Monthly Archives: October 2009
T.G.I.F. – Ten Trailers of Terror
The Exorcist trailer - Saw this in a college class and then had to walk home across campus in dense fog. Didn’t sleep a wink that night, nor did most of my friends. Yes, it was a Jesuit college.
Halloween trailer - I saw this screened at a NACA convention in a small classroom with about twenty people. At a critical point in the movie – when you could hear a pin drop - the guy next to me goosed the girl in front of him and she rocketed skyward with a bloodcurdling scream, which made most of us soil ourselves. Then a walk back across a foggy campus where the film distributor hired a Michael Meyers lookalike to drop from a tree. (I’m still washing that pair of shorts.)
The Blair Witch Project trailer - The very last scene makes no sense if you didn’t pay close attention in the beginning. If you did pay attention, it will scare the shit out of you. Kudos to the creators who took a shoestring budget and made one of the best viral movies ever, with special thanks for making that scary ending so subtle. Hope the creators of Paranormal Activity are slipping these guys a few bucks.
House on Haunted Hill trailer - Where I grew up in NYC there was an afternoon matinee called Million Dollar Movie that aired from around 4:30 until 6:00. Occasionally they would show the same film Monday through Friday. I remember watching this film every day for five straight days and still jumping ten feet in the air every time scene with the “floating woman” came by…god, that still creeps me out! Starring Vincent Price at his smarmiest and featuring the always willing to chew scenery Elisha Cook, Jr. They have remade this movie several times but nothing touches the original.
Session 9 trailer - Contemporary horror movies are mostly gorefests. This was a thinking person’s movie, where the horror was deeper than any axe blade could cut. I thought David Caruso might even have resurrected his film career with this one, but I guess I was wrong. Subtle and pensive but very, very creepy.
The Shining trailer - Ever watched someone go insane right before your eyes? (Married people, step back.) Jack Nicholson channeling palpable dread… tempered only by the fact that I wanted to kill Shelley Duvall myself. Redrum!
Psycho trailer - Alfred Hitchcock’s movie trailers are better than some people’s movies. The screeching score was as much a part of the fright as the visuals. A landmark classic.
Rosemary’s Baby trailer - The scariest films are sometimes the ones with the most plausible characters (apart from the whole Satanic thing, of course). What brilliance to cast condo dwellers as the evil ones? Conspiratorial horror. I never looked at Ruth Gordon the same way again (even in Harold and Maude I wondered if she would snap Bud Cort‘s neck and eat him).
Night of the Living Dead trailer - Yep, no big names, cheesey by modern standards, but at the time one of the creepiest movies ever made. You don’t spawn that many sequels and imitators by sucking!
Phantasm trailer - Speaking of cheeseball, some of the sets and (lack of) costumes will make some think it’s a lame movie, but when The Tall Man enters the screen, all bets are off. The last scene of this movie is one of the scariest moments on film. And has there ever been a better horror movie name than Angus Scrimm? Ice cream trucks, ponytails and the sphere.
Mental Floss
Filed under Features and Interviews, Film/TV
Under The Radar: The Lilybandits
Gone, daddy. Gone
Nine and a half years ago I pontificated about The Lilybandits in Cosmik Debris as part of my scour-the-globe feature called The MP3 Files. I put them on a list of bands to watch and follow, but I never heard anything else from their camp. I only discovered the reference to the live album when looking for a photo to include with this essay!
Andy Whitman writes this about them in his blog Razing The Bar (link below) and I think it sums up my frustration perfectly: “All Music Guide, an exhaustive music reviews database where you can find anybody and everybody, has this to say about The Lilybandits. You can click if you want, but here’s the deal: there’s nothing there. There’s a placeholder without content. And that’s the story of The Lilybandits…” Andy wrote those words a year ago and nothing has changed since. Now that is under the radar!
Here’s my original take from May 2000:
An absolutely stunning record that transcends any single style, 33 1/3 conjures up everyone from Big Star to the Jayhawks to the Long Ryders or even the Rolling Stones (with Gram Parsons steering the ship, of course). Tracks like “Fire In The Hole” recall more obscure y’alternative bands like Walk The West. “Past Few Days”, available as an MP3 file, might be the single most beautiful song I’ve heard this year, with achingly sweet vocals and fragile, haunting refrain. Tracks like “Hangin’” combine strong pop sensibilities with enough roadhouse flavor that both camps should gobble this up.
“Beautiful” is countrified blues with a guitar solo that recalls Ronnie Wood’s heartbreaker on The Faces‘ live version of “I’d Rather Go Blind” (if you’re gonna pay homage, it’s good to reference the gods!). “Long Time If I Don’t See You” is a great morning-after song, and in “Easily Broken Heart”, well…how about Rudy Vallee goes country? Chock full of winning tracks like “Vertigo” and “Top” that will resonate in your head after one listen. Make them one of your favorites, too.
And then, of course, they went poof. Try and find this gem if you can!
A live clip from a 2009 reunion.
Listen to three songs here.
No Depression article.
Razing The Bar blog feature.
Filed under Features and Interviews, Music, Reviews
The Record Archive is the Place To Go
Back in April I wrote an essay about National Record Store Day. As I was spilling my brain into the keyboard, my thoughts were targeted towards a business I’ve frequented for as long as I’ve been in my town, which is a frighteningly long period of time - almost three decades of squatterdom.
There have always been cool indie stores in this town, like The Bop Shop and the Lakeshore Record Exchange. House of Guitars is even a legendary pit stop for every musician coming through upstate New York. And despite a crappy economy, some great clubs and pubs still survive. When I used to travel frequently, I was always in search of the cool record store, along with the clubs that had great bands and the best draft beer pub in town. I’ve been lucky enough to experience a ton of great record stores, from Amoeba to Newbury Comics to Waterloo, but I firmly believe that Record Archive is one of the best shops in the country. They…well, they just have everything.
Today, as they celebrated their “33 1/3 Anniversary“, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a presentation by the Mayor and several local dignitaries…and a few popping corks, of course. Recently moved to a huge warehouse emporium, The Record Archive is the place to go for area residents, but also boasts a thriving international business spearheaded by their massive collection of vinyl. What was once a great local treasure is now a click away to buyers from around the globe.
But it goes beyond all that.
Richard Storms was the first Rochesterian I met when I first came to town. A friend (ex-Flashcube Paul Armstrong) and his band were recording an album in the wee hours of the morning for Storm’s label. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I seem to remember four of us going out for Chinese food and talking shop for hours. Little did I know that our paths would continue to intersect so often, or the thousands of hours I would spend in his stores poring through albums, watching incredible bands play in-store concerts, and just plain hanging out.
Alayna Hill-Alderman, who now co-owns the shop, is a key member of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores and a driving force for all things right in the industry. She’s smart as a whip and manages a wonderful staff who make customers feel like guests and regulars feel like family. Like Richard, she’s worked diligently to keep Record Archive alive and vibrant at a time when businesses struggle mightily, and any artist coming through town has a sharp and savvy ally in Alayna.
So I was honored to be able to witness this honor today…and what a special treat to see that our Mayor is a fan and a customer as well as a politician thankful to have a great business thrive in his city:
Mayor Robert J. Duffy and Neighborhood and Business Development Commissioner R. Carlos Carballada joined partners Richard F. Storms and Alayna Hill Alderman at the 33⅓-year anniversary celebration for Record Archive. The store, located at 33⅓ Rockwood St., specializes in new and used CD, DVD and vinyl record inventories, as well as a wide variety of unusual items including incense, vintage clothing and furniture, t-shirts, toys, cards, magazines, gifts and used VHS videos. In addition, the new location features an art gallery space which is affiliated with Rochester’s First Friday art openings and a full performance stage complete with lights, sound and recording capabilities for hosting local, regional and national musical acts.
Record Archive, Inc. was started in 1975 by Richard Storms. The store’s original location was 1394 Mt. Hope Avenue. In 1994, a second location was opened at 1880 East Ave. – which became the sole location after the Mt. Hope store closed in 2005. In 2008, Richard decided to move to 33⅓ Rockwood St., which is substantially larger than the company’s previous East Avenue space. The expansion has accommodated the company’s growing Internet business for both CD’s and vinyl records. The space was originally an industrial facility and needed to be re-purposed to accommodate Record Archive’s walk-in retail and Internet business.
Record Archive is the largest vintage record store in the northeast and is a member of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS). CIMS, founded in 1995, is a group of some of the best independent music stores in America. Its current membership is made up of 29 accounts that handle 59 stores in 21 states. Many of the accounts have been recognized by the music industry and their local communities for their outstanding dedication to customer service and developing artist support. Each member is bound by its shared love of music, a reputation for great selection and customer service in the community, yet each CIMS account is as unique as the market it represents. Most importantly, CIMS member stores continually seek to challenge the jaded, color-by-numbers advertising and marketing of other retailers.
The store has 11 employees, of which seven are city residents. More than $100,000 was invested in developing the expanded space at 33⅓ Rockwood. The City of Rochester assisted with a grant from the Building Renovation Program.
Visit Record Archive on MySpace or the Website.
Website for the Coalition of Independent Music Stores
Filed under Features and Interviews
Farfisa Love
A sound is worth a thousand pictures
I told you that I love me some Love Me Nots.
I told you that they were coming to my town, were gonna party it down, and I was excited. Well, here’s what happened. Check out the review at BLURT…but more importantly, check out the band!
By the way…that picture up there is from one of the coolest DJs in Rochester. One of these days we’re gonna shake hands, because we’ve walked by each other unknowingly for years. But probably not during his shift.
And the picture in the BLURT article is from this guy, who is the unsung hero of this town. (We have shaken hands).
