Here’s new single Tie Me Up WIth Jackets by Fight Like Apes.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/_9KFT5ImlxA" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

*edit* It’s NOT a Tisch vid! My mistake, the HP/Tisch short was for Digifucker and can be found here.

www.myspace.com/fightlikeapesmusic

Chatting on IM the other night descended into a filthy argument about cover versions. In particular, bands who go on TV shows and don’t talk or even play their own music but instead spin a wheel and sing a watered-down cover version. Unless their music is solely covers, one and all. If it’s all about the music, who on Earth would apply to do such a thing?

These guys…associating Thin Lizzy with…’sham’…’rock’…eiiigh :

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/E0hI20fxZd4" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

I have such total double standards cos on the flipside there’s Voided By Ponces, Ireland’s only band paying homage to deadly Guided By Voices, who incidentally have themselves a second gig this Saturday  at the Wellington, Baggot St.

I don’t mind cover versions and think they’re fun when performed with love for the music in question. When it comes to bands who already play their own original material (VBP are sort of experts) it must make a nice change to get up and play other people’s old favourites.

Any ideal cover bands? What’s sacrosanct? I believe there’s talk of a Goats Don’t Shave revival, anyone fancy doing over Las Vegas In The Hills of Donegal?

Damn, this date has been owned by of Montreal since Christmas. Whenever I thought ahead to this wonderful Wednesday I thought only of starry guitarry drag-queen heaven, not of children full of woe nor the Amusement‘s new friends’ magazine Oh Francis. They’re all probably glad not to be associated with Drag Queen Heaven. Until now. Oh well…

www.myspace.com/newamusement

What would you get if you mixed a Face with a Train and ABAM?

The decent types involved in organising this have offered up 2 pairs of guestlist for Saturday’s gig in the Thomas House so if you fancy a double date of face-eating then get your name in the draw.
Email your wittiest answer to rockeroffher[at]gmail[dot]com by 6pm on Friday evening. Best two to crack my guts scoop the pot.

www.myspace.com/illeatyourfaceireland

www.myspace.com/realistictrain

www.myspace.com/abamband

Craaaaazy busy today peepahs…I got involved in a photography project and will be documenting Changes today. Bear with me while I’m gone (I’ll reward you for it in the week) and while you’re kicking your heels awaiting my return, check out the latest Soundtrack interview with Ewan Friers from Derry Punk band Axis Of…

Axis Of pic : Nay

Derry’s Axis Of combine punk riffs and conscience to build songs about humans, politics and philosophy. Sickeningly young, the band released their debut album The Echo Conspiracy in 2008 and plan to follow up 2009 with a new EP, modestly prescribed as “the greatest thing the world has ever heard”. Drop-D waded in to test how deep Ewan Friers‘ musicial ripples spread…

Drop-D: Can you pigeonhole your tastes into one particular genre or do your preferences spread through an array of influences?

Ewan: I listen to as much as I can. This sounds a bit like your typical – ‘I’m so diverse, I listen to everything!’ spiel, but I really do think it’s important to absorb as much music and as many different styles as possible. It’s mad to think you’ll like everything, but the more music the better – it’s fresh. That’s how I see it anyway.

Drop-D: What triggered your musical infatuation? Was it a certain band/person/style/age?

Ewan: That’s a really difficult question to answer. I don’t think I can put it down to anything specific. I’ve always lived in an environment where music is really important. Though I could say around the age of 11-12 I started to view music differently and became far more passionate about it around that time than I had been before. Who knows?!

Read the full interview over on Drop-D!

www.myspace.com/axisof

First early recordings of CODES supporting Keane at the O2 have begun to pop up:

CODES – You Are Here

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/WZiLJA4s468" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Read the debate about CODES and support bands!

www.myspace.com/codesofficial

I wanna throw up music videos more often, not only when they’re new or promoting stuff but also when I’m sitting at my desk thinking, damn, I love this song…

Sarsparilla - The Count

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/UWd9kkCwlaw" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Download Day Rider free from Alphabet Set.

www.myspace.com/sarsparillamusic

Well they’ve gone and done it now…make way for Alias Empire, the vampy successor to Dry County.

Alias Empire pic : Mark Duggan

“Due to name duplication with a Canadian country rock band, Dry County have become Alias Empire.The band feel their new name better represents the sound and music they are producing and hope that the change will put an end to any confusion caused by the previous moniker.”

New music in the MySpace player – Coffee Cup and Boys Have Had Enough – got the AE treatment and there’s still plenty of the crisp signature electronica that propelled 2007′s Unexpected Falls to high accolade. They certainly seem to have spent a choice amount on props in this latest promo shoot, up for public viewing on their profile or you can check out more photos by Dublin snapper Mark Duggan on his White Noise Visuals site.

www.myspace.com/aliasempireofficial

It’s oh so exciting – Butterfly Explosion are back on stage and this bobby dazzler with Amusement Parks on Fire and the mysterious DC Experiment this Thursday 29 January is just a beginning…St Patrick’s weekend marks the second Whelans/Club AC30/Butterfly Explosion party and it’s a welcome return headliner for debatably Dublin’s favourite shoegaze band!
2008 was explosive: album plans took a massive shake-up in the early stages as Sorcha Brennan (synths/vox) moved on to Sleep Thieves and Conor Garry of Ghostwood Project stepped in on bass. Aided in the production stages by God Is An Astronaut‘s Torsten Kinsella, the music triumphed…songs from Butterfly Explosion’s long-awaited, debut album hear their first live airing on 29 January.

You may squeal.

Butterfly Explosion’s website hasn’t been updated in a while – you know what that means? Vision and Butterfly Explosion EPs are still around for your happy download love

www.myspace.com/butterflyexplosion

www.myspace.com/clubac30dublin1

“Where we at?” just doesn’t sound right coming from a slight Irish chick, does it? Just like other Irish chicks saying “innit” and “bothered?” sound like dopes. Oh well, that’s the infinite 8-loop of stupidity for ya. Anyway, regardless of global lingo we’ve enough of our own jingoist affairs to keep you sharp…

Huggy bye-byes and big thank-you-for-the-music to The Dagger Lees who’ve called time on their endeavours. It’s all quite unexpected and shocking, especially as the news broke when I’d literally just mailed asking for info and plans for the year ahead. Originally named Stagger Lee, the band enjoyed a grand run of red and black fun, especially with 2008′s release of Stagger Stomp and their song Scarlet Fever featuring on an American indie movie soundtrack. I’d mailed because there were plans to record with legend producer Jim Diamond in 2009 but…. but nevermind. Wish them all the best and look out for bassist Bennie’s new band Hathor’s Vein over the next few months.

It’s great to see Irish musicians rallying for a great cause in Vicar Street…not the Choice Music Prize but an emergency relief fundraiser for the war-torn region of Gaza which has been subjected to intense attacks from the Israeli military since Christmas. Lisa Hannigan and Neil Hannon head the bill along with a host of others. See la Hot Presse for more details.

Le Galaxie have been confirmed to play the Swedish Popadelica festival in May thanks to their friends I’m From Barcelona.

The Dirty Nines are strange folks. They always pop up with random bits of news, such as being flown to Stornoway in Scotland by BBC to record a live music show…is Rapal the new Other Voices?

If you’re interested, The Minutes are giving away four free songs: see their MySpace blog for details.

Drop-D do justice (and fire and brimstone) to Estel‘s enigmatic new EP. They’ve also got top-notch reviews with For Ruin, I’ll Eat Your Face and a feature on Cork’s Ladydoll.
Plus D-D’s Chief Editor and hellraiser Paddy Murphy’s gone and set himself up with a mog (read: music blog) of his own and first amongst the news is a relevation that Scary Eire‘s own RiRa has tunes up on MySpace as precursors to a new album…

Nialler 9 sparked a trackback frenzy this week on streaming tracks from Villagers‘ debut EP. Rightly lovely they are too…unlike Rubberbandits who wreck my head. Yeah wotevs, I never said I was cool, unlike my son who absolutely loves their prank calls on YouTube…I’m officially an oul’ ma.

Sweet Oblivion has an interrrview with Mr Land Lovers, who play Ballroom of Romance tonight:

Analogue were at Sleep Thieves and LeGalaxie in the Twisted Pepper and the review sheds light on why Sleep Thieves are set for a very positive reception in 2009.

But State really were not impressed with Dublin Duck Dispensary last week, ack…

…and Fred made like Stella’s groove and got their gear back! Come on lads, fess up…you left the van unlocked and the altruistic pinnacles of community protection An Garda Siochana only too kindly took it to the station for safekeeping, right?

I’ll leave you with the most fucked-up occurence of the year to date : Microsoft Songsmith meets Your Cunting Daughter…

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/qLJXAWJRYMQ" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

I’ve a shoot to pop up here if I can get it done in time this afty. Gotta go out first so, in case I don’t seeya…have a great weekend xx