Video

Justin stopped by the venerable radio station KEXP in Seattle for a video during his current super long tour.

Check out the video of the session HERE where he plays some new songs, as well as the title track from Midnight at the Movies

Here's a nifty new video for the song "People, Places and Things" from the Duo's release Ruins of Berlin.  It's on YouTube and Vimeo. It's got some oooooolllldddd footage of Dex, too.

The thing with some artists is that they haven't been around long enough to have interesting stories.  Not so with Exene.  She's a living part of music history and when she gets rolling on some stories, they are a hoot to read.

Here's a couple good 'uns that have come our way recently.  Culturebelly talks with her about art and the creation thereof, and then a video interview (with performance footage and X music) on Shockhound.  Good stuff.  G'head, you might learn sumthin'.

Check out wildman Scott's weepy side on this new video "Still Drunk, Still Crazy, Still Blue" directed by Blake Judd on Blurt Online.

As some of us get ready to run out the door and head to Boston for our 15th Anniversary Shindig at the Middle East, here are some nifty goings on:

• Andre Williams recently recorded a new album for us in the Motor City with Matt Smith (Outrageous Cherry, Volebeats, Nathanial Mayer) at the controls.  Sitting in with them was Motown guitar legend Dennis Coffey.  Read about Dennis and the recording in the Detroit Metro Times here.

• Scott H. Biram played the Off Broadway in St Louis earlier in the month, and Lo-Fi STL was there to capture it on video.  Check Scott out in all his feral glory here

• Wayne Hancock submitted himself to some vigorous questioning by our buddies at PopMatters.com. Want to know what movie makes Wayne cry?  His favorite albums?  Can he rap?  Looky here for answers.

• The Chicago/Hideout Party is shaping up with the addition of the Drunken Spelling Bee and Belt Sander Races.  Also, we are so happy to have a reunion show by Moonshine Willy. Here's an interview with singer/guitarist Kim Docter on the Beechwood Reporter

Now, time to get some fresh scallops....

See you this week in Boston, and next week in Philly.  Where should I go for cheesesteaks and lobster rolls?

The Death Panel Edition:  We here at Bloodshot are all for the Death Panels, as long as we get to do the picking.  That only seems fair.

• It's been a busy BUSY week in our steamy little hive as we gear up to take the 15th Anniversary caravan up Madison and Minneapolis way, a weekend of cheese curds and Replacements covers.  Look out!  JP will be tweeting and googling and gurgling and whatnot from Madison all day, so check for updates on this sold out party.  In Minneapolis, Scott will be sending up to the minute teletypes on our shiny new Faxtrola.

• Scott H. Biram stopped by the studios of KDHX in St Louis for some interview action and played some songs.  Some enterprising young radio cuss had the good sense to film some of it.  Here's Scott playing Sinkin' Down from his recent album.

• Zach, one of our steadfast, well-mannered and only moderately delusional interns was in Louisville last week with his band and found himself in a late night tattoo parlor (hey, these things happen), and well, let's let him tell the rest:

"There is this tattoo shop in Louisville that was awesome enough to re-open their shop at 12:00am after the show to hook up a couple of the kids on tour with me with some rad ink. We happened to be in Louisville the same exact night as Scott H. Biram, so as my friend Matt was getting all tatted up, this guy, wasted off his ass, stumbles into the shop and just starts raving about Biram and how awesome the show was. He happened to be a friend of the guy giving the tattoos, so he walks into the room where he's working, pulls out a boombox, puts the new Biram disc in, throws the stereo on the very table my friend is getting his tattoo on, and continues to drunkenly hover over the tattoo artist, blaring "Still Drunk, Still Crazy, Still Blue" while the tattoo artist continues to place ink on my friend that will be there for the rest of his life!"

The mysterious powers of Scott H. Biram: heed them well, my friends.

• Rob's Recommendation of the Week: The movie The Cove. Not an easy watch, to be sure, but riveting, sometimes funny, sometimes gory and truly heroic; a brilliantly conceived call to action.  Not cloying or hyperbolic.  The guilty hang themselves.  The villians plainly evident.   A refreshingly Michael Moore-free style of documentary.  Flipper WILL get his revenge.

We'll see you next week.

we remain,

Bloodshot

Greetings from the home of the Bloodshot Birthist Movement!  We here firmly believe that all of our own birth certificates are forgeries, that we were all born in Malta, and thus we are not allowed to ever be President of these United States.  All those pictures of us on the web drinking too much prolly wouldn't have helped anyway...

Here are some tidbits for your weekend:

• Early word from the Justin Townes Earle/Big Surprise Tour is that it is one helluva good time for audiences and performers alike.  Take a gander at THIS clip from the Boston show.  Don't fret if you missed seeing JTE and Cory, they'll be on the road with Dan Auerbach all November

• A few months ago Mark Pickerel stopped into an upstart website's studio in Chicago called Coach House Sounds and hung out and played some songs, tuned their drums and drank their beer.  Here be the results.

• 15th ANNIVERSARY PARTY NEWS! Our lineups in Austin and Brooklyn have been confirmed, and tickets are on sale for Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis and Philly.  More news to come soon, but get the latest skinny here

• BOTTLE ROCKETS RELEASE DATE NIGH! Just a few more days (August 11th) and you can still pre-order the LP/CD and have your name thrown into a drawing for a special Bottle Rockets prize package put together by the boys themselves.  We sincerely hope it will NOT include an old sandwich, which might be odoriferous by the time it reaches you.  I suspect not however.  Check out the poster for Vintage Vinyl's hometown show on release day.

• Were you at the Bloodshot/Taste of Chicago Day Party in Downtown Chicago?  Yeah, well, you weren't alone.  Anyway, the great Kids Dance Party Show Chic-A-Go-Go filmed it.  They're showing it on cable access show Channel 19 Tuesday, August 11th at 8:30 and Wednesday August 12th at 3:30 pm.  See Andre, Dollar Store, Langford, Deadstring Brothers and more!

• In a new segment we're calling "Get To Know Your Bloodshot Staffer", I asked Radio Promotions/Tour Support Master Joe Swank a few questions.  Hopefully, these segments will soothe you as you realize the music on Bloodshot you have come to love is in the hands of genuine lunatics....I mean.... caring, thoughtful hard working mavens of music.
• 1) Your hometown: Marion, Illinois
• 2) Your first concert: Waylon Jennings on a Wednesday, Willie Nelson on a Thursday.
• 3)What was the first album purchased with your own money: A Million Or More in '76 as performed by the Kings Road Players
• 4) What is your favorite album OF ALL TIME: Willie Nelson - Willie And Family Live
• 5) What was your first job in the "Music industry" (how ever you want to define that):  Working overnights at WDDD Radio in Marion, IL
• 6) Fill in the blank: "If I could get in the secret NASA Wayback Machine(you know they have one), and see any band, it would be_________":  Jimi Hendrix
• 7) Fill in the blank: "If I were on a desert island and the jukebox had only Who Let the Dogs Out and Journey's Don't Stop Believing I would___________": Break off the button for "Who Let The Dogs Out" so no one could accidentally play it, then learn the most wicked air guitar solo to "Don't Stop Believing" ever.
• 8) Number of tattoos: 5
• 9)  Wildcard: Let's have a humorous tidbit about yourself: "Roughly 90 percent of all TV I watch is/are cartoons,"

I hope this has helped.  I know i feel better.

Pray for us in Chicago as we endure Lollapalooza in town this weekend.

Bloodshot Digest: The "Short and Sweet" Edition

• My Old Kentucky Blog gives Charlie Pickett some love calling Bar Band Americanus one of "4 You Mighta Missed" -- hey, better late than never! You can read MOKB's review here. The cool blog Lost Forest After Dark also discussed Charlie's ouevre recently, and some of the commenters share early Charlie/Eggs memories and stories ...

• Ha Ha Tonka recorded a live session with Palestra, and they just posted three videos from the session for yr lunch break entertainment: "Hold My Feet To The Fire," "Walking on the Devils Backbone" and "So Quiet, They're Loud".

• SCOTT RECOMMENDS: In light of the the forthcoming celebratory events and contingent art shows, we thought it’d be timely to spotlight the fact that some in the Bloodshot family are purveyors and creators of more than merely timeless music: some create fine art as well. We invite you to visit them on-line, to revel in their visual musings, and to appreciate the breadth of their creativity and vision. If you've already completed collecting these artists' discography, consider supporting them with purchasing art!

• Exene Cervenka: Exhibit information
• Walter Salas-Humara (Silos, I’m Not Jim): Walter's Dogs
• Ben Weaver: Books and art prints
• Jon Langford (Waco Brothers, Pine Valley Cosmonauts): Yard Dog Gallery
• Rico Bell (Mekons): Yard Dog Gallery

• On Monday, we had one of those evenings when we remember why we live here.  The Shelebration, a tribute to Shel Silverstein was held at Millennium downtown.  The weather was perfect.  We brought a picnic and jug of vodka and juice.  The band was Bobby Bare Jr, Nora O'Connor, Patrick from My Morning Jacket, Chris Scruggs and others.  Guests included Sally Timms, Will Oldham, Bobby Bare Sr and Jon Langford.  Check out the video Jon's version of the Shel-penned A Boy Named Sue here.

• What do YOU think of when you add up Salt Lake City and a Metal record store?  That's right: WAYNE HANCOCK! Turns out the dudes dig themselves some Wayne at our new buddies The Heavy Metal Shop store in SLC.  Check out these videos from an in store performance he did with Joe Buck Yourself here.

• Some Great tour announcements this week for our overseas buddies:  Deadstring Brothers will be in the UK in September behind their new album SÅo Paulo and Justin Townes Earle announced some Austrailian/New Zealand dates ("down under" I believe it is called) also in September.  So, that's plenty of time to make your plane reservations...

• Rob's Recommendation of the Week: Gale Street Inn on Milwaukee.  Every year, several friends and I congregate SOMEWHERE for strong drink, meaty meats, conviviality and the All Star Game (for BASEBALL, you Visigoths).   The AL won in part due to the triple by Tigers' outfielder Curtis Granderson.  Oh yeah. The ribs are of the meltinyourmouth variety.  Not smoked.  Just tender and addicting.  It being Chicago, our appetizer for the table (actually the horseshoe part of the bar near the TVs) was a FRIED CHICKEN.  Yes, a whole fried chicken.  Pass the toothpicks.   Say hi to the owner George, he's got the classic Chicago-Belushi-ish vibe.  By the way, the leftover ribs are one of the only things that heat up well in a microwave.  And Go Tigers!

Your weekly or semi-weekly peek into the swirling vortex of weirdness that is life in the Bloodshot Lane.  So, stop tweeting about the King of Pop for a few minutes, relax (the boss ain't watching) and catch up.  All items guaranteed to be Sequined Glove Free.

• Wayne Hancock on Sirius/XM. The Train is performing and being interviewd on the fancy satellite radio.  Show will on Tues June 30th @ 9pm eastern and Thursday July 2nd at 11pm eastern time.  Outlaw Country on Sirius 63 and XM channel 12.

• Justin Townes Earle's new, arty and beautiful video of "Midnight at the Movies" is up on Vimeo and YouTube.  Have a gander.  It's keen, as the kids say (or said).

• What music do musicians listen to?  This age-old question was posited to Ha Ha Tonka's Luke Long at SXSW this year and our friends at Rhapsody.  Check out the answer here.  Personally, I do not think his answer could be more wrong.  It's a BAD album.  I'll take it up with him later.

• While the blogosphere has its up sides, one glaring downside is the crappy writing.  "Reviews" of records that are more half-cocked diary entries like "oh dude, i was up all night doing Jager bombs and watching The Wire on Hulu and was, like, no way was I up for listening to this band" that have precious little to do with the music.  Thus, we are pleased when lengthy, well-crafted critiques come across our desks, like this one from Cheeky Chicago regarding Ha Ha Tonka's new one.  Read it, but beware, you may gain some actual insight on the music.

• Rob's Recommendation of the Week:  Nhu Lan Bakery.   Everyone's got that place (or, pity if you don't) in their 'hood that is just so good, so cheap, so GO TO, that you kinda take it for granted and, POOF, one day you are reminded, scolded almost, to NOT take if for granted.  Today, I atone for this and sing its praises.  Proving that not all colonialism was bad (ok, settle down, it's a joke), this Vietnamese sammich shop on Lawrence Ave in Chicago combines the fish sauce of the east with the crusty baguettes of ol' France.  They are cheap, very tasty, very filling.  The owners are super nice, the coffee nerve-endingly strong.  The flat screen TV over the drink cooler (lemon grass soda, anyone?) alternates between CNN and Asian Lingerie shows.  Some swear by the pate and head cheese sammiches, but they're a little rich for me.  I go for the BBQ pork.  Lots of cilantro, daikon radish and hot peppers.  Check it out, but don't neglect your own GO TO spot in your hood in the process.  Never forget those.

Next week, we'll be coming at you from the first of our 15th Anniversary Beer-B-Q's in Pittsburgh.  Got any suggestions for excellent breakfast places?