Monday, October 20, 2008
Brian Sears would gladly sell his soul for a stock copy of a rare and beautiful 45rpm record, but that doesn't disqualify him from spinning choice soul sides. The host of The Breakdown a monthly dance party at the Eighth Street Taproom is in good company in Lawrence, where vintage soul records are regularly dusted off and blasted on loudspeakers by co-conspirators like Sarah Brokenleg (a.k.a. Sadie Soul) and Josh Powers (a.k.a. SceneboosterSoundsystem). If you can't cut a rug when those three DJs take the stage, it's probably time to buy an oxygen tank. The vinyl orgies would get a stamp of approval from John Cusack's character on "High Fidelity," but its populist purveyors aren't cliquish with regard to their loose-limbed disciples. Young and old; funky and frumpy; red state and blue state-it's all soul deep.
Podcast episode
The Dog and Pony Show
Tighten Up
Brian Sears would gladly sell his soul for a stock copy of a rare and beautiful 45rpm record, but that doesn't disqualify him from spinning choice soul sides. The host of The Breakdown a monthly dance party at the Eighth Street Taproom is in good company in Lawrence, where vintage ...
No-fi highlights from the podcast
lawrence.com: Now that we have all three of you in the same room, is this podcast going to resemble a gang fight from the 1979 cult classic "The Warriors"?
Brokenleg: Only if I get to dress like one of the baseball guys.
Is there in any sense a competitive nature to this business in Lawrence?
Brokenleg: I think Lawrence is too small of a town to get really competitive about something like this. We have a good community and the whole point of the Lawrence Soul Club starting three years ago was just to get a group of people that love that music together and support each other.
In these tough economic times, can crate-diggers like yourselves still afford to drop $50 on rare 45s or do you have to economize and buy "Best of Motown" box sets from the Home Shopping Network?
Brokenleg: I would never do that (laughing)!
Powers: Just like any addict, we find a way.
Sears: Man, I wish I could find records that are $50. That's a bargain.
Brokenleg: I'm a broke-ass grad student, so if it's (worth) more than $20 it's probably going to be a lucky find for a dollar in a bin somewhere in Kansas City ... Or Baldwin I found a $300 record in Baldwin.
Past Event
Lawrence Soul Club with Sadie Soul and Superwolf
- Saturday, October 25, 2008, 10 p.m.
- Replay Lounge, 946 Mass., Lawrence
- 21+ / $3
Care to share any secrets?
Brokenleg: No (laughing)!
Powers: That's rule No. 1.
I know you have a pipeline to a guy named Superwolf in KC who helps you out a little bit.
Sears: Yeah, I was given a mix a few years ago and this song blew my mind and I had to have it ... I called up Superwolf Jimmy Trotter and he was like, "Yeah, I totally have it." So I went to his house, and in order to gain entry me and my boy Cyrus D went to Price Chopper and bought some cat litter ... That pretty much was the start of my record obsession.
Past Event
"The Breakdown" with DJ BSears / DJ CyrusD / DJ Stackswell
- Saturday, October 25, 2008, 10 p.m.
- Eighth Street Tap Room, 801 N.H., Lawrence
- 21+ / $3
What specifically moves you about these records?
Sears: You either feel it or you don't, and I feel it. It touches me-not to be perverse or anything like that.
Brokenleg (giggling): Brian likes to spend a lot of time with his records. I'm all about lyrics. Some of the best love songs and the best heartbreak songs you've heard in your life.
Powers: I'm more about the instrumental funk joints.
Who do you think was listening to these records when they first came out?
Powers: The people you wanted to be hanging out with, that's for sure.
Brokenleg: When I think about the Four Tops/Temptations concert the other night-well, the Temptation concert, and I think there's two original Four Tops-we were definitely the youngest people there. Soul music really hits a lot of different ages. You can get a little kid to get down to soul music and then you've got a lot of people that grew up on it and have a lot of memories attached to it.
Powers: I love it when the old folks come out.
Brokenleg: They're so excited that you're playing something they grew up on. It spreads the love.
Past Event
Bump Day with Scenebooster and BSears
- Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
- Eighth Street Tap Room, 801 N.H., Lawrence
- 21+ / $3
Do you ever get so sick of spinning soul music that you wanna claw your eyes out with plastic forks and instead spin nothing but Dan Fogelberg and Latoya Jackson?
Powers: I'm going to go ahead and answer for everybody-no.
If Sarah Palin were to walk into one of your nights, what song would you play?
Powers: I think I would play some Dead Kennedys-"Nazi Punks." Or maybe some Slayer.
What about George W. Bush?
Powers: The Honeydrippers' "Impeach the President." You hear it in Toyota commercials-it's got a classic break at the front.
Which current presidential candidate has more soul?
Powers: Now that's not even a fair question...
How much would I have to pay you to play a Primus song in one of your sets?
Powers: I like Primus a lot, but they have no relationship to funk.
Any closing thoughts on soul music or anything else?
Powers: I would like to say-as the old man of the group-both Brian and Sarah's nights are insanely good. If you're interested in soul music, come out and you will have a good time.
Comments
slbroken 12 years, 3 months ago
www.myspace.com/lawrencesoulclub
loveandloss 12 years, 1 month ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGYbkWGX3L8
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