This Thursday the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research hosts “Loud Fast Jews!,” a seminar about Jews in punk rock. Hosted by Guitar World editor Richard Bienstock, the panel includes New York punks/Jews Lenny Kaye, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Chris Stein and Tommy Ramone—the Ramones’ sole surviving original member and, along with Joey, the band’s Jewish contingent. Born Tom Erdelyi in Budapest, Sir Ramone famously produced the Replacements’ Tim and is currently half of the bluegrass duo Uncle Monk. Time Out asked the musician to write up a list of his favorite five Jewish punks. Always the punk, Ramone chose six:

Bob Dylan: “Because he is a great songwriter who always did what he wanted to do even when others were telling him he should be doing something else.”

Lenny Bruce: “Because nobody was going to tell him what he could and could not say to be funny.”

Billy Wilder: “He directed and wrote all kinds of movies, all of them great and most of them subversive.”

Peter Lorre: “The great Hungarian actor who played the most distasteful characters in the coolest way possible.”

Serge Gainsbourg: “The French singer and actor who lived life as a distasteful character in the coolest way possible.”

William Gaines: “He was the editor of EC Comics and Mad magazine, which were profound influences on punk sensibilities.”

—Tommy

For this week’s Backtalk, we spoke with one half of Canadian electro group Junior Boys in advance of its show at Webster Hall on Thursday. Jeremy Greenspan—the other man behind the switches is Matt Didemus—talked to us about the duo’s mellow new record, Rush and Canadian tuxedos (sort of).

Why “Junior Boys”? Why not “Senior Men”?
Pretty soon we’ll have to change to that, or at least go with “Senior Boys.”

How do you see this record, Begone Dull Care, as different from the last one?
It’s hard to say from the inside. Aging as a musician is no different than aging as a person; you don’t really notice the changes, everyone else does.

What was Norman McLaren’s influence? Why did you name Begone Dull Care after his film?
McLaren became, for me, the ideal artist…a person who could coerce the surplus of machines and technology to his aims…and who worked without clear aims or goals, but rather lost himself in the creative process. That’s what we have always tried to achieve.

Speaking of influence, who are you major ones? Underworld? Kraftwerk?
They change all the time. Kraftwerk is definitely a huge influence, but that shouldn’t come as a great shock. On this album we listened to a lot of soul, disco and early house—Patrick Adams, Eddie Kendricks, Marshall Jefferson, the Blockheads, Larry Heard, Ron Hardy—and listened to a lot of ’70s pop—Steely Dan, Carole King, Neil Young—and a lot of early electronic music—Reich, Spiegel, Lucier, Cluster, YMO, etc. I don’t know that there is a connection. Who knows?

Speaking of bands, who’s your favorite Canadian one? Please say Rush, please say Rush…
Crazy Horse are not Canadian so therefore it is without question—no joke—Rush!!!! Anything from Fly by Night up to Grace Under Pressure, with A Farewell to Kings being my clear fave. When I was 12 years old, the combination of Moogs and chorused-out Lifeson guitar was like heroin for me.

Would you say you pick up your beats live to get the audience moving or are you happy to roll through your mellower numbers without creating a full-on dance party? Is your live setup different from your recording sessions?
On this current tour, we are definitely picking up the pace. I’m hoping in the future we can mix it up more…like the way Neil Young did back in the day: You know, start with the acoustic numbers and then get heavier later, except with us it would start with the depressing moody ones, and then get dancier later.

The liner notes are bilingual on this new one. You guys speak both French and English? I haven’t really spoken French since high school. Let’s give this a shot. Utilisez-vous jamais un tuxedo Canadien?
Ha… No, our French is nonexistent, despite years and years of schooling. French is taught terribly in English Canada. Matt’s German is pretty good, though.

This week’s Backtalk is with British rapper Lady Sovereign. The royal lass has a new record, Jigsaw, out now and plays the Highline Ballroom Tuesday, May 5, and the Music Hall of Williamsburg Wednesday, May 6.

We talked to Lady Sov about being mistaken for Sporty Spice, not considering herself a grime rapper and her love for Adidas.

Do you find performing live to be nerve-racking?
Not really. Sometimes when I first started…but I’ve gotten quite used to it over the years. I find playing smaller crowds to be more nerve-racking. I love playing to big crowds, like on the Gwen Stefani tour. But, yeah, I’m very confident as a performer, so generally, I’m not one for nerves.

How is it being one of the few female MCs in the rap game right now? And white and British to boot!
It’s always been that way! I don’t think it makes a big difference; hopefully my fans accept me for who I am and the music I make rather than my nationality or the color of my skin. Good music travels, so being British is not a problem.

How often do people mistake you for Sporty Spice? On a scale of 1 to 10, how annoying is that question?
Now about a 3, but a few years ago, a 10! I think people say it now more as a joke—a piss take—rather than genuinely mistaking me for her.

What do you think the major differences are between your new album, Jigsaw, and the first record?
Jigsaw is very honest: I put my feelings and emotions on the record while the first album was more about making big club tracks. I think Jigsaw is a more mature record; it’s still me but I’ve grown up. And I sing a few songs on Jigsaw—that would have never happened on the first album!

Do you have any major grime influences? Or major influences otherwise?
Nope, I’ve never considered myself grime—that was just a convenient category. No one’s really influenced me but there are artists I really like…artists like OutKast and Missy [Elliott].

Have anything to say about the controversy surrounding The Cure sample on the new single, “So Human”? I gotta say I think it’s pretty great, even if you do get sued.
Robert Smith approved the sample. I went about it the correct way and got his permission. He got back in about ten minutes and said, “Cool, go for it.” The Cure’s “Close to Me” was just a song I liked growing up and it’s the first time I’ve ever tried sampling something. I cannot believe the fuss it’s created when you consider most other rappers sample all the time!

Any favorite places to go in New York City?
I love New York. I’m generally in New York for work so I’ll go wherever my work takes me. On a day off, I’ll go to the Adidas Originals Store and do some shopping around Soho. Last time I was in New York I had a party at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, which was brilliant. And the time before I was performing karaoke at 5am at Pianos in the East Village. That was fun too.

This week’s Backtalk features Psychic Ills, a psychedelic, electronic quartet that traffics in elongated fuzz and primitive beats. The local band has four shows on the books in New York coming up—first up is a spot at the Mercury Lounge on Sunday playing with Spectrum and Cheval Sombre. We talked to vocalist-guitarist Tres Warren and vocalist-bassist Elizabeth Hart about the 1960s; the band’s excellent label, the Social Registry; and the neotribal movement.

You guys have a pretty psychedelic sound. Are there any ’60s-era bands you’re really into?
Tres Warren: We’re all into music from a lot of different eras.  We’re definitely inspired by a lot that’s happening right now.  We’re not grave robbers or time travelers.

What are your favorite bands that are on your label, the Social Registry?
Elizabeth Hart: All of the bands on the Social Registry are awesome; would be too hard to discriminate and pick only one as a favorite.

What neighborhood do you guys live in? What do you guys get into in your ‘hoods?
Hart: I live downtown, in Manhattan.  We had a show at Santos last week.  It was the after-party for an opening at the Chelsea Art Museum and we played downstairs. I like the vibe in that room; it’s intimate and you just play on the floor, which I prefer.  We were in front of this crazy wall, neon bricks painted in one-point perspective.
Warren: I live downtown too, but I’ve lived all over Brooklyn and Manhattan.  Brian and Jimy live in Brooklyn.  My favorite places are always changing.  I like to go to the Anthology Film Archives.

Do you guys have to drastically change what you do in the studio—technically—to what you do live?
Warren: No, there’s not a lot of difference. We just jam some stuff that we have planned and make the rest up.  It’s about the same live.

Would you consider yourselves part of the neofolk or neotribal movements?
Hart: I’m not aware of those movements.
Warren: That sounds like some back-to-the-land-type stuff, I could be down…

The first time we heard Holly Miranda sing we were riding round Williamsburg in a black London taxi, for her upcoming Black Cab Session—and even being jostled around in a sweaty little space, we got goose bumps. Whether she’s performing a cappella or surrounded by a full, warm fuzz of music—as on her Dave Sitek–produced forthcoming debut—Miranda is a rare talent. And no, we’re not the first to hear it—she’s already been hyped by Kanye (always Kanye!), The New York Times and Vanity Fair. But being fans of Holly’s excellent blog, we had an idea that she’d be good to talk to.

Read on, to hear about her earliest singing experiences:
“I used to sing so loud on the way home from church when I was little that my two older sisters made me lie down on the floorboard of the car if I wanted to sing.”

On leaving home and coming to New York:
“I said, ‘Mom, I’m not coming back.’ She said, ‘I was wondering why you packed your Wonder Woman poster.’”

And that Sitek-produced album:
“It probably sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard…that’s not a back-door brag either.”

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This week, Backtalk catches up with Ben Sollee. The Kentucky-born cellist plays (Le) Poisson Rouge Friday in support of his beautiful new EP, Something Worth Keeping, which features hometown buddy Jim James. A quick intro to Sollee’s music? Classically trained, but raised with the sounds of golden soul music wafting through the house, Sollee plays in a style that embraces Appalachian folk, smoky jazz and hip-hop grooves, and he sings with the kind of swoony sweetness you usually hear on scratchy jazz 45s. Sollee took time out from touring to tell us about his Xtracycle bike tours, playing the Jimmy Kimmel show and Nelly’s man-hugs.

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Our latest edition of Backtalk features Jamie Stewart, best known as the mastermind behind Xiu Xiu. That gripping, ultraperverse art-pop outfit has a CD due out in 2010, Dear God, I Hate Myself, but in the meantime Stewart is hitting the road solo. He’ll be at Monkey Town a week from today on April 6, performing a mix of new tracks and selections from Xiu Xiu’s lurid back catalog. Before leaving home, Stewart took a few minutes to answer some of our burning questions re: his current reading list (”Ask the Dust by Fante…”), his stuffed-animal collection (”My favorite is a baby watermelon in the shape of a cube…”), his love for Morrissey (”He is truthful and creative and hot-looking…”) and more. He also snapped some pics for us of said dolls and of the homemade CD-Rs he’s selling on tour. Check out one of our favorite Xiu Xiu tunes here, and click past the jump to read the Q&A and see Stewart’s photos.

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Welcome to Backtalk, a new Volume series featuring artist interviews. These conversations will appear in a variety of shapes and sizes, going live in anticipation of an upcoming concert. Any particular musician you’d like us to speak with? Let us know via the comments.

Today’s guest is Francis Farewell Starlite, the charismatic, enigmatic crooner-songsmith behind local electrofunk group Francis and the Lights. We stumbled upon some of the band’s tracks online a few weeks back and were instantly hooked—sleek as hell, but also intricate and subtly brainy, this is the most wholesome sort of dance music. The outfit has received shout-outs from Kanye West (here and here), among others, so it seems primed to explode; tomorrow night it hits Brooklyn Masonic Temple in the company of Les Savy Fav before heading to SXSW. Here’s the excellent title track from Francis & Co.’s latest, A Modern Promise (which you can download for free here); read on for an enlightening e-mail dialogue with Francis, in which he comments on the art of the falsetto and his love for Mr. West’s music.

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