Another van theft

Phosphorescent had their van and all their equipment stolen last night in Brooklyn. They don't care about the van, which was insured, but the instruments are another story.

Here's what they said:

Last night, after an amazing show at Pier 54 in New York City, Phosphorescent’s rental van -along with all of their equipment – was stolen from outside a residence in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Last night’s show was the first night of their scheduled six-weeks US Tour. Among the stolen items was Matthew Houck’s custom, irreplaceable 1955 Gibson ES-125 guitar, vintage amplifiers, and a vintage pedal steel with losses totaling around $40,000. If anyone has ANY information or leads on what might have happened, or if you see any of this gear in pawn shops, on Craigslist, etc, please call the NY Police Department, Vector Management, or anyone you think might be able to help recover this gear. The van rental company is insured – they are covered for their van and are therefore not greatly concerned with recovering it. Phosphorescent DOES care though, greatly, about recovering any of this gear possible, and about right now figuring out how to rally up and make this US Tour happen. Anything anyone can do to help would be simply amazing. We have set up a Paypal account for anyone wishing to donate funds to help replace gear – anything helps. We will be sending updates about the upcoming tour dates ASAP. Thanks in advance for any goodwill and assistance and thank you for your support over the years.

Paypal donations can be sent to:
phosphorescentgearfund@gmail.com

Phosphorescent interview

My interview with Phosphorescent's Matt Houck, which I was pretty excited about and which, upon reading it a couple of months later, still sounds pretty damned good to me, ran today at PopMatters.

Phosphorescent: Peeling Back the Surface

By Jennifer Kelly 30 June 2010

“The Mermaid Parade,” off the new Here’s to Taking It Easy, just might be Matt Houck’s best song yet, a sprawling narrative of melancholy and regret and mystery that feels like, a short story or a novel. Its storyline traces the dissolution of a brief marriage, the husband away touring, while his wife takes up with an older, married man. Lyrically, the song is utterly realistic and modern, heartfelt without veering into sentimentality and all the more powerful for its blunt, unornamented language. Yet it is the chorus, drawing inspiration from the boardwalks of Coney Island in its parade of naked mermaids that really catches the ear. Houck’s words tap into a vein verging on magical realism, using the street and its denizens to evoke a mythological dimension. That sense, of other, weirder, wilder worlds lurking just beyond the threshold of our perception is what lies at the core of Phosphorescent’s music.

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"Mermaid Parade"

Everybody likes High Violet but me

Reviews are up today at Pitchfork (8.7) and PopMatters (my friend Ian Mathers), and probably a lot of other places, universally positive...what can I say, out of touch again.

Meanwhile, I picked up a copy of Harlem's Hippies on Saturday...a Matador promo, which I had to buy, because Matador apparently sends promos only to the most important writers in the greater Keene, NH area, not me. But it was only $5, and kinda fun, so why not?

Here's the giveaway, which is called "Friendly Ghost."


Pretty sure they're from Austin, which connects, vaguely, to my new obsession, Friday Night Lights. We're watching Season One on DVD and totally, totally hooked, what a good show. Good music, too.

Okay, off to interview Matthew Houck, whom I think I've talked to before, and I think he was sort of monosyllabic, but maybe this time will be better.

Phosphorescent

There’s a new Phosphorescent album coming out May 11th, called Here’s to Taking It Easy, and it’s a helluva thing, dark and desperate and really beautifully arranged. It’s apparently already Mojo’s album of the month for May. I’m prepping for an interview maybe next week, maybe later, so I’ve been listening to it a good bit, and so far, three songs are just killing me – “Mermaid Parade,” “Hej, Me I’m Light” and the long Neil-ish closer “Los Angeles.” Dead Oceans has put “Mermaid Parade” up as a free sample, so you can check it out , too.



“Mermaid Parade”