Watch Out For Snakes!

Why Aren't More Bands Like This?

2006-10-24T23:53:00.000-04:00

Chronic Future has finally released their much anticipated of rarities and outtakes: This And Of That is everything I've been wanting from them and more. There aren't really any great rockers like "Shellshocked" from Lines In My Face, but they more than make up for it with some of the best funk and hip hop tracks by white boys I've heard in like....forever.

"Temper Anthem"

I'm only putting up one track, because you can buy the damn CD off of their main page or their myspace page located here, so pay the money, enjoy songs that radio will never hear, because there aren't many good stations left.

Also, I want to suggest that if you like these boys, go to 40 Oz. Comics, home of Jim Mahfood, the best graffiti/comic artist around. Buy one of his books, listen to Chronic Future, and open your eyes to greatness!

So....Yeah....Reason Is....

2006-10-22T21:28:00.000-04:00

Okay, where the hell have I been? See....there was this girl.....this pretty girl, who I fell pretty hard for and we dated, and things were great and I thought, "At this moment, I don't need no website!". And then, like, I got dumped on Sweetest Day. So, if we look at our scorecards (well, at least the scorecard I keep in my head), I've been dumped right around Valentine's Day, my birthday, and Sweetest Day. Now all I need is a Christmas dumping and I'll have rounded all four bases.

But no, the breakup wasn't bad, it was a timing issue, and I won't fault her for it. Move along I shall. And to commemorate this occasion, I'm sharing a great Single File song that fits with this pretty well: "Everything (Stand Still)" is pretty much how I've been feeling. So yeah.

Other than that stuff, what have I been up to, you ask? Not much really. Trying to find more work, going to school, I really have kept a low profile the last two months. That should soon be changing.

I also have to shout out to STIM TV! The place has been providing me with great stuff the last year and I think you all should be checking it out.

Be back soon with more stuff.

What Da Ya Know?

2006-08-26T23:57:00.000-04:00

The next post will be the whole Rentals show with the interview with Rachel Haden. I'll work on it tomorrow night, but I have to get some sleep tonight, so I figured I'd just write about what's going on for the next few...whatevers.

Today was actually a pretty good day. Up in Columbus, I went and saw Shiny Toy Guns and Kill Hannah again. Was a great show, STG really puttin' on a sweet performance. Carah Faye really....damn, that girl can sing the shit out of songs when she wants to. The fact that she's gorgeous doesn't factor into it, but damn if it doesn't bring people in. The girl is just a natural beauty. And the fact is, this band is making a huge fan out of me, and I want to find all the versions of their one and only album.

Kill Hannah also put on a pretty decent show, though I was suprised the crowd wasn't more into it. In all of my previous shows with them, the girls were fighting to get a piece of any of the band members, and now that this show was all ages, I figured it to be worse. But weirdly, much more subdued. But hey, that's life. Anywho, like I said, the next entry is going to be the end of my Rentals tales for a while. After that, I have a few backup High School Favorites lined up and then, hopefully some new stuff coming.

Oh, I almost forgot, on Tuesday, I will be down in Covington, KY, passing out flyers for STIMTV at the Amber Pacific show. Come say hi if you're going to be there, I could use the love, for I am without...*cue dramatic music anddddddd cut!*

Season One Is Over?!!!!

2006-08-25T04:30:00.000-04:00

If you haven't been following my advice and checking out each and every episode of Food Is Not Love, you're a jerk. Yeah, you fucking heard me. A jerk you are!

Now the boys (Dougie From The Block and Douchebag Rene) just finished up their first summer season, so go there now and download the whole thing and get ready for the return, slated to happen....SOOOOOON!!!!!

Dustin Kensrue....

2006-08-24T01:20:00.000-04:00

When Sarah told me that Thrice was a band I really had to check out, I was not optomistic. I do not, repeat, do not like hardcore bands. They are some of the silliest bands around, taking themselves so damn seriously, like their pain really matters. Well, when 30 year olds start writing lyrics that I could write (and buddy, I couldn't write lyrics if my life depended on it), then you've all hit a new low.

But for some god forsaken reason, I decided to try this band. And...and at first I liked two songs on their latest album, Vheissu. Two songs grew to four songs, which grew to about 7 songs....you know where this is going. Now, Vheissu is a completely different album from their previous ones, so I was very hesistant to try any of the others out, for fear that I wouldn't think much of them. Why do I fear shit like that? I don't know, just do.

When I finally recieved both The Artist In The Ambulence and The Illusion Of Safety, I could finally say I had nothing to be worried about it. These guys, while still be a kind of emocore type band, could actually play to their expansive strengths in that sound. They could be epic, yet still hard. Most bands can never come close to that, but these guys did this with ease.

But it wasn't till I went to Water Is Poison, which is what seems to be the best fan site on the band out there, that I really saw what these great songs could be. In their audio section, you can find a few different acoustic sets that Dustin Kensrue, lead singer, performed. And when I tell you that this guy is now in my Top 5 of songwriters, which have been home to Rivers Cuomo, Anna Waronker, Ben Folds, Matt Sharp, PJ Paslosky and Sarah Saturday at one point in time or another.

As long as they're cool with me linking the songs, here are the few that I think everyone should be listening to:

"Radio, Radio"
"Bob Marley Medley"
"Stare At The Sun"
"Cold Cash And Colder Hearts"
"Prodigal"
"Artist In The Ambulence"

Download those few songs, and then try to tell me that this guy isn't one of the most talented, but under the radar singers (for the first two)/songwriters (the last four).

Matt Sharp?!!!

2006-08-21T02:18:00.000-04:00

Well, I know I promised this weeks ago, but I'm gonna give you this one first and the big one with Rachel later and folks, I'm just gonna let you know, this is more like a conversation between two people then an interview. And those are my favorite pieces to read. Plain old interviews are boring. All of my text is in bold, matt is plain old…well, plain old Matt. Enjoy!

You just reformed The Rentals a little while ago.

It's about a year and a half totally since the day I met Sara (Radle).

You did your solo album and EP, where they were more acoustic and relaxed. How did you come back to playing Moogs and doing that original Return Of The Rentals sound?

It was just a culmination of everything in life coming to that point. There's not really anything specific. More or less, it's just for everybody in the group, from Rachel to Sara to Lauren to Ben to Dan, we all just had to be at a certain place in our lives to want to do what we're doing. Certainly there were just a whole lot of people who contributed to that though. Tegan & Sara certainly helped with that.

Doing the tour with them.

I did a tour and I did 12 songs on their album and really just enjoyed that process of being with them, and I guess that was kind of a gradual step to leading us back to where we are at now. For a long time, I wasn't in a place where I even really thought about doing this kind of music. Now it just feels right, it feels natural.

I'm not sure if anyone's ever asked this, and I don't know if you feel this way or see it this way, but what do you think of Weezer and The Rentals both taking sort of the same path? In that, both bands had successful first albums, cult status second albums and then both bands falling off the radar. You left after Pinkerton to work on The Rentals and then to have them fall apart. And then to have both bands come back.

I've never even thought about that, this is the first time anybody's mentioned it. While those first two Rentals records were done in such similar periods to where Weezer was. The first record was done before we released the first Weezer album, most of Return Of was written and recorded somewhere around the time we were recording The Blue Album, so those lines are very blurry for me.

So no definite line?

No definite line. We finished the album somewhere in between some Weezer touring and we were touring with that dog. a lot at that time and that's all in there together, scrambled up. Seven More Minutes and Pinkerton, the day I finished doing my backup vocal tracks for Pinkerton, which were the last thing I did on the album, that next day I was on a plane going to London to start Seven More Minutes.

Which you recorded mostly in Europe right?

Yeah, we recorded almost all of it there. I went from the studio, basically, to a taxicab, to an airport, to another taxi cab…

They said, "Cut!" and you were out of there.

…yeah, literally, we went from L.A. to the airport to a cab to the studio in London and it was like that same day that we started getting into the studio for Seven More Minutes. So those records are really on top of each other. We recorded a majority of that album, stopped so I could go on the road for Pinkerton and promoting that record with those guys and it's all and then came back…

It's all jumbled together?

…yeah, those are all intertwined. We were like all in very similar places at that time, our ideologies, Rivers and mine…I know he was, I can't speak for him, but I know he was a huge influence on my life and we grew up together essentially.

You went from, basically, the beginning of adult hood to close to now.

Especially the first album, he had a big impact on…

Songwriting?

…yeah, or just "Look at my friend just doing it", writing really great songs. We all talked about it for a long time and I was really just inspired by his abilities and gifts.

About coming back to The Rentals sound.

All those things, they're never singular. It's really easy to write about in a one line, this person or that person were inspiring.

But that's not real life.

Yeah, not for me. Especially with the way I think about the creative process, it's just all important to me. When we were the solo album I made (Matt Sharp), for me it was the environment and the people around me, the person that worked at the country kitchen or whatever, the girl I used to talk to every day there…just that kind of stuff is as much of an influence…

Those daily conversations and everything?

…yeah, everything. And I feel that way now, the people who are generous enough to be apart of our group, they have a huge impact on me. Even if they're not on stage with us, I feel they contribute to what we're doing. All that stuff might really sound cliché. Some of my friends who go on these artistic journeys, some of them have gone onto these pursuits for crystalline, perfect credit, where they can say this person is responsible for this whatever. The thing I really learned from going on tour, either on my own or with a very sparse lineup doing the solo stuff, whatever the situation is, you are in collaboration with somebody. If you're just by yourself with an acoustic guitar, you're working with the sound person and that has a huge impact.

It's a give and go.

And the audience and that kind of stuff. I know for us, how involved the audience is really, it has an impact on the show. If people really don't feel like…

Jumping Around?

…jumping around, dancing and singing, we're gonna play a different way, it might not be necessarily be worse or better for me.

What's it like being on this tour? (at the time, still only 2 weeks in). I'd assume you'd consider Chicago a win, because everyone was in the palm of your hand tonight.

Tonight is a good idea of how elements have nothing to do with anybody in the group. The heat really affected the audience tonight, it affected us. If we had just had air conditioning, that show would have had a completely different feeling to it. It gets a little out there talking about it in those terms, but it all has an impact. Whatever it is, and we've been chasing the sun the whole tour and we have just been in every city with them going "This is the hottest it's been in the history of whatever town we're in". Everywhere we go, they're saying that. And every day we look at the weather report and it's saying it's gonna cool down after we leave.

The heat index for today was 115 and tomorrow is going to be 86.

Yeah, everywhere. Maybe that's good news for Chicago and tomorrow will be cool. But it was really brutal, we took a song out of the set.

"Jumping Around' right?

There's no way in hell, that song would have seemed like four hours in that heat, and I like to make that one stretched out a bit if we can, kind of approach it more…improvisational.

Kind of like "Move On" was tonight?

Yeah, but even more than that. When we started doing it, it was really adventurous and I think we're in a place where we're not taking many chances, but I'm hoping to break though that. But tonight I was like "Forget that", forget tonight's experiment. But I want this group to feel like we can do that. Lauren does a lot of viola and I just give her spaces in the set to just go where she wants to go, just things that are on her own…

Like "Today, I'm gonna play it like this!"

She just does whatever, like one of her…this is gonna sound like hoity-toity and stuff, but one of the violinists she came up with in orchestra was at one of the shows, so she started to do this Mozart solo for viola and violin, she did these references to it and stuff like that and I could just see the connection and glances and I love that freedom.

Then, they had to move the bus! DUH DUH DUHHHHHHH!

This is probably where we have to stop, it's for your safety, haha.

No problem man, it was great meeting you.

Nice meeting you too.

And that was it folks. Matt didn't have to do that interview, but was gracious enough to spare me some of his time. The next interview will be up soon and with a ton of pictures. But for now, you get just this and not the full story. But it will be soon!

Mmmmm.....

2006-08-21T00:10:00.000-04:00

Well...what's to say? I promised an update and then what did I do? I almost took three weeks off.

Well, let's just say that having a fever for most of a week and then still being sick for another week made doing anything a chore. But here I am. And I'm doing Warped Tour right now, almost a month after it happened.

Let's talk Warped: I'll come right out and say the best thing at this year's Warped Tour was Joan Jett. She had the most pure set of any of the bands that I at least caught. She played new songs off her new-ish album (it was released in Japan a good while ago) and she played her classics. She allowed all the photographers to shoot her whole set (you normally only get the first 3 songs and that's it). I can’t tell you what it was like to see her just serenade “Crimson & Clover” five or six feet away from me. Very surreal but cool moment. And of course…”I Love Rock & Roll”. How could I not talk about it? It was the end of her set and it really got however many people where there for her singing along. Doing a shoot with her actually gave me the first time where my Dad really knew an artist I shot. He was totally excited.

There were other great moments. Getting to see Jerra again was a nice surprise. Her band Ferus really caught my attention just like Jerra did the year before. Two years in a row is a big thing in my book.

I also met Brandon from Rise Against. A guy I know, who we’ll call…”Jon”. Oh wait, that’s his real name. Anywho, he was doing an interview with him and I told him I’d take a few pictures for him. Here’s one of them!

I caught both Senses Fail and AFI and both put on a decent shows. Davey Havok gave me a couple of good opportunities for good shots. I wish I would have gotten to talk to Jade Puget so we could have discussed The Static Age remix he did for Neon Nights Electric Lives.

Motion City Soundtrack of course put on a great little new-wave packed nugget of a show. Though, in all honesty, I really wish they would be on a smaller stage. I’m starting to see this way too much lately: bands that are used to playing smaller stages are all of a sudden foisted up to the big stages and they can’t…I’d hate to say it, but fill the state. That’s not to say MCS didn’t perform great, I really liked them, but they just seem better fit for a smaller stage, where you can feel the tension of having less space to move.

But the big band for all of us down there in my small group was of course those boys from Colorado…those boys from L.A….those boys from somewhere…Single File. When walking to their booth, I had on my red Saving Face shirt. And after a moment of talking to them, they noticed the shirt and smiled (the girl in the middle used to help “mentor” them and she is of course, Miss Sarah Saturday.) Sloan and the boys were playing only acoustic and man, did I feel bad for them. They got drowned out multiple times by all the stages surrounding them. But they stuck it out, moving their show to the grassy knoll, as far away from any stages they could. Makes me really want to see them soon, though the closest they play is Cleveland…and I fucking hate Cleveland.

Overall though, the show was much better than last year’s disaster. I saw many, many people I either work with in the photo lab or people I’ve seen at many shows. It was hotter than fuck, but well worth it. But it really became a precursor to Chicago and the hell that trip would bring. But that’s for my next entry. Anywho, enjoy!

Not Another Oneee....

2006-08-03T03:33:00.000-04:00

Yes, another post with nothing of interest to go with it. But it's just to say that I just got home about 20 minutes ago, and I'm recovering. If you heard anything about Chicago this last week, you'll know the heat was a killer. But I have great stories to tell, along with my big Warped story. But let's give ya a preview of what you're going to get from Chi-Town: interviews baby, interviews. Be back tomorrow.

If You Post It....They Will Come...

2006-07-29T00:48:00.000-04:00

I really do plan on posting many if not all of my Warped Tour pictures. It truely was an experience that involved tons of running, many bottles of water, failing tools and some rock hard abs. All will be coming to you soon, hopefully tomorrow. But right now, I'm scanning in 9 rolls of film, very slowly, and you know, guys & girls.....a guy has needs that he usually has to fill nightly....and if I'm to get some sleep before work tomorrow, I have to choose either doing a big post here.....or taking care of those needs. So I'm off to watch Futurama....but I'll leave you with at least one pic:

High School Albums: The Missed Ones! Pt. 2

2006-07-25T22:38:00.000-04:00

This one scares me. The fact that it didn't make my Top 5 is really something. This album influenced so many bands, they're pretty much uncountable now. It's pretty much considered one of the Top Ten Albums of the 80's, by anyone that really loves music. I just don't know how I either forgot and just didn't put it in:

It was durring my Sophomore year. I was dating a girl named Kat and I had just heard Weezer cover "Velouria" (Weezer still being my favorite band at that time). While browsing a CD store in the mall (yet another mall story, huh?), I came across this album. I heard that this was the one to get (would later hear that Doolittle was the one to get, but what can ya do?). My girlfriend wasn't into listening to it on the way home, so I finally was able to hear it in my own room.

This thing was like a whole new world to me. This expansive sound, yet....it sounded like it was recorded in my cellar. But that fit it didn't it? And it didn't really hit me until "Broken Face". Here was a song, just 1 minute 30 seconds long. But the thing just tore my face off. With lyrics that didn't make a fucking lick of sense, you had to listen carefully to try to grasp the song. You couldn't, but listening closely made the damn thing stick in your head. But what was worse was the fact that it went right into "Gigantic".

I can't tell you how many times I was just humming in high school...."Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul, let's have a ball". And the first time I heard the song, I fell instantly in love with Kim Deal. And that was okay, cause I grew up in a town one over from the one she grew up in. Showing some Dayton love baby.

The rest of the album was marvelous, really delivering on everything everyone told me. But it was the last song, "Brick Is Red" that really hit it home. I don't know why it does it to me, but I can't help but repeat the song every time I hear it at the end of the album. It's just lovely.

Well, tomorrow, I head down to Cincinnati to shoot Warped Tour. What does that hold for me? Let me see: The Sounds, Motion City Soundtrack, Single File, Joan Jett and the MOTHERFUCKING STREET DRUM CORPS!!!! Yeah!!!! See ya later!

High School Albums: The Missed Ones! Pt. 1

2006-07-24T23:37:00.000-04:00

I can't remember the exact summer that I actually found this damn thing (I'm thinking between Freshman and Sophomore years, maybe). I was on a family vacation and at that time, I really was not into sight seeing. I couldn't stand being around my extended family, they were a total bore to me. I'd rather sit in the camper and watch DVDs and listen to music. Every new town we hit, I'd immediately look for either the book/comic book shop or a great record store. And most of these towns didn't have them.

But I was lucky. One town that summer had a great mall. And at that age, I was a complete mall rat, always ready to leave the family to browse the stores.

Durring those years, I was heavily into Weezer and more male fronted bands. And I really was not into singer/songwriters. I hadn't found Brendan Benson or Pete Yorn or the Haden Sisters or Anna Waronker. And there was a reason I hadn't. It was because I hadn't found Liz Phair yet.

I was just getting into a lot of the indie review sites and half of them at the time were talking about what a big influence Liz Phair's Exile In Guyville was on every female indie rocker. How could this damn thing influence everyone? I hadn't heard of it. Well, as I've learned many times in the proceeding months and years, what I knew didn't mean jack shit.

I actually bought the album unheard, which is probably the rarest thing for me. Now a days, I usually download a few tracks or see the band live. But for some reason, I plopped down the $13 and said "Ring it up, register jockey!". I got out of the mall, tore open the packaging and checked out the CD. I popped it into my portable (I KNOW, PORTABLE CD PLAYERS, CRAZY!) and absorbed this thing. And my first thought was...."This girl has got balls!". I mean, she's showing part of her nipple on the cover. She is exposing herself to us!

And expose she did. Right from the start, she attacks the losers she's already gone through with the great anthem "6'1"". It's like she was thinking, "I'm not gonna pussyfoot around, I'm gonna knock it out of the park with the first track." And she continued to do it throughout the album. I wish I could post every track, but I won't, because it'd be wrong and I don't have that kind of time. Go buy the damn thing. But yes, almost all of the tracks are great, but it wasn't until the tenth one that everyone stopped and said, "We really have a force here."

"Fuck & Run" is a bonafide classic. There's no other way around it. It is probably the best song she'll ever write, sad to say. But when this is your best song, you shouldn't feel bad. I know when I heard this song, I actually cried a little. This song gave me a bit of hope. While Liz says in the song that she's just screwing to get buy, she asks that perfect question, "What ever happened to a boyfriend, the kind of guy who tries to win you over? What ever happened to a boyfriend, the kind that makes love because he's in it?" Oh my god, even my 15 year old mind grasped that this is the kind of guy I should be. That one song helped shape how I'd treat women. How many people can say that about another song?

And the album keeps going. With the amazing "The Divorce Song", you get the opposite of "Fuck & Run". Instead of a wish of what could happen, you get the end of what could have been. And after watching my parents in a very bitter divorce, I could relate to this very well.

But my actual favorite song on the album goes to the album closer, "Strange Loop". I could atribute it to this great opening set of lyrics:

"The fire you like so much in me
Is the mark of someone adamently free
But you can't stop yourself from wanting worse
And nothing feeds the hunger like a thirst"

And for some odd reason, those lyrics have stuck with me now for well over 5 years. But the song has more going for it, some of Liz's best guitar work on the whole album. She let's the song just sort of drift into a great jam and the slowly falls apart. A perfect way to end an album.

Now, I kind of feel bad, because when I was preparing my previous High School Albums (5,4,3,2,1), I really left out a ton of albums that should be near the top. This one was the closest to making the Top 5 and I actually think it should. But since I already put Pete Yorn's musicforthemorningafter there, I'm not gonna change it. But there will definitely be more High School Albums to come, stay tuned for them. I hope to have at least one or two more done before I leave for Chicago, then finish them after I'm back. I thinking that if the next four go well, I can just do sets of five till I have nothing else to talk about. Yeah, you guys will get some of my world famous monotany. Oh yeah.

Lala.com....

2006-07-24T23:07:00.000-04:00

I was at my Dad's over a month ago and I was browsing through the Dayton Daily News. They have a pretty good entertainment section in the paper. And I'm glad I read the paper.

They had an article on a website called Lala.com. It's an online site that allows you to trade your CDs to other people for free, and if you receive a CD, it cost less than $2 to get it. Now, that may sound a bit weird, but you can receive some pretty rare CDs. How rare you ask? Try this out:

Yeah, that's right. I now own Petra Haden's Imaginaryland, all for the low low cost of....less than $2. If you go for the album online, you're looking at the lowest price of getting it being $30, easy. So yeah, I'd say this site is pretty fucking cool. But I can give you a list of stuff I've gotten so far:

that dog.'s that dog.
Last Days Of April's Angel Youth
Thrice's Artist In The Ambulence and Illusion Of Safety (thanks Sarah)
Sigur Ros' Takk
Rilo Kiley's More Adventourous
The New Pornographers' Twin Cinema

And I'll have more to come. So, if you'd like, I have just under 50 invites to send to you and I'd love to send them (mostly because I think I get a t-shirt or something if I send a lot out, and who doesn't love free t-shirts? If you don't, you must be Canadian or something.)

More Tonight, But...

2006-07-24T16:28:00.000-04:00

It looks like I have my two biggest shows coming up in the next week or so. This Wednesday is going to be a Warped Wednesday. I have a great photo pass and press pass for this year, so I'm really looking forward to that. Then on the 1st of August, The Rentals/Ozma reunion tour. This is gonna be a great next week!

Flee The Seen, Hit The Lights & Thrice....

2006-07-19T23:11:00.000-04:00

I'm not a hardcore music fan. Not like I don't love music a lot, I mean the hardcore scene. I can't get into the screaming and headbanging. It's just a bit too much for me most days. It's like....I don't know, it just can be too silly.

But lately, my tastes have slighty been shifting. I was surfing STIM TV (shameless plug) and I came across this video for a band called Flee The Seen. Now, the easiest way to get my attention is to put a female front & center, with a bass and let her sing. You will guarentee yourself at least a listen from me, cause there's nothing I can do to stop myself from loving the female bassist/singer. I just fall for them completely.

So I catch this video, for a song called "Wire Tap Out" and the song alone caught my ear, but the video sealed it. Here was this very forceful, yet extremely beautiful woman banging out the bass lines while singing the shit out of this song. I'm not gonna lie and say her beauty didn't help with winning me over, but the song kept me going afterwards. You can check the video out here.

The next band on my list is one I might catch up in Chicago on my upcoming trip, that is if the people I'm traveling with are going with me. Hit The Lights is a band I've seen a few times, they're from Lima, OH, which isn't too far away. I've caught them all the way from basement type shows all the way to Warped Tour. But the most bizarre show I've seen them at, was with a band I could never ever in my life picture them with.....The Static Age. When I heard that TSA was doing a tour with Hit The Lights, I was shocked. Not because Hit The Lights aren't a good band, but because they just didn't seem to fit. But let me provide you with a few samples go with my story:

"Bodybag" & "Save Your Breath"

"Bodybag" has to be one of the most catchy punky-poppy songs I've heard in years. The lyrics, while being the tinyest bit cheesy, are more than made up for with the catchiest chorus and sound. You really have to give the band props for the song. That's always been my favorite thing about the band, they've always written songs that catch you pretty quickly.

And my last band, my ever favorite Thrice. Ever since Sarah Saturday got me hooked on them, I have to keep finding more. On my most recent trip to Columbus, I was in a great record store next to Skully's and I found their Red Sky EP, which has one of the best songs I've ever heard the band put out (which still isn't much yet, but I'm working on that). "Flags Of Dawn" is one of the two songs I've heard lately that this band isn't your typical post-hardcore type band. They have a beautiful, light side to them that's just coming out with the release of Vheissu and the Red Sky EP. The other being Dustin Kensrue's acoustic work. He does a lot of solo shows with just an acoustic guitar and it really brings out the pop sensibilities of his songs. One of the best has to be the acoustic version of "Artist In The Ambulence". When I heard it sounded like The Cure, I had to check it out and I was completely suprised at how much it does sound like Mr. Smith. You really have to hear it to believe it.

Anywho, that's all for now. Watch out for snakes.

What Are Ya Two Gonna Do, Watch Deadwood Or Something?

2006-07-19T14:54:00.000-04:00

My man Disco The Kid and his manservant Rene are at it again, with yet another episode of Food Is Not Love. Only this time.....I'm in it.

Go check out Food Is Not Love and download episode 2. You'll have to wait towards the end, but I get both a shout out and a listen to the message I recorded. Plus, you'll get to hear Disco's amazing call to a Christian Crisis Pregnancy Center....it just really has to be heard.

STIMTV.com....

2006-07-15T19:49:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I think it's finally time to give you guys the speel on this site:

*sucks in a bunch of air*

STIMTV.com is the bestest ever site for watching unsigned, small label and much maligned big label bands and their videos. They have exclusive videos, live shows and interviews. It allows you to search either randomly or thorougly through their huge catalog of videos. You must go there!

Okay, after all that, let's really talk about it. I do work for them, but then, I don't support shit. I support things that actually deserve my attention. I really do love this site. I use it at least every other day, just to check out cool stuff I didn't know about, or looking for great stuff. Let me link two of my favorite videos:

Of Montreal "So Begins Our Alabee" Live

That is an exclusive live video of Of Montreal that is truely great. It's the first live recording that I've seen of them that truely shows what it is like to be at one of their shows.

Street Drum Corps "Medley" Live

This is an exclusive live video of the SDC, who I told you about earlier. This is just such an awesome thing to see.

And that's really just the tip of the iceberg for STIMTV. I hate to sound like a shill, but I'll be a shill for them. They're good people, a small group of people that put a shit load of work into their site. Try them out, if you think they suck, I'll send you any mp3s I have in my collection with out a care, cause I don't think I'd get any replies saying they suck. Try it out.

Irritating Stuff!!!...Nicole Ritchie As Braniac...

2006-07-13T22:51:00.000-04:00

I just found out today that all three pieces of art that I entered into the Ohio State Fair didn't get in. What a fucking waste of time and money. I probably spent close to a $100 all together for mats, frames, entree fees and gas to get these pieces in, and to not get one in pisses me off. And that my professor said I''m almost guarenteed to get one in is just the icing on the cake. Errrrr.....

Well, because episode 4 is now out, I have to totally pimp out my man Dougie From The Block's online radio show Food Is Not Love. I've known Doug now for a good amount of years, way back when I did my own Diaryland site. Located here, FINL is really a precursor to an upcoming big time show down in Atlanta. Anywho, Doug is really one of the best bloggers not many people knew about....that is, until this year.

Doug has been in tons of bands over the years, including a really good one called {Public Domain} that I loved. He also does little songs that turn out to be big and great things. My favorite, his cover of Jay Z's "99 Problems" is a perfect cover. Not unlike Pink Nasty's cover of "Burn", this recording is still one I slip onto mix CDs and always play for people. Gotta support my kinda, sorta, maybe friends.

But the one song that got him the most play, the most press, the most notoriety...."Wigga Please". Meant to a joke just for his cousin, this very very.....let's just keep saying very white rap song is easily one of the funniest things I've heard in....forever at least. This song got Doug press all over nation, becoming a very big song on the morning rush hour radio shows. I felt proud to have known him.....*snicker*.

I just wanted to give Dougie a shout out for his supreme coolness. Check out Food Is Not Love and his lovely songs that he produces. Enjoy.

Shrug...

2006-07-10T23:59:00.000-04:00

Shrug is one of two bands in Dayton that really gave me a start in photography (the other being The Motel Beds). I met Dan Stahl at a Decemberists concert down in Kentucky (one attended by Matt from You Ain't No Picasso) and I became friends with him. I had seen the band's singer, Tod Weidner, before at a solo show that he performed with PJ & Tommy of TMB...damn, I'm name dropping really bad, but it does set things up.

After meeting Dan at the show, and him seeing my Decemberists shots, he said he'd like for me to take some pictures at the next Shrug show. I was totally up for that, because around then, TMB was fading away, sadly. But I really didn't know the band that well, so he floated me a copy of their self titled release, which was their third album. Here's a track from it called "Jenny" (this song usually gets the whole crowd jumping, one of their most up-tempo songs they have).

So I tried this little band out. And wow, they really have a truly unique sound. Kind of southern boogie rock meets singer/songwriter songs meets a kind of power pop kick. But you really got to admire that they try that sound. It's only really recently that this kind of sound has been making it and yet they've been doing this for well over a decade.

These shots are from their tremendous CD release show for Whole Hog For The Macho Jesus. The album is the same style I mentioned above, but each song is just a hit. Though I think one of the most accessible songs is "Further & Further", another great up-tempo number.

I really have to thank the whole band, they really helped me out to get a foothold doing shows. And I'll always thank them for it. This is truly an ass kissing piece, but I don't care.

The Static Age...

2006-07-05T22:37:00.000-04:00

The first time I ever laid my eyes on The Static Age was way back in 2004 (I know, man, way way back). Manda & The Marbles were throwing their release party/show for Angels With Dirty Faces and they had two opening acts. One was this guy playing guitar and keyboards and other stuff by himself and he was adequate, if not boring.

Then all of a sudden, this tiny little guy with his friends came out on stage and played the shit out of these amazing, dark, new wave songs. Andrew Paley (who I mentioned before is the man behind Paper Tigers, which soon will have a name change) really has a great stage presence, very calm, very collected, but his voice just draws you in.

And you can't forget Adam and Sarah Rose. Now, for the longest times, my bass player heroes were people like Rachel Haden, Sarah Saturday, Matt Sharp and others, because I either loved their lines or their stage presence. Now, Adam doesn't have a big presence, but his bass lines are pretty much my favorite ever. It's weird to say that, but they are just so damn great, they get into your head like no other. Rosey on the other hand, is even more relaxed than Drew. She's a damn cucumber, so calm she is. But her keys truly fill out each and every song, you couldn't imagine any of them without her.

Now, they had a different drummer at the time I first saw them, but these photos, taken from the time they were in Columbus, were with Tim, who's a pretty sweet drummer and guy.

Now, the pictures, well, let's just say that I unearthed these prints out of the dumster of some photo studio. They were wrecked and damaged and I did all I could to get them to you.....orrrr, we could tell the real story. That day, I just had bought a new flash that I had never tested before. And let's say it was a we bit more powerful than I thought it would be. So things got really washed out with flash, so I took what few prints off the one B&W roll I shot to give to you guys. I think I got ten servicable images, but I give you four tonight.

In return, I also give you songs! Whoot!

"Augustine" from their first album, The Cost Of Living and "Saltsick" from their second album Neon Nights Electric Lives. Enjoy them both!

Now That It's Finally Up...

2006-07-04T01:59:00.000-04:00

That interview with Sarah was in the planning since the begining of the site....and then you wonder why it took so long for me to ask amateurish questions, and my response is: go to hell.

First off, I just finally got my Stree Drum Corps album, and even with it being ever so brief, it totally fits the vibe they were going for. I've met Bobby Alt plenty of times now and his drumming is so out there sometimes, that I wondered if he would better fit a more jam band type situation. And he does. The Street Drum Corps (or SDC) are the punk version of STOMP. Hell, they even have John Sawicki of STOMP join them for "Achilles". Their lead song, at least in every live video I've seen of them, "Wrecks", is just one of the standouts. If they're ever in your area, check them out.

P.S. They play weddings, baht & bah mitvah's and birthday parties. Book them!

One week ago, I got to see We Are Scientists for the sixth time, and for the sixth time, I've seen them play in either a crowd not meant for them or a venue that just plain sucks. I even had really nice 1600 speed film from Fuji to shoot this time, after the Cleveland debacle that left me with $25 in development costs for crappy images. This time....look, I'll be honest with you, these images aren't great either, but they're better than the last time I shot them. So we'll work with what we got.

All in all, the show was pretty damn good. The constant touring has really made them tighter than I've ever seen them. But, the same complaint I've thrown at them each time I've seen them lately is the same: the setlist is pretty much the same. I've seen the show. But for the first time, I'm alright with that. I've come to expect that they will no longer play old songs, hell, stuff from two years ago seems like ancient history. And they played the hell out of the show that night.

But we can't forget about Au Revoir Simone. This 60's girl group meets The Postal Service really was an odd choice for an opener. But there was one girl in the group, I hate to forget names, but she just had so much damn energy, that she totally made me crush on her instantly (she's the one on the right). They were a great diversion from the indie rock about to happen that night.

They have two great tracks up on their website:

Hurricanes
Through The Backyards

The Double, on the other hand, let's just say they got off to a rocky start with me and I think most of the audience. With Au Revoir Simone, they had song structure and everything, but The Double were this weird little noise band that until the last third of their set did I finally start to get them. That's not good, it shouldn't take that long. But when your songs seem to stretch out into infinity with no begining or end, you can't do much.

Back to WAS. They really kept the crowd going with their set, Keith being the stage demon that he is, made use of the whole thing, even running into the crowd at one point to sing to the people not in the up close. What a sweet fucking guy.

But all in all, the show was another of the same. Nithin from Wet Leather and The Motel Beds stopped by. Hadn't seen him in well over a year and a half or so. Hadn't gotten "Wet" in a while. Anywho, it was really great to see the boys again, they really are one of the best bands out there, and my favorite when it comes to how they treat their friends. Except for one thing: after talking with the band after the show, me and my bestest pal Shells went to buy a t-shirt (she was getting me one for my birthday (just turned 21 on the 19th of June)) and the merch guy was like..."Uhhh, I'm all counted out, I can't sell you anything."

Are you fucking stupid? We were going to give you money! So you could buy lunch the next day probably! DON'T YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE? WE'RE PERSONAL FRIENDS TO THE STARS....TO THE SCIENTISTS!!!! Whoooo......I'm better now. Guess I'll just buy my next shirt online. I miss the days when Chris and Keith ran the booth.

Finally.....Miss Sarah Saturday!

2006-06-30T21:57:00.000-04:00

After many months of begging and pleading and whatnots, I have finally gotten this interview finished. Let's talk about something, about the history of me and Sarah. On April 13, 2003, my life changed completely. And this is a serious change. I was with my now best friend and a couple of people we were working with. We were in Cincinnati to see The Used...at least, they were. I knew none of the bands on that tour (my musical influences were still not fully formed yet). I looked at the list of bands: The Used, Coheed & Cambria, S.T.U.N. and theSTART. Nope, not a clue on any of them.

But I went anyways, this would be a show to enjoy I was told. We got there so early, by the time the doors opened, this show better kick so much ass. And in a way, it really did. The first band on, theSTART, had this new wave punk sound that I really got into, but it was this bass player they had that kept my eye. Her name....was Sarah Saturday. She was this mid-height, punky bleach blonde that couldn't help but smile the whole show. She seemed pretty cool. The next band was S.T.U.N., who were amazing, but deserve their own post.

So after S.T.U.N., I decided to go back to the merch booth, cause I just wasn't ready to be smashed against the barrier anymore (that would change as I got more shows under my belt). So at the merch booth, there was Sarah, standing there, chatting up anyone that came by, selling them her homemade zine she put out, which I always found really cool. I could never put out a zine. Hell, that'd be like trying to sell of the stuff I write here. I'm just not that good.

So I started chatting her up for I was developing a total music crush on her (you know, when you love someone for them playing music and being cool). She gave me her email address and the name of her own band....Saving Face. A band I would get to know pretty well the next few years. And not long after that show, she finished her touring duties with theSTART (she was a temporary bassist) and returned to Madison, Wisconsin to work with Saving Face. After that, things went break neck, and that also deserves a follow up post. But without Sarah, I would not be where I am. I traveled out of state to see her and her band play, I've housed them at my apartment, I got to meet her then boyfriend Andy Stensrud, I've bitched to her about my women troubles even, and she gave me my first music industry job (working for STIMTV.com). She's one of those people that changed my life. So here's the interview, where you can learn more about her:

What started you out in music? Was it your parents or family that influenced you, or was it friends in school?

I started taking piano and violin lessons when I was 3 years old. I grew up in a very musical household and was constantly exposed to music. Everyone sang and played multiple instruments, and we were always jamming together, learning songs and new instruments, making up goofy songs about our pets, and singing in harmony together on road trips. I was always in choir and school bands growing up. When I was 14, my mom told me about the Fender Jazz bass she had in the basement. I couldn't believe she had kept this secret for so long! She brought it upstairs and taught me a very simplified version of "Moondance" by Van Morrison. The next day, I got my own practice amp and that was it for me. I picked up the acoustic guitar a couple years later and taught myself how to play (one of the most frustrating things I've ever done).

Your first band, Wish, was formed when you were in high school. What was it to play shows when you were that young?

It was all very exciting. At that time, there weren't very many high school bands playing shows, and Wish was the only local band in our town. So all our friends would come see us play and I would get really nervous and stand totally still on stage. But we were, like, the coolest kids in school. Haha...

What did Wish sound like? Were there any demos?

There actually were two demos released -- on cassette tape! I can send you copies if you want. I've been meaning to put them online. We were an alternative rock band all the way. We covered Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Deftones, Stone Temple Pilots, Bush, and Tool -- the whole nine yards. I had hair down to my waist and leather pants.

You were in the band with Ryan McLain, who you also went onto with in Saving Face. What was it like working with him?

Basically from the day I joined Wish (originally called Manifest Destiny) when we were both 16, I was best friends with Ryan. We even dated for a few months when we first met, but that didn't last very long and we became good friends because of it. Ryan was my "musical soul mate" -- meaning that we could sit down together and write an entire song without saying more than a few words to each other. We just knew exactly what needed to happen with the songs. It was really incredible.

You booked almost every show you've played. What made you decide to take charge?

Well, I only started learning about booking shows at the end of Wish. We were living in Madison, out of high school and playing local shows. We had met a local Madison band called Ed Temple, who was very involved in the underground, DIY community. They are the reason I got into the scene, learned about the DIY philosophy, and discovered the world of punk rock. Until that point I had only heard a handful of punk bands, but I had no idea there was an entire underground network and way of life to go with it.

I started slowly taking over the booking of local Wish shows, and soon booked my first tour, which ended up being two dates in Michigan -- one of which was in a restaurant that served mussels and had dirt and feather bowling in the back room. Very strange. But from that point on I was hooked on this new world I had discovered.

After Wish, you formed Saving Face with Ryan. What were your goals with the band?

I think my goals were the same from the day I joined Wish to the day I decided to move to California (and maybe even after that): I was going to leave my mark on the history of music.

Saving Face ended both abruptly, yet inevitably. Care to explain what happened?

Well, from an outside perspective the ending of a band is always more abrupt than it is from the inside perspective. The last year or so of Saving Face's existence was all over the place: we lost our drummer, I left for three months to tour with The Start, we changed our sound a bit---and the pressure of taking the band to the next level began to weigh pretty heavily on all of us. By the time we embarked on what would be our final tour at the end of 2003, it was apparent that we had reached a fork in the road. I was pretty depressed and we were all struggling to pay our bills and keep the band alive. Ryan and I had been playing together for nearly a decade and we were starting to wonder what the future held for us. We never in a million years thought the band would end, but when I got offered the job working for Kevin Lyman and the Warped Tour out in California, I couldn't turn it down. The guys came out to California to record our E.P. a few months later, and we talked about the options. Ryan and Matt both expressed the desire to keep touring and make the band work, but in order for that to happen they needed to move to California (not an easy---or cheap---decision to make). I had also just started an incredible job that took up most of my time, and when I got invited to go on the road with the Warped Tour, I think we all knew that the band was over. It was a long descent into a quick unraveling...

"P.S." ended up being your last release for Saving Face. If you could have kept going, what would you have liked to do with the band?

It is so hard to say... I think the better question would be: "If it would have been possible to keep the band going, what would you have done?" And my answer would be, "I would have kept it going."

You now work for Kevin Lyman, who is the creator of Warped Tour. Care to explain what it is that you do for a job? What kind of connections has that created for you?

It has been a great experience. I have learned so much, met so many people, and completely changed my entire view of music, the music industry, bands, record labels, and human beings in general. Even now that I am moving on and starting to do some of my own things, I still work closely with Kevin's projects and value what I have learned from him in the last two years.

What were some of your favorite live experiences and experiences while on the road, with either Wish, Saving Face or your times on Warped Tour?

Yikes. Favorite live experiences varied, between basement shows that were packed with sweaty punks and playing to 11,000 people when Saving Face opened for Good Charlotte. There is nothing like the feeling of unity and idealism at a punk rock basement show, but then again the adrenaline rush of walking onto a stage in front of a huge crowd for the first time is a pretty intense experience. I can't say that I have a favorite live experience, except for a couple of our last shows at The Warehouse in La Crosse, when we had returned from very long and fruitless tours only to be welcomed by sold-out crowds whose energy and love for Saving Face made the excruciating tours worth it, just to play those thirty minute sets with that crowd.

Which recording/s are you most proud of? (Be it Wish, SF or Alma)

Saving Face's releases were the ones I put most of my time, energy, hope, and efforts into, so I would have to say I am most proud of those. My fondest memories of being in the studio are from the first few times I recorded with my first band, Wish. It was all so exciting and new -- and analog, so we would spend like 12 or 14 hours straight in the studio with nothing but Mountain Dew and cigarettes to keep us awake.

You run two websites: SarahSaturday.com and EIY.com, which stands for Earn It Yourself. What are both websites for?

SarahSaturday.com is basically a site where I can promote good undiscovered music and complain about everything I hate about the world. Haha... OK, it's more than that. Reviews, resources for bands, a zine, mix CDs, a radio, and an introduction to my EIY philosophy. You can find cool stuff there, but I am planning a huge facelift for the site so that it can be more effective and require less time on my part.

EarnItYourself.com is a spin-off of SarahSaturday.com, dedicated to my philosophy for the music industry, called Earn It Yourself, or "EIY." It's an idea I came up with after being in Wish and Saving Face and learning about the music industry, and how most bands actually become successful. Very few of them earn their success through hard work and dedication to their values of a band. I think everyone would be surprised by how most bands become "famous." I believe that a band should have a goal-driven philosophy and agreed-upon values as a band that never changes no matter how much money is offered to them. EarnItYourself is also getting a facelift soon, and I will post a detailed, updated explanation of the philosophy on the new site.

You have a new project, Alma, which you've been working on in your spare time. Can we expect a release soon?

No, definitely not. Alma was a happy accident that my friend Wyatt and I started, but we have since become co-VPs of an online music television channel, which means very little (if any) time for recording.

I do miss playing music though, and I just bought myself an electric piano the other day so I can get back into writing. I am considering starting up a band for fun, but who knows? I've gotten used to the fact that my life changes dramatically every few months, so anything is possible.

I know you have a Bono obsession, but what bands have you always wished you could work with or play with?

I have a Bono obsession? Really? Haha I didn't know that. There aren't many bands I wish I could work with; working with established, "famous" bands always makes me feel uncomfortable (I would much rather be playing in the opening band on their tour than working in the production office giving them their laminates). But I do have daydreams of playing on stage with bands like Radiohead and Coldplay, and I used to always wish I could have done just one tour with a super heavy band, like Thrice durring their Illusion Of Safety days.

You also “manage” a band, Single File. How did you get hooked into doing that? And what's it like to help run a band you aren't part of?

I don't so much "manage" Single File as I "consult" them from time to time. I walked into an open mic they were playing as an acoustic duo and was blown away. I knew I wanted to help them in some way, so I met up with them and starting helping them figure out their strategy as a band. I helped them book their first tour, then basically talked to them about their goals, their 2-year plan, and tips on booking tours and managing themselves. Since then I haven't had enough time to devote to "managing" them, but I have kept in touch with them and helped them out whenever I can. They are great guys and I consider them friends above all else.

Final Question: How did you ever become Prom Queen?

Psht, by being AWESOME!!!

Check out Sarah Saturday.com and Earn It Yourself.com

Next, I'll have some pictures up from the recent We Are Scientists show and more on what I'm going to be working on this summer for you guys. Hopefully a switch to a real .com site. Who knows!

Better Off Being Someone Else

2006-06-20T15:28:00.000-04:00

Like many of my favoritest (yes, I use favoritest) femaled fronted power-pop bands, they were broken up long before I got into them. Sixty Stories, that dog., Tuscadero are just a few of them, and we've come to another one: Co-Ed.

I believe it was my first year at Warped Tour, stuck in the beautiful city of Milwaulkee, that I heard Co-Ed. Waiting for Saving Face to take the stage (the main reason I was up there), I checked a lot of the booths they have. If you've never been to Warped Tour, go check out the cheapie tents that have really cheap compilations. Most tracks will suck, but you will find a nugget or two of gold. I did at least. On one those compilations, I found a track called "Eeyore" and the name alone struck me. A Winnie The Pooh reference? On a punk pop compilation? Weird. But the song stuck with me.

After returning home, I did some research and found the band defunct. Only sticking around for four years, the band put out a great split album with Pollen and a pretty decent full length album, 00's Somtimes Always Maybe Never. But of course, the band called it quits four years to the day of their first show. At least they were punctual. But they did some great punky power pop songs, stuff that you know is my bread and butter. I figured I'd share a few with ya:

Going Going Gone
Maybe
Eeyore

P.S. If anyone knows what really became of Kathy Cagigas, the lead singer, let me know. All I know is she did like two duets with some different bands and I'd love to hear if she's done anything more in the music industry. Thanks.

A Time For Jubilee!

2006-06-19T09:14:00.000-04:00

One score and an extra year added, doctors decided it was time for me to be born. So at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Standard time, I came into this world. I'm totally suprised it didn't make front pages across the globe. But what can ya do, the press just wouldn't know a good story if it kicked them in the teeth.

So what you see here is what I have been working on for now the last two months or so. I haven't shot a show in a good while, but I do have stuff upcoming.

So why did I take such a long sabatical from the site? Well, if you've ever read any of my old site stuff, you know it happens fairly often. Sorry. I get into other things or I get discouraged or even that crazy "d" word....it's depressed stupid. I also hurt my back and left arm this past month, which made typing a pain in the ass.

So what is upcoming, you ask? Or you don't. Well, first....wait, why didn't you ask? I would have asked you. In fact, what is going on with you? Are you busy? Relatively bored? Sexually aroused (which I only want answers from my female readers) ? Please let me know what is going on in your day to day life. Now, back on track. I believe I will be seeing Misters We Are Scientists soon. I think in Columbus. After that, in July, I should be shooting the Cincinnati date of Warped Tour (an annual tradition of going to Warped, this would be my fourth year now). But then....my big show of the summer....Matt, Rachel, Sara, Ben, Lauren and Dan....The Rentals baby, in Chicago and I get to SHOOT THE DAMN THING! This means my meeting of members of that dog. will be two! Now I just have to see a solo Anna Waronker show and somehow meet Tony Maxwell.

I hope to keep updating this thing regularly, and I think I will have more time this summer, when sitting in the photo lab gives me nothing more to do than search the internet for good songs and a way to bring you guys my favorite stuff, whether it be art, music, movies, books or just great porn. You guys like goth porn right?

This Is A Time For Taking It Slow...

2006-04-25T23:39:00.000-04:00

These past two weeks have sucked so bad. So so bad. I pulled a muscle in my leg really badly, to the point where I've been limping for two weeks. And then today, to top everything off, I lost my job. And I haven't been able to produce new prints since this time (I'm making new ones tomorrow so I will have some real posts up). I've got to deal with my Chemisty class soon, I've missed way too many classes. I'm just totally frazzled and fucked up. My love life, which is pretty non-existing, has still been a bit weird. Things are just out of hand at the moment. I just want to quit for a while. But I'll try to be here tomorrow. Hopefully. Wish me luck.

Taset Of Chaos....Weeks Later!

2006-04-10T18:07:00.000-04:00

I guess I should start off with my story on how I was able to even take these shots. I've been working for STIM TV MUSIC now since November of last year. I haven't mentioned them yet, becuase well, it'd feel like I'm pressing them on you guys. STIM TV is a online TV station that plays music videos by unsigned, small label, and little promoted bands. It's a great place....anywho....

STIM TV is a sponsor of Taste Of Chaos. So Sarah (my friend, my compardre....and my boss) asked me to hand out flyers and stickers to the people in the crowd and I'd get a free ticket. Sweet. I love free shows. I told her I'd take some pictures from the crowd that I could send to her (mainly because her boyfriend is the bass player for Thrice...he's the guy at the top). So after handing out flyers and stickers for a bit, I started walking into the venue and security stopped me. They pointed to my camera bag and asked what it was. I said it was just my camera and some film. After searching it, they told me that I couldn't bring it in because it was a professional camera.

Damn, I thought, I was hoping to get a good shot of Eddie. That's when I got real lucky. The security guard asked me if I was shooting for someone. I thought for a second....well, in a way, I am. I'm shooting for Sarah who works for STIM TV. The security guard said to go in and wait at the booth, they'll be someone there for me. When I got in there, one of the heads of promotion there started asking me some questions. Who are you with? You're not on the list, is there someting wrong? I just said, "Hey, my boss at STIM thought I could shoot a few shots for her and send them to her, if I can't, no biggie." But the guy was real cool, he said he'd be back. After a few minutes, he handed me a photo pass. Whoa. Didn't expect that.

So, by chance of luck, I got to shoot my first credentialed show. And what a rush.

What I have here is only a small selection of shots I got off, but I really did love everything I got to shoot. I wasn't into the music that much (with one exception), but Atreyu, Story Of The Year, Millionare, Dredg and Thrice were all so much fun to shoot. Of course, there were difficulites (mainly stemming from the fact that these men could not stand still for a shot). But I got some great photos (the one below is one I changed a bit in photoshop, but it works better that way).

But there has been one band I've wanted to promote for a while: Thrice. Sarah got me real hooked into them when she said she was dating one of them. Whoever Sarah dates, I usually get into their music. Maybe it's because I feel I have a personal connection with them now, or I'm just so damn jealous of whoever she dates...heh. But anywho, the first time I heard Thrice was a few years back, when they were mostly a hardcore band (not my favorite genre at all). I didn't really take to them, so I never really thought about them again. Cut to this past month:

They truely put on a holy shit performance. I came out of their part of the show completely wowed and a fan for life. I already had their newest CD "Vheissu" on mp3s, but I bought it there too, for I wanted to give this band my support. Here are a few brilliant tracks from the album:

Between The End And Where We Lie
Music Box
The Earth Will Shake

Check this band out, it's totally worth it. I'll have more photos up soon, plus I'm shooting The Stills on Tuesday, so I'll have stuff from that also.

Weeeeeird....

2006-04-08T04:16:00.000-04:00

I was trolling Gorilla Vs. Bear, trying to see if maybe I could find some cool music when I came apon a photo and a name I found familiar.....Jencey.

Now, at first, I thought it couldn't be the same person. Then I looked for a better picture. And then I saw where they were from and I knew it to be the same person. Jencey, keyboardist/vocalist for Smile Smile is the same Jencey that used to play for The Currents. I made a post about The Currents a while back, but I'll repost the songs because I posted them when I was using sendfile.com and they do suck pretty bad.

Surf's Up
You're The One
I'm Not Crazy
I Believe In The Radio

If there's more demand for songs, I will post more. I have a whole album that went unreleased and a ton of demos. The Currents (mainly Chriss Voss) ran a great web board. As you posted more on it, you'd get points to download demos that he and the band had made. It created a pretty cool community. And the whole band posted (including Jencey) there, so you could get input from anyone. Anywho, I downloaded the few Smile Smile songs that are out there and they're so damn good. I definitely give props to Jencey to moving on to another great band. But I so miss The Currents. They were a band I could have seen going somewhere. *Sigh*

EDIT!

I just found Chris Voss' new band! Handclaps & Harmonies is a very 60's Beatlish style power pop band. Definitely check them out. Especially "Be With You"...I wish it was downloadable.

Chronic Future

2006-03-31T23:11:00.000-05:00

I remember the summer of '04, and on the radio was a really nice fun song called "Time And Time Again" by a band called Chronic Future. At first, I'm sure I thought "Yaaaaaaay! Another rap rock band we don't need! Whoo-hoo!!!" But that damn single caught in my head and wouldn't get out. So I had to do something! So I bought the album right before they were playing a show in downtown Dayton. Wrong move.

The band hooked me. The band had so much energy that you couldn't help but get caught up in their live show. I ended up seeing them twice (the second time because I had to trade in my Pixies tickets which almost killed me, a long story). I got to talk to Mike (the lead singer) a few times and he truely is a great guy. He's got the attitude that I so enjoy: more than willing to hang and talk to fans who really appreciate his/their music.

And their music. You hear the term "rap rock" and you immediately cringe. I know I do. But these boys, the inject their music with meaning. It's not about being angry, it's about knowing to what to do with that anger and change your life. It's actually uplifting music. Tracks like "Shellshocked" and "New York, NY" show you that these guys, just normal fellows from Arizona, have the songwriting talents of the some of the most lauded singer/songwriters. I'd love to see what Mike Busse could do on an acoustic record by himself some days.

Since 2004, they've been pretty inactive, not sure really why. But I do hear they're working on new songs. They have a few up on their myspace site. In all honesty, the first two new ones I heard, I wasn't really impressed. They were good demos, but just that, demos. Stuff that I think needed more work to fit into their sound a bit better. But then, the last new track came on. "If You Ever Run Away" has this very dreamy sound that I could see in the middle of one of their sets to settle the audience down. I definitely suggest downloading it.

*Reason I've been away:

Just finished up my quarter recently and I needed a break. Work has been crazy. I'm preparing for many shows in the next few weeks. My photos for The Static Age turned out like shit (but there will be a post on them in the next three posts), but my Taste Of Chaos stuff turned out great. I'll try to be better. Who knows what will happen.

End Of Reason*

My Hectic Life!

2006-03-20T16:31:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting, there has just been so much going on lately that I just haven't had the energy. Up till last night, I wasn't even online for about four days, a long time in my life. This past week was finals week, and while I didn't have any finals, I did have two critiques and a term paper to write. Both of my critiques for photography went very well, with my professors saying my Black & White final being my best body of work yet. Which is funny, for all of my finals before this have been band shoots I've done. Two with Shrug and one with The Decemberists. I had never done an artistic shoot before, because in all honesty, I don't consider myself an artist. I've always seen myself as more of a commerical photographer that just loves music. But my professor challenged me a bit to try something different. So I did. Here's a few of the results (the one above is my favorite):

I hope to use the same model on the right (Luci), for I really got some great looks out of her. Of course, there's about ten things I could have done better, but this was my first time shooting with models and trying something artistic.

Of course, I only ask that anyone reading (all four of you) to not post bad comments about my artwork. I'm very fragile and only accept compliments....or back-handed compliments. Those are okay too.

Back to regular life. I did two photo shoots this week, one for The Static Age and one for the huge Taste Of Chaos tour. Now, that second one might shock you a bit, "We thought this was more of a indie pop blog?" Well, it is, but I still have a lot of connections to the punk and hardcore scene I started out hanging with.

I should have stories soon for The Static Age and Taste Of Chaos, as soon as I can get back into the lab. I've been waiting a really long time to talk about TSA, ever since I found out about the tour.

Tomorrow will bring new songs, so stick around!

Late Nite Drivers....

2006-03-12T23:29:00.000-05:00

The best way I could describe Late Nite Drivers, for me, is.....solid. And I mean that in the best way possible. I met Billy and Chris way back in 2003, the same night I met PJ and Tommy actually. The above picture is not the band I met, it just used to be Billy (middle left) and Chris (far right) and one other member, Bruce (now of Wet Leather fame). They've added a guitarist (Jeremy, formerly of Dead Like Presleys) and then lost both Bruce and Jeremy. And they've kept on, creating some of the coolest garage rock mixed with some sweet hooks and harmonies.

And they're great guys. Way back in the fall of 2003, Saving Face ended up doing a tour where they stayed with me for a few days. I helped book a show for them here in Dayton, with PJ and Tommy and Late Nite Drivers. Well, two members of LND decided they had a show coming up that was more important, so they weren't going to play. If they didn't, it would have left Saving Face hung to dry. But Billy and Chris don't do business that way, so they ended up playing a great solo set, with Billy on guitar and Chris on drums. It still stands up as one of those very cool moments in my rock and roll life.

And I haven't even gotten to the music yet! I haven't bought their new album, a self titled debut called.....well, Late Nite Drivers. And it strikes me as funny, for I have three other CDs by the band, but I guess this is the debut with the newest members, which Billy and Chris seem very happy to be with. With Heather on guitar and New Chris on bass, they seem to be perfectly in junction with each other.

"Fair Trade" This is one of my new favorite tracks from any local Dayton bands. While I still might favor the version of the band with Jeremy and Bruce, this new version is chipping away at that top spot. Heather's vocals add so much, in such short spurts. And Billy's voice is a whole new level, not so gravely, much smoother.

"Who We Are" This bouncy track feels a bit different than what I'm used to from LND. But great still. If I see the band moving in this direction, I will follow. Just like Bono.

Bonus Tracks:

Here are a few tracks from old albums and EPs!

Say That
Rock Quarry
And The Preacher Asked...

P.S. Billy, if you're reading this, I need a mp3 of "Setting Up For A Fall", it could have been a fricking hit single!!!!!!

Miscellaneous

2006-03-09T00:10:00.000-05:00

I've been listening to a lot of different stuff lately, tastes varying many ways. I've been all over from lite alternative country to white boy hip hop....all in the same family.

Pink Nasty & Black Nasty are polar opposites, but you could definitely see them being related. Pink sounds a lot like Jenny Lewis, but I find her voice not so sweet, a little bit more relaxed. And she's the only artist I've found that can make me tolerate an Usher song, so much so, I now love the song. "Burn" is so well done, I could see Country stations across the nation picking this up and getting a ton of airplay. Then you have her brother....Black Nasty....and there has to be something wrong with the boy. Who the fuck writes a song about fucking their cat? For that matter, who the fuck writes a song about his secret love affair with a certain famous diarist from WW II? Well, Black Nasty does with his song "Bitch Named Frank". The man must be a bit deranged, but when you hear his sister's calming voice singing backup, it kind of makes sense. You get the feeling that Pink is probably just a messed up as her brother, but keeps it under check.

I'm also a little upset when Matt didn't mention me or my friend Lauren at the recent show with Marbles and Of Montreal. I ended up filming (holding the camera) a lot Robert's accoustic set for him, but do I get a mention? A link.....so I can get some decent hits here? No, of course not. But I relent, I had a great fucking time.

But we hit a bit of a snafu before the show. Lauren pulled what I call a "Shelley" and forgot her license. The show was at Southgate House, and they are notorious for not letting people in without ID. And I had to shoot this show, it was part of my Color final at school. So what was I to do? Well....thanks must go to Matt. I called him and tried to figure something out, so when he got down to the basement, he went right up to Robert Schneider and told him the situation. Robert and Matt came up to me and said...."We'll sneak ONE person through the back." Oh my god, it was an unforgetable moment for me, one I'll remember for a while. And Robert, man, the guy puts on a great show. I didn't know any of his acoustic songs, but I'm relatively new to him (I just bought my first Apples CD a week before the show).

"....MARBLES..." What can you say about Robert that everyone else has already said before and better? Anyone that can sing karoke to their own songs, and keep a semi-straight face the whole time is gold in my book. And he had so much damn fun.

Plus the dude loves fucking MATH?! You must love him.

And then Of Montreal came on, and what Matt said was almost perfect. This is a Top Ten show for me. I can't say it any better. Kevin Barnes just has this great personality about him, a mix of Bowie and I'd say Colin Meloy. A bit of witty banter and ready to dance and rock. Can't really go wrong with that. And they played the few songs I knew.

Requiem For O.M.M. 2
Rapture Rapes The Music
Disconnect The Dots

They truely made a fan for life that night.

Those People...

2006-03-05T23:55:00.000-05:00

If I had to list any one year as being the most influential in my life...I'd say 2003 was that year. I fell totally in love for the first and only time, and I met three people that would kind of change my life, in a small but weird way. The first, Sarah Saturday, is probably the biggest person in my life, in a way that would change it. But we're gonna get to her in about a week, for I have an interview with her and some cool items.

The other two people are PJ Paslosky and Tommy Cooper.

I first met them in August of 2003. I was hanging with a girl that my mom worked with at the time, at this bar called Elbos. Now, at the time, I had never hung out at a bar before, for I had just turned 18 a few months earlier. Anywho, we were there to see a few bands, no one I had heard of. Two bands took my notice: Late Nite Drivers, a trio then, who played cool bar rock. The other....The Dead Like Presleys. This five-piece band played very cool rock. Kind of laid back, but not lazy or anything. I ended up buying their CD that they had: The Ritalin EP. At the time, I wasn't really impressed as I am now, but one track really stood out to me:

Friends In The City

I think this was really the start of my love of PJ and Tommy's music. So I tried to see DLP again as soon as I could, but I only got one more show, one of their last. I never really found out why the band broke up, I kind of figured I'd never hear about any of those guys again. But at that last show, I said I'd like to hear anything new that PJ and Tommy came up with because, "I'd love to tape any solo shows you guys do or something." They said they'd keep in touch and they did.

They invited me to a show, where they were to debut they're new solo act of sorts. Mañana, as they were called at that point, was just PJ and Tommy playing guitars and singing....and it was so cool. I had heard plenty of acoustic acts before, but these two, the way they could play and sing really just wowed me at the time. At the end of their set, they came over and handed me a ten-track CD they had just made. Lots of great songs that wound up on their EP Hasta Mañana. But my favorite track at the time was this very quiet, very beautiful piece called:

Airplanes In Veins

They would go through a few name changes, a very good one being Viagra Falls, but wound up calling themselves The Motel Beds. I found it really funny one day when I saw this surge of popularity for them on the internet, all because I suggest Matt should try them out. It really does show you what kind of popularity this band has. When I started working with them though, I started to hang out at their recording sessions and was receiving old demos from the DLP days. And I got some great ones, like:

Bambalam
Knock Me Up

I was privy to a lot of cool moments and even troubled shot a few things about songs. They even asked if I wanted to sing a tiny bit on background vocals, which I refused, for if you've ever heard me sing, you would never want it recorded. I probably saw them more times than any other band I've ever seen, cool shows with Captain Of Industry, Bishop Allen, We Are Scientists and Saving Face. More demos followed, always advancing their sound. Great songs like:

Somebraro Shake
Sunfried Dreams
Systematic Destrux

They always set me up, put me on the list. It made them a class act in my eyes. And with songs like these, how can you not love them?

They went through many lineup changes, as most local bands do, and after fighting it for a long time, the band just sort of fell apart. Which really irritates me, because they could have been big...well, big for them. They had another EP ready to come out that would have knocked people's socks off. It still might get released I hope, but if not, I'll try to get a few tracks on here.

Last Days Of April

2006-03-02T22:41:00.000-05:00

What the hell is it with women today?

You ask a girl on a date, they say yes. You ask them early, without knowing them really really well, but well enough to ask them. Then the day of the date, they cancel. It's for a valid reason I guess, so you accept, move on and try to plan another one. But then, they don't return calls, don't return emails. So you think..."Well, what the fuck is this about?" But then you talk to them again, and it seems like they want to go out, but don't either.

I really just can't figure women out. I've tried to date younger and that blows up in my face each time. I tried to date older, and....well, same thing. The only lasting relationship I really had with someone was someone very close to my age. And of course.....blew up in my face at the end. But I guess that's almost every relationship, for why would they end if they don't blow up somehow?

Sorry folks, this is a return to my Diaryland days, which you can find here. It's very infantile, but it was my life for a few years. Back to music, but these types of things might pop up from time to time, this is my site and all.

Arrrrrgh.....Last Days Of April is one of those very cool pop treats. Apparently, they were one of Sweden's top hardcore bands, but then they turned a corner of sorts. They started creating these sweet, atmospheric pop and rock songs. I really don't have any recollection on how I found this band, be it either Tommy Cooper (formerly of The Motel Beds) or some blog or website, I'm glad I found these files again. It's been so long since I listened to them.

They have five tracks up on their site, but I think the two standouts are defintely:

The Days I Recall Being Wonderful - This songs has a continuous guitar sound loop from begining to end, and it gives it this otherworldly quality to it. Worth trying out.

Will The Violins Be Playing? - This has got a....I don't remember what this song reminds me of, but it's chorus is one of my favorites: "It's not you, it's all me! As if me taking all the blame would make you feel much better now." Those lines just get to me. Such intensity crafted right on to such a good hook.

Check out more at their official site.

High School Album #1

2006-02-25T02:55:00.000-05:00

We finally got to this....the number 1 album for my high school years. There were a lot of albums that almost made the top five, and I'll hopefully get around to posting them soon, but this one, this one takes the cake. One member of this band has appeared multiple times on this site, but no....it's not The Rentals....no, it's not The Decemberists....it's:

Retreat From The Sun is....well, it's that album that I throw on for my happy days, my sad days, my lonely days, my big days and my small days. It is my favorite album. Period. The best way to describe the album? I'll quote Stephen Thomas Erlewine: "Producer Brad Wood helps form these songs into shiny alterna-pop nuggets, making Retreat from the Sun into the best album Liz Phair never made." If Liz Phair had released this instead of....well, Liz Phair, she would still be atop the indie world's throne as their Queen.

Let's set the timeframe for this album. It was the winter of my Sophomore year. I was dating a girl name Kat and my infatuation for indie rock was growing. I had downloaded all of that dog.'s album Totally Crushed Out and I needed more. Me and Kat (and my mom, I was still 16 and without a license) were out shopping. We stopped at a used record store that no longer exists and went browsing. And there it was, sitting in the middle of a row of used CDs like it didn't matter. And it didn't, at the time. But after a few listens, two songs were played over and over. After a few more listens, four songs were played over and over. I kept playing it till every song was played over and over. I've probably listened to the album close to 1000 times, and that's a lot if you think about it.

What Anna, Petra, Rachel and Tony did for this album, it's just inspiring. If I ever had my own band (my pipe dream, for I need to learn an instrument), I'd play this whole album as my encore set. So instead of just posting a few songs, I'm giving you guys something extra: the whole album. It's long been out of print, and the band is no longer together, so I see no reason as not to give you the whole shebang!

Part 1 (save file as a .rar file)

Part 1 includes the songs: "I'm Gonna See You", "Never Say Never", "Being With You", "Gagged & Tied", "Retreat From The Sun" and "Minneapolis".

What's great about this album is that it does mix the nice slow pop songs with....well, what is the best example of 60's pop meets 90's alternative rock. "I'm Gonna See You" and "Being With You" take a slow approach, using the girls harmonies like never before on their previous records. You could definitely see them playing these two songs on the beach infront of friends. With "Retreat From The Sun", the same thing, only in front of tourists for pocket change, for this has to be the suniest song ever, the rays are so damn bright on this thing. "Gagged & Tied" has the most incommon with Liz Phair, mostly songs where she's a bit more domineering. Then you have "Never Say Never" and "Minneapolis which are that dog. at their best. "Never Say Never" was the first song where I really noticed the bass line in a song so damn much....I still play air bass every time I hear it (check out the bass solo of sorts towards the end of the song). Then....there's "Minneapolis", which is my favorite song about long distance relationships. I've never really had one, but if I did, I would hope that the romance would be like this. When I sent this to my friend Sarah, we both agreed it sounded like her romance with her then boyfriend Andy (they're both musicians).

Part 2

Part 2 includes the songs: "Annie", "Every Time I Try", "Long Island", "Hawthorne", "Did You Ever", "Cowboy Hat" and "Until The Day I Die".

This is actually the...well, not quieter, but the calmer side of the album, with the exception of "Long Island", which is a quick burst of popity....goodness. "Annie" and "Did You Ever" are great mid-tempo songs, while "Every Time I Try", "Cowboy Hat" and "Until The Day I Die" are the slowest songs on the album, allowing Anna Waronker to stretch her voice a bit. But it's "Hawthorne", a song about high school life that still sticks with me for a long time. About seeing your friends play in their garages. Driving around California. I just love it.

Overall, this is thing will continue to be played over and over again. Probably till I wear the damn thing out. This is one of those CDs that I hope to pass down to my kids some day, because it's influenced me so much.

Bonus:

While Petra and Anna have been proficient in providing post that dog. music, Rachel hasn't. She produced one song (Poems, Prayers & Promises) for a John Denver tribute album, and that's about it. She's guested on many other band's albums (most notably Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American, which I loved and bought the day it came out due to her....way before those idiots saw them on MTV....how sad am I?) But now, with the internet being the way it is, it allows people to much more freely distribute their music, so I find out that Rachel has a Myspace site.

I have to check this out. This girl is in my Top 5 favorite bass players (others include Sarah Saturday, Manda Marble, Matt Sharp and Chris Cain....three who are friends, weird). And her voice, her damn angelic voice, her harmonies with her sister Petra and Tanya, man, can't go wrong. So I downloaded one of her songs:

Devil's In Me

Holy shit, wow this is good. As good as Petra. Damn you Rachel, release more songs! Do an interview with me! Something, please! You can download more of her stuff at her site. Check them out.

New Dresden Dolls Tracks!

2006-02-23T01:23:00.000-05:00

I was at my favorite local record store (Gem City Records, downtown Dayton, OH) and I was talking with my friend Dan (drummer for the lovely band Shrug. who will get a post someday soon), when I saw in the background a Dresden Dolls CD of some sort. I ask, "What's this? New songs?"

So Dan just gave me one, for he is a sweet man. And this CD.....very sweet. It has one of my favorite songs of all time, one I posted in my earlier in DD post....somewhere in the January archive. "Backstabber" is one those tracks....well, the lyrics aren't subtle, but that's okay. Cause they just so damn funny and angry and you can't help but not love them.

But this new song, the one I hadn't heard...."Dirty Business"....man, I'd hate to be any of the people in this song. With lyrics like, "She's the kind of girl who leaves out condoms on the bedroom dresser, just to make you jealous of the men she fucked before you met her." My god, only Amanda Palmer could write shit like that, but wow, is it good. Check these tracks out.

High School Album #2

2006-02-23T00:21:00.000-05:00

This one and the #1 album used to switch back and forth a lot. #2 was very influential for starting me off on so many damn bands, but it just hasn't stuck as much as #1. So, here we go:

I first got into Weezer way back at the end of '99. I had just seen Mallrats for the first time and I heard the song at the end. "Suzanne" was a great pop song, how good was it you ask? Well, let's ask Academy Award winner Ben Affleck, who sang the song on the commentary for Mallrats for a few seconds....okay, that was lame. Anywho, I downloaded the song on....get this....NAPSTER! I know, scary. And I was like, "Hey, wasn't that the 'Buddy Holly' band?" I ended up downloading a few more songs and got The Blue Album. It was great and I had to have more.

At the time, they only had one other album....Pinkerton. But at the time, the thing still hadn't sold 500,000 copies, so it was hard to find. I had to search a few different record stores, but it was my mom who actually found it. She gave it to me for X-mas that year. And X-mas Eve, I opened it, put it in my CD player and went to bed. And my first reaction to it when I awoke the next morning:

"What a disappointment!"

I had TBA and it's b-sides and they were all great pop hits, but this album....this thing, what the hell was it? It was all scratchy and the vocals weren't as poppy, they were singing about being monks and lesbians and butterflies, I mean, what the hell!? I actually put the CD away for almost three months before listening to it again.

Then something happened. One night, I was sitting at the computer and I had no new music to listen to (this was in '00, when I had no broadband and no blogs to keep me filled with new music), so I decided to pop open that damn Pinkerton again, see what all the fuss was about on the net about how damn great it was. Man, I must have been fucking crazy when I heard the album the first time, because thing was a whole new world. Scratchy guitars, they were cool. Lyrics about lesbians and monks, right on! Matt Sharp's beautiful falsettos? My god, they were beautiful. Why had this thing changed on me? I don't know, but I can' t be happier.

You take a song like "Across The Sea", which has that beautiful bit of piano, then it turns into an anthem about longing. Rivers wrote it about a Japanese girl who wrote him fan mail, but for my teenage mind, it was every cool girl on the net who said, "You're a cool guy!" and bullshit like that. That song spoke to my teenage mind.

Then you have the one two combo of "Pink Triangle" and "Falling For You", you probably have the most heartfelt lyrics that Rivers Cuomo ever put on an album. "Pink Triangle" has actually happened to me. Of course, not like Rivers. I didn't pick out the wallpaper patterns yet or anything, but I did have a crush on a lesbian. And "Falling For You"....wow. The lyrics are just....I can't describe the lyrics so that you get a good sense of them, but download the fucking song if you don't have the songs. Do it now!

Bonus:

Pinkerton was not always the way it is now. It used to be....A SPACE OPERA!!!! Well...a rock space opera. Songs From The Blackhole is....well, I'd hate to call it my generations's Smile but, it's kind of close. There is a rumor that this year, being the 10th anniversary of Pinkerton, that we may get the album as it was meant to be. So here are a few demos that you must check out, for they're great:

Blastoff!
Longtime Sunshine

I'm Such A Liar!

2006-02-20T00:37:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I went this long before posting again. I really had a few problems, personal and financial going for a few days, but I've got most of them cleared up now, so I'm good to go. I'm ready to rock. So unbutton your pants, it'll make it easier to blow them off now.

So, first off, I'm not really going to post anything on Sigur Ros, mostly because everyone has already beaten me to that punch, and done it much better. Matt has already done a good job (and I called him a punk for it too) on posting photos and a story on them. But, he didn't get to enter the show based on nefarious deeds....yes, that's right, we beat up some little kids for their passes!

Okay....we didn't do that, but we did have a good time, my friends Nick and Lauren. It was actually kind of cool, at one point I said to myself that the music was very romantic at times, then out of nowhere, two couples start to slow dance, it was like they could read my mind. Yep, we have mutants in Columbus.

On to better things:I had a great time at the Chasing Game/Chaselounge show back....I don't know, a week ago or more? Something like that. Anywhatzles, both bands performed great (I was only there for The Chasing Game, but I came out loving another band). The Chasing Game put on a good performance, but I still think they need probably another year or so before they're really really tight. Some of their songs sound the same and the lead's vocals need to brought up a bit louder, but when those are my only complaints, I don't think that's all that bad.

But Chaselounge, oh yeah, they were more my cup of tea.

They have a great 50's rock meets jangly power pop. Kind of like The Hang Ups, who had this great great song called "Jump Start"....which you can download here. Enjoy that song, it was on the Chasing Amy soundtrack (another appearance for a soundtrack that does not exist!)

But this band is pretty damn good. Shawny Scott, lead singer and guitarist has it down, really. He's a good looking guy, so I'm sure that helps bring in the ladies, but they'll stay for his voice and lyrics. Their sort of pattoned "Doo-Rock" style really fits the whole band, especially on stand out track "The Postman & The Constable", which features back and forth vocals between Scott and bass player Aaron....Scott, but I believe there is no relation. Anywho, the song just makes you tap your toe, which turns into moving your feet, which of course leads to dancing the night away.

The rest of the band is just great, with guitarist Chris Lambert (he must be the only one?) and drummer Adam Eilers keeping the energy up. The band just looks like they have a ton of fun on stage, and that always makes for a great show.

You can check out both bands at their respective MySpace profiles here and here.

P.S. I will soon continue my High School album posts and will have an interview with friend and musician Sarah Saturday, who must finally answer the damn interview! *glowers at Sarah* Till then, stay hard!

More In A Few Days

2006-02-13T02:08:00.000-05:00

I will continue my High School Album posts no later than Wednesday and I will have a few extra bands to be posting about. I'd update sooner, but I'm aparently being taken to Sigur Ros tonight, so I will post later. See ya!

Petra....Thriller.....A Capella? Fuck Yeah!

2006-02-11T22:39:00.000-05:00

Go....now! Petra Haden has a new track up...and yes, it would make even Michael Jackson blush, for she's doing "Thriller". Go....NOW!

High School Album #3

2006-02-09T00:24:00.000-05:00

I had a hard time picking the number 3 spot on my list, because there were a few bands in the running. But of those bands, most of them were more influential in my college life than in my high school life. So I went with my gut, which usually has shit for brains, but not this time. This time, I think I got it right.

I used to work for my high school's radio station: WKET 98.3 FM Kettering, HOME OF THE FAIRMONT FIREBIRDSSSSSSSSS.....lame, I know, but I was pretty damn good at being a DJ and a producer. I was also News Director, but that amounted to printing off the news of the AP wire. Yeah, any stupid monkey could do that, and better I bet. I even got to bring in Saving Face for an acoustic set, which was a blast, for they were ripping on everything that day. Anywho, there was always a bunch of cool CDs in the station that no one played, so I would sometimes just play random stuff. One of the singles we had on there was "The Battle Of Who Could Care Less". So yes, my #3 album from high school is:

And....
Wait....what?

Both of these perfect albums have to go hand in hand. Whatever And Ever Amen was my first introduction to Ben and Co. And the first song that struck me....was what has to be the popiest song on the whole damn thing: "Kate" is full of goofy lyrics about mix tapes and birds and flowers and smoking pot and the damn thing feels like Summer. And how can you hate Summer songs? You can't, that's right!

After that, I was actually going through what my teenage addled mind called a "bad break up", whcih now, I wish I could have a break up like that again. So, you have to know what song would fill that hole in my heart: "Song For The Dumped" had all of those high school style slams on that damn ex you hate. If your parents heard it, they wouldn't be scared you'd be falling into the wrong crowd, they'd bop along to the melody and go "Now, when I was in high school, we weren't so foul mouthed, but we felt the same"....which is what my mother did the first time she heard it.

So after appreciating the fun that Whatever And Ever Amen had, I graduated backwards to the little more serious, yet still fun album Ben Folds Five. So with graduating to a more mature album, I gravitated to more mature songs, like "Best Imitation Of Myself". This song really got to me at the end of high school, when my love life became a bigger part of my life, when I had to actually impress a girl to get her attention (something I'm trying completely not to do anymore). I didn't know exactly what my personality was, I was still a huge smart ass who joked at all the wrong occasions, but still had a sweet side. Of course, it was only the girls who wanted to be my friend that saw the sweet side.

And that takes us to what has to be in my Top 5 favorite songs of all time list (another month when I have nothing good to post)...."The Last Polka". All it took was this one verse to almost move me to tears, for at the time, I was just "dieing" after a breakup (I got dumped a lot):

"She said,
"You've been pushing me like I was a
sore tooth"
"You can't respect me 'cause I've done
so much for you"
He said,
"Well I hate that it's come to this,
but baby I was doing fine"
"How do you think
that I survived the other 25 before you?"

If that line doesn't strike you as much, that's cool. It does for me. I've found that my problem with women is that I either date people who have had a lot more relationships, or fewer relationships than I've had. So that song fit.

Bonus Song:

I hate Jam bands. I hate them so much. I think that playing something that really doesn't have structure, lyrics, a pure melody, well, it just doesn't make sense to me. If you like 'em, cool, good for you. But I don't. But my god, this jam song, this improv, is easily one of the coolest things I've ever heard. And if I had heard it when it was played, I would have fallen appart, just from the laughter alone. "For Those Of Y'All Who Wear Fanny Packs" is just so damn fun, you can't help but love it. I wish the Five were back together, just so I could hear it live (I've seen Ben twice, and a third time is most likely coming up soon at either Columbus or Miami University).

Also, if you love the singing on the song, that's drummer Darren Jesse, who if you read Dodge, know that he has a solo project out now. Hotel Lights have a very cool sound to them, at least from the songs I've heard. Check em out.

High School Album #4

2006-02-08T00:53:00.000-05:00

So now, I was starting to use the internet to find bands. And before blogs, there was really only one great way of finding new music: message boards. And since Weezer was one of those bands I was totally over the moon for, I was on their message boards a lot. And you all know that power pop is my favorite genre (and if you don't, I'm sorry, I actually believe all of you have known me for years). So the perfect fit was this little Detroit guy:

At the time, he was pretty much in hiding, so this would put it around '00. Lapalco hadn't come out yet, so there was no car commercial, no lauding by the huge critics. At the time, there was only:
One Mississippi was the real deal. A pure power pop album, like from the 70's, but modernized a bit. But I felt bad for Brendan. Here was a guy that had put out an album that was sort of received well, but completely ignored by the music world in general. Most of that was due to the record company just not knowing what to do with the guy. So here sat this album, that at the time, was completely out of print and would go for over $30 a pop sometimes (not unlike a certain other album). But I had to hear this damn thing. So I used the free program (at the time) Audiogalaxy to finally hear the whole thing. And whoa....was this damn good.

Where in the world can you hear a pop song about literally tieing up your girlfriend just because you don't want to lose her? Well, in "Sittin' Pretty", that's where! This song sounds feel good, until you hear the lyrics, then they shock you a bit. "Wait a minute, did I hear what he just said?" Then you have the exact opposite, a beautiful ballad about a favorite home. "House In Virginia" is really touching, in a corny sort of way. It's part longing song about someone coming to visit you, yet feels like it was written from your Grandma's perspective...but I still love it.

When I finally was able to buy the album, which I think was about two years ago or so, they put on a bunch of bonus tracks and EP tracks. When you re-release an album, that's how you do it. Of the tracks, there was one that really caught my attention. "The Swamp" was a bonus track off the Japanese release I believe, and it starts slow, just strumming along with some cool little lyrics about a weird little man. But then, with one line, the song got me.

"I know a place, where you can meet girls, and at the same time, you can get your vegetables."

And I don't know why, but that line just kicks lots of ass to me. For no apparent reason I guess.

Bonus:
In August of this past year, I finally got to see Brendan Benson live. He was playing at Southgate House in Covington, and I knew I finally had my chance. And he played great, playing a good mix of songs from all three of his albums. When one of his guitars went out, he started fiddling around on his accoustic. Well, he said..."What should I play?"

And I immediately shouted...."Me Just Purely"! This was the first song I ever heard him play, the song that got me into him. It wasn't on the set list (which I got at the end), and he said he might not remember the words. Well, a few of us up front shouted we would help. And he banged it out of the park, with a lot of us singing to help him along, as if he needed it. This is probably in my top ten favorite songs of all time. Enjoy it.

Quick DD Post

2006-02-07T00:44:00.000-05:00

Connor over at I Guess I'm Floating posted a new song by The Dresden Dolls that is just fucking weird. Maybe he'll be right about the album being like Picaresque. Let's hope they hit Ohio again, I have some huge prints to show Amanda and Brian.

Modern Moonlight

High School Album #5

2006-02-06T23:28:00.000-05:00

High School was really funny for me, at least music wise. When I started out, I was into two major bands: Weezer and Metallica. I know, the last one is pretty funny. But not if knew my history in music. From birth to the lovely age of 11, I was completely raised on Hair Metal. My Dad would wake me up every morning by putting in tapes of Def Leppard's Hysteria or Van Halen's 1984 (both of which are in my CD collection). Hell, I still love the stuff and will make a very cool Hair Metal post in the near future, but let's get back to what this is about: my High School albums.

Throughout High School, I was very quiet (yet considered a loud mouth asshole, and how I did that will continue to be a mystery to me) and kept to myself a lot. I always had on head phones durring lunch and the bus ride home, blasting out whatever tunes I had burned onto a CD. Durring my Freshman year, I really got into searching out bands on the internet. But it's funny, for my pick #5, I didn't find this guy on the net, I found him on Letterman.

Pete Yorn was playing....I believe it was "Life On A Chain" and I just....I've never been a country fan, and I don't think Pete is country, but there was this country charm about him. And I was like, well, I should get something by this guy. See what was out there. But there wasn't much, because he was just releasing his album. So, I did something very unexpected: I bought the album unheard.

musicforthemorningafter is still one of the most perfect albums for me. It opens with "Life On A Chain" and follows it with "Strange Condition", still one of the best one-two punches in Alternative Rock/Pop. This album came out at a great time for me, because I was growing as a person. I could accept the country flavor, the more adult lyrics and great pop of it all. When you have a song like "Murray" that just makes you want to get up, find your favorite dive bar and just dance, you can't go wrong. Everyone should own this album. I swear by it, for it's part of my growing up.

Bonus Track:

Mr. Yorn is from the lovely state of New Jersey, so you know there are probably two artists that inspire him: Bon Jovi, who are quite good in small doses, but the better one is, of course, The Boss. And I bring him up because I do love The Boss too. So when I heard that Pete did a cover of "Dancing In The Dark", I thought that it would be great to hear a take on this, because I've never heard anyone cover it. And man, did he take it somewhere else. Just by putting it acoustic and slowing the tempo down a lot, he's made this fun dancey rock hit into something that I never thought it was: a beautiful song about loneliness, confusion, and anger.

Polar Opposites

2006-02-06T00:53:00.000-05:00

At the moment, I have two songs competing for my attention, both being on the oposite sides of the musical spectrum, but both being terrific songs.

In the Red corrrrnerrrrrrrr, from the South Bronx, wearing the Black Tuxedo shorts, we haveeeeeeee:Mack The Knife himself, Mr. Bobby Darin singing the wonderful song "I'm Begining To See The Light". One of my favorite movies of all time is Swingers and this is the song over the closing credits. And it's a perfect fit.

In the bluuuuuuue corner, from the dreary UK, sporting sunny Yellow shorts:

Those funny boys in Supergrass singing "Alright" The perfect Summer song, which is what I need in this snowy winter in Ohio.

So what was the fucking point of all this? None really. I just wanted an interesting way to put up two songs I like at the moment. We'll see what else I come up with later. Probably nothing good.

Well...Again

2006-02-05T22:10:00.000-05:00

Pittsburgh won. Yaaaaaaaaaaywwwwwwwwnnnnnnn.....I mean, I'm glad they won because at least we lost to the Super Bowl Champions, but I just can't wait till next year. We'll have Carson, Chad, Rudy, Landon and the rest, and we'll be gunning for the Steelers.

MOTHER FUCKING BULLSHITING ASSSUCKING MWHLJAKJDLJFDLKAAAAAAA!!!!!

2006-02-05T20:05:00.000-05:00

Okay.....calm down Bubba....

You all remember when I said I was bidding on something great, something I've always wanted, something I desperately need. I was bidding on this:

And I had it. I so had it. I kept refreshing. I kept refreshing, for I wasn't going to lose this. I refresh one more time with like three seconds left.....I didn't have it. I don't know what I'm gonna have to do to get this album. For six years now, I've been trying harder than ever to get this damn thing.

If there is some way someone can get this thing, and not mp3s, I have mp3s, but the real CD, you let me know. There's a comment section here plus you can email me. I need this thing like a junky needs a hit, six years is starting to get to me.

Well...

2006-02-05T19:57:00.000-05:00

It's halftime for the Super Bowl and I have to say.....*yawwwnnnn*....what was I talking about? Oh, the big SB. I'm just sad my Bengals aren't in it. I watched every single game this season, most with my Dad (a first for us, for we usually bond over soccer and hockey). Anywho, it should be Carson Palmer and company in the Super Bowl this year or at least, not Pittsburgh. If not for that hit on the Bengals second play, the Steelers would be sitting at home this year. See ya at the end of the game.

Volcano, I'm Still Excited!....wha?

2006-02-03T00:54:00.000-05:00

Said to have been named for the movie Joe Versus The Volcano, this is one of the coolest little pop bands that should of made it big (I know it's supposed to be should have), but sadly didn't. The band was formed by Mark Duplass, who could no longer play guitar due to tendinitis. So he switched to the organ. And it was a perfect fit. They recorded their selftitled debut for Polyvinyl in 2004. But sadly, I was told they have broken up, forever robbing me of seeing them live, like so many of my favoritest bands ever. Yes....favoritest bands ever. But here's some songs to tide you over, a few from offical sites and one I love enough to put up. All are recomended.

In Green
2nd Gun
Trunk Of My Car
New Brad

Paper Tigers

2006-02-02T01:00:00.000-05:00

I first met Andrew Paley way back in the Summer of '04, when his band The Static Age was opening for Manda & The Marbles for their release party for Angels With Dirty Faces....what a long fucking sentence. But it's how I met the man, and I'll talk about his band on a later post. This....Paper Tigers....is his solo project. And what a project it is. Part very dark, acoustic driven songs and part perfect little pop songs, with mixtures like this:

Love Scenes

You can check out the rest of Drew's solo work here:

Paper Tigers Purevolume Site
Paper Tigers Myspace Site

The Currents

2006-02-01T01:55:00.000-05:00

A while back, Matt posted a song by The Currents that I sent him, so I thought, hey, if you guys like 'em, I'll post some too.

The Currents "You're The One" Easily the best prom song that never happened. I do a very small part time work for this company called Independent B Movie.net (check out Mummy Sleepover Masacre for audio commentary by me), and when I was writing scripts (which were usually more dramas than horror), I'd always have this song on in the background, for it's perfect for love scenes.

The Currents "Surf's Up" A great song about trying to get away from every day life, and I don't really believe it's about surfing, because I think Chris Voss lived in Texas, far away from good surf.....unless they surf in the Gulf Of Mexico....anyone got a clue?

The Currents "Melody" This was probably the first song that Chris sent to me when I still talked to him, and it's still one of my favorites. A nice chorus and good power pop sound.

If anyone knows what Chris is up to now a days, contact me cause I'd love to say hi again.

Fourth Times' The Charm!

2006-02-01T01:50:00.000-05:00

I'm bidding on a certain CD by a certain artist who shall remain nameless, because I always lose out on this CD and I don't want anyone to know what is out there. It's currently out of print and I've tried to bid on it three different times and each time, I've lost. I'm hoping against all hope that I can win this time, for I can then get on my way to completing this artist's collection. If I win, I can then buy this person's other two albums and then work my way to buying all the CDs that they have guested on. If I win, I will throw a blog parade here, trumpeting my victory....if I lose....I will cry. Many tears. And those tears will flood the Earth.

MATM Pt. 2

2006-01-31T21:26:00.000-05:00

I drove up to Columbus , getting there pretty early, around 8:30 actually.....which is the time Mark told me to....where am I going with this. Well, MATM didn't go on till 12:30....yep. But it was cool, I mean, I got in for free, which I never complain about. It also gave me time to get to know new band member Mike Fiction and his lovely.....lady friend (can't contradict his bio). He's a terrific guy (and I'm not just complimenting to so not have bad feelings between me and the band, he's honestly just a sweet guy). He's been in some cool bands, including goth band Gossamer and his side project with MATM's keyboardist Elias called Pressure : Penetration.

He's also a photographer, which we did chat about for a while and I may work with him and the band again soon. Back to the show. They had a decent opener, but one who I don't remember the name or any of the songs very brightly, but hey, I have a shitty memory. The second opener was a cool little band called The Science Fiction Idols. They have their own brand of cool, punky, cock rock. Very L.A., but not bad at all.

I Want You To Lie (just click on it)

Finally, after an incredibly long night of waiting, Manda & The Marbles came on. And from the get go, you could tell this was going to be a fun performance. And even Manda falling completely on her ass before a song started couldn't stop it. They opened with the first MATM song I ever heard:

Dangerous

From there, they just went through great song after great song. They even popped in a new one....entitled....."New One". I think they'll need to brainstorm some more on it. They played old favorites like "Sex Object" and "Forget About The Day" and cuts off their newest album (Angels With Dirty Faces) like "Lipstick" and set closer "Kids Just Wanna Dance".

Kids Just Wanna Dance

They even came back on for an encore for one of my favorite songs, "Fast Cars".

Fast Cars

I even learned what might be their new idea for their next music video, which I hope to God I can be a part of. What that is, I can't reveal. But in the end, I can't say anything bad about this show. Mike pulled off an amazing job for his first show with the band and the band, who I'm sure had to work just as hard, because they hadn't played a show for almost a year. And I never even noticed. They were just that good.

P.S. I'd also like to give a shout out to Matt of You Ain't No Picasso. I've known Matt now for about a year and a half, right before he started his blog. I was probably one of the first five to read it (I'm also a member of the Bishop Allen board where we all met Matt) and I'm just shocked as hell to see how well Matt's done. He's linked me a couple of times now (today was my best day visit wise on the blog because of him and Gorilla Vs. Bear) and he deserves all the success he's gotten.

My Backup Girl!

2006-01-30T23:54:00.000-05:00

Now if me and Lisa don't work out, I have my real muse, the woman who I've had a crush on for many years. Her violin has soothed me to sleep many nights. Her name is Petra Haden, and she's the most kickass violinist ever!

She used to play with that dog. and recorded with The Rentals many times. She also has four solo albums, two of them colaborations (Miss Murgatoid and Bill Frissel respectively), one a complete cover album (Petra Haden Sings The Who Sell Out) and then one complete a capella album (Imaginaryland).

I first heard Petra when I bought Return Of The Rentals and I heard this really sweet, yet very spunky violin player. Her voice melted my heart. Who was this siren?

I ended up buying all the that dog. records I could get my hands on (currently 2 out of 3, they're impossible to find, along with her first two solo albums). She's guested on so many albums now, with such artists as Green Day, Beck and Spain (which her brother Josh was in). She's now in The Decemberists, one of my favorite live bands. I actually got into them because of her, but that's another story. One that is very heart breaking.

But recently, I was shown one of her newest (at least, new to us) covers. "God Only Knows" is probably one of my top three favorite Beach Boy songs and I just had to share it with you guys, along with a couple of other perfect songs by her.

God Only Knows
Yellow (Coldplay cover)
Red

For those of you who's favorite movie is Chasing Amy (like me), then "Red" should be a particular find.

Confusion Abound!

2006-01-29T22:52:00.000-05:00

Sorry folks, after starting this thing, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. Until I've got more pictures loaded up, I felt weird about posting. But I have more photos! Whoo-hooo!

But first, I must finally admit something. I think that me, Bubba Da Cat, should be on a TV show. Which TV show you ask (even though I know no one reads this)? That would be #1 Single! Yes, I must date Lisa Loeb!

After watching her show a couple of times, I feel she is the most perfect girl for me. She's short with my favorite body type, which is not pencil thin, but something to hold on to. She's got glasses, which are always the cutest things in the world on a short girl. She's a musician, which just melts my heart, for she's got a great voice. And she's Jewish.....and for some reason, I have a thing for Jewish girls, yet have never dated one. Of course, she's now stated in the most recent episode she wants to date a Jewish man, but I swear, even though I'm atheist, I can convert! I can be anything you want me to be Lisa, ANYTHING!!!!!

Back to our regularly scheduled boring post:

I shot two shows recently, one for We Are Scientists and one for Manda & The Marbles. I'll talk about the WAS show and trip at a later date, for I haven't gotten the pictures or video ready. But MATM, I have stuff for that.

If you've never heard Manda & The Marbles (who shall be known as MATM now), you're missing out. In the previous post, I said I love female fronted power-pop bands, and MATM is one of the best I've ever heard. Combine The Go-Gos, The Ramones and maybe a splash of Liz Phair for good measure, and you have MATM. And the sad thing was, the first time I saw them, I was completely underwhelmed. They were on a huge bill with Steriogram, The Killers, Stellastarr*, The Thrills and Phantom Planet. I just don't think they fit on a real huge stage, like the one at ProWest in Columbus. But I've seen them twice since and they fufilled my theory on them playing better in a small club. Both times were at Skully's, a great small-medium sized club in downtown Columbus. This last time, I wasn't going to be able to make it in, cause the show was 21+....and I'm sadly, still 20 (turn 21 June 19th baby, oh yeah).

Anywho, I made my plea to the message board of MATM and Mark Slak, drummer extrordinaire, emailed me. I had said I would take photos for them, free of charge, if they could help me. Mark gladly took up that offer. I'll have more tomorrow, but until then, here are a few pics:

More tomorrow!

Where Was I?

2006-01-15T23:09:00.000-05:00

Sorry about that, I fell off the face of the Earth for a few days. With school and constant work, I took a few nights off from the internet....I know, crazy, but it needed to be done. But I'm back, at least for a while. I'm still getting things prep'd for my trip to Cleveland on Tuesday. Finally picked up a cell-phone, which I had been dreading for years, but you do need them for emergencies.

By the end of the week, I hope to have a bunch of pics from the Cleveland show processed and completed, but who knows. Until then, I have an interview with one of my favorite artists ever coming soon, and maybe some new video of some scientists I know. Anywho, I really haven't told anyone much about myself, at least in musical preferences. Well, I'm mainly into power-pop/power-punk, mostly female led. I don't know why, but I just love it. Bands like Manda & The Marbles, Saving Face, Paramore, that dog., The Lovemakers, The Dresden Dolls and a bunch more. But I'm here to post one cool little song. It's a band called Sixty Stories. They were (for all of my favorite female led bands are usually broken up) from Canada and were a pretty cool power pop trio. Check this song out:

Second Hand Tables & Chairs

Visit Me In Cleveland!

2006-01-11T23:46:00.000-05:00

This coming Tuesday, I will be at The Grog Shop in Clevelnad, OH for We Are Scientists. This will be my fifth time seeing them and you'll definitely notice me from most likely a blue Bishop Allen t-shirt and a camera in my hands. Please, if you are into this band, come say "Hello" cause I always love meeting new WAS fans. It's weird, this past July, they were playing in Columbus at this hole in the wall called Bernie's Distillery. Then, months later, they were playing blocks away at one of the biggest venues there, Newport Music Hall. How this band has climbed....I still like Bernie's better, they had so much ENERGY there.

Also, a girl in one of my classes made me this mix CD with a couple terrific tracks on them, which I'll post more of later. But one really caught my attention....my pop sensibilities. It's a band called Even In Blackouts. They're an acoustic punk band formed by former Screaching Weasel John "Jughead" Pierson. They have three acoustic guitars, an acoustic bass and a full drum kit. They're lead by Liz Eldredge, who has really sugary sweet vocals, which are a weakness of mine. The band themselves remind me of Pain, who did the song "Jabberjaw", which Cartoon Network played all the time back in the late 90's. But here's the song:

Class Of 84

You can check out the band here.

Weezer

2006-01-10T23:51:00.000-05:00

Weezer was my gateway drug. I must have been 13 or so when I first got into them. I loved the movie Mallrats and Weezer had the closing song on the movie. Great song, "Susanne", still one of my favorites. But it made me wonder, is this the same band that did that "Buddy Holly" song (you have to remember, this is when I first started getting into the internet, so that was seven years ago). I did a little reseach and I downloaded a bunch of songs. But one really stood out....

I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams

This song featured Rachel Haden singing and I instantly fell in love with her voice. It may be a bit high pitched for some, but something about her voice made me swoon. And that's where everythign started. This song got me interested in that dog., which was her band with her sister Petra, Anna Waronker and Tony Maxwell. that dog. was such a great band, mixing new wave, grrl rock and power & chamber pop. that dog. got me into New Wave, Power Pop and Indie music. Hence, where we are now.

The Dresden Dolls

2006-01-09T23:45:00.000-05:00

When one of my best friends told me I had to try out some new band she found, I rolled my eyes as usual, because I usually never like bands my friends suggest. But this band who were...."punk cabaret" as she called them, were something different. I'm talking about The Dresden Dolls. I ended up seeing them live this past fall, taking some incredible pictures like these:

(this last one is my favorite, also my grandmother's)

Anywho, I was totally wowed by this band, but mostly be two great songs, which I've linked from The Brigade site:

Pierre (04/08/2004)
Backstabber (06/24/2004)

We Are Scientists In Dayton, OH!

2006-01-09T02:12:00.000-05:00

I met We Are Scientists on one fateful night in November of 2004. They were on tour with Bishop Allen, who I had met the previous year. Both are superb bands. But before that night, WAS were not even in my mind. But a fellow message boarder, Nate (of That One Pop Gem fame) told me I should check this band out specifically.

I had already planned on video taping Bishop Allen and The Motel Beds (which with Speechwriters LLC make the four band family) so it wouldn't hurt to tape We Are Scientists. And boy, do I have to thank Nate for that. I've been friends with WAS ever since, and am about to see them for my fifth time in Cleveland in less than two weeks. I hopefully will be videotaping that show, for there hasn't been a bootleg in a long while.

Now, on You Ain't No Picasso, Matt posted a video of "Bomb Inside The Bomb", so I thought that to get a little attention, I'd post a song that as far as I know, there is no live recording of out there....that we know....and yes, that's a hell of a run on sentence. Here it is:

Riffmaster B

Enjoy!

My Very First Post!

2006-01-09T01:03:00.000-05:00

As you can see it now, this doesn't look all that great, but soon, this site will be up and running and running well. What is this site going to be about? Well, in my spare time, I'm a photographer and I do a lot of stuff for some local and national bands. This site will be host to my photos and to my thoughts on certain bands, much like a normal blogger.

The first band I have in mind is one that I owe a lot to: Saving Face is the band that first got me into promotion and photography. They were a power-punk group from Madison, WS. I'll always have Sarah Saturday (co-vocalist and bassist) to thank for a lot of what little I've done in the music industry.

So, in their honor, here's a few songs by this lovely band.

Fool's Gold
One Brite Star
A Restless Substitute For Flight

P.S. Sorry about the large file sizes, I had these CD quality when I ripped them.

P.S.S. If you're worried about the legality of these, Sarah encourages people to download these.