NaCl(aq)

Independent's Day Music Conference

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:49:00 +0000

Please come. Talk about music, distro, royalties, marketing, blogging, managing your money, and other rad stuff. We're going to have a pretty badass crew hangin'. Mark Schoneveld (@PovertyJetSet) of YVYNYL, JT Ramsay (@BMIML) of Comcast.net Music, Billy Zero of XM Satellite Radio, Jon Simson of SoundExchange, the singing sensation Musiq Souldchild, the vocally-talented Eric Roberson, lawyers, managers, radio personalities, other such dudes and ladies who know how it's done, and of course--ME! Call 215.985.5411 or email rsvp_philadelphia@grammy.com to reserve your spot. Only $25 for non-Academy members. What a deal!

Please circulate.

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:12:00 +0000

"Blue and Gold Print" by Mates of State, for the last few days, has been the last song I sing before going to sleep and the first thing I listen to upon waking--and then I throw in several more listens throughout the day for good measure.

I haven't loved a song like I love this song in a while. My heart nearly explodes every time.

Listen to it at hypem.com.

Upcoming Philly shows

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:05:00 +0000

Hey, Philly folks: who's going to what shows in the next couple months? I have bunches I'd like to make it to. I may; I may not. Whatcha' think?

5.29//Cheers Elephant + Sea Wolf//Northstar Bar
6.4//White Rabbits!!!!//JB's
6.7//Blood On The Wall//JB's
6.6//The Presets//Pure
6.8//The Young Knives//JB's
6.12//Drink Up Buttercup//Khyber
6.15//Battles//JB's
6.20//Annuals//Millcreek Tavern
6.22//Daniel Johnston + The Capitol Years + O'Death + Sam Champion + more//
7.2//Soil! hahahahaha//Troc
7.8//Fleet Foxes//FUC
7.15//Person L//Khyber
7.26//The Gutter Twins//TLA
7.29//Person L//Khyber
8.5//Does It Offend You Yeah? + Bloc Party//TLA
8.17//The Faint//The Troc

PS - I almost forgot how much I love Maximo Park. <3

VIDEO: Lady Gaga - "Just Dance"

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:53:00 +0000

Meet Lady Gaga:

Lady GaGa Feat. Colby O’Donis & Akon - Just Dance
by DjFreakazoid

Reminiscent of our love for Christina before she went jazzy. So hottttt.

May 11 2008

9:00P

Here Lounge

West Hollywood, California

May 15 2008

8:00P

Campus @ Splash

New York, New York

May 16 2008

12:00A

New York, New York

May 17 2008

8:00P

40C

New York, New York

May 17 2008

8:00P

TENJUNE

New York, New York

May 20 2008

8:00P

PINK ELEPHANT

New York, New York

May 24 2008

8:00P

G-Bar

Tampa, Florida

May 25 2008

8:00P

Bill’s Filling Station

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

May 27 2008

8:00P

Trannyshack

San Francisco, California

May 29 2008

8:00P

Mecca

San Francisco, California

May 29 2008

8:00P

The Crib

San Francisco, California

May 30 2008

8:00P

Tigerheat @ Krave

Las Vegas, Nevada

Jun 5 2008

8:00P

OPERA

Los Angeles, California

No Philly dates in the near future. Hoping she opts for an intimate dance party over hyped stadium tours by the time she reaches us.

Video: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - "Think I Wanna Die"

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:05:00 +0000

I kinda really dig Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, though I'll admit I hopped on the proverbial bandwagon late because I temporarily refused to listen to a band with such a dumb name. Ok, well I was out of line. My bad. They're actually pretty special.

Is this video real cheese-ball? Yep. Will I still groove to it? You betcha.

The Video
"Think I Wanna Die"

The Words

dreamt of marimbas made from the bones of our relatives
who never live as long as we think that they oughta live
you dreampt of sex with tigers
I tried to get my head around that one
left in a disguise for the faraway
traveled all alone through boring meadows
while I sat at home
wishing we could elope

[rockpoplyrics.com]

The Show
If you're in Philly, you missed them this time around. But if you're in one of the following locations (or wish to travel to such), check them out and remind them, "Someone still loves you, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltson." Wonder if they've heard that one.

04/29 Tue	Memphis, TN @ The Hi Tone Cafe w/ Via Audio. 18+ / 9:00PM.
05/05 Mon	Norman, OK @ The Opolis w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 9:00PM.
05/06 Tue	Denton, TX @ Hailey's w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 9:00PM.
05/07 Wed	Austin, TX @ The Mohawk w/ Port O'Brien.
05/09 Fri	Phoenix, AZ @ Modified w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 8:00PM.
05/10 Sat	Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 8:30PM.
05/11 Sun	San Diego, CA @ Beauty Bar w/ Port O'Brien. 21+ / 9:00PM.
05/13 Tue	Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 8:00PM.
05/14 Wed	San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 8:00PM.
05/16 Fri	Portland, OR @ Towne Lounge w/ Port O'Brien. 21+ / 9:00PM.
05/17 Sat	Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project w/ Port O'Brien. AA / 7:30PM.
05/18 Sun	Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN @ Media Club w/ Port O'Brien. 19+ / 8:00PM.
05/20 Tue	Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court w/ TBA.
05/21 Wed	Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive w/ TBA. 16+ / 7:00PM.
05/22 Thu	Omaha, NE @ The Slowdown w/ TBA. AA / 8:00PM.
05/23 Fri	Iowa City, IA @ The Picador w/ TBA. 19+ / 9:00PM.
05/24 Sat	Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry w/ TBA. 21+ / 8:00PM.

[pro-order their album here]

Listen: Phantom Planet - "Dropped"

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:38:00 +0000

I was under the impression Phantom Planet were hiding or extinct. But they're not. They just put out an album called Raise the Dead on Fueled By Ramen, and after hearing a couple tracks recently, I'm seriously considering picking it up.

Check out this track, which kinda resembles Maximo Park... but in an American sort of way.

The Sound
"Dropped"

The Words
I can swear I feel the beating of a cold, cold heart or there is a chill, 'cause it's showing through your clothing and as far as i can tell there is nothing under your v- neck tee I'm begging I'm begging I'm begging you please now tell me that you want me tell me that you need me tell me 'cause I'd like to know wont you stop teasing me wont you you take it easy tell me cause I'd like to know your never gonna go drop whatcha got now

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:55:00 +0000

Velvet Revolver are using the power of the Interwebs to find a new lead vocalist after Scott Weiland left the band on April 1 to reunite with Stone Temple Pilots.

Guitarist Slash says, "We're at that point of just listening to different things... it's one of those kind of situations where you can't really explain it to anybody because you'll know it when you hear it. So I'm waiting to get that feeling of, 'Yeah that's it.'"

The band is building a website for their search.

So will this be similar to the My GRAMMY Moment contest where applicants submit short YouTube videos judged by a panel of experts? Is the website the result of the major networks denying them a prime-time special? Will there be an essay portion? Will they feature the top 10 worst submissions? Guess we'll wait and see.

[via NME]

This just in: Velvet Revolver and Velvet Underground are not the same band that changed its sound after a couple decades. They are actually two different bands. Weird.

Video: Lightspeed Champion live

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:42:00 +0000

I've been meaning to see Lightspeed Champion (Dev Hynes) live for some time now. Fabchannel.com recently featured him on the site, and now I want to see him more than ever. Check out the show below. Or if you only have time for a few songs, my favorites are "Galaxy of the Lost", "Tell Me What It's Worth", and "Midnight Surprise".

Many more concerts are available on the site.

Ghost Away - Siberia

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:39:00 +0000

Ghost Away just released their debut album, Siberia, but you won't find it in your local record store. You can download the entire album for free at their website, http://ghost-away.com.

Coming to you with the NaClAq "SO GOOD" stamp of approval, this is sure to be the best bargain you find all week. (Perhaps even all month?) Ghost Away are Brian Medlin (Inkling, The Minor Times, Person L, solo) and Eric Haag (Inkling) with special guests. I don't need to tell you they're big Radiohead fans; it really shines through on the album.

"Blackout Monologue" really kicks it into gear for a 40-minute adventure with its upbeat, glitchy chase:
Will we get lost out in the fog \ We're blacking out \ We Stumble round \ Will we get lost out in the fog \ We're blacking out \ We're blacking out. And then "Holding Back the Ocean" slams on the brakes in in the second half to wring your heart (see video below).

"The Universe and I" is my favorite track (but it's a close call), and it reminds me a lot of Anticon Records' group WHY? as do many tracks on this album. Overall, the uncomplicated yet interesting guitar melodies and charming vocals seem to morph to suite any day: light and uplifting in the sunshine and somber under gray skies. Mix that in with the synthy goodness laced throughout the album, and you'll find a winning combination that makes sense. Refreshingly honest, Siberia oozes with character and personality without being overproduced or over-the-top, as many projects in this vein are. From start to finish, Siberia is... just right.

I give these guys major props for putting out a quality record totally out of their love of the music. Please download the album, add the guys on myspace, and send them your love (or send me your love and I'll be sure to pass it on).

Video: "Holding Back the Ocean"

Elevator Facts

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:22:00 +0000

It drives me NUTS when people step onto an elevator, and instead of just waiting patiently for the doors to close, they hit the "><" button. Likewise, I'm equally irked when someone double, triple, or repeatedly (we've all seen it) presses the already-lit call button that tells the elevator you'd like to hop on. IT'S NOT GOING TO MAKE IT COME ANY FASTER! I'm also just fascinated by elevators in general: how they work; how safe they are; and why sometimes it just takes forever to catch one. Add this to my addiction to factoids, and you may understand why I enjoy this:

[from djstarr via Gizmodo.com via The New Yorker]

The Door Close button is there mostly to give passengers the illusion of control. In elevators built since the early '90s. The button is only enabled in emergency situations with a key held by an authority.
The only known occurence of an elevator car free falling due to a snapped cable (barring fire or structural collapse), was in 1945. A B25 Bomber crashed into the Empire State Building, severing the cables of two elevators. The elevator car on the 75th floor had a woman on it, but she survived due to the 1000 feet of coiled cable of fallen cable below, which lessened the impact.
Elevators are twenty times safer than escalators. There are twenty times more elevators than escalators, but only 1/3 more accidents.
Elevators are also safer than cars. An average of 26 people die in elevators each year in the U.S. There are 26 car deaths every five hours.
Most people who die in elevators are elevator technicians.
The Otis Elevator Company carries the equivalent of the world's population in their elevators every five days.
The New York Marriott was the first to introduce a smart elevator system that assigned passengers to elevators depending on what floor they were heading to.
Elevators used to require a two-man dispatcher/operator team to function. The advent of navigational buttons rendered those jobs obsolete.
The area required for personal space is 2.3 feet. The average amount on elevators is generally 2 feet.
Elevator hatches are generally bolted shut for safety reasons. In times of elevator crisis, the safest place is inside the elevator.
The myth about jumping just before impact in a falling elevator is just that — myth. You can't jump fast enough to counteract the speed of falling. And you wouldn't know when to jump.
Due to the laws of physics, elevators can't be any taller than 1700 feet. Hoist ropes become too heavy after that, snapping at 3200 feet.
Traction elevators are typically borne aloft by six or eight hoist cables, each of which, according to the national elevator-safety code (and the code determines all), is capable on its own of supporting the full load of the elevator plus twenty-five per cent more weight. Another line, the governor cable, is connected to a device that detects if the elevator car is descending at a rate twenty-five per cent faster than its maximum designed speed. If that happens, the device trips the safeties, bronze shoes that run along vertical rails in the shaft. These brakes are designed to stop the car quickly, but not so abruptly as to cause injury. They work. This is why free falling, at least, is so rare.

If you enjoy these, you should definitely check out the full article. My favorite part:

Loading up an empty elevator car with discarded Christmas trees, pressing the button for the top floor, then throwing in a match, so that by the time the car reaches the top it is ablaze with heat so intense that the alloy (called “babbitt”) connecting the cables to the car melts, and the car, a fireball now, plunges into the pit: this practice, apparently popular in New York City housing projects, is inadvisable.

Hmm. Weird.

The Other Stuff: Giving Lappy 486.2 A Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:48:00 +0000

My Lappy 486.2 is seeing some big changes this week.

Screen
First, I properly cleaned her screen for the first time EVER. You don't really just how filthy it is until it isn't. It makes me wonder what other parts of my life are dirtier than they let on.

Desktop
Then, look what I did:
Nope, I didn't smash my screen. I downloaded this fabulous wallpaper from Kensingtonvictoria.com. Here's what it looked like before:

I know what you're thinking: "Are you crazy???" This thought also crossed my mind when I found this busy wallpaper. But I thought it might help me get over my anxiety over A) desktop clutter, and B) patterns/clusters. (Uh, don't ask.) It was kinda like a game to find documents when I needed them. I had a lot of trouble telling the difference between MP3s, PDFs, and JPGs. So I'm pretty relieved I found this new, tricky wallpaper.

iChat
I started using iChat. I know a ton of Mac users who use it and love it, but I have a really hard time letting go of AIM. I like how it looks. I like how it functions. But I do NOT like how it freaks out and freezes constantly. So for now, I'm giving iChat another chance. Once I discovered I could eliminate those silly bubbles and user icons next to every freakin' line, it became more tolerable. I hate that it's alphabetized and that my users aren't separated by groups (Oh, looks like I can do this after all), but maybe I'll get used to it. The program also makes me totally reevaluate the meaning of being "away". Whereas before, even if a friend's status was set to away--as symbolized by a harmless little notepad, I was likely to still leave them a message--whether I thought they might actually be at the computer or not. But with iChat, as with many things in life (such as traffic lights, beach flags, and large, dangerous buttons under glass), red--which is the color of the dot next to someone who's away--means STOP. "Do not leave this person a message," I think. "You're only bothering them. That's why iChat moves their name to the bottom." Well crap. (Oh, PS - I just realized I can change this too.) I'll give it another week before I switch back.

Browser
But the really exciting part of my week (thus far) came today, when I researched how to make/change my userChrome.css file to change my Firefox displays. What fun! I'm not good at coding--I know some basic HTML--but boy can I follow directions (and copy+paste). (Thanks, DJ, for lending your know-how as well.) I get a real kick out of researching problems, finding solutions, and tackling things DIY-style--especially when it comes to my computer and the Interwebs--so this was a satisfying project.

What began as a mission to simplify my bookmarks toolbar ended in major cosmetic surgery. When all was complete, I successfully removed my browser's Home (anyone actually use this?), Stop (Cmd .), Reload (Cmd R), and Go (never use) buttons, and removed the magnifying icon from my Google search field. I tried removing the whirligig (the name escapes me) from the upper right corner, but that didn't work for some reason. As far as my bookmarks toolbar, at first, I make them fit to two lines (rather than one plus a dropdown menu), and I opted to make it visible only on roll-over. This was kinda annoying, though, since every time I moved my cursor near it, it played epilepsy.

Bookmarks
So I found an add-on called All-In-One Sidebar, which apparently, is a pretty popular add-on inspired by Opera, which I've never used so I'm taking their word for it. I'm still playing with the settings on this, and I'm still not sure I adore it, but it's not too shabby. I can have all my bookmarks in a pop-up menu, out of the way yet easily accessible, to the left of my browser. Here's what it looks like when open (and when I move the mouse back to the window, it totally disappears):

I'm still having a few problems like some pages loading in the sidebar and not the main browser window (anyone know what I'm doing wrong?). And I need to figure out how to assign icons to pages that don't load with one. That was my goal: to have a bookmark menu that looks and functions similar to the Mac dock. (Note I already deleted the text corresponding to any sites that have recognizable icons.) And if I could change the background color, that would be super. I know; I ask a lot. :-P If anyone knows a different add-on that does all this better, please let me know.

Etc.
Other programs/apps I'm toying around with are AlertThingy (which I've decided I don't like because I don't really get into FriendFeed AND it really lags), Adobe Photoshop Express (nice design; meh functionality), and A.viary--especially the pattern maker program. So much to explore; so little time!

Comments & questions are always welcome. :-)

Tuesday Time Rewind

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:46:00 +0000

Good thing I had the office to myself today. Everyone would have surely hated the music I listened to. A lot of metal, hardcore, and just loud and screamy stuff in general. Ahh, takes me back to the good ol' days, when I donned a lot more camo, hoodies, and sneakers. I still do from time to time, but now, I prefer skirts and jeans to mesh shorts -- a nice V-neck to a black, cliche band tee. That was definitely a very fun, adventurous, and exciting time in my life. (Heck, it wasn't even long ago.) Going to metal and hardcore shows; keeping up with the bros; hanging out with hoodlums; getting pumped on bands yelling about being angry, though I've never been an angry person myself or especially into yelling. But I'm not really that kid anymore--I'm not a kid at all. I'm inclined to say the change had little to do with "growing up" and more to do with just moving on with new people, places, and situations. All those songs still have a little nest in my heart, and I still enjoy a good metal or hardcore tune (or a little parking lot mosh--Sherm), but I find it harder to seek and enjoy new tunes of these genres. I can't relate anymore.

I'm such a square. :-P

But here's a mixtape to take us back:

"Deprogram programmable programming programs
Welcome to the real world: Beta version 1.5"
This is obviously when I discovered my inner geek.

Some things I need

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:08:00 +0000

Remember the time in school you learned the difference between needs and wants? No? Me neither.

I really need the following:

A pair of Sennheiser HD-280 Pro circumaural headphones. My last Sennheisers stopped working on one side when I tugged the wire on something, and these ones have rotating earpieces! Ooh la la. (Actually, now that I think about it, my others might too.) They would be super comfy to wear at the gym, I bet. (For those of you wondering why I don't just get a pair of cheapy earbuds: I don't do earbuds. They're uncomfortable, they don't stay in my ear, and they sound like crap. Bah humbug.) $~100

CZ bling tunnels, size OO. These ones are definitely pricey, but rumor has it Hot Topic sells them for $~25/30 a pair, but since I don't have a car, I have not investigated this. I'd even take light pink if that's all they had (as shown on their website).

The Remington T-Studio Nano-Silver Slim Plate hair straightener. I was very content with my straightener until I tried this over the weekend. 0 - 400 degrees in <60 seconds? Yowza. I galloped around my apartment all day declaring, "MMmm... I look gooood." My friends got sick of me asking them to "come and see how good I look." Apparently, it's only funny when Ron Burgundy does it. $~30

That might be all for now. I mean, it's only 10 a.m. There are plenty more hours left in the day to find other ways to throw away my money. Considering I'm not usually a frivolous spender, I think it's ok for me to "need" these. Right?

Review of Crowdstatus.com

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:40:00 +0000

Ok, so I gave Crowdstatus.com a try because I heard some good things around the Twitterverse, but the truth is I really don't dig it yet. (If you're out of the Twitter loop, see here.)

Let me give you the rundown. You sign up, create "crowds" (groups) and add people individually to the groups. You can create multiple crowds to meet your needs--say I have trouble following the Tweets of my coworkers vs my real life friends vs interesting strangers on the Internet. Each one gets their own crowd, and I can check in on them at my leisure. Now, if I was following a ton of people, and I found it difficult to find certain people in my feed, maybe I'd like something like this. But I don't have this problem; I keep track of my folks fairly easily. The interface is just clunky, making it hard to take in everything quickly--one of the great things about Twitter's list layout. It also only shows the last update, so you miss out on everything else that person said recently, which seems to defeat the site's mission.

While adding people to my crowds, it bothered me I couldn't choose from a list of my followers. I had to jump back and forth, finding the usernames/locations of people I wanted to add. The site also doesn't allow you to use Enter to add a contact. I had to type each one in and hit the "+" button. If I can get easy adding features and an aggregated feed-style list for my groups, I'll certainly come back and give it another shot. I think it's a great idea, and there's a big demand for being able to group one's Twitter pals. I'm hopeful as the site even says, "Definitely in Alpha," so... good concept; keep working, dude.

(If you can think of any more suggestions, drop a note in the suggestion box - and my comments.)

This Week's Shows Worth Going To

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:53:00 +0000

Looks like a slow week for shows, but that's okay because things are really going to pick up later in the month and they won't stop until the weather turns frigid again. Start saving your milk money!

In Philadelphia:
Tues, 4/15 Rogue Wave First Unitarian Church
Wed, 4/15 Autechre Transit
Thurs, 4/17 Dead Meadow Johnny Brenda's
Sat, 4/19 Kate Nash Trocadero Theater (SOLD OUT)

IF you:
a) know of any I forgot / didn't find worthy (but you do)
b) are going to any of these
c) want more info about any
d) weren't planning on going but would now like to join me

THEN:
Please leave a comment.

My week(end) in pictures

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:37:00 +0000

The second half of my week was pretty action-packed. Wednesday, Andy and I saw Explosions in the Sky, as I previously mentioned. We walked home from the show, and after (accidentally) walking nearly a mile out of our way, we wound up at Jefferson University, in front of this fascinating installment. It begins with "Homo sapien [a year] AD" and a genetic sequence. The next line is in Latin. The one after that, some other language. A few of the lines are in English--lines from a story or poem perhaps. One sounds like a an oath. I really don't know what it all means, but it's extremely interesting.

Thursday, I saw Spoon and The Walkmen perform at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. I was especially excited to see White Rabbits, but they canceled. Bummer! The show was great, though, as expected. I'll say it again: The Walkmen's frontman is epically awesome. And they had a horn section this time! Fabulous. Spoon played a crazy-long set. They're such a great band, so it was certainly a pleasure. That is until I hit the end of my attention span and had to step outside to stretch, missing the last couple songs of the set.

On Friday, my brother and cousin visited. Sherm is my best friend in the whole world, and Angela had never been to Philadelphia, so we had quite an adventure.

(look familiar?) What a character. He's obviously related.

Saturday, we went to Philly's infamous street races. I am no fan of driving at high speeds, risky, illegal shenanigans, or souped up cars, but I'll admit: I did end up having fun--mostly just because I had hilarious company.

About an hour after we arrived, the cops showed up (as usual), and everyone scattered. The racing enthusiasts reconvened no doubt, but we hit the road as to avoid arrest.

Other fun included George not being eaten my mice sleeping on my livingroom floor, Melrose Diner, walking home from South Philly in the rain, lots of shopping (overdrew my bank account, but I feel it was worth it), parking lot moshing (for the first time in years), and many hilarities. (No Brendan, you can't deflect urine with a mirror.)

And now, I shall crawl in bed to recuperate for work tomorrow. Next Friday will be here before I know it!

Weekend website

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:33:00 +0000

Unscrew America is a fun and educational website highlighting the benefits of LED and CFL lightbulbs over traditional bulbs. The site first drops you in hell, which is, of course, lit by a traditional bulb. As you switch the light source, it takes you to a more heavenly scene, where you learn about CFL and LED bulbs, their impact on the environment, economics benefits, ways to spread the word, and much more. What I love about the site is that it has a million freakin' rollovers--like really a ton, and just fun to play around with. (I think my fav is the dinosaur in Hell.) The illustrations are interesting, and it just makes sense. There's very little guesswork involved; it's all quite intuitive. You just know where you're supposed to click. And I totally get a kick out of what's usually the "sound off" button: it says, "I HATE music". After selecting that, you have the option to correct your mistake ("No wait, I meant I LOVE music.") or specify "I love music, but only Hall & Oates." Magical. Great job, team. Site well-built.

Explosions in the Sky (my heart)

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:35:00 +0000

Last night was nothing short of magical for me as I watched Explosions in the Sky play at the Starlight Ballroom in Philadelphia. I remember the first time I heard them. In July 2004, I traveled several hours from home to Oswego, NY with a friend for an annual festival, and shortly thereafter, found myself practically alone in a strange place with nowhere to sleep or shower. Hours later, a fellow I'd met only once when I booked his band to play a show a year earlier drove to Oswego and rescued me, offering me a place to stay until I could take a bus home the next morning. As I drifted in and out of sleep in Andy's back seat on the long, dark drive to his house, I heard the most beautiful, serene, soothing music. I've never forgotten how I felt that night, completely vulnerable, hushed to sleep by Explosions in the Sky.

Since that journey to safety in 2004, Andy has come to be one of my very best friends--the most intensely honest, sensible, and passionate person I know. And in that same time, this band has serenaded me through countless places: on warm summer nights and cold winter afternoons, during heart throb and heart break, in times of incredible highs and utter distress, with new friends and old. They've been with me while I forged unforgettable memories, both joyous and tragic. Songs for any occasion, their melodies give my heart wings to soar when I'm up and sympathize with my pain when I'm low, all in the same notes. Each listen makes me feel like I'm falling in and out of love all at the same moment. This, to me, is the power of music.

How appropriate that I should share my first live Explosions in the Sky performance with the person who first played them for me (an even bigger fan than I). It was everything we dreamed it would be. The band mimicked their recordings perfectly, recreating a flood of memories tied in my mind to their tunes. With so much intensity, they rocked the hell out of the hundreds of people in the venue. You could feel the electricity of the crowd. And even though I was just one person on a hot and smoky crowded dance floor--all I had to do was close my eyes, and it felt like they were playing just for me.

(This mixtape contains 12 tracks from various Explosions in the Sky albums.
*edit* Some of the tracks were live and hard to hear. That should be corrected now.)

It's one of those days

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:49:00 +0000

Today is so not working out for me. I got very little sleep. The meeces in my apartment refuse to be caught or go away. I can hardly do anything on my computer because the wireless Internet doesn't live in here. (Well, it does a little; it just doesn't thrive.) And due to such, I've lost two mixtapes on which I worked really hard, many emails, a handful of Twitter updates, and a few blog comments. The latter two aren't really important; it's just frustrating when nothing seems to be going right. I've got a nervous flutter in my stomach, and I can't put my finger on the cause. It's also is begging for me to feed it, but I don't really like anything in the food court. In fact, I can't think of anything that sounds extremely delicious.

But all this aside, I am very much looking forward to seeing Spoon, White Rabbits, and The Walkmen with George and his friend Pete tonight.

Update on last night's happenings coming soon--as soon as I can get Mixwit to load properly.

Thursday Therapy Mixtape

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:14:00 +0000

Thanks to Darshana @ Broken Wizards for opening my eyes to Mixwit virtual mixtapes. (Check hers out; its bangin'.) It's very possible I'll make at least a dozen more by day's end. (But don't hold your breath.)

Enjoy! (And let me know what you think in the comments.)

Peak of the Week Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:36:00 +0000

I was going to make you guys and gals a fabulous playlist to get you through the day, but lucky for me, Stereogum did all the work. (I also made a cute banner to put with it, but Aviary and/or my Internet connection are misbehaving, and I lost it... twice.) Here's the playlist with my commentary:

you should see the stereogum.com mp3 player here if you have flash

Annuals, "Sore" - You already know I love this track. Still.
Torche, "Healer" - This is not what I remember them sounding like, but that's probably my bad. It's got more punk influence than I expected, but I dig it.
Peter Morén, "This Is What I Came For" - This song didn't work for me in the mix, but if you click the arrow on the right, it takes you to the video for this song where you will witness a very handsome fellow playing guitar in a dorm-style bedroom that may or may not belong to a woman, judging by the red heels on the shelf. Even if they're Peter's heels, who am I to judge? It's a lovely song (though I don't understand French, so I really don't know what he's saying).
Dominique Leone - "Duyen" - This is actually a man. I listened and thought something was screwy, so I looked it up. Yep, a man. He sounds like a man. A pretty man on a pretty track.
Tokyo Police Club, "Juno" - I first heard this song yesterday, and though I don't care for the production (it sounds like they're recording in a gym locker), I enjoy everything else about the song. It ends a little too soon with no climax, but I'll take what I can get.
Au, "RR vs D" - How fantastic! As a sucker for hand-claps, I'm into it from the start. The choral-like vocals ("Get it. One, two, three.") make me feel like Christmas carols do (and that's a good thing), and before I can get cozy, I'm at the circus watching the trapeze artist. What a ride.
Au, "Sum" - Ok, so picture a clothes-dryer full of spoons, chimes, toy pianos, and other clangy things. Now picture it with wings, slowly spinning, taking off, and soaring above the countryside on a warm, sunny spring day. Imagine what that would sound like. Now press play.
The Muslims, "Nightlife" - Average indie rock sans any excitement or emotion. Apparently, these guys are on the "bands to watch" list, but I don't hear it.
The Muslims, "Right And Wrong" - Meh.
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Who does he sound like? I can't put my finger on it. At any rate, this is some well-done folky indie rock. I love it. Like, a lot.

Ok, this is where I turn off the light, close the door, and let you finish the mix by yourself. Enjoy! :)

Video: Robyn - "Who's That Girl"

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:30:00 +0000

Check out this video for Robyn's "Who's That Girl". Not gonna' lie: I didn't dig it at all for the first 40 seconds or so. It's cheesy, simple, and all other synonymous words that I'll spare you to avoid being redundant. (You're welcome.) But then I realized I probably don't like the song because it sounds exactly like a dozen songs I've written, and I don't like those either because they're cheesy, simple, etc. So then I lightened up and focused on planning my next (first) national tour beginning tonight in my living room. Be there.

Oh, and (Q:) how much do I love that The Knife was featured on this song? (A:) A lot.

East coasters, you can catch her live soon:
04/29 - Boston, MA @ Paradise
04/30 - Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
05/01 - New York, NY @ Virgin Megastore (Union Square)
05/01 - New York, NY @ Late Show w/ David Letterman
05/02 - New York, NY @ Grand Ballroom

Dead Meadow - Old Growth out now

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:02:00 +0000

The Band
Dead Meadow formed in DC but have since moved to LA. (Don't they all?) The trio jam out with that psychedelic-rock style all the kids are trying these days, but unlike many, they do it well. Kinda makes a person want to take a lot of acid, just to get in the appropriate frame of mind. (But I don't recommend it. But if you do, go to their website and tell me how much the front page trips you out.) They released their new full-length album Old Growth earlier this year on Matador Records.

The Words:
When I was young I traveled to distant lands
A castle arises from a sea of sand
Its towers shimmer in the heat of the sun
Shining down shadow for everyone
Swinging on swings that hang from great trees
Lulled to sleep by the breath of the breeze
My forgotten thoughts drop down to the sea
So I lived a life, which was my dream
Can't find a key to the sleepy silver door
I'm washed up on the shore of reality
-"Sleepy Silver Door"

The Sound:
"I'm Gone":

"What Needs Must Be" video:

[courtesy of Spinner.com]

The Plan:
4/15 Hoboken NJ Maxwell's
4/16 Washington DC Black Cat
4/17 Philadelphia PA Johnny Brenda's
4/18 Brooklyn NY Williamsburg Music Hall
4/19 Danbury CT Heirloom Arts Theatre
4/20 Boston MA Middle East Downstairs
4/21 Northampton MA Iron Horse
4/22 Winooski VT Higher Ground
4/23 Montreal QC Club Lambi
4/24 Toronto ON Lee's Palace
4/25 Buffalo NY Sound Lab
4/26 Rochester NY Bug Jar
4/28 Newport KY Southgate House
4/29 Bloomington IN Bluebird Nightclub
4/30 Cleveland OH Beachland Ballroom
5/1 Columbus OH The Basement
5/2 Detroit MI Magic Stick
5/3 Chicago IL The Abbey with Indian Velcro Lewis
5/5 Madison WI High Noon Saloon
5/7 Minneapolis MN 7th Street Entry
5/8 Fargo ND Aquarium
5/9 Sioux City SD Nutty's
5/10 Iowa City IA Picador
5/11 Omaha NE The Waiting Room
5/12 Lawrence KS Jackpot
5/13 Denver CO Larimer Lounge
5/15 Salt Lake City UT Kilby Court
5/16 Boise ID Neurolux
5/24 San Francisco CA Slim's

Listen to more at their myspace page. (Dudes will even let you download their tunes!) I'm especially fond of "Good Moanin."

Lollapalooza 2008

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:42:00 +0000

Those of you who follow music news have no doubt read this already. For those of you who don't, I'll repost this year's Lollapalooza lineup (as per Paste Magazine):

"All the cheapo—assuming you count $175 as "cheapo"—early-bird tickets have sold out; however, advance three-day passes ($190) are still available. There's also a pretty ominous piece of fine print on the Lolla website that states "As levels sell out, prices are subject to change without notice." Oh, giant, corporate rock festivals. Don't ever change."

Lollapalooza 2008 line up:

Radiohead
Rage Against the Machine
Nine Inch Nails
Kanye West
Wilco
The Raconteurs
Okkervil River
Louis XIV
Love and Rockets
Gnarls Barkley
Bloc Party
The Black Keys
Broken Social Scene
Lupe Fiasco
Flogging Molly
Mark Ronson
Cat Power
The National
G. Love & Special Sauce
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Explosions in the Sky
Brand New
Gogol Bordello
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Dierks Bentley
Amadou & Mariam
Blues Traveler
John Butler Trio
Girl Talk
Your Vegas
CSS
Eli "Paperboy" Reed & the True Loves
Battles
Steel Train
Jamie Lidell
Bang Camaro
Butch Walker
The Blakes
Mates of State
Tally Hall
Spank Rock
White Lies
Brazilian Girls
Magic Wands
Chromeo
Electric Touch
Duffy
Innerpartysystem
The Kills
The Postelles
Rogue Wave
The Parlor Mob
The Go! Team
Bald Eagle
Mason Jennings
Krista
The Gutter Twins
Ha Ha Tonka
Yeasayer
Witchcraft
Grizzly Bear
We Go To 11
MGMT
Sofia Talvik
The Weakerthans
Booka Shade
Santogold
Black Kids
Black Lips
Dr. Dog
Nicole Atkins & the Sea
The Ting Tings
Kid Sister
Office
The Cool Kids
What Made Milwaukee Famous
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
The Whigs
Manchester Orchestra
Foals
Uffie
The Octopus Project
Cadence Weapon
Ferras
De Novo Dahl
Noah and the Whale
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
K'NAAN
Serena Ryder
Newton Faulkner

[bold = bands I oh so wish to see there but probably will not unless someone kidnaps me and takes me to Chicago]

If you were going (and maybe you are--ARE YOU?), who would you be most psyched to see? With enough ambition, this just may give me enough material for a few more blog posts. ;-)

This is not a song

noreply@blogger.com (BC) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:51:00 +0000

I read the following on Wikipedia, and it got my wheels turning a bit.

The Treachery of Images (La trahison des images 1928–29) is a painting by Belgian Surrealist painter René Magritte, famous for its inscription Ceci n'est pas une pipe (pronunciation (help·info)), French for this is not a pipe. It is currently housed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in Los Angeles, California and was previously housed at the Art Institute of Chicago.
The picture shows a pipe that looks as though it might come from a tobacco store advertisement. Magritte painted below the pipe: "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" (This is not a pipe), which seems a contradiction but is actually true. The painting is not a pipe, but rather an image of a pipe. As Magritte himself commented: "The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it’s just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture ‘This is a pipe,’ I’d have been lying!"

I think most of us would look at a painting of a pipe and when asked what it is would respond, "a pipe." I would. But now that I think about Magritte's argument, I understand he's not just being difficult or nit-picky--there IS a big difference between an object or a concept and its representation or embodiment. A photograph of me is not ME; it's a visual representation of me at a particular moment. Someone who views the photo may think they understand that moment, the event, or even me... but we all know pictures can be very deceiving. The saying, "I'm not X; I just play one on TV" comes to mind. Only one person knows anything about what it meant to live in the moment captured in the photo.

And this is true with music. If I listen to track 4 on an album, I'm not listening to a song; I'm listening to an audio recording of a band playing a song. The song itself lives in the mind and heart of its creator--in the notes on paper--the cognitive process. The audio recording is an embodiment of one of the countless variations of the song frozen in time. What I'm listening to cannot possibly convey the original construction, emotion, or intent through which is was written or conceived--they're just grooves on plastic. So what's more relevant or more real? The song or the recording? The maker or the audience? Does it matter? If what I hear or feel in the recording of a song doesn't come close to what the author heard or felt when s/he made it, is one more right? Is the beauty in the eye of the beholder or does it live in the recording alone? Or perhaps only in its original, malleable concept? Can a song really ever be recreated? Or is it reinvented in everyone who hears its likeness?

Of course, these questions don't have right or wrong answers, but they change the way I hear music. I'm finding meanings I've never known in "songs" (recordings) I've heard a hundred times. Each is new with every play. I may never understand how its writer meant for it to be heard, but I dont think that's important. Each person finds their own meaning, and one man's song becomes another's, creating an infinate number of variations and perceptions. If Magritte's unpipe was worth a thousand words, an entire language couldn't express my unsong.

Here are some unsongs I find special:

Band of Horses - "No One's Gonna Love You"

The Decemberists - "O Valencia"

Brand New - "Jesus Christ"

Animal Collective - "The Purple Bottle"