Tatran - "Space Out"

Found them via the lineup for Atlanta Jazz Festival. 

Dank Dark Dirty Venues

The Shower Beers, Sat. Feb. 7, 2015, Pug's Live, Tallahassee, FL 

In America on any given night hundreds of bands are occupying dank dark dirty spaces. There are echelons of music venues, and from places where bands are most widely seen to where they are seen the least it goes something like this: televised events, including Grammy-type awards shows and festivals; sports stadium shows, of the Rolling Stones / U2 / Bruce Springsteen sort; untelevised national and regional festivals like Coachella or South by Southwest; large theatres, like Atlanta's Fox Theatre where I saw Beck, and other mainstream venues like Hard Rock Cafe or the House of Blues; hotels or conference rooms for business conferences or weddings or something;  street festivals; local bars/clubs/restaurants that make most of their money from food and drinks and favor cover bands or extremely Adult Contemporary Top 40 kind of stuff; local bars/clubs that focus their business efforts on being a music venue and feature regionally touring bands and local bands; dank dark dirty spaces; open mics at coffee shops and the like; and house shows.

It gets harder to pin down the size of the audience at the lower ends of the spectrum. I've been to house shows that had 100+ people and I've been to dank dark dirty spaces that have had 5. Of all the types of venues, the one with the most variability is, I think, the dank dark dirty space. Not all houses are the same, but the ones that host bands are typically inhabited by a coterie of slovenly college students or transient types. A festival's typically a festival, and a stadium's a stadium. But these d^3 venues can be in pretty much any space that has at least some breathable amount of oxygen in the air and maybe some kind of electrical outlets that work. I've been to d^3 shows in: the storage room of an art gallery; the hollow concrete shell of what used to be a CD Warehouse; the basement level of a Barnacle Bills restaurant; an actual warehouse; the upstairs recreation room of a church; and a United States Junior Chamber building (JCs/Jaycees).

Though all of the ddd venues are completely different, they typically share some core characteristics (outside of the three descriptors already contained in their echelon's name, i.e., dank dark dirty). They are cramped spaces that are usually reserved for other activities or purposes. Their equipment setup ranges from "nothing" to "a couple of PAs" and, if luck is in the air (along with the slight amount of oxygen needed to sustain human life), maybe there is a person to help the band plug things in or turn some knobs on an ancient mixer. There is no discernible elevated area that could even remotely be considered a stage, or else if there is it is so tiny that 50+% of the band has to stand off of the "stage" during the performance. The only drinks in sight are the cheapest available watered down beers, or, again if luck is in the air (w/ oxygen), those smallest of plastic cups filled with wells (the cheapest of paint-thinneresque liquors). There is sometimes a person around who can tell you when the music might start (and who will always be wrong by +/- 30 minutes) and who might take money from you as a cover charge, and who definitely doesn't know anything about comp drinks or food for the band. There's the unshakeable sense that something is fundamentally wrong in this space — the feng shui is so off the scales that it feels like the stale cigarette-smoke air is teaming up with the stained furniture, the rotting wood floors and support beams, and the workers' / regular attendees' lackadaisical desperation to suck some of the electrons out of your cells and sort of fuse a part of you with the space forever. 

The last time I went to a d^3 was last week and the place was in Atlanta. It was an old house that is now serving as a cultural arts center, and the way to get to the venue is to: show up when it says the music will start (9 pm is what their website said), park a block away and walk since there was no discernible parking area (it turns out there was a parking area behind the house, but it was not visible from the main street), wander around the dark area around the house in the dark on some gravel that's dark in the darkness, run into a couple of guys smoking cigarettes who turn out to be in one of the regionally touring bands playing that night, ask them about how to get inside the venue and receive polite blank expressions from them in return, wander around in the dark, hear from some other guys on the dark gravel somewhere that the normal entrance is locked right now, wander, try a door on the side of the house, wander, hesitate, find another door at the top of a ramp, open the door to be met by super bright white indoor lighting and a mini hallway and a confused looking female sitting at a desk with a laptop, stand in the doorway and ask down the hallway (like almost yelling) if this is where we come inside / come inside for what? she asks / for music? / oh are you in the bands playing? / no but these guys outside are / oh ok let me check I guess, dumbfoundedly follow her through the arts center that has colorful/demonic/other paintings on the walls and a group of people auditioning actors for a play, follow her down some shaky wooden steps into a dank dark dirty space, realize (at the exact same moment that the laptop female realizes) that no one else is down there, follow her back up into the play auditions and paintings, wait as she calls someone, wait, hang out for 30+ minutes listening to people audition for a play, see the arriving person who can tell you when the music might start and who might take money from you as a cover charge, hear this person say to the laptop female that he totally forgot there was a show tonight, ask him when the music will start and then leave to get earplugs because you forgot to bring some with you, and miss seeing the first band in the earplug finding-and-buying process because that person who forgot there was a show tonight was +/- 30 minutes wrong with respect to when the music would start.

That's how you get to the venue.

The main band that night was called Dead Balloons. They were the guys smoking out front. They are a threepiece from Birmingham, AL, and they played their tuckuses off. The drummer could play the type of fast/crazy that approaches Greg Saunier/Deerhoof-type levels ("approaches" being key; G.S. is his own galaxy of fast/crazy drumming and the Dead Balloons drummer was just a star shooting by that galaxy kind of getting sucked in in the same way that the d^3 space sucks out your soul) on a very small set (1 mid tom, 1 floor tom, 1 ride, snare/bass/hihat). At one point he did that thing where he was ripping sixteenth notes across the ride and hihat at the same time (I don't really know how to describe this phenomenon) and I was just mesmerized by it. The bassist was playing unreasonably complicated and fast lines and but landing them in this weird groove that was kind of external to the drummer but integrated into the band, not that that made any sense. 

It didn't make any sense. 

And the guitarist/singer was blasting out a hazy reverby and only slightly overdriven guitar sound with some crazy high riffs sometimes that were Vampire Weekend-ish, but also some heavy rhythm work that was just straight-up great, but also at one point he doubled a bassline that was just hellaciously complicated and all over the neck but he was singing at the same time. It wasn't something that was like superhuman Herculean, but it was impressive in the sense that he took the time to do that and most people don't. Like that is not a thing that most people do. Like who does that? And his singing was great and definitely on-point.

And it was all crazy. Crazy good. What is this band doing in a d^3? A handful of 20-somethings standing stock-still in the audience sipping PBRs and Miller Lite 40 ozs. A room that simultaneously bombards listeners with a bunch of soundwaves bouncing off the walls, creating a boomy mix and yet swallowing up the sounds at the same time. (The PAs were taller than anyone in the band and neither of the amps were mic'd or going into the PA mix, and yet the vocals were only just barely noticeable, with or without earplugs.)

I went up to the guitarist/singer afterwards and shook his hand and told him it was great and asked if they had any merch for sale. He asked the drummer, and he (the drummer) said that he (drummer) hadn't brought any CDs but they had shirts, so he should check (the drummer speaking to the guitarist/singer, as in the guitarist/singer should go out to the van and root around). So after a few minutes the guitarist/singer comes back and says they didn't bring anything with them this time but they could mail me a shirt if I paid shipping and handling, so I should just look them up on Facebook. Oh, like I could pay them through paypal or something, I ask. He looks back at me with a polite blankness in his eyes and says, I don't really know.

Old CDs!

In one of the best work moments of the new year, a professor came in and dropped off two bags of old CDs he was looking to get rid of. I took a quick look and sorted out some stuff for myself:

Phil Collins — No Jacket Required
Genesis — Invisible Touch
The Corrs — In Blue
The Corrs — Talk On Corners (Special Edition)
Natalie Merchant — Tigerlily
Third Eye Blind — Third Eye Blind (3BE?)
Gin Blossoms — Congratulations I'm Sorry
Tracy Chapman — New Beginning
The Refreshments — Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy
Dire Straits — Alchemy (2CD Live Set)

I mean, I'm not really super excited about this stuff (except The Refreshments), but it's always good to get free stuff... right?

24-hour party people.

Friday evening my band, Dead Letters, was practicing at our drummer's house. We were trying to polish things up for our upcoming show at The Engine Room this Wednesday. After playing for about half an hour, someone knocked at the front door. Two girls then entered, introduced themselves as the new neighbors, and invited everyone present (members of the household and our band) to the party they were having on the following night (Saturday). After about a minute, they also invited our band to play. (As someone pointed out to me, this sounds like an intro to a pornographic movie. I can assure you that it was not.)

We looked at each other for a second, and then immediately agreed. House parties are downright rock and roll. They're different than club gigs because the admission (and usually the drinks) are free. We know a good opportunity when we hear it.

The rest of our practice was then devoted to learning a couple of covers. Right off the bat, we thought we could do "Buddy Holly" and "Hey Ya" pretty easily. So we prepared those, and later that night and the next day we entertained more ideas for cover songs. About three hours before we started playing at the party, we were hammering out more covers. We were like a machine. The songs we quickly learned and performed were as follows:

Buddy Holly (Weezer)
Undone (The Sweater Song) (Weezer)
I Wanna Be Sedated (The Ramones)
Louie Louie (The Kingsmen)
Whatever You Like (T.I.)
Paper Planes (M.I.A.)
Hey Ya (Outkast)
El Scorcho (Weezer)

We did El Scorcho at the party as an encore without having practiced it before. We mixed in most of our original songs, which, I think, were well received. Somebody even said they'd come to our next show. I think we got offered more party gigs already. I don't want to sound conceited, but even with our bass player missing that night, we sounded really good out on their concrete slab of a porch. Energy was high and the Natural Light keg beer flowed. I'd love to play one club gig and one house party per month. I think that's my goal. We gotta learn some more cover songs! Suggestions? I really loved playing "Hey Ya," because it was a song I can respect, but it was also a crowd pleaser.

Re: url.

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Letters to the Editor (Show AUG 14th!!)
To: Letters to the Editor
Date: Jul 3, 2009 1:18 AM
Subject: url


Hey guys, can you change your URL so we can have it?

If you dont we will report you and your account will be deleted and we really dont wanna do that honestly.

Thanks,

-Letters to the Editor

* * * * *

Dear Letters to the Editor,

Thank you for naming your band after us. We had no idea that we would have such a lasting impact on modern music --- frankly, we thought we were only recognized locally. I guess that's the power of the internet in this day and age, huh? It's a wonderful thing.

As for your request for an interview, I'm sorry to say that we can not oblige. We can't just divulge our musical secrets for success to anyone that asks for them (unless, I must note, there will be a considerable interview fee involved).

Finally, I'm also sorry to note that, despite your polite request, we were unable to set up a show for you in our area. I checked with a few club owners around, and they explicitly wrote back that they were looking for bands with talent that EXCEEDED (not just met) the level of The Jonas Brothers.

Good luck in all of your endeavors.

Sincerely,

Letters to the Editor

* * * * *

Edit/Update:




[I couldn't even send the reply to their MySpace message or post on their page because they restricted communications to friends only. I wonder why they haven't had our account deleted yet...]

[Also: Letters to the Editor SUCK in Letters to the Editor SUCK Brentwood, Letters to the Editor SUCK Los Angeles, Letters to the Editor SUCK California and on Letters to the Editor SUCK MySpace, Letters to the Editor SUCK rock/alternative/indie, Letters to the Editor SUCK everything.]

[I will be surprised {but also delighted} if the above attempt to get the attention of the Google search bots actually works.]

Responses to Wilco's "Ashes of American Flags."

Post Preamble: Having submitted my official review of Wilco's new DVD, I now feel free to post this. It will probably not interest the majority of people on the internet, but it was a lot of fun to do. And now, after seeing the DVD a few times, I will have to scoot down and correct a few things...

* * *

Wilco's new live DVD arrived in the mail yesterday (which, at the time of writing was Monday, April 20). Here are my real time responses to watching it for the first time.

---

-Tweedy starts out in a brown leather jacket and felt cowboy hat. Brings a tear to my eye.

-Very much in the visual style of Sunken Treasure: Jeff Tweedy Live In The Pacific Northwest, which means I should be in a for a treat. Rain on bus windows, intimate, close-up shots (like in the recent Rolling Stones concert film, Shine A Light).

-"Ashes of American Flags" --- an appropriate starting song, directors. Props. [Edit: Christoph Green and Brendan Canty, of Fugazi fame, were directors for this.]

-They're only playing a sound check! To an empty room! They even sound great playing a sound check! Great choice in editing there --- revealing the empty room only partway through the song.

-Nels Cline should have a five-minute solo on every song.

-Alright! White, rosy Elvis-style suit for Tweedy on the next song!

-I can't really believe that Glenn Kotche plays with a traditional drumstick grip. That guy is a beast.

-Nels Cline's Fender Jaguar and stack of Vox amps will haunt my dreams. [Edit: Actually, I should have known that the Vox amps are Tweedy's. I haven't read through this yet, but for an uncompromising look at Nels Cline's gear, take a look here. Yikes! According to Wikipedia, "Currently, Nels is using the Schroeder DB7 red amplifier built for him by Tim Schroeder of Schroeder Guitar & Amp Repair in Chicago, IL."]

-Glenn really needs to work on his clothing style. He has long, sweaty hair, and a sort of mechanic's shirt on. He looks like he wants to deliver me a pizza.

-Nels' clothing style matches his playing: smart and sharp.

-Sometimes Jeff's eyes look like he's eating Sour Patch Kids when he's singing.

-"Handshake Drugs" is one of the infamous three-chord Wilco songs that works SO well. I am truly baffled as to how those songs work.

-Nels knows when to keep it simple. Two notes can work just as well as 200. Neil Young only needed one on "Cinnamon Girl."

-Okay, Nels is back to 200 notes per second. That's cool too.

-Bands are great, but once you're in them for more than a decade, you start to look like a baseball mitt.

-"The Late Greats" wouldn't be one of my choices to make the cut, but it's turning out to be good. Just an absurd song. But now it's absurd... with horns.

-Good stage banter, guys.

-"Kingpin" is another mediocre song choice, but at least it's meaty. (Nels' slide playing AND fuzzy green guitar strap saved this song performance from mediocrity.)

-Glenn has a frilly yellow pirate shirt that makes him look more like a flamenco dancer than a pirate.

-Jeff is doing his scratchy, high-pitched scream. Weird and gross.

-"Wishful Thinking" is a good chill-out song, but I hope they kick out the jams soon.

-Hmm... another soundcheck song. I guess I would prefer performances with a live crowd.

-I will accept "Impossible Germany" as a suitable song choice, and I will wait anxiously for great guitar sections.

-Nels Cline should have a five-minute solo on every song.

-The guys are lying around and complaining about what rock and roll does to their bodies. Hahaha.

-VIA CHICAGO.

-Immediately following "Via Chicago," Jeff makes a perfectly placed joke about steroids. Awesome.

-The only song that anyone used a 12-string acoustic guitar on for this DVD was "Heavy Metal Drummer." Weird. [Edit: Nels used a 12-string electric on this song too! And on a few other songs.]

-"War On War" is a pitch-perfect closer. Mid-tempo rocker, but it can get gritty.

-Now for the bonus features.

---

What a great concert video. It nicely complements Tweedy's solo acoustic DVD, and it's a brighter side of Wilco than what is shown in I Am Trying To Break Your Heart. Nels Cline is a madman superstar, and everyone else is great too, it's just that it's very hard to look past Nels sometimes...

Wilco is definitely one of the finest bands I've ever seen live. It doesn't hurt that they have a very extensive, versatile catalog behind them and that it seems like they will never lose steam.

Buy it. Watch it. Repeat.

Short CD Review.

The Features Exhibit A
2004 Universal Records

It was very logical that the first release from The Features, an independently released EP, was titled The Beginning. Now, with Exhibit A, their first full-length release, The Features provide a stunning defense for their entrance into the modern music scene.

The first three songs of Exhibit A explode with energy, carrying the listener along with infectious guitar riffs, a banging rhythm section, and eerie, quirky keyboards that combine elements not usually found in the recent wave of retro-influenced rock groups. The versatility of The Features is then displayed on the track “Blow It Out,” a simple, polished straight-up pop rock song that contrasts with the opening tracks of garage rock. With twelve songs, Exhibit A avoids monotony through The Features’ subtle incorporation of differing musical styles into their main sound. Songs include sections of disco-beats, garage rock, swing, and pop rock, with numerous shades in-between, that are musically diverse enough to keep the songs fresh through repeated listenings, but unified enough to express a unique style for this new band trying to find a niche in the music scene.

Singer Matthew Pelham does an impressive job with his delivery throughout all of the songs on Exhibit A; he applies a quivering, near-shouting, voice to the rougher musical areas (such as “Exorcising Demons,” and “Exhibit A”), while allowing a smooth, lilting croon to carry musical ballads like “Blow It Out” and “The Idea of Growing Old”. His approach to singing is very sensitive to the mood that the music evokes and complements the diversity of musical styles that The Features display.

Ultimately, The Features make a good name for themselves on Exhibit A. They have a knack for using a variety of musical styles to express themselves, and seem to be very mature in their development as songwriters for their first full-length release.

Best College Decision Ever (Reason # 337654).

Sometimes thumbing through the "Rock Budget" used CDs section of your local waycool Vinyl Fever establishment for the thirty minutes before you hear a set from Camper van Beethoven is rewarding.

I heard a few clips from this group online last month, and the only thing I remembered about them was that the clips didn't suck and their website was set up with a nautical-type map. That last part was what stuck with me, and when I saw this disc with an island and water on the front, it caught my attention. I was confused, because I knew this disc just came out. So I bought it. $3.99 for The Features' Exhibit A, which turned out to be surprisingly entertaining. There's not really anything bad I can say about it. Nothing really new going on, and they summon some spirits from the past, but it's really just a jolly good time.

Then, Camper van Beethoven played, and it was cool.

Sun King

Cuando para mucho mi amore de felice carathon
Mundo paparazzi mi amore chicka ferdi parasol
Cuesto abrigado tanta mucho que canite carousel

I need to pay more attention to the Beatles. Yeah, well... you know what I mean.

When I listened through Abbey Road again, I got to this part of Sun King and was interested. So I looked it up. Then I was even more interested, because it doesn't mean anything.

JOHN: [On Sun King] When we came to sing it, to make them different we started joking, saying "cuando para mucho'. We just made it up. Paul knew a few Spanish words from school, so we just strung any Spanish words that sounded vaguely like something.

And of course we got "chicka ferdi' ä that's a Liverpool expression; it doesn't mean anything, just like "ha ha ha'. One we missed: we could have had "para noia', but we forgot all about it. We used to call ourselves Los Para Noias.

I'm gonna go ahead and believe and thank this Botley character on the above quote (his comment was found when I searched for comments on Sun King, ... even though it was on a Pink Floyd message board...).

This subject interests me since some-of-the-times I start writing songs with the music and singing nonsense syllables over top of the chords to get the melody and flow of consonants/vowels/ryhmes in place, then I go back and write lyrics. Sometimes inane words or phrases come out in this stage of the song writing and sometimes I keep them, just because (in my mind) they fit so well (Death and Destruction [from Maladroit] was worked through this way- Rivers has said that he just went in and started singing and recorded the first words he produced).

What if people can respond simply to syllables strung together, without having any need to write any real words over music? (Mira comes to mind here.)

She's so ... heeeeaaaaavy

Sellout.

Since people have been writing articles about "indie going mainstream" this year, I decided to compile a few notes on selling out.

I thought Matt had a great idea for a band called The Sellouts. I guess someone else had the same idea.

You sunk your worth in being
different, just to be like your own
kind. You traded in objectiveness,
for the underground you follow
blind.

This comes from an older Five Iron Frenzy song... which reminds me of

So now my fans are crying sellout,
they say that I've lost my touch.
They say I should just get the hell out,
before I do too much.
Hear my songs in an ad for a bathroom cleanser -
they say it's greed,
And now I'm wondering where my friends are in this time of need.
But if you change your mind and buy it,
I hope you enjoy my new box.
I hope you enjoy my new box,
I hope you enjoy my new box set.

the song Box Set, from Barenaked Ladies' first album.

Then you have this cool interview with Isaac Brock:

O: Was licensing your songs to commercials a tough decision?

IB: Figuring out ways to pay the rent isn't really a tough decision. Around the time we did the beer commercial and the shoe commercial, I thought, "Am I compromising my music by doing this?" And I think not. I like keeping the lights on in my house. People who don't have to make their living playing music can bitch about my principles while they spend their parents' money or wash dishes for some asshole. Principles are something that people are a lot better at checking in other people than keeping their own. My rationale behind the beer commercial was, "I like drinking MGD! I like beer probably more than I should, probably more than is healthy." I was hoping I could get a lifetime supply out of the deal, but I guess I'll have to buy it with that big ol' check. [Laughs.]

And this article, which got this whole post rolling:

Has trying to make a living at music changed the way you look at the, sometimes, narrow definitions of selling out?

Tunde Adebimpe: "Daddy, why can't we eat?" "Because Daddy's punk as fuck. Don't be such a little sellout." I don't understand that so much. I think that "selling out" is more about being paid to forget who you are and do something in the service of something empty, something you don't really believe in, which honestly, depending on your situation, is sometimes necessary and happens at a lot of jobs. You should get paid somehow for your art, especially if it's what's occupying most of your time. It's not really a vital thing in the eyes of the world and people could just stop caring at any time, for whatever reason, so if you're working you should be compensated, so you can keep working if, or when, no-one cares.

Well, there you go.

Tell me

how that last post showed up three times when it didn't even process the first time...? Nevermind, I don't care (I deleted two of them).
List of good songs I listened to today:

Morrissey "The more you ignore me, the closer I get". 3 guitar parts throughout, up to 5-6 during the choruses. Very impressive.

Foo Fighters "Big Me". Main vocals doubled- gives it a spooky ambience, harmonized vocals work well with the tune. Simple.

Pearl Jam "Animal". Wicked awesome guitar solo that extends into the chorus. Tight!

The Mountain Goats "Baboon". "Your powers stripped of meaning, sky burning, spring cleaning".

and

That new song I'm working on that has a pretty good melody and keeps it simple. Might be a while before all of you hear that one though- still have to arrange it a bit, and such.

What?

I just read a comment from someone on the internet (a mistake on my part): "Modest Mouse? Just buy some Talking Heads albums. Get it from the original source."

Where do people draw the line at disregarding new bands simply because they incorporate influences from older bands?? (Uh, by the way I've never heard this comparison before, I find it hard to see any connections between the two bands on any of Modest Mouse's pre-Good News... albums [or even any songs on Good News... besides {MAYBE} the singles].) In my view, songs are as unique as fingerprints- even if a band consciously tries to capture someone else's sound or style, they're not gonna get it exactly right, and in the process they are adding some of their own spins on the music. Bands that consciously copy, however, usually end up sucking anyway...

Seems like anyone saying we don't need Modest Mouse because we have (had) the Talking Heads would be happy with only 5 really good bands that each did really distinct things. Then, that's it. No new music (unless it's reaaaallly different from everything that's ever been put out).

In a final note, I AM against rehashing old music, but I'm not hardcore about it. AND it will probably be the case that bands will start copying Modest Mouse. etc.

Dilemma.

Yesterday Matt made a harrowing observation: On Friday December 3rd, The Presidents of the United States of America are playing at The Beta Bar AND Rushmore is playing as the free midnight movie that night at the SLB.

So,

I've seen Rushmore before, but not on the big screen. I haven't seen the Presidents live.

Rushmore is free, and that is good. The Presidents are $13 in advance, $15 the day of, which is somewhat reasonable.

The Presidents have better than decent local band Believe in Toledo, and decent band The Drake Equation opening for them. Before Rushmore is a showing of Anchorman. However, Rushmore does have Bill Murray. And that funny, quirky Jason Schwartzman.

The concert starts at 9:30 PM, but they usually don't start on time and there is another opening band, Say Anything. So it will most definitely go past midnight.

And then there's always the dilemma of going to the midnight movie or breakfast for a buck. What to do?

Hate and War

The Clash got me thinking. Mick Jones pointed out in an interview that (The Clash song) "Hate and War" was just the opposite of everything the hippies were preaching at the moment (love and peace), a point so blatantly obvious that I felt inadequate for not realizing it.

Hate and war, the only thing we got today. And if I close my eyes, it will not go away.

But they weren't talking about starting revolutions or political uprisings, they were telling it how it was. They didn't wish for the unattainable goals of world peace and universal love, they just pointed out all the hate and war that was happening around them.

So, this got me thinking. Are world peace and love really unattainable? ...Yes. It seems to me that for every advance in medicine and healthcare that extends the human lifespan and reduces the rate of preventable deaths, there needs to be a sort of balance if not only for the purposes of population control and stability. Therefore maniacal tyrants wipe out entire groups of people, and wars take down the population a bit.

Uh, this isn't flowing as well as I thought, and I can't seem to express clearly what I'm thinking (nor do I have useful links), so I'm gonna try to wrap this up.

Is war the oldest human institution? It seems to extend long before the formation of written language, and the formation of cities. It seems natural enough (hmm, nature is harsh when it comes to predator and prey at times, but are there cases of animal warfare? ...like a colony of ants systematically united against another colony, or monkey groups in warfare? Any Biology majors out there?)- as natural as anger, but it just seems (to me) that human society should have progressed past this primal instinct.

LTJ + Al Gore + 9/11

I less than three Less Than Jake.

In other news, I saw Al Gore speak today at the courthouse here. I enjoyed the content and delivery of his speech much more than John Edwards' last sunday. He seemed determined, but not vengeful, which was a good move on his part. He used humor, effectively.

To provide a nice balance to this afternoon's speech, I'll be attending the showing of FarenHYPE 9/11 tonight at the student life building here. I will try to compare it and contrast it to Moore's documentary.

Blackness Prevails.

"I wear black on the outside because black is what I feel on the inside" is most likely the worst Morrissey line ever.

Windows Media.

I opened windows media player today, and on the front page, it had a link to hear Jimmy Eat World's entire new CD. So, ... check that out. I searched for it on windowsmedia.com, but couldn't find the link.

However, this did prompt me to search for other full lengths available, and found Elliot Smith's "From a Basement on a Hill" (it was at this site, but it looks like a page they constantly change, so you can just search for artists on the mainpage).

I didn't know they did this nowadays. Oh, yeah, I found REM's newest release on myspace.com the other day. Interesting.

*Edit: Rilo Kiley!

Shatner Back in Action.

William Shatner has teamed up with Ben Folds to make his second musical album, Has Been. Weird.

I think the most surprising tidbit from this (for me) was that Shatner is 72 years old. Now, that's old. I would like to hear some of this, so someone get it and send me a copy.

NYC

I considered writing a whiny, egotistical post about missing out on Less than Jake, Jurassic 5, Dave Matthews Band, Morrissey, and Cake in concert (... not at the same, over a short period of time), but I've decided to steer this in a positive direction.

I traveled about 3000 miles in 3 days.

New York City was wonderful, but not novel this time around. I went there for a week in the spring and was amazed by it. But, now, not so amazed. So many people. We managed to drop in on the Metropolitan Museum of Art (after quite a bit of walking) and it was fantastic. We saw students sitting around sketching different pieces of art, and visited various wings on Egyptian, Greco-Roman, European, and American art and sculptures. We got lost in there.

Central Park was very entertaining- colorful foliage and many people presenting their wares. Painters, portrait artists, jugglers, and musicians (a bassoon player!).

Saturday Night Live, the focus of our venture, was also entertaining and exciting. It was very strange to witness all the movements inbetween sketches, notice the small, small stages and workspace, and realize that this crew does this every week. Impressive. Various "camera tricks" create a sense of a spacious set and easily-flowing ideas, when in actuality, the microphones are about a foot above the actors, weekend update was set on the main stage (right in front of the band) and Tina Fey and that other chick were wearing jeans with those blazers, and everything was hectic during commercials. The SNL band was brilliant. Jeffrey, the tenor-saxophone player was amazing, and the band was well rehearsed and played a set before the show, and during all commercials. Queen Latifah was also great. I think my favorite moment was when she walked into that sketch with Martha Stewart in jail and just gave the funniest look into the camera. Hilarious!

All that traveling has left me kind of beat. Although I slept entirely through both flights (even through the safety demonstrations of the second flight), I think my body discovered that it's unnatural for someone to be 30,000 feet above ground, traveling hundreds of miles per hour. I don't think it likes staying up more than 24 hours at a time, either.

Talking Heads.

Instead of buying lunch today, I bought a Talking Heads album, More Songs About Buildings and Food. Probably the best decision I've made all day.

I chose music over food because I thought I got the new Cake CD in the mail, but it turns out it was just the extra disc they send out for ordering it, with a few b-sides on it. Dank.