May MP3 Bunch

I just posted the May Mp3 Bunch over to the right -> There's some old school hip-hop from Dru Hill, some piano-driven funkiness from Jeter, some acoustic soul from Josh Ritter, and then some poppy goodness from Sparky's Flaw.

Weekend Pics

crotch rocket

Aderbat @ Galaxy Hut

he wants to lick you

power

Marah Live Clip

Pete over at Ickmusic has got a rocking clip of Marah covering the Replacements' "Can't Hardly Wait" at a Chicago show this year. It's a pretty good time. Go check it.

The 2006 NFL Draft Top Ten

1. Mario Williams (DE), Texas: Bush’s approval rating sinks. Guess Texas is happy with their typical “Carr on his back” offensive formation. Better get some O-Line soon...
2. Reggie Bush (RB), Saints: Don’t the Saints have the Deuce in their backfield already?
3. Vince Young (QB), Titans: Norm Chow passes on his boy, Matty Leinart! Hope Vince is worth the wait!
4. D’Brickashaw Ferguson (OL), Jets: You can’t go wrong with protection. Yes, that’s Chad Pennington and Patrick Ramsey breathing some huge sighs of relief.
5. A.J. Hawk (LB), Packers: Some attitude for the Packers defense is definitely a good thing.
6. Vernon Davis (TE), 49ers: A team this bad all over that already has Eric Johnson at TE should NOT be picking another TE. Period.
7. Michael Huff (FS), Raiders: Some toughness to patrol the secondary - but can he throw passes to Randy Moss?
8. Donte Whitner (S), Bills: Surprising pick, fast and tough. But who really cares about the Bills?
9. Ernie Sims (LB), Lions: Aggressive and fast…and he’s not a wide receiver! Is Matt Millen fired yet?
10. Matt Leinart (QB), Cardinals: You could hear his sigh of relief down here in Virginia. Once again, Leinart's got some impressive weapons – Edgerrin, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin.

Aderbat & The Daybreak Line

I'll be heading out this Saturday night to Galaxy Hut to catch the Philadelphia-based Aderbat and Paul Kamran's band, The Daybreak Line. Take a listen to 'em below...

Aderbat: MySpace
The Daybreak Line: MySpace

The Zep

I'd say that I'm more of a Floyd man, as opposed to a Zeppelin man, but I definitely would have gone and seen Bobby, Jimmy, Bon-Bon, and JPJ rock it live. Anyway, Jefitoblog has posted a mp3s of a live 1979 Knebworth Led Zeppelin show, so go take a listen...

And Your Choice Is?

Only five contestants left on American Idol...
*Paris
*Chris
*Taylor
*Katharine
*Elliott
So who do you think is going home with this year's crown? I don't need Chris' grunge, revisited; Taylor is strictly lounge material; I haven't caught the full McPheever; and Elliott is rather creepy. My money is on the effortless Paris.

Jimmy Eat...Ben Lee?

Yeah, I've been slacking when it comes to posting tunes, so here's a couple. First, my favorite Jimmy Eat World song ever, "23" - it's a majestic tour de force of a song. And since everyone's raving over the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album, here's Ben Lee's "The Serious Mythology of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs."

MP3: 23 - Jimmy Eat World
MP3: The Serious Mythology... - Ben Lee

How Much?

Yep, gas is expensive everywhere. But at least you can use this finder to help determine the gas station with the cheapest prices in your zip code.

I'm Baaaaaack!

John Abruzzi returns tonight on Prison Break!

Monopolize

Monopoly is coming out with a new "Here and Now" edition, in which the traditional Atlantic City landmarks will be replaced with landmarks from all over the United States. And you can vote on which ones are selected here.

Weekend Pics

a shot of my CD rack

from under a tree

duck

Live Head

Do yourself a favor and go check out the mp3s that Sweet Oblivion has got posted of the 12-19-1997 Radiohead show - an amazing set list that covers most of The Bends and OK Computer. Very cool.

More Angie

I've been waiting for some more Angie Aparo. You've been waiting for some more Angie Aparo. So it looks like the wait is over. He'll be self-releasing his fourth album, El Primero Del Tres, on Tuesday, April 25 via his official and MySpace websites.

And it's the first disc in a planned trilogy (first of three, get it?). I just hope these new discs are more along the lines of the triumphant rock of The American, rather than the underproduced mediocrity of For Stars and Moon.

A Case of the Fridays

First up this week is Band of Blue’s “Evil Eye.” It’s funky and bluesy, and it rides some searing guitar and saxophone work to great heights. If you like what you hear, Band of Blue will be at Nation Nightclub in D.C. Tuesday, April 25.

MP3: Evil Eye – Band of Blue

The folk-tinged “Girl In The War,” by singer/songwriter Josh Ritter, closes out today’s selections. Ritter deftly weaves lyrics about the tragic effects of war in and out of beautiful melodies and intricate arrangements. He’ll be coming to the Birchmere Wednesday, April 26th. Check out his MySpace site here.

MP3: Girl In The War – Josh Ritter

Continuing A Theme...

DUDE!!!! It's National High Five Day!!! Don't miss out on it!

Surreality

Lo and Behold

I wasn't feeling so hot this morning, so I stayed home from work. So I was watching Dawson's Creek (waiting for ER to start, of course), and near the end of the episode, "Loud," by Matt Nathanson starts playing in the background. Very cool!

MP3: Loud - Matt Nathanson

Green Light, Green Light

A man in Longmont, CO was busted for using a device (called an Opticon) that he purchased on Ebay to change traffic lights from red to green while driving. I gotta get me one of those!

Mid-Atlantic Song Contest

The Songwriters Association of Washington’s 23rd Annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest began accepting entries on April 15th, 2006.

There are a variety of song categories, including Contemporary, Folk & Acoustic, R&B/Rap/Hiphop/Dance/Urban/Go-Go, Rock/Alternative, Adult Contemporary/Soft Rock, Country/Bluegrass, Gospel/Inspirational/Christian, Jazz/Blues, Pop, Children's, and Open (novelty, seasonal, theater, art song, etc).

This year, SAW will begin accepting payment via credit card, and they’ll begin accepting song entries in the MP3 format.

Weekend Pics

some guy chatting away on his cell phone in public

tulips

rainbow reflections on the NMAI wall

Axl Loves NYC

How much do you want to bet that Axl Rose shows up drunk (or not at all) for the two NYC "Guns N' Roses" May concert dates that just were announced?

Patty Griffin - Silver Bell

Maybe you've listened to Patty Griffin, maybe you haven't. But she's got an amazing voice. Simply amazing. My first introduction to her took the form of her second album, Flaming Red, which was one amazing piece of machinery. Strangely, it took forever for a follow-up album to appear.

Later on I heard the stories of Silver Bell, a shelved album recorded subsequent to Flaming Red that went unreleased, and I've always wondered exactly what was recorded during those sessions. The album's still unreleased, but Jefitoblog's got it.

Catfish Honeymoon

One of my favorite local bands, Catfish Honeymoon, got a write-up in the Washington Post. You can check it out here. The alt-country CFHM will be playing at Jay's Saloon & Grill in Arlington this Saturday. C'mon out! And bring your mom, too!

A Case of the Fridays

Wes Tucker & The Skillets start it off with their Southern-flavored stomp, “Casting Stones.” The searing electric guitar work is dirty and menacing, reflective of the dark, distorted vocals. They’re got a new album, Beauty In The Broken, coming out, and you can catch them live at IOTA next Thursday, April 20th. Check out their MySpace site here.

MP3: Casting Stones – Wes Tucker & The Skillets

Fueled by hard-driving guitars and soaring vocals, Anberlin’s “Paperthin Hymn” brings on the intensity without sacrificing melody or production. If you like what you hear, they’ll be at the 9:30 Club Monday, April 17th. Check out their MySpace site here.

MP3: Paperthin Hymn - Anberlin

Get Your Beatles Online...Soon

The Beatles have been one of the few bands whose music has been unavailable for purchase online. But things are about to change. Apple Corps is currently digitally remastering the entire Beatles catalog, which is their first step in making songs for online download.

The Dark Side....Live in '72

Apparently Pink Floyd's first public performance of songs from Dark Side of the Moon took place at the 1972 Rainbow Concert. Kwaya Na Kisser has got mp3s from that historic set of early versions of the songs. If you're a Floyd fan, definitely check it out.

Mixtapes & Such

I just received this month's mixtape CD for the International Mixtape Project, and it came from a dude in China! I don't think I've ever received mail from China before! Cool! You want a taste of what the IMP is all about? Well, I'll mail a copy of the mixtape I compiled for this month to the first person who emails me with "mixtape" in the subject line.

MyRingTones?

Unsigned bands that have their music on MySpace may soon be able to convert their songs into ringtones using Cingular's Mobile Music Studio. And then the ringtones would be available for download by Cingular customers. The service is currently in its trial stages, and should be made available to the public later this spring. Pretty cool, eh?

thanks to John for the tip

High-Five

Show "The Todd" some love! Or at least go read the interview with Robert Maschio, the actor who plays "The Todd" on Scrubs.

Mellow Pop That Glistens

Sorry, kids, no songs to download. But I'm really liking the new material that Cary Brothers has up on his MySpace site here. It's mellow pop that glistens. Go listen.

Herbs & Coumadin

Based on a recent study, certain herbs and supplements can have adverse effects on the popular anti-coagulent, Coumadin.

When it comes to adverse events associated with Coumadin (warfarin) therapy, beware of herbs and many supplements beginning with the letter G, according to a University of Washington investigator.

Douglas S. Paauw, M.D., spelled them out for a standing-room-only crowd at the American College of Physicians meeting here. They are garlic, ginger, gingko biloba, and ginseng.

"Garlic, ginger, and gingko biloba all increase the anticoagulation of warfarin [Coumadin], while ginseng can decrease it," he said.

Guess I'll have to use less garlic and stop eating those ginger snaps!

Jeter on MySpace

Aight, kids, my band, Jeter, has finally caved and created a MySpace page. So quick, like a bunny, go over and listen to our music, rock out, and be our friends!

Pearl Jam

I'm more a fan of Pearl Jam during their Ten/Vs years, so I was quite pleased to find this Sweet Oblivion post of a PJ Atlanta show from 4/3/1994. I highly recommend checking it out and giving the tracks a listen.

thanks to I Am Fuel, You Are Friends for the tip

A Few More

Here's a few pics I took Thursday night at the Sol Creech Band show...

at the Austin Grill in Silver Spring

Sol on guitar

George on drums

Hotspur

Man, Hotspur totally blew me away at the Six Points Jammin Java show. Prior to last night, the only song I had heard of theirs was "Have You Seen This Girl," which is a very catchy, radio-ready modern-rock ballad, so I expected more of that for their live show.

But then they came out and kicked ass, high-energy style, with pulsing eighties beats, guitar riffage, and a charasmatic front man who looks, sings, and acts like he might be a distant, less-campy relative of the lead singer of The Darkness. Both CC and I were soooo entertained. Hotspur is playing the Velvet Lounge 4/18, and I want to see 'em again. Check out "Her Majesty" on their MySpace page below...

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/hotspur

Mieka

Boston-based singer/songwriter Mieka Pauley has released her new EP with a mouthful of a title, Out of Car Wrecks & Hurricanes. Anyway, even though she usually plays guitar, she's got a very Fiona Apple-ish vibe going on. I'm liking her new track, "Stronger."

MP3: Stronger - Mieka Pauley

It's Not A Different State, But...

Sufjan Stevens is releasing an album of material recorded during his Illinoise sessions. It'll be titled The Avalanche, and it's due out at the end of July. So the debate over which state will receive the honor of being Sufjan's next album motif continues...

Good Sound Is Hard To Find

I just wanted give Andrew Grimm props for a job well done behind the sound board last night at the Austin Grill. Excellent mix. He's in a Baltimore-based band called June Star, so check out his simmering, smoldering alt-country sound...

MP3: Gone - June Star
MP3: Scar - June Star

Six Points

The guys from the Sol Creech Band kept things rocking all last night with their blend of funk, blues, and reggae at last night's Austin Grill Six Points show. I was very impressed by their live show - each guy was extremely strong on his respective instrument. I'd compare their style a bit to another local band that I love to see live, Band of Blue. Anyway, the show went well, the sound was top-notch, and the people seemed to enjoy it...

Vintage

I borrowed a few "vintage" CDs from CC, including some REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick, and Howard Jones. I've never really heard these guys much before, so I figured I should give 'em a listen. Overall, I'm liking the 70s guitar rock of REO, Cheap Trick is just aight (to quote Randy Jackson), and I'm liking the eighties flava of HoJo.

MP3: Take It On The Run - REO Speedwagon
MP3: Surrender - Cheap Trick
MP3: Everlasting Love - Howard Jones

The Contest

All right, loyal readers, I appreciate your readership, so here's my first contest of sorts. Anyway, I belong to a mixtape club, so I make a slammin' new CD mix of tunes every month.

The first person to email me (see "Hit Me Up" to the right) with "Mixtape" in the subject line will win a free copy of my new April mix. The phones are open, kids.

*individuals who already have a copy of the mixtape cannot enter

It Begins...

All right kids, the Six Points Music Festival gets underway tomorrow night. I'll be out hosting the Silver Spring Austin Grill show (how I get there, I still don't know) for an evening of some old-school blues with the headliner, Sol.