tuesday today

sorry faithful readers i didn't do a "tuesday tomorrow" yesterday.  i actually had stuff to do, and it ended with me getting mariokart wii so that took the rest of my night (up to my early bedtime due to me having to actually work this week).

anyway, it's tuesday and some stuff is available for purchase.  basically i'm just gonna skim largehearted boy, so you're probably better off going there.

music

-the roots - rising down - probably the big one for me this week.  they are pretty much the best.

-portishead - third - yeah i don't even have the first or the other first. but still...maybe.

-mc5 - anthology - kick out the jams mother-shut-your-mouth

-robyn - robyn - i like the nordic folks i do.

that's it.

video screen content

-lost - seasons 1-3 - that's a lot of lost for probably a lot of money.

-the red balloon - bitchin'

wow. slow week.  basically just the roots and maybe robyn for me.

remember when i posted about tom daily?

about a month and a half ago i blogged about tom daily, one of my favorite musicians from my college years.  well, now i am here to tell you that he has offered up one of his albums for free download!

The Death of Tom Daily is no longer available in stores.  but you can download the whole album, one mp3 at a time, at his myspace page.  just go down to discography and there you have it.  there's also a lot more random stuff to explore there, so download to your heart's content! it is free and legal, after all.

in unrelated news, tonight is when TV packs just about all my favorite shows into one night.  not including simpsons and cancelled shows and other things.  because it's the big NBC comedy night, and the only sitcoms i watch are NBC comedy night.  the office, 30 rock, and scrubs...and THEN switch it over to ABC for LOST.  hooray LOST is back on the air for a few weeks!!

for the record...

i was right about momofuku.

sorta.

according to a billboard story, the name is not about the new york noodle bar, but about Momofuku Ando, the inventor of the cup noodle.

although i was wrong about it being about the music industry...oh well.  close enough.

i'd also like to note that it's awesome how dedicated this release is to vinyl.  there's a free download, but it's not active until may 1st.  so the physical music rules overall!

and now if you'll excuse me, i'm going to go listen to this physical release.

tuesday tomorrow

for me personally, it's a pretty big-deal tuesday tomorrow!

audially:

elvis costello & the imposters - momofuku - this is only available on vinyl and digital, at least for 2 weeks.  then the cd comes out.  you can read about it here, but to sum it up: jenny lewis sings harmony on numerous tracks.  one song was co-written with roseanne cash.  one song was co-written with loretta lynn.  so i guess it looks pretty country.  lots of steel guitars and stuff.  i have absolutely no problem with this direction.

el perro del mar - from the valley to the stars - i don't know much about this one but i loved her debut so much.  so...very excited.  this would easily be my top release of the week if it weren't for elvis costello.

flight of the conchords - flight of the conchords - yeah, they are pretty funny, aren't they?

atmosphere - when life gives you lemons, you paint that shit gold - eventually i'll probably want to get this.  i do quite enjoy their free album they gave out around christmas time.

carole king - tapestry (legacy edition) - it's got a bonus disc with live versions of all the tracks, in their album sequential order.  seriously one of the greatest albums ever.  but i own two versions already (vinyl & cd) so i probably don't need a third.

otis redding - otis blue: otis redding sings soul (collector's edition) - strangely enough, i just got this album from the library, not even knowing this was coming out all special style tomorrow.  i don't know how necessary this version is unless you're obsessed, because it looks like it's all just different mixes and takes of the same songs.

lyrics born - everywhere at once - gotta love the quannum projects!

visially:

The Savages - i already wrote about this once, but let me reiterate: laura linney and philip seymour hoffman are two of my very favorite actors.  and they are both brilliant in this movie.

Charlie Wilson's War - speaking of philip seymour hoffman, i really want to see this one.  that's what netflix is for, right?

Cloverfield - i think some people that couldn't "appreciate" the shaky handicam footage on the big screen may prefer the home video version, which probably cuts the puke probability in half!

Death of a Cyclist - i saw this one in my spanish cinema class.  absolutely brilliant look at spain through the eyes of a young anna torrent.

there are also lots of classics out this week.  explore if you so desire.

4/19

april 19th is, as i'm sure you've read, RECORD STORE DAY!

now here are my thoughts.

when i first read about national record store day, i thought it seemed pretty ridiculous.  like, why are record stores such a novel thing that need their own day? as far as i'm concerned, record stores are a part of life and i'd as soon celebrate a national grocery store day or a national gas station day or a national bar day.  and even so, i figured independents week was a good enough annual celebration of my beloved local record stores.

but then i read about what is actually going down on national record store day.  pitchfork has a pretty good run-down for you right here, but here's what's listed for twist & shout, my personal ear-watering-hole of choice:

it's a big weekend at twist, because they are also celebrating their 20th birthday this weekend.  they turned 20 the day before national record store day, on friday april 18th.  and let me just say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite place to be in denver.  here's what they have going on:

-20% off all used cds, lps, and dvds

-cake

-champagne

-all those exclusive releases by the breeders, stephen malkmus, built to spill, black keys, death cab, etc

-free stuff (granted some of these are with purchase): 

*record store day vinyl sampler with purchase of new vinyl

*fine frenzy dvd sampler

*ringo starr buttons

*matador sampler

*nonesuch sampler

*freaky creatures comic book

*bjork 3d glasses (although i guess that video isn't screening at twist)

*paste magazine

*bullet for my valentine comic book

*brushfire vinyl sampler

*flyleaf cd ep

*gavin de graw magnets

*merge 7" sampler

*monster drink

*RED metal sampler

*RED indie rock sampler

*sub pop sampler

*touch & go stickers (good, i'd used up all the ones i'd gotten at their anniversary block party!)

*vice records sampler

*MGMT 3d glasses

*MGMT 7"

*redeye sampler

*record store day buttons

*free gift bag with purchase of $50 (sorry twist, i'm unemployed i don't think i can do that one)

-contests to win:

*numark usb turntable with some 7"s from jack johnson, rogue wave, and matt costa

*saturday looks good to me t-shirt (and let me just say, saturday looks awesome to me)

*people take warning: murder ballads & disaster songs 1913-1938 box set, signed by TOM WAITS

-live performance by jackie greene in the neighborhood flix theatre next door

so in summation, record store day is a VERY good thing.  it'll be like christmas!

in honor of record store day, i am going to tell you MY story, my experience with record stores and why they're so special to me.

my first real record store was also a tattoo parlor.  it was called tribal rites.  i made the discovery in 9th grade, when i was first getting into "independent" music that i couldn't find at blockbuster music (ha, remember that?) or best buy.  at the time, that meant ska and punk rock.  my friend that turned me on to bands like mustard plug and skankin' pickle would talk about this place.  we were 15...but taking the bus was free for 15-year-olds.  so we'd ride the bus to downtown fort collins and go check out the store.  i'll never forget the dwarves poster there.  oh man.  now that was controversial.  that was up in a STORE?  was it ALLOWED?  if you were wondering, the poster was the cover art for the dwarves are young and good looking.  look it up (NSFW!).

anyhow, tribal rites was my haven in 9th grade, where i could find those punk rock cds at actually very decent prices.  and NOFX video tapes and all sorts of stuff.  that christmas, or maybe the christmas after that, or maybe it was a birthday, my brother got me a turntable from a pawn shop.  i had wanted one, since many of my favorite bands were putting out some exclusive material on 7" vinyl.  so, proud owner of a turntable, i went back to tribal rites with a newfound appreciation of vinyl.

the very first "new" 12" record i bought was propagandhi's how to clean everything.  mostly i was eager, and my friend suggested that i pick it up.  probably because of the song "ska sucks," when he was the friend that would make fun of me for listening to ska.  oh, and the first 7" i bought was fugazi's "3 songs."  i played the crap out of that 7" but it still sounds incredible.

so i was happy.  into high school, tribal rites was just my place to go.  then one day the new mustard plug album came out.  i forget which one.  but i couldn't find it ANYWHERE.  so i remember calling tribal rites, asking if they had it.  the cashier broke my heart when he said that they weren't getting in any more new music.  but to come in because they were clearing out and would have some really cheap prices.

tribal rites still stands, but they only do the tattoos and piercings now.

luckily, soon after the loss of my first favorite record store, another one opened, just around the corner: rocks off records.  i remember i thought my friend said "rock soft" when he first told me about this new place.  anyhow, it basically picked up where tribal rites left off, with even better music selection and more vinyl.  sadly, rocks off only lasted a couple years.  and then fort collins proceeded to suck.  at least as far as record stores go.  that hippie shop sucks and smells like pot (even though they had some rare-but expensive-operation ivy), abcd's is a joke (i hear they closed anyway?), and finest kinda blows except on their sidewalk sale...if they're even open anymore.

well fort collins started sucking, but i moved to boulder for school.  boulder had three fantastic record shops: albums on the hill was a bit expensive but had a certain charm.  it was in the basement, it had tons of goodies, and the owner was super awesome and super nice.  i have a preferred customer card that gets me $1 off every purchase.  very nice place to be.  but i preferred wax trax.  wax trax was right across the street from albums.  they had a way better vinyl section, and allllll the rare 7"s i could handle.  their prices were a little better too.  there's also the fact that they were close enough to campus that on some certain special tuesdays i'd go there right after my morning class and pick up a brand new release.  ah yes.  i remember wax trax.  sadly, the boulder store closed forever during my tenure in boulder even though i'd assumed it was a permanent institution of the hill.

luckily, however, i discovered bart's cd cellar on pearl street (still in boulder).  a slightly longer walk but totally worth it.  while the cd part of the store was great and had very good prices for a local shop, the main attraction is upstairs.  a huge room of nothing but vinyl.  racks and racks.  i remember blowing most of my textbook buyback money on nothing but used records from bart's.  $40-$50 on nothing but $2-$4 records.

and now i live in denver, where i shop at two permanent fixtures of independent music: wax trax and twist & shout.  wax trax is really the more cliche music snob haven, but that's mostly the cd store.  see, it's divided into a cd store and a separate vinyl store.  the vinyl store is, i believe, the best place to get wax in denver.  it's huge, it's got more 45s than one could possibly rifle through.  it's got a huge soul section.  rows of hip hop.  a 50s & 60s rock and roll section separate from more "modern" rock.  i've gotten so many gems there i can't even keep track.  and the rare 7"s from the boulder wax trax...they're all there.  and the woman that works there, she's not your typical record store music snob.  super nice.  but obviously well-versed in the world of music.  wax trax isn't an official participant in record store day, but i feel like they just don't care about stuff like that.  people who know, know that wax trax is the place to get records, no question.

twist & shout used to be two separate stores as well.  back on alameda, they were the place to go to buy cds, run across the street dodging traffic, and peruse the records.  now they've moved to colfax as one big store and they kind of make me wonder how record stores are in "danger."  i know they are, i know the boulder wax trax couldn't make it, i know how rocks off in fort collins died, i witnessed these casualties before the music industry even started collapsing on itself.  but twist & shout seems to be doing incredibly well.  there are always crowds there, there's always a line at the counter, and according to a recent newsletter, "vinyl sales are through the roof!"

so therefore, i expect tomorrow to be crazy at twist & shout.  i expect the whole store to be a crowded mess.  so i really must get to bed now, because i have to get up early.  who knows how many copies of that stephen malkmus 10" they'll have in stock.

free gnarls barkley album!

EDIT: upon further inspection, it seems to be a mostly-instrumental version.  i just didn't notice at first because of how awesome it sounded regardless (and i've only listened to the first couple songs' worth so far)...but yeah, it's a mostly-instrumental version.  thanks to commenter milesee for noticing it in the song "Run."  anyway, original post:

i haven't seen this very widely reported, but i find it verrrrrrrrry interesting...

gnarls barkley is offering their latest album, the odd couple, for free via download!

okay, it's got a couple catches:

1. it is all one long mp3 track.

2. it is backwards.

go to fronttobacktofront.com to download "elpuocddoeht" for free.

aversion's version of the story is annoying.  aversion sometimes bugs me, how they report and criticize without having all the facts to the story or not giving it enough thought.  

they call it an idiotic waste of bandwidth.

now.  i don't know why they chose to do this.  but here is the version of the story that i just made up.  seriously, i don't know if this is why but it's what i like to believe:

maybe their label (atlantic) didn't want them to release the album for free download.  but gnarls barkley wanted to.  so they maybe jumped through some loopholes.  this download, released officially by danger mouse, is not the odd couple.  it is NOT the album released by atlantic records.  because it's reverse! and it's all one track!  it's just a free danger mouse track!

anyone with any sort of audio software can reverse an audio track very, very easily.  so while officially this is not a free version of the album the odd couple, you can unofficially officially obtain the album for free.  you just have to work for it.  just think of the grey album.  danger mouse is a law-hopping rascal.  

so who knows if this loophole will be enough to keep the site up, or if atlantic/warner will get it shut down.  so get it while you can!

or maybe we're really just meant to listen to the album in reverse for a trippy experience.

but she was my favorite pipette!

two pipettes have left the band!  according to this pitchfork story, Riotbecki and Rosay have left to pursue "other musical pursuits."

sad.  though it's probably for the best.  because Rosay, my personal favorite pipette, was way too talented for a girl group!

pipettes official website

pipettes myspace

aw heck, let's hear one last song from the original lineup!

we found ourselves numb in this city

tonight i saw a great show.  as one john schmersal said on the stage at the larimer lounge, with this stacked of a lineup, anywhere else it would have been very expensive.  but something about denver, blah blah blah, we've got it made here or something.

i do agree that it was a good lineup.  but first let me say something about the larimer lounge.  it just may be my favorite venue in denver.  there is certainly no better place in town for a punk rock show.  it may not get as many great acts or have as great a sound as the hi-dive, but it's really the place to get down and dirty with your favorite band.

but before my favorite band, there were a couple openers.  as i walked in, d.biddle was in the middle of their set.  you know, i remember a long time ago i saw them and really didn't care for them.  this must have been in college or something.  i hadn't heard anything else from them until this year, when i saw that they got a westword award for best live band.  so they must have really gotten better over the years, even though i hadn't seen them.  so here they were, and i think they did improve.  they rocked it pretty hard, but here's the thing.  they were TOTALLY EMO.  seriously.  emo.  there was a point in one song where the singer took out a sharpie and drew a heart on his hand.  if that's not the most late-90s-emo thing to possibly do, i don't know what is.  but then again, it could have been in tribute to hearts of palm, another denver band that shares a member with d.biddle.  either way, the music was totally emo.  not necessarily in a bad way.  i still enjoyed it.  but man...EMO.

upon this realization, and upon watching the next band set up, i began to worry.  they were totally dressed like dorks and had their guitars up to their nipples.  i felt like yelling 4 seasons songs at them or something.  they looked like richie cunningham's band.  or, worse, vampire weekend (sssssssnap!).  but then they started playing and i remembered something.  enon doesn't take just anyone on tour with them.  i have been enlightened many a time by enon's opening acts.  so i was glad i gave joggers a chance.  they played what one might call "vampire weekend minus the eastern influence, and totally math rocked out."  or maybe "math rock for dorks," which seems like a redundant description, but i'm not talking about the type of dorks that listen to math rock and spend hours on end at their local record shop.  i'm talking about dorks like richie cunningham.  

this is really just a roundabout way of describing them as math rock with pop sensibilities.  as in, this ain't no battles or shellac.  maybe a non-confrontational black black ocean would be a good way to describe them.  this makes it look like i didn't like them, but i enjoyed them a lot in fact.  good show.

and finally out came my favorite band with an annoying name, enon.  seriously, everybody wants to say "eeen ON" but it's "eeeenin" but when you say it, people don't always get it.  but now i want to be right, so i'll only say the band's name when necessary.  but i'll type it a lot.  it is nice and short in that way.  enon.

i took pictures to accompany this review (if that's what this is), but they were blurry camera

 phone pictures and the lighting at the larimer lounge is lucky when it hits the performers.  so i did mess with them a little bit in post, but i did not have the skills to salvage much.  but rest

 assured, the blurry figures are indeed enon.

well, except for that guy back there.  it was weird, i was thinking about how cool it was that toko was setting up all her equipment herself, but the drummer was nowhere to be found.  i was like, "how lame! he's not even setting up his own drum kit!"  but then when they started playing, i noticed that the man behind the drum kit was not matt schulz, the drum

mer for enon of about 9 years.  i hope he's okay.  i thought i saw him when i walked in, too...

anyhow, most of the set was really rock driven.  i think this is the most rock driven i have seen enon play a full set.  they played mostly stuff off the new album, grass geysers...carbon clouds, but it was a fair mix of new and old material.  they also had a new 7" single for sale, called "little ghost of jon benet" (or maybe just "little ghost"), and they played the title track from that.  again, very rock driven.  i like this brainiac-style direction of the band.

and then the lights went out.  john recalled when the whole power went out there last time they played the larimer.  but it was just weird, all the lights were out.  john said he was too scared to play in the dark.  but he suggested that anyone drunk could do something uninhibited like yell something they wouldn't usually yell.  i considered yelling "toko you're adorable!" or "play the b-side from the new single!" but you know, i just don't yell.

the lights came back on with a vengeance.  like, bright and weird.  but at least there was light.  and soon after they did play the b-side to that single.  another, even faster song.

in fact, when i wrote earlier of the larimer lounge being the perfect venue for a punk

 rock show, i mostly meant it's really good to get dirty and loud.  now, if you haven't seen enon in concert, you don't know how capable they are at hardcore punk rock.  they announced that they were playing "natural disaster" and instead played a punk rock cover, i think by 88 fingers louie.  but i'm not sure on that.  but it was fast and loud and amazing.

then they did play natural disaster.  good thing! it's one of my favorite enon songs.

one thing that was notably absent from this show was the "solo" songs, as i like to call them.  by that i mean the songs where either toko or john will grab the mic, put away the bass or guitar, and sing, perhaps while noodling around on the synthesizer.  the whole set had them both rocking out on their usual instruments.  i didn't realize that as noodly as the new album is, it is very much guitar based (granted, with lots of distortion pedals and weird sounds added on top).

well, actually they did get to some "solo" songs...for the encore.  it was so great.  the encore was a triple-shot of toko's "pop" songs: "disposable parts," "in this city," and "knock the door."  sadly, they didn't do my personal favorite, "daughter in the house of fools," or "carbonation" for that matter, but really...this show was no disappointment.  no one boogies like enon.

brendan kelly at rockbar

EDIT: UPDATE: WHATEVER:

The baby was born! Wyatt was born on April 17th, 2008.  Hooray!

here is a blog i posted awhile ago on my myspace blog but never got around to posting it here.  oops!  i decided to post it now because my next entry will have a bunch of pics from tonight's enon show, so i sent them to myself from my phone.  and there was also a brendan pic on my phone, so now i have a blurry, basically crappy camera phone picture of brendan on april 2nd at the rockbar.

hooray!  it's also a good time to post this because today he went to the hospital, so chances are the baby was born today...or will be tomorrow.  i don't know.  that's the latest update though.  without further adieu, here is the old review:

I decided I shall blog about the performance of one Brendan Kelly, who you may know from such bands as The Falcon and Slapstick.

He came to Denver Monday to DJ, and then Wednesday to play some acoustic guitar for us. I think it was his first solo acoustic gig ever...like, ever. Maybe.

He said he knows we all have blogs and wants us to go back to our blogs saying that he can pull anything out, whatever we requested...but I think it’s actually pretty true.

He played some truly rare tracks, including Heaven Help Me and Old Mexico Way. He did most of the show without a mic or amplification. It was truly real and punk rock. About 20 of us gathered around singing along, it was pretty awesome (especially Old Mexico Way). He played a couple Broadways tunes (15 Minutes and It Was Pancho Villa), a couple Falcon tunes, and plenty of Lawrence Arms stuff. Including Another Boring Story, which was just awesome.

Most of the songs he played weren’t really ever meant for the acoustic format, and likewise had some awkward parts. But it was totally worth it for the singalongs and the moments when it really worked.

He also made a pretty spot-on analogy. Talking about how everyone compares his band to Jawbreaker, he said it’s kinda like when a girl says "you’re really hot, because you look like your dad." He proceeded to do a beautiful cover of "Kiss The Bottle." Much better than the Lucero version.

And today he’s back in Chicago. He’s gonna be a dad any moment now, maybe he already is at this point. We got to see his last hurrah, probably his last show in a long time, because he’s got other stuff to worry about now. And for that I am eternally grateful.

mid-to-late-week thoughts

i just don't know what to do with this blog. maybe i'm not meant to be a blogger. i feel like i don't have much of interest to add. i don't have the dedication of i'm learning to share (though that is one of the most dedicated blogs i've ever seen, so probably not the best example). i don't have the inside track on any bands, i just like what i like. and because of current budgetary constraints, i can't afford to get as much music as i did last year. there are lots of albums out that i want to get, but i can't afford it. i'm a music junkie. but i don't have any money to get my fix.

so i suppose my greatest asset, what i can bring to the table, is exposing those bands that i've loved for years but nobody else really caught onto. like my posts pertaining to the wunder years and tom daily.

but other than that, what do i do here? i've got my "tuesday tomorrow" weekly post, but let's face it, that's more for myself than anybody else. it pales in comparison to the comprehensive list on largehearted boy. it's mostly so i remember what i wanted to get, so one day when i'm rich i can remember.

so what's going on lately? tonight i am going to a show. i'll be seeing enon, historically one of my favorite bands. i am very excited about this. maybe i'll post a review or something. i hope they play carbonation. they played it the first time i saw them, but i don't think i've seen them play that song live since the first time. we'll see how it goes.

what else? it's the second week back for the office, currently my second favorite tv show (behind lost). sorry simpsons, you need to step it up. last week was so brilliantly uncomfortable, i hope they continue in that direction. did anyone else catch the roseanne allusion last week?

oh, and lost is back next week, isn't it?

right now i'm listening to all my 7" records through alphabetically. i guess i don't know what to listen to now that i'm conditioned to listen to what i'm "supposed to." i just got through enon, which got me more excited for tonight. now i'm on the facet. i never realized how much they sounded like the honor system. but i thought they had a saxophone? maybe this 7" is from before or after the sax era. no matter. it's good punk rock. i was expecting to be annoyed for 3 songs, but it's actually quite good.

now i'm on fifteen, the "ooze" 7". for some reason it is labeled as "33 rpm" but it's 45. why would they lie like that? do they want to be played all slow like that? it sounded pretty stupid on 33.

back to tv, jess and i have been watching twin peaks lately. like, an episode or two every night. i think we'll get through the whole series in time for the return of lost. david lynch sure likes those "person on a stage with curtains and a spotlight saying something ominous," scenes, doesn't he?

do any of y'all know where i can upload a demo reel? i don't have my own server. but i should have one online. but i don't want to be violating copyright or anything by putting content from my former employer on youtube or anything like that. is that a copyright violation?

is there such thing as a full time gaffer/grip position? in colorado? like, with production companies or something like that? i feel like i'm super qualified for stuff like that. i should actually be a DP. that would be ideal. but to get that sort of gig, i need to first get a gig as a camera assistant. but where the f in colorado can i get a job like that?

my mix for you.

i've wanted to make one of these since i read about them on i'm learning to share...but it just wouldn't work for some reason. until now.

i will probably post a new one about once a month or so, just of stuff i dig lately.

tues. tomo.

it's just another manic monday, but fear not because it's...

tuesday tomorrow!

musically speaking this means we see the release of...

^Air - Moon Safari (10th anniversary edition)

^M83 - Saturdays=Youth

^Black Francis - Svn Fngrs - it's inevitable that everyone will be comparing this to the new breeders album.  who will win the post-reunion non-pixies pixies member competition?!

^Joseph Arthur - Crazy Rain (EP)

^The Brian Jonestown Massacre - My Bloody Underground - i only have one bjm album and i don't even like it that much...but for some reason i have a feeling this one will be great.  we'll see though.

visually speaking this means we see the home release of...

^Juno - cute enough...

^Lars & The Real Girl - seriously, is this the hipster dvd day or what?

^Before The Devil Knows You're Dead - seriously underrated, especially at Oscar time.  Sidney Lumet is still great.

^Lawrence of Arabia - 2 disc collector's edition

^The Bridge Over River Kwai - 2 disc collector's edition

^Blast of Silence (Criterion) - haven't seen it but i really really should.

^Mannequin & Mannequin 2

i think that's about all we've got.  my top recommendations are:

Black Francis

The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead

trip to the record store

today i went to twist & shout.  i shall now report back what i got:

The Temptations - With a Lot o' Soul

this just may be the hottest Temptations album.

Emmylou Harris - Luxury Liner

like many hipsters, i learned of Emmylou Harris from one of her guest appearances on a recent album.  for me it was when she sang with Elvis Costello on The Delivery Man.  Since then, I haven't been able to get her voice out of my head.

Bobby Bare and the Family - Singin' in the Kitchen

an album with songs mostly by Shel Silverstein.  As reported the other day, Bobby Bare and I share a birthday.

The Breeders - Mountain Battles

I am very glad I decided to get this album on vinyl.  it comes with a picture book with a page for each song.  i assume the cd comes with the same book, but this is a big picture book.  high quality, glossy photos that wouldn't fit in a CD sleeve.  and it also comes with a free download of the album.  when you download it from beggars group, they have a very punny message for you.  but i'll let you discover that for yourself.

about my birthday

i am a quarter today.  25 years old.

did you know that i share a birthday with some of the greatest artists of the 20th century?

-Billie Holiday - perhaps the greatest singer of jazz, perhaps the greatest emotive singer ever.  i think so.

-Ravi Shankar - perhaps the greatest sitar player ever.  perhaps the turning point in the Beatles' career, especially that of George Harrison.  perhaps.  wikipedia calls him "the leading Indian musician of the modern era."

-Bobby Bare - perhaps the best song of 1963 was his, "Detroit City," for which he won a grammy.  i just know that Johnny Cash liked him a lot.

-Francis Ford Coppola - perhaps the best director? i don't think he is, but he directed some films which can be considered among the greatest of all time: The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, and Apocalypse Now.

-Patricia Bennett - a member of perhaps the greatest of the girl groups, The Chiffons.

-John Oates - perhaps the greatest mustachioed blue eyed soul musician.

-Jackie Chan - perhaps the greatest martial artist star that does his own stunts.

-Tony Dorsett - perhaps the greatest running back.  Wikipedia says he's "the only player in the history of football with the following five career achievements: a national college championship, a Heisman Trophy, a place in the Collegiat Hall of Fame, a Super Bowl championship, and enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame."

-Bill Bellamy - perhaps ummm...the greatest cousin of Shaquille O'Neal?  the other day I was with some friends and someone said the phrase "poor man's Bill Bellamy" and I laughed because isn't Bill Bellamy the poor man's Bill Bellamy?

-Pitchfork.tv - it launched today, so it too shares a birthday with me.

Billie Holiday - Why Was I Born?

you can get this song legally in many places.  I got it off the CD The Essence of Billie Holiday.  I got it at Target for super cheap.  You can get it on amazon in the digital format HERE.  support the Billie Holiday estate!

tuesday tomorrow

i just haven't been in the blog mood lately.  i mean clearly, i haven't been posting about some things lately:

-brendan kelly acoustic show, i totally did a write-up on my myspace blog

-saw daniel johnston saturday night

-more stuff

-it's my birthday today

so anyhow, being that it's my birthday today, it's weird to get all hyped up about what's happening tomorrow.  but still, there's some good stuff coming out.  i'll only list the stuff i'm personally psyched about, even though there's lots more.

tuesday tomorrow:

MUSIC:

-Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! - i was a little slow on the nick cave train.  but i highly respect him and i definitely want me some of this.

-The Breeders - Mountain Battles - i am all about some kim deal.

-Colin Meloy - Colin Meloy Sings Live!

-Jonathan Richman - Because Her Beauty is Raw & Wild - i didn't even know this was coming out.  he recently played at lion's lair of all places.  i didn't even bother trying to get into that.  anyway, i recommend getting the vinyl because it comes with a bonus 7".

-Peter Morén - The Last Tycoon - i'm surprised this isn't getting more love on amazon (wasn't on the first 10 pages).  anyway, it's on touch & go records and available on vinyl, so i assume the vinyl comes with a free download.  i was a big fan of that last PB&J record so i'm excited.

video:

-There Will Be Blood - paul thomas anderson has extended his reach even more for perhaps his greatest achievement yet, and perhaps the greatest cinematic achievement in years.  i know one friend that feels it's the greatest film ever made.  i wouldn't go that far, but it's quite amazing.

-The Cosby Show - Season 7 - certainly one of the greatest sitcoms.

-The Cosby Show - Season 8 - certainly one of the greatest sitcoms.

-Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story - might be worth netflixing.  i'm reluctant, but i am a john c reilly fan.

i think that's about it.  so if you want to get me a late birthday present for being so awesome, well there ya go.

man this place sucks

seriously i've only heard like 3 metal songs all night.

yeah man and one of them was metallica.  metallica doesn't count.

don't you think that was a good approach? she wouldn't have talked to us but because of my idea she ended up talking to us.

she was cute man

but she was 33!

yeah, those bitches over there were such whores.  why did she take my airplane? you don't just take someone's airplane.  it's just not cool.

yeah at least this broad was nice.

but that bitch over there just took it meanly and put it in her purse.

this isn't really fiction.  it's basically quotes from a couple gentlemen tonight at rockbar.  i thought i could go with it to write something original but i'm stuck.  probably shouldn't base it off these two characters, mostly because they had zero depth.

free hearts of palm ep

hearts of palm is formerly known as nathan & stephen. there are now like 9 members of the band, as opposed to just nathan & stephen. stephen used to play in black black ocean, also known as my favorite denver band EVER.

so anyhow, hearts of palm are kinda the quintessential denver band right now. to know hearts of palm is to know the denver music scene in 2008.

and they have a free EP to download. it is called The Bridge and it is at their website.


and that's that.  easy.