Friday Five: Fabricated for your weekend!

Welcome to this weeks Five! This week, I I found some pretty awesome performances, some Halloween songs and even a mini-trip back to the 90's. Hope you enjoy!

Sonic Youth - Kool Thing. I just found out that this had a video last night!  Yeah, even if I tire of this song, I don't think I'm going to get tired of this video! Look at all the fuzz and the 90'sness. Even MTV was good  back then. What is postmodern MTV anyway?


Misfits - Braineaters. Should I have a Halloween Friday Five weekend edition? That would be fun.


Feist - 1234 & Mushaboom (In Paris). These songs get stuck in my head more than they should be.  She kills it when she gets to Mushaboom.  Cool vocal loop at the end.


PJ Harvey Uh Huh Her. No, its not only the name of PJ's album, but I guess this is another B-side to something. Check out PJ's shirt.  This is one of my favorite live preformances from her.


Siouxsie and the Banshees - Tenant. This is one of the better live versions of Tenant that I've seen.


Extra! Siouxsie and the Banshees - Pained Bird (With Robert Smith). If you are a Banshees Fan, try to find Nocturne on DVD. You will not be disapoitned. ( I think that the DVD is better than the live album, but that might just be me). This crowd knows what to do. Awesome.



Classic Sleater Kinney! Well, it really isn't that "Classic" because its all from "The Woods" but that doesn't matter. I felt like being nice this week, so I picked 3 for you readers this week :) (The first and last one are from Coachella '06.)

Modern Girl - "This song is about a nervous breakdown...in reverse". That is one of the best song openers I have ever heard.


Jumpers. Yeah, another Letterman video. One of the best versions of Jumpers I've seen, and if I think its good, then it must be good. Check out 2:20 - 2:40 for the good part. (Is it ironic that that bridge is in the background...?)


Step Aside.  I love this song.


(PS. I wouldn't count Sleater Kinney reunion out just yet. I read someplace (I forgot. Sorry...) that there is a good chance of a reunion sometime soon :) Keep asking for it! And for you Denver people, don't shut up about it! Tell all of your 90's punk friends, and tell them to tell their friends so that they could come play here! It would blow your mind if it would happen...)


If you want to read some more, check out Carrie Brownstein's Ari Up Tribute on NPR's.

All ages vs. Age restricted shows.

I've been to some shows in my time, and I've tasted both types of shows: all ages, and age restricted shows. Each has benefits and drawbacks, so I'm going to compare them and tell you what I prefer.


All Ages shows.

1. Smaller
And by small I'm talking 100 people or less. Most of the time, the maximum amount of people depends on where the concert is, and how full they want it to be. My friend was paying in their basement once and I'm sure we got 45 people in there in the open part.
2. Everyone gets in
Well, most people get in if they didn't punch some random dude in the face before the show. Sometimes the people running the concert will kick you out if you didn't pay or don't have a "smiley face" sticker on your hand. The line to pay isn't long or anything like that unless the venue doesn't have a good entrance!
3. Mostly local.
   When you go to the same venues every week or so, you start to see the same people quite often. That is awesome because normally when that happens, you can talk about the bands you seen last week, or the latest music developments.
4. Bands really care about what they do.
   I just showed up for this concert once (I guess they didn't care if I got in for free) and I sat on this really comfortable couch and I just started to talk about these people about this "air conditioner that got blown out" and how "the box fans they brought were not that great".  Anyway, that lasted for like 15 minutes and then they "were going to start now". That was pretty awesome. When do you get to sit on a couch with a band talking about box fans in the middle of summer?
5. Cheap!
   What can you do with 5-15 dollars? Why not go see a band at an all ages show? Yeah sure, if you want to get drunk or whatever, just do it outside and take advantage of the low, low, price of 10 dollars. Come on, what else can you do with 5 dollars?
6. Best places ever.
   Churches (the cool ones, not the stuffy religious ones), basements, parks, record stores,birthday parties, pools, skateparks, someones garage,community centers, concert halls, are some of the places that I've seen bands play. It might sound outlandish, but each place has its own flavor that makes it great. I don't know what makes it fun, but you just have to experience skateboarding and listening to a killer band all at once.
7. Free food!
   If you know me, you know that I love food (not to eat, but to love food).  The thing that makes food better is the 4 letter word "Free". Sometimes the band orders food, or sometimes the venue does to just make the gig cooler. Either way, you can't miss out on the free food at these things. No, I'm not talking about water and saltines, I'm talking about pizza and soda, Nachos, ice cream, candy, everything in the fun food group.
8. Free stuff.
   Most stuff at shows is free if you ask the band for it, and also saying that you know the band too! Sometimes veneers will be outside or in the lobby if the band is doing a sound check or whatnot. You know my  saying "Take it if it's free". Because everyone goes to all ages shows, everyone brings stuff to share. I've gotten CD's. Stickers, Cassette tapes (haha), posters, zines and even guitar picks. All ages shows are like a "grab bag" of awesomeness.
9. Lots of room (sometimes)
   All ages shows can have lots of room, or not a lot of room at all! If the venue has space for 100, but 150 people are standing outside the door, you are not going to have a lot of room at all. People will be on you like glue, and by the time the concert is over, you will have 6 new best friends! If you are going to a smaller show, you won't have as many friends, but you will at least, have some breathing room to do whatever crazy dance that you want to.
10. More fun
    All ages shows are like a party. These things can get pretty crazy too. My friend went to this one concert where people were kicking around beach balls and throwing around party streamers. Doesn't that sound fun?
11. Can last forever.
    At an all age local show, don't pay attention to the set times. I went to a gig thinking that it would end at 3 in the afternoon, but instead it ended at 7. Who cares though, the more music the better.  I've noticed that at the local shows and at the all ages ones, the bands really bring out the action and the energy. That is what I love about the all ages shows. You don't know what you are going to get, but you do know that it is going to be lively and full of passion.

Age restricted Shows.

1.  Really Large.
   Most of the time, all ages shows are in the small places like I described earlier. Age restricted shows are in the larger venues, but they can be in the smaller ones (that is quite rare). When I say larger venues, I'm talking about city block wide concert places with standing room only. The largest show that I've been too was at least 600 - 1,000+ people. If it is a stand - up concert, then I must tell you to get there early, and to thrash around while dancing (we don't want someones eye knocked out!)
2. Crowd varies.
   The smaller shows are usually you and your friends, the bands friends and some random people. For a crowd, that is nice. Age restricted shows bring out just about everyone. At one show, I litteraly seen a Geek with a Star Wars shirt on, a (kind of friendly looking) Skinhead, an Old punk rocker dude with his decked out jacket, and some guy in a business suit.  If you want to talk to people who are like you, then you will find those people if you walk though half the crowd and almost knock some random dudes 8 dollar beer over.
3. Age makes it stale sometimes.
   Because it is age restricted, then you are going to have those people there (those 18 and over etc..). I really don't like the age restricted ones because do you wan't to hang out with people your age and older? Well, even if you do, you have to say that there are some really awesome young people around these days doing some really awesome stuff.
4. Bands can care about what they do. (depends)
   Age restricted shows can have some of the best bands that give it their all and put on a really good concert or, age restraicted shows can have some of the worst band ever who don't really do too much on stage. Most of the time the band that you payed for will give you a good show, but if it just so happens, the band that you see sucks so much that you just want to leave (that happens when you just hear about a band and show up at a gig 15 minuntes before a show).  This is why I say that the bands who play age restricted shows care about what they do sometimes. It just really depends who is playing that night/day and if they can put down a good show.
5. Not so cheep
   Be armed with money if you are going to age restricted show. Here is an example of what I payed for an age restricted show:
   
   Tickets: 23$
   Bottle of Water (Couldn't take any in. I guess I could have suck some in...) 7$
   T-shirt: 10$
   Total: 40$
   
   That is a lot of  money! Do you know what I could have bought with that?
   
6. Not the best places ever. Mostly large venues.
   Going back to the venue thing. The venues could be super good, or supper lame. Most of the time it is super lame. I went to a show on the hotest day of the year (The same day I got my sweater) and I realised that this this concert hall did not have any air conditioning! I got lucky though because I met my friend there and they brought some water. I got lucky this time. Just keep keep in mind that lots of people in one space give off more heat then people who are spread out in a small space.  In summer, bring water and a jacket. In winter, bring a hoodie. It gets warmer in winter with more people in a gig, so don't bring a parka.
7. BYOF (Bring Your Own Food)
   No freebies in these age resticted gigs.  Check a head of time to see if you can bring someting to eat. We don't want you boozing up on an empty stomach. Even better, try to find someplace to eat before the gig so you don't pass out or anything.
8. No Freebies!
   You can't go to the vender and ask "Hey can I get one of those stickers?"  at an age restricted show. There isn't too much free stuff in the world of the age restriced shows. You might get lucky when an indie band leaves some stuff in a bucket labeled "free stuff".
9. Not a lot of room (really true when its ga. Sucks when you are late!)
   If the age restricted gig you are going to is general admition (ie, pick a spot to stand and stay there for the whole night long) try not to dance around, and try not to talk through the whole show. This is ok to do if the song is high engergy, and the band is known for dancable music.  I know it is hard not to reist danceing at a show  (espally if you are like me and pogo to everything). If you must dance, try not ot hit anyone.
10. Better when you bring people. (kinda fun)
    I guess that it is better when you bring people to any gig, but when you go to a age restricted show, chances are you might not meet new people. That is why it is better to bring a friend (or 3) with you when you go to a show. Just remember the three golden rules:
    
    • Don't talk throughout the show
    • Don't get too drunk (I don't want someone passed out next to me!)
    • Have Fun!
11. Time Varies
    As a matter of fact, all gigs could last long. But I've noticed that the age resticted shows that I go to last a really long time (it might just be because we are all old enought to stay up past our bedtime). I've also seen that age restricted shows have the most encores. They just keep going and going and going...I guess the more you get, the better it is.

What I like better.
I just want to say that age restricted shows are age restricted shows for the stupidest reasons.  For example, a band can get their shows bumped to 21+ because they drop the "F bomb" more than 2 times. That is why I prefer all ages shows to the age restricted ones. More freedom, more fun, more free stuff


Stick around, Friday Five is coming soon!

The Corin Tucker Band "1,000 Miles" review.

I'm just going to say this now and I don't care if people are going to disagree with me. I really want Corin Tucker to play better than she did in Sleater Kinney. If she doesn't then I'm going to be a little disappointed, and will invest all of my time and interest into Wild Flag. Despite that though, I'm still going to give this album a equal chance in my listening library compared to Sleater Kinney and to Wild Flag.


Now if you don't know already, I'm a Sleater Kinney fan. I know my trivia, I know my albums, and if I really wanted to, "I could replace any of the members because I know just as much as they do" (my friends words, not mine).  I'm latched onto Sleater Kinney not only because their music sounds good, and not only because all of their members rule but because they have been making superb music from the beginning of their career and didn't stop with their last album. Yes, I loved "The Woods" and was upset to hear that it would be their last album due to a "hiatus".  It upset me more when I found out that they played their last show the day before my birthday. No Lie.  (If anything, they owe me a birthday cake and a comeback tour...)  So when I found out that all 3 members were doing solo projects, I almost spilled my coffee on my laptop in joy (I didn't thank heavens).


More research told me that the 3 members were not going to be in the same solo groups. More research told me though that Carrie and Janet were to have their own thing, and Corrin was to do her own thing on Kill Rock Stars (their original label).  By then, I realized that this will not be Sleater Kinney, and I shouldn't compare it to Sleater Kinney because it probably won't sound anything like them. So I will try my best not to compare the Sleater Kinney offshoots to each other and to not compare them to the original band.


Now, I never really took sides in the whole "Which Sleater Kinney guitarist is better" debate because they are just too gosh darn equal to each other. Plus, each Sleater Kinney guitarist has their own style of playing. For example, Carrie was more wild and fun to watch (still is) and Corin was more reserved and better at doing the whole emotional vocal thing (which isn't too bad either).  It is going to take me a while to hear one guitar at a time so I'm pretty sure that this might sound new to you too.


Keep in mind that I'm reviewing this as I hear it (I haven't even put it in my CD player yet!), so if I think that a song sounds bad at "first listen" it might just because I haven't appreciated it yet. Now, if I say something is rancid,then it might just be that bad (Yes, I know what bad is).


Oh, if you want to see more of my Sleater Kinney Blogging, then click here.

1,000 Years
First thought "Will this be a folk album?".  But that started to go away, when I took out my handy dandy lyrics booklet: "I want the woman/I want her back/want her whole" What is this "Wholeness" that she is referring to? (Whole as in Sleater Kinney Reunion?). It isn't a bad song, but it is a quiet song. I'm used to quiet songs, but not from Corin. I can see if she wanted a change, but I'm not too sure if I can get use to this "quiet" sound. That's fine with me though, I might just have to listen to this more.

Half A World Away
This one starts off with a Glockenspiel? I don't know what it is, but this song is giving off that vibe of "Folk". Then Corin comes in with " I'm half a world away from you/I'm half a world away/When we're apart/Africa and the Bush/ Take you Far/ The lens, the story the picture/ Is your Call".  Something is throwing me for a loop here, this sounds like the Creatures! It just might be the drumming on this one, but it is safe for me to say that this album does have some pretty different drum beats to it and it is quite refreshing.  At about 1:04 things start to get up beat and I can't complain with that.  Alright, I can't help but say it, but the drums are just reminding me of Sleater Kinney!. I didn't want to say that, but this probably was used to get people like me to listen to this. Not a bad song.

It's Always Summer
Right off the bat, the guitars are giving off that "folk-y sound". You all heard it, that kind of country thing that lots of indie people use to set the mood of the song.  Going back to the lyric sheet, I can't help but think "Where is it always summer? "Its always summer/Where you are/ Its always something" I'm trying not to go into "lyric decoder mode" but I just can't help it with this song. I know that this song is going to stay through my head all night long. 2:26 has a nice guitar solo thing. Then, what is that? a Violin? Interesting, I wasn't expecting that from this song.

Handed Love
I already like this even before I hear Corin start to sing. I know that this song is special. Then Corin starts to sing. If I picked this song on shuffle, then I wouldn't know that Corin was singing. On this one, she has a slight "raspy-ness" to her voice; kind of like one of those people who you hear at a coffee shop singing the whole day away, while you drink your coffee. Things speed up at around 1:00 and add some color to this song. "Got love if you want it/ You're alone again/Get some if you want it/its a dangerous game/Fall down cause you want it/You crave the taste/Get some if you want it/ The feeling comes again" This, dear blog readers, has to be one of the best lyrics that I have heard on a new album this year! The delivery and everything else in this song makes these lyrics shine. and right around 2:00 in, things just sound even better. I finally get to here the loud Sleater Kinney like guitars that I so badly wanted to hear. (They must have been listening to me ramble about it...) Ok Sleater Kinney fans, it isn't Carrie, but it will do right?

Doubt (Get the free download here!)
I guess "Handed Love" set up the atmosphere for this song. Loud guitars and drums right in. From the start to the end. "A good looking sinner/Walked down my street/ When I fell for him/ I fell complete/You know that familiar song called to me" Another question "What is that familiar song? I'd like to know. Then bam-o the screaming comes out (yeesss) "When I fall in/ There is no Doubt/And I belong/ For a little while/ It's the deepest drug/ It's the tallest joy/ I forget myself/For a while" Another good lyric candidate. Wait for it, here comes some more good stuff followed by a nice guitar solo (go check out that download now!). Then it just breaks off into science, then more of the "Good looking Sinner" again. I just want to dance to this song. Even that violin wants me to. More nice lyrics "Break up with the Boogie/ Break up with the Beat/ Did you let us down, or was it me?/ I think that this silence is going to kill me." (don't say this has to do with Sleater Kinney...Don't say it...)

Dragon
Starts off like another slow song, then I realize that it is another slow song. I guess it picks up a little at 1:30. This album is relying heavy off of that violin, and heavy drumbeats, and this song is a good example of it. I'm going to say this again "Who are what is this dragon? Does she have a dragon?" Well I know that dragons aren't real, but could this be a good metaphor? I like this song and everything, but I think that this might be a bumper song to the next song. Kind of that "mellow song to the next big song". But we shouldn't overlook this one.

Riley (Go check out the video!)
Starts off with guitars, then goes on to the normal volume that we are used to. Corin sings "Heard the phone ring/ It's been a while/Since I heard from you/Since we hung out/Say Hello dear, how you been/Then you drop the bomb baby/You fill me in" Nice lyric. Then I thought "Oh, whoever is talking hasn't heard from the person who they like for like 4 songs and once she finds out that he is "down and out" she gets sad and sentimental. Hurts to say it, but when this video came out like 2 weeks ago, I hated this song. Thank heavens that I like it now. Just because this song has a music video doesn't mean it should be the song everyone likes off the album. "Ran around as kids/ We had some fun/But time marches/ And we both moved on/ You got a real gig/ You settled down/ now it hurts to hear/ Your down and out." I don't really listen to songs like these,but despite that, I still think that this is a really good song! Yes, I'm kind of mad that I said that this song sucked a week or two ago.

Pulling Pieces
This one is starting off slow. Then some whispered lyrics: "There's a worn out box/on the top of the shelf/I know I missed so meting,/can't remember what/I keep drifting back and/Touching the spot/I can't rest untill I've found/what I've lost" Oh no, not another one of these songs. You know, one of those songs. "I'm only pulling pieces/From the pages of my former life/ Stiff and wrinkled paper/ Written in a diffrent time/Are you gonna cross the line?" I feel like this is the song that would be playing if I was reading an old journal or something like that. Things get loud at 1:28: "Tell me why did you close the door? I can't get in/To where I'm supposed to go/ I'm just shadow of what I used to be/....Tell me why did you go/And cut me to the bone" This guitar sounds like a "Quarter to Three" and I'm pretty sure that song made you cry too right?

Thrift Store Coats
Oh no, this is really quite sad just from the lyrics alone "It happened one lazy afternoon/ When the kids had played/ Too long at school/ Late made dinner/ and Snatched up news/ "Funds dried up and my job cut loose"".  Then after some more whispered lyrics, the tempo changes around 1:10. I'm seeing that this album is pulling on emotions, and then right when you want to cry/change the song to something happy, it gets loud and upbeat! What? Whoever thought of that was a genus. If that plan wasn't in place, then I would have just traded this album for something else (I like it though!!). "Frozen hopes/ and Thrift Store Coats/ They dont' cost a thing/ When you're broke" Its funny, but then again I don't want to laugh because that would be morally wrong for me!

Big Goodbye
I'm thinking that this might be connected to the last song "Thrift Store Coats".  Anyway, the lyrics start off with "Big low porch/ On an old white house"..."Reaching for it/Break up with the past.." That isn't too bad, but hey, it gets better. "Another day come and gone/I think it's time to move along"..."Your my big goodbye/I reach up high but I can't see beyond/Your my Big goodbye" Then it gets sad again (...) "Can't imagine/Life without you/But sometime soon I know I'll have to" "If we're bot here for a little while/Let's get together one more time" (why would they want to do that!??!). Ok, so this must be one of those songs "last ditch, I'm going to go for it, break up songs". As much as I hate them,  this one is quite good. I think the way that the guitars and the bass mingle is why I like this song. It is like eating orange flavored chocolate; you get the best of both flavors. Then the guitar does just what I want it to do (solo!). "It's too big a question for my tiny mind/ where we end up when we finally move on/ I reach up high but I can't see beyond/I'll keep looking for my spirit in the sky". Alright people, I'm holding back tears on this one. If you can find it, go listen to it and you will see what I mean.

Miles Away
The last song on the album starts off with Piano and it is refreshing to hear it. I really dont' want this song to be like "Night Light" from The Woods. We all know how awesome that was, but at the same time, it was so sad! "New moon, peeking through/Now the sky is brand new/Feel it on my skin is it night or noon?/ It's been the blackest night/ For quite some time/ Since my love left with that heart of mine/But I kept on ticking/ And I don't know why" Well, it might not end up like "Night Light" after all. "I'll get my light from a star/ Who is miles away" I guess that is the only lyric that you need  to have a great song.

Overall, "1,000 Years" has the sing-songy lyrics that will be stuck in my head for the next couple of weeks. Yeah, I get that it won't be Sleater Kinney or it probably can't replace them, but who cares, this album is one of the best ones that I've heard this year and that is all that matters. I like the fact that it is different for Sleater Kinney. It almost makes it that much better because we get to hear the sounds and the songwriting that we never saw in Sleater Kinney to begin with. I think that this might be the new staple in my wickedly awesome music library. Go buy this now, no joke. I don't care if it is snail mail, download, or CD form, just buy it.  You will be happy that you did.  (I can't wait to see what Wild Flag has to offer...)

 I know that I packed a lot into here, but if you want to read more about the Corin Tucker Band, check out this article that I found. It's really neat! 

Because this is the end of my review, I just want to make one personal appeal; If you are the band, or know this band, please come to Denver and play us a show! I know people who can set one up in no time, and even can provide food! Please! I'm not speaking for myself when I say this.  =]

Sonic Youth "Goo" album review.

"Goo" has some classics, favorites, and songs that everyone just has to listen to before their time on earth runs out. When I'm thinking of Sonic Youth albums, I just remember this one as the "Grunge" Sonic Youth album, because like it or not, that is what this album is. It might  not sound "Grunge" at first listen, but when you listen to it, that is what you get. It is one of the more accessible Sonic Youth albums, but don't let that fool you. Goo Has all of the noise and none of the rot. The lyrics keep me coming back for more and more listens. And by lyrics, I mean some of the best stuff. It still sounds new after 20 years and that is truly awesome.This might not be everyone's favorite but it has the key staples of any Sonic Youth diet.

Dirty Boots
Lovely way to start off this album. I hear this one a lot and I like it and everything, but I have to wonder what Sonic Youth feels like when they play this all of the time. This might be one of the reasons why we don't hear this one live too often. For me, this is one of those songs that you listen to when you are waiting for something and just want to get lost in some noise for a while. There is nothing wrong with that, but I can feel that this might be one of those great songs that I don't listen to not because it isn't good, but because I hear it too much.

Tunic (Song For Karen)
This hast to be one of my favorite Sonic Youth songs ever. Whenever I listen to this song, I always think about how wonderful it is, but at the same time, I remember it is about Karen Carpenter (From the Carpenters) and it almost makes it that much sadder. The guitar that starts off this song and the lyrics alone  are like an emotional arrow that pulls you in so that you can listen to the song even more.  The lyrical content of this song is one of the reasons why I like it so much. I know its clear when you listen to it, but It is truly like a probe into what Karen was thinking on her last days. I'm glad that this song is 6:22 seconds long, if it was any shorter, then it wouldn't fully capture the emotions that this song has inside. Its only the second song of the album, but it is one of the best songs on Goo.

Marry - Christ
After Tunic, it is nice to hear a upbeat song. I think "Marry - Christ" has that comic relief that is necessary on a album so you won't be too bogged down by a wonderfully sad song. I guess Marry - Christ is building into the next song...

Kool Thing
If I had a dollar for every time this song was played in the 90's I'd be rich. It might just be me, but I can't take this song in heavy listening dosages, but I guess we all get kind of old with what we listen to. Nevertheless, this is one of the Sonic Youth songs that everyone MUST listen to. It gets danceable right after it starts, so It makes for a good party song, or one of those songs that you listen to when you have nothing else to do.
Classic Sonic Youth song right here.

Mote
I seen this live when I seen Sonic Youth live a couple of weeks ago, and I could not for the life of me remember what this song was called. Now that I have this album, I can say that "This is the song that I stopped dancing to because I couldn't remember the name of it!". When you think of Lee songs, you have to think of "Mote" first. It has all of the qualities of a Lee song anyway; its slower, its more poetic, and its 7:37 seconds long.

My Friend Goo
I could just be painfully obvious when I say this, but this song sounds kind of sarcastic. Kim seems to be taking a stab at all of those Women who are involved in rock but don't do anything with it. Kind of like those hipsters who just stand around and say "Yah, That's cool" all the dang time! I knew that this album still held its weight today.

Disappearer
Disappearer is the perfect example of the Sonic Youth cake. It has everything, the noise, the lyrics, and just the right "sound" if you know what I mean. This is kind of a strange standout on Goo because it goes back to Sonic Youths "normal" noise that we are used to hearing. It goes through the "noise, lyric, noise" pattern that all Sonic Youth songs do,and then just fades out nicely into the next song. I guess that is what makes Disappearer stand out on this album.

Mildred Pierce
This is the second shortest song on the album, but it sure doesn't feel like 2:13 (it must be something to do with the guitars...). Then, right when you don't expect it, someone (Thurston?) is screaming Mildred Pierce!!! My question is who is Mildred Pierce and why did she get her own song? Anyway, this is an arty track and I recommend playing it after Disappearer because the mellow to scream ratio might not work out too well...

Cinderella's Big Score
I think that the song structure in Disappear, Mildred Pierce and Cinderella's Big Score is all the same. But who really cares. This is a Kim song, and we all know that Kim songs are awesome.  Not too much lyric wise, but more music wise. I don't have too much to say about this, but except enjoy the 5:54 seconds of goodness!

Scooter + Jinx
The shortest song on Goo (1:06).  It is just really noise that was extended from Cinderella's Big Score. I don't think that it transfers to the next song though.

Titanium Expose
This is the last song from "Goo" that I'm putting on the Sonic Youth classics list because it is the last one on the album! This might be the song that I seen live and was too awestruck to remember what it sounded like. This one starts off pretty good. Goes into a guitar jam, then it slows down and goes into Thurston singing, then Kim goes into her signature "vocal riff".  Then another noise jam, then its over.  I've been listening to this song all day, I still can't find the words to describe the awesomeness of this song. I've had this album for a day, and I still can't really figure out why I like it so much. It might just be one of those songs that I love so much and just can't say why I like it. Simple song, lots of noise. I couldn't ask for a better way to end a pretty good album.

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I just learned that my reader survey was on a page that didn't allow for my readers to complete survey! I'm doing the survey on another website, so feel free to come back when you are done.  The survey is short and it shouldn't take longer than 7 minutes to finish. Why not come back when you are done and check out the newest installment of the Friday Five?

Click here to take survey

Friday Five Specal Editon: Ari Up tribute.

So you might have known that Ari Up from The Slits passed away this week. Being the fan that I am, I thought I would pick my favorite 5 Slits videos and share them with you all.

Typical Girls. Again, killer dance moves. I'm super Jealous. Can you see Budgie from Siouxsie and the Banshees?


Kill them with Love. I bet those hipsters feel bad for not dancing right? Even worse, they were waiting for Sonic Youth (!!!) They missed something brilliant.


New Town. Does anyone have this guitar tab? I really want to play it.


Animal Space.


Extra! Ari Up in London. This is pretty funny, but she does make some good points too.

The Fantablous Friday Five!

Its Friday again! It's kind of cold here, but I'm still going to do the Friday Five that I always do. I picked the best songs that I found this week, and the ones that have been stuck in my head for the week too. I should be blogging more this week because I have it off, so keep checking back often. I'm planing to do some essays on All ages shows, what I buy at my next CD/Record buying trip and one more that I'm not going to tell you about yet :). Hope you enjoy.

Stick around, my Ari Up/Slits tribute is coming soon.

PJ Harvey & John Parish - April. I always pay this song when it is raining for some reason.  If you haven't picked up "A woman walked by" yet, go buy it this weekend. You won't  be disappointed, I know those PJ fans wont. Think of it as a hold-over album for the next PJ album.


Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Diamond Sea. This is one of the best, if not the best Sonic Youth covers I have heard, and you can trust me on this, I love my Sonic Youth. I honestly thought that it would be kind of bad like their cover of Hyperballad, but it wasn't! They did what good covers should do, re-work the song, but keep the spirit of the original.


Extra! Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Pin. This is from "Top of the Pops" and I like it. One of the better live ones I've seen (official video here. I like the animation). By the way, where did Karen's scarf go? (Or, if you want to see some security guards ruin the fun follow this link)


The Vandals - Anarchy Burger.  I wonder if an Anarchy Burger is like a veggie burger. (haha, bad joke)


Drive like Jehu- If it kills you. I love to sing/shout this when I'm mad, or even when I'm not mad. Crazy Bassline. Somewhat long 7:49, but you love good music right?


Extra! Drive Like Jehu- Do you compute. Its 9 minutes and 24 secongs, but that is why its an extra :)


Classic Sleater Kinney - The Drama That You've Been Craving. This is from '97! Holy crap! That was a long time ago, but it feels like yesterday right? Add on +5 cool points for this being at CBGB's.

R.I.P. Ari Up

I was reading twitter this morning because I wanted to check my phone and not look like a lonelyAr young person with a hoodie on. I was kind of bummed out that I checked because after some mobile internet browsing later, I found out that the awesome Slits singer Ari Up passed away a day ago. I was about to cry, but again, I was in public and I didn't want to cry and look emo (to common folk someone crying in a hoddie is an emo). So I have decided that I will have a Ari Up/Slits tribute Friday Five in addition to the regular Friday Five that I always so on Friday.

I'm kind of upset right now so I don't want to write a long winded essay on the history of the Slits and the Punk scene in England. So I'll just let the good folks at Wikipedia do it for me (Come on guys, it was that or Pitchfork. You know I hate Pitchfork).


The Slits
Ari Up

If you are in Denver tonight...

I'm kind of busy tonight, but I really wanted to go to this months surfacing (I went to the last one). I went last month and it was awesome. I know I'm kind of late in posting this, but like I said, I have some stuff to do (weekdays suck man...) so you should go instead. It lasts until midnight, so go have fun.

Mercury Cafe
2199 California Street
Denver, CO

All ages, 5 dollars. 5 more gets you the veggie taco bar (they must know my secret...).

If anyone goes, leave a comment and tell me how it was! Thanks.

Friday Five, It's freaking awesome!

Happy Friday fellow readers! I'm happy that I can share my favorite 5 videos of the week with you all because this week has been insane. Despite that, I found some awesome stuff for all you loyal readers to listen to. If you missed a week, or want to look at my past  Friday Fives, click this link. I don't want you to miss anything. So with that, we kick-off the Friday Five for this week.  (I even threw in some super groups and side projects....cough cough)

Hole - Berry. Good old classic Hole. Sounds different that their other albums (I think it sounds better...)


Television - Friction. Can someone remind me to buy Marquee moon? I don't know why I don't have it...


Butter 08- It's the Rage. Think of a Chibo Matto, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Skeleton Key salad. This sounds pretty good, I never heard them before this week.


Dim Stars - Downtown at Dawn. I'm quite the Sonic Youth fan (as you might know) but I didn't know that Thurston, Lee, Richard Hell, Don Flemming, and occasional guitarist Robert Quine, had a super group. Crazy huh? You hear something new every Friday. Love that guitar riff.



PJ Harvey & John Parish - Is that all there is? Love this version! You might want to check out the original though.


Extra! PJ Harvey & John Parish - Rope Bridge Crossing (1998). Can't embed, but go straight to to the video. Don't miss it! It is more amazing than the one that I was going to post for you guys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9cktjvEU4o

Hate to say it, but there will be no classic Sleater Kinney Video this week. This is my silent protest for a Sleater Kinney Reunion. (Come on, I know you want one too. If I feel like it, I'll post one tomorrow when I write about all ages shows.) I will post this instead:


Alright fine, settle for Excuse 17 then? (Man, I got to buy this too! I have a whole laundry list of albums I need to get!!!)

Weekday shows.

I really want to go to a show next Wensday, and on the 6th with some friends that I had for a while, but when I was thinking about it, this came up. "Am I able to go?". I hate this feeling. I really wish that bands that I like, (or have mild intrest in) play shows on either Thursday, Friday, Saturday or even Sunday. Yes, I love the local scene as much as the next guy, but how do these people expect me to do 3 hours of homework, 6 hours working on weekends, and the occasional speech compition? I think I have a little too much on my plate right now.

Anyway, I'll post a little more on this later before (or after) the Friday Five.

Friday Five, It's better than a peanut butter and ham sandwich.

I got the title for this weeks Friday Five when I was thinking about food. I thought that it would be a good idea to compare this weeks Friday Five to a peanut butter and ham sandwich; it might be good, but the Friday Five will be lots better.

The Corin Tucker Band - Riley. Check this one out. I got to go pick this album up.

Sonic Youth - Dirty Boots. Horray for Sonic Youth! This video is covered in 90's. Notice the SY posters in the background?


Pj Harvey - Rid Of Me - live in Chicago. Old School PJ. Very nice. I want her sunglasses.


Drive Like Jehu - Caress. I wish emo/math rock still sounded this good. Well math rock does, not emo.


Adicts - Steamroller. You can't start the weekend without the Adicts right?

The Spells - The Age of Backwards. (I found some free Spells tracks someplace. I'll upload them later. Your welcome)

Classic Sleater Kinney - White rabbit/Turn it On. Oh my goodness, that joke was lame. It was funny somehow though.

Super group, Super News.

One band with the best members is good, but a super group with 2 members plus two other good ones with the potential to create some music goodness is even better. To put the cherry on top, another member released an album this week. What band could I he talking about? Sleater Kinney.

Ok, so I was looking at pitchfork this morning because I wanted to get my daily laugh in (yeah, I don't really trust pitchfork) and bam! And I seen this link and I was like "Oh man. Oh man. Oh man... When is the album coming out, and when are they touring!" Let me break it down for you in an equation (I know I suck at math, but here it goes..) Two Ex-Sleater Kinney Members+ Mary Timony+ The Minders= Something, poppy, something synth, but totally excellent. Heck, at this point I don't even care what it sounds like, I'll buy it, listen to it, and blog about it so the whole world could know if it is worth it or not (don't call me unqualified to talk about music. When I bleed, a song starts to play.)

Now go read that article, I have Friday Five to work on. (Yes, it will be great.)

Caldera Lakes and Sonic Youth @ The Ogden Theatre 10/4/10

Someone told me that you only have a couple of life changing experiences. I gone though a lot, seen a bunch of concerts, done some crazy stuff, but I have never in my life seen something as morally satisfying as this. It is hard to scrape all the words off of the floor of my brain and try to make an accurate description of all of the noise that went on. Despite this, I will write a review that will do the bands that I seen on Monday justice and to give you a taste of what I felt on that evening In order to tell you how great everything is, I had to write a lot. If you thought my last concert review was long, call this one a novel.

So my Monday started with a E-mail from my friend "reminding me that there is this uber important gig later today. " I was still asleep kind of, so I just replied with a "Yeah, I'm covered, I can get there, I don't need a ride" sort of thing. After I got myself settled around how important (but not yet life-changing) concert would be, I got kind of excited for what was to come later in the day.

I was going to invite some of my wonderful friends that would have a "mild" interest in what was about to be thrown at the world, but as always, they declined. So, having an extra ticket with me, I brought my Mom with me. Why would I let a ticket with this much potential go to waste? Plus my Mom wanted to go ever since I bought the tickets as a late birthday gift to myself. My friend brought some friends of theirs, but I'll get into that later.

When I got home and did some of my homework, I left around 7'oclock and arrived at 7:30 ish so I could get some "prime seats" (or in my case, "prime standing area") Some nice older (well not that old, like 40 ish)  flagged me and my Mom down and said "Come up here, its kind of  elevated so you can see everything when they start to pack in  here". He was right. I'm glad  that I moved. After some mindless chatter with my Mom, the lights dimmed and the opening act came on.


Caldera Lakes
Crater lakes (or Caldera Lakes, whatever floats your boat) are pretty awesome (If you don't know what one is then here is some info). Crater lakes sound pretty awesome in an experimental kind of way. They were in fact so loud yesterday that I couldn't even find two similar bands in the band lexicon index in my brain. That my friend, is epic. So while I was thinking about this today, I made this analogy in my brain: "Caldera Lakes sound like what would happen if the Cocteau Twins had a run in with Bjork in Icelandic tundra with that annoying volcano doing what volcano do in the background."  Caldera lakes has two members whose names that I don't remember right now, despite that, they picked their instrument weapons wisely; a "homemade" mixing board kinda thing, and a microphone.  It is fresh, it is new, and I think that I see a trend starting to take place in Denver which is not quite the traditional experimental sound (if there is such a thing) that we are all used to. Caldera Lakes is half local (one member is from Denver, one from Portland) making them even more awesome.


When they unleashed their madness after the introduction "Hi, we are Caldera Lakes" then the Pandora's box of noise opened for all of us to enjoy. I was right in front of the speaker, and I can tell you that there was a wind, yes a wind blowing from the speaker. With every loud speaker vibration came a loud gust of wind. I have never felt music in that way. Ever.  Congratulations Caldera Lakes, you are the loudest band that I have ever heard. You beat out Sonic Youth, and I'm sure that you might have beat My Bloody Valentine if I have not would have been sick whilst they were here. I enjoyed the opening act, and I'm sure with a little more practice, Caldera Lakes can be even that much better. I want to see more of this band, and I hope that they will play some more around town. I'll be sure to go.

After this, then there was a break between things and I  tried so hard to talk to those people that I were about to invite, but some of them weren't answering there phone. In despair, I then broke out my camera on my android powered device (my phone for all you non techies out there) and started to take some test shots of the stage and everything. They didn't look too swell at the beginning, but I got used to the hitting the camera button on my phone (FYI, I'm like a vampire, I hate getting my picture taken. No, I don't sparkle...). By this time, the guitar and stage techs were getting everything set up and ready. I thought it would be a good time to take a tester picture.

From The Sound Collection I kept checking my phone and was just trying to kill time and get my excitement under control before the gig started.  I kind of just stood there for 10  minutes just watching the rodies or whoever they were, tune the guitars and plug them in.  I guess my Mom heard all of my Sonic Youth rambling and correctly identified  a Jaguar Guitar. "Hey, is that a Fender Jaguar?" "Yeah, I think so, It sure looks like one." "So is it one?" "It could be a Jazzmaster, I can't see the pickups." "Is that how you tell?" "Well, yes and no." "Well what kind of guitar is it?" "For your sake, its a Jaguar." "Ok :)" So while the sound check thing was going on, I did my routine eavesdropping on people that were around me. This one was kind of funny. "Dude, we have the same type of hat on." "Yeah! High 5!" "So I listened to all of the Sonic Youth albums that I could and I sure hope they don't play all of The Eternal" "Why man? At least they are playing it live." "If I wanted to hear Sonic Youth play all of The Eternal, then I could have just listened to all of it at home" "On what, your Stereo?" "You know it." I then looked around the crowd for a while. Like every other concert that I went to so far, the crowd make up is a good mix of Hipsters, Punks, and the "Hey, I just walked through the door, I have no idea who or what this band is" people.  It was still kind of early when I looked around at the crowd population, but it was still the same when things got a little crazy later.  Here is a picture of what things looked liked. From The Sound Collection At this point, I was thinking "What are those "things that look like paintings" in the back of the stage? Must be art or somethin'" I didn't feel like thinking, so I looked at the mini bar that I was standing next to. I thought of the list of the songs that I wanted them to play and it looked like this.  Bubblegum Doctor's Orders Beecuz (with the extra feedback!!) Washing Machine Waist Total Trash (!!!)  Kissability Diamond Sea. (The ultimate encore song...Its already like 19 minutes...) After I got done looking at the prices of drinks at the mini bar, my friend and their friends showed up.  At this point I was kind of tired from staying up for 15 hours straight, so I busted out the always classy, always formal "Nice to meet you." and to top it all off, I put a pretty ganster handshake to put the icing on the cake.  They looked pretty cool, but I have a feeling that they were darkwavers in the 80's. Who would want to wear a blazer jacket to a gig other than a darkwaver? (just saying, just saying..) They got there just in time because right at 9:00 things started to get crazy. Sonic Youth. The lights dimmed, and there was a pause. Nothing happened. People started to clap and then a bright blue light shined down on the stage, just like we all hoped. Sonic Youth took the stage, and we all couldn't wait for things to get down. The band put on their guitars (or picked up their drumstick, or whatever) and after 4 count down clicks, Bull in the Heather started the crazy trip of noise. I had my eyes locked on the stage and the background wasn't helping me any. Sonic Youth was genius with that background let me tell you. At first, it was black, then it changed colors when something exciting happened, like when the symbols crashed at the right moment, or when Kim did a slide thing on her bass. How did those lights know? Was the light dude a genius with light transitions?  I don't know. I do know that that song was pretty sick. From The Sound Collection (Come on, look at the lights on the drums, look at those lights. It was prefect.) Honestly, I was semi-jumping so much, I just kind of forgot about the set list. But I can say that they played most of The Eternal, The good stuff off of Daydream Nation, Some classic EVOL tunes, one thing from Experimental Jet Set, and one from Sister. I just thought about what they played, and I came up with the "songs I know they played for sure" list. I want to say that this is the right order, but I disregarded the noise breaks.  My friend "went to go find some place better to stand by the stage" and I was all like "Ok." Main Set Bull in the Heather  Sacred Trickster What We Know Poison Arrow Antenna Anti-Orgasm (Or in Thurston's words "The Anti-Tea Party song") 'Cross the Breeze (They might have played this, I was however hopping to something like this) Around this point my friend "went to go find some place better to stand by the stage" and I was all like "Ok."   Then I took a picture: From The Sound Collection Malibu Gas Station No Way Walkin' Blue (this is a maybe. They had a "noise bridge" and skippedthe opening) Massage the History. I'm pretty sure that the set list was done after Massage the History. Then they left the stage, the lights dimmed and it was over....We thought.  Not even a minute or so later, they were back on stage and busted out the first of 2 encores. By the time they were back onstage for the second encore, my brain was on sonic overload. "How much more awesome can I take?" it said. I thought back "How 'bout two more encores?" We agreed (no, I don't have multiple personality disorder. How else can I illustrate my thinking pattern?) I'm trying to remember the first of the encores, but again I have an honest guess. Blame the awesomeness overload for making me forget Encore One Expressway to Your Skull with a longgg noise thing...  In short, it made me want to get closer to the stage.  When they were done, my face was like this O_O. Out of nowhere, my friend said, "I found some good seats, want to move?" and with my dazed face I said "Yeaah... Sure O_0" We all moved around this time to the "Tasty seats" weren't really seats at all and weren't really tasty. (hahah)  Anyway, all 5 of us, plus 10 more people were blocking the fire exit, for the left side of the theater. Not a very good idea dear readers. The good out of blocking a fire exit was getting prime real estate reeealy close to the stage. Like this close: Encore Two I was sooo close to the stage. The funny thing was that I was standing next to this dude who looked like Jamie From Mythbusters. He had the black hat, mustache, white button up shirt, and even that "meh" look on his face. If that wasn't him, than I must have been inhaling too much second hand "magic" smoke. Encore Two was all about the  Trilogy songs. I know they sang The Wonder because Thurston's voice on this song was in like a totally different key than normal and the song was slower normal, but it worked out for the better. Then, they did that merge thing into the 2nd Trilogy song "Hyperstation". Then it got even slower, and slower, and slower, and slower...Into tasty slow melting goodness. Then again they left.  "Hey man, I think they are done."  "Naah, One more song. I know it." "Oh your right" Encore Three. At this point everyone was screaming and clapping and stomping. They were just saying "thank you" without saying "Thank You". By this point, everyone in the band had that "Oh my god, its almost 11" on their face, but that didn't stop them from playing one last song, my personal favorite, "Shadow of a Doubt". I never knew this before, but according to Thurston, Sonic Youth first played this song in Austin Texas in like the 70's or 80's (can't remember, sorry).  At this point, I was holding back tears of joy because I couldn't have wished for a better concert. Did I cry? Of coarse not silly. I don't cry.  When the song was over, they went into a "lets hold our guitar against the amp and let it ring for a while" outro. Thurston, Lee and Mark were doing the "re-verb and feedback" thing, Kim took off her guitar strap and swung her bass in a circle, and Steve just went quiet for awhile then got loud. Whatever they did, it made the concert complete.    From The Sound Collection The guitars were placed back by the amps, the drumsticks were taken and the band left the stage. But they waved as they left the stage. They keep looking at me too in that "We read your blog, we know about you, please blog about us" sort of way.  Even if they weren't they most likely played the best thing that I seen in my life.  Yes, for those who wondering, that is how you put the word "Epic" into words.   I have some videos that I took while I was there. If you want to see them, leave me a comment and I'll post them. Click here if you want to look at my 38 or so pictures that I took.

Almost there...

From The Sound Collection

(The infamous guitars of Sonic Youth)

I'm not done with the epic blog post about the epic concert that went down last night, but I can say that I'm more than halfway done, and it is looking really nice right now. I'm pretty confident that I can get it done by the time I get home tomorrow, or before I go to bed tomorrow (thats around 10 ish). Just because I feel bad, I'm going to say that I have 3 pretty cool things that I can't wait to share with you all by tomorrow. You will be all like "What? Wow, that is awesome. I wish I was there, and even if I was there I wish it was that cool". Thats all for now. Check back here later.

Answer me this...

What does a jet airplane, 4 iPhones, 2 X's, 35 pictures, a video or two and a pom-pom have to do with the best night of my life so far? You will find out in a matter of hours after I post my Sonic Youth concert review! I'm just going to say that this might take awhile because I need to get some sleep, finish this paper, and to sort out all of the crazy awesomeness that went on last night! Until I post, you can check out the latest Friday 5, my last concert review, or you can just check back later. If I don't post in the next 3 hours, you might want to check back later tonight at like 10ish or just hold your breath 'till tomorrow.  Just keep in mind that I have some crazy awesome stuff to post, and I'll make everything clear and detailed for easy reading.  See you soon?

Waiting for the show

So I'm going to see Sonic Youth tonight, and I'm not taking anyone of my friends with me. No one I know really well isn't into all of that stuff. Anyway, I will be trying to find time to write a review of the show and some things that I picked up and bought while I was there. Until then, check out the latest installment of the friday five.

Friday Five, Your Friday Vibe.

It is another Friday my friends! Rejoice with the  some of the best music that I found this week and the since that I will have some seriously awesome blogging to unleash to  you all later today (hopefully) and later this weekend! Keep checking back here because I will be writing fast this weekend and when I get back from (I'm hoping) the best gig ever!!! Ok, with out further ado, Friday Five.

Ziggy Stardust (aka David Bowie) and the Spiders - Moonage Daydream. I will admit that I don't have Ziggy Startdust and the Spiders from Mars in my CD collection, but that's Ok. I'm going to buy it sooner or later. By the way, this live version is boss. Just sayin'.  Wait until 5:04 3:42 if you don't get it.


Shonen Knife - Devil House. The witch hats fit the season right?

PJ Harvey- Rebbecca (B-side to The Wind) . Here is another amazing PJ Harvey B-side. I'm still waiting for a proper B-sides/Live/Rarity album from PJ. Here are some more b-side videos.


Ariel Pink-Young Pilot Astray


Classic Sleater Kinney videos!

Sleater Kinney Trackers Interview. Remember that whole "Girl Power" Movement in the late 90's and the early 00's? I guess Trackers or whatever this show is called thought it was a good idea to put SK on their show, that is good and bad; the good is that Sleater Kinney is on TV, the bad is that this is one worst interviews that I have seen. Regardless, I think it's kind of funy to see the reactions to the bad questions. (No wonder why it sucks, its on oxygen...) Soon to come, "Friday Five, the crappy interview edition."


To offset the bad interview, here are the 2 awesome songs that they played.

You're No Rock 'n' Roll Fun. The facts at the bottom of the screen are kind of funny (or at least for this fan).


#1 Must have


Come back for more later! I know its kind of late for me posting, but wait for a little bit, and you will find my surprise!