Ian MacKaye's new group

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Well, not so much a group as a kids TV show, so a guy I work with says anyway.

― hmmm (hmmm), Monday, 5 April 2004 12:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Bob Mould too?

― Lil' Fancy Pants (ex machina), Monday, 5 April 2004 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

No. Only the Nation of Ullyses.

― hmmm (hmmm), Monday, 5 April 2004 12:25 (twenty-one years ago)

CNN did a report on it not too long ago.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 5 April 2004 12:35 (twenty-one years ago)

What does NOU have to do with this?

― Lil' Fancy Pants (ex machina), Monday, 5 April 2004 12:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Nowt. I just thought it would be a nice thing for them to be involved given their whole fruit of Ulysses (or whatever it was) shtick.

― hmmm (hmmm), Monday, 5 April 2004 13:25 (twenty-one years ago)

The photo gallery is especially cute with a photo of Thievery Corporation showing the United Colors of Benetton the primary aspects of vinyl DJ mixing. Cute place.

― cs appleby (cs appleby), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 05:31 (twenty-one years ago)

There was an article in the Washington City Paper(that's not online) regarding the Washington DC based guy who's doing the Pancake Mountain kids show and has had DC resident Bob Mould do something for the show as well as Ian Mackaye's new duo The Evens.

The Evens are going to be playing out some this summer.

― Steve Kiviat (Steve K), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.sonicyouth.com/prmp3/ON_THE_FACE_OF_IT.mp3

^ the evens

― Lil' Fancy Pants (ex machina), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

today's Pitchfork has a big feature on them; apparently they are playing the Second Stage at Coachella... Meanwhile, I am off to find out what this 2nd Stage is all about!

― Ben Boyer (Ben Boyer), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 16:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Q and Not U are playing Coachella

― Steve Kiviat (Steve K), Friday, 9 April 2004 15:46 (twenty-one years ago)

eight months pass...

There's a clip of the video for "Vowel Movements" at http://www.pancakemountain.com/tvev.html

― W i l l (common_person), Saturday, 8 January 2005 21:46 (twenty years ago)

They wrote a song about Johnette Napolitano?

― nabiscothingy, Saturday, 8 January 2005 21:49 (twenty years ago)

THESE ARE SIX IMPORTANT LETTTERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

― rob mackey (mackey), Saturday, 8 January 2005 21:51 (twenty years ago)

nabisco with the bad flashback

i am excited for their album

― miccio (miccio), Saturday, 8 January 2005 21:59 (twenty years ago)

Ha ha.

The Evens (Ian and a drummer)recently toured Europe with the Ex. I saw them this past summer at an outdoor free show at Fort Reno where they opened for Ted Leo. They were just ok--real folky.

― steve-k, Saturday, 8 January 2005 23:49 (twenty years ago)

I see The Fiery Furnaces are doing "Moose House, Moose House" at Pancake Mountain... PM needs some non-rock me-thinks too.

Hey kids... Pancake Mountain TV Dance Party!
Saturday January 15, 2005 1pm-3pm
(featuring live music To Be Announced)

We need boys and girls of all ages for this event. A
Happy feet, enthusiasm, and cool threads preferred!

Dance party will be held at:
Warehouse Theater
1021 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001

Hmmmm. What would my 10 year-old boy think?

― steve-k, Sunday, 9 January 2005 00:53 (twenty years ago)

I'll probably have to wait and find out who's playing. If the music's geared to 5 year-olds or something, he 'd rather play football or videogames with his buddies.

He wasn't wowed by the Evens at Fort Reno.

― steve-k, Sunday, 9 January 2005 15:58 (twenty years ago)

He probably though Ian was a big dork (he isn't wrong)

― W i l l (common_person), Sunday, 9 January 2005 16:02 (twenty years ago)

Ian speaks briefly about his new band on Harley "Cro-Mag" Flanagan's new site, www.hardcorehalloffame.com.

And surprise -- he's as cheerless as ever.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 January 2005 17:46 (twenty years ago)

My son was just not that wowed by the music. Living in the DC area, I've known Ian since his Teen Idle days so I'm gonna leave the commenting on his personality to you guys. I'll just stick to the music and say that the Evens folk-pop underwhelmed me.

― steve-k, Sunday, 9 January 2005 18:27 (twenty years ago)

I could say you just gotta know the guy better to understand him, but I don't think I'd convince you.

― steve-k, Sunday, 9 January 2005 18:30 (twenty years ago)

I've met him, talked to him and he's even spoken with my Mom. I have tremendous respect for him and love his music....but that doesn't mean he isn't cheerless.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 January 2005 22:27 (twenty years ago)

i luv him! ian you're my boy!

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 10 January 2005 01:03 (twenty years ago)

ian mackaye is more than ok!

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 10 January 2005 01:04 (twenty years ago)

and we have him to blame for all the straight edge assholes that would beat up kids i knew in high school for drinking at shows in peoples basements.

(im not saying he wanted any of this to happen, but if you insist on such a dogma, there are consequences)

― JD from CDepot, Monday, 10 January 2005 01:31 (twenty years ago)

he needs to be slipped a tab of acid, pronto.

― contribute, Monday, 10 January 2005 07:25 (twenty years ago)

minor threat was hardly the ONLY sxe band.

and high schoolers barely need any sort of reason to beat up Others tm.

seriously, in retrospect, how crazy is it to go around beating up people for the products they consume?

"you brush your teeth?!! fucker!" [boot to face]

"you eat corn?!! asshole!" [fist to groin]

"you drink water?!!? druggie!" [slap]
m.

― msp (msp), Monday, 10 January 2005 20:01 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

so has anyone heard the evens cd? i just read the pitchfork review, and the review made it sound like it might be the first thing Mr. MacKaye has ever done that i might actually like.

but i probably shouldn't trust pitchfork, they like interpol...

― JD from CDepot, Tuesday, 8 March 2005 23:28 (twenty years ago)

They were sorta K records folkie live, but everyone who's heard the album makes it seem like more than that--which maybe it is.

They're doing a $5 admission benefit show at St. Stephens Church in DC Fri. 3/11.

― Steve-k (Steve K), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 03:43 (twenty years ago)

I just got my Evens CD in the mail today. Can't wait to listen to it.

― W i l l (common_person), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 16:30 (twenty years ago)

Rave review in today's Washington Post, and uh, Pitchfork likes it. A. Miccio too.

― steve-k, Wednesday, 9 March 2005 19:22 (twenty years ago)

He never insisted on that dogma

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 10 March 2005 14:28 (twenty years ago)

cheerless

hairless.

― Ian Christe (Ian Christe), Thursday, 10 March 2005 19:30 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...

Got the Evens album today and am thinking that it just might (possibly) be the best thing he's been involved with since In On The Kill Taker. There's some really catchy pop songs esp. Shelter Two but I wish that Amy Farina's voice was higher in the mix.

― Ben Dot (1977), Thursday, 31 March 2005 20:46 (twenty years ago)

Love the record....she's such a great drummer....very subtle but very cool...i doubt she'll get many "drummer props" just cuz the record is so lo-key and harder hitting, flashier drummers tend to get singled out for praise more often....but man on "Around the Corner" does anyone notice those wierd, skittery fills between the riff repetitions that sound JUST LIKE drum n' bass?

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 31 March 2005 20:52 (twenty years ago)

It's not bad, especially the Governors song (that's the obv init fav and others are growing on me), but I think I like the song they did for Pancake Mountain better than anything here.

― W i l l (common_person), Thursday, 31 March 2005 21:32 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, love it. I love the little tiny flourishes, like the weird bent notes in the one where they sing "There is no around the corner anymore..."

And I think there's a nice little thread of dark humor. I love basically starting the album with (paraphrased): "Went to Arlington Hardware / for some electrical tape / it's all down hill from here." Just depressed and defeated. Then the "Usually I don't like to speak ill of the dead..."

This really is so much better than I ever thought it was going to be, even after seeing them live at Coachella last year.

― Waking Up Onstage at Jumbo's (Bent Over at the Arclight), Thursday, 31 March 2005 23:20 (twenty years ago)

Saw them in olympia a month ago. Very impressed.

― Kevin Erickson, Friday, 1 April 2005 10:23 (twenty years ago)

i think it's a great record, which somewhat surprised me, although i get the feeling i'm not alone in this. the last song, 'You Won't Feel A Thing' is tremendous. they have the same kind of depressed vibe as on parts of The Argument, but this works better with the poppier songs on The Evens. and the boy-girl vocal thing fits really well, too.

― Lee F# (fsharp), Friday, 1 April 2005 11:37 (twenty years ago)

That one song sounds a LOT like the Essex Green. I think track 2

― W i l l (common_person), Friday, 1 April 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

this record is pretty amazing. caught them at princeton on friday night, where they played in a basement to about 50-60 people. a lot of the drum'n'bass effect on farina's drums is from micing her kit and running it through an effects rack and using a variety of brushes, i discovered the other night.

in fact, their live set up is as economical as the production of their record -- they brought their own PA system, ran everything through a small mixer [couldnt tell if it was 4 or 8 channels].

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Sunday, 22 May 2005 14:30 (twenty years ago)

Hey, I saw this Princeton show too! Much better than I would have expected in advance.

― Guayaquil, Sunday, 22 May 2005 15:23 (twenty years ago)

Didn't they play a free show in NYC also over the weekend?

― steve-k, Sunday, 22 May 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

yeah, with parts & labor. it was outdoors, i think. tonight they're playing in east stroudsburg PA -- its free as well.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Sunday, 22 May 2005 16:12 (twenty years ago)

I think its really funny that I'm only one degree of separation from punk rock royalty by virtue of opening for Parts and Labor....

― A homunculus of Darby Crash, .... created for the purposes of *EVIL* (ex machina, Sunday, 22 May 2005 16:39 (twenty years ago)

Are they an ITEM?

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Sunday, 22 May 2005 17:02 (twenty years ago)

Omigosh guys this is so imcredibly mediocre and boring. You're SO deluding yourselves. You just really, really, really miss Unrest. Search your feelings. Cornballs.

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Sunday, 22 May 2005 17:55 (twenty years ago)

i dont see the correllation between unrest and the evens. care to explain?

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Sunday, 22 May 2005 17:56 (twenty years ago)

It does have a total 90s twee-rock vibe (TWEE-AN MACKAYE!) but I don't think its any more mediocre than any other band with a total 90s twee-rock vibe. A lot less than most, actually. I dig this album.

― miccio (miccio), Sunday, 22 May 2005 18:11 (twenty years ago)

Unrest were quite a bit frothier but the guitar sound and harmonies are pretty comparible.

― miccio (miccio), Sunday, 22 May 2005 18:12 (twenty years ago)

Maria, anthony otm re: the twee vibe. the jangly, uninspired guitar playing, the flat female vocals...the whole record sounds so sub-"Suki" to me. I don't like it at all.

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Sunday, 22 May 2005 18:13 (twenty years ago)

well if all you liked about Unrest was the fast stuff then yeah this ain't for you. But I really liked Ian's more melodic numbers on late Fugazi albums and this totally fits right in.

― miccio (miccio), Sunday, 22 May 2005 18:16 (twenty years ago)

yeah, im still not seeing the twee part. sorry guys, you're going to have to pull something better out of your ass.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Sunday, 22 May 2005 18:45 (twenty years ago)

*pulls "vowel movement" out of ass*

(badum tissss)

― Amon (eman), Sunday, 22 May 2005 18:58 (twenty years ago)

http://www.drownedinsound.com/images/6943.jpg

― miccio (miccio), Sunday, 22 May 2005 18:59 (twenty years ago)

HAHAHAHAHA

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Sunday, 22 May 2005 18:59 (twenty years ago)

"yeah, im still not seeing the twee part. sorry guys, you're going to have to pull something better out of your ass."

OK - how about 'boring?' Care to challenge that?

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Sunday, 22 May 2005 19:07 (twenty years ago)

if you want to call it boring, thats your call.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Sunday, 22 May 2005 19:16 (twenty years ago)

I want answers!

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 23 May 2005 06:44 (twenty years ago)

Isn't there a twee-punk version of People Magazine that might have the answer you're looking for, Andrew?

I don't hear it as Unrest, more like an acoustic Fugazi meets Scrawl at a Beat Happening show...

― steve-k, Monday, 23 May 2005 10:56 (twenty years ago)

There's Chickfactor I guess

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 23 May 2005 12:00 (twenty years ago)

I saw a bit of them on Sat. they are terrible x ONE MILLION!

― ddb (ddb), Monday, 23 May 2005 14:05 (twenty years ago)

Did anyone hear that worshipful weekend NPR thing on them from a few weekends back I think? Jessica Hopper mentioned it on her blog because she was quoted.

― steve-k, Monday, 23 May 2005 15:22 (twenty years ago)

i saw about half on sat. there was a certain 90's d.c. scene feel, (and nostalgia made me listen longer than i oherwise would have)but that isn't their most damning feature.

even if they could have played loud enough to prevent "comfortable conversation" they would have still failed to produce a dynamic that interested. they lyrics were sophmoric and the whole thing just seemed paper thin. like a gag they got together to do Border's instores.

that said, ian had some very interesting guitar lines and the mic'ed and processed drums were ecellent.

― b b, Monday, 23 May 2005 17:46 (twenty years ago)

I don't find this record twee or boring. I find it in my CD player right now, in fact, and it's still great!

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 23 May 2005 18:52 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

So, The Evens will release their second record on November 6th called Get Evens. I really enjoyed the first one, and I can't wait to hear the new one.

― van igloo (van smack), Friday, 29 September 2006 17:48 (eighteen years ago)

Recorded: June/July 2006
AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 6TH 2006

1. Cut From The Cloth
2. Everybody Knows
3. Cache Is Empty
4. You Fell Down
5. Pushed Against The Wall
6. No Money
7. All You Find You Keep
8. Eventually
9. Get Even
10. Dinner With The President

― van igloo (van smack), Friday, 29 September 2006 17:49 (eighteen years ago)

kool.

― M@tt He1geson: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 29 September 2006 17:50 (eighteen years ago)

The first one is nice. I look forward to this.

― Leopold Boom! (noodle vague), Friday, 29 September 2006 17:55 (eighteen years ago)

Their set at Fort Reno in DC this summer was kinda uneven (pun sorta intended). Not all of their indie-folk pop has strong enough hooks.

― cornyrocker (DC Steve), Friday, 29 September 2006 18:00 (eighteen years ago)

10. Dinner With The President
Really curious about that one...
I can't wait for this album!

― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Friday, 29 September 2006 19:48 (eighteen years ago)

Anyone with a big fucking Led Zepplin box set on the shelf in his office can't be all bad. Get him talking about Go-Go sometime.

He's just a target... he can't help it if people take him too seriously.

The last time I saw Fugazi he got all these idiots up on stage during the "quiet part" of a song and had them all sit down, interviewed one of them (taking the piss), and then queued the loud part and he and Guy jumped and down all over their confused asses.

I laughed so hard I had tears streaming down my face.

― factcheckr (factcheckr), Friday, 29 September 2006 21:12 (eighteen years ago)

fantastic! i am very psyched to hear this!

― Emily B (Emily B), Friday, 29 September 2006 21:41 (eighteen years ago)

one month passes...

Not thrilled with this so far, although Amy's drumming is really growing on me. Ian uses this shitty low-volume-practice-amp-sounding guitar tone for most of the album. Amy's singing is really bad - she sounds like the ex high school musical theater dork that joined the jam band in college. The songs are often too jammy and undercrafted, and it's kind of disappointing to hear Ian's righteous anger give way more and more to what comes off as bewildered disappointment (though I can hardly blame the man for slowing down by now - he's had a longer run of ridiculously high energy than most).

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Monday, 20 November 2006 23:17 (eighteen years ago)

NO MONEY NO MONEY NO MONEY

that part is pretty great, especially when it reminds you of this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lvNe2IZLr9M

― mts (theoreticalgirl), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 18:41 (eighteen years ago)

also, i like the record a lot. more amy singing, i say!

― mts (theoreticalgirl), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 18:44 (eighteen years ago)

is this on k records

― W i l l (common_person), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 21:13 (eighteen years ago)

No. Dischord's into duos these days--The Evens, The Aquarium, and Soccer Team

― curmudgeon (DC Steve), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 05:19 (eighteen years ago)

three years pass...

never did hear the second one

but the first one sounds great to my ears at this very moment

― And guess what? I think Pitchfork is going to give it a BM. (M@tt He1ges0n), Tuesday, 23 March 2010 22:57 (fifteen years ago)

find them kinda tedious actually

― mookieproof, Tuesday, 23 March 2010 23:08 (fifteen years ago)

2nd one was better imo, check it out

― iggy figgy pudding pop (some dude), Tuesday, 23 March 2010 23:09 (fifteen years ago)

I didn't like the second one that much. The first one is pretty good.

― van smack, Tuesday, 23 March 2010 23:44 (fifteen years ago)

Also, I thought seeing this thread again -- maybe there was a new album in the works..oh well

― van smack, Tuesday, 23 March 2010 23:45 (fifteen years ago)

I think their both good, though I might like the second better. Their sound opened up some.

― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 24 March 2010 00:36 (fifteen years ago)

I love both records. Great chords and Amy Farina's voice is incredible. One of the best shows I've seen. I don't know how Amy manage to sing like that and play the drums. And Ian is Ian. Despite of the bad jokes

― Shin Oliva Suzuki, Wednesday, 24 March 2010 05:07 (fifteen years ago)

Hope they release a new album soon!

― Shin Oliva Suzuki, Wednesday, 24 March 2010 05:08 (fifteen years ago)

two years pass...

new evens album is so good

― congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, 20 November 2012 21:05 (twelve years ago)

I think it would be really funny if the other members of Fugazi pranked Ian by secretly setting up behind him during an evens show and then launching into Waiting Room

― drunk 'n' white's elements of style (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 20 November 2012 21:07 (twelve years ago)

I don't know - after two listens to the NPR stream I was really disappointed. Love the first two records but this one bored me.

― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 20 November 2012 21:07 (twelve years ago)

I'm not crazy about Farina's voice, and something about Ian MacKaye untempered by his old bandmates makes me think of children's music for adults.

― drunk 'n' white's elements of style (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 20 November 2012 21:15 (twelve years ago)

Ian's songwriting style is in a rut. This is disappointing

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 05:41 (twelve years ago)

yeah, the handful of songs i streamed led me to believe i could skip this one and stick with the first 2

― HAPPY BDAY TOOTS (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 05:42 (twelve years ago)

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