Saturday night was nu-gaze blog hype du jour A Place To Bury Strangers at Pilam. If the system’s as bloated as folks claim, chances are this band’s next show in town will cost 15+ dollars — so five bucks is a paltry sum to get in on the ground floor. (Strange truth: the show was a benefit for breast cancer awareness/charities?)

OK, here’s one thing I don’t get: nu-gaze as a movement. Why are people talking like there’s some huge enormous shoegaze revival? It never left. Look at messageboards, the guitar pedal industry/racket, dance parties — people still get weak in the knees thinking about whammy bars and notes that quiver like a baby’s bottom lip. Maybe we were all too busy getting rad, covering up our shoegaze intentions with a pseudointerest in metal, or whatever that’s popular at this moment, but it’s been there all this time. I’m sure there’s some agenda-setting & cultivation theory I could cite here to explain why shoegaze has been suppressed, butyouknowwhatimtalkinaboutamirite?

APTBS were solid. They are not, despite Pitchfork’s claim, the loudest band in NYC. When I was younger, a concert caused me to lose my hearing for three days straight. I know loud. APTBS are loud, but entirely tolerable with earplugs. So chalk this up to a bunch of indie rockers being pussies. If they were such a thing, Pilam’s board would have gone up in flames after the first chord was struck. (Have you seen Pilam’s sound system? It makes Tritone’s PA look like the Wachovia Center. I think my shitty home stereo — which has only one working speaker — is more powerful.)

They also sound a whole lot like Loop. Yeah, Loop! That long-forgotten Creation band has been overlooked for too long; let’s make some Loop love happen folks. I mean, have you heard some of these “heavy” bands who get namedropped these days? All I ever hear — and what I loved last night — is loud, relentless, garage-drone-throb that was Loop. Loop, Loop, Loop.

But whatever. The band was not the highlight of my evening. It being “Greek Week” for the fraternities at Penn (yes, it’s weird to think of Pilam as one of those, but they are), every frat had party monitors at the door checking I.D.’s. Don’t ask why I went to crash another fraternity party with friends (watching a whole dancefloor of douchehammers fist pump along to “Stacy’s Mom” was penance enough, thank you; I have learned my lesson), but I did. The doorman would not believe my driver’s license was real, nor that I was 21. I’ve been cursed with looking young for my age, but seriously — SERIOUSLY FOLKS — I don’t look 18, 19, 20. I will just happily accept the ego boost and move along, thankyouverymuch.

This Saturday 11/3 I will get another shot at being 21 (forever?) when I DJ Pilam’s record release party for DFA artists Holy Ghost. Also on board are Dave P, the Broadzilla dudes, DJJJC and live musical act Murder Mystery. I know I’m the sore thumb on this bill, so screw the cocainesexjams†, my set’s gonna be a long distance dedication to that select segment of the audience who won’t get the special opportunity to make poorly-informed choices about their sexual partners. You’re my people. I promise to disappoint everyone else but you.

With that said, I think it will be a good time, it is BYOB and the Philafunk space is gorgeous. It’s a shame a piece of me dies every time I have to utter the venue’s name.

† with all due respect to Dave P that is. I mean, you don’t want me attempting c.s.j.; better leave it to the master, you know?

Just got this from the good folks at the Prometheus Project. It seems they’re putting on a public hearing with Stopbigmedia.com; FCC commissioners Adelstein and Copps will be present to hear your thoughts on the subject. So if you liked what you heard at yesterday’s meeting on the hill with Mac MacCaughan and others, now it’s your chance to participate — let your voice be heard!

Public Localism Hearing
at the Federal Communications Commission
Room TW-C305 following open commission meeting
FCC, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20554 (map)
Date: Wednesday, October 31
Time: 9am - 2pm

More details here; if you would like to hear Prometheus’ thoughts on media consolidation, visit their website.

Merge Records Mac McCaughan, among others, is at the Senate speaking on behalf of the future of radio today. Did you tune in? Thoughts?

Update: Damn, they were awfully quick about getting the archive & statements on the sites — not even 5 minutes after it was finished!

We all complained about the hierarchy of music writing — too few deciding for many — and depending on your perception blogs decimated and/or leveled the playing field. But there’s a world of difference between even ground and the riotous free-for-all feeling pervading that particular end of the business. I can’t help but wonder if the OiNK shutdown is like a virtual Gas-X, attempting to cut down on the bloat of the business.

While the rest of the world was buying into/perpetuating the indie rock culture industry, I spent my weekend in Burlington, Vermont. If one threw in more humidity, took away half the beards and added a bunch of good bands, I would have thought I was in Chapel Hill. Just kidding! It was gorgeous, simply gorgeous. And the weather they’re having is what all of us in the tri-state area (PA/NJ/NY) exactly need right now.

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SeanAgnew posted this on October 17th, 2007 @ 1:23:20 pm

okay - so that band THE BLACK KIDS - who less than 10 days ago were just a local young band from FL w/ a myspace page - well they got a great review on Pitchfork last week and today it’s reported that they are now being managed by The Arcade Fire and Bjork’s manager.

Totally Makes Sense

I feel like everyone is just throwing shit at the wall and just waiting to see what sticks

Who needs CMJ when you’ve got a messageboard? Hooray for careerist indie rock?

Found this quote from my journal about the very first radio show I ever did:

oh gosh, what a frightening experience of a radio show today. too many PSAs, not enough time to pick out records - but the rush! so good.

Today. 6-8PM. WPRB.com or 103.3 FM. Listen today and make a donation — support the good cause that is WPRB!

This Thursday 6-8PM EST, instead of being “on-air talent”, I’ll be DJing a show on WPRB. Very excited about this! If you missed out on donating today, you’ve got a second chance.

In addition to WPRB’s incredible pledge gifts, I have a specialty thank you for becoming a member: donate 103.30$, you can receive your very own custom “mixtape”. You specify the format (cassette/CD/mp3), I’ll provide 30 minutes of exclusively curated tunes… just for you.

» Fun Vampires interview with yrs truly is right here.

To borrow from the James McNew/Dump album, a plea for tenderness, folks: WPRB is quickly approaching on its inaugural membership drive, and please, I hope you’ll consider making a pledge.

Read on for details!

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