the mosh

photo libertinius yomango via wikicommons)

No, today I am not expounding upon the glories and etiquette of the mosh pit (oh yes, there is etiquette even amongst the rabble) rather the glory of Plastilina Mosh.

The Mexican duo was introduced to me by my friend Guy Magnificent who is much more up on the Latin American music scene than I could hope to be (I mostly only know old Brazilian artists that Mr. IMo? collects). Plastilina Mosh's sound is a catchy bi-lingual blend of Beck and the Beastie Boys, with a nod to Elvis and a noticeable Mexi-flare. Throw out everything you think you know about Mexican music, give a white snake-leather cowboy boot to those visions of Mariachi Men and the Mexican hat dance and get ready for a whole new way to view modern Mexican music.

Beyond the featured trax today I refer you to their songs "Mr. P-Mosh", "Human Disco Ball" & "Millionaire" for a well rounded introduction.

Today's other band, Primus really needs no other introduction than to scream "PRIMUS SUCKS!!"

*j

Today's songs of the day are brought to you...

by the letter "P" : "magic fever" - Plastilina Mosh (link to video here)

and the number "11": "eleven" - Primus (look, another dose of P)

kassidy

My dear old friend D, who I have known since she was a young thing from Warsaw, now lives in the Netherlands, and scoots off fairly often to London.

Today on facebook she posted a link to a new band she saw over the weekend, Kassidy.

I must say they have a lot going for them musically, though I hope for their appearance's sake, the grunge look is coming back quickly to go along with all of those plaid button-downs at Target.

They can do accoustic like few bands, and I was intrigued to see that their "Night in the Box" video features them as an opening band for my beloved Noisettes. You can also find a cover of Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole" if that makes it a little easier for you to decide how you feel.

D's original link was for "The Traveller- Live at the Konk".

I am still not 100% sure of my feelings for Kassidy, but I think if I can listen to them a few times they may have a future. They are an up and coming band I thought for diversity's sake that I would put out there for others to check out.

* j

litmus test

One of the reasons I like The Plimsouls has to do with their diversity. "Hey ! Hey! Hey!" is totally rockabilly like The Stray Cats, "Oldest Story in the World" sounds like The Church, " Hush Hush" sounds like The Replacements. They are kind of like a cover band that does their own songs. Most people probably know them for their song "A Million Miles Away", which doesn't really sound like anything else they did either.

On the other hand, Operation Ivy has a very distinctive style. Back when Operation Ivy and Green Day were both young they were a litmus test for taste between my friends and I. Like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, every one has their preference. I did like the early Green Day for their garage band, raw sound, but I always preferred Operation Ivy's ska influence and sardonic lyrics. With most bands I have a favorite song or two, but I have a hard time chosing a favorite with Operation Ivy, which makes today's song choice random rather than deliberate. I had to just close my eyes and point at random to pick.

*j

Today's songs of the day are brought to you ...

by the letter "O" : "sound system" - Operation Ivy

and the number "12": "twelve" - The Plimsouls

the dø

Discovered a great little Swedish tidbit today, with a broad range of influences and equally broad range of material: The Dø (click for link to videos)

I do love Swedish and Icelandic music (Shout Out Loud, Lykke-Li, Bjork, Sigur Ros) and The Dø has some of the best of all those elements. About every song sounds different so there is a lot to chose from. If you are one of those people who don't mind their music in a foreign tongue check out their lovely Unisassi Laulelet.

some strange reward

While slaving away this summer in the dirt and grime and paint of being a landlord, there was one bright moment of respite I was looking forward to: Danzig. Admittedly, Glen Danzig isn't the Prince of Sunshine, but he was playing a show, and more importantly doing a record signing. Working 14 hour days didn't allow me enough time to see his performance, but I knew I could find an hour to slip out of my old man overalls and sneak off to get an LP signed.

In long-standing Boise tradition, all the punk kids, from street punks to those punks who have been around as long as Danzig, everyone crawled out into the light of day to see the legend.

I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but when my brother-in-law sent me a text in the late afternoon that said he had just sold Danzig a ton of fireworks, I knew I had to find a way. To complicate ny efforts further it eventually came down to sneaking off from my own Yaz's impromptu family birthday party that was a surprise to me. But with a litle help from my sister I pulled it off, and half the family didn't even know I had disappeared.

So, here it is, one of the newest additions to my wall of rock glory: a signed Misfits album. Ah, victory.

On the flip-side, don't miss this video of Robots, it will pull you in quickly to the quirky world occupied by Navvy (don't forget the second "V"). Yaz loves them and so will you.

*j

(p.s. we have made it to the half-way point in our alphabetical countdown to the 1st day of school)

Today's songs of the day are brought to you...

by the letter "N" : "robots" - Navvy

and the number "13": "thirteen" - Danzig

get with the beat

I want to take this opportunity to shamelessly promote for a friend of mine. This is going to feel like the 6 degrees to Kevin Bacon game (I'm a 3) but it will all make sense in the end.

To begin with we have Beat Happening. Pure delectable raw goodness, like fresh honey or warm bread. Beat Happening clung to their independent roots fiercely, sticking it out with vocalist Calvin Johnson's own K records rather than going on to corporate fame. Calvin Johnson is an indie hero of the Pacific Northwest (or PNW as we call it). While at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, Calvin not only rocked his own band, but was also involved with K, the Sub Pop fanzine (which I used to read and wish I still had copies of) which eventually lead to the record label (which I had on all of my first 3 cars) and later was in the Halo Benders with Doug Martsch of Built to Spill(see post back when you were cool) among his many other project.

In the likely event that you aren't aware of K records here are a few bands that have put out albums with K:
Beck, Built to Spill, Girl Trouble, Melvins, Modest Mouse, Pansy Division, Shonen Knife, Some Velvet Sidewalk, Thee Headcoats.


If you have Netflix like most of America I recommend clicking over to the documentary "The Shield Around the K: the story of K records". You can stream it instantly, and it is a great music history of the 90's in Washington state, where the grunge and riot grrrl musical movements began.


Now back to the beginning, and the shameless promotion. My friend Grace, who I met when I was 15 and was my reliable alibi for the many times when I slipped of to see a show with or without her, is now a DJ at KAOS radio in Olympia, Washington at Evergreen State College. See the connection?

Grace has a show on Sunday nights "Our Lady of KAOS" at 8 PM (Pacific) featuring all the ladies who rock our world. You can stream it or just pick up Grace's play lists each week and search them out on your own via Napster or iTunes or Amazon.

Should you be in the unfortunate position of never hearing Calvin's voice before, it's easily remedied;just turn on your speakers and slide over to the play list. He has a wonderfully deep voice, and grumbles like a gravel truck on a gravel road, and like a long bumpy road trip, once you settle in it is incredibly soothing. Dreamy is my favorite album.

I am a bit hesitant to skip over Maximo Park on this blog post but I promise to get back to them at a later date. In the meantime, here are the songs of the day on my countdown to school.

*j

Today's songs of the day are brought to you...
by the letter "M": "apply some pressure" - Maximo Park

and the number "14": "fourteen" - Beat Happening

why i should go clubbing

If ever there were a case for me to go clubbing again, it would be Ladytron.

Honestly, I am lucky enough to get to watch an occasional episode of Burn Notice with Mr. IMo? or one of the dozen classic movies I have DVR'd (I am trying to watch the classic King Kong next), not to mention the finagling I have to do to get out to see a live show. But when I discover great artists like Ladytron I wish I tried harder. I feel like I would discover them sooner.

What I love about Ladytron is how clean their music is. There are layers upon layers of sound, but it never comes off messy, giving each instrument and vocal equal clarity, but without losing their depth or technicality. Helena Marnie also has a great everygirl voice; it's lovely and hypnotic but her range allows everyone to sing along with ease. Their artistry continues through their videos, from the complex to the simple, they never disappoint.

*j

I've attached a link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtqGoHouoE0

Today's songs of the day are brought to you...
by the letter L: "destroy everything you touch" - Ladytron
and the number 15: "15 men" - the Aquanettas

i got an honorable mention

I got an honorable blog mention! Ok, so it is from one of my old friends who I haven't actually seen in person since about 1996 (though we have an online musical banter on facebook with duelling songs of the day), but hey, I will take gushing accolades where I can get them.

Thanks for the glowing praises Larry!

*j

(www.royalkeister.blogspot.com/2010/07/curious-links)

regrets and redemption

One of my most recent vinyl purchases was a copy of The Kinks "THE ROAD : live", based entirely on my love of their song "Come Dancing". I first heard this song on a mix tape my high school boyfriend's older brother made for me, and I have always really enjoyed it.



Now, don't get too accustomed to these old fliers but I have another. This is actually from a show I never made it to due to multiple unhappy occurrences, not the least of which was being grounded from my car and my dad's birthday party(I still curse the fact I never made it, and that I missed seeing Tré Cool dump a plate of spaghetti on my best friend's head after the show). This show was back in 1992 when they were touring for their new album Kerplunk, yeah, that's way back before they were playing super-stadiums (do you see that price, $6 ! I paid more than that in Ticketmaster fees for my Lollapalooza tix), and still sucked as musicians, which is how I prefer them. Next month I get to redeem myself and see them headline at Lollapalooza, but I still regret not skipping out and going to the show back when they were young and rowdy and unknown.


*j




Today's songs of the day are brought to you by...

the Letter K: "come dancing" - the Kinks
and the number 16: "16" - Green Day

temper fit

My computer through itself into a raging tizzy fit for the paMy st two days and refused to behave, but woke up this morning without even a slight hangover. Which leaves me two days behind, and I hate to be late.


*j


What I missed:

Letter I: "wrecking ball" - Interpol
Number 18: "18 soldiers" - Pennywise

Letter J: "head on" - the Jesus and Mary Chain (love! love! love! these guys)
Number 17: "seventeen" - Jet (look at that a double J day)

feelin' hot hot hot

Well, it's another gnarly day here in the Mid-west where you want nestle down into a limestone cave and wait out the summer at a constant 67 degrees. We don't have many of those around here so we are doing our best in our cave-like house with blinds closed and the A/C set. My California instincts (multiple times a day) draw me out into the deceptive sun, in the vain hope that things have changed, only to again find myself cursing the blasted humidity. Really, it is unnatural that my sunglasses should fog up when I walk outside, and the car shouldn't be covered in "dew" inside the garage mid-day. I miss Spain. It may be 113*F in the summer in Madrid, but it is a dry heat, and there is an ice cream vendor on every corner.


I walk outside each time with this little ditty in mind, knowing that insanity is defined by doing the same thing over and over with the hopes of a different outcome, but still I am lured out to the mid-day brightness, over and over and over....


*j

Today's songs of the day are brought to you...
by the letter "H" : " over and over" - Hot Chip

and the number "19": "not nineteen forever" - the Courteeners

i thought i was being random

I completely thought I was being random when I chose electronic dance artist Goldfrapp and glam grunge Placebo for today's songs, until I was doing a little bit of reading and found out that they both had the same producer, Dimitri Tikovoi. Who knew?


Placebo is one of those under the radar bands, that seemed to be loved by musicians, opened for everyone and never really got big in the US. Lead singer Brian Molko looks like the perfect androgynous mix of Brett Anderson (Suede) merged with his equally glam androgynous one-time girlfriend Justine Frischmann (Suede,Elastica); so in other words, lovely.


While yesterday I warned you to steer clear of a cover song, I want to recommend one today by Placebo. "I feel you", a cover of Depeche Mode, has a great vocal interpretation, without musically or stylistically veering too far from the original. They have a full album of covers, ingeniusly called "Covers" where they remake not only Depeche Mode, but also the Pixies, the Smiths, T. Rex, and Kate Bush.


*j


Today's songs of the day are brought to you....
by the letter "G": "Ride a white horse" - Goldfrapp

and the number "20": "twenty years" - Placebo

just what the doctor ordered

CHECK IT OUT: (http://50.drmartens.com/artists-and-tracks)



AE/D.C. is on a roll today. He also alerted me to this project sponsored by Dr. Martens. Their website intro explains:

To celebrate our 50th Anniversary, we asked 10 artists to record their version of a cult classic track which represents the spirit of the people who've worn DM's over the past 50 years. We also asked 10 directors to make videos for each of the tracks.

So far they have one of my favorites, The Noisettes, doing a cover of The Buzzcocks "Ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't've", and I am now anxiously awaiting The Ravonettes doing The Stone Roses' - "I wanna be adored".


Now lace up your Doc's and dance!

back and forth

Going out of order gives me too much time to start second guessing myself. I was all ready to tout the virtues of the Eyeliners, when I got an email this morning from my D.C. friend about a new song by Example. See my conundrum? New vs. old.


I had to listen to them back to back like 5 times before I could decide. After much deliberation I decided to stick with Eyeliners as Song of the Day, but I will let you in on the new guy, Example. The song my friend AE/D.C. sent me is "Girl can't dance" by Example. It has a great industrial dance beat and amusing lyrics but in the end when I checked out his other songs they weren't really the same sound, so I am reluctant to give my full recommendation.

The Eyeliners on the other hand are one of those "riot grrl" bands of the mid-90's that just plain rock. However, steer clear of their version of When in Rome's "The Promise"...wow, NOT a tribute.

Today's songs of the day are brought to you...
by the letter "E": "you're all wrong" - the eyeliners
and the number "21": "twenty one" - the cranberries

you're out of order

(illustration by Howard Pyle)


Just like Sesame Street doesn't go in alphabetical order, I am jumping ahead one letter for today. I promise to go back and re-do "E" tomorrow, but today is Mr. IMo?'s birthday and I thought "F" made for a better song of the day.


After a wild mid-afternoon storm and a post-storm slip and slide adventure yesterday we are still looking to shake up the last 22 days of summer.


So, here's for you "Oh Captain, my Captain"....


*j

Songs of the day are brought to you...

by the letter "F": "Brave Captain" - fIREHOSE

and the number "22": "22" - Babes in Toyland

Modest Mouse at the Pageant St. Louis

As I mentioned the other day, I went to Modest Mouse on Saturday night with Mr. IMo? and the P's. They were all excited and I was hoping to be converted to Modest Mouse fan-dom. I mean it seems like all the cool kids are liking them, so I must be missing something.

We skipped the opening band in lieu of going to the record store (www.vintagevinyl.com) because we were dreading a sold-out show in mid-July. The body count was overwhelming and we didn't want to start dripping prematurely. I found some cool 45s and as a sign that Saturday's song of the day truly was "in the year 2525" I actually found it on 45 (though I did have to smooth talk it out of some kid's hands). Luckily, we took the side trip because Modest Mouse came on almost 30 minutes late. The stage was packed tighter than the venue with everything from 2 drum kits, an accordion, a squeezebox, various other percussion instruments and an electric cello we liked to call "chell-O!" and the crowd was getting feisty.


The band came out to huge applause and then Isaac Brock began to complain about the heat of just walking across the parking lot. The band then plowed through song after song, most of which were new and not particularly well received by the audience. The general murmur was everyone came to hear their old favorites and that this new album wasn't their best. I don't know if it was due to technical difficulties or acoustics but the vocals, which Modest Mouse is known for, were hidden behind a wall of sound. I found it unfortunate because the few songs I sort of like from MM are all because of the clever lyrics. Siren-style lighting blasting in your eyes like paparazzi flashes of light was also a complaint. It seemed an intentional cruel joke against the audience so that no one could get a decent picture. From the first few bars to the very end, lights were the only movement on stage, beyond the constant changing of instruments, leading to a very static performance.


Outside of the initial weather complaint there was no repartee with the crowd from Brock or anyone else, minus a mention about the sad looking beach ball sitting on stage. Rather than liven things up by throwing it back into the crowd it was just left sitting limp under the lights. That moment captured the essence of the show. What could have been engaging was left wilting under lethargy or apathy or both.


After blazing through their set like a practice session, they said a quick "that's all" and left the stage. Hoping for an encore the crowd held out, clapping, shouting, chanting for over 5 minutes. Where I stood people began to boo. There was a disappointed and offended bunch feeling betrayed by the poor performance. Eventually, the band came back but only half-heartedly to play two more songs, and prefaced his return badly.




Jim Fairchild, a fellow Modestoan, stood out as the only bright spot in the show. Off on stage left alone with his collar turned up, he seemed to want to do more but was an island of music unto himself.


I have only ever walked out on a show twice. This show ranked with those previous two in disrespect for the audience, bad stage presence and horrible acoustics. Had it not been for the people I was at the show with, I would have left.


There was a girl standing next to us who was a huge MM fan, and she had seen them perform in AZ and knew all their songs. By the end she was booing them, and as they left for the second time she gave them the finger and told them to "F" off.


Mr. IMo? and I were talking after the show and hit on the fact that some people see places like Boise, and St. Louis and other mid-sized towns as unimportant places they are just passing through, and don't really give their audiences the respect they deserve. This was an egregious offense, without thank yous to audience, or appreciation for the sold out show funding what looks like in Mr. IMo?'s words "an Oregon state work project" of 7-8 dudes on stage at a time. This was one of those crash and burn dates, there was no band love.


So, I guess Modest Mouse is going into the pile of bands everyone else likes but me.


*j


Here is Brock with his lame excuse for the long wait before the encore...thanks youtube guy for the video and your backup vocals.

i live for that look

When I was 17 I bought one of my favorite t-shirts. It was way too big because back in the day bands seemed to think girls didn't wear band t-shirts so the only size you could buy was a men's large. It was enormous but I loved it. I bought the Dinosaur Jr. "Green Mind" shirt because that week it was my favorite album, one of the very first I'd bought on CD to go with my new CD player. Everyone else hated it. People on the street hated it, old ladies at the gas station hated it, my mom especially hated it. If you haven't seen the cover, it's a tough looking 9 year old with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, looking off into the distance. (http://www.dinosaurjr.com/)


Even now as the mom of a 9 year old I love that picture. No, I don't want my 9 year old smoking but the little girl has that iconic James Dean cool which is what makes the picture so shocking and beautiful. She is so strong and independent and not scared to be a girl doing her own thing and going her own way. In a day when girls have more opportunities than ever I find it surprising not to see that self-confidence in girls more often. At about age 9 it seems to start to give way to social pressures from other girls, from outside influences that haven't caught up with the times and nagging self-doubt. I see it happening in my own Katydid, and it worries me. Sadly the only time you regularly see girls and even women with this kind of confidence they are strutting their bodies and sexuality rather than their brains or talents. That's why today's song is about why I live for that look on my daughter's face. I want her to be strong and confident and do her own thing her own way, even if everyone else hates it, the people on the street can hate it, the old ladies can hate it, even her own mom can hate it for a while.


*j
Songs of the day are brought to you...

by the letter "D": "I live for that look" - Dinosaur Jr.

and the number "23": "23" - Blonde Redhead

C is for Cookie

Today is a quickie post because it is Yaz's birthday and we are doing little kid stuff, and he is anxiously awaiting his Sesame Street toy and new tricycle.

*j

Songs of the day are brought to you....
by the letter "C" : "Krötenwanderung" - Casper and the Cookies and the number "24" :"twenty four" - Mudhoney

back when you were cool

Most music you like is based on what you listen to when you were a teenager. It's practically unchangeable. You may add new things to what you like, but those teenage songs last forever. Ask your grandma what she likes, it will be the songs that reminder her of being young, having fun, being cool and maybe even hot (even if she doesn't say it). Of course those are the best memories to have musically or otherwise.


Which brings me to Built to Spill. For years I would go see them play, about once a month, when I was in High School, when I was at the University, after University bringing Katydid along to the neighborhood street fair. Even as I have moved around they have followed playing shows around the country. They even showed up playing on a mix CD in a friend of a friend's car in Germany.


Tomorrow I am headed out to see Modest Mouse, which in my opinion owe their entire musical sound to Built to Spill and pretty much any other band Doug Martsch has ever played in. Mr. IMo? loves them both the same.


I have a few old posters stashed away that I found in a box about 5 years ago, reminiscences of my teenage years going to shows 2-3 times a week. They were almost all local bands, this one happens to have a letter to me from some guy I never met on the back, you know from when I was young and having fun and much cooler than I am now.

*j

Today's songs of the day brought to you...

by the letter B: "Car"- Built to Spill

and the number 25: "In the year 2525" - Zager & Evans

UPDATE: My D.C. friend came through and was able to get me the name of the mystery artist of "In the Year 2525" I have been listening to for the past 5 year. If you want to hear an updated club version of the song check out "In the Year 2525" by Venice Beat featuring Tess Timony. Thanks A!

26 is a beautiful number

26 has a lot of meaning for me. It is the birthday I lost on the day my daughter was born and I haven't really seen one since. 26 is how old I was when I moved to Chicago and fell in love with a city. When I was 26 my husband began his quest to become an International Man of Mystery (I like to call him IMo?) and that cute slacker guy I married only reappears occasionally.


Today Katydid informed me there are only 26 days left until school starts for her and Macaroni, leaving me and Yaz to rock alone during the day. Can I get a Hallelujah!?!


Which made me think I should have a countdown. Like a musical version of those silly paper loop chains that count down until Christmas or the day you go home /leave home or whatever miserable hole you have found yourself in.


26 is also a beautiful number because obviously that's the number to letters in the English alphabet that brings us so many great lyrics.


So for the next 26 days were are going to have a Sesame Street style number and letter of the day. A song to correlate to every number and an artist for every letter. A byte-sized study in the ABCs and 1-2-3s of a musical library.


As always feel free to make guesses, tell me my selection sucks and what you would have picked instead, let me know if I introduced you to something new or picked a favorite.


*j

Today is brought to you by...

the letter A : "the sun always shines on T.V." - A-Ha

and the number 26: "26 reisen" - Einstürzende Neubauten

i believe in summertime

I believe in summertime. I believe it is the time for kids to never wear shoes, toe-heads to get tans, and the water fights to be never ending. Little thighs should be burning for all the bike riding and knees should be scabby and scrawny arms covered in bandages from climbing trees. Being a California girl, summer really could last almost all year as a kid if it weren't for school getting in the way. I loved summertime. I still live for summertime. But the mid-west has a funny way of throwing what literally feels like a wet towel on summertime. We have a neighborhood playground that looks more like a ghost town. Between the humidity, the bugs and the storms no one wants to go outside. Because it's TOO DARN HOT!!


Here is a little something to help blow off steam if where you are is too hot too. An Erasure rarity that comes from a collection of Cole Porter song covers on the album Red Hot + Blue, an AIDS benefit compilation which is one of my favorite cover albums. Too Darn Hot was originally written for Kiss Me, Kate (a remake of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew). There are layers of reasons to love this song.

Song of the day: "Too Darn Hot" - Erasure (cover)

*j

feelin' foxy

You know, there is nothing quite like seeing a band live.


It's like a testing ground, like dating. Some bands you like to flirt with from a distance before that big day when you finally go out with them in person. Occasionally those first shows crash and burn like a real first date but others just get better every time you go out. True band love.


Yesterday was my second date with Foxy Shazam. The first date was spectacular, at night, full length show, plugged in and wild. One of those stars in your eyes, fireworks kind of dates. Yesterday was quieter, unplugged, less formal, I even brought the kids along. Since I first met Foxy online a few months ago I would stray but every time they popped back up on my play list it was like a new little love-letter and I fell head over heels again. Today I am finally willing to make a public declaration of love.


And like any guy on the prowl will tell you, the best way to a mom's heart is through her kids. What really won me over was how excited they were to see my kids there in the front row dancing along, and to top it all off they plucked a bad word right from the song just to make it kid-friendly. So it's mutual.


I have tried and tried to load my video but it is conspiring against me. I will keep plugging away. In the mean time...here is the official video of the song I want to share featuring his own son Julian.


Song of the day: "Oh Lord" - Foxy Shazam (NOT THE PG version)




P.S. I totally have my first groupie crush since 1997 when I was in love with the lead singer of Sweet Water (www.sweetwaterrocks.com), well besides my long-standing adoration of the indescribably beautiful Lenny Kravitz, the only man I would leave my husband for. Sky is my new favorite. Not only was he super-cool to hang out with my kids and take pictures but he has this constant goofy grin and is man enough to know that skinny jeans aren't for everyone.


*j

Me with my band crush back in May:

in the audience

Today I am breaking one of the major mommy rules in this house. That's the beauty of being in charge. I am always telling my monsters "First we have to work, then we get to play". We have turned it into a little tribal chant that brainwashes them into picking up the plastic animals and wooden blocks they leave scattered underfoot as soon as I begin the ditty. It's pretty relaxed around here but someone has to get things done.


Which brings me to my point. Today we are ditching out on the rest of the post-vacation mess of jumbled papers spread across the kitchen counter, all those foreboding red suitcases I have yet to unpack and can I just say it looks like the wreck of the Hesperus in the playroom. We are going on an adventure this afternoon, because I said so.


They advertised, we are buying. So whether they planned for it or not, 3 underage monsters and I are headed down to St. Louis's Delmar Loop for Foxy Shazam's performance at Vintage Vinyl. We will be in the audience.

*j

SONG OF THE DAY: "Audience" - COLD WAR KIDS

Breaking News about a free show

ERIC - lead vocals and acrobatics

I just got notice that Foxy Shazam (currently my favorite live band) will be performing for free at 3:30 tomorrow at my second favorite record store(http://vintagevinyl.com/). The are opening for Hole tomorrow night at The Pageant (http://www.thepageant.com/) but I have been dragging my feet buying tickets since I don't really like MS. Love so much.

Looks like we have a late afternoon field trip to the Record Store.

If you are ever in St. Louis I highly recommend heading out to the Delmar Loop to check out the St. Louis Walk of Fame on this street (www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees) to see the hometown stars of music, arts and entertainment. Some of my favorites are Jospehine Baker, William Burroughs, Kate Chopin, Miles Davis, Betty Grable, Scott Joplin.

So," we're gonna go to the record store...we're gonna give 'em all our money..."
and despite having three kids with me we are headed to the show.


In the we words of Foxy Shazam "We are UNSTOPPABLE!"


*j

home

Last night we returned from an 8 1/2 week vacation/ work trip that spanned from Cleveland on the east, Honolulu on on the west, Red Deer Alberta on the North and most of the time spent in paint splattered, dirty overall is Boise, we have finally returned home to the land of the Arch.


After 6,389 miles in our big red work truck (which ran beautifully, never broke down and I only locked my keys in the car once outside of Lowes) I currently haven't got much time to reflect because I have 6 more loads of laundry to do, waterskis to put away, there is NO food in the house and the littlest rocker wants to go outside and play.


Today's song of the day comes from one of the coolest bands of my teenage years. They hail from the great Gem State and still rock. They have just re-released a limited edition pressing of their 3 original albums, but even more exciting you can finally now listen to all three albums on Napster or find them at their website: www.blackhappy.net

*j
Song of the day: "home" - Black Happy

Hup Holland Hup! Hip Hip Oranje!

Being a Dutch family we are out of our minds happy about Holland being in the World cup Finals!!! So what better song for the day than "Hup Holland Hup" which translates as GO Holland GO! It was written in 1950 by KRO employee Jan de Cler, and roucghly translates as "Go Holland go! Don't make the lion look foolish. Go Holland go! Release the animal, Go Holland go! Don't let them take you back Because the lion wearing football shoes Can take on the whole world!"




I particularly like the 2nd remix, but the 1st is more authentic.


*j

SONG OF THE DAY : >"Hup Holland Hup"

DISCO REMIX