Gimme Indie Rock!

In gearing up for the Slathered-In-Awesomecakes that will be All Tomorrow's Parties, I'm starting to download some albums by artists who will be there that I've never heard before. So I got the latest Animal Collective (Strawberry Jam), because Pitchfork has been creaming their pants over this band for years, and I gotta say, I just don't feel it. It's interesting, and I can appreciate that they're doing something unique, but I don't feel like they're writing songs so much as crazy aural architecture. It just feels kind of pretentious and cold to me. But they do sound like they might be a really great live experience. And they sound like maybe they'd blow my freakin' mind if listened to while stoned

I am hoping that Stephen Malkmus actually tours with the Silver Jews, because, um, Stephen Malkmus and Lou Barlow at one festival? Indie Rock Gods!!

I've been slowly getting some vinyl converted into mp3 (technically, I guess it's mp4s or whatever the iTunes format is). I can't stop listening to "On Avery Island," it's been so long since I last heard it, and it's still one of my all-time favorite albums.

Also, we have been researching haunted pub/inns for the one night in England that we still have unscheduled. I'm getting scared just reading about some of these places, I won't get a wink of sleep! But it's too neat to pass up the chance.

I learned today from the Boston Globe that I am wasting my life. There is a community access tv show in Cambridge called Adventures with Jenny, and it involves a girl named Jenny talking about stuff while her pet rabbit, Banana, sits there with her. Grennie and I need to be staaaaars!

Also, Freezepop is playing the Middle East tomorrow night.

A lesson in "can you ever trust your sources"- yesterday I found an error in a Mass. law on Lexis. Not just a little oopsie, but a bunch of words that should have been there were not there, as verified by a print copy of the law and the copy posted on mass.gov. Sheesh. If you can't trust the #2 law purveyor in the land, who can you trust?

Yesterday was crazy at work, I suspect this entire week is going to be exhausting and nonstop.

Also, music update: I can't stop listening to Tullycraft's Disenchanted Hearts Unite, such a great album!

We're seeing Daniel Johnston tonight at the Roxy! Here's hoping he plays "Greviance" and "Devil Town!"

Being all posty about shows, hows about a list of upcoming shows I'd like to go to, if anyone wants to keep me company?

April 3: Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks (Paradise)
April 20: Neil Hamburger You know you want more Neil Hamburger! (Middle East upstairs)
May 9: Clinic (Paradise)

And of course, there's Rush in February July.

I'm reading Bill Bryson's "The Mother Tongue" right now; it's about the history of the English language. Really interesting, and chock full of neat factoids, but I'm put off by the organizational style of the book. In that, it doesn't feel like it has much organization. So I'm balancing it out with a light read about a Victorian lady solving murders with the help of a sexy mysterious stranger.

Also, Supernatural last night kicked some eff'n ass! What a great show. It brings me much joy.

So posting about the NKOTB reunion got me reminiscing about shows past. And because I've been slowly concocting a list over the past couple of days of Shows Past, I now give you

( a semi-comprehensive list of every show I have been to that I can recall )

Oh hai intarwebs! Nice to see you.

I almost forgot to report in on the Ted Leo & The Pharmacists show I went to Saturday night. Suffice to say: Rock was enjoyed. Ted Leo officially had the best stage banter I have ever heard, ever, in the history of going to shows.

Also, the Roxy's labeling of shows as "sold out" is highly suspect. I've been to plenty of sold out shows, and that was not sold out, despite what their posters said.

It was a great show!! I think I like going to shows again. I could live without ever seeing another opening band, though.

Mates of State last night was just fantastic. I'm so glad my Craigslist ticket purchasing went through! The MFA is a great venue, I'm really excited to see more shows there. First, seating is a good thing. Second, despite the ridiculous number of silly looking hipsters (just say no to faux-hawks!) and the "dude I'm so drunk" guys behind us, the crowd was actually really good. Third, those are some nice acoustics, and the sound was done properly. I am kind of a stickler for proper sound mixing at shows, and it's so rarely done well, it was a big treat to be able to hear the vocals and each instrument as they were meant to be heard. The show was pretty short, but it was nice to get out of a show before 10:00, because I am old and I like to sleep before working in the morning. So, yay!

Also, some of you may giggle at this tidbit: the Mates of State husband/wife duo met in Lawrence, Kansas. Hee! I am a nerd. Speaking of Lawrence, Kansas- who watched last night's Supernatural? I want to discuss!

Strangely, I have been enjoying watching the baseball games lately. Go Sox!

Last night's New Pornographers show was solidly entertaining. They played really well, played all the songs I was hoping to hear, and the crowd was overall pretty great (there was a Dancing Too Hard Guy, of course, and he was taking it to the limit, but he was far enough away to not be a bother). Good show!

Now to see if I can finagle a couple of tickets to tomorrow's sold-out Mates of State show at the MFA.... someone on craigslist is selling a pair, and they offer pick-up in Davis Square, so maybe I'll get lucky! ETA: damn, tickets were already claimed.

Upcoming shows I'm interested in, anyone else interested in coming along?

Nov. 15: Yo La Tengo @ MFA (the early show at 6:30)
Nov. 19: Spiritualized @ MFA (8:00)
Dec. 1: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists @ Roxy (6:30)

So, ( Smashing Pumpkins show )

87 degrees and 60% humidity is not an ideal condition for kung-fu outside. But on the plus side, it feels really good when you're done!

Picked up the new Rilo Kiley and new New Pornographers albums yesterday, and they are both so good! Especially the N.P., it's a perfect summer album. So good!!! And I get to see them both play in Boston in the next couple of months! Also, note to those in Boston, on Sept. 9 Neil Hamburger and Pleaseeasaur are making an appearance at the Middle East. I must attend!

Anyone up for doing anything tonight? Not like anyone checks the LJ on the weekends, so we'll probably call around later, but you know, I'm just covering my bases.

Undoubtedly, the highlight of last night's Sleater-Kinney show was their cover of Danzig's "Mother." Priceless. Their new material just doesn't have the same energy as the old stuff. I like it, but it's not as much of an adrenaline rush as the old stuff was. I also really miss hearing songs from Call the Doctor.

Alright, I'm going to quickly recap our honeymoon, but for those of who don't read c_m_i, you should check in on his journal once in a while, as he has all the pictures and will be writing more entertaining entries with them than I will.

( The trip )

Yay! The flight back really took a lot out of me today, but we're here. Stories to come later.

Tomorrow: laundry to get the smell of cigarettes out of my travel clothes, and grocery shopping.

So Wednesday is Sleater-Kinney- spacedthekeys and incandes_flower, what are your estimated arrival times in B-town? (Mere, are you coming? I recall that you were, but I saw a comment in M.'s journal about you being here on Friday?) Maybe we can meet up for dinner before the show.

Yay, I just bought 2 tickets to Sleater-Kinney in June!! I believe I've seen them on every tour since Dig Me Out. Heck, I've even gone to New York to see them (still wishing I could actually remember that show). I'm trying to decide if I want to be totally extravagant and buy Spoon tickets (they play June 7), but I just got new shoes last night and bought 2 albums on iTunes yesterday, so I think my discretionary spending should go on hold. I still need wedding shoes, though I may just say screw it and wear black shoes under my dress. No one will really notice anyway. I saw a great pair of gold sandals at DSW, but they were Steve Madden shoes, and hence, a bit too rich for my blood.

There are no words to do justice to the experience of seeing Pleaseeasaur. That was the best show I've ever seen in my life. Seriously, check out the web page. I believe there are a few MP3s on the site for your listening pleasure, but they pale in comparison to the live show. The man had props and drawings and puppets. I have never laughed so hard in my entire life, and that's saying a lot. Neil Hamburger was also awesome, but I was a little disappointed that all of his jokes were ones I heard in England. Everyone seemed to know the cranberry sauce Courtney Love joke. aquarianna6, I'm so sorry you guys went all the way out to Allston for nothing. I though Pleaseeasaur would be a crappy rock band, if I had any clue how awesome it would be I would have insisted that you stay! I totally owe you one now. But I'm planning on buying the dvd with my next paycheck, and will have a viewing of it. phlosphr, Neil and Pleaseeasaur are playing at the Black Cat in DC on Monday night, I promise you it will the best $8-10 you will spend all year.

So, it's really easy to get married in Maine, I guess. I was expecting to have to show some sort of proof of identification, a passport, social security card, or something. But we just signed the papers for the license and that was that. When we got back in the car, the radio was playing my favorite Arcade Fire song. Then it played I Wanna Be Yr Joey Ramone by Sleater-Kinney. It was a beautiful moment. XM Satellite radio now rocks my world.

We stopped at the den for lunch, the lady whose daughter I used to work with remembered me and gave me a hug. It's nice to be remembered. I tried to stop by the libes to say hi to Brenda, but she wasn't there. So we mosied up to Monmouth, filled out our papers, and after about 10 minutes were on our way. We wound our through the back roads to Freeport (which is actually faster than the highway anyway), and shopped. I found a dress for the rehearsal, Drew found a bunch of clothes and shoes. I stil haven't found shoes. Now that the Parade of Shoes in Downtown Crossing closed, I am at a loss. Anyone know of a Parade in the area that's open? We then went down to Portland for a leisurely dinner and walked around a bit. It ended up taking so long to get back here, though, that we called it a night when we got in.

I've already done my grocery shopping this morning. Yes, already. It's actually quite pleasant to do so at 7:30 in the morning, despite being bleary-eyed and unshowered.

PS- Neil Hamburger is tonight!!! It will be awesome. I take no responsibility for anyone's enjoyment of it, though. Be warned: he is so unfunny that he is hilarious. But consider yourself warned.

My brain is mellllting. XML is hard. But hey, I just did something right, so that's good. I'm smart, I'm not a technophobe, I can figure out this coding business. It would be nice if computer language didn't involve words like parsing and CSS.

Besides, I'm out in beautiful Southborough and actually have a window next to me to see the sunlight.

Edit: Ack, of all the days for Metafilter to be broken!! Damnit, I need entertainment of the webby variety.

Edit 2: Ack! Sleater-Kinney play Boston the day after we get back from our honeymoon! I don't care how tired I'll be, I have to go!

For ms_ntropy and tenillypo- Playing May 14th at the Middle East: Harry and the Potters (with Ponies in the Surf!). Although I have to inform you that you may be obligated to see Neil Hamburger at Great Scott that night. Hee. Just thinking about Neil Hamburger makes me giggle uncontrollably.

Slint rocked so hard. That was an amazing show. Not quite as tight as the England show, only because they took the most unnecessarily long pauses between songs. They ended with Good Morning, Captain, which was so, so good. Thanks to komos and wisdom_seeker for being such great indie rock companions! Yay, indie rock!

Well, that was about as satisfying as a weekend can get. It involved a huge amount of lounging, and lounging is good.

Friday night we headed over to the Second Circle for tv and, um, camaraderie. Yay for camaraderie. Saturday Drew & I spent the day lazing about. I made 2 sad looking loaves of bread. They taste fine, they just didn't exactly rise much... or at all. Now that I think about it, though, I don't remember seeing bubbles in the sugar-water-yeast mix I made, so I think maybe the water wasn't warm enough. I need a thermometer for cooking stuff. Yesterday we hit the Galleria for a little shopping, then went to komos's place to watch him brew.

And that was that. Next Sunday I'm seeing Slint again, and they will rock.

An AskMetafilter question reminded me of the greatness of Tullycraft, and I looked 'em up, and lo, I see that there's a new album in the works! Twee Pop!

We're back! We have consumed much beer and indie rock goodness.

( An account of London & All Tomorrow's Parties )

Tonight we set out for All Tomorrow's Parties. There will be much indie rocking. *squee*

*giddy dance* *squee*

Mogwai is playing All Tomorrow's Parties! The line-up keeps getting better and better!!! This is the greatest thing ever!

In other news, I have sampled the cupcakes for our matrimonial shindig, and they are tasty. DJ from Thrifty Auto Rentals is officially my least favorite person ever- not cool to be half an hour late to open your place of business, offer no apology, and give me no discount. DJ's manager is going to be getting a letter, and DJ's corporate office is getting a phone call. I got the same amount of snow he did, and was able to drag my ass out of bed a little early to compensate for the crappy commute.

The line up is starting to come together! Spoon!! Mum! That guy from the Red House Painters!

I am so, so happy that we're going to England on an indie-rock pilgrammage.

I am also so exhausted. Two holiday parties in one night. Whew. Summer Shack is kinda gross. *crash*

Well, the nagging headache I'd had since Black Tuesday has finally subsided. And hey, at least we know the Daily Show will have 4 more years of material. But seriously, I'm feeling less tumultuous and more resolved to get off my lazy ass and start working for change. This is a good thing.

For those in the Davis Square area- the place that just opened, Sauce, is quite good. Tasty wine.

Well, I'd been putting off saying anything about it because I'm still a little nervous about the sucking up of funds that this'll do (but that's what the extra Dec. paycheck is for!), but I can't contain myself any longer. We're going to this. *swoon* Slint-y goodness.

Whew. I have Pearl Jammed, thanks again to spacedthekeys. We snagged a ride home with a cabbie from the Middle East who had lots of opinions about politics, hating France, and Kerry kowtowing to the UN (which was also on his hate-list, along with the president of Germany). Gotta love that the god old GOP proganda machine has worked so well. Today's adventure in serials cataloging was slightly better than a sharp stick in the eye. Of course, since I catalog without ever having to use or look at MARC tags, a lot of it didn't apply to me, but I came away with knowledge, some good ideas, and a lot of thankfulness that my cataloging system is dummy-proof and does not involve MARC. I also got to wow the academic librarians with my tales from law librarian-dom, which is worlds away from what they're used to (i.e. we're glad when people remember to check out the books before they take 'em until they retire, there is no "circulation" system). Picked Drew up from work, then shopped for the cutest little red jacket and hat ensemble, a TiVo, and miscellaneous home goods. *Yawn* Now I'm sleeeeepy.

My favorite line thus far from the new Daily Show book: "If 'pro' is the opposite of 'con', then isn't Congress the opposite of progress? Or did we just fucking blow your mind?!?" Tee-hee.

This weekend was, as usual, pretty great. In fact, I haven't had a "do-over" weekend in quite some time. *knocks on wood* Thursday I sat through most of a baseball game with surprising patience, but they lost me by the 8th inning. Had the dorkiest fangirl moment ever when I saw Mary Lou Lord busking in Park St. station on the way home. It involved a lot of blushing, giggling, and failing to look cool. Friday I learned that I'm either as tall as a short dwarf or a tall hobbit. Thanks, Tolkien. Saturday I tikied until I was too tired to tiki anymore. The Tiki DanceTM, however, has jumped the shark. It'll come back when it becomes retro-kitsch.

I'm psyched for this week, as I have a free lunch tomorrow with the West reps who will thank me for my patronage and probably give me more free stuff. I'm also going to the Pearl Jam concert tomorrow night. Wednesday I'm heading to Nelinet all day for a class on electronic serials cataloging. We'll see how happy I am about that when I've been sitting there for a few hours learning more cataloging.

Weekends are fantastic!

Friday night we grabbed some dinner at Sunset Grill, then headed to O'Briens to hear my friend's band play. Incidentally- komos, the guy who was on your car was said friend. I almost lost it with hysterics when ms_ntropy pointed him out as "the guy on the car." One of the opening bands had guested on not only "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," but also "Joan of Arcadia." Now that's something. They did, however, do a rocking cover of Hopelessly Devoted to You that pleased me.

Saturday I experienced some all-out girliness as I went with Tenille & Meg to David's Bridal to try on a plentitude of dresses. I wasn't really expecting anything to actually look decent on me, but there were two that looked quite spiffy. I'm not actually going to buy anything from them, as I can get similar styles elsewhere that are better quality. I'm still holding out for the super-hot dress, but can't seem to find a store in the area that has it for trying on. We then met up with folks for some sangria and beer, then headed off to try the new Indian restaurant in Harvard Square. We were squarely denied from Tamarind Bay, however, because some other group of 11 people stole my reservation. They came in about 5 minutes before we did, and when the guy asked if they were the party for "Jen," they said yes. Bastards. So instead we trotted down the street to India Castle and enjoyed tasty curries. A few beers at Peoples (the wee little bartender kept trying to hit on me!), and we called it a night.

Yesterday I continued being girly and went to a girls brunch at Zaftigs with a group of folks who I really don't see often enough. It looks like we'll be doing this once a month, which makes me very happy indeed. Did some groceries, then Drew & I headed over to cosmicserpent's place for some poker. That was fun! Even though I lost, I only lost $2. I'm totally willing to do that again sometime.

Alright, enough of this. I suppose I should start working. 3 day work week!!

Drew & I just bought our tickets to Mitch Hedberg. We're in the orchestra, left center stage. The expensive seats are already gone, so if you were interested in going, I'd suggest buying soon.

Debating Pixies in Lowell.....debating.... there's also PJ Harvey, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Le Tigre, and Twilight Singers. Damn. I need more money.

Well, c_m_i encapsulates my weekend very well, but I would subsitute "watched Farscape with Tenille" for bunny cage stuff. But yes, it was a very pleasant and excellent weekend.

Now, inspired by cayetana's post, I'm going to post a few upcoming shows I'd like to attend. I'm with ya on the Mitch Hedburg, V, but the rest is a bit too roughly punk for my indie rock self. But, I see that Le Tigre is playing, and the Twilight Singers (which involves, of course, Greg Dulli from the Afghan Whigs... the man -is- indie rock in such a raw sense, I can't miss him this time around), and my friend's band, the Punk Monkees this Friday at O'Briens. C'mon, folks, we should hit up Sunset prior to, and then anyone who wants to come with should come support a fun local band. They're very tight, a little more on the pop/rock side of things, but still, it'll be a fun time. And, um, *scuffles feet* Futher Seems Forever and Brandston are playing an all ages show at Axis next month. I love these bands. Like, in a very embarrassingly emo way; but I am afraid of the 13 year old emo kids who love Dashboard that will crowd around me. If anyone wants to come with me, I would be your best friend (and buy you a beer). It's early on a Sat. night, so it's not like it'll kill the night.... Oh, and I'm seeing Pearl Jam and Deathcab when they come to town, due to my brother's ticket generosity (if nothing else, I'm sure he'll bit at the Further & Brandston show, too. We Moore's like our punk poppy and our emo sappy).

I'm so darn healthy.

Breakfast= Kashi
Snack= cottage cheese
Lunch= banana, yogurt, pluot(!!)
+ workout at the gym
Snack= grapes

I'm sure none of you seriously care, but I'm feeling chatty. Boss is out sick (though may show up later).

I meant to add more detail about my weekend, which in theory started on Thursday. Butterknife totally rocked out, I thought you guys sounded tighter than ever. It was sweet. Friday night involved free drinks at Coyote Ugly and, um, more drinks elsewhere after that. No...more...tequila. Saturday was Day O' Recovery, and only involved cuddling on the couch and watching movies. Yesterday I spent a good deal of the afternoon shopping with Miss T, ms_ntropy and jawalter. There's a Gap Outlet in Watertown that's having a huge sale! It was marvelous. That's about it. So there.

A trip to the gym that involves bright sunshine on the way really does cure all stress.

Currently flipping out a bit about getting everything done for the move, but think we're on track.

Ok folks- PIXIES!!!!
The Pixies will be playing in Philly on Dec. 4. Now there is a lot I'd do to see the Pixies, but I'm hoping that all I'll really have to do is give my brother a wad of cash so he can use his record store connections to buy tickets the very moment they go on sale. Should he be so gracious as to do so, he would be able to get up to 6 tickets- that means that if any of y'all are interested in taking a road trip with us, he could procure said tickets for 3 people. Let me if this piques your curiosity. They're also playing in Montreal a few days before... which is a viable alternative to Philly. Plus, it's all, like, foreign and stuff.

Actually, I wanna be Janet Weiss. That woman rocks out and breaks it down like no one else. If only I had a sense of rythm and could keep a steady beat.

Anyway, the Sleater-Kinney show last night was amazing, as usual. I could watch those ladies all day. They hit a lot of old favorites (even I'm Not Waiting and Call the Doctor!), and showed off some great new material. Their new stuff is very complex, and they seemed to be having so much fun up on stage. The highlight was their cover of Bikini Kill's "Rebel Girl," which was indie rock-alicious. I was surprised to see that the majority of the crowd seemed to recognize it, but then again, it is the riot grrrl anthem.

So a big huge yaay! for Sleater-Kinney.

My question for the folks who went to Sebadoh and Neu- which show did the indie rock tall guy attend? I don't think he was at S-K, but it was packed and we were in the obstructed view balcony, so I could be wrong.

This weekend was pretty quiet. Which is good, as this coming weekend promises to be exhausting in a super-fun way.

Friday night was the Preacher Boy show, which was a lovely time. I'm glad Drew got the chance to see some of his music live, as his musicians of choice don't generally tour as much as those indie rock kids.

Saturday involved working (what Saturday doesn't, of late?), then I stuck around work to do some school work research. After that, went home and packed- so, so grateful for my habit of moving at least once a year, as most of my extraneous crap is gone, and I find it increasingly easier to throw away sentimental things (though I still can't bring myself to get rid of all 4 of my high school yearbooks, despite the presence of some truly ghastly photos). We then had some tasty dinner and beer at Bukowkis with folks.

Yesterday I spent the entire day working on my project for school. Well, from 11:30AM to 10PM, but that's pretty much all day. I took a sanity break to go grocery shopping, cook dinner, and watch the Simpsons, but that's really the only break I took all day. Craziness. I'm not even done the frickin' project! But am close enough that I could even justify turning it in as is and figure on getting about a C/B-.

I totally got the rejection letter from Wellesley, but have to admit my heart's not broken over it. The hours were going to be super-crappy, and my situation here at work has changed (in that my boss is going on extended leave, so I can't really go anywhere right now, as that would be leaving them in far more of a bind than even my selfish little heart could allow). I chalk it up as good experience, like a test-run in case a supremely awesome job opens (like, um, Schlesinger Library at Harvard....drooool...gender studies reference). I think I need to get my suit jacket thing tailored, it might help if I don't look like a little kid playing dress up in businessy clothes. =)

Now exiting good-worker-girl mode, entering good-student-girl mode. Here's hoping I only have to stay here one more hour to get some homework done.

Preacher Boy is totally the Lou Barlow of Alt-Blues. I really enjoyed his set last night. The Tarbox Ramblers.... were a little too contra-dancey for my particular taste.

Alright, who wants to go to Chicago to see the Pixies?

Kidding...well, sorta. They've got to come to the East Coast, too... right?

The fridge here at work is full of Red Stripe. Hmmm.

So last night's Britney-mania was, I admit, pretty entertaining. If those soccor moms who brought small children to it are the same people complaining about Janet's boob, they'd best shut it, as that was pretty much an hour and a half of soft-core porn. Not that I'm complaining- as cosmicserpent pointed out, it is indeed fun to watch Britney writhe around with next-to-nothing on. Of course, she was pretty obviously lip-synching, and looked exhausted. Her dancers were neat- at some points the men broke into what I assume are ballet moves, and I have to say that I'm kind of intrigued by it and may be interested in seeing people who aren't grooving to "Oops I Did It Again" dance. Ballet is kind of sexy. There was a group of 30-somethings behind us (the age range was interesting- this was overall a much older crowd than the Stripped & Justified tour). Oh, and I'm really not used to going to shows where production credits roll at the end.

What a quiet day.

So, as basha pointed out: Farscape is coming back! Well, sorta. But still, that excites me so much. Hold on... sorry... my geek is showing.

Tonight I am off to a Britney Spears concert. My brother had a ticket that was going to waste, and he wants company at the show, so I figure it'll be good karma to keep him company amidst the sea of 14 year olds.

Last night komos came over and I made a tasty (least I hope it was tasty) dinner for us all, and we consumed the Best Beer In The World. I believe it was called Quelque Chose, and it was really quite good.

Yo La Tengo totally rocked out beyond all expectations. They played for 2 solid hours- started with a great rendition of Autumn Sweater, ended with Damage (which is among my favorites, though not quite on par with Nowhere Near). They even did Tom Courtenay which is 1) my favorite YLT song and 2) something that is so old and popular that I figured they had stopped playing it live long ago. They seemd like they were really enjoying themselves, the crowd was actually really quite good, and all in all I felt thouroughly rocked. It was well worth the $6 for admission and the 3 hour drive up there. This was definitely better than when I saw them at Wellesely freshman year.

The L-town goodness was also quite fun. It was great to catch up with Mere, Jeremy and Andy. We hit the Goose when the only people in there were grizzled old townies, then got Thai food and bowled at a sketchy bowling alley for a bit. We did a radio show and said hi to Anna and giggled quite a lot.

Alright, reservations for tonight made: check. Movers scheduled (aside to Drew: 29th at 9AM good for you?): check. Lunch obtained and consumed: check.

Lookee how productive I am!

Tomorrow we head north to L-town for some indie rock (It will hopefully be Yo La Tengo the indie band and not "Yo La Tengo" the hippie jam cover band). We will be rocking the Lewiston hard-core, as Tenille & I return to the airwaves with Meredith. If you're sitting around with nothing to do between 2 and 4 tomorrow, tune in to WRBC. I'm craving a departure from this town, even if just for a day. I get wanderlusty when the weather turns gray and seasons get all transitional.

Now I'm ready to get on with my Friday night. Is it time to go yet?

How 'bout now?

I'm making the executive decision that I will not be in class past 8:00 tonight. That's that.


Rebecca Gates is playing the Middle East tonight. The Spinanes were/are among my favorite bands, but I'd be going in the hopes of hearing Hawiian Baby, one of the best rainy day songs ever, and would be sorely disappointed if she didn't play it (which is likely, as artists get all weird about not playing songs from their former bands. sheesh. artists)

All I have to say is: Butterknife totally rocks!

Back to classy class.

Oooooh!! Sleater-Kinney is touring!! I just got myself 3 tickets. *happy squeal* Since their Dig Me Out tour, I have never missed their stops in Boston (and will be happy if this time, unlike last year's NYC show, I stay cognizant and aware the entire time...or at least can remember the show after. No more vodka cranberries!).

Magnetic Fields are also coming, but tickets aren't on sale yet.

Twilight Singers, as well, but I'm debating that one. As much as I love Greg Dulli with my little indie rock heart, it's on a Friday night, and is the night before Yo La Tengo in Maine, so I'm not sure if I'll feel up to sacrificing my only weekend night in Boston that week to rock. But then again.... it is Greg Dulli. What think you?

First off: ( it was a weekend )

I realize I've been posting crap lately. My apologies. It's the mid-February doldrums creeping in, taking over. I do, however, have to say that I am absolutely in love with a new band. Well, they're new to me. Pretty Girls Make Graves are so good. Wow. I'm blown away. So I've got tickets to see 'em in March.

I also heard a rumor that Yo La Tengo is playing Bates College at some point. I am either going to shatter with thrills and excitement...or my brother was playing a cruel, cruel joke. We shall see. I just scoured the Bates page looking for info, but can't find any; according to the band's website they're due to head out on a European tour in March. Hrm. Of course, I was too much of a lazy ass to see them the last few times they've come through Boston, but I'd make the 3 hour drive up to L-town for that.

Addendum: Now I'm debating: do I see Stereolab in April? Can't see Tortise, as I believe that's Beer Summit weekend... Is the 'Lab the same these days, though?

Today was a much needed spur of the moment day off. c_m_i called out, too, which made the idea of staying home all the more enticing. I finished building a dresser all by myself! It was a task that seemed beyond daunting when I started, and the structure is fairly shakey, but still, I didn't think I'd be able to do it, and I did it anyway. I'm really not good at making things with my clumsy little hands, but get a huge amount of satisfaction when I actually manage to suceed. Also spent a good deal of time cleaning the apartment, which was very much needed. It's been a day of puttering about.
Yesterday we finally went to see Big Fish with komos. While I'm glad I saw it, I wouldn't say it's one of the best movies I've seen this year. I will say it was loads better than Cold Mountain (yawnfest). We then went down the street to the Skybar, where a lot of people turned out to see Boston's up and coming new indie band "Butterknife," featuring philbot and some people I have yet to meet. Simply put, they rocked my socks off. I was seriously impressed.
Sunday we spent most of the day at komos's place bottling up some beer. We left in the early evening so I could get along to Best Buy to get an IPOD, as I've decided I really, really want one. That plan is on hold for the moment, but will be put into motion soon.
On Saturday we went to the Beer Summit volunteer meeting and stayed for quite a while. Now I'm psyched to spend all day this coming Sat. pouring beer and watching drunk people.
Finally, Friday was Foxwoods Night. We gambled the night away with alex_victory, jawalter, and archer823 and his significant other. I lost $30 in the slots and decided that was all I could afford to lose. Drew won $50 in slots and then went on to win $300 at Let it Ride. While I really dislike feeling like I just flushed perfectly good money down the toliet, I'm willing to give it another shot, if I can save up some money and not feel panicky about losing a little.
All in all, an excellent weekend. Whew. This week promises to hold more excitement, though it also includes the first day of class on Thursday. Save me now.

Last night was the Dave Attell/Lewis Black show. I think I laughed enough to add 10 years to my life. I was surprised to find out that I really, really enjoyed Dave and could have done with a little less Lewis (or that could be because all I wanted was water, the Orpheum had just stopped selling refreshing beverages right before his set, and Black proceeded to spend about 20 minutes on a bit about water). Pre-show I camped out at the bar at Fajitas & Ritas with the new Michael Moore book and waited for Drew, synaesthesia and Tim (who probably has an LJ but I'm not sure) to show up. I sincerely enjoy sitting at bars and reading. The book's enjoyable, albeit with the usual Michael Moore "in your face" style that I would rather be toned down (if only because if he wrote a little better, or with less hyperbole, I think he would be taken more seriously). There's a bit in the introduction about kickass librarians fighting censorship, and it actually gave me a moment of librarian pride.
Whew. So Interpol tonight, then um, drinking somewhere TBD.

I forgot more stuff I had to say. First, I visited the ever-exciting Newbury Comics and got myself a copy of the Postal Service album and the new Superchunk double disc set.
Indie Rock. Sigh. I absolutely must motivate myself to get back into music. On that note, there are a ton of shows coming up. A ton! It's so exciting! The list: Belle and Sebastian (!), Built to Spill (anyone going on Tuesday? or Monday?), Le Tigre (must see Kathleen Hanna!), Superchunk, Death Cab for Cutie, Kristen Hersh, Crooked Fingers (wishy-washy on this one), Bettie Serveert (also wishy-washy). But holy crap.

For those of you who are also going to see Bjork on Sunday:
The show's been moved to the Fleet Pavillion. Hooray for an easier-to-get-to venue. Methinks it will be uber-crowded, though.

So my resolution to see more shows appears to be taking shape. The third weekend of October is gonna kick it, as I now have tickets to see Dave Attel/Lewis Black that Thursday and Interpol on Friday. Rawk!

Wow. There's not much I can about last night's Teen Girl Squad experience. The girls in front of us were totally TGS, they had a couple of cheerleaders, a couple of so-and-so's, a what's-her-name, and the ugly one. Teen girls seem to operate on the pack principle, especially when "dancing" (which is invariably terribly awkward looking). Though the college age girls were well represented, as well as the not-so-far out of college age girls. So we weren't the oldest ones there. I also looked downright frumpy compared to most of the audience. Yup. My short skirts and tight tops are No Match at all for the, um, outfits I saw. What was also interesting was that most of the girls fell on one side of the weight extreme or the other. Many of them really needed to eat some cake ASAP, or at least some bacon or something. Then there were the girls stuffed into tube tops who really shouldn't have been. The tube top is not supposed to force rolls of flesh out underneath and above it. Anyway, so that's that. Got my pop fix. Somewhere an indie rock kid must have been crying.

And a reminder that tonight is 80s music, beer and dancing. But no tiki dance.