Dear People,

Weekend holidays typically do not offer much outside of blockbuster movies, hamburger buns, and fireworks, so this update discussing very little in the way of new music. However, next week is double live gonzo with new arrivals. Our events are gettng ready to start up and never stop. We nearly have a show every night for the next month so be sure to write down or put reminders in your phone for the shows you want to see. Also we have decided to discuss movies in our letter to the people since it is what we like to waste time doing when we are not wasting time talking about music. First up Supreman Returns was absolutely incredible, maybe we felt this way since Xmen 3 was absolutely awful. We will be at the midnight showing for Pirates of the Caribbean 2 this Thursday - if you spot us we will give you a coupon for a free cd. HA! I am kidding. Back to movies, we will be showing some features in the record store this month: Bonaroo documentaries, Gimme Shelter the Rolling Stones documentary, and some others on important things like the situation in Darfur and the Middle East. Michael Franti is getting to release a cd adn dvd at the end of the month (again working with Spearhead) and we will show the dvd of his work over there at the end of the month. He is an important person and deserves our attention. This is all for now. As always viva la no rulez! Relative signing off.

relative links
www.spearheadvibrations.com Michael Franti and Spearhead
www.savedarfur.org
www.summerofnorulez.com

RELATIVE LOVE

The weekly podcast from your favorite record store.

FIND THE LOVE | RSS

David Axelrod
The Edge of Music: An Exploration of 50 Years in Music

Release Date: 07/03/06
Label: EMI
CD: $14.98

This collection brings together 27 productions by Axelrod, staring way back in 1966, to his own musical creations on Mo Wax records in 2001. Grammy Award winner, Axelrod started his musical career as an A&R Executive and producer at Capitol Records, L.A., and was soon working on productions for the likes of Lou Rawls, Cannonball Adderley, Electric Prunes and many more. His work with these great artists of their time has helped secure his reputation as one of the finest producers of the past 50 years and his distinctly recognizable style has given us numerous great jazz, soul and funk records. This collection brings together 27 Axelrod productions, from his work with others, starting in 1966, to his own musical creations, including those released by Mo Wax in 2001, to celebrate 50 years of music involving David Axelrod.

6 x vinyl 7" Box version. "Includes Marc's first demo, his first three solo singles, singles released with John's Children and early Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The ethical questions surrounding this final album in the American Recordings series are as unavoidable as they are, ultimately, peripheral. While the vocal tracks were recorded in the months just prior to Johnny Cash's passing in September 2003, the arrangements weren't undertaken until two years later. And though producer Rick Rubin had become a trusted friend, the Man in Black wasn't around to approve or disapprove, let alone guide, the final sessions. However, if the pure power of these recordings doesn't quiet the skeptics, nothing will. With Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench and slide guitar session pro Smokey Hormel on board (all three of whom appear on earlier Cash albums), along with guitarists Matt Sweeney and Johnny Polansky, the sound is stately and acoustic, but rarely staid, even as the dynamics of earlier recordings in the series are absent. Instead, the songs have a measured, elegiac intensity, the sound of musicians choosing their notes carefully and making just the right choices.

The songs Cash sings are, unsurprisingly, confessional and reflective: his mortality and his mistakes, his maker and his salvation, and the loss of his wife June and the end of his career may have weighed on his mind, but in these songs he both embodies and transcends his personal history. On "God's Gonna Cut You Down," as the musicians clap and stomp behind him, his voice cuts through the air like that same avenging hand. On the new original "Like the 309"--the last song Cash ever wrote--he cops to being short of breath, and that voice becomes a metaphor for what each of us will one day face. On Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Read My Mind," Rubin flirts with overwhelming the damp bittersweetness of Cash's phrasing in tasteful atmospherics, but the voice is implacable, hitting and finding notes one never expected he'd have the will to find. Likewise, it's hard to believe this is his first recording of Ian Tyson's "Four Strong Winds"; the elemental narrative seems to have been written for him. Two songs, however, Cash has recorded before: the born-again hymn "I Came to Believe" and the final spiritual, "I'm Free from the Chain Gang Now." The latter especially is a definitive testament, as is his version of Bruce Springsteen's "Further On (Up the Road)." "One sunny morning we'll rise, I know / And I'll meet you further on up the road," he sings. If only, John, if only. --Roy Kasten

This is a different type of Johnny Cash package. His voice isn't present but his music is everywhere, since it collects original recordings of tunes Cash later made his own as well as material by artists who informed and inspired his music. It also includes the original Sun recordings of two Cash rockabilly compositions - each recorded by a legendary Sun Records rocker - featured in the 2005 biopic Walk The Line.

Rise Against's fourth album, "The Sufferer & The Witness", continues to build upon the solid punk foundation the band started upon it's inception. "The Sufferer & The Witness" is a striking collection, with Rise Against using elements from spoken word, expanded balladry and simply prodding forward with a faster, harder, louder ethic.

This collection serves to define the genre currently known as Americana and takes the listener on a cross-country journey through time, space and sound. Artists featured include Glenn Yarborough, Leadbelly Mike Seeger, Sunnyland Slim and others.

Limited 3CD version. Subtitled: Liverpool + Manchester: From punk to post-punk and beyond. Compiled by NMElegend Paul Morley, with 24 page booket of liner notes. Mostly common tracks, although some are undoubtedly hard or impossible to access on CD (Pink Industry, Big In Japan, Wah! Heat, etc.). "A new release on the recently resurrected Korova imprint - the original home of Echo and the Bunnymen, Bette Bright, Lori & The Chameleons, The Sound and the Residents. These CDs are a sort of tale of two cities -- it is a journey through how the music scenes of Manchester and Liverpool developed fast and energetically in the years between 1976 -- when punk music from London and New York liberated young musicians in local areas to experiment with look and sound -- and 1984 -- when the commercial and creative impact of post-punk music from Manchester and Liverpool music was undeniable. The Manchester sound, as initially conceived by The Buzzcocks and The Fall, was fierce, cerebral and noisy. It was intelligent but aggressive punk. The Liverpool music always veered towards a pop dipped in psychedelia, even novelty, to a more dramatic, flamboyant and big-headed sound. Manchester was introverted, Liverpool extroverted, Manchester was angry, surreal and political, Liverpool was twisted, often cocky, show business. Whatever the differences, both cities suddenly produced brilliant new bands, exciting new independent labels and unique characters in a very brief period of time. In just a few brief years the Manchester articulate, desolate, beautiful and crazed sound led directly to the Smiths. The sly, witty, mad and camp Liverpool sound exploded into the outside world via Frankie Goes To Hollywood. These three CDs chronologically plot the journeys that were happening simultaneously in the two cities." Artists: Buzzcocks, The Fall, John Cooper Clarke, The Durutti Column, Joy Division, The Passage, Blue Orchids, The Distractions, A Certain Ratio, Ludus, New Order, The Smiths, Spitfire Boys, Yachts, Will Sergeant, Omd, Echo and the Bunnymen, Wah! Heat, Lori and the Chameleons, Teardrop Explodes, Care, Pale Fountains, Dalek I Love You, Lotus Eaters, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Warsaw, Slaughter and the Dogs, Bette Brightand the Illuminations, Those Naughty Lumps, Big Japan, Stockholm Monsters, James, China Crisis, Spherical Objects, Pink Industry, Crispy Ambulance, Section 25, Swamp Children.

Extra Golden is a collaboration between Alex Minoff of Weird War, Ian Eagleson of Golden, and Otieno Jagwasi and Onyango Wuod Omari of Orchestra Extra Solar Africa, from Kenya. Their sound is a unique mix of Weird War's boogie rock and benga, an upbeat style of guitar dance music, similar to rumba, that has been popular in Kenya since the 1960s. Deluxe vinyl edition is limited to 1,000 copies

Beginning with an image of cosmic apocalypse and ending with a cosmic joke about going nowhere (yet always having somewhere else to be), Brett and Rennie Sparks use their first album in three years, and their most beautiful and accessible since Through the Trees, to explore the magical and disturbing intersections between the human, natural, and spiritual worlds. Recorded at home in Albuquerque, the album unfolds like a country-folk operetta (mostly composed by Rennie) set in idyllic and mysterious locales: haunted suburbia, peaceful but slightly malevolent strip malls, confession-inspiring bowling alleys, and lovesick airports. When they move to the exotic location of a shipwrecked island on "After We Shot the Grizzly," they borrow from Bob Dylan's cryptic "Isis," and make the random, mythic violence their own. Small moments of ennui, whether feeding pigeons in New York or watching kids paint graffiti, reveal unpredictable and unsettling dreams, and the delicate Americana instrumentation only sounds quaint on the surface. French horns, droning bass notes, clippity-clop drums, pedal steel (from Stephen Dorocke of Freakwater), and musical saw (from David Coulter, who has worked with Tom Waits) give even the most macabre songs--not to mention Brett Sparks' Johnny-Cash-on-Thorazine vocals--a light, playful air of discovery and wonder. --Roy Kasten

Nautically themes love songs written on ukelele and sung with a gentle and soft croon that somehow marries a cynical wit with a classically romantic and truly endearing charm. Michael sings and plays ukelele on all songs. This is for fans of Jonthan Richmond, Kings of Convenience, They Might Be Giants and Regina Spektor.

Loudly hailed as the former Minnesotan's return to rock form since 2002's flawed but interesting electronic outing Modulate, Body of Song, is a surprisingly enjoyable record that mixes and matches swaths of sound from the last twenty years of the burly dude's career. As a solo artist, his songs tend to be anthemettes loaded with deep personal feelings and sung in that trademark roller coaster caterwaul that defined his two rock bands, Hüsker Dü and Sugar. More than anything, Bob Mould has always made honest records that ask the listener to ditch past expectations. There are some great, rousing songs on here; "Circles" and "Missing You" will please any rocker in need of sheets of loud guitars. Unfortunately, the two most ‘clubby' tracks on here, "(Shine Your) Light Love Hope" and "I Am Vision, I Am Sound," rely on very dated dance-pop sounds such as vocoder'd vocals and cheesy programming. The album's most interesting songs are those that truly mix the electronic and rock elements; the slowly percolating, highly textured "Always Tomorrow"and the rousing single "Paralyzed." More like these next time, please. –Mike McGonigal

Think Pink Martini. Nouveau Latin and swing with a humorous twist. Sung in a variety of languages including French, Spanish, Russian, Calo (Gypsy Spanish) and English. 12 piece Latin/Swing band.

Hailing from Philadelphia, the Danger O's have been creating their own blend of eclectic rock since the summer of 2004. After parting ways with the world's five billionth generic punk band, Justin (unable to remain idle for more than five seconds and eager to step from behind the drums to write and play the songs he actually wanted to do) and Jeff (stagnant in a socially crippling video game addiction and perfectly content defending the title of world's laziest human being) began collaborating on new material unlike anything they had previously played. Shortly thereafter, Drew agreed to step away from dusting his impressive collection of calculator watches and rare Stuart Copeland performances to play drums with a real band.Since the band's inception, the three piece's dynamic song writing style has landed them somewhere just beyond the unexpected. Combining jazz rhythms with a Police/Fugazi approach to punk, some would go so far as to call the boy’s emo…in its most classic form. What sets the Danger O's apart is their ability to mix eerie harmonies with catchy choruses, dissonant guitars with simple melodies, and the desire to keep the soundscape dynamic and the music moving. With instrumentals that keep you guessing and lyrics that read like abstract poetry, the Danger O's are creating alternative music that continues to grow and pop…like a pimple, if you will.

Playing Relative July 14

Unlike the more piecemeal compilation of ‘Growing Green’, this new record was recorded in his remote village home in southern Finland over a period of 3-4 months around Summer 2005. A far more focused and coherent album, whose scope is no less diverse /ambitious. Will appeal to fans of Smog, Syd Barrett, Nick Drake and Robert Wyatt, amongst others. Powerfully written and beautifully played, the songs reveal a uniquely talented artist in increasingly assured control of his craft. Imbued with a sense of wisdom and character rather than any kind of ‘clever’ showiness, it is a warm, witty, intimate and deeply charming album that should see him recognised as a contemporary of the likes of Adem, King Creosote and Iron & Wine

J.DiMenna
Awkward Building

Release Date: 03/28/06
Label: Self Released
CD: $13.98

Considering J’s haunting lyrics, atmospheric strings and vaudevillian compositions, I can’t help thinking that fans of Grant Lee Philips and Devendra Banhart would be just as impressed as we are by this impressive body of work. - Deli

PLAYING RELATIVE AUGUST 4

The Brothers Ellis play complex, driving guitar riffs over smart, sweaty drum machine tracks. Emily J.K. sings about making out, politics, fun times, hard times, and the fantasy world they wish they lived in. Everyone dances around. In this post modern age of hybrids, blends, overlaps and no-names, how to label or describe this music? As a start, Pony Pants hinges on the anarcho/indiepunk/DIY/dance-y/rowdy/spontaneous tip: a little sass, like Cyndi Lauper with a dose of metal, like the Fucking Champs, and a whole lot of party with a fierce, fearless edge.

Equal doses of experimentation and inspiration to create this unique pop amalgamation. The fact that these songs turned out to each be so warm and organic, for all the electronic flourishes, makes this album one to adore.

PLAYING RELATIVE THEORY AUGUST 6

With your support we can stay on the map.

WED JULY 05, 2006

you've got to get up to get free .

Warning aural orgasm!! We know you're just as excited as we are about this one. The Sparrows will be swarming and singing a Relative and we have created a killer line up. I am sure you are already familiar with Sparrow's "epic gorgeousness", but we have added Think Tank, Foxes Through Fences and Radio Flyer to the bill. These are three amazingly talented local bands, that between the three of them have five copies of every Mogwai and Sigur Ros album. This will be a fantastic night of post-rock and we will see you there.

FRI JULY 07, 2006

ART OPENING
Tom Rein - Vintage Rock Art sponsored by Dogonit


Time: 7pm
Tickets: Free Event!

Hop On It .

*See Gallery section for details

SAT JULY 08, 2006

scorpion .

We will be doing a video premiere a local skate video called "The Eleventh Hour". All the skaters are from the area and it's filled with straight bangers. Copies will be available for purchase. Trailer here.

SUN JULY 09 , 2006

fire and ice .

What a splendid little event this has turned into. I first fell for Pagoda and The Private Sea the first time I heard them a few weeks ago. Pagoda is warm and nurturing like the sun's rays. In many ways the remind me of Mojave 3 and Galaxie 500. The Private Sea, from Philly, is what you want to listen to at night sharing a drink whiskey. The dark traces of Black Heart Procession with the elegance of My Morning Jacket. Also on the bill, Anousheh Khalili. A Richmond songstress, who weaves gentle melodies with a light backing band and her on keys. Locally, we have the always pleasant Beautiful Uncertainty. This show is like a spoonful of sugar.

SAT JULY 10, 2006

fire whale .

Phantom Buffalo hales from Portland and has a long heritage of making great music. Featuring former members of Ponys (yes, we know you love them) the Buffalo create quirky and jazzy rock in the vain of The Talking Heads and The Beta Band. Clock Hands Strangle are like a perfect Saturday afternoon. Blue skies, a light breeze and you're walking barefoot in the park. Pleasant tunes to cherish with a friend. Langley Holland will also be performing and they are good, damn good. And you know who else is good? 1888. Their on this bill as well. And everyone knows that they are THE BEST local band in the history of local bands. There I said it.

TUES JULY 11, 2006

folk is a 4 letter word .

Nick Castor is the leader, of a band of wandering minstrels from the forest. I don't know if that is true or not, considering I made that up. But I know when I hear his music, I want to construct a forest world, much like the Ewok Village or the one in the Kevin Costner Robin Hood movie. Opening is a girl with a guitar, Alina Simone. She has a lovely voice and great tales to sing about. The very lovely and very local, The Could Eyes, are making there Relative Theory debut. Well playing the store for the first time, one of the members is ukulelist Skye Zentz. Make love not war.

JUL 7 thru JUL 30 | 2006

Relative Brews

Remember Relative Cardholders:

Cafe Specials

Just Mix It For Me

If purchase a super Trail Mix, knab an revolution tea for only $1. Any size, any flavor, iced or hot.

New Shapes!

New To The Menu

Now Available

PomWonderful the dopest Pomegranate Juice. Loaded with more antioxidants than found in green tea, chocolate, and blueberries, PomWonderful helps our bodies fight against free radicals. Drinking one glass of this delicious juice, exercising and eating healthy every day will improve your cardiovascular health, prevent cancer, and fight the aging process. So, what are you waiting for? Stop by and help save your life! Enjoy a bottle today and every day. Choose one, two, three, four or five of the five flavors! 100 % Pomegranate, POM Blueberry, POM Cherry, POM Mango, POM Tangerine.

Come On Out

What is DuBBuddies?

SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY