Friday, February 27, 2004
I would commit suicide too if I was that crappy a wrestler
http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/newsboard.php?news_id=8797
Uh anyway. No ones really been chatting it up this week, what gives?
http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/newsboard.php?news_id=8797
Uh anyway. No ones really been chatting it up this week, what gives?
Thursday, February 26, 2004
In the Hollywood Hills, 1967
Pupil (Ray Manzarek): I want to learn about death by killing.
Shaman (Jim Morrison): Shit, man, I want to learn about life by livin'! L-I-V-I-N!!!
Pupil (Ray Manzarek): I want to learn about death by killing.
Shaman (Jim Morrison): Shit, man, I want to learn about life by livin'! L-I-V-I-N!!!
Sunday, February 22, 2004
Just a quick note: my review of Bumblebear Records' Tullycraft tribute album is up at DOA; you can read it here.
Friday, February 20, 2004
King of Kings
So, I've been working at the old college radio station down here in Coral Gables, FL and yesterday a fellow DJ invited me to go watch him DJ at this little, tiny club/bar down on south beach. It's called Spider Pussy.
Anyway, it was an "indie dance night" which means they play Lucky Star AND that Le Tigre song.
I pulled into the club 'round about witching hour, bellied up to the bar, caught the bartender's attention with a wink and a hip-shake then forked over my $3 for a bottle of Budweiser. They were on special.
Next thing I know my jam comes on (House of Jealous Lovers by The Rapture -- far and away the best rock and roll song EVER, in the entire history of rock and roll songs). By now I'm all worked up, and have to get out on the dance floor before I just loose it. SO, I jump a couch, shove my way past some girl with heroin/robotussin eyes and a not so discrete thong -- she doesn't seem to mind.
I'm almost out there, under the strobes when it happens. I bump into a haggered old man. I'm thinking to myself, "what's this codger doing out this late?" Then I start to notice things.
snake skin boots -- CHECK
tight, black leather pants -- CHECK
flamboyantly colored and silky shirt -- CHECK
wrinkly, tight, tanned, and leathery skin -- CHECK
a feather ear ring -- CHECK
shark tooth necklace -- CHECK
rose tinted glasses -- CHECK
wild, but thinning hair -- CHECK
young lady in tow -- CHECK
Holy shit. I was face to face with KEITH RICHARDS, and my jam was his jam too. He was also enjoying the specially priced, $3 Budweisers. We shared a moment, then proceeded to shake it well into the AM.
In conclusion:
Last night I partied with KEEF. What'd you do?
So, I've been working at the old college radio station down here in Coral Gables, FL and yesterday a fellow DJ invited me to go watch him DJ at this little, tiny club/bar down on south beach. It's called Spider Pussy.
Anyway, it was an "indie dance night" which means they play Lucky Star AND that Le Tigre song.
I pulled into the club 'round about witching hour, bellied up to the bar, caught the bartender's attention with a wink and a hip-shake then forked over my $3 for a bottle of Budweiser. They were on special.
Next thing I know my jam comes on (House of Jealous Lovers by The Rapture -- far and away the best rock and roll song EVER, in the entire history of rock and roll songs). By now I'm all worked up, and have to get out on the dance floor before I just loose it. SO, I jump a couch, shove my way past some girl with heroin/robotussin eyes and a not so discrete thong -- she doesn't seem to mind.
I'm almost out there, under the strobes when it happens. I bump into a haggered old man. I'm thinking to myself, "what's this codger doing out this late?" Then I start to notice things.
snake skin boots -- CHECK
tight, black leather pants -- CHECK
flamboyantly colored and silky shirt -- CHECK
wrinkly, tight, tanned, and leathery skin -- CHECK
a feather ear ring -- CHECK
shark tooth necklace -- CHECK
rose tinted glasses -- CHECK
wild, but thinning hair -- CHECK
young lady in tow -- CHECK
Holy shit. I was face to face with KEITH RICHARDS, and my jam was his jam too. He was also enjoying the specially priced, $3 Budweisers. We shared a moment, then proceeded to shake it well into the AM.
In conclusion:
Last night I partied with KEEF. What'd you do?
Notes on Moonlight Men - A Mix CD by Cocaine Bref
So we've been talking behind the scenes, the three of us here, about one of us making a mix cd each week, and having the other two write up their thoughts about it. I guess we're starting it up this week, with a cd Cocaine Bref put together. And oh boy, is it a good one. Anyway, here are some notes I jotted down last night, broken up track by track.
1. Homosexuals – “Astral Glamour”: Okay… starts off sounding like Tom Petty, kinda, or more like the Real Kids. But then they start singing and make it all melodious and all of a sudden it sounds like the Kinks. Real good song, here.
2. Sly and the Revolutionaries – “Cocaine”: a dub discourse on Coke Bref’s passion and vocation. I’m not too well versed on this sort of stuff, but it sounds good to me.
3. Animal Collective – “Infant Dressing Table”: Maybe the best song from Here Comes the Indian, “Infant Dressing Table” is the enchanting drone and mystic tremble of the Animal Collective at its most majestic. How the hell did I forget to put that on my stupid bullshit best of list?
4. Sonic Youth – “I am Right”: Rocking little Saccharine Trust cover. Never actually heard the Trust, but this is one great, pissy little punk song. Where did this come from, Coke?
5. Blackstar – “Another World”: As the Bref can tell you, I’m not the biggest rap fan. The only Mos Def I’ve ever heard is that song from that Michael Jordan clothing line ad that aired a few years back. And who’s the other dude here, Talib Kweli? Anyhow, this is pretty good. Makes me want to go get a drink. The music reminds me of something off Innervisions with a hip-hop beat. Was The Italian Job any good?
6. Circus Devils – “Soldiers of June”: Okay, I’ll defend Bob Pollard to my dying day; I would stand up and testify for him before God and St. Peter at the time of the Judgement Day; I would maybe even vote for him; but there’s no way in Hell I can sit here and say anything positive about this song. This is almost terrible enough to be good. Almost. This sounds like an ‘80’s solo project from the lead singer of a once popular ‘70’s classic rock band. It’s laughably awful.
7. Fridge – “OF”: Some good mellow electro-rock. If Trans Am played acoustic guitars and had ever grown up it would maybe sound like this. I like it when you can’t tell what’s played live and what’s been programmed or sampled. And, of course, I love the combination of a drum machine and a live drum sound, as formerly espoused by those perennial geniuses Tittyhawk.
8. Ween - “Tried and True”: I haven’t bought a Ween record since Chocolate and Cheese. The last time I was in Chattanooga I found a copy of Chocolate and Cheese for a dollar at Media Play. I paid fourteen bucks for my copy of Chocolate and Cheese at the Merchants Walk Media Play in 1994. Maybe I shoulda waited? Anyhow, this song’s off their last record, I guess, and it’s nice, a mellow little folk-rock tune with some slight electronic garnishing and a subtle psychedelic flair. Well, it’s subtle until he sings “let me blow your mind”, which proceeds to briefly reverberate throughout the canyon of interdimensional discovery. They’re still doing the studio tricks on the vocals, I take it. There are some great lyrics on this song, and it’s good to see that their humor has advanced at least somewhat beyond shit, drugs, and dick jokes. Musically this sounds like Beck’s last album, while the words sound like something Jack Black would have written. This one’s a winner, boy.
9. The Homosexuals – “Soft Sooth African (Slow)”: Another catchy, melodic postpunk/protoindie rock song from these guys. There’s a great dueling fuzz guitar solo ninety seconds or so in. They were really good with backup vocals.
10. Oneida – “$50 Tea”: One of the more traditional Oneida songs off of Secret Wars. Pummeling repetitive psychostasis in the vein of Each One Teach One. A beaut, for sure. Oneida makes my fiance violent.
11. Bobby Conn – “Relax”: A little bit of Bobby Conn’s lite cabaret disco funk could circle the Earth a handful of times, easily. I like this shit for a minute or so, and then I realize that there’s absolutely nothing to it beyond the novelty and I rapidly get bored as fuck. But for that first minute or so Bobby Conn is pretty damned awesome. I think this song is about doing lines off a Bible alongside our present Commander in Chief, but I’m not sure.
12. The Birthday Party – “Cry”: Great stuff from the Australian Fall. The only good thing about working under Rik Wallace back in ’98 was hearing him tell his story about Nick Cave and his pregnant junkie wife. Anyway, “Cry” is excellent. I appreciate some of Cave’s work with the Bad Seeds, but the Birthday Party so completely destroys that stuff that it’s not funny.
13. Dizzee Rascal – “Hold Ya Mouf”: British rapper, and next new burgeoning big shit indie hip hop star. Again, not necessarily my sort of thing, but his thick accent does make it interesting. At least one amazing lyric: “it’s possible you will get hit with a chair”.
14. Gregory Isaacs – “Nigger”: More dub. It’s dubby. I like it, but this stuff all sounds the same.
15. Acid Mothers Temple – “Diamond Doggy Peggy”: Speaking of sounding the same, here’s a song from Acid Mothers Temple. They’re one of those bands who basically has three great songs, and every thing they do is a rewrite of one of the three. No problem with that, though, since most of what they do is built on drone and constant chaos. Here’s fifteen more minutes of mind-rotting, cosmos-collapsing madness from the greatest heavy psych band around. A good way to round out the disc, Coke.
Yes sir. A good mix, fellow. Thanks for the disc, and keep up the good work.
So we've been talking behind the scenes, the three of us here, about one of us making a mix cd each week, and having the other two write up their thoughts about it. I guess we're starting it up this week, with a cd Cocaine Bref put together. And oh boy, is it a good one. Anyway, here are some notes I jotted down last night, broken up track by track.
1. Homosexuals – “Astral Glamour”: Okay… starts off sounding like Tom Petty, kinda, or more like the Real Kids. But then they start singing and make it all melodious and all of a sudden it sounds like the Kinks. Real good song, here.
2. Sly and the Revolutionaries – “Cocaine”: a dub discourse on Coke Bref’s passion and vocation. I’m not too well versed on this sort of stuff, but it sounds good to me.
3. Animal Collective – “Infant Dressing Table”: Maybe the best song from Here Comes the Indian, “Infant Dressing Table” is the enchanting drone and mystic tremble of the Animal Collective at its most majestic. How the hell did I forget to put that on my stupid bullshit best of list?
4. Sonic Youth – “I am Right”: Rocking little Saccharine Trust cover. Never actually heard the Trust, but this is one great, pissy little punk song. Where did this come from, Coke?
5. Blackstar – “Another World”: As the Bref can tell you, I’m not the biggest rap fan. The only Mos Def I’ve ever heard is that song from that Michael Jordan clothing line ad that aired a few years back. And who’s the other dude here, Talib Kweli? Anyhow, this is pretty good. Makes me want to go get a drink. The music reminds me of something off Innervisions with a hip-hop beat. Was The Italian Job any good?
6. Circus Devils – “Soldiers of June”: Okay, I’ll defend Bob Pollard to my dying day; I would stand up and testify for him before God and St. Peter at the time of the Judgement Day; I would maybe even vote for him; but there’s no way in Hell I can sit here and say anything positive about this song. This is almost terrible enough to be good. Almost. This sounds like an ‘80’s solo project from the lead singer of a once popular ‘70’s classic rock band. It’s laughably awful.
7. Fridge – “OF”: Some good mellow electro-rock. If Trans Am played acoustic guitars and had ever grown up it would maybe sound like this. I like it when you can’t tell what’s played live and what’s been programmed or sampled. And, of course, I love the combination of a drum machine and a live drum sound, as formerly espoused by those perennial geniuses Tittyhawk.
8. Ween - “Tried and True”: I haven’t bought a Ween record since Chocolate and Cheese. The last time I was in Chattanooga I found a copy of Chocolate and Cheese for a dollar at Media Play. I paid fourteen bucks for my copy of Chocolate and Cheese at the Merchants Walk Media Play in 1994. Maybe I shoulda waited? Anyhow, this song’s off their last record, I guess, and it’s nice, a mellow little folk-rock tune with some slight electronic garnishing and a subtle psychedelic flair. Well, it’s subtle until he sings “let me blow your mind”, which proceeds to briefly reverberate throughout the canyon of interdimensional discovery. They’re still doing the studio tricks on the vocals, I take it. There are some great lyrics on this song, and it’s good to see that their humor has advanced at least somewhat beyond shit, drugs, and dick jokes. Musically this sounds like Beck’s last album, while the words sound like something Jack Black would have written. This one’s a winner, boy.
9. The Homosexuals – “Soft Sooth African (Slow)”: Another catchy, melodic postpunk/protoindie rock song from these guys. There’s a great dueling fuzz guitar solo ninety seconds or so in. They were really good with backup vocals.
10. Oneida – “$50 Tea”: One of the more traditional Oneida songs off of Secret Wars. Pummeling repetitive psychostasis in the vein of Each One Teach One. A beaut, for sure. Oneida makes my fiance violent.
11. Bobby Conn – “Relax”: A little bit of Bobby Conn’s lite cabaret disco funk could circle the Earth a handful of times, easily. I like this shit for a minute or so, and then I realize that there’s absolutely nothing to it beyond the novelty and I rapidly get bored as fuck. But for that first minute or so Bobby Conn is pretty damned awesome. I think this song is about doing lines off a Bible alongside our present Commander in Chief, but I’m not sure.
12. The Birthday Party – “Cry”: Great stuff from the Australian Fall. The only good thing about working under Rik Wallace back in ’98 was hearing him tell his story about Nick Cave and his pregnant junkie wife. Anyway, “Cry” is excellent. I appreciate some of Cave’s work with the Bad Seeds, but the Birthday Party so completely destroys that stuff that it’s not funny.
13. Dizzee Rascal – “Hold Ya Mouf”: British rapper, and next new burgeoning big shit indie hip hop star. Again, not necessarily my sort of thing, but his thick accent does make it interesting. At least one amazing lyric: “it’s possible you will get hit with a chair”.
14. Gregory Isaacs – “Nigger”: More dub. It’s dubby. I like it, but this stuff all sounds the same.
15. Acid Mothers Temple – “Diamond Doggy Peggy”: Speaking of sounding the same, here’s a song from Acid Mothers Temple. They’re one of those bands who basically has three great songs, and every thing they do is a rewrite of one of the three. No problem with that, though, since most of what they do is built on drone and constant chaos. Here’s fifteen more minutes of mind-rotting, cosmos-collapsing madness from the greatest heavy psych band around. A good way to round out the disc, Coke.
Yes sir. A good mix, fellow. Thanks for the disc, and keep up the good work.
Thursday, February 19, 2004
Tender Feelings
Dearest folks, not much has been happening in this life of ours, recently. I might be off to a show tonight, Numbers and the Chinese Stars and some other pros, if I can muster up the financing. I picked up what seems to be a good record yesterday, this twelve-inch ep thing by Air Conditioning, out on White Denim. I've only gotten to listen to one side thus far, and wasn't paying full attention, but what I heard sounded damn good. Yes sir. Perchance I shall write it up in full later on.
Anyhow, later on tonight I should have something up about this mixed cd Coke Bref cooked up a couple weeks ago. Some good stuff.
Shit, this dude named John Gibson is sitting in for O'Reilly today, and damn, this guy sounds like his head's gonna explode at any moment. Odd that a staunch "independent" like O'Reilly, ruler of the No-Spin Zone, and a supposed non-partisan, always, without fail, has a shrill, hard-right propagandist fill in when he can't make his show. Oh wait - that's right - it's not odd at all. I'd have to say that O'Reilly, overall, is a lot more annoying than the Hannity types; Bill's insincere stabs at moderation are more dishonest than Hannity's smears, unflinching partisanship, and blatant lies.
Oh, shit, man, fucking music is where it's at.
Dearest folks, not much has been happening in this life of ours, recently. I might be off to a show tonight, Numbers and the Chinese Stars and some other pros, if I can muster up the financing. I picked up what seems to be a good record yesterday, this twelve-inch ep thing by Air Conditioning, out on White Denim. I've only gotten to listen to one side thus far, and wasn't paying full attention, but what I heard sounded damn good. Yes sir. Perchance I shall write it up in full later on.
Anyhow, later on tonight I should have something up about this mixed cd Coke Bref cooked up a couple weeks ago. Some good stuff.
Shit, this dude named John Gibson is sitting in for O'Reilly today, and damn, this guy sounds like his head's gonna explode at any moment. Odd that a staunch "independent" like O'Reilly, ruler of the No-Spin Zone, and a supposed non-partisan, always, without fail, has a shrill, hard-right propagandist fill in when he can't make his show. Oh wait - that's right - it's not odd at all. I'd have to say that O'Reilly, overall, is a lot more annoying than the Hannity types; Bill's insincere stabs at moderation are more dishonest than Hannity's smears, unflinching partisanship, and blatant lies.
Oh, shit, man, fucking music is where it's at.
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
This Queens situation sounds really fucked up
First there was this article from NME:
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE frontman Josh Homme has told the U.K.'s NME that his decision to split with bassist Nick Oliveri was the "hardest thing" but that he'd rather stay "brothers" with Oliveri than carry on with the band in its current state.
Josh spoke to NME the day after playing his debut U.K. show with his other band EAGLES OF DEATH METAL at the London Met Bar (Feb. 10).
Homme explained that the decision had come as the result of a "number of incidents occurring over the last 18 months" but refused to go into details. Rumors had been circulating that Homme had become unhappy with Oliveri's partying and that things came to a head on the Big Day Out tour of Australia earlier this year.
Homme told NME: "For me it's the hardest thing. I will never talk shit about my bro or anything like that. Nick and I are still definitely that. I love making music and stuff but it's more important to me to be brothers with Nick.
"Everyone in the band is an individual and that was by design. It was what we were all looking for, to harness the chaos. The thing that always brought Nick and I together is that we have different styles of doing the same thing. Nick is probably one of the most unafraid people I know, and I'm not afraid either. And that's the reason we're friends.
"There's a part of me that goes, 'Man, it's just rock 'n' roll,' but then there's another part that is, 'I've know Nick since I was 14 years old.' I'm the only one that's going to have to deal with that."
Josh says he is concentrating on the fourth QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE album, which will be a return to his roots and inspired by the events of the last year.
"The first QUEENS album was myself and a drummer," he said. "A lot of this new material reminds me of the first record. I've already written 16 songs. I plan to take six more weeks and try to beat them. What I've been writing has come like a waterfall over the last nine months."
The new QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE album is scheduled to be recorded in the spring for a tentative late 2004 release.
Then there is a statement from NIck Oliveri on the Mondo Generator website:
"What really happened is he (Josh) came by my house, I hadn't talked to him because he fired Mark [Lanegan, vocals] without me knowing. After two years on the road, I thought my band kicked ass on this tour. I didn't quit the QUEENS. Ya know, we should be so lucky to have fans, I would never puss out on my fans, if we have 'em let's do this. I don't get it. I'm not fighting Josh, he's someone I'd take a bullet for. Ya know, I'm not going away, I'm going to try to talk him into playing music with me. I didn't quit. I just don't get it. Yeah, I get fucked up, I get real fucked up, but I show up to play. I just need to talk to Josh, but now I can't get in touch with him. Ya know, I didn't get married to get divorced, and I didn't join this band to quit it. I'm not a quitter, I want to make another fuckin' record, I think QUEENS is a great fuckin' band. It's crazy the band of no rules now has fuckin' rules. I just want people to know because I'm not a fuckin' flake and I didn't quit."
This is really wierd. I'm still bumed
First there was this article from NME:
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE frontman Josh Homme has told the U.K.'s NME that his decision to split with bassist Nick Oliveri was the "hardest thing" but that he'd rather stay "brothers" with Oliveri than carry on with the band in its current state.
Josh spoke to NME the day after playing his debut U.K. show with his other band EAGLES OF DEATH METAL at the London Met Bar (Feb. 10).
Homme explained that the decision had come as the result of a "number of incidents occurring over the last 18 months" but refused to go into details. Rumors had been circulating that Homme had become unhappy with Oliveri's partying and that things came to a head on the Big Day Out tour of Australia earlier this year.
Homme told NME: "For me it's the hardest thing. I will never talk shit about my bro or anything like that. Nick and I are still definitely that. I love making music and stuff but it's more important to me to be brothers with Nick.
"Everyone in the band is an individual and that was by design. It was what we were all looking for, to harness the chaos. The thing that always brought Nick and I together is that we have different styles of doing the same thing. Nick is probably one of the most unafraid people I know, and I'm not afraid either. And that's the reason we're friends.
"There's a part of me that goes, 'Man, it's just rock 'n' roll,' but then there's another part that is, 'I've know Nick since I was 14 years old.' I'm the only one that's going to have to deal with that."
Josh says he is concentrating on the fourth QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE album, which will be a return to his roots and inspired by the events of the last year.
"The first QUEENS album was myself and a drummer," he said. "A lot of this new material reminds me of the first record. I've already written 16 songs. I plan to take six more weeks and try to beat them. What I've been writing has come like a waterfall over the last nine months."
The new QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE album is scheduled to be recorded in the spring for a tentative late 2004 release.
Then there is a statement from NIck Oliveri on the Mondo Generator website:
"What really happened is he (Josh) came by my house, I hadn't talked to him because he fired Mark [Lanegan, vocals] without me knowing. After two years on the road, I thought my band kicked ass on this tour. I didn't quit the QUEENS. Ya know, we should be so lucky to have fans, I would never puss out on my fans, if we have 'em let's do this. I don't get it. I'm not fighting Josh, he's someone I'd take a bullet for. Ya know, I'm not going away, I'm going to try to talk him into playing music with me. I didn't quit. I just don't get it. Yeah, I get fucked up, I get real fucked up, but I show up to play. I just need to talk to Josh, but now I can't get in touch with him. Ya know, I didn't get married to get divorced, and I didn't join this band to quit it. I'm not a quitter, I want to make another fuckin' record, I think QUEENS is a great fuckin' band. It's crazy the band of no rules now has fuckin' rules. I just want people to know because I'm not a fuckin' flake and I didn't quit."
This is really wierd. I'm still bumed
Friday, February 13, 2004
Are the Queens dead?
So the terrible news came out Wednesday night that Nick Oliveri, Mark Lanegan and Joey Castillo had left Queens of the Stone Age. That really sucks, those dudes were one of my favorite bands and as Coke Bref can attest they could slay live like no other. Their show at the 40 Watt last year with Turbonegro was easily one the best shows of the year. This is a sad week
So the terrible news came out Wednesday night that Nick Oliveri, Mark Lanegan and Joey Castillo had left Queens of the Stone Age. That really sucks, those dudes were one of my favorite bands and as Coke Bref can attest they could slay live like no other. Their show at the 40 Watt last year with Turbonegro was easily one the best shows of the year. This is a sad week
Brutus Beefcake Causes Anthrax Scare in Boston Subway
Read this.
I've been in that station several times. I guess I might've bought a token from the Booty Man at some point.
Also, there's a little blurb about the Lovers in this week's Boston Phoenix. I knew Carolyn, the singer girl, was from up here, but I didn't know that she now apparently goes by the name Cubby. Right beneath the Lovers notice is some information about Mastodon, and elsewhere in this same issue there's an article about OutKast at the Grammies. This is a banner week for references to Georgia musicians in major Boston independent newsweeklies.
Read this.
I've been in that station several times. I guess I might've bought a token from the Booty Man at some point.
Also, there's a little blurb about the Lovers in this week's Boston Phoenix. I knew Carolyn, the singer girl, was from up here, but I didn't know that she now apparently goes by the name Cubby. Right beneath the Lovers notice is some information about Mastodon, and elsewhere in this same issue there's an article about OutKast at the Grammies. This is a banner week for references to Georgia musicians in major Boston independent newsweeklies.
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
i've been published
Here's a letter I wrote to the editor of the Weekly Dig, a local free independent newsweekly that's even worse than those things usually are. Pretty much every other week their editor writes or prints some sort of article with a stridently anti-Southern tone. Whenever they write anything about the South, it is done solely to point out how stupid, fat and poor they think Southerners are. For the most part it's pretty evident that such articles are not entirely sincere, and in my defense I'd like to admit that this letter is also not entirely sincere. I'm not offended by any stereotypes, I just find it amusing that a "progressive" publication would regularly and blatantly utilize such an unimaginative and untrue stereotype. It's not only lazy and naive, but, more damningly, completely unfunny.
And this letter has nothing to do with the fact that the Dig didn't run my preview of the I am the World Trade Center show back in October. Nope, not at all.
Here's a letter I wrote to the editor of the Weekly Dig, a local free independent newsweekly that's even worse than those things usually are. Pretty much every other week their editor writes or prints some sort of article with a stridently anti-Southern tone. Whenever they write anything about the South, it is done solely to point out how stupid, fat and poor they think Southerners are. For the most part it's pretty evident that such articles are not entirely sincere, and in my defense I'd like to admit that this letter is also not entirely sincere. I'm not offended by any stereotypes, I just find it amusing that a "progressive" publication would regularly and blatantly utilize such an unimaginative and untrue stereotype. It's not only lazy and naive, but, more damningly, completely unfunny.
And this letter has nothing to do with the fact that the Dig didn't run my preview of the I am the World Trade Center show back in October. Nope, not at all.
the pain is being brought tonight
So I'm heading over to the Masquerade later tonight, normally the home to awesome shows by the likes of Pennywise and the Genitortures, to check out Dillinger Escape Plan, the Locust, Your Enemies Friends, and the Wrangler Brutes. Now on paper this show looks to be a thrashingly good time, but for the life of me I can't seem to muster up any excitment about going to this show. Dillinger Escape Plan have been touring a shit load for the past three years, but since "Calculating Infinity," which came out in 2000 they've only been able to muster a 4 song EP with Mike Patton, that granted kicked ass, but came off as more of a novelty than a legitmate follow up to their last record. I've been told that label wranglings have held up the release of the record, but none the less my patience has been wearing a little thin. DEP has amased quite a following with new batches and sects of the hardcore community, so I don't think they run the risk of becoming irrelevant on a national scale, but none the less if all you have to show in 7 years is less than 25 songs, interest will innevitably wane. But who knows, I've seen these guys blow fire onstage, almost decapitate people standing in the front with guitars, and even seen them do covers of "Rebel Yell" and "My Michelle" with more furor and wreckless abandon than Billy Idol and Axl could ever muster even in their primes.
Which brings me to the next band the Locust. This is a group that only has 2 legitimate full lenths and have been together for about 8 years, and their songs ARE ONLY A MINUTE LONG. What the fuck is the deal here. These guys are always really fun to see live, their brown nuthuggers and faceless fly face masks are pretty tight, and a group that is willing and ready to call out dipshit fans in the crowd is always entertaining. But as the case is with DEP, the Locust has such a small output of material for the time that they have been around, interst a least me personally left a long time ago. Blast beats and keyboards are awesome, but for fucks sake TWO RECORDS. Christ, GBV has probably put out ten albums worth of unoverlapping material from that same time period, if not more. What's funny about that is that GBV songs are probably tougher to write than Locusts songs are. Now I know that's comparing apples and oranges, but the Locust have been receiving significant national attention and it's suprising to me that this has happened more or less resting on the laurels of a record that came out in 1998. Actually, I take that back. People are still shooting loads about Refused, and they've been broken up for more than half a decade, which is a whole different can of worms to open.
Hopefully I won't puke tonight having to mingle with all the dudes with haircuts that look like the back of their heads exploded, and hopefully these bands can restore some faith into my cynical ass. I'm going to keep my expectations low, so the chance of this happening can be greater, but if I see more than three white belts I gonna get in the pit and do some fuckin karate and have no qualms about it.
Woo-Ha
So I'm heading over to the Masquerade later tonight, normally the home to awesome shows by the likes of Pennywise and the Genitortures, to check out Dillinger Escape Plan, the Locust, Your Enemies Friends, and the Wrangler Brutes. Now on paper this show looks to be a thrashingly good time, but for the life of me I can't seem to muster up any excitment about going to this show. Dillinger Escape Plan have been touring a shit load for the past three years, but since "Calculating Infinity," which came out in 2000 they've only been able to muster a 4 song EP with Mike Patton, that granted kicked ass, but came off as more of a novelty than a legitmate follow up to their last record. I've been told that label wranglings have held up the release of the record, but none the less my patience has been wearing a little thin. DEP has amased quite a following with new batches and sects of the hardcore community, so I don't think they run the risk of becoming irrelevant on a national scale, but none the less if all you have to show in 7 years is less than 25 songs, interest will innevitably wane. But who knows, I've seen these guys blow fire onstage, almost decapitate people standing in the front with guitars, and even seen them do covers of "Rebel Yell" and "My Michelle" with more furor and wreckless abandon than Billy Idol and Axl could ever muster even in their primes.
Which brings me to the next band the Locust. This is a group that only has 2 legitimate full lenths and have been together for about 8 years, and their songs ARE ONLY A MINUTE LONG. What the fuck is the deal here. These guys are always really fun to see live, their brown nuthuggers and faceless fly face masks are pretty tight, and a group that is willing and ready to call out dipshit fans in the crowd is always entertaining. But as the case is with DEP, the Locust has such a small output of material for the time that they have been around, interst a least me personally left a long time ago. Blast beats and keyboards are awesome, but for fucks sake TWO RECORDS. Christ, GBV has probably put out ten albums worth of unoverlapping material from that same time period, if not more. What's funny about that is that GBV songs are probably tougher to write than Locusts songs are. Now I know that's comparing apples and oranges, but the Locust have been receiving significant national attention and it's suprising to me that this has happened more or less resting on the laurels of a record that came out in 1998. Actually, I take that back. People are still shooting loads about Refused, and they've been broken up for more than half a decade, which is a whole different can of worms to open.
Hopefully I won't puke tonight having to mingle with all the dudes with haircuts that look like the back of their heads exploded, and hopefully these bands can restore some faith into my cynical ass. I'm going to keep my expectations low, so the chance of this happening can be greater, but if I see more than three white belts I gonna get in the pit and do some fuckin karate and have no qualms about it.
Woo-Ha
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
So them Pixies are getting back together, and embarking on a tour of Canada, the American West, and Europe; NME and Pitchfork have the dates. Forgive me if I’m not suitably excited. For every one of the eight or so legitimately great songs they had, there are three or four more that are either mediocre or bad. Even if I liked their music, I don’t see how I could expect these shows to be any good. Frank Black’s spent over a decade distancing himself from the Pixies, and Deal’s spent almost as much time passed out beneath a pool table in the barrio. Is he going to take this shit seriously, or is he just looking for some big paydays after a decade in obscurity? And are we even certain if Kim Deal is still alive?
Monday, February 09, 2004
A Brief Critical Examination of a Recent Live Musical Performance by the Group Oneida
Oh HO, the mighty forces of ancient eldritch rock fuckery were expounded upon this latest Saturday evening, in the basement of the ever-lovin’ Hoss House, deep in the frosty bosom of Allston/Brighton, Massachusie. A peerless bill rife with farsighted musical searchers and sachems, each with shamanistic tendencies, this show was one hum-dinger. When I arrived at the house I was half-drunk and filled to the gills with mediocre barbecue, a stomach situation that presented a messload of problems. Such problems led to my arriving later than desired, and thus missing a portion of Plunge Into Death’s performance. What was seen was enjoyed, though, and is now being enthused about upon this new-fangled internet contraption. P. I. D.’s electronic noise rap embodies the entire height and width and girth and scope of the modern-day urban experience, crystallized and broken up into song-length slices of slightly humorous, mildly annoying, enjoyably confusing faux-pretentious tomfoolery. They sorta reminded me of Xiu Xiu at times, if Xiu Xiu rapped more, and tried harder to make less sense. All in all, some good stuff, though. Another local group, Devil Music, played next. Friends of long-time Athenians Brian Sweeney, Ballard, and the gents of Hayride, Devil Music’s violin-driven experimental rockism resembled the very best of such eminent titans of boundary shattering rock as Can, Arto Lindsay, and Emerson Lake and Palmer. In both tone and style Jonah Rapino’s vitriolic violin sounded like Keith Emerson’s incandescent keysmanship, and Tim Nylander’s Kraut-flavored drum-pummeling could give both Palmer and Powell a run for their moneys. I’m listening to Devil Music’s take on “In C” as I type this, and am quite impressed. Yes. Finally, fellow Americans Oneida, staunch supporters of the inviolable rights of man, asserted their tough but tender dominion over the denizens of the Hoss House and the outlying areas of the Greater Boston Metroplex. To steal the words noted poet, playwright, and conservative talk-radio icon LeRoi Jones used to describe the blues people, Oneida are truly an “actually expressed creative orchestration, reflection of Afro-American life”. There is some tribalism to them, this Oneida, these primal progenitors of premodern providence. The power is theirs, that ancient ineffable power to slay with little more than the mind, or three minds, or three minds, some drums, an organ, and a guitar (and sometimes bass). Like a glistening cathedral held aloft by the hopes and dreams of countless intransigent believers, Oneida is the apex of reason, and the final culmination of the unflagging, irrepressible human spirit. Touches of nightmares and life, the potpourri of wooden ash and burning flesh, holy light and inexorable dark, and the trenchant encroaching dread of obsolescence permeate the viscous membrane of Oneida’s stygian morass. On the surface Oneida are kings, but secretly they weep, for with each passing day their power, nigh infinite, grows, by necessitude, ever infinitesimally smaller, like the whirring universe grinding slowly, over megamillions of years, to an inevitable halt. Until that day, Oneida are ours, to do with as we please, and as they allow.
Anyhow, it was a good show. Thanks for the effort, bands, and thanks for the Hoss House for welcoming a drunken loner into its inviting arms. I busted my ass twice on the walk home. That’s what happens when you mix a case of beer, icy sidewalks, and unsteady Southern feet ill-acquainted with this intemperate Northern winter.
Oh HO, the mighty forces of ancient eldritch rock fuckery were expounded upon this latest Saturday evening, in the basement of the ever-lovin’ Hoss House, deep in the frosty bosom of Allston/Brighton, Massachusie. A peerless bill rife with farsighted musical searchers and sachems, each with shamanistic tendencies, this show was one hum-dinger. When I arrived at the house I was half-drunk and filled to the gills with mediocre barbecue, a stomach situation that presented a messload of problems. Such problems led to my arriving later than desired, and thus missing a portion of Plunge Into Death’s performance. What was seen was enjoyed, though, and is now being enthused about upon this new-fangled internet contraption. P. I. D.’s electronic noise rap embodies the entire height and width and girth and scope of the modern-day urban experience, crystallized and broken up into song-length slices of slightly humorous, mildly annoying, enjoyably confusing faux-pretentious tomfoolery. They sorta reminded me of Xiu Xiu at times, if Xiu Xiu rapped more, and tried harder to make less sense. All in all, some good stuff, though. Another local group, Devil Music, played next. Friends of long-time Athenians Brian Sweeney, Ballard, and the gents of Hayride, Devil Music’s violin-driven experimental rockism resembled the very best of such eminent titans of boundary shattering rock as Can, Arto Lindsay, and Emerson Lake and Palmer. In both tone and style Jonah Rapino’s vitriolic violin sounded like Keith Emerson’s incandescent keysmanship, and Tim Nylander’s Kraut-flavored drum-pummeling could give both Palmer and Powell a run for their moneys. I’m listening to Devil Music’s take on “In C” as I type this, and am quite impressed. Yes. Finally, fellow Americans Oneida, staunch supporters of the inviolable rights of man, asserted their tough but tender dominion over the denizens of the Hoss House and the outlying areas of the Greater Boston Metroplex. To steal the words noted poet, playwright, and conservative talk-radio icon LeRoi Jones used to describe the blues people, Oneida are truly an “actually expressed creative orchestration, reflection of Afro-American life”. There is some tribalism to them, this Oneida, these primal progenitors of premodern providence. The power is theirs, that ancient ineffable power to slay with little more than the mind, or three minds, or three minds, some drums, an organ, and a guitar (and sometimes bass). Like a glistening cathedral held aloft by the hopes and dreams of countless intransigent believers, Oneida is the apex of reason, and the final culmination of the unflagging, irrepressible human spirit. Touches of nightmares and life, the potpourri of wooden ash and burning flesh, holy light and inexorable dark, and the trenchant encroaching dread of obsolescence permeate the viscous membrane of Oneida’s stygian morass. On the surface Oneida are kings, but secretly they weep, for with each passing day their power, nigh infinite, grows, by necessitude, ever infinitesimally smaller, like the whirring universe grinding slowly, over megamillions of years, to an inevitable halt. Until that day, Oneida are ours, to do with as we please, and as they allow.
Anyhow, it was a good show. Thanks for the effort, bands, and thanks for the Hoss House for welcoming a drunken loner into its inviting arms. I busted my ass twice on the walk home. That’s what happens when you mix a case of beer, icy sidewalks, and unsteady Southern feet ill-acquainted with this intemperate Northern winter.
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
another damn list
okay - this is mostly reposted from doa, with the honorable mention stuff at the bottom being new.
1. Crooked Fingers – Red Devil Dawn
2. The Strokes – Room on Fire
3. Guided by Voices – Earthquake Glue
4. Outkast – Speakerboxxx / The Love Below
5. Lightning Bolt – Wonderful Rainbow
6. Dead Meadow – Shivering King and Others
7. The Summer Hymns – Clemency
8. Yo la Tengo – Summer Sun
9. The Apes – Oddeyesee
10. The Unicorns – Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?
mentionables: Xiu Xiu, A Promise; The Rapture, Echoes; Masters of the Hemisphere, Last Show Ever; the Sunburned Hand of the Man, the Trickle-Down Theory of Lord Knows What (is this 2003 or 2002?); Dead Raven Choir, Wine Women and Wolves; the Shins, Chutes Too Narrow; Grandaddy, Sumday.
I haven't been able to hear all of the Animal Collective or Jorma Whittaker records that came out last year, but what I have heard I like a good bit.
Man, weblogs are really self-indulgent. Is there any entertainment value in this whatsoever?
okay - this is mostly reposted from doa, with the honorable mention stuff at the bottom being new.
1. Crooked Fingers – Red Devil Dawn
2. The Strokes – Room on Fire
3. Guided by Voices – Earthquake Glue
4. Outkast – Speakerboxxx / The Love Below
5. Lightning Bolt – Wonderful Rainbow
6. Dead Meadow – Shivering King and Others
7. The Summer Hymns – Clemency
8. Yo la Tengo – Summer Sun
9. The Apes – Oddeyesee
10. The Unicorns – Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?
mentionables: Xiu Xiu, A Promise; The Rapture, Echoes; Masters of the Hemisphere, Last Show Ever; the Sunburned Hand of the Man, the Trickle-Down Theory of Lord Knows What (is this 2003 or 2002?); Dead Raven Choir, Wine Women and Wolves; the Shins, Chutes Too Narrow; Grandaddy, Sumday.
I haven't been able to hear all of the Animal Collective or Jorma Whittaker records that came out last year, but what I have heard I like a good bit.
Man, weblogs are really self-indulgent. Is there any entertainment value in this whatsoever?
I’m listening to Switched On for the first time in probably four or five years now. It’s some good stuff to type to, yessirree. It’s very easy for me to forget that Stereolab was at one point one of my favorite bands. Granted I haven’t paid any attention to anything they’ve done since Dots and Loops, which I didn’t much care for, so there is the chance that I would enjoy their recorded output since 1997. I’ve seen them live twice, in 1998 and 2000, I believe, and despite being unfamiliar with their later works I massively enjoyed both shows. Of course over half of both sets came from their albums up through Emperor Tomato Ketchup, so it was mostly stuff I knew and appreciated well. Anyway, Switched On is a good record to work to. I brought a lot of cds to work today, including the first two Crooked Fingers albums, the Crooked Fingers covers ep, Oneida’s Secret Wars, Xiu Xiu’s Knife Play, the Cure’s Galore, and this mix DJ made for me that’s pretty damn good. It’s pretty stupid of me to bring all these discs to work, though, because I’ll maybe get to listen to one or two of them, at most, any given day. Once one o’clock rolls around I invariably switch over to my beloved right-wing asshole talk-radio. Nothing thrills me more than the rage and incredulity that overtakes my normally mild-mannered demeanor whilst listening to Bill O’Reilly’s dishonest populist schtick and Jay Severin’s flirtations with hate mongering and misogyny.
Top 10 list of 2003
I always enjoy reading these, but I don't think I've ever actually done one. I always end up hearing records long after they are released, so I'm sure there are a bunch of records that came out last year that I will eventually like more than some of the ones I list here.
In no particualer order:
The Darkness - Permission to Land
50 Cent - Get Rich or die tryin'
Guided By Voices - Earthquake Glue
My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Heart of Oak
The Rapture - Echoes
The Shins - Chutes too Narrow
Grandaddy - Sumday
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Fever to Tell
Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Crematorium
honorable mentions:
Outkast - Speakerboxxx / the Love Below
The Strokes - Room on Fire
The White Stripes - Elephant
I also am looking forward to hearing full lengths that came out last year from:
Dizzee Rascal
Danger Mouse
The Decemberists
I know this list isn't exactly breaking any new ground, but I don't really care. I enjoy these records, so fuck off.
I always enjoy reading these, but I don't think I've ever actually done one. I always end up hearing records long after they are released, so I'm sure there are a bunch of records that came out last year that I will eventually like more than some of the ones I list here.
In no particualer order:
The Darkness - Permission to Land
50 Cent - Get Rich or die tryin'
Guided By Voices - Earthquake Glue
My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Heart of Oak
The Rapture - Echoes
The Shins - Chutes too Narrow
Grandaddy - Sumday
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Fever to Tell
Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Crematorium
honorable mentions:
Outkast - Speakerboxxx / the Love Below
The Strokes - Room on Fire
The White Stripes - Elephant
I also am looking forward to hearing full lengths that came out last year from:
Dizzee Rascal
Danger Mouse
The Decemberists
I know this list isn't exactly breaking any new ground, but I don't really care. I enjoy these records, so fuck off.
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
rackin' up the goods
The one thing I'll say about working for Southeast Performer and 99X is the amount of free shit they'll give you. Honestly I really don't do a whole lot when I go to 99X, just mainly listening in on programming and music meetings and giving my 2 cents here and there. Sometimes I'll go through the mail and split it up or do some cataloging of CD's that are never going to get played on the radio, but I'll be damned if they aren't cool as shit about letting me have CD's or hooking me up with tickets to shows. In the past 5 days I was able to snag coppies of the Rise Above comp (the one where the Rollins Band did all the Black Flag songs with dudes like Lemmy and Tom Araya from Slayer), the new Shins, the new Belle and Sebastian, the new Minamina Goodsong, and some other shit too. I guess since I'm not getting paid this is pretty cool, so if you want free shit, start interning for a radio station and you'll be able to snag all the records you're never gonna hear on the radio.
I know that this is stating the obvious, but why the fuck do these labels keep trying to push these horrible ass new metal bands down everyones throats. What's even worse now is the new metal lite that is getting all the airplay. Silly ass shit like Hoobastank and Trapt are trying to write songs that have a distinct formula to make money and then try to pass it off as different and its just so stupid. It's just like in the late-80's when tough guy rockers were writing all thos gay ass metal ballads like "Heaven" and "Without You." These songs are catchy and all that, but come on does anyone honestly think that in 20 years someones gonna look back at 2004 and say, " aww man that was such a cool year, that Hoobastank song was my jam. Thiose dudes were fuckin' awesome." Hell the fuck no. It's gonna be like those Vanilla Ice tapes everyone had in 6th grade. You hide that shit in a droor and pretend you didn't bump that shit, eventhough you thought it was the jam.
The other day I had to listen to this dude from Wind-Up records (Creed's label) try and promote the new Drowning Pool and some faceless band called Finger 11 and I just felt bad for him. I don't think that he realized how gay this stuff was and that even a commercial radio station didn't want to play it. Then he started talking about how he was talking to some dude in one of those bands and how he told him all about Neutral Milk Hotel and how awesome they were. So he went out and bought the CD and dug it, then he flipped out when I told them that they broke up like 6 years ago and they were from Athens. I guess its cool that musically retarded industry types can respect good music every once in a while, but it's just funny to see how wrapped up they are in their own tiny segment of the music industry.
The one thing I'll say about working for Southeast Performer and 99X is the amount of free shit they'll give you. Honestly I really don't do a whole lot when I go to 99X, just mainly listening in on programming and music meetings and giving my 2 cents here and there. Sometimes I'll go through the mail and split it up or do some cataloging of CD's that are never going to get played on the radio, but I'll be damned if they aren't cool as shit about letting me have CD's or hooking me up with tickets to shows. In the past 5 days I was able to snag coppies of the Rise Above comp (the one where the Rollins Band did all the Black Flag songs with dudes like Lemmy and Tom Araya from Slayer), the new Shins, the new Belle and Sebastian, the new Minamina Goodsong, and some other shit too. I guess since I'm not getting paid this is pretty cool, so if you want free shit, start interning for a radio station and you'll be able to snag all the records you're never gonna hear on the radio.
I know that this is stating the obvious, but why the fuck do these labels keep trying to push these horrible ass new metal bands down everyones throats. What's even worse now is the new metal lite that is getting all the airplay. Silly ass shit like Hoobastank and Trapt are trying to write songs that have a distinct formula to make money and then try to pass it off as different and its just so stupid. It's just like in the late-80's when tough guy rockers were writing all thos gay ass metal ballads like "Heaven" and "Without You." These songs are catchy and all that, but come on does anyone honestly think that in 20 years someones gonna look back at 2004 and say, " aww man that was such a cool year, that Hoobastank song was my jam. Thiose dudes were fuckin' awesome." Hell the fuck no. It's gonna be like those Vanilla Ice tapes everyone had in 6th grade. You hide that shit in a droor and pretend you didn't bump that shit, eventhough you thought it was the jam.
The other day I had to listen to this dude from Wind-Up records (Creed's label) try and promote the new Drowning Pool and some faceless band called Finger 11 and I just felt bad for him. I don't think that he realized how gay this stuff was and that even a commercial radio station didn't want to play it. Then he started talking about how he was talking to some dude in one of those bands and how he told him all about Neutral Milk Hotel and how awesome they were. So he went out and bought the CD and dug it, then he flipped out when I told them that they broke up like 6 years ago and they were from Athens. I guess its cool that musically retarded industry types can respect good music every once in a while, but it's just funny to see how wrapped up they are in their own tiny segment of the music industry.
The Very Greatest Exemplar of American Mores and Ideals
my, lady, what a super bowl we were fortunate enough to have foisted upon us this past weekend. those two teams really played some football, buddy. it was good when they did that stuff they did. my favorite part was when that brave American walked on the moon. we fucking showed them moon people what's what. people up here were so excited they forgot they were drunk and tried to drive. there's some big parade and celebratory gala today that will supposedly slow this town down to a standstill. i'd love to go, if they'd only unchain me from my cubicle long enough, hahahahahahah!
Anyhow, musically, that halftime show was astounding. The last time that many Stars congregated together upon one stage was when that old famous guy died (not the one with the hat but the other one). I must say, though, as entertaining as it most definitely was, it was also as classless and offensive as the 1972 mayoral race between Sam Massell and Maynard Jackson Jr. Deplorable, indeed.
my, lady, what a super bowl we were fortunate enough to have foisted upon us this past weekend. those two teams really played some football, buddy. it was good when they did that stuff they did. my favorite part was when that brave American walked on the moon. we fucking showed them moon people what's what. people up here were so excited they forgot they were drunk and tried to drive. there's some big parade and celebratory gala today that will supposedly slow this town down to a standstill. i'd love to go, if they'd only unchain me from my cubicle long enough, hahahahahahah!
Anyhow, musically, that halftime show was astounding. The last time that many Stars congregated together upon one stage was when that old famous guy died (not the one with the hat but the other one). I must say, though, as entertaining as it most definitely was, it was also as classless and offensive as the 1972 mayoral race between Sam Massell and Maynard Jackson Jr. Deplorable, indeed.
so hey, we gotta figure out some sorta way to differentiate between the two of us. so's all our legions of loyal adoring fanboys and girls can know who to write their marriage proposals and mash notes to. what is the inner workins of a "blog", elliott? are you capable of peering beyond the digital veil and jiggering this thing up in the suitable way?
Sunday, February 01, 2004
Titty poppin and frosted tips
So apparently Janet Jackson's titty popped out during the half-time of the Super Bowl. I missed it, oh well. Does anyone really give a fuck about Janet Jackson anyway. Maybee that should just be a given. No one gives a fuck about lame as fuck pop stars except women and gay dudes. On an entirely different note, the new Shins record is fucking tight. I listened to it a Toys R Us on Saturday night, so it made the evening bareable. Oh and then Javy Lopez comes in the next day. That guy looked like a total fag, but he's got alot more bank than I have, so more power to him. Have fun in Baltimore Javy, you won't ever be making the playoffs.
So apparently Janet Jackson's titty popped out during the half-time of the Super Bowl. I missed it, oh well. Does anyone really give a fuck about Janet Jackson anyway. Maybee that should just be a given. No one gives a fuck about lame as fuck pop stars except women and gay dudes. On an entirely different note, the new Shins record is fucking tight. I listened to it a Toys R Us on Saturday night, so it made the evening bareable. Oh and then Javy Lopez comes in the next day. That guy looked like a total fag, but he's got alot more bank than I have, so more power to him. Have fun in Baltimore Javy, you won't ever be making the playoffs.
The shows are piling up like shit on the snow on the sidewalk, and if I'm lucky and wealthy enough perhaps a few will be attended by me. There's some interesting happenings at the Spiderhole tomorrow / today - Blomit, White Cocaine, laserlaserlaserlaser, and the Lloyd Arthur Trio - but I probably won't be able to be there. Oneida's next Saturday night at some dude's house up the street. The day before that there's some good looking stuff at some church place in Cambridge, like Tunnel of Love and VAZ and some other people. The Shins and the Notwist are both playing in the next week or two, but I think both are either sold out or too damn expensive. I've never heard United States of Belt, but that's a damn fine name, and they're playing the Spiderhole next Sunday. Excitement abounds in this high-speed internet city.
A Brief Review of a Pleasing Evening About the Town
Ah yes, on the night of yesterday my darling little wifey-to-be and I headed down to a local rock establishment in hopes of being entertained by the ostensibly amusing antics of professional musicians and comic(s). Entertainment did ensue, but not quite to the degree we had anticipated. Local band the Information opened and played that there music of theirs, a music I am not entirely disinclined to enjoy. A couple of their songs were real good ones, but for the most part all their stuff was a bit too long and pompous, and the front man and keyboard girl were both rather annoying. The singer fellow repeatedly pointing out that his band had girls in it was some off-putting jackassery, friend. Quasi-famous semi-celebrity Fred Armisen, of SNL / Eurotrip / Trenchmouth fame, attempted to make the minions laugh; the yuks flowed from the founts of some, but not from me and mine. His schtick was solid in theory, but sorta half-assed in delivery. His Native American stand-up bit came off like a really forced, unfunny Neil Hamburger rip. His Niles Covington, Musicologist, piece produced a couple of chuckles, primarily when confronting audience members about what key their favorite Les Savy Fav songs were in. The fact that his entire “set” lasted for maybe twenty minutes pleased me, but probably didn’t sit too well with whatever folks showed up specifically to see the slightly famous funnyman make with the jokes. Les Savy Fav finished off the eve with a typically powerful and bewildering performance. The band was tight, the music rambunctious, and front fellow Tim Harrington was amazingly transfixing and beguiling, all as expected. The fact that Mr. Harrington can act as manic and absurdly as he does without coming across as affected or false is a testament to his insurmountable and unusual charisma. Harrington pretty much transcends every notion of what a rock singer is and is supposed to be, simultaneously mocking and reveling in the idiotic glory and psuedo-spiritual rejuvenation of the stupid and brilliant rock bullshit nirvana. The pomposity of fun and vulgarization of art. Getting fucked up and jumping around like a dickhead. Creating something complex that is designed to look tossed off, thus making dip-shit motherfuckers like me look all stuffy and shit when I try to write about it. So Tim Harrington acts seriously unserious while performing unseriously serious songs in an idiom that is patently unserious. What the hell am I talking about? Les Savy Fav rock, they are good, and they make me wanna shake my body and drink the beer and sex the ladies. Ain’t no thinking necessary, really.
Ah yes, on the night of yesterday my darling little wifey-to-be and I headed down to a local rock establishment in hopes of being entertained by the ostensibly amusing antics of professional musicians and comic(s). Entertainment did ensue, but not quite to the degree we had anticipated. Local band the Information opened and played that there music of theirs, a music I am not entirely disinclined to enjoy. A couple of their songs were real good ones, but for the most part all their stuff was a bit too long and pompous, and the front man and keyboard girl were both rather annoying. The singer fellow repeatedly pointing out that his band had girls in it was some off-putting jackassery, friend. Quasi-famous semi-celebrity Fred Armisen, of SNL / Eurotrip / Trenchmouth fame, attempted to make the minions laugh; the yuks flowed from the founts of some, but not from me and mine. His schtick was solid in theory, but sorta half-assed in delivery. His Native American stand-up bit came off like a really forced, unfunny Neil Hamburger rip. His Niles Covington, Musicologist, piece produced a couple of chuckles, primarily when confronting audience members about what key their favorite Les Savy Fav songs were in. The fact that his entire “set” lasted for maybe twenty minutes pleased me, but probably didn’t sit too well with whatever folks showed up specifically to see the slightly famous funnyman make with the jokes. Les Savy Fav finished off the eve with a typically powerful and bewildering performance. The band was tight, the music rambunctious, and front fellow Tim Harrington was amazingly transfixing and beguiling, all as expected. The fact that Mr. Harrington can act as manic and absurdly as he does without coming across as affected or false is a testament to his insurmountable and unusual charisma. Harrington pretty much transcends every notion of what a rock singer is and is supposed to be, simultaneously mocking and reveling in the idiotic glory and psuedo-spiritual rejuvenation of the stupid and brilliant rock bullshit nirvana. The pomposity of fun and vulgarization of art. Getting fucked up and jumping around like a dickhead. Creating something complex that is designed to look tossed off, thus making dip-shit motherfuckers like me look all stuffy and shit when I try to write about it. So Tim Harrington acts seriously unserious while performing unseriously serious songs in an idiom that is patently unserious. What the hell am I talking about? Les Savy Fav rock, they are good, and they make me wanna shake my body and drink the beer and sex the ladies. Ain’t no thinking necessary, really.
