Megapuss' risqué album art- the censored version (click for more)

In creating this new Sexy Thursdays series, I had an uncharacteristic bout of prudishness when I almost considered attaching “NSFW” to these posts. I quickly remembered my roots and rallied against this weirdo inclination.

My hero, Susie Bright, on this increasingly-more popular warning on websites in a blog entry entitled “This post is NSFP: This post is not safe for prudes“:

• “NSFW is unmandated, unlegislated censorship — there’s no ballot to punch, no senator to harangue. The great majority of NSFW warnings are the result of unconscious class bias, with the conceit of American ethnocentrism. It’s made a mockery of out of journalism and the First Amendment. NSFW and its slippery slope of “assumptions” leads to stories and ideas of all kinds being banned, firewalled, off the grid in places from universities to major wire services. Let’s change our own responses…(Read More)”

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Montreal’s red light district is in danger! If you haven’t heard the terrible news, what’s going on is that the city is demolishing this unique Canadian Heritage Site on St. Laurent and St. Catherine streets in order to build an office building. Boo! Hiss! To get the low-down, check out Save the Main. Or listen to this appeal by local burlesque troupe, The Dead Doll Dancers:

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This Friday:

UP YOURS - BENEFIT FOR STELLA!

Noah Georgeson nasceu dia 19 de janeiro de 1975 e é um músico multi-instrumentalista, produtor e compositor que se dedica na íntegra ao cenário new weird america desde 1999 e está na ativa até hoje com muitas participações e trabalhos lançados. Ele participa da banda de apoio do cultuado Devendra Banhart, está enturmado no grupinho seleto da banda Megapuss e ainda tira um tempo pros seus próprios trabalhos solos, como lançar um álbum chamado Find Shelter que expõe o seu experimentalismo ao máximo.

Noah é um músico bem pacato e tem contato com vários outros artistas do mesmo meio a banda Little Joy, Joanna Newsom, mas é de se surpreender que um artista tão virtuoso seja desconhecido e desvalorizado a tal ponto que ele é. Aqui para download o seu debut Find Shelter       Download

1 – Tield to the Mountains

I heard about Devendra Banhart the way most bloggers do: by reading a celebrity blog, naturally.  Out of curiousity for new music and knowledge that he dated Natalie Portman, I decided to look him up on YouTube and discovered this gem. 

At first, I was completely horrified and a little bit disturbed.  His voice was not at all what I was expecting from such a hippie-looking person and from someone who had such a serene speaking voice.  And then the dramatic hand motions!  It was like he was posessed.  Also was that a cello  or harmonica I heard?!?!  I wrote him off as too strange after seeing it, but then something happened.  A week went by and I couldn’t get the weird video and song off my mind.  It was immediately etched in my mind.  And that’s when I realized, it was obviously a lot better than I was giving it credit for if I was still thinking about it a week later.  And upon a second viewing, I began to love his crazy self.  There really aren’t that many people (especially males) in the music business this…dramatic or odd.  So, please watch the video and get as creeped out or disgusted as I did, or take the second route and love it on first viewing.  Whatever you do, enjoy this work of art.  I’ve become a pretty big Devendra fan and am about to buy quite a few of his albums on Amazon.  But this video…is classic.

I’m pretty satisfied with my productive day so far. I managed to get myself out of bed at 8:30AM and bike over the gym, where my friend and I went all wacko on the treadmills. Dying of exhaustion, I seriously thought I won’t be able to bike home at the end of the workout. In the end, the exercising did feel amazing and Flavia and I will try to go at least three times a week from now on (let’s see how long that lasts..).

Back at home, I persuaded myself to watch 2 hours of marketing lectures and did my nails in the new pink Essie nail polish I got at the mall yesterday. They turned out pretty well, so I am pretty excited.

I am sad to announce that my ‘no-more-money-spending-this-week’ plan failed already. I spent almost $300 today on a plane ticket to New York! Gah, don’t get me wrong – NYC is the most amazing place ever and I love love love going there, but at the moment a trip like this is simply not in my budget. However, I am in way forced to go there. My passport has expired and since I am a Lithuanian citizen the only place I can get it renewed is the Lithuanian embassy in New York. I have to leave in three weeks, because it takes them up to four months to renew the freaking passport and I am planning on going to Paris for spring break – so I need to get this done asap..

That’s pretty much all the news for today – here is a picture of the dreamcatcher (mentioned in my Second Post) my friend made for me, I meant to upload it earlier but I kept forgetting.

CUTE!

Here is the pretty picture of the day (because all this money spent will be worth it, once I get there this spring!):

Pretty Paris

Song of the day:

Hamman by Megapuss

I’m obsessed with Devendra Banhart and I just discovered his side project band, MegaPuss, it’s hilarious! You guys should check it out. Best part is: for the cover Devendra posed nude – as in a full frontal nude. Amazing.

I’m going to go ahead and make myself lunch now – I’m thinking polenta with an avocado salad, yumm.

Hearts, Agnes.

devendra banhart’s new album what we will be is going to be released on october 27th! devendra recorded this album with a band of bees’ paul cutler, and his backing band consists of plenty of folks banhart has worked with before: megapuss buddy greg rogrove, little joy, luckey remington, noah georgeson, and andy cabic. visit banhart’s myspace to listen to two tracks off the album, i really like baby. photos by lauren dukoff and moses berkson.

Assim, sem trocadilhos tudo bem?

‘’ – Conhece Megapuss?’’

‘’ – Não. Mas a ferida deve ser grande. He he he he he.’’

Entendeu? Megapuss, Megapuss, Mega Pus… =/

Enfim… Megapuss é um grupo vindo da Califórnia e que é formado por nada menos que Devendra Banhart e a ajuda de Fabrizio Moretti – O grupo também tem integrantes não menos importantes como Greg Rogove, da banda Priestbird, Noah Georgeson, integrante da banda a parte de Devendra e produtor musical. Também tem a participação de Aziz Ansari, ator e comediante nas horas vagas.

O som que a banda faz é totalmente irreverente e original, inclusive suas performances em palco rodeadas de caráter único. Adeptos do movimento New Weird America, que retoma o ambiente psicodélico e experimental completamente sem interesses e por pura diversão, a música deles não se vincula a nenhuma outra coisa parecida. Bem naturalistas, seu primeiro e único álbum até hoje ainda gera especulações e polemicas devido a seu encarte: Devendra e outros integrantes aparecem pelados em diversas fotografias pelo cd inteiro! O grupo é sem pretensões e ainda tem o carisma de outros artistas desse meio underground como Rodrigo Amarante [Los Hermanos, Little Joy]. Aqui para download o primeiro álbum, Surfing Download

1 – Crop Circle Jerk ‘94

Megapuss

cand si daca veti fi vreodata loviti, incercuiti si de-a dreptu scarbiti de basinile unora scoborati mai ieri pe ulita dorobantilor, poate va doriti sa fredonati ceva in minte ca sa va treaca mai usor starea de greata.. remember, don’t envy them, fuck’em

Megapuss – A gun on his hip and a rose on his chest

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Wielki talent, skrzywiona osobowość, dzikość zachodu i wschodnia nirvana - Devendra Banhart - geniusz zadziwiający tym, że w ogóle zdarzyło mu się urodzić i funkcjonować. Nowy album wkrótce – jak donosi artysta – już nagrany, zremasterowany, czeka tylko na opracowanie graficzne. Jeżeli dostanie takie jak płyta, którą Devendra nagrał w zeszłym roku w ramach projektu Megapuss, to tylko zacierać ręce:

Tymczasem w oczekiwaniu na nowy materiał pozostaje cieszyć się płytami wcześniejszymi, szczególnie  ”Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon”, “Cripple Crow” i ”Surfing” Megapuss. Albo wspomnieć pamiętny koncert na dziedzińcu Zamku w Poznaniu sprzed 3 lat, bo było magicznie:

by: Adam Kruk 2009

In September of 2008, the San Francisco and Los Angeles scenes converged under the ancient redwoods of Big Sur to make music, make merry, and make love. Performers included local favorites Megapuss, Entrance Band, Fool’s Gold, The Parson Redheads, as well as fantastic sets from Port O’Brien, Beach House, Sleepy Sun, Sam Flax Kenner and more, all capped by a grand send-off from The Silver Jews [the brilliant, brooding presence of David Berman in one of the band's final performances was worth the price of admission alone]. With attendance for this Big Sur Fire Brigade benefit capped at a mere 400(!) campers, the event retained a remarkable purity and intimacy. Festival In The Forest captures this soon-to-be-legendary (((folkYeah!)))-curated show, and the zeitgeist of the California folk/rock scenes, much as Celebration at Big Sur did some 29 years prior. A true gem of a film, Festival in the Forest is not to be missed by music lovers or documentary enthusiasts.

The Silent Movie Theatre, TONIGHT 8pm

$14

=tyler=

=tyler=

Megapuss – Surfing (albumet)

Jeg lakker neglene med glitter og dagen etter begynner det å snø i Bergen. Det snør hele dagen, centimeter på centimeter og neglene mine glitrer omkapp med snøkrystallene når jeg går under et gatelys. Det snør 10 centimeter og jeg, T og O fanger snøfnugg med tunga og går på Chillout og drikker kakao som er litt for søt. Jeg har snø på øyevippene. Jeg smiler hele veien hjem, ingen vil bygge snømann men jeg får lurt med meg R ut i snøværet på handletur. R kjøper melk, jeg kjøper mat og fanger snøfnugg  til jeg nesten mister balansen. R går ved siden av og rister på hodet. På kvelden ruller jeg ut boller og koker nesten 2 liter med kakao mens Bergen males hvit. Jeg sitter inne med L og R med verdens beste følelse i meg, med kakao og boller, og ser Lydverket. E hadde bygget snømann med meg hvis hun hadde vært i Bergen.

Dagen etter fortsetter det å snø! Det er fest i hjertet mitt, og jeg er glad selv om det er forelesning klokken 0815. På veien kaster jeg 6 snøballer på skilt, trær og husvegger, mimer sangene fra Shuffelen min og smiler til alle som møter øynene mine. Jeg drikker to kopper kaffe mens vi har forelesning og oppgavediskusjon etterpå, føler meg like sterk i hodet som fargen den har. Mens jeg tusler hjem med sne på alle kanter sender jeg meldinger med J som sier han er glad i meg og jeg er plutselig inne i et av de øyeblikkene man kaller lykke. Før jeg er inne døren har jeg kastet minst 6 snøballer til, og på vei til trening går jeg med hetten av og ansiktet vendt opp for å få mest mulig av det myke, hvite, sårbare og aldri evigvarende.

Snø er mitt favorittvær, jeg blir forelska når det snør – sier jeg til vennene mine og de ler og syns jeg er rar på svensk og/eller norsk. Jeg får den samme følelsen, det kiler i magen, den varme følelsen i kroppen, og smilet som lurer seg frem hele tiden. Jeg blir leken og forferdelig glad i alle jeg kjenner. Så positiv til alt at folk nesten blir irriterte – hvem er det som kan glede seg til å gå på dugnad og bli løsemiddelskadet av salmiakk, maling og white spirit, liksom. Det er ikke det at jeg blir dum, jeg er bare så forelska at jeg finner alt det positive ved noe og kaster alt det andre i søpla. Dugnad på Hulen er fint : man får brukt kroppen, man kan snakke med alle vennene en har der og bli kjent med nye, eller synge til musikken (i dag spilte de blant annet Pixies, El Caco og Eagles of Death Metal). Dessuten utretter man noe som synes og trengs for dugnad er alltid vedlikehold, og det varer aldri særlig lenger enn 4 timer. Da kommer pizzaen fra Pizzabakeren og alle får en brus hver og en plass rundt langbordet og en kamerat på hver side. Etter dugnaden gikk jeg hjem med kuldegrader, knirkende flat sne under føttene og glitrende puddersnø der ingen hadde tråkket enda.

Værdamen sa at snøen skulle ligge til over helgen, og så forsvinne. Forelskelsen min forsvinner heldigvis ikke helt, for det er ikke bare snø jeg er forelsket i <3 Men snøen forsvinner, og Vanilla Suprise har over en meter hjemme hos seg og jeg er misunnelig og lengtende. Jeg har innsett i løpet av disse 4 dagene at Bergen ikke er byen jeg skal bosette meg i – fordi den har for lite snø. Selv om det betyr flere kuldegrader, kommer jeg til å bo et sted som gir meg mer enn en uke med snø i året.

Det er viktig å holde på det som gjør deg lykkelig.

So periodically I’ll make myself a mix to listen to in the car or whatever, representative of the music i’ve been feeling over the past few weeks or months or whatever. It usually seems a bit disjointed, but I think this one came out pretty well. Definitely pretty diverse in time and sound, but most of it’s pretty upbeat.

Now, in the folder, the shit’s not in order, but I implore you to listen to it in this order for the best overall experience. I’m a big fan of sequencing, so its all in the order it is for a reason. Okay?

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GNSJJ9LA

Tracklist:

01 Animal Collective- My Girls

02 Kas Product- So Young But So Cold

03 Handsome Furs- Legal Tender

04 Megapuss- Theme From Hollywood

05 Paul McCartney- Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey

06 Here We Go Magic- Only Pieces

07 Iran- Airport ‘99

08 Chairlift- Garbage

09 Illa J- Illasoul

10 Talking Heads- This Might Be The Place (Naive Melody) (live)

11 Donny Hathaway- Jealous Guy (live) (John Lennon cover)

12 Kanye West- Robocop

13 The Muslims Soft Pack- Bright Side

14 Roger Riley & Teddy Troutman- Ante Up (MOP cover, autotuned)

15 Curtis Mayfield- Wild and Free

16 Lou Reed- Men of Good Fortune (live)

17 Paul McCartney- The Back Seat of My Car

Here is the link to the Rhapsody playlist:  Click Here!

Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak

Who doesn’t like Kanye West?  He’s got it all.  Awesome rapper, awesome lyricist, awesome beats, awesome everything.  And on this one he sings.  But – can he play an instrument?

Coldplay – Prospekt’s March EP

If only their last album had been longer… Oh wait – these are the tracks that weren’t finished in time for the release.

Beirut – The Flying Club Cup

Gypsy music from a kid out of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Who would of thunk it?

Department Of Eagles – In Ear Park

The lead singer of Grizzly Bear crafts some catchy pop songs that will haunt you.

Megapuss – Surfing

Devandra Banhart and friends create a weird and wacky album.  But very listenable!  Crazy tunes about eating hummus from Trader Joes and screw Abe Lincoln!….. Nah – I’m just kiddin’!!

Greg Laswell – Three Flights From Alto Nido

This producer from San Diego knows how to write some great songs.  

Deer Tick – War Elephant

Rough tough voice.  Mean lean tunes.

Mates of State – Re-arrange Us

This husband/wife band will make you smile.

Blitzen Trapper – Furr

Songs about life from an amazing band out of Portland, Oregon.

Great Songs (But I Didn’t Dig The Albums):

Hercules And Love Affair – Time Will

Chairlift – Bruises

CSS – Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex

The Killers – Losing Touch, Human, Spaceman, Neon Tiger.

Enya – My! My! Time Flies!

Theresa Anderson – Hi-Low

I normally wouldn’t post something so controversial (the name of this blog isn’t APOCRYPHA In Philadelphia or anything), but I stumbled upon a potentially tittilating poem written by Li Po:

“A Summer Day in the Mountains”

Flourishing a white-feather fan
lazily, I go naked in green forests.

Soon, I’ve hung my cap on a cliff,
set my hair loose among pipe winds.
set my hair loose among pipe winds.

It reminded me of the pictures I was looking at of Megapuss yesterday:
(Poor Ms. Portman, she might miss this erotic foreplay)

I don’t know if such images are allowed under WordPress blogs, and I’m posting this on a whim. And for whatever reason I can totally see Devendra meandering along in the Asian forests naked as a summer flower.

I’m usually one to complain that The Strokes still haven’t put out a fourth long awaited album, but I think I can stop whining for at least a little while. Drummer Fab Moretti by far takes the cake for the ‘best Strokes side project’ with his newest band, Little Joy. Megapuss and Little Joy? When does this guy sleep? Little Joy is also made up of Binki Shapiro and Rodrigo Amarante, who have the most infectious voices that you will ever hear.

What gets me about Little Joy is the fact they remind me of The Strokes, especially in the song ‘Keep Me in Mind.’ Its more about the vibe than anything else, and Little Joy is certainly their own thing. There’s just something about them that makes you want more and more.

Download Keep Me in Mind

Check out Little Joy on their Myspace

I’ve been a fan of Devendra Banhart and his goofy, fun-loving nature ever since I saw him perform at Bonaroo in 2006 when he came on stage wearing a ridiculous cardboard mask attached to his head via rubber band and swigging from a bottle of Jack Daniels.

But that was a while ago now (its 2009 already? eep!) and I hadn’t heard too much about him until recently when the hilarious Adam & Steve video caught my attention. Then, I admittedly forgot to search out the album, which is a shame because after my roommate gave me Megapuss’ debut album Surfing, I loved it instantly and may have even put it on my best of 2008 list. The songs were said to have beenconceived while Banhart and his collaborator Greg Rogove were on tour together and the tracks of the resulting album certainly have very a fresh and spontaneous vibe. Banhart’s voice is unique and heavenly as ever, exactly the kind of album a girl could listen to on a regular basis.

Speaking of too late for 2008 discoveries, I’ve had The Shaky Hands album Lunglight for a while but for some reason its quirky brilliance didn’t sink in until the other day when I was scouring my library for the years favorites. Now, I don’t listen to a lot of straight up rock these days (I tend to lean toward the electro-infused) but I really dig the mix of clean syncopated percussion, smooth guitars and urgent vocals. These guys also sound like they’d be a lot of fun live so hopefully I’ll be able to catch them somewhere soon.

and to be fair and balanced, here is a video for The Shaky Hands as well:

It’s Sunday.  It’s cold and grey outside.  There’s such a clusterfuck of shoppers everywhere I can barely get a coffee. And I’m working. Yuck!  

Rewind two weeks please.  Sayulita, te echo de menos.

Listen to Megapuss, ‘Sayulita‘:

Get this album free via eMusic’s 50 Free MP3 Promo

buy it at insound!

Réel vivier de bandes de freaks, la californie nous envoie de nouvelles vibes avec Little Joy et Megapuss (avec le très folk Devendra Banhart). Les 2 groupes ont pour point commun Fabrizio Moretti, le batteur des Strokes comme leader. Jazzy, pop, et surtout cool. Dégagez vos cheveux derrière les oreilles et écoutez mes 2 titres coups de coeur de la semaine. 

Adam & Steve by Megapuss

Next time around by Little Joy 

 © photos/  http://www.myspace.com/littlejoymusic /   http://www.myspace.com/megapuss  

♥ http://megapuss.net/

from Surfing, 2008.