A few random observations from today:

1.  A friend posted a couple videos of Sir Douglas Quintet.  I never had heard of this band, and doing some research was amazed that a band that allegedly “started” by trying to cash in on the 60’s British Invasion could ultimately morph into a prime inspiration for Tejano music.  Although Doug Sahm’s Texas roots are apparent even when Elvis Costello-like organ is added to the mix, I was impressed with his ability to leap musical genres.

2.  Manohla Dargis’ April 8, 2011 New York Times review of the new stoner movie “Your Highness” included this musical reference:

“bare-breasted wild women smeared in white who look as if they stepped off the cover of a classic punk album by the Slits…”

I don’t know about you, but a reference for The Slits in the midst of a NYTimes movie review seems a bit random.

3.  An article on today’s Pitchfork site, “Positive Destruction,” posits San Francisco as the new epicenter of garage rock.  Mr. Royale and I are fans of Ty Segall and recently discovered another local band, Moon Duo.   It would be nice for San Francisco to move beyond that “Summer of ’69” designation.

Comments? Have you discovered any other odd little trends or artifacts?

With all our recent discussion/posts about changes in music today, it was interesting to hear about this “band.” Dirty Beaches seems to epitomize nostalgia for the rock and roll of an America that no longer exists. In a recent interview with Urban Outfitters (!), Alex Hungtai, a Taiwanese-born Canadian, talks about his inspiration being primarily movies, rather than music, and that he “carves out” a song as if he were a casting director. Like the directors he admires, Hungtai sees himself as an exile, and his amped-up rockabilly evokes that search for a home he never had.

Maybe the best current rock and roll is made by outsiders?