you’ll probably notice quite a few kinks in this weblog. im sorry. i just started using moveable type to handle this and frankly, im a big dummy. there’s lots of new stuff to get used to.

so in the meantime until i become a real computer genius, please bear with me.

spoon “metal detektor” a series of sneaks
exploding hearts “modern kicks” guitar romantic
chisel “red haired mary” 8AM all day
big boys “heartbeat” 7″
autoclave “ill take you down” s/t
north of america “keep it on the” brothers, sisters
buzzcocks “up for the crack” s/t
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lorelei “as long as its pink” our minds have been electrified
enon “natural disaster” high society
girls at our best “warm girls” pleasure
family fodder “savoir faire” best of the…
el guapo “ocean & sky” fake french
sahara hotnights “quite a feeling” c’mon lets pretend
pylon “cool” hits
mo-dettes “paint it black” 7″ flexi
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we ragazzi “why does the world have to modernize?” suicide sound system
chavez “unreal is here” ride the fader
pinback “offcell” -offcell
spinanes “winter on ice” strand
swirlies “house of pancake” brokedick car ep
cardigans “plain parade”
feminine complex “hide & seek” livin’ love
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calexico “drenched” the hot rail
jenny toomey “just because its dying” tempting
amor belhom duo “i lost a friend” s/t
giant sand “shiver” chore of enchantment
guv’ner “wounded birds & vampires own the edge” spectral worship
awek “is this easy?” s/t
pedro the lion “when they get to know you they will run” its hard to find a friend - REQ
pavement “unfair” crooked rain, crooked rain
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13 may be unlucky for some, but plain parade was doing great friday night. what a fun fun fun show.

this was the jukebox zeros first show ever but watching them, you would never know that. they were so together and so on. my friend pete plays in this band, but thats really all i know. members were previously in the 440s and stuntmen, well-known punk bands from town. whatever! they were great.

mz pacman was recommended to us by… well. i forget. someone in one of the bands. they’re from new york city. their drummer looks like courtney love before all the um, enhancements, but dont hold that against her. she’s super nice and gave us copies of her ‘zine, P5’s Pussy. the sound: punk, but with high pitched little-girl vocals. demented in some respects, but lots of fun.

KeN rule and tonight was no exception. unfortunately i was working the door during their performance so i couldnt tell you much. it sounded great.

apache grip went on last and maybe that wasnt such a good idea. their bass player drank way too much and it affected his playing. okay, he was pretty much unable to play. otherwise, joe and lyle held down the fort, indie rock style. lots of good guitar playing.

all in all, a great show. i was bummed about beehive & the barracudas playing across town at the khyber [i wanted to go!] so i played the new hot snakes cd in between bands. im guessing about 80 people showed up, but we’ll never accurately know because the door count was off at some point in the night.

i got caught in the torrential downpour on my walk from kinko’s to the club. not even my measly umbrella could spare me from getting absolutely, motherfucking drenched.

im not even sure where to start on this show. do i talk about how it was very difficult to get who was in what band straight, or mention that guest list stuff was a hassle? i dont know. eventually, i gave up on the administrative/organization end and let sara deal with it.

the most impressive band of the lot were thanksgiving, on tour from portland. they had this early Idaho/smog thing happening and it was all spontaneous [as i learned later]. it was a good thing the crowd got there early to witness it.

rock lotto winners buddy were up next. i should mention that since their original drummer was too busy with work, they found a replacement with the drummer from the losing rock lotto band. maybe im the only one who laughs at the irony [and the jokes when they are so bad]. they basically played the same set as rock lotto, but a bit more polished up. their debut ep, recorded at indre studios, sounds professional but im hoping they send some of those tracks through a 4-track, under the bushes under the stars-style.

grandfabric were up next and i couldnt catch much of their set since i was working the door. [spot the trend] but i liked what i heard, especially when they got more dissonant.

eli played last and the shortest set of the night, due to his strained voice. [while i am not dear abby, there is something to be said of why people shouldnt too many shows in a month, unless they are on tour] indie rock informed by elvis costello and pixies, which is something i like a lot.

a good crowd showed up, but we ran into several instances where people were trying to scam their way in for free. if you are not one of the following, there is no reason why you shouldnt pay the door charge:

- you’re in the band;
- you have written up the show for a paper;
- you are writing up the show for a paper [and have notified the promoters];
- you’re the significant other of a plain parade employee;
- the band has put you on the guest list;

otherwise, pay up the 7-8 dollars. last i checked, booking agents and promoters are not philantropists with a surplus of cash to throw at bands, so do not regard us as such.

even those who have never been involved on the business side of music probably know that bands get paid by the revenue generated at the door. the club makes its money by the bar [now you know why there are so few all-ages establishments in philly].

not paying to see a band is like asking to work at your job for free. sounds pretty ridiculous, right? THATS CAUSE IT IS. even though you may see someone grace the stage for 30-45 minutes, unaccountable hours went into that. plain parade does its best to compensate for all that time and effort, which means we give bands the door.

anyway, im writing this missive because a local member of the press [if you can call X that] had the nerve to complain about how he/she should have been allowed in for free, even though the band who was supposed to put them on the list failed to do so and didnt make any attempt to have their door refunded.

to this i say:

fuck you, i dont owe you any favors. your paper has never written us up and caters to an audience which we clearly want no part of. ive been kind enough to let you promote your own things when its appropriate and you have the nerve to justify your actions? rudeness is as rudeness does.

ive heard a good buzz about the a-sides so i thought i would check them out. you can definately hear that bands influence on them, but for me they were most reminiscient of the interpreters, a band which was very much a part of philadelphia’s then-burgeoning mod scene. throw in a little better cant make your life better-era lilys, and thats pretty much what they sound like. i think a lot of people would like this band. no, not i think, i fucking know.

april disaster came on next and i just love love love them. fragile and precious songs, as if fairy dust was creeping over a dewy hillside. what? exactly.

then 2 bands came on that were pretty bad; one was local, the other on tour.

outrageous cherry played last. [five bands! i know.] it was worth the wait. pretty minimal garage-psychedelic stuff happening, but was great.

1929 “webbed toes” last but not leased
watchers “our exchange” to the rooftops
this moment in black history “art project” cleveland finger
those peabodys “denim & diamonds forever” s/t
rat at rat r “plague”s/t
railroad jerk “bang the drum” one track mind
delta 72 “rich girls like to steal” triple crown 7″
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black lipstick “hot sinners” converted thieves
giant sand “man of want” valley of rain
califone “on the steeple with the shakes” sometimes good weather follows bad people
f/c kahuna “fear of guitars” machine says yes
bowery electric “without stopping (witchman mix)” vertigo
dif juz “heset” soundpool
au pairs “shakedown” sense & sensuality
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flower “all in doubt” concrete sky
idaho “drive it” this way out
sea saw “cords” magnetophone
crackerbash “tile” s/t
scrawl “major/minor” he’s drunk
smart went crazy “null set” now we’re even
let’s active “every word means no” afoot
the trouble with sweeney “the break-up” i know u destroy
haley bonar “the water” …the size of planets
canyon “its running out” s/t
sola “lz splitter” the bottom
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butterglory “on a horse” rat-tat-tat
flin flon “kamloops” a-ok
superchunk “certain stars” here’s where the strings come in
karl hendricks trio “you cant argue with cash” …sings about misery & women
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WPRB Top 103.3 for the Week ending 6/5/03
(*) = new add this week
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lazy lazy me, i havent written about a show in a while. thats not to say i havent seen any. so let me quickly recap before moving forward:

6/1/03: manitoba, four tet, prefuse73 @ transit
5/30/03: lotsix, just go no texas, sand family, walkie talkies @ doc watsons
5/29/03: everything is fine, brother jt, azita @ doc watsons

okay. another show at our club. 20 people came, just like last thursday but thankfully more than 4 of them stuck around for rex hobart. [just what is it about people not sticking around for entire shows these days?]

this was our alt-country solo night, and it was fun. all the people performing were super-nice and excellent. the crowd enjoyed itself. we lost some cash, but not a huge loss.

but what is interesting is not the show itself, but an incedent at it.
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chin up chin up “collide the tide” s/t
+/- “far into the fields” holding patterns
bobby conn “maria b” llovessonngs
carol cool “upside down” v/a: reggae disco
freddie macgregor “get involved” v/a: darker than blue - soul from jamdown
laura nyro & labelle “you really got a hold on me” gonna take a miracle
azita “ooh ooh johnny” enantiodromia
cat power “werewolf” you are free
robert wyatt “at last i am free” nothing can stop us
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can/am connection “object cathesis” bridge between
hood “the fact that you failed” home is where it hurts
kaito “should i” band red
trenchmouth “yes this is the place” inside the future
north of america “all are liars” brothers, sisters
iran “fading out” the moon boys
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brian eno “2/1″ music for airports
pinback “bbtone” blue screen life
awek “phototype” s/t
palomar “static” II
spoon “lines in the suit” girls can tell - REQ
metropolitan “long distance dedication” down for you is up
barbara manning “smoking her wings” one perfect green blanket
june “the theme of the anti-hero” i am beautiful
the clean “complications” getaway
tuscadero “mt pleasant” pink album
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tsunami “loud is as loud does” the hearts tremolo
monade “the swimm” socialism ou barbarie
everything is fine “holy water” vents
edith frost “shadows” calling over time
lois maffeo & brendan canty “you love your wounds” the union themes
the crabs “end of the world” sand and sea
the trouble with sweeney “surrey is a word i hardly use” i know u destroy
spent “excuse me while i drink myself to death” songs of drinking and rebellion
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