Fucking Nostalgic Presents... Magic Sundae: "Stomach, Texas"

With one host off on the other side of the country, Argon Fritz took it upon himself to produce this week's episode by himself, along with the help of the usual group of weirdos that accompany the studio during Magic Sundae recordings (Debbie, Jen, Redd and FN Editor-in-Chief Chris). This week is an excellent podcast featuring songs from Roy Orbison, Black Francis, The Carpenters, Lana Del Rey, The Cure, David Lynch, The Shirelles and even Nine Inch Nails. If that's not an eclectic mix for you, then I don't know what to say. So I won't. Listen below, and be sure to check out the playlist for last week's episode below.





Playlist for last week's episode, "King Kong Lives"


Rattled by the Rush - Pavement
Kotton Krown - Sonic Youth
Leave Me Alone - New Order
Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley and His Comets
Celebrated Summer - Husker Du

There She Goes Again - Velvet Underground
Dummy Discards a Heart - Deerhoof
Under My Thumb - The Rolling Stones
Fixing a Hole - The Beatles
Not Right - The Stooges
Big Take Over - Bad Brains
Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads
Dead Love - Mudhoney
Sunshine of Your Love - The 5th Dimension

Nothing Much to Lose - My Bloody Valentine
Teen Creeps - No Age
The Sun is a Very Magic Fellow - Donovan
Molly’s Lips - The Vaselines
No Exchange - Minutemen
Tigers - Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Chariot Choogle - T. Rex
Maggot Brain - Funkadelic
I Shall Be Released - The Band

Photos/Review: Black Francis @ Le Poisson Rouge

Black Francis @ Le Poisson Rouge – July 24th, 2011
Photos: Dana (distortion) Yavin / Review: Colin Fitzgerald

My first assignment for this super cool blog was to cover the incomparable newly re-christened Black Francis (aka Charles Thompson, aka Frank Black), at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan. (To avoid confusion I will refer to him as Chuck T. for the remainder of the review) The night turned out to be nothing like I expected. I, being a fan of Chuck T's solo career in its entirety, had no trouble picturing the set he would play. I knew he wrote "Another Velvet Nightmare" with the show’s opener, Reid Paley, and I figured most of the material would fall into the category of country-western Frank Black that was prevalent in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. That expectation was definitely shattered but I’ll get to that later.

LPR was laid out like the kind of place Tony Clifton would be right at home at. Dim lighting, tables with candles, and wine delivered to makeshift booths in ice buckets. It was surreal. No sooner did I picture Andy Kaufman's lounge-singing alter ego did Reid Paley take the stage, reinforcing the parallel with his gruff, conversational demeanor and his acerbic wit. After a long and deadly silent pause between him getting on stage and finally acknowledging the crowd, Reid broke the ice in grand fashion. "Thank you and good night!" he shouted into the mic, and pretty much all the sanctity that was established in the cocktail-party atmosphere of LPR was shattered in an instant.

Reid Paley was the consummate bar-room troubadour, equal parts Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and Johnny Lee Hooker. That’s not to say he was derivative. In all the sing-along-ready, blues-punk-drunken tunes he cranked out, nothing felt anything less than honest. He strummed nasty guitar and sang hangover-inspired lyrics with abandon, or so he would have you believe. His style of 'make it seem easy, seat of the pants performing was deceptively easy-going. He knows how to play and sing like anybody, but he also knows how to put you at ease with the artist. He often paused mid-song to elevate the crowd’s awareness of him just long enough to gaze into the crowd with a smirk before launching back into the song. He was raw, unpolished, honest, and absolutely soulful. He commanded the dinner party crowd with his somewhat familiar and personable style. Just another down on his luck everyman, who just happens to be able to draw the listener in totally, leaving them no choice but to live the debaucherous stories with him.

This Week's Nostalgia (7/18-7/24)

That sure as hell was a busy week for us. In case you missed it, we posted photos & reviews of shows from Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Cibo Matto, Superchunk & OFF! and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. Shit was crazy. As summer in New York City usually is. So now let's dive in and see what's in store for us this week...

Cibo Matto @ Bowery Ballroom
Monday, July 18th

More here.

As mentioned, we caught the recently reunited Cibo Matto at Brooklyn Bowl last week, and I can say without hesitation that they are really fucking great if you missed that show. Or, if you just can't get enough of Miho Hatori's cuteness, then go buy a ticket and see them again. Sean Lennon showed up to sing "Moonchild" with the band, and who knows, he just may do it again. But Lennon or not, the band plays a seriously good show, one that will have you dancing and laughing the entire time. Ghosts Of A Saber Tooth Tiger open. Know your chicken!

Levon Helm Band / Emmylou Harris @ Central Park SummerStage
Monday, July 18th

If you were ever a fan of the Band (and you should be), then you've probably seen The Last Waltz, and you probably know how awesome Levon Helm is. Well, he's still touring, still playing intimate shows in his basement in Woodstock, and still sounds amazing. I caught Emmylou Harris play with Elvis Costello at Central Park SummerStage around six years ago, and though I wasn't blown away or anything, it should still be fun seeing both her and Levon play on a summer evening in the park. Let's hope it doesn't rain. Tickets are still on sale.

They Might Be Giants @ Apple SoHo Store
Wednesday, July 20th

The Brooklyn-based duo must feel some sort of obligation to play free shows for their New York City fans. We were already super excited for their free show at the Williamsburg Waterfront on 7/29, but this past week They Might Be Giants announced they would be playing another free show at the Apple SoHo Store. The band is touring in support of their fifteenth studio album, Join Us, which drops on Tuesday, July 19th. Though the band will be playing on Wednesday, if you want to make it into this show you need to pick up an admission wristband on Tuesday, July 19th. Though no time is listed on the Apple SoHo website as to when exactly you need to pick up the wristband, I know that in the past it's been at 10am. Please let us know if you receive any other information on this. And enjoy!

Death From Above 1979 @ Williamsburg Waterfront
Friday, July 22nd

The Canadian dance-punk duo Death From Above 1979 caused quite a stir at SXSW this year after playing a surprise appearance at the festival, and subsequently causing a riot that involved cops on horses. Shit. Let's hope that doesn't happen again at the Williamsburg Waterfront on Friday because it's a big wide open space that's extremely susceptible to tear gas bombs. I kid (sort of). The band is on a triumphant reunion tour and is sure to make all the kids in Brooklyn go crazy at this outdoor show. Tickets are still available. Rock it.

The Feelies @ Prospect Park Bandshell
Saturday, July 23rd

The Feelies, as far as I remember, have played a good amount of NYC-area shows this year, and no one is complaining. But if you haven't been able to catch them live yet, well now's your chance to do so for FREE. The Prospect Park Bandshell is a great place to see live outdoor music, and with Real Estate and Times New Viking opening the show, it should make for a pretty chill evening of indie rock. Gates are at 6pm, so if you wanna make it in, I suggest you head straight there after work. Show starts at 7pm. Have fun my minions.

Black Francis (a.k.a. Frank Black) @ Le Poisson Rouge
Sunday, July 24th

I rag on the Pixies for not producing any new material despite having reunited seven(!) years ago, but I can't really fault Frank Black as the man has released countless solo albums since the early '90s. And most of them are really fucking great. Though I've seen the Pixies live at least four times, I've never caught Frank Black solo, and even though now I have the chance to do so, I still can't make it. What's my problem? I don't know. But this show should be really great, full band or not, so if you're in the area, definitely make it down to Le Poisson Rouge for this. Tickets are still available (for some reason), and you should grab one ASAP since it's a pretty small place. Give Frank my regards...

Notable mentions:
Thursday, 7/21 - An Evening w/ the Monkees @ Coney Island (FREE)
Sunday, 7/24 - The Swirlies @ Beekman Beer Garden (FREE)

That's all I got for you this week. If there are any shows you feel we missed out on, please let us know in the comments section below. Have a good week!

WHOA: Black Francis (THE PIXIES) NYC Show Confirmed for 7/24

Well THIS is a nice treat for a Thursday night. One of our favorite NYC venues, Le Poisson Rouge, has just confirmed that one Mr. Black Francis (of THE PIXIES) will be playing there on July 24!!

He'll be joined by Reid Paley at this intimate and partially seated performance, and tickets are on sale NOW. Fucking Nostalgic will definitely be there to cover it - hope to see you there too.