HAPPY HALLOWEEN (again)!

Boo! AHHHHH! Boo! AHHHH!

Here are two tracks for Halloween listening.

Hide and Go Boo - recorded from the TV show, the Backyardigans. Makes me smile every time.

Edie Brickell - Ghost of a Dog -such a sad and beautiful song.

Weekend: Undisputed Heayweights, Morning Theft, Prayer and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers, Moutain Goats

Friday night I went with my friend Mike (who hasn’t quite mastered the art of talking at a show) to the Undisputed Heavyweights at Pianos. Rachael was there and even got a shout-out from the band. They were solid, drawing from a range of influences, the most notable of which was jazz. Their front man is an energetic character, and Wes is equally solid on the six string. They brought up yet another virtuoso to dance on the keys, which made me stay a little longer than I planned. Eventually we did leave early, and missed a harmonica player whom I'm told was astounding.

Over at Fat Baby, the venue was starting to fill up. By the time Morning Theft as Weezer came on, the place was packed, and from the first notes of “My Name is Jonas” to the last of “Only in Dream” I was blown away. This wasn’t some shitty cover band. They were spot-on, on every, single, song. To say I’m a fan of the Blue Album is a huge understatement. Although it’s the only Weezer album I bought (sorry Pinkerton fans, I’m told that is good too), I listened to it non-stop through high school. I know all the words, even if they aren’t the right ones.

Saturday night, after a bottle of wine or more, I went to the Bowery Ballroom and arrived just as the Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers (or, I call em the “Pa-Toads”) were starting “Lisa.” I ran upstairs and tried to enjoy it as much as I could while catching my breath. I really need to exercise more. They were really good despite my unfamiliarity of any other of their tunes. I kept thinking that Perry of Prayers and Tears looks a lot like Craig of Cloud Cult, which immediately made me assume two things: 1)Perry is from Minnesota and 2)there is only one barber in Minnesota. Neither of these have been verified, although I did hear someone else make the Minnesota assumption.

Mountain Goats were truly… I think I’ve run out of adjectives… great. I was impressed by how complete their songs sound with only a bass and acoustic guitar. The skinny bass player, who with a little effort could have been Carlos D for Halloween, played some pretty sweet and creative bass lines to accompany John Darnelle. John talked a lot between the songs relating stories that had me laughing each time. For the last few songs, the Pa-Toads joined as their backing band and the songs which were already full-sounding, got fuller.(Picture via Kathryn)

If I didn’t have other plans tonight, I’d definitely check them out again. They play at the Knitting Factory, and it’s sold out.

Happy Halloween!

This is my niece, Kiera, on her first Halloween.

How was everyone's weekend? I drank like a fish Saturday night, went to the Mountain Goats (which I'll try to review later), drank more there, and hit up a late party, where I -yes- drank more.

The good news is that I have a NEW costume this year and it was a big hit at the party. When I went to use the bathroom and caught myself in the mirror, even I could not help but laugh.

If you're going to the Parade tonight, it's going to be a blast. Look for the Family Photo from the 70s. The line-up starts at 6:30, but it's so crowded it takes 2 hours for everyone to get in the parade.

Picture This; Mp3s

The Picture – Sellout
The Picture – Blind Side

I am basically addicted to these two songs. Freaking out, almost. Yes, I know this is a few months late, but it’s taken this long for me to realize I’ve been listening to them way more than normal. Plus, I haven’t heard much mention of them in the interim. In fact, I've only found a couple others (The Underrated reposted Blind-Side, and Res1999 had a mention).

The Picture have their debut album coming out in mid-November, and if it’s as consistently good as these two -and their other stuff on Myspace- it’ll be great. They are also playing next Saturday at Sin-e, so if your around and not running in the NYC Marathon the next morning, go see them.*

Here are all their tourdates:
11/03 - Washington DC @ DC9
11/04 – Philadelphia @ Manhattan Room
11/05 – NYC @ Sin-e w/ Saints & Lovers, Bravo Silva


*I am not running this year's Marathon either.

Review: Wolf Parade at NYU

(Photo Via Danfun)
Last night’s Wolf Parade show at NYU had all the makings of a disaster. Still exhausted from the open bar at Fat Baby on Wednesday, the heat in the space made me extremely sleepy. Not to mention Dirty on Purpose can sometimes play ever so sleepily, and perhaps worse of all, there was no beer or alcohol. Disaster, I say. NYU was just asking for it.

Finally, I had heard horrible things –unspeakbale things!- about NYU students… being the scum of the city and such. But, they weren't. The crowd was very receptive. There was more motion than at the Bowery show, and people actually clapped along a few times. It wasn’t what I expected at all, and in the end I had more fun last night than Monday’s show. Who needs alcohol anyway?

Hahaha…ok, I’m kidding about that that last sentence. I probably had unrealistic expectations for Monday’s show anyway, and last night I set the bar so low that they did the triple jump over it. (The triple jump being everyone’s favorite Olympic sport of course, and a far more appropriate analogy that the hurdle).

They played their usual songs. A few old ones, and two new ones, all of which were good. During one of the new ones, their tour mates were doing all these hand gestures in the back to the lyrics of the song, the sort of thing you do when you feel you aren’t being watched. Similarly, all night long the show felt very casual. The same tour mates came front and center to play the maracas and tambourine for “This Hearts on Fire.” Well, not so much as “play” those instruments, but rather go insane with them. I’m sure if I’ve ever seen anyone dance quite like that. Words can do no justice.

The encore consisted of Disco Sheets and then the majority of Dinner Bells. During the later, half the instruments lost power on stage. While waiting for restoration, Dante started to play Graceland, and the rest of the band joined in. What probably started of as a little teaser turned into a full-length impromptu cover. But it wasn’t “Wolf Parade covering Graceland” so much as four average guys playing a crude version just for the hell of it. It was so bad and unrehearsed that it worked great. This just underscored the casual feeling for the night. Once the power was restored, they treated us with another old song that has never been released.

So good. Too bad they have to get so big, so fast.

-DanFun has Pictures. Says it was O.K., but not the best.

Grandaddy Video on Applesoft II

I'm not familiar with Grandaddy, but was curious to watch this unsolicited video for Jed's Other Poem
(Beautiful Ground) from a fan. He made it using an old Applesoft II from the late '70s. The beginning of the song is weak, but it gets better and it's quite marvelous. I've watched it a few times. Watch it here.(link)

[via boingboing]

Lest We Forget: The Mountain Goats

Because their album dropped earlier this year, and it’s quietly faded without fanfare; and because they are playing two shows this week, and it will be #11 on everyone’s Top Ten list; because of this and other things, I want to remind you how good the Mountain Goats' Sunset Tree album is. So here are the first three tracks from it. By the album to hear the rest.

You or Your Memory
Broom
This Year

I love this album. Does anyone know if their older albums are of this caliber?

(By the way, the "Lest We Forget" title is shamelessly stolen from the Moroccan Role)

Kermit Visits New York

Pictures someone took of Kermit the Frog's visit to New York. Keep scrolling on the page; they are in two bunches.

I thought Kermit was from New York. I guess not.

(I guess these are from February... so I am probably late to the game on this)

My Halloween Costumes of the Past.

This is me at the 2004 Halloween Parade. You may have seen me or even got a picture. It seemed everyone got a shot of me, and I was even interviewed live on the radio.

Thing is, it took only 2 hours of Photoshoppin' skillz and one hour to make!

For Halloween 2003, I went as an even more ridiculous thing. Being in 5th year in architecture at Pratt, I coincidentally had all this wood and roofing shingles. So, with two 2'x4' sheets of plywood, some 2x4 studs, and the shigles, I made myself a roof... to wear.

For $30, and a little sweat and tears (it fell apart at the last minute, but I remade it even stronger), I lugged around a 60 pound roof on my shoulders, all night and all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. It measured 4 feet from front to back and 4 feet tall. (I have no pictures). Getting on the subway was tricky, but feasible. When G-train stopped working, getting on a super crowded City bus was a nightmare.

Here's a sketch of the costume. To answer Anonymous's question: Since it was 2003, the Digital Camera revolution hadn't occured yet. Actually, I just forgot. The only people that have a picture are the strangers who stopped to laugh at me. The sketch makes it look small. It was big enough to sit on top and see over the crowd at the parade.

When people last year thought the license was tricky to handle, I rolled my eyes and told them it was a breeze compared with 2003.

For 2001, I was the Pilsbury Doughboy. I got a lotta pokes in my stomach.

Without any new ideas this year, and provided it doesn't rain, look for me at the Parade, either as my License or maybe my very own Passport.

Interesting Links You may have missed

-Underrated posted this trailer for The Shining, like you’ve never seen it before. I’ve watched it a dozen times and still find it hilarious. (There's a reason this link is first) Watch: Shining (mov)

-K Yu links to a new concept called LazyPhoto, where instead of taking your own pictures of things, you just find them on Flickr. Now I don’t need to bring my camera when I visit Colorado for Thanksgiving. Would this type of blog post be considered LazyBlog?

-Eugene Mirman updated his blog. “I thought the lead singer's name was Brendan Handsome, but it's actually Brandon Flowers (I was essentially right.)”

-I didn’t even know about the W.A.S. listening party. I guess Chris is still mad at me when I told him they weren’t being hyped. (I thought I was complimenting him, but he seemed a little offended.) Anyway, since then they’ve gotten the hype they desire.


-Said the Gramophone has one of the new live Wolf Parade tracks up.

-Funtime OK really likes the new Sun Kil Moon . Am I the only one that has hated everything I’ve heard? I like the cover art the best. Two mp3s over there.

-Here's a blog from the woman who choses the music for the TV show Grey's Anatomy.

Some Pictures Need No Commentary

(I just love the internet)

Conjuring up Comedians

Standing outside after the show last night, k. and I were trying to figure out when we’d bump into each other again. She was trying to convince me to go to comedian Demetri Martin’s show, while I said that I was probably going to the Morning Theft performance of the Blue Album .

I reminded Ang who Demetri was: he was the dude at that hurricane Tsunami benefit in February at Crash Mansion. I remember us being of the few there that were absolutely cracking up. So much so, that he started to tell the jokes almost directly to us.

While we were talking about him, I looked over and said, “Actually, that guy right there looks just like him.” Of course, standing no more than three feet away was the man –the legend- in the flesh.

I started to wonder whom else we could conjure up. Aziz? Eugene? Bill Cosby?

So, what will I do this Friday? Problem solved: Demetri has just added more shows next week, on November 3, 4, and 5. I’ll be at the one on the third.

Check out the three videos he has at his site. Very funny. His jokes are about 3 seconds long.

Wolf Parade at Bowery

Since I don’t feel like giving a full review on last night’s Wolf Parade show, you can read about over at Heartonastick. I agree with most of it.

The previous crowd at CMJ had me all jazzed that future crowds would move. Last night, I tried to move, but everyone was listening and watching so intently that they forgot to have fun. Drink people! Drink!

Anyway, Wolf Parade rocked hard, and while they didn’t see any “ghosts” like last month, they did admit to being drunk. They even acknowledged that the bloggers had chastised them for making that “rookie mistake.” Not from this site. I love a drunk band and they played just fine. I felt there were too many people there that felt they had to be…as if they were being punished. The oddest moment was when the band claimed to never have played Bowery Ballroom before. Were they that f'ked up for CMJ?

Other reviews:
Prefixblog (I concur, Dave)
Bumpershine (I whole-heartedly disagree with pretty much this whole review)
Jay GTR gives a thorough review.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’m also pointing out Heartonastick because it gives me a chance to post this observation he made the day before. This is the (fortunate?) layout the Onion used for it’s latest online edition:Hilarious.

Report Card for Nokia Theatre; (Shhhhh, the band is playing)

Doors/Start Time: D
I got home to start dinner at 7:00 Saturday night. Checked my tickets which said “Doors at 6 PM”. AHHH! Hurried uptown and arrived at 8:20. First band went on at 8:00 and the headliner went on little after 9:00. What time do doors open on a weekday? 4:00?

General Décor: C-
Just like a Loews or AMC movie theater, except no popcorn. With spots to advertise products, such as Emerson alarm clocks. That’s to remind you to get uptown in time for the show.

Lobby, Etc: B-
Fairly wide and spacious. Several coat-check spots, although only one was open. There is a place to buy sandwiches, but no popcorn (I asked). The main space is located downstairs, so you take an escalator down. Walking down steps is for chumps.

Drink Prices: C-
Got $7 G&T’s. That’s what I’d expect for this place. Most people were chugging Amstel Light. Heineken is a sponsor, but doubt they have deal for that or else why’d people choose that crud?

Bar Staff: B+
Plenty of Bartenders. Very little or no wait time. The Bartender gave a little grief when I went to buy two drinks to take back in the show. Luckily she remembered me, but I still left my usual buck tip.

Sound Volume: F (actually, Double F)
Ok. Here’s the real dirty sock stinking up the drawer. The volume of the show was equal to level 8 (out of 30) on my home stereo. That’s low enough I could read a Russian novel or ask my neighbors their thoughts on Steven Hawkings latest theory. At first, I thought, “it sucks they don’t turn it up for the opening band, because they aren’t that bad.” Unfortunately, it didn’t get any louder for the headliner. The audience shouted out several times that we couldn’t hear, but to no avail. It really really sucked. We can SEE the band is playing, but we can’t HEAR. The only time it got loud was when the crowd sang along. Near the end, they turned up the volume a tiny bit, but the PA gave a tinny, rattling sound. Not cool. I will avoid this venue at ALL COSTS in the future.

Sound Mix: n/a
Couldn’t even hear to make an honest assessment.

Performance Space: B+
Nice and wide. Split level (about 2-3 feet difference, maybe?) Stadium seating in the way back. Ugly chandeliers above. Speakers are horribly set up. I got more volume from the amps on stage.

Who's Selling Out?

W.A.S. and Ambulance LTD has sold out Bowery Ballroom for this Thursday. I guess I might not go now after WP afterall. (it's been sold out for a while).

Also, The Mountain Goats sold out Bowery Ballroom for Saturday night. They have a Halloween show at the Knitting Factory on Monday. Tix Available.

What I'm up to this Week:

Monday October 24th
Wolf Parade @ Bowery Ballroom

Tuesday October 25th
(New Music: Tom Vek gets a US release, and Rogue Wave’s excellent album is officially out.)

Wednesday October 26th
The Diggs at Scenic (free show)

Thursday October 27th
Dirty on Purpose, Wolf Parade @ NYU
also recommended: We Are Scientists @ Bowery Ballroom

Friday October 28th
Morning Theft as Weezer Blue Album @ Fat Baby

Saturday October 29th
Mountain Goats with PaToADS @ Bowery Ballroom

Rogue Wave on Tour; Same Night as Vangaalen

Rogue Wave has posted their national tour dates and will hit the Bowery Ballroom on December 2nd. I was unimpressed the first time I saw them, but changed my opinion at CMJ. Maybe I'll like them the most this time around. Tickets not yet on sale. [via Chris GvsB]

This is the same night that labelmate, friend, and occasion guest-artist Chad Vangaalen will play the Mercury Lounge. Maybe Sub Pop will have a live feed between the two venues. That'd be sweet.

Review: Rapture at Bowery Ballroom

Hey, look at me, I finally made it onto Last Night’s Party. That’s about as close as they’ll ever get, and I'm half behind some other guy. At least Angela can be seen, unlike when I drew a line over her at CMJ. Here are the rest of LNP’s shots.

The Rapture were very excellent, and despite being sold out didn’t feel insanely crowded. We showed up for the tail end of Cut Copy who were also excellent, and got up really close really fast. The "Raptors" took the stage a bit after midnight, and played a mix of old and new. Since I was in Europe during their brief fad in the States, it was all pretty new to me. It all sounded pretty solid –old and new alike- with the only dead giveaway being the reaction the crowd when they recognized the opening lick.

As much as I hate tall people moving in front of me during a show -that’s exactly what occurred during the last song of the main set- he added even more energy up front and everyone began to dance even more. When he disappeared for the encore, I actually wanted Tall Guy to stay. Fortunately, the encore maintained that level of intensity and ended the night on a high note.

On my fight out to the bathroom mid-set, I spotted Carlos D and Tunde Adebimpe chilling out in the back (not together though). Neither of them made it onto Last Night’s Party. This guy did though. Say “Ah.”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh”

Other takes on the show:
Aziz says "The Rapture f'n dominated at Bowery last night."
Prepared Mind says "The Rapture disappointed and Mahi Mahi and Cut Copy delighted."
Christopher says that he "can die a happy man. Ladies and gentlemen, there was dancing at the Bowery Ballroom."

Life IS a Bit Shifter!

It seems my bud John [Bit Shifter] (on the right), landed himself in jail. He was playing Monopoly Friday night when he rolled at 10, taking him from Free Parking to...no seriousy, he was doing something far more illegal than collecting rent on Park Place.

He was, yes, promoting his show on Saturday night. Obviously he missed the Police Commissioner's announcement that in lieu of actual terrorist activity (although we have plently of the false-alarm type), the NYPD are now cracking down on electronic music produced from Gameboys. More Pics and the story on John's site.

John looks just as bummed as Sharron the Prostitute. He's in Jail there with Nullsleep. This blog is turning into a blotter. [via Kathryn, via Brooklyn Vegan]

Some previous posts on Bit Shifter: from April, from July. Mp3s available there.

Nullsleep also has awesome Mp3s for download at his site. It's like living in your very own video game.

I didn't go to the show Saturday because I was scoping out Nokia Theatre. Unfortuntely, I made the wrong decision there. More on that later.

Review: Youth Group at Mercury

I arrived at Mercury Lounge late enough to catch the last song of the band Acquiesce. By the end of the night, they actually tallied more patrons than Youth Group. They were deceptively good –that is, they played as if they were ten times better than they actually were. And it worked. This one guy next to me was jamming so hard on his air-drums...

Youth Group on the other hand, do not have the manic stage presence their opener did. In fact, at times the bassist and lead guitar look bored. Fortunately, their songs are so powerful and constantly dynamic that it doesn’t matter at all. Danny, the drummer -every girl will have a crush on this guy- throws down the beats that propel that songs, along with Toby's voice, so well. Danny looks like Orlando Bloom, except instead of being a girly actor, he's in a rock band.
They played much off their debut album as well as two new songs. These two had me extremely excited and were –startlingly- the highlight. Somewhere in the middle they played The Frankston Line which as you might know is in 9/8 time. It makes me wish a lot more bands would play in 9/8. They closed the encore-less set with a superb See-Saw.

Youth Group – The Frankston Line

Yeah, I Got Busted...

Shannon just got busted for Prostitution. Boy, does she look bummed. Thanks to the Smoking Gun for the mugshots. You just know that's going be her blogger and myspace photo.

[thanks Molly]

Quick Takes on Albums and Tracks.

My Quick Album Reviews:

Levy – Rotten Love. B+
Much better than I anticipated. I thought they’d have only one good song. The whole album is consistent. Fun and catchy, but not deep. But that’s fine.

The Clientele – Strange Geometry. C+
I’ve only listened twice. Not sure what “dream pop” is, but this could be it. Not very memorable. I'll give a few more spins.

Most Serene Republic – Underwater Cinematographer. B
Hit or miss. Two really strong tracks, a few weak ones, and the rest is so-so.

The Long Winters – Ultimatum EP. B+
The single, Ultimatum, mostly carries this EP, but the rest of it is also good. The live version of the single is unnecessary and inferior to what works so well on the studio version.

John Vanderslice – Pixel Revolt. B+
The three songs before Trance Manual are probably the worse on the album. Once that is over, though, the album sparkles with five or so real gems. I can’t stand Sufjan, but really like this guy.

Song Reviews:
Silver Jews – Animal Shapes. A-
Of the four songs I’ve heard off Tanglewood Numbers, this is the one that strikes me the most. The melody is predictable, but obviously that has never bothered me. Sometimes I like singing along to songs the very first time I hear them. (Download over at Julseas)

Sun Kil Moon – Tiny Cities Made of Ashes. D
The only thing this song has going for it is that Kozelek stops the pain at 3 minutes and 16 seconds, and doesn’t drag it on for longer like he tends to do. Every line of the song ends in the same annoying way. Painful. (Download over at Gorilla Vs. Bear -Sorry Chris, I don't agree with you on this one)

Cordalene – Kissed Awake. A-
This guy’s voice is perfect for this song. Not a fan of the way it opens with only drum and vocal, but when he starts sings “You’re pretty like smoke/You’re pretty like paper”, it really picks up. In fact, just the way he sings “paper” is remarkable and I’ve been trying to emulate it all morning. I’m a big fan of songs that are so good they make you forget that they are secretly dippy. (Download over at Underrated Blog)

Everything is Connected.

Everything. Just hear me out:
I was just checking out Jeff’s list of what’s up and coming, and noticed he recommends Hopewell on Oct 29 at Pianos. The Lolita Bras open up for Hopewell and I mention this because I’m selling my extra Wolf Parade tickets to their guitarist. (Sorry other famous people).

I also noticed on Pianos website, that the Head Set will be “complete w/ backup singers!” for their Halloween show as the Police. Awesome. Jesse Diamond and the Thousand will open up for them, and also will play a free show there on Monday, before Eugene Mirman does his act. I’ll be missing “the Mer-man” to see, that's right, Wolf Parade.

I’m not done.

The Head Set will play a show as themselves at Pianos on November 14th for $5, opening for The Saints, from Australia. Both the Saints and the Police got their start in 1977. In addition, Mike Howlett, who formed the Police is an expatriate of -that's right- Australia.

I saw the Australian band Youth Group last night. But more on that later.

The IO's ; Oh My Rockness Favorite Shows

These two things don't relate, but I'm bunching them anyway:

-From the Oh My Rockness email, you can now vote for your 3 most favorite shows of the year, as well as your least favorite. I'll keep my picks a secret for now. All three happened at the Mercury Lounge. My least favorite happened at Webster Hall. And I disqualified Bloc Party. We all know they are good.

-Last night the Io's played well at Scenic. Free show? Free drinks? I'm there. I didn't/couldn't stay for the King of France nor End of the World. I was so plastered I couldnt even finish my last drink! *Gasp*

I spoke with Chris the singer -before I got to that wonderful state- about what venues he likes, and it turns out they didn't match mine. He likes Rothko and Southpaw. Yuck and double yuck. I can't stand the curtain at Southpaw. We agreed on the Mercury Lounge though.

The Io's have some pretty strong stuff up on myspace. Give a listen.

Vanderslice and Bare Jr. Live MP3s

I realized this morning that I have a program that allows me to record Real Player streams. I’m not sure when I downloaded this little piece of freeware, but it sure is fun. And the rewards shall be passed onto you. Here are a couple live performances from KEXP:

John Vanderslice - Trance Manual, Live at KEXP
Bobby Bare Jr. – Just Stop Crying, Live at KEXP

Yup, that’s right. I won’t shut up about Bobby. This song is unreleased and was written for his new baby girl. When I first heard it, my brother just had his baby girl too, making me a proud uncle. Add a few drinks to the equation and well, I was in tears.

CYHSY Interview.

Tired of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah? Me neither. IndieInterviews has a 15 minute podcast interview with the ever tuned-out Alec Ounsworth. He's actually quite charming in his obliviousness to everything.

Googling people on Craiglist

I put my two extra Wolf Parade tickets up for sale on craigslist for a fair $50, which is far cheaper than the $120 some other tout was doing. (tout is English for "Douchebag Scalper").

Within 12 hours, I had 8 responses. My first step was to Google the names of these people, naturally. Anyway, two of the eight came up on the IMDB database. The first was Robert Forster. He was born in 1941... so I'm thinking it's a different dude by the same name. That's the actor there to your left. I mean, he could be a big Wolf Parade fan. Who knows?


The second was Griffin Frazen. He's a child actor who just turned 18 two weeks ago (the concert is 18+ that night). Unfortuntely for him, he's on a couple of embarrasing websites that I'm about to link to:
-Teen Idols 4 You
-Interview on Girlslife.com (4 years ago)

I don't think Griffin Frazen is a common name, so that must be him.

Who will I sell to? Probably neither. There were a few other people that emailed me first.

Another Busted Night; Stream Jose Gonzalez Live

I went to the Rollingstone.com party at the Canal Room after work yesterday. Seems like Rollingstone and Cuervo are cheap bastards, and only allowed one free drink/person. 20 minutes later, we left

So, off to the Living Room to catch a bunch of singer/songwriters I don't know, and Doveman which I obviosuly do. After a quick stop at San Loco to expense some booze and burritos to Ang's account, we arrived at the Living Room and were shut-out. Unfortunately the place was packed, and they weren't letting any more schmucks in. Glenn was there and says Jose Gonzelez "had the hushed crowd applauding with vigor after each song. His cover of Massive Attack's 'Teardrop' was especially moving."

Damn. Damn. Damn.

That's what I get the one day I don't think I need to get advance tix.

But, you can listen to Gonzalez's live performance on Monday for WFMU. He starts playing at the 51:30 mark in the stream (which you can fast forward to in Real Player). Real Stream. Mp3 Stream. He plays 5 songs, including a cover of some Swedish group, but no Teardrop.

Mason Jennings on New Modest Mouse Label

There Ain’t No Rust on the Happiness Bus
Pitchfork’s main headline today is that Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse is signing Mason Jennings to his new label… which also means that Brock is no longer at Sub Pop bringing on bands like Wolf Parade.

Don’t know Mason Jennings? You should. You really should. His latest album “Use Your Voice” on Bar/None was a masterpiece.

Here are some tracks from that album… one of my favorites from 2004.

Crown
Lemon Grove Avenue
Keepin it Real

The new album will be out in early 2006.

Alternative Sources for Love on the Web

I was doing my daily visit of the Tyra Banks show website, and I came across this page called “Cupid Callout.” On that page, Tyra tries to “hook up” “sexy singles” featured on the “show.” Luckily for us guys, it’s mostly chicks, like Christine there to your left. She is hoping “to find a guy that puts his family and friends first.” If I didn’t know better, I’d say that she just described me perfectly. I mean: that’s me! Sign me up! If you really think about it, guys, your odds are pretty good. How many fellas are actually hitting up the Tyra website looking for love?

But fear not, ladies of the web, of the nine profiles that are looking for dates, one of them is a dude. But not just any dude. This dude:

He enjoys, and I quote, “computer networking and comics.” He is Erik from Illinois. Apparently that’s his After photo. I have not seen his Before shot. I can only imagine.

If you’d like to go on a date with Erik, click here.
If you think you’d have better luck on craigslists, click here.

A Confession: Bad Music I like.

I’m going to re-post an mp3 I linked to a while ago. Why?!?! Because it’s so good? NO! In fact… it’s quite bad. But the thing is, I’ve listened to it dozens and dozens of times and I just. can’t. stop. I think there is something wrong with me. Here, download it, but don’t listen to it until I explain. It's by a band you've never heard of:

Morning of Kafka

Did you download it? No? I’ll wait.

I’m waaaaaiiiiting.

C’mon. It’s worth it. Ok. So it starts off with the dumbest piano arrangement ever. I don’t play piano, yet I’m sure I could manage this song. Then the singing starts, and all of a sudden we are in a high school musical or something. The next few lines would be when the protagonist walks –rather: bounces- across the stage. That is, until the chorus comes in with “so loooooong, soooo long,” and they harmonize as if they’re “Reeling in the Years.” You know what I’m talking about.

But then the SUPER BOUNCEY refrain starts, and all is forgiven. Luckily most of the song is repeating this refrain, over and over… with different arrangements behind, that actually work quite well. I thought if I play the song on repeat, I’d get sick of it. Hasn’t happened yet. The only thing that has happened is that it’s near the top of the list on my play count.

So, I must warn you…you may become unexplicably addicted too. It’s definitely not good, but I can’t get it out of my head. It’s like MmmmBop or something. Here it is again:

Morning of Kafka

And again:
Morning of Kafka

Ok. I’m done now.
Oh…. Yeah… the band is called The Blue Scene.

Review: Jens Lekman @ Mercury Lounge

These are all really good:
Pretty Shoes (mp3)
Black Cab (mp3)
Rocky Dennis' Farewellsong To The Blind Girl(mp3)
(and of course, the classic):
You are the Light (mp3)

Jens Lekman surprisingly packed the Mercury Lounge Saturday night. I’m surprised because not that many people have been talking about him out side of myself and Kathryn. Of course Saturday night at Mercury Lounge is always a wild card.

So, since he has a boat load of songs, I expected him to play a really long set. But no. It was remarkably short, and I guess he even said how he didn’t feel like touring (I was at the bar getting a drink). Well, if he doesn’t like to play live, he at least fooled the audience for the 50 minute set he gave us.

He opened with the some Flamenco-styled song with the repetitious line “We are going to die” …and went right into the Calypso-styled “Happy Birthday, Dear Friend Lisa.” When I wasn’t cracking up at his awesome lyrics, I was really having a blast. He sang one song about a demonstration on New York in 2001, and then followed it with a second song about a demonstration in New York in 2002.

He ended the night walking off stage, standing on the bench to the side, unplugged and unmic’ed… a beautiful version of the song “Julie.” A great end to a show that only left me wanting more.

You can download loads of stuff at the Department of Forgotten songs (such as that Pretty Shoes track above).

Devin Davis and Voxtot to play Merc Lounge

Just Added:
-Devin Davis on November 18th at Mercury Lounge
-Voxtrot on December 7th at Mercury Lounge
-Plus others: Chad Van Gaalen, Sound Team
-and one more, via Jay: The Cribs November 28th at Mercury Lounge

Just Sold Out:
-The Rapture this Friday at Bowery. Anyone go to Tribeca Grand Show?

On sale today:
-all those free Water Street Rising shows. at 11:00. I'm going at 12:30. I hope there are some left for me. The report from miss Modernage is dismal. I think I'll skip it.

And so I don't forget:
-Also on November 18th (after you see Devin Davis), the Underrated is having a show at Crash Mansion. Since Rachael has great taste, it'll be a good who's who in the local buzz scene. Only Jaymay is confirmed.

Review: Head Set + others at Mercury Lounge

End of the World- don’t know anything about them, but thought they were pretty good. Definitely likeable.

Levy – Good; they are definitely listenable also. I don’t hear Cold Play, though, like everyone else seems to think. Isn’t Cold Play English?

The Head Set – the motherfucking gods of rock. Ok, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch. And I must disclaim that I’m inexplicably addicted to their “album”. Still, they were pretty awesome Friday night. They sounded fantastic, and with any luck you WILL be hearing more of these guys. My only wish is that during “Last Call Doll” –the song that takes you back to 1985, hop in a DeLorean, and then travel back to 1955 to dance with girls in poodle skirts- well, my only wish is that the backing vocals would be heard better. You can bearly hear the guitarist sing “Don’t, don’t”. And that’s really what makes me swoon.

The Head Set will be playing as the Police at Pianos on Halloween, and will the playing the classic “Reggatta de Blanc.” I don’t believe I’m a big Police fan, but that could be pretty cool.

Aberdeen City- this band packed the room and got everyone pretty excited. They were excellent, but I eventually got bored. I bounced halfway through their set. I know that sounds like they must’ve been bad… but they weren’t at all. I was just tired of being at the Merc for so long.

The Un-club

The Anscombe Society at Princeton promotes chastity. That's cooooool. Young adults who not only not-have-sex, but also get together and talk about not-having-sex. That's awesome. I mean, there are groups for everything. Even groups that focus on not doing stuff.

It's just as fun as an Atheist club, which I know exist. Unless you're a non-believer of Aetheism, which would make you an Aetheaetheist. Anyway, Aetheist clubs are where the members gather and, yes that's right, not-beleive in God. I mean there are those who don't beleive God on their own, and they are alright, I guess. But I'm more interested in those that meet and not-study the Bible. There are lots of groups that do this-like say Fanasty sport leagues- simply because, well, it's just not what they do. But the Atheist clubs put a special emphasis on it.

However, it's not like the AA or anything. Are there recovering Believers that, if they don't meet regularly, might accidentally slip-up and start believing in God again?

I can think of a few clubs I might join:

-The Not-Rock Climbing Club. We'd meet twice a month and not-go rock climbing. We wouldn't take trips to various outdoor and indoor climbing facilities located all over the area. All those guys with ripped muscles really make me mad.

-The Un-Numismatists. We'd meet once a week and discuss not-collecting rare coins.

-The Vol-UN-teers. We get together every day and not do any community service.

Actually, I'm probably a member of that last group anyway... by default.

It's just as fun as the Un-game!

My Night, Part I

If you have a website, then you already know that Beat Radio’s been giving the full-court press to the blogosphere. All my friends and neighbors –even my Jesuit Uncle Jerry in Nigeria- have received emails from them, and for the past two weeks we’ve all been posting the same tracks. Maybe they haven’t heard of "hype-backlash", but if this pace keeps up, I’m sure they’ll discover it. It’ll be from all the bloggers that they forgot to email.

The things is… bloggers don’t really like solicitations. (I’ve actually received Zero in the short history of this site). But others have, and they don’t seem to like it so much… because usually the music sucks. Beat Radio is defying that taboo by pushing on us music that doesn’t suck. (How’s that for an endorsement?)

Seriously, though, they don’t suck. In fact, they don’t suck so much, that even if you wanted them to suck just a little bit, last night at Sin-e you would have to concur that they don’t. (I really should be a writer).

So here’s my review of their show, only their fourth gig as a band: They played all their demos, plus a new song titled “I wrote this song to combat anxiety.” That’s not the real title, but that’s all it goes by… and it’s pretty good to boot. Mexico was the highlight, probably because it’s the song that’s grown the most from the demos, and just rocks out.

That’s all I’ll say for now, since they are reaching their saturation point on the web.

“My Night, Part II: Gimme (new) Porn!” later…

Ahhhhhh! Camel Toads!

I don't mean to steal Dave's thunder, and repost everything he does, but this is hilarity at it's best. If you don't check out the Prefix links everyday, you should start.

But go to this post first: Godmother worried that godson is licking "Camel Toads"

Samy, the Hero of Myspace.

By now you might have heard about Samy. He's the dude that made a little worm on his myspace profile that made everyone who looked at his profile have all their friends added as his own. In his own words:

It didn’t take a rocket or computer scientist to figure out that it would be exponential, I just had no idea it would proliferate so quickly. When I saw 200 friend requests after the first 8 hours, I was surprised. After 2000 a few hours later, I was worried. Once it hit 200,000 in another few hours, I wasn’t sure what to do but to enjoy whatever freedom I had left, so I went to Chipotle and ordered myself a burrito. I went home and it had hit 1,000,000.

I find pranks like this hilarious. Read the whole interview here.

RSVP Confusion: Rapture

First we are told to email "Get Rad". Then a few days ago, we are told to email "We are 138". But then, last night, I got an email to RSVP to Get Rad again. It was only after this third time RSVPing that I got a reply I'm on the list.

So, it seems like this is the right one: getrad@igetrvng.com

(Oops... I just realized Jen Lekman goes on late tomorrow. Looks like I won't make it after all, unless I just eat the tickets and go to Rapture. I'll definitely see those guys at Bowery.)

Happy Yom Kippur, all you Silver Jews!

Julseas has put up 3 tracks from the Silver Jews' Tanglewood Numbers album, out on Tuesday.
------------------------------------------------------
Here's an excerpt from a KEXP interview with Bobby Bare Jr., about the Silver Jews:

Bobby Bare Jr: I guess Brian [Kotzur] is the drummer for the Silver Jews now, since, they only exist in the studio and he just did the Silver Jews record.

Were you involved with that as well?

Yeah. Yeah. I sing.

So did they poach Brian from the Young Crimal’s Starvation League [Bobby Bare Jr.’s band]?

No, no, no. Berman, the guy from the Silver Jews, lives like 200 yards behind my back door; we’re in the same neighborhood and we’re all buddies. He never tours. He will never play live. So it’s any easy thing to share. Unless we can talk him into touring. We’re going to try real hard ‘cause the new Silver Jews album is spectacular and we just got to get him out.

W.A.S. not completly bashed by PFM: 6.7

We Are Scientists will release their debut album -if you don't count the 5 or 10 EP's they've self-released- on October 20th in the U.K. and the 26th? in the U.S. Pitchfork has preempted my thoughts on how they'll receive it by reviewing it a couple weeks early.

Knowing how much they disliked Hot Hot Heat's respectable Elevator (5.3), I expected them to destroy W.A.S.'s effort even more.

And they didn't. I mean a 6.7 isn't great, but it's better than I had worried... and it was reviewed by my least-favorite of all! Yup! Jason Crock. Maybe he finally wisen-up'ed.

-Jason Crock's average review on August 29th was 6.339.

-previously: reports on W.A.S. from England.

The Best Song for this Rainy October

The Long Winters- Ultimatum (mp3)

On my rainy walk home through the crisp October air last night, with my ipod riffling through a shuffle of new songs, one track came on and fit beautifully. This song was meant for the autumn, which is underscored by the EP’s very own cover art. Many thanks to Concert Josh and Indie Don’t Dance for the recommendation.

I’ll definitely be tracking down this EP (just released Tuesday on Barsuk) and eventually their acclaimed 2003 “When I Pretend To Fall.”

Here’s a track from that release:
Blue Diamonds (mp3)

Screw the new iPod... gimme some Pez.

While everyone is jizzing over the new iPods -both video and nano- you should know about your other options. So, before you go out and throw your money at Steve Jobs, Dave Prefix has pointed out that some Dad in some Basement has been making these, PEZ mp3 players. Think you smell a lawsuit by PEZ? Nope! He got himself a license. Smart Dad.

And does it come loaded with OutKast and Beyonce? Nope again! It comes with a few tracks by artists like Smoosh and... well... I don't know the others. I guess I'm not very Indie Rock.

The best part of the website is the frequently asked questions page... ingeniously transcribed as a conversation with his mom:

Mom: I got your PEZ thing in the mail today, how do I turn it on?
Me: Flip back the head. There is an on/off switch under it.
Mom: Oh, clever. No candy, I guess?
Me: Nope. Didn't have any room left for candy.
Mom: Too bad. Maybe one day, eh?
(read more of the conversation with his mom)

The Best Laid Plans...

So , although I am deathly ill with a non-cold-or-flu-related cough, I am tired of going to bed at 10:00. Sick or not, I'll be back in the swing of things for tomorrow.

Thursday, October 13
-Free show at Sin-e with Beat Radio. This is a great way to check these guys out. C'mon... it's FREE! And it's a great way to warm up before:
-New Pornographers at Webster Hall. I loved them over the summer, but I was drinking all day for that show. Luckily my coughing is qualmed with boozing.

Friday, October 14
-Head Set, Levy, Aberdeen City at Mercury Lounge. Matt Rant just suggested Aberdeen City to me in an earlier post. Levy has garnered raves from around the blogerator. And Head Set have one of the best albums I've heard all year. This is the DO NOT MISS show of the week. All for 8 bucks.
-??? at Cake Shop?... I have some party or after-party listed on my calendar. Does anyone know what this might be? I completely forgot.

Saturday, October 15
-Jens Lekman @ Mercury Lounge -not a big fan, but I can imagine it's better live.
-The Rapture @ Tribeca Grand (make sure you RSVP to the other email address)

U.S.E review in Village Voice

Thanks to Glenn for pointing out this article in the Village Voice. It's a little wordy, and less about U.S.E than about Matt Fluxblog.

Is it positive? Is it negative? It's actually pretty neutral. The conclusion is spot-on though:

"USE can be like that friend who gets drunk at parties and insists that everyone push the couches against the walls and dance to the Flashdance soundtrack. But then, this friend is usually right; you're probably better off getting drunk and dancing to the Flashdance soundtrack."

Seriously, I could see U.S.E every month and be very very happy.

Bowery Presents Nokia Theatre?

It seems like the Bowery Presents series is no longer limited to Webster Hall. According to their website, they are now presenting LCD Soundsystem at the new Nokia Theater. With The Juan Maclean and Shit Robot $30/25 adv.

Tickets via Ticketmaster on sale tomorrow, or save yourself fees and go to their box office.

Next up: Bowery Presents Madison Square Garden?

iYeti (summer Yeti)

This is my iPod cover during the summer. It's pretty old and dirty now. I have a really hairy one with arms for the winter, when I have bigger winter pockets. Maybe by Halloween, he'll be back rockin' with me in the subway.

(Ang, my graphic designer and fellow tequila aficionado made it).

(And it turns out the Brooklyn Vegan likes Halloween as much as I do.)

C’mon! Party People, C’mon!

Hey! Hey! Hey!

When a band is so good that they are pretty much the embodiment of why I go to live shows, I lose track that not everybody isn’t as enamored as I may be. So, if you get annoyed by a crowd that dances and shouts along with their fists in the air, you’d be annoyed at a U.S.E show.

That said, for whomever likes to go out on a dance floor and jump around, U.S.E puts on the best live shows ever. I’ll put it this way: there are some people that go to wedding receptions and can’t wait to get out on the dance floor, and then there are some who are happy sitting at the table waiting for their cake. U.S.E is for the former.

Who’s my people?
Party People!

One indicator of a great show with an even better crowd is the indifference between old songs and new. I had to tell Angela which songs were unreleased –just because the crowd didn’t couldn’t stop dancing. In fact, I was still dancing the next morning in the shower, shouting, It is On! It is On!

Hey! Hey! Hey!

Stella-lights at Irving.

I’m home today trying to avoid my coworkers from catching whatever I caught -and no, it was not a delicious bass. I feel pretty good except a bad cough, that has finally begun to wane. I’ll be sure to keep my throat wet with plenty of liquids (water before beer, you’re in the clear) before I venture out to U.S.E. tonight. I’m glad its an early show.

Since I already had a ticket to Stellastarr, I ended up going to Irving Plaza after drinking 5 pints of water to keep healthy. Stellastarr were excellent, but the sold out crowd wasn’t the liveliest bunch of New Yorkers I‘ve seen. They opened with “Lost in Time”, and the crowd stood still. Maybe we were dazzled by the light show. Or maybe not that many people have their new album yet. At least when they played “Sweet Trouble Soul Meets Body”, or whatever, they seemed to know that one.

In my case, Stellastarr had the unfortunate situation of playing the same venue two nights after I saw an insanely good show put on by the Presidents. Only “My Coco” got the audience to even approach the reaction on Tuesday. Imagine sustaining that energy for two hours.

But I’m comparing apples to oranges. Stellastarr still rocked like rock stars, and had a light show to prove it. At first I liked the lights, but by the forth song I told myself, “What the fuck, I’m being assaulted here!” The lighting engineering was like Carlton on Speed -you know the episode. I was disorientated and a little annoyed. If it was a Japanese cartoon, we’d all be sent to the hospital right now. Luckily, halfway through, it calmed down and I was able to actually look at the band. They -the lights that is- just needed to have a focus. Like the band.

Reports from across the pond... not the narrows:

I’m sorry to keep talking about these guys, but I had to link:

-Here’s one in-depth favorable gig review on how W.A.S. are being received in England.

-Here’s a French guy’s perspective on them.

-OMG! If you can read txt-speak, here’s a review from a 19 year old girl who got her shoes signed by Keith: “i fangirly told him his bands ace, and screw the editors, its his band i came to see, he seemed happy, huggin ensued, i asked wen the album cums out, then i ran bk to the bar to return the pen! go me!”

-Indie Cred doesn’t like them nor their facial hair.

I’ll give you some indie cred of my own if you can place this quote without help from Google:
“Do you want the ‘stache on or off?”
“Off Please.”
“Too bad.”

Knock Knock!

I found this joke on a website titled, "Classic Clean Jokes for Children."

Knock, Knock.
Who's there?
Hymen.
Hymen who?
Hymen the mood for love.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Mommy? What's a hymen?
Well, honey, it's kinda like this.

This is a bit late, but...

Everytime I read a pretentious review over at PFM (Tuningfork highlights the recent associate editor, Nick Sylvester, review on the Warlocks), I am reminded of this article in the Village Voice about the Siren Festival by music critic Mikael Wood. I recommend reading it if you want to punch a wall or something.

Pretty much, Wood just says how much it sucked, and that everyone who went to the festival were "hipster shitbags." You heard right, the Voice trashes their own damn festival. Does he even talk about the music? Barely... he talks more about Harry Potter and then, after trashing a few of the acts, writes about the rides at Coney Island, which were "seventy-three times more interesting."

Here's some pretension for you, direct from the Music Critic World:
"I've never read a single Potter book, yet I own records by every act that appeared on Siren's two stages. Not that I asked for them."

"So, sure, indie rock is a shitty scene with a dangerous and predictable case of self-aggrandizing cultural myopia (not to mention bad hair). But it's my shitty scene!"

And I thought I hated my job.

No Really Guys, I'm Stuffed

Here's a picture of a python after he/she tried to eat an alligator. It burst.


Now here's a picture of a python eating an elephant:

Be careful little fella!

Review: Presidents at Irving Plaza

Wow. “Why didn’t you hype that show?” Angela asked me when we left Irving Plaza last night.

The Presidents of the United States threw down the shit last night. They threw it down and used it as a carpet as they rocked a 66% capacity venue like it was their last show ever. Question is: who could have expected THAT? Ten years after a nearly flawless debut that garnered a ton of radio and MTV play, they continue to play on like Lump had just hit the charts. Although they finally had a sophomore album in 2004, I was only there for the “classics”. Correction: They had a quick follow-up in 1996, followed by their third album in 2004. Thanks Megan.

It was intense; it was 1985, it was 1995, it was 2005, and maybe even 2015… I’m not sure, but it definitely enters the pantheon of great performances. Even Ang, who only knew Lump and Peaches, was stunned.

The crowd was… insane, nuts, rabid. They’ve been practicing their dance moves and they’ve got them down like none other. I swear there must have been a trampoline up front. Those kids were rocketing into the air. 10 feet, maybe 20. They were UP there.

Of the 13 songs on their self-titled debut, they played eleven, yes eleven. They also squeezed in 10 songs from the 2004 release and two covers, one being their Wedding Singer staple “Video Killed the Radio Star.” If you were there, you would’ve sworn they wrote the dang tune. Stereogum was recently talking about covers that eclipse the original, and they’ve gone and done it. During this, people were leaping over me like I was a candlestick.

Of the newer songs, one really stuck out. Trust me… this is just as good as something like “Stacey’s Mom”, (in the words of the Village Voice). What do you think?

Some Postman (rapidshare mp3)

Fashion Alert has been Raised to Orange!

Yesterday, I mentioned Lady Sovereign's campaign to stop the UK ban on hoodies. I don't think this new line by Yvan Rodic for Anticon will help.



"Graffiti artists, people with acne, snowboarders or simply superheroes would certainly be into them." [Cool Hunter][Gawker]

Diamond Nights @ Knitting Factory

Diamond Nights @ Knitting Factory:
(this is more about the scene that their music)

The Crowd:
-Mixed. Some older business people, some younger…uhhh… (insert a new word for “hipster”)… and some regular folks like me that just got out of work.

-A guy from Red Stripe going around taking pictures of people drinking… he aimed his camera past me, and I tried to get out of the way, but then I realized he was taking MY photo. I can guarantee that shot will never make it into any cool ad campaign. Near the end, girls were going up to him to solicit their photo, obviously confusing him for the Cobrasnake. I left before they started showing him their titties.

-One guy there stepped straight off Blue States Lose Top Ten list. Seriously, who was that guy?… you know the one… with the striped face paint under the eye?… and dressed like he was in Godspell (see picture to left)? And caring around a CD boom box from 1998.

I hope Gartersnake Dude puts him in their ad campaign.

-I think Jinners was there… but I remember her being 30 inches tall (she was sitting on the ground when I met her). I should have said hello, and even if it wasn’t her, who wouldn’t like a stranger coming up saying, “Hey! I’m Yeti!”

The Band:
The lead singer looks like is Ted Leo with long hair. See?:

The Music:
Really really good. I got their EP at Siren Fest but mostly shelved it… Gotta go dig it out now. These guys can really rock. What decade is it anyway?

The Free Beer:
Allows me to tip over 800% and still be a cheapskate.

The Week of U.S.E. Bring it on!

Matt Fluxblog:
USE is easily one of the top 5 live acts I've ever seen. Going to see Sufjan Snoozans instead of them would be insane. USE will bring the joy. Everyone needs to see them and have their mind BLOWN.

Because this is the official “Week of U.S.E.” in the East, and that Brooklyn Vegan neglected on his Gothamist post to list their show at Knitting Factory on Friday…. I’m going to keep mentioning them ALL WEEK LONG.

Seriously, I wouldn’t hype this band if they weren’t capable of DEMOLISHING your standards of a live show.

Download “Emerald City” mp3 over at One Louder.

And if all you in Chicago, Concert Josh and Tequila Red, don't go see them next week at Schubas... shame.

Is that the best you got?

One Louder reports that the Arctic Monkeys are reported to be the next big act from England, and Jason's bummed.

So, always being several months behind the trends, I went and found a few tracks to assess for myself. Now I'm a bit bummed. No, it's not bad, but haven't we heard this already? I don't even mind that, as long as you are still better than who you sound like. They occupy two nights at the Mercury Lounge. Here are some mp3s floating around:

Fake Tales of San Francisco (mp3)

Dancing Shoes (mp3)

A Certain Romance (mp3) (probably the best of the bunch I found)

Scummy/When the Sun Goes Down (mp3 via Hey Andy)

From the Ritz to the Rubble (mp3 via Hush Reality)

Bunch of decent live tracks via this site. By the sound of the crowd singing along, sounds like the UK is rabid for these guys.

Tom Vek to Play Knitting Factory November 4th

Knitting Factory NYC that is. And it's a Friday. (Looks like a pretty late show) Tickets on sale now for $10.

Also noticed much-buzzed Lady Sovereign will play November 30th there. Tix on sale for that starting October 11th. She has a campaign to "Save the Hoodie"... which might soon be banned in the UK. (I guess they don't have neighborhoodies over there).

Aziz has a Badass Fan Blog

This site is hilarious (Thanks Fake Century). It's based off of Aziz's comedy bit to have everyone declare on the internet that he is a badass. Well, now it has been proven. My favorite is the story titled "Aziz vs. Himself Times 900" when a reader, Matt, asks him how he'd beat an army of Aziz clones.

Matt, I am glad you asked this question. I knew it was bound to come up sooner or later, because it's like the game Street Fighter II, where eventually you have to fight yourself, and it's like, "Hey. There is nobody who can beat me except myself and oh no, now I'm up against this very situation." Yes. Except it's like several hundred of that.

And then after the clones are made, the Scientist tells them:

"I say kill Aziz. Here's what he looks like: He looks exactly like you do, except he's wearing a badass cowboy hat that fashion wise, he totally pulls off. So that's what he looks like. Go on now and kill him."

And you know what? The mad scientist would be right because Aziz would be wearing a cowboy hat at that exact moment. So now the audience would be thinking "Oh, this is great. Aziz is going to put his cowboy hat on the heads of the clones so that they end up killing each other or something. What a fucking genius move on Aziz's part." Yes. Well, why doesn't Aziz just fucking watch Gilmore Girls while he is at it?

CyHsY & gIrLz!!! h0T!!!

callmeMICKEY has mp3s of the Clap Your Hands performance on KCRW, with a new track called "Graceful Retreat." Go be a nerd like me and grab it.

It'll be a Savefile download. Which reminds me... have you ever noticed that when you click on the Savefile link, on the second page right before you download, there's always that banner ad for personals, using really hot chicks that don't really exist... like these:


Of course, they aren't really normal personals. Their website says it's "Sex and Swingers Personals" which... itsn't that what craiglist is for?

News Flash: Rock and Roll still "Devil's Music"

Ever think that Rock Music is the music of Satan and his legions of demons? Well duh! But how about Christian Rock Music? Here’s a website that explicitly proves that Christian Rock Music is Satan’s musical tool! It's quite entertaining. I'd pull quotes, but the whole thing cracks me up.

“Religious Rock... The Music of Devils in the CHURCH!!!”


Not to defend Christian Rock or anything, not at all…. there really is no defense for that…. but the point he makes is that it’s a gateway to secular, demonic music. I’d say that the internet, while able to have a Christian niche and thus supporting that website, is largely secular, and thus inherently evil by his standards. Not only that, but the internet is renowned for it’s pornography, while the Decemberists are known for…. umm…. songs about whales and barrow boys.

Then again… what about that new “Satan Said Dance” tune….

Here’s one more link, but this one an obvious joke: “The Star Wars is Satan’s Tool.”

Who's "Selling Out"...

For those keeping track, Wolf Parade sold out Northsix (capacity 400) in four days.

UPDATE: Nevermind. Tickets back on sale. Get them while you can.

This is an addition to selling out Bowery Ballroom (that took a few weeks, but sold out the afternoon the CD was released).

Weekend Wrap-up: Hold Steady, Beat Radio, Interpol

Hold Steady @ Maxwell’s –I was pretty happy-drunk on the Path train over to NJ, but got into a dipute about Columbus Day on the way, so that made me into an invert-drunk… you know, the kind that can’t stop thinking about Columbus Day. If there’s anyway to enjoy a Hold Steady show, it’s definitely not with that on your mind.

Anyway, they rocked out and played again for 90 minutes, which last time at Bowery only got more intense. This time, though, it seemed about 15 minutes too long.

Beat Radio @ Sin-e – Like Rachael, I arrived early to Sin-e to find the private party still in full swing. Had I known it was an open bar with free chicken pot pie I would have stayed… but instead I sauntered around the Lower East Side looking at all the kids all dolled up for a big Saturday night.

Luckily, Beat Radio was exceptionally good. They opened with a strong rendition of Elegy and from there went on to play a full set, only finding myself losing my interest once (A Million Miles still sticks out as the weakest of the bunch). When I wrote about them in August, I said that they seemed to have potential, so I was very happy to hear that they’ve gone and utilized that to create fuller songs. Of course, that will happen naturally when you add a full band with a real drummer. At times, they really throw a lot more energy into a song, and songs like Ancient and Mexico which were good, are now even better. While Elegy lost some of it’s delicate nature (on the demo, Brian softens the highest notes with dynamic effect), it still didn’t disappoint.

The vocals, that may have been slightly over-amped on the typically horrendous Sin-e PA, came across strong. Unfortunately the harmony vocals which are so nice on their recording weren’t mic’ed properly at all.

Beat Radio are playing a free show on Thursday, October 13th at Sin-e, at 7:00.

Interpol @ Webster Hall Good show. Not a huge fan, so not much to say. The lighting was really good, and I really liked half of the songs. The other half though weren’t up to my speed. The sound at Webster Hall was excellent. My main complaint about Interpol, that I hadn't realized before, is that the guitar lines that precede many of their songs are really simple. I mean like, “I’m in 9th grade and I just started playing guitar” simple. I took a closer listen this morning to a similar sounding band from England -who will remain nameless- and I thought the same thing. I guess on the recordings, such things aren’t as apparent.

I think Interpol is doomed in attempting to make a third record, just like Cold Play trying to make the same record three times. We'll see, but these New Yorkers have a tall order to fill.