Retribution Gospel Choir

Retribution Gospel Choir
(Caldo Verde)

Alan Sparkhawk and Matt Livingston might want to think about building those ships that people put inside bottles. They seem to want to have a hobby. For most people, being in Low would be enough. Even after almost 15 years, Low remain one of the most beautiful bands around.
With this side band, presumably formed in the garage, the boys go back to the basics and just play some pretty basic rock music. Nothing special.

It’s well played by experienced professionals, but lacking in blood, spirit and heart. When Sparkhawk’s wife, Mimi Parker, occasionally pops in to add her vocals, they become Low, and all is forgiven. Producer Mark Kozelek does a fine job of recording the band, but one also misses his songwriting abilities.
I’m not mad, just a bit disappointed. I might be less forgiving if I’d had to pay for my copy, though.

c. 2008 LEO Weekly

Anonymous comments are awesome!

I've been writing about music for the Louisville papers for almost 4 years now, ever since I stumbled upon Jeffrey Lee Puckett in a Germantown bar. In that time, I've also worked at the ear x-Tacy record store, and I ran the Old Louisville Coffeehouse, where we hosted 130 all-ages concerts (somewhere around 500 bands) in 13 months, before being shut down by a cranky yuppie neighbor with a lust for calling in noise complaints.

I tried to book every kind of music I could there - mostly punk and hardcore, but also indie rock, folk, jazz, hip hop and random weirdos. Wax Fang played their second show there, in November 2005, many months before they even had a name. My assistant manager played with Second Story Man and Joe Manning; customers would ask my other best employee, "Didn't I see you singing last night at the Jazz Factory with Liberation Prophecy?"
Everyone was welcome, not only to watch but also to play, whether they were 5 or 85. It was a glorious, but ultimately, failed experiment.

I had fun trying to support the local music scene, trying to provide an outlet that it was otherwise lacking. I met lots of people, most of whom were very nice and/or interesting. One of my favorites was Brandon Skipworth, an exceptionally decent fellow who's done wonderful, necessary work over many years as a partner in the Noise Pollution record label.
They put the out the great collection Bold Beginnings: An Incomplete Collection of Louisville Punk 1978 - 1983, which you might have heard about on a series on WFPK, and they've put out excellent discs by VRKTM, Tyrone, Out. and many others.

Noise Pollution recently released a disc by The Teeth. I wrote a review of it, assuming that - as usual - I would hear no direct response to my essay. Once it's out there, it's out, and hopefully people get the idea. I always assume that bands - or anyone trying to make their name known to the public and trying to sell their product in exchange for money - would know that any publicity is good publicity. Well, two months later, I found that I was being discussed on a message board. Oddly enough, it was more positive that hateful!

I am not bringing this topic to this forum to continue the discussion, or backtrack from my review or anything else I've written in the past in any way. I write this because
a) I find it highly amusing
and
b) One of the main reasons why I do this (besides the paycheck) is because I love music,
and I love the Louisville music scene, and being able to shine a light on all the gorgeously unique sounds and ideas that come out of here and, all too often, never leave here.

To you, the Louisvillian who is 21 and older, who isn't going to do anything more exciting tonight, I would ask you to listen to this band, The Teeth, for free, on their MySpace page and decide for yourself if you like them. I'm just one person. My opinion is important but yours is, too (unless you like Sheryl Crow or Lenny Kravitz - in that case, you have no rights).
The Teeth are playing at Cahoots at 1047 Bardstown Road in the Highlands with One Small Step at 10 p.m.

Oh, and tell 'em Berkowsh**z sent you.



C. 2008 Velocity Weekly

The Gutter Twins

Saturnalia
(Sub Pop)

What is it with our middle-aged Alternative Nation icons turning to mid-’90s trip-hop beats in the later days of the George W. era?
Perhaps The Gutter Twins, Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan, can go on tour with Bob Mould — We’re 40-something and Fierce! co-sponsored by Paste magazine and Zima, for those of you who used to rock but are now in recovery and/or too sore.

Though their press release brags them up as “The Satanic Everly Brothers,” Dulli and Lanegan are caught in the purgatory of their own creations. No longer 20-something hellions, not yet The Next Tom Waits — these aging bad boys are still vital artistically, yet more known commercially to people who haven’t watched MTV since Kennedy was introducing the next hot bands.
Lanegan, still one of the best singers in the world, is wise to share the stage with Dulli. The whiny Dulli tries hard and emotes often, but can’t sound much better than Alanis Morissette next to the bluesy, poetic Lanegan, a David Lynch muse whom Lynch just hasn’t discovered yet.

c. 2008 LEO Weekly

Matt Messina interview

His bio:
Matt Messina is a native Seattle symphony composer now living in Los Angeles scoring music to film and television.

"His purpose as a composer is to help his directors and producers tell their stories and his dramatic sense in writing for the screen is solid." - Julie Gustafson, 20th Century Fox

His inimitable style of songwriting and composition has earned him accolades within the recording industry (ASCAP, NARIS, BAFTA). Recently, he took home 2 Best Score awards; The Festival Tous Courts in France and The One reel Film festival in the US.

His unique style of scoring film has earned him recognition on his most recent scores for Fox Searchlight's Juno and MGM's Bumper.



Peter Berkowitz:
I've got a few questions about the upcoming local screening of JUMP! here. How did you get hooked up with this project?

Matt Messina:
A wonderful production executive over at Warner Brothers put (director) Helen (Hood Scheer) and I together. She had heard some of my music and when Helen was looking for a composer, she suggested me. As it turns out, I was scheduled on a flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina that Friday, so when I heard on a Wednesday that she wanted me to do it, I sort of switched gears and got to work on her film.

How did you get into scoring movies in the first place?
I got into scoring because I have a love for storytelling. As a composer, I see my job as helping each director tell their story. I love the challenge of writing for different genres, different emotions, using different ensembles. I started dabbling in film scoring while I lived in Seattle, but I quickly moved to Hollywood as I realized this is where a lot of it happens.

What kind of sounds did you hear in your head when you saw/ thought of jumpers?
I loved the sounds their ropes made as they whip over their heads. I was inspired by the fact these very different groups were all together for one sport. So, I knew we could tell the story from many different angles musically. That said, overall we decided on a hip hop feel early on. There is such energy in what the jumpers are doing that it's infectious.

Do you see (hear) any direct connection between jumping and other sports like basketball, or skating? Or do you see it more like math or chess?
I definitely see a connection between Jumping and other sports we know as 'common' in America. I think it's clearly a form of self expression as well as endurance, skill, balance, rhythm, and drive.

Do you think of jump rope as being more Hip Hop or more Rock 'n' Roll?
Either or. Both Hip Hop and Rock n Roll carry an energy and spirit to them that is at times exciting and other times just 'cool."

JUMP! and JUNO both have 4 letters, the first 2 of which are the same. Coincidence?
Yes. Coincidence.

Congratulations on the Academy Awards! What's it like to win for Best Screenplay?
It's fantastic! I am so happy for Diablo. She's a great girl and I am proud of her.

What's Ellen Page really like?
Very sweet, incredibly sharp.

What do you have lined up next?
I'm wrapping up a Thriller for MGM. Next up is coming down to about 5 projects. They all spin in the air and depending on timing, sensibilities, luck, and determination one of them will end up being my next project.

Thanks, I appreciate it.
Thank you, I appreciate your good questions!

Mateo Messina
Composer/Producer
www.mateomessina.com


JUMP! is an award-winning feature-length documentary about competitive jump rope that follows five teams of kids from around the country who push physical and psychological limits in pursuit of winning the World Championship. Part extreme sport, part art form, their moves are masterfully choreographed and bursting with rhythm, sweat and originality. These teens sacrifice everything to get where they are and each has his or her own reason to be so driven. After arduous drilling and mind-boggling performances, rivalry and collaboration have dramatic, unexpected results.

visit the movie's site here for more info...





c. 2008 Velocity Weekly