)
3. He truly wants to be friends?
4. He actually reads our website – nah.
5. Most likely, his hand accidentally clicked his mouse when scrolling over our logo and made a mistake.

Maybe we’ll try to contact J. Mascis and ask him about it? As for us, well we think if J. Mascis wants to be friends with us then you should too.

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This morning we are happy to share a new song from the outstanding upcoming record by Damien Jurado, Saint Bartlett. “Cloudy Shoes” is the sweeping album opener with gentle handclaps and call-and-response vocals awash in a retro sound contributed by album producer Richard Swift.

Damien Jurado – Cloudy Shoes

Damien Jurado and his Saint Bartlett band (an eight member orchestra better known as Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground) is going on a large US tour in support of Saint Barlett.

MP3 for “Arkansas” from Saint Bartlett
Press Alcove
Damien Jurado Official Site
Damien Jurado on Myspace
Damien Jurado at Secretly Canadian

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Written by Josh Darr

Rogue Wave is a band from Oakland, CA who have somehow been cursed with some form of a rain cloud following them throughout their career. The band lost former member Evan Farrell, who died of smoke inhalation in 2007. Prior to that, drummer Pat Spurgeon suffered from a kidney failure and toured on a dialysis as he waited for a living donor, which gratefully came through in January 2007. If that wasn’t enough Zach Rogue himself collapsed in 2008 with a pain in his back (dislocated disc), which left him immobile for a good three months. Much like the “Phoenix”, Rogue Wave’s music continues to rise from these ashes of pain and misery exhibiting a sunnier disposition in their most recent, Permalight. The album has an obvious shift with poppier sound beckoning it’s listeners to dance along. A difficult feat, nonetheless not to notice Rogue’s celebratory attitude, sense of gratefulness and desire to transition the band’s aesthetic; while retaining his ever present romanticized ideals. He has stated his biggest ambition was to move and dance, and now gleams with pride with the album’s success achieving that objective. “Solitary Gun” the upbeat opening track sets the album’s tone as ambiguously nostalgic for the past and it’s despair while looking ahead with confidence and maturity apparent from lessons obtained in life.

Visit Rogue Wave

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You might imagine that meeting up with Low frontman Alan Sparhawk for the purpose of shooting  a photo documentary for his new band Retribution Gospel Choir could be an intimidating venture for anyone, let alone a Low junkie for the last 16 years. It was. Luckily the night couldn’t have gone better and the band couldn’t have been more accommodating to my prying lens and the click click clicking noise made with every snap of the shutter.

Retribution Gospel Choir played at The Crocodile in Seattle, WA a few days after Alan and Mimi of Low had finished performing a series of shows for a modern dance performance – sounded very interesting. Meeting Alan, Eric and Steve was amazing and seeing Alan rip at the guitar with his mouth was quite a moment. Highlights included but were not remotely limited to: eating pizza at Via Tribunali, watching Alan give rocks and some money to a war vet with a sign about getting F.U.B.A.R.’d, watching the guys soundcheck and meeting Alan’s wife and Low vocalist Mimi Parker. Did I mention Alan playing guitar with his mouth?

Read our Show Review for this show
Visit RGC

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Asking the same 18 Questions to a bunch of different bands could get boring. But it doesn’t. The fun part is reading how each band answers the same questions. This time Sub Pop’s Male Bonding gave us some telling answers for their 18. Male Bonding is made up of three friends Robin Silas Christian (drums), John Arthur Webb (guitar & vocals) and Kevin Hendrick (bass and vocals), and have risen from a flourishing DIY scene in their adopted hometown of Dalston, London.

1. Tell us about the band?
We kept bumping into each other at shows in London, and then later at work at a record shop. We started by talking about doing a band a bunch and then did it for real. Drums, Guitar, Bass and Two Vocals – all these equal. We live together, run a label (Paradise Vendors Inc), sometimes write songs on our own, sometimes together. We all ride our bikes to band practice and for me at least this band is way more fun than other bands I have been in. We look after each other.

2. Have you ever been fed up with playing music or with band members, why?
Sure, but if there is a real problem we just ride it out.

3. What was your first concert experience? Do you remember how you felt once the concert was over?
It was two bands – Midget and Glitterbox at The Cavern Club in Exeter around 1998 at a night club called The Pixie Club. I went with my friend Charlie and his Mum picked us up at midnight, it was a school night and it changed everything for me. Idlewild were on the same tour but they missed that show, had they played I think they would have opened my eyes more than Midget did, but I loved it.

4. Did you grow up wanting to play music, or when did the whole making albums thing come about and how?
I have tinnitus bad.  When I was fourteen this kid called Tan turned up to our School from Australia. Nobody knew who Silverchair were apart from him, so he was instantly cool for introducing them to us. He was much better at the drums than me and had a Pearl drum set. Our band (Jesus Overdose) split up and reformed with Tan on drums the next day, it was a cruel lesson but the next band I joined introduced me to The Lemonheads. I’ve been in a band non-stop since I was twelve.

5. What qualifies you guys to be in a band?
We are totally unqualified.

6. Do you have a favorite song you have ever written? Why?
I like the newer ones as I enjoy playing them live more. I also get to recycle pop punk drum beats from my past.

7. What is your greatness weakness as a band?
We always forget to tell the promoter we only play for twenty minutes.

8. What qualities should a successful label or manager have?
I don’t know as we don’t have a manager, but our tour manager Mark was arranging us a drum kit to borrow from a Kayak in the middle of a lake in upstate New York yesterday. Most impressive thing I have ever seen.

9. What’s the scariest thing that has ever happened to you in your life?
Last year someone threw a Burrito at Kevin and he jumped in front of a car to dodge it. It was serious.

10. What’s the first thing you do when the band arrives in a new town while on tour?
Ask if there is wireless at the venue and the location of the nearest phone box.

11. Have you ever had an audience member give you the willies because they kept looking at you all weird?
I have to take my glasses off when we play so I can’t really see at all. I go really cross-eyed, special powers.

12. Have you ever cried while listening to music? If so what were you listening too?
Sure! Tears are Cool! I’ve cried to loads of records, especially ones that remind me of specific things. The third Velvet Underground record kills me.

12. If you could re-record, or re-write any song of yours what would that song be?
I’d re record our entire LP so it wasn’t so painful!

13. What’s the worst place you have ever played a show at, and why?
Montreal last night when someone smashed our van window and stole our stuff, show was good though.

15. In a perfect world how many albums would you have to sell to be happy?
Enough to let us do another record on the best label in the world.

16. What do you guys have planned for the future?
We are touring America with The Soft Pack for the next two weeks, then we go back to tour in England and Europe. We get to play with our friends Pens and Veronica Falls so were happy about that. We also have loads of post to send out for our label. We need an intern!

17. What music do you listen to when you are having a bad day?
If I’m having a bad day I tend to skip tracks. Today was a bad day because of the van break in last night. I Iistened to Nina Nastasia, Stand By Me soundtrack and Fugazi. Anything to not have to endure Lithium FM on Satellite radio, I hate it!

18. If you had your life to live over again, what one thing would you change?
I’d have started wearing ear plugs earlier.

Visit Male Bonding

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Are you tired of all your friends having awesome albums while you somehow got stuck with the worst taste in music possible? Well let’s change that. About a week ago we got together with Vagrant Records and came up with the idea that we should give away 5 copies of the new Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes album Up From Below. Everyone pretty much says it’s one of the best albums of the year, so why not?

Just send an email to info @indierockreviews.com with (Edward Sharpe) as the title of your email and you might win. Don’t know who they are and want to see and hear what they are all about? Watch the video below: