i met damien jurado and he let us come to his sold out show!

i have been bummed out all week because i had been meaning to buy tickets to hear damien jurado open for okkervil river at johnny brenda's on saturday night, and i had never got around to it, and the show sold out.

on sat night i picked kyle up from work and he was having a meat craving which he as been prone to occasionally since deciding to become vegetarian. we went to have dinner at giannas off of south street, which has lots of vegan cheese steaks and pizza, and vegan desserts.

we were just finishing up eatting when i noticed a cute girl walk in with a panda shirt on. pandas always catch my eye! then i looked at the guy she was with, and realized that it was damien jurado! i sat there for 5 minutes while i regained composure to go over and say hi to one of my all time favorite musicians. kyle and i were walking out, and i stopped and told him good luck tonight at the show, and he said thanks. . . i was telling him we tried to get tickets but it was sold out, and his girlfriend offered to put us on the list to get in free! the girl was looking familiar to me, and it turned she is a friend of my friend fina's in seattle.

the show was AMAZING. damien sang/played by himself without his band. he sounded perfect. it was dreamy.

and okkervil river rocked! i kind of felt like the floor at johnny brendas was going to break and we would all fall, that was how hard they played. literally.

it was the best night!

check out damien's myspace here:
http://www.myspace.com/damienjurado

check out secretly canadian, his label, here:
http://www.secretlycanadian.com/home

new radiohead.

radiohead will be releasing their new album in just 10 days. it is amazing what a band can do when it is big enough to not need a record label.

the box set (£40.00) will contain the album on cd & two 12" heavyweight vinyl records. the second enhanced cd has more songs, photos, and artwork. the downside (besides our weakling U.S. $ making this a very expensive purchase) is that the box set won't ship until december 3. a purchase of the box also entitles you to a digital download.

if you just order the downloadable tracks, you get to set your own price. the band is willing to let you buy their new songs for what you think it is worth!

pre-order at:
http://www.inrainbows.com

animal collective, okkervil river, rilo kiley, john vanderslice, the apples in stereo all to be featured on npr!

an amazing lineup of bands is set up to rock npr music's live concert series during their september schedule.

past concerts in the series, which broadcasts select washington, d.c. area gigs live at www.npr.org/music have recently featured the likes of the national, björk, and low.

the upcoming shows include sets by animal collective, okkervil river, rilo kiley, john vanderslice, and the apples in stereo. an archive of each show will eventually appear at
www.npr.org/liveconcerts

check it out!

npr live concert series:
9.19 the apples in stereo (9:30 club)
9.22 john vanderslice (rock and roll hotel)
9.26 rilo kiley (9:30 club)
9.28 animal collective (9:30 club)9.30 okkervil river (rock and roll hotel)

tessar lo. check out his artworks.

i really like this artist tessar lo, living and working in ontario canada.

check out his site here:
http://www.tessarlo.com/

check out his blog here:
http://www.fillstheills.blogspot.com/

and right now he is selling the artwork below online:

this is an image created after goya's famous, sleep of reason. the text is: "el sueno de la razon produce monstruos." which roughly translated means, "the sleep of reason produces monsters".

the giclee prints will be about 12 x 16", (including the border); the image itself, approximately 11 x 14". they will be printed on high-quality, archival art paper. the prints are $80 USD each + shipping & handling. the first 15 prints of the edition will be drawn into a little bit more by tessar, (enhanced, if you will). first come first serve. they are hand-numbered, and signed also.

contact the artist via email to buy a print: tessar@tessarlo.com

fjord photo project.

whitney hubbs.


celine clanet.

fjord is a project that showcases the photography of young, up-and-coming photographers. the drastic shift in the way work is being presented today has become especially noticeable in the more technologically adept generation. fjord's goal is to bring together a collection of notable photographers from the internet and showcase their work in book form. this transition from internet to book will allow a different audience to experience the work thus bringing emerging artists into the public's view.

check out the fjord site here:
http://www.fjordphoto.org
really good stuff on their site, you can browse through the different photographers sites/galleries.

pretty artworks.

supercool illustrations by claudia carieri.

check out her website here:
http://www.claoodia.net

amazing photos of bjork.

these photos were taken of bjork at alanta's fox theatre last night 9.17.07.

band of horses in new walmart commercial. eww.

check out this creepy commercial for walmart featuring band of horses playing in the background. it was bad enough they abandoned seattle and moved to south carolina. and now this?

http://savemoneylivebetter.com/

no age. take a listen.

no age. weirdo rippers. released august 28 2007 on fat cat records. check it out. on september 6th they were signed to subpop records. subpop will be releasing their next album due out in spring 2008.

here is some information about no age:
two young heavyweights from the los angeles skate / art / punk underworld, no age are comprised of dean spunt and randy randall, a super-talented noise pop two piece, who until march 12th this year had released no recorded output whatsoever. that changed when they decided to release five ltd. vinyl only releases on a variety of diy indie labels across the globe on the same day (namely utr, deleted art, teardrops, youth attack, and dean’s own ppm label), and their debut lp release, weirdo rippers, is a collection of recorded highlights taken from the aforementioned releases. made available on cd for the first time, and serving as a concise introduction to the bands sound, the track list nevertheless follows a narrative of its own, with the songs traversing a wealth of sonic territory, and lending themselves to an album that clearly stands up in it’s own right.

both randy and dean are also involved in a curatorial, social, and artistic sense with the smell, an all ages space dedicated to underground music and art in la. fitting the smell as seminal and inspirational to many, and at least partially responsible for the existence of both their bands to date, it’s a mutually supportive grass roots space reflecting no age’s diy ethic. it is this building that features on the front cover of the album. the band also make video, performance and visual art under the name no age and by themselves, and recently curated the get hurt exhibition in la, featuring works by devendra banhart, and numerous other artists.

check out the no age website here:
http://noager.com/

check out their myspace page here:
http://www.myspace.com/nonoage

check out their blog here:
http://noagela.blogspot.com

check out fat cat records here:
http://fat-cat.co.uk/

upcoming live shows:
9.18 san francisco. bottom of the hill
9.20 portland. backspace
9.21 seattle. vera project
10.17 new york. bowery ballroom
10.19 philly. johnny brendas
10.30 los angeles. henry fonda theatre

five dozen artists. one show. giant robot gallery, ny.

chris kerr.

matthew feyld.

andrew degraff.

the show is called snack isle and included are many philly locals from space 1026 -- andrew jeffrey wright, damian weinkrantz, william buzzell. awesome lineup, and they are all small works.

snack isle

september 15 - october 17, 2007

giant robot gallery

437 east 9th street between 1st ave. & ave. a, in the east village

new york, new york 10009

212.674.GRNY

check out thier site here:

http://grny.net

check it out. artworks at the abington art center.

young marie as a fire eater, marilyn holsing, 24x19 inches, mixed media on paper.

check out artist marilyn holsing at the abington art center, part of the magical realism exhibition, there until 11.24.07.

abington art center
515 meetinghouse road

jenkintown, pa 19046

215.887.4882
info@abingtonartcenter.org

http://abingtonartcenter.org

i don't care what anyone says about the guy, i love gavin newsom.

san francisco mayor gavin newsom, who has supported green initiatives in the city—from leed-certified building to banning plastic shopping bags—stopped by dwell (magazine) on design not just because he's the mayor of the greenest city in america, but because he's a dwell magazine subscriber too.

awesome!

midlake. i am in love.

my friend drew recently gave me this cd called the trials of van occupanther, by the texas band midlake. i am obsessed with it and cannot stop listening. i think i listened to it 20 times last night. kyle was going to kill me. but he didn't turn it off.

here is some more information about midlake:
every once in a while, a band comes along that undoubtedly evokes something special. you don’t know what it is, but you are certain that they belong set apart from amongst the crowd of musical peers in which they lay. you quickly find yourself coming to the foregone conclusion that this band’s music is to be revered and will remain relevant for some time to come. midlake has not only embodied this idealism in the hearts of many already, but with the introduction of their latest album, the trials of van occupanther, they are making it a reality.

midlake formed in the small, quirky texas town of denton. there the five diligent musicians toiled to create a sound that was pleasing, as well as their own. soon enough they were discovered by bella union records owner and cocteau twins bassist, simon raymonde. simon fell deeply in love with the band, and together they began to cultivate a relationship built upon sharing midlake’s music to the world. the band continuously worked day and night to create what would become their debut album, an album of incredible vision, talent, dedication and eccentricity: bamnan and slivercork.

released in june of 2004, bamnan and slivercork became a instant favorite for many critics and fans worldwide. after a series of touring stints both domestic and abroad, midlake rapidly found themselves being embraced by a much larger fan base than ever before. included in the group was actor and skateboarding legend jason lee (my name is earl, mallrats, almost famous, etc.). jason joined forces with midlake as a huge supporter, promoter, and collaborator, directing and filming a video for their single, balloon maker.

midlake then retreated home to begin work on their next musical venture. with a desire to reach further within and accomplish something even more unique and of their own, midlake’s determined efforts produced the trials of van occupanther. tim smith, singer/songwriter for midlake says, “compared to bamnan and slivercork, this album uses less keyboards in favor of acoustic guitar, piano, more vocals and electric guitar. the sound is something more related to 70’s folk rock but not in a gimmicky way, hopefully. i have a great affinity for those bands from the 70’s, the music just seems to move me more. so when writing this album of course those sounds came out in the music.”

midlake are paul alexander (bass, keys), eric nichelson (keys, guitar), eric pulido (guitar, keys), tim smith (vocals, keys, guitar), mckenzie smith (drums).

upcoming tour dates:
9.25 los angeles. henry fonda theatre
9.26 solana beach ca. belly up tavern
9.27 san francisco. great american music hall
9.29 portland. douglas fir
9.30 seattle. crocodile café

you can view their myspace page here:
http://www.myspace.com/midlake

you can view the midlake website here:
http://www.midlake.net

you can view bella union records here:
http://www.bellaunion.com/news.php

new go! team. take a listen.

the new go! team album the proof of youth was released september 10th, on memphis industries in uk, and subpop in the us.

here is some more information about the go! team:
the go! team are an english, brighton-based six piece band (with two drummers) whose songs are a mixture of action theme songs, cheerleader chants, guitars and early hip hop, with some '70s funk thrown in. their songs are a mix of live instrumentation and samples from various sources.

ian parton conceived the project after wanting to create music incorporating his favorite things including sonic youth-style guitars, double dutch chants, and car chase horn music. he started jamming these sounds together and eventually recorded thunder, lightning, strike in his parents' kitchen.

the go! team's first full-length album, thunder, lightning, strike, was released in uk and europe on the memphis industries label in september 2004, to widespread critical acclaim.

in june 2004, ian parton recruited a band in order to play as a supporting act for franz ferdinand. the live band became a "separate entity" to the original studio vision, as the performances became radically different to the recordings, particularly due to ninja's freestyle vocals contrary to the sampled vocals present on the album.

the album was nominated for the mercury music prize in 2005, which coincided with a international release of a "legal" version of the album wherein the album was partially re-recorded, replacing samples which could not be cleared for commercial use with alternatives.

the band's popularity increased with the re-issue of "ladyflash" in the uk charts, resulting in national prime-time airplay.

on the may 13th the go! team announced the release of their new single and subsequent album on their website. the single, "grip like a vice", was released on july 2 2007, and the new album, proof of youth, was released on september 10 in the uk and a day later in the us. the new record maintains the go! team’s scrappy spirit through a canny mix of samples, live band recordings and an array of special guests, including chuck d, solex, and bonde do role singer marina ribatski.
current band members:
ian parton - band leader, electric guitar, harmonica, and drums
sam dook - electric guitar, banjo, and drums
chi "ky" fukami taylor - drums, vocals
kaori tsuchida - vocals, electric guitar, keys, and melodica
jamie bell - bass
ninja - rapper/vocalist

upcoming shows:
10.15 seattle. neumos.
10.17 portland. douglas fir
10.19 san francisco. mezzanine
10.20 pomona. glass house
10.21 los angeles. echoplex
10.22 los angeles. kcrw radio session
10.26 philadelphia. starlight ballroom
10.27 new york. bowery ballroom
10.28 brooklyn. studio b

check out their myspace page here:
http://www.myspace.com/thegoteam

check out the go! team website here:
http://www.thegoteam.co.uk/flash/news.html

check out memphis industries here:
http://www.memphis-industries.com

check out subpop records here:

http://subpop.com

minus the bear. take a listen.

oh boy! these guys are great! their new album planet of ice was released on 8.21.07. i really like the song knights. the album has it all! there are dancy dance numbers and sexy slow jams.

here is some more about minus the bear:

minus the bear is a seattle based band. the band features ex-members of botch, kill sadie, and sharks keep moving. the name "minus the bear" comes from an inside joke between the band members, referring to the 80s tv show b.j. and the bear.

minus the bear is known for their amusing song titles, with examples including "hey, wanna throw up? get me naked", "get me naked 2: electric boogaloo", "monkey!!! knife!!! fight!!!" and "lemurs, man, lemurs". from menos el oso onwards, the song names didn't carry the same humorous punch lines as on previous releases.

on january 2, 2006 matt bayles, keyboardist and producer for minus the bear, announced that he was leaving the band in order to focus on record production work. his last performance with the band was on january 28, 2006. subsequently, he was replaced by alex rose, who previously worked as a sound engineer on menos el oso.

the band's third full length album, titled planet of ice, was released on suicide squeeze records, and contains ten tracks.


check out their myspace here:
http://www.myspace.com/minusthebear

check out the minus the bear website here:
http://www.minusthebear.com

check out suicide squeeze records here:
http://www.suicidesqueeze.net

upcoming tour dates:
10.5 brooklyn. warsaw.
10.6 new york. irving plaza
10.8 philadelphia. tla
11.2 san diego. soma
11.3 los angeles. avalon hollywood
11.3 pomona. glass house
11.6 san francisco. the fillmore
11.8 portland. crystal ballroom
11.10 seattle. showbox

thursday night pick.

johnny brenda’s: bonde do role, plastic little. $10.

m room: philebrity presents vampire weekend. $10.

hmmm. i really like vampire weekend and i really like bonde do role. this is a sticky situation. i think kyle and i will be going to bonde do role.

see you there!

pumpkin spice latte.

i just finished a pumpkin spice latte from starbucks. i like to have one every year at the end of summer when it is feeling a little like fall.

and that is today. no humidity. bright sunny blue sky. crisp fresh air. it is so pretty out.

rufus. release the stars. take a listen.

release the stars came out on 5.15.07 on geffen. i especially am in love with the first track, do i disappoint you, and track #6 rules and regulations. i think it is safe to say that rufus is getting better with each album. and he is only 33, so hopefully there will be many many more to come.

check out his myspace here:
http://www.myspace.com/rufuswainwright

check out his website here:
http://www.rufuswainwright.com

from his myspace page:
when rufus wainwright was preparing to go to berlin last summer to record his new album, the first he would produce himself, he envisioned it as “a kind of pared down bare bones affair.” but something dramatically different took hold once wainwright got there, as opening track “do i disappoint you,” which boasts an impressive orchestral sweep to match the sturm und drang of the lyrics, amply illustrates.

“some people go to berlin to get more cutting edge, i went and started wearing lederhosen and going to visit baroque palaces,” wainwright recounts with a laugh. “the germany i was enthused with was more old fashioned and kind of romantic. i just got there, and the next thing you know, I had this huge gilded album. it was kind of an amazing experience because i didn’t intend it to be that way.” with release the stars, his fifth album in a decade, wainwright artfully establishes the intimacy he was reaching for, while creating a work even more ambitious in scope than his acclaimed 2004 release, want two. there is ravishing sound everywhere, yet it all serves to underscore wainwright’s own performance as commentator, confessor, leading man. on this grand scale, his brilliant, idiosyncratic gifts as a songwriter and vocalist come into even greater focus. the emotions are heightened; his stories more vivid, dramatic, funny, real, and at times very moving. release the stars is as direct and personal as wainwright initially imagined it would be.

siberian. take a listen.

i met this guy zach in seattle. he was talking about his band, and i asked him what his band is called, and it is siberian. and i actually had 4 siberian songs on my ipod that my friend fina had given me last summer, or the summer before.

they played the capital hill block party and bumpershoot in seattle this year, and the debut full length album with me will be out in october. you should totally buy it the day it comes out. there are a few tracks on their website, and also on their myspace page. it is so pretty and so good. i especially like the second track on their new album paper birds.

check out their myspace here:

http://www.myspace.com/siberian

check out the siberian website here:

http://www.siberianmusic.com

here is some info about siberian:

siberian is finn parnell, zach tillman, colin wolberg, and aaron benson. the band was conceived in seattle wa by finn and colin in early 2004 as a collaborative effort with a rotating set of musicians. zach, formerly of saxon shore, and aaron later joined th band to complete the current lineup.

since forming, siberian has managed to generate a significant buzz within the seattle music scene. siberian’s original 4 song demo, though never intended for release, was circulated throughout seattle music scene, earning the band a loyal fan base, radio play, and enthusiastic praise from local critics. described as stunning and dynamic, their music skates a delicate balance between gorgeous pop melodies and unique compositions, creating a sound that is as interesting as it is beautiful. their debut ep hey celestial! released on sonic boom records on march 6th, 2007 demonstrates a surprisingly striking musicality coming from such a young group and, if it’s any indication of what’s to come, you should expect great things from this talented new band.

hey celestial! ep:

with me, the debut full length album from siberian, will be released on 10.23.07 on sonic boom recordings:

helath food vending machines.

YoNaturals, the solana beach, ca based company stocks its YoZone vending machines with natural and organic snacks and beverages.

this would be awesome to have at work, school, hospitals, etc!

"people need a healthy alternative because they are too susceptible to the allure of fast-food and junk-food marketing," says mart trotter, ceo of YoNaturals in a press release.

http://www.yonaturals.com

be a part of this cool project.

on 11.16.05 a small arts organization called rebar took over a 10 x 20 foot san francisco parking space for a day and turned it into a mini-park, with a bench and strip of sod. that one-space, one-day event turned into a worldwide party last year in which other groups and individuals turned 43 other parking spots into public parks across the world, from new york to london to rio de janeiro. this year's PARK(ing) day will be on september 21, and they're expecting an even bigger turnout. for a few quarters and hours of your time, why not forfeit your car for the day and take on your own green parking project?

rebar estimates that over 70% of public space is dedicated to cars. which leaves much less square footage for places for people to gather. last year, PARK(ing) spaces included ping-pong tables set up in the street, wheelbarrows full of flowers, and benches set on grass where random passers-by stopped for a spell. check out rebar's handy hints on how to set up your own space, and take heed of their advice not to set up in tow-away zones or commuter lanes. I n other words, park where it's legal and metered.

the trust for public land is co-sponsoring the event. you can view their website here:
http://www.tpl.org/

you can view rebar’s website here:
http://www.parkingday.org/

what is PARK(ing) day?
PARK(ing) day is a one-day, global event centered in san francisco where artists, activists, and citizens collaborate to temporarily transform parking spots into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public parks.

the mission:
to rethink the way streets are used, call attention to the need for urban parks, and improve the quality of urban human habitat...at least until the meter runs out!

pictures that i like from bumpershoot.

devendra banhart. this makes me laugh. he looks so silly.


siberian's zach tillman.




gogol bordello's eugene hütz rocks out.

love. love. love.

brooke holiday and ben hollberg. medford oregon, august 2007.

photo by manu.

trisha, my friend from high school, and adam, august 2007, san francisco.

support kexp. buy live at kexp volume three. do it.

buy it here: http://kexp.org/kexpvol3cd/default.asp

track list:

1. the long winters. pushover
2. the shins. australia
3. frank black. do what you want (gyaneshwar)
4. ghostland observatory. move with your lover
5. lady sovereign. public warning
6. the english beat. hands off she’s mine
7. grizzly bear. knife.
8. cloud cult. mr. tambourine man
9. beirut. elephant gun
10. under byen. den her sang handler om at fad et bedste ud af det
11. the black angels. the prodigal sun
12. the gossip. yr mangled heart
13. the skeletons. your movement
14. peter bjorn and john. young folks
15. hot chip. and i was a boy from school
16. fugiya & miyagi. collarbone
17. billy bragg. waiting for the great leap forwards

philadelphia weekly article: showdown on hurley street.

showdown on hurley street
events on what may be the city’s worst block provide a stark glimpse into a philly many philadelphians never see.

hurley street, say cops who work north philadelphia, may be the worst block in the city. most of its 100 or so residents say they’d leave if they could. most hurley street residents rent the squat two-story brick row homes they live in. the houses on this street are worth about $13,000 each.

read the full article here:
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/articles/15286

jens lekman. amazing!

new favorite: jens lekman
night falls over kortedala will be released 10.09.07 on secretly canadian.

view his website here: http://www.jenslekman.com/
view his page on label secretly canadian here:
http://www.secretlycanadian.com/artist.php?name=lekmanjens

10.26.07 philadelphia, pa, first unitarian church

10.27.07 new york, ny, webster hall

11.6.07 seattle, wa, nectar

11.7.07 portland, or, someday lounge

11.9.07 san francisco, ca, bimbo's 365 club

11.10.07 west hollywood, ca, troubadour

according to a quote from jens on the secretly canadian website, the album is a sort of love letter/kiss-off to the kortedala neighborhood of gothenburg that he calls home:

"what a depressing suburban hell this place is. everyone goes to bed at nine, after that you can't see one single window lit up. you can walk for hours without meeting one single person. i used to like that, 'cause it meant i could go for endless walks and pretend the world was my own and i was the only one in it. but after a while i found out the hard way that there were others who couldn't sleep at night.”

"on my way into town i got beat up and mugged one night three years ago. since then it's happened so many times i've lost count. it's never been that bad, i've never ended up in the hospital or lost anything too valuable really. but it's the atmosphere and the small incidents that scare me. the guys who yell 'faggot' at me when i pass their balcony, the nazis hanging out in a nearby open garage, the old men with their binoculars who sit in their windows looking for anything suspicious to report, the dead cats that show up on the lawn outside my kitchen, the knock on my window at four a.m. this summer followed by a whispered 'when he opens you hit him in the head,' the neighbor I constantly find passed out in the staircase, the flicker of a million tv screens against the living room walls, the smoke from a million chain smoking moms, the fact that the guy who lived in my apartment before me lay dead in the bathtub for three months before they found him.”

"in kortedala everyone's minding their own business. and i'm slowly turning into one of them so as soon as i've finished this record i will get the hell out of here."

big mac museum. eww.

north huntingdon, pa. a brand-new museum opened on wednesday.

it is dedicated to mcdonald’s signature sandwich, created in western pennsylvania. leaders at the big mac museum restaurant in north huntingdon are looking for the region's most enthusiastic big mac fans. in celebration of the museum's opening, the restaurant is handing out one big mac sandwich every week for a year to the first 100 customers through the door on wednesdays. overnight, channel 11 found many fans racing to get in line. "i packed all kinds of treats for them. we have a tv. we have a tent if it rains, so we're ready. we're ready for anything,” one woman said. the big mac debuted at jim delligatti's uniontown, pa., restaurant in 1967. the sandwich only cost 45 cents. today, the big mac is sold in more than 100 countries around the world.

a big mac museum? seriously? scary… another reason to move and leave pa.

summer weddings.

congratulations to all of my friends who were married this summer, here are a few lovely pictures:

meghan and zach poag. seattle, 7.28.07:

my dear old friend ingrid, the new ingo and andy pixel, seattle, 7.14.07:

ingo and andy included the following stipulation in the invitations to their wedding ceremony: we are grateful that we have the opportunity to share our love and celebrate with the blessing of the state government. unfortunately, not all of our loved ones are so lucky. we have a registry web page set up through the human rights campaign (the forerunner in fighting for equal rights legislation in the u.s.), and we would be thrilled if you decided to participate by making a donation in our name.

ingrid is so cool, what a great idea.

paul and nadine, berlin, germany, 7.17.07 (so cute):

not this summer, but still very special.

jen and don bellenger, philadelphia, pa, 11.11.06: