VOLUME 11 | APRIL 2008
PRESIDENTIAL PONTIFICATION
 
 

...Ahhhh, ribs...SXSW is the Mecca of all that is
alternative rock and roll and all that is beef ribs.
Lenny Levine and I have been going together for
about 5 or 6 years. He swears I spooned him one
late night in '06, but I disagree. I think I was just momentarily “confused”. He still agrees to room
with me regardless. We talk about ribs
incessantly throughout the year, but the non-
stop emails (including random photos of ribs,
people eating ribs, people looking at ribs, ribs
by themselves, rubbed ribs, hot girls eating ribs,
cowboys eating ribs, ribs piled on one another,
etc., etc.) start around January when the smell
of brisket, sausage and other delights seem to








  waft through my tiny Toshiba laptop speakers. For the past 10 years my friend Steve “The Grand Marshall of Meat” Jordan has organized the Saturday afternoon “Cattle Drive” to a specially selected eatery somewhere outside of Austin. This year we ventured to Spicewood, TX (mmmmm Spicewood) about 45 minutes from town, to Opie's BBQ. Late Saturday morning our crew packed into the rental vehicle, we popped ZZ Top into the stereo and began the trek to a mouth-watering oasis that filled parts of my stomach I didn’t know I had. I think I’m still digesting and emitting memories of the afternoon. Best ribs of the week by far. Glorious. Just glorious.

Not all ribs are created equal and nor are bands. SXSW was further proof that there are a lot of bad bands out there – here’s a taste of some of the good stuff...Crystal Castles’ lead singer, Alice, slowly recovered from her rib injury suffered last month and trooped through the remaining US tour dates...there will be more coming soon. Their album hit shelves on March 18 and has already sold 6000+ copies in North America! Stay tuned for a preview of their first official video (Courtship Dating). The Village Voice headline was hilarious, “Crystal Castles: Better Than Justice”. The album debuted as the “Most Added” at college radio in the U.S. and continues to rise up the charts.

Let’s Go To War killed it at SXSW...(and apparently in the bathroom stalls of 6th Street). Get ready for their first 12” in June featuring remixes from Al P (of MSTRKRFT), Roger Sanchez, and a feature vocal appearance by new Last Gang signee Terry Lynn. Burn down the disco!!!!!!!!!! Fah Real.

What more can we say about Boys Noize? His Oi3 EP dropped last month, featuring remixes from A-Trak, Para One, Housemeister and more. The story just continues to get bigger and bigger. Ask anyone who saw his SXSW or WMC sets last month...they were over the top. The SXSW set was for many the “show of the week” in Austin….. watch the last bit here. WMC was equally crazy. If you missed those, you can see him at Coachella on April 26th. Together with Turbo, we are giving away a laser engraved custom Boys Noize iPod loaded with the Oi Oi Oi album, EP, and other cool shit - enter to win here. This thing is dope – trust me!

We are all happy to say The Jealous Girlfriends’ self-titled album will be available through Last Gang in the US and Canada on April 22nd via our kind friend, Serge at Good Fences. For those who just can’t wait, you can buy it a week early on iTunes. Their sets at SXSW were truly sublime. Holly and friends deliver effortless harmonies and ooze natural cool and confidence.

We’ve just re-released Chromeo’s first album “She’s In Control”, which features some cool bonus tracks not on the original album. For those making the trek to Indio, they are playing Coachella on April 27th. They blew through SXSW and played a highlight set at Stubbs on Saturday afternoon...2-step, 2-step.

Metric continues their work in the studio. Thank you all for your support on their DVD, Live At Metropolis, which is available in stores across North America or via mail order at Kill The 8. They also join Chromeo and Boys Noize at Coachella this year.

The New Pornographers’ new video for Myriad Harbor is fantastic!! We are so proud of it. If you haven’t already seen it, check it out here. We saw the band at Canadian Music Week last month and, once again, were amazed. Carl and crew are the nicest group of musicians you could hope to work with.

Mother Mother are busy putting the finishing touches on their next album….if all goes as planned, we’ll have a mixed/mastered version by the end of April. Check out next month’s 411 for a sneak-peek.

MSTRKRFT LP2 is still in progress. We are all looking forward to hearing the new masterpiece! Their Kylie remix and current tour date info is available here.

...Hope to see you somewhere in the desert in Indio. Note to the wise: bring sunscreen...lots of it!

Until then, check back into www.lastgangrecords.com for announcements about the Coachella Turbo/Last Gang After-Party...as if a full day in +100° temperatures wasn’t draining enough!

Metric (2003), Death From Above 1979 (2004), MSTRKRFT (2005), Emily Haines (2006), Boys Noize (2007), Crystal Castles (2008)...

Any more questions???

Ribs.

Your President.