SO HERE WE ARE

it kinda sucks when a weekend like the one i just had requires glossing over like this... i spent 3 days checking out new bands and a fourth putting my foot in my mouth. from the lemonheads meets taking back sunday meets weezer rush of army of me... to the semi-american version of jangle balls from the five o clock heroes... my thursday was spent hazily moving from one lower east side shithole to the next. the bands were impressive, the rooms (and the effects of my dayquil) were not.

on saturday night i saw the pixies, and was once again transfixed by kim deal. there is something so cool about her ability to exude both shyness and power from the confines of a gym-teacher costume. after the show, i escorted antony to mercury lounge, where he claimed to be seeing friends play (but really, the stella was on tap...). to my surprise/delight, saints+lovers were playing! what a testament to greatness that this local gig drew more enthusiasm (from me) than the pixies. what fucking potential they have. what talent they already show! i felt a need to watch the gig to be sure that it wasnt the drunk talking that first night at knitting factory. i left assured that they will be the next big thing out of new york. the secret machines need to take them on tour for the sole prupose of allowing dennis' voice to outshine whatever that cousin can hurl.

sunday marked sarahs long-awaited return from the city of del taco, and i picked myself up - yet again - to attend the spin holiday party. i drank malibu - by accident - and joked about the soul-crushing nature of certain industry internships. we watched le tigre, jen fought a bartender, and there were donuts at the end. overall, a great way to spend the first of many subzero nights.

my brain is frozen and i cant remember much about the swan pageant beyond the ladies looking particularly butt-dumpy in their nude stockings. what is it with pageantry that they insist on putting girls in those things? like, heres a bikini, show some tit... but dont you dare go bare down there! weird. perhaps the most unusual pageant trick ever devised....

DONT LET THE BELLS END

its that time of year again. nog brain time. pete doperty hit his office party a bit too hard, and in the absence of an ass-duplicator, decided to ruin yet another babyshambles gig. all he wants for xmas is a chance to be here for next years. johnny overbite is giving back to the community this year, suggesting that razorlights career is taking a turn for modernity. instead of releasing another proper album (i mean, why on EARTH would a band want to take advantage of a labels backing and do something like that???), hes hinting that his pack of jinglemates might try the BJM route, and crawl into bed with the world wide web. AND give it his phone number. and finally, you know that band the others? they play those kooky guerilla gigs because their talent cant fill a real room? i mean, yeah i like their songs, and yeah the singer dates a trannny and promotes crack use... but, did i mention their best gig was in a tube? anyhow, i jest. i like them. and now theyre giving us all the chance to experience what street urchins in londons finest neighborhoods get first hand. play the others guerilla gig game! extra points if you get dominic to make out with the dude from bad company. hes gonna have to live up to freddies memory somehow!

oh - ps - can you BELIEVE top model last night? was anyone else as shocked as i was that blindy mccrystals was the first to go?

RIP OUT YOUR HEART AND THROW IT AWAY



so, if news of the forthcoming queen grundletug wasnt enough to bum me (and you!) out this week...

eighties matchbox bline disaster got dropped by universal.

how on earth are unusual bands supposed to make it in this industry when labels wont give them a chance??? just because EMBLD sacrifice monkey anuses for the sake of their art, just because the players have a tendency to keep up for days at a time on diets of uppers and sandpaper... it doesnt mean they dont have interesting music to provide for the masses!

will somebody with a label and an immunity to fear please stand up?

I'M GOING SLIGHTLY MAD

the news that shook my music world (today) came via the tripwire. my favorite band of all time... the band that lured me into tower records for the first time... the band that taught me the meaning of "live at wembley"... QUEEN... is reforming.

its actually pretty bizarre that i got this news today. just last night... or should i say, early am... matt, chris and i were sitting in my living room, unwinding their last night of tour. matt threw on a "music dvd." it was zeppelin. in full lumpal glory. its a glorius thing, that zeppelin dvd, and we sat locked in discussion about longevity and reunions. no one in the room would argue zeppelins importance. hell, all of us would probably cite zeppelin in our top three bands. and yet, the most interesting thing we agreed on was fear of a zeppelin reunion. we sat there watching the footage from 1979. the times had already taken their toll on jimmy page... leaving him swathed in linen slacks and a parachute blouse. he looked fucking ridiculous. like yoko ono, even. the three of us shuddered to think what another 10 years would have done to them. i mean, i cant imagine the 80s being particularly fair to that band. to any admirable band of the 60s and 70s for that matter. take another all-time favorite in the stones, and weep for their stabs at stray cats pop. theres no telling what the "all mighty zep" would have attempted as means of adaptation. why do i have this ungodly image of jimmy wailing... on a keytar?

without even knowing this impending notion, matt pointed out that while some reunions/nostalgia tours can work (he was willing to admit that most players are replaceable in some sense of the word. yes, even drummers), there is no way in hell to replace a singer. no singer = new band. he and chris cited the guns n roses scenario as a model. essentially, that while the music of velvet revolver is questionable at best, what duff and slash are doing is far more respectable than the tragic pissing contest that is todays "guns n roses."

all of this said, the notion of queen touring - under the queen name - with the dude from bad company singing makes me want to hurl. in my head im listening to "feel like making love," only the guy is singing "can any... body... find... meeeee...." yuck. how terrible. freddie mercury is the most irreplaceable frontman. you know john deacon knows it. notice how he hasnt committed to the train wreck just yet...

but fuck me man, why then do i keep wondering, "whens the tour gonna hit somewhere rad, conveniently in time for my newest vacation?"

WE PUT THE ART IN UH, TARTS

crawling out of the woodwork for the attempted revival of pianos was fun. weve apparently become new yorks most straight-edge djs ("you girls alright? can we get you anything to drink" "yes, water would be lovely." "id like a seltzer... with a twist of lime!")... but even so, we managed to turn out 3 hours of well-received music for the huddled masses.

the biggest hit of the night was pretty fucking surprising. for those 6 of you that individually came up to the booth to ask what "that" song was... it was MEW.

junior was pretty appalled that i didnt have an answer to give when quizzed on the band, but the truth is, "that" song (called "am i wry? no") was sent to me by my friend john, with little to no background information. turns out, theyre danish. and theyre cute. and theyve got like, one album and one ep (yes, you too can be this fountain of knowledge by checking out their site for five seconds!). so thats that, its a great song, and people dig it... rad.

we managed to serve as wingwomen to our boys in the five o clock heroes, playing their song "run to her" and whipping their ladyfriends into a frenzy. we also played "emancipation" as the moving units walked down our aisle... and at least two bravery songs over the course of the night because, quote, "if people have come here from the show, it must be because they like the bravery!"

cant say much in terms of scandals... the bad stuff was relegated to dark corners (read: there was a member of the bravery in each one, avec les ladies).

it feels so good to be back.

tonight, im gonna try and brave the rain and outer-boroughs for my sweet friends radio 4. theyre playing at southpaw, and they deserve some love after having to cancel their eurojaunt... come. dance. drink a latte and tip some berets.

in march 2005, a warehouse full of like minded individuals will gather round a record player to plug in to the ideological stratosphere. ignoring the need to attend to affects of brown, these people will pick their teeth and wipe their chins as the wash of dimentia rolls in. the time has come for round two. the mars volta are ready with their second dicking of the mind.

and this time, it will consist of one track. one 77 minute long track.

FEED THE PONY

do you need something to do on monday? some dudes i know, that may or may not be cool... may or may not be in ass kicking distance from me as i do this... may or may not be spongeworthy... are starting up a seriously rad idea at rothko:



thats right. hip hop karaoke. its so easy. no ashlee simpson maneuvers required. just mad flow. which i clearly have. ew, that sounds kinda dirty. like, on the rag dirty. gross. what has this post become? this is clearly zachs fault.

let me redirect.

ive been spending this entire day watching bloc party videos. check out my favorite bloc party site that isnt the official site. click under media, videos, etc... my personal favorite is "helicopter," but i suggest familiarizing yourself with it all.

and, on a final note before the weekend kicks in:
"do you like live music?"
"not really. do you?"
"its my passion."

WHY I LOVE THE GLC: A VIDEO

you know i loves you.

more on the goldie lookin chain here.