via tania “the rising” under a different sky (chocolate industries)
the sugarcubes “birthday” lifes too good (elektra)
laura nyro “its gonna take a miracle” gonna take a miracle (columbia)
beulah “my side of the city” yoko (velocette)
antelope “game over” s/t (dischord / bug)
the constantines “on to you” shine a light (sub pop)
blake babies “give me some mirth” sunburn (mammoth)
ciao bella “details from the deep end” 1 (endearing)
exploding hearts “modern kicks” guitar romantic (dirtnap)
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the wolfgang press “people say” everything is beautiful (4ad)
mojave 3 “any day will be fine” excuse for travelers (4ad)
alasdair roberts “join our lusty chorus” farewell sorrow (drag city)
girls against boys “kitty yo” 90s vs 80s (adult swim)
this moment in black history “art project” cleveland finger (exit stencil)
revlon 9 “someone like you”
le tigre “eau de bedroom dancing” s/t (mr lady)
minus the bear “thanks for the killer game of crisco” highly refined pirates (suicide squeeze)
superchunk “fader rules” cup of sand (merge)
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27 “easy trigger” songs from the edge of the wing (relapse)
timonium “resting places” suspende animation (pehr)
the pastels “heavens above!” 7″ (overground)
guv’ner “cameo” knight moves (merge)
outrageous cherry “a song for someone sometimes” supernatural equinox (rainbow quartz)
all girl summer fun band “will i see you” summer of 98 (magic marker)
mary timony “blood tree” golden dove (matador)
gloria jones “tainted love” v/a: beg scream shout (rhino)
edith frost “cars & parties” wonder wonder (drag city)
the jags “back of my hand (ive got your number)” v/a: starry eyes - uk pop II (rhino)
family fodder “savoir faire” the best of (dark beloved cloud)
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death cab for cutie “no joy in mudville” we have the facts and were voting yes (barsuk)
lenola “your stars” my invisible name (tappersize)
liars & magicians “#2″ demo
the handsome family “passenger pigeons” twilight (carrot top) - REQ
dragon city “sleeper” shytolayabout (s/r)
the long lost “#2″ demo
autoclave “dr. seuss” s/t (dischord / mira)
devo “freedom of choice” freedom of choice (warner bros.)

programming notes
its a fact: the more i drink on saturday nights, the less stuttering on-air.

i bet youre wondering, does she have a drinking problem? thats debatable, but i must remind you, ive been unemployed for 3 months. just what exactly was i supposed to do with that time? something constructive? sheesh.

i tried to coax listeners into giving me their “what i did this summer” stories when they called to request, but no takers except for josh [of american altitude], who dropped me a line during the show to hear some handsome family.

“blood tree” has been occupying vital brain space this past week, and i often catch myself singing the chorus out loud.

the long lost features sara marcus [of persons, boys of now] and alice [of the vels] and they are so freaking good. the demos dont do their stuff justice. see them live, as they perform an amazing rendition of the raincoats “off duty trip”.

glenn branca, the ascension (99)
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breeders “divine hammer” last splash (4AD)
edith frost “cars and parties” wonder wonder (drag city)
the buddyrevelles “ill take you in my car” american matador (motorcoat)
the lucksmiths “take this lying down”naturaliste (drive-in)
dB’s “blackand white” stands for decibels (albion)
the eaves “bird lawyer” s/t (ace fu)
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the constantines “on to you” shine a light (sub pop)
superchunk “basement life” cup of sand (merge)
chavez “the guard attacks” ride the fader (matador)
panthers “its not the heat its the humility” let’s get serious (dim mak)
the starvations “red wine” get well soon (gsl)
x “i must not think bad thoughts” more fun in the new world (elektra)
broken social scene “stars & sons” you forgot it in people (paper bag)
fridge “drums, horns, sonics & edit” happiness (temporary residence ltd)
tussle “eye contact” 12″ (tmu)
tuxedomoon “no tears” s/t (jem)
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sleater-kinney “dance song ‘97″ dig me out (krs)
spoon “take the fifth” girls can tell (merge)
pixies “winterlong” dig for fire EP (4AD)
doug gillard “malamute jute” malamute jute EP (cushion)
john cale “andalucia” paris 1919 (reprise)
andrew bird “action / adventure” weather systems (righteous babe)
vincent gallo “brown 69″ recordings for music and film
raincoats “red shoes” odyshape (rought trade)

programming notes
goodbye to jamie, the plain parade intern, whom we never made work very hard. now he will study crazy people [such as myself], to find out what posesses them to book rock clubs. and… if it wasnt for him, i would not be so horribly hungover today.

when at a party, i really must remind myself to not sit next to the beer for the evening.

the aforementioned boozing and train delays are what caused me to arrive at the station 15 minutes prior to my show; i had no other decision than to play the ascension in its entirety. i cant get enough of it, those guitars are heavenly. why hasn’t this whole williamsburg/brooklyn/whatevah/no wave/new wave renaissance spurned any imitators of this particular sound?

kim deal: the alpha and the omega of my set? you decide! first the breeders and then a pixies tune. i know.

as of now i have imposed a “no more broken social scene” rule for future shows. the only song i want to play off their record is “stars and sons”. in my defense, isnt that song so freaking good?! its got handclaps! handclaps, people!

superchunk sound better than ever. i am so glad that i dont need to buy the singles comp, since i own all the stuff, but the reissue gives me more reason [and no excuse] than ever to give them another listen. i thought i had “fader rules” cued up, which would have titularly made sense next to chavez’s “the guard attacks” [off of ride the fader… get it?]. alas, i cannot count, i cannot read.

a rare mood for todays show, but a good one. perhaps the drinking did help after all!

the constantines record, shine a light — not as good as the first one, but better than the single anticipates. buy!

the eaves “summergold” s/t (ace fu)
air miami “dolphin expressway” me. me. me. (teenbeat)
durutti column “what is it to me” the guitar and other machines (venture)
stereolab “au grand jour” switched on (too pure)
i am the world trade center “call me” the tight connection (kindercore)
manitoba “every time she turns around its her birthday” up in flames (domino/leaf)
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drake tungsten “chicago at night” six pence for the sauces (peek-a-boo)
belle & sebastian “legal man” (matador)
i am kloot “to you” v/a: we love you… so love us (we love you)
sonic youth “hey joni” daydream nation (blast first)
broken social scene “stars and sons” you forgot it in people (paper bag)
the lucksmiths “camera shy” naturaliste (drive-in)
bettie serveert “ray ray rain” lamprey (matador)
bedhead “roman candle” beheaded (trance syndicate)
neil young “heart of gold” harvest (reprise)
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idaho “weird wood” this way out (caroline)
silkworm “and then…” you are dignified (touch & go)
air “la femme d’argent” moon safari (caroline)
the mittens “morning comes” s/t (s/r)
the undertones “jimmy jimmy” the very best of… (ryko)
noise addict “the frail girl” meet the real you (grand royal)
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the karl hendricks trio “the night has no eyes” jerks win again (merge)
silver scooter “biting my nails” 7″ (peek-a-boo)
the odes “meltaway” honey gets hard 7″ (merge)
young marble giants “n.i.t.a.” “colossal youth” colossal youth (rough trade)
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girls at our best “warm girls” pleasure (vinyl japan)
eater “thinking of the usa” a history of… (delorean records co.)
rocket from the tombs “30 seconds over tokyo” the day the earth met the… (smog veil) - REQ
the ACGC “big kicks” 7″ (hope)
franklin “inventor of loud” s/t (tree)
pinback “offcell” (ace fu) - REQ
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canyon “its running out” s/t (slowdime)

programming notes

new adds: eaves, manitoba, broken social scene, silkworm, kh3, acgc. the strangest thing was that they were perfectly spaced out in the set. i did not plan this, hence the part about “the strangest thing…”

overall: not a bad show. sonic youth has been kicking my ass lately, so i felt the desire to include them. daydream nation, even after all these years of not listening to it, is still amazing.

ever wonder why silkworm’s rendition of “the hexx…” is bluegrassy? i do. is it a reference to the nickel creek cover from the same album? possibly.

scary moment of the day
about 5 minutes after my show, and into the spotlight show with jon solomon, all the power goes out in WPRB for 5 minutes. the severe thunderstorm must have hit our transmitter and poof! — there goes the station for the next 2 hours.

liars & magicians “#3″ demo (s/r)
low skies “palmyra” the bed (flameshovel)
minus the bear “women we havent met yet” highly reformed pirates (suicide squeeze)
we ragazzi “i want u 2 love me so much i cant stand up” the ache (self-starter foundation)
suicide “ghost rider” s/t (red star)
dump “when u were mine” that skinny motherfucker with the high voice? (shrimper)
spinanes “hawaiian baby” imp years (merge)
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panthers “its not the heat its the humility” lets get serious (dim mak)
constantines “night time anytime (its alright)” nighttime ep (sub pop)
husker du “reoccurring dreams” zen arcade (sst)
the proletariat “hollow victory” soma holiday (non-u)
REQ - mission of burma “this is not a photograph” signals, calls and marches (ryko)
swirlies “upstairs” what to do about them (taang!)
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severin “catholic girl” acid to ashes, rust to dust (dischord)
the embarrasment “dont stop ’til you get enough” heyday (bar none)
18th dye “easy (& how we got there fast)” tribute to a bus (matador)
medium medium “mice or monsters” the glitterhouse (cherry red)
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friends of dean martinez “summertime” a place in the sun (knitting factory)
fruit bats “union blanket” mouthfuls (sub pop)
smog “ex-con” red apple falls (drag city)
slumber party “soldier” psychedelicate (krs)
the adult net “incense & peppermints” 45 (beggars banquet)
the styrenes “drano in your veins” its artastic! (lsr)
kinks “a well respected man” lola (pickwick)
enon “natural disasters” high society (touch & go)
medicine “aruca” shot forth self living (def american)
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manitoba “hendrix w/ ko” up in flames (domino)
tussle “version” eye contact (troubleman unlimited)
madonna “hollywood (jacques lu cont remix)”
ui “back up” answers (southern)
miracle chosuke “francine” 7/8 wonders of the world (dim mak)
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helium “baby’s going underground” the dirt of luck (matador)

programming notes
not a bad show today. actually, i enjoyed doing this one very much. i think there was a good structure and flow to this stuff. no obvious dj mistakes and from what ive got on minidisc [my battery died!] i didnt sound idiotic.

got lots of kind calls for most of the show [see below]; many were thankful for hearing husker du. learned about the proletariat last night at the khyber from chaz – early 80’s hardcore with communist tendencies.

im not sure what possessed me to play madonna, but i sure felt like it. i do love anything jacques lu cont gets his paws on, and hell, the single was free when i picked up new jeans this week. [yeah, i buy jeans from the gap. they’re the only ones that seem to fit right on me.] and dont deny how much you like the new commercial starring her and missy. i love it because that song, is probably the only mash-up existing in mainstream culture [as opposed to the thousand white labels that clog up the playlist of all hipster djs] at this moment.

moving on.

i received a call at the end from a very grumpy person, who asked “why dont you tell people to ‘fuck off’ instead of saying ‘ill try to fit it in’?”

i suppose its a good question that lacked tact in asking it. some djs have a “no request” policy [which i can respect] and others handle it on a case-by-case basis, like myself.

ill be the first one to say that sometimes callers have absolutely lousy requests — songs we cant play because of swears, stuff that doesnt jive with the interests of the dj, obvious indie rock bullshit, we cant find it in the station and so on. believe it or not, but a lot of us DO spend our weeks planning out this stuff [and if youve seen my playlists, you know what happens when some advance planning is not in order] and trying to walk the fine line between self-absorption and trying to play what we think would really interest our listening community.

there’s a lot more to djing than one would think, shit, im actually working when im there — dealing with logs and emph requirements and whatnot — we do our best to fit them in, if we can.

sometimes, our callers best us. and thats awesome, when someone requests a record that you’ve never heard and it blows your mind. we’re here because we’re music lovers and believe that our education is not finite. there’s been quite a few bands i now love thanks to someone calling in, or dropping an email.

so thats that, whiners. if you really need to hear the song THAT BAD, buy the record so that you can play it whenever you want, and spare yourself the phone call.

ahem.

i know youve been waiting for another entry. dyin’ hopin’ waitin’ waitin’ waitin’ - yeah yeah. i got a life you know! a life that does nothing but go to rock shows.

wednesday was the madness that is via tania and the lucksmiths. if it was not for my dear friend adam, we may have not had this show at the club.

and in turn, we would have never had record attendance at a plain parade show. 160 people! our club legally holds 125! amazing! it was, even if no one in the club could move.

we know the audience loved it, because we did too. via tania was like cat power with a laptop and sounded much cooler than my description. tim kinsellas from joan of arc was in her touring band and even he played a couple songs on his own.

the lucksmiths brought along drew of kissing book and were amazing. words cant accurately describe the feeling of watching the crowd’s reaction and the way they hung onto every note of their songs. its that kind of moment that puts everything into perspective.

thursday was a smaller, quieter evening with the jane anchor, grand fabric and lefty’s deceiver but just as enjoyable.

friday night we opted to not do a show since we did two this week. [having limits is a very good thing] i havent had a situation like this in a while and to be honest, i dont know what to do with myself when there’s no shows.

today, i just got in from seeing we ragazzi, trouble everyday and liars & magicians over at the khyber. it was a pretty uneven show, energy-wise, but that really had nothing to do with the bands. there was just something “off” from the moment i set foot inside the club. anyway. we ragazzi were splendid, gracing us with a cover of “ghost rider” by suicide. given that the band is often noted for sounding similar to them, it comes as no surprise. both of the local openers were great as well. i left before minus the bear and ill be honest, i just feel too tired to say much else.

like, totally fooled you. there will be no show this week.

there’s nothing better for a rock show than a sticky summer night, where its not quite raining and its not quite nice. this gray area makes our club feel super gross.

first things first, id like to apologize to anyone who watched me, uh, lose my shit with our security guard. to the naive viewer it might have been a petty argument over a flyer, but to those in the know, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. we have been having issues with him for quite some time now. once again, apologies for those who witnessed it.

i wasnt quite sure how this show would turn out, given the weird weather and the sometimes fickle behavior of local crowds. to the best of my knowledge, there was only one other show in town that could have competed with it, but in the end it wasnt such a big problem.

el boxeo were on tour from michigan and sent us a teeny 3″ disc as their demo. we were sold on their dirty three-esque violin freakouts and minimal vocals. in performance, they included tap dancing! i love it when bands use alternate forms of percussion. hopefully they come back soon.

the lucky dragons were a last minute addition, but totally worth it. i was working the door during their performance, but sara said they were way cool.

snow fairies rocked the house, drunkenly. for a band thats often lumped into the category of “cute” and “twee” they’re pretty crazy. a couple new songs and some awesome merchandise — i bought a pair of underwear! lots of love as they head out west for their tour. missed them? they’ll be playing with us on 9/4.