Happy New Year!

Well, 2009 is almost over and it's been quite a year for music and for us here at The Paper Ship. We've traveled, we've made new friends, we've discovered amazing new bands and now it's time to look back on it all.

The Paper Ship's Top 10 Musical Journeys of 2009
(in no particular order)

1. Kings of Leon at The Forum, Inglewood, CA (August '09)- Driving from L.A. through the "shady" area of Inglewood had Lucyfer choosing gang sides (she was wearing red) and I developed a nice slogan 'I got shot in Inglewood and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.' Offensive? Yes. Funny? Absolutely.

2. The Kills at Neumo's, Seattle, WA (May '09)- Their live shows are always filled with sexual tension, loud guitar riffs and the wailing of Alison's vocals - this show was no different. Also, this was our first time meeting Alison and Jamie and not only were they so sweet and nice enough to take pictures with us but they were very, very sexy. As pictured here:

3. The Dead Weather at The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA.(August '09) - Our first DW experience and we had the privilege of enjoying it at the Wiltern Theater in an amazing city surrounded by great fans. The highlight? The next day opening of Third Man Records pop-up store. This included a surprise concert for the first 500 fans and ANOTHER surprise one-song performance of 'Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground' by Jack White and Jack Lawrence, who decided to dress as each other. Epic!

4. Austin City Limits, Austin, TX. (October '09)- Being caught in a rain storm on Day 2 with no ponchos, drenched from head to toe and keeping warm with giant Heineken beers are the memories that I will look back on fondly. We saw so many great performers that weekend; from Kings of Leon who brought Eddie Vedder on stage to close out the show with the song 'Slow Night, Slow Long' to Ghostland Observatory, Neon Indian (who replaced The Raveonettes at the last minute), Sam Roberts Band, The Dead Weather, and so many more.


5. The Raveonettes at Neumos, Seattle, WA. (November '09) - They played a collection of songs; all the way back to their first album 'Bowels of the Beast' to the new 'In and Out of Control.' We were front row for this one and to be honest, being that close to Sune Rose Wagner got me a little hot and bothered....but that's another story. And of couse, meeting Sune & Sharin was a definite highlight of the show and of the year.


6. Sasquatch Festival, George, WA (May '09) - This was a great way to spend my 26th birthday and we saw so many great bands and comedians; The Walkmen (who we got to meet as well), Zach Galifanakis, Aziz Ansari (both in the comedy tent), Yeah Yeah Yeahs, KoL again(!), M. Ward and we unfortunately were stuck (literally) in the crowd watching The Decemberists...but the only thing that made that show tolerable was the couple who were having sex plain as day on top of a mountain. Definitely a highlight!

7. Kings of Leon at General Motors Place, Vancouver B.C. (August '09) - Ok, we love KoL. That's obvious. The weekend before we started our trek to California we decides to cross the border into beautiful Canada to see KoL. We pushed our way to the front which was the first time we'd been front row since Bumbershoot '07 and boy, was it worth it! Seeing our favorite guys up close and personal was a pretty good start to our vacation.


8. Dead Man's Bones at The Triple Door, Seattle, WA (October '09) - The brainchild of Ryan Gosling and Zack Shields, DMB played a sold-out show in Seattle in October. The opening acts were magicians and comedians and the MC was a cowboy ghost; needless to say, it was original, inspiring and the dinner-and-a-show-feel of the venue made it all the more unusual.


9. Dead Man's Bones at Venue, Vancouver BC (October '09)- For the second time this year, we made our way to Canada. DMB played the following night after the Seattle show; this time with a new children's choir (they use a different one from each city they play in), new opening acts and a smaller venue - which allowed us to get VERY close to the stage and hope that Ryan Gosling would fall in love with us upon first sight. That didn't happen.


10. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Fool's Gold & Local Natives at Neumo's, Seattle, WA. (December '09)- We channeled our inner hippie for this show and Edward Sharpe did not disappoint. His energy onstage is contagious and during 'Home' the crowd was bouncing up and down so much I thought for sure the floor was going to cave in. Local Natives were a delight as well and boy, did they bring it! 'Sun Hands' was energetic, fun and an overall great song to sing along to; and of course, it was nice to see those guys again!


And....the most random concert of the year goes to.....(drum roll.....) MICKEY AVALON! Lucyfer decided (for reasons unknown) to go to his show at the Showbox in Seattle.....I don't get it. But i guess it was fun.

Here's to another year of rock 'n' roll, road trips, and late nights!

Girl Crushes

It's inevitable; girls fall for other girls. Whether it be because of their commanding stage presence, their iconic fashion or just because they are so god damn sexy, we love female rockers! And we at The Paper Ship felt the need to share that with all of you. Here are just a few of our faves!

Alison Mosshart - she holds her own against Jack White and Jamie Hince; and we love her for it!

Sharin Foo - one word comes to mind: BOMBSHELL. Enough said.

Regina Spektor - We love this Russian born beauty and her honest and delightful lyrics.

Meg White: Any woman who can play the drums and was once married to Jack White is OK in our book.

Jessie Baylin: Word on the street is she's delightfully sweet and she snagged one of the sexiest drummers in rock 'n' roll. Yes, we're jealous but we love her anyway. Oh and I have yet to see a bad picture of her, some girls have all the luck.

Karen O.: She wears crazy outfits, sounds perfect on stage and can probably kick our ass.

Tristan Prettyman: This girl is IT! She surfs, models, sings, plays guitar and blogs about it all! Her playful tunes and delightful presence is bound to melt your heart.

Get Your Fun in this Trashy World

A boy/girl duo from Denmark took the stage at Neumos in Seattle on Friday, November 6, 2009. Sune Rose Wagner; a towering stage presence mixed with little boy adorableness with just a splash of old fashioned rock star sexy. To his right stood a six-foot-tall, blonde-haired perfection named Sharin Foo; dressed in head-to-toe black, her soft-spoken sexiness exuded off stage. She's enough to make any straight girl question their sexuality, as proven by our concert newbie friend who came with us to the show. They strapped on their guitars and with the first chord of their opening song "Gone Forever", shivers went racing down my spine.

This is a band who tackles heavy songwriting material such as rape, suicide, drugs, and jail time; but they do so in a sweet and soothing way that when the lyrics "my girl is a little animal, she always wants to fuck" or "everytime you overdose, i rush to intensive care" come cooing from your speakers; it's hard not to be surprised at the ingenious of it all.

Lucyfer and I have been turned on to The Raveonettes for some time now and when they had to cancel their Austin City Limits show and artist signing at the last minute due to members of their crew unable to get their passports in time, we were seriously depressed. However, this show in Seattle definitely made up for it.

The Raveonettes took the stage at 10:15, after San Diego based opening band 'The Crocodiles', who were very entertaining and not to mention pretty attractive (but that's for another time.) Their set list included a good majority of the new album like "Last Dance", "D.R.U.G.S", and "Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)" which was dedicated to The Gits front-woman Mia Zapata who was brutally raped and murdered in 1993 in Seattle while walking home one night. They didn't forget about their early material either though, playing songs like "Love In a Trashcan' and 'Do You Believe Her' (which had a spectacular light show complete with strobes, which almost sent Lucyfer and I into a seizure.) They even switched up their instruments; picking up the tamborine for a couple songs and Sharin debuting her pretty impressive skills on the drums.

All in all, The Raveonettes did not disappoint. Their new songs sounded amazing live but Lucyfer and I were still in for a treat. While buying our merchandise (a vinyl copy of 'In and Out of Control' and a set of Sune and Sharin mugs for me; and mugs, stickers, and buttons for Lucyfer) we were told that they would be signing merch in an upstairs room at the venue. We headed upstairs with our merch and waited for the meet and greet to start. When Sune and Sharin finally arrived; there were only around 20 people there, which was definitely surprising! Sune and Sharin were charming, gracious, and super-friendly. They made sure everyone got an autograph, picture, or a hug. Even I'm not immune to being star-struck, especially in the presence of musicians that I listen to on a daily basis, so I did miss out on a couple great conversations with Sune when he sat down next to me to sign my vinyl. Lucyfer, on the other hand, had manage to talk with Sune about the ACL cancellation and with Sharin about the fact that this was her first Raveonettes show. Well done, Lucyfer, we don't call her "ballsy" for no reason.

We left Neumos that night on a rock 'n' roll and vodka high, tingling from the pure and unadulterated fun we just had and eager for our next adventure.

New Release Tuesday - What's Worthy of my Money?

On this grand day, a multitude of creative endeavors in the form of vinyl, cd's, digital downloads, hell, maybe even cassette tapes, are being released around the world.

In this overload of creativity and body-moving beats, you may ask: "Paper Ship? What's worthy of my pennies? What amazing music should I spend my hard-earned cash on that will not disappoint?"


Well here are the Top 5 albums for Tuesday, November 3, 2009 that you should run out and buy (and for the love of God, buy your music in some tangible form).

• Phrazes For the Young - Julian Casablancas

• Bleach (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) - Nirvana...this one you can get on Vinyl, kids.

• Two Suns (Special Edition) - Bat For Lashes

• Fantastic Mr. Fox Soundtrack

• Today! (Limited Edition Vinyl) - The Beach Boys. A majority of the Beach Boys catalog is out of print in Capitol Record's domestic catalog, so snatch up these rarities while you can!

The Raveonettes "progress in life"

THE RAVEONETTES CHAT WITH METROMIX

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The Raveonettes

“In a way we’re sort of an awful live band,” starts Sharin Foo, the girl half of The Raveonettes. “I think the music sounds great but…”

“It’s probably boring to watch us play,” finishes off her bandmate Sune Rose Wanger - owner of not just the boy-shaped side of proceedings, but also of possibly the greatest name in modern music.

With their new ‘pop’ album ‘In And Out Of Control’, the Danish duo have been drastically rethinking their shtick, revamping their fuzzed-up trashy-chic sonics and their stage show. “We came to terms with [the fact] that we’re now officially entertainers,” explains Wagner. “We always thought that we were just artists.” Foo giggles.

Their fourth album sees them handing over the reigns to a producer for the first time, fellow Dane and Junior Senior knob twiddler Thomas Troelson. “We wanted someone to be really different from us, which he is,” says Foo. Their last album, ‘Lust Lust Lust’, might have been, in Foo’s words “very dark and introvert”, but they’ve perked up thanks to Troelson, to whom ‘upbeat’ is far from a dirty word. So, that explains the ‘Out Of Control’ bit of the record title - how about the ‘In Control’ part? Well, that’s simple. After eight years in the industry, The Raveonettes are clearer than they’ve ever been about what they want and what they need. “We were a little burned out at one point just from touring too much and partying too much and now we’re in a good healthy place, we’re very focused on the music,” admits Foo. So, there’s no partying any more? “There’s still parties, but for me, not so much, I have a little daughter. She’s eleven months old."

Partying is also made harder by the fact that The Raveonettes are a bicoastal band. Sharin lives in Los Angeles, while Sune is in New York City. How does that work? “It doesn’t,” laughs Wagner. “We meet each other like this,” he says putting his hands up, “it’s crazy!” Foo is LA based for reasons of romance, and it seems Wanger is having a love affair too, not with a person, but a city. “When I lived in Copenhagen I was extremely restless, I would go out every night and I just couldn’t find peace because I was afraid that I was gonna miss something.” Then, when he moved to his beloved NYC that restless feeling vanished. “All of a sudden I had the feeling that I wasn’t going to miss out on anything because if I didn’t go out tonight it would be the same, or twice as much tomorrow or the day after.”

You’ll never find The Raveonettes living in Las Vegas though, where they recently played a one-off show. One day there, confesses Wagner, is more than enough, recalling the time he spent two weeks in the city, not leaving his hotel once. “That was good inspiration for some evil songs. I really thought I had found Hell on Earth.”

Sonically - if not lyrically - that evil has abated on the new album. Gone are the lurid pulp fiction and monochrome film noir influences. “This is not a cinematic album for us,” laughs Wagner. So, what was the inspiration? “Real life. A lot of stuff that we experience in our personal lives, and, unfortunately, I guess it’s like that when you, er... I don’t like the term ‘get older’, so I’ll say when you ‘progress in life’, you experience more and more tragic things. Life is painful, misery… I guess we have to one day maybe sit down and write a really happy pop song. One day we’ll do it, why not?” Remember to give us a call when you do guys - we’d love to hear it.

Your Cochlea Will Quiver...You Can Thank Me Later

You may have seen them play at SxSW, CMJ, Spaceland, a house party or even in a barn. They are Taylor, Ryan, Kelcey, Andy and Matt...Local Natives. Silverlake in Los Angeles, CA is lucky to have these guys call it home.


Some might say they are the musical lust child of Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire and Grizzly Bear. Be prepared to hear soothing lyrics, energetic guitars and salient drums. Whether in person or CD, their sound pulls at my chordae tendineae (some of my other parts are affected too but I won't go into that). Go on, have a listen. As far as the guys...they are quite gracious and their thanks genuine.


In August, Crymson and I ventured California. As recommended by a musician friend of ours, we attended Spaceland. Local Natives had residency there, playing (a free show) every Monday night that month. Like good sex, it was hot, sweaty and too many people in one room...
We liked what we heard and saw.

Upon personal invitation, we travelled to Seattle, WA less than a month later to experience them again. The High Dive was a little less crowded which allowed room for dancing...or whatever it is you call what I do after a few strong drinks.

Most recently, Local Natives joined a terrific lineup for the NME Radar Tour across the pond. What's next on the agenda for these strapping lads you ask? Silly question. More touring! In the upcoming month they'll be all over the North American map including a handful of dates in beautiful Canada. Also, their debut album Gorilla Manor is being released November 2nd in the UK. "Cheers, bung, & how's your father?", says Lucyfer.
Seattle welcomes Local Natives back on December 5th at Neumo's. Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros and Fool's Gold will also take the stage that night. You'd better believe Crymson & Lucyfer will be front row and center for that! We can't wait, it will surely be magical.

Be sure to check out Local Natives in a town near you, or hell...who doesn't love a roadtrip?? If for some unfortunate reason you are unable to attend, take a gander at their facebook, Myspace, or Local Natives Website.

In Case You're In London...

The Dead Weather will be performing a short set at the Third Man Records temporary store on Halloween, Saturday night at 8pm. It's FREE and all ages but entrance is on a first come, first served basis so be sure to show up early on Saturday. The store is located in East London at Shoreditch Church on Shoreditch High Street E1 6NJ, view a map HERE.

Can't make it to the gig, listen to the broadcast HERE at 8 PM Saturday night.

Exclusive Halloween versions of all Third Man 45s with new artwork pressed on GLOW IN THE DARK VINYL will be available at this London location only. There were only 100 of each special London editions printed, so come down early on Friday to avoid disappointment. In addition to this, they will have all of the usual Third Man records, T-shirts and miscellany from The Dead Weather, The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and more. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, THE SHOP IS CASH ONLY. There are cash points located at Old Street tube and Liverpool St. station, as well as a handy one right across the street from the shop.

Third Man Records London
Shoreditch Church
Shoreditch High Street
E1 6NJ

Hours of operation:
Friday, Oct. 30th: 11-6 PM
Saturday, Oct. 31st: 11-9 PM


THE DEAD WEATHER CHATS WITH NME

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You'd Look Nice in a Grave

There's been an obsession as of late that has only been fueled by the live shows that Lucyfer and Crymson have recently attended.

Dead Man's Bones - the dark, spooky, grave obsessed- debut by musicians Ryan Gosling and Zack Shield. And when we say musicians - we mean MUSICIANS! Ryan and Zack regularly traded instruments showcasing their skills on the guitar, keyboard, and drums. We were impressed to say the least. The show started with the song 'Flowers Grow Out of My Grave' -which brought Lucyfer to tears - and from then we were thrust into the album which sounds just as amazing (if not better) live. A local choir was featured at each show dressed to the nines in face paint, black attire (or white robes at the Vancouver show).

We were lucky enough to see them at the Triple Door in Seattle as well as at Venue in Vancouver B.C. the following night.

Here are a few pics from those magical nights:








If you haven't picked up the album yet, go do it....NOW!