Rural Minority

OK, OK, let’s call a spade a spade.  We’ve got three more video teasers from How To Destroy Angels (see below), a sweet viral marketing campaign, and a cryptic website.  I was wrong.  The Rural Minority regrets the error.  I’m an asshole and a sexist to boot.  Count me amongst the masses excited to hear the music that this project produces.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/11349409[/vimeo]

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/11421911[/vimeo]

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/11404399[/vimeo]

I’m also looking forward to the day when Reznor tweets or blogs about the evils of YouTube.  That’s the only explanation for his apparent Vimeo fetish, right?  He’s sticking it to the capitalists or some shit?

In other news, Nashville has flooded.  You may not have heard because national news outlets decided to pick up the story only a few hours ago well after 15 people had died in Tennessee alone.  Luckily, this story, having to do with significantly less news-worthy water problems in a major metro area sat atop the NY Times website almost the entire weekend.  See below for some of the more sobering pictures of the damage so far (and also a really great tribute song already penned about the incident).  Be warned, however, that the Cumberland is still a’risin’.  The worst may be ahead of us.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgf8YnOfkBI[/youtube]

If you’re like me, amid all of this ‘Roo speculation you could use some definites.  Thankfully, for the rest of the Minority, I live in the Music City and know people.  I know people.  I can tell you, without a doubt, that 4 of the following bands will play at Bonnaroo this year.

AutoVaughn
Born Empty
Brenn
Caitlin Rose
Cassino
Cheer Up Charlie Daniels
Cortney Tidwell
Delta Saints
Dozen Dimes
Glossary
Hillbilly Casino
How I Became the Bomb
JEFF the Brotherhood
Kyle Andrews
Leslie
Majestico
Mikky Ekko
Modoc
Moon Taxi
My Tyger
Nobility
Non-Commissioned Officers
Space Capone
Tesla Rossa
The Privates
The Silver Seas
Turbo Fruits
Mona
Pico vs. Island Trees
Ponderosa
The Effects
The Kicks

I know, I know.  They’re all local Nashville bands.   You’ve never heard any of them and I’ve only heard a fistfull.  Nonetheless, according to Nashville Cream that’s the complete  list of bands that will be competing in the “Road to Bonnaroo” hosted by the Mercy Lounge.  Those bands will be split up into four groups and will participate in  epic show downs on February 22, March 22, April 19 and May 17.  The winner of each night gets a set at the Troo Music Lounge in Manchester.  Pretty sweet deal, in my opinion.  I tried to get a spot in the competition but was quickly rebuffed for “not being in a band” and  ”sounding terrible” and “not having any pants on.”  Whatever.  Its a free country Mercy Lounge.

Anyway, they did this last year and I’m told it was a huge hit.  You’ve got the best local talent in Nashville, TN competing for a chance to play ‘Roo (even if it is the Troo Music Lounge).  That’s a deep well to be drawing water from and the stakes are huge.  From all reports I’ve heard, you can expect these bands to bring their A-games.  To top it all off, when I went to see Gaslight Anthem and Murder By Death at Mercy Lounge in the fall, the venue fuckin’ delivered.  Count me in.

If any of the Minority were thinking about a weekend trip to Nashville in the near future, those weekends would be sure things.  Great local music on top of all of the other typical honky tonkin’.  And, just for Minority members, I won’t even take creepy pictures of you while you sleep on my couch like I do normal guests.

Here’s a segment from the film “Black Dynamite” that opened up at my neighborhood’s arthouse theater this weekend.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk6Zy1xC4JM&NR=1[/youtube]

You can watch the trailer here.  Obviously, I plan on seeing it as soon as the football game concludes tonight.  How am I, an uber-white person, supposed to react to this film in a public setting?  I have no idea what proper etiquette calls for in this situation.  All I know is that there’s nothing as innocent and pure as hearty laughter, so I’m going to laugh hysterically.  I can’t be faulted for that.  If anyone gives me shit I’ll just start yelling at the screen to show them what truely offensive behavior looks like.

The Belcourt, the theater referenced above, has a full liquor license.  I’d never expereienced this before going to see “It Might Get Loud” there in the fall.  Anyway, I got way too excited, drank way too much, and had to leave during the film to take a piss.  Only in hindsight did I realize how predictable that course of events should have been.  Despite this, I’m still a little miffed that they refuse to sell you more than two drinks at a time.  A two drink limit might be appropriate for a middle schooler but not for this dude.  Get with it Belcourt!

Switching gears, I just picked up one of the most critically acclaimed country releases of 2009, Buddy and Julie Miller’s “Written in Chalk”.  Nashville has more or less universally praised the effort and it isn’t hard to see why.   Check out the track below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeLbsdcfUEs[/youtube]

I’m still sinking my teeth into the album but I highly recommend it for anyone sympathetic to singer/songwriter stuff and looking for an in-road into the country genre.  Buddy Miller’s guitar work, although not highlighted in the above captioned track, really is phenomenal.  Keep in mind that if none of you guys positively respond to my country suggestions you will FORCE me to post a 10,000 word opus called “In Defense of Country Music”.  You don’t want to read that, I don’t want to write it, so just get on board for fuck’s sake.

Finally, this story in the NY Times about cavemen is awesome.  I’ve never been one to fall for diet fads but this lifestyle just screams Rural Minority.  The peice is two pages long but you really need to read the whole thing.  It starts off totally bad ass, increases in bad assery, gets a little weird for short bit, then quickly returns to bad assness.  Anyway, I’ll take the plunge if you do.