Greetings Sparkle Nation! I just got this movie file from the long-lost Ro-Dill-Bean, AKA Bonen, AKA G-Lube Cakes, AKA The Druish Prince, AKA Ronen (make a noise like you're clearing your throat) Gal-Or. Some funny sheit right here:

Give me my mu'fuckin change

I'm headed off to Acadia National Park in Maine tommorow morning at 4am (zzz). I hope to have some pix to post up this weekend if I get a chance. Otherwise expect a full rundown come Monday.

In the meantime, why don't you guys talk about Britney getting married, or Mary Kate Olson's drug problem or some other stupid celebrity fodder like the good bloggers that you are. Oh that's right, we have lives and don't feel the need to talk about celebs like we know (or should I say care about) them. Anyway, it's just a (1) PR Ploy for the Brit, (2) the beginning of a swift career descent, later to be resurrected (ala Drew b.) by a starring role in Poison Ivy 6: There's two of them! for Mark Kate & Ashley.

COMIN' AT'CHA (like Dan Cortez, MTV sports bitches!): Don't forget to download the bangin' new X-treme jams I linked under "Your Kids are Gonna Love it."
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In lieu of the lack of posts, let's talk about the most obvious thing to talk about. I'm sure at least half of the readers here have already seen this, so what are your thoughts. I'll post my brief review:

Overrated. Highly-manipulative. Shoddy craftsmanshit in the name of celluloid. The man took an idea and subject matter that needs to be addressed and turned it into a ridiculous bashfest. Michael Moore has been praised for pushing the envelope...I agree, the envelope of jackassery. This film, nix that...movie (the composition is far too sophomoric to be considered a film), will do what it needs to do to an extent (further gaining peoples' hatred towards Dubya), but does it in all the wrong ways. Moore's a douchebag and has completely abused the right of filmmaking to purvey his ridiculous extremist political agenda. Palm d'Or winner...pleez.

** out of five

Yeah, and that's coming from a guy that renounced his American citizenship because of the current state of affairs (albeit hypothetically...Finland uber alles!). I hate Bush more than anyone, but this flick is, in all senses of the word, propaganda. Someone needs to slap that fat bastard.

Oh, and hooray for Sparkle Motion.
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Since no one at the Watts had the oppurtunity to hit up the 3rd annual Lebowski fest, here's a look at the hilarious festivities (via Whatevs from the brahs over at Thighs Wide Shut. Don't miss the creative costumes including Creedence Tape, Man in the Black Pajamas (is that Jeff Bridges?), and From Moses to Sandy Koufax.


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Cold blows the wind (via muh girl at Proximity) that Lollapalooza 2004 has been cancelled, due to poor advance ticket sales.

I had a feeling that this might happen when I scored tickets in the front section of Deer Creek weeks after the show went on sale. It's really too bad, a huge dissapointment for me personally. I can see why it failed. First off, these bands are all pretty similar in fanbase. You're going to have a hard time selling 20,000 tickets in a city like Indianapolis where there are probably only 15,000 Indie-rock-type fans, even if they all buy tickets. Secondly, the tour was huge. They were playing literally everywhere. Less dates might have meant more success. We still have Curiosa.

By The way, VH1 has the new Cure Album up to listen to in streaming audio today (and maybe today only), so give it a listen if you get a chance. Yup, that's the cover art right there.
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Everyone, if you did not see the Daily Show tonight, then you've missed out on an amazing event. I highly recommend looking around for a taping of it, because it is one of the first times I've ever seen Jon Stewart angry..literally pissed off, an obvious "against" stance come out against the administration and his guest, Steven Hayes.

Of course, I don't blame him in any way after even more news of Bush and his administration lying about the link between Al Qaeda and Hussein. It was a fairly known idea by myself, my roommate Ben and many others who realize how much Muslim extremists(Bin Laden) have a long time hatred of a dictator of a fascist regime and vice versa, where religion only takes away power from himself and therefore they would not work together. But the point here lies in the Daily Show's point of directly calling out the administration by showing directly how they denied saying "exactly" that there was a link...and then showing video saying the exact words that they denied saying. They used both Bush, who said that he was "happy to stop a country and man who was an ally with Al Qaeda". Then, after Cheney said he didn't say that it was "pretty much confirmed", they show the clip of him saying, "it has been pretty much confirmed." Now if he was talking about the actual 'meeting' outside Iraq between Al Qaeda #2 and Saddam or about the link, either way doesn't seem to matter anymore as the only "link" source is that 'meeting'.

In all honesty, I am getting pretty angry myself, and I can understand Jon Stewart's pessimism. But I had never seen him jump on a guest on his show like he did Steven Hayes. It can be slightly understandable as he writes for the Weekly Standard and was on there promoting his book about the bullshit link between Al Qaeda and Hussein. Which he even said that the report done by the undersecretary guy was not a great source...so what is? After cutting him off many times and creating a complete disapproval of any answers to his questions, I was amazed by Stewart's complete anger and unwelcome he showed Hayes. In the end I thought it was a crazy, funny and great show and I would do anything to have a tape of that to show my parents. Ch che check it out.
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Sitting here bored, waiting for Phish to play live on Letterman's marquee. First off, we should address the Phish craziness taking place in the last few days. Phish hooked up with Jay-z at their show in Brooklyn and played "Big Pimpin'" and "99 Problems." Plus Letterman's Marquee tonight? They should make a movie where the guys form American Pie play the members of Phish. They make a pact of somekind. Prefferably they choose to omit Chris Klein's worthless ass. What does Katie Holmes see in that dude? Anyway, I hope the boys break out something special for all those hitting up the last two Deer Creek shows this week.

Those who won't be at the crick, you know who you are, stop fucking around and gear up for !!! in B-town on thursday. Coolfer says the best live show out there and I belee dat.

Have you seen this commercial where Listerine is trying to claim that's it's basically a replacement for flossing? It's littered with the most fine print I've ever seen. This is so beyond the realm of truth in advertising. Give a statistician a partial-truth and he'll make you a graph that proves it. It's all over their website too, check it out, and don't forget to floss.

Back to Letterman, Larry Brown just said that Ole Philly Jackson gave him a fishy handshake after the game 5 win, saying that he gave him a good solid shake after the Sixers lost to him in '01. No love (and no class) from Phil.

And what's up with the talk of T-Mac coming to the Pace show? If that happens... championship. period.

Seriously lastly this time, the new Wilco disc is out today. You've been able to hear it for free for over a month on their website. It's getting solid 4 star reviews from most, but I'm still a little dissapointed. I think I liked having Jay Bennett in the band.
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A last minute reminder for all peeps in the Bloomington and Indy area to get off thy ass and check out a couple of shows this weekend.

As I type, The Process is already in Chicago taking in the noise of a slew of Cracknation oriented events, and the return of Slim Dogg, or whatever the hell they're called.

Tonight is Calexico, showered up and ready to rock Bloomington after their gig at Bonnaroo. Should be a solid set from these rising Tucson roustabouts. Music inspired by Tex-Mex cuisine, so don't forget your sobrero mayn.

Tommorow night in Indy brings Braid and Minus the Bear to the Emerson. Teddy you'll want to stay the hell away from this show. As for everyone else, head out and don't forget to stuff a pint of booze in your jacket on the way out the door. The Emerson is dry country. No booze f'miles.

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This weekend, while rummaging through some old cd's, I decided to make a mix cd so I could dust off some of the albums I haven't listened to in a while. Needing a little direction, I decided to make a mix a songs with a war theme. Ole Macky and I brainstormed this at lunch yesterday, and I also asked a few friends out drinkin' last night. Here's what I came up with so far, but I'd love some more ideas. How about some hip hop? Industrial? Any more classics that I'm missing? No lame ass emo or indie...war is about kicking ass, not sucking it.

Machine Gun - Band of Gypsys
Bulls on Parade - Rage Against the Machine
War Pigs - Black Sabbath
One - Metallica
Goodbye Blue Sky - Pink Floyd
Rooster - Alice in Chains
Masters of War - Bob Dylan
Cortez the Killer - Neil Young
War/No More Trouble - Bob Marley
Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2
Run Through the Jungle - CCR
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones
Civil War - Guns & Roses
For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
War - Edwin Star (this song sucks, huh!, but it has to be on here)
Flight of the Valkyres - Apocalypse Now Soundtrack

Honorable mention but not sure if worthy of the "ultimate mix":
Zombie - Cranberries
Too Many Puppies - Primus
Do the Evolution - Pearl Jam
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As if the FBI has nothing better to do at the moment, they've just begun putting yet another warning label on our beloved CDs. The back of selected CDs (it's on a voluntary basis right now) will feature this unsightly new tag, the latest attempt at curbing rabid fans hungry to put Lars Ulrich out of business. The tag was introduced last february, and will likely appear on more and more new releases. Not likely to appear? The fucking artwork that has become the sole reason most people buy CDs instead of stealing them on P2P. I've yet to purchase a new disc with this label (it wasn't on my copy of 5 Buroughs), but I'm sure it's easily as big as a UPC, if not bigger.

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Franz Ferdinand fans be sure to check out this cool cover of "Take Me Out" by the Scissors Sisters, who seems to be a little more brother than sister but that's just my call. Solid and very original cover version - the way it should be. (via Fluxblog)
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Nominees were just annouced for next year's HoF induction. Let's have ourselves a pick'em boyz! Don't be the fool who omits Bryan Adams. This is afterall the 25th anniversary of the Summer of 69. Plus, the Canadian government has apologized for Bryan Adams on numorous occasions.

Typically there are 6-10 artists inducted every year, so pick eight.

New Nominees
Eligble Nominees

U2
Bryan Adams
Pat Benatar
Def Leppard
Iron Maiden
Simple Minds
the Pretenders
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Joan Jett
Twisted Sister
Abba
Jeff Beck
Black Sabbath
Chicago
Dick Dale
Van Halen
Lynyrd Skynyrd
John Mellencamp
Steve Miller Band

I'll say that U2 is the only group who gets inducted from the new class. Other inductees will be Grandmaster Flash, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Jeff Beck, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Abba, and Chicago.
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Check out this picture form the awesome site Metal-sludge.. Do you recognize that man in the middle?

That's Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. I always thought the guy had some serious shredder skillz, and now I know why. You want more? Check out Layne Staley back in the day. Yeah? How about Pantera? Marilyn?

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Another classic episode of South Park is on this week, Cripple Fight. Big Gay Al is let go from the Mountain Scouts and the boys are lead by Mr. Slippy Fist. This episode also introduces Jimmy, the handi-capable kid who loves to tell j-j-j-j-jokes. While the episode is...um...okay at best, the fight scene between Jimmy and Timmy is one of the classic scenes from South Park. This is actually a shot for shot remake of the classic fight scene between "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Keith David in John Carpenter's 1988 film "They Live", down to Jimmy saying "You dirty mother(beep)er!" The episode airs Wednesday at 8:30 pm Central time (not fucking Eastern) on Comedy Central.
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MIDWEST PRODUCT - SPECIFICS
While labeled as IDM, it is far more accessible than your run-of-the-mill Intelligent Dance Music.

KEANE - HOPES AND FEARS
Hopes and Fears is album to a couple of recognizable singles that have received radio play. Falling under the pop/rock category, Keane boasts a sound reminiscent of The Stills. Daddy like.

SUN KIL MOON - GHOSTS OF THE GREAT HIGHWAY
Anyone familiar with the Red House Painters should be no stranger to the often dark and depressing voice of Mark Kozelek. And anyone who is a fan of his work recognizes the musical appeal of such a voice. Kozelek brightens the mood a bit with Sun Kil Moon. Noteworthy singer/songwriter material.

DNTEL - LIFE IS FULL OF POSSIBILITIES
There seems to be no shortage of The Postal Service fans on this Blog and thus, no shortage of Death Cab for Cutie fans either. Therefore, I would expect that there would be no shortage of Dntel fans. Artist Jimmy Tamborello is known for his fusion of indie rock and electronica and his style permeates on this album. The album features contributions from Ben Gibbard, who also worked with Tamborello as The Postal Service and is the current frontman for Death Cab for Cutie.
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Last night, curiosity and a severe lack of decent local entertainment led Dr Dave and I to venture out to the Tortoise show at the Buskirk-Chumley theater. The first opener was Pit Er Pat, a dark three-piece with drums upfront and a howling female singer. Fairly uneventful IMO, but Dave liked it. Next up Beans, a Spoken Word / MC who did a few a'cappela numbers before kicking up his DAT deck. Solid beats from this guy, but I can't stand an MC who raps so damned fast that you can't take any of it in, much less understand. His spoken-word piece about crack addiction seemed more than a little out of place in whitebread Bloomington, in front of a crowd of college kids with hands in their pockets.

The main event, Tortoise was on by 10:15 or so. I had not heard much of this group, but I will say that I was dissapointed. To me every song consisted of a hard-driving drum beat with a bunch of meandering percussion and guitar, and a deep bass thump. There never seemed to be a central melodic idea going on, or anything consistent at all to follow. At times they went with double-drummers and the two guys seemed to fight each other rather than support. The best moments of the night reminded me of a jazz combo, only with all comping and no soloist. The way all 5 guys changed up instruments was cool to see. That led me to think that this group probably suffers from the rare, but equally hindering problem of too much talent. When you've got 5 players that can do so many different things musically, it's almost impossible not to step on toes.

On tap for tonight: Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra at the Bluebird.
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To answer Leah's earlier question-- Yes, I'm in France. I'm actually in Strasbourg and it's boring. The good thing is that my Italian cutie is coming to visit me tonight.

My friend Christie and I met a big group of old men last night. It happens that one of the guys is an attorney here in Strasbourg. We're hoping that he offers us jobs and we can stay here. We're dreaming, but it's always fun to dream.

The attorney was awesome. He gave me inspiration. Although he was French, he was the coolest attorney I've ever met. How many lawyers do you know who can say that they've seen the Sex Pistols documentary, "The Filth and the Fury?" I don't know any. This guy made the list of coolest lawyers I know because of that and the fact that he had green Chuck Taylors on.

Oh yeah, I bought an Orval glass in Bruges. It's nice. Hopefully I won't break it. Shitstain, you'll like it. And, I didn't steal it. I thought about it though.

Later y'all...
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Coolfer has a post today about Gene Simmons new solo effort, which was recently released on Sanctuary records. I like what Sanctuary is doing, signing old-timers who've been cut-off from their labels (i.e. Ween, Megadeth, Morrissey), but Gene Simmons?

To make matters worse (and by worse I mean a potentially new and all-time kind of bad), Gene has recorded a cover of Prodigy's "Firestarter" on the record. Download his version here. This is the purest of shit. Donnoe, I suggest you refrain from listening in. For the rest of us, have some syrup of ipicac on hand because even if you don't automatically chork out of pure disgust, you'll want to.
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Tonight, Skinny Puppy kicks off their first tour (since the Last Rights tour in 1992) in Portland, Oregon. That means only 5 fuckin days til I see them (nonetheless with Tweaker opening) in Chicago. Woot woot! The stage show is sure to be incredibly theatric, as the boys were always known for...Ogre looks to be going through at least 3 costume changes, and the set should be a feast for the eyes, chock full of projections and props galore.

Here's a pic from yesterday's dress rehearsal, featuring the old man himself in his primary get-up for the show...some fandangled straightjacket thingy. Damn, the 16th won't come soon enough.
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Shitstain,
I looked into that Miss Kitten show. I think the discotheque is far outside of Strasbourg. The website didn't give an address. It just gave some really vague directions to get there by car. Why can't the French at least attempt to be efficient? It's so difficult to get information over here.


It's so hard to find a decent bar here, too. Every time we've gone out it's been a huge sausage-fest. I see all of these hot girls during the day, but they seem to disappear at night. They must be at the discotheques. We've asked around for the good bars. We'll go and it will always be lame. My classmates tend to end up at the Irish bar. Lame.


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Via Billboard.com, Dave Chappelle is in talks to play Rick James in an adaptation of James' upcoming autobiography, "Memoirs of a Super Freak." I think we can all expect a little dose of Charlie Murphy as well.

It's hard to think that this flick is going to be a comedy. Rick James has been through some serious shit in his life (crack addiction), and I'm not so sure that Chappelle has the chops to pull off some of the seriously dramatic scenes that will likely to be in the script. Then again, after the infamous episode, how could Hollywood even begin to consider anyone else for the part?
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As the recent owner to a new iBook (my first mac purchase), I'd like to take the pludge and get all mac-snob on you fools for a minute. First off, here's a great post on Engadget about how to make your worthless and completely inferior PC look like it has the silky-smooth mother of all operating systems: Mac OS X. That's right, no longer will your XP interface have to look like an 8-bit Nintendo game.

Apple also just annouced the release of Airport Express, a handy-dandy new wireless router that also hooks up to your home stereo so you can play music wirelessly from your Mac (or PC!) straight to your home stereo. Plus, it's only a $129, which isn't that much more than a decent Linksys wireless router. Too hot ta handle too cold ta hold!

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Yes, I have driven through Florence, Kentucky. I actually have a picture of that water tower on my website.

There are new pictures up on my website from my weekend in Florence.

I've been listening to a lot of Crowded House lately. So, Mike, if you want, you could put up some Crowded House for me on the listening list.

A-ron, I'm going to try to make it to that Miss Kitten show this weekend. I'm planning on spending the day in Stuttgart, Germany with a friend and her friends who live there (spelling?). I'll be back in time for the Miss Kitten show though.

Then, the girl I met in Florence will probably be coming on Sunday night or Monday morning to visit me.

Take it easy...
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Via The Morning News, check out Retrocrush's list of the 50 best song parts of all time. These are those little things in songs that just fuckin' rule. I'll give you a hint on number #1 - what's the most reknown drum fill of all time?

I've got many favorite parts, but the one I find to be most unrightfully absent (and I know Ian and Steve will back me up on this), is the moment in Nine Inch Nails' "Wish" when Reznor goes "FIST FUCK!" out of nowhere, right before the guitars crash in.
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Hey everyone!!

For those that don't know. I will be moving up to Chicago at the end of this week. I will be starting my NEW JOB with Capital Forensics Inc. on next Monday!! I am excited to go and already have an apartment and everything picked out, with which I will be living with my good friend from Maastricht, Ben Rozin. He is already there and I we will be getting a two bedroom apartment in Arlington Heights/Palatine, a Northern (North West) suburb. My apartment will be basically 2 minutes away from where I will be working so it is a definite bonus. In any case, I will update soon enough all of my contact information, as now that I have a job and know where I will be living all of my friends can rest easy. AS, I will finally buy a CELL PHONE!! I know what you are all thinking (Dave), I'm finally selling out to the system. But in the same sense, I have decided that I will just not answer it, hahahaha. As being the basic last 23/(almost)24 year old to own a cell/mobile/handy in the US, I can still hold some pride. Anyway, I will post all the details when I find out. If anyone wants to meet out tonight for a small game watchin, it could be your last chance ;). WOOO HOOOO!!!

By the way, all are welcome to come and stay with me, if they ever want to see a show, hang out in Chi-town, or just visit with A-ron.
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So, anyone who knows me knows that I'm definitely no fan of blockbuster movies, except in rare occasions (David Fincher & Tarantino films primarily), but there looks to be a quality one finally coming out in July.

I,Robot, despite Will Smith's lack of any talent whatsoever, should be a winner. Alex Proyas manned the director's chair, and if it's anything like his first two films (The Crow & Dark City), this shit could be mega.

Based on an idea contemplated in Isaac Asimov's classic novel of the same name (yet not based on the book itself), it deals with the common sci-fi notion regarding the possibility of artificial intelligence overtaking mankind (by way of a robot getting the guile to murder...a literally inconceivable occurrence due to programming which cannot be overridden). So, yeah, we're not treading any new ground here, but I'm guessing it will be done quite well...think Minority Report crossed with A.I. crossed with Terminator. A quality sci-fi flick based on a sound hypothesis, with a monster budget, and Proyas's affinity for darkness will likely equal a worthwhile motion picture...oh, and the trailers have looked fuckin ill (again, despite Will Smith).

Anyway, I'm more hyped for this shit than any blockbuster since the original Matrix (which did not disappoint, despite having no clue what I was in for), and highly recommend yous all check it out on the 16th. Piece.

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Michael Moore's latest Fahrenheit 9/11 has been causing quite a stir in recent months. The film recently picked up the award for best picture at the Cannes Film Festival. Check out the trailer that was recently released. The end is one of the funniest Bushisms I've ever seen.

Watch the trailer

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As most of you know, I'm a huge South Park fan and have recorded nearly every episode. With a few left to snag, I regularly check Comedy Central's website to see what episodes are coming up (recording from DVDs would be cheating). As a regular public service I will post when good, classic, best-of-the-best episodes will be on. If you guys think this idea is lame, well you're lame.

This week features a golden oldie from Season 5, Scott Tenorman Must Die. Cartman is duped into buying a sixth grader's pubes for $16.12 and attempts to reek revenge on poor Scott. Radiohead guest stars. Oh, let me lick your sweet, sweet tears of infinite sadness! The episode airs Wednesday at 8:30 pm Central time (not fucking Eastern) on Comedy Central.
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The word on the street is that bootleg copies of the new "Hoff" album can be found on various websites for illegal download. I've been told that the servers are burnin' up on this one. Apparently, the new "Hoff" album entitled "Essen mein Hoff" is soaring up the charts. It's already hit number one in Bruges, Belgium. The single "Mein Mann Chocolate Ist Gut" is popular with the people in Bruges and various other chocolate-producing areas.

Anyway...

I'm Florence y'all. I have to go back to Strasbourg on Tuesday for class. We were in Belgium last week. I wasn't very impressed. A-ron, I called your buddy, Pierre. I left a messege, but I think he was busy with exams. Plus, I had little time there. We were busy visiting all of the EU buildings there. Florence is great. I've been here before under different circumstances. I'll fill you guys in later. I can't talk about it yet.

Later...
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On the way to work today I heard that Jennifer Lopez has decided to drop her J Lo name and go by the name of Lola. Frankly, I don't really give a shit. I'm just disappointed that she has chosen to defile a great name like Lola. Hopefully she'll fade off the pop radar so we don't have to hear her crappy music or watch trailers for another crappy "Lola" movie. And maybe...just maybe...she'll go broke, get a job at a taco stand and have to drop her tight little shorts for a nice Playboy spread. One can only hope.
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So, when visiting my favorite band's website today, I was shocked to be confronted on their front page with the disheartening revelation that they have decided to hang up the towel. I am truly at a loss for words...



R.I.P. FAGGOTS
1995 - June 4, 2004
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If any of you lovely single ladies out there are looking for a nice man, swing on over and pay a visit to Mahir. He seems to be quite the eligable bachelor.

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I have never, ever, ever, evvvver considered myself a fan of David Hasseldouche. Yes, even the Knight Rider was an unwatchable peice of garbage. Baywatch? Sucked, but possessed a unique maganatism. Thanks to the efforts of Norm McDonald, we're all well aware of his status as one of Germany's biggest rock stars. I've never actually heard his music, but I imagine it to be somewhere between John Tesh, Yanni, and Michael Bolton, and in German no-less.

That's all about to change is Hassel's career braces for another major torrent of shit-soaked ridiculousity: aspiring rap star 'Hassle The Hoff' is preparing his debut release. That's right kiddies, with none other than Ice-T on board for production. Apparantly the two are neighborinos. Just read the damn article. Lets see, plauge of locusts, Hasslehoff turns rapper...

Hey Grant, how about a street report from Deutschland on this one?
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As promised, the "Your Kids are Gonna Love It" section is updated with new material. Rather the risk copyright infringement I've decided to post tracks that are given away on the internet for free. There is plenty of good music out there for free, and since I download a lot of it I thought I would link to the best stuff I find (ala Coolfer). Enjoy. I'll keep the tracks updated as I find new things. If you find a track that you'd like to see included, let me know and I'll link it.
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Wouldn't you know it, all the students leave Bloomington and finally the local venues start to book some respectable national acts. I about shit myself when I checked out Pollstar today. A quick rundown:

Monday June 6 - HANK WILLIAMS III, Bluebird - He's no Hank Williams, and thank god he's no Hank Williams Jr. This Hank has his "Alt-Country" leanings, and is thankfully a little more Rock'n'Roll than he is country. I probably won't go to this, but it sure is nice to see someone other than Umphrey's Mc-fucking-Gee on the marquee.

Tuesday June 7, NEKO CASE, Bluebird - An Alt-Country two-fer hits the Bluebird as Neko comes in the day after Hank. She's a little more organic in that Americana kind of way. Might go to this, but probably not. It's still nice to see some new things in B-town.

Sunday June 13, TORTOISE, Buskirk-Chumley - How this show ever got booked I'll never know. Definetly planning to hit this show as these guys are the elder-statesmen of the Chicago Indie-rock scene. Dare I say - Bloomington is becoming a respectable stop? We'll see what the turnout is.

Monday June 14, ANTIBALAS AFROBEAT, Bluebird - This band will funk you up real bad. If you're at all familiar with Afrobeat-God Fela Kuti, this band is his 2nd coming. Very danceable beats, pearcing horn charts, James Brown guitar lines, call and reponse crowd interaction. This will be one of the best shows to hit Indiana all summer. Period! Donnoe!

Friday June 18, CALEXICO, Bluebird - This band has been gaining some steam in the media thanks to a great cover of Love's "Alone Again Or" (which you can download over at Insound for free). This group is a strange combonation of Northwest Indie rock styles, with Southwestern and at times Mexicali flare. Should be a great show from a rising band.

Friday July 30, MODEST MOUSE, Axis - Seeing as how Indy is getting dicked out of a 1st day Lollapalooza, it's only fair that Modest Mouse and the Walkmen will be gigging down in Bloomington the night that Lollapalooza should have been happening in Indy. All good by me, as Mouse and Walkmen were the main reason for my going to Lolla's 1st day (along with Sonic Youth and Broken Social Scene, whom I will regretfully miss). The NOT-TO-BE-MISSED show in Bloomington this Summer.

There's plenty of other action going on as well (see the sidebar for updates). Don't forget Lebowski Fest in Louisville on June 18-19 w/ My Morning Jacket. Iron & Wine just set a date in Louisville for July 3. The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture, and Mogwai are all coming to Cincy on Tuesday August 3rd as well. Plus, just annouced that The Roots and 311 (blah) will double bill in Indy on July 17, and my main man Taj Mahal will be at Broad Ripple Park on July 31 (too bad I'll be at Modest Mouse). Cheers to a great summer of music kiddies!
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Howdy ya'll! As many of you may already know, I chopped my long hippie hair last weekend into a beautiful new mullet for the Indy 500. Many of you had the chance to slam a few PBRs with the ole shmulley mull, so I posted some of the PG rated pics to chronicle the mulliscious good times.

Overall, I'd say that sporting a Kentucky waterfall was a highly gratifying and moving experience. Cheap beer tasted better, lots of people smiled and said "Hey dude, nice mullet!" and Jean couldn't keep her hands off my dome. I'd recommend getting a mullet to all of you at some time and show your true hill trash colors.

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The discovery of a refreshing new musical gem is always a thrill. However, the reveleation of a label that is equally as innovative and cohesive as the artists that represent it, is nothing short of a cocaine nosebleed. And Ghostly International is the purest Colombian. Fathered by University of Michigan student Sam Valenti in 1999, Ghostly has established itself as a label with progressive musical vision. With its electronic roots, Ghostly boasts facets of avant-garde, experimental, and abstract sounds, while its sister label, Spectral Sound, maintains a focus on the dance roots of electronic. The label is home to artists such as Matthew Dear, Dabrye, Kill Memory Crash, and James Cotton, who along with the majority of their colleagues, have received rave reviews from critics including AMG. For those of you who are interseted in electronic music and the integrity of the representing labels, Ghostly is a must.
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