SPARKS AND STRESS

i nearly cried riding up bowery last night. leaving brian keepsadiarys house was like ending an extremely short-lived era, and it sucked balls. i was sweaty and full of sparks and inexplicably humming "boys of summer," while all the while wishing i had karaoked "somebody to love." i woke up this morning with a suitcase to pack and a sparks hangover that felt like a green giant standing on my lung dripping acid into my eyes. how lovely. works a bitch and then you fly. in my absence, my favorite asian boyfriend/facesucker/dj extraordinaire is having a birthday party to celebrate his year of rocknroll fantasy. i suggest you go, if youre into that angular hair/black shirt/asshole sort of thing:



if his explicit sense of morbid mortality gets you down... take solace in my welsh cum collective... the GLC. i most likely wont catch their reading set (damn noon), but you should at least know what youre missing.

CAN'T QUIT PLAYING GAMES WITH MY HEART

hmmm... is it possible that i actually miss the backstreet boys? i wonder how their new album is coming along... will beating paris make it into the lyrics? alcoholism? oblivion? the possibilities are endless. one things for sure... they shouldnt play the fusion card. that jobs sopped up by the midget from down under. what a shame. and also... what a shame that my mind is so far gone that i find it acceptible to share my train of thought with you people. that train being... what did i do last night... oh, i did laundry and watched the games... i think im totally addicted to games... whats a song lyric about games... well, you see where im going with this. i think its a good thing im taking a vacation.

i leave tomorrow for the jolly old mudpit of england, and though the excitement is heating me more than carl barat's crotch, im also busy worrying about the weather. i attempted to gather advice this morning as far as what to wear (getting a friendster message from a pal in london consisting of "bring a jumper, a poncho, and galloshes as it is pissing down rain" is ever so enlightening):

KPO: shitbox lauren. what shoes do i wear to reading??? i think itll be too rainy and muddy for flip flops (as IF thats possible)
LAUREN: get some black wellingtons
LAUREN: they're a godsend
KPO: hmmmm
LAUREN: you can rock so many different kinds of looks with them
LAUREN: the country squire
LAUREN: the jockey
KPO: the country squire???
KPO: the jockey????
LAUREN: well, you'll be in england
KPO: youre killing me
LAUREN: get a tweed blazer and pretend you're going to muck out the stables
KPO: HAHAHAHA
KPO: and maybe ill stick a gob of horseshit to my elbow for effect
LAUREN: and some hay
KPO: in my mouth
LAUREN: it looks cute sticking out of your ponytail
KPO: should i maybe black out some of my teeth or is that a bit too de-classe?
LAUREN: that might be going a bit far
LAUREN: i'd bring along a riding crop, though
KPO: see now THATS hot
LAUREN: exactly
LAUREN: add some tight pants and you're in business

so if youre taking notes: jazz=in. stablehands=hot. my mind=lost.

oh... and furthermore? DID ANYONE WATCH THE HIGH-BAR LAST NIGHT? holy hell. i never thought id be that excited and/or enraged about the games... but i literally hung up on sarah because she called in the heat of the moment. nemov was ROBBED. i mean, just because hes a commie doesnt mean he cant twirl. he did good. and i think paul hamm is giving the canadian judge hummers on the side. i dont know much about nasties beyond what ive gathered from watching the games all these years... but i know what looks good and what looks bunk, and something looked mighty bunk in athens yesterday. the puppy-faced ruskie did all this fancypant nonsense, spreading his buttcrack and heaving himself over the high bar like, 293840293 times... while the good ole american flatface did way less than that and still managed to outscore him significantly. now, i know were in a time of war and all that jive, and im supposed to take an american medal and stick it on the mantle with our jar of good intentions, but fair is fair. i think we all deserve a little vodka after this mess.

columnist mike celizic writes a really interesting opinion piece on the weight of paul hamms other olympic medal, and how it plays into the international perception of america as a country of greedy, fat, small-minded turds.

CELEBRATE THE MYRIAD WAYS I LOVE YOU

if you looked up "dung heap" in the dictionary this week, youd see me, knee deep in it.

work has gotten busier than ever... which is nice, it means my boss is giving me greater responsibilities and all that... but it also means that i get bitchy and stressed and generally messy.

this weekend was a blur of tequila again... with misshapes, in particular, being jella fun. ive gotta say... the tarts ate humble pie this week. yeah yeah, death was cool, if by cool you mean "too fucked up to want to DJ his last allotted set" (yeah thats right chow... bet you dont remember that part, do you?). BUT. the real stars of the evening were none other than the shut the fuck up, who whipped shit out of nowhere like fuckin "i think we're alone now" and "never met a girl like you before." songs that ive always wanted to play but balked from in fear. arthur and michael deserve serious peaches and assplugs. the times were good, the crowd was tight, and im officially taking myself off my strict tequila diet as a result of some undeserved hickies.

ive been watching a lot of the games lately. makes me feel wholesome. except for those parts about greek guys winning gold on rings when their arms were clearly shaking more than redman's weed sack. is there such thing as national nepotism? im just askin...

ive been drowning in new music lately. you all know what i think about the new music album (two big thumbs up yer ass)... the new libertines makes me weep (listen to the lyrics of "what became of the likely lads," listen to the unshakeable mournful tone, its history on record and its tragic)... the new used isnt nearly as good as the first, though the song "lunacy fringe" kicks the collective screamo ass by existing as the ultimate COUNTREMO jam... my new favorite thing to bake and laugh to is the motherfuckin goldie lookin chain, whos songs "shit to me," "soap bar," and "youre mothers got a penis" remind us all that music is for the lighthearted and heavily stoned (kinda makes sense that their first major tour was supporting the darkness, and their forthcoming tour is called "an ounce dont come for free"). theyre a welsh rap collective. nuff said.

on the subject of screamo... sarah convinced me to join her at the my chemical romance show on saturday night. holy shit. granted im a total sucker for bands like this... ive talked about story of the year on many occasions... i like melodic anthems, what can i say? so anyway... MCR blew my skirt up. normally when i go to a punk/screamo/whatever show at irving plaza, i stick to the balcony and revel at the swirls of crowd below. not to sound like a 45 year old woman, but kids these days are fascinating... and while i love watching circle-pits and crowd-surfing, i dont ever want to find myself on the receiving end of a doc marten boot. anyway, the testament to the power of MCR is that i barely watched the crowd. i was transfixed by the singer. he is amazing. hes kind of like the lovechild of pelle almquist and morrissey fronting an emo band. the kids knew every fucking word of every song. they knew every beat and every thrust in time. it was really, really appealing. so thanks to sarah for turning me on to it, and it should be exciting watching them flourish. (their grand tour with the aforementioned story of the year hits roseland ballroom on october 26th).

lets see... what else, what else... im working on a radio 4 interview for sets and the city. come dance with me on september 8th. thats assuming i havent lost my dancing shoes in the mud at this weekends ever-so-anticipated lovefest!

DONT FIGHT THE FEELING, I'LL BE YOUR GUIDE

shit man, last night was a total tequila-willpower cocktail. that part of the afternoon when my emails started sprouting wings made me swear on the soul of an early night. when i left my apartment, i bid brigid farewell with a "later, dude" with the legit intention of returning in a couple of hours for more gaming commentary as soon as the music ended. yeah. fucking. right.

the vibe at the music show was that of a houseparty. there was booze, friends, flashy lighting... and HIPPIES! fuck me man, when did my old summer camp explode onto bowery? it was awesome. there was moshing. there was dancing. there were awkward silences and lewd remarks. there were robert harveys dance aerobics with a missing side of glow sticks.

for once, i was genuinely sad that the majority of the audience hadnt heard the new material before its release, because in my familiar opinion, the new songs sounded so fucking fantabulous that the old favorites ("the people," "take the long road and walk it") were banal and amateur in comparison. i took every open window to scream "bleed from within," generating either buzz or annoyance in the swarms of people around me. but ill tell you this. if you think one asscrack was devoid of sweat after they finally did play it... youd be dead wrong. it was soooooo good. its power is so undeniable. the people were going nuts and most had never even heard it before. thats what you get with a "bum bum bum bummmmm" singalong chorus and frogger-voiced breakdown. learn it, live it, love it.

the crew hit up the dark room one more time, where i decided that tequila shots were the perfect antidote to the hump-day blahs. 49208403 hours later, as the workday realization began to kick in with the buzz of a flex-off... i was out. 3 nights in a row. i need to take a time out.

HELLO, MY NAME IS KAREN AND I HAVE A BONER FOR CARL BARAT

sarah did an excellent job of describing last nights rocknroll experience. ill try to add. ill preface this by saying that i had fairly low expectations going into last night. the last time i saw the libertines was at cbgbs, probably about a year and a half ago, and i was wildly disappointed. pete and carl were sheets to the wind, the room was hot, and it just wasnt the experience i was looking for based on an album i loved so much. last night blew my mind. as usual, i got a bit too stoned before heading over to bowery, so when i got there and met the swirling crowd, i felt shaky. i pulled the sucker move and sat upstairs with the trashy socialites, trying to have fun and ignore the heckling from the punks below. hey buddy with the hat, i know the people upstairs are usually money-huffing douchebags, but sometimes theres a true fan or six that just happen to be too fucked to stand in a moshpit, thanks.

the show was seriously amazing. gone were any fears that the libertines cant survive without pete. i mean, yes, the vibe wouldve been even more electric and sexual and momentous had pete been up there with his ambiguously gay buddy, c-train, but carl managed to carry the band on his own. the pace and the energy were intense, and the sense that this was music history magic was completely palpable. its rare that you see a band whip a crowd into such a frenzy without being hardcore and violent. the moshing last night was exuberant. it was young people getting out their ya-yas with one of the truly honest bands of our generation. it was like a 600 person support group.

by the time they ripped into "boys in the band" (this groupies favorite song), i had my bearings back. the girls and i drank a lot and head over to our new favorite bar, the dark room... for the afterparty.

on the real tip, nme wouldve had either an aneurism or an orgasm at the dark room last night. on one side we had extremely intoxicated members of the thrills teetering about with glasses of red wine, trying desperately to stay awake for their 5 am bus call. on the other side were the nights heroes, libertines and D4 reps galore. tonights party king, robert harvey was mingling, and sarah introduced me as a big fan, leading to tequila-induced giggling and threats of a dance-off. between them and the usual slew of regulars, it was a bonafied rock boner fest.

i was in bed by 430. after tonight im taking a rest... to gear up for the party of the weekend:

before i get to last night... which was fuckin awesome (except for the part about going to be at 430 am on a worknight)... heres a little killers nugget to generate more imaginary funds for me:

all these things that ive done video!

(see that ubercute girl with the striped bangs behind the boys on the street? the one and only ktb!!!)

download france's dirtypants b-side "tell her tonight." (as sung by drummer paul, in german). get it now; it was just excluded from the "michael" single for some stupid chart-related reason.

LEVEL ELEVEN

if anyone says anything bad about the killers, i will hurt them.

see, ill be honest... in the wake of interpol's antics, i havent been listening to hot fuss at all lately. not that i dont like it anymore, but i kinda played it out over the last year, and have now found new stimulation in the masterpiece of the year (aka interpol).

last night at bowery was like airborne prozac. i was in the shittiest, most stressed-out mood before i got there, but the opening chords of "jenny" just washed it all away. despite the fact that the packed crowd made it difficult to pogo with my usual precision, i still managed to sweat off the pains in my proverbial ass with the gleeful music and motion. yay killers!

i think the band has taken recent criticism to heart, and have visibly put work into perfecting their live show. brandon is more animated than ever, conducting the crowd like a shotgun priest, and the rest of the band seems keen on maintaining everyones attention and energy. which they did. with flair. once again, the crowd showered them with protests and boos when the last song was announced. they emerged for a two-song encore that included a rendition of "all these things that ive done" as sung by the bowery ballroom audience gospel choir. it was awesome.

one thing that i think is hilarious about killers performances is their insistence on including "indie rock n roll" in every set. they know people dont like it. hell, they dont even like it that much. but its one of the first songs they ever wrote, and i think their persistence is admirable. its a damn catchy song, and its almost like the repeated plays are a collective "fuck you, youre GOING to like this song!" and seriously, its kinda fun singing "its indie rock n roll for meeeee" at the top of your lungs.

after the show, sarah, brian, and i hopped backstage to say hello to our vegas boyfriends. spirits were high and eye makeup was smeared. i pinched some asses and told my new lover arthur that the usage of the word "crotch" in casual conversation was inappropriate. we made ants on a log using the catering tray and discussed interband rivalries. we stayed drinking beers til bowery kicked us out, and after finding milk and honey to be too quiet for our liking, relocated to lit for a very brief attempt at keeping the night going.

i was home by 3. tonight is the libertines. tomorrow is the music. this week will beat me, nick carter stylo.

a nice little news bit on the darkness, that i believe proves them not to be completely useless bits of asscheese. they actually DO understand integrity. i like that.

DIDYA CATCH THE GAMES THIS WEEKEND?

this weekend was a big ball of drunktired. on friday night, i had the extreme pleasure of entertaining two very special guests from the uk. and by entertaining i mean "pumping full of sparks and spliffs and shoving em on an L train." of course, sarah and i ended up being fashionably late to belvy's kickass party at red and black... but i guess thats what happens when you play antics on repeat for two hours... you forget your hip-hop at home.

us tarts ended up having the greatest time DJing... it hardly felt like hours... and i cant even begin to thank all our friends who braved the wild streets of w-burg to join us. it was particularly fun playing songs by said friends, and seeing them cower in embarassment as a result. i think the "good sports" prize of the night goes to the sounds guys, because they actually DANCED to their music. but that could also be because theyre foreign.

saturday at the little steven festival was tainted (in my mind) by the mindblowing amount of sexism. or maybe it was just the fucking annoying twat-faced go-go dancers. i swear, if i hear one more mousy-voiced bouffant scream into a microphone... i will go ike turner on ALL their asses. at least the music sounded good. and the free iced lattes tasted good. and david johansens loin cloth looked really good. i think im gonna start rocking those.

i forced myself to go to misshapes for a bit and was completely blown away by what that party has become. it was completely packed (despite the rain-poo outside), and while i can personally do without the frat boys dancing on the bar, the energy was wild and exciting. geordon, leigh, and greg are some serious forces to be reckoned with... and i HAVE to thank ilirjana who grabbed my tired ass from the side of the room and forced me to shake the red stripe through my bloodstream. good times. especially that passing out part at the end.

REALLY SHITTY BREAKING NEWS

THIS SUCKS.

you know that parking lot soccer match i may or may not have mentioned? the one from curiosa boston in which the coopers and muse ran around like adorable british school boys (all except matt who was off playing poker somewhere and dom, who informed me that his footie skills end at kicking the ball real hard in any given direction)?

we all kinda knew it was a bad idea, the parking lot being pavement and all... but alas, boys will be boys, and it seems the game has continued on to other cities.

heres where the breaking news comes in. emphasis on "breaking."

little known soccer star, chris from muse, has BROKEN HIS WRIST, thereby forcing muse to cancel their remaining appearances with the curiosa tour.

hopefully, the buzz theyve built thus far will be enough to sustain their rise to superstardom, but this really couldnt have come at a worse time.

FREE BOOZE AND PHONEBOOK DELETIONS

downtown was abuzz last night like it hadnt been in a while. or at least, i hadnt noticed a buzz in a while, but that also might be because ive been in hibernation mode save for my elaborate curiosa outings. anyhow, i had fun. jason b, the lovely chap i once knew as "carlos' friend who sorta lived in detroit but was moonlighting in london" has hit the big time and opened a bar. (all the more impressive considering the location and the recently revealed cost thereof). the white trash socialites and i followed the trail of wayward smokers to the nondescript entrance a door or two down from luna. its called "the dark room," (get it? jb's a photog, you see) and its totally, totally cool. granted, last night was its teething phase, and the smell of lacquer and stagnance of air revealed its overall freshness. nevertheless, the potential is obvious.

sarah, leigh and i sat around trying to imagine this place as it booms. think of it as the lit of the lower east side. aaaah lit. remember the good old days? ill get to that later. anyhow, back to the dark room.

the dark room makes me happy theres a smoking ban. the ceilings are low and the circulation is poor, but it will be completely tolerable without blankets of baccy hanging around. the walls are covered in stone and the ante-chamber is designed with an ample supply of rounded booths... perfect for snarking and people watching. you know youve been bar-hopping in nyc for too long when you start imagining what a place will be like fresh out of the ladies, with your first comment being "wow, thats a nice back entrance. cant wait to leave that in the daylight."

the open bar last night closed at 10, which was perfect for us morning theft fans. rob and dan came over to recruit the sauced and semi-sauced for the two-door-down trek to their gig. once again, they were great. fuckin loud, but great (yeah, rob? about that not being so loud this time? you failed). thank goodness for being stoned as fuck, because i was finally able to come up with the perfect "if they mated" scenario for describing morning theft's sound: PEARL JAM and TRAVIS. they combine the impressively catchy jangling guitar sound of songs like "sing" and "side" with the intensely immediate vocals of eddie vedder. (rob doesnt really sound like eddie, its more about the delivery). their set was over close to 11, at which point leigh and i bolted for lit and its perfectly timed open bar.

it was a madhouse. i remember the good old days when lit was a cavern of hushed sin... perfect for turning your nose up at creative haircuts and welcome gifts. somewhere in the last year, word spread that it was the place to get dirty off the elbows of indie rock elite, and its become overrun with yuppies the way sound factory was with israelis. last night was a particular circus, with the "first ever" dj set by mr mick rock. anyone whos anyone missed the actual dj set (see: all the drivel above), but the revelry was still in full swing hours later. mick was being followed around by an obnoxiously-lit camera, lending a general air of unrest to the festivities. we stuck around til the open bar ended (midnight), and bid the swarm of unusual patrons goodbye.

on the way uptown, mike goodstein told me that he had deleted me from his cell phone in a drunken rage a while back... because he couldnt bear to have any killers fans in his phonebook. shame on you, mike goodstein. (sidebar: our friendship was mended upon his announcement that he fully supports my trip to (what he considers to be) a subpar reading because it is very heavily based on the fact that the darkness are headlining. he likes that i love the darkness).

MUSIC STUFF

drowned in sound reviews the single ive been meaning to tell yall about. "glitter and trauma" (biffy clyro) is one cool motherfucking song. i hear queens of the stone age. if they mated with bloc party. its disco rock. thats cool.

my profile of midtown is up and running on gothamist.

um, have i mentioned how AMAZING the forthcoming music album is? its called "welcome to the north." its perfect. and i know from good sources that my favorite song on the album, "bleeding from within," sounds immense live, in which case next wednesday will be jazzworthy.

PARTY IN NEW YORK CITY

my friend jason is opening a new bar on ludlow tonight:

THE DARK ROOM
165 Ludlow Street (btw Houston and Stanton)
LES, NYC

select open bar from 8-10 pm, which will put us all in the perfect mood to roll over to:

LUNA LOUNGE
pretty much next door
Morning Theft on at 10 pm, free show, pretty boys, catchy tunes

if thats not enough (geez, whats with this city tonight?), the one and only mick rock is spinning at lit. im not sure what kind of dj he is, but he made for one helluva drunken conversationalist when carlos and i cornered him at the columbia hotel a year and a half ago. i mean, dude, this guy took some of the best photos of QUEEN, bowie, blondie... (you can see some of them on the walls at manitobas)... hes probably a pretty cool guy to rub up against.

MORE PARTY IN DALLAS

as much as i love carlos, i might love my cooper temple boyfriends more... so in case one curiosa afterparty isnt enough for you texans, heres the deal on the other:

THE RAPTURE, MOGWAI, and THE COOPER TEMPLE CLAUSE djing
Avenue Arts Gallery
825 Exposition
Dallas

10 pm onwards
$10 to get in, $5 with a curiosa ticket stub

(but actually, truth be told, as much as i love the coopers... carlos tends to spin more dance worthy music... so its a tough call with these affairs).

BLINK 182 SAID IT BEST

work sucks. ok, i guess it really doesnt, at least not all the time, but these days ive been too fucking busy to even think about being witty. so on the quick tip:

have a read. my poker buddy talks shop on curiosa... choosing bands... maintaining appearances... all that good stuff.

have a listen. ok, i wish i was technologically advanced enough to provide you with mp3s here, but if you find the cooper temple clause bside "on.off.on," from the "promises, promises" single, download it. it sounds like queen. it is the shit.

have a heart. help a sister out. what on earth do i buy with the $82 from bobby mcsmithstein? pot is not an option. i need something to remember him by.

oh, and also... for those of you in the dallas area, check out my homeboy carlos d's afterparty on saturday night.

LIGHT A CANDLE UNDER YOUR ASS

come see the tarts of pleasure spin like dreidels.

BEEN SITTING ON THIS FOR A WHILE



ok, new york. why in the fudge is the music show at bowery not sold out yet??? i dont wanna hear no bitching and fucking about being burnt out from the killers and libertines gigs the nights before... im going to troop to all three, and you should too. seriously. i think a lot of people were torn about the music after their debut album. some people say "zeppelin lite," some say "tripped out geddy lee," some just dont like them. but i love them. and they put on a killer live show. and they will most likely be previewing their new album, welcome to the north, which is most definitely going to be in my top 10 list for 2004 (and fairly high on it, i would say).

the album provided the soundtrack to much of this weekends driving, and i think i have it to thank for not falling asleep somewhere between reststops on I-95. between epic album opener "welcome to the north," cant-get-it-out-of-your-head stunner "bleeding from within," and power ballads "fight the feeling" and "open your mind," this album teems with beautiful, beautiful melody. it is a VERY impressive sophomore effort, and i cant wait to dance at the show. robert harveys moves are hard to rip off, but im thinking if i cant handle it, sarah certainly will.

I'M SORRY, I JUST CAN'T KEEP IT IN

im still completely shot from this weekend of curiosa, but i can tell you information bounty hunters that there is a very cool project in the works on this tour.

robert smith has arranged for a makeshift studio to exist backstage at all the gigs; and the artists have been encouraged to take time out and contribute songs based on specific guidelines set by bob. at the end of the road, the resulting compilation will be released, with proceeds going to charity. it will be awesome, because as ive said a million times, the bands of curiosa are some of the most exciting and talented the world has to offer at the moment.

furthermore, i won $82 off robert smith in a game of 21 on interpol's bus. shit, sorry, i just dropped something. will you pick up that name for me?

TOUR DELIGHTS CONTINUE

this just in from my fountain of information, andrea:

guess whos supporting frances fartydance on their forthcoming US tour???

yes, yes, we all know its the futureheads, who are so fucking awesome and are everything razorlight want to be but arent (yes, KTB, you were right).

but guess who was JUST ADDED as additional support? ready for this? are ya?

DELAYS!!!!!!!

kickass british rock, covering all angles of the genre, coming to a city near you.

AND WHEN THEY HIT THE POPPY FIELD, CUE "BLACKOUT"

oh, sarah. the little twit i adore more than anything lured me to her lower east side pad to become the dazed and confused fucktards of our generation. have you ever looked at the back of a dollar bill, man?

we watched donnie darko and listened to "absolution" in reverse and though im decidedly "un-hypnotizeable" and therefore unwilling to submit to far-out notions of synchronicity... some of that shit was crazy. she gets into it more on her blog, so ill leave it at that. but needless to say, there were some uncanny fits of fist pumping involved.

after the little mental lapse, we headed over to rothko for DDIHC, pitty sing, and morning theft. im sorry, but i was cracking up. in a good way. as promised, DDIHC were more funny than awesome. but sometimes funny is good. the singer yelps like robert smith and dances like anthony from radio 4. the beats are fast and the songs are catchy, and between the frantic singer, the handsome guitarist, and the possessed keyboardist / french-hornist, theres plenty to watch onstage. i had a great time. even though i couldnt stop humming "too ra loo ra too ra loo ra yaaaaaah..." i ran over to a colleague and screamed over the din, "they NEED to tour with HOT HOT HEAT!!!" sonically, theyre similar. melodic, jumpy, angular, blah blah. but ironically speaking?? DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS with HOT HOT HEAT? get it? eh? ok enough about this.

i actually took an extended cigarette break during pitty sing, so i cant be of much help in discussing them, but i did manage to catch that song "radio," which was pretty much the only one i remember impressing me back in the northsix day. it was good. nothing special.

i thought morning theft was awesome, though i may file suit for the bursting of ear drums. i think of them as... the pensive melodies of pearl jam with the energy of nirvana and the pop sensibilities of my favorite guilty pleasure, bush. theyd probably hate me for that comparison, but i mean it in an entirely complimentary way. im telling yall. despite the shitty treatment vh1 gave the decade in which i matured (read: the 90s), i think the grunge era is due for its comeback. guitar rock that breaks hearts. morning theft are on their way. id love to see them again.

TONIGHT, TONIGHT



come to this.

dogs die in hot cars should be a treat. theyre pretty much a joke in england, but hey, so are the darkness and you know how i feel about them. think dexys midnight runners via "baggy trousers" madness... im psyched just to hear "godhopping," because i heart songs about african children.

pitty sing is an ever-so-slightly buzzed about new york band whos members i see out all the time, and whos set at northsix i can hardly remember (way back when they were blessed with an opening slot for franz dirtypants). i think you can dance to them. thats cool.

and finally, morning theft... these are some stellar guys. ive never seen em play, and the only time theyve played me some tunes i was, how you say, not. well. im told they have a pixies vibe. thats cool times two.

after the bands, the ever so lovely jen will be spinning tunes that may or may not include the new interpol.

ill be there. thats cool times infinity.

ACOUSTIC KILLERS

check out acoustic versions of 3 songs on vh1.com.

if you can forgive brandons awkward acoustic vocals, theyre actually pretty great. yes, the killers are flashy on record. but they happen to write great songs and play their instruments really well. so cut them some slack. "smile like you mean it" comes across beautifully (no surprise, really) and "somebody told me" is surprisingly palatable as an unplugged song, too. "mr brightside" should be left alone, though. the guitar sounds great, but, uh, put it this way... im kinda curious to hear brandon sing a version of "heart of gold." the neil young song. i love neil young.

(link from sarah, via scott)

WANNA BE IN A MUSIC VIDEO?

hey hipsters! yeah you... all you crazies i like to lick in bars around downtown manhattan... how would you like to be a music video for the up and coming vice records darlings, the affair?



heres the deets:

time: THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY (August 7-8)
call time for Saturday is 10 am, Sunday is 11 am

place: SIN-E
150 Attorney St on the Lower East Side

there will be free food and beer for extras, and it should be a lot of fun. if you have more questions, leave your email in the comments section and i will send you Niki, the contact persons, phone #.

BULLET POINTS MAKE THINGS EASY TO READ!

too bad i dont know how to make bullet points. ill use short sentences instead.

frances dirtypants sold out roseland over the weekend. with no advertising. stay tuned for reports of mass suicide in detroit.

i went to curiosa in ny and philly over the weekend. come on, new york. what the fuck is wrong with you??? randalls island was EMPTY. the show, naturally, was fantastic.

the cooper temple clause. the music these guys are making is infinitely more interesting than, say, auf der maur, but theyve been damned with the earliest time slot available. word is, starting in salt lake city theyll be the 2nd band on the side stage, which is way better for them, but no matter what city youre in, i urge you to get there in time for their set. seriously, theyre like nothing else out there these days, and on a good day, the live experience is better than what most others have to offer.

interpol. do i even need to point out that i fucking LOVE interpol? they are getting stronger and stronger with each play (the new songs sounded waaaay better by philly, save for a few technical issues with carlos' bass).

and ok, for real? MUSE IS FUCKING AMAZING. yes, i have friends that worship the pedestal muse is perched on, and yes, ive always agreed that "absolution" is one of the best albums of the year, but i wasnt particularly blown away by their show at bowery back in april. consider my mind changed. holy shit this band is amazing. seriously, if any band will benefit from curiosa it will be muse. they had the new york and philly crowds eating out of the palm of their hand. matt bellamys voice is surreal. at times i wasnt sure if the other-worldly sounds i was hearing were coming from the instruments or his throat. muse is built for arenas. see them now before they get dwarfed by their stages.