Readers of this blog are well aware that I’m quite fond of WPRB to the point that I will say it’s the best damn radio station in the whole wide world — and our neighbor/friend/hot date to the north, WFMU, is not so shabby either — BUT this station trumps them all.

Why, you ask? Because it’s some guy in West Philly with a CB radio, blasting an array of funk, oldies and whatever they want. I’ve never actually listened, because I don’t own a CB, but this makes me want to buy one. We should all forget about lame-ass Muxtape, podcasts, and just start doing crazy fun shit like this.

» BTW, hello there visitors?! It’s a shame you had to visit on a day where I was busy and stuff.

While I appear to be in the small, small camp that enjoys most, if not all, of Chris Leo’s creative output, this performance of [what I argue to be one of] the Greatest Songs Written By A New Jersey Band In The Past Fifteen-ish Years fits the clingy, damp sensations of today.

Because it’s that kind of day, here’s “His Saxophone Is My Guitar” from The Van Pelt’s 1996 release, Stealing From Our Favorite Thieves. Those paying close attention might recognize a WPRB show with a similar name.

After waiting for what seemed like a jillion hours (but was actually 3.5), CaUSE Co-MOTION! and Meneguar took the stage at Terrace F. Club in Princeton. Somehow, this late evening managed to set off a chain reaction of one late night after another, but not in a good or fun way.

ETA: Hello dere. Perhaps you may have not noticed this section before? If you keep stealing my photos for your sites, I will stop posting them here.

» In other news… the Austin Police Department located my missing driver’s license and bank card. Faith in humanity = restored.

The Oxford Collapse are going vinyl crazy, it seems. The dudes are releasing two slabs of the stuff: a 7″ on Flameshovel Records on April 29th, “to coincide with the 16th anniversary of the LA Riots” (uhh…?), and a four-song 12″ on Jon Solomon’s Comedy Minus One label this June.

And on a local front, the Collapse are playing Human BBQ on April 5th, alongside A Place to Bury Strangers, Japanther, Brown Recluse Sings, Pants Yell!, and others. This is definitely the best BBQ lineup since the year Wesley Willis played, so don’t miss out. Tix are 12$, and it’s all-ages.

Looking even further into the future, it seems their second full-length for Sub Pop, BITS, will be released on August 5th, 2008. That’s, like, 2-ish weeks after my birthday. So nice of them to celebrate my big 3-0 with a new record.

This is a top notch post. Note to self: I need to post my interview with Sharkey and Chuck Meehan The Legend on here, like, tonight.

No, really: yours truly at the Spice Girls concert in Newark, NJ. (Photo: JGH)

I’ve seen so many shows lately — No Age, Spice Girls, Julienne Baird, Clockcleaner, Home Blitz, Lame Drivers, Gang, Robyn, The Apes, Br’er, Blood on the Wall, CaUSE Co-MOTION!, Make A Rising, etc – that I feel like I’m in my own little version of SXSW (SXMTS, perhaps?). Even crazier is that all my coursework is getting done. I win at life!

Recently, I wound up with a copy of the new Constantines album, Kensington Heights. Being such a huge fan of this band, you should probably take my review with a grain of salt…. Not that I don’t love Tournament of Hearts, but this definitely feels more like they record they intended to make post-Shine A Light. (Toby and I were chatting about this over the weekend, and I believe ToH sounds like a late-career record, rather than the follow-up to a record that defined them as a group.) It’s a strong record throughout, and maybe not as obviously fist-pumping anthemic as some would like, but I have found “Trans-Canada” and “Brother Run Them Down” creeping up into the back of my head numerous times as I traverse the icy tundra of unshoveled Philadelphia sidewalks. (Srsly, the lack of snow cleanup in this godforsaken town is embarrassing.) Why I really like it (and why I like any record, for that matter): KH invokes enough inverse presence to fit the particulars of my personal life.

I’m worming my way through the new Breeders album (Mountain Battles) at the moment. I’m not all the way at the end, but here are two quick observations: (a) sound deliciously muddy and thick; (b) the songs feel really short. If you are one of those types who dig the whole nu-lo-fi scene (HB, NA, etc), you’ll probably enjoy it, too — unless you have hang-ups about women who can out-scuzz any of these younguns in a heartbeat. Also: no one sings like Kim Deal. No one.

In other news, I’ve joined the 21st century with the acquisition of a LCD flat-panel TV. (It sits next to my whole stereo set-up, so I have dubbed it the “LCD Soundsystem.” Sigh, I know.) Kind of perfect timing, since I’m currently taking a class on telepresence, and the whole high-definition thing falls neatly into those studies. While I love television, I refuse to fork over my hard-earned money to an organization like Comcast. (Also: the more channels I get, the less I find actually interesting!) So I get by with a pair of rabbit ears, which does not have the World’s Greatest Reception, but hey, it’s free. With the new TV, I have access to digital reception and I gotta say it’s pretty fantastic. Can’t wait to see how this plays out in the future. Just a quick PSA: analog broadcast ends next year, so you might want to check out dtv.gov and get acquainted with how to make the switch. There are voucher programs to assist with the cost of upgrading, but read the site and see what you need to do.

Last but not least, I finally understand the whole bike-nerd culture. I saved up for a custom-built road bike and it feels like heaven. Or freedom. Wait, isn’t that the same thing?

» Closing note: can anyone put me in touch with John Sayles? Weird request, I know.

Tally ho! Progress! And all that. Today I picked up my new audio equipment and soon enough, you’ll be able to hear Her Jazz in addition to reading it. Actually, my newfangled technological goodness is for a new series I am producing for WPRB. (But I can’t resist putting up some outtakes [and other odds’n'ends] here, you know?) You’ll be hearing more about it soon enough.

I went to see Robyn perform at the Highline Ballroom in NYC Tuesday night. I bought the tickets the nanosecond I got the announcement about her U.S. shows, but as the semester began creeping around the corner, I wasn’t entirely sure I could make it. But Lady Luck (or more specifically, some course scheduling wackiness) shone on me. What’s a word for something more ephemeral than ephemeral? ‘Cause that’s what Robyn’s performance felt like, in a good way. The room was packed to the gills and if she had run over her 30-minute (plus encore) set, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much. You can read elsewhere the setlists and whatnot. The lone misstep (in my eyes!) was clubby, clunky electro version of “Bum Like You,” one of my favorite songs of hers. The strum-und-sparseness of the album version aches, the live adaptation just seemed too cheeky. (Who knew it was written with Chuck Bukowski in mind?) Otherwise, a flawless, energetic, charming set that I hope will stick out in my mind as 2008 steamrolls on.

The newest CaUSE Co-MOTION! 7″ arrived in the mail earlier this week and it’s a scorcher. Looking forward to their show on 2/19 at Johnny Brenda’s with fellow Brooklynites Blood on the Wall. (Note to self, and perhaps you: I/we/you still need to pick up Liferz!)

I am taking the rest of this school break to do… nothing. Well, nothing that doesn’t involve my job, personal administrative miscellany, getting a ton of exercise, or making stock for soups (which I am totally obsessed with right now). I know, I should be a bit more chatty here now that I’ve got downtime, but this prime time to get some ducks in a row. I have a really amazing project in the works, which you’ll hear about soon enough.

Speaking of “Soon Enough,” looks like Dallas Green (of Canadian post-hardcore dudes Alexisonfire) covered this tune. The vid’s crappy quality, but it sounds alright. I guess at this point I should remind you that the Cons have a new record coming out this year, which I can put on the short list of new releases I’m looking forward to: Breeders, Blood On the Wall, The Long Blondes, Oxford Collapse, and of course, the Constantines.

This event is a lot of fun — it’s like our own Zaireeka (kindofbutnotreally) and right up there with strange community ritual performances like the Mermaid Parade, Running of the Santas, and so on. So, don’t miss out. It’s BYOBB (Bring Your Own Boom Box), but I think they’ll have a couple loaners in case you show up without one.

A word of advice, inspired by the howling wind outside my window: “I went to ‘Unsilent Night’ and all I got was pneumonia because I failed to take into account the weather situation when dressing myself that morning” does not sound the least bit hilarious or cool if you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to explain why you’re sick, nor does it make for a vaguely funny t-shirt slogan. A human body loses most of its heat through the head, so whatever you do, at the very least, make sure to wear a hat.

Check the Accuweather forecast for tomorrow »

I think people are getting really stressed out about their “Best of 2007″ lists. Totally understandable — how exactly do you ordinate a year’s worth of experience? (If you’re anything like me and thought this year was a total wash, then it’s more difficult.) So I give you two choices to de-stress: WPRB DJ Jon Solomon’s “Enter Snowman” column or Crystal Vibrations. Both are win-win.