Monday, December 27, 2004

Merry after-Christmas stuff!

I hope my faithful 1.5 readers had a good Christmas like I did. The funniest part of my gift-exchanging experience this year was that my sister and I got each other the SAME PRESENT - Oh, Inverted World by The Shins. Look at us cool kids. I also got Dodgeball on DVD, some jeans, Connect Four (hellz yeah!), some other junk, and a Christmas Story-style "leg lamp" nightlight! Huzzah. It was a good Christmas (and it's not even over yet!), so I'm thankful.

R.I.P.

Wow, they really are dropping like flies. Reggie White died Sunday, at the age of 43. I had forgotten that we shared the fine birthday of December 19th. I know, I don't have much sports on here usually, but Reggie was a great player and, from what I understand, a good (though kinda crazy) guy.

Rock
On Christmas night, I was at Dick's Den with a bunch of folks, and we saw a fine jazz trio that played for tips. I have no idea who played, but it was tasty. Andy and I did make it to Cafe Bourbon Street last Wednesday, but we did not make it until Shell Shag. We did see The Lids and The Final Solutions, however, and they were both fine out-of-town punk-ish bands with lots of energy. With the weather problems around here lately, I think we need to get some of these amped-up out-of-towners hooked up to generators.

It's On Like Donkey Kong

Naturally, the new album by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (I know, Andy, I know!) drops on January 25th. And of course the only way they can celebrate this scrumtrulescent event is with a big tour! Now, they are obviously not coming to Columbus, obviously, but they will be hitting the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland on Saturday, February 19th. I'm ready now!

Well, I really don't have much else to say. Reading other end-of-year lists has been fun, and I'm sure at this point if I manage to crank out my own best-of-the-year list, it will be heavily influenced by others, but who cares? No one here seems too worried about whether I actually finish it or not, so we'll see what happens. Peace!

Thursday, December 23, 2004

Snow days ROXOR!!!

Yes indeed, no work for this guy today. Thank God for working in Delaware County, where it's a Level 3 Snow Emergency. So Chops and I are hanging out and cooking 3 lb burgers!!! Call me sometime to make sure I'm alive. We're currently bangin' the new Afrika Bambaataa Dark Matter Moving At The Speed of Light album, which is one fuckin' party! It's still cheap at Magnolia Thunderpussy, so rock that shit, homie!

Andy is talking about good stuff here, so check it.

I've been reading alot of year-end stuff these days, but I think I found my favorite review-blurb ever at ol' cokemachineglow.com. Read the following Madvillain blurb by Dom Sinacola in its entirety here, but it's even better out of context:

5. Madvillain Madvillainy (Stones Throw) Three brothers discuss the beer in front of them. One is seven, one is ten, and the oldest is fourteen. The youngest brother sneers, complaining that beer tastes gross and how when he gets older he’ll never have any beer. The ten year old has heard rumors about beer, has sat in hidden corners and listened to the organs of his parents’ friends' voices pump and trip through the alcohol. The oldest brother grabs the beer and opens it. At first he winces, but soon he grins. His adam’s apple bulges and his littlest brother cowers. It is a great moment in one young man’s life.



Wow.

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Another year older, another year wiser...

And something about being a king, czar, and a kaiser. It's true, it's true, I turned 25 on Sunday. To make sure I feel older, I now have glasses and a cell phone! I failed my vision test to renew my driver's license, so I had to hustle to get some glasses and get my license before it expired. Damn, it must be time for me to expire now! And as far as the cell phone goes, if you didn't know already and you want the number, comment here or email me. OK, enough personal shat...ROCK!

Future?

Andy and I should be able to catch Shell Shag with a bunch of other bands at Cafe Bourbon Street on Wednesday night. Their website informs me that this is their ONLY US date after their Japan tour (until January 5th!), so that's cool. These San Franciscans brought the rock the last time we saw them there, so I'm excited.
Next week, Little Brothers has an assload of shows I want to see. Monday is SA Smash with various other local rapsters, Tuesday is an Evolution Control Committee show (supposedly a farewell show, so I wanna be there!), and Wednesday is another boat of Columbus hip-hop. Thursday is Fat Girls by the Snack Table at Bernies! I'm not really feeling a show on New Year's Eve, so maybe it'll be a four-day rock jaunt to almost end the year. Let me know if you're interested in any of this year's remaining shows, frenz.

Past

On Sunday night, my birthday, I somehow got eleven friends to join me at Oldfield's on High for the weekly shindig with The Hoo Doo Soul Band. So I want to thank Ashley, Amy, Andy, Dave, Jason, Renkes, Chops, Mandy, Victor, Todd, and my cousin Nate for their presence. It was a funky good time, as always. I think my highlight of the night was hearing "Ring of Fire" (birthday request from Chops, thanks buddy) BACK-TO-BACK with that old soul song sampled for "In Decatur" by Ghetto Mafia, wish I knew what the song was called. And I also talked to Nick Labita, this guy that Dave and I went to elementary school with, which was cool. It was a good birthday, thanks everybody.
On Thursday night, Andy and I went to Little Brothers for the Mas Bagua CD Release party, which also featured DJ sets from Wicked Lung & the Wookalar and a Live PA from Doctah X. The boys played solid stuff like they do every Tuesday at the Ravari, no doubt. And I think we saw most of Doctah X's set, which was some good dub shite. We did not get to stay for the headliners, but Andy and I weren't in the mood to hang out with old hippies until 2:30 on a Thursday night, yaknawmean???

So yeah, those year-end pontifications and prostrations are still in the works. So until next time, keep commenting and inspire me to greatness!

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

"Houses of the Holy...was a really bitchin' album"

Damn, that was out of the blue, but the above title is a lyric from a helluva song. The first person to tell me the name of the song AND the name of the artist that recorded it wins...THE CD OF THEIR CHOICE, THAT I WILL ACTUALLY GO OUT AND BUY IF NEED BE! THAT'S FUCKIN' CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!!! GET TO IT!!!

Future Awesomeness
Sure, the holidays are approaching, but that doesn't mean that we can't get down. Anyway, on Friday night after the company Xmas party, I will try and catch VHS or Beta (for the fourth time this year) at Skullys. If folks wanna meet there, that would be cool.
Saturday is Turkey Day and...Me and Franz's Bitchin' Birthday Bash at the Mannhaus. You know the name of the game. Be there or/and be square.
Sunday is...my 25th Birthday! I plan on going to Oldfield's on High to catch The Hoo Doo Soul Band, so I think you should too!

9-8-7-6-5-4-Fuck-You
There has not been a whole lot of actual rock lately. John visited this weekend and we tore shit to pieces, nuff said. In our various related bar excursions, Chops and I were lucky enough to randomly catch The Fat Girls by the Snack Table at Bernie's! Actually, we stumbled in there to see if George Moshington was killin' it, but after waiting for a set change, we found 2/3 of one of my favorite Columbus bands on-stage. Man, that was great, dancin and clappin and the whole nine yards. Check 'em out here, and check 'em out live when they play at Bernie's again on December 30th with Bravado and Diet (well, according to the Girls' site at least, I thought Diet broke up or left town or something).

Otherness
Lots of people are making up their big Best of the Year lists. I'm not usually that good at such a thing, but now that I'm a big rock critic (see?), I am working on making an attempt. For right now, check out Dave Drake's "sinsurr" choices, the favorites of the staff of Columbus-based Donewaiting.com, and some hip-hop choices for you to make, read, and eat.

I suppose you could say that M.F. Doom's MM..Food is a disappointing album. After all, the hype was reminding us that this is the official "second" M.F. Doom album, cuz, you know, Viktor Vaughn/Madvillain/King Gheedorah/etc. are different people. Now, of course, most of the songs are hot. "Rapp Snitch Knishes" is one of my favorite songs of the year, and I love "Hoe Cakes," "Potholderz," and "Deep Fried Frenz" too. But why, oh why, all of the Doom-sample skits?!?!? It annoyed me enough that I sat down one night over Thanksgiving and analyzed the running time of the album. By my count, out of 49 total minutes, only 34 minutes were used by actual songs. Tracks 6-9 are all skits. I know, Doom loves reminding us about the story of Doom, and the particular food theme here, but damn! In the end, it's still a good album to me, because there are songs that keep drawing me back. But with some more rappin?????

Well, I could probably meander wordily about gobbledy gook, but who wants to read that. Post up your answer now, and celebrate my birthday this weekend! Peace!

Monday, December 06, 2004

Now aren't you GREEN with envy???

Wow. After many days (and a few recent hours fighting with Blogger.com), the blog is back and greener than ever. I'm sorry that all of the old comments are gone, but this was the easiest way to get everyone commenting again (hopefully). I will be tweaking the setup a bit, but I hope everybody likes the new look. Let me know what you think.
New New News

As of today, I have music reviews published on someone else's website! Please visit Swizzle-Stick, run by the Columbus Alive's own Chip Midnight, and look for my reviews. As there is no mention on the front page of the authors of the reviews, I will let y'all know when I have what reviews up. Right now, look for my review of Black Octopus Lipstick Project's Foam Party, third down on the right on the mainpage. Sometime later this week, Chip will post my review of The Holy Sons' I Want to Live a Peaceful Life. He seems to be pretty open to reviewers reviewing whatever, so if you have any suggestions, let me know.
Rock?
Well, I think I'll have to break the streak of carefully chronicling every show that I attended. I know I hit a Tony Monaco Trio gig at the Ravari last week and a Jim Volk/Kevin Oliver acoustic gig at Oldfield's two Wednesdays before that. So subtract all that out, and you have two big shows:
Vertical Slum's Electric Holiday @ Little Brothers, Saturday, Nov 20
Andy and I got to see Don Caballero, This Moment in Black History, 84 Nash, Ruby Vileos, Earwig, and Tree of Snakes, which was quite the rocking lineup. TMIBH rocked my socks off, of course, and Lucas was there at that point to mosh with me. 84 Nash also rocked shit, of course. And another local band, Tree of Snakes, surprised me with their happy punk set (SERIOUS KNIFE FIGHT!) and the fact that their lead singer is that one omnipresent campus rock dude. The other bands were OK, but did not rock me very hard.
The Dirtbombs w/ Peelander-Z & Amps II Eleven @ The Beachland Ballroom (Cleveland), Friday, Nov 26
What's a turkey??? These guys rocked the Thanksgiving right out of Ashley, Andy, and myself. Amps II Eleven is a Cleveland area band with a greasy Southern heavy metal sound, and damn did they hit hard! Peelander-Z is a crazy Japanese rock band (now based out of NYC) with a crazy live show. I thought that riots would ensue at several points, but they made it to slide through bowling pins and everything. And of course, the Dirtbombs rocked shit. Though they did not play Andy's favorite song, they did everything else, including some crazy covers of "Lust for Life" and "War Pigs." I was hip/side-bumping with a new friend, Heidi, but trust me, the relationship was purely rock-tonic. Then we stopped at Denny's on the way home and got back to Columbus at 5:15. Wow, what a night.
OK, that's enough living in the past. It is good to be back. Now open up that comment link and tell me how happy you are about this. Come on, you can do it!

Monday, November 15, 2004

Hey hatas, how bout a hiatus???

What's up with y'all? I must be doing nothing of interest, or at least writing nothing of interest, for the silence around these e-parts. Or maybe you're just in mourning for the passing of Po-vember. I would attribute it to ODB, but that just happened, so that's not it (RIP and Happy Birthday). Well, the 905 is about to bend over and take it from SBC Yahoo DSL, so it looks like I'll be without internet for close to two weeks! By the time I'm back on, I'll probably have something interesting to say, along with a new template, but without apartment internet, I seriously doubt I'll post anything. So I'll keep the rock to a minimum. I think Andy and I will hit the First Annual Vertical Slum Electric Holiday on Saturday at Little Brothers, as the lineup features Don Caballero, This Moment in Black History, 84 Nash, and other rocking bands. Read more about it here, then decide to join us. On the 26th, the hallowed day after Thanksgiving, Andy and I will venture to the hallowed Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland to see THE DIRTBOMBS with Peelander Z & The Kill City Kills, which should be frickin' awesome. Other than that, the next two weeks should hold little rock, which is sad but necessary.

On Friday night, Andy and I attempted to see Cali Comm 2004 featuring Del at Little Bros. We didn't buy tickets, as we thought there was no way a $20 hip-hop show would sell out. PWNED! It sold out pretty early that night. We ran into Columbus rapster Blueprint (along with Fess), who was also unable to get in. That's when I knew I deserved to be on the outside looking in. So we crossed the street to Skullys to see the "RIP PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT 1960-2004" show, featuring some questionable acts and our friends The Unpossibles. The first act, Marvin the Robot, has always intrigued me due to his interesting stage name. I heard a song of his on the old OSU Underground comp that I didn't like, but I was still intrigued. Well, the thrill is gone. It was half an hour of mediocre beats with Marvin playing the guitar and wailing. Oooffffff. Next was House of Cards, a full band that sucked slightly less than Marvin. They were a rock band with beats, but their music was a bit too light and lame. Halfway through their set, we started eyeing the door. Sure, we were there to support Keith, Don, and the guys, but we still had half a set of HoC crap and a full set from the feared Digital Empire!!! The prospect of a painful set from Edward Campushands proved too much, and we took off. Sorry guys. We went over to Andy's favorite watering hole, Cafe Bourbon Street, and caught the headliner, Tim Lee and his band. It was some decently rocking roots-rock, and was fine background music, in the words of Lord Nappius. So all was good, as we rocked the night best we could.

On Wednesday night, I met up with Ashley and Katie to see the Tony Monaco Trio for the second time in five days, this time at the Ravari Room. They definitely tore it to pieces, as it seems they like to cut loose at the Ravari. I also managed to pick up a copy of the new Fiery Blues CD from Tony (as well as congratulate him on a job well done the Saturday before), which is pretty sweet. I'm starting to recover from my recent organ deficiency, and if you wanna help, come with me to the Ravari some Wednesday.
Well, that's about all he wrote. It might be December before I write again...so shake a turkey leg or something.

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Word to the Third

What up peoples??? There's lots of music out today, or coming out soon. Amy, I was basically aware of the fact that the second installment from the Handsome Boy Modelling School came out today, but thanks for the reminder. It's pretty good, eh? I might have to pick that one up soon. Of course, I've neglected the first one for a few years, so maybe I should rock that a few times first.

I just placed a pre-order at HipHopSite for MM Food and Die, Rugged Man, Die, the debut release from Ra the Rugged Man!!!!! Man, it took him even longer to come out than the Large Professor. Damn the man! I also need to pick up that Stones Throw 101 DVD, looks craaaaaazy.

In future plans...not too much. The rock and the pockets are toned down for Po-vember. But, some sort of crew WILL be rolling to the Del Tha Funkee Homosapien/Haiku D'Etat/Zion I/Bukue One/Opio show at Little Brothers Friday night. Should be dope. And there's always possibilities on Saturday night.
Soooo...about that rock
Saturday night, after my kamikaze mission to pick up Mirror Music by Wordsworth at Magnolia Thunderpussy, I went to see Dr. Lonnie Smith w/ the Tony Monaco Trio at the King Arts Complex downtown. It was quite an organ-splosion. Monaco started out with the trio (Robert Kraut on guitar, Louis Tsamous on drums), then Smith came out and played with them, then both organists together, and back and forth. Though Smith didn't play "Move Your Hand," he did rock some good tunes, including a fine version of "Caravan." Good sheeite.
Though the focal point of Friday night was the not-so-rocking Mannhaus Party, I did manage to see two bands. Dan Melchior's Broke Revue did rock Used Kids rather hard, and I was pleased. I didn't know that they were playing Cafe Bourbon Street that night until the day of, daamn. In mid-party shenanigans and attempts to meet up with folks, Renkes and I did catch Cinema Eye at their release party at Skullys. Their new wave-punk-noise can rock, but not that often.
Well, that's enough for now. Now that I've toned down the rockgasms, I should be able to write more about other things, but don't hold your breath. Also, because two potentially large commenters on this blog are currently unable to do so, I may just have to sell my soul to Blogspot and get a new template. Hold Your Heads!

Thursday, November 04, 2004

SOUND SELECTAAAAAHHHHHHHHH

Yes indeedy do. Despite the oncoming gloom, Tuesday night at the Ravari Room was a good time. Mad props to Dave, Andy, Chops, Renkes, Libeth from work and her friends, Val, the 3rd Trailer Park Ninja (forget his name), and everyone else for coming out. The race for the coveted Smell the Vinyl Support Team MVP was about as tight as the presidential race, with Dave (stayed for the whole thing), Renkes (roadie duties), and Chops (turning back to the apartment halfway there to get the 45s I forgot) all in the hunt. Fuck it, I'll give it to all 3 of 'em. Thanks guys. Wicked Lung and Wookalar were serving up some tasty treats, so I had to pitch in. I had some funk, some hip-hop, some organ jazz, and some political jams. Here is a pretty accurate setlist:

Set 1
Talkin' Loud And Saying Nothin'-James Brown
Country Road-Toots & the Maytals
Summer Breeze-Charles Kynard
Double Dutch(?)-Keystones f/Malcolm Catto
Eric B. Is President-Eric B. & Rakim
Black Helicopters-Non Phixion
Gotta Pay-Wordsworth
Hypertension-Calender
This Land is Your Land-Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
Natural Disasters-Enon
Crazy Train-Ozzy Ozbourne
Pardon My Freedom-!!!

Set 2
Water (First Movement)-The Roots
Plug Me In-Lost Boyz
Here's A Smirk-Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf
1976 (remix)-RJD2
Only So Much Oil in the Ground-Tower of Power
Detroit Twice-El Michels Affair
Late Freight-Hank Marr
Uninvisible-Medeski Martin & Wood

Set 3
Elected-Alice Cooper
Have a Drink On Me-AC/DC
Light Up or Leave Me Alone-Traffic

Settin' em Up for the Wu
Juicy Fruit-Mtume

The night ended with Wookalar playing some Dabrye, me putting on the Juicy Fruit, and Wicked Lung closing it out with an orchestral version of the Star-Spangled Banner. It was beautiful. I'm sorry that alot of you couldn't make it, but it was a busy night, I understand. More rock is forthcoming!

Since this is Po-vember, I did not attend the De La Soul show last night, so no reviews for that. Tomorrow after work, Andy and I should be seeing Dan Melchior & the Broke Revue at Used Kids for free, which should be rather sweet. Come on over! Later on, it is the aforementioned Mannhaus Party! The theme is Big Dumb Rave, I guess, except for the music that I shall play. Saturday night I still wanna see the man below, any of you jazzers wanna come with?

Rock!

Monday, November 01, 2004

The best non-rocking night ever!

Ahhhhhh. The sweet relaxation of Rocktober recovery, which will last........about a day.

TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY!!!!! (ELECTION DAY)
Reminder: Come to the Ravari Room on Election night to receive your required rocking. You know you want to...and you won't like Wicked Lung & the Wookalar when they're angry? That's all I got. You know the haps. Word 'em up!

NERDY ROCKTOBER RECOUNT CON NUMEROS!

Well, in recent sporting news, the Rocktober Rockets defeated the Loverboyville Soul Bleeders 21-10 in the first ever football game to last the entire month of October. Or in other words, out of the 31 days in October, I went to some sort of show on 21 of those days. Of course, I had to hit shows the last 8 days in a row to make those kind of numbers, but it was worth it?
Anyway, my current tally of bands/sets seen on shows dated in October (Andy knows what I'm talking about) is 52. This may or may not be correct, because this is a difficult thing to count. I will come up with some sort of Top 5 list or something soon, I'm just not feeling it tonight.

Thursday night, Andy and I did indeed catch his co-worker's husband's band, Alpha Zentradi, at the Scarlet & Grey Cafe. Boo. They sounded like they had just hatched from the "Incubus-ator." They were opening for Oval Opus, and so while the place wasn't too populated when we showed up, when we left half an hour later, the Scarlet & Grey was perilously close to...CRITICIAL CHOTCH MASS!!! So of course we fled the scene and wandered campus, observing quality Halloween costumes and pissing off a couple drunk girls who wanted to talk about "Wiscompton." Ha.

Friday night, I went completely insane. The benefit of this, however, was seeing Charlie Hunter with Bobby Previte & DJ Logic at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland. Due to various cancellations and mishaps, I ended up going by myself. I just couldn't stay away, try as I might. I got there at 9:30, and the guys had already started! But I don't think I missed much. I left at midnight, and with a set break, I saw two hours of spacey jams! How much can one ask for? This short run of shows for this particular trio was in support of Hunter and Previte's album as Groundtruther, Latitude, with guest Greg Osby on saxophone, on Thirsty Ear Records. Logic fit right in to this sweet mess of technological jazz. Though I've listened to a fair amount of Hunter, it was a whole 'nother thing to see him live. For those of you who don't know, he plays an eight-string guitar. This sometimes gives him a very organ-esque sound, and enables him to play a guitar and a bass part at the SAME TIME! Pretty sweet. Previte is a veteran drummer who now uses alot of electronics. He had effects where when he hit a drum, it would produce a sampled sound, not the sound of the drum. It was crazy. I sat directly in front of him for most of the second set, which was cooool. And of course Logic provided jazzy atmospherics and some nice beats. The guys didn't play much that I really recognized, just lots of spaced-out grooves and beats. Since I survived the trip, it was definitely worth it. I made it to the first Mannhaus Halloween party of the year around 2:30 and still managed to rock a set!

Saturday night, I went to the Camper Van Beethoven/Damnwells show at the Newport, which was cool. The Damnwells are a rootsy rock band from Brooklyn (not a very Brooklyn-esque sound), and they rocked rather well once I got into it. It was fulfilling to see Camper on their big reunion tour supporting their new album, New Roman Times. They played the new album, the hits, and some older album cuts, so it was a good mix for a newbie like me. I met an old hippie named Chick there, who was funny. He was keeping an eye on his wife, who, like himself, is a "Lowery Lover," and was pre-disposed to jumping on stage with David Lowery (the lead singer who went on to form Cracker). He also told me about how he's in the Train fan club or whatever and that he highly recommends the new live album, which he has an exclusive advance copy of. Wow. It appeared to make his night when he was able to light Lowery's cigarette for him, and he told me to "be like him when I'm older." I'll give it a shot. After the show, I made it to Davekwon's 7th Annual Halloween Movie Marathon, which was mostly just entertaining for Balderdash, but still a good time.

Sunday night, to make sure that a ridiculous Rocktober was put in the books properly, I walked down to Bernies for the Blueprint Chamber Music release party, featuring Print, Fess, & DJ Rare Groove as Greenhouse Effect and some opening raps from CJ the Cynic and Ill Poetic from Cincy. Mr. Dibbs did not show, unfortunately, but a good time was still had by all. CJ's new stuff sounds damn dope, and whenever his Weightless album drops, it will be worth buying. To capture the Halloween spirit, Print and Fess were dressed up as the Blues Brothers, and we all sang along to various Blues Brothers songs throughout the set. Since Chamber Music is instrumental, he really didn't do any songs from the album, and they basically just rocked older vocal material, which was obviously fine. There was also a "Soul Train" dance line, and the requisite moshing to "Hold the Floor." Good timez. Of course, I got back around 3, which kinda blew, but whatever.

So there you have it. Rocktober. I don't have a whole lot of future shows to hype, but De La Soul is at the Alrosa on Wednesday night, I will be rocking another Mannhaus Halloween Party on Friday, and Dr. Lonnie Smith will school folks on the organ Saturday night at the King Center. That's enough. Tomorrow, bitches!

Thursday, October 28, 2004

"You know, my son, after Rocktober comes Po-vember"

That's a proverb for the ages, right dere. Cuz you can rock alot, like me, but eventually you run out of phat loots. Thank the Lord that the last business day of the month is the 29th, so that tomorrow shalt be payday!!! Not a second too soon. Well, Rocktober is winding up, but not without a bang! Tonight Andy and I are attempting to see his co-worker's husband's band play at the Scarlet & Grey Cafe, so we'll see how that goes. Tomorrow night, the effort is being made to catch the Charlie Hunter Trio (w/DJ LOGIC!!!!!) at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, wish me luck! Saturday, it seems that Camper Van Beethoven is playing two or three places, with the actual show being at the Newport, so it is a good day to be 51-7, or something. After that I will definitely be attending Dave's 7th Annual Halloween Movie Marathon, which will undoubtedly rock. And if I don't make it, I'll likely be murderized. Sunday night, Halloween itself, I will bring Rocktober to a successful close by showing up at the release party for Blueprint's "Chamber Music" album at Bernies, with other local acts rappin it up as well. Should be sweet, just like sleeping less than 5 hours on a Sunday night! OK, RECAP TIME!!!!!

Last night, Andy and I upped the Rocktober ante by driving to the Southgate House in Newport, KY (across the river from Cincy) to see Antibalas. By agreeing to make this voyage, Andy earned 1000000000000000000000000000000000 RockPoints, so please don't try and earn any for the next few aeons. So we got there at 10:05 (missing the opener by a few minutes), and we had to wait until just before 11 for Antibalas to hit the stage. Oh well, the Southgate is cool. Anyway, we got to see the sweat-churnin' Afrobeat juggernaut for about an hour before having to turn back for home. They were as political as ever (I caught a "NOVEMBER 2" T-shirt they threw from the stage), and just as funky. I'm sure we missed alot of amazing stuff, but an hour of Antibalas is enough to last for months. We got home a bit after 2, after narrowly surviving a lack-of-gas scare on the outskirts of town (BOO!). Thanks Andy, you da man.
Tuesday night, Val and I caught another type of juggernaut...The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players at Little Brothers! We caught most of the second opener (both of the openers were friends of the Trachtenburgs), a tall man named Andrew something who played a funny keyboard-vocal cover of "Ice Ice Baby" and some other interesting numbers. The Trachtenburgs rocked as hard as ever. Pa Trachtenburg was funny, in his weird way, and their dog wandered around alot. They played the hits like "Mountain Trip to Japan 1959" and "Eggs," and Pa even played part of a song from a solo album of his a while back. Sure, they don't play very long sets, but these sets are played with love.
Monday night was dodgy for the rock. I tried to wander down to Oldfields on High for the weekly Men of Leisure show, as I've been meaning to for a long time, but I guess this week they changed to a open mic thing that drew NO ONE and when I got there, it was already over and there were about 5 people there. BOOOO!!! But on my way back, sure enough there was the Tony McClung Trio live at the Ravari Room! Rocktober was saved! I also ended up hanging out with Ben Oliver and Nate Smith, as well as Columbus music hero Derek Dicenzo, which was rather dope. I still need to catch Ben's band Tiger Tiger or other band, one of which plays every Friday night at the Shi-Sha Lounge. The trio was good, with Tony on drums, Josh Hill on guitar, and Jeff Ciampa (also of the Hoo Doo Soul Band) on bass. They played a nice jazzy cover of "Take Me Home, Country Roads," sweeet. And Derek told the story of Glen Burke, the gay black baseball player for the Dodgers in the '70s who invented the high five. Yes, it was a rocking of the highest order.
Sunday night was McLusky at Little Brothers. Locals El Jesus de Magico opened, and I wasn't that big of a fan, which happens sometimes with me and el Jesus. A few songs rocked, but most were a bit too weird while also not rocking enough. This is Rocktober, folks, you gotta bring yo A-game!!! McLusky, on the other hand, was rather entertaining. They are a trio from somewhere in England, and the somewhat surly lead singer was also pretty funny, with many quips about his fellow British bands. And the bassist told a joke:
Q: "What's the difference between a SUV and a hedgehog?"
A: "Hedgehogs have pricks on the INside."
Bah-dum-dum-ching! And yes, they managed to rock too! With songs like "We Take More Drugs Than a Touring Funk Band," how could you not rock? Check out my McLusky t-shirt sometime, it rocks hard.
The weekend was a bloody party up in Wooster, but there was no rock to be had. Somehow I didn't break out in hives.
Thursday night, cuz I had to rock, I went to Chuck's Junk's "Funknot" or whatever it was called at Ruby Tuesdays. The Lab Rats turned shit out, as always, despite technical problems and a lackluster crowd. Their release party is Friday night with Wicked Lung & the Wookalar and others at Skullys, which is a solid backup plan. In between and during sets, DJ BHB was rockin some hip-hop jams and an open mic in the basement, which was empty but the music was cool. Chuck's Junk was also good. They're pretty funky, though the singer might be a bit sappy for me. I need to see them again.
Wow, another blogathon. Pray for me to survive Rocktober, and I'll catch y'alls on the flipside.

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

ELECTION DAY GETDOWN!!!!!

Before I forget to tell you people, I will be part of a party-throwin' posse at the Ravari Room.....ON ELECTION DAY (NIGHT)!!!!!

You can see me look like this. Well, I won't have that shirt on. And Wonder Homer probably won't be there. But...it'll still be swell. So Tuesday, November 2, come to the Ravari Room sometime after 10-10:30 and..........VOTE ERIC B IN 2004!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, October 21, 2004

Dammit, the last one should have been called "The Hunt for Red Rocktober"!!!

Get it? You know, that Ruskie band I saw? Damn, the moment is lost. But we still got Rocktober, baby, and ain't that enough? So before time slips away and it's my birthday by the time I post again, I figured I'd set aside some time tonight and BLOG! The Mobb Deep show was cancelled (rumors now circulating at http://www.hiphopsite.com/NEWS/ about their demise) and I decided not to hustle/pay insanely to see Cake/Northern State (and that one slore)...but there's a serious lineup of hip-hop/funk/reggae/d 'n b bands at Ruby Tuesdays tonight, so Rocktober must carry on! Some good shows to get to, so let's switch it up and start with the oldest....

Lucas and I made a triumphant appearance at the Bob Log III show on Friday at Club 202. Triumphant because we had to survive some seriously assy (sp? ha) local bands opening up. For you local types, the first band sounded like a bad, goth-ed out Dream Merchant, and the second band was just a better version of the first. Their names were Faded Sympathy and Deco Halo, I think, but who cares. I asked Bob Log during one of the bands if he could save us from the pain, and his response was: "I'm speechless. I thought bands like this were only in movies." Hilarious. Then Bob's tourmates, The Town Bikes Burlesque Toure from Australia, came on. The two of them (reasonably attractive, but kinda weird looking) came out and danced to one song they stitched together themselves (including the Genesis start-up sound near the beginning accompanying them kneeling down with one arm in the air like Sonic, which Lucas and I marked out for), then left for 15 minutes, came back and did one more song. Not much for coming from Australia. But they did come out and dance for a few of Bob's songs. So of course, Bob Log ripped shit up. For those of you unawares, Bob Log III wears a motorcycle helmet and jumpsuit on stage. He does a solo show on slide guitar with a kick drum and has a telephone handset inside his helmet that he uses as a mic. It is a sight to see. VIEWER ADVISORY: THE REST OF THIS REVIEW CONTAINS INCITEMENTS TO VIOLENCE, FOUL LANGUAGE, RUBBER NOVELTY POOP, AND BRIEF NUDITY. The crowd did not rock nearly hard enough for the best one-man band in the land, in all his super-charged blues-rock glory, but that is to be expected. Bob did the trademark "Boob Scotch" routine, where he asks women from the audience to stick their boob in his scotch. He lucked out in getting 2 women to do so (well, he counted 3, but the one girl definitely did not seal the deal. But what do you want, he wears a motorcycle helmet), which speaks well of our fair city. Then it came time for the second part of the ceremony, where Bob sips the scotch and passes it around to everyone else at the show. And who did their part in drinking it? Lucas and I. THAT'S IT. I wanted to punch those dumb idiots for not tasting the best drink known to man. It was still sitting on the bar after the show, so Lucas and I split the watered-down remains. Mmmmmm. We talked to him after the show, I bought him a beer, and life was good. Scotch and ice mixed by a tit.
On Sunday, Kehn and I went to see The Decemberists/Apollo Sunshine show at Little Brothers. The show was put on by Robert Duffy and the fine folks at http://donewaiting.com/, much props deserved. Unfortunately, all of the large crowd (supposedly one ticket short of a sellout, and I was on the guestlist!) must have arrived at the same time, so we spent most of Apollo Sunshine's set in line outside. They played a handful of new songs, but I couldn't tell if they were any good. They played the hits and they are nice guys, so what more do you want? I had only heard a song or two by the Decemberists before the show, but I was impressed. Kinda weird literary folk-pop-rock. They rocked pretty hard, and so did I.
Tuesday was a successful rock 'n roll adventure. Through some promotion mishaps, there ended up being a VHS or Beta/The Fever show at the Billiard Club on 161, which was definitely a bit of culture clash. But it was 5 bones, so who can argue? It was a solid posse of myself, Franz, Kehn, and Val, so good times indeed. We saw the self-described "hard rock/opera-metal/R&B" band (or something like that) called Soma open up. At least they covered "November Rain" and "Whip It." This started a running joke, as both The Fever and VHS or Beta introduced songs as another cover of "November Rain," only to play one of their own songs. Both bands brought the dance-rock fury, as evidenced by Kehn's blistering dance moves. Somehow it all worked out. Cheer up baby, rock 'n roll never forgets, or something.
Well, that was a shamefully low amount of shows to talk about, so next week will be balls-to-the-wall rocking (well, after a non-rocking weekend). Stay tuned.

Friday, October 15, 2004

"We're gonna smoke this joint...till we sound like Pink Floyd"

The Red Elvises were pretty frickin' sweet. But first, I must address the multitudes of comments I received since Monday:

1. Lucas, you're the man. Bob Log III is gonna be a helluva time tonight (and that burlesque show probably won't suck either)!!!
2. There are no false prizes here at Blogged Out Since Cub Scouts!!!!! Gina, you have won the CD of your choice (well, out of a pile of my choosing), and that's all there is to say about that.
3. Kehn, and all other interested parties: I have no solid plans for the Apollo Sunshine/Decemberists show on Sunday, though I'd like to be there around 7. We can meet up somewheres if you'd like, holla at a playa!

The New Hotness: Dave has a blog!!!
Yes indeed, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Dave "too bad about them 'Stros" Williams now has his very own blog. Check it out right about...nyah:
http://davekwon.blogspot.com/
And if you ask real nice, he might tell you about his new favorite band, Nirvana. Or maybe about what happens when you talk about Stacie Orrico at the wrong time.

OK, OK, OK...ROCKTOBER REVIEWZ!!!

Last night, Nappy and I made our maiden voyage to the Blues Station for Illogic's "Farewell" (because he's going on tour) show, with Bru Lei and Envelope opening. It was a pretty good time. Bru was performing in front of his parents, which was funny, and he was decent. Envelope did his always drunken/entertaining singalong set, and I nerded out up in the front row. Illogic was suffering from a headache, but ripped a solid show regardless. Of course, PRZM had to throw on "Hold the Floor" at the end of the night, and somehow no one died. Now, because it's Rocktober and I'm ridiculous anyway, after I dropped off Andy, I went to another show! There was also a hip-hop show at the Scarlet & Grey Cafe featuring Chase Manhatten, Tyreless, & The Night Shift, which was charging $1 for people who came from the Blues Station show. I was dragged in; hook, line, and sinker. I saw most of the Night Shift set, which was damn good. Look out for those guys. Then Chase and Jun started falsetto-singing-battling, and...I got worried about my car getting towed and took off. Haha, nah, it was funny.
Tuesday's Red Elvises show was great. After Poophouse Reilly's mediocre at best set, with a good jugband cover of "Fight For Your Right to Party" and a baaaaad Amish rap, the Ruskies came on to kick some ass. Their music definitely has alot of surf to it, but there was also a surprising amount of boogie, thanks largely to "Schramm" Gorbunov (I think, the band's history on their website is confusing) on keyboard (alot of it with a good organ sound) and Boots Randolph-style yakety sax. Two sets of raunchy fast numbers and raunchy ballads. Definitely an entertaining band that you need to see, a major steal for $7. Check em out on the interweb here.
Well, I hope you all have a good weekend, I know I will.

Monday, October 11, 2004

Abele knows the name of the game

Thanks for the e-prod. I know one notable reader of this blog has been unable to comment recently, so we'll attribute the comment drought to that. There's alot to recap, as Rocktober crushes onward, but how 'bout a look forward first?

Tuesday, 10-12: The Red Elvises @ Little Brothers. Fuck yeah! I've wanted to see these guys for a long time. So if anyone needs a good red rocking, you know where to go! Only $7 at the door.
Wednesday, 10-13: Since there is no real need for a break (that's tonight), I think I need to catch a set from Tony Monaco at his new weekly Ravari Room gig, because Lord knows it's been too long.
Thursday, 10-14: Illogic, Envelope, Bru Lei @ the Blues Station. Four bones for three solid acts of local hip-hop. Come see off Illogic for his huge tour with Eyedea & Abilities.

FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, 10-15!!!!!!: Bob Log III @ Club 202. Wow, it's only been a year since his last blockbuster of a set here in town, but it seems like much longer. I think there's a burlesque show and some other bands opening up, but I don't know how any of that can open for Mr. Log. Of course, fate has conspired to mess with the personal schedule of myself and others I knew to be interested in this show. As of now, I'm going alone. Don't let this tragedy transpire, friend. You know you want it.
Saturday, 10-16: Interpol, Secret Machines, etc @ Newport??? This is still a possibility, now that the schedule mess mentioned above has occurred. Will it happen? Wait and see!
Sunday, 10-17: Decemberists, Apollo Sunshine @ Little Brothers. This will be my fifth Apollo Sunshine show this year, but I really don't want the magic to end. And I want to know if I actually like the Decemberists, as I have been unable to decide so far. Help me find out, won't you?

Wow, this Rocktober is getting to be a mess....AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Last night (Sunday) was an example of the mental toughness necessary to make Rocktober, well, Rocktober. I had two free passes to the Lucky Boys Confusion show at the Newport, so Andy and I had nothing better to do and we went over around 7:15. We were there for the first band to open its dumb yap (the band was called The Academy Is, but who fuckin cares?), and decided we had made a grave error. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, yet no rocking. With the prospects of two or three more sets of such pain spooking us into action, we got the hell out of there. I had read earlier about this interesting band from Austin called The Octopus Project (pictured above) that was playing @ the High Five, and had also discovered that The Unpossibles were among the openers. Andy had read somewhere that the Unpossibles went on at 8, so we headed for the rock. Of course, this was silly, as the place was empty and was to remain so until 10. But their new burger was good. Around 10, we were treated to the first band of the evening, Eritrean Party Tours, who were playing together for the first time. Of course, I thought their name was Aerotrane Party Tours all night, but I was yelling loud enough that it probably didn't matter. Their soundcheck was the "Saved by the Bell" theme, so we knew it was time to get down. Their sound was all over the place, but rough all over. It was a fun set, including a cover of "You Can't Hurry Love" dedicated to the lead singer's dad for Father's Day. Right. I think they're my new favorite band, and I'm just glad I was there for the beginning. No bandwagoneer here! The next band, Mr. Tiger, was playing together for the second time, but their surf-punk-hard rock was also enjoyable. Columbus appears to be bursting at the seams with rocktastic new bands. Third up, the veritable veterans of the Unpossibles came on to rock faces into oblivion. Keith tore up the bass as usual, and Don kept rocking right through the two punk guys who decided at the end of the set to moon the bar from the plate-glass windows in front. Wow. Between sets, the DJ turned the place into a drunken punk singalong with all sorts of rowdy favorites including "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles. Wow, it doesn't get much more special than that. Finally, the Octopus Project hit the stage. They are an instrumental electronic-rock band, and quite an awesome one at that. There was a drummer who also played guitar, two guys on guitars/basses and effects, and a woman on keyboards, various samplers and effects, and.....A THEREMIN!!!!!

It was awesome. That was the first time I had ever seen a theremin played live, and she definitely appeared to know what she was doing. Wow. Their songs would blip and cruise along, then crazy drum patterns or actual drums or heavy guitars would veer at you and cause seizures. That is a live show to be witnessed, friends.

Friday night was another mammoth night of rock. Akron's Black Keys came to rock the Newport with the help of The Cuts and Columbus' own Blueprint. Though I was rollin' dolo on the streets, I did get a chance to chat with Wes and Blueprint during the Cuts' set, which was educational while also ruining any slight chance of the Cuts' weak set winning me over. Meandering Ocasek-esque vocals over 60s sunshine pop-rock. Meh. Then Blueprint came on and put his hip-hop on some rock 'n roll faces. I think he was starting to win the crowd over by the end, but to properly do that would have taken hours, they're pretty serious about their rock. The Keys came on and rocked shit hardcore for about an hour. Most every bluesy song just makes me start moving, or bobbing my head, or just look generally ridiculous. Great stuff. There was an afterparty at Bento Go Go next door, involving very cheap drinks, some very drunk people, and chillin with DJ Goldfinger of KBUX fame. Good times indeed.
Thursday night, Andy and I went to Oldfields for some rawk after other rawk fell through. Hugger is some sort of hard rock hootenanny, and I mean that in the best way possible. I'll have to focus harder the next time. The Lab Rats were also on the bill, which we were excited about, but before we could make it there, some awful metal band from Lancaster (Dark Vein) came on and threatened to tread upon our very existence(s). Oooffff. Sorry Lab Rats.
Wednesday night was a serious rock adventure, as Dave and I went to Athens for what I thought would be a triple bill of quality. Of course, before we could rock, we had to stop at the main reason for the trip...TACO JOHN'S!!!!!!!!! MMMMMMM!!!!!!

Though it was much too quiet. Anyhoo, it was off to The Union for cheap beer and cheap rock. Obviously, openers The Heroes of History killed shit dead. The boys even played "Your Mom" without me having to ask for it, dedicating it to me. Awwwww. It was touching. People, you NEED to see this band. Then the out-of-staters, San Antonio's Boxcar Satan, took the stage. I was ready to be rocked, but instead got the evil, less musical twin of Reverend Horton Heat. The lead singer had a creepy, screechy voice, and insisted on making chicken scratch noises on his guitar during every song. And many songs had little flow, which also pissed me off. As I realized I wasn't a big fan, I also realized it was 12:30 and we had an hour and a half drive in front of us. So we took off, shakily making it home. Good times, though I wish Athens' We March had gone second instead of Boxcar Satan, which would have rocked.
Tuesday, of course, I caught the Addison Groove Project show by myself at Little Brothers. The boys jammed for an hour and a half. Since there weren't many people there and the people weren't pumped up, the set was pretty mellow, with no huge funky covers or anything, but it was still enjoyable.
Beautiful Scarlet, Rocktober's really gonna hurt you. If you're still reading this, be the first person to post the word gimme and you win a prize. ROCK in the USA!!!

Sunday, October 03, 2004

Me: "Bring it on!" Rocktober: "It's already been broughten!!!"

So far, sooo good. I've seen approximately 10 acts perform since it became October at midnight Friday morning, which is pretty impressive, if I say so myself. But before I run down the details, I have important show news for you:
TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UMMM, TUESDAY!!!!!

Addison Groove Project @ Little Brothers, Tuesday, October 5, 10:30, $7
Yes indeed, bruthas and sistas, AGP, your favorite band and mine, is coming back to Columbus to jam your soul into oblivion! Addison Groove is a high-quality jamband (yes, I know, it's a scary word, but don't let that steer you away) from Boston. This will be my fourth time seeing them in the last 2+ years (Metadream, R.I.P.), and they keep getting better. Lots of funky originals and covers of classic songs of many genres. For a reasonably cheap good time, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THIS SHOW!!!!! Check out what they're about here.
Wednesday: Boxcar Satan, We March & Heroes of History @ The Union.....in Athens!!!!! Yes, the Rocktober insanity will hopefully be cranked to higher levels on Wednesday. Theoretically, it will be at least a posse of Dave, Andy, and myself, but if you, loyal reader, are in the mood for a mid-week rock 'n roll road trip, then let me know! Yes, Boxcar Satan (from San Antonio) will be at Bourbon Street Thursday night, but this one sounds like the better show, and I needed a decent excuse to go get some Taco John's!!!!! It'll be a fine evening of high-octane rock and cheap beer, so it should be sweet.
Thursday: Solution @ Scarlet & Grey Cafe. This is Andy's friend's band, so I don't know what to expect, but I'm sure it'll be good.
Friday: The Black Keys, The Cuts, & BLUEPRINT @ the Newport. I was already pumped about seeing the Black Keys again, along with seeing the Cuts for the first time, but then Columbus/Cincinnati hip-hop heavyweight Blueprint (w/ DJ Rare Groove) got added to this bill! It looks odd on paper, but I think the local hip-hop scene somehow enjoys the blues-rock of the Black Keys, so this type of bill should get a large, varied audience. Hey, whatever thins out the COOLBOTS!!!
The weekend is still up in the air, but rock will ensue. Now, about them bands I done seen:

Last night was a long night of rawk. Dave, Andy and I started at Ruby Tuesdays for a WCBE benefit that included this blog's heroes, The Heroes of History, along with other bands. We caught some of Drive's set, and they were decent power-pop, but nothing great. Havyna, the next band, was pretty cool, with some groovy funk-folk-metal, or something. That was a horrible description. Jason Quicksall then came on for a quick acoustic set, which wasn't too exciting until his rendition of "Summertime" with a solo that utilized his mouth as a muted trumpet. Then the Heroes came on and killed shit. All the favorites were played, including "Your Mom," which was yelled for by Andy and I, then Pat gave his trademarked "We normally don't play requests" spiel, and it was ON! Athens is gonna be a mess. After their set, we took off, dropped off tired Andy at his house, and got to the Ravari Room for Wicked Lung & the Wookalar and Grand Buffet. Ryan and Jason were wreckin thangs as usual, though we were just walking in for "Hollywood Alligator Shoes," so I don't know if any stuffed animals bit the dust. Grand Buffet, a crazy rap duo from Pittsburgh much in the vein of Wicked Lung & Wookalar, were pretty sweet. Loud, amped-up Aerobicize-type beats and loads of politically incorrect craziness, with random outbursts of Billy Joel singalongs. Yeah, it was that kind of party. I bought the CD pictured above, but it is currently in Dave's car, I hope, so listening will be delayed.

Friday night, Andy and I caught John Wilkes Booze, Lion Fever, and Pen-15 at Club 202 downtown. It was my first time there, and it's a pretty nice place. Pen-15 was some youngsters from Zanesville who rocked reasonably hard, but gotta get over their distortion fetish. Lion Fever rocked my damn socks off. This three-piece from California is some kinda groovy post-punk somethingorother, with female vocals (she's hot too!). The key for me, however, was the drummer. Every song was another exercise in soul pounding. Those are some of the loudest drums I've ever heard, and they weren't a detraction from the rock either. Supposedly they'll be back sometime next year, so be ready. John Wilkes Booze's set left me with some sort of musical blue balls. I anticipated that these boys from Southern Indiana were gonna rock shit, and they did. Their sound is some sort of backwoods funk-rock-freakout, and the lead singer had the freakout part covered. He flailed around all the time, and knocked over his monitor during their first song, leaving the old sound man, or "Father Rock" to put it back up. So they tear through some fine tunes, with crazy sax, funky guitar, and solid drums, then they stop. After 20 minutes! Damn, I coulda used alot more of that. We bugged the band members to keep going, but they resisted, and said that was a long set for them. Boo. Then Andy fell in love with a Japanese guy, which was kinda awkward. We stopped by the "grand opening" weekend of the new High Five, but it was packed, Formerly Quarters blew, and we took off.
Thursday night, I went for dolo and checked out Free Space at Ruby Tuesdays. They were without their saxophonist, which may be permanent, but they laid down some nice jamband grooves. Good band, those guys.
Alright, this entry signals to me that Rocktober will involve some lengthy blog-writin', so maybe I'll start doing it more often. I keep mentioning some music reviews, but don't hold your breath. I gotta go eat some Greek food with my parents who are leaving for Italy and Greece tomorrow, so.....toodles!

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Chatty Cathys, or the lack thereof

Hi there, good to not hear from you! Or whatever. I just took a silly online survey about www.spun.com, which I barely ever use, so I'm in the mood to bombard you with questions about what will get you to comment on my blog, but feh, who cares. And our phone is disconnected, so communication via wires is currently at an all-time high.
Dave aka Davekwon aka Willy D is back in town, so look out for flying straw wrappers! We went to Bernies Sunday night for some hip-hop, but saw none of the actual (non-DJ) performers because they hadn't started yet at 1 AM, and I had to take Dave home. Sonofabitch. I hear they were good. That brings to mind one of the many Rush songs I hold near and dear to my heart, one of the greatest rock songs of all time, "Working Man." Beautiful, right Lee?
Saturday night was the night I had been looking forward to for a long time. Two shows: Gallagher and RJD2/Diplo!!! Andy was my rockin' sidekick for the evening. Gallagher, you know, Lee's favorite comedian, was pretty good, except that he went FOREVER!!!!! He started at 8, with 15 minutes of tossing ice and fruit into the audience, and was still going strong at 11:15 when we decided that we had to go. His actual standup was okay. It would have been alot better without his blatant homophobia and redneck conservatism, like his basic view that America's international problems are the fault of the Clintons or France. But he smashed alot of stuff, and spent hours explaining the science behind his combinations for smashing pies and the tricks he has learned over the last THIRTY YEARS! Sadly (I can see Lee crying now), it sounds like he might be near the end (at 58 years of age) because he is getting sued by some woman who got a Rolo lodged in her eye and he might lose his insurance and all that. So I'm glad we went! We got to Little Brothers too late to see any of Diplo's set, which was too bad, but that didn't stop me from buying his album. Two people I talked to really liked it, and two thought it was meh, so I guess that's not bad. But RJ killed shit! He changed up a good bit of his show from his release party show at the Wex in May, and it was niiice. His show is the kind of show you can see over and over again, though, because he's always mixing together various bits of his songs and other songs and you're always gonna catch new things. I got the single for "1976" at Mags the other day, mainly for the B-side "Get Off My Spaceship Bitch!", so I'll let you know how that is.
Duck! Movie Reviews!
1. Resident Evil 2 blew. Don't see it.
2. Shaun of the Dead, on the other hand, was pretty flippin sweet. It was funny, including lots of music jokes, and it was a decent story. "Who played this?" "It's on random!" SEE IT!
3. Garden State, also sweeeet. Zach Braff came up with a winner. Interesting story, interesting presentation, still funny.
OK, we'll wrap it up there, since this has taken me two nights to write. Tomorrow I'm gonna see Free Space, a sweet jazzy jam band from Chicago, at Ruby Tuesdays. It's been two years since their year-long stay in Columbus, and two years since I've seen them play. This way, I'll be in the middle of rocking when Rocktober commences! Friday night I want to see John Wilkes Booze at Club 202 downtown, and Saturday night is a battle between the Heroes of History and everybody else benefit show at Ruby Tuesdays, and the Grand Buffet/Wicked Lung & the Wookalar show at Ravari Room. It begins. Oh yeah:
Random Fact of the Day:
(I hate the internet soooo much for making it difficult to find a picture to put right here!!!)
You can currently buy a 7-inch single from the '70s by Yaphet Kotto at www.dustygroove.com for $29.99. What a steal!

Thursday, September 23, 2004

Rocktober......so close!

Why hello there, friend. This year, at least in Columbus, Rocktober really lives up to its name, so I figured you needed the game plan. This is all tentative, as you will notice some nights that have two or three possibilities, or shows that would be nice but won't happen, like the Pixies. But if you would like to see any of these shows, feel free to let me know, as well as if you have any other ideas. Rocktober is a helluva thing.

Rocktober
1. John Wilkes Booze @ Club 202
2. Heroes of History, etc @ Ruby Tuesdays, The Sun @ Little Bros.
3.
4. Pixies/Thrills @ Vets
5. Addison Groove Project @ Little Bros.
6.
7.
8. Black Keys/Blueprint/Cuts @ Newport
9. DeVotchKa @ Café Bourbon Street
10. Lucky Boys Confusion, etc. @ Newport
11.
12. Red Elvises @ Little Bros.
13.
14. Illogic/Envelope/Bru Lei @ Blues Station, Killers/Ambulance Ltd @ Newport
15. Bob Log/Town Bikes @ Club 202, Black Heart Procession/Enon @ Little Bros.
16. Lotsa rock, but I'll be at a WRASSLIN SHOW!!!
17. Decemberists/Apollo Sunshine @ Little Bros.
18. LL Cool J? HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
19. Rev. Glasseye/Radio Nationals @ Bernies vs Blonde Redhead/Liars @ Little Bros.
20. North Miss. Allstars/Dirty Dozen Brass Band @ Newport
21. Cake/Northern State@ Promowest
22. Cobra Verde @ Skully’s, Stretch Lefty/Chuck's Junk @ Little Bros.
23. Moving Units/Chinese Stars @ Grog Shop, The Shantee @ Little Bros.
24. Mclusky @ Little Bros.
25.
26. Trachtenburg @ Little Bros.???
27. Antibalas @ Southgate House (Cincinnati)
28.
29. Charlie Hunter Trio @ Beachland Ballroom (Cleveland)
30. Camper Van Beethoven @ Newport
31. Blueprint Release Party @ Bernies

And I probably forgot a few! Plus there will surely be some more shows announced in the near future. So feast your eyes on the rock 'n roll splendor, bitch!

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Well, I guess staying up until 5 could make it #5...

but I'm just tired of the streak, so maybe not. What up yos? Lee, I'm jealous of your PJs exploits. Maybe I'll write this real fast and then go get some. Or maybe not. But the Fat Rat is singing its soothing song of love, la-la-la-la-la-love, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-love, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-love, luh-huv. Or maybe that's something else. Anyhoo, Kehn threw a Fall Equinox party on Friday that was pretty kewl. It did the job, that's for sure. And I finally saw his swank digs. Clintonville's my home, what the fuck can I say?
Quick! Rock Reviews!!!

Before the aforementioned party, Lucas and I went to a CD101 Low Dough Show at the Newport featuring The Von Bondies, (Melissa) Auf der Maur, and The Sun. Of course, I had to be the rock 'n roll idiot, think the show would take longer to get going than it did (8 o'clock sharp! Maybe even 7:57!), and we missed most of the Sun-set. But we did get to hear "Girlfriend," so I was OK. The song is awesome (from the new Did Your Mother Tell You? EP due out September 28th), and the animated video is even better! You can watch it (one frame shown above) and another video (or listen to the whole EP) at the band's website right here. Auf der Maur blew. She is a bassist from Montreal who has played with both the Smashing Pumpkins and Hole, and her music sounds like some generic form of that stuff, I guess. Well, one song sounded like "Barracuda" run through the shit machine, and another reminded me of Queensryche with the vocal effects. So Lucas and I yelled things like, "Vive Jay Sherman! Vive Quebec!" "Operation: Mindcrime!" and, our big closer, "Auf der Maur??? More Like AWFUL der Maur!!!" It was great. You know what else was great? Katie being there and buying us beers! Finally, the Von Bondies came on and rocked like they've done to Columbus before. If only these Low Dough Shows attracted less 17 year-olds, right Lucas???
Friday night, the first night of the Andrew and Lucas Rock Adventure, was supposed to be the big This Moment in Black History show at Bernies, but they did not show. Booey hooey hooey. Their historical counterparts, the Heroes of History, were all in attendance, but no dice. The three punk bands (in order of quality: The Feelers, The Krunchies, The Orphans) were OK, but even the scary yelpings of the girl-bassist from the Krunchies could not make me overlook the no-show. Oh well, such is rock.
Thursday night, Andy and I saw Gris Gris, Shell Shag, and Di Di Mao at Cafe Bourbon Street. It was my first time seeing the hot local-chick-ness of Di Di Mao, and I enjoyed it (mmmmmmmm, Little Brothers sound-woman playing drums, mmmmmmmmmm), the rock I mean. Shell Shag, an awesome two-piece band from San Fran that Andy had just seen open for Les Savy Fav (cuz Andy's a fuckin hipster like that), rocked damn hard! A good ol' lo-fi dance party, y'knawmean? Gris Gris, the crazy San Fran psychedelic band, also put on a good show, just like they did when opening for The Modey Lemon and The Apes, but it was kinda mellow for a drunken hangout at Bourbon Street. Still they did that song about Mary and everything was right with the world.
And oh yeah, last night, I went to see Robert Randolph and the Family Band with Citizen Cope, which was also a helluva thing. Citizen Cope played alot of those songs from that album I liked 3 years ago, and some new jams from the new album, so what's not to like? Randolph jammed for over two hours, including covers of "Axel F", "Inner City Blues" (both with Citizen Cope), "Papa was a Rolling Stone", "Don't Worry Be Happy" and "Billie Jean." Wow. They didn't even play "I Need More Love." I always feel like Columbus Randolph shows must be special because Danyel, the bass player, is a hometown boy. I stood next to his brother in the front row. They also had about 100 girls on stage for "Shake Your Hips," which was nice. Robert Randolph is a man to see live.
So after 11 bands in 4 nights, there was no rock tonight. Just a trip to O'Reillys in honor of Ashley's last non-school-night for the year. I don't think there's any rock on tap this week until Friday (downtown political party??? With bands? OKAYYYYY!!!) and Saturday, the day of days, the day Andy and I see GALLAGHER and RJD2 in one night (two different shows, though if that was one bill.....DAMN!), which will be stupendous. So keep rockin', and I'll catch y'all on the flipside.

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Four = On The Floor

But before we talk about the aftermath of more parties, I must address the bevy of comments I've received in the last week:
1. Abele knows - Complaining gets fresh bloggins baked!
2. SadLee, the Brave Combo show was last Thursday. Andy and I thought about it, but came up with a cheaper, equally appealing option (see below). I'm sure they rocked the house, but as I only know one song of theirs, oh well. I'm sure the polka gods are preparing to strike me down with thunder and leiderhosen as we speak.
3. "Medeski Martin & Wood, I wish you ILL." - David Drake, 2004.
4. Yes, Andy "Matches Malone" Napier won last week's contest, and someday will pick out a fine prize I'm sure. Don't worry, you too will get a chance soon.

Ahh, that's better. This past Saturday was Bacchanalia in Wooster, marking four weekends in a row with major parties for this guy. Bacch is a Wooster tradition, as all sorts of Wooster students, alums, professors, and townies gather for a night of outdoor debauchery at Beck's Campground. There were some bands, but they weren't that memorable (Don't get all worried about me, I know the names of most of them and COULD describe their sound, I just don't feel like it). Not like the infamous Barman debacle of '03. Anyway, it was good to see Dusty, Todd, Margaret, Murray, Stein, David (who will hopefully have something nice to say about that Envelope EP I dropped on him SOON, wink wink nudge nudge say no more), and all them youngsters. I think Chops and I will be in our 40s and still making the trek.

Friday night, Andy and I caught one of the Bustown Reunion shows at the High Five, featuring the Lone Catalysts, Envelope, Racist Joe, and the Night Shift (insert pics I wish I had here). It was mostly a riotous good time. The Night Shift (Jun the Concept and the other guy) was good, it was my first time seeing them. Racist Joe, the duo of DJ Bombay and So What, was funny. It was also my first time seeing them (wow, same for the Lone Cats too), and So What was pretty damn drunk. He still led a rousing version of "Bitch, You Don't Know Shit," and other funny short songs. It was impressive that he made it through the set. The highlight was definitely the set from Envelope and DJ Amos Famous. It might not have been technically perfect, but everyone was really into it and Envelope played with the crowd pretty well. I mean, I was yelling along with the hook of a song I had never heard before. Definitely a Bustownian to look out for. After too long of a break (I mean, DJ Pos2 was killin shit on the tables all night, but that gets old after a while), the Lone Catalysts, J Sands and J Rawls, came out with an OK but not-thrilling closing set. Alot of people left after Envelope. In my opinion, the Lone Cats burst onto the scene around 5 years ago with some classic singles, but haven't really matched those since. But the new album, Good Music, features Masta Ace and MixMaster Ice, so who knows? Anyway, the show was a great time and I wish I had made all four Reunion shows.

Thursday night, Andy and I saw your pals and mine, the Heroes of History, at Ruby Tuesdays. I was happy to initiate another newbie into the wonder that is the Heroes. They played the usual load of great songs, and kindly agreed to play my screamed request of "Your Mom," which is a brilliant piece of songwriting, if you ask me. They are playing another show at Rubys on October 2 with a ton of other bands, so let's go, OK?

Future Plans:
Friday night: The Orphans and This Moment in Black History at Bernies. I don't know the Orphans, but TMIBH is a quality crazy rock band from Cleveland that supposedly has a good album out and killed shit at 2003's OSU Springfest. Hopefully Lucas and I will be there, will you?

Saturday night: The Von Bondies and Auf der Maur (if absolutely necessary), CD101 Low Dough Show at the Newport. Hmmm, 3 Von Bondies shows in about 6 months? Me likey much much, mmmmm mmmmmmmmm. Let's posse out yo!

Sunday night: I wanna see Robert Randolph & the Family Band at Promowest, do you?

A Review, perhaps?

Wow. I'm not exactly the biggest electronic fan around, but Mishaps Happening by Quantic is a helluva thing. Listening to it on the way back from Bacch, Jerome and I would have been fine if the opening title track had lasted for the whole album. But crazy funky beats kept on coming. GET IT NOW!

OK, that's enough. And oh yeah, I GOT GALLAGHER TICKETS, MWAHAHAHA!!!!!

Wednesday, September 08, 2004

Ummm, what comes after DEUX???

Another gap in posts! The world shrieks in horror!!! Or at least, that's what I assume you're doing since nobody has commented in many a moon. It might be partially my fault, but that's no fun, I'm writing, so it must be YOU! But just so we can prove who is NOT at fault, the first person who comments on this post (with a reaction to something I wrote!) wins one CD from the funky, funky stash of stuff I don't listen to! You there, start typing!
Here's an album cover for inspiration:

I got End of the World Party (Just in Case) by Medeski Martin & Wood in the mail today, one day after it was released and one day after I was supposed to get it, which I guess ain't bad (I still feel robbed). I'm definitely diggin' it. It's not as funky as some of the tunes on Uninvisible, but I think it's more consistent, so far. Of course, there are those of you who are not fans of said band, like this guy here, but we can't all be awesome.
To honor one of my more loyal readers, my old college pal Chris Abele (DAT'S MY ROOOOOMMAAATE!!!!!) was in the area from Pasadena for the Labor Day weekend, and more importantly, the triumphant return of Woostock. So yeah, that party was a helluva thing. 21 brave drinkers downed 2 kegs of tasty Yuengling beer in the hills of Pennsylvania. Sure, such consumption can lead to varieties of bodily and interpersonal problems, but everyone survived, hahahahahaha. Damn good time. Evan Berliner is a man to be reckoned with, that's all I got to say. And the Goose is a HELLUVA CAR!!!!!
When Abele and I weren't hangin in the hills, WE WERE ROCKING COLUMBUS TO ITS VERY CORE! Thursday night we caught the weekly New Basics Brass Band shindig at the Ravari Room. They were funky as ever, and Abele and I chatted a bit with the guys, they're pretty cool. Now they just need a gig opening for the Dirty Dozen or Youngblood, and they'll be set. Sunday night, despite being quite worn out from the weekend behind us, we did manage to catch Fat Girls by the Snack Table at the renovating High Five. Man, that's a good band. Yes, a bit weird and a bit of an acquired taste, but those are some tasty tunes! We also made it a few songs into the set from This Bike is a Pipebomb, but their loud yet rural rock was a bit too much at the moment. I might have to check them out in the future though. It was good to have Abele in town, can't wait till next Labor Day.
The future could also be a serious good time. Though I should probably do nothing tomorrow night, I'm tempted by both the first night of the Bustown Reunion at the Scarlet & Grey Cafe and the Brave Combo show at Little Brothers. I mean, I haven't seen a good polka show in a long time, haha. Anybody wanna go? Friday night should see me catching the second night of the Reunion, featuring Lone Catalysts, Envelope, Racist Joe, and the Night Shift at High Five with Andy and maybe my cousin in town from Seattle. Saturday night though, we turn the rock up a notch with Bacchanalia 2004 at Beck's Campground in dear ol' Wooster. Can't wait.
Alright, I've spent long enough on this. I got music to listen to! God bless the "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" sale from my friends and yours at Ubiquity Records. Adios.

Sunday, August 29, 2004

That party was a helluva thing, PART DEUX

In the words of Modest Mouse, "the good times are killin' me." Or at least it feels like that sometimes. Another Friday night, another shindig that utilized my musical services. My friend Tricia from work had a going-away party, as she is moving to Idaho with her boyfriend, and she had me DJ. It was pretty sweet. Of course, the heat/humidity was a bitch, but I survived. There were lotsa cool people there making good requests. There were some technical difficulties that cut off the music around 3, but we had made it long enough. It was cool to rock a party outside my "DJing comfort zone" and have it go rather successfully. I'm sorry to Lee and all the Mannhaus crew for my absence from the B-day party and your resulting lack of sound equipment. Hopefully the party killed shit nonetheless.
Now to cover some bands. Yesterday Andy and I caught two different shows, being the scenesters that we are. In the afternoon, this awesome dude named Lee Keeler had an OSU graduation party where he rented out Studio 35 to have a screening of "Spiderman 2" (originally Scarface and Animal House were possibilities, but I guess they didn't work) and a performance by The Sun. Plus, admission for people that weren't his friends was only 2 bones! Pretty damn sweet. We saw two new Sun videos twice, including an animated one that I loved. Hopefully that will be available in the future, or just on MTV 24-7 or something. Sam Brown's young son had a quality drum solo, including cackling into a mic, and he has the right parentage for greatness. Most of the new Sun tunes sound good, I'm sure when the album drops the wait will be worth it. Last night, Andy and I made it down to the Dell Cafe on Parsons to finally see Dejavu. They're pretty damn good. A variety of quality Latin sounds is how I would describe it. The Dell is a good spot too, there should be more events there. And supporting a co-worker is always good. Friday night before the party I caught The Tough and Lovely for free at their in-store appearance at Used Kids. Their new music sounds pretty nice too, I'll tell y'all about the debut album, "Born of the Stars," when I listen to it.

On Wednesday night, Andy and I made a trek to the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland to see the Greyhounds and Ray's Music Exchange. Actually, it was a CD release party for Cincinnati's RME, but their music was a bit lackluster compared to the deep Texas jam-funk of the Greyhounds. They're one of those bands that I had wanted to see for a long time, so when they even came within 2.5 hours, I had to make it work. It was worth it. The trio of drums, organ, and vocals/guitar/harmonica was kickin' some stank all over the place. Sure, there were a few slower ballads and whatnot, but most of the set was great. The boys in RME are good too, but their songs are pretty damn long, and whenever a very long song stays out of "funk territory" for too long, it gets old fast. The sad thing about this show was the attendance. There was never more than 30 people in the main room, which has to suck for a band from 5 hours away and a band from Texas! But both bands appeared unfazed, which was impressive. And we made it back to town by 2 AM! Good shit.
Well, that's a recap of the recent past. I'm sure there will be some rock shows attended this week, as Abele comes to town for Woostock. Look out Bustown! Also, I'm gonna work on a "plan-a-rock-a-gram" for the fall, as there are alot of shows coming to town and I need to get organized. Have a good week, broshacks.

Sunday, August 22, 2004

That party was a helluva thing.

Wow. Even this guy was there:

Or at least the best song he ever made an appearance (I was hoping Dave would just magically appear upon the utterance of "Bust 'em in the eye Shaq!" or whatever he says). Anyway, the Mannhaus party of the Friday night past was a seeerious summer jam, complete with a hot tub on the front porch (or an inflatable kiddie pool with a hose) and a cop showing up to silence the ruckus. Of course, being the dutiful DJ that I am, I was busy rockin' summer anthems like "Summertime" and "Kidd Drunkadelic" (People Under the Stairs), and therefore I didn't get into the hot tub until after the fuzz had fled (naw, the cop was cool). The only real problem I (and Chops) had with the party was the insistence of most of the hottubbing women to keep all their clothes on (and put on more, in some cases) when entering the pool, which seemed pretty silly, while most of the dudes got down to their boxers and stayed almost naked for hours (and in some cases, naked, but we won't get into that). All in all, though, it was a great time, and I'm glad that those who attended did so.
The rock has been slow as of late. I would like to be able to tell you about Dejavu's smokin' performance at the Dell Cafe last night, but as I'm sure you could gather from the first paragraph, last night was set aside for recovery for most people I know, and unfortunately I was unable to make it out to the scene. On Wednesday, however, Andy and I plan to make a voyage to the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland to see Cincinnati's Ray's Music Exchange (actually, I guess it's their CD release party), with Texas' Greyhounds opening up. I'd still love to go up to Cleveland again on Friday night for Brand Nubian and Brother Ali at the Grog Shop, but since chances are lookin' slim, the Tough & Lovely CD release party at Skullys is a much better bet. And there could be something cool going down Saturday night, but we'll keep that on the DL for now. And with that, here's some quick...
Music Reviews

Yes, I finally have it (you like that jacked graphic? Me too). Sure, it took 5 stores over two nights including a trek through campus in the rain after work on Friday, but I found it for an acceptable price at the place I should have started, Magnolia Thunderpussy. Most of the tracks on here are pretty nice. Sure, a few of em meander towards mindless techno/groove/beats, but most songs are pretty solid, and there's some serious talent involved, so that doesn't hurt.

If you're looking for some solid good times hip-hop from affiliates of the legendary Roots crew (and let's face it, that's why you're here), then I recommend picking this up. I first heard of these guys in some magazine about 3 years ago, and I found a few MP3s in the last days of Napster. So basically, this album took two years too long to come out (it came out last summer). So there ain't much buzz these days, but there should be. There's some energetic party jams, a few more thoughtful, inspirational cuts, some production by ?uestlove, Scratch on the beatbox, and 88-Keys, and even a few funny skits (I think you should look out for the BEAT MONSTER!!!!!). Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up! Back on the scene, crispy and clean...ah fuck, you always gotta beware of them lyrical tangents.
OK, I'm sure that's enough to hold you over for a while. Hip-hop and ya don't stop.

Monday, August 16, 2004

Scribblen, Scribblen (I HATE WHITE MIKE!!!)

WIN FABULOUS PRIZES!!!!!!! In honor of my and Andy's safe return from Scribble Jam, I will give a yet-to-be-determined hip-hop prize to the first person who can tell me: The name of the artist who recorded "Scribblen." Yes, he's a rapper who travels in Scribble Jam related (read: Midwest underground hip-hop) circles, if that helps. Google probably won't help too much. I like these to be tough.

Anyway, Scribble Jam '04 was a good time. As you can see above (and in Monday's Columbus Dispatch), 18 year-old Illmaculate from Portland, OR, who lost his job to come to the fest, won the MC battle over past champion Mac Lethal. The battle wasn't super-stupendous, as alot of mediocre MCs were able to win a round or two. The aforementioned White Mike was pretty awful, luckily Illmaculate served him up nice. Deuce Leader, courtesy of his now-infamous stage-dive (he weighs at least a good 250) during last year's freestyle battle, was name-dropped in about every freestyle. Also, as noted by one of the hosts of the battle, there were an obscene amount of gay jokes in the freestyles. I'm sure most of those guys aren't homophobic, but the tolerance of such lyrics in hip-hop today definitely limits its appeal to an outside audience. The rock-centric Other Paper review of Ghostface's set at the Projekt Revolution tour this year comes to mind. But any battle where a Nintendo Power Glove is mentioned as a sexual aide is OK by me.
None of the other battles really caught my attention, though the guy that chopped the intro to a Parliament song into the melody of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" in the DJ battle was pretty sweet. There were lots of good live shows. The back-to-back QN5/Cunninlynguists sets Saturday night were rather stout, though I would definitely give the upper hand to those Cunnin folks. I guess it's mainly because all of them were there, and they performed alot of my favorite songs from the two albums, including the namesake of this blog. The QN5 set only featured half of EFamm (Pack FM & Tonedeff) plus Mr. Mecca, so it was lots of new stuff from upcoming solo albums, and not familiar bangers. Still good though, even with crazy drunken appearances from folks like Poison Pen, who might be ODB 2K4. Wordsworth, of Lyricist Lounge (both the Mtv show and the albums) fame, performed a set Friday night and also appeared with QN5 Saturday night, and was definitely a fine live performer. Look out for his album on September 14th. Little Brother was good on Friday night, as were hometown heroes Blueprint & Illogic, who did alot of my favorites of theirs, like "My Favorite Things," "Break Bread," and "Inhale." Living Legends were last Friday night, and some of them got pretty pissed when the sound was turned off around 2:30. Oh well, it was dope either way. There were other good live shows (and Beans', who had the benefit of awful sound, which did not help his odd, CD-player powered live show), but the Rhymesayers sets were nothing new and there was just too much hip-hop to write about here. I think Andy estimated that we spent about 19 hours at Annie's over the two days. Whatever, it was cool to hang out with Dave (and Andy), and I think all had a good time. Scribble 2005, here we come (look out wallet)!!!

Before I forget, I also saw a quality show on Thursday night, that being Elefant, VHS or Beta, and The Everyones at Little Brothers. Well, the Everyones from Australia were pretty bad: with their generic poploudrock, incessant & unnecessary falsetto, and the least-rockin' flute ever, I dubbed them many things, including "The Ballsweat-o's" and "Wolfgang Amadingo Crapzart." At least it was good to laugh at. After another epic soundcheck, VHS or Beta rocked a fine set of danced-out new wave. As I said a few times, the jump from their last album to the stuff they're doing now is like going from 1978 to 1982. Along with that, there is also the slightly off-putting aspect of their shows, which is their refusal to play anything but stuff from the upcoming new album. It's not like they have a huge back catalog, but one lengthy disco jam from "Le Funk" would have made my day. After them, Elefant rocked pretty hard, in a new wave-y sorta way. They actually reminded me of the Psychedelic Furs on a handful of songs. And the drummer mooned the audience. All in all, all of us (Ashley, Katie, Franz, Kehn, and myself) seemed to have a good time.

Well alright. Back up to speed. Not huge rock plans coming up, though there may be a small Mannhaus party Friday night and I want to see my co-workers' Latin band on Saturday. And there's always Tuesday at the Ravari. Look out for some sort of music reviews, including vinyl and all that crap I bought at Scribble. If only I could sell folks on the awesomeness of this blog like that guy sold the multi-platinum-ness of the Hangar 18 album I was forced to purchase.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Muchas Gracias

Yes indeed, thanks to all the fine folks that caught my second appearance spinning them old-timey musical plates at the Ravari Room with the always awesome Wicked Lung & the Wookalar last night. Individual thank yas to: Emily (gotta list blood relations first), Julie, Andy, Ashley, Amy, Allison, Jason, Lee, Franz, Adam, Kehn, Chops & Mandy (sorry bout the timing, y'all), Ben Oliver, Val (nice to talk to her again, hopefully her Ravari debut is just around the corner), Amy's sister and a friend of hers that I swear I went to elementary or middle school with, Tim Fulton and Jenny Taylor, Antoine from Monster Movies (boo hoo hoo)/River of Wine (hooray!), and, of course, the pretty funny comedian guy. Man, that list of people I knew that were at the bar last night was alot longer than the last time, look out world, here I come (armed with crazy recognition of faces)! I think we all had a good time. I played alot of records, but let's face it, the big crowd pleasers were Cosby, the Cars, Deep Purple, and Baby Mama. Major points to Val for being the only person to catch the cover of the Human League's "Don't You Want Me" by Fast 3. Some random guy was really into "Plug Me In" by the Lost Boyz, so I guess Dave's spirit lives on. Assuming the guys keep the night (keep going on Tuesdays, everybody!), I think this will probably happen again soon. Huzzah!

Eh, writing's for schmucks. You know the show tomorrow, you know the haps for the weekend, you know the drill! Moe Bandy, bitches!

Saturday, August 07, 2004

It's just as good, I swear...

Current listenins cuz I'm too lazy to get off my ass and see them for free at the fair:

They sound pretty sweet back in the early 70s. I know, just like me, you can't believe a Grand Funk live album without "We're An American Band," but actually this could be a good thing. Seriously, they're rockin the fair right now, GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

You need mo' rock (or Mo Rocca) plans? I reckon you came to the right hitchin' post, pardner. This afternoon, I'll probably make an appearance at Lost Weekend (your favorite Clintonville hole-in-the-wall record store and mine) to see new local band Lover Lover rock that place into the ground (well, and remind Kyle about my forthcoming Ravari Room rap-pearance). There is a veritable multitude (God, this Grand Funk album is killin shit right now) of shows going down tonight, coulda used one of em last night. Anywayz, I think Andy and I will make it two Saturdays in a row at a Little Brothers "rockin' 'cue." This time it's the Donewaiting.com Rock 'n Roll BBQ, promising free food from 7-9 (with only a $5 admission charge) and performances from Watershed, Woolworthy (Chicago), the Whiles, and the Last Hotel. You should come too.

AND YOU KNOW WHAT TUESDAY MEANS!!!!! ANDREW "FUNKY D" PATTON WITH WICKED LUNG & THE WOOKALAR PLAYIN REKKIDS AT THE RAVARI ROOM!!!! BE THERE OR DIE! OK, maybe that's a little harsh, I apologize. Anyway, it'll be a good time. I would link to the Ravari Room site, but it hasn't been updated in over a month, so fuck it. The address is 2657 N. High, directly on the corner of W. Dodridge and High, next to Hound Dog's. Music will start around 10 or 10:30.

Thursday brings us Elefant w/VHS or Beta and the Everyones at Little Brothers, and then Andy and I take off to Cincy for the weekend for.......SCRIBBLE JAM 2004!!!!! It's a hell of a thing.

So yeah, Recent Rock Reviews. Thursday night meant the second weekly gig for the New Basics Brass Band at the Ravari Room. Mo' horn funk fo dat azzzzz. Chops and I just about shit our pants when a song started with the tuba playing the bass line from "Rapper's Delight," and then the other horns came in with the "Sanford & Son" theme. Mega-killer! Wednesday night, Andy and I saw a fine bill of River of Wine, Wicked Lung & the Wookalar, and Doctah X at Skullys. River of Wine is really good, and will fucking rock when they've played together for a while. Antoine is still crazy on the bass, and seeing the owner of the Ravari Room workin the skins is pretty sweet too. I mean, how many bands do you know that have songs about Sonny Liston? That's what I thought. Wicked Lung & Wookalar were joined again by Fluff Snake on the drums, sweeeet. Now, there were no stuffed animals at this show, probably cuz it was clean ol Skullys, but they rocked just the same. Doctah X's crazy dub sounds were alright, but we left, due to the tiredness and all.

OK, that's enough. The Grand Funk Live album has just finished kicking my ass. Wow, if only the band had stuck with the game plan. Now it's time to listen to my grand haul from Dusty Groove that just arrived in the mail. It'll be WI-I-I-IIILD, MAN!

Monday, August 02, 2004

Time Waits for No Blog!!!

So if you're just checking it for the first time in a week, please scroll below for Saturday's musins. Yesterday I went and got a turntable and the rest of my vinyl from der Mannhaus in order to prepare properly for..."Smell the Vinyl" with (FUCK YOU, NEW BLOGGER TEMPLATE!!!) Wicked Lung and the Wookalar at the Ravari Room, August 10th. Consider yourself double-warned, and on the verge of being warned some more. The set is being worked on as we speak.

Right now, I'm giving a full listen to Eugene McDaniels' "Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse," sampled by the Beastie Boys and Tribe Called Quest and re-hashed, in part, by the Breakestra. So it's gettin' funky over here, so later it'll get fon-kay ovah dere. There might even be an "All-Ohio" section of the evening's musical feast, look out for that excitement. Now, for the featured presentation...

Vertical Slumbecue 2004

Yes indeed sir, Grand Lord Nappius of the Land of Bread that Shall Forever be Flav-o-rized by Pepperoni and I went to the first annual Vertical Slumbecue at Little Brothers on Saturday night. This event was put on by the Vertical Slum, a cool webzine thingy that can probably explain itself better than I can right here.
First of all, it was an adventure just getting there. The afternoon started with a renting and viewing of "Suckerpunch," an unsung classic of modern cinema that uses vulgarity and Greg Nice for the best purposes ever (kinda like me). Then came the first challenge. I think Nappius has a mutiny on his hands, because one of his "faithful" house cats decided to run out beneath his foot while he was walking down the stairs and...pwned! Andy (this Nappius stuff is getting lame fast) fell down the stairs and ended up banging up his shoulder pretty good. But after putting ice on it for about 10 minutes, he decided that there was a mission to be pursued and we set off for the rock, still showing up in time for a few songs of the opening act! For this, I have decided (yes, I have this power) to award Andy Q. Napier (the Q stands for Quintilius, he hides it because it's not unique) the Rock 'n Roll Purple Heart. This puts a fine cap on an outstanding week for the young fella, who had already garnished the distinction of getting a drinking move named after him. Yes, Chops was inspired by Q's (you know, his family likes using their middle names) example and decided that drinking to drown out your hunger should be referred to as "pulling a Napier." Yes, that Napier is an example to us all.
Anyway, there's some rock to be discussed (it's about time, I was starting to think I was writing a Captain Underpants book or some shit). The aforementioned opening band was Cleveland's Dreadful Yawns, the first of many fine acts that could be loosely described as folk-rock. After their fine set, Chris McCoy (Dayton, I guess) and his band played some mo' quality folk-rock. This is around the time Andy and I caught our first round of tasty BBQ pork sammiches served off of the pool table in the back. This event lived up to its name, and then some! Then came Wussy from Cinn City, who were alright but not too rockin' (though it could be my chauvinistic bias against some female lead singers). I think this is where the ill-fated "Side Stage" was first put into use for the night. First up was Tiara's Eric Metronome (Bustown), whose fare was pretty but a little too light for me. And as discussed here, among other things, it was a tough setup for the acoustic side-stagers to succeed in. Then came another set of Columbus heroes, Moviola, whose Scotty Tabachnick played his last set with the band. Sad stuff. I've liked these guys since I read about an awesome new record from a magical Columbus band in that week's issue of CMJ back in college and thought, "damn, I don't care if my radio station ain't cool, we NEED that!" More bands need to split the lead-singing role amongst everyone in the band like that. Mellowed-out bliss. Then came a side-stage performance from Adam Smith (somewheres in Southern Ohio?), whose wacky, almost-Redbone-esque 30s stylee was pretty sweet (make counterfeit money all daaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy). Next up on the main stage was the last Columbus act of the night, the Bygones, another band I first heard in college. They were definitely the rockinest band we saw, yet still had some of that folk to 'em. Then came the last set on the side stage (others were scheduled, but didn't happen) from Dayton's Wil Cope, okay I guess. Then came the band who traveled the furthest to this shindig, San Francisco's Court and Spark, who kicked out still more folk-rock jamz! I would have picked up some merch if the wallet had given me permission. Then, after a side-stage-performance-less changeover, came the evening's only real misstep in my eyes: a woman (later identified by those in the know as Scout Niblett) announced she was gonna play a few songs, and then came the pain. I guess those were songs, as the folks at that online discussion listed above claim her as an A-list talent of some indie sort, but damn, right about then, she was doing NOTHING for me. One song featured verses that would quickly build in volume, then immediately collapse again. Another one featured her making one-syllable noises on the beat. She also switched from guitar to drums, only to switch back to guitar when her boyfriend (Dave from Swearing at Motorists, the next band on the bill) started playing drums. I'm not proud to admit, but the frustration of spending five hours in smoke-filled Little Brothers only to be subjected to that led me to yell for "Freebird." I had to. I don't think it drove her back across the pond, don't worry. So when the Motorists (Dayton again) finally hit the stage, Matches Malone and I were ruined for the night. The lead singer was funny, most of the songs rocked, and the audience was with them 200%, but we were just too worn out to get into it. We made it through their set, but decided to leave before the headliner, Jason Molina aka Magnolia Electric Company (formerly of Songs: Ohia), and it sounds like we missed a good set, but I doubt we would have gotten much from it. So, in conclusion, the first annual Vertical Slumbecue was an awesome, praiseworthy event, with just a couple slight flaws. See ya next year, fellas.
Dammit Matches, you had to use your blog to hype up a review over here, didn't you? See what you get! Enjoy, y'alls, and if you need local recommendations for the next three nights, read below.