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Re: “Black Monday is Coming!”
Did Audrina from The Hills sign these bands?
Re: “Girls — “Lust For Life” Video (Now with Boobs and a Penis Microphone!)”
At the risk of coming across as a curmudgeon, I would like to unnecessarily clarify that I am not of fan of Girls. This band, live and on record, bores me to tears.
I still like you guys, though, anyhow.
Re: “Our Town Could Be Your Life”
Mr. Baggins - Cary Clarke here. I actually had originally written the phrase as "relationship with the (mostly) independent Sub Pop" because the 49% Warner ownership stake you mention. Word count always being a factor in print, I decided to cut it because 49% is not a majority share, which to my mind still justified the term "independent" for the purposes of this piece, though that is certainly debatable. Getting into the finer points of whether or not Sub Pop is independent would require its own column, I think.
So, I suppose this note is just meant to say "Yes, it could be argued that you are correct" and to let you know that I was at least thinking of this issue. I hope that explanation makes sense.
Re: “Grouper - "Hold the Way"”
Beautiful indeed. Thanks for posting. Are you sure there's an album called Vessel coming out? The only Vessel I'm presently aware of is the other song posted on Grouper's MySpace (along with Hold The Way), called Vessel.
Re: “What Should We Do With Memorial Coliseum?”
Mind you, because I can't shut up today, I want to clarify that I don't think the memorial coliseum should be turned into a monolithic 20,000-capacity non-profit, all-ages music venue but, rather, that a non-profit, all-ages music venue (ideally with a capacity of around 200) should be part of the redevelopment plan. Portland could really use something like this.
Pair that with a year-round farmer's market and a trampoline park and you've got yourself some fun.
Re: “Additional Details on the Pavement Reunion”
For what it's worth, I read that press release differently than you. Specifically, they say the band is "reuniting for dates around the world in 2010" and refer to it as "a tour." THis tour is a one-time affair, I think, not "a prelude to additional jaunts [ed. more tours] and/or a permanent reunion." So I expect we'll see more shows announced over the coming months.
And, as a Pavement nerd, I will remind you that the band did have some roots in New York, as I recall. Didn't Malkmus and one of the other band members (West?) meet working as security guards at the Whitney Museum? And I think Crooked Rain was recorded there, too, but could be wrong.
Still, I plan on sitting this reunion out.
Re: “More On Pavement...”
To clarify, I also cannot imagine why anyone would want or need a 20,000-capacity non-profit, all-ages music venue. I am not suggesting the memorial coliseum be turned into that. That would be insane. I can see how you might have gotten the sense that that is what I meant by my tweet and its forced brevity, but that is not what I was suggesting, and in the context of the other "rqidea"-tagged tweets, it was clear. I can't think of many (any?) single ideas, for that matter, that could use the current coliseum space effectively, and that includes traditional "rec" facilities like sports courts. If the space is to be repurposed, it should be done in a way that accommodates a variety of uses that complement each other, I think.
What I would like to see is a non-profit, all-ages venue incorporated into the broader redevelopment plan for the Rose Quarter currently taking shape. I think a 150-200 person performance space would be ideal, with - given the opportunity - some additional space for a recording studio and an art space (e.g. print-making studio), very much like what the Vera Project has in Seattle. I can see disagreement as to whether or not this is the ideal space for the kind of facility I'm talking about, but I don't think that should get in the way of having a serious conversation about it. I think - here, there or elsewhere - Portland could greatly benefit from a non-profit, all-ages music venue.
(Additionally, and perhaps pedantically, I would note that a venue being non-profit doesn't mean its shows have to be free, just as a business being non-profit doesn't mean its services and goods have to be given away for free. This is rarely the case.)
As for the other topic Andrew brought up - whether or not Pavement would be well-served by writing new material - I see his point. I would be happiest for Pavement to leave there legacy as is, I think, having been burned by reunions too many times in the past few years. Basically, though, I think a band being genuinely excited enough to be playing together to the point that they are writing and recording new material is a good sign. Of all the reunions that I've experienced in the past decade, the only two that yielded positive experiences for me were Polvo and Mission of Burma. Both of those bands resumed recording and writing, whereas the (for me) aesthetically unsuccessful reunions like the Pixies and Sebadoh did not for all intents and purposes. Though I'm not too into the new Dinosaur Jr. stuff, many people seem to be and, again, there is another reunion meeting expectations and passing the writing/recording litmus test.
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