Brianna Taylor from MTV's Real World Hollywood will perform songs from her self-titled debut EP tonight at the Canal Room. The exotic dancer (sans g-string, clear high heels and stripper pole) will open for American Idol alum Blake Lewis, who is bringing his Audio Day Dream to NYC for the first time. We caught up with this saucy, outspoken rable rouser and asked important questions about her music, life on the show and which side she's on in Philly's cheese steak war.

LWMB: How do you look back on your experience on The Real World? Any regrets?

No regrets at all. It made me a stronger individual, and I'm glad I got to have the experience.

How "real" was the experience?

CRAZY!!! We're all nutcases!! It's 100% real. We all come from different backgrounds, so the conflict was expected.

Did the show affect your music at all?

I think it helped it simply because nobody expects a stripper to actually be able to sing, so viewers were blown away when they actually heard my voice!

Tell us how the songs on your EP came together.

I didn't write any of them. They were given to me, and I refuse to sing anything that I can't get into or can't relate to. All of the songs really show everything I was going through at that moment in my life, and I know everyone that listens to my music has been there.

While some people might've caught a few moments of you singing on the show, you're still a new commodity, so to speak. What can people expect from your upcoming NYC show?

Definitely a rockin' time!!!!

The next season of The Real World will take place in Brooklyn. Any advice for the cast?

Be yourself!! Don't sugar coat anything. Don't be afraid to speak your mind or cry and let it out.

Since you're from Philly we would be remiss if we didn't ask you: Geno's or Pat's?

GENO'S!!!! And Jim's...and Steve's...haha it's a hard question!!!!

In the second part of our interview with Peter Hook of Joy Division/New Order fame, the legendary bassist talks about DJing, playing bass in a band with two other famous bassists and the movie Control.

LWMB: Tell me about your new group, Freebass.

I’ve got a new group with two friends of mine in Manchester: Mani, who used to play bass in Stone Roses, and Andy Rourke, who used to play bass in The Smiths. We originally started it one drunken evening because we were all pissed off with our lead singers because they wouldn’t work. Thankfully it’s grown into something I am becoming quite proud of and it’s getting me quite excited about these days. We’ve got eight songs finished at the moment. Once we got over the hilarity of taking the piss of three bass players working together it’s actually worked so I’m delighted.

So do you think we can expect an album in 2009?

Expect something very quickly, actually. I’m determined to get rid of it! I’ve been really busy DJing, and I keep putting the project on the back burner while I DJ. Obviously, I still have to work to live so it’s difficult for me to commit full time to Freebass. But it’s getting there, slowly inching forward. We’ve been helped by our friends. Tim Burgess did a vocal for us, and we have a vocal from Howard Mark and Pete Wiley. Billy Corgan is doing one for us as is Ian Brown. It was easy to enlist a lot of our friends.

When I interviewed you before New Order's last album came out, you said you were DJing for a laugh. What’s your relationship like with DJing right now?

I take it much more seriously now than when I started. It’s a fantastic second job, and I’m very lucky. My first job is playing bass in a band. My second job is DJ and it doesn’t come much better than that.

I want to be you when I grow up.

Or you be a gynecologist. That would be a cool job.

Are you playing vinyl?

I toyed with the idea, but my arms are long enough! I couldn’t bare the thought of lugging all that shit around with me.

Before I let you go, what were your impressions of Control?

I love Control. I’m here in Los Angeles promoting the Joy Division documentary, which is our story told by us. It turned out far better than I ever imagined and is the perfect answer to Control. I was very happy with it. I have a surreal job and life and it fitted in quite well. I really enjoyed it. Anton [Corbijn] did a great job and it’s more factually correct that 24 Hour Party People.

Yesterday I spoke to one of the all-time legends in the game, Peter Hook. As bass player for Joy Division and New Order, his singular low end sound is often imitated but never duplicated. One of Manchester, England’s favorite sons is also a working DJ. Right now Hooky is promoting the band’s brand new DVD, Live at Glasgow, and Joy Division - The Documentary.

Within seconds of beginning our conversation he confirmed what many have speculated for nearly a year: “New Order have split up,” he said. Talking from Los Angeles, Hook wouldn’t rule out a reunion in the future, but he’s not waiting around for his relationship with singer Bernard Sumner to improve any time soon. Despite his issues with Sumner, Hook and drummer Stephen Morris put together Live at Glasgow, mainly because they both hated how their last DVD looked (“I can’t stand the look of it because “the editing looked like it had been done by a hyperactive five-year-old, and I couldn’t bear the look of it.”)

LWMB: You were very involved in the creation of Live at Glasgow. How do you rate it?

Peter Hook: Steve and I have made a video we can watch, and we worked hard to make sure it sounded as well as it could. We gave fans something they normally wouldn't see since we played some songs we haven’t played in 25 years. I think it’s a great package.

This might be a rhetorical question, but does one play any differently when they know they’re being filmed for a DVD?

Not after 20 odd years. No, you’re pretty good at handling yourself onstage, and it’s not like when you’re 21 or 22 and aren’t used to being in front of a camera.

You just confirmed to me that New Order is history. Can we expect any rare or unreleased tracks to surface?

Ironically enough, we just found a vault full of tapes that had been hidden away for 15 years in Manchester, and there’s a hell of a lot of live stuff. I think there’s a tendency when groups don’t exist anymore to milk the past. We all have to live, so we’ll hopefully work on a way to exploit the past….we’re not sure how we’re going to do it yet. The vault had one amazing tape recorded at a festival in 1987, which celebrated ten years of punk. Howard Devoto’s Magazine, the Buzzcocks, Echo & The Bunneymen, The Smiths and New Order [were on the bill] and the tapes had disappeared. According to the radio station that recorded the show, the tapes had been recorded over. Lo and behold we found this vault after 15 years and there tapes are.

Can you say as matter of fact that New Order will never reunite?

As far as I’m concerned New Order have split up and at the atmosphere is very frosty, unfortunately. Good God, if The Eagles could get together again after they went through then I suppose there’s hope for us all.

On Monday, we'll bring you the second half of the interview, where Peter Hook talks about his new band, Freebass, and his DJ career.

“Yo, it’s Cube.” It’s not everyday a revered gangsta rapper/actor/director calls you up. In this case Ice Cube (the brains behind blockbuster flicks like Fridays and Barbershop) called to discuss his ninth album, Raw Footage, which drops in June. The album’s first single, “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It,” is a hard-hitting joint (how’s that for an appropriate use of hip-hop jlingo?) and features cameos from Nas and Scarface. Another cut called “Why Me?” is told from the viewpoint of a crime victim and features Musiq Soulchild singing the R&B hook.

The self-released Raw Footage finds the MC who helped take NWA out of South Central back in the day recall his grittier earlier work. Clearly, he's still mad as hell and will continue to not take it anymore. Cube vents his frustration at society on songs like “It Takes A Nation,” in which he says “I’m talking shit about what’s going on in the industry and the world when it comes to black people.”

Our conversation soon gravitated to politics. Like most Americans, Ice Cube is closely watching the presidential election, and he’s made his decision.

LWMB: Have you endorsed a Presidential candidate?
Ice Cube: "Yeah, I’m going for Obama."

LWMB: Would you campaign for him?
Ice Cube: "Nope. Nah, I ain’t gonna. I don’t know enough about him to do all that, and he ain’t never asked me. But he’s definitely gonna get my vote."

While Cube is pleased that issues about race and class are finally being addressed in the public forum, he remains skeptical while hoping for the best. “It’s time to talk about it and see what we’re going to do about it. The country has to ask itself if we want to keep going the way we’ve been going, or is it time to make a change and let them old ways die so the new ways of thinking can come in. So we’ll see. A lot of people are looking to see if America will continue to sing the same song."

Tomorrow we’ll post more from our interview with Ice Cube, including details about two interesting film projects he's involved in. Hint: one of them is a revamping of a '70s sitcom that starred John Travolta.

The Music Slut just posted a link to an interview with Xiu Xiu front man, Jamie Stewart. 

The interview is fairly unsurprising, but will definitely be of interest for Xiu Xiu/Stewart fans.  Yet, the interviewer (Noah Michelson) managed to start his piece with the kind of question that makes me despair the state of musician interviews:

If you were locked inside a refrigerator and you only had one breath of air left, how would you describe Women As Lovers?
Jamie Stewart: [Laughs] If I could only say one thing I'd probably just want to tell my niece that I loved her. I don't know that I'd waste my time describing it...

Come on, Noah!  Could you really have expected some sort of pithy, insightful remark that sums up an artist's perception of this own work?  I'm betting that "laugh" wasn't because Stewart thinks Women As Lovers is his most hilarious album... 

Last week, Valeze's front-woman Tiffany Randol brought her folk rock side project to LWMB's party at the Knitting Factory. Mike caught up with her after the set for the interview below. Randol's "not-so-innocent" solo EP, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is currently available on iTunes.

Nathan caught up with local punk trio Career Club, who performed during LWMB's event at the Knitting Factory last week. After their energetic performance, the band was kind enough to give us a quick interview in which they discussed German journalism, vintage clothing, and the origin of their industrious moniker. Keep your eye open for their upcoming album, Pure Hearing.

Pitchfork contributor Matt LeMay explains the bane of the current indie rock culture: The Hype Cycle.

Who is going to win a Grammy this year? That’s been the discussion amongst hardcore music lovers like yourself since the nominations were made public last week. Everyone has an opinion about who deserves a nod from the Academy, so we decided to ask Steven Smith, executive producer and host of Fuse's NYC based Steven's Untitled Rock Show and The Sauce, for his two cents on the musical matter.

LWMB: Who should’ve been nominated this year for a Grammy?
Steven Smith: I think Fall Out Boy got shafted. They crafted an amazing pop record and pulled in some great producers. I feel they were slighted.

Who's most deserving of an award?
Kanye is definitely most deserving. He'll tell you himself. Kanye creates original music everyone can appreciate. He and Amy Winehouse. She creates un-original music that is just wonderful to listen to.

Steve Vai and Joe Satriani were both nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performances. Who is the best shredder?
Seeing as how Steve Vai was a student of Joe Satriani, I would definitely go with Eddie Van Halen. Seriously, Steve Vai.

The Producer of the Year, Non-Classical category is an interesting one, where a few legends are up against some new manes. Who's your money on?
Timbaland. The man is a machine. He's the most innovative producer in the game. And he's huge.

Ever think of franchising your show, like Steven's Untitled Country Show, or Steven's Untitled Gospel Show?
That's a great idea. I would even go further and divide into sub genres like Steven's Untitled Skiffle Show or Stevens' Untitled Post Punk Art Techno Noise Show.

Who would you rather sit next to at the award ceremony: Amy Winehouse or Britney Spears?
Britney Spears. I'll take a caesarian scar over those teeth any day.

Can you believe Mary J. Blige received eight nominations? I don't think she can sing very well, though she has a lot of heart.
I disagree. I feel Mary J. is in a class all her own. She doesn't need to do vocal gymnastics because of her "heart," and if U2 backs her then she must be awesome. I saw her perform with them on the Vertigo Tour and she was spectacular.

JT's FutureSex/LoveSounds is our guilty Grammy pleasure. What's yours?
Anything nominated for the best packaging grammy.

If you won a Grammy, who would you thank?
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Who's gonna win in '08?
Sadly, not the American people.

On the other end of the electronic music spectrum, far away from the visceral shock and awe of bands like Daft Punk, Justice and The Chemical Brothers, is England’s Hot Chip. Thanks to their DFA association, and the unexpected success of their infectious single “Over and Over” from The Warning, the band’s quirky brand of oddball dance has quietly won them a passionate following and heaps of critical praise. After touring and playing DJ dates all over the globe during this year, the band found time to mix an installment of the venerable DJ Kicks series earlier in the year and record its third album, Made in the Dark, which is due in February.

Where The Warning was a more confident affair that raised their global profile tenfold and earned them a wider audience—something co-founder Alexis Taylor isn’t entirely comfortable with—Made in the Dark contains a mix of wonderful uptempo songs and a few downtempo gems. Hot Chip recently spent a few days in New York City promoting the new album and Taylor was happy to discuss the band’s “rockier” sound and the downside of having a hit single.

LWMB: Let’s get the obligatory question out of the way: What’s behind the name of the new album, Made in the Dark?
Alexis Taylor: The song itself, and the chorus specifically, is about falling in love and trying to understand that process. Some of the most important moments between two people take place with the lights off… “We were made (us two together) in the dark.” The phrase makes me remember a particular moment, a specific moment in time, but at the same time can be taken as a metaphor for the unconscious itself—but also the unconscious, intuitive music-making process within our band. It also neatly conveys our existence in the womb—we where begin to form as human beings—in the dark. My friend pointed out that before that even, we were most likely "made"(conceived) in the dark, when our parents were getting it on, so to speak. So there you go.

I know a lot of early press on the new album talks about the album’s “rockier” sound, but I really fell for the downbeat charm of “We’re Looking For a Lot of Love.” What’s the story behind that song?
That one, lyrically, is similar to “Made in the Dark.” It is an attempt to understand love, and being in awe of someone, something and the discrepancy between those two things. It also features a nod to “The Bhodi Tree” by Bobby Callender, a beautiful song that the group Black Dice introduced us to.

Were you at all surprised by the success of The Warning and its nomination for the Mercury Prize?
Not so much surprised as pleased. But we were never expecting to win. They rarely give it to people whose music I like.??

“Over and Over” raised Hot Chip’s profile. What’s it like to have a genuine hit song in your live set?
It feels simultaneously amazing and irritating! People go so nuts to that song that you can’t help but enjoy their response. But the downside is the fact that they often seem like they’re sitting through all of our unconventional strange “non” hits just waiting to hear it… Also it wasn’t actually a hit in chart terms. The label essentially released it three times and it only reached number 27 or something. Not really a hit.
I like that Smog song “A Hit”: “It’s not gonna be a hit/So why even bother with it??I’ll never be a Bowie, I’ll never be an Eno. I’ll only ever be a Gary Numan.”
That’s how I feel.

Any remixes in the works?
Alicia Keys. Just did Kraftwerk and also Rilo Kiley. I’d love for us to remix Bjork or Robert Wyatt. But those are just dreams.??

Will the band tour the States after the album is released in February? Any DJ dates in the works?
Yes. The usual thing. April of next year. And then probably keep ourselves up late DJing after the shows, too.??

Pick one: Hilary or Obama
Or


Hot Chip's "Over and Over"

Even though the Writers Guild of America is on strike, it’s difficult for comedian/writer Michael Showalter (a proud union member, thank you) to stop thinking about work. This week JDub released his hilarious comedy debut, Sandwiches & Cats, which mixes his trademark observational humor with a heavy helping of sarcasm and a few absolutely bizarre songs. On Sandwiches & Cats, which was recorded over four shows in Brooklyn, Showalter wonders why Starbucks only sold one DVD for a while and why it’s a big deal for men to wash their hands after they go to the bathroom. He also plays the role of the frustrated caller in a skit where he’s plunged into the depths of voice prompt hell.

Showalter made a name for himself as a member of The State (the outrageous sketch comedy group who had a brief run on MTV from 1993-1995) and as one-third of Stella (He also had a brief stint on The Daily Show and has been involved in various film projects). Showalter says releasing an album has proved to be a much different experience compared to his TV and movie projects. “I am very happy that it’s out now and we’ll just have to see,” explains the Boerum Hill resident. “It’s not quite the same thing as when it’s a movie or TV show because it’s not nearly as tense. With a movie or TV show, if it doesn’t succeed in the first week, it dies. So I’m pretty relaxed about the album.”

So is this album a career highlight? “Any of the projects that actually come to fruition are high moments for me,” he deadpans. “It’s cool to do all sorts of different things and stay busy.”

Showalter is currently on the road with his equally talented Stella homie Michael Ian Black, and he proudly reports they’ve just landed a pilot deal with Comedy Central. The State is about to reunite after a ten-year hiatus and Showalter also plans to direct a teenage zombie movie film. Despite his workload, Showalter somehow manages to teach two screenwriting classes at NYU Graduate Film School. If only he had the time to work on his hilarious (but dormant) College Humor web show, The Michael Showalter Showalter, which featured brilliant skits with Andy Samberg, David Cross and Zach Galifianakis.

“My mother told me that it’s hard to get an elephant pregnant, so in order to get one pregnant, the male elephants has to have sex with lots of them,” says the professor. “That’s kind of my work model. You have to stay busy because you never know which things is actually going to happen.”

A clip from The Michael Showalter Showalter

 

I caught up with Benny Blanco and Ronnie Darko, two of Spank Rock's key collaborators, at the MTVu Woodies last week. Blanco, who obviously took advantage of the free open bar, grabbed my microphone and controlled the interview. Unsure of what to do, I lurked in the background like a Jewish grandma, gvelling. Boy, was I out of place.

We ran into Will and Andy from The Academy Is... backstage at the Woodies last night...

I ran into Greg from Tokyo Police Club last night after his band performed at the MTVu Woodie Awards. His mind was on geography, so we talked about recent tour stops in Vegas, New York and Japan. Check our convo out below.

You can catch the Woodies on MTVu - - Nov. 18th at 8 PM.

A few days ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Anaheim pop punk band New Years Day after their Irving Plaza show. Since their run on the Warped Tour, the young band has quickly become a staple among the Hot Topic crowd, thanks to their upbeat energy. We talked about stage presence, underwear, and the Buzzcocks. We even got to meet Ash's mom. Watch below.

Last night, I met up with Elias from The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus after his band rocked The Fillmore in Union Square. We talked about new material, life on the road, and jailbait.

The band is currently recording a new album, and they want you to help them pick a title. Check out the video below, and comment with title ideas for their next CD.

One of our favorite Swedish pop groups, The Shout Out Louds, stopped by Bowery Ballroom last week as part of their North American tour with Johnossi and Nico Vega. Adam (singer) and Carl (bassist) met up with LWMB correspondent Roland Trafton, and brought him up to speed with what they've been up to. Their latest album, Our Ill Wills, is currently in stores.

 

South Carolina-bred four piece The Films played at The Annex on Friday night to a packed room of dancing scenesters and CMJ attendees. As usual, the band shook the walls with their addictive songs and energetic stage presence. I caught up with the guys after the show to see what they had to say about horses, Germans and their new album, Don't Dance Rattlesnake.

Oh boy, it's either really late at night, or very early in the morning right now. As CMJ roars on, we continue staying up to ungodly hours discovering awesome bands and new venues. Tonight, we saw a handful of strong shows, including a rocking set from NYC's own Semi Precious Weapons at LIT Lounge. We caught up with the guys after the set:

I recently caught up with Issar Tennenbaum from Israeli rock band, Rockfour. The Tel Aviv natives flew half way across the world to play CMJ this year, and will be back at Southpaw on October 26th. Here's what Issar had to say:

British electronica duo The Chemical Brothers recently spoke with Lime Wire Music Blog correspondent Darren Ressler before their September '07 show at McCarren Park Pool. Here's what they had to say:

Bob Mould blazed indie rock trails in the mid-80s as the singer-guitarist for iconic post-punk trio Husker Du. After attaining critical success as a solo artist and Sugar, Mould, who relocated from New York City to Washington, DC in 2003, has been piloting Blowoff, an anything goes DJ project/club night in DC, along with uber producer/remixer George Morel.

Shortly after the 2006 release of Blowoff’s incredible (and sadly overlooked) self-titled debut which encompassed pop, rock and electronic music, Mould described the duo sets to me as “somewhere between Thank God It’s Friday and The Black Party.” Ever since, we’ve been intrigued by his long-running shindig at DC's 9:30 Club.

Fortunately for us, Mould and Morel head up I-95 this weekend and bring their party to the Highline Ballroom on Saturday. We caught up with Mould, the self-described nicest guy in the world, and asked him what us jaded New Yorkers can expect to experience.

What can newcomers to Blowoff expect from the night?
Bob Mould: A fun crowd, fresh visuals, and a very wide variety of club and indie music.

Have any diehard Husker fans ever run screaming from a Blowoff gig?
I wouldn't know; I'm too busy throwing a party to notice.

How do you rate yourself as a DJ these days?
I do okay. I'd like to think my choices in music are better than my technical skills.

You used to call New York City home. What's it like to play here now that you live in DC?
It will be fun to see all my NYC buds again. Lots of them have been coming to DC to check out the party, so it's the least I could do in bringing it up here.

George Morel is an amazingly talented musician (he really shines on your new live DVD!). What have you learned from working with him?
Richard Morel has a great ear for music, and his own style. Blowoff is the sum of the different approaches. It's been working well.

Who was the last person you blew off?
I never blow anyone off. I'm the nicest guy in the world.