Back Porch Banter

Gone Fishin'

2008-03-10T23:54:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I'm gonna be in St. Croix for the next week. As much as I'd love to spit out a couple posts, I'm gonna be a little preoccupied. Y'all understand.

On an unrelated note, I interviewed Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers for Dudes Mag the other day. Maybe I should post some of that 'view here before we release the next ish. Their StL show friggin' ripped and you can read all about it and view some lovely pics right HERE.

The Oranges Band - ride the nuclear wave

When It's Time to Party We Will Party Hard

2008-03-07T10:04:00.005-06:00

[Ed. For some reason, Blogger's gone B.A.N.A.N.A.S. - this post has been bouncing on and off all weekend.]
Dudes Magazine is hosting a release party for issue #11 - dubbed "ish' Snake Eyes" - at Lemmons tonight. The festivities start around 9'ish and the Hot Atomics, Celebrity Autoposy, and Devlin's Kids are playin'. That's one healthy dose of RAWK. Be there or be... undudely.

DUDES MAG THEME SONG

And We're Back on the Record...

2008-02-28T11:50:00.006-06:00

Sorry for the lack of communication. Had some bidness to take care of right quick.

It feels good to be back. It feels even better to be able to spend some quality time at home with my wife, dog, cats, and RECORDS. I've been at the mercy of the cds in my car for the past few weeks. And while I keep an unreasonable number of cds in my rig (probably about 200), I was really missing the LPs that've been patiently waiting in my living room; just dyin' to be spun.

Below you will find some tunes I've gratefully been rockin' on long playing vinyl format:

Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
Not only is this my favorite Funkadelic album, but it's probably my favorite album cover ever. The album opens with this totally boss 10 minute guitar solo/freakout. Amazingly, it only gets better from there. "Can You Get to That" is one of those songs I feel like everyone in the world should love.

can you get to that

Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing and a Curse
This is considered DBT's most polarizing album. Some love it, some absolutely hate it. I align myself with the former. Sure, it ain't your typical hour+ opus telling the story of the Southern Thing. It is, however, an enlightening departure for the band, and they did it without traveling too far out of their element. The tune below is proof.

wednesday

The Cars - Shake It Up
One day I realized that I have all of the Cars relevant albums on vinyl. I didn't even try to do it. I guess I would just pick up any Cars joint I'd stumble upon. And when I say "relevant" albums, I'm referring to everything released from 1978-1987. Anything else doesn't count. Period.

since you're gone

American Football - American Football
Here's a blast from the past. While some of the albums I loved back in 1999 have long since been forgotten, American Football is definitely not one of them. Maybe it's the midwestern emo kid in me, but something about about the sincerety in the lyrics, the gleaning melodies, and sideways drumming just gets me every time.

honestly

The Hold Steady - Milkcrate Mosh [7"]
This is a super rare Hold Steady seven incher. I believe it was the first thing they ever put out. The b-side is a Zeppelin cover. How many bands can get away with covering Zeppelin on their first release? I only know of one and that'd be the Hold Steady. Sidenote: word on the streets is that these dudes just finished recording their 4th LP, tentatively titled, Stay Positive . Can't friggin' wait.

hey hey what can i do

Against Me - Reinventing Axl Rose
These dudes sure have come a long way since they released Reinventing.... The gritty production and sloppy, raucous spirit is what distinguishes this album from new Against Me.

pints of guiness make you strong

Well, I got the day off so now seems as good a time as any to have a beer. Expect a report on the Drive-By Truckers show I'm hittin' up tomorrow. "LET THE BE ROOOOCK."

I Feel It All

2008-02-14T22:53:00.004-06:00

I stumbled upon this Feist vid for "I Feel it All" the other day. I know
"1 2 3 4" was most definitely her breakthrough hit and a fun-as-hell video, but I actually enjoy this one even more. I'd freakin' kill to play with all those pyros!

Back to the grind...

This'll Keep Ya Busy

2008-02-13T08:09:00.004-06:00

Sorry, I've been a little hemmed up in bar study mode. It's awesome. Here're a few quick tidbits to hold you over in the mean time:

An idiot's guide to Tom Waits. About 30+ choice cuts from that serve as cliff notes for each of Tom Waits' wicked releases. If you're not educated in the world of Waits, your time has come. Couldn't have summarized them better myself, Popdose.

KBO has been a blogging machine over at ProgBlogStl. Head on over there and learn how to be a hippie while you're testing your "Saved By the Bell" knowledge.

rbally has posted roughly a 60 song set that Jeff Tweedy [Wilco] recorded in someone's living room. Apparently Tweedy played a three-part set in the Coleman's [?] living room for some benefit last March. He pretty much covers the whole Wilco catalog.

While I didn't watch the Grammy's, I did get to check out this awesome Kanye performance [ft. Daft Punk]. Gotta get me some of those shades!

She and Him

2008-01-31T16:31:00.000-06:00

A little while back, I heard my boy M. Ward was collaborating with Zooey Deschanel for an upcoming project. Sure, I love me some M. Ward as much—probably, even more so—as the next cat. But Zooey D.? Truthfully, I didn’t expect much. I’ve had a serious change of heart.

Once I heard this tune [posted below], I realized she wasn’t just the girl from Almost Famous and Weeds (love both), but she was also Buddy’s love interest in Elf! Say what you want, but that movie is fun as hell and if you hate it, you’re a cold, lifeless jerk. Anyway, as you may’ve noticed in Elf, Z.D. can sing.

Here's some more info on the collab.: M.W. + Z.D. = She and Him. Merge Records will release this one on March 18, 2008. It’s titled Volume One, so apparently we can expect more from this duo. Premium pop goodness!

She and Him - why stay here

"I've had sex 5 times."

2008-01-29T19:24:00.000-06:00

Thank you Dan-R.N. for throwing this vid my way. Here's proof that no matter how many stints of rehab they go through; no matter how many members of Hanoi Rocks they accidentally kill; no matter how many bullshit reality shows they take part in... Motley Crue will NEVER lose their edge. Be sure to watch this one all the way through. You won't be disappointed.

WEEKEND MIX

2008-01-25T17:34:00.000-06:00

Have a pleasant weekend folks. It's damn cold here in the Lou. Maybe these tunes will warm y'all up.

The National - fake empire
Flight of the Conchords - business time
Drive-By Truckers - tornadoes
The Drams - des moines
Bomb the Music Industry - 493 Ruth
Modest Mouse - float on (*alternate version)
New Pornographers - myriad harbour
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - oregon girl
Sonic Youth - teenage riot
The Strokes - mercy mercy me (m. gaye cover - ft. ed vedder)

I was passing out when you were passing out your rules.

2008-01-16T23:36:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty jazzed about the fact that Jawbreaker -- easily one of my favorite bands, ever -- are back in action [sort of]. Not so fast though. Based on their own reports, they recently jammed together, "for old time's sake." I guess the main reason behind the recent sesh': they're piecing together a documentary. Sign me up for that one, please. More info on that can be found [via punknews] here.

Classics anyone?

Jawbreaker - want
Jawbreaker - do you still hate me?
Jawbreaker - save your generation

Strictly Leakage

2008-01-15T20:25:00.000-06:00

The always-electrifying Atmosphere has a dope new album available ... and it's FREE. You can swoop it up right here. It's way hot and I'd recommend it to anyone who's remotely interested in hip-hop.

As introduced by the dudes: "as a way to thank all of our supporters, ant and i have put together this party favor...it's called "strictly leakage." thirteen songs to chase away the winter doldrums." It's been chasin' mine away for the past few days...

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"This is what it's like to drown out the psychos..."

Speaking of Rhymesayers Entertainment, here's a very awesome track by P.O.S., featuring none other than Craig Finn of the Hold Steady. Truly wicked stuff...

P.O.S. [ft. Craig Finn] - safety in numbers

Things that Suck -- Things that Rule

2008-01-09T22:02:00.000-06:00

Quick rundown on things that've been revvin' my engine as of late. We'll start with the negatives.

The things that make me want to put my fist through a wall:

Friggin' Roger Clemens. I know, innocent til proven guilty. Blah blah. He's an asshole and I hope Congress totally puts homeboy on blast come Febuary. GET OVER YOURSELF BRO. You're a cheater [probably].

The primaries. For some reason I'm way more cynical this go-around. Maybe it's because my grandma --who's a Dem, mind you-- has already sent me the same email twice about how Obama is a terrorist who wipes his ass with with the flag and will only say the National Anthem in Arabic. What bothers me even more is a) the silent majority won't back Obama, and b) Hillary Clinton can't carry the vote because, well, people don't like her. That being said, if Edwards can't take South Carolina, his prez bid may be doomed.

Studying. Some day, I will be able to say I don't have to study anymore. Unfortunately, I have to pass the Missouri Bar Exam before I'm able to do so. Ugghhh.

And the things that distract me from the b.s. and make me happy and hopeful:

Drive-By Truckers - Brighter than Creation's Dark. The new Truckers album comes out in a couple weeks and I couldn't be more excited. Judging by the tunes I heard them road-test at their Austin Dirt Underneath Tour gig, this album's gonna rip. Dude, it's 19 tracks long and bassist Shonna Tucker steps up to the mic for the first time to debut 3 tunes she wrote for the album. Enough said.

Johnny Walker's Black Label. Man, I reeaally like scotch.

The Green Bay Packers. The mighty Pack will take on the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs this Saturday. Could this be Favre's last game? I hope to hell it's not. Does anyone else remember when Hasslebeck [S'hawks QB] mistakenly predicted an OT win against the Pack back in 2004? That really blew up in his face, didn't it. Just to give you an idea as to how weak the S'hawks are: their kicker, Josh Brown, will apparently be wearing heated pants during Saturday's game in Green Bay. Soooo weak.

Bumper Pool. My neighbor gave me this wicked bumper pool table and we've been rocking the hell out of it. Not to mention, it really ties the basement together.

rbally. Dude over at rbally is constantly posting wicked live/rare bootlegs of all of your favorite artists. He went on a not-so-brief hiatus last year, but now he's finally back to regular, quality posting. Some highlights from the past few weeks: the Replacements @ CBGB's, 1984; Ryan Adams in Dublin, 2002; Radiohead in Berlin, 2000; Wilco in Oregon, 2007; Sonic Youth in Italy, 1992.

Happy New Year

2008-01-08T18:26:00.000-06:00

I didn't intend on taking this much time off from bloggin'. I had a few different posts brewin' but I've been experiencing some technical difficulties that're preventing me from uploading songs. This will [hopefully] be resolved very soon.

Anyway, you know what's pretty funny/pathetic about me? I randomly choose to ignore really popular bands that drum up alot of buzz. Maybe it's the jaded punker in me, or maybe it's one of my classic--albeit reasonable--excuses: "I can't listen to every friggin' band, ya know."

Regardless, this mentality led me to ignore a really sweet album that was released this past year: The National's Boxer. A buddy back in TX gave me their two previous albums and, honestly, I don't even remember giving them much of a listen. After seeing this album pop up in virtually everyone's Top Ten of 2007, I caved and picked it up.

Holy friggin' hell, this album's good. While I could go on and on about their drummer's insanely precise chops, or rant about the lush piano and string arrangements, it's singer Matt Berninger's lyrics and delivery that demand your attention. I picked this album up a couple weeks back and I'm pretty sure I've listened to at least once everyday since.

Here's the video for "Apartment Story," one of my favs off of Boxer:

Year In Review

2007-12-16T08:46:00.000-06:00

Things that made 2007 totally bitch:

-Entertaining Bauer and Ward when they came to visit Texas.
-Hanging out in Austin with Ben for a SXSW.
-Seeing the Drive-By Truckers play an acoustic show in Austin.
-Getting my juris doctorate (law) degree.
-Moving back to St. Louie, MO.
-Buying a house.
-Road trip to Milwaukee and Chicago to follow the Cardinals around.
-Hangin' with Team Awesome and crashing a party on Tour de Moose day.
-Our trip to Chicago to hang with pals and check out Jason Isbell.
-An awesome season (thus far) for the Green Bay Packers.
-New albums by the Weakerthans, Kanye, Jens Lekman, and the Black Lips [see earlier post].

New Music: The Foxboro Hot Tubs

2007-12-12T09:07:00.000-06:00

There's a sweet new group out called Foxboro Hot Tubs. The band may or may not be a side project of the members of Green Day. Actually, it most definitely is, however, they're not saying. They pulled this same stunt with the electro-punk, robot-rockin' the Network.

Whoever the heck they are, Foxboro Hot Tubs have an EP available that you can download for FREE. Check it out right HERE.

The 6 song EP has a '60's garage, British Invasion vibe to it. I like it. It's really not too much of a stretch from some of Green Day's previous work. At at least, in my opinion, the influences have always beeen there. All-in-all: lighter on the snotty punk rawk, heavier on the garage-soul.

Top 10 Albums of 2007!

2007-12-10T09:41:00.001-06:00

Dude, 2007 is, like, over. That being said, here are my favorites of the year. Feel free to chime in [via comments] and offer your favorite joints of '07. I'll probably post my favorite songs of '07 later, which you'll be able to download.

10.WILCO - Sky Blue Sky

9. SPOON - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

8. OAKLEY HALL - I'll Follow You

7. THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE QUEEN - The Good, The Bad & the Queen

6. MODEST MOUSE - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

5. JASON ISBELL - Sirens of the Ditch

4. JENS LEKMAN - Night Falls Over Kortedala

3. THE WEAKERTHANS - Reunion Tour

2. BLACK LIPS - Good Bad Not Evil

1. KANYE WEST - Graduation

Cover Me: Holland, 1945

2007-12-02T19:43:00.000-06:00

I've always loved this Neutral Milk Hotel classic. Whenever I hear it, I feel like I'm swerving around on a roller coaster, drunk as hell, smiling my ass off. Why I get that feeling, I have no idea. It's just one of those captivating tunes that kinda does funny things to ya.

I really didn't know what to think when I picked up Jason Isbell's version this one. If memory serves me correctly, he performed this back in his Truckers days. Probably to start off one of their encores, or maybe during a solo show. Regardless, I still think this is an interesting tune for this particular artist to cover. As odd as [I think] it may be, it friggin' works.

Neutral Milk Hotel - holland, 1945
Jason Isbell - holland, 1945

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I'm watching the Patriots steal one from the Ravens on Monday Night Football right now. Talk about a freaking heartbreaker. Brian Billick's a jerk!

Coming off a super-fun weekend which included fun times with THE Michael Bauer [which included sparklers at 3:00 a.m.] and drunken Karaoke with the usual suspects [kudos on "Purple Rain" KBO]. NIZE!

The Monads ++ Hot Stove Banter ++ B.B.Jr.

2007-11-26T20:08:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a nice holiday. Mine was the same as it always is: too much binge drinking/eating. While nothing particularly crazy went off, I did happen catch a pretty cool St. Louis band I'd never heard of, The Monads. They play sweaty bluegrass punk music. You can smell the whiskey seeping from their pores as they abuse their banjo, violin, guitar, harmonicas and upright bass. Head on over to their site and see for yourself.

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Also, the baseball season may be over but this is one of my favorite times of the year. The hot stove chitter chatter always interests me [and distracts me when I should be hard at work]. For those interested in every ounce of trade gossip ever whispered, head on over to MLBTraderumors. Odds are the Cardinals won't even make a big move, but it's still fun to hear who's movin' and shakin'. Plus, the winter meetings are right around the corner so there's surely gonna be some juicy gossip.

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And I almost forgot, Bloodshot recently sent me the newest Bobby Bare Jr. It's sweet. Snatch the opening track off this rockin' honky-tonk banger below. It rips.

Bobby Bare Jr. - the heart bionic

"You Can't Kill the Rooster"

2007-11-20T11:32:00.000-06:00

[++UPDATE++ Appropriate tune'age has been added below.]
So I picked up Captain Casey from the airport on Saturday morning. We had a pretty low key day. Lunch, relaxing, playing catch-up -- nothing crazy. We were going to save "party mode" until later when we planned on checking out Asbury Park, this Springsteen tribute band. I should mention that he came bearing gifts. Being the nice [and insane] guy he is, he brought me some sort of military-issued *switchblade. Pretty bitch, if ya ask me. I was messing with it all day, only to have Captain Casey bark in my ear every 10 minutes, "dude, be fucking careful with that thing - it's really sharp."

Anyway, we're gearing up for the night; about ready to walk out the door. I throw the Captain this memory card I just bought for my camera and tell him to pry the sucker open. The stooges at Target forgot to pop the lock on the plastic case when they sent me home with it. Thank god I have a new switchblade, right? BAD MOVE. Captain Casey puts the blade through the case... and through his friggin' hand. SERVED! I guess I got served too cos the fountain of blood coming from his paw was now all over my walls and bathroom.

Of course Casey's playing it off like it happens all the time [which may very well be the case considering his past]. "It's cool man, give me a rag. We're fuckin' going to see this Springsteen band." Dan RN was there and confirmed the probably obvious: "That definitely needs stitches man."

We gather our supplies before we head out to the ER. Casey makes a cranberry and vodka, I grab a twelver of The King and we're on our way. He checks in, they process him, do a preliminary wrap on his hand, then he walks right back out. Why wait all night in an ER when you can tailgate in the parking lot?

All said and done, the Captain got 10 stitches, got to catch about an hour of Asbury Park's set, was prescribed pain pills [which made him happy], and a BOSS time was had by all... (except for me when he urinated on my leg in a parking lot at 3 a.m.)

HAVE SOME BLOODY TUNES...
Alkaline Trio - BLOODIED UP
Dillinger Four - NOBLE STABBINGS
Minus the Bear - MONKEY!!!KNIFE!!!FIGHT!!!
Rolling Stones - LET IT BLEED

* Not exact model, but pretty close

Jason Isbell -- Modest Mouse

2007-11-15T21:53:00.000-06:00

Last weekend in Chicago was blast. Unfortunately, there's been hell to pay all week as I've been playing catch up on neglected work. At any rate, Jason Isbell and his band, the 400 Unit, friggin' killed it last Saturday at the Cubby Bear. I've been rockin' the hell out of his debut solo effort, Sirens of the Ditch, so I was well prepared to hear them focus on that material. Fortunately, not only did they play the majority of the album, but they broke out some of Isbell's classic Drive-By Trucker tunes. Highlight of the set: hands down, "Decoration Day." Below you can snag that tune and one of my favorites off Sirens of the Ditch.

Jason Isbell - chicago promenade
Drive-By Truckers - decoration day

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The rock didn't stop there. I also managed to check out Modest Mouse the other night. It was a long time coming considering I've been a fan of the band for the past 7 years and still hadn't seen them live. They were as awesome as I'd always hoped they'd be. Much more comprehensive of a set than I'd imagined too. Also, that Johnny Marr really held it down on lead guitar. For some [rather stupid] reason, I was under the impression he would just be standing on the side of the stage going through the motions. Not the case. Not at all. Highlight of their set: tough call, but I'm going with the closer, "Spitting Venom."

Modest Mouse - spitting venom

We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives

2007-11-06T19:51:00.000-06:00

Los Campesinos!: Their name is Spanish (for the Peasants). The band is English. The tunes are PURE FUN.

Back in July they released their Sticking Fingers Into Light Sockets EP and I think they're about to release their first full length here in the states soon. While the first track posted below may be the single off the release, my favorite track is their interpretation of the killer Pavement tune, "Frontwards."

Enjoy these sugar-coated, spazz-pop punk gems:

Los Campesinos! - we throw parties, you throw knives
Los Campesinos! - frontwards
--BONUS--
Pavement - frontwards

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I may not be able to check in for a couple days; heading up to Chicago. Checking out former Drive-By Trucker, Jason Isbell at a club I've never been to, the Cubby Bear. There are a bunch of other rockin' shows but I'm not sure if we'll have time for 'em. We got a new camera today, so maybe I'll have some pics to share when I get back.

Friggin' Friday

2007-11-01T22:36:00.001-05:00

Here's one of those albums that I wigged out over for about a month when it came out and then kinda forgot about. Further proof that these days we [or maybe just I] gobble up music and spit it out sometimes; too disposable. At any rate, The Sunset Tree is a conceptual folk pop masterpiece with a punky spirit.
the Mountain Goats - this year
the Mountain Goats - dance music
the Mountain Goats - song for dennis brown

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Here's to friggin' Friday and a friggin' righteous weekend, right. Ha Ha Tonka is playin' a gig here with Meat Puppets on Saturday. Just may have to check it out. Haven't seen H.H.T. since their "Amsterband" days back in Springfield, MO. Cheers folks.

GET SPOOKED!

2007-10-23T20:19:00.000-05:00

Well I'm just pleased as punch to unveil this Halloween mix for ya. The back porch has swooped some new web space and boy are we ready to kick out some jams... so to speak. That being said, enjoy these spooktacular goodies:

HALLOWEEN - theme music from the movie
the Misfits - halloween
Blue Meanies - creepy
the Specials - ghost town
Matt Skiba - demons away
Murder by Death - i'm afraid of who's afraid of virgina woolf
Tom Waits - what's he building in there
Alkaline Trio - tuck me in
the Black Lips - buried alive
the Addams Family - theme song
the Misfits - cough/cool
Bobby "Boris" Pickett - MONSTER MASH

GRAVE. YARD. SMASH.

2007-10-23T08:16:00.001-05:00

This one goes out to Team Awesome and Tour De Moose to commemorate a totally awesome Saturday. Cheers!

Bobby "Boris" Pickett - MONSTER MASH

Freaky Friday

2007-10-18T20:51:00.000-05:00

I'm gonna stick with the Halloween theme and share with you some wicked videos:

Oingo Boingo - dead man's party

the Misfits - halloween

Alkaline Trio - we've had enough

Marilyn Manson - dope show

Halloweenin'

2007-10-16T09:05:00.000-05:00

My bad... I've neglected the back porch for the past week and for that, I apologize. I do have a pretty sweet post brewin' though [hopefully].

I love this time of the year, musically. Every year when October spookily creeps up, a bunch of old albums find their way into my rotation that are sometimes neglected throughout the remainder of the year [read: misfits, blue meanies, oingo boingo].

Anyway, to hold y'all over, I offer a Halloween masterpiece. The North American Halloween Prevention Initiative may not sound too familiar, when in fact, they really are. Picking up where Band Aid left off, N.A.H.P.I. is a project led by members of the Unicorns with help/cameos by Beck, Arcade Fire, Sonic Youth, David Cross, Feist, Peaches, Devandra Banhart, Jenny Lewis and Blake (Rilo Kiley), Karen O (YYY's), Les Savy Fav, and last but certainly not least, ELVIRA!!!

ENJOY, BOYS AND GHOULS:

North American Halloween Prevention Initiative - do they know it's halloween? [via alienhits]

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals

2007-10-06T10:10:00.000-05:00

Got to check out Ryan Adams & the Cardinals last night at the Pageant. Good stuff - He and the Card's sounded spot-on man. I'm not what you would call a well-versed Adams fan, but I do have a couple of his earlier albums and I like pretty much everything I hear by him. Last night was no exception.

Of the 16 tunes he and the Cardinals loosely jammed through, I think I knew about 3 of them ["Cold Roses," "The Rescue Blues," "Bartering Lines"]. There were a handful of songs I would've like to have heard, but I wasn't holding my breath by any means. Truthfully, I was kinda anticipating his crowd interaction as much as I was the music. I'd heard all about his on-stage meltdowns and I was curious to see how much razzing the stl fans may offer. As it turns out, most peeps were on their best behavior. Adams seemed quite appreciative, prompting him declare that we were the nicest fans on the tour so far. Oh Ryan, you tell every city that.

As a sidenote, the show was sold out and I bought tix off some stooge on ebay. Check out his ebay item description:
"By the way, a friend and I (pictured here) will be attending this concert and sitting in the 2 seats next to the 2 for sale. Beware: If you are attractive females thinking about buying these tickets, you are almost guaranteed a few alcoholic beverages on us and a crazy night of barhopping could follow. But hell, you'll get to see Ryan Adams! I've seen him twice personally, and he is amazing!"

Here's the set list.

Here are a couple tunes:
Ryan Adams - to be young (is to be sad, to be high)
Ryan Adams - oh my sweet caroline

Pick Your Pony!

2007-10-03T18:58:00.000-05:00

Alright, baseball playoffs are here. Time to pick your pony ladies and gentlemen. I guess I like Colorado. Also like the Angels. Also, for those keeping score at home, I did bring home the "Dudes Fantasy Baseball League" trophy. Truthfully, I forget what the point of the internet is without fantasy baseball...
[UPDATE: While typing this and watching the Angels v. B'Sox game, I caught news about Card's GM Walt Jocketty leaving St. Louis. Damn. I guess it's not too surprising considering the multiple reports about internal rift. 'Wonder how this will effect Larussa's decsion?]

Speaking of America's favorite pastime, the Boss dropped his new album, Magic. Still haven't bought it - mostly due to the fact that I feel like I've been blowing money like a coke-head. Will pick it up soon and give y'all a report.

Also, I've figured out a way to spruce up the backporch. I think we've determined that I can squat on some Dudes Mag web-host space. This means good things for you, the people. Most importantly it means I can actually offer tunes straight from me. No more redirecting links. Trust me, it'll be neat.

Be well...

Another Weakerthans Post

2007-10-01T20:26:00.000-05:00

I've blogged about them before and I assure you this won't be the last time. The Weakerthans are one of my favorite bands around and not only do they have a new website, but they have a new album -- Reunion Tour -- to boot.

In a handful of words: subtle, indie alt-punk'try quirk-pop.

Keep in mind, this is a band who've released only 4 albums in their 10+ years of existence. It's hard to fret over it too much though cos what some may consider a lack prolifcacy is actually the wonderful virtue behind the Weakerthans. Reunion Tour has left me with a very similar feeling as their last effort, Reconstruction Site did. It's no challenge to initially fall in love with the tunes. What's unexpected is how much each song grows on you. They always say the best albums are the ones that keep presenting elements you may've never noticed prior. This is that type album.

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HEAR for yourself:

the Weakerthans - sun in an empty room [highly recc'd]
the Weakerthans - night windows

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SEE for yourself:

the Weakerthans - diagnosis [1998]

the Weakerthans - psalm for the elks lodge last call [2003]

the Weakerthans - the reasons [2003]

Kanye. Oakley Hall.

2007-09-22T11:34:00.000-05:00

Finally got the new Kanye West, Graduation. The dude is on fire. Three albums, three masterpieces. My little bro was dead on: Graduation comes in a solid 2nd place. I don't think anything'll beat College Dropout. Dude came out with beats blazing. Late Registration was dope too but the difference between it and Graduation is that the latter trims out all the fat. No hokey skits; less tracks; straight to the point. Dude utilizes way more electronics this time around also, which works well. This is a must have. See for yourself:

Kanye West - drunk and hot girls [via h.t.f.a.f]

Also swooped the new Oakley Hall, I'll Follow You. If you ask me, they may've just released they're best album. Their two previous efforts were friggin' good too, so it says alot. This time around you can tell the band has really hit their stride. The rootsy psychadelic indie rock is still there, but what sets this one apart is the bands' willingness to lay back in the cut and ride the groove. Seattle Weekly said it best: "Americana they are not. The Hall is onto a whole new thing, and that thing is pure American rock music."

Oakley Hall - angela [via l.a.u.]
[stream the whole album over at merge records]

Hope y'all have a righteous weekend. Mine started off pretty well. Last night I went to the ball game and hit a bar afterwards. Some cougar flipped out on me for throwing rocks into the bonfire and told me (a) i'm reeaallly ugly, and (b) i have man-tits. Honey, I can meet you half way on the ugly deal, but man-tits? I weigh like 160?!? She must've had other shit going on though. She was crying when she was yelling at me. Her poor friends just acted like they didn't know her. Funny shit...

Anyway, I'm hoping to head downtown today to check out Lucero and Soul Asylum. It's flippin' free so you can't beat it...

"You Win Some, You Lose Alot..."

2007-09-18T22:22:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. The past week has been far from awesome but I've managed to scrounge a few reasons to stay amped.

The first one being this Table Tennis [Pong] arcade machine I got. Who would've thought two lines and a dot could produce so much excitement? This sucker's a real treasure and I'm happy to have found it a wicked basement to hang out in. Welcome bud...

Yeah, as it turns out, the fun didn't stop there. Found another steal of a deal on this World Series - The Season baseball arcade game. Oh man, this one is mega sweet. Spring-loaded control panels really add to the wicked-fun gameplay. Soooo boss.

Aside from that, I guess I should pick up where the last post left off: The Cardinals fell on their face and it's really a disappointment for citizens of Cardinal Nation. Whatev's. We've had an amazing run [i.e. playing in 2 out of the last 3 World Series]. This just wasn't our year - didn't have the team.

The big question is whether or not Tony LaRussa will skip town. Honestly, I consider myself as loyal as they get to T-La. Always have been. But I wouldn't be bummed if he left. I'd still back any team he took over and I'd be happy to see a fresh face in the Redbird's dugout. As weird as it may sound, I'm excited to see how this awful season shapes next year's team.

Also, I'd love to hear some predictions on who the next manager will be in the event T-La leaves St. Louis. The most obvious guess would be The Secret Weapon, Jose Oquendo. My pick would be Joe Girardi. The dude proved he could coach last season by winning manager of the year... only to be canned by the Florida Marlins. Seriously Florida, do you really hate winning that much?!?

Have some tunes...
[can you see the sunset... put me on a punk rock trip. can you tell?]

American Steel - shrapnel
Propagandhi - anchorless [via sunset]
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - me and mia
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - leavin' on a jet plane
the Oranges Band - ok apartment
the Weakerthans - plea from a cat named virtue

How's It Gonna End?

2007-09-09T10:53:00.000-05:00

Can the Redbirds experience any more adversity this season. Quick recap:

- LaRuassa gets pinched on a DWI during spring training.
- Josh Hancock dies in an awful car accident
- Scott Spiezio leaves the team and checks himself into rehab for substance abuse issues.
- Juan Encarnacion gets drilled in the face, shattering several bones in his eye socket, which ends his season and quite possibly his career.
- After a fairy-tale comeback story, Rick Ankiel's name gets linked to an HGH (performance enhancing drug) scandal.

Seriously. You can't make this stuff up. It would truly be storybook ending if they managed to sneak into the playoffs and heck - maybe even show up in the World Series. All odds are against them and they're still 2 games behind the Cubbies and Brew-crew. The Cubs will roll into town next weekend and if the Birds can't bring their A-game to this series, they'll be hammering their own coffin shut.

Hopefully, we'll see the same resilience they showcased last October, which would truly be a storybook ending to a tumultuous season.

Enjoy some appropriate tuneage:

TOM WAITS - how's it gonna end?

Interview: Mike Park

2007-09-04T17:11:00.000-05:00

Mike Park: musician, activist, record label owner, wedding officiator, father of new little girl, husband, and–most importantly–a downright decent dude. I’m probably leaving something out but regardless, that’s a heck of a resume. We recently had the opportunity chat it up with this righteous dude – check it:

You have recently taken a break from touring due to the birth of your daughter, Maggie. How is she and how has having a child impacted your writing, if it has at all?
It's been a wonderful experience thus far. I realize I'm at the honeymoon stage of child rearing, but hey it's been awesome so far. I've been writing silly songs, singing them to her. Songs about zoo animals and smiley faces. Not sure if I'll ever record them, but who knows? Maybe a children’s album is inevitable.

It seems that as an effect to you taking a little break from touring and whatnot, you've started a push towards picking up more artists. Please give us a little rundown on the new Asian Man artists.
Maybe, but definitely not consciously. I have a ton of music coming out:
-the remainder of the QUEERS re-releases (8 albums total)
-PTERADON
-ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD
-BOMB THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
-THE HOT TODDIES
-BUCK O NINE
-KEVIN SECONDS

As other "indies" have tried to expand and get bigger, you've consistently kept to a smaller operation. What are the biggest advantages this has on the artists on your label and to the livelihood of Asian Man Records?
I don't know if there are any advantages for the artists. I don't do a good job at promoting them at all, but I'm really up front about this fact from the beginning, so they know what they're getting into. It's made the working relationship very open and friendly. People on the outside would ask: why would any band want to work with you under these circumstances? My answer: I have no idea?? I'm puzzled myself.

I've heard you comment on the state of the music industry. CD sales are obviously down. Does this impact the indies as much as it does the huge companies?
I can't say for certain, but I would think not. But first of all, what exactly is an indie record label? Is Drive Thru, Victory, Fueled By Ramen an indie? Compared to Plan-It-X, Very Small Records, or Asian Man. It's hard to say these names in the same breath as an indie. Regardless, I think CD sales are down for everyone and effects them equally, but hurts the bigger companies because hey...let's face it, they’re driven by numbers, money, and success.

You've dedicated alot of time and energy to your Plea For Peace foundation. I understand that you have big things planned for the future. Please tell me a little about what's in store and maybe even shed some light on what you've been doing over the past year or two with the foundation.
Geez, I could write a novel about the trials and tribulations regarding PFP. Basically, San Jose sucks. It's expensive and unaccommodating towards what we are trying to achieve which is a youth based music venue. We've raised $60,000 so far, but this is chump change in this part of the US. Without proper funding we'd be out of business in 6 months. We're trying to learn more about grant proposals, city assistance, etc.. But it's been an uphill battle. And we are smack dab in the middle of going full board with this.

I know you're a huge Oakland A's fan. Have you read Moneyball? If so, is it a stretch to draw comparisons from how you run Asian Man and how Billy Beane runs the A's?
Of course. I'm all about Moneyball. I never thought about the comparisons, but yeah…I can see Moneyball in the Asian Man philosophy.

I'm going to list a few different bands. If you could, share some of your favorite memories/moments with each band:

Slapstick: young midwest kids having too much manic panic in their lives

Angelo Moore: Genius front man, singer, musician, dancer, poet, and overall nice guy

Alkaline Trio: Helped shape an entire generation of punk. Will be regarded as a historic band in future years.

Blue Meanies: Musical prodigies playing hybrid SKA. Taking the sound to new levels.

MU330: The most underrated band in the history of punk/ska whatever you want to call it.....music.

What Asian Man release have you found yourself listening to the most over
the past 10 years?
Alkaline Trio - Goddamnit. Hands down the most listened to record on Asian Man by me.

If you could pick one album you released that you felt was criminally under-appreciated, what would it be?
Polysics – Hey, My Friend Bob.

Buy Mike Park's albums. Read his fun blog. Check out his record label. Support Plea For Peace.

***This interview is also featured in issue #10 of Dudes Magazine.

Have Some Tunes...

2007-09-03T12:25:00.001-05:00

Snoop Dogg - gin & juice [via I.A.]
Dismemberment Plan - what do you want me to say?
Mates of State - proofs
Hot Toddies - wet dream
The Weakerthans - watermark
Andrew Jackson Jihad - rejoice
Lifter Puller - space humping $19.99
Pavement - rattled by the rush
Heavens - another night
Jets To Brazil - resisitance is futile

Guess I'm Gonna Have to Head to Chicago...

2007-08-29T19:45:00.000-05:00

Word on the (E) street is that our man Bruce and the E Street band have a new album coming out on October 2. BOSS! It's their first album in 5 years.You think that's cool, well you can also surf on over to the iTunes store and download the first single off the album for FREE. That's right, f-r-e-e!

The track is totally wicked and I encourage you to check it out. It's kinda got this "867-5309" riff along with that soulful grit Bruce always spits out. Great tune man. Did I mention that it's free at the iTunes store? How often do they give away tunes this sweet? Almost never.

The good news doesn't stop there. Bruce and the E Street band are gonna take their show to the streets. Head over here for the dates. The closest they're coming to the Lou is the City of Wind, so I guess I'm heading up there in late October.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Dudes Mag party was a blast. All the bands rocked it and a bunch of mags and T-shirts were sold. Make sure you pick up your copy if you haven't already.

On an unrelated note, CBGB founder Hilly Kristal passed away. R.I.P. bud. Thanks for everything (i.e. breaking the Ramones, Television, Talking Heads, and a bunch of others).

Other than that, things are going good around here. I just got a new job with a firm here in St. Louie and I'm workin' at a nice little bar in the heart of Lemay. All is well for now...

"It's the maaag, for Duuudes..."

2007-08-24T10:37:00.000-05:00

Quick reminder: Dudes Magazine is throwing a party tonight in honor of their 10th release. Info:

Where: Lemon's - Gravois Rd - StL, MO
When: 9:00pm
Who's Playin': Sex Robots, Devlin's Kids, the Jim Dandies
Buy: Mags = 5$ -- Brand New T-Shirts = 5$
Listen: Dudes Mag Theme Song

THE FRONT: Your New Favorite Fuzz Rockers

2007-08-22T20:05:00.000-05:00

Fuzzy, contagious indie-grunge that will rock the fuck out of you. If the distortion alone doesn’t barrel you over, the raucous howl and thumping rhythm will surely do the trick. This L.A. trio have officially hit their stride and have been winning fans over all across the nation. After a few successful tours out west, they’re ready to demolish a city near you so be on the lookout. For fans of Sonic Youth, Queens of the Stone Age, Nirvana, Jim Beam and Budweiser.

(This review was written for Dudes Mag #10.)

The Front...
On Myspace
Offical Website

Shows...
Aug 31 2007 8:00P
JAXart Night at Pehrspace with The Valley Arena Los Angeles, California
Sep 7 2007 8:00P
Mr. Ts Bowl with The Monolators Highland Park, California
Sep 8 2007 8:00P
The Echo w/ The Deadly Syndrome Los Angeles, California
Sep 30 2007 8:00P
The Scene w/Oaks and Bacchus Glendale, California

Well, That Was Fun

2007-08-20T23:54:00.000-05:00

Got back last night from what was definitely a rager of a jaunt.

Milwaukee: Thanks for the Blatz, Leinie's, Cardinals sweep, and Wisconsin hospitality in general. Sorry for Mini-Mart trying to jack your inflatable beer bottle at the bowling alley (this dude workin' the door caught him.... even though he only had one arm!). Sorry for having to listen to me play Manson's "dope show" five times in a row on the jukebox. What can I say, it's my jam.

Chicago: We saw a loser but partied like winners. Other than that, pretty typical visit to the Windy.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I surfed upon a real gem this morning. Petra Haden, queen of the cover, has apparently leant her talents to a new comp called Guilt By Association, which can be ordered right here. There's bunch of indie artists covering Top 40 jams, and Haden truly brings it with her interpretation of don't stop believing by Journey.

You can snag it below and I've also included a totally boss cover of her rendition of a Beach Boys classic. When I say classic, I mean one of the best songs ever written. Any takers? Also, I should mention that when Petra covers a jam, it's mostly a capella. Sound interesting? Well it is and I bet you'll love it.

PETRA HADEN
don't stop believing (Journey) [via MOKB]
god only knows (Beach Boys)

This Train Is Bound For Glory

2007-08-14T11:06:00.000-05:00

Whether or not the Cardinals will sneak their way into the playoffs remains to be seen. Regardless, about a month ago I went ahead and told myself that I could give a shit. My goal from that day forward was to just watch 'em battle and enjoy the game. If they somehow find a way in, great. If not, what can ya do?

Tonight I'm heading up to Milwaukee with some other Dudes to catch the NL Central Divsion leaders (it still feels weird saying it), Brew-Crew take on our beloved Birds on Bat. Then we're heading to the Windy to catch the (s)C(r)ubs v. Cards series. What a weekend.

Beers will be drank, beers will be spilled, feelings will be hurt, hearts will be broken, and - most likely - police will be called. Regardless, we're in it to win it and good times will be had. Although I'm staying true to my credo: just watch 'em battle - enjoy the game, it would be nice to see the Birdos beat the Baby Bears. This will be my first time at a game at Wrigley as an enemy. All of the other games I've attended there were against other NL Central teams and honestly, I was pulling for the Cubs just because they we're helping our cause when they'd win. NOT THIS TIME BUD!

So yeah, here are some rockin' tunes by artists from both the Chicago and Milwaukee area. Some new, but mostly older jams. Recognize!

Alkaline Trio - trouble breathing[CHI]
Boris the Sprinkler - ain't no pabst in tijuana[MIL]
Braid - killing a camera[MIL/CHI]
The Broadways - 15 minutes[CHI]
Colossal - embers only[CHI]
Hey Mercedes - eleven to your seven[MIL]
Maritime - guns of naverone[MIL]
Owen = she's a thief[CHI]
the Ponys - double vision[CHI]
Promise Ring - why did we ever meet?[MIL]
Reverend Norb - my drums are cooler than shit[MIL]
Tuesday - my mess[CHI]

All Things Dude

2007-08-10T12:05:00.000-05:00

I pulled babysitting duty today for one of my nephews and let me tell ya, kids are a handful. They can't do anything for themselves.

Speaking of dudes, I'm sure very few of you are aware of the fact that Dudes Mag has found a legitimate home on the interweb. Kudos to J-Dub and J-Man on the bang-up job. Aside from the random naked pics of some dude's ex-gal, the site also features all past issues [some are still being uploaded] and all the Dudes Tunes comps in mp3 format.

In honor of such dudeliness, I've put together a mixer that features a few of the old Tunes and some other jams that will help guide you through the sweltering weekend.

Dudes Mag Theme Song
Drag the River - me and joe drove out to california
Old 97's - lonely holiday
MU330 - favorite show
Madd Dog 20/20 & Biff Man [ft. Swoops] - introducing biff & madd dog
Goodnight Ghost - old style [highly rec'd!]
Jolie Holland - old fashioned morphine
Jens Lekman - black cab
Bishop Allen - rain
My Two Moms - bonerkiller
Dudes Song

I'll be sure to remind you again, but mark your calendars for Aug. 24. Dudes Mag will be releasing issue #10 and they're throwing a party at Lemmon's. The Sex Robots, Devlin's Kids, and the Jim Dandies will be delivering the tuneage.

Reunion Tour

2007-08-06T10:40:00.000-05:00

Aw man -- I'm sorry about that. Shit got hectic for a couple months on account of relocating roughly 900 miles, moving into the new crib, and preparing for some little quiz I took a couple weeks ago. Rest assured, I'm back now thanks to a little nudging and poking from some righteous folks.

Another good reason to clear out the cobwebs here on the backporch is to hype up easily my most anticipated album of 2007: The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour. The folks at Stereogum have been kind enough to post a tune off the album and you can snag it below--I definitely would if I were you. A laid back number with a toe-tapping backbeat featuring Sampson's eerie croon that makes you feel lost but complacent. I cannot wait to get my hands on this album. I guess there's something to be said for delivering only 3 albums in about 10 years as a band; it's quality not quantity...

The Weakerthans - night windows [new one!!!]
The Weakerthans - plea from a cat named virtue
The Weakerthans - aside
The Weakerthans - the last last one

Also, be very afraid: 'seems that slack-jawed-yokel of a prez we got runnin' this ship has taken another firm stand against that obscure, ancient document known as the constitution. Long and short of it: if you're calling your homegirl in Budapest, China (or ANYWHERE outside of the U.S.) Big Brother don't need no warrant to peep your conversation. It's that easy. Essentially, the legislation legalizes that wack-ass N.S.A. program. So we got that going for us....

Thanks for hangin' in there folks,
XXOO - BPB

Moving Right Along

2007-05-24T14:18:00.000-05:00

I ain't dead. Just been in the process of moving into the confides of our newly acquired StL digs. Expect plenty of posts coming in the near future. Hell, I got plenty of shit to talk about...

In the mean time, head over to the Adult Swim site to swoop a badass mp3 compilation they're giving away for free. The comp features Les Savy Fav, TV On The Radio, The Good, The Bad and The Queen, The Raveonettes, Liars, and many more. Check it out right HERE.

I'll holla at y'all soon...

DBT, G.N.'R., StL

2007-05-07T11:02:00.000-05:00

Over the past year I've been happily swimming through the Drive-By Truckers catalog. The Mrs. and I caught their live rock show back in October... well, actually we just posted up at this bar next door to the outdoor venue and kicked back some beers with locals. Regardless, we had a blast and we were pretty amped when the Truckers released the details on their "Dirt Underneath Tour." Essentially, they wanted to do an acoustic "storytellers" type of mini-tour and, fortunately for us, the band was going to be in Austin for a couple nights.

As it turns out, we caught the second night of their Texas stay and we couldn't have been more happy with the set. It was a sit-down event, which definitely made the ol' lady happy, and what an event it was. Just before the show started some nasty storms were a brewing which lead the band to appropriately start the set off with "Tornados" off of The Dirty South. For the following 2+ hours the Truckers intimately steered through a wonderful set. They shared plenty of new jams, stories behind old ones, and passed around a jug of Jack Daniels in between. As if this type of set wasn't enough of a treat, the band brought the legendary Spooner Oldham along for the ride to hold down the keys. Homeboy's played and toured with everyone from Bob Dylan to Aretha Franklin to Wilson Pickett to Neil Young to Frank Black. Dang! Impressive...

Anywho, I'm going to go ahead and share a couple live cuts from their Georgia set, courtesy of radiokgb (very awesome site by the way--check it out). The first track, "Bob," is a Mike Cooley tune and it's wonderful. Humorous and catchy as hell--go figure. Cooley introduced it as a new one, but then confessed that he actually wrote it about 3 years ago. The next, "My Sweet Annette," is a song from Decoration Day, definitely one of the bands strongest albums as far as I'm concerned.

D.B.T. - bob

D.B.T. - my sweet annette

While I'm in the spirit of sharing music, idolator posted the title track to mildly anticipated Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy. I'd love to hate it and talk about how Axl is a total white-trash hoser that wears lame-ass hockey jerseys. Unfortunately (I guess), this song fucking rocks. Check it out:

Guns N' Roses - chinese democracy

That's all I got for now. We're moving back to St. Louie this weekend. Feels weird just typing it...

The Queers - Munki Brain

2007-05-05T16:26:00.000-05:00

After decades of delivering goods to the punk rock masses, Joe Queer is still on top of his game. Honestly, I thought he’d been phoning it in over the past few years, however, Munki Brain erases any doubt I ever had as to whether or not Joe still “had it.” The Beach Boys influence is more prevalent on this release than any other Queers album I’m familiar with. “I Think She’s Starting To Like Me” is a prime example—an upbeat piano-driven pop tune laced with infectious vocal harmonies that would make Brian Wilson weep.

The instrumentation is noteworthy as well. On top of the speedy power-pop-punk Queers fans are used to, Munki Brain showcases keys, brass, and even an upright bass. An interesting note: Joe sought outside help for a good portion of these songs. He even enlisted the expertise of his infamous pop punk peer on a couple tracks, Ben Weasel. The moral of the story is this: Munki Brain is a damn-fine album and I encourage any dude who’s ever dug a Queers song to swoop this gem.

the Queers - houston we have a problem

Buy the album HERE.

***BEEN MEGA SWAMPED WITH FINALS. 3 DOWN, 1 TO GO! MORE POSTS COMING SOON!

Words = distracting; Tori Hunter = hilarious; Schilling = douche

2007-04-27T11:55:00.000-05:00

I don't think I could be any less motivated to study for the final round of exams of my law school career (...hopefully). To think I'll be done in a week and a half makes me giddy as all get-out. Regardless, because of the aforementioned studying, I've been on the instrumental tip lately. That means jazz, classical, afro-beat, reggae -- hell, anything so long is it doesn't have words.

Speaking of afro-beat, one of my favorite albums I've recently picked up comes from Brooklyn's own Antibalas. Although in a league of their own, they fall somewhere between Fela Kuti and Tortoise (definitely leaning more towards the former). Here are a couple tracks from their latest release, Security:

Antibalas - I.C.E.

Antibalas - beaten metal

It's nearly impossible to talk about instrumental indie music without bringing up Austin, TX's, Explosions In The Sky. Some of you may already be familar with them and not even know it, as they scored the soundtrack to the film Friday Night Lights [yeah, that high school football one--crazy, huh]. Well, here's a whole friggin album to feast on.
The Rescue:

day eight

If you're looking for a little more fueled up, riff-orriented indie rock, sans words, look no further than Kinski:

Kinski - hiding drugs in the temple [part 2]

Kinski - semaphore

In baseball news, Tori Hunter [MN Twins] got drilled in the face yesterday by KC Royls' Zach Greinke. This comes just days after news broke that he may end up getting disciplined for sending the Royals a few bottles of Dom. P. champaign for the Royals sweeping the Detroit Tigers last September, allowing the Twins to come from behind to win the American League Central. KARMA'S A BITCH TORI. Hilarious nonetheless.

Also, apparently there's speculation that the bloody sock Curt Schilling was wearing in the '05 World Series was a fake. O's announcer Gary Thorne declared, on air, that Doug Mirabelli - Schilling's former teammate - told him it was a publicity stunt. Curt Schilling begging for publicity?!? Get out of town! Now he's betting $1 million clams that it's real blood. As if they'd go to Cooperstown to test that thing. That's all baseball needs: more negative hype. Regardless, Schilling's still a douche and Mirabelli's still average, at best.

Have a boss weekend!

Indie Bands Still Love You Boris Yeltsin

2007-04-23T11:16:00.000-05:00

So Boris Yeltsin passed away at the ripe of 76 today; heart failure or something. Say what you will about the Ruskie, but he drafted a pretty decent constitution back in 1993, which remains in place today. That's obviously more than you and I could do while drunk on primo vodka.

Anyway, what a great opportunity this is to say a few words about one of the hottest indie acts to come out of the Show Me State in the past few years: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

Hailing from Springfield, MO, SSLYBY have been kicking up dust in the indie circuit for the better part of this century; touring relentlessly and mostly releasing stuff on their own, embracing DIY ethos. That is until they grabbed the indie critics by the balls and kissed them on the cheek with their 2005 full length, Broom. The buzz picked up and next thing you know, BAM! - Polyvinyl (home of Of Montreal, Mates of State, Braid, Owen) picked them up and gave Broom the proper release it deserved. Since then they've been spreading their infectious indie-pop glow all over the place.

Here are a couple tracks for ya:

oregon girl [from Broom LP]

modern mystery [Daytrotter session]

yr broom [Daytrotter session]

methane river ["a song we recorded in texas"]

Catch them on their current U.S. tour, or meet up with them across the pond while they trek through the UK and Germany. No word as to whether they'll be stopping by the Motherland of Russia just yet...

Feist+Bitching+Mashups+Baseball+Will Ferrell & a Cussing Baby=Banter

2007-04-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

Check out this super fun Feist video for "1 2 3 4" from her upcoming album, The Reminder. I would go on a spiel about how the choreography and costumes are totally awesome, but I am a MAN.

Anyway, I cannot wait until I'm done with school. Only a couple... more... weeks. Although the end is very near, it's getting tougher to stay motivated. Honestly, it's getting even harder to tolerate my fellow law students. To think that these folks will be my peers in the working world is pretty frightening. They're just such, uh, DORKS. Go figure...

I've been totally digging this new mp3 blog called The Hood Internet. They post mashups combining all of your favorite indie artists [modest mouse, flaming lips, the shins, broken social scene, etc] with today's hottest hip hop/r&b artists [r. kelly, lil wayne, cam'ron, clipse]. Still confused as to what a "mashup" is? Wiki explains it here. I highly recommend the Broken Social Scene vs. R. Kelly mash of "I'm a Flirt (Shoreline)." Even if you aren't familiar with either track, the tune just grabs ya.

Re: baseball: Cards fans are on the brink of total panic. I'm not going to piss the bed just yet, but I'm definitely concerned. Practically the whole lineup is asleep at the wheel (maybe not the best analogy, considering our skip'). Anyway, as usual, C-Russ explains our whole debacle over at Bugs and Cranks.

That's all I got for now. Adios...

UPDATE: Do think Will Ferrell is funny? How about cussing babies? Yeah, this video's for you:

Friggin' Friday!

2007-04-13T10:45:00.000-05:00

I knew today would be a good day when the alarm clock woke me up with "Cover Me" by The Boss followed by "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou. Not too shabby for a radio station. On top of the righteous tunes, I was even more surprised that I was even able to get out of bed. I played 3 straight soccer games yesterday [we lost in the finals - bunk] and by the time the day was over I felt like I'd been run over by an 18 wheeler. Anyway, here's some randomness:

Speaking of Lou Reed, head on over here for a live Reed set from 1972 (Hampsted, NY). Big ups to jefito on the post. It may have been recorded 35 years ago, but the quality is great.

Re: Baseball: It's good to see the Birds on Bat slide into first place in the NL Central. The real test will come this weekend when they face some nasty Brew Crew pitching. We'll face Sheets tonight, Capuano on Saturday, and Sup will make his St. Louis homecoming on Sunday. If we can take 2/3, I'd be more than happy. Also, GET WELL SOON CARP! Is anyone else surprised the national media ain't throwing 'roids accusations at Pujols right now considering his lackluster start? Just sayin'....

Imus is a friggin' goon. Who the hell is he to make fun of someone's hair?

Confirmed interviews for the next Dudes Mag: Riverboat Gamblers, Mike Park (activist, musician, owner of Asian Man Records), Against All Authority, to name a few...

Lastly, I'll leave you with a Mixer for the weekend. I'll keep it short and sweet in hopes of people actually downloading these truly awesome tunes.

the Promise Ring - best looking boys
the Coup - we are the ones
Old 97's - lonely holiday
the Hold Steady - your littlee hoodrat friend
the Weakerthans - plea from a cat named virtue
Yo La Tengo - don't have to be so sad

HAVE A BITCHIN' WEEKEND Y'ALL!

Interview: THE HOLD STEADY

2007-04-08T13:24:00.000-05:00

This is an excerpt from an interview I conducted for Dudes Magazine, issue #9.

If you’re still unfamiliar with this hard-drinkin’, Springsteen/Thin Lizzy-lovin barroom battalion, what the fuck are you waiting for? After churning out what was considered one of the best albums of 2006, the Hold Steady hit the road to bring the kids what they’ve been waiting for: a PARTY. I was able to catch up with Craig Finn [vocals/guitar] and Tad Kubler [lead guitar] and chat about their latest release, baseball, and—of course—partying.

Getting on to the new album, Boys and Girls in America. Would you agree that this probably your most ambitious album, musically?
CRAIG: Yeah, I think its—musical is exactly what it is. One of the things I tend to concentrate on (in the past) was my vocals. And one of the things I hadn’t focused on as much in the past was what the music was doing. And so what we really tried to do was focus on the music. And this one is more of just five guys listening to each other and playing the music together. And that’s obviously an important part of music.
TAD: Oh yeah, definitely. I think that was pretty intentional. I think that we wanted to try to do something we hadn’t done before and try to grow a little bit as a band. Also, Franz and Bobby both came in to Separation Sunday kinda right before we went into the studio. So, with all the touring we did up until this album, those two obviously brought a bunch to it. And on top of that, Franz is such a great musician. He and I sat down and did a lot of the arrangements together and he’s a really big part of the writing process.

Was there anything in particular you guys did this time around, in terms of your approach to this record?
TAD: One thing that I tried to do was practice these exercises that would improve areas of my playing that I thought I could improve. And I kinda came up with a lot parts for songs in doing that, which I knew in the back of my mind would probably help me do that, but we’ll just say it was serendipitous. And then me bringing pieces in to Franz and then us sitting down and working out arrangements really worked for us. Where as with Separation Sunday it was more just Craig and I bringing in parts and going from there. Basically, we wrote this one a lot more as a band. Also, I think we had a really good idea, from the beginning, of what Craig wanted to kind of be the narrative theme for the record. Its not a linear story like the last one was, but all the songs do touch on the particular them of boys and girls in America.
CRAIG: Well, I think one of the big things was—we’ve used producers before, but this time we were more interested in finding an “outside” producer. Someone that wasn’t necessarily a peer of ours. The relationship was purely based on Him, and the records he produced.

This is John Agnello, correct?
CRAIG: Exactly. He was super enthusiastic about it. We talked to a lot of different producers and his name continued to come up. In seeing our band live you realize how much we communicate to each other, on stage while we’re playing. He saw that connection we have live and one thing he wanted to do was make an effort to create that kind of space in the studio where its not only physically comfortable, but mentally as well. We tracked a lot of this together, whereas with Separation Study we did a lot more of the tracks individually.

Your lyrics tend to illustrate incidents from your past. Are most of these ideas recollections from your past, or are a lot of them drawn from everyday occurrences.
CRAIG: I think the more you drift a certain distance away from being 17 or 19, the more you understand being 17 or 19 than you did when being that age. And so a lot of its influenced by that and being able to wrap your head around that time. A lot of these incidents are necessarily things that happen to me, one-on-one with other people. But they are the types of things that would happen when I was growing up. It has certainly influenced my real life, its not just in the recordings.

What kind of stuff inspires you on a day-to-day basis in writing?
CRAIG: I think the stuff I tend to write more about is stuff that just comes up in conversation that I find funny. You know, a lot of the things I write down are mostly funny, to me anyways. I like to draw influences from just signs on the street or bits of conversation that I pick up and find humorous. Stuff like that.

Tell me this, if The Hold Steady were the Minnesota Twins, who would be each player.
CRAIG: That’s a tough one! I’d say Bobby would be Nick Punto—our drummer, because he kinda small. Galen would probably be…maybe Joe Nathan cos he’s kinda rock solid. And a, Franz would Joe Mauer because he has the most facial hair. Tad would be Morneau because he—I don’t know, just because he’s the loudest and probably the most powerful.

Couldn’t he be Kuble just for name similarity’s sake? [Tad’s last name is Kubler]
Oh yeah, I forgot about that. But he doesn’t play that much, so I won’t do that to Tad. And for me, I think I’d be Santana just because I wanna be Johan Santana.

You guys were just featured in recent Rolling Stone where they eluded to a story about when you were still playing with your previous band, Lifter Puller, and you had an opportunity to kick it with Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros. Can you tell us a little more about that?
CRAIG: Well Joe Strummer came to a show at the 400 Bar, in Minneapolis. He came with Billie Joe Armstrong, who we knew because he married this girl from the Twin Cities. And he walked in and I thought he was just going to stay for a song or two. Well he ends up staying for the whole set and he really enjoyed it. And eventually he ended up getting his band of the bus because he wanted to show them what a rock’n’roll band looked like. And so all these sleepy Brits come strolling into the club. And then he hung out with us for about an hour or an hour and a half after the show. It was maybe the best night of my life. He kissed me on the lips and we made him speak Spanish a bunch.

You guys have the reputation of being a hard partying bar band. I’ve read, and heard, a lot of other artists talk about how they don’t drink or get high before their shows. What makes them such pussies and you guys badasses?

TAD: Well, you gotta dance with who brought ya. And that’s just kinda how we roll. It’s not something we put too much thought into. Its just kinda like, this is how we have a good time. And I don’t want to put a huge emphasis on the fact that we like to get fucked up. I have a two-year-old daughter and I like to think that run a band that’s been fairly successful. There are a lot of responsibilities that go along with this. But you know what, when its happy hour, its happy hour. And that’s that!

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING THIS ISSUE OF DUDES MAG CLICK HERE OR CONTACT ME IF YOU'D PREFER TO USE PAYPAL.

I guess it's official...

2007-04-04T10:50:00.000-05:00

We swooped a crib back in Nellyville. Pretty wild. They threw the "sold" sign up so I guess that really means it's ours. My first project once we move in: cover all of the windows with tin foil, start using crack, and kidnap a white girl to torture for a few days. Nah, just kidding. Besides, who really does that?

Anyway, most of you are probably aware of my love for The Hold Steady. Well, apparently the dude in charge of music at Minnesota Twins games - where half the band's from - loves 'em too. They recently recorded a fun-as-hell version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and it's actually being played at the Metrodome during games. If you love baseball and rock'n'roll, you have to agree that this is pretty awesome. Go HERE and have a listen; download it too. Click here for an article explaining how the whole idea came to life.

GO CARDS!

Finally! Baseball...

2007-04-02T11:37:00.000-05:00

Spring has sprung and baseball has begun! Shit yeah! I'll go ahead and warn y'all now that for the next 6, err hopefully 7, months I'll be throwing in baseball banter here and there. This also means that the days of constantly referring to the Cardinals as the World Series Champions are officially numbered. Booo. Anywho, here's an image Viva El Birdos shared that I found pretty nostalgic. It's a screen-shot of the gamecast of the final out of the World Series.

For more coherent and intelligent Redbird-related posts throughout the season, head over to Viva El Birdos. Also, don't forget to stop by Bugs & Cranks where our buddy C-Russ is holding down all things Cardinal. It's getting pretty heavy over there [see the comments] so go show Chris some love.

Is it just me, or does this never get old?

Farewell: FIFTH HOUR HERO

2007-03-30T12:07:00.000-05:00

Fifth Hour Hero, a truly awesome punk rock outfit from Montreal, just broke up. Kinda sucks cos I was just recently turned on to them and was looking forward to future albums. You can read a lengthy statement as to why they're hanging it up here, but it's basically the same ol' story: it's hard to be an underappreciated punk band; not to mention, financially draining.

Here's a review of their last album I wrote up for the greatest magazine in the world:

Fifth Hour Hero - Not Revenge...Just a Vicious Crush (No Idea Records)
I’d been hearing a lot about this band but never got around to checking them out. I was truly missing out. Not Revenge…is about as good as any punk rock album that’s come out in the past few years. Singer/guitarist Genevieve Tremblay’s guttural, yet soothing, vocals fit perfectly with the rest of the band’s melodic punk rock riffs and upbeat tempos. For fans of Small Brown Bike, Discount, and the Lawrence Arms.

Fifth Hour Hero - my sympathies
Fifth Hour Hero - everthing i won't miss
Fifth Hour Hero - cut me dead

R.I.P. Fifth Hour Hero.

SXSW pt. 2 (of 2)

2007-03-26T10:56:00.000-05:00

I woke up with a blanket of bulldogs covering my legs. The sad part about this: they were probably cleaner than the couch and sleeping bag I was sleeping on.

Regardless, I was ready to party and the first stop on Friday's agenda was Pok-e-jo's BBQ where the totally awesome Oakley Hall were set to rock the socks off of carnivorous indie rockers. This was truly a perfect start for the day. I was hungover as all get-out and the breezy, sunny weather, complimented by O-Hall's lazy psychedelic folk rock was the perfect setting to nurse a hangover. The free Shiner Bock helped some too. They ran through a pretty comprehensive set; even showcased some new tunes as well. Can't wait to hear their new album that Merge is putting out in the fall. Only complaint: the sound guy had no idea how to deal with their fiddle. Felt bad for the poor girl.

We stuck around for a little bit of +/-. They didn't necessarily suck, just wasn't really feeling it. I'd heard some of their tunes prior and I remember liking them more on album than what we saw of them live. Electronic indie rock with real soft vocals, if you're interested.

We left about half way through their set and set sail for the Longbranch Inn, who was hosting the ever-so-popular Vice Magazine party. We rocked the indoor section of the party and the bands we caught were far from memorable. We loaded up on free issues of their newest mag, but aside from that, pretty lame. The real party was outside where Turbonegro was playing. I was indifferent on checking them out. I didn't think that I gave a shit about them, really. As it turns out, they really rock live. It was a friggin' party. Their fans were going ape-shit and everyone else was having a good time as well. We saw "the Pete" from Bouncing Souls there too, which was kinda fun.

After Turbonegro it was break-time. We posted up at the Sidebar for a few bloody beers. The next show was truly the wild card of the weekend. The lineup: Fucked Up, Jay Reatard, and White Savage. We were primarily going for White Savage cos our buddy from Chin Up Chin Up was playing drums for them. He said it was their first show ever and the band consisted of a group of friends that gig around in different Chicago bands ( Tyrades, Chin Up Chin Up, and the Ponys - who are totally boss).

White Savage was fucking awesome. As loud and volitale as Big Black, and as fast and piercing as the Hot Snakes. They rocked so frickin' hard they blew the generator that was powering the whole show. Pretty impressive. After some old dudes fixed the generator they came back out and rocked a few more tunes. Easily one of my favorite sets of the weekend. Good luck on finding any more info on them. I couldn't find shit.

I cut out after White Savage. Dudes Mag allies, No Idea Records, teamed up with Volcom to throw a wicked party. I'd been looking forward to meeting up with the infamous Tony Weinbender from No Idea for a while and, just as suspected, he is truly a dude among dudes. I arrived just as Valient Thorr was about to take the stage. Holy shit, did these dudes kill! On top of a balls-to-the-wall set that was somewhere between Lynyrd Skynyrd, AC/DC, Clutch, and old Metallica, Wayne friggin' Kramer of MC5 came out and jammed with the band on their final song of the set. Truly awesome!

Up next was Chuck Ragan, former co-frontman of Hot Water Music. He's been doing the solo thing since the H.W.M. split and it was pretty decent. Definitely sounds like a stripped down acoustic H.W.M.; throw in some fiddle and, wha-la, you have Chuck Ragan.

I was nice and boozed up at this point (no thanks to the multiple whiskey shots provided by Mr. Tony W - see pic). I met a totally boss dude named Aaron from Gainesville, FL's Billy Reese Peters. I knew he was a solid dude cos immediately after meeting him, he agreed with me that there was no reason to be wearing a shirt at this show. We dropped cotton and proceeded to talk about this piece I'm going to do on their band for the next Dudes Mag release. We determined that the only way this piece can go down is if I get the mag to fly me down to FL and we conduct the interview in a hot tub. I'll keep you posted as to how that turns out.

The Draft, which is the other 3/4 of H.W.M., +1, closed up the evening. Their sound is obviously similar to their former outfit, however, a little more straightforward punk rock with more spaced-out guitar riffs complementing the rhythm guitar. They rocked a great set - oozing with energy and posi-punk rock. Perfect end to a wicked weekend.

Now, listen:

Oakley Hall - lazy susan
Oakley Hall - living in sin in the u.s.a.
Oakely Hall - eyes, lock and steel

+/- (Plus Minus) - steal the blueprints

Turbonegro - all my friends are dead

Valient Thorr - man behind the curtain" [via rock star journalist]

The Draft - new eyes open
The Draft - lo zee rose

SXSW pt. 1 (of 2)

2007-03-19T10:39:00.000-05:00

This pic here to the left pretty much sums up my SXSW weekend in Ausin, TX. Had a pretty boss time hanging with new and old friends alike. Of course, I didn't catch every show I wanted to see (I'm looking in your direction t.g.t.b.t.q.), but I can't complain.

Thursday started off with a party at the Yard Dog Gallery, hosted by Schuba's (Chicago, IL). Rock-solid lineup featuring Midlake, Cold War Kids, Bishop Allen, and Russian Circles. Unfortunately, I didn't fully soak in Midlake. I'd heard plenty of good things about the dudes, however, the free beer and excitement of hanging w/ peeps I hadn't seen in a while took precedent. The same can be said for the first half of the Cold War Kids set. Although it wasn't particularly because of my boozing or hanging; more so because of the fact that these dudes are BLOWING UP and it was a little more difficult to fully post up on their set. From what I caught though, I was definitely impressed.

I'd been curious about Bishop Allen's live show for quite some time. I love listening to their tunes, but I wasn't quite sure how they'd pull it off live. They did not disappoint. Six piece lineup featuring xylophones, horns, and other fun instruments. Good time for sure. For the unfamiliar, I'd defintely encourage you to check out their tunes. This past year they self-released a monthly EP for 12 months straight. Amazingly, everything I heard from the EP's sounded decent. See for your self below.

Russian Circles tore it up as well. All instrumental spaced-out progressive metal. "Instrametal," if you will. Normally not my bag, but they definitely won me over. Before their set a friend introduced me to them and we realized that we all knew each other from way back in high school. As it turns out, 2/3 dudes are from StL and were old ska-punker peers from the scene we used to rock. Hilarious! So yeah, the show was great, but it was no Ska-O-Rama.

After the Schuba's party, hit a bar to relax for a while before heading to see Chin Up Chin Up. I probably would've opted out on this show, but these dudes are friends of the dudes I was running around with, so I agreed. I've been keeping track of them over the past few years and they definitely don't suck... and they're getting better. Jangly synthed up indie-pop with vocals that remind me of the dude from Archers of Loaf and Crooked Fingers. All indifference aside, had a solid time with them and they put on a fun show.

By the time we left that show we were more or less drunk. Coincidentally, this is when things got interesting. My partner in crime for the evening was all amped to go check out Matt & Kim. I'd never heard them, but I was down regardless. Good call brah! They were awesome. Super fast electro-pogo-pop; keyboard drum combo. They reminded me of a poppier version of Atom and His Package. We almost didn't even get in. Like most of the night shows, it was a showcase for some label or company and you had to have a badge to enter. We were denied access initially, however, my buddy swore we could get in because he "knew the band." I tried to convince him that this would do us no good considering they are about to go on and probably not hanging by the entrance. His response: "let's just fucking sprint past the bouncer and stage dive. Then we're in." Before I could even explain how bad of an idea that was Kim happened to notice my buddy and had one of their people get us in. Pretty hilarious really.

At this point it's about 1:15 a.m. and we're still looking for trouble. We knew Against Me! was playing at 1:30 a.m., but we also knew it was showcase for Sire Records, which meant you definitely needed a badge or a Rolex to get in the door. Doubt it! We covered our bases earlier in the evening. We had gone to the club just before midnight and somehow snuck in. While we were happy to have gained entry, we were also conscious of the fact that there was no way were going to wait there for and hour plus to see Against Me!. So we found this stooge who was working one of the doors and told him we were in "the band" and we were going to get some food before our set. Stooge was like "sounds good, I ain't going anywhere." This was music to our ears. We knew he couldn't forget our lovely faces so we'd be able to get back in. As it turned out, mission accomplished, stooge let us in.

Oh yeah, about the Against Me! show... They were awesome. This is the first time I'd actually got to see a full set of theirs. They ripped through both new and old tunes and absolutely killed it. My buddy got kicked out for stage-diving. No, I didn't bring a 18 year old with me; just a drunken punk who was ready to party. I stood in the middle of the pit with my shirt off and danced like a I was at a 1950's sock hop. I really had some people confused, but nobody punched me from what I remember.

So that's part 1 of 2 my SXSW festivities. If you've made it all the way through this post, good for you! You will now be rewarded with free tunes performed by the artists mentioned above. Whoohoo!

Cold War Kids - i don't wanna grow up [T.Waits/Ramones cover]
Cold Wark Kids - heavy boots

Bishop Allen - the same fire
Bishop Allen - butterfly nets

Russian Circles - death rides a horse

Chin Up Chin Up - this harness can't ride anything
Chin Up Chin Up - virginia don't drown

Matt & Kim - yea yeah
Matt & Kim - no more long years

Against Me! - don't lose touch
Against Me! - cliche guevara

Off to SXSW...

2007-03-15T11:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm off to Austin to roam around for a few days crash the parties w/ free booze. The beauty of not buying a badge is that it keeps my expectations low. If I walk away totally diggin' 4-5 shows, and catch a free buzz, more power to me. I'm sure I'll probably see about 50 different bands, but most of the fun will lie in people watching. There are some real freaks in Austin around this time of the year. Be it uber-hipsters or just off-the-wall chicken-heads, there are always interesting folk roaming up and down 6th Street and the surrounding area.

Expect a detailed report upon my return.

Here are some bands I'm hoping to catch, not including the previous SXSW post I already delivered:

The Broken West - down in the valley
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - oregon girl [Springfield, MO represent!]
The Black Lips - stranger
Great Northern - home
Maritime - tearing up the oxygen

Politics: Yeah, I went there.

2007-03-05T23:43:00.000-06:00

They really don't get more rediculous than Ann Coulter. Have you heard about what she said re: John Edwards. Yeah, apparently the 2004 Vice Prez candidate is a "faggot." Clearly evidenced by the fact that he's married with children. What kills me is that you know this bitch was down with Ted Haggard and Mark Foley before their shit hit the fan.

I'll pretty much stop there before I start griping about her and the religious right. It'd be unfair to assume Coulter speaks for all conservatives, just as it's unfair to use Mike Moore as the poster boy for liberals.

The real question that has my wheels spinning is how this Democratic bid for presidency will pan out. Sure, we got Hillary and Obama dominating the headlines, but are either of them seriously electable? If I'm Gore or Edwards, I gotta think I have a good shot at getting tapped by the Dems after Hilary and Obama go at it for a while. They say that no Dem can win without support from the South. I see Edwards getting that support before any of the others mentioned above.

I'm anxious to hear everyone's thoughts on this. Please comment and let me know what ya think.

Recovering...

2007-03-05T10:45:00.000-06:00

I'm waaay behind on life right now, so I'm going with a light post.

Just recuperating from a wicked-awesome weekend. We were graced with the presence of themichaelbauer and Miss Alie Ward. Tip o' the hat to both parties, as good times were had by anyone who came within our reach (see photo).

Also, Wilco has posted a new track off of their upcoming album, Sky Blue Sky. Upon first listen, I friggin' love it. Check it out for yourself:

Wilco - what light

I'll be back later with more banter (and maybe more photos).

Low - Drums and Guns

2007-02-28T10:53:00.000-06:00

Judging from what little I've heard off the new Low album, Drums and Guns, we're in for a serious treat. Once again, they've teamed up with producer-extraordinaire, Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Sleater-Kinney, Sparklehorse), as they did with their previous effort, The Great Destroyer, to create what Low fans expect out of this Duluth, MN trio: minimalist indie-rock tunes that quietly scream less is way more.

I'd imagine there's a sect of Low fans out there who weren't thrilled with the more sonic approach Low took with The Great Destroyer. After all, Low is known their inconspicuous melodies that sneak up on you and attack when you least expect it. Destroyer showed a new Low: a more full, plush and, dare I say, accessible sound for Low-heads to digest.

Drums and Guns, on the other other hand, seems to dip into some of the more familiar Low arrangements; while still broadening their horizons and redefining their sound. Alan Sparhawk (guitar/vox) showcases shocked and damning lyrics (wait 'til you hear the opener, "Pretty People"), yet his ferocity is balanced by laid back, simple break-beats and complimenting angular guitars.

Low - breaker (via sub pop)

Low - hatchet (via noisefortoaster)

Drums and Guns comes out on 3/20/07 via sub pop records.

Arcade Fire on SNL

2007-02-26T12:09:00.000-06:00

Arcade Fire never let ya down when it comes to their live performance. Above is the second song they played the other night on SNL, "Keep the Car Running." Up until I heard this song for the first time last week, I wasn't officially on board with all the hype surrounding their new album, Neon Bible. Not that I wasn't looking forward to it, I just thought that there was no way they could top 2004's Funeral.

You can download the live mp3 here. Pretty good stuff if you ask me. It's not nearly as over the top as some of their arrangements, but I think its subtleness is really what draws you in.

More notably, perhaps, was their first performance of the night. The band delivered a decent rendition of "Intervention" [also off Neon Bible]. Apparently breaking strings really upsets Mr. Winn Butler [see below]. You can download that live mp3 here.

Both mp3's were courtesy of knkmusic [update: hyperlinks to the mp3's were taken down per knkmusic's request].

Who Fucking Cares?

2007-02-21T11:09:00.000-06:00

I know I'm late at chiming in on this, but it's only because I've truly had enough. Smith was a friggin' clown and anyone with half a brain could've predicted that she'd completely self destruct; it was just a matter of time. Who gives a shit what her mother has to say in the courtroom? Who gives a shit what any of these complete shitbag attorneys have to say about where they should bury her fucking body? I heard one say, "while we're fighting over this, her body is decomposing." Shit, her body started decomposing years ago!

Let's not lose perspective here. She used to be a "hot blonde" who initiated a shit-storm on some wealthy Texas family when she lured their senile father away by blinding the poor geezer [far from poor, in the literal sense] with her fake cans. She was a stripper and then posed in Playboy. What the fuck has she done since then that deserves any hype? Was she successful in any facet of her life after Playboy? She was never a legit model once she piled on all the lbs. She had some T.V. show which allowed America sneak a peak at just how fucked up she was. We could throw some cameras in a looney bin and watch them fling shit at each other, but I'd hardly consider the patients "successful T.V. stars."

I should just stop here cos now I'm all worked up. This bitch was crazy and it's unfortunate that she let herself spin out of control the way she did. I'm not convinced, however, that she ever was "in control." Just another wack-job that played the media like a fiddle. They, in turn, played her and look where she ended up...

New Music Roundup

2007-02-21T10:43:00.001-06:00

Lots of great stuff being released these days. It's truly a task to keep up with all of it. Luckily for you, I'm a nerd and I've put together a little mixer for you to wrap your ears around.

Arcade Fire - keep the car running [via 6 eyes] - from Neon Bible-3/6/07
Feist - my man, my moon from The Reminder-5/1/07
the Blow - pile of gold from Paper Television-out now
Low - breaker from Drums & Guns-3/20/07
Calla - bronson from Strength in Numbers - 2/20/07
Bright Eyes - four winds from Four Winds EP-3/6/07
Neko Case - buckets of rain (b.dylan) from Live at ACL-out now

We came, we saw, we kicked some...

2007-02-20T14:26:00.000-06:00

I just got back from the StL and I'm trying to thaw out after a rippin' sweet extended weekend. Some highlights included:

Trivia night at Lemmons. The goddamn presidents category really screwed us over.

Friday. Well, Friday was a blur but I do know that I've been kicked out of nicer places than O'Connell's Pub.

A sweet hang sesh' on Saturday which included George Michael tattoos and Guitar Hero 2 [well documented by KBO over here]

A b-day bash with some solid dudes for Nighthawk's 26th. We caught a Blues game (and a wicked buzz), which was bitch.

There were plenty of other highlights, these are just a few. Will back later with some more post'age. Lots of new tunes have been sent to me; many of which you'll be able to find here. Check back later. Cheers.

Review: WORLD/INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY

2007-02-16T16:50:00.001-06:00

Devout Dudes Mag’ers out there may remember reading Tom Gabel of Against Me! gush about how much he’d love to tour with this band back in Issue# 8. Well, as luck would have it, the fine folks at Chuunksah Records hooked us up with a copy of this supremely bitch “circus-related, Halloween-tent-revival’s” latest joint. In Red-Eyed Soul, W.I.F.S. deliver maniacally orchestrated punk tunes about women, wine, and freedom. Imagine the Pogues drunk on Red Bull and Vodka, covering Oingo Boingo songs. Very boss!

Check out their tunes here. Buy their album here.

V-DAY

2007-02-13T15:39:00.003-06:00

I'm off to St. Louis for a few days. Apparently, it's snowy as all get-out up there. Should be good times regardless. Hey St. Louis peeps, anyone down for some sledding and brandy? Get at me...

Here's a quick Valentine's Day nod for all of you love birds and losers. I feel obligated to go on an anti-Valentine's rant, but I think I'd be wasting my breath. Most people agree that it's a hallmark-holliday, however, we still cave and make some sort of an occasion out of it regardless. So that's just what I'm doing...

the Mountain Goats - love love love
M. Ward - let my love open the door [Pete Townshend cover]
Jets to Brazil - cat heaven
Outkast - happy valentine's day
LL Cool J - i need love
Dan Potthast - my favorite song
Billy Bragg - valentine's day is over

Baseball Banter...Arcade Fire...

2007-02-12T11:23:00.000-06:00

Only 2 more days before pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Can't friggin' wait. Cards play their first exhibition 2 weeks from today against Florida Atlantic University. We're totally gonna kick their ass.

Rick Hummel wrote an interesting piece regarding what to expect out of the 2007 season. It can be found here. Aside from his predictions that either the Dodgers or the Mets will win the World Series, he proclaims that this year will be the THE year for the National League All-Star team [they've lost the last 10]. That totally makes sense to me. You know T-La is going to treat this game just as he would treat a Cards playoff game. Plus, as Hummel points out, the game's in San Francisco, where Larussa's family lives, so he'll want to make sure he looks good in front of family and friends.

On account of the season being right around the corner, I thought I'd share this funny video featuring 3 Cardinals: Eck, Spez, and, the newest addition to the infield, Kennedy.

Also, on a compltely unrelated note, big ups to y.a.n.p. for posting Arcade Fire's cover of "guns of brixton" [below].

Arcade Fire - guns of brixton [by the Clash, duh]

Anticipating SXSW...

2007-02-07T20:41:00.000-06:00

The sxsw music festival is right around the corner and I'm starting to get excited. I doubt I'll get to go for the next few years on account of moving back to the StL, so I'm going to make the best of this one. Don't get me wrong, I ain't gonna drop $3-hundo on a badge; I'll be hitting all the free day parties, as usual.

As usual, the list of bands is truly impressive [500 and counting]. Posted below are some of the acts I'm particularly amped to see.

Against Me! - problems

Apostle of Hustle - rafaga! [recommended!]

Bishop Allen - click click click

Black Lips - i've got a knife

the Good, the Bad & the Queen - history song [via a.d.]

Voxtrot - mothers, sisters, daughters & wives

Stay tuned for more sxsw updates and reviews from the festival...

UPDATE: An official preliminary list of bands has been posted.

Ultramagnetic MC's

2007-02-07T10:36:00.000-06:00

I bought this LP years back almost solely based on the album cover. Of course, it's Kool Keith's impeccable flow and Ced-Gee's club-wrecking beats that really make this record a must-have.

Ultramagnetic basically took what Run-D.M.C. did in the beginning of the '80's and upped the ante. While the latter's beats were fresh and innovative at the time, Ced-Gee built off that and threw in experimental funk samples, which eventually sparked D.J.'s across the land to take notice and start using samples as well.

Posted below are two bangin' Ultramagnetic tracks. The first is off their 1988 debut, Critical Beatdown, and the other is from their latest release, The Best Kept Secret.

RECOGNIZE!

Ultramagnetic MC's - ain't it good to you [buy]

Ultramagnetic MC's - mechanism nice (born twice) [buy]

DUDE OUT!

2007-02-06T21:54:00.000-06:00

Dudes Magazine will be throwing a super-wicked release party in honor of issue #9. For the uninformed, the party is this Friday, February 9, at Lemmons [5800 Gravois, StL, MO] and will feature the rock'n'roll stylings of Kings of Pop, the Pubes, the Reebs, and the Disappeared.

Be sure to head up there and swoop up your copy the latest ish'. Aside from all of the usual budweiser-induced content, #9 features interviews with the Hold Steady, the Draft [3/4 of Hot Water Music], and Toys That Kill.

For [slightly] more info, head to Dudes Magazine site.

Best Halftime Show Ever!

2007-02-05T10:52:00.000-06:00

For those freedom-hating "Americans" who didn't watch the Super Bowl last night, I really feel sorry for you. Not because you missed one of the sloppiest Super Bowls in the history of the NFL [8 turnovers, 9 is the SB record], but because Prince absolutely killed it in Miami last night. The Artist shredded through about a 12 minute set, which included "We Will Rock You" [intro], "Let's Go Crazy," "1999" [short interlude], "Baby I'm A Star," "Proud Mary" [CCR], "All Along the Watchtower" [B. Dylan - brief], "Best of You" [Foo Fight.], and, the rather fitting, "Purple Rain." IT WAS FRIGGIN' AWESOME!

I've plead my case to many-a-folk about this, however, nobody seems to care enough to heed my advice: Prince's new material is just as strong as his older stuff; check it out for yourself. Musicology [2004] is rediculously good. Pretty much every song is great. And while I've only heard about 3/4 of his latest release, 3121, I can say that it's about equally as awesome. His guitar playing seems to be getting almost better. The dude flat out shreds. Posted below is "Black Sweat," which was the first single off of 3121. So now that football is over, can we please just fast-forward to baseball season.

Prince - black sweat [via cable & tweed]

God Hates Awful Music by Idiots

2007-02-02T10:52:00.000-06:00

My friend Susan sent me this...

Thanks, I guess? No word as to whether this is a hoax or this creep is serious. I do think it's worth pointing out that he's wearing a particularly gay shirt, and has a mustache that would make John Waters jealous. Either way, Sue said it best: "I'm not sure what sort of emotional response I should have while viewing this. I don't like the message, but I do like the smoke effects."

MIX-MASTER MICHAEL vol. 2

2007-01-31T11:27:00.000-06:00

How's about round 2 of Mixmaster Michael's Mixtape Madness [is that annoying yet?]. None of these tracks are particularly new, however, all are supremely bitch. Let me know what ya think. Also, can we assume Brokeback Mountain was loosely based on this old Pansy Division gem?

Paul Westerberg - we may be the ones
Preston School of Industry - falling away
Drive-By Truckers - gravity's gone [via stylus]
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - a minor place (live @ BBC Scotland) [via knkmusic]
Pansy Division - cowboys are secretly frequently fond of each other
Laura Cantrell - 14th street
M. Ward/Jim James - magic trick (alt) [via so much silence]
The Weakerthans - plea from a cat named virtue
Maria Taylor - song beneath a song
Ugly Casanova - things i don't remember
Tom Waits - alice

Review: the Milky Ways

2007-01-30T09:29:00.001-06:00

The Milky Ways – The Milky Ways [Alive/Bomp Records]
I know very little about this outfit aside from they’re from Montreal and they’ve recently put out an awesome album. Trippy, soulful garage rock with fuzzed-out guitars and plush organ work. Only one beef: incorporate the female's vocals in more tunes. She totally nails it on "Guillotine" and I'd love to hear more from her. Regardless, from the tunes to the artwork, this album is top-shelf stuff. Standout tracks: “Guillotine,” “Lecherous Parasite,” “Got My Mojo Back.”

the Milky Ways - got my mojo back

The Milky Ways - Alive/Bomp Records

Ramones, Baseball, Of Montreal [...again]

2007-01-29T10:49:00.000-06:00

Two Ramones-related tidbits for ya... Good news first: today's Tommy Ramone's 55th birthday. Tommy took over the drumming duties after Joey quit drumming and started singing. He went on to produce a bunch of Ramones albums and the Replacements' Tim. I guess he's the only original Ramone still alive. On a sadder note, Charlotte Lesher, mother of Joey Ramone, passed away the other day.

On to baseball... I guess you've probably heard the news: Jeff Weaver's a Mariner. Seems like a stupid decision on his part. Did the Cardinals make a mistake on letting him go? As Bernie Miklasz points out, time will tell. Also, check out viva el birdos for his take on the move, and a tribute to the late Card's GM, Bing Devine. For those in the dark, Devine passed away last week and is credited for putting together some excellent Cardinal teams in the 1960's. His most notable trade: the infamous acquisition of Lou Brock from the Cubs in exchange for Ernie Broglio.

Also, last week I mentioned how wicked Of Montreal's cover of Bowie's "Moonage Daydream" was. Well, you can judge for yourself by heading over to funeral pudding, where the actual live track is posted [or you can just download it here].

UPDATE: They say death comes in 3's: First Bing Devine, then Charlotte Lesher [J. Ramone's mother], now Barbaro. Good grief...

Have a rocking Monday!

OF MONTREAL [Jan. 21, 2007 - San Antonio, TX]

2007-01-26T10:43:00.000-06:00

I was planning on posting a review of this show and some pics. Unfortunately, for me, my camera is a piece and the pics turned out crappy; failing to do any justice of the spectacle known as Of Montreal's live show. Fortunately, for you, the gatekeepers of cool over at pitchfork posted some photos that manage to capture the insanity.

To say that they go "all out" live is a gross understatement. I'd heard stories of their over-the-top antics and, honestly, I had low expectations going into the show. As it turned out, they friggin' killed it. Costume-changes, enormous lobster claw, dudes wearing make up, projection screens, singer Kevin Barnes coming out on a 10ft ladder wearing a robe to cover it all up so he looked like some sort of enormous indie-rock goddess aside, Of Montreal seriously delivered the goods.

Anyone who's heard their albums can vouch for the layers upon layers of swirling sound, dizzying vocal harmonies, and caffeinated disco beats. I figured this would be nearly impossible to effectively transpose in a live setting. Not the case whatsoever. The band pranced through an hour and a half of new and older material alike; completely tearing the roof off of San Antonio's White Rabbit. They even busted out a cover of Bowie's "Moonage Daydream."

Opening the show was some D.J. whose name I can't recall but he had that 90's mash-up thing going; similar to Pittsburgh's Girl Talk. He was alright. Following that dude was New Mexico's A Hawk and a Hacksaw. This 3-piece freaked-out-folk-gypsy revival featured a dude on the accordian, a woman rockin' the fiddle, and another dude holding down the beat with a marching band style, over-the-shoulder drum "set." All their songs were instrumentals, which usually bores me a bit in the live setting. Not the case here though. They played just long enough to loosen up the indie-pop fashionistas that make up the Of Montreal fanbase.

I'd definitely reccommend checking out this show when it hits your town. I'm confident they'll stop in your area soon. They just embarked on a 3 month tour that pretty much covers every city in North America.

Of Montreal - disconnect the dots

[from Satanic Panic in the Attic - Polyvinyl Records]

Of Montreal - heimdalsgate like a promethean curse

[from (their most recent release) Hissing Fauna, You are the Destroyer - Polyvinyl Records]

[Photos courtesy of Zach Vowell @ Pitchfork. Go check out some more over here]

Killing it With Toys: TOYS THAT KILL

2007-01-25T20:06:00.000-06:00

Back in September I went to check out, what was supposed to be, a Queers show with Toys That Kill and the Hard-ons (Australia) supporting. After arriving early to chat with Todd (vox/guitar) from Toys That Kill, I learned the Queers had cancelled due to some “van troubles.” BUNK! But as all dudes know: when life hands you a lemon, drink a bunch of Shiner Bock and enjoy yourself anyway. So that’s just what I did.

“We were actually asked by the Queers to come out and do this tour with them,” explained Todd as to how the plans came about. “Joe just called and asked if we were interested. It’s funny ‘cos I actually bought a Hard-ons album when I was like 15 years old. I remember thinking it kinda sucked but, since then, I’ve had a bunch of friends tell me they’re awesome and I need to check them out.”

Queers or no Queers, I knew I’d be in for a bitch show because Pedro, CA’s Toys That Kill was on the bill. For those dudes unfamiliar with the band, they were formed out of the ashes of ‘90’s smart-ass snot-punkers, F.Y.P. Since then, they’ve consistently delivered the goods in the form of 3 full lengths and a slew of 7-inchers and eps, mostly released on Todd’s Recess Records.

While Los Angeles may be the closest major city to these Pedro-punkers, they claim zero affiliation to the city. In fact, while most bands in L.A. thrive to score gigs around town, hoping for some label-head to “notice” them, T.T.K. could give two shits about having an impact on the L.A. “scene.”

“We had a month-long weekly residency set up at the Echo (reputable L.A. venue) and we only showed up to one of the gigs.” Instead of getting wrapped up in the typical L.A. bullshit, they’re more comfortable in the confides of their own home: “We’d much rather play a house party in Pedro, or this place called Harold’s. What’s nice about playing shows there is that all the people that come out are genuinely excited to be there." Geography plays a part too, “[y]ou don’t just show up to Pedro. The way it’s set up—geographically—its in the middle of nowhere. You have to actually go out of your way to end up there.”

Todd’s infamous for having many fires burning at once. On top of his full-time gig rocking out with T.T.K., homeboy runs a record label, and fronts another band called the Underground Railroad to Candyland. “Underground Railroad actually has a tour lined up in Japan for March of 2007,” he points out with glee.

In regards to his other full-time gig: Recess Records is a friggin’ treasure-trove for punk rock goodness. With bands such as the Arrivals, the Bananas, Modern Machines, and Bent Outta Shape, and, of course, Toys That Kill, Recess is always churning out rock’n’roll goodness that’s surely better than most of the shit currently being released.

As for Toys That Kill’s live show, they do just that: they friggin’ kill! This particular September weeknight was no exception. Not only were they nice enough to sneak in my request for “Brain Attracts Flies,” the T.T.K. dudes shared some curiously delicious brownies and provided a boss night in general. Big ups to Todd and Jimmy for the righteous evening!

Check out Toys That Kill and spend up some loot at Recess Recordsl

This piece will be one of many righteous features in the next issue of Dudes Mag.

Because I'm ready for baseball to start...

2007-01-24T11:08:00.000-06:00

Brace yourself friends. We are about to be bombarded with Super Bowl hoopla. Actually, it's already started to some extent. While I fumble for input when I'm sucked in to a "who you pullin' for?" conversation with people I'd rather ignore, all I can think about is how ready I am for baseball season to start back up. That being said, I thought I'd run through some of the most rediculous offseason transactions that have gone down since last October: [In no particular order]

Gil Meche - K.C. Royals: 5 years / $55 million
The last time I checked, homeboy hasn't had an ERA under 4.00 since the turn of the century. In fact, his ERA over the past 3 years is barely under 5.00. Now I understand that ERA's have been on the rise due to juiced balls [and players], but shit. This guy has struggled his whole career to establish himself as an average starter and now he's making more than Johan Santana: arguably the best pitcher in the American League, or even the whole league. Shame on you Kansas City. I know desparate times call for desparate measures, but there's no reason to burn up your payroll just because the ship is sinking.

Carlos Lee - Houston Astros: 6 years / $100 million
This one's just a joke. Carlos Lee making more than Sir Albert? You gotta be kidding me! The table was set for Houston to spend some wise money with Petite and Clemens' contracts expiring. Instead, they go and commit $173 million on Lee and Oswalt. Oswalt's a worthy investment. But Carlos Lee? He's a pitiful defensive player, on a good day. Further, I'd argue his best days are behind him. Granted, he'll be able to smack them out of Enron Field [I know, they changed it...I'm sticking with Enron though], but I still don't see him hitting more homeruns than his career high [37]. I'm not arguing Lee is a complete bum, I just don't think he's worth 3/4 of what Houston paid for him. Who knows, maybe I'm just pissed that he's back in the NL Central.

Daisuke Matsuzaka - Boston Red Sox: 6 years / $52 million + $52 million to acquire negotiating rights!
What can I say that hasn't been said about this deal. Is Theo Epstein trying to screw over the Red Sox? Good for him if he is. I would speculate as to whether or not he's worth the risk, but who friggin' knows? The dude has never even pitched an inning in MLB. I know I'm not the only one who's convinced he'll go on the DL half-way through the season, which would be funny as hell [sorry Daisuke, don't take it personal - ed. nt. Daisuke is a frequent visitor of backporchbanter...]. Now all players have perks included in their contracts, but check out Mr. Matsuzaka's via mlbcontracts. Perks: physical therapist, massage therapist, interpreter, 8 first-class round-trip airline tickets per year between Boston & Japan, spring training housing allowance of up to $25,000, Boston housing allowance of up to $75,000, one-time moving allowance of up to $35,000, use of Lincoln Town Car or similar car, Red Sox player ticket package, including 2 field box seats, team employee to assist Japanese media, uniform No. 18. The dude's making almost $10 mil a year and he want's a Lincoln Town Car? Part of me thinks this has to do with him embracing the enormousness of the American auto.

I'll leave it at that for now. Feel free to leave comments on what other teams are throwing away cash like a drunken sailor who just returned from sea. I know someone out there has to find the Jason Marquis signing rediculous. On the other hand, it is fun to see the Cubs piss away their money.

MIX-MASTER MICHAEL

2007-01-20T20:07:00.000-06:00

Enjoy the inaugural edition of Mix-Master Michael's Mixtape Madness. [Just right-click to download each track (or ctrl+click for us Mac users)]

Whiskey & Co. - nightlife
Oakley Hall - living in sin in the u.s.a
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - johnny appleseed
Bound Stems - wake up, ma and pa are gone
The Shins - phantom limb
The Good, the Bad and the Queen - history song [via sonorama.net]
Teddybears ft. Iggy Pop - punkrocker [via http://iguessimfloating.blogspot.com/]
The Thermals - here's your future
Radon - write back or get smacked
Cub Country - st. louis
Neko Case - train from kansas city [live]

Overlooked/Ignored..songs: BAGHEERA - Long Division

2007-01-20T16:24:00.000-06:00

Here's the first installment of "Overlooked/Igored..." where I'll spotlight overlooked/ignored [duh] bands and tunes. To start the party off we have StL's own, Bagheera. This husband/wife duo put out a decent full-length in "Twelves" back in 2004 via Asian Man Records. Dreamy, low-fi pop that should win over fans of Mates of State, Superchunk, and Grandaddy. While the album peaks at Long Division [below], there are surely other tracks that make "Twelves" a worthy effort. Enjoy!

Bagheera - long division

DARONDO

2007-01-20T11:20:00.000-06:00

Have been totally diggin' on this dude lately. Gvs.B has provided some cliff notes on the dude, and Aquarium Drunkard has chimed in as well. Everything I've read about Darondo refers to him as "a street-wise Al Green." I've always assumed Green was street-wise himself, but whatever. He definitely has that Al Green vibe; maybe a little more grittier. Apparently, he only released a few 45's in the early '70's. You can swoop those up at Emusic.

Darondo - didn't i

[courtesy of Gvs.B]

Big happy b-day ups to my girl Margaret. She knows how to throw a wicked party. Which reminds me: I really need to invest in a margarita machine.

Is this thing on?

2007-01-19T13:24:00.000-06:00

Whoa!? I have a blog? I totally forgot. I'll try not to forget anymore...

Anyway, it's Colbert's world and we're just living it. If you didn't catch Papa Bear on the Report, or Colbert on the Factor, you really fucking dropped the ball, didn't you.

Currently Lovin':
-Michelob Light
-Hot Toddies
-6 day weekends
-The cold weather we're finally witnessing down here in South Texas
-Watching idiots freak out because the roads are wet AND it's cold out [real foreign concept down here, apparently]
-American Music Club - united kingdom
-Fattback - briefly a zombie
-Kid Dynamite - s/t
-Da Ali G Show
-Sopranos on A&E [for as big of a fan of cussing as I am, the lack of F-bombs hasn't been too distracting]
-

ickmusic

[dude has posted so many Springsteen and Prince bootlegs; it's disgusting]

4th Dimensional Rocket Ships Going Up

2006-07-20T21:23:00.000-05:00

So I guess this is lift-off. Big ups to the internet for being such a bitch medium. The best part about it is EVERYTHING on it is true. So keep this in mind whilst reading this sucker: EVERYTHING I WRITE ON HERE IS TRUE AND UNEXAGGERATED. It's kinda like TV and the media in general.