West Indian Girl

yup, i’ve been laggin for sure but i’ve decided to get back to blogging except im pretty sure im gonna move my blog over to another site just because there hasnt been much going on with the band these days as we are in a writing phase for the next few months with no shows on the books. i think my own site might be a more appropriate place for this stuff considering the semi hiatus the band is on.

another 2 with ten is on the way very soon as well. anyway, that’s life these days. just been busy with life which is pretty much why i havent been around these days. work + life’s distractions = minimal blogging.

oh, i was at party with the most interesting man in the world yesterday. the party was actually pretty interesting. it was for mutineer mag. it was for their 2nd annual red carpet tasting. it was a great event…i mean how can u complain about tons of free booze. i took dylan with me and we met my other biz partner heidi richman there. mutineer did an interview with me at a wine tasting event at the london last month which i will post when it’s out. i like those guys.

here’s a link to the hungover radio show that i was a guest on in april. it was fun but took me a while to wake up as i was indeed nursing a hangover… quite apropos. i want a radio show.

media alert. im not sure why…but it’s finally happened.

score another one for the great mark mahoney – mark has done all my work since 2001. he really is the best…no wonder why the appointment wait lists over a year long. interesting notes – at one point lady gaga, danny trejo, rita ora and mickey avalon were all in that back room together. it was pretty damn random if u ask me

last night iwnbts played at spaceland. it went exactly like west indian girl’s first show at spaceland went…not incredibly smooth. given all the technical snags i was pretty happy with it though. it’s all part of the growing pains of a young live band because u need to learn how to play in some of the tougher conditions. the most common prob at smaller clubs is the stage sound. in a perfect world u have in-ear monitors and ur mix is great but often times that’s not the case and what u are playing (not what the audience is necessarily hearing) sounds like shit. bottom line, it was learning experience – the next time a band is in that situation the more they know what to expect and thus how to play through it without even blinking.

couple observations after the show: tony is the true rock god – it never ceases to amaze me how many girls this dog attracts. truly a man among boys. dylan, one of my star interns was there – we’ve decided i’m going to download my music business brain into his via ichat over the next few months. i’m looking forward to this because the kid is special (not in the retarded way). we had an interesting chat about data transparency while in route to the show.

noodles…so after the show we ended up at a house in the hills (see pic above). it’s been a while since i was at a party in the hills and it brought back many a terrible memory. this one was of the euro-transplants variety. the most in ur face feature of this place was the huge pool in the middle of the living room….yep in the middle of the living room. another strange detail was that the insides of all the doors were the same as the walls so as to blend in with them producing a sort of trapped dungeon vibe. not surprising quote overheard “ok, so where’s the coke?” add in the 5-1 guy girl ratio and we were gone in 15.

this past thursday i spoke on a panel at the digital music forum that focused on music blogs. i’ve been blogging since 2004 so this topic was one i felt could really sink my teeth into. why was i invited you ask…well, i was there to provide the artist perspective/point of view and that, as u know is something i relish…speaking out for the artist (and by “artist” i mean hard working blue collar struggling musician).

an interesting observation after speaking at 2 digital music conferences this year was the under representation of artists (and managers!) not only as audience members but as speakers. now more than ever is it time for the artist to be present at any forum centered around digital music. i know this isnt earth shattering news but there’s a huge disconnect and feeling of confusion among musicians when it comes to all the music tech stuff. digital music is just one piece of a complex puzzle that needs to be processed and understood as it’s changing faster than it ever has. musicians that dont understand what’s going on are going to find themselves in the same boat that most managers are in these days…and by that, i mean the completely clueless boat. anyway, technology isnt going to slow down so you either adapt or die – just ask the peppered moth about adapting.

ok, i’m getting way off topic here. blogs – by my definition a blog is more or less a singular point of view. any band blog would fit that definition but any site that is reviewing music from multiple authors (especially with paid advertising) is crossing over into music mag publication territory. what’s ur favorite blog? my current fav isnt even a music blog, its called hipster runoff and it’s an oddly funny breath of randomness that always seems to make me laugh. i was thinking about listing all the la blogs that i like but that’s gonna have to wait. my next few posts will get back to some music blogging basics and center around some of the music that has been inspiring me lately. fyi i listened to blonde redhead while i wrote this.

i couldnt help but call attention to the fact that today, october 4th is the feast day for st francis of assisi. if you don’t know much about st francis…the very short version is this: rich guy renounced his his life of luxury, became a beggar, restored churches, received the stigmata, and most importantly thought all animals should be treated as people. there’s a bunch more but u can google him if u want a lesson on catholic saints. anyway, why mention this…well i was named after st francis and i also have an amazing tattoo of him on my forearm that the brilliant mark mahoney gave me. if you’re ever in rome making the short trip out to assisi is well worth it. one of the most memorable places i have ever been to. speaking of saints…ever see the movie things to do in denver when you’re dead? it’s a movie worth netflixing – there’s a saint in there. jimmy the saint tosnia played by andy garcia. boat drinks. here’s a random badass site i found when i was looking for the correct spelling of badass. click on it, you could waste a few more precious moments of your life surfing this randomness.

in case u havent heard the news, mariqueen got engaged. everyone in the west indian girl camp is super excited and happy for her. q’s an awesome person, friend and bandmate and she couldnt be marrying a cooler guy. talk about analog and digital love – their kids might all have moogs for arms.

speaking of the future…this song title seems apropos – plus it’s off the fragile which i still consider the best record released in 1999. it’s actually one of the cds i would take with me on a deserted island..along with prince’s 1999 and the clash’s london calling …hmmm come to think of it those are all double cds…guess i should include our last double remix record to that list as well. shit…can’t forget kruder and dorfmeister’s the k&d sessions too – my choice for record of the year in 1998 btw

spent several hours last night falling into a hot lusty romance with Final Cut Pro. any free time i had is now currently zapped, but as Clark Gable so heartbreakingly put, “frankly my dear, i don’t give a damn.” the time is ripe.

here’s the last iMovie you’ll see from moi. merci a tous!

miss Karin Dreijer Andersson (a/k/a Fever Ray & 1/2 of The Knife) could very well leave the lovely and iconic Björk in the shadows sometime in the near future. i am – sans exaggeration – transfixed by this beauty’s spooky vocals, poetry and overall mystique. my car stereo has taken her cd hostage with no negotiation of release. i even acquired the tc helicon beast of a pedal – which has become the new bff to a few too many alter-egos (there’s that actor thing again)… but i thank you miss Karin, for the inspiration i have been waiting to hear & feel.

the other night at the pasadena studio i was in the kitchen talking to mark, our drummer, about the origin of easter and passover and the differences between the two. it was a pretty informative.. learning new things is good…i feel smarter.

just wondering if you like putting fish sticks in your mouth. i dont own a tv but saw a clip of this south park episode online about kanye west – it was pretty funny and yes it has absolutely nothing to do with my band.

yup – tweet tweet – fran’s got a twitter account now. if for some reason you want to know when im in a car with a transvestite, at a show, at our rehearsal, walking my dog, posting a blog or sitting on the can taking a twit you’ve now got the direct link. so do what my mom wished she could have done when i was in high school…add me. see you on the grid – i’m now an official microblogger. mom, my twitter name is FrancisTen.

je t'aime!

I inevitably become obsessed with one -or if lucky, two – albums that I keep on repeat for months in my car, soothing those long traffic-infested hours that make up 18% of my day.  I usually don’t coincide with what popular culture deems to be the best album of the year, but this year, I am happy to admit that one of my obsessed albums coincides with the tastes of Jon Pareles (NY Times), Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, & Spin (to name a few): Dear Science, 

The production (the talent of band member extraordinaire, David Sitek) is a perfectly crafted explosion of styles that still manages to reveal TVOTR’s unique essence.  Any outside producer would have misinterpreted the sound that so genuinely seeps through every note and lyric.  Sometimes outside producers are essential to help a band release and own their musical style, but these kids have the talent, focus and style embedded in their bones…

Another album that’s received some heavy petting from my cd player (and will probably stay in my car forever) is Saturdays = Youth.  Can I just say that I’m totally in love with both Anthony Gonzalez and Morgan Kibby (the voice with the haunting resemblance to Kate Bush)?!  This album kinda permeates me right in the gut, driving me into a nostalgic haze of wanting to be in love and living in Europe again. 

Oh to be living in Paris…merci m83!

happy holidays.

amy

I got this video emailed to me the other day. “Here’s a video of my three-year-old son Max singing and dancing to your song Miles from Monterey. He’s been a fan of yours since he was two, and has been singing this song almost since he began talking! He actually used to know it better, but he’s a little rusty in this performance. 🙂 Enjoy! -Ollie in San Diego”

How can you not love this?

Got a funny call from my friend Grant “Monster” Gordon today. Grant never really calls me so when I saw his name on my cell I figured it must be important. Turns out he was in Santa Monica driving behind a bus that happened to have my face on it. HAHAHAHA – he was laughing so hard and all I kept saying was “take a picture of it monster and send it to me”. He got close enough to the bus to take these fine shots that I present here for your approval. These are part of the KCRW ad campaign – they were nice enough to have Q and I on some of their ads.

Words can’t really describe the feeling of seeing your face on the back of a bus. Below is the actual ad. 

Side note – writing this post reminded me of The Replacements’ song Kiss Me On The Bus which I have been listening to this whole time.

I just found out one of my old friends died in a motorcycle crash the other day. brett smith was one of a kind – he was one of the most charismatic people i have ever known. he moved to florida around the time i moved to california. even though we havent talked much over the past few years our friendship was the kind that would shift back into it’s natural place when we saw each other. brett and i had history. plain and simple…we were both from the same town in mi, were roommates in ann arbor, and we were also both bass players.  we were great friends thru some some pretty crazy times there. brett was a tough dude…he lived on the edge. brett was one of those people that i really didnt have to say a word to – it was understood that we would always be friends.  he was the kind of guy that had your back. seems like those people are few and far between. i wish i had a chance to talk to you again brett.

Below is a letter the band has sent out all the major oil companies. it’s getting ridiculous that we sweat just going up to sf because gas prices are too high…that’s just plain wrong. right now the farthest east we can travel without losing money is tucson. yeah its great to be on the west coast but it kinda sucks when it comes to touring because so many major cities are spread out. on the east coast you can hit a ton of markets without too much pain in the gas. oh well, and to think that their are reports that alaska has the largest oil reserves in the world. imagine, if we tapped into that the gas prices would be less than a buck! wait, did i say something bad. im not sure….drill in alaska and regain our oil dependency freedom. hmmm tough call, i own an 89 landcruiser and i really really like driving it. are we really contributing to global warming or is it a fact that the sun is getting hotter. it’s true – but dont take my word for it, go ask your friendly scientist

ok, here’s the letter:

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing on behalf of my band, West Indian Girl but also on behalf of the hundreds if not thousands of independent bands in the United States who cannot afford to pay the rising gas prices necessary to get on the road and tour the country to promote their music and art.

With the ever-changing music industry, the most effective way to become a successful band is to play live shows, but it’s becoming more and more difficult as gas prices continue to climb. While gas prices skyrocket, we don’t make additional money from the clubs we are playing in. Increasing our ticket prices would only penalize the consumers who are also feeling the pressure from rising gas prices on their own. In addition, the clubs cannot afford to pay us more money so independent musicians and bands are forced to only perform locally, which stunts the spreading of music and art.

We would like to ask the major oil companies to help subsidize bands so that we can tour and spread our music to our fans. As musicians, we are investing our lives in spreading our art to people and would like to ask for your help in offsetting the price of your gas so that it does not single-handedly sacrifice our efforts.

I write to you to urge you to help subsidize my band’s touring but also to urge you on a bigger level to help the many bands in the U.S. who are in the same situation that we are in.

The long-term solution is to aggressively pursue and develop realistic alternate forms of energy and we strongly urge you to do that as well to not only save our music, but to save our planet, but as independent musicians, we need your help now!

Kind regards,

In order to make up for the indie rock chess federation’s sparse membership we will have plenty of cool logos, t shirts and buttons. the first of what im sure will be many official logos (designed by joe from lusso lab) is below and it’s ILL. some people in the federation believe my motto: chess is war – take no prisoners show no mercy is a bit harsh but it’s really kinda of apros pos wouldnt you say. right now official membership is at 5 – myself, joe puleio (lusso), robert james (west indian girl) adamn labov (our sound man/jupiter productions) and honorary coach IM jeremy silman. remember first tournament is this friday and maybe even saturday.

West Indian Girl in conjunction with Lusso Lab, LLC have formed the Indie Rock Chess Federation. The IRCF was established and inspired by the positive HHCF (hip hop chess federation) which is currently kicking some serious ass. my goal with the ircf is to one day gain enough momentum to get to face off in some sort of tournament against the hhcf. their current champ is RZA. i think the showdown between the two musical chess worlds will be epic. those guys have it going on….their own blog hip hop chess federation’s blog and a slew of sponsors. i suggest watching this current tv spot called wu-tang chess masters to get the real deal on the hhcf – its really great and in many ways is operating on a much higher level than the ircf at this point (that’s an understatement too).

To become a member of the IRCF you must be affiliated with the music industry in some way. presently there are only 4 official members but expect that number to increase slowly. As of now there are no yearly dues but i’m sure there will be because we are gonna have some t shirts to make as well as replace my temporary makeshift logo above. the one great thing the IRCF has going for it is the blessing and approval of IM jeremy silman. jeremy will officially serve as our unofficial consigliere/mentor/hero and coach. obviously he wont be playing in the tournaments because he would wipe our asses pretty quickly but he WILL be showing his face and loitering at our events and maybe even playing a few exhibition games. hopefully he will guide us on our spiritual chess journey like yoda.

The first tournaments are taking place this weekend at our secret shows in culver city. it’s gonna be ncaa bracket style best of 5 in 5 minute speed/blitz games. these initial IRCF “events” are most likely gonna start off pretty slow. im talking about one table, 2 chess boards, one fan, and some pretty horrible chess playing but it’s a step in the right direction. obviously, in the true spirit of speed chess, betting is highly encouraged. until we take this to the class room anything goes. long live the IRCF – chess is war: take no prisoners, show no mercy.