New Wave for the New Week #157

It's hard to know exactly how to describe Couch Flambeau to someone who has never heard them before.  They were young, loud, and snotty, but they weren't exactly a punk band; they were very funny, but much more than just a novelty act; they had the chops to play in unusual time signatures and with jarringly shifting tempos, even moving into jazz-like improv jamming at times, yet the band was almost like a hobby they indulged in their off time from their day jobs.  A list of of the band's gigs dating back to 1983 on their website lists no shows outside of their hometown Milwaukee area, yet every "big name" band that came through Milwaukee had them as their opening band.

Back in 1980, Jay Tiller and Neil Socol formed the band that would become Couch Flambeau, quickly releasing a local cassette, Curiosity Rocks, under the name Couch Potatoes.  By 1983 they had adopted their new name and released their debut album, Mammal Insect Marriage.  While the rest of the world looked at Milwaukee as the home of Violent Femmes, the Femmes themselves and others in the know were raving about Couch Flambeau.

They hit their stride with 1985's The Day The Music Died. Containing slices of snarky fun like "The Zoo Is Cool," "Curtains For You," and "Satan's School For Girls," it's a record that takes a few listens before it really sinks into your brain.  Once it's there, though, you'll never forget it.  The following year they issued a hysterical, perhaps autobiographical, single, "We're Not So Smart."  On the flip side was a wonderfully irreverent cover of Mountain's "Mississippi Queen."  That was followed in 1987 by the five-song Models ep, whose title track may be Couch Flambeau's best known song outside of Milwaukee - which is not to imply it was anything more than an obscure cult favorite.  By the time Ghostride appeared in 1989, though, Couch Flambeau was reduced to only the original duo of Tiller and Socol, and it seemed that their run was over.

Almost a decade later, though, Tiller and Socol were back with a self-titled CD that picked up right where they left off. For those who had missed out the first time around, 2004's I Did A Power Slide In The Taco Stand anthology does a nice job of spanning their career.  It's a perfect primer to the joys of Couch Flambeau.

Here is a rare clip of Couch Flambeau in an early local TV appearance performing "The Zoo Is Cool," followed by an audio-only of their anthemic "We'll Go Through The Windshield Together." Enjoy!

Things You Should Be Seeing, Hearing, Reading and Doing

Been awhile since I've done one of these posts recommending some of the best stuff I've found, so I figure it's about time.  Here's a guide to ten nifty things I've found recently that you really ought to discover as well, if you already haven't.  Think of me as your personal Director of Fun, and these items as my recommendations to you to break the ennui while you sit indoors in the air conditioning trying to escape the sweltering heat.  You're welcome.


Radio Free Steve - Last month, Boston radio personality Steve LeVeille retired from the airwaves after a 35-year career.  I've been a fan of Steve's for many years.  His overnight broadcast was one of the last live, local overnight radio shows left on the commercial airwaves - you can read more about it in this piece I wrote in 2009 when he was temporarily taken off the air as result of a poor station management decision. Steve has retired to Maine, the lucky bum, and already refers to himself as a part-time writer.  Among the things he is writing part-time is this blog, Radio Free Steve.  His semi-regular posts maintain his folksy, conversational style and wonderful sense of humor, and it's a good thing for those of us who miss his nightly program to read these reports from Up North.  Bookmark it.

In My Hummel Opinion - I treasure writing that makes me laugh out loud, and the posts that my friend Janine Hummel writes over at her blog, In My Hummel Opinion, often make me do just that.  When she started out a couple years ago, her blog focused mainly on how-to posts for DIY home decoration; she still occasionally shares project ideas and other informational posts, written in a way that makes it sound like someone as un-handy and unmotivated as I could actually complete such projects successfully (I haven't tried yet. Remember: unmotivated.)  Along the way, though, she found her voice in posts that simply share her wickedly funny observations about her life.  Whether she's bemoaning the oddities of her town (Vernon, NJ) or sharing the gory details of ocular surgery, she has a point of view that is both sarcastic and incredulous, and a sharp sense of the absurd.  Also to be bookmarked.

Heather The Vampire - After a seven-month hiatus, my Absolute Favorite Thing Ever On YouTube has returned! Megahn Perry and Michael Cornacchia are simply brilliant as Heather Campbell (Kelly's best friend who happens to be a vampire in Liam Kyle Sullivan's Kelly videos) and her father, Lou, in this video series presented as Heather's video blog, or vlog (or possibly, vjournal).  Heather tries to answer viewers' questions about vampire life, only to be regularly embarrassed by her vodka-loving father's insane malapropisms and usually hysterically crude interjections.  Cornacchia is a gifted comic who is often laugh-out-loud funny in his spot-on performance as that person we all know who seems to have neither the filter to censor his words before speaking nor the ability to grasp how others are reacting, but it's Perry who regularly steals the scene with her reaction takes to the camera, shifting from stunned disbelief to horrified embarrassment in a flash.  The chemistry between the two is perfect, and especially evident in those instances when they seem to surprise themselves by momentarily dropping character.  The Harry Potter episode, below, is one of my favorites and a fine example of their work.  (Be aware: NSFW language.)



For the record, I am not a big fan of the Kelly videos from which Heather The Vampire was spun off, but it is worth your time to search for Liam Sullivan's clips as anachronistic radio pitchman Bob Tulap, especially the video in which he's advertising limes.

The Flog - speaking of nifty things you can find on YouTube...my inner geek leapt with joy over the launch of the Geek And Sundry channel this past April, particularly their every-Monday entry, The Flog, which is Felicia Day's video blog (...er, vlog? flog? fjournal?) Gamers out there will know Felicia from her work with The Guild; others might recognize her from the viral "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?" video from a couple years ago. Her weekly format begins with her sharing her Fave Five things of the moment - websites, games, shows, music, whatever, that she recommends you discover.  (Hey...wait a minute...that idea sounds awfully familiar! Well, nyah nyah Felicia! My list is ten, not just five, so I win!)  *Ahem.* Anyway...from there she takes part in learning some skill, such as chainsawing swans out of ice, crocheting, or blacksmithing, and then she wraps it all up by answering a viewer question on her typewriter.  It's fun; it's entertaining; it's goofy and geeky and should go on your regular viewing schedule.  See sample episode below:

Munchkin - I discovered the wonderful game Munchkin from another program on the Geek And Sundry channel, Wil Wheaton's TableTop. (The link is handily set up to show you the specific episode.  You're welcome.)  Not long after, I had the chance to actually participate in a game, and quickly became hooked.  Munchkin both celebrates and mocks traditional role-playing and card deck games like Dungeons & Dragons and Magic The Gathering.  Munchkin sets the proper mood for play with its own game play instructions, including a brief summary of the object of the game ("Go down into the dungeon. Kill everything you meet. Backstab your friends and steal their stuff. Grab the treasure and run.") and rules for determining who goes first ("Decide who goes first by rolling the dice and arguing about the results and the meaning of this sentence and whether the fact that a word seems to be missing any effect."). Fight monsters like Shrieking Geeks and Tongue Demons; use nifty weapons like a Rat On A Stick or a Rapier Of Unfairness; beg your friends to help and pray they don't turn around and curse you or, worse yet, help the monsters; and be the first to reach Level 10.  Or 20. Or 22.  Depends on how you're playing.  Gawd it's fun!

Bibliodiscoteque - The first of three podcasts to make this list of very neat things is a monthly entry dedicated to "those who worship the Dewey Decibel System."  Bibliodiscoteque bases each podcast on a particular book, and then builds an hour-long (give or take) mix of music inspired by that work.  Rather then describe the music you're hearing during the set breaks as a radio DJ would, our host synopsizes the plot of the story at hand (don't worry - no spoilers).  The effect is a sonic journey that will keep you hooked for the hour and leave you wanting more: both more of the story and more of the music.  More than one episode has sent me scurrying to find new reading and listening material.  Genres covered include Sci Fi, Cult, Comics, and Mystery; the musical choices run the gammut from Blues to Punk to Rock to Country.  The associated blog adds the occasional album or book review.  Great concept and a good choice for your iPod.

How Did This Get Made? - Have you ever found yourself watching a movie that was so awful, so poorly written, so horrendously acted, that you found yourself wondering who on Earth thought the project was worth greenlighting in the first place?  Not the "so bad it's good" type of movies, but the ones that leave you wondering "what in the blue hell did I just watch?!?"  Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas watch a lot of those movies.  A lot of them. Then about ever other week, they bring a guest into the fold and spend an hour or so hysterically dissecting them.  Recent episodes have found the crew waxing incredulous over films like Speed 2, The Adventures Of Pluto Nash, Birdemic, and Tiptoes.  Their takes on how these films came to be and what must have been going through the minds of the cast and crew almost - almost - make the films watchable.  Unlike the myriad of programs in which questionable "celebrities" make snarky comments on pop culture while failing to be funny on any level (e.g.; just about any program on VH1 these days), Paul, June, and Jason's podcast hits the mark consistently with informed, funny commentary and an obvious desire to truly try to figure out how these movies got made. 

Movies About Girls - I could go on for hours about the Movies About Girls Podcast, which is only fair given that the Movies About Girls Podcast itself often clocks in as a 4 - 6 hour marathon. It takes some doing to make a podcast that long consistently entertaining, but the MAG crew is up to the task, creating far and away my favorite podcast going these days.  Described on its iTunes subscription page as "Your weekly guide to lowball pop-culture and teen sex comedies from the 70's, 80's and beyond, plus Songs About Girls, weird humor, hijinks, and saucy talk from a your favorite gang of writers, musicians, artists and creeps," Movies About Girls and its associated podcasts (Advanced Demonology, MAG Follies, MAG Lite) consist of a revolving cast of characters who use the kind of movies that used to be found airing overnight on cable channels like USA in the early-to-mid 1980s (think Meatballs, Valley Girl, Blue Velvet) only as a jumping off point to riff on pop culture, current events, and each other.  Regular bits like That's Not A Real Band Name Is It? and Crazy News provide the illusion of structure, but insanity and hilarity rule the roost here.  Ken McIntyre serves as your Master of Ceremonies and Ringleader (although it is often Stacey, Ken's wife and the show's producer, who serves as the Voice of Quiet Reason amidst the chaos).  Other regulars include Cherrybomb, BoDuley, Siobhan and Alistair (all the way from Australia!), Kent Shelton, and Jeff Crazy; others come and go from the proceedings, sometimes in the middle of episodes.  A Wiki page, MAGpedia, is in the process of being created which attempts to explain it all, but it's better to just close your eyes and dive into the pool.  This is exactly the type of podcast I would have created had I ever created a podcast, and I still might.  But until I do, you must subscribe to Movies About Girls.  I give it a "Rumspringa, WOOOOO!"  (Be aware: NSFW language.)

Gemma Ray - British artist Gemma Ray is among my favorite musical discoveries of the past few months.  I am admittedly late to the party, as her discography already includes four albums.  Her unusual sound has been described as "Norah Jones on Amy Winehouse's drugs," and as what it would sound like "if Audrey from Twin Peaks made a record."  With the smokiest voice this side of Fiona Apple and a modern-retro flair, Gemma Ray has not only shown a vast and eclectic taste in choices of songs to cover (her through-a-fan vocals on "Hey Big Spender" are other-worldly; her work with Sparks to cover a pair of their songs on a recent single is how I was introduced to her), but has demonstrated that her original compositions can be simultaneously seductive and unsettling.  Listen to "100 MPH In 2nd Gear" below, then go hit up iTunes for more:




Brokeass Gourmet - the self-described "premier food and lifestyle blog for folks who want to live the high life on the cheap,"  Brokeass Gourmet has become a regular source of kitchen inspiration for me these days as I struggle to piece together a liveable income through freelance work.  Gabi Moskowitz presents easy to follow, healthy, and, most importantly, tasty recipes that can be prepared with relative ease for under $20 worth of ingredients.  Many recipes actually clock in under $10, yet are surprisingly filling.  She also offers suggestions for accompanying wines or beers, keeping budget-consciousness in mind.  Her blog has been successful enough to spur her on to writing her first cookbook.  The Brokeass Gourmet Cookbook is available through Amazon.com, and collects some of her best recipes along with tips on stocking your kitchen, pantry and bar without leaving your wallet completely empty.  Pick up a copy and start cooking!

OK, so there's my current list of neat items that I think are worth sharing with you.  If you've missed any of the previous times I've recommended blogs, books, podcasts, etc., click on "Recommended" link at the top of the page.  Also, please check out the sites listed on my blogroll on the left-hand side of the page (keep scrolling, you'll find it).  I share these items with you because I think they are worth your time and attention - I'm not receiving any compensation from any of these folks for pointing you towards them.  Heck, most of them have no freaking clue who I am!  Still, if you find something you like, let me know in the comments below.  Similarly, if you have some recommendations to add, feel free to list them in the comments, or contact me through the blog's Facebook Page to talk about a guest post.  Let me hear from you!

New Wave for the New Week #156

Out of Indiana in the late 1970s came the glint-edged metal machine music of MX-80 Sound.  Treading the darker waters of the same art-school music pool as Devo and Pere Ubu, with obvious nods to early-'70s Krautrock bands like Neu! and Can, and clearly brethren to the like-minded Chrome, MX-80 Sound was loud, sinister, and unsettling; simultaneously they were literate and compelling.  The line from MX-80 to bands like Sonic Youth or Nine Inch Nails is a fairly direct one, or at least very easy to trace.

They debuted in 1976 with a 7-inch EP, Big Hits - Hard Pop From The Hoosiers, which was a solid enough effort to catch the attention of Island Records.  With Island they recorded their debut album, Hard Attack, the following year.  Baffled over how to promote MX-80's sonic attack, Island never issued the LP in the US, and soon dropped the band.  Both the album and the EP have been reissued as a single CD.

A move to San Francisco reinvigorated the band, who were picked up by Ralph Records, home of musical bizarros like The Residents and Snakefinger. Given free reign, MX-80 Sound came up with the absolutely incredible Out Of The Tunnel in 1980.  Giving off one of the loudest, lowest sustained vinyl volume assaults since Blue Cheer recorded Vincebus Eruptum, Out Of The Tunnel rumbles out of the gate with a pair of stunners, "It's Not My Fault" and "Follow That Car," and somehow manages to maintain the frenetic energy and unceasing wash of sound from there.  The single "Someday You'll Be King" is a definite high point; "Frankie I'm Sorry" or "Gary And Priscilla" could just as easily have been plucked as the single. An incredible record start to finish.

A year later they nearly matched it with Crowd Control.  The wall of sound is still in full force, and the volume is still turned up to 11, but this time around vocalist Richard Stim is buried deeper into the mix.  Stim's lyrics were never easy to decipher, but here they are even more hopelessly lost in the white noise.  Still, with standouts like "Why Are We Here?," Crowd Control is a winner.  It's obvious that Mission Of Burma and Fugazi, among others, were paying attention.

The two Ralph LPs were also combined for a single CD, retitled Out Of Control.  You must own it. 

The MX-80 story gets fuzzy at this point.  While the band never really split, they seemed to drop off the radar screen, not returning until 1987's Existential Lover, which attempts to pick up where they left off.  I've Seen Enough, released in 1995, duplicates a lot of the same material.  Das Love Boat followed in 1990, collecting a CD's worth of the band's instrumental tracks dating back throughout their history (their cover of the theme to John Carpenter's Halloween is not to be missed!)

Again the band went into seclusion, emerging 10 years later with We're An American Band, titled after their nightmarishly creepy cover of the Grand Funk Railroad party anthem.  A bizarre legal entanglement involving the album and at-the-time recently enacted laws about advertising product as being made in America seemed to have finally disillusioned the Hoosier noise machine, although, again, they have never officially disbanded.

For this week's clips, we go back to the two wonderful Ralph LPs: Out Of The Tunnel's "Someday You'll Be King" and Crowd Control's "Why Are We Here?"  Enjoy!

Beating the Summer Heat with Freezepop

After experiencing the first official heat wave of the summer around these parts, I was happy the temperature (and more so, the humidity!) broke somewhat this weekend. That pleasant change in weather came just in time for a Saturday night in Philadelphia that turned out to be one of the coolest nights in a long time - as measured on the fun meter, not the thermometer.

As advertised a few weeks back on this blog, Saturday night saw Boston-based electronic band Freezepop headline a three-band show at Kung Fu Necktie on North Front Street in Philly.  This was my first Philly show in a little over two years, since seeing Jello Biafra & the Guantanamo School of Medicine at The Trocadero in March of 2010, and it put Philly right back on my musical radar map after it had been bumped off by Baltimore, MD, as the place to go.

A lot of that had to do with my official tour guide for the evening.  Sue and I have been friends since high school, but fell out of touch as people do over time when Life takes you different directions.  Facebook reconnected us, at least in the online universe, us a couple years back, and we've kept trying to find the time to get together and see each other after 15+ years.  Something always seemed to come up - work, family, whatever.  As soon as I first started talking about the Freezepop show on Facebook, Sue and I started planning our mini-reunion - this time, no excuses!  There are friends you have who, if you reunite after a long absence, you find much to your chagrin you no longer have much in common.  But there are those special Friends-with-a-capital-F who you can go for years without seeing, but when you finally have the chance it's just as if no time had passed.  Sue is definitely a "capital F" Friend, and I was so glad to get to see her again.

When my brother Marc and I got into Philly, our first order of business was finding eats.  On Sue's advice we wound up at Johnny Brenda's, a hip little brewpub on the corner of Frankford and Girard.  Good beer and good food (I had the best Cubano sandwich I've had in quite awhile!) at decent prices - can't beat it.  Shortly after we finished eating, Sue met up with us and, after a bit of catching up with each other, it was off to the evening's venue.

Kung Fu Necktie turns out to be a tiny little place on a corner in a basically residential neighborhood: bar in the front, stage in the back, maybe capable of holding 150 - 200 people all told. There is, apparently, an upstairs area with video games and pool tables, which Sue and Marc discovered, and there is a downstairs which serves as a backstage area/dressing room for the bands.  The staff is friendly and the drinks are served up quickly, and even when the place reached full crowd level for the evening we never felt packed in like sardines like you can at some shows.  Live music has an 11:00 PM curfew there because of the neighborhood (a DJ takes over until 2:00 AM), and on this night doors opened at 8:00 PM for a three-band show.  Three bands in three hours meant shorter sets, but that probably worked in Freezepop founding member Sean Drinkwater's favor given that he pulled double duty, singing lead with his other band, Lifestyle, as one of the opening acts.  He was exhausted (but happily so) by the end of the night.

When we got there, the first band, a local electronic duo called Crozet (there is an interesting story on how they came to be named after a group of islands in the Indian Ocean), had just taken the stage. We took seats at the bar to continue our "how have the last 15 years treated you" conversations, and Crozet's swooping, swirling, almost ethereal music provided a fine background. Think of the sort of lush, ambient, keyboard-based soundtrack music you heard in every mid-to-late eighties teen angst movie, and you'll have a pretty good idea of Crozet's sound.

Lifestyle was up next, and  that was our cue to find our spots up front, stage center.  Our time machine to the '80s revved into high gear as Lifestyle's nine-song set had the band sounding at times like prime-era Simple Minds, Human League, early Pulp, and a little bit of ABC.  They were simply fantastic.  Their between-song goofing indicated a band at ease and having fun, but the music was tight, on point, and excellent. Despite Lifestyle predating Freezepop, a fact I did not know until talking with Sean that night, there are unfortunately no proper Lifestyle releases available for purchase.  However, a trip to their website will be rewarded with almost two CDs worth of material: an online LP and a series of demo recordings.  Go and get them; your ears will thank you.  And don't forget to donate a little something to Lifestyle for providing those tunes; Sean will thank you.

Finally, Freezepop took the stage, opening with "Harebrained Scheme," and launching into an outstanding set that combined classic early Freezepop like "Parlez-Vous Freezepop" and "Stakeout" with more recent vintage material, including "Doppleganger" and a killer run-through of "Brainpower."  I was honored when they played a song I had personally requested, their wonderful "Science Genius Girl," allowing me to check off another item on my live band bucket list: the first time a band has ever mentioned me by name onstage.  (Thank you again, Freezepop!)  Through it all, they had the crowd dancing and singing along.  At one point, Liz Enthusiasm and Christmas Disco-Marie Sagan challenged the crowd to jazzercise, and then demonstrated proper technique.

Of course, they weren't getting away without an encore.  They came back onstage to play "Special Effects," and then - after checking that they had time for one more song - asked what everyone wanted to hear.  Naturally, the cry went up for their anthemic "Less Talk More Rokk," but Sean dismissed that request, saying that it was "too complicated - pick something easier to play."  Someone in the crowd yelled out "Hot Cross Buns" (presumably meaning the childhood rhyme), which caused John "Bananas" Foster to grab his keytar and intro "our newest song, 'Hot Cross Buns!'" followed by a hysterical "come on guys" look while the rest of the band stood motionless.  Finally, it was revealed that Sean's refusal of "Less Talk More Rokk" was all a ruse, and they launched into a truly fantastic performance of the song, complete with Drinkwater taking his keytar and jumping into the crowd in full-on rockstar mode, and Liz Enthusiasm following suit to dance with the crowd.  It was a great, great show.

All four members of Freezepop then hung out in the bar area, being very gracious to those of us who bombarded them with requests for signatures and pictures, clearly enjoying the interaction with their fans.  All four were very easy to talk with and eager to say hello.  I know I say this constantly in my posts, but it so nice to be able to see a band who is so connected to their fan base, and so willing to interact both in performance and afterward.  This old punk really loves seeing the current crop of bands who are embracing that sort of grassroots approach.

This show was part of weekend mini-tour in celebration of Liz Enthusiasm's birthday - I hope she had as much fun celebrating as we all did seeing her and her band perform! As always, more pics will up on the That's What I Was Going To Say Facebook page.

New Wave for the New Week #155

The Bongos were, originally, a trio from Hoboken, NJ, who found their signature sound in a mix of '60s coffee shop folkiness and late-'70s jangly power pop with angular, mildly off-center arrangements.

Richard Barone, Rob Norris, and Frank Giannini debuted with a fantastic 1980 single, "Telephoto Lens" b/w "Glow In The Dark," on the independent Fetish Records label.  With that signature sound already fully formed, both songs are instantly memorable and insidiously catchy.  They would follow that a year later with another killer single, "The Bulrushes" b/w "Automatic Doors."  Here the A-side was clearly the star; "Doors" tries a bit too hard to be consciously offbeat.  But how can you complain about three solid sides out of a band's first four?

These singles, as well as a few other early indie releases, were compiled into a handy full-length LP, Drums Along The Hudson, in 1982.  Within a year, The Bongos signed with RCA.

Around the same time, the band expanded to a quartet with the addition of guitarist James Mastro.  The foursome made a bit of a splash with their first major-label release, the five-song Numbers With Wings EP (1983).  The title track was issued as a video clip that received a decent push in MTV's playlist; "Tiger Nights," "Barbarella," and "Sweet Blue Cage" continued the band's string of pop gems.  Noticeably better production polished those gems to positively gleaming, highlighting The Bongos' shimmering harmonies without removing their occasional eccentricities - a rarity when a major-label production team gets their mitts on such a band.  This is a must-have record, no question.

The followed with their first (and, as it would turn out, only) all-new full-length album, 1985's Beat Hotel. Lead by yet another winning single, "Brave New World (True Love Is Ordinary)," the record has many wonderful moments, but also made it clear that The Bongos powers were strained when it came to filling out an album's worth of material. This is not to say it's a bad record; however, it does get a bit samey-sounding about halfway through side 2.

Barone and Mastro issued a side-project album along the way, and Barone released a series of solo records in the late '80s.  The Bongos' material is all available on CD and well worth picking up.  For this week's NW4NW entry, here are a pair of The Bongos' best: "The Bulrushes" and "Numbers With Wings."  Enjoy!

Six Word Sunday

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, ONE AND ALL!

Brush Up Your Shakespeare

Got an email awhile back from an old high school buddy, Tom, that put a big old grin on my face.

Senior year, Tom and I were classmates in AP English. Our teacher, Mrs. Fellenbaum, was a fine teacher if a bit stuffy at times. Of course, we studied Shakespeare, and Mrs. Fellenbaum was notorious for throwing pop “Quote Quizzes” at us in which she would list several important lines from whichever play we were studying at the time, and we had to respond with the name of the character whose line it was. I should say, usually they were important lines. On occasion she would throw in a quote that verged on the obscure, often as an extra-credit question at the end.

Being seniors, and therefore being smart-asses, Tom and I seized on the obscure and set about creating the most impossible Quote Quiz we could create, with the intention of challenging Mrs. Fellenbaum to complete it. The play of the moment was MacBeth, which lent itself very well to our purposes. Mrs. Fellenbaum loved what we created, and in a rare moment of teacher-student collusion, decided that she would run off copies and hand it out at the beginning of the next class as though it were just another Quote Quiz. Even though we had quite clearly titled the thing “A Quiet, Quaint, Quick, Quippy Quote Quiz (MacBeth, Acts I & II),” and further noted that it had been created by “Bryan and Tom's Quiet, Quaint, Quick, Quippy Quote Quizzes and Salad Bar,” (yes, we were geeks – funny geeks, but geeks nonetheless), looks of panic still immediately crossed the faces of our classmates upon receiving the quiz. It only took a moment for a few perceptive folk to catch on, but those few seconds of sheer terror on everyone's faces were so worth it.

Tom's email arrived about a week ago, with the subject line “Remember This?” It contained only a photo of what must be one of the only remaining copies of the 5-Q Quiz (I'm not typing that out again!), but it brought me a laugh once again, a quarter century later. (Old. I'm OLD I tell you.) Tom tells me he still has the answer key as well, and so I challenge those of you who think you know your Shakespeare to see how many you can actually answer. They are all actual lines from the Acts I and II of MacBeth – no fakes here. No cheating now...

A Quiet, Quaint, Quick, Quippy Quote Quiz (MacBeth, Acts I & II)

©1985, Bryan & Tom's Quiet, Quaint, Quick, Quippy Quote Quizzes and Salad Bar

Who said these quotes from Acts I & II of MacBeth?

1. “Well contented.” ____________________
2. “Donalbain.” ____________________
3. “When?” ____________________
4. “And so do I.” ____________________
5. “Very gladly.” ____________________
6. “Woe, alas!” ____________________
7. “And I another.” ____________________
8. “What's the matter?” ____________________
9. “Welcome hither.” ____________________
10. “Now.” ____________________

BONUS! - In Act II, Banquo, in his third line, says, “Take thee that too!” Explain in full detail what he means, to whom he said it, and what the implications would have been had he said it in Chapter 7 of Dickens' David Copperfield. Limit your response to 46 words. Points will be deducted for use of slide rules, magnetic compasses, plumbing tools, or the Oracle at Delphi.

Submit your answers in the comments field below; once Tom digs up the answer key I'll let you know how you did. There might even be a prize for the person who gets the most correct answers. Probably not, but maybe!

Announcement

NW4NW is being canceled this week due to unforeseen circumstances, but will return next Monday! Thanks for your patience.

Six Word Sunday

The waiting is the hardest part.

Freezepop Is Coming To Philly!

I am very psyched that Boston-based electronic/synthpop band Freezepop is including Philadelphia in their weekend-long three-stop mini-tour celebrating founding member Liz Enthusiasm's birthday this month!  Even cooler, the opening act is Lifestyle, a band that features Freezepop's own The Other Sean T. Drinkwater. So, it's almost like Freezepop opening for Freezepop...or something...

The mini-tour begins Friday, June 22, in Brooklyn, NY and ends Sunday, June 24, in Rochester, NY, but those are just a bit outside my travel radius.  But on Saturday night, June 23, they'll be playing at Kung Fu Necktie in Philadelphia - less then two hours from my front door!

This will be my first chance to see Freezepop live, though I've been a fan since first hearing "Science Genius Girl" almost ten years ago (where does the time go?)  For those of you unfamiliar with the band, they started out as a trio: Liz Enthusiasm, The Other Sean T. Drinkwater, and The Duke of Pannekoeken started plinking away at synths and other electronica in 1999.  Sounding something like a 1980's video arcade set to a dance beat, the band quickly demonstrated a skewering wit in their lyrics and an uncanny ability to transport listeners back to early-80s New Wave sounds.  They sang about love in a shopping mall ("Chess King"), being a contestant on Wheel Of Fortune ("Shark Attack"), and celeb crushes ("Tracey Gold").

As they progressed, their sound filled out from plinky electronic minimalism to full-bodied synthpop, without losing any of the song quality, creativity, or humor that made them so awesome.  "Less Talk More Rokk" became one of their best-known songs after appearing in the video game Guitar Hero; it still remains one of my favorites.

In 2009, The Duke of Pannekoeken left the band and was replaced by Robert John "Bananas" Foster and Christmas Disco-Marie Sagan.  This quartet remains the band's current lineup, and delivered the album Imaginary Friends, which made this blog's Records of the Year list this past December.

If you are in the Philly area or can be there, I urge you to come out for this show!  It promises to be a bunch of fun, and advance tickets can be had for only $10!  Here are a few clips to give you a sense of Freezepop's joyful noise; if you like what you hear, you need to be in Philly on the 23rd.  See you there!