White House spokesman Scott McClellan on Newsweek’s story about the alleged desecration of the Koran at Guantanamo Bay:

“The report has had serious consequences,” he said. “People have lost their lives. The image of the United States abroad has been damaged.”

Can anyone say Abu Ghraib? Listening to the White House criticize Newsweek is akin to having Keith Richards self-righteously lecture you on the harms of smoking. Abu Ghraib, our extradition policy, the Iraq War, and the illegal detainment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have damaged our reputation abroad in a much more profound way.

From Flavorpill:

Though MoMA’s moved the masterpieces back to Manhattan, Long Island City is still teeming with culture. Commence an art-filled weekend by touring the furtive Fisher Landau Center, an icon-heavy painting and sculpture collection. Then, drop into the nearby Museum of the Moving Image, where Porgy and Bess lights the screen and Digital Play recreates a video-game arcade. Later, listen to live music in the peaceful Noguchi Museum garden or let loose with Skeletons & the Girl-Faced Boys in P.S.1′s courtyard. Hit the trail again on Sun 5.15 for two exciting sculpture shows: Make It Now: New Sculpture in New York at the stylish Sculpture Center and the competing Sport at the down-to-earth Socrates Sculpture Park. (YP)

Also, a great show at Tommy’s Tavern:
Leaders of the Free World, The Redcoats are Coming, Poorboy Johnson & the Goddamn Rattlesnake, Landrew, and Compassion in Action
Saturday at 8pm (5 bucks)
Tommy’s Tavern
1041 Manhattan Ave (at Freeman St)
G to Greenpoint Ave or B61/B43 to India St.

From Pitchfork
The bands involved were asked to pick a song by answering the question “What have you been listening to lately?” Yes, it’s a covers album — but instead of being treated to a Counting Crows rendition of “Horse With No Name”, we get popular contemporary artists covering… popular contemporary artists. Among the goodies on the CD are the inescapable Devendra Banhart trying on Antony & the Johnson’s white facepaint, the Decemberists borrowing Joanna Newsom’s shoes, and the Shins reviving their acquaintance with the Postal Service. We also get the Constantines and Ida each appearing both as performers and as cover-ees; yea, and a Wolf shall cover a Frog, a Mountain Goat shall cover a Silver Jew, and the majority of the tracks shall be previously unreleased, amen. The tracklist:
01 The Decemberists: “Bridges & Balloons” by Joanna Newsom
02 Spoon: “Decora” by Yo La Tengo
03 The Constantines: “Why I Didn’t Like August ’93″ by Elevator
04 CocoRosie: “Ohio” by Damien Jurado
05 The Mountain Goats: “Pet Politics” by Silver Jews
06 San Serac: “Late Blues” by Ida
07 The Shins: “We Will Become Silhouettes” by the Postal Service
08 Josephine Foster: “The Golden Window” by the Cherry Blossoms
09 Cynthia G. Mason: “Surprise, AZ” by Richard Buckner
10 Jim Guthrie: “Nighttime/Anytime (It’s Alright)” by the Constantines
11 Espers: “Firefly Refrain” by Fursaxa
12 Two Gallants: “Anna’s Sweater” by Blear
13 Vetiver: “Be Kind to Me” by Michael Hurley
14 Ida: “My Fair, My Dark” by David Schickele
15 Mount Eerie: “Waterfalls” by Thanksgiving
16 Devendra Banhart: “Fistful of Love” by Antony & the Johnsons
17 Wolf Parade: “Claxxon’s Lament” by Frog Eyes

FROM USA TODAY

The Bush administration periodically put the USA on high alert for terrorist attacks even though then-Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge argued there was only flimsy evidence to justify raising the threat level, Ridge now says.
Ridge, who resigned Feb. 1, said Tuesday that he often disagreed with administration officials who wanted to elevate the threat level to orange, or “high” risk of terrorist attack, but was overruled.
His comments at a Washington forum describe spirited debates over terrorist intelligence and provide rare insight into the inner workings of the nation’s homeland security apparatus.
Ridge said he wanted to “debunk the myth” that his agency was responsible for repeatedly raising the alert under a color-coded system he unveiled in 2002.
“More often than not we were the least inclined to raise it,” Ridge told reporters. “Sometimes we disagreed with the intelligence assessment. Sometimes we thought even if the intelligence was good, you don’t necessarily put the country on (alert). … There were times when some people were really aggressive about raising it, and we said, ‘For that?’ “

(more…)

Time to discuss Social Security again to divert attention from casualties and debt, George.

From AP via Catch
Congress has approved an additional $82 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan and to combat terrorism worldwide, boosting the cost of the global effort since 2001 to more than $300 billion.
The Senate approved the measure Tuesday on a 100-0 vote. The House passed the measure last week. It now goes to President Bush for his certain signature…..
Most of the money — $75.9 billion — is slated for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while $4.2 billion goes to foreign aid and other international relations programs.

Read the full article here.
Who are we to question out pious leader? He is after all doing God’s work. Buy the Bushfish [From Wonkette]

Do you believe God belongs in government?
Do you believe President Bush is doing The Lord’s Work?
If so, then show your love for God & the USA!

Interview by Monte Holman

Shearwater (Puffinus gravis) hail from Austin and are blood relatives of folk-rock band Okkervil River. Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff share song-writing duties in both bands, though lately it seems they’ve branched off from one another. Sheff assumed more of a lead role in Okkervil, and Meiburg claimed Shearwater, enlisting the help of Travis Weller (violin), Thor Harris (drums, thunder), Kim Burke (upright bass), and Howard Draper (everything), all of whom were present on past Shearwater recordings.
“Theives” (EP—Misra), their latest recording, explores dynamics. It’s both delicately soft and surprisingly noisy, all the while haunting. Employing folksy standbys, such as banjos and lap-steels, the band attempts to build lush new backdrops for instrumental presentations listeners may expect from a Texas-based band. Meiburg’s sober vocals ring out beautifully and ghostly.
Shearwater is currently on tour with the Mountain Goats, and Jonathan Meiburg (pictured front and center) was kind enough to speak with me before the show at North Six. The man loves birds.
———————————————–
FREEwilliamsburg: I read on your website that you consider yourself, for the time being, “more of a musician than a scientist rather than the other way around.” So you’ve been studying a while then?
JM:(laughs) I’m nearly finished with my Master’s thesis, which I returned to with some vigor and determination a couple months ago and found that I still really loved it and was really interested in it. I’m going to finish it up in a month or two and stop there for now because while I’m interested in moving on and getting a Ph.D., it would mean six years of school and I’d have to quit music. I’m just not ready to quit music right now.
But today I went to the Natural History Museum. I spent time up in the collection there working with the guy I worked with in the Falklands, and it’s so cool to get to go back in there. Today I just spent time in the exhibits, and ah, I love that place. It’s like a maze — it’s so alive — it’s got this sort of scientific veneer but it’s really all about art. It’s all about the presentation, the beautiful and strange dioramas and the way everything is laid out—it’s very whimsical, and some of it’s almost nonsensical. There are parts of it that you get the feeling they’re almost embarrassed are still there, but they can’t get rid of them now; it’s so permanent.

(more…)

From TinyMixTapes
Because it makes so much sense (why wouldn’t they?!), uber-feminist dirtstache band Le Tigre will be producing a track for human Barbie doll Paris Hilton’s upcoming debut album, as reported by MTVe. The album, due out on Paris’ own imprint, Heiress Records, will be distributed through Warner Bros. Rumor has it that the album will be called “Paris is Burning.” No release date has been set, but incidentally, Paris will be attending a totally hot launch party for her label thrown by PlayStation on July 2nd. More combinations that make perfect sense! I wonder, universe, if next we can see Bob Saget on Broadway or maybe Bright Eyes on Jay Leno performing “When the President Talks to God.” Oh wait, list of things that are totally happening.
Le Tigre’s list of recent collaborators reads like a pop culture who’s-who. Their most recent single, “TKO,” featured Missy Elliot, and Kathleen Hanna did a guest vocal on Green Day’s latest, American Idiot. And to think, not too long ago they were just your average electro pop band. See what a major label can make happen, folks? Le Tigre released The Island last fall on Universal Records. They’ll be too busy making music with famous people this summer to tour, but they will be appearing in your home non-stop for months to come via reruns of VH1 fundit programming. Be sure to catch “My Coolest Years: I Was a Closet Case.”

Get well, Alan. We’re all big fans.

From the band’s messageboard [Via OneLouder]:
dear friends,
the following is a lot of sentences starting with “i”. i’ve heard this is bad form and it tends to paint a very egocentric picture of the writer. good thing i’m a musician…
low has to cancel the shows we have booked in may and june – perhaps beyond. i have always tried to extend true respect to the fans of our music. it would be very easy to just cancel without proper explanation, and hope that the rumors tipped our way, perhaps adding to some crafted mystique. but, i’m a coward and i’ll leave that to the true artists.
i have not been very mentally stable for the last while. due to this, touring at this time has become too much of a burden on everyone involved. my current problems and instability create undue and unnecessary stress for everyone close to me, especially on the road, so despite coming back from several months of shows we have thoroughly enjoyed playing and being a part of, i have to respect their best judgment. those last several months have been some of the hardest to live through, and it is too much to ask those around me to have to put up with that any more.
for those of you who cling to details and think information is power; i have been speculated/diagnosed with everything from post-traumatic stress disorder, ADHD, bipolar whatever, suicidal depression/anxiety (“here’s some pills, call me if you are still alive next week – oh, wait, sorry, your small business insurance plan doesn’t cover all this…”), to paranoia, laziness, OCD, and good old-fashioned two-faced asshole-ness. i know – “big deal, who doesn’t have problems? you have a great and easy life! how bad can it be!?!” i wish i was a better person, and i’m working on that, much in the same way everyone else does. unfortunately, for one reason or another, that battle for me right now abruptly demands some drastic effort, sacrifice, and change – and that’s just to stay in the game… i feel like i’ve come through the worst of it, by there’s nothing uglier than lips speaking vain promises, so forgive me if i’m reluctant to be the cheerleader this time. i need to get healthy, and it’s apparent that something about touring right now is doing more damage than good.
several months ago, amid a couple “bad days”, i found myself standing in front of a photo of John Peel, on the wall outside one of the BBC studios on london. the image of his face in this photo is an image that exposes fools. i was ashamed to even look into his eyes. still, seeing his calm, wise face made me realize i had been letting my own selfish battle with sanity get in the way of the gift of music that i and we all are so privileged to be even a small part of. my thoughts raced.

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FROM HP:
Welcome to the Huffington Post, which, as our motto says, has been delivering news and opinion since, well, a few hours ago. As you look around, you’ll see that our front page features our favorite posts from our group bloggers — including Mike Nichols, Ellen DeGeneres, John Cusack and David Mamet — and the top news headlines of the moment. If you are hungry for more, you can always get your fill at The Blog and the News Wire where fresh posts and news stories are added 24/7. And don’t forget to check out Eat the Press, Harry Shearer’s spicy dish about the media. So come in and make yourself at home.

Check it out for yourself

Todd P presents
Oneida [pictured], Apes, Sightings and Pterodactyl
Saturday May 7 at Palace Tavern
The Palace Tavern is a 1930′s era old man bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn featuring $1.50 Budweiser mugs and 3 for $2 Jello shots. Huge wood floor back room with gingerbread house walls and a cozy fireplace, plus a big half moon bar with big old timey pane picture windows looking out onto Nassau Ave up front.
Doors will open at 9:30 and the bands will go on promptly, due to a kinda early curfew over there.