Wednesday, April 20, 2011

QUARTER FINALS!!!! Best Band Name at SXSW

We're down to the final four:
Friendly Fires versus Trampled By Turtles ... and Sex With Strangers versus Ham Sandwich.
(For some reason, I have this overwhelming urge to scream "Who's cuisine reigns supreme!")
I'll be reviewing this evening, so look for posts soon.

Monday, April 18, 2011

MUSIC MONDAY - Crystal Vases by The Last Royals

Here I am thinking I got color over the weekend in Napa, whereas my Colleagues seem to think I'm sun burnt. Pppshaah! Thanks to Hogi, Yustonian and super-fantastic No-evah for great times. MULU!!! I found this song last week and still don't know much about the band, but have a feeling they are going to be in heavy rotation on my iPod. Final notation for the day, I'm very excited to potentially be starting a new site reviewing hoity toity foods - cheeses, champagnes, truffle oils, caviar. More to come on that once I get my sh!te together.

(Belated) MUSIC MONDAY - Airborne Toxic Event

http://youtu.be/59bLUwYONEI

How badly I would like to embed this video, but it just will not allow me (and I be very sleepy to take the time to figure it out. Has youtube removed embed privileges? Anywoo, I'm tired because it was a whirlwind trip to Manhattan and back with great food, some drinks, meeting new people, wanting to hurl bottles at a couple of d-bags... the usual. However, it could make an argument that these Midtown Manhattanite bar revelers were more douchy than the WASPy peeps that frequent The Shops at Legacy. Just sayin.)
So enjoy Airborne Toxic Event and their loverly song, Changing.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Music Monday - THE STROKES !!!

I now command thee to DANCE! Dance you little sea turtles, dance! The Strokes - Under Cover of Darkness

Saturday, April 9, 2011

ROUND TWELVE: She Wants Revenge v Ham Sandwich



How I have been dreading this bracket. How can one vote off either of these bands of goodness? Chris suggested I go by music videos only... le sigh. Perhaps by the eff-ability chart? Most beats per minute? This is going to be tough - ergo, It's 3:30 in the morning, I'm on my second wave of drunkenness (therefore, sober again with a beer in hand) - let us rock and roll.

She Wants Revenge

1) I Don't Want To Fall In Love - Oh, kind of disappointing. Like a poor man's Depeche Mode. This is early SWR, so apparently it took time for them to find their groove.

2) Red Flags & Long Nights - I think I saw them perform this live. It sounds a little familiar. Spacey. I wonder if the band has Google alerts, and if so, whether this blog popped up for them - would they be amused by the competition? Right, back to the song... "You can rent the space inside my mind, at least until the price becomes too high." S'okay.

3) A Little Bit Harder Now - The Isley Brothers this ain't.* I could see a time and place for this song, but I don't know that it is actually a dance floor. Not really something I would download. But a MUST for all my dominatrix friends.


Ham Sandwich

1) Animals - You remember that dude who went Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm from Crash Test Dummies? Well this is where he ended up! No, seriously. This is sweet and lovely, but also with a great hook and fun beats. (Maybe I shouldn't blog at 4:44 in the morning, not very eloquent, am i?)

2) Never Talk - The lead singer is actually in a new octave for this one, sounds like her true register and I like it. Though, I do feel that the drummer is falling behind in the beats. I could see myself rocking out to this in high school, but the mature me is a little "meh". "My heart, my sleeves (?), my head, my hands - everyone says this love won't last" Nice ending with a group-crowd chorus, which I always enjoy.

3) The Naturist - Oh damn, now this is a song I can get behind. "I liked you better with your homemade haircut and then she goes cuts your favorite t-shirt." I am so downloading this. There is passion and a story behind this one and I wish I knew what it was. Would love to see this live.

AND THE WINNER IS...
Oh She Wants Revenge, how sad I am to do this to you, but Ham Sandwich takes the proverbial cake. Their awesomeness is making me think that a great way to spend Memorial Day Weekend vacation is a trip to Ireland... srsly. Liked the live version of The Naturist so much, I'm going to post it for Music Monday. Congratulations Ham Sandwich, you have a new fan, and on your way to the finals of Best Band Name at SXSW 2011.

Up Next: The Quarter Finals... Friendly Fires versus Trampled By Turtles

*Now wait a minute... A little bit softer now, a little bit softer now, a little bit LOUDER now...

Friday, April 8, 2011

Belated Music Monday - Tame Impala



Thanks to Adame for introducing me to a great band! NOW WHERE'S MY MIX DRIVE?
Tame Impala - Solitude Is Bliss


Also check out "Bold Arrow Of Time" - v cool.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

What I learned today: Month of March

It was a Kelvin heavy month; what can I say, it was his birthday. Therefore, it's more like a stream of conciousness through the month.
Mississippi has outhouses. Lynn Nash has a twin Honey badgers don't care!!! Jamba Juice was founded in San Luis Obispo. National Hamburger Day is May 25th. bucolic = pleasant aspects of the countryside and life. That I cancel on Kelvin a lot. Kelvin likes to make me feel bad. I have the best girlfriends ever. Yoshikazu Tanaka is worth $2.2 billion. Kelvin eats a lot when you pay for his food. Sushi Loco isn't so great. Stick with Geisha House. Madeline Ann is amazing. Kiril made earrings as a 6th grader. Next full moon is the biggest in 20 years! Tony Bennett and I have the same birthday. bailiwik = person's area of expertize or interest. Farley does not like shaking hands. Bueno does not want to hold coworkers hands. Lebron James was Irish in high school

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

What's the hold up, yo?

Been traveling in California, then back home, then to Chicago... it's been an awesome whirlwind but haven't had the chance to blog. It's not that I'm avoiding the stand off between Ham Sandwich and She Wants Revenge - nooooo, not in the slightest - but promise to keep on keeping on.

Friday, April 1, 2011

ROUND ELEVEN: Sex With Strangers v Spyder Baybie Raw Dog & 2% Muck


Not quite on bottle number two, but getting close; had a lovely nappins with my boopins this afternoon and approaching my second wind. When I noticed Sex With Strangers was next on the bracket, I had to push on through. Besides, X is off killing foes and wrapped into the warm blanket that is gaming. Why not continue into the drunken stupor of my egotistic rant? I'd like to think I have an audience in my library listening to this with me - although that might be weird since I'm in my Strawberry Shortcake jammies.

1) The Lovers Will Rise Tonight - "Don't complain cause everyone's a winner. When the music stops they won't come around." Guess what I'm downloading to my flash drive for the drive downtown tomorrow? Did I mention that I'm hijacking the Nova for the ride? Oh hells ya. There's nothing sweeter than loud music in a classic car, speeding past the Breeders on the tollway - especially when the 40-something dude in the family wagon glances over to my ass in a car his wife will never let him have. Boo-yah. (And yes, this song is superfantastic.)

2) Dawn of Sexy - If NIN and Depeche Mode made a baby, it might be this song. I wasn't born in 1975, but a certain LA dude who gets Brazilian blowouts, wears MAC, and has a PomPoo named Flash Jordan ... was alive during this year.*

(Would like to note that during this musical interlude, I booked my flight to SFO, rented a Mustang Convertible, and popped open a bottle of Markham Chardonnay. Yeah, I'm that badass. (Can't wait to see my peeps, H, Yustonian and Novella - Hogi, it's going to be epic)

Okay, SWS is already my top choice, let's go ahead and tear a new one into Spyder Baybie...


Spyder Baybie Raw Dog & 2% Muck
myspace.com/SpyderAndMuck

1) Grocery Store - Hand clap. Hand clap. (Rugen is currently getting his lick on with Moocha Poocha Chubba Wubba Fat Boy... that's about the excitement that arises in the Eck Abode for this jam.) Kinda fun, a little chill. Reminds me of getting ready for a night out of debauchery back in 2000, when the door was open on Halloween and who knew might enter into the festivities.

2) S.B.R.D. - Erm, nah. I cannot imagine a drug I would partake in to make this more appetizing. Bad attempt at dubstep. No whammies, no whammies and STOP!

3) Lip Gloss - Great beat for a chickadee who's popped into drunkenness and waiting for the TV to become free for a spliff-filled Finding Nemo escape. Yet still, it's over-produced and the rhymes make me want to NOT "lick upon my.."

AND THE WINNER IS…
No huge surprise, it's Sex With Strangers. (There is more than enough content to create an entire blog for sex with strangers... jump on a EuroRail and we'll talk.)

Congratulations guys, you are still in the running to become the BEST BAND NAME AT 2011 SXSW! Now I shall entertain the opportunity to indulge my mastication upon this crisp beverage, whilst removing said wardrobe trappings, to further my ebullient enjoyment of a night with my love.


Next Up: She Wants Revenge versus Ham Sandwich

* That sounds flaming gay, even to me.

ROUND TEN: Or, the Whale v. Trampled by Turtles



After returning from a whirlwind tour of California, eighteen hours of sleep over four days, wineries visited and meetings held, drinks (oh the copious drinks) not to mention amazing food (which you will read about on my friend's amaze-balls blog : tastesbueno.wordpress.com) ... it's time to get back into the competition.

Or, the Whale
orthewhale.com

I'm a bit lazy this evening, enjoying a 2007 Chardonnay from Trefethen, so going to take their bio from the website: Or, the Whale is a collective of members who prove power in numbers. With a strong DIY ethic, and a Carter Family chemistry, they’ve continued to warm hearts and move feet across America for the past five years. They deliver honesty and energy every time, weaving smooth classic rocks jams, sweet folk lullabies, boot-stompin’ country rockers, and gritty blues porch anthems into a seamless and powerful live show

1) Toxic (Britney Spears cover) - Yes, you read that right. I happen to love the original for certain circumstances*, so when I went into review the band and was ready for some awesome jam tunes that might rival 'The Mighty Boosh'** I was a bit nonplussed. There's no Britney electronics and auto-tune, it's more over something you'd walk into the sunset to - very nouveau western with a gritty outlaw fighting to his death. That said, I liked it, but was hoping for that boot-stompin' rock they promised in the bio.

2) Datura - My alleged experience with datura is more like running down the beach naked with a purple dinosaur chasing me and flying hamburgers attacking my noggin. So, this melody doesn't really capture my alleged experience at all - with its guitar strumming and rolling vocals it's a more like a lazy afternoon of beers and croquet. I'd listen to this on a road trip through New Mexico. Fantastic vocals and a Billy Joel-esque piano interlude.

3) Never Coming Out - I'm not sure of the proper term for this type of guitar playing (the steel slidy up and down in an ethereal, diminished-chord feel?) It also employs awesome harmonies and snare-drum rhythm in the background that keeps things chugging along.


Trampled by Turtles
trampledbyturtles.com

1) Feet and Bones - Where the previous band was tubing on the river, TBT is running away from the cops during a fecking raid.*** I've already loved on some of their previous tunes, so this is like a speed train into banjo awesomeness. You couldn't listen to this and do ANYTHING slow - it just makes your heart beat faster and feel like a slug if moving less that ludicrous speed. By the end, I've gone plaid.

2) Empire - Bit slower, thankfully, otherwise the Boopins might have a pug heart attack at my feeties.**** Okay dokey. (pours another glass of wine, lites up, hair into pony-tail.)

3) Whiskey - The equivalent of the wedding DJ saying "Now, we're going to take things down a notch..." Dude, this song is for you and sorry we didn't get that drink. It would have only led to five or twenty more, with an ensuing battle of wits where I would end up Vissini.


AND THE WINNER IS...

Have I mentioned lately how much I enjoy the band 'Apartment'? No? Well, I do. So while "Fall Into Place" plays in the background, I'll sum up. Tough call. But going to go with Trampled By Turtles. They've got the energy that would pick me up. Would happily vote for Or, the Whale but just didn't resonate on this Friday eve. Sorry Or, The Whale. Blame Russel Brand. I'm reading his autobiography and feeling like an in-eloquent git. Congratulations Trampled By Turtles, you are still in the running to become BEST BAND NAME AT SXSW. Please don't trample any turtles in the interim or I shall be forced to call PETA.


Up Next: Sex With Strangers versus Spyder Baybie Raw Dog & 2% Muck

* Cleaning my house, dancing to madly while intoxicated, bedroom antics, and paying my taxes.
** Great show, look it up. Watch it. Love it. Spread butter all over it and get comfy.
*** Not that I have ever experienced that madness.
****
Rugen to the left of me, Moocha on my right, here I am - stuck in the pug pack with you.