YouTube features Bon Iver videos made by locals on main page today

How cool is this?! YouTube has jumped on the Bon Iver bandwagon upon the release of his just-release suite of music videos that accompany each song on his self-titled release. We know by now that locals Dan Huiting, Isaac Gale, David Jensen, and JoLynn Garnes worked on those videos, but YouTube has taken it a step further and featured videos from the directors featured on that album. That means videos from the directors' archives including Doomtree, Lazerbeak, Astronautalis, GAYNGS, Heiruspecs, and MN Original, featured on YouTube's main page today. Head over there now to watch the videos.



And in other Bon Iver news, his video album has snagged some high-profile press on Time.com and the Fader. Minnesota boys, you done good.

Via Dan Huiting on Facebook
Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Listen: GAYNGS remix Gardens & Villa's "Orange Blossom"

A new remix by local supergroup GAYNGS of Gardens & Villa's "Orange Blossom" has been circulating around Twitter. Listen below:


Gardens & Villa "Orange Blossom" GAYNGS remix by DOJAGSC

Via Yours Truly: "Gayngs' take on Gardens & Villa's "Orange Blossom" subdues the obvious sexual tension of the original while simultaneously releasing serotonin, turning off the lights and letting the room fill with the irresistible musk of desire."

Via @channeylchanny
Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

GAYNGS'/Roma di Luna's Channy Moon Casselle debuts new project

After rumblings of the new project from GAYNGS member and Roma di Luna darling Channy Moon Casselle hit Twitter back on August 12, we've been waiting to hear more. We now know the project's name, Polica, but otherwise, details are still sparse - all we know is that Channey was accompanied by producer Ryan Olson and Solid Gold's Zach Coulter in Austin, Texas, at Spoon drummer Jim Eno's studio earlier this month. Finally on Monday night, the first track, "Lay Your Cards Out," hit the net. The song features Channy's ethereal vocals, a smooth, chilled-out vibe, and accompaniment by Bon Iver's Mike Noyce. Listen at www.thisispolica, and follow @thisispolica and Policia's Facebook page for updates.


UPDATE: Gimme Noise has additional details about a project, including the band's debut performance this Sunday at Nick and Eddie.

Via @GAYNGS
Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

GAYNGS to play Sunday brunch practice session at Nick & Eddie on Sunday

We nearly spit out our iced white chocolate mocha when we spotted Nick and Eddie owner Doug Anderson's Facebook update a few minutes ago:

[GAYNGS painting by Michael Gaughan]

Hmm, let's think about this for a minute: Megafaun and Rosebuds (whose members are in the supergroup) are all in North Carolina right now, though Justin Vernon is technically on a break from touring with Bon Iver. Har Mar Superstar just went back to L.A. and P.O.S. is in Austin. So basically, that leaves Ryan Olson, Channey Moon Casselle, Adam Hurlburt and Zach Coulter from Solid Gold, and Mike Lewis, and Jake Luck of Leisure Birds, and just maybe Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and Mike Noyce if we're lucky. Could this be GAYNGS 2.0?

UPDATE: Ryan Olson confirms the posting to us via email, saying "We are doing a 3pm gayngs sunday brunch practice at nick n eddie. Also Habenero (sic)." We're so in.

Via Doug Anderson on Facebook
Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Repost: GAYNGS cover Sade for Daytrotter

Yes, we realize we're all about "social media news" here at LOL/OMG, but we can't resist but repost this Daytrotter session GAYNGS recorded last year. In honor of Sade's Target Center appearance tonight, listen to or download their cover of Sade's "By Your Side" at daytrotter.com.

GAYNGS remixes Blonde Redhead on new EP

Independent UK record label 4AD just announced that Blonde Redhead have made a collection of remixes of tracks taken from latest album, Penny Sparkle, available to coincide with their current tour. Among the shttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifix remixes include Minneapolis' own GAYNGS's version of Blonde Redhead's "Here Sometimes." Visit www.4ad.com to stream or download all six remixes for free.


Via @GAYNGS
Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Adele vs. GAYNGS: "Rolling in the Gaudy Side of Town"

LOL/OMG reader @daniellempls drew our attention to this mashup of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and GAYNGS' "The Gaudy Side of Town" called - accordingly - "Rolling in the Gaudy Side of Town" by Austin-based DJ/producer Magic Club President. But the best part may be the photoshopped image they created for the video.



Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Andy Dick, Flea party with GAYNGS

So as GAYNGS wrapped up their West Coast tour with a DJ set from GAYNGS' Ryan Olson at School Night at the Bardot Hollywood on Monday night, they somehow hooked up with the notorious Andy Dick for what must have been a night of mayhem. And substances.

Here are some pix he uploaded of Ryan Olson:



And here is some video (filmed sideways) via Andy Dick's Twitter account:

yfrog Video : http://yfrog.com/n9graz - Uploaded by RuwanthiAnne

Meanwhile tonight, Ryan Olson and Har Mar Superstar apparently hung out and jammed with Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers (?!):

GAYNGS Tweet their West Coast mini-tour, compare pool size

Local supergroup GAYNGS has hit the road for a mini, weeklong West Coast tour, hitting Portland, San Francisco, L.A., and the Sasquatch Music Festival in Quincy, Washington. And what could be more important while on tour than the hotel swimming pool?

First, the view from Justin and Nate Vernon's hotel room:


Fellow GAYNGS members Zach Coulter and Adam Hurlburt of Solid Gold respond with their decidedly less posh view:



Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

GAYNGS wins trial against bus company

After their tour bus was infamously stolen with all their gear, resulting in a canceled Austin City Limits performance last year, the band decided to sue the bus line for "tortious conduct and a breach of contract" and to collect damages. After the conclusion of today's trial, GAYNGS (and Ryan Olson/Drew Christopherson's record label Totally Gross National Product) announced victory, via Twitter:



They also posted this photo:


Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Gayngs Return to 1st Ave, Announce Spring Tour

Gayngs are throwing another biiig party at First Avenue and this time, they're bringing friends. The Gimme Noise folks have announced the "GAYNGS AFFILIYATED SHOWCASE", happening on Sunday, March 6. The roster is quite impressive: GAYNGS, Doomtree, Solid Gold, Megafaun and more in the Mainroom; Har Mar Superstar, Slapping Purses, Marijuana Deathsquads and more at the Entry; plus DJ sets by various artists at the Record Room. We can't wait!

Gayngs also made another announcement just this morning about their spring tour that kicks off in Minneapolis, continues at SXSW festival and ends in San Diego. You can see the full schedule here.



According to Gimme Noise: "The Gayngs showcase at First Avenue will serve as a precursor to some exciting events that Gayngs, Gimme Noise, and First Ave have planned down in Austin, Texas this year at the SXSW music festival in mid-March."

Submitted by @marrina.

Gayngs and Trampled by Turtles both headed to Coachella

The Coachella lineup was officially announced via the internetz tonight and it's a doozy, as per usual. Local heroes, Gayngs, scored a slot, as did Duluthians Trampled by Turtles. Double awesome!

Gayngs makes Gawker's top 15 songs of the year list

After a slew of national year-end nods from the likes of Pitchfork and NPR, "No Sweat" by Gayngs was one of 15 songs that made Gawker's Favorite Music of 2010 list.

They say:

"Listen to while: Coming down from your 18-hour coke binge; locking yourself in your room for a few days to think about art; not wearing clothes when you talk to your servants.
Accompany with: Vicodin, red wine, circles under your eyes"

LOL! You can stream the track at Gawker.


(Also, they made #22 on the Guardian UK's top albums of the year list...we somehow missed it when it came out a couple of weeks ago.)

Via @barbara_paz

Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Top local viral videos of 2010

It's been a big year for viral videos. And some of the videos that made us either LOL or OMG came with some local flavor. So we've rounded up the funniest, most-viewed and (of course) LOL/OMG-worthy videos of the year, in order of number of views. (What the hell, everyone else is doing it.)

Honorable Mention: Kanye West Rapping on a Plane
Just a few short hours after doing an intimate meet-and-greet and listening party in the Twin Cities, Kanye West decided to perform an impromptu show aboard his flight from Minneapolis to New York City on Delta. Watch him do a medley of "The Good Life" and "Gold Digger" via Hollywood Life. (Number of views info not available.)


10. Max Sparber's "Ballad of Steven Slater"
When news of disgruntled JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater going ballastic on a rude passenger got out back in August, local songwriter and scribe Max Sparber offered his take with his "Ballad of Steven Slater." Another guy then added music and made a video, which later wound up on various news programs including CNN's Situation Room, garnering about 3,500 hits.

9. Brawl at TC Hip Hop Awards
The annual Twin Cities Hip Hop Awards at First Avenue turned violent this year - onstage, no less. With bar stools. It's crazy enough to have gotten over 21,000 hits since it went online back in January.

8. Gigamesh's "Double Rainbow" Remix
The epic double rainbow meme last July got a local twist when former Minneapolis DJ/producer (now based out of Miami) Gigamesh offered his totally danceable remix, nabbing over 27,000 hits.

7. Lady Gaga Flash Mob
When Lady Gaga did a two-night show at the Xcel in August, she made the local news after showing up to the Turf Club (and we posted exclusive pix). But the local Gaga-related video that went viral was the "Bad Romance"-performing Flash Mob that hit Nicollet Mall, getting over 38,000 hits.

6. GAYNGS Prom
Another big LOL/OMG story this year was the GAYNGS Prom at First Avenue, unparalleled in its sheer epicness. There was a balloon drop, show-goers dressed to the hilt in prom gear, the premier performance by the local supergroup (and also the biggest GAYNGS lineup they've ever had hit the stage). Oh, and Prince showed up. A bunch of videos were subsequently uploaded - including local filmmaker Isaac Gale's live video that got over 38,000 hits - but the most noteworthy was Pitchfork's:

5. "Empire State of Mind" Twin Cities Spoof
St. Cloud video makers Afternoon D Light are behind this Twin Cities take on Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind," which has over 300,000 hits. If you can get past the lo-fi video quality and weak singing/rapping, there are classic references to black ice, Herb Brooks, and Joe Maurer. (Okay, this is technically from December 2009, but deal with it.)

4. Jeremy Messersmith's "Tatooiine" video
Another music-related video to get over 225,000 hits is the Star Wars-inspired "Tatooine" by local singer-songwriter Jeremy Messersmith. The video, created by filmmaker/animator, Eric Power, wraps up the Star Wars trilogy via paper cut outs. The video was quickly picked up by just about every cool blog out there, including Wired, Nylon, and New York Magazine, among others.

3. "Minnesota Gurls"
Coming in at over 1,400,000 hits was the Minnesota-made video, "Minnesota Gurls," inspired by Katy Perry's summer hit "California Gurls." The autotune singing is sort of unlistenable and the video quality is poor, but they get credit for lyrics that name-drop Grain Belt, lutefisk and 10,000 lakes and expound the virtues of "waterproof boots with flannel on top."

2. Randy Moss Remixed in "One Clap"
Former Viking Randy Moss is known as much for his skills on the field as for his narcissistic, hilarious, Kanye West-esque quotes. In October, NYC/LA-based DJ Steve Porter compiled his best lines and remixed them into a seriously catchy video, "One Clap," right as it was announced that Moss was returning to the Vikings. That move lasted only a week before Moss was fired, but this video will last into infamy. It was aired on NFL Sunday Countdown and became an instant viral hit, garnering over a whopping 2,590,000 hits.

1. Metrodome Collapse
Closing off a year of Vikings drama was the truly epic Metrodome collapse earlier this month. The pillowy roof of the Dome collapsed under the heavy snow of the #blizzard #snowpocalypse #whateveryouwanttocallit and got a staggering 5,000,000 hits. Luckily, Fox News was there with a camera on the ready after getting a tip that the Dome was leaking.

GAYNGS' Ryan Olson + Justin Vernon share year-end lists with Pitchfork

Justin Vernon (Bon Iver, GAYNGS) and Ryan Olson (GAYNGS and Marijuana Deathsquads) were included in Pitchfork's massive year-end Guest List. Olson name drops some locals: Nick and Eddie Wednesday nights (where Marijuana Deathsquads had a regular residency for a good part of the year) and Albert Elmore, a local IDM artist/noise experimentalist, while Vernon lists GAYNGS cohorts and Eau Claire band Megafaun.

Photo: Ryan Olson by Graham Tolbert

Here's a link to an mp3 of Elmore's track "Lannistumaton," which Olson calls his pick for Song of the Year.

Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

GAYNGS track named one of Pitchfork's top songs of the year

On the heels of recent year-end nods toward a handful local acts comes the news that a GAYNGS was included on Pitchfork's Top 100 Songs of the Year list, as selected by the Pitchfork staff.


GAYNGS landed at #99 with "Gaudy Side of Town" from the 2010 release Relayted. They say:

"Gayngs already do a song called "The Last Prom on Earth", so the gaudiness here probably refers to something other than salmon tuxes and pink corsages. This is after-prom music, anyway, with Gayngs frontman Ryan Olson mixing ambrosial crooning and tony sax to create a palpable Barry White vibe, with just a hint of danger. Bon Iver's Justin Vernon stamps his approval by offering some surprisingly sultry backing vocals. And what should be a sleazy key party blossoms into something slinky and breathlessly affectionate."

Via GAYNGS on Facebook

Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Local Music is the Best

It's that time of the year, when "Best Of" lists are being released and according to what we've seen this morning, local musicians are going to be everywhere.

GAYNGS made this announcement via Twitter today:

And that's not all - more locals are up for the prize, including GAYNGS' Jagjaguwar labelmate Peter Wolf Crier, Cloud Cult and sorta-local S. Carey, as is Duluth band Trampled by Turtles, plus Free Energy and The Hold Steady (both of which have Minnesota roots). Vote for the albums by clicking here! NPR will reveal the results on December 14.

Also, Paste Magazine published their list of the "25 Best Music Videos of 2010" and Jeremy Messersmith's Star Wars-inspired video for "Tatooine" is number 22.

Keep 'em comin', guys!

Submitted by @marrina

Justin Vernon talks Kanye collab in Complex

[Photo: Nabil Elderkin/Complex]

As part of Complex's cover story on the making of Kanye West's just-released album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, we get a behind-the-scenes peek into the studio sessions that featured sorta-local-boy-done-good Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and local superground GAYNGS, as well as a lengthy quote from Vernon on how the Hawaii studio session came about.

[From left: Nicki Minaj, Kanye, Jeff Bhasker, and Justin Vernon. Photo: Nabil Elderkin/Complex]

Some choice quotes:

"I'm just a fuckin' lumberjack dude from Wisconsin. I'm not going to go out there and try to be this awesome rap guy."

"We heard that Kanye was gonna use our song ‘Woods’ for a sample—and then a couple of weeks later, we were hearing through his camp that he may want to come out here to Minnesota and record some stuff with me. He had a ticket booked and everything, but we had a bad snowstorm in Minneapolis so he couldn't come. He ended up calling me on the phone that day, just saying that he liked our shit and was interested in getting together...We talked for half an hour or so, and he told me to get on a plane and come out to Hawaii and work on stuff—so I got on a plane the next morning."

In related news, Star Tribune music editor Chris Riemenschneider just Facebooked that the album is "confounding/mind-blowing/game-changing," and "Suffice it to say something else just dropped off my tentative album-of-the-year list."

Via Gentry Boeckel on Facebook

Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

GAYNGS play Josh Lucas' party in NYC

This is pretty cool!

Rumors swirled Thursday that hometown supergroup, GAYNGS, flew out to NYC to play a special set at a party for actor Josh Lucas. A tipster sent us an e-mail, and after phone calls to close GAYNGS affiliates and a couple of the band's members, we learned that the actor (who incidentally was interviewed on the same episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that the band was featured as musical guest) had indeed invited GAYNGS to play.

Deets are still relatively scant, but we've gathered a couple twitpix from party-goer and local journo Steve Marsh as well as from Har Mar Superstar (who also apparently was invited to play the party - though we're unclear whether he was playing solo or sitting in with GAYNGS).

What's next for the rapidly rising super group? We can't wait to find out!

@stephenhero snaps a twitpic of Gayng-leader Ryan Olson posing with a "smurf" backstage.

@harmarsuperstar tweets "THIS is happening right now!" and includes a pic of Gayng-members getting ready to rock.

We'll post more pics and tweets when they surface - which we expect they will!

Gayngs forced to cancel performance at Austin City Limits

This just in via Gimme Noise!

In a strange turn of events, hometown supergroup Gayngs was forced to nix their performance this Sunday at big-deal-festival Austin City Limits due to the groups tour bus driver making off with all their gear!

The group is keeping the deets underwraps for the most part, due to legal implications, but apparently the driver dropped them off in Austin and promptly took off to Nashville, TN with all the gear in tow - including Ryan Olson's laptop which held necessary components to Gayngs' set.

The bus and gear has been located and will apparently be recovered, but we can't help but wonder HOW and WHY something like this could happen. That driver will be passing down bad karma for generations to come!

Read more about it on City Pages, where Andrea Swensson's got the exclusive!