Thank God all MY money's in CDs!

Sorry about the delay in posts around here. Busy times all around. The Missus and I went to Cancun for a week (more on THAT later!) so of course the work-week BEFORE was hell, and the work-week AFTER was double hell. It's really not even worth going away to "relax" if you just have to double or triple up your workload in order to do it. But of course while we were away (and returned) the whole world seemed to catch fire and spiral out of control. I'm no economic genius by any means... as a matter fact, I went to art school. So I have no advice or solutions or ideas as to what to do or what's right. All I know is that I just bought a 2 terabyte drive, and have been working on getting ALL my music onto it, so that I'd be able to comb through the collections better and more easily for this blog. I have no stocks (other than some retirement accounts) so it looks like the all-CD (and cassette, and album, and MP3) investment strategy is really paying off in these trying economic times.

A quick Sidenote/Question:
With all of the bank failures going on around here, why on freaking EARTH can't one of them be North Fork Bank (and or Capital One), my sworn and mortal enemy? (see previous posts for details). I swear to GOD the day that bank fails is the night that drinks for the entire bar are on ME!

I DID get a great email suggesting an alternative to use the billions and billions of dollars proposed for bailing out the financial institutions. I'll post it here, if for nothing else than a good laugh. Thanks to Phil Roc for sending it my way!

####################################

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a 'We Deserve It Dividend'.

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child.. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billion that equals $425,000.00. My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a 'We Deserve It Dividend'..

Of course, it would NOT be tax free.

So let's assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.

That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.

A husband and wife has $595,000.00. What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.

Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college - it'll be there

Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car - create jobs

Invest in the market - capital drives growth

Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves

Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( 'vote buy' ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG - liquidate it.

Sell off its parts.

Let American General go back to being American General.

Sell off the real estate.

Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work."

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion

'We Deserve It Dividend' more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC

And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

####################################


And, just for fun, here are some tunes to get you though the meltdown. It's pretty Pearl Jam heavy, but filled with some fantastic covers and ultra-rare collaborations (Bono, Robert Plant!?!??! Need I say more?) But besides Pearl Jam, there are some other great ones in there, not to mention my new obessive-favorite-listen-to-it-over-and-over song by Easyworld! Drink Up. Drink another. Kick back and watch it all burn.

Download: Easyworld: U Make Me Want to Drink Bleach

Download: Bloc Party: Like Eating Glass

Download: Pearl Jam w/ Robert Plant: Money (That's What I Want)

Download: Pearl Jam w/Bono: Rocking In The Free World (N. Young) (+ Improv)

Download: Nine Inch Nails: All The Pigs, All Lined Up

Download: Pearl Jam w/ John Doe: The New World w/ Revolution (Beatles)

Download: Pearl Jam: The American In Me (Avengers)

Download: Pearl Jam: Grievance

Download: Nirvana: Pay To Play (early demo of "Stay Away")

Download: R.E.M: The End Of The World As We Know It (Live)


As always, Enjoy! (And F#CK Banks. Seriously)

* * * * * * * * * *

I tried to write this yesterday, but it was a crazy day (with work and class) and time got away from me.

Funny how I just described yesterday as "crazy." How quickly my brain forgets just what a crazy day IS. A truly crazy day finds you running late for work, hearing a "boom" outside as you scramble to get dressed and get out the door for work. You think to yourself "Sounds like rain... better bring the umbrella."

Crazy thing is, when you get outside, it's a beautiful sunny day. Your neighbors are all in front of your building, staring straight up at a smoking tower. You ask what happened? Malfunction? Pilot had a heart attack? Small plane? Big one? Nobody knows. You can smell the jet fuel burning. You look up at it. Away towards your neighbors. Back up. Back to them. Out of the corner of your eye, another "boom."

A crazy thought crosses your mind. "How could there be TWO malfunctions, only minutes apart?"

You go back upstairs, call the office, and tell everyone to go home.

You turn on the TV. You expect to see the towers burning on the screen. INSTEAD you see a burning Pentagon.

The day had only just BEGUN to get crazy.

I've been back to the site (or passed it) every year since on September 11th, but for some reason this year I just couldn't make time. Because, you know, it's been 7 whole years and all. And besides, I'm a very busy guy. Nothing stops. But today I regret it. I'm embarrassed that I didn't get to, but I figured If I posted here at least I could make up for it. I pulled a few songs and I really should leave it at that. Those stupid bumper stickers that say "Never Forget"? Well, they're not wrong for reminding us.

I'll be back to cheerier stuff tomorrow. Enjoy the music for today!

Download: Pearl Jam: The Long Road

Download: Pearl Jam: Untitled

Download: Pearl Jam: I Am Mine

Download: Eddie Vedder: Goodbye

Download: Eddie Vedder: Satellite

P.S... A day later, talking with a friend, we came to the conclusion that it takes a lot more than international terrorism to take ME out. God knows, bigger men have tried. Good Luck with that, North Fork Bank.

P.P.S... Happy 33rd birthday to Marty. Could anyone POSSIBLY have a worse birthdate?!?!?! Here's to at least 1 more!

The Black Angels' Second Coming

I have waited patiently to post The Black Angels here on this blog, and for you readers, my patience has paid off in dividends! Oh sure, i could have just rushed a post of one of my favorite bands, and probably put up a few standout tracks from their first, unbelievable album "Passover." (Don't worry, i'm still going to post a few!) But now, with their release of album number 2, "Directions to See a Ghost" I am so much more in awe of them, I have a new track or two to post as well. But love them so much that I do, not only do I have these tracks for you, but I had been holding out to see if I could get you guys anything more cool or rare... And the other day I hit a jackpot! A full live show bootleg of them from Sheffield, May 20th, 2008!

These guys sound like if The Velvet Underground and The Jesus and Mary Chain had a 60s love-child who grew up and protested the religious right and the war machine. Like penut butter and chocolate, it's pretty much my ultimate combination of flavors!

Here we go, off their first album, Passover:

Download: The Black Angels: Young Men Dead

Download: The Black Angels: The First Vietnamese War

Download: The Black Angels: Bloodhounds On My Trail

And off their brand new, second album, Directions to See A Ghost:

Download: The Black Angels: You On The Run


And the prize of the day, an entire live show (in WAV format, so the file size is kind of big)

Download: The Black Angels: Live In Sheffield - May 20th, 2008

Enjoy!

Guest DJ #001

Feedback has started to trickle in regarding some of the music postings on this here blog!! We created a few more obsessed fans for The National, a few others are going to check out Everclear and Cracker playing a free show in New Jersey this weekend, and the other day I just got my first submission of tracks I had not heard, suggesting that they might be blog-fodder!

Well, without further delay, let's start a new (hopefully recurring) episode of "User Submitted" tracks, this first one being from Bob L. in Baltimore.

First up, we have Neko Case, with her FINE cover of "Train From Kansas City" first done by the 60's girl group The Shangrala's. This song was just right up my alley... very hard to not sing along with. She combines punk's do it yourself ethic, a strong business sense, and frequently infuses humorous narratives into her live sets. She's touring this summer (mostly across the Southwest and West Coast) but if you have the chance, check her out!

Download: Neko Case: Train From Kansas City

Next up was a real surprise for me, with an artist I had not heard, which just blew me away, Sam Roberts. The track suggested (and posted) is the second track from his latest CD "We Were Born In A Flame" called "Where Have All The Good People Gone?"... once I listened to it (and really liked it) I poked around some more and found another track which I loved as well, called 'Hard Road." Check them out, I'm sure you'll enjoy them!

Download: Sam Roberts: Where Have All The Good People Gone?

Download: Sam Roberts: Hard Road

Just for fun, I am adding to this playlist, my favorite Jack Johnson song (look for many future posts with HIM featured) called "Where'd All The Good People Go?" since the titles are so similar, I thought it would be a fun counterpoint to Sam. Working in broadcast television, this song could simply not be any truer. If you hate the evil, corporate, base, crass divisive and obscene direction the media has taken over the last decade, then you will LOVE this song!

Download: Jack Johnson: Good People

And to finish it up in a fun way, our guest blogger (enjoying my last x-files related posting with Bree Sharp) suggested I post another great one by her, a fantastic cover of "The Boys of Summer." Really really fun.

Download: Bree Sharp: The Boys of Summer

There you have it, our first guest DJ! (With a bit of editorial on my end! Ha!) Thanks again for the submission, please send me more! If there's something YOU'VE been listening to and loving, and think the rest of us should hear it, shoot me an email or leave me a comment in the blog, and I would be thrilled to post it! After all, community interaction is really the entire point of these blogs, no?

As Always, Enjoy!

I Still Believe

After reading so many horrible reviews about the new X Files movie "I Want to Believe" Alicia and I resigned ourself to the unpleasant fact that it must be terrible and that we would wait until cable or Netflix to watch it, if at all. Like an old relationship, we both thought it might be better to remember it fondly for the good times, rather than try to rekindle it only to have it burn and disappoint worse than ever before.

It's no secret that we were both horribly sad to see our beloved series die the way it did, way back in 2002. So when the reviews started piling up, and when B'More John said he was disappointed, we figured we'd let the dead rest in peace.

But after such a huge party weekend, we were so dead tired on Sunday that after brunch we bit the bullet and prepared for the worst, and ponied up for 2 tickets to see it.

Boy were we pleased! Maybe it's because our expectations were so low, or maybe because we were so tired.. but it really WAS just like a great longer version of an X-Files episode. Don't get me wrong, the critic's points are true... this episode was stand-alone, not following or furthering the mythology in any way, and doesn't even TRY to answer any of the 8 million loose ends the series left... but for a few fans who enjoy the characters and aren't expecting the second coming of film, this is MORE than a great way to spend a lazy Sunday evening. It was great to see the characters again, the cinematography was great, acting above what I expected, no "cringe" moments, a suitably creepy crime to investigate, and some deeper themes that made a summer popcorn film watchers brain feel well creeped-out.

Is it a great film? No. Is it the key to the X-Files universe? No. Does it do the franchise proud and make you want to see lots more? Without question!

In honor of the film, and David D's hit show "Californication" on Showtime, and also I guess in honor of his checking himself into Sex Addiction Therapy, I'll post for you a great one-hit wonder song by Bree Sharp, played (at Aliciia's insistence) every time we are in the car headed for Baltimore (without fail)...

Download: Bree Sharp: David Duchovny (Why Don't You Love Me?)

Hitting The Ground

Fried beyond all belief. When I woke up this morning I wasn't hung over at all... I was STILL DRUNK. A great way to start the workday. B'More John left this morning after his 28 day tear in NY... at least HE gets to sleep on the train.

Today's post is short and sweet, a medley of tunes I thought would be great considering the night I just had. Thanks again to the Peculiar Pub for such a great selection of beers to waste a Thursday night to! Seriously, I can't think of a bar with more of a beer selection.

Enough typing. The sunlight is melting my brain. Just skip to the music.

Download: Gordon Gano f. P.J. Harvey "Hitting The Ground"

Download: Ike Reilly "When Irish Eyes Are Burning Bright.mp3"

Download: LCD Soundsystem (by Joy Division) "No Love Lost"

Download: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts "I Love Rock n' Roll"

Enjoy! Now get some sleep!

Against Me! (Notice a Theme?)

One of my other favorite bands I "discovered" this year (late to the party, as usual) is Against Me! (Excalmation Point included!) I figured what with the lawsuit and such, I might as well continue my anti-establishment theme in style...

Up first, the most beautiful and poetic and insightful song of love lost between an anarchist and a hippie communist liberal. Funny as hell, nicely observed, and GREAT to drink big pints to. To quote another Against Me! songtitle, "Pints of Guiness Make You Strong."

Nothing makes you feel better than hearing about other people's problems, so why not follow it up with another great one from them, "Problems".

Then Just for Fun' we'll wrap it up with their single from their latest (and greatest) album "New Wave" with their song "Thrash Unreal" about a slightly aged, slightly used party girl who "still hears the rebel yell just as loud as it was in 1983"... good stuff.

Download: Against Me! "Baby, I'm an Anarchist"

Download: Against Me! "Problems"

Download: Against Me! "Thrash Unreal"

Again, if you like the intelligent Nihilism, go see them live (we just saw them open for Foo Fighters at MSG!) or buy their amazing albums!

Enjoy!

They're Out To Get Me!

Coming home late after a great Indian dinner at the Bombay Palace, I checked the mail on the way up to the apartment. A large envelope from a law firm loomed dark and dreary in the box. It would seem that last year's nightmare lawsuit is not only not OVER (as a nearly 12 month radio silence might have some people believe) but is proceeding full force, with the Evil Empire, er, I mean North Fork Bank (recently bought by Capital One) releasing the hounds once again on me.

The only difference between LAST YEAR and NOW is that while last year was right before my wedding (bad timing, huh?) THIS year is right when we have just recently (as in, 3 weeks ago) had to move our entire business. Actually, it's hard to believe, but I actually think THIS timing is actually far, far worse. I can't imagine how my business could continue in this point in time if judgement went against me and I owed the amount of money these chimpanzees seem to think I owe.

Alternating between tears and rage, I went out to walk Chalupa (see post #1) and set the iPod to shuffle, having NO idea what I was going to post for you guys on my (new) blog, MUCH LESS how to deal with impending financial destruction.

Shuffle saved the day. Guns and Roses. Live. 1988. The Ritz. "They're Out To Get Me" The first song out of the cannon. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't have PICKED a better song to hear at that moment. So I knew immediately I had to post.


Here's a link to hear "Out To Get Me" live from the Ritz, 1988... Take a listen, share my rage...

Download: Guns N' Roses "Out to Get Me"

Just a quick note about the show: forget the bloated corpse that GNR became by the 90's (all the marriages/divorces to supermodels, $70 million videos, playing with Elton John at the VMAs, etc) In 1988 these guys were living (squatting) in one vomit covered rat's nest room in LA, playing at night, boozing and wasted till dawn, then driving (crashing) a van on the way to the next gig. No exaggeration, these guys were the most destructive force Rock had ever seen. And this is a great gig... they are young, hungry, angry and belligerent, and the energy this gives off in their performance is still to this day unrivaled.


Here's the link to the entire show:

Download: Guns N' Roses Live at the Ritz Feb. 02, 1988

I may be in misery, but that's no reason you all shouldn't at least enjoy some rock! God knows it made MY night! F@ck Banks. Seriously. My next posting will be about Fight Club. Or from Prison. Or Both.

National treasure

So I know I'm late to this party, but Brooklyn's The National are continuously amazing me with each new nugget I hear from them. A favorite of blogs, festivals, hipsters and critics alike, I still managed to not hear them till well after their 4th(?) album "Boxer" was already on every critic's top ten pick.

Well if you are anything like me, and have put off finding them out, delay no further! RUN (do not walk) to the store and buy buy buy "Boxer." Then when you're done, buy their others as well. Then see them live. Then buy a shirt. Then tell your friends.

Their opening track "Fake Empire" is one off the most beautiful and moving songs I've heard in years, and standout tracks like "Start a War" and "Apartment Story" smack of 80s alt pop but with a remarkably mature, modern and edgy sound that doesn't the least bit sound derivative or cheezy. Simply put, these guys are smart.

Here's a link to hear "Fake Empire" from their album...

Download: The National "Fake Empire"

But the REAL treat for your listening pleasure is their 2008 Lollapalooza set, in pretty great audio quality. I apologize in advance that it's not cut up into separate tracks, but instead one looong mp3... but hey, beggars can't be choosers! Download it, listen to it, and leave a reply if you love it as much as I do (well, leave a reply even if you DON'T love it, too... I just want to know that someone out there is actually reading!). Here's the link:

Download: The National: Live at Lollapalooza 2008

As always, Enjoy!

(Nothing But) Clanking

Alicia, B'More John and I went downtown on this beautiful Sunday to see David Byrne's art installation "Playing the Building". Alicia has been wanting to go all Summer, and as it turns out, when we showed up at the Battery Maritime Building at about 3:00pm it was, in fact, the last day of the exhibit (already held over for 2 extra weeks)! Whew! We JUST made it!

Admission was free, but everyone entering needed to sign some form/waiver... it was not entirly clear to me WHY, but we dutifuly signed it anyway, then proceeded up the stairwell to the exhibit.

Immediately upon seeing the dark, unmaintained and just plain SCARY stairwell, we knew why Waivers were necessary! I have seen horror movies that had better looking facilities.

At the top of the stairs, there was a loooooong line, so again, we just started to stand in it... we could see a giant room up ahead, and figured it was the line to get in. An aide came by and said, however, that this line was for PLAYING the musiic only... if you just wanted to SEE or HEAR the exhibit, to continue into the room. We ditched the line and went in, to a cavernously big industrial room with a single organ and a TON of wires coming out of it to each of the peripheral walls and heat vents and pipes and windows all around the room.



As the user played each key, a certain trigger would go off around the room, from window latches to steam pipes clanging to heating units moaning to life. Some sounds were percussive, clanging over and over while the user held dowen keys, while other sounds were long and deep and would sustain a tone as long as the user was pressing. the Instrument itself was impressive looking, with a deconstructed and kind of scary bunch of wires, looking more like something from H.R. Geiger than a musical instrument.

Unfortunately, as interesting and impressive as it all was, it really underwhelmed when actually EXPERIENCED, because each person sitting down and subjecting the room to their "music" really were just pushing random keys... often just over and over and over. Sure, it's fun for the 4-year-old, but it's not so fun for the audience having to LISTEN to the 4-year-old. I think I might have been more impressed had there been a control/tour guide or demonstration of some sort... SOME kind of order or system to the Chaos would have gone a long way to making it more of an experience for everyone in the room, not just the single person pushing a key.

All in all, I don't regret going, and WAS duly impressed by the concept and the great idea... but just walked out mostly being happy that I didn't PAY anything for it! That's not what you want to feel coming out of an art exhibit, especially from someone as artistically influential to me as David Byrne. (Nothing But) Flowers is one of my favorite videos of all-time, directed by M+Co. and in particular Emily Oberman, now principal of Number 17 in NYC, with whom I teach After Effects and Design in Motion at The Cooper Union.



And, lest you think that I stoped posting downloads for you ALREADY (after only 3 x posts!) here is an AWESOME MP3 of one of my favorite bands, Guster, covering "(Nothing But) Flowers" live.

Enjoy!

P.S. Just to reinforce how scary this place was (in a cool way, but still) here is a picture I snapped on the way OUT, where someone had made in a far off, abandoned, darkened corner, a single noose... yeesh. There were 4 artists/photographers taking picture of it along with me!






Download: Guster: (Nothing But) Flowers by Talking Heads

Lucky Stars In Your Eyes...

Well, this is the first of what will likely be MANY Pearl Jam/Eddie Vedder posts in this blog's future (although I promised myself that I would try my best to give an interesting mix... After all, there are a MILLION (far superior) Pearl Jam-dedicated blogs already doing a fantastic job out there. But a few weeks ago Alicia and I had tickets to see Eddie Vedder on his East Coast Solo tour, mostly in support of his BRILLIANT Soundtrack to Sean Penn's film "Into the Wild."

Playing 2 consecutive nights (August 4th and 5th) at Harlem's United Palace Theater, we scored tickets to both nights, and while there were many songs that crossed over both night's sets, there were several rarities and standout tracks special to each night that definitely made a repeat viewer happy.

Although Pearl Jam (and Eddie Vedder in particular) have been completely gracious and approving of live taping/trading/bootlegging, for some reason these small club shows have been extremely difficult (to near impossible) to get a hold of, so while I would LOVE to get a 'boot of these 2 nights, I simply have not been able to so far.

However, this was leg-2 of the tour, the first leg being the West Coast in April, and I was able to scrounge up a 'boot from that tour, so I offer it to you in the hopes that someone reading this blog might have more that they are willing to share.

The setlist is fantastic, filled with rarities, a light and jokey Eddie, some laughing, some noisy drum-cirlce outside the theater that makes Eddie screw up a couple of times... political activism (he prides himself that the right wing media refers to him, Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins as the "Activists of Evil" HA!) an urge to vote, the list goes on.

Standouts on the fantastic setlist are "Growin' Up" (Bruce Springsteen), "Millworker" (James Taylor), and an amazingly reworked and modernized "here's to the State..." by Phil Ochs, updated to skewer Cheney, Roberts, and Bush (the REAL AXIS).

Here's the tracklisting;

01 Introduction Music, Tuolumne
02 Walking The Cow (Daniel Johnston)
03 Around The Bend
04 I Am Mine
05 Talk: (Never went to school)
06 Dead Man
07 Talk: (You Think this is just music...)
08 I'm Open
09 Man of the Hour
10 Talk: (The Worst Fucking Drum Circle...)
11 Setting Forth
12 Guaranteed
13 No Ceiling
14 Far Behind
15 Rise
16 Millworker (James Taylor)
17 Goodbye
18 Talk: (West Memphis Three)
19 Satellite
20 Drifting
21 Youve Got To Hide Your Love Away (Beatles)
22 Talk: (Intro to Heres To The State)
23 Heres To The State... (Phil Ochs)
24 Trouble (Cat Stevens)
25 If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out (Cat Stevens)
26 Talk: (Now you guys shut the fuck up)
27 Parting Ways
28 Forever Young (Bob Dylan)
29 Porch
30 Talk: (Encore break and intro to Society)
31 Society (with Jerry Hannan)
32 Growin Up (Bruce Springsteen)
33 Lukin
34 Talk: (Intro to No More, Body of War)
35 No More
36 Arc
37 Hard Sun (Gordon Peterson)


Download: Eddie Vedder 2008 Solo ITW Tour, Berkley, CA

Blasts from the Past

I went Wed. night to see a triple bill at Webster Hall: Everclear, Soul Asylum and Cracker. The ticket price was fantastic, and being a longtime Everclear fan I simply couldn't resist. Alicia and I Met up with B'More John and got there early... the venue was small, a great place to get up close to the stage.

I have seen Everclear before, going all the way back to a Tower Records in stores appearance/signing for "So Much For The Afterglow" in 1997. Soul Asylum I had never seen, although I certainly had been a big fan of their songs all through High School and College, and Cracker I knew a few songs but was really looking forward to finally seeing live, especially considering the Camper Van Beethoven roots.

Cracker hit the stage first, and gave a relatively short but entertaining set. The singer didn't seem particularly interested in audience interaction or stage banter, but the Guitarist made up for that in spades, even taking over vocals on a song. His energy level and enthusiasm was through the roof, and it really helped to elevate their set.

Soul Asylum hit next, and gosh-darn it, just blew us all away. Their show was SO fun and performed with SUCH entertaining enthusiasm as well as technical prowess and unbelievable showmanship that I am now and forever a Soul Asylum convert. They simply should NOT be missed, under any circumstances. Their set was jam-freakin'-packed with hit after monster hit, many of which I forgot was even them, and hadn't heard for maybe 10 years. I was in 90s audio bliss heaven. A Wyclef cover (kudos to Alicia for calling it!) along with a long, jokey series of musical "stand up" style one liners (absolutely hysterical) followed by "Stand Up and Be Strong" joined onstage with their guitar techs! Ha!

Everclear finished the night, and what they lacked in Soul Asylum's technical musicianship (and light show) they made up for in fantastically catchy punk-alt-pop. Sort of out-of-tune (as always) but WAY LOUDER and WAY more distorted and jumpier, much to my delight they hung back on some of their older songs, not just radio hits like "I Will Buy You A new Life" but awesome rockers like "you Make Me Feel Like a Whore," "White Men In Black Suits," and even an AMAZING solo-acoustic "Strawberry." "Wonderful" was just that, and to close up the night (and in support of their newest album, a collection of cover songs) they pulled LITERALLY 30-40 girls and women from the audience up onto the (small) stage to sing along and dance with 8-6-7-5-3-0-9!!! A Weird, fun end to a crazy night.

Everclear is the type of band, who, through all of their popularity ups and downs, has always maintained a very tight connection to their fans, with Art personally maintaining the mySpace page and responding and reaching out to fans. This night, he said that after the show, the entire band will meet at the back of the room (they had some tables stet up) to meet all the fans, get pictures, sign things (no purchase necessary!) etc. We waited and got to meet and greet them, with each of the band members (Art in particular) being funny, gracious, conversational, and just plain NICE NICE NICE.

If you have never seen them, do yourself a favor and go! If you HAVE, but it's BEEN a while, go AGAIN... their catalogue is so deep that you're bound to have a great time, and with the price and location of a triple bill like this, you'd pretty much be crazy NOT to want to go!

Thanks again to all 3 bands for a great night, and Thanks again to Art and Everclear for going above and beyond to connect with your fans!

without further adieu, my posting: I couldn't find a 'boot of anything from this show (yet!) but I DID find a fantastic Show Soul Asylum did in May of this year (St. Paul, MN)... not the exact setlist, but similar enough, and the sound quality is great... take a listen... if you like it, go see these bands, and buy their albums! None of this "piracy" isn't really "stealing" crap!!! Hit Everclear up on myspace too! It really IS Art writing back to you!

Download: Soul Asylum: St. Paul, MN - May 3, 2008

And So It Begins...

my first post... sniff... I am so choked up.

After years of reading other (far superior) blogs, I finally decided to take the plunge into the interwebs.

If this is the beginning, I guess I should at least introduce myself.

My name is John, I am a Graphic Designer / Director in New York, one of the 2 principals of The String Theory, a multidisciplinary design, animation, 3D and visual effects studio in NYC.

I am a crazy music fan, and while I imagine this blog will mostly be of music and live shows, I figure design, animation, and general media should flow pretty frequently as well.

My grammar is terrible, my spelling even wurse. But unlike Playboy, I know very well that you dear readers are not exactly here for the articles... hopefully you're here because I've been able to supply and feed you with lots of cool live concerts, rare tracks, design tips and tricks, or maybe just the occasional laugh.

I imagine I'll mostly be spreading stuff I find on other blogs, so if that's the case I'll do my best to give credit (and immense thanks) where due. My collections span 15+ years, so in slow content periods I'll dig deep and try to bring some stuff up that maybe you haven't heard in a while.

Welcome aboard, and bear with me while I get things set up... I have to figure out now how to post zips... and pictures... and link to things... Thanks again, I can't wait to see what comes of this...