Big news, mud wrestling and the unexpected
Mood:  happy

Big news, mud wrestling and the unexpected

 

Big News

So the wait is over…. We’re putting out our first single "Cryptic" on Kitsune on May 12, 2008. The single will be available on 12" vinyl and digital and will feature remixes by Phones (Paul Epworth), Jamie Ellis and Russell Lissack and Dave P & Adam Sparkles. We will post all the official release info soon, with the track listing and artwork.

If that isn’t enough news, we’re also thrilled to tell you that Pin Me Down will also be doing our first live shows in Europe in early May followed by some DJ sets around the single’s release.

We are playing in London and will announce specific dates soon too. Before that we will be playing some secret shows in New York, under some crazy pseudonyms.

 

For our Chinese-speaking fans, check out this cool interview that Chasez wrote about the band on

Indie Ray (in Chinese)

 

Here is a rad PMD interview that appeared on Glasswerk.co.uk

 

 

 

Now, on to my shenanigans…in between intense rehearsals and work I got up to some minimal craziness. Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of coincidence and stumbling upon the unexpected for me. I guess that translates to unplanned fun, or shots of tequila, as Jeremy would say. Anyway, Hilary told me about a mud-wrestling event at a Galapagos, a club in Williamsburg. It sounded too silly to be true, so we investigated.

Unfortunately it was hipster haven – guys in trucker hats? – check, free forties? – check, and practically everyone, including myself, had a camera. The mud wrestling was part of a magazine event and featured bikini-clad ladies toppling each other in plastic blow up kiddie pools filled with mud. There was plastic covering everywhere to shield people from flying mud and there were rules like "no pulling hair." The fighting itself was funny, but no one really needs to see more than one girl mud fight in a row... well…. certainly I don’t. Needless to say, I’m now working on a song called "Girl on Girl."

 

Next up, I’d heard a rumor that Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys was playing an impromptu gig near my house, for his new side-project The Last Shadow Puppets. I had to work late so I knew I’d miss it, but on my way home I missed the bus and started walking along the main avenue, until passed the venue, which is a record store with a bar in the back and suddenly remembered what was going on. I walked up to the door, thinking there was no way I’d get in and that surely I’d missed it, but shock-and-awe it was only 2/3 full and Alex and his buddy Miles Kane were only in their 2^nd song, so I got to hear 8 more. It was pretty awesome, even though I wasn’t familiar with the material.

Even though they’re one of the biggest bands in the world, I must admit, I really like the Arctic Monkeys. Both of their records are fantastic. I am one of the few who prefers the second record to the first. You can’t top "Teddy Picker," "This House is a Circus" and "505." As a songwriter Turner really is the real deal and I’d never caught him live until now. One of the most impressive things was Alex’s stage presence. I mean obviously he’s had a lot of practice, but he’s funny, cracking jokes, filling up the awkward, in-between-song gaps.

 

Another unexpected feat was passing my driving test on my first try! SCORE! I’ve been practicing for a year and a half, but I’m still pretty new to it. In all honesty, I think I passed because I sang my driving directions to my instructor for the duration of the ten-minute test. He seemed pretty amused when I sang about the shifts in gear in completing a broken u-turn, and he tried to keep a straight face during my ballad about how "you must always stop behind a school bus or else children will die." The moral of the story, kids, is that you can pass anything as long as you’re creative with it. Look at my victory mug! Now who wants to get in a car with me?

 

Another unforeseen event happened when Jamie Ellis, my good friend and member of the PMD inner circle, came to NYC for the week and spent a lot of time jamming with the live band. He showed me his new Ableton Live program and how he used it to mix up "Cryptic" and then he started playing with our guitarist Keith and I got on bass (very unlike me – I was pretending to be Jared Followill, playing an awesome Gibson firebird). Jamie did some cool double delay things, while Keith got crazy with a drumstick. I was taking the pictures, so I’m not in them.

 

And finally I’ll leave you with this insane picture of St. Marks Place on Purim, the Jewish holiday before Passover, where people are supposed to act goofy. Jamie and I walked into a whole lot of fun.

We’ll post again soon with our official info. What has happened to you unexpectedly or by accident lately?

See you soon,

milena xo

Now Playing: Gutterballs, Tribal Masks and ummm... New Year Resolutions Pin Me Down Style

• Hi Guys,

  
  

  We've been busy in Pin Me Down land gearing up for the release of the Kitsune Maison 5 Gold compilation, which has our song "Cryptic" on it, along with songs by Fischerspooner, M.I.A., Late of the Pier and The Teenagers.

  
  

  

  
  

  Kitsune is also releasing a 12" remix single of "Cryptic" this spring (we'll tell you more about that soon). We heard that one of our favorite Radio DJs John Kennedy has been playing "Cryptic" on his XFM show X-posure in the UK.

  
  

   

  
  

  If you want to hear "Cryptic" again, we think it would be awesome if you write John to request that he play it through xfm.co.uk.

  
  

   

  
  

  We're also hard at work rehearsing. I just bought a microkorg keyboard, which I've wanted for a long time, and it has been amusing me with weird sounds. Also Russell and I are writing some new UK garage-tinged jams. I kid you not. Check out these cool items and thanks to everyone who has written us lately and a big grizzly hello to all our new friends and listeners:

  
  

   

  
  

  -first Noa sends in this Manga-esque PMD drawing from Japan - how cool is that!?

  
  

  

  
  

   

  
  

   

  Benjamin also called PMD "The sound of 2008's biggest transatlantic success story" in his picks for the year in High Voltage magazine out of Manchester
  
  

   

  
  

  There's also an item about the Kitsune Comp on Pitchfork

  
  

   

  
  

  And pick up the upcoming Feb. issue of Dazed and Confused for some more surprises.

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  So business aside, I thought it would be fun to talk about New Years and gulp! - my 2008 resolutions. On New Years Eve, I went to see my buddies in Young Love play at the Hiro Ballroom. They  played the perfect party set and then we all watched the ball drop on large projector screens and danced. It was fun except for the high prices on everything – like 24$ for two drinks plus tip – what? After that Hilary and I went to our friends party in Bushwick at an old converted church. The party was fairly uneventful, other than the array of beautiful tribal-style masks that one of the housemates makes. I couldn't help myself and put one of the large ones on that had long hair draping out of it and ran out into the main room and started dancing around on the stage with it on until Bruce saw and wrestled it off of me. I wish I had a picture, as it looked insane with my purple dress! I was possessed, for a second.

  
  

  But I was treating the mask with respect though, because I try to be careful with art and I believe in the supernatural at times. I swear the mask didn't get damaged. Then we went to our favorite bar near there, where we got into more trouble playing Buck Hunter and taking photos in the booth. It wasn't the greatest new years of all time, but a blast nonetheless. 

  
  

   

  
  

  Russell's New Years was a bit more glamorous as he DJ-ed at the party at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Our manager Larry was there and took this picture.

  
  

  

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  How was your New Years? I thought I'd get up the courage to post my 2008 New Years Resolutions, effective immediately even though it's errr… mid January.

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  - Meet real heroes; make new friends; find people that inspire; learn new things. Jeffrey Eugenides, Cormick McCarthy, Hillary Clinton, The Coen Brothers, Kathleen Hannah, The Boss, Viggo Mortensen, Jack White, the boys from Mew, Stuart Price, Keith Richards, Omar from Mars Volta. I could go on forever....

  
  

   

  
  

  - Meet more ax-slinging rock and roll gals. I think we should form some sort of club. I'll make the badges. I read what Laura-Mary from the Blood Red Shoes said about being a gal in a guitar store in NME's guitar issue and I instantly felt pangs of solidarity with her, since I've experienced the same thing countless times. Her band is rad, a duo (like Pin Me Down!), and she gets extra points for playing a Tele (they're often so heavy on the shoulders).

  
  

  

  
  

  I can't wait for the day when this sort of sexism doesn't exist and it's not a big deal to see a woman behind the counter in a guitar store, in a small town (ho ho ho - couldn't resist, Eddie) or a lady testing the merchandise. Down with music store wanking.

  
  

   

  
  

  - Go bowling more. I just discovered The Gutter, an old school bowling alley in my neighborhood and it's seriously the best thing ever. It's half southern style dive bar – half 70s bowling lanes. Apparently the owners bought the 8 bowling lanes off of eBay and they were dismantled from their previous location and trucked to NYC. The wood is really old and the lanes are covered with all these cool stickers from the Midwest, for companies and products we can't buy – that's what I like to see. It's super fun.

  
  

  

  
  

   

  
  

  The shoes they rent you are way too big, so you have to pretend you're 2 sizes smaller (you know what they say about people with small feet?). I've probably bowled 3 times in my life, prior to The Gutter, so Hilary had to show me the ropes, but now I'm doing quite well, although Hilary still beats me every time. But she's secretly really good a sports, whereas I have always been pretty weak, uncoordinated (softball – what? Where? Doh) and unenthusiastic when it came to gym and sports in school, although I do like to swim and I love to watch tennis, figure skating (the outfits –duh), gymnastics, and the world cup.

  
  

   

  
  

  - resist all unnecessary tequila shots at, like, 3 am

  
  

   

  
  

  - learn how to avoid going to gig after parties, so that I don't blow my voice out for the next day

  
  

   

  
  

  -do my part to get off the internet and stop the over-saturation of mediocrity. Without naming names, it's just kind of depressing how we're being taught that making average, unchallenging art / living unchallenging lives and falling prey to the daily tabloid fodder of faltering pop/movie stars or aristocrats is acceptable and desirable.

  
  

   

  
  

  - travel, travel, travel – especially to Japan, Prague, Brazil, Australia, and the UK, of course

  
  
  
  

  -  write as much music as possible – although quality over quantity. Learn new protools tricks.

  
  

   

  
  

  -     find some really kick ass costumes. Lately I've been sporting 50s sock hop gear, so if you see any pink lady jackets, send them my way.

  
  

   

  
  

  -Finally get my drivers license and put it to good use

  
  

   

  
  

  -Trace my ancestry and maybe discover through a fluke family tree that Ryan Gosling is really my cousin.

  
  

   

  
  

  - Try to encourage all my friends over 18 to vote. In the last congressional election, I was the only one of all my friends who actually voted!

  
  
  
  

  -         Learn to sleep deeper

  
  

  -         Brush up on my Spanish. I wish I spoke more languages

  
  

  -         Rock the fuck out

  
  

   

  
  

  I hope that wasn't too confusing. What are your New Years resolutions?

  
  

  milena xo

Guess What ? Its About "Cryptic"

Guess What? It’s about "Cryptic" ...

 

It's been a while since the last blog, and I'm sorry to say this will be a short post… BUT we wanted to announce that "Cryptic" will be on the upcoming Kitsune Maison 5 GOLD compilation, out on CD/LP/Digital December 10 in Japan and in Europe in February. We will give you more release details when we get them, but for now, here's the comp artwork (look, it's us in the top left corner!) and tracklisting. We love the Kitsune label are excited to be in the company of so many other bands (Late of the Pier, M.I.A, Digitalism etc.) we admire.

 

 

 

01 - Fischerspooner - The Best Revenge
02 - Late Of The Pier - Broken (Fairy Lights Mix)
03 - Alan Braxe - Addicted
04 - David E. Sugar - To Yourself
05 - Pin Me Down - Cryptic
06 - M.I.A. - XR2 (Silverlink V Kicks Like A Mule Aka 92juk)
07 - The Teenagers - Homecoming (Gentelmen Drivers Rave Mix)
08 - AutoKratz - Pardon Garçon
09 - Digitalism - Pogo (Digitalism's Robotic Remix)
10 - DatA - Aerius Light (Kitsune DJ Friendly Edit)
11 - Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Let's Make Out (Extended Mix)
12 - Rex The Dog - Circulate
13 - Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya - Fuck Friend (CSS Remix)
14 - Friendly Fires - On Board
15 - Big Face - I Wanna Be A Style Crusader (DatA Remix)
16 - KID - I'll Never Know
17 - Cazals / Yelle - To Cut A Long Story Short (Vicarious Bliss Mellotron Mix) / A Cause Des Garçons (Tepr Remix)

 

 

 

We will post another picture blog soon, letting you know what we've been up to, but we thought you'd want to know about the Kitsune comp sooner rather than later. Thanks to everyone who's been writing in. We're a little behind in our correspondence ;)

 

 

I'd like to leave you with a little video of one of my personal heroes, Josh Homme, pushing himself to the limits, and taking down the Man, as usual. I gotta say I'm jealous we didn't think of the mine gig idea first!

Milena xo