HEALTH live in the 'burg/ The plight of drinkers in LA's all-ages scene

Watch the full concert at baeblemusic.com


The good people at Baeble Music were nice enough to hip me to the live HEALTH show in Brooklyn they just posted. And on the real...it is ridiculously tight! I've only seen HEALTH once and it was at some suited up industry party that Village Voice and their city paper cohorts around the country (I don't feel like doing the pertinent internet digging right now, but I'd bet one dude owns them all) threw during SXSW. While I can't knock them too hard because it was a decent lineup (shit, HEALTH played) and they gave away these sweet gym bags with the show flyer printed on them, the crowd of almost entirely forty-somethings wasn't really feeling experimental noise punk at noon. And even though I'm friggin certain those dudes weren't partying nearly as hard as I was the night before, I can totally see where they were coming from. If I wasn't already hooked on the intensely abrasive and still defiantly melodic HEALTH album I'd just copped before heading to Austin, I might have been sulking near an A/C duct and pounding bloody marys too. So to quit acting tough and finally set the scene: I stood real close to the stage and rocked out for the duration of the set and I shit you not, there wasn't a single person within 15 feet of me or the band. And as we all know, it is kind of awkward to dance by yourself to noisy art punk, let alone doing so at noon. But the point is: HEALTH are so goddamn amazing live that I couldn't help but flail around and air drum. And all the while, I was dead sober. Or, you now what, I guess I was probably still a little boozed from ending my night a few hours beforehand. Also, I'm fairly certain me and Brian burned one on the ride down...
But speaking of sober, this brings me to my next point: I'm kind of bitter that all the best and most exciting shows in LA are all all-ages and no beer. I totally feel like a dick saying this because I was such a fervent hater throughout my childhood whenever bands I liked didn't play all-ages shows. "Punk's supposed to be for the kids, man" and all that business. I can't tell you how many times I snuck in and/or got kicked out of 18 or 21 and up shows. Shit, the second best show I ever saw was the 21+ Modest Mouse show we snuck into when I was 16 and they were touring for Lonesome Crowded West. (Quick side note: I had just gotten my license three days beforehand and my midnight curfew came and went about 15 minutes into the 2 hour set. When I finally got home around 2, my mom started screaming and I calmly replied "you can ground me forever but it was worth it." And it was. To her credit, she saw that look in my eye and I got off with a stern warning. Her leniency might also have had something to do with a similar occurrence involving my dad and a Who concert in Philly when he was 16). But for the most part, I saw some pretty sweaty shows in community centers and church basements and loved every one of them.
Sadly, nowadays I've become a mutant drug addict that needs a lukewarm PBR in my hand in order to enjoy a show. (I know, I know...but it breaks down like this: I always have some sort of beverage handy no matter what. Coffee, water and beer are my go-to bevies of choice. And if I'm out somewhere at night, I really don't wanna pay money for anything but a beer. Ya know?) Obviously, there are plenty of good shows at beer-selling venues in LA. I go to Spaceland every Monday and hit up the Echo, etc. on a pretty regular basis. Sometimes there are good local bands at the bars (see postings below). Additionally, I'm certainly not above pounding said lukewarm beers in the bathroom at the Smell (see postings below).
But coming back around to Brooklyn: it just never seemed like age was an issue for shows in New York. Although I never really looked into it, their alcohol laws are probably less strict about shit like that. And besides: kids in NYC all get fakes well before their 21st and flaunt them. Damn, I must have gone through 10 fake ids before I turned 21. But out west, LA just seems to have a gaping chasm surrounding your 21st birthday and it's really weird sometimes.
While I've been noticing this schism between the ages since I got here, going to the 18+ party at Cinespace with DJ Huggs the other night really drove this fact home: all the under 21s were dancing (forget about whether they were on drugs or not) and all of us that were of age were scornfully watching them have fun. They were just so different and it was blatant: you could tell who was of age and who wasn't just by their demeanor. I mean, yeah, I'm totally down for dancing when the time is right and everyone know I always end up getting rowdy when the music hits me. But these kids were crazy ecstatic just to be at a club in Hollywood with a DJ playing...gasp...fucking MSTRKRFT! I don't know: they just seemed really different and immature. And I certainly don't mean that in a bad way at all. I just mean it. It was almost like they were dancing because they thought they were supposed to dance.
On the flipside, we saw Meho Plaza at an all-ages cafe show last week and Doug and I couldn't help moving around and pounding our legs like tom-toms. Meanwhile, the teens sipped from their contraband Tecates and watched in utter stillness. It was almost like they weren't dancing because they were certain they weren't supposed to show any emotion.
Once again, I want to reiterate that I don't mean to hate and I certainly admire the youth. But it kinda pisses me off to see them underage drink from communal backpacks full of beer while I sit and salivate because I remain too respectful of the all-ages atmosphere to bring in the beers I always have waiting in the cooler (or what I call my real man's purse) in the trunk of my car. Ya heard? And if I do bring them in, I hide in the bathroom (see above) or cautiously sip them when I think no one is looking. It is just such a crazy role reversal and it annoys me to no end. It is especially frustrating that all the best shows and bands from LA (HEALTH or Meho Plaza, for starters) play these venues. And this is the whole reason I got all tangent-ed: I've only seen HEALTH play once and it was in Texas! And last time I checked, they lived down the street. But because I like beer, I'm stuck seeing shitty bands that sound like they're ripping off b-sides from Interpol's last album (I don't know if I mentioned this before, but due to the fact that so many of the bands at Spaceland sound like Interpol, I rate them on a scale of first album [obviously the best] through last album [a flaming chunk of ass germs]).
I'm going to make a bold statement here (with no real factual evidence), but please don't criticize before you think about it: LA's best bands (i.e. the bands that play mostly all-ages jump-offs) spring up organically from like-minded individuals getting together and playing music they enjoy. While fame and fortune are welcome footnotes to the music, punk rock's shadow looms and getting down and rocking out are the first concerns. On the other side of the spectrum, bands like Spaceland's current Monday night residents, Under the Influence of Giants, seem like they are the product of either a) an ego-driven and unoriginal front man who moved to LA in order to get famous, or b) a bunch of ego-driven dudes with minimal talent who wanna be famous and don't care whose coattails they have to ride to get there. We all know it: those of us who live out here are surrounded everyday with almost exclusively people who wanna be famous one day. Usually, it's amusing and cute and not really that bothersome. But sometimes, it leads to shitty results for those of us who just love music and want to see people do it big as often as possible. (Just to reiterate, I'm in law school and getting the hell back east when I'm done).
And once again, I'll bring it full circle: watching HEALTH play in my old hood just makes me wish for those days in the early 2000s when Brooklyn was awesome. Of course, New York will always have wanna-bes latching on to scenes. But back then, they were too busy playing yuppie bars in Manhattan to bother anyone rocking out in the boroughs. And there was never a need for a comparable all-ages scene in NYC because almost all the venues have all-ages shows "where the beer flows like wine." But the originality is fading and nowadays, it really seems like bands move to BK just so they can call themselves Brooklyn bands. I see it every time I go back or one of those schmuck-rock bands comes out this way and makes it onto a bill (usually at Spaceland). Or shit, SXSW this year was a prime example: all the "new" bands from BK were totally derivative and un-amusing. Brooklyn is just too expensive to really devote yourself to art anymore (please don't let me hype Philly again) and tons of cheesedicks have infiltrated the scene on both sides of the East River. The music is no longer organic and therefore, dying out.
I'm not all that familiar with what was going on out here in the last ten years, but it doesn't seem like LA ever really had a scene comparable to the one in Brooklyn during the first part of this decade: there aren't enough good venues now and I can't imagine the dearth of hipster infrastructure when rent was actually affordable! Even if the scene is popping off now, it is annoying as hell to people like me to have to choose between socializing with my peers and hanging out with the kids that are ill-adjusted because they're barely allowed in grown-up spots. Does LA have a pedophile problem? Is that why they keep it separated like this?
Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm guessing musicians that come to LA have just always done so in order to get famous. In contrast, I know for a fact that plenty of kids went to New York ten years ago to rock out with talented and like-minded individuals and a scene just sprang up in their wake. For now, LA's best scene is the one with the kids just playing music that they know is good. But like I said...it is different and problematic.

OK, I'm done. But because I know I'm not always that clear when I have a lot of abstract shit to vent about, here is a succinct conclusion:
1) I am bitter because LA's best bands play all-ages shows.
They most likely play these shows because: a) they retain a sense of punk rock morality, and b) there are way too many synthetic d-bags at the LA rock bars playing ass music in hopes of one day having an opportunity to suck a dick for record contract consideration.
2) Even though LA may have one of the most exciting and innovative music scenes in the world right now, it will never be as enjoyable as New York's scene from a few years ago because of the aforementioned problems. This fact sucks.
3) While they are earnest and mean well , LA's kids don't necessarily deserve or appreciate the bands/shows they are privy to.
4) As a result of the division of music scenes out here, the youth stay young and ill-informed while the twenty-somethings become frustrated and prematurely bitter.
5) Fuck all-ages club owners: I'm bringing my Coney Island backpack full of beer to every friggin no-beer venue in town from now on.

Rape Valley

Since I got added to the SLU myspace page, I guess I am one of the artists now? Cool huh? But dig this: me and Doug (aka DJ Omar Omar) are doing a mix tape called "Rape Valley" that is going to be pressed up and released for real! Tight, right? I don't wanna give anything away or run my mouth, but its going to be extreme and violent but also eerie as hell. Just think of barely legal knives, illegal drugs, red jeans, Patrick Bateman and associated acts of debauchery usually reserved for HBO drama, Hype Williams videos and millionaires with vacation homes in Thailand. Sound good to you? Cause it sounds good as fuck to me.
As far as music I've been rocking out to, it has been weird: Doug was here for a week and than after he left, DJ Alex Huggs came in the next day. So I was just keeping it real with my boys for like weeks straight and instead of geeking around the blogs finding new tracks to wow yous guys, my homies and I were blasting tracks we like. Also, anything associated with raping valleys is now classified for the next couple months. However, Doug and I had to dig up the first Hollertronix mixtape one crazy night because I couldn't get track 6 out of my head. And that's below in case ya'll feel me. Also, I have to give Huggs props on his current project. I'm not saying anything else, but it is gonna be tight and out soon. Keep your eyes peeled if you're not looking up out of a hole in a valley somewhere. Well I mean, I guess you could still keep your eyes peeled at that point... but you probably wouldn't give a rat's ass about some mixtape. Even though they're both awesomer than you can imagine.
Oh, and Hellboy 2 was decent and I already copped tickets for the new Batman next Thursday/Friday at 1 AM. To be clear, I don't think I've been this excited for movie (superhero or otherwise) since the first Ninja Turtles movie came out when I was 6. But to reiterate, for now you should rock out to this old Hollertronix track and be prepared for all the aforementioned dope shit I just mentioned.

Hollertronix: "Feeling Some Kind of Way" mp3 zshare

Mack Winston and the Reflections

Hey, I saw Mack Winston and the Reflections Wednesday at Three of Clubs and they were bad ass. My homey does sound there and he said, upon arrival, "This is my favorite band in LA." Obviously, this type of comment always draws skepticism from my music snob side and I drank $4 PBRs patiently awaiting this best band hoopla.
Sooner, rather than later, they came on and ripped it real hard. I can't really compare them to anyone except like the Strokes, or something of that ilk...wait, new the Rambo is on in the background and Sly totally just said "Live for nothing... or die for something" and that is about the most awesome thing he ever said on-screen in a non South-Philly accent. Goddamn. Anyway, he's busting Burmese motherfuckers in the head with a bow and arrow and I'm sitting here shotgunning beers and writing about this band that forgot to send me their tracks. And, btw, is playing at friggin LeDoux next week! How hilarious is that?
Anyway, they were raw. And peep the myspace in the meantime until I throw up tracks bc I swear it will happen sooner rather than later. And if anyone cares to expedite this process, email the mf-ers at mackwinston@gmail.com or drop intense myspace comments begging for free tracks. Holla!
Ok, the track is called "Dark, Dark Night" and I really hope that the (5-9) that showed up with it is supposed to be there because it is infinitely more badass that way.
Mack Winston and the Reflections- "Dark, Dark Night (5-9)" MP3 zshare

When I get married, I totally want Twin Crystals to play

You know, I really should have done this a long freaking time ago because I love these dudes so much. Twin Crystals are so intense that I told them they reminded me of Rage Against the Machine after their set at the SLU SXSW showcase. Although they just kind of looked at me funny as I was way too messed up to articulate what I meant by such a bold statement, Rage comparisons are truly the cat's pajamas in my book. At least in terms of a live show. I mean, if I were to hear your cd and say that, than maybe you shouldn't be too psyched. But when I see a live show, I basically want a Rage like intensity at all times. I guess that means I may have some meathead in my blood somewhere up the family tree root plant. Who knew?
And, the fact that they can draw a Rage comparison with synths and not 5 string distorted basses speaks volumes. Obviously, they have more of a post Suicide No Wave sound on the record and that's great too. But I totally felt like I was hearing "Freedom" for the first time again at Beauty Bar that night. And as far as dudes go, they are certainly dudes among dudes. Shit, they fucking slept outside all week for no apparent reason other than their sheer hardcoreness. Than, they left Austin and went straight to Juarez for a show! That alone deserves more props than I am capable of bestowing. Shit, I've even been trying to convince my girl that we need them to play at our wedding and her opposition is making me seriously rethink the date we set three years in advance. So bottom line: sorry I didn't do this earlier and enjoy the Twin Crystals tracks I have on my computer now. And get hungry for more because Mr. Doug Kompany himself promises to finally show up in LA next week with a grip of SLU vinyl and wild boars armed with AIDS syringes couldn't keep me from blessing the entire internet community with more Crystalline goodness.

Twin Crystals "Trinity" mp3 zshare

Twin Crystals "With or Without You" MP3 zshare

Ravens and Chimes and Meho Plaza...Music

Wow, Paul from Better Looking Records is a real nice dude. And damn, there are a shit ton of great bands on that label. I friggin knew that name sounded familiar all along and now I know why: it's like contemplative indie rock central. Chances are, you've heard the music while making out or crying or playing pin ball in a bar with a good juke box. On the real, it is going to take a minute to sort through everything they got and pick out the gems. So for now, here are Ravens and Chimes mp3s (damn, it looks weird every time I type it) and some Meho Plaza tracks as well since I already know they rock and so do you.

Ravens and Chimes: "January" mp3 zshare

Ravens and Chimes "General Lafayette! You Are Not Alone" mp3 zshare

Meho Plaza "I Sold My Organs" mp3 zshare

Meho Plaza "The Beach" mp3 zshare

Meho Plaza "106 Beats That" (Wire Cover) mp3 zshare

your highness electric

Hey, I just got home and Spaghetti pissed all over the floor and I'm out of it so this post will be brief: I saw Your Highness Electric tonight at Silverlake Lounge and they were pretty friggin tight. I'm totally not into doing a long and intricate post right now, but needless to say, I dug the set from these guys with a stranglehold passion. As if my love for Flight 19 and Christensen in high school wasn't enough, these dudes are on a whole new level these days...well, sort of. It's hardcore but not poppy or annoying or slick or any other slashie category that tends to bring down decent hardcore bands. They just rip it and sound like sabbath mixed with black flag mixed with the minutemen fans that grew up touring with Boy Sets Fire.
However, since LA is such a fucked up and bogus town, two shitty bands played after them, for some ridiculous reason, and I missed the first two songs. Jesus, just because homeboys were from Louisville (home to one of America's top 7 music scenes hands down), they had to play before a bunch of chicks ripping off blonde redhead and two dorks emulating dj shadow. I'm really sorry to those bands, but they were so shitty I didn't even bother figuring out their names. But sadly, they blow chunks. Sorry again, but I fancy myself a learned music connoisseur and sincerely think you need a few more months of practice before playing live again. Be patient!
This city is just frustrating me to no end: bookings here are all about who you know/suck-off and have nothing to do with talent or actual ability and that is so fucking sad. I'm not even going to tackle the whole DJ breakdown (or what some no talent wanna-be male-model at chacha said about "The Pigeon Killer" even though he never even heard a single second of the tape), but it is the same for bands: Silverlake lounge would rather book two shit ass bands (that shouldn't even be allowed to play live) as headliners over a pretty friggin awesome band, just because the awesome band happens to be from the midwest. Fucking dumbshit promoters following these bogus LA seniority rules. AHHH, it is so frustrating. I'm really having a hard time taking this city seriously these days.
While Your Highness Electric played a killer set and had a bunch of super tight tracks, here is the one song I got on cd for now. Admittedly and as usual, it is certainly not their best. However, they have a full length on Longhair Illuminati Records (home to Ride the Boogie, Casket Salesman [super dope]. Mongoloid, Mythmaker, and Auditory Aphasia among others) and are going to be playing Warped Tour for a while this summer. Peep them if you get a chance and I'll post photos and auxiliary commentary tomorrow when I'm not so bitter. Holla!
Plus I know I had something else to say but I totally lost my train of thought.

Your Highness Electric: "Handing Out Hairlips" MP3 zshare

afternoons with ravens & chimes@ spaceland, 6/16/08 (afternoons MP3s!)

OK, I know I promised more Afternoons tracks by last week but I was out of it and couldn't get to Spaceland. However, that ended up being a good thing because I also got to see the awesome Ravens and Chimes from NY. After the predictably sick set from Afternoons, I was set to bounce and go pig out at Burger King before they closed. But, like any good music fan, I figured I'd stick around for the first couple songs from the next band. Usually, the last band on Mondays at Spaceland tends to be slightly more avant garde and slightly more ass. But Ravens and Chimes were fuckin sick. I kept staring at them trying to remember where I knew them from until the singer said "hey, we're Ravens and Chimes from New York." At this point, I stopped trying to place them and contentedly decided that I must have caught them in BK at some point during my extended tenure in the city. I can't really think of a good way to describe them so you'd probably be better off checking out their label, Better Looking Records, for some PR type descriptors. Here is a video of them rocking out too.

I talked to Paul from the label and he is so into hooking pillstohear up with some tracks so I'll get on that and share them with the quickness. In the meantime, here are two Afternoons tracks that are fucking sweet. Surprisingly, I really don't think any other blogger d-bags went out of their way to buy the friggin three dollar ep and share the goodness. Ridiculous: people just won't spend a goddamn cent on music these days. BUY MUSIC! BUY MUSIC FROM THESE BANDS ASAP.
In case you aren't convinced of the awesomeness, dig the tracks:

Afternoons: "Grafitti Artist" MP3 zshare

Afternoons: "Line 'Em Up" MP3 zshare

Oh, and I have some crappy quality cell phone video of afternoons playing too. Check it

Is it way too ridiculous to use some sort of bad pun in my post about Prowler's new album? Cause I totally have a shitload I could use

I feel like I start way too many posts with "wow" and instead of looking back for evidence, I'll just take the easy way out and start this one with the self-referential sentence that is about to end. My homey Tyler from Prowler just sent me a few tracks from their soon-to-drop album and I'm certainly impressed. First of all, I'm glad Philly's scene is so intense these days. I mean, we all know they've had an intense scene for a few years now, (timeout: my neighbor is such a freak during Laker games and his yells are so timely and textbook that i swear to shit he's just yelping to let the whole complex know he is, in fact, watching "the game") but I kinda feel like the bands out of the Delaware Valley that get press are all on this weirdo vaudeville tip. We could holla about it if ya'll want, (three pointer: two loud claps followed by a louder third clap) but I'd say Man Man, Dr. Dog and The Teeth are probably the first three Philly bands I think of in terms of hype from my hometown. And while each band has at least some very good music and their own intricacies, they definitely share that pared down acoustic rockabilly/gypsy punk/T-Bone Burnett sort of vibe. To me, Dr. Dog sounds more pure pop-oriented and Brian Wilson-ey, Man Man takes home the weirdo prize, and The Teeth hit somewhere in the middle. Although I may over-analyze Pennsylvania's contributions to the arts, I can't help but think that discerning music fans everywhere assume there is a lingering Quaker influence or some shit that makes all the Phila bands sound old-timey. Of course War on Drugs and Hail Social are repping Philly-town hard right this minute and earning their respect in a decidedly non old-timey way, you guys know what I mean, right?
Thankfully, we also got the motherfucking Prowler coming to bat (34-12 Lakers, respectable claps) for the 'iladelph and they're hard as nails. Actually, I need to clarify: they're not rioutous metal, nu-rave or meandering psych-rock. And they've been keeping it real for a few years now. But I guess I'd take their word for it and say they are influenced by electro, pop and funk. I'm not an expert and have never seen them live, but to the put in in layman's terms (i.e. easy to understand comparisons to popular/influential musicians of the past), the few tracks I've heard sound like a drugged out supergroup with Isaac Brock singing, John Frusciante playing guit, Martin Rev and PiL dropping synths and beats, and maybe the Talking Heads or Soul Coughing bringing up the rhythm section (there's seven dudes in the band so this dream team lineup is actually feasible). And trust me, I mean this in the best way possible. These dudes are friggin raw and I'd love to see them in Philly this weekend cause I guaran-damn-tee you they are ultra tight live. Stoppey-startey beats, shouting, low-end thumps and catchy choruses usually seem to impress me live.

Meanwhile on the west coast, I'm gonna join my neighbor and actually pay attention to the game/stop trying to sound informed or smart and just let anybody willing to rip into these two Prowler tracks go at it.
Oh, and shout out to Elbows for adding me and Discobelle for finally posting my mix, even if they did also add my incredibly damning and hilarious five minute plus blackout drunk voicemail rant against LA. Give it a listen, err, I mean, don't...or listen to the mix and not the voicemail. Holla!
Prowler: "Ahead of the Pack" MP3 zshare
Prowler: "Beware Deleware" MP3 zshare

Caps and Jones Three Year Anniversary

Yeah, Savalas is flying Brian back to rock out for the three year anniversary of their residency at this excellent Brooklyn bar. They are Savalas and vice versa. The owners worship the boys and their sound is inseparable from the bar. Seriously.
The flyer is genius and is even more genius if you know that the two boobed Phoebe Cates was the original cover of Moving in Stereo. If you don't have it, BUY IT NOW. Essential.
I would love to go but doubt I can so east coasters, vicariously attend and tell em Tom Hanks sent you. Or large marge.
Holla!

hey, i found this old demo from the band i was in when i first got to LA last year

So before law school, I played in a kick ass band with Dave and Adrian and a random cast of other heads. We were solid all last summer and played like at least four days a week. Its kinda hard to describe our sound cause me and Dave liked a bunch of the same stuff but also liked a lot of different stuff. For instance, he grew up in San Diego and likes those sort of softcore-hardcore/screamo/ wtf? bands that kids who grow up out here like. Its hard to explain, but if you're from the east coast and moved out here, you know what I mean. Basically, really bad pop-punk bands. Like who the hell in the east coast would ever listen to Alien Ant Farm or System of a Down in high school? Jocks liked hippie shit and/or hip-hop and the other kids like me liked punk or indie or art rock. The final blow, for me, was when Dave said he had never heard The Refused. Nowadays, it seems like regular kids like indie rock a bunch and I guess you can blame that on emo but that's besides the point.
Anyway, Dave didn't even write songs like that: he wrote songs that sounded like Pixies or Beatles songs (even though he claimed to hate them) and they were ALL in b minor. Basically, he didn't want to rock as hard as I did and didn't want to experiment beyond basic pop song structure. It was like waaayyy too art rock to even try and use the mini korg. I love the guy but honestly, he'd do better as a solo acoustic performer and doesn't need a band to shine. And now that he is engaged to a lovely lady, music is no longer a priority.
I, on the other hand, have way too grandiose ideas to execute without other dudes playing instruments. As a result, our songs from that band mhoney (the m is silent...or not) have such inner tension and you can totally hear it. Nowadays, I'm about to start a band with Caspar Adams and am ultra pumped: I used to go see his bands in high school and they always blew me away. Now, 8 years later, we're finally gonna play together! He spent time in Say Anything and The National Acrobat out here, but I remember him best from The Moths and Fuck the Android from my brief tenure in Lousiville, KY.

Dig these mhoney tracks: its two songs recorded together with no pause from a room mic so its bad quality but good melodies deep down. I wrote them both but Dave sings lead on the first track while the second one is only me singing the whole time.
Oh, and when I find some Moths or Fuck the Android tracks, they'll get tossed up ASAP cause they are absolutely amazing.
mhoney- "Affordable Health Care/Those Cliffs and Beaches" zshare

Music for Today: Hail Social and Lil Weezy

As far as music goes, I'm totally into all the new weezy tracks that are leaking this week and even though I already have at least half the album, I wanna go stand in line at midnight on Monday for that official CARTER III jump-off. I haven't sorted through it enough yet so I'll just hit you with the obvious choices: the track with Jigga and the track with Kanyeezy
Lil Wayne ft. Jay-Z (produced by Just Blaze) : "Mr Carter" MP3
Lil Wayne (produced by Kanye West) : "Let That Beat Build" MP3

And file under the holy shit, I'm psyched and ready for it category: Philly boys and "Pigeon Killer" alumni Hail Social dropped a remix album this week and of course, its dope. I'm not quite sure what my favorites are yet because I haven't driven around bumping the album yet, but I think the Designer Drugs remix of "Heaven" is super tight. I mean, I'm so into Hail Social right now that I dig all the remixes. Buy the album from Turntable Lab and quit stealing music.
Hail Social- "Heaven" (Designer Drugs remix) MP3

I don't know how much you guys read, but I've been hitting the books hard since law school got out

With forty hour work weeks and at least forty hours of school work a week finally abated for the time being, I justifiably have time to delve into some highly anticipated and much appreciated leisure reading. Since May 13th, I've gotten through about four books and bought a few more for the on deck circle: Steven Johnson's The Ghost Map, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, John Brandon's Arkansas, and the og version of I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. Additionally, I've finally gotten a chance to read the copies of "Believer" magazine that I kept buying and putting aside cause I knew damn well I couldn't read them in the thick of finals. I'm about twenty pages away from finishing Arkansas and its friggin amazing. I really like this guy's style and I feel like we see the world through very similar lenses. The book is about two low level Arkansas mules in a huge drug organization that runs shit in the southeast. I'm not done yet, but I anticipate finishing it tonight and can't wait to see how all the angles tie up and into each other. Barring an unforeseen shitty ending, I highly suggest it for anyone who likes drug books or at least cynical protagonists who think they're better than everyone else.
And of course, believe the hype: McCarthy is the word incarnate and The Road is a must read for discerning and terrified readers that care about Americana's place...post-apocalypse. Damn, after I finished it, I almost got like that same feeling I got when I saw "There Will Be Blood." You know, that "holy shit, that was incredible and scary in a super intelligent and super intense way that I can't quite verbalize but am terrified by what I know it means and more terrified by what I don't know it means." Ya dig?

Johnson's book was interesting...but certainly not quite the engrossing page turner I expected. Historical fiction set against the last pre-germ theory cholera outbreak in the western world, it was intelligent and reminiscent of the classic Devil in the White City that intertwined tales of Chicago's preparation for the turn of the century world's fair and the deranged, narcissistic serial killer with bullshit motives that was torturing the would-be fair goers the whole time in a very "Pulp Fiction" type style. However, Johnson's book is nowhere near as engrossing and the characters are far from developed and therefore, further from interesting. Nevertheless, it was pretty decent and I'd say get it from the library and save the 13 bucks. But of course, read "Devil in the White City" first.
And Matheson's oft-adapted tale of man v. science-vampires was a good story with intelligent (and ahead of its time) theories about mankind's death wish that was markedly different from Will Smith's ego-driven film version. However, the writing style was sloppy and inconsistent to a point that I had to struggle through whole chapters. Science fiction writers just don't have the chops to keep me interested after I spent four years studying English masterpieces at Fordham. Don't wanna sound cocky or anything, but I was spoiled on early modernist literature when geniuses like Joyce, Lawrence, Yeats and T.S. Eliot were dropping classics with ease. And I certainly don't know what the hell was going on with those 200 pages of seemingly random short stories that followed the main "last man on earth story line." Honestly, I only got through the first couple.
I also started Survivor by that Chuck Palanhiuk (i think thats the spelling) guy and the quarter I've read so far is engrossing and posing questions I really wanna see answered. My bro likes him a lot and apparently so do a lot of other people. So we'll see.
Also on deck are McCarthy's Blood Meridian, a collection of short stories by various modern authors called The Worst Years of Your Life, that Dave Eggers book A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and a seemingly simpleton book about cigs called The Joys of Smoking by James Fitzgerald. Aside from the righteous description of McCarthy's final installment of the "Border Trilogy" that I read in a big story about him, I know very little about the on-deck books and am going on some severe leaps of faith and sadly, cover judgments. So we'll see if my ass gets bitten more than it already has been recently.
I've been buying a plethora of books lately cause I realized that my new job at Urban Outfitters hooks up that massive discount and there are actually books there that are worth reading. I was doing markdowns the other day and I realized that Jonathan Lethem's debut novel Motherless Brooklyn is only $1.90 and have since told every co-worker who will listen that they should cop that shit ASAP cause it is certainly worth more than that paltry amount. While not quite as good as his masterpiece Fortress of Solitude, it is a damn fine book with an intricate and often...I guess the most apt word would be mesmerizing...style all his own. But like I said, I'm not so sure about the Eggers or the Mark Jude Poirier edited collection of shorties and only got them cause of the discount and speculation. Basically, Eggers eventually became recommended after my initial speculation and the Porier collection just seems to scream at me whenever I walk by it. But at this pace, I'll blow through them by next week.
So stay tuned for the final reviews and buy Lethem and Brandon's books NOW!

blaqstarr gives you confidence

i cut all the hair off my face and head the other day cause i had some law school related interviews and i had to rock out to blaqstarr's "the king of roq" mixtape to get through it. i don;t really remember how i got the mixtape, but i know it happened during the hollertronix reunion show in la last year and there are 31 tracks of goodness on it. i showed up super early (the advertised door time) and walked into the echoplex and grabbed a couch. several head nods and twenty minutes later, i tried to order a beer and they told me i was way too early and had to leave. i politely explained that i had had a long day and NEEDED a beer. luckily, the bartender told me to go to the gold room down the street and i conceded warily. i took a seat at the bar and found out that it was $2.50 for a shot of tequila and a beer. "great," i said. "here's 20 bucks cause i'm gettin loaded."
i was barely conscious 8 beers and 8 shots later but i came to long enough back at the club to convince blaqstarr to give me his mixtape, wile out to the hollertronix set, order 6 sparks from the bar, and get on the mic for a lengthy shit talk on the mets. after that, my next memory is waking up in my car with soaking wet jeans and a half drank sparks. due to my ignorant sense of smell, we'll never know if i was soaked in sparks or piss. dig the first real track on blaq starr's "the king of roq" mixtape.
blaq starr- "hey i" MP3 zshare

afternoons @ spaceland, 6/2/08

LA's afternoons (not to be confused with the much crappier welsh band THE afternoons) are the new monday night residents at Spaceland and they certainly started the month off with a statement: These dudes mean business.
First of all, there are 8 people in the band and they keep trading off so that some songs have as many as four drummers or two bassists. There's trumpet songs and slick guitar lick tracks and droney organ tracks and theres this goth chick with a beautiful voice who trades off lead vocal with the two guitar playing frontmen types gettin' passionate up front. They all appear to be incredibly talented musicians and the songs got melody like whoa. The extra thick sound of the dual drummers (it looked like there were at least two drummers per song) hits real hard live and makes the melodies kinda like...you know, soar. I know that sounds cheesy but its really true: I shit you not.
Although I would assume that most semi-educated music fans would immediately notice the arcade fire similarities in style and appearance, these dudes aren't rip-offs in the least. Yeah, everyone digs arcade fire. Its plain ignorance to not admit the influence they have on every musician these days. Come on, Funeral was the bomb and we all relished our early listens. But....I don't know about you guys, but I thought Neon Bible kinda sucked. If afternoons recorded their set last night, it would certainly rank higher than that sophmore slump of an album. Their songs share similar qualities with arcade fire but are original and dissimilar enough to ever accuse them of plagiarism. Nuff said.
I'm kicking myself for not buying their 3 dollar ep last night. I just thought I'd be able to gank some tracks off elbows or something. So all I got for now is the song "Say Yes" that Shepard Fairey designed a poster or album cover or something for and it was actually one of my least favorites last night. But I'll throw it up here for now and when I cop that ep next week, I'll hit ya'll with some more realness. Warpaint also played and they were pretty tight too. Three super cute chicks playing guitars and keys with a dude drummer. Not as exciting or inspiring, but certainly above average for spaceland: i.e. they don't sound like crappy interpol b sides.

afternoons- "say yes" MP3 zshare

screen savers just make all your ass pictures look stunning someetimes

this picture from last spring popped up on the screen saver the other night and there's gotta be something beautiful in a very 1996 sort of way about the duct tape. its like...alright, there is this dude in my neighborhood that i seen walking around more than once with red converse, green jean shorts that fray down just below the knee, a red and yellow striped shirt, and a head full of aged and perfectly kept white boy dreads and he probably would've loved to have had this picture on his album that undoubtedly came out that year.
damn, in retrospect it would be great if i could follow him around and take his picture so you know what i'm talking about cause you'd totally be like "oh snap, i totally know what you mean, that dude is so into duct tape."

whats up the emusic rollover minutes?

lately i've been staving off this habit of hearing something tight from a long ass playlist of recent downloads that i've finally gotten around to hearing and deciding that i needed to throw it up right away. while i really should hear something more than once and preferably at least once during the daylight hours, this black kids remix is going up. i'm not even looking around or anything to verify that fifty other dudes heard the song (maybe once, maybe once at night, or maybe the key day/night combo listen) and threw it up somewhere else.
plus i'm friggin bored and i am stalled on using up my emusic downloads that don't rollover tomorrow. but if it doesn't get done now, i know ill forget again and be salty for a day and about losing those 16 tunes. its such a tease when you click on that buy from emusic link and get dissed when they dont have the new albums.
dig this...wait, there's really no good way of abbreviating that obnoxiously verbose alt-rock song title but that be the link to super dancey version of said song that keeps it from getting stale a little while longer
Black Kids (twelves remix) MP3 share
and i guess i may ass well throw this other one up too cause i heard it too just in the knick of time. same deal as the boyfriend dancing remix: keeping a recognizable song interesting for a few more listens. i don't know anything about these remixes or the dudes cause that would entail retracing my steps to where i found it and its not important, you know?
new young pony club vocals always sound so great in contrast on remixes. i mean, i guess on the album too. i dig the jazzier but still hard synths the beat is simple but nice as hell. puts the mstrkrft attempt to shame
nypc- get lucky (twelves remix) MP3

wow, i found this and have no clue where it came from

you know when you put a new song on itunes and hear it and after it finishes, it goes right into another track you totally forgot about downloading or even hearing before?
i was listening to those two war on drugs tracks everyone has posted (without my external harddrive hooked up) and it went right into "oh" by we have band and the song was so much better than the two much hyped songs i had specifically sought out before it. so rock out to it
oh wait, i went to upload it and saw where it came from: pinglewood.com. thanks ya'll
we have band "oh" (demo) zshare

holy shit, health has a remix album

yeah, like i said, holy shit! thats such a great idea. i gotta listen to them all and decide which is the best....hold on. i'll be back in a minute...i'm at the bar and need to catch a cig and listen right quick.
the three best tracks are...or i guess my 3 favorite are: "triceratops" (acid girls remix B),"Heaven" (Narctrax Remix) and "Tabloid Sores" (Nosajithing remix). I guess these are my faves cause they sound dancey and playable but still a lot like health too. the cfcf remix is tight too but thats everywhere already. holla at these
"triceratops" (acid girls remix B) MP3 zhare
"Heaven" (Narctrax Remix) MP3 zshare
"Tabloid Sores" (Nosajithing remix) MP3 zshare

ahh man, thank douggles for the heads up

this wire shit is ridiculous. check out the first one too.
the exchange between snoop and marlo is the funniest shit i've heard (maybe not seen) in as long as i can remember.
however, i watched "adaptation" the other night and i keep silently cracking up to myself about donald saying "what, the makeup girl? she was totally hitting on me bro."

mezzanine owls at spaceland

i had such high hopes for memorial day this year. we were gonna hit up santa barbara or catalina or universal studios or some other theme park and had been planning it all week. instead, i slept til four and went to that shitshow of a mall in glendale and bought jeans. however, i did end up at spaceland in time to see mezzanine owls before their residency ended. when they first got on stage, i saw the rickenbacker bass and hoped they sounded like superdrag. but alas, like most bands here, they sounded like interpol. and while that is usually a dis, they mixed in enough superchunk vibe and the girl drummer fuckin rocked hard. her kit was tuned perfectly and she was so on-beat she sounded like a drum machine. she even one-handed the mini korg on a couple songs and still hit every beat perfectly.
wednesday, 2 days later:
on the mp3 "snow globe" i eventually found, they sound really good and not really that interpol-y at all. i guess it must be the acoustics in there... or the soundman's favorite band.

more japanther pictures

i mean, its cool that i can sit at the bar and work on my page with my phone and all but it obviously sucks that you cant send that much at once. more japanther sweat club action. wait, is that why its called the smell?

japanther at the smell

we saw japanther at the smell on saturday night and it was obviously tight. i mean, its kinda like going out to eat and ordering a cheesesteak: you know its gonna be good no matter what but may not necessarily be as good as some more unfamiliar dish thats got like blackened chili or some shit and may backfire. ive done tons of parties with them in nyc and have all their records except the new one and knew what to expect. and the guys were real cool with me, moe and susan and got us into the sold out show cause we shared their pain of being weirded out to be in la. aside from the continuous trouble with the lo-fi tape deck karaoke, the new songs seemed to be missing something. im totally not hating cause i love the band and they hooked us up and all but they totally peaked with "dump the body in ricki lake." so far. maybe i just took their awesomeness for granted and expected too much. i'm certainly guilty of that: the new indiana jones and iron man movies had me so psyched for years and it was just impossible to live up to my unreal expectations. in reality, both movies and the show were super tight but it was impossible to live up to my expectations. i mean, at the end of the day i bought a t shirt and totally shotgunned three beers in the bathroom! holla indeed.

Wait up

I think that last one was matt and kim. Heres the other one. But seriously, check out how many badass shots i got of them at bee's last year on the crimes galore flick page.

And the others

You cant really send more than 2 shots per email from a phone.

You know, i was pissed i didn't get more pictures from sxsw this year but here they are anyway

Yeah, i was like a picture taking machine in austin last year. I'm sitting here watching my screen saver picture slide show and every other shot is from south by last year. The other ones appear to be mostly from the black law student society trip to Tahoe a few months ago when I unwittingly spent 72 straight hours fucked up. Great time.
But i recently lost my camera and things haven't been the same ever since. All I got from this year are a few random shots from my camera phone and its kinda lame. Here are the shots of bruno and apache beat playing the homosexuals songs.

law school finals

im getting crazy with the property law.
even spaghetti is studyin these days.
finals blow. they blow real hard.

well, here is some collateral in the form of this awesome sound advice remix

ok, if you are roughly my age and grew up surrounded by an alt rock landscape, you probably love it when djs randomly drop "laid" by james. usually, that is a good sign that you'll love a super sweet bmore remix of the track. teenwolf from ninjasonik and soundadvice (and roughly a shitload other projects) did this awesome aforementioned (albeit, solely in an imaginary context) "laid" remix that i think anyone getting into the blogass assphere deep enough to actually peep this site would actually dig. basically, my friends like the song and since they are typically my only web visitors, they'll love this shit. there are a butload of other remixes over at the sound advice site that, while i can't individually vouch for each of them (i'm sorry, but i fucking hate brown eyed girl and a baltimore break won't divest me of such a deep loathing), these dudes are on their game and i'm sure there are plenty of gems. as a bonus, the remixes are right at the top of the page.
and if you don't believe me when i say they keep it crunk, like how happy everyone at their weekly(?) supreme trading party.
now, seriously, i don't know shit about "consistent additional terms and contract ambiguity" and the test is in six days.

sound advice- james gets laid

So i guess tom hanks the actor has hobbies?

yo, what the fuck? since when does forrest gump actually dj? you gotta be friggin kiddin me. regretfully, i've been googling dj tom hanks to see if anyone is mentioning the mix (come on, you'd do the same) and i came across this kcrw page that looked like a fan site devoted to a goddman npr affiliate and it mentioned a guest appearance by dj tom hanks. since it wasn't me and there is no further clarification, i assume it is the man himself. fuck, at least be cool enough to call yourself dj josh baskin or some shit.
it sucks, i mean i really wanna be all netted out and promoting this shit right now so i can actually do some shit this summer but i have a scheduling conflict with FUCKIN LAW SCHOOL FINALS! and believe me, this shit is hard. college was fuckin easy. i would study for like fifteen minutes on my way to class and be set. it wasn't like i went to community college either. fordham is all about being hot shit these days.
but fuck me, law school is hard. i gotta get back to oral modification and the parol evidence rule so if you'll excuse me...
after may 12th and the ensuing hangover, i promise this is going to be a real blog with mp3s and such. so hold up and maybe i'll get distracted enough to keep up the randomness, but yeah, i promise nothing and expect nothing in return. cept maybe a decent weekly this summer

Patrick North

hell yeah...patrick north is the only one of you mf-ers who was a loyal enough friend to post my shit on his blog, the all caps banger MYSTICS NOT WASTRELS.
while he's been getting mad props from some of the big boy blogs lately, he has always been on his game and the page is straight up ill-ness on a downloadable mp3 platter. fuck, who the shit post eartha kitt?
on a side note, i just ate multiple drugs and went and saw "sarah marshall." there will be a special prize if you can correctly guess at least four of the chemicals in my system that simultaneously made the movie funnier and shittier. despite my rollercoaster emotions, i dug the movie hard. "hey, look at my driver! i will have sex with her," or something to that effect was the funniest line i've heard in a long ass time.
bonus question: which of these dudes is patrick north?

the pigeon killer link

alright, i just reposted this shit on z share cause i foolishly put it on easy share...whatever the fuck that is. anyway, nothing new to report, just getting my upload on. holla. oh, and i yelled at those fools for not posting my shit and only pat north was man enough to respond. of course, he said he's on it.
i was an extra in adam's movie today too and we'e gonna use the pigeon killer in the film as often as possible...holla, indeed!

in case you missed the title bar, heres "the pigeon killer" link again on z share. and again on ysi. download you and i assure you you wont be sorry. if you are, i will personally give you the back the 35 minutes (exactly, 35 minutes) of your life that is wasted.

alright, score one for tom

alright, instant feedback. homeboy devin (aka desert eagle) dug the mix and hopefully, me and him can rock out at his friday night jump-off pretty young things party soon. if you haven't been, its a sweet party at jimmy's and they always turn it out. i even heard a kid blend the strokes with the rapture not too long ago. so you know, anything goes. ahh man, i can't wait. this shit is tight.
that mix is so poppy and easy to like that i have a hard time believing someone would hear it and think i can't rock a party. i mean, crusty old crate digging motherfuckers probably hate it but normal party people, shit, those songs are fucking likable as hell. and thats not just my ego talking.

my temporary dj bio...what d'you think?

this is the bio i'm sending out to the bars and blogs and whatnot....i'm not too sure about it but brian is real confident in it so whatevs.
plus, i gave the mix to a bunch of la djs and promoters at club 86 last night and i also managed to drop one on the mighty diplo himself. shit, i could be on mad decent in no time playa...but for real, it turns out my homey derrick (my punk band used to open for his back in the day...crazy right?) is a producer for mad decent and he should be all up in everyone's ear about expediting the dj tom hanks mixtape jump-off. so yeah, the dual santogold shows last night paid off. keep checking back cause shit is starting to happen fast. making moves....


Hi. How are you guys doing? My name is Matt Capozzoli (DJ Tom Hanks to ya'll that don't know!) and I just finished making a new mixtape. Since I left Brooklyn and moved out to Los Angeles for law school last year, I haven't really dj'ed out a whole lot. That is partly to blame on my insanely busy schedule of working all day and going to school all night and partly to blame on my lack of connections with LA promoters. However, I was mad busy back east and was doing a bi weekly at Capone's with the Ninjasonik dudes and a weekly at Niagra for the Skinny Mafia Girls when I left NYC last winter. (Before that) I grew up in Philly and moved to NY when I turned 18 in the summer of 2001. After getting a writing degree from the Bronx Fordham in 2005, I dicked around Williamsburg for a few years and fed my habits by dj-ing, making music, working for the occasional magazines, and slanging: hardcore slanging!
When I got sick of scraping by, I decided I needed to make a shitload of money and law school was the way to do it. To that end, I attempted to sequester myself and prepare for the LSAT last winter at my parents' new house in Baltimore. However, there are just too many cool kids throwing ill parties in B more and I just continued to rage with new friends the whole three months I was there. But even though I didn't do as good as I should have, I got into a bunch of law schools and moved to Chicago last February to go to Loyola Law School.
So I was all set to start ripping apart the Chicago nu-rave scene last winter and rock out (when I wasn't rocking out to Torts homework) when my hatred for the Chicago, its residents, and the midwest in general got the best of me and I packed up my dog spaghetti and my Civic Vic and drove to LA. While I go through bursts of loving it here and hating it immensely and wanting to go back east, I am starting to focus less on the latter and am dying for the school year to end so I can start playing out again.
Oh Yeah...SO THE POINT OF THE WHOLE EMAIL THAT WAS ENTIRELY WAY TOO LONG AND DRAWN OUT (SORRY!)...
I made this bad ass mix with my best friend from back in the day, Brian Curtis (AKA, Pandemonium Jones). We lived together for a while back in the burg but I've been kinda isolated out here this past year. So after sxsw this year, me and brian drove back to LA together and had a helluva time. Between the mexican valium adventure and the 15 mile (curtis says 13 but there is certainly a disagreement in there somewhere between the valium and blistering sun) death march through the grand canyon, we had a blast. I figured out the wish list for the mix on the ride back and bpm’ed everything out when we got back to LA. And once I had it all planned out, Curtis showed me how to use Ableton and I finished the recording process. Certainly, Brian was a necessary ingredient to a smooth mix tape (what with the ableton learning curve and all) but I still feel that I had full reign of artistic freedom.
So yeah, the tape is called DJ Tom Hanks “The Pigeon Killer” in honor of my dog Spaghetti catching his first pigeon when me and Brian took an ableton break and went to Starbucks. We got stoned and convinced ourselves that Jay Zeatard was the greatest name ever, but we eventually decided we’d save it for the inevitable mash up masterpiece that some Midwestern high school kid is sweating away on now.
Well…please, listen to the mix and enjoy. Theoretically, it is supposed to be a dance party demo cd but may not be ravey and distorted keyboard-ey enough to be a dance party mix anymore. Regardless, my only regret is not including “Race Riot on the Dance Floor.” Please holla at me at (718) 930-9783 or mattcapozzoli@gmail.com. Or my blog is http://pillstohear.blogspot.com and Brian’s is www.pandemoniumjones.com. You could even get a hold of us through doug@summerloversunlimited.com or just www.summerloversunlimited.com too if you are Canadian or something. I’m not really sure who will read this someday….I’m sure I forgot to say some shit but whatevs…Holla!

Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
Foreign Born - Union Hall
Panthers - Goblin City (Holy Ghost Disco Dub)
Black Mountain - Bright Lights
Crystal Castles vs. Health - Crimewave
Glass Candy - Beatific
Hail Social - Cherry Cola Funk (STA Mix)
MGMT - Kids
Holy Fuck - Royal Gregory
Dan Deacon - Wham City
Blaqstarr - Smack
SantoGold - Creator (Scottie B Mix)
The Tough Alliance - Neo Violence
Shocking Pinks - How Am I Not Myself
Clipse - Wamp Wamp (Co.Fee Remix)
Ninjasonik vs. The Death Set - Negative Thinking About Tight Pants
Jay Reatard - It’s So Useless
The Exploding Hearts - Your Shadow
Shellac – Copper

Matthew Capozzoli (DJ Tom Hanks)
(718)930-9783
mattcapozzoli@gmail.com
1730 N. Edgemont St. #304
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Older version of "The Pigeon Killer" Link on easyshare, not the better-known and all around better zshare. Basically, download the other one up top.

Alright..so the time is near...Hopefully, the people I send this too are gonna dig it as much as my loyal friends and come running over here to download. Brian is against the p jones site getting blown up so I gotta put this link here. Plus, it is nice to actually use this site once again. 'i do wish it was named crimes galore though. But for now, here is the link. holla!
dj tom hanks: "the pigeon killer"

the return of DJ Tom Hanks

Obviously, I haven't updated this in a year...however, it has been a year from hell with the switch from not working at all to working full time and going to school all night. I literally have days that go from 6 am to 10 pm before i get any free time. But I'm not here to sob...I'm here because I am so psyched for summer, I made a mix tape for all to hear. My old roommate and homey for life Brian Curtis (AKA the boss DJ Pandemonium Jones)gave me the recording software tutorial as we engineered it and his presence was absolutely crucial.
Back in New York, I just kinda fell into dj gigs and relied on my good looks for six years and never got around to making a mix tape. Sadly, I haven't fallen into shit since I been out here ain LA nd I need something to hand out. Apparently, the Tom Hanks name is just not household enough out here. Hopefully, that will soon change: this shit thumps hard.
South By Southwest this year lit a fire under my ass and made me remember just how much fun it is to get paid doing something I would so for free. After catching a plethora of awesomeness highlighted by the tough alliance, yeasayer, the death set, amanda blank (actually playing her own songs and not just spittin fire verses over spank's) (oh and by the way, shake it til my dick turns racist), Health (cheesy corporate party at NOON: I was the only one rocking out), fuck buttons, the homosexuals, black mountain, and a shitload more that I can't remember. Ohh, and after the festie was over, me and Curtis drove back to LA and had a lovely time eating mexican pharmies and camping out in the twenty degree weather at the grand canyon rim. That fifteen mile hike put me on my ass for days. No joke!
Anyway, Brian put the mix on his page so I'll just post that link and it'll show up here eventually. Keep checking back too cause I scour the internet for music all throughout law school class and I need to be putting that shit in yo ears..for real!
DJ Tom Hanks, The Pigeon Killer
http://pandemoniumjones.com/

Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
Foreign Born - Union Hall
Panthers - Goblin City (Holy Ghost Disco Dub)
Black Mountain - Bright Lights
Crystal Castles vs. Health - Crimewave
Glass Candy - Beatific
Hail Social - Cherry Cola Funk (STA Mix)
MGMT - Kids
Holy Fuck - Royal Gregory
Dan Deacon - Wham City
Blaqstarr - Smack
SantoGold - Creator (Scottie B Mix)
The Tough Alliance - Neo Violence
Shocking Pinks - How Am I Not Myself
Clipse - Wamp Wamp (Co.Fee Remix)
Ninjasonik vs. The Death Set - Negative Thinking About Tight Pants
Jay Reatard - It’s So Useless
The Exploding Hearts - Your Shadow
Shellac - Copper

Me and Spaghetti en route to LA

Korea Town

Spaghetti-Head
Well even though I packed all my shit up and drove over to my new apartment, there were glazing issues and the attempted move had to be aborted. But of course, today is the first real hot day I've had out here and I did all my packing during peak sun hours only to be told about the bathtub glazing after getting to k town. The girl in charge of my account is a very nice and sweet your lady from San Diego who loves Spaggy Face and let me put my expensive stuff at her place so I could leave the car loaded up overnight with the balance of clothes and accesories stuffed up in the Civic.
i just want to move in and get it over with so I can begin the job search in earnest and hopefuly start work before next month's rent is due. Then, I want to lease a civic hybrid and drive a nice car like every other a-hole out here. My car is falling apart and the duct tape only last a couple days each round so I have to keep on taping unless I want to hear the highly annoying and nerve-wracking sound of aluminum coated duct tape flapping on the driver's back side mini window all damn day.
And no matter how hard you try to avoid it, you gots to drive a shitload out here. You can't even park the car and get out and explore neighborhoods. I wanted to go to American Apparel, Amoeba, a book store, and a cafe yesterday and had to drive to three different neighborhoods to do so. Los Feliz and Echo Park and Silverlake, for all their "west coast Brooklyn" hype are far from urban ped-friendly areas. I always imagined long Bedford Ave like streets with loads of indie record stores and overproced vintage boutiques. Nuh uh. Losse conglomeration of overpriced wackness.

However, I still like it out here and can't wait to find whatever it is I've been searching for these last few years. Being that this is the seventh city I've lived in in as many years, I'm still not quite happy with the hand I've been dealt.

Goodbye Chicago, Hello Los Angeles

SEE YA LATER CHIT-TOWN
My girl dumped me and kicked Spaghetti and me out of the house. But whatever, I hated Chicago and now I get to soak up the sun in beautiful southern california. Before I hated it out here but after being in chicago, this is certainly an upgrade. I'm happy and I like the sunnyness and even though the stories about people being fake are true, at least I have material to silently laugh about to myself. I'm still getting used to it and all but everybody is real nice so far and I'm excited about everything.

Holy Shit, I totally forgot I even had a blog

Yeah, I shit you not...I forgot I had a blog. I knew something's been missing. And what really sucks is I could have used this to whine about Chicago all winter. Since I last wrote anything on here, I moved to my parents's house in Baltimore and then on to Chicago in December. But I didn't (and still kind of don't) know anyone here all winter and could have totally written some bad ass, angst-ridden stories. It was so cold all winter and snowed every friggin day...uhhh, the weather itself made me stay inside and I was usually bored enough to watch fucking cold pizza on espn...sometimes twice. I played music sometimes but hit a rut in february and have kept playing but haven't recorded since then.
Obstensibly, I've been applying to law school and looking for jobs but have procrastinated so much that I've just finishing the applications now. I'll be all done by tomorrow finally and its just in time: I got tons of shit to write about on here. For instance, I just got back from South By Southwest.
I also got a dog...Spaghetti. Or spaghetti face, or spaghetti head or fettucine head or ravioli brain. you know, any italian dish. more to come...i promise. i'm about to go home now. you'll seee....if anyone still checks on this but i doubt they do...i haven't touched it since august.

1:59 am

After a long day of procrastinating productivity, it's still 1:59 am and I finally got everything ready to rock. I moved the studio into the living room so my girl can sleep and got everything plugged into the four track. I'm pumped and I got ideas ready to flow. So what the shit am I doing putting it in pill form (dig how I have the ready-made slang on pillstohear.blogspot? Pressing that shit up...)? I'm geting warmed up so I'll type and talk about music for a spell. Ease off my gangsta.

With the car stereo and ipod still sidelined, I haven't been able to listen to as much new music as I should. I mean, I've heard the albums I got recently. But instead of bumping them on repeat for a couple days like usual, I just hear them over bogus computer speakers when I have the gumption to fuck around with the computer. Which means I'm not loving the thom yorke, brightblack morning light, herbert, rhymefest, this heat, and spoon records of the last month yet. I haven't had those
intimate experiences yet that develop mutual respect between a man and an album. Come on, I know you know when a record hates you. Or is just pissed at you. It's like a half-step low or some shit and you can't figure it out. And as I type that esoteric bullshit, my itunes malfunctions and the hold steady is silenced. Speaking of the hold steady (as I no doubt have been doing lately), not only is the entire new album straight-up top-shelf, "Cattle and The Creeping Things" is one of the best songs I've heard in a minute. From the referential (to what, I can't recall) title to the churning piano heavy rhythm jam, this song would be a gem even without the classic "Tripping is for teenagers and hard drugs are for bartenders" line at the 40 second mark. Admittedly, I don't always pay attention to rock and roll lyrics as much as I should. It's usually not a problem as I wouldn't mind hearing mainstay indie rock lyrics about women, pot and California only sparingly for the remainder of my days. However, homeboy from the steadies has got my ear and I lament the fact that I miss what he's saying every couple lines. And that just shows how much I really don't listen since this dude (craig, i think?) belts out some crystal clear, plain speaking phrases. I don't know if its cause they live in nyc and their lifestyles might somehow be sorta like mine, but the lyrics about doing drugs in bathroom stalls, low-key big city catholicism, the idiocy of the rest of the country, threatening to move west, working on "vision quests," dealing with no good whores and being "strung out on the scene" really reverberate with me.
Ahh man, I just bullshitted around about "seperation sunday" (the only title associated with the album that doesn't sit right with me; figure, son!) for so long that I don't have time to talk about my other topics ranging from my ear wax removal treatment, today's battle in the epic war with cocksucker cockroaches, the quality of the pot I'm rolling with, season 2 of the wire, and my impending solitude in B-more. Dammit, if I could just remind myself to update this shit everyday, I'd be a happy healthy man. I also need to remind myself to return that library book and get one about Ben Franklin.

"Hey Nelson Algren, Chicago seemed tired last night, they had cigarettes where there's supposed to be eyes. Hey William Butler Yeats, all the Irish seemd wired last night. They tried to seperate our girls from our guys."
And she wants my to move somplace where the cigs got eyes.

ahh damn

I should have something to talk about. I've been up all night for no reason listening to and finding new music and I should have something to talk about. But that one domed me out and I freaked out about the hour. I can barely read the cnn ticker, which seems remarkably out of place rattling off the contract terms of the Islander's restricted free agents signing 'pacts.' I'm concerned about the civilian casualities in the new war and wonder if hezbollah really exists. Wait a minute, the blowing of the fan in this would-be sweltering apartment is definitely affecting my typing. It's like being in the opposite of outer space. Plus my brain hurts, and the hold steady rocked it. They did it with their guitars and their relevant lyrics about rocking and slacking. And skateboard p (dude better be ill) made a brief appearance cause i got it like that, off the inter-net net. I signed up for the fifty free jawns on emusic and went crazy so i didn't forget to quit before the two weeks of freeness ended. and there are apparently two kinds of free songs on the server so i cant keep count of my fifty. ahhh whatever. dammit, typing is so hard. yeah, its the fan but im sore as a whore after the dodgeball the other day. its not like normal exercise. its all running and contorting and throwing you body out of whack like only little kids in shape should do. my muscles ache. good gangster wheezy, they ache. i'm gonna throw on that this heat reissue and sleep it off. cause i got it like that.

SATURDAY NIGHT

THE SKINNY TOM HANKS MAFIA IS THROWING THE ILLEST AFTERPARTY FOR SIREN WITH THE NARRARATOR AND THE END OF THE WORLD AT 3RD WARD. STAY TUNED.

you ain't nothing but a car theif who must be stopped

So I’m trying to turn up the heat. You know…turning it up. I decided that I’m sick of screwing around. I’m just like constantly hanging by a thread and when something goes wrong, I’m destitute. I hate to be a downer but my karma is in trouble: some ignorant piece of shit broke into my car last week even though it was parked right out front of Union Pool, that freaking clubhouse. Jesus, it’s a cop clubhouse too. Dig this ignorance: my mini glass panel on the driver’s side was still duct taped in from the last smack job who broke into my whip but the culprits thought about it and decided that it was probably better if they smashed out the driver’s window too. Its like the intersection wasn’t hot enough already and they needed to up their adrenaline or something. I mean, that area is just so crowded all night and there are always cop cars parked along the triangle somewhere. Some sissy hipsters must have seen something go down but were too busy pissing in their pants to do anything ‘cept run. But whatever, I guess I deserved to get broken into for the...let’s see…sixth time. Man, I gotta have shit luck cause this is just unreal. And they finally got my bass out of the trunk this time. So that’s three cd players, a fat book of my mostly burnt discs, and one bazooka tube. Plus they got my ill aviators. Bunch of savages in this town.

But it’s just sad: I worked my ass off last month and was finally going to have some extra loot to put away for the first time in a year. I was psyched. Rent check written and $200 left. But that money is gone. Spent at the junkyards in southwest Philly and my car still looks like shit. My A/C is fucking dilapidated now and I’m stuck with a 9 dollar Wal-mart boom-box. But that’s a wake-up call: I gotta hustle. Everyday. Snoop Doggy Dogg need to get a jobby job.

I’ve been enjoying helping my uncle plumb in Philly but the time away from home and on people’s couches, even if they are my family’s, is beginning to wear thin. Plus my uncle dissed me last week and asked my cousin help him because he claimed he couldn’t get hold of me. But I call bullshit on that so fuck all these hoes. Now that my girl might be staying, I need a real a 9-5 to seal the deal. I do alright freelancing but if I have a full-timer she can’t try and get me to move anywhere. I don’t want her to go but what is really killing me is the uncertainty. I gotta put my plans on hold til she figures out what the shit she’s doing. If I did bounce, it would surely not be to the yuppies infested north side of Chicago. I’m talking an ill row house in Northeast Phila. For 8 houndo a month, I get three floors and a backyard. It’s calling my name.

But then I go and catch an ill Les Savy Fav show at the park and Brooklyn regains some luster. Fuck man, the more I talk about this the more I don’t know what to do with myself. I better just stay put and hustle myself to death.