» If you were a captive audience on SEPTA last week, you might have stumbled upon a Metro article about Her Jazz.

» The ever-awesome Doree Shafrir wrote this hilarious piece on dating dealbreakers, featuring quotes from my pal [and PW writer] Maggie Serota.

» Picked up the new issue of _Philly Mag_. Before I go any further: I realize talking about the craptacularness of this mag is old hat and totes obvs but seriously, this “Best Of” shit is awful. A whole “Kids” category? Kill me, now. Please. [note: i happen to like kids, even though i was a crap babysitter in high school.]

» Martha Coolidge, why?! Well, ever since those two episodes of _Sex & the City_, I should have figured this was gonna happen.

» OK, music talk: *Antelope*. Is this what happens when you cross CCR guitar economics with post-punk? Maybe, maybe not but all I know is that I like listening to this song over and over again.

Antelope, “Game Over”

I mention them because they are touring, with Joe Lally of Fugazi of all things! Here’s some dates for you, and oh, buy their records:

09/11/06 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.). $8. 7:30pm All Ages.

09/12/06 New York, NY @ The Knitting Factory (74 Leonard St.). $8. 8pm All Ages.

09/13/06 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place (47 East Mohawk St.). $7. 9pm All Ages.

09/14/06 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom (15711 Waterloo Rd.). $7. 9pm All Ages.

09/15/06 Chicago, IL @ South Union Arts (1352 S. Union Ave.). $10. 9pm All Ages.

09/16/06 Dekalb, IL @ The House Cafe (263 E. Lincoln Highway). $6. 8pm All Ages.

09/17/06 Grand Rapids, MI @ Division Avenue Arts Collective (115 S. Division Ave.). $7. All Ages.

09/18/06 Detroit, MI @ Bohemian National Home (3009 Tillman St.). 9pm. All Ages.

09/19/06 Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Artworks (4931 Penn Ave.). $8. 8pm All Ages.

» Last things last: I realize that indie and punk rockers are not exactly the um, athletic types but I would like to play more tennis. James nonwithstanding ['cause he always plays with me], do any of you want to hit a few around? Who knows how long this weather will stick around!

So I started this Flickr group for live music photography in Philly called *Philly Live*. If you use the site, or know someone who takes photos a shows, join up. I’d really like it to get off the ground but it needs more contributions by more people. So pass this message around, tell your friends, etc…

looks like my contribution to one louder’s jukebox jury is up!

» as you can see, housework was afoot here at the her jazz/plain parade think tank.

» instead of my usual friday night plans [ie, stay home], my friend lisa was in town so i gussied myself up and headed downtown to the khyber.

if i havent said it before, i love living in west philly because of the ample mass transit options available to us, even past midnight. so i got on the 42 and sat in front of a group of urban youths. before i go any further, if you’ve seen me lately you know my winter look can be best described with the following equation: this + this = crazy lady.

these youths must have sensed the inner hotness because they tried to holler at me. i sat there, playing a game on my cellphone and then one of them sat down next to me. seriously, WTF? he wasn’t even 18! on a bus! so i got up and moved.

» but the weirdness doesnt stop there. at the khyber, during ester drangs set, this one kid appeared to begin moshing. i thought, “well, brooding post-punk isnt moshworthy, but eh, to each their own.” not even a second later, the kid falls backward, like a gigantic tree. as i watched him go down, i knew this was serious. seizure? drugs? i dont know but i ran to the bar to get help. the staff got him outside but he disappeared into the ether. wherever he is, i hope he’s alright.

the band wasn’t entirely sure what was going on but continued to play. the room began to trickle out. strange vibes in that space, indeed.

» as i’ve mentioned before, in addition to appearing on a panel at sxsw this year, im covering the festival for a site. you can read all my previews [and forthcoming reviews] here. the site’s got some neat features, so check it out.

» considering that indie rock is pretty much synonymous with “selling out” and “farm team to major labels”, its moments like this that make me proud. amazing to think that hummer would ask to lease a song from a band where its leader works for the world wildlife federation. who said indie rock killed irony dead?

» plain parade had another totes increds show this past friday night at the m-room. big thumbs up to the eames era, whose final song was a rosebuds cover. the whole night was a non-stop love buzz that made its way over to party central — uh, i mean the walker lundee house — into the wee hours of the morning. unfortunately, i am getting old and lame and felt like crawling into bed before sunrise, so i went home on the early side.

» saturday i caught belong at the khyber with sir blackmail. you know, i cant tell if im too stupid or smart for this art school bullshit sometimes. belong was one of those droney noise duos who play in the dark with video projections, except the video projections were of other rock bands. [yardbirds? i thought i spotted a young eric clapton in the footage.] SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE FUCK? i guess you could say, “well, thats what makes them so punk/etc” and i totally disagree. they’re not subverting any ideas of how a band should perform, i think they’re being downright cowardly and reveling in their lack of talent. since ive been suffering through an ear ache [and i feel an odd twinge in my eye, which i pray is not a resurgence of conjunctivitis], i left early with jt, missing out on stevenwardjames, even though he so politely welcomed us into the khyber. i feel like a jerk for missing his set, along with plain parade’s steady boyfriends, dragon city.

» back at jt’s house, we watched the end of heathers with the missus. i havent watched this in ages — i had forgotten how beautifully the scenes are shot, like bill eggleston on meth.

» HELP. i cant stop listening to ELO’s “evil woman”. i thought i got over my obsession this fall but its taken hold of me like a chronic disease. [that said, i cant wait to hear mike mcgonigal's paper on the band at emp this year.] its the string arrangements in the second and third verses, a counter-melody to jeff lynne’s lyrics, purring and coaxing like no other, building up in a crescendo until they “leave on the very next train”. yeah, the break has some orchestral pyrotechnics happening too, but that’s kinda obvious. [not that it isn't fingerpointingly great, its just a given for lynne to be so damned dramatic in that part.] also to note: “evil woman” and “showdown” start with the same exact string intro. i just realized why they’re some of my favorites.

» speaking of emp, tenatively this is my panel:

Sat 4/2
4 – 5: 45 PM
Life of the Party

CHRISTINE BACAREZA BALANCE, “Guilty Pleasures: The Affective Charge of Karaoke”

YUKA HASEGAWA, “Practices of Fandom and Connecting ‘Japanese’ in a Social Networking Website Mixi”

MARIA TESSA SCIARRINO, “Lost in Translation: Musical Selection In Figure Skating”

HOPE MUNRO SMITH, “What Happens in the Party Stays in the Party: Exploring the Guilty Pleasures in Caribbean Popular Music”

why is my rock jock piece on essentially a karaoke panel? damned if i know but hey, cool!

»saturday i also spent my entire day at the library, writing eight skillion previews of bands people should see at SXSW. ill let you know where you can read these but in the meantime…

Kiss Me Deadly
Page France
Castanets
The Dansettes
Love of Diagrams
Jad Fair
Peelander-Z
Pidgeon
Lesbians on Ecstasy
The Weird Weeds
Low Skies
Octopus Project
Make A Rising
The Plimsouls
Capitol Years
The Whigs
Midnite Snake
Jai Alai Savant
Annie
Hockey Night
Nethers
The Zutons
National Eye
The Plastic Constellations
Celebration
Lion Fever
Oxford Collapse
The Teeth
Man Man
Super XX Man
The Fiery Furnaces
Hidden Cameras
Palaxy Tracks
Part Chimp
Blowfly
Black Lipstick
dEUS
Rhys Chatham
Spoon
Scout Niblett
Lifetime
Chunklet / Monitor / Buddyhead Party
Peek-A-Boo Records Party
Pitchfork Party
Merge / Sub Pop Records Party
Clockcleaner
Kinky Friedman
Bettye Lavette
Harry Shearer’s “Le Show Live”
Polysics
Jenny Hoyston
Mike Wexler
Pattern Is Movement
Sally Crewe & The Sudden Moves
Sharron Kraus & Christian Kiefer
Zolar X
Jack Rose
Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey
Antietam
Hey Willpower
The Foxymorons
The Spinto Band
Witch
Archie Bell
Arthur Magazine Party
Jelly NYC / Southpaw Party
KOOP Radio Party
Porchlight Pop Fest
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs
White Whale
Willie Nelson
Annie Hayden
Notekillers
Magneta Lane
The Joggers
Channel 3
Superchunk
Zombi
I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness
Happy Flowers
ill ease
Kid Congo Powers & the Pink Monkey Birds
Jon Auer
Turbonegro
We Are Scientists

…my proposal for emp was accepted.

i’m in this week’s issue of the penn current, the faculty & staff paper here at penn. have i ever mentioned my second love, goofing off in front of the camera? if it werent for these cursed genetics, id make a great model!

thanks, jonathan valania! philly, i have you in the palm of my hand. a hand which has very, very long fingers.

fluxblog’s got a track from the forthcoming delta 5 reissue, which you might recall i did the packaging for.

Run, Runner are Adam from TRB and Dave from Trouble Everyday [the non-drama queen one]. Grammar Debate! are a pleasant collection of friends, including one Carolynne McNeel, whom I played with in Rock Lotto and who contributed a track to the Plain Parade compilation.

I’ll be playing records in between sets. The show is free — I promise it will be a good time!