via freeyrradio.com
Today is the official release date for the Free Yr Radio 2008 compilation, available via Insound for $0.99 if you mosey on over. Sure, sure, the Free Yr Radio campaign concept is mildly ironic, as they seek to ‚”generate awareness and funds for independent radio through a series of promotional activities,” the crux of which are sponsored by Urban Outfitters and Toyota (not exactly your run-of-the-mill DIY enterprises). But let’s smother any acrimony and embrace this one. After all, proceeds will benefit laudable indie programming from across the country, including KEXP in Seattle, KVRX Austin, Philly’s WPRB, and New York’s own WVKR. The track listing is as follows:

1. !!! – Must Be The Moon (Live at KEXP)
2. Chairlift – At My Side
3. Yeasayer – Final Path (Daytrotter Sessions)
4. White Williams – Blue Steel
5. Dan Deacon – Cave Birth
6. No Age – Padded Chair
7. Mudhoney – The Lucky Ones (Live)
8. King Khan & Saba Lou – Past and Gone
9. The Secret Machines – The Walls Are Starting To Crack (Live at KEXP)
10. The Walkmen – In The New Year (Live)
11. Tokyo Police Club – Your English Is Good (K-Os Remix)
12. Jamie Lidell – Rope of Sand (Live at Austin City Limits)

We love that we can speak of the Bush years in the past tense. Yahoo! Errol Morris has a great post over at the Times documenting interviews with wire service photographers discussing their favorite images from the Bush years. Here’s our favorite:

From NY Times “IRAQ, AL-ASAD AIR BASE : US President George W. Bush waits behind a camouflage curtain before being announced to speak to the troops at Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq’s western al-Anbar province 03 September 2007. Addressing cheering Marines at the base, Bush rejected intensifying pressure from the Democratic-led Congress to start pulling troops immediately out of the unpopular war in Iraq. ‚”Those decisions will be based on a calm assessment by our military commanders on the conditions on the ground, not a nervous reaction by Washington politicians to poll results in the media,” the president said.”Check out the rest here.

Unnatural History, Installation view from left: Michael Yaniro, Jana Flynn, Zach Ziemann
Unnatural History is the latest group show at the artist space Live with Animals, featuring Jana Flynn, Hilary Pecis, Ego Sensation, Michael Yaniro and Zach Ziemann. Loosely tied together as an investigation of man’s tension with nature, the works range from painting, drawing, photo collage, sculpture, performance and video. What is most impressive, however, is the show’s craftsmanship. Moving from the heavy illustrative, psychedelic renderings that have been so pervasive in recent years, the bulk of the work plays with abstraction, form and sometimes the figurative.
Easily the standouts of the show are Jana Flynn, Zach Ziemann and Michael Yaniro. Jana Flynn’s work combines craft, pattern and abstraction in sculpture and mixed-media incarnations. Highly environmental, the meditative, repetitive process translates into colorful, delicate sublime pieces. Touching on the lithe structures of Flynn, Ziemann uses watercolor to depict ‚”zen-like” architectural landscapes. Michael Yaniro’s large-scale drawings appropriate images from architecture, maps, religious symbols, but mostly from medical illustrations; while their meanings remain secretive, they often reduce the body to a piece of information within the total composition.
Unnatural History’s closing party occurs on February 8th. Live with Animals is located at 210 Kent Ave.

Installation view: Zach Ziemann

Installation view: Michael Yaniro

Brooklyn bands Neckbeard Telecaster and Grand Mal are playing the Seaport Music Winter Fest, which kicks off this Friday night at 7p.m. You can literally ice skate in circles while watching bearded guys play instruments. And, it’s free to watch and only $5 to skate.
From NBCnewyork:

Organized by the team who brought New York the Seaport Music Festival, the Seaport Music Winter Fest is pretty clear on their expectations, saying, “Only strong-bodied, dressed-in-layers, die-hard indie music fans need attend.” Read: This is no Disney On Ice.

The Seaport is located at Pier 17 in Manhat., get there via JMZ or L to 2,3, A or C.

I caught up with the Whitest Kids U’ Know the other night at their Comix show, and got real down and dirty, asking some hard-pressed questions sure to bring home the new online Pulitzer for FW. As it turns out, them white boys are straight out of our neck of the woods, and they enjoy a fine area brew just like the rest of us. And when they’re not drinking at Black Rabbit or eating at Carmine’s, they’re just across the river, not too far from the L train’s farthest reaches.

Timmy Williams, the South Dakotan who now lives in Bklyn with his cat Spaceship (awesome name), eats at Artichoke Pizza over in Manhattan, so, moving on.
Meanwhile, Darren Trumpeter is the Carmine’s eater, the official Graham avenue pizza slice of my life.
Then there’s Trevor, who is reeeeally tall. He eats at a pizza place at 3rd and 23rd, so if you want his scraps head in that direction. But for the booze on the other hand, The Mark Bar (1025 Manhattan Ave) is his spot. He loves it for the open-till-5-am locals special. Aside from The Mark, Trevor drowns his problems at Black Rabbit, along with the rest of the cast, for the most part. He says Kent, the owner/bartender, rocks it hard, and is a real “bar guy’s bar guy.”
Sam, who looks like the IT guy from my work, loves Legion, and therefore it’s safe to assume he loves the White Castle cheeseburgers that tend to follow a Legion stint as well.
And then there’s Zach, who told me his name was Pete (but I got ya, you bastard!), who said Black Rabbit as well.

So there you have it, the official W’burg haunts of The Whitest Kids U Know: Black Rabbit, Carmines, Legion and Mark Bar.
Their show, properly titled The Whitest Kids U’ Know comes back tonight on IFC at 10p.m., and continues for another 9 Tuesdays after that. Check it out, then go buy them a beer at the Rabbit.

Could it be true? MTV actually has a show we want to see. [via buzzfeed]

A clip with Amy Sedaris after the jump

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The Hard Nips are new all-girl Japanese rock band. Tuesday is their first show. Head down to Death by Audio to check out the mayhem.

NYCTaper posted both FLAC and mp3 versions of Animal Collective’s Tuesday night show at the Bowery Ballroom, here. (Their server is currently down “due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems,” so slow your role for a minute there, internet.)

We recorded this set from the ‚”sweet spot” on the floor with our mobile rig. Although the large ceilings created some muddiness in the sound, we feel that the hyper-directional microphones did some excellent work.

via Stereogum, which notes “the set was purposefully constructed, culminating in a raved up “Brother Sport” and a great Sung Tongs reinventing/Panda Bear “covering” encore.”
Related:
If You Were Scammed… at the Animal Collective Bowery Show
Animal Collective – My Girls

If you like adventurous music or want to try something a little different, you’re in luck. This Saturday proves to be a great night for experimental music. Conveniently, it’s all taking place in the L.E.S.
Early on at Club Midway will be the Psychic Ills record release party–pretty great if you haven’t checked it out yet. The opener Axolotl is definitely one to watch, having recently completed European tours with Kemialliset Ystavat, Mouthus and Animal Collective.

If you are still up for partying later in the night, check out the warm jams of Ducktails complimented by the more abstract and groove-laden vibes of Men and Women at the Cake Shop.

[Thanks Jeff]