November 10, 2000

It’s hard to wave goodbye (in handcuffs), even harder to wave hello (with no hands)
We’re filled with sadness now that we’ve bid farewell to 2 trusted staff members/friends, but ever since the Supreme Court ruled that Matador’s "Lifetime Contracts" were unenforceable, we’ve had to get used to days like these. As Yogi Berra once said, “if the people wanna take jobs for more money and better working conditions somewhere else, there’s nothing you can do to stop them.”

I’m not sure of the accuracy of the above quote, but if Kris Gillespie and Carrie McLaren were still here, they would look it up and give you the real scoop. Carrie, the creator of the first Matador website and the editor of our long-lost newsletter, Escandalo!, has left her consumer advertising post to pursue her burgeoning journalism/authorizing career. Hopefully she’ll manage to take the several thousand copies of Stay Free that have been stacked in our hallways, but if not, hey, they are lots of fun to read and pass around. Christy Simpson will be taking over Carrie’s advertising duties, so send your rate cards and inflated circulation figures to her attention.

Kris Gillespie, the man of a million (or a least a dozen) shorts, has abandoned his Product Management mantle to manage Warp’s U.S. operations. We’ll miss him like crazy -- though he’d better pray that Warp don’t have a dress code. Miwa Okamura, previously of DHR’s New York office, will taking over Kris’ desk (and chair) later this month.

In a completely unrelated development, Matador’s trusty robot and ombudsman, Accutron 2000, has been sold for scrap.

New Free Music
3 new releases next week, 3 MP3s: “20th Century Girl” from Pizzicato Five’s ‘The Fifth Release From Matador.’ “Danelectro 3 (Kit Clayton remix)” from Yo La Tengo’s Danelectro EP. “Classical Homicide” from the Techno Animal vs. dalek 12" “Megaton/Classical Homicide.” And if that weren’t enough, a fourth MP3 from the upcoming Mount Florida full-length, ‘Arrived Phoenix.’

Yo La Tengo Are Everywhere
In addition to six East Coast dates at the end of November, Yo La Tengo will be playing a free, acoustic in-store at Other Music Boston on Wednesday, November 29th at 1:00 PM (90 Winthrop St., Cambridge, MA).

If you aren’t willing to forsake your family for even one of the three NYC Thanksgiving weekend shows, you can at least turn away from the Lions on the TV and watch Yo La Tengo on the computer. Broadcast.com will be streaming on demand YLT’s set from Trees in Dallas this past September. It’ll be available starting November 15.

Rhyming things around the house,
courtesy of MC Paul Barman
Hair Snare
Towel Dowel
Look n Cook Lids (tm)

CMJ Live Video
All the live acts turned in phenomenal performances this year at CMJ, not to mention Live Human and The Wisdom of Harry. We taped a couple of their segments so you too could experience it like you were there. Sadly, we couldn’t catch everything so you’ll just have to imagine the hilarity we didn’t get on tape. Like, wasn’t it great when Len thought the crowd was yelling for “Paul” (Barman) when really they were yelling “Pole”? See what you missed?

Sad Rockets — Travelling Update
“After returning from a brief trip to NYC where I had a great time playing records at The Polar Bear Club @ Tonic, doing some interviews, meeting the Matador USA Action Team, wandering around SoHo at 7 A.M. with no money and an empty stomach, meeting up with old friends and eating food you can’t get in Berlin, (i.e., cheap Mexican), I jumped straight in to a week of rehearsals for a Sad Rockets live act with my Bergheim 34 bandmate Steffen, (new Bergheim 34 E.P. “How To Sell Out When No One’s Buying” out in early December on Klang Elektronik). The live act has started to take form and looks like it will be somewhat more electronic and “weird” than the material on the record, hope that’s cool with everyone. A handful of European gigs are confirmed for late November/early December, starting in Geneva with Suicide & Khan on the 24th of November. Stay tuned for more dates.”

Belle & Sebastian — We’re just trying to keep track
“Fox In The Snow” can be heard in the upcoming motion picture ‘A Room For Romeo Brass.’ The band also have a song on the upcoming Jeepster Xmas album (we released an Xmas record once, but it was the Frogs, so never mind). Isobel Campbell’s other acclaimed band, The Gentle Waves, have a new album coming from Jeepster very soon.

Lists Of Lists

Sad Rockets
1. Watching Pulsinger & Tunakan rock a house full of dumbfounded dot.coms in WMF.
2. Farben - "Beautone" 12"
3. Tulla Sound System - "Audio Comics" CD
4. Yevgeny Zamyatin - "Mie" Novel
5. Patrick Pulsinger -
"Easy To Assemble, Hard To Take Apart" 12"
6. Lo-Ser - "Gameboy Pocket Noise" - 10"
7. Savath & Savalas - 12" on Hefty
8. Timeblind - "Bloatware" 12"
9. Burnt Friedman - "Love Songs" 12"
10. Theo Parrish - "Summertime Is Here" 12"

In The Wisdom Of Harry’s Travelling CD case
Grandadddy - The Sophtware Slump
Steve Reich - Music For 18 Musicians
Thomas Brinkman - rosa
Sack Und Blumm - Shy Noon
Anthology Of American Folk Music Volume One
Derek Bailey - Domestic & Public Pieces
Have A Cigar, My Friend - Japanese Cheap Compilation
Mix Tape Vol 1 - Vacant Lot Records
DJ Clue - NYC 2000 Let The Games Begin
Source Mix - Instrumental CD
Matmos - The West
Oval - Systemish

Jay Miller’s Highlights from CMJ 2000
1. The (International) Noise Conspiracy -
(Yes, we do need the conspiracy. Desperately!!)
2. Having my ass kissed by music people
who still think I’m a DJ.
3. The Causey Way - (praise Causey)
4. Driving aimlessly around Brooklyn
with my T-tops down blasting DJ Assault.
5. People Under the Stairs
6. Live Human
7. Les Savy Fav and Tim’s lovely runway work
8. Pole
9. Kurt Angle winning the Championship gold.
It’s true. It’s true.