Hot damn I did it! Theater screening in Denver of the new Pearl Jam movie: Immagine in Cornice

Well, this week is shaping up to be significantly better than last. I’m beyond thrilled to announce that I have actually arranged a big-screen showing of the new Pearl Jam concert movie, Immagine in Cornice, THIS Wednesday Sept 26th at the Denver Film Society/Starz FilmCenter theatre! That’s in downtown Denver near the Pepsi Center (off 9th and Auraria) and in keeping with our Italy theme, it’s very appropriately located in the Tivoli student union building. Couldn’t have planned it better if I tried.

Showtime is at 7pm on Wednesday, and it will be a fantastically FREE event. Watch an excerpt from the film here.

Like-minded fans can meet up with us before the showing (say 5:30pm) at Brooklyn’s across the street to get in a festive mood. They’ve got a good selection of beers, plus I think there are pool tables and your usual assortment of very healthy fried foods, also many loaded with cheese. If you think you will come to Brooklyn’s first, please email me so I can give them a rough count. This will allow them to have adequate staff there if we all descend en masse.

Come on out and bring friends who like any of the following things:
a) music
b) Pearl Jam
c) Europe
d) movies
e) free things

Here is a poster you can print and tack up to help get the word out on relatively short notice. If you are a student at a college in our area, or know somewhere that you could put some up, please do! Let’s make this ferociously awesome.

Rock on, and don’t let the bastards grind you down.

[photo credit Kerensa Wight]

Pearl Jam movies are so hot right now

[thanks to pearljamevolution for ripping/youtubing the video clips; that acoustic Lukin made me laugh out loud in its wonderfulness]

The new Pearl Jam tour DVD Immagine in Cornice which chronicles their scorchingly fabulous Italian shows from last summer (directed by Danny Clinch) will be released upon the salivating masses of PJ fans on Tuesday. My copy is somewhere in the mail in between Seattle and Colorado, according to the Ten Club, and I may try to attend what we fondly call a “dork gathering” of friends to watch this blessed film when it arrives in mailboxes all over the Colorado Springs/Denver/Boulder area.

However, for those unbelievably lucky saps living in “select cities” (Tulare but not Denver?) you get to go see an all-digital fancy schamncy movie theater premiere experience next week. I would love to see this movie on the big screen, since my speakers are just the built-in ones that came on the TV. I actually checked airfare to, like St. Louis and Vegas (but, uh, see previous post). For more information or to buy remaining tickets, see the D&E Entertainment page.

September 24
UK and Ireland Screenings
Covent Garden – Odeon
Surrey Quayes – Odeon
Manchester – Odeon Printworks
Dublin TBA

September 25
U.S. Screenings
Atlanta – Midtown
Austin – Highland
Berkeley – Elmwood
Boston – Kendall Square
Chicago – Lake Theatre
Chicago – Charlestowne 18
Detroit – Novi
Grand Rapids, MI – Celebration
Lansing, MI – Celebration
Las Vegas – Galaxy
Los Angeles – Plant 16
Memphis – Paradiso
New York – Zeigfeld
Philadelphia – Clearview
Riverbank, CA – Galaxy
St. Louis – Chesterfield
San Diego – UltraStar
San Francisco – Embarcadero
San Luis Obispo – Movie Experience
Santa Rosa – Lakeside
Seattle – Metro
Seattle – Galaxy
Tulare, CA – Galaxy

Also, the Into The Wild premiere was in L.A. last night, featuring a soundtrack by Ed Vedder (and is it just me or does Sean Penn look like he just fell off his barstool in that picture?). It opens ONLY in New York and L.A. this Friday, for those of you searching the movie listings fruitlessly. Apparently it will get wider release on October 12; I finally got the book from the library so I am preparing myself according to my philosophical principles (“always read the book before you see the movie”).

New Eddie Vedder solo song: “Hard Sun” (with Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker)

Clearly intended as a birthday gift for me (it’s tomorrow), the first Eddie Vedder solo song from the Into The Wild soundtrack has now been posted on the Into The Wild website. This initial listen sounds well-suited to what I understand the movie is about (note to self: get the book!) — a journey into the great wide open, wanderlust, sweeping vistas, solo strength.

It builds from an organic acoustic/tambourine affair to a heavier, fuzzier, driving thing of beauty by the end. It is apparently a cover of an obscure song by Canadian musician Gordon Peterson under the name Indio, from the 1989 album Big Harvest. Searching for information on Peterson is near impossible, as he seems to have all but vanished since the album was released, but the original song apparently features backing vocals from Joni Mitchell.

Ed’s version ramps up the Middle-Eastern influences and reminds me of Pearl Jam songs like “Who You Are” or “Face of Love,” a bit exotic. Sleater-Kinney punk goddess Corin Tucker duets, taking the part that Joni filled 18 years ago.

New duet from M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel

Actress Zooey Deschanel has a swanky cabaret-tinged lilt to her voice that’s resonated well with me ever since she cautiously sang along with Will Ferrell in the movie Elf, and you know how much I love the humid crackle of M. Ward.

Now they’ve joined forces to record a cover of the Richard and Linda Thompson duet “When I Get To The Border” for the new independent film The Go-Getter. The film is directed by Martin Hynes (Stealing Harvard) and stars Lou Taylor Pucci (Thumbsucker), Jena Malone (who sings now too) and Zooey Deschanel. It was debuted at Sundance this past February and is on the hunt for a distributor to bring the goodness to the masses, hopefully by the end of the year.

When I Get To The Border – M. Ward & Zooey Deschanel

M.’s been on a soundtrack kick lately (such expressive atmospheric tunes add richness to any film) — note his performance of the Jesse-Harris-penned tune “Crooked Lines” for the new Ethan Hawke film The Hottest State. That soundtrack is out next week, August 7th, on the newly-resurrected Hickory Records.

Vedder to pen(n) solo soundtrack album

It was reported by The Playlist blog yesterday (unverified source) that Ed Vedder is working on composing an entire album of solo material to soundtrack the new Sean Penn-directed movie Into The Wild. Here’s the trailer:

The movie is based on the true story explored in the book by Jon Krakauer. We previously knew that Vedder was collaborating for this project, recording songs in a Seattle studio with American bluesman Charlie Musselwhite, but we didn’t know the extent until this report. Vedder is also rumored to have a small part in the film.

This is essentially a solo album (due Sept 18) for Vedder, although the songs will thematically be grouped for a movie, so it’s not quite the same as a true solo endeavor. I can see it coming, but a pox on the houses of those who will say this heralds the beginning of the end of Pearl Jam as a group. I can’t see them breaking up anytime soon. When I’m 50 I’ll go see them in Japan or something, and I love it even though that’s just a little bit depressing.

Vedder is also contributing two original songs to the new documentary Body of War, one of them being “No More War” which was debuted at the Kokua Fest a few months ago in Hawaii.

Pearl Jam has a long and luscious history of contributing some great gems to soundtracks (some original, some borrowed from other albums). Here is a sampling:

BROKEDOWN MELODY SOUNDTRACK

Goodbye – Eddie Vedder

CHICAGO CAB SOUNDTRACK

Who You Are – Pearl Jam
(also on No Code)

Hard To Imagine – Pearl Jam
(a great version of an unreleased rarity that finally showed up on Lost Dogs)

CRADLE WILL ROCK SOUNDTRACK

Croon Spoon – Ed Vedder & Susan Sarandon
(how’s that for a duet? Betcha didn’t know Vedder did lounge acts)

I AM SAM SOUNDTRACK

You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (Beatles cover) – Eddie Vedder

BIG FISH SOUNDTRACK

Man Of The Hour – Pearl Jam
(I loved this movie)

DEAD MAN WALKING SOUNDTRACK

Face of Love – Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Eddie Vedder

Long Road – Pearl Jam (corrected)

For my money though . . . the best Vedder role (from one of my all-time favorite movies) is in Singles. “…Other than that, he was ably backed by Stone and Jeff, and drummer Eddie Vedder. I mean, that’s good — that’s a good review.”

“A compliment for us is a compliment for you!“

The soundtrack to that movie also gave us two of my favorite Pearl Jam songs (as well as a bunch of other amazing songs from folks like Paul Westerberg, who allegedly composed his contributions in a hotel room in less than 30 minutes, Chris Cornell/Soundgarden, and Smashing Pumpkins). Depending on the day, I might even say that State of Love and Trust is my favorite Pearl Jam song — just listen to that marvelous opening riff:

SINGLES SOUNDTRACK

State of Love and Trust – Pearl Jam

Breath – Pearl Jam

I can’t wait to hear what Vedder is envisioning for this new soundtrack, which seems ripe for artistic harvest (escaping the “civilized” world as we know it, a solo journey of survival and discovery, etc etc).

Come on September!

Monday Music Roundup

I had a hard weekend. But notably, there were some new releases and musical gems that made me happy, and I also (frickin finally) finished Bill Bryson’s dry and uproarious book about Britain, Notes From A Small Island. I enjoyed it so much that it almost feels wrong. I’m talking ’bout laughing (really, kinda chortling) out loud on every other page, plus really enjoying reading about places I’d visited in the UK that I hadn’t thought about in 5 years; places like this little gem, or here. I wrote a few thoughts about the book for Bruce’s Some Velvet Blog, part of a series on summer reads, and that’s up now.

Hollywood Bass Player
Josh Rouse
After releasing a charmingly laid-back EP with his Spanish novia, She’s Spanish, I’m American, Josh Rouse will be back in solo long form with a new album called Country Mouse City House (out July 31 on his own imprint Bedroom Classics). This track is toe-tappingly catchy with a fittingly strutty bass line — and for some reason it made me want to sing “My Life” by Billy Joel (aka the Bosom Buddies theme song) all weekend. If you preorder the new disc now, you also get a bonus CD with some cool demos and unreleased songs.

A Long Time Away
Howie Payne
Lead singer of the now-defunct Liverpool band The Stands, Howie Payne is set to release his first solo LP this year, and has posted 4 new tracks on his MySpace page for your streaming pleasure. What I’ve heard of The Stands has quite a bit more rollicking sound, hailing from the same scene as neighbors The Coral and The Zutons, but these new songs are precisely some of the aforementioned things that made me happy this weekend. They are a bit more wistful and shaded, with a bit of blowing-through-the-jasmine-in-my-mind reminiscence for me.

The National Side
Romantica
This next tune from Minneapolis band Romantica is different but I like it a lot. A fellow Ryan Adams fan recommended this to me, saying it was a tune that “you absolutely must check out” and guaranteed that it would be one of my favorite songs of the summer. All I can liken it to would be — okay, so Evan Dando moves to North Carolina and finds a backing band of mariachi dudes to play with. Then there’s also some great “buh-bah-buh-dah-dah-dah…”s which you really just can’t go wrong with in most circumstances. I like it. It’s from their forthcoming album America, out on 2024 Records.

Kingston Advice (Clash cover)
Camper Van Beethoven
Since we’ve already established an abiding fondness on my part for the output of David Lowery, it should come as no surprise that this track is one of my favorites off the new Clash tribute album The Sandinista! Project (out last month on the Megaforce label). As with all tribute albums, there are some questionable stylistic choices amisdt the 36 tracks, but this band is one with the cred to believably cover The Clash in a trippy, inventive way. Maybe I could have done without the fife, but otherwise I dig this.

Staggolee
Pacific Gas & Electric
I am in love with the quirky weirdness of the new soundtrack from Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, full of hidden gems mostly from the ’60s and ’70s. I just got the soundtrack this weekend, and no surprises – we all know Quentin is a genius at this stuff. I’d love to hang out with Quentin and talk music someday. The man strikes me as borderline crazy, but he’s one of the best soundtrackers out there. This cut is a swampy electric blues harp romp, but the other songs on the album range from campy girl groups, atmospheric Italian film scores, the swagger of T. Rex, and the British Invasion sound of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. Fantastic off-kilter kitsch.

Zidane: the soundtrack (by Mogwai)

A surprise hit at the Cannes film festival last year, the film portrait of French footballer (aka soccer player) Zidane looks fascinating, and sounds even better. The instrumental score is by Mogwai (yep, originally named after the Gremlin) and impressed me in its lush sensuality and moody atmosphere.

Win yourself some Spidey-tastic music, I won’t even make you hang upside down in the rain

It’s Friday, which must mean a contest or something, right?

Spiderman 3 came out last week and it’s, well, a Spiderman movie – all villains and stunts and improbable choices. The thing that makes it notable is the dope soundtrack, which features folks like Rogue Wave, Wolfmother, The Killers, JET, The Walkmen and recent Fuel favorite Coconut Records.

I have one Spiderman prize pack to give away, and it kind of cracks me up because it would be a total bonanza especially for a 12-year-old male reader if I have some of those. My winner will get the soundtrack (yay!), a webblaster thingie that straps to your arm and shoots silly string (okay) and a Spiderman dog thing that hooks up to your iPod and dances on your desk. He has a crush on Hello Kitty, but you totally didn’t hear that from me.

SOUNDTRACK LISTING (on iTunes too)
Signal Fire – Snow Patrol
Move Away – The Killers
Sealings – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Pleased to Meet You – Wolfmother
Red River – The Walkmen
Stay Free – Black Mountain
The Supreme Being Teaches Spider-Man How to Be in Love – The Flaming Lips
Scared of Myself – Simon Dawes
Twist – Chubby Checker
Sightlines – Rogue Wave
Summer Day – Coconut Records
Falling Star – Jet
Portrait of a Summer Thief – Sounds Under Radio
Letter from St. Jude – The Wasted Youth Orchestra
Small Parts – The Oohlas

This was one so easy to think of a challenge question for:
In the comments, tell me what your superpower would be if you could pick any one you wanted. The one I enjoy the most, wins. (You have one week to think)

AND: As for last week’s contest to win the Arctic Monkeys vinyl, the winner for “worst band name” suggestion is Ashley, who stole my heart and completely echoed my sentiments when she left a one-word submission. Her choice is one that I have always thought of as so . . . retarded (sorry, but it is) that I can’t hardly even say it. Hoobastank. It’s like Huffamoose, only worse.

Congrats Miss Ashley, please send me your info so I can get that neato 12″ mailed out to you and you can have your very own jumparound Arctic Monkeys dance party.

‘Cause we could be happy can’t you see

The other night I plunked down with some popcorn (we really wanted pizza but IT WAS SNOWING) and the DVD of That Thing You Do, Tom Hanks’ paean to the starry-eyed musical hit machine of the 1960s and one likeable group’s rollercoaster rise to stardom.

Mostly I thought to pick it up again because of the Scripture-quoting Chris Isaak cameo (blink and you miss it, but it always makes me smile) and the toe-tapping bubblegum tunes, but doing what I do now (for sport, this blogging business) I have to admit that I found the whole plotline about how the music industry “used to” work to be very interesting. Sure, all those staid mechanisms are still grinding along, but I was excited by all the avenues that exist for new music today. You no longer have to sign with a big glittery major label to have your work heard, or sit and hope that a major radio show plays your stuff as they did in this film (although they were pretty proactive in making their own records). I know the movie is all fictional, but hey — I think about these things.

I’ve always considered the title song “That Thing You Do” to be a bit of a guilty pleasure, although pleasurable as anything to drum along with, to with all the rat-tat-tat beats and sugar sweet harmonies. I’d never examined its musical pedigree before, but was thrilled to see that it was actually penned (along with two other songs from the movie) by Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger, and sung by Mike Viola. Now I can feel just a bit better about its lineage — even though most of the other soundtrack songs were written by Tom Hanks. Really? He must be a serious music geek, there were definitely elements of that uberfandom in the film, like with Guy’s geek dream jam session with fictional jazz musician Del Paxton. You couldn’t help but feel all happy inside with that scene, and ponder who you would want to stumble upon your noodling in the studio and sit in to lay down some tape with you.

It’s been so long since I’ve seen this movie (last time I watched it I believe I still had a serious crush on Johnathan Schaech) so I forgot that it boasts one of the best movie pickup lines that you can watch in front of your grandma, penned in great quotable sense of old black and white movies:

“When was the last time you were decently kissed? I mean truly, truly good and kissed?”

It makes women of all ages swoon, in very PG way. I dug up a few tunes to enjoy from the manufactured imaginary world of girl groups and doo-wop quartets of yesteryear in the soundtrack.

Voyage Around The Moon – The Saturn 5
(I thought for sure Chris Isaak was playing on this jangly surf delight. I was wrong)

Shrimp Shack – Cap’n Geech And The Shrimp Shack Shooters
(“Good news guys. You get to keep the clothes.”)

She Knows It – The Heardsmen

That Thing You Do – The Wonders

CONCERT ALERT (for my Colorado brethren):
Rocky Votolato at the Black Sheep tonight! Recommended artist, I’ll be there. Oakland, CA’s Street To Nowhere opens.