I get this sweet window of time where I can write and shit, then it’s back to the craziness — story of my life, I suppose. I have a big test in ten days, the end of a fiscal year at work, a radio show to resume, freelance crapola and the course I’m a TA for begins tomorrow night. This list excludes my daily life activities or the home improvement projects I’ve stupidly scheduled for the warmer months. That said, if I had endless amounts of leisure time I wouldn’t know what the hell to do with myself. But no more excuses!

» NYC Pop Fest is this weekend, folks. My favorite bowling partners Brown Recluse Sings, secret skatepunks Surefire Broadcast and JEK’s brother’s band Gritty Midi Gang are amongst the cream of the twee crop on these lineups. Props of the Pop Fest folks for curating the shit out of this — I only wish it was this past weekend to conflict/coincide with the No Fun Fest. Can you imagine Merzbow vs. Mitch Easter?!?! I can. No rly. Srsly.

» Why can’t I stop listening to AC/DC? And is it just me, or is there really no AC/DC for sale in the iTunes store?

» In other news, I am just really, really bummed that Veronica Mars wasn’t renewed for another season — another conflicted, headstrong female character bites the dust. And what is up with their lineup next season — Gossip Girl? At least in VMars case (and Gilmore Girls, too), we watched as its characters weaved in and out of these worlds; this new series looks to be like a full-on, raging WASP fetish. Way to go CW, now I understand why Univision whoops your ass ratingswise.

[Via]

» I kind of hate it when everyone crams political endorsements down my throat, which is why I didn’t want to tell you who to vote for. Frankly, it’s a free country — you do what you want, OK? But I’ve been pulling for Nutter (typing that sentence out just sounds totally dirty); needless to say I am psyched he won the primary. There’s a long way to go though — 62.83% (out of 284,328 voters) picked someone else. Here’s to hoping that Election Day has a better turnout.

» Metuchen, NJ’s own Roadside Graves were reviewed on Pitchfork yesterday. And to think we all had B lunch together. Or was it C? I forget. You’d never expect/believe it, but Metuchen High was a veritable hotbed of musical activity in the 90’s. And I’m not talking about being in jazz band (which I totally was) or marching band (ditto). In retrospect, I’m kind of amazed at how much musical output there was — and many of those folks are still at it today. Whatever happened to my Slothbreath t-shirt, anyway?

» Looking northward, DJ and producer Shan Boogie is working on a documentary called Foundations, dealing with the cross-pollination of creative cultures in NYC during the 1980’s. It’s in the very early stages of production, but this little promo teaser is pretty effing fantastic. Can’t wait to see what the finished product looks like!

» Concertmania as of late: Public Record, Sloan, Small Sins, Tussle, Professor Murder — all of whom were really fantastic. Damn you Toby and Adam, for not tipping me off to PM sooner!

» I’ve been a firm believer that nothing good would ever come from Enya’s “Sail Away” — a.k.a., the song from the Crystal Light commerical — but finally, finally I’ve been proven wrong. Beach weirdos win out:

Professor Murder, “That’s How They Getcha”
Pick up their self-titled release here!

Yo Majesty “Club Action” (Chris Bagraider’s Sailing to Baltimore remix)
Pick up the Yo EP here!

» Speaking of beach weirdos, DJ Mental Feelings (Chris of Espers, SHAVE HEAD) is spinning at tonight’s preview screening for Flight of the Conchords — RSVP here. Word on the street is that HBO’s dropping some serious $$$ on this party. As soon as it’s done, bounce over to Big Jar Books for Lambsbread.

I know there’s places painting this city in a pretty, rose-colored light for the sake of marketability, but let’s face it: when the mayor of hurricane-ravaged, FEMA-mismanaged New Orleans can make fun of us, is there any clearer of a sign that Philadelphia is in serious trouble? Nagin is our Ford, telling us to drop dead.

Whatever flavor of trouble you want (social, economic, quality-of-life, corruption, etc), we’ve got it, and in spades. Don’t you think that all of us — you, your neighbors, the strangers you pass on the street — deserve a fair shot at something better? Who will get us moving in the right direction again? Think about that when you set foot in the polling place today.

» Ugh, Bowers — this is just tacky. Also, no one plays Dean?

» Team Dresch plan to do two shows on 6/21 — first an all-ages gig at the Rotunda, then 21+ at the Millcreek. Good for them, I guess.

» Tonight, I’m going to check this out and see if WiiSports really does improve real-life sport skills. Oh who am I kidding? One game and I’m toast, thanks to the arthritis in my hands. I’m really there for the SuperToddBros DJ’s, a.k.a Jesse and Ryan of Brown Recluse Sings, and they really do put on a great set. Advance tickets are gone (I knew there was something I had to tell you guys on Monday), but a limited number are available at the door. It’s supposed to rain tonight, and the only other option is to see Georgia Rule or The Ex (BAAARF), so this sounds totally ideal.

» Budos Band are back with a new record on Daptone this summer and judging from this track — recorded live — they sound as blaxploitationariffic as ever:

Budos Band, “Chicago Falcon”

» Real Heavy 90’s Alert: Most folks are pretty much teenagers trapped in adult bodies, so it’s not that hard to identify with how Ben Lee & Co. visualize their futureselves through the rosy-colored lenses of young adulthood. Awash in bright tones (save for the lone clunker, “Poison 1080″ — barfy 90’s production in a nutshell) and even brighter, bolder strokes of guitar solos, Noise Addict’s Meet the Real You holds up amazingly well, especially for a record made by a bunch of kids. I wonder what happened to the rest of this band, anyway.

Noise Addict, “16″ (from Meet the Real You)
Buy direct from Ben Lee’s online store!

» Listen up L.A.: My friend Megan Geckler is part of a group art exhibition this weekend, entitled “FR8“. Commissioned by the City of San Pedro, the artists featured in this exhibit will display their work in shipping containers along the city’s waterfront. It’s a one night only deal, so if you slack, youre going to totally miss it. Here is an amazing time-lapse photo of Megan and her assistants installing the work.

» I’ve got a Soundadvice pick on Tussle (Now 100% Totally Without Andy Cabic) for the CIty Paper this week:

San Francisco’s Tussle’s most recent release is packed tighter than a pair of hipster’s jeans at Making Time; Telescope Mind (Smalltown Supersound) closely resembles the ur-dancepunk it’s drawing heavy inspiration from. Drifting away from the dub influences of earlier records, Telescope finds motorik rhythms pressing tightly against a linear expression of keyboards unable to decide whether they’re CB radios or heavenly transmissions (answer: they’re both), and contributions from Liquid Liquid’s Sal Principato.

Tussle, “Flicker” (From Telescope Mind)
Buy this record at iTunes or Smalltown Supersound!

» I know, I can’t shut up with the Sassy talk these days, but HSCMYL co-author Marisa is already hard at work on her next book — and she wants Y-O-U to fill out a questionnaire. I never thought that my goofy little Q&A would be of use; lo and behold, one of my answers winds up in the book. Anyway, I’ve gorked her email to prevent spammers, once again but copy and paste the following with your answers and send ‘em along to her:

I’m writing a book about women, music, and the 1990s for the publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux, to be published in early 2009.

The general theme is to take a critical look at the idea of girl power in its many forms — from the riot grrrls to the Spice Girls, Britney Spears to Beyonce, “girls kick ass” baby tees to girls rock camps, and everything in between — and I’m interviewing lots of musicians, critics, and the like, but I also really want to hear from fans.

I’ve included a few questions to prompt deep thoughts, but I’m interested in really anything you have to say on the subject. I hope you’ll spend some time thinking about this, but I’d also love to get your answers sooner rather than later. Please send them to me.

Please do forward this to friends (male and female alike), mailing lists, bulletin boards, post on blogs, whatever!

Best,
Marisa

PS: The Sassy book is out and full of quotes from fans I contacted through a very similar mass email about two years ago.

———————————

I’d like your name and age.

Define “girl power” as you see it. Was it third wave feminism given a sparkly, apolitical makeover? Or a social phenomenon?

Even though this book is mostly about the 90s, I’m also talking about the decades before. What kind of music did you grow up listening to? I’m especially interested in music by women, of course. Were you glued to watching Madonna and Cyndi Lauper on MTV? Did you have an intense listening to Joni-Mitchell-in-my-bedroom phase?

What music were you listening to in the 90s? And what are you listening to now? Specific songs, bands, whatever comes to mind.

I would absolutely love to hear anecdotes about concerts you’ve attended. Did you see boys getting pushed out of the front at a Bikini Kill show? Did you go to Lilith Fair for Liz Phair, but stayed so you could sing along to the Indigo Girls? Did you organize a Ladyfest? Did you and your best friend go see Christina Aguilera play at Madison Square Garden?

Was there a stronger sense of female empowerment, not just in music, but in our culture in general, during the 90s? What do you think of the decade now?

Now that Sleater-Kinney broke up, Le Tigre is on some kind of extended hiatus, Destiny’s Child is no longer, and Ladyfests seem to be on the wane, is this a dark moment for women in music? Will popular music be always and forever a boys’ club, or are we on the verge of some kind of real cultural change? I would love to hear your thoughts on where you think this is all headed–what makes you depressed and what gives you hope? What is girl power today?

» Not to end this message on a downer note or anything, but ESG’s Valerie Scroggins is currently being investigated for defrauding the NYC Transit Authority through workman’s compensation:

Valerie Scroggins, the drummer for acclaimed art-funk ensemble ESG, autographed CDs and posed for photos with fans during a concert tour in Europe last year.

But one of the fans turned out to be an investigator for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Scroggins, an NYC Transit bus driver receiving workers’ compensation for shoulder injuries, was nabbed.

Scroggins, 44, was indicted yesterday by a Brooklyn grand jury on charges of taking more than $13,000 in workers’ compensation, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said.

(Grace Slick, c. 1970. © Herb Greene)

» Good News! I’m back on WPRB this summer, beginning May 29th. I’ll be on the air every Tuesday from 5-7 PM EST. I promise to fill up rush hour with plenty of hot tunes and “witty” banter. TUNE IN TUNE IN TUNE IN TUNE IN

» Swiped from the jaws of Idolator, Street Census has a pretty great What Not To Do re: publicity. Here’s another suggestion: before you sign me up for your band/project/etc’s mailing list, introduce yourselves. Maybe it’s ego, maybe I just feel like having a clue about who’s behind the email, but nothing drives me crazier than being thrown randomly onto an announcement list.

» West Philly Food Alert: May I please praise the wonder and genius that is Tacos Don Memo (38th St bet. Walnut & Sansom)? This little food truck brings me such lunchtime joy with awesome Mexican goodies. Sometimes the wait is a little long, but the owners make it up with freebies — today I got a free tamarindo drink, other times there’s been fresh tortilla chips to nosh on during the wait. 3 tacos run you 6 bucks; the little slices of pineapple in my spicy pork are pure heaven.

» I love lolcats, Bader over at Daily Miltonian explains why.

» Twee or twee-like seems to be the order of the day: NYC’s Thee Yankee Dollar make the pixelated frequencies of modern mp3’s work in their favor — just think of it as a double-shot of lo-fi goodness. And I’ve always loved this September 67 song. I caught them a few times and while I can’t remember who they opened up for, their songs had a slight snotty edge amidst the pretty guitars that kept me listening, all these years later. Where are they now? Aaanyways, enjoy!

Thee Yankee Dollar, “Ask Me Now”
September 67, “Steve Malkmus Is A Fucking Snob”

» Fellow WPRBer Julia tipped me off to a panel on the history of broadcasting in Philadelphia at the Atwater Kent Museum that was totally worth ditching my lunchtime gardening for. It was definitely more of a wax nostalgic about the glory days than anything else, but cool nonetheless. The panel (Jerry Blavat [!!!!], Karin Phillips [KYW], Tom Moran [WIP/WPEN], Tony Brown [WDAS]; moderator Dean Tyler [WIBG/WPEN]) all bemoaned the rise of The Format and the diminishing power of DJ’s, equally criticized statistical methods of evaluating performance (ie, ratings) and consultants, and blamed technology of sapping away radio’s power on younger generations. Julia and I (the two youngest members of the audience not with a relative) asked questions; Julia about newer broadcasting technologies (satellite/internet/podcasting) maybe giving radio the kick in the pants it desperately needs (Greek chorus consensus, a resounding “no”), mine was about the lack of opportunities available to young folks (the defense was “Oh, we have internships” — underacheivers pls try hrdr k thx). Once again, it seems like what’s ailing radio boils down to a generational divide in regards to technology. Still, a good way to spend the early afternoon.

» Early evening was dominated by Marisa & Kara’s reading at Mew Gallery in the Italian Market. A good crowd came out, though I think it would have been nice to see some younger folks. The authors read sections on Sassy’s crushworthiness and eventual demise (OMG IT FOLDED?). But I think the biggest surprise was a former Dirt contributor in attendance (Hugh?). I think the general consensus is that it holds up really well. Sometimes I wonder if seeing a magazine where its writers wore multiple hats (photographers, designers, etc) was an influence on my own interdisciplinary attitude.

» Pitchfork panned the new Hail Social album; Marc Hogan’s review nailed the unsettling, empty feeling it gives off. In a bizarre twist, I think the band sounds better in a live setting with their flaws laid bare for all to see, but I bet HS will be the first to argue otherwise. Anyway, if you live in this town, you’re not going to take Hogan’s review lightly. Well, at least they cared to review it.

» I have been digging White Denim, a garagey rock combo from Austin (not to be confused with Allentown label of the same name), these days. I hear very, very faint touches of Big Boys in these guys, which can’t be a bad thing at all:

White Denim, “Darksided Computer Mouth”

The world is brimming with drumming news! There’s a drummer joke to be made here, but I’m too lazy to do it.

» The pride of Princeton, NJ, Home Blitz, are looking for a drummer:

Hey, the band Home Blitz is looking for a drummer so our current drummer can switch to 2nd guitar. Drummer should be pretty good but not necessarily extremely skilled, able to play in competent fast rock style as well as more free/crumbly styles. Influences include Brinsley Schwarz (4th album only), Sidewinders, Hackamore Brick, early Scritti Politti, Real Kids, Meat Puppets, I dunno. If you are interested or know someone who might be, please let me know. The drummer should be available for semi-regular (couple times a week at most) practices in Princeton, NJ, USA and sporadic gigging around the tri-state area.

» Surely there must be 77 drummers out there with nothing to do this summer… This sounds like Branca’s 100 Guitars symphony — only louder — which is to say, it will be totally rad. Also, this email comes courtesy of Sonic Youth member Steve Shelley(!). The contact info is gorked to prevent spammers, but you’re all smart kids, I’m sure you’ll figure it out:

the boredoms - an incredible japanese group that sonic youth has been associated w/ for nearly 20 years are putting on a special show in brooklyn on july 7th.

they are putting together an ensemble of 77 drummers (we toured japan last week w/ a 3 drummer version of this group and it was amazing) .

anyways - they are looking for a few key drum leaders and then 70-soemthing additional drummers. I think this will be a lot of fun - I’d be there w/ you if I wasn’t already booked out of town w/ sy .

if you are at all interested please contact Hisham via email

And in a bit of non-drummer news, some other stuff…

» Girls Rock Philly is seeking equipment donations! Help us out. Please! You’ve probably got a guitar or random amp lying around the house that you never use. Donate it to charity! One of the great things about GRP is that any girl can sign up, and having equipment relieves campers of having to own anything. (And let’s face it — there’s nothing fun about making young girls schlep equipment around in the summer.)

» Sharkey from Clockcleaner set up a show for LA’s Silver Daggers (Load Records), tomorrow 5/2 at the Marvelous (out here in Sunny West Philadelphia) that’s totally worth checking out. They’ve been favorably compared to the Dog Faced Hermans, which sounds like something I can totally agree with:

Silver Daggers, “Joy” (from New High & Ord)