Go Metric

Todd Congelliere Interview

Back in the spring of 2011 I flew to Chicago for a most remarkable show: Toys That Kill, the Marked Men, and the Arrivals. I was able to interview all three of those bands. The second of those interviews was with Todd Congelliere, one of Toys That Kill's two singer/guitarists. He also played in FYP and plays a pivotal role in Underground Railroad to Candyland. And he runs Recess Records. And — much to my surprise — he's a Pink Floyd apologist. In fact, our conversation started off with Pink Floyd's "Echoes" and still turned out well. That's a talented man. — Mike Faloon

Full details at Razorcake.org

Fan Interference: An Update on the Upcoming Zisk Anthology

By Mike Faloon

This weekend we started sending out packages to people who contributed to the Zisk Kickstarter. Brian Cogan brought copies of his Punk Rock Encyclopedia. I brought copies of my story collection (The Hanging Gardens of Split Rock). Steve Reynolds made sure we actually signed them and supplied food, beverages, and the latest Figgs disc, 1000 People Grinning.

Support the Zisk Anthology on Kickstarter

Mike Faloon and Steve Reynolds would like to present Fan Interference: A Collection of Baseball Rants and Reflections from the pages of Zisk zine.

This anthology, fourteen years in the making, is filled with some of the funniest and most thought-provoking fan reflections on America's Pastime.

Your contribution will help them publish this anthology, as well as pay our writers for the words they've already written. We are extemely grateful for your time and support. Play ball!

• “For those who love baseball for its charm, history and eccentricities...For the true fans who populate the upper deck.”  – Chicago Tribune 

• “A truly electric, and all too rare, jolt to the synapses.” – Deborah Sprague, Variety

• “A welcome reminder of how fun baseball is, how it can be an odd or ribald or unexpected or downright hilarious companion on a summer afternoon.” – Jason Fry, Faith and Fear in Flushing  

• “Zisk is the anti-baseball baseball zine.” – David Shields, Reality Hunger: A Manifesto 

Zisk #21 — Now Available

Zisk is Go Metric's sibling publication. Zisk is a baseball zine. The tone is similar to Go Metric's (and so are some of the contributors). To quote one of our readers, "It's baseball writing for people who hate baseball writing."

Highlights from this issue include:

• Rev. Norb's "Summer As a Ballpark Announcer"
• Jake Austen's Tour of Chicago Baseball Statues
• Charlie Vascellero's "The King and I"
• Brian Cogan's "Rusty Staub: Heroism from Left to Right Field"

Perfect reading for World Series season.

You can order it from Razorcake and Quimbys or Atomic Books.

Arena Rock vs. Prog Rock ebook now available

FAQ: Do you offer any ebooks?

Go Metric: We do now. Well, at least one. Up now on the Razorcake website is "Half Armadillo, Half Sherman Tank." It's about the epic battle between the forces of progressive rock and arena rock. It's from Mike's book The Hanging Gardens of Split Rock.

Go Metric/Zisk at the Brooklyn Book Festival!

The Brooklyn Book Festival is this Sunday from 10-6. How many other events offer Tony Danza and Joyce Carol Oates?

I'll be running the Gorsky Press table. Sean Carswell, Gorsky's head honcho, has sent along a full array of Gorsky titles. I'll bring along some Go Metrics and the new Zisk (#21), too.

— Mike Faloon

Are You Receiving Me? – Nardwuar and the Evaporators Present Busy Doing Nothing!

By Mike Faloon

Nardwuar, The Evaporators, and Special Guests
Busy Doing Nothing LP and Calendar (!)
Nardwuar/Mint Records

Question: Which of our five contestants is telling the truth?

#1: My name is Busy Doing Nothing! I’m a Nardwuar album.

#2: My name is Busy Doing Nothing! I’m an Evaporators album.

#3: My name is Busy Doing Nothing! I’m a tribute album.

#4: My name is Busy Doing Nothing! I’m a calendar.

#5: My name is Busy Doing Nothing! I’m a zine.

Answer: All of the above.

Busy Doing Nothing! is a veritable variety show. It offers a wide range of garage and pop bands, along with interviews (audio and text), a great looking calendar, and fantastic graphic design.  

Side Nard, known on the south side of the border as the A-side, is a tribute to Canadian bands of the past.  Side Wuar has six Evaporators tunes followed by a Nardwuar interview with Franz Ferdinand.

The calendar focuses on Bev Davies’ photographs from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. D. Boon, James Brown, New Order, Iggy Pop, Joan Jett and, perhaps best of all, extras from the set of Ladies and Gentleman, the Fabulous Stains. There is also a Nardwuar interview with Davies detailing the backstory of each photo.

The graphic design is the crowning touch. Anyone who’s ever seen a Nardwuar record before knows to expect a great looking album. Busy Doing Nothing! is no exception. Everything’s perfect — color schemes, lettering, layout. With most records you might notice one or two of those elements but it’s all aces here, even the record’s spine, which is so wide you bike on it. (Production design credit goes to Robynn and Randy Iwata)

So, the packaging is immaculate. Is the music any good? If the style scores a 10, then how about the substance? The line up doesn’t have the same marquee appeal of past Nardwuar compilations, but that didn’t matter initially because I was so caught up in the bounty of graphics and interviews. Eventually focus came my way and with it a bevy of fun tunes. Chief among the tribute/cover songs were Franz Ferdinand (nicely bending Pointed Sticks’ “Real Thing” into a kind of Echo and the Bunnymen tune) and—just to make things more self referential—Fuad & the Feztones covering the Evaporators’ “Welcome to My Castle” with a good coat of Sam the Sham silliness.  Kate Nash puts a whole different bounce into cub’s “My Chinchlla,” and it works really well until they lapse into “let’s play fast’n’yell,” which undermines an otherwise really clever reworking.  

The rest of the record is devoted to the Evaporators. To enjoy the Evaporators you have to be prepared to fully embrace the ridiculous, you have to be at ease with phrases along the lines of, “this is so stupid it’s wonderful.” Hopefully that comes easy to you. If so, the Evaporators, fronted by Nardwuar himself, have what you need but didn’t realize: “I Hate Being Late When I’m Early,” “Hot Dog High,” the title track, and “Pig War” are all excellent. 

Side Nard scores a 7 while Side Wuar earns a 9. That’s an 8 for substance to go with the 10 for style. Overall, that warrants seeking out Busy Doing Nothing!

Now, where do I submit this review for “Canadian Heritage” funding?

Learning to Surf: How Much Heart Can You Take?

by Mike Faloon

Here is another slice of my new zine, Learning to Surf. It’s called “How Much Heart Can You Take?”  It’s a 10-day journal that revolves around Western Problems, the last album by Future Virgins. It’s on the Razorcake website.

We Should Talk More – Ten Days with the Black Wine’s Summer of Indifference: Day Ten

By Mike Faloon

Last summer Black Wine released their second album, Summer of Indifference. I listened to it a lot and kept a journal. It’s part of a zine called Learning to Surf. Here is day ten.

Things just came together today. Maggie and Sean were in and around this year's kiddie pool all day. Allie's dad came over. They read the paper, took naps, and watched the kids. Our neighbor's dog ducked into the kitchen a couple of times. Brian came over and we thought up two characters for the book we're working on. (Mr. Book and Mr. End. Less creepy versions of Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint from Diamonds Are Forever.) There were a lot of people moving around. It was a good test for the patio.

We Should Talk More – Ten Days with the Black Wine’s Summer of Indifference: Day Nine

By Mike Faloon

Last summer Black Wine released their second album, Summer of Indifference. I listened to it a lot and kept a journal. It’s part of a zine called Learning to Surf. Here is day nine.

I've had "End of Days" and "Favorites" in my head all day. I love the way Miranda and J trade vocals early in "End of Days," then share vocals the second time they come around to the "Psyche myself up for what might come" part. Compared to the band's first album they're subtler about how they mix girl and guy vocals, though I kind of miss songs like "Strange, Amazing" or "Broken Arm Bear" where the harmonies were more prominent. I also wish there was a song like "We Belong," one of those long album closers that achieves the Neil Young and Crazy Horse effect — a simple, driving song that successfully locks onto a guitar riff and as far as I'm concerned could repeat said riff endlessly.