Out the Other

The History Lesson is on hiatus

So... yup.  The history lesson is officially on hiatus, until further notice.  I love writing it, and I hope you guys like reading it, and the hype machine sure adores it, but it was pretty much something to keep me busy when I didn't have other things to write about, and an excuse to post tracks outside of the context of shows and newness.  Lately though, I have an awful lot of stuff to write about - show reviews, a stack of new CDs I got in the mail, and all of those ACL previews.  So I'm just going to take a break from it for a bit and bring it back when things calm down again. Cool?

History Lesson - July 9-15

The History Lesson is a weekly feature here on Out the Other, offering one historical tidbit for every day of the upcoming week, paired with a song that usually has nothing to do with history.  Check out last week here, and all previous weeks here.

July 9, 1995 - The Grateful Dead perform the last concert of their 30-year career at Soldier Field, Chicago.

The Grateful Dead - "One More Saturday Night"
(from Skeletons in the Closet)

July 10, 1991 - Boris Yeltsin begins his 5-year term as the first elected President of Russia.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - "I Am Warm and Powerful"
(from Broom)

July 11, 1804 - Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr fatally shoots Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in a duel.

Mates of State - "A Duel Will Settle This"
(from Our Constant Concern)

July 12, 1979 - Disco Demoltion Night, a promotional event that involves people bringing unwanted disco records to a Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers game at Comiskey Park in exchange for a 98 cent admission fee, turns into mayhem when the records are "blown up" and thousands of fans rush the field.

Metric - "Dead Disco"
(from Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?)

July 13, 1923 - The forty-five foot Hollywood Sign is officially dedicated in the hills above Hollywood, Los Angeles.  It originally reads "Hollywoodland," but the last four letters will be dropped after renovation in 1949.

Ryan Adams - "Goodnight, Hollywood Boulevard"
(from Gold)

July 14, 1789 - Parisian revolutionaries and mutinous troops storm and dismantle the Bastille, signaling the beginning of the French Revolution.

Gomez - "Revolutionary Kind"
(from Liquid Skin)

July 15, 1606 - The Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn is born.

Spoon - "Believing Is Art"
(from Girls Can Tell)

History Lesson - July 2-8

The History Lesson is a weekly feature here on Out the Other, offering one historical tidbit for every day of the upcoming week, paired with a song that usually has nothing to do with history.  Check out last week here, and all previous weeks here.

July 2, 1937 - Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan vanish over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first round-the-world flight at the equator.

Peter Adams - "The Disappeared"
(from The Spiral Eyes)

July 3, 1971 - Jim Morrison is found dead of a heart attack, likely caused by a drug overdose, at the age of 27.

The Doors - "The End"
(from The Doors)

July 4, 1776 - In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims the independence of the United States of America from Great Britain and its king.

Elliott Smith - "Independence Day"
(from XO)

July 5, 1946 - French designer Louis Reard unveils a daring two-piece swimsuit, dubbed the "bikini," which is named after a news-making U.S. atomic test that took place off the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean earlier that week.

The Cramps - "Bikini Girls With Machine Guns"
(from Stay Sick)

July 6, 1785 - The dollar is unanimously chosen as the monetary unit for the United States.

The Mendoza Line - "Dollars to Donuts"
(from If They Knew This Was the End)

July 7, 1983 - Samantha Smith, a U.S. schoolgirl, flies to the Soviet Union at the invitation of Premier Yuri Andropov, after the young girl writes him a letter questioning the Cold War relationship between the two countries.

Cold War Kids - "We Used to Vacation"
(from Up In Rags EP)

July 8, 1947 - Reports are broadcast that a UFO has crash landed in Roswell, New Mexico.

Say Hi To Your Mom - "Let's Talk About Spaceships"
(from Numbers & Mumbles)

History Lesson - June 25-July 1

The History Lesson is a weekly feature here on Out the Other, offering one historical tidbit for every day of the upcoming week, paired with a song that usually has nothing to do with history.  Check out last week here, and all previous weeks here.

June 25, 1788 - Virginia ratifies the Constitution, and is admitted as the 10th state of the United States.

Gomez - "Sweet Virginia"
(from Split the Difference)

June 26, 1819 - The first US patent for a bicycle designed is awarded to William Clarkson of New York.

Black Mountain - "Bicycle Man"
(from Druganaut)

June 27, 1967 - The world's first ATM is installed in Enfield Town in North London.

Hard-Fi - "Cash Machine"
(from Stars of CCTV)

June 28, 1914 - Franz Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austria, and his wife Sophia are assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serbian nationalist, precipitating the Austrian declaration of war against Serbia, which triggered World War I.

Franz Ferdinand - "Outsiders"
(from You Could Have It So Much Better)

June 29, 1979 - Guitarist and Little Feat founder Lowell George is found dead of a heart attack in a hotel room in Arlington, VA, at the age of 24.

Little Feat - "Dixie Chicken"
(from Dixie Chicken)

June 30, 1859 - Jean-Francois Gravelet, a Frenchman known professionally as Emile Blondin, becomes the first daredevil to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope.

Kasabian - "Stuntman"
(live recording from Lollapalooza)

July 1, 1979 - Sony debuts the Walkman in Japan.

The Walkmen - "We've Been Had"
(from Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone)

History Lesson - June 18-24

The History Lesson is a weekly feature here on Out the Other, offering one historical tidbit for every day of the upcoming week, paired with a song that usually has nothing to do with history.  Check out last week here, and all previous weeks here.

June 18, 1983 - Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space as a crewmember on the Space Shuttle Challenger.

Space - "Female of the Species"
(from Spiders)

June 19, 1885 - The disassembled Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor, in 214 crates.

Super Furry Animals - "Liberty Belle"
(from Phantom Power)

June 20, 1977 - Oil begins to flow through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.

British Sea Power - "It Ended on an Oily Stage"
(from Open Season)

June 21, 1965 - The Byrds release their debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man.

The Byrds - "Mr. Tambourine Man"
(from Mr. Tambourine Man)

June 22, 1633 - The Holy Office in Rome forces Galileo Galilei to recant his scientific view that the sun, not Earth, is the center of the universe.

TV on the Radio - "Staring at the Sun"
(from Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)

June 23, 1991 - Sonic the Hedgehog makes his North American debut in his self-titled video game.

Oasis - "Supersonic"
(from Definitely Maybe)

June 24, 1942 - Drummer Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac is born in London.

Darren Hanlon - "Don't Stop"
(from JJJ: Like a Version)

History Lesson - June 11-17

The History Lesson is a weekly feature here on Out the Other, offering one historical tidbit for every day of the upcoming week, paired with a song that usually has nothing to do with history.  Check out last week here, and all previous weeks here.

June 11, 1962 - Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin escape from the prison on Alkatraz Island.

We Are Scientists - "The Great Escape"
(from With Love and Squalor)

June 12, 1942 - Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl living in Amsterdam, receives a diary for her 13th birthday - one month before she and her family go into hiding from the Nazis.

Travis - "Dear Diary"
(from The Invisible Band)

June 13, 1966 - The United States Supreme Court rules in Miranda v. Arizona that the police must inform suspects of their rites before questioning them.

Gomez - "Get Myself Arrested"
(from Bring It On)

June 14, 1977 - The Stars and Stripes are adopted by Congress as the Flag of the United States, on a day that will subsequently be celebrated annually as Flag Day.

Wilco - "Ashes of American Flags"
(from Kicking Television: Live In Chicago)

June 15, 1752 - Benjamin Franklin discovers the electrical nature of lightning by flying a kite in a thunderstorm.

The Apparitions - "Electricity + Drums"
(from As This Is Futuristic)

June 16, 1960 - Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho opens in New York.

Talking Heads - "Psycho Killer"
(from 77)

June 17, 1994 - After fleeing from the authorities in a white Ford Bronco during a dramatically televised car chase, O.J. Simpson is arrested for the murders of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Phoenix - "Run Run Run"
(from Alphabetical)

History Lesson - June 4-10

The History Lesson is a weekly feature here on Out the Other, offering one historical tidbit for every day of the upcoming week, paired with a song that usually has nothing to do with history.  Check out last week here, and all previous weeks here.

June 4, 1974 - The Cleveland Indians attempt an ill-advised "Ten Cent Beer Night" for a game against the Texas Rangers at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.  Cleveland is forced to forfeit the game after alcohol-fueled mayhem and violence spreads from the stands onto the field.

Peter Mulvey - "Bright Idea"
(from The Trouble With Poets)

June 5, 1956 - Elvis Presley introduces his new single, "Hound Dog", on the Milton Berle Show and scandalizes the audience with his suggestive hip gyrations.

Blanket Music - "Hips"
(from Move)

June 6, 1933 - The first drive-in movie theater opens in Camden, New Jersey.

Meatloaf - "Paradise By the Dashboard Light"
(from Bat Out of Hell )

June 7, 1893 - In his first act of civil disobedience, Mohandas K. Gandhi refuses to comply with racial segregation rules on a South African train and is forcibly ejected at Pietermaritzburg.

The Fall - "Littlest Rebel"
(from Extricate)

June 8, 1789 - James Madison introduces a proposed Bill of Rights to the United States Congress.

Folk Implosion - "I Reserve the Right To Rock"
(from The Folk Implosion EP)

June 9, 1915 - Les Paul, a guitarist and important figure in the development of modern electric instruments and recording techniques, is born in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Talking Heads - "Electric Guitar"
(from Fear of Music)

June 10, 1935 - Alcoholics Anonymous is founded in Akron, Ohio by Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith.

The Tah-Dahs - "Alcoholic"
(from Le Fun)

History Lesson - May 28-June 3

The History Lesson is a weekly feature here on Out the Other, offering one historical tidbit for every day of the upcoming week, paired with a song that usually has nothing to do with history.  Check out last week here, and all previous weeks here.

May 28, 1937 - President Roosevelt pushes a button in Washington, DC, signaling the official start of vehicle traffic over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Arctic Monkeys - "Fake Tales of San Francisco"
(from Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not)

May 29, 1953 - Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzig Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

The Ascent of Everest - "Alas Alas the Breath"
(from Angel or the Airbag)

May 30, 1911 - The first Indianapolis 500 is raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Flaming Lips - "Race for the Prize (Remix)"
(from The Soft Bulletin)

May 31, 1819 -  The American poet, essayist, and journalist Walt Whitman is born.

My Robot Friend - "Walt Whitman"
(from Hot Action!)
ps - there's a video

June 1, 1796 - Tennessee becomes the 16th state of the U.S.

Arrested Development - "Tennessee"
(from 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of...)

June 2, 1896 - The Italian electrical engineer and Nobel laureate Guglielmo Marconi files for a patent on the radio.

The Features - "D-Con (Radio One)"
(from Soaking In the Center of the Universe Sampler)

June 3, 1977 - Bob Marley & the Wailers release Exodus.

Bob Marley & the Wailers - "Waiting In Vain"
(from Exodus)

History Lesson - May 21-27

The History Lesson is a weekly feature here on Out the Other, offering one historical tidbit for every day of the upcoming week, paired with a song that usually has nothing to do with history.  Check out last week here, and all previous weeks here.

May 21, 1881 - The American Red Cross is established by Clara Barton.

ACDC - "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)"
(from Highway To Hell)

May 22, 1859 - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Me and You Watson"
(from Black Sessions - see Muzzle of Bees)

May 23, 1969 - The Who release Tommy, the first musical work explicitly billed as a rock opera.

The Who - "Pinball Wizard"
(from Tommy)

May 24, 1883 - 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people cross the Brooklyn Bridge on its first day of use.

Jesse Malin - "Brooklyn"
(from The Fine Art of Self Destruction)

May 25, 1977 - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope opens in theaters.

Stars - "The Big Fight"
(from Set Yourself On Fire)

May 26, 1896 - Nicholas II is crowned as the last czar of Russia.

The Czars - "I Fall to Pieces"
(from Sorry I Made You Cry)

May 27, 1939 - The DC Comics superhero Batman makes his first appearance in Detective Comics #27.

Bloc Party - "Hero"
(from Two More Years single)

History Lesson - May 14-20

The History Lesson is a weekly feature here on Out the Other, offering one historical tidbit for every day of the upcoming week, paired with a song that usually has nothing to do with history.  Check out last week here, and all previous weeks here.

May 14, 1804 - Lewis and Clark depart from Camp Dubois and begin their historic journey to the Pacific Coast and back.

Lewis and Clarke - "Dead and Gone"
(from Bare Bones and Branches)

May 15, 1970 - The Beatles release their last LP, Let It Be, in the United States.

Rufus Wainwright - "Across the Universe"
(from I Am Sam)

May 16, 1918 - The Sedition Act is passed by the U.S. Congress, making criticism of the government a jailable offense. 

Mappari - "Sedition"
(from High Enough to Notice)

May 17, 1875 - The first Kentucky Derby is raced, and won by Aristides.

World Leader Pretend - "A Horse of a Different"
(from Punches)

May 18, 1897 - Dracula, a novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, is published.

DraculaZombieUSA - "Thomas Window Paine"
(from DraculaZombieUSA)

May 19, 1790 - In an event that will be dubbed "New England's Dark Day", an abnormal afternoon darkening of the sky occurs over New England and Eastern Canada.

SOUND team - "In the Dark No One Can Hear You Sweat"
(from Work EP)

May 20, 1873 - Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a US patent for blue jeans reinforced with copper rivets.

The Cloud Room - "Blue Jean"
(from The Cloud Room)