Bad Idea Potluck

Spit and Passion: Cristy C. Road Takes You Back to Middle School (And You Love It)

2013-02-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

I remember the first time I cam across Cristy C. Road's postcards. One of them had a picture of two punk kids making out while one of them stood in a dumpster. It said Croadcore on it.

I stared at it for a long time. I bought it from my friend who had set up a table for his fledgling distro at the show I was at and I remember staring at it many times before actually mailing it to someone. The picture was as compelling as a story or a song might be. Every line was invested with a visible emotion. It was the kind of picture that seemed to have a life of its own. I could look at it a relive the moment in the drawing over and over again.

Now, god help us, this same artist is bringing her gifts to bear on autobiographical comics. I just finished Spit and Passion, her recent graphic novel about how her love of Green Day helped her come to terms with her queer identity as a Cubana middle schooler in South Florida. It's so doggedly honest in word and image that it completely took me back (kicking and screaming) to the weird, liminal frame of mind that I occupied between the ages of 11 and 13. I found it so intense I could only read it a few pages at a time in my most relaxed state. So worth it, though.

It's a memoir, but it's also one of the best things I've read about music in a long time. She's so unrestrainedly goofy, specific and insightful in exhuming this story about discovery and survival that it made me want to go back and listen to Dookie or even American Idiot.

Right now, I'm pretty into her tarot card series too.

Ain't Gonna Pee-Pee My Bed Tonight

2013-02-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

Some videos I post because I think people will enjoy them. Some I post because the song is stuck in my head and I want others to suffer as I do. This song by The Kelly Family falls into the second category. Presented without further comment other than apologies to COED Magazine.

Etsystasy: Sequin Fruit Banana

2013-02-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

Since someone should be making money off this blog, it might as well be the people who bring me the greatest amount of entertainment in life: Etsy sellers. Whatever you want, it really is on Etsy. It's like the mall when I was a kid. I don't buy anything. I just hang out. But Etsy has cooler stuff than the mall. I mean, look at this sequined banana from seller StraySquirrels. Or buy it if you have $3.95 burning a hole in your pocket. Can you believe it's only $3.95?

I Hate Myself for Loving Hanni El Khatib

2013-02-12T18:51:00.001-08:00

I've posted about my complicated feelings about Hanni El Khatib before, but they just keep getting more complicated. If you weren't paying attention you could mistake his deal for the same kind of flavorless, self-satisfied blues rock wood shedding of The Black Keys or the senseless blues flatulence of John Spencer's Blues Explosion. And while Dan Auerbach did produce the new track below, Hanni is much more interesting than that guy.

I saw Hanni El Khatib play not long ago at The Knitting Factory and it was fucking fascinating. He plays songs inspired by raw blues and maybe a little rockabilly and a lot of them are about fucking and loving and hating with lyrics like "do the knife fight" and you want to him to totally freak out and tear the roof off and he just doesn't. He plays a great show but his approach is so controlled and cerebral, you start to wonder if he's doing it to torture himself or the audience.

If he just got up there and performed the songs and then left, it would be boring, but that's not what he does. He engages the music fully. He's intent and focused like the audience isn't even there. It's like rock 'n' roll is a model car he's carefully painting or a really nice girl that he doesn't want to screw things up with. He puts his whoops and ad libs in at just the right (and expected) moment. The whole time I was just thinking, what are you doing man, and why? So, you know, he definitely had my attention the whole time.

What if he can't freak out? That's a kind of awesome negative capability in itself. I want to be like "dude you are doing it wrong. It doesn't have to be so elegant and stylized like that. You can do it for real. It's not a dead language." But, I can't, because he's actually really good just the way he is. He writes these really well-designed and, more importantly, well-aimed little museum pieces that stop just short of kitsch. And then there's this current of real feeling that always comes through, seemingly in spite of himself. This new one, for instance, is kind of killing me.

Give Miss Platnum the Food

2013-02-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

Miss Platnum is a Romanian pop singer and total fucking role model. At one point in this fantastic video for her hit "Give Me the Food" she's stirring a brass band in an above ground pool. There are trees growing salami. Besides being extremely baller, it's all really deep, complex symbolism. The underlying message is that you should go eat a sandwich.

I Would Really Like to Go to Debauch-A-Reno

2013-02-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Slovenly Records is kind of winning at rock 'n' roll right now. The Sticker Guy is putting this on, but the Sticker Guy and Slovenly are two sides of the same coin as evidenced by the fact that a lot of great Slovenly bands are playing this Debauch-A-Reno. I really wouldn't mind seeing Hellshovel, Las Ardillas, Los Vigilantes, Paint Fumes and Acid Baby Jesus all in one place. Also, the fucking Sonics. There's no point in listing highlights. It's all nuts. Just look at the flier.

The festival is in it's second year, which is heartening. I was sad to hear about the Hi-Tone Cafe closing in Memphis, since it has been the home of Gonerfest for so long. I don't believe Gonerfest is going anywhere but it won't be the same without the Hi-Tone. So, you know, it's nice to see new things taking root at the same time.

I'd also like to go because, I lived in Las Vegas for three years and The Misfits is one of my favorite movies, but I've never been to Reno. And I'm pretty sure the festival is going to be exactly like this trailer, only with bands.

Hollywood Nailz Is the Greatest Show on YouTube

2013-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

It's been out for a sec but, like, so far Seth Bogart's (that's Hunx of His Punx fame) rock 'n' roll variety show has under a skrillion views and that is not enough views. It's only on the first episode but it has Shannon and the Clams and Grass Widow in a battle of the bands and star turns from Nobunny and King Khan and just loads of beautiful people. I cannot wait until the next episode. There has to be a next episode. IFC needs to pick this up right now and I don't want to hear another word about Girls. There are plenty of girls in Hollywood Nailz.

(Full disclosure/gloating: I contributed to the Kickstarter for this so now I have the episode on DVD and an autographed picture of Seth Bogart and Brande Bytheway. I can't decide if I want to keep it or give it away in a Bad Idea Potluck sweepstakes.)

Valentine's Day with Total Slacker and Xray Eyeballs

2013-02-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

This flyer is pretty sweet. Also, if you are feeling dread about the celebration of love that approaches us because you think it has to be about having a date (or because you have a date and you think adding a little extra romance to things is a pain in the ass) go to this show. It'll fix all that. Also, quit bitching and get some of those Reese's Peanut Butter Hearts. They're even better than the cups.

When you get to the show, try to hold someone's hand when Xray Eyeballs play "Die Little Love." Extra points if it's a stranger.

Studs and Broads and Coffee with Avi Spivak

2013-01-27T11:34:00.001-08:00

Today I get to plug one of my new favorite things and one of my old favorite things in on post! Visionary rock 'n' roll illustrator Avi Spivak is having an art show at Otha's, a new coffee place by my apartment that has strong coffee minus BS, which is unusual in the area. I am pumped and that's not just the caffeine talking. Go to the opening. Drink the coffee.

Oh, Thank God. New Circle Takes the Square Tomorrow

2012-12-20T19:46:00.001-08:00

I have been carrying a torch for the post-hardcore band Circle Takes the Square since I lived in Las Vegas, like, between eight and seven years ago when they played there repeatedly and not many other bands did. I really hope no one ever finds the things I wrote about them back then. Their first album As the Roots Undo was harsh and beautiful and metal and mathy. It pointed to a kind of American mysticism that was basically already where my head was at. It is highly recommended to fans of Wolves in the Throne Room.

I have also been waiting since that time for CTTS to justify my love and put out another full-length and, holy crap, it's almost here.

Starting tomorrow, you can download their full-length Decompositions - Volume I from bandcamp on a pay-what-you-wish basis until pre-orders for physical copies become available in January.The EP Decompositions - Volume I Chapter 1 Rites of Initiation has been out for a few months and it's totally the fix I've been waiting for. They're screaming big words that get tangled in their weird screamo briar maze. I am totally lost in the maze and it is awesome. These people are fucking beautiful. But for real though, tomorrow they're handing over the whole thing. I have a feeling it will have been worth the wait. The Ancestral Other Side by Circle Takes the Square

Happy Hanukkah, My Little Latke

2012-12-15T10:27:00.003-08:00

So, it turns out that Woody Guthrie wrote Hanukkah songs. His second wife was Jewish and stuff and, well, Woody Guthrie wrote a lot of songs. This is great news to me, because I have little to no use for the Hanukkah tunes from Matisyahu and The Maccabeats."Hannukah Dance," on the other hand, is definitely putting me in the holiday spirit. As a wise friend pointed out to me, Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas" so why shouldn't my favorite Hanukkah song be by Woody Guthrie?

Better Than Something

2011-11-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

It was hard for us to say goodbye to Jay Reatard last year, but we think we've healed enough to go see this documentary Better Than Something about the late great entertainer at IFC on Tuesday. In fact, it might give us that closure we've been needing:

Pete Zaria

2011-09-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the contest to name our pizza monster mascot is Jamaal Jackson, of Seattle, WA. The name is Pete Zaria! Get it? Huh?

Bad Idea Potluck Vs. David Tassy of Night Manager

2011-09-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

This blog veers ever deeper into the sordid world of music journalism. This month we put our four favorite questions to David Tassy who plays in a band called Night Manager. He's the one in the illustration above with a mustache and no beard. And, boy, has he ever done some dumb stuff.

Claim to fame: I play bass and guitar in Night Manager. I can also throw up on command.

What's the stupidest thing you've ever done?

I've done my fair share of stupid things. One time I took acid on a Monday night in Manhattan and ended up almost getting on the Staten Island Ferry at six in the morning for no reason at all. But I honestly think the stupidest thing I've ever done was when I was fourteen. I was with my friends Bubba and Face on a Tuesday having band practice. We were bored so we got really high and drank a couple of beers. We decided to go to the golf course and just use garbage can lids as sleds and slide down the hills (it was drizzling that day and it's hard to sled on dry ass grass). Some how we ended up vandalizing most of the course. We threw the fences and barriers in the lake and filled up the holes with dirt. For some fucking reason I thought it would be really funny to WRITE MY FULL NAME on the sod of the tee-box. So I took a stick and carved DAVID TASSY. It took me about 15 minutes to do this. Well guess what? The next day I got a call from Oak Hills Golf Course, " Is this David Tassy?" They found me for OBVIOUS reasons. I had to pay them 2000 dollars for the tee-box and we had to sand like 3000 fences and barriers for the rest of the summer.

Are you sorry?
Mhmm, I'm sorry that I was stupid enough to write my name. But I'm not sorry for fucking up their shit. I had a lot of fun that day.

Are you going to do it again?
Honestly, I can't say that I won't!

Would you recommend it to others?

Yes and no. If you're going to ruin or vandalize anything, don't right your fucking name anywhere. It's just plain fucking dumb. I learned my lesson, "DON'T WRITE YOUR NAME ANYWHERE, ESPECIALLY YOUR FULL NAME."

I've Had All of This Life I Can Handle

2011-09-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

This is stuck in my head and I need you to feel my pain:

Destroy All Pizza Monsters

2011-09-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed we changed our look again. I think this one might stick as it comes to us from the amazing brain of Vim Crony. We're especially stoked on our new mascot, Pizza Monster:

If you can think of a better name for him than Pizza Monster, leave a comment and win a prize, or link love, or nothing. Up to you. We're going to celebrate the new style and with the catchy-yet-shady sounds of Night Manager. Chew on "Pizza Pasta" off their new EP of the same name. Then go see them. I saw them with Xray Eyeballs one time and it was rad. Album art is up top.

And speaking of pizza, where can I get this sweatshirt?

I may have to settle for this guy. Seagulls love pizza. You can totally get it from MisNopalesArt. They have a tote bag too.

Dammit. Now I'm hungry.

Dudecake #5: Male Bonding

2011-08-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

I saw Male Bonding last night and their new songs are all totally amazing! I bring this up as a pretext for posting the "Year's Not Long" video as this month's "pin-up." It came out last year, but it's worth a reprise on account of it being two minutes and forty one seconds of some of the hottest guy on guy make out action available on the Web.

I speak from experience when I say that nothing is hotter than when dudes get liquored up at parties and start making out with each other. Hoo boy. If you don't know what I'm saying, it's possible that you aren't attracted to men. Watch the video whether you are or not. You know, just to double check.

Beer of August: Sixpoint in a Tall Boy

2011-08-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

The beer of the month is any Sixpoint Craft Ale that has found its way into a tall boy. This is a proud development for beer and for Brooklyn. I got to sample quite a bit of it this summer and it facilitated many bad ideas. Though, in most cases, "idea" might be flattering myself. Just uploading this photo of the cans made me wistful for the passing of this warm season. The last one I tried was the very fine Crisp, tasted on the brisk evening when I saw Clueless in McCarran Park. I've been wringing every drop of fresh air and sunlight out of summer and 16 ounce cans of Sixpoint have been an important part of that. Goodby fair season.

Rise of Carnivores

2011-08-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Carnivores has made some strides since I saw them at Vacation Gallery in Atlanta almost two years ago. I posted about them then, and I thought they were great. But I was just down in Atlanta for an actual vacation and saw them at the Highland Inn and it was like seeing a different band -- a tighter band with a more pronounced psych pop thing going on. I was totally dancing and then a cupcake appeared out of nowhere and I totally ate it right there. I'm serious. Stop laughing.

I liked the show enough to decide that I needed the new Chandelier EP in my life so I bought it. You might need it in your life too. It's kinda like Slumber Party but the colors are deeper. Not darker, just more saturated. Well, maybe a little dark. With all the malaise in the lyrics it could be the soundtrack to a bizarre '60s soap opera.

Note that the word vacation is involved whenever I see this band ... coincidence?

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Skeletons in the Pool

2011-08-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

Teenagers from Outer Space is a beautiful and moving film. Also, it is impossible to watch it and not fall in love with Betty. You can't blame her wayward spaceman for wanting to stay on Earth.

So Excited!

2011-08-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

Amazing shit whizzes past my head on a daily basis now. Like I just saw M.O.T.O and Baby Shakes at this sweet new bar called St. Vitus. If I really cared about you I would have taken pictures. But sometimes I kind of just want to watch the show.

Still, I vow to rationalize what I post on here. Somehow. In the meantime, here's some Hunx and His Punx/Shannon and the Clams porn:

Dudecake #4: Canadian Pride is Hot

2011-07-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

But this is probably Photoshop. No one is that awesome. Via.

Beer of July: My Wort

2011-07-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

Before July passes away, let me at least tell you about the beer of July. This month we're going with one that I haven't tasted because I can't yet. I'm not even sure it's real. But how can I resist posting when two of this blog's favorite subjects cross paths so spectacularly? Burnt Hickory Brewery in Kennesaw, Georgia is scheduled to open in November and offer a line of beers inspired by some fairly obscure '80s hardcore bands. Black Flag is not obscure, but I'm going with My Wort because working in media has given me a taste for puns. (Heh heh.)

It reminds me of the punk rock foodstuffs that occasionally featured in the Web comic Nothing Nice To Say. Except this might be real. It also might be more clever.

What's amazing is that all the beers sound delicious. They have a black plum lambic inspired by Void!

Via Transition Desert.

the best noise in the world

2011-07-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

I walk outside everyday and hear this.

Makes it worth the 50 million mosquito bites i have and the teenage-style acne.

suck it New York, I've got cicadas.

Speaking of Tapes

2011-06-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

Burger Records gets your favorite band to let them put all your favorite songs on cassette so you don't have to download them! I don't know why! But I love it! Orange County! This video explains nothing!