Evening Pic

Mini Cooper S

A Case of the Fridays

The first selection up this week is “Asunder,” by Gist. Driving rhythm guitars and urgent vocals propel the verses up to the dramatic choruses. Gist will be doing double-duty this Saturday, September 2nd, with a show in Lamont Park in the afternoon, and then a show later that night at the Velvet Lounge.

MP3: Asunder - Gist

And we close with Speechwriters LLC’s “Anodyne.” It’s a catchy little slice of acoustic pop, w/ some strong vocal and guitar-work. If you like what you hear, they’ll be at Jammin Java on September 7th.

MP3: Anodyne – Speechwriters LLC

Give Him A Name He Won't Forget

This idiot is letting the online public select him a new name here. So don't give up the opportunity to vote on one of the final selections that include Sunshine Megatron (my favorite), Kashmir Kong, Buck Bonzo, and Cray Z. Fantastic, to name a few...

Eight Questions With Birdmonster

Birdmonster is currently touring across the nation, spreading their indie-rock w/ a touch of country punk in a van named “The Donald.” They’ll be at the Black Cat Monday, September 4th, and they were kind enough to answer some questions via email for us DC-Metro folk…

1. Which of you is the best driver?

That would be Zach, our drummer.

2. What are the secret origins or your band’s name, Birdmonster?

It's Peter's father's maiden name.

3. Characterize your music in three words or less using no verbs.

The cat's pajamas

4. Who are y’all’s biggest influences? (in Virginia,“y’alls” are permitted)

-Anyone with a beard
-Marigolds
-The Russian River

5. What do you hope people will take away from your live show?

Merchandise.

6. You’re pretty web-savvy, with a kick-ass blog – so what are some of your favorite web sites?

-Boingboing.net
-Straightdope.com
-Truthout.org
-Youtube
-Sneakmove.com
-Venganza.org

7. What are a few CDs that y'all can heartily agree on for a cross-country sing-along drive in the van? Feel free to mention hair metal.

-Ryan Adams, Heartbreaker
-Van Morisson, Astral Weeks
-The National, Alligator
-Paul Simon, Graceland
-The Band, The Band
-The Clash, London Calling

8. Which show on the tour so far has been the most satisfying?

Phoenix. It was the night after we sold our van sold to the junkyard and Division Day had to pick us up and bring us to the venue. We were so desperate and stressed out--we threw everything we had into our set.

*MP3: Balcony – Birdmonster
*MP3: Cause I Can - Birdmonster
*Video: Cause I Can
*Birdmonster’s Official Site and MySpace

Some Beach Boys

The 40th anniversary limited edition CD/DVD of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds will be available August 29th. Wait, that's today! Anyway, Aquarium Drunkard has a really cool post here of some 1967 rehearsal sessions w/ alternate takes of several familiar tunes. Check it out.

Random Sinatra

I just noticed that CC has a Frank Sinatra CD in her CD collection (all I've got are tapes), so I figured it's a good time for a Frankie post. Why not?

MP3: I Get A Kick Out of You - Frank Sinatra
MP3: The Lady Is A Tramp - Frank Sinatra

Just Do It

Go ahead. You know you hate to shave every day. So grow yourself some facial hair. And not just any facial hair. Some kick-ass facial hair!

thanks to Birdmonster for the tip

Evening Pic

dicing up strawberries for the work week

Lazy Is Good

Relaxation is healthy, and apparently, it really is more difficult for women to relax than it is for men, according to this article. Remember folks, it's OK to do nothing!

Some Marvelous 3

I'm feeling like rocking out to a little vintage Butch Walker, so here's a little selection from his old band, the Marvelous 3. So damn catchy. And gotta love that guitar tone.

MP3: Get Over - Marvelous 3

Blog Will Eat Itself

Can your blog become your meal ticket? This article discusses various individuals whose blogs or websites, such as Boing Boing and Fark, have gone from little side projects to viable revenue-generators.

This Ain't Yo Daddy's Electric Sports Car

The term "electric car" generally doesn't bring to mind something fast and sleek. But this sporty new Tesla Roadster can go from 0-60 mph in less than 4 seconds, and...it's electric!

Arnold Likes It!

This site is so cool. It lets you create your own signs, captions, speech bubbles (see above), concert tickets, and such. Definitely check it out.

And if you're a Rock Star addict, you might enjoy checking out this music video that the Melissa Etheridge-voiced Dilana made prior to taking part in the competition.

thanks to Pop Candy for the tips!

How Drunk Is Your City?

Forbes.com released its rankings of "America's Drunkest Cities." Topping the list was Milwaukee. It must be the brats. Or the Beast.

The rest of the top five includes...
2. Minneapolis-St. Paul - there's two cities, they drink more
3. Columbus (OH) - it's Ohio, what else can they do?
4. Boston - Samuel Adams knew his market
5. Austin (TX) - it's dusty in Texas

A Case of the Fridays - MySpace Special

It’s another My Space special edition, kids, and we start off with “Florida Sunshine,” by As Fast As. With a descending riff vaguely reminiscent of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” As Fast As meld classic rock sensibilities and youthful enthusiasm. Take a listen on their MySpace site here.

And we’re in the midst of another season of Rock Star, so we’ll close out with a song by one of last year's contestants. "Trees," by Marty Casey and his band, the Lovehammers, is catchy, well-produced modern-rock. Check it out on their MySpace site here.

The Mayer Continuum

You can stream John Mayer's new album, Continuum, here. I love the word "continuum," by the way. Maybe not so much as an album title, though. And I'm guessing neither John DeLancie nor Corbin Bernsen will be making guest appearances on the record. Anyway, it's got a release date of 9/12, so go take a listen.

Sleeping With Cannibals

Would you venture to Indonesian New Guinea to visit a cannibal tribe that has never seen outsiders before? Probably not. But my friend Paul Raffaele did, and his story can be read here, in this month's issue of Smithsonian.

Marwood

Man, I'm exhausted. It's only Wednesday, but I feel like I've already gone through a five-day work week. Twice. Anyway, here's a little catchy Marwood track for you. Benji of Marwood claims to prefer Monday over Friday on it, but right now, I 'd have to disagree with that thought. I can't wait for Friday to get here.

MP3: Monday Over Friday - Marwood

Potential Free Bruce Hornsby Tix

Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers are playing a show at Wolf Trap tomorrow night. And if you make a post on your blog about it and then let Wolf Trap know on their blog here, you've got a shot at winning a couple of free tickets for center seats in the front orchestra section. And yes, I'm guessing Bruce will play "That's Just The Way It Is."

Conversations With Cobain

Some candid interviews by Michael Azerrad (writer of Come As You Are) with Kurt Cobain from back in late 1992 are being made into a "non-fiction film" titled, Kurt Cobain About A Son. This brief article about the interviews and the filmmaking process is a good little read.

Jackass Will Be Back

Jackass: Number 2 is coming this September. And here's hoping that Party Boy is back! Fasten your safety belts, kids...

100 Music Videos

Go check out 100 Awesome Music Videos over on Pitchfork here - each listing is complete with an embedded YouTube video! So cool. So if you've got a bunch of time to kill, this would be the place to do it...

Brit-Rock, Times Two

Some new music to peruse from a couple of cool British bands - You can view The Killers' new music video here. And you can stream the new Kasabian record at their MySpace site here.

Rock With Angie

Damn, Angie Aparo played one hell of a show last night at Jammin Java! Simply amazing vocals. And even though it was just Angie and his drummer, they rocked with the strength of ten men. It was definitely so good to see him live again. You can view the music video for his classic, "Spaceship," on YouTube here.

MP3: Spider Song - Angie Aparo

Live Marah

Check out this live performance of Marah rocking the 2006 SXSW with a socrching version of "It's Only Money, Tyrone." They'll be playing back to back shows here in Arlington later in September!

Snakes on a Plane

I hope you're ready, kids.

MP3: Snakes on a Plane - Cobra Starship

Get Your Kirk On

This weekend's Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas will likely be the world's largest gathering of Star Trek fans ever. And to top it off, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy will both be on hand to sign autographs at the convention. Alas, Ricardo Montelban will not.

The Best of D.C.

Washingtonpost.com has released the results of their 2006 Readers' Choice Best of the Best of the DC-Metro area survey here. It's an interesting read.

Under The Weather

I've been feeling pretty under the weather lately, so posting may be sporadic for the next couple of days. But in the meantime, here's a nice slice of R&B from Ne-Yo with a rather fitting title for my current status...

MP3: So Sick - Ne-Yo

An Interview With Angie Aparo

Angie Aparo is one amazing rock vocalist, and his album, The American, is one of my favorites. While he’s generally flown under mainstream radar, Aparo received some overdue attention for his songwriting talents in 2002, when Faith Hill won a Grammy for her recording of his song “Cry.” Angie Aparo’s got a new EP out, El Primero Del Tres, and he’ll be at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, VA this Saturday, August 19th.


So tell me a little bit about this three-part EP series you’ve got going…

It’s one of those things where I got into it, and I bit off more than I could chew (laughs). It’s gonna be good. We’re done with the second record, actually, but it won’t come out for another few months. I’m in the middle of the third one now.

Do you have certain themes that run throughout all three EPs?

I was writing the EP that’s out now [El Primero Del Tres], which is the first installment. I got into a couple of the songs…and one of them, “Spider Song,” has a line in it “We all need our enemies.” That sent me down this thought process on war and conflict, and [whether it’s] necessary to define us in some perverted way. So I wrote this whole record on conflict and war - and not just a war of nations, but spiritual war, interior wars, and relationships. Then there’s another song on this EP called “Only.” On it I started thinking in terms of resolution and love – and that ends up being the third part of the series. And in a weird way, that’s why the first one [EP] is almost the birth of the other two [EPs]. And I wrote so much on both topics that I figured it’d be more interesting to divide them than to put out some big rambling thing.

Is Dann Huff (Faith Hill, Keith Urban) going to produce the other two EPs in the series also?

I’ve done the second one myself, but I’m not going to mix it. The third one is up in the air, because I’m still writing it.

What are some of your favorite tracks on the new EPs?

I love “Spider Song” and “Coldhearted.”

After the highly-produced album The American, you went with a more stripped down sound on For Stars and Moon. Any particular reason for that?

I don’t really define myself by any particular sound. I never have. Your heart is in a certain place, and that leads to writing, which leads to certain kinds of words. And certain kinds of words inspire certain kinds of production. It’s a process that ends up being kind of obvious once you’re at the end of it. With the blue record [For Stars and Moon]…throughout the year I lost five people that I knew pretty well…and it kind of led to a softer record.

What was your first reaction when you found out Faith Hill wanted to record “Cry” (from The American, produced by Matt Serletic)?

I was really surprised, because in my whole career I’ve never really “shopped” things. I wasn’t expecting it at all, and it got to her through Matt [Serletic]. He produced a Willie Nelson record, and was at the CMAs with Willie in Nashville and met Faith backstage. So I actually got the call from Matt…It was great, and she’s [Faith Hill] been super to me.

Do you find it odd hearing other people sing songs that you’ve written?

It was kind of weird. I’d heard other people [regional artists] cover my stuff before, but I’d never heard it on the radio…It was good for me, because it [“Cry”] was the last single on the Arista record, and your songs are like your children. They almost feel orphaned when a record dies and never gets the attention you want it to. So, the first thing that hit me was that “Wow, people finally get to hear this – cool!”

I believe this brought you some new connections in the country world, like Big & Rich?

Yeah, we (Aparo and Big & Rich) wrote “Big Time.” Faith introduced me to all that world [Nashville]. You know what I love about Nashville? Well, I was writing with Joe Don from Rascal Flatts…and he asked me “Why would someone based mostly in rock be attracted to country?”…It really is a chance to get to know your parents, because country and blues are the parents of rock. I find it fascinating. And what I love about Nashville is that it’s a real community, which I think rock doesn’t have.

Did you find a sense of freedom after leaving Arista Records?

It was scary first, only because, for the sake of “joining a team,” you had abandoned your independent connections and networks…So it’s scary from the standpoint that you’ve got to get back to building things without this huge corporation around you. On the other side of it, you get to build things without this huge corporation around you (laughs).

I was really fortunate over there [at Arista] because I had Matt [Serletic] and Clive [Davis]. Matt protected me, artistically, when they wanted me to do other people’s songs. I never had that weird big label experience you hear about.

As an artist, you’ve really embraced the Internet as a vehicle for promoting your music – what have you got planned for your website?

We’ve been podcasting, doing one a week for a couple months now. I love that…I really think it’s about building your small community. I think the goal of the artist is to make it as real and immediate as possible. We sit sometimes and shoot a video of me singing, and it’s so odd that in this amazing world that ten minutes later it’s on the Internet. It’s approaching the immediacy of live performance. I would love to get into live Webcasting, too.

You’re pretty famous for your kick-ass voice – do you do anything special to keep it in shape?

I don’t really exercise it. I talked to this vocal coach once, and I asked, “Why do I come out of the box singing like that?” She knew that I wrote all day, and that when I wrote I would use this really soft head voice. And the funny thing is, she said that it’s [the head voice] probably a form of exercising, where you actually hum these high-pitched tones. And then of course, I have a beer (laughing). That’s my secret.

Who would you consider your biggest musical influences?

I would say Neil Young, in the totality of his work, and more as an influence as how to live an artistic life. And musically, too. I love the chances he takes. He’s probably at the top of my list.

What are a few of your “desert island CDs?”

I’d definitely take Harvest, by Neil Young. Probably Every Picture Tells a Story, by Rod Stewart. And my Nina Simone record. It’s an anthology.

Any final words of wisdom to pass on to the readers?

Good lord, I think I’ve said too much (chuckling)!


*MP3: Spider Song – Angie Aparo
*Angie Aparo’s Official Site and MySpace

Two Quick MySpace Picks

I'm really liking Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' track, "Face Down." Their name supposedly is total nonsense, but the song is one slice of catchy power pop/emo/screamo, with a sound that's a bit similar to All-American Rejects. Listen to "Face Down" on their MySpace site here.

And I'm really liking the song "Paralyze," by the band Gasoline Heart. It's got a classic rock vibe, and you can listen to it on their MySpace site here.

Zox

I picked up the Zox’s new CD, The Wait, last weekend (in the $1 bargain bin, no less!), and I’m really loving it! It’s irresistibly catchy ska-tinged rock. The songs are well-produced, and the vocals are good, with harmonies and backing vocals right where they need to be. It’s perfect music for driving fast with the windows down on a summer day. Take a listen.

MP3: Carolyn – Zox
MP3: Big Fish - Zox

You're On Notice!

Consider them "On Notice!" Or make your own list here!

The Boys

From Jeffrey Chadiha's column on SI.com...

Parcells loves ribbing players and Jones [Julius] has become one of his favorite targets. Parcells apparently saw the commercial for Under Armour that features Jones and a handful of other NFL players walking down a hallway before they work out. Since the start of the ad is filled with the sounds of cleats tapping against concrete, Parcells has dubbed Jones "Click-Clack."

Let's just hope he clicks and clacks his way to 1,000 yards this season!

Who Is Alex Trebek?

Buy the T-shirt here. And register to try out for Jeopardy here.

thanks to LeeHead for the tip

Bel Auburn

The guys from the Ohio-based group Bel Auburn contacted me and told me to take a listen to their stuff. And so I did. And so I liked what I heard. They've got a dreamy indie-rock sound, and I really like their delicate vocals. I'm partical to the track "Roses," but you can download their whole album on their official website.

MP3: Roses - Bel Auburn

American Idol to Add Songwriters

Now professional and amateur songwriters have a chance to compete to write cheesey ballads for the two finalists on American Idol. It sounds kind of cool, and here's hoping that this will add some edginess to the songs. But I'm betting that it doesn't.

thanks to Mike Holden for the tip

The Very Best Of...

The Dave Matthews Band is going to be releasing a greatest hits compilation "in the near future," and fans are able to vote online here for which tracks should be included. So go fulfill your civic duty.

Feel Angry, Punk?

Pissed off at your boss, or just mad and you don't want to hug it out? Folks in Nanjing have the option to go vent at an "anger bar." Perhaps Tyler Durden did make his way to China…

thanks to LeeHead for the tip

KISS

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-worthy or not?

More Than You Want To Know

I got an email with some fun facts about WD-40. I couldn't miss out on the opportunity to post a picture of the WD-40 logo, so here's some info that may only interest me...

* Its real name: Water Displacement #40. (WD 40)
* The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts.
* WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a "water displacement" compound. They were successful with the 40th formulation, thus WD-40.
* The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to protect their Atlas missile parts.
* The workers were so pleased with the product, they began smuggling (also known as "shrinkage" or "stealing") it out to use at home. The executives decided there might be a consumer market for it and put it in aerosol cans. The rest, as they say, is history.
* It is a carefully guarded recipe known only to four people. Only one of them is the "brew master".
* There are about 2.5 million gallons of the stuff manufactured each year.
* It gets its distinctive smell from a fragrance that is added to the brew. Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.

More Than Just A Flagpole Sitta

T-Sides has got a really cool post (complete with a bunch of mp3s and video links) on the very underrated band Harvey Danger. Go check it out here.

A Case of the Fridays

We kick things off with “Misconception,” by the Matt Woods Band. Yeah, the band name’s not a reach, but the song’s got some hooks. With its opening rhythm guitar chords that could have been pulled from 80s pop rock, the song then bursts into harmonized, revved-up choruses, taking the listener for an enjoyable ride. Give it a listen.

MP3: Misconception – Matt Woods Band

And we close with some southern-fried rock, courtesy of the The Gates of Berlin and their track “Hangin’ Tree.” Simply put, if you like Lynyrd Skynyrd-style boogie-woogie rock with some wailing lead guitar, then you’ll pretty much be digging this song. Take a listen.

MP3: Hangin’ Tree – The Gates of Berlin

Take A Tax Holiday

Washington, DC and Virginia (along with many other states) will be having upcoming "tax holidays" for certain products. DC's will last from August 5-13, and it will cover clothing, while Virginia's will only last from August 4-6, but it will cover clothing and school supplies. So just make sure you buy your Trapper Keepers in Arlington.

Not Just A Bird, Not Just A Monster

The guys in the group Birdmonster keep a pretty cool blog here, and they update it quite frequently as they tour around the nation, doling out the rock. You can take a listen to 'em on their MySpace site here.

Bat Out Of Hell III?

Do you really need more Meat Loaf? Apparently somebody thinks so, because Bat Out Of Hell III is scheduled to be hitting stores October 31st. It features an interesting combination of contributors, including Nikki Sixx, Steve Vai, John 5, and Brian May. And for those of you who still relish the good old days of the Loaf...

MP3: Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth - Meat Loaf

So How's The Ending?

Filmcritic.com has posted its list of the Top 50 Movie Endings of All Time. Not all the films have "twist endings," but it's an interesting read nonetheless. Just make sure you don't go and spoil a movie you haven't seen by reading how it ends...

thanks to PopCandy for the tip