Times New Viking: Do Not Do It Yourself

This mini-documentary about Times New Viking features footage of their Wexner Center Valentine’s Day Velvet Underground performance, and tons and tons of Clintonville.

70 responses to “Times New Viking: Do Not Do It Yourself

  1. *The starwars cantina band was called Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes \\

    **and it was the North West Posse, not the ‘short north gang’

  2. the dude was trying to think of Max Reebo though.

    oh’ and this band kinda stinks. really.

  3. I’m sick of seeing Times New Viking shit everyday on here. You might as well change the name of the site. Isn’t there other bands in town that aren’t a noisy load of hipster rubbish that people can be turned on to? I get it they think their cool, people want to be cool.. so everyone writes about them and says nice things cause they want to look cool as well. Barf already. I’ll be glad when this pitchfork era of shitty hipster bands that I’m suppose to believe are good because of music writers own UNCOOL insecurities wears off. God I bet Sterling Morrison bones are seizuring in his grave every time someone watches this wexner footage!

  4. TNV aren’t my bag, but I enjoyed this video. Even though I don’t care for the music, I don’t mind reading about them on here. They are doing their thing and people are digging it.

  5. I’m with you Jake…it’s weird that DW is so TNV 24/7…especially because DW used to be about good music. Then what is basically a joke band gets signed and this site can’t stop plugging them. Every other post is about them. It’s either that or some indie rap bullshit. Both are not what I remember being good about Donewaiting.com

    • Sorry about 4 all the qwel and sage francis posts. Got some videos of jim jones to post tmw to break from my usual coverage…

    • There was a time when people might have said the same thing about all the times we wrote about your music… Still amazed that you keep attacking the site… but I wont stop you… just know it makes me sad since i’ve known who you are since your fist comment as Poopfoot…

      you dont have a problem with the occasional +1 you get though from us though, so that’s weird right?

  6. Yeah how’s about more features on Columbus bands or at least other Ohio bands. What’s with these pictures from shows? Kill Hannah/she wants revenge? WTF? Be part of the solution not the problem. I think tnv gets plenty of press. You can stop anytime. Help break the next Ohio band. Someone we can actually be proud of because they can actually play. Not a bunch of stoner dropouts who can’t speak in complete sentences and don’t dwell on doing everything in a basement. I record in a basement. I recorded in that basement over there. Did I mention that I record in a basement. Wow gripping. I’m suppose to take this shit seriously? Trust me not everyone in town is flying with this shit.

  7. Tristan Yahweh

    I’m assuming that all of the above monikers and their posts are sarcastic responses from a handful of 30something summit streeters who don’t have any balls left to do anything but be sarcastic…

    But, just in case that’s not, um, the case…

    What the fuck are you all talking about? TNV is really the one band you should not be bitching about at all. Those guys are awesome…continually. Just because they might inspire a couple handfuls of shitty replicas doesn’t mean they aren’t unique. I mean really? Of all the posts that go up on DW’s front page you pick this one to bitch about? There’s a whole spectrum of shit music that’s being praised and listened to en masse every second….TNV isn’t part of that so why come down on the few media outlets that do praise them?

  8. That’s where you are wrong, I believe they are high on the totem pole of the shit music that is getting praised right now. I’m sure there are quite a few people who feel the same way if they weren’t so afraid to admit it because they won’t look cool. Awesome… continually? Is this a joke? They sure do something continually.. smoke weed and sound like shit. As for choosing this post to say something about well.. I wasn’t going to say anything till I saw the travesty that was the Velvet Underground performance. I never thought it would be possible to butcher such a classic piece of music history with a straight face. They aren’t embarrassed for people to see this footage. That says something right there. This band wouldn’t be worthy to change Lou Reeds’ depends. As I said I will be so happy when this hipster era bullshit is finally done. The only way I make it through is thinking about what these “Washington Beach” Bourbon Street dropouts will be doing in 5-10 years from now. Still bartending or making food in the back at the local “in” bar that year, working for minimum wage at the local record stores that still exist, jocking the counters of the service industry. It’s not their fault. I place all the blame on the popular kids from high school, they were just bad role models.

    • Lou Reed went out like a brick parachute when he sued Tribe Called Quest and then buddied up with Marky Mark.

    • White(er) Swan

      I want to know who you are….we agree on several…per-ti-nent things.

      However, I think you’re attacking the wrong thing, dude. Especially if you’re a local. You’re basically bitching about a whole supposed “scene” that you think shoots off from TNV. I mean…maybe you’re right, but who cares? Name one band in the Washington Beach circle jerk that is better than TNV….

      They’re a good band, regardless of what you may think about the people that go to their shows (which, at this point…I think they’re popular enough to avoid any sort of particular “crowd” at their shows).

      What music do you like? Or think is relevant? That would explain alot, and just personally I’d like to know….

  9. Nothing worse than 40-something Andyman’s Treehouse Friend Rockers crying like a bunch of babies because Duffy won’t post their whiskey-soaked new hit mp3.

    • Doug, what does friend rock mean? Why hate on the treehouse? Phil Palma is a sweetheart and Kyle Sowash is everything, EVERYTHING that is right about this place.

      The coolest thing about this video is when Adam says something like, “it’s possible to like sports and politics…” i.e. a cat can be multi-dimensional.

      I’m a big Adam fan. And I appreciate TNV. Why does everything have to be categorized and generalized? Why can’t people like friend rock (whatever the fuck that means) AND TNV?

  10. the above “martin” is not assoc. with weed steeler /pbj/3cb
    time to change your name bro.
    fuck anything indie.
    im only interested in music thatll get me put on a watch list.
    see you in chi
    12.12.09

  11. yo jake, i like weed too, and i sound like shit. let’s fight.

    I bet 40 years ago, fans of The Lettermen thought VU was just some stoners who sound like shit too.
    Maybe vu was and maybe tnv are too, but why does that preclude them from being valid entertainers?

    • Don’t even compare VU with TNV. Go listen to the first Velvet Underground record with headphones, the vinyl not the free shitty mp3’s you downloaded and come back and say something more about it. Songs are the difference. Valid entertainers? I admit people on drugs can be entertaining. Cheech and Chong could be considered entertainers. To use that term with this band would be a stretch I believe. Some early 90’s weed based burn out movie would be a more accurate place for the characters in TNV.

      • Just listened to Sunday Morning backwards at 45rpm and it sounds eerily similar to Dance Walhalla.

        TNV would fit nicely into a remake of Dazed and Confused set in the 80’s – Picture Adam being chased off the baseball field by a paddle-wielding Tony Collinger, Jared picking up high school girls and Beth reprising Milla Jovovich’s role as the hippie folk singer…

  12. TNV are pretty crappy me thinks.

    I get the do-it-yourself thing, and thats fine and all, but even the worst distorted shit has some tunes every now and then.

    Cmon, TNV, we get it – you’re on Matador, and you sound like shit on purpose. Yippee. You are the darlings of the Cbus indie scene (if there is such a thing) because people who read Pitchfork and “other” blogs are for the most part sheep and just blindly buy (or download) what you say is “cool”.

    Who cares about how many basements they recorded in. Write a fucking good song, and I won’t care where it got recorded.

  13. There’s a BIG fucking difference between VU and TNV.

    Even back then VU had fucking good songs. TNV has none.

  14. Dear Whiter Swan.

    You said,

    “They’re a good band, regardless of what you may think about the people that go to their shows (which, at this point…I think they’re popular enough to avoid any sort of particular “crowd” at their shows)”

    That right there is the problem, they are only popular because no one is standing up to say, hey this band is kinda crap aren’t they? I’ve seen them twice (or given them 2 shots to win me over) but they sound like shit, they make fools of themselves by (trying) playing VU covers, and are all around miserable art schoolers who didn’t have the balls to try and make decent paintings.

    I remember when Beth jockeyed the register at the Wexner store at Easton. She was nice I guess, but you could see the “I’m cool and arty and you’re not” look in her eyes. Fuck that attitude, until you make something worthwhile girlfriend, you’re still a miserable poser who (in my opinion) makes God awful music.

    • I was wondering how they got this “wexner” connection. I knew somebody’s got to be sucking someone off somewhere. Most people are like WOW, they must be cool they got all this wexner attention and shows, no they just knew someone there. All their fucking records are in the shop. Its like are you kidding me? Its funny. Lately I’ve seen bands, some local, get these hook ups or reviews and such and it just because they went to school with that person or were in a band with that person or they worked with that person or company. It never was REAL clout. It’s never real anymore. I even heard some music lawyer talking the other day about how when you get on a soundtrack for example “twilight2” you had to have someone who owed you a favor or something. That’s why I don’t go along with all this bullshit pitchfork music culture. I saw an article where some blogger said whew.. thank god pitchfork gave the beatles remasters a good review I would have hated it if the beatles didn’t make it. HaHa so true and such bullshit. Its going to get worse.. now they got this company where bloggers can download an artists music and press kit, put it on their blogging page and get a percentage when readers click on the jukebox to buy the track they’re reviewing. What does that mean? Oh a bunch of bloggers saying more shit music is good so people will buy it so they can make money off it. What ..are they gonna say it’s bad? How would they make money doing that? It’s good to see some other people chiming in on this misplaced hype of another one of those shit bands.

    • Stump the Swan

      Regardless of the perceived lack of sound quality…I think Times New Viking still writes solid melodies. The songs aren’t lacking. That’s what makes them stand out about everyone else.

  15. No one is standing up to say they’re crap? Look at these comments. This isn’t the first message board that’s acted as a TNV hatefest, I’m sure.

    Some people simply don’t “get” this band or they do but their ears refuse to cooperate. That’s fine. There are people that will spend 10 seconds looking at a muddled piece of modern art and declare “it’s not art!” Then there are those who could spend 10 hours looking and be just as dismissive. Then there are those who look at the same piece long enough that they get something out of it. And sure, there are others still who would just pretend to get it – but that’s not everyone.

    This will sound cliche and obvious, but TNV seem in love with capturing the sound of a novice band. Recording in the red, all the distortion, etc. – that’s their medium. Those are their colors. It’s what they do. It sort of goes without saying that some people won’t dig it. All the haters on this page: we know… Having said all that, I wouldn’t object to seeing TNV shock the shit out of everyone and make a clean record. It’d be interesting to hear but maybe this town can’t handle that type of Dylan-going-electric kind of moment.

  16. There’s more love than hate for them, look at all the music blogs, read Stereogum, browse Pitchfork. It’s all love, believe me.

    Capturing the sound of a novice band? My fucking 4 year old can do that. But what’s worse there are 1000’s of bands that do and have done it MUCH better. The only cliche is the “novelty” of TNV art school basement schitck. Puke.

    Also, are seriously trying to compare anything Dylan (good and bad) to what TNV “might” do? When we all know that they are incapable of making a clean record. Shocking the shit out of everyone only in how truly bad that “clean”record would be maybe.

    • Yes they’re well-liked on certain blogs, blogs that you already expect would adore bands like TNV – divisive bands that people either love or hate and that the larger music press might not even cover. People love to hate Pitchfork currently. Don’t read it if it makes you mad. You know what they do – they love damaged indie rock and micro-trends like shitgaze and now bedroom electropop.

      And no, not comparing TNV to Dylan at all. Just saying if they were to make a distortion-free record some people would crap themselves with despair shouting sell out (rightly so perhaps).

  17. Jesus, people. This is a band, am I correct? So I don’t know…..maybe when you wake up and drag your grumpy ass out of bed/couch/floor/mom’s basement in the morning to brush your teeth and take a dump, all you really have to do is look in the mirror and say to yourself,

    “Hi Self. I am a human being, with real shit to do to today, or I am someone who should really start doing some real shit with myself today, and if there is one truth in this miserable world I live in, it’s that none of the real shit I have to do, nor the real shit I could possibly be getting done today, will truly be compromised in any way by the existence or nonexistence of a FUCKING BAND.”

    seriously.

  18. Yeah tux, wtf are you doing here then?

    • yeah, I was finally taking a lunch break.

      anyways, just trying to help, dudes. I feel bad for you guys.

  19. It’s about who you know?!!!? Some of you are either fukkking dumb or delusional I think…What do you think any popular music has ever been about?
    Now go out to a show and wake up tired for work if you want a more ‘deserving’ band to get attention.
    As for what DW is going to do…they’re going to focus on what get’s attention dumb-dumbs, so burn it up!
    WHO IS POOPFOOT ANYWAY?
    ramirez.ramirez.ramirez.not.afraid.of.your.internet.anonymous.
    oh and P.S. can you imagine that a 50’s rock band ever recorded a song with a blown speaker and distortion was born? Idiot should have boughted a new speaker.

  20. It was just being pointed out that Beth has numerous Wexner connections – according to some. Chill the fuck out – they kinda suck, but thats ok.

  21. How do you rocket scientists explain TNV playing the Whitney?

  22. The Whitney is not the end all of what’s good in music my friend. Usually its about things that are more curious. I’ll give em that. TNV are curious.

    Sucky, but curious

  23. Well, if my mom played her ass flute, and shaved screaming cats at the Whitney, it would be tons better than listening to Times New Viking.

  24. Boom roasted.

    TNV blow donkey balls. If anything the attention they bring, and any “scene” does nothing but harm the overall music health of Columbus.

    • ^^ at least use different computers when posting comments under different name! (oopst)

      • Who cares? These are real people talking now. At least they aren’t pretending to like crap so that they seem cool with locals. Fuck the locals. If music is good it should be heard. If it’s TNV…not so much. It’s like a tape you made (in yer basement) when you were a kids playing around with a tape recording. It’s a fucking memory. Maybe that’s what people like about it? Some sick childhood shit?

        • Like I was asking before….exactly what music do you like? And, especially, what local music do you like? Cos…the last I checked there wasn’t a whole lot of local music brimming at the seams with potential. Right now, in 2009, one of the only reasons Columbus is being talked about is directly because of these art school ‘fags’ Times New Viking. The fact that 1. This is the midwest. 2. TNV isn’t a punk band and 3. They’re the most popular band in Ohio sans Hawthorne Heights (haha) should speak to some sort of greater sense of taste. I mean, it isn’t ALL potsmoking fatties who dig TNV, like you seem to suggest.

          And as far as your argument that the only reason they’ve gotten big is that no one’s stood up and stated the obvious (that they suck, apparently)…..in case you’ve failed to notice: they’ve been around for quite some time now (8 years, I think)…plenty of time for their detractors to take a stand and make sure they don’t succeed. Dude, they’ve been big for a while now, and it hasn’t changed. They’re here to stay.

          You want to talk about 99% of bands here, I’ll probably be on your side…..but there’s so many bands that the 1% of bands that are good are much more than a few, and more than worthy of at least your temporary respect.

          I guess I want to know what you’re comparing TNV against…

  25. This is why columbus is awesome! the overwhelming love and support we give each other.

    I like this video, and i like Times New Viking as people and as a band. If you don’t just be louder and ruder than everyone else. “TNV blow donkey balls” is not criticism, it sounds more like white trash hatred, which is ironic coming from someone who calls them-self “indielove”, seriously. Also, “poopfoot” and “jake”, you guys have great chemistry, maybe if you just keep it up Matador will drop TNV and sign your band…but it doesn’t look likely. I have a solution for your streaming rage, just don’t listen to TNV, thats it. I don’t like a lot of the bands on here, but i don’t post trash-talk about them, a matter of fact, i just don’t read the post. But if they are from Columbus, and they succeed, i will always be very proud of them, even if it is your band. If you don’t like this site, then start your site, i am sure everyone would love it.

  26. donehating.com?

  27. TNV:
    record
    tour
    record
    tour
    tour
    tour
    tour
    record
    tour
    tour

    that’s all they’ve been fucking doing. Why do they not deserve what they have? I totally understand if you don’t like their music, but, what methods have they used to make it that havnt been genuine?

  28. I’m just not sure they (TNV) deserve anything to be honest. I mean they just offer next to nothing for me musically. I could care less how they got there, but the final product (their records and live shows) are pretty horrible imo.

    Who cares if all they do is:

    record bad albums
    play bad live shows
    record bad albums
    play bad live shows
    play bad live shows
    play bad live shows
    play bad live shows
    record bad albums
    play bad live shows
    play bad live shows

    I mean so what? People like Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers keep recording and touring too – and guess what – they are also shitty.

  29. This is all going to look great in the liner notes of TNV’s next album

  30. It will be the most compelling and most interesting thing they will have done.

  31. amen – they write worthless “songs” devoid of pretty much anything resembling quality or interest.

    TNV is indeed for the tone deaf wannabees

  32. Well, I think we can all at least agree that TNV is no Zachery Allan Starkey.

  33. I hadn’t listened to their latest when this thread started but I’ve since checked it out. It’s really fucking good.

  34. Correction, it’s really fucking bad.

    • seems like your life would be a lot better if you stopped listening to TNV and cut way back on the internet.

  35. done and done

  36. thank fucking god

  37. Miley Cyrus is a totally unbelieveable performer. I adore all of her albums.