Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Its Alright Ma...Im only Bleeding


Thursdays are for finding old friends

I'm going to start a new series on Thursday called "Thursdays are for old friends," which will pull out some of the older stuff on my hard drive that you may or may not have. I think it will be fun to reminisce about those good old days.

To kick it off lets talk some Thursday.
Over there is a picture of Geoff Rickly after he accidentally hit him self in the face with the mic at warped tour this summer. Amazingly he continued the show and some lucky fans got his blood on them! How thrilling! Video has been on the net for a while but it was pretty terrible and the camera wasn't watching when he did it...all you can really see is him grabbing a towel. Either way Thursday rocks live, and i would have killed to see that show.

Instead we can all listen to their live Ep Five stories and falling which was recorded at a previous warped tour at the boy's home state of New Jersey. I am going to make the entire EP available for a few reasons, number one: the boys have stated that they hate their old label Victory records and encourage all to avoid buying the album. Number two: at a recent show of theirs Geoff told the crowd to go down load their music "because music comes from the heart, not from the wallet." And Lastly because i do what i want, and if you dont have it...you should.
Jet Black New Year.mp3 -This is the one song you need if you just want to cut to the chace

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Heart full of Napalm



When i read a book called"Please Kill Me, the Uncensored Oral History of Punk" no one's perspective stuck out more to me then the legendary Iggy Pop. His comments were insightful and interesting including a discussion about his song "Search and Destroy" which features the lyrics:
Im a street walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm Im a runaway son of the nuclear a-bomb I am a worlds forgotten boy The one who searches and destroys
While others were singing about their heart being full of love, Iggy looked at the world and said...but my heart is full of Napalm...not love...pure genius...

Iggy looks to recapture that distinct look and feel with his new album due march 2007.

what fallows are my thoughts on his new joint...

I hate to say it but i think he will be out of the mainstream once again with this new album, while the world is different and almost anything goes at live shows I'm not sure how relevant his particular brand of music is in this Fall Out Boy world of ours. How many youngsters even know who he is or want to know for that matter. Lord knows I'm excited about it, but how many 20 something does it take to have a hit? I really think he will make some money on it but its going to be a last hurrah type thing, I will say thing though...if he comes to Denver I am so there...

You Can't Have Friends.mp3 -off his new album

Monday, February 26, 2007

The Blonde Redheads


When i saw Interpol ages ago they were precede by a trio consisting of two Italian brothers and one very pretty Asian girl. That band was the Blonde Redheads and they made a type of music i still struggle to describe.


While the music is definitely Indy and has strong ties to Asian culture and music it is often eerie and haunting. I remember thinking at the time that it was surrounding me on all sides.

They have a new album coming out here quick and the new single is floating round the inter-web. So while everyone else is still talking about the Arcade fire set on SNL, why dont you listen to this band for a spell.

23.mp3

In other news the main stream media is just hearing about this "new dangerous trend" called EMO. I love the fact that their info comes from 3 myspace pages and a song that makes fun of being emo, but thats the journalism major coming out in me. Watch the video and tell me you did not laugh your ass off.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

23-0



Last night UNC's Club Hockey team beat the Nebraska Corn Huskers at home 8-4 to complete their dream of a perfect season.


While the game was close through out the first two periods, the bears evened the tally at 4 in the third and the huskers went on to lose after a monumental meltdown including their goalie bum rushing one of our players after a goal...im still not sure what that was about...

Any ways our campus is pretty psyched and our team is heading to nationals this week as one of the number one seeds over all.

Good Luck guys, i know you will be great.

I also want to thankDana Miller, Matt Hicks, Chris Lane, Matt DeHarte, Maria Wilcox and all the others kids that came with me to scream their hearts out. I love you guys and i cant wait to do it again next year!

For What It's Worth.mp3-Buffalo Spring Field
Encore.mp3 -Jay-Z
Give It All.mp3-Rise against


Photo curtosy of

Brandon Iwamoto

Check his stuff out, he has a lot of skill with that camera

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Love is love


Ben Gibbard is going on tour with David Bazan formerly of Pedro the Lion. This will be a "short" acoustic solo tour for Ben and should be a real treat for many fans.

For those who are not familiar, Ben is the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie and he has gained a cult fallowing for his rare acoustic sets that feature covers of everyone from Michale Jackson to Gram Nash along side b-sides rarely played by Death Cab.

Date were shown to me(LA, New York, North Carolina ect) but when i saw there was no Denver show i was deeply saddened. There is talk among my roommates of running down to Emo's to see it but its all up in the air. If you are going, record it! im sure we all want to hear that.

I am just going to assume that everyone who is interested in the full sets actually has them, but if you would like you can send me a note or leave a comment and i will upload the whole thing for y'all. Also if you head over to Its Hard to Find a Friend he has a very old show that Ben did that is quite excellent in his archives.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

We all Know art is hard





Why does someone have to be naked on Rolling Stone all the time. Cant we just have a few smart articles about music and film with a few good pictures?


The more i look at it the more i feel like its becoming Teenmagazine. Whatever happened to Hunter Thompson and the other greats that wrote by the bay?


Now we got Teen heart throb after teen heart throb with glazed looks on the cover and captions like "Fall Out Boy Slays Girls (find more pics inside)."


dam....


That picture has nothing to do with my post


That over there is Lindsy Lohan...drink it in.

I got the new modest mouse a few days ago and its pretty darn good over all.

If you haven't heard yet The Smiths wayward son Johnny Marr has found a home with MM and his not so signature guitar is pretty evident in the band. This is not to say that he is a poor player, it is more a commentary on the fact that his once innovative guitar is now pretty common place. Either way his presence neither added nor detracted for me.

Over all i thought the album picked up from where good news left off and does a fine job as a fallow up album, even if its a bit disjointed in someways. For now its a great album and i think if my expectations were lower it would be just right.

Florida.mp3
Spitting Venom.mp3

Buy some of their stuff

In other news, Shirts for a Cure is hosting a free show in SxSw featuring Against Me! and Circa Survive and Bane. That show should be real chill and all you have to do is RSVP to info@photofinishrecords.com with your name and emial for consideration. If i was going to be down there i would certainly do it.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

i lied we are going to do The Glow Skulls



So what i meant by Kings of Leon was the Voodoo Glow Skulls. really not the same thing at all but what the hell...its my blog right?



TheThe Voodoo Glow Skulls are a underground ska band that fuses metal and ska into one of the most glorious sounds you have ever heard. This band was created for fans of Offspring, Less then Jake and NOFX, their horn sound is distinct and their lyrics are rapid fire. Though they haven't put an album out since 2004 "Steady as She Goes" is still one of my favorite albums and is in constant rotation on my I-pod.

If you have not had a chance to explore the ska world i would first recommend the ever present Less Then Jake and then these fine fellows.

Steady as She Goes.mp3

Voodoo Anthem.mp3

sorry the links are yousendit...that's lame...ill work on that. Have a good one and i promise i will do a better post when my school work lets up.

"Brothers and sisters, our democracy has been hijacked. Brothers and sisters, all electoral freedoms in this country are over so long as it's controlled by corporations. Brothers and sisters, we are not going to allow these streets to be taken over by the Democrats or the Republicans. Because it's all of us who have built this city, and we can tear it down unless they give us what we need."

Zach De La Rocha

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Quick one for the road kids



Alright kids, im not really feelin the blog right now mainly because i havent heard anything new that is worth bloging yet. I think i will do the new Kings of Leon later because i love them...and they have a new album that has leaked all over the place.


For now learn something about our war. Or head over to rolling stone and read the sparkeling reveiw they gave Bayside's new album (which is getting a lot of hype all of a sudden). And if thats not enough you could always go to the Torture Garden and read his peice on My Brightest Diamond (aka the girl that worked with Sufjan).

Ill get you guys some new Kings of Leon tonight.

"You can’t separate peace from freedom, because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom."

Malcolm X

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Wes Anderson


Wes Anderson can do no wrong in my book. I am going to sound like a groupie when i say this but, i own every single film he has ever done and i keep a weathered eye out for any of his new material. Recently i was alerted to the fact that he was filming a new movie he Co-wrote with Jason Schwartzman. The film will star Adrian Brody and Owen Willson among the other regulars of Willson's crew and will be called The Darjeeling Limited. Little is known about it at this point but i am thrilled none the less.

Because Anderson is famous for taking his time with films it is unlikely we will see this picture anytime soon, but you can count on me to keep you guys updated on all of this.

In the mean time check out The Science of Sleep because after last nights screening i am very very excited about director Michel Gondry's career and what he will do next. check out the intro and go see/buy the film

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Jim Gaffigan



You may have seen seen him recently in a couple Sierra Mist commercials during the Superbowl, but Jim will always be a pure stand up man for me.


What makes his brand so different from the norm is his transitions between straight jokes to lines about what the audience is thinking after he says his jokes. Its hard to explain but once you hear it, you are hooked.


If you like what you hear you should go buy his DVD or CD they are both fantastic. If you cant do that i hear he is doing a bunch of shows in the US and there is another one in Boulder soon, so i may hit that up.


Opening.mp3
Eat Like an American.mp3

Hot Pockets.mp3 (Highly Recommended)


Quick one for your day



So happy V day everyone and im sorry it's so late. I hope you all found the love of your life and were able to show it to them with a cheep card from Hallmark.

If you go over to PostSecret this week they had a theme on Valentines day, and i thought it was very very interesting. If you haven't bookmarked that site....shame....shame....

This will be my blog for the day because i have a bunch of homework that needs to get done, but if you come back soon i think i will put up some Jim Gaffigan for your listening pleasure. He is one of the best comedians on tour right now, and i think you will find his brand of humor quite funny.

Also, the ratings for lost were down compared to last week. I chalk that up to curious people tuning in to see what it was all about but im told that a less interesting group of characters was featured this week, possibly driving away fickle fans. Either way Lost was still the top show of the night, just a side fact.

Songs that may or may not be about love and a broken heart for V DAY 2007

Somebody Loves You.mp3-By Eels

Hold Me Down.mp3-By Motion City Sound Track

A Walk Through Hell.mp3-By Say Anything

Pachuca Sunrise (Alias Remix).mp3-Originaly done by Minus The Bear

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Chris Walla


To me Death Cab has always been Chris Walla's band. While Everyone knows Ben is the lead signer and writer, Chris mixes all the albums and plays a roll in nearly every song one way or another.

Few know that there was a time in DCfCs past where Chris Walla wanted an even larger roll in the band. These demands nearly tore the band apart, but in the end it was decided that Ben would be the face of the band. That move worked out well as DCfC hit it big with "Plans" sky rocketing to popularity and enjoying the benefits of a major label for the first time in their life.

With DCfC rising popularity the members are now free to work on their separate side projects and none of those projects excites me more then Chris's Martin Youth Auxiliary.

Started around 1999, most of it has never been properly released but the stuff that he offers on his web site is dam good. To me it sounds more like the Elliott Smith then Death Cab, but that's fine with me. Expect a full solo album march of this year and then back to work on Death Cab.


Sunday, February 11, 2007

"I couldn't wait for the summer and the warped tour..."


Well its February, you all know what that means...Warped tour is A LONG WAYS AWAY!

WEEEEEE!!!!1!1232

Actually its not all that far away and bands are being added all the time. So, I thought i would give you the list of who we got so far (and who im going to see out of that) and who i think will be added and who should be added. plus some songs from my fav warped acts....

Currently on Warped Tour 2007 (all on this list will be at the tour at some point, go find out for your self the exactdates because all i care about is the Denver dates. Ones in bold are what i plan on seeing)

Spill Canvas, Boys Like Girls, The Vandals, Pepper, Bayside, Pennywise, Meg And Dia, The Unseen, Escape The Fate, The Matches, Coheed and Cambria, Bad Religion, Paramore, Cute Is What We Aim For, Tiger Army, The Almost, Gallows, Big D And The Kids Table, K-os, The Fabulous Rudies, New Found Glory, UnderOath, Agent Orange (even though they wont be in Denver)

If they arnt highlighted its not because i hate them, it could be i have seen them or that they are not playing in the mile high city. Either way don't say WTF cuz that will make me mad.

Bands I think Will be Added

Fall Out Boy- They rocked the tour a few years ago and i think the only hold up this time is how much money they get. After all they really dont need the warped tour, they could pull a panic! at the dico and do their own tour.

Gym Class Heroes/Cobra Starship- Gym class may not make it because they have been on the tour for the last two years, then again if they keep drawing huge crowds why not add them. Gabe, from Cobra Starship is no stranger to the tour (he played it a few times with Midtown) but i think the major set back to them or any other Fueled By Ramen band getting added is that their label may already be over represented with Paramore and Cute is What We aim For. It is after all...a punk show.

Fear Before The March Of Flames- They are due back on the tour and with their new album getting some rave reviews there couldn't be a better time. If they are added it will be a mid level stage/major for their Denver dates.

My Chemical Romance- Another warped Alumni that is due back, while they could probably play their own tour, they will be getting off a co-headlining with Rise Against and i think they may want to get a headline spot in.

Anti-Flag-when i say Anti-flag what i mean is another big punk band. Looking at the list i dont see many true blue punk acts. We all know that Bad Religion isnt enough to bring out the real crowds so im thinking they will bring on some real names her pretty quick. If i had to put money i would say it will be from Epitaph because Bad Religion is on tour and their label is sorely underrepresented right now. You cant have a warped tour without a Epitaph contingent can you?

MUSICA DE ROCK!

Vagrant darlings and warped vets From Autumn to Ashes just want you to know they still rock, even if their ex lead screamer is gone. check out the new track from them with the drummer doing the screaming. Deth Kult Social Club.mp3

Love Equals Death could be on the tour, after all they were on road recently with NOFX and Tiger army, two bands that have a lot of say. If they arnt on it look for a small tour going club to club this summer. When We Fall.mp3

The Photo Atlas is a Denver band that has been getting a rep by playing with everyone from The Appleseed Cast to Head Automatica and Jack's Mannequin. I think they will get a break and be added to warped. No one would be happier for them then me. Handshake Heart Attack.mp3



Thursday, February 08, 2007

Zach De La Rocha



I was born with the voice of a riot, a storm Lightening the function,
the form Far from the norm, I won't follow like cattle
I'm more like the catalyst,calm in the mix of battle
Who let the cowboy on the saddle?
He don't know a missile from a gavel
Para terror troopin' flippin' loops of death upon innocent flesh

Zach has always been a hero of mine but he has also been out of the scene recently. After leaving the ever popular Rage Against the Machine, he has become a ghost, working with a few different people including DJ shadow and Saul Williams but mainly staying out of the lime light. There was even a rumour that he was working with an acoustic band and doing folk songs.

Shocking....i know.

Acoustic stuff aside, i have for your listening pleasure a few tracks that Zach has done on his own and with some famous compatriots.
I find his solo work a bit dull, mainly because i miss Rage so much but its nice to hear him spitting fire once again. These tracks are cool, but i just want a full album from him, not just a few tracks that are incoherently linked together.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Whachu want?



So yeah...ill post later tonight i think...

For now here is a picture of my girl for no other reason then i like to look at her...

Have some news about a band that is all over the net, and learn something about our war. Then weigh in on one of my favorite shows all time. If all else fails go get your voyeurism on.

Have some songs while you wait...

Eight Fingers down-Far Between Nowhere.mp3. These guys were playing some sick shows on warped tour and NOFX has taken them under their wing. If you need some new punk rock i would take a peak.

Zach De La Rocha old solo-Burn Hollywood Burn.mp3. I think this will be a teaser for my next post which will be all rage and post rage works.

Stay tuned

Sunday, February 04, 2007

"Chapter 27"



"Chapter 27" is a new film that recently debuted at the Sundance Festival to mixed reviews. The film stars 30 Seconds to Mars Jared Leto as Mark David Chapman, better known as the guy who killed John Lennon. There are 26 chapters in "The Catcher in the Rye", the book Mark Chapman was carrying when he was arrested immediately after the murder, hence the name of the film.

Leto apparently gained a lot of weight for the film, 67 in total if you can believe that. Even with that, many reviewers say that he is wooden and miss-cast. Personally i have never found him to be great at either acting or music but what do i know, he headlined warped last year...

Anyways, many Beatles fans are upset over this film, saying that this movie fulfills Chapmans prophecy that by killing Lennon he would be come famous. In fact many fans to this day refuse to say Chapmans name aloud to prevent the notoriety he was seeking.

I dont think i will be attending this film but i havent really made up my mind yet buddy. On one hand it sounds interesting, but the other its about a very sensitive subject. So...we shall see

Across the Universe.mp3 My fav. Lennon/Beatles track, even though i know all of you have it all already right?

Message in a Bottle.mp3 30 Seconds to mars cover from AOL sessions

Information about the film was gained from IMDB and a Fox News report on TV.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

The Voice of Our Generation?



For those of you who are not in the know, Saul Williams is one of the leading spoken word/hip hop artists in the world today. He has worked with many people including Nine Inch Nails, Zach De La Rocha, De La Soul and The Fugees and has gained growing support through a grass roots movement.

His most recent self titled album came out all the way back in 2004 but he has been keeping him self busy by writing poetry books and touring university's across the nation.

Saul has one of the best lyrical minds i have ever seen. The words that come out of him are deeply felt and are often quite personal and relevant to our times. That being said they are some of the hardest to even pick out because of his rapid fire style. But for those persistent enough to listen they will find a beautiful mix of Dylan like word play and Rage Against the Machine anger.

Zach and Saul live is still one of the sickest videos i have seen in a long time and this little speech is still very cool.

Act III, Scene 2 (Shakespeare).mp3 Featuring Zach De La Rocha

Talk To Strangers.mp3

buy his new book