Rubin Recommends

(Part of The Weekly Check In series)

photo by: Chrissy Piper

I’ve been going to Needles and Pens store/gallery for the last 5 years or so stopping by when I’d visit SF to always pick up a copy of Cometbus. Since moving here I’ve gone in for their art shows and to dream about buying everything they carry.

I’m glad I finally met Andrew M Scott, the man behind the store Needles And Pens, as well as being a photographer, writer and curator. He’s done work for Maximum RocknRoll, Punk Planet, Hot & Cold, his own zine “Sob Story?” and many more. Keep up with him at http://www.amscott.org/blackhole.

Rubin: What are you currently working on or just finished that you’re excited about?

Scott: I just finished writing an essay for the very last issue of Chris Duncan & Griffin McPartland’s Hot & Cold zine. Also, and I’m working on finishing up a 2010 poster/calendar of my half-frame photos.  …Here’s a blog about the last one I did over at Fecalface.

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Taken from We Love You So, here is a 8 part series of short videos shot by Lance Bangs about the store Family in Los Angeles. Watch them all here.

(If they have a STAR by them, it means I’ve heard it and I like it. Album title links go to Amazon. If I miss any good releases, please add them in the comments.)

For all your MP3 needs purchase from iTunes.

Preview a lot of these releases at Spinner.

Music:
Arctic Monkeys: Humbug
Asobi Seksu: Transparance
Blitzen Trapper: Black River Killer
Datarock: Red
David Mead: Almost and Always
Felix Da Housecat: He Was King
Fun.: Aim and Ignite
Imogean Heap: Ellipse
Matisyahu: Light
Ingrid Michaelson: Everybody
Mew: No More Stories…
Michael Jackson: The Definitive Collection
Michael Jackson: Forever, Michael
Patton Oswalt: My Weakness Is Strong
The Postmarks: Memoirs at the End of the World
Radiohead: Amnesiac
Radiohead: Hail To the Thief
Radiohead: Kid A
The Smiths: Meat Is Murder (remastered vinyl)
The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead (remastered vinyl)
The Smiths: The Smiths (remastered vinyl)
The Smiths: Strangeways, Here We Come (remastered vinyl)
Soulsavers: Broken
Wilco: Being There (LP vinyl reissue with bonus CD)
Wilco: Summerteeth (LP vinyl reissue with bonus CD)
Will Hoge: The Wreckage
Willie Nelson: The Essential Willie Nelson
Woody Guthrie: Woody, Cisco and Son (vinyl)
Woody Guthrie: Woody’s Greatest Hits (vinyl)
Woody Guthrie: Woody’s Roots (vinyl)
Woody Guthrie: Woody the Agitator (vinyl)
YACHT: See Mystery Lights (vinyl)

DVD:
Adventureland
Scrubs: The Complete Seasons 1-8
thirtysomething: The Complete First Season

Photographer Chrissy Piper’s third issue of Three Records zine is out now.

The zine asks tons of people she knows, “Name THREE RECORDS that changed and/or inspired your life” and they answer. She had a release show for it here in San Francisco this past weekend which I’m sad I missed. So if you live in SF you should go to Needles and Pens (one of my favorite stores here) and pick up a copy or order it direct from Chrissy here.

Photographer Ryan McGinley‘s new Moonmilk project over at Tiny Vices.

(photo by Shawn Brackbill)

(If they have a STAR by them, it means I’ve heard it and I like it. Album title links go to Amazon. If I miss any good releases, please add them in the comments.)

For all your MP3 needs purchase from iTunes.

Preview a lot of these releases at Spinner.

Music:
The Antlers: Hospice
As Tall As Lions: You Can’t Take It With You
Brendan Benson: My Old, Familiar Friend
Calvin Harris: Ready for the Weekend
The Cave Singers: Welcome Joy
Destroyer: Bay of Pigs EP
Division Day: Visitation
GWAR: Lust in Space
Jay Reatard: Watch Me Fall
Joe Henry: Blood from Stars
Loudon Wainwright III: High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project
Mew: No More Stories Are Told… (iTunes)
Mount Eerie: Wind’s Poem
Mungolian Jetset: We Gave It All Away… Now We Are Taking It Back
MUTEMATH: Armistice
Pissed Jeans: King of Jeans
Six Organs of Admittance: Luminous Night

DVD:
Dexter: The Complete Third Season

The Insound 10 Classic is a visual narrative of 20 years (1977-1997) of punk, new wave and indie rock, designed by my friend and amazing artist Mike Perry. Check out the limited edition t-shirts, hand numbered posters, and bags available. (thanks Brad J.)

Volcano Choir‘s debut LP Unmap is out September 22 via Jagjaguwar. It features musicians who I’ve loved for many years Pele, Collections of Colonies of Bees, and Bon Iver. Here’s the first beautiful song available from it below.

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MP3 >> Volcano Choir: “Island, IS”

Find out more at Virb.

photo from here.

Torches To Rome. Amazing LP. I wish they’d released more. Good to listen to all weekend. I love everything Mike Kirsch touches I guess (Please Inform the Captain This is a Hijack, Baader Brains, Bread and Circuits, Sawhorse, Fuel, Sixteen Bullets, Navio Forge, Colbom,  John Henry West, and anything I might have missed)

“Mike Kirsch started Torches To Rome who were around in 1995-1996 in the Bay Area with the help of Steve Chamberlain, and Aaron Schlive. Mike was once again on guitar and vocals, Steve played bass and sang, and Aaron was on drums. Aaron had formerly been drumming for Portraits of Past, and his style was hard and loud.”

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MP3 >> Torches To Rome – Young Arsenal

Learn more at their Myspace.

(Part of The Weekly Check In series)

I first discovered Nicole’s work through a link from the awesome Kate Bingaman-Burt. Just last week I was lucky enough to have the covers for the record I am releasing printed at the amazing Pinball Publishing in Portland and noticed Nicole worked there. So I had to do a check in with her.

I posted about her design work last week and you can view more of her work at http://www.makingstuffanddoingthings.com. I want everything she makes.

Rubin: What are you currently working on or just finished that you’re excited about?

Lavelle: This summer is so full of projects, I don’t even know where to start! I just wrapped up a collaborative zine with my friend Will Bryant, called Where We Don’t Live, as well as a solo zine about the beauty of summer in the American West. They’re both releases from a experimental creative and curatorial imprint I recently launched called This Place Projects, which is to support and explore location-based artmaking. I recently acquired a letterpress, so I’m excited to get that up and running. Lots of printmaking projects to come!

I was also recently hired at Pinball Publishing, and am so excited to be a part of their team. Creative offset printing, friendly people, cool projects; it really helps me as a designer to understand the ins and outs of the printing process. We’re working on Scout Books, custom pocket notebooks and our newest exciting Pinball project!

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