R.I.P. Heavy D, 1967-2011

Dear Dwight "Heavy D" Arrington Myers,

Thank you for playing a bit part in my life. I was nearing the end of my elementary school days in the early '90s. When birthdays came around, the cool kids bought cassette singles as gifts. Miss Karen Brochinsky bought me a copy of your semi-slow jam "Is It Good to You." I didn't love the track, but I loved your sense of style (e.g., flowy shirts and semi-Hammer pants). And now, even 20 years later, your big hit, "Now That We Found Love" still gets stuck in my head after just hearing the title. So, thank you.

Rest in peace, big guy.

Peter Wolf Crier: More Drums, Please

Peter Wolf Crier is not the band it was just nine months ago. When the duo played Salt Lake City last January, frontman Peter Pisano had just completed his debut album, a record filled with heartfelt lyrics and haunting falsetto vocals. He had written the songs in isolation in his Minnesota home before turning to producer/percussionist Brian Moen to put his ideas to tape. The resulting album, "Inter-Be," was a low-key indie gem.

After seven months of heavy touring together, Pisano and Moen were ready to get back in the studio. The effects of the road, however, linger on the band's sophomore release, "Garden of Arms." While Pisano's whispy tenor is still front and center, the songs are backed by an edginess that was largely absent from the band's debut.

"Once we were performing in clubs, we got louder," Moen explains. "That was my fault, probably," he adds with a laugh. It is difficult to underestimate the percussive strength Moen brings to the new album.

Moen says that though he played drums on "Inter-Be," he anticipated Pisano performing the songs as a solo act. As a result, he tried to keep the drums as unobtrusive as possible. Now a full-time member of Peter Wolf Crier, Moen was says he was able to "insert more of myself into the record."

"Garden" was not only impacted by Moen's playing, but by Pisano's approach to writing the songs. While "Inter-Be" was written sporadically over the course of a year, the new album was written in just a month.
"It's more of an immediate snapshot," Moen says of the record. The duo brought in an outside engineer to relieve Moen of his double duty of producer and performer, which meant the pair were able to "pour ourselves into the ideas entirely," he says. "It was much more fulfilling as an artist to just focus on making the best record."

And now it's time to get back on the road. Because "Garden" is even more intricate than its predecessor, Moen and Pisano will be joined by onstage by a keyboardists and Pisano will split time between keys and guitar. While many drummers are happy to be pushed to the back of the stage, Moen has had no problem being 50 percent of the focal point.

"Anyone who has seen me play knows I'm a pretty heavy stage presence," Moen says with a laugh. "[Playing as a two piece] has allowed me the space I'd be taking up anyway."

Last Name London, First Name Theophilus

A black cowboy hat and tight Wrangler jeans isn’t exactly what you’d expect to see on the cover of a hip-hop rec­ord. But as Brooklyn-born MC Theophilus London sees it: “It’s not about hip-hop.”

The cover for his debut album, “Timez Are Weird These Days,” isn’t just a bold fashion statement, but also serves as an homage to the 1982 release by Leon Ware. London says Ware, best known for producing Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You” and writing a hit for Michael Jackson in 1972, has been a “huge inspiration” on his career.

Though his new record could comfortably sit next to releases by Lupe Fiasco or Kanye West, London has more eclectic influences ranging from The Smiths to German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk.

“This is bigger than just a rap record,” London says of his debut. “It’s taking pop-culture references and mashing them all together like a mad scientist would do.”

London has welcomed interesting collaborators into his musical lab, including TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek and Holly Miranda. “Rappers featuring rappers is boring,” he says simply.

He even brought in Sara Quin, half of the sister duo Tegan and Sara, to contribute to a track. “I love her music,” London says of Quin. “I wanted to take her out of her element and put her in my element.”

London never seems out of his element, whether he’s performing as the opening act for Nas or playing a cameo gig on the CW’s “90210.” But performing is just a small part of what’s on the horizon for the young star.

When asked about his plans beyond his current national club tour, London rattles off, “Another mixtape by the end of the year, a new EP at the start of next year, an album in the summer, [and] tons of collabs.”

Oh, and he’s putting out a line of jewelry through his LVRS clothing company. Each of the new pieces will look great with a black cowboy hat.

Lemonheads Revisit 'It's a Shame About Ray'

The Lemonheads
With the Shining Twins
Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 9 p.m.
Urban Lounge

If you’re too young to remember the early ’90s, here’s a quick history lesson: There were a bunch of scruffy dudes in Seattle who took Black Sabbath’s big riffs and added a few extra layers of fuzz and feedback. They wore Doc Martens and screamed a lot and the media found a catchy little title to describe it all: grunge.

But before, during and after grunge there was a band called The Lemonheads. In the late ’80s, the three-piece act from Boston was basically a punk band, in the vein of The Replacements or Hüsker Dü. While bands all around them started playing heavier music, the Lemonheads got softer.

In 1992, the band released “It’s a Shame About Ray,” an album of upbeat pop songs that stood in stark contrast to the teenage angst of the time.

Frontman (and the only constant band member) Evan Dando found a way to fit the world into songs that rarely made it past the two-minute mark. There were bouncy rockers, soft-hearted ballads and flirtations with country music. With the addition of a ramped up version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” the album was the perfect package.

“It’s a Shame About Ray” should have been the start of big things for The Lemonheads. But it never happened. The Lemonheads released two solid post-“Ray” albums, but Dando’s descent into drug abuse became a distraction and led to the undoing of the band.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the end of Dando. After a long hiatus, he released an endearing solo album in 2003 before reviving The Lemonheads name for a self-titled record in 2006 and a covers album in 2009.

Nearly two decades later, things have come full circle. Dando is back on the road, performing “Ray” in its entirety. The tour may be a throwback to another era, yet the songs sound just as good as they did during the height of flannel and goatees.

Let’s hear it for second chances.

Polar Bear Club: More Bark than Bite

On record, he’s gruff. His raspy growl is filled with aggression and anger. But on the telephone, Polar Bear Club frontman Jimmy Stadt is soft-spoken, polite, and thoughtful.

In a few hours, Stadt and his band will be taking the stage at the Oakland Metro Operahouse, but right now he’s stuck in San Francisco traffic. Stadt has been criss-crossing the country for so long, traveling to and from venues has become second nature.

“The first tour I ever went on was when I was 17. We toured the U.S. for a month and then we did it again the next summer,” Stadt says. “I don’t know if I can remember pre-band life.”

“I like the day-to-day [part of touring]--seeing new people in new places, but so much of my time is spent in and around where the club just happens to be. There is still so much that I haven’t seen, even though I may have been to the same city 10 or 12 times.”

Polar Bear Club has been touring basically nonstop for the four past years, both as a headlining act and as support for like-minded groups such as The Gaslight Anthem. The band did, however, break long enough to record their highly-anticipated (and brilliantly executed) new album, “Clash Battle Guilt Pride.”

Though there was plenty of hype surrounding the new record, Stadt says the pressure didn’t get to the band. “There’s always this hype or buzz--whatever that is--that’s always in the back of your mind. But it doesn’t affect our songwriting. We’ve always made music that meets our expectations and excites us,” he says.

“With this record, I don’t think the thought was even in the back of our minds. We truly had such a great time making this record and I’m really proud of it. I can truly say that I wouldn’t even care if no one likes it, because no one can take the experience away. On our previous records, I don’t know if I could say that with the same certainty.”

Stadt says the band felt more confident in the studio this time around. “We used to go in the studio and there was tension and we couldn’t lift the weight of it in some moments. Now we just go in and follow our gut and it’s nice and it’s easy and it’s fun."

Just as Polar Bear Club has grown more comfortable in the studio, Stadt has grown more comfortable as the voice of the band--even if what he has to say might scare him a bit.

“I’m at a point as a lyricist where if something scares me, I know I need to keep it. If I’ve written a line that I’m afraid of revealing, I know that’s a keeper. There’s so much bullsh-- that goes into a normal, modern day--so many compromises and white lies and the grind. When I’m sitting down and writing words, that’s the one time where there’s nothing of the grind that’s affecting me. It’s just all true self, or at least the search for the true self.”

“I’m learning that that fear is good,” he adds. “If there’s a line that scares me to the point where I wonder if I should even say it, I know that someone out there is going to need and it connect with it. And maybe the fact that I had the courage to say it and to work through it will help them with an issue. I’m not so scared of it anymore.”

As Stadt is studying his own heart, he’s also learning from the bands he looks up to. Though filling the opening slot on a tour is not the most glamorous gig, Stadt says there was plenty to learn from the headliners.

“I remember one thing being such a revelation for me,” he says. “We were on tour with the Gaslight Anthem, [during] our first big support tour. I remember watching the singer and seeing him smile onstage, and I realized I had never thought about that. I wonder if I ever smile on stage? I don’t think I do. That’s sort of important. Wow, I don’t need to be so angry on stage. It’s probably alienating to people. I’m having fun up here, I should be showing that to people. It’s little things like that you pick up from other bands.”

Sounds like a nice guy just got nicer.

Song of the Day: The Naked and Famous - Young Blood

I'm a sucker for music that makes me feel like I am in high school, about to embark upon the most important night of my life.

This is ironic because in high school, the most important night of my life may have been the time Matt Slivka and I (the two un-muscle-i-est guys at Murray High School) decided to go to ShopKo and buy our first-ever wife beater tanktops and wear them around the SugarHouse Movies 9 on a cold January night.

How's that for a music video idea?

Viva Voce: Why Not Start a Band with Your Husband

Viva Voce’s music feels like the embodiment of the Pacific Northwest. The husband-wife duo’s songs rise effortlessly from the damp mist of down-tempo folk into bursts of sun-drenched psychedelia--and then back again. Not bad for a couple of kids from the deep South.

After meeting and marrying in Alabama, Kevin and Anita Robinson pulled up ties and headed to Portland in 1998, the same year they released their first Viva Voce demo tape. Though their new home has certainly found its way into their sound, it hasn’t replaced their Southern charm.

Their new record may bear the ultra-heavy title “The Future Will Destroy You,” but Anita Robinson speaks of it (in a kind-hearted Southern accent) with love and care. In fact, each of her responses--from how to self-produce a record to fighting with her husband about who gets to write the bass lines--is delivered with such humility and kindness that it’s easy to forget that she mercilessly shreds guitars for a living.

Anita holds most of the vocal reigns on “Future,” a task that was shared more evenly between the couple on previous records. “It just worked out that way,” she says of her added time behind the mic. “After doing Blue Giant [the Robinson’s folk band side project] for a year, where Kevin is the singer front and center, I think I was inspired to step up and be more of the front person. It worked out well, I think. I feel very proud of it lyrically.”

The Robisons wrote, recorded, and mixed the new record in their home studio in Portland. Though the band usually welcomes feedback on songs and mixes from friends and musicians, “Future” was an isolated affair.

“With this record, we just sort of hibernated,” Anita says. “We were feeling really confident about it and didn’t feel the need to [seek input]. Hopefully, the fact that we did everything by ourselves and didn’t really look for any outside opinions, people will feel like we did the right thing. We feel like we did.”

Anita says she and Kevin and had the same goal for “Future” that they’ve had for each of their albums. “What we always try to do is put out a record where every song stands on its own and it’s not a record where people say, ‘I really like that second song and I really like the last song.’ We want our albums to be full of songs where you can’t wait to hear the next one.”

The husband/drummer and wife/guitarist also had the same power struggle that they’ve had with all their records, Anita admits with a laugh. “When it comes to tracking the record, it’s usually just a matter of who gets to do what--who gets to play bass lines or melody lines with on the keyboard. We fight a little bit over that because we both like to do those things.” In the end, even that worked out. Kevin got the bass and Anita got the keyboard.

For the next month, Viva Voce will tour the new record throughout the U.S. While most bands suffer from the homesickness caused by leaving loved ones behind, Anita and Kevin run the reverse risk--spending too much time with their significant other. Anita, however, says boredom is never a problem.

“There’s never a dull moment, especially on tour. Every day is a new adventure.” And then she adds, “I can’t get bored with something I’ve dreamed of doing my entire life.”

That dream is what took the Robinsons from Alabama to Portland in the first place. “We lived in Nashville for a while and it just never really felt like home. It didn’t feel like a place where we could put roots down. A lot of people want to travel and go and see what it’s like to live in different places, but just feel stuck and stranded. I’m grateful that I had the freedom to give it a shot. And it worked out great.”

Portland is equally enamored with Viva Voce. Case in point, visit a Portland Timbers soccer match and you may hear the crowd singing the refrain from the band’s ode to Portland, “Rose City,” a capella. (Or, if you’re not in the neighborhood, you can visit their website to hear a recording.)

“It’s kind of an honor,” she says of the song-turned-anthem. “It’s sweet and endearing. It makes us feel, more than ever, that Portland is our home and that we belong here.”