Do you ever have moments where you feel like you’re living someone else’s life? Ever since I got this new job that’s basically all I ever feel.

Case in point: last night I had to photograph Pearl Jam & Ted Leo at Madison Square Garden for Stereogum. No, that’s not the weird part (but, yeah, it is a total OppositeLand moment). Anyway, press photographers have to enter at a different entrance, and they are led through the concrete maze/bunker that is MSG. You ride up the same giant freight elevator they use for elephants in the circus, and they lead you through to the stage area, right past the VIP green rooms and all. You kind of feel like a rock star until someone hisses to another, “That’s the paparazzi,” and when you walk out the crowd boos you because you’re not the band. Did Robert Capa ever have to put up with this?

Last week I taped two interviews for Pop Recon — one with patternismovement that will air on Friday, another with Love Is All for a future episode. PIM were probably one of the best interviews I’ve taped. Dudes were funny, talkative and smart. More bands should follow their lead.

Those that know me well know I don’t like to dine out, but I recently went to the new Eric Ripert restaurant, 10 Arts. (I grew up in a restaurant, so the thought of having to pay someone to cook my food seems totally preposterous.) But if I’m going to dine, I will do it right — and 10 Arts is definitely a good way to go. The combination of local and upscale stuff was just right. I was amazed at the grand size of the portion; I typically don’t expect it at these kinds of places. I felt full after the wild boar prosciutto appetizer, and by the time my main course was done, I couldn’t do dessert at all. (I tried a bit of my friend’s, and the mini beignets were delish.) Moreover, and more importantly, the service was top-notch. We were seated promptly at our reservation time and our servers were totally attentive. If I have that sort of cash to drop again (hello early birthday present!), I’d totally do it again.

Alright, that’s it for this episode of Watch the Names Drop! I’ve been your host, Maria T.

06-19-2008 | WPRB 103.3 FM | 1800-2000
———————————–
chuck wilder - the clown - eccentric soul: the tragar & note labels - N
vivian girls - wild eyes - 7″ - N
spinanes - fame & fortune - sunday ep
robyn - bum like you - robyn - N
fink - blueberry pancakes - distance and time - N
gogogoairheart - hypnotized - 90 day men / gogogoairheart split ep
dos - heartbeat - numero do ep
holy rollers - in the here - cringer / holy rollers split 7″
the nervebreakers - my girlfriend is a rock - we want everything!
———————————–
ESG - dance - come away with…
solex - randy costanza - pick up
sons & daughters - johnny cash - love the cup
the black angels - deer-ree-shee - directions to see a ghost - N
helium - love $$$ - pirate prude
———————————–
tickley feather - fancy walking - tickley feather - N
crystal stilts - crippled croon - crystal stilts
spoon - believing is art - girls can tell
the lines - nerve pylon - memory span - N
durutti column - sketch for summer - valuable passages
blonde redhead - spring & summer by fall - 23 - R
les savy fav - bloom on demand - go forth - R
———————————–
the 3Ds - beautiful things - 7″
long blondes - the couples - couples - N R
kitty wells - your wild life’s gonna get you down - golden favorites
the white animals - seasons change - 7″
the replacements - kiss me on the bus - tim
avengers - american in me - the american in me
mingering mike - gotta get back to the real thing - super gold greatest hits - N

This morning, on the way to work, I spotted this lovely gem of a display in the window of a J Crew store. If I had a dick, it would probably shrivel merely thinking of this. In a previous life I would have spent plenty of time writing down all the reasons this is just so W-R-O-N-G.

Ahem, anyway. I was all down in the dumps until Mingering Mike’s Solid Gold Greatest Hits (eMusic) landed on my desk. I take forever when reviewing records for the station, but I’m pretty certain this is the album I reviewed the fastest. Seriously, an hour, tops. And now my life is all the better for hearing Mingering Mike. Yours will be too after you buy this. Or, you can just spend your day requesting this at WPRB.

flin flon - trafalgar - dixie
sloan - witch’s wand - parallel play - N
chris knox - citric acid - croaker
the modernettes - little girls - get it straight
crispy ambulance - lucifer rising - the powder blind dream
————————————
portishead - nylon smile - third - N
lida husik - strawberries are growing in my garden - joyride
santogold - i’m a lady - santogold - N
deee-lite - esp (yee yee radio mix) - 12″
no age - here should be home - nouns - N
lorelei - today’s shrug - everyone must touch the stove
the missing links - you’re driving me insane - nuggets II
————————————
dead milkmen - tiny town - death rides a pale cow
welfare mothers - long brown hair - 7″ - N
the toms - i wanna (be a teen again) - prefill
medicine - baby doll - buried life
galaxie 500 - parking lot - today - R
mexico 70 - drug is the love - wonderful life ep
love of diagrams - trouble - mosaic
some velvet sidewalk - curiosity - international pop underground convention
————————————
electrelane - i’m on fire - on parade
18th dye - glass house failure - tribute to a bus
the war on drugs - arms like boulders - wagonwheel blues - N
————————————
lung leg - anatomy of a dolly bird - hello sir
look blue go purple - safety in crosswords - bewitched
valet - my volcano - blood is clean - N

Oh my fucking god. While I am quite a bit on the air these days, it’s one thing to do your shifts but a completely different thing to do yours and those of the folks who never showed up to the station. Even in writing that last sentence, I feel a twinge of the insanity from last week.

I know, this is such a first world problem! “Waaah, I got to spend ~20 hours on one of the best independent stations around!” But see, when you are doing show after show after show after show after show, your ability to put together interesting playlists goes right out the window. Then you’re just reduced to playing Bo Diddley surf albums, and that can’t be good for anyone.

Whining aside, all this airtime caused me to strain my vocal cords. Last Friday, as I was wrapping up the Top Ten show, I felt a pulling in my throat. This wasn’t the scratchy pain brought on by colds or allergies, this was something else. It hurt in a bad way. There was only one thing I could do: put on the record that had been barely within my reach all week (Chatham’s Die Donnergotter) and get the heck outta Dodge.

I wound up “convalescing” at Sandy Hook, which is probably the best beach ever, and within minutes of my door. It was ridiculously hot but at Sandy Hook, it was difficult to tell with the perfect sea breeze. Screw “the shore,” all those corny notions of “boardwalks” and whatnot — this place makes you forget you’re in New Jersey. Because no self-respecting staycationer would actually want to be reminded of where they are, nahmean?

05-28-2008 | 1900-0000 | WPRB 103.3 FM
——————————-
helen love - summer pop radio - radio hits
east river pipe - make a deal with the city - goodbye california
constantines - new king - kensington heights - N
further - surfing pointers - 7″
big dipper - faither healer - suprecluster - N
L7 - pretend we’re dead - bricks are heavy
mudhoney - chain that door - superfuzz bigmuff - N
as mercenarias - policia - nao wave
——————————-
ben lee - pop queen - grandpaw would
long blondes - the couples - couples - N
pullover - tiny tears - a gift from sing-sing
public record - mermaid’s purse - public record
della reese - compared to what - soul gospel
——————————-
betty wright - mr lucky - outskirts of deep city - N
jamaica girls - rock the beat - big apple rappin’
pink skull - get inside - zeppelin 3 - N
laddio bollocko - nurser - the life and times of laddio bolocko
black taj - cold comfort - beyonder
shale - arkham - lie
the nymphets - bekki anne - 7″ - N
——————————-
yelle - les femmes - pop-up - N
goldfrapp - caravan girl - seventh tree - N
M83 - skin of the night - saturdays=youth - N
sonic youth - schizophrenia - sister - R
——————————-
caribbean - bees, their vision and language - populations
sri mersing - pimp rubiah - folk & pop sounds of sumatra vol 1
tullycraft - pop songs your new boyfriend’s too stupid to know about - the long secret
beex - beat beat - teenline #106
judy nylon - jailhouse rock - new york noise vol 3
patternismovement - peach trees - all together - N
magik markers - taste - BOSS - N
marilyn mattson - he means so much to me - girls in the garage vol 8
——————————-
circles - get down! - weighs a ton - N
don cherry - elephantasy - live at cafe montmartre 1968 vol 2 - N
rhys chatham - guitar trio - a rhys chatham compendium
notekillers - the zipper - live on WPRB 10/26/04
the wipers - D-7 - is this real?
——————————-
the skydrops - green to red - live on WPRB 12/5/06 - R
the music improvisaton company - untitled no 1 - the music improvisaton company
——————————-
sonic youth - agnes b musique - SYR 7 - N
sonic youth - slaapkamers met slagroom - SYR 2
——————————-
karlheinz stockhausen - kontakte - kontakte
juliana hatfield three - my sister - become what you are
can - yoo doo right - monster movie
no age - things i did when i was dead - nouns - N
neil young - old man - harvest
——————————-
motorhead - ace of spades - no remorse
AC/DC - rock’n'roll ain’t noise pollution - back in black
[END OF BROADCAST DAY]

05-29-2008 | 1800-2000 | WPRB 103.3 FM
The keyboard’s “B” button stopped working. I thought about fixing these, but it’s funnier this way.
——————————-
lush - nothing natural - lack spring EP
——————————-
tut tut - pins on your purse - heart goes nine
tiger trap - don’t ask - sour grass
lois - danger uxb - strumpet
tyvek - give it up - 7″ - N
love tractor - buy me a million dollars - love tractor
samara lubelski - tasting the candy - parallel suns - N
valet - fire - naked acid - N
——————————-
a place to _ury strangers - to fix the gash in your head - a place to _ury strangers - N
amon duul II - archangel’s thunder_ird - yeti
loop - pulse - fade out
crush the junta - sunset - the disappeared - N
autoclave - summer - autoclave
the dirt_om_s - i hear the sirens - we have you surrounded - N
witch - eye - paralyzed - N
AC/DC - _ack in _lack - _ack in _lack
the gun clu_ - no_ody’s city - _reaking hands 12″
——————————-
pu_lic record - heavy ornament - pu_lic record
wye oak - i don’t feel young - if children - N
heavenly - P.U.N.K. girl - P.U.N.K. girl
rainy day - i’ll keep it with mine - rainy day
kim carnes - when i’m away from you - mistaken identity
gal costa - cultura e civilzacao - gal costa
norman greenbaum - skyline - spirit in the sky
——————————-
vivien goldman - launderette - disco not disco vol 3
cut copy - no_ody lost, no_ody found - in ghost colours - N
daft punk - rollin’ and scratchin’ - homework
quango quango - love tempo (remix) - disco not disco vol 3
——————————-
miaow - when it all comes down - 12″
tom tom club - genius of love - funky nassau: the compass point story 1980-1986
the untouchable machine shop - machine shop, part 1 - express yourself
neutral mute - doo right - roc-sac
neu - fur immer - 2
new order - blue monday - 12″
——————————-
glenn branca - the acension - the acension

06-02-2008 | 1000-1400 | WPRB 103.3 FM
——————————-
charlie parker - i’ll remember/52nd street theme - one night in birdland
——————————-
peter brotzmann & peeter uuskyla - dead and useless - born broke - N
oliver nelson - stolen moments - the blues and the abstract truth
micro-east collective - out of my face - out of my face
——————————-
phill niblock - 5 more string quartets / early winter
——————————-
bo diddley - bo diddley - his best
bo diddley - i’m a man - his best
bo diddley - you dont love me - his best
bo diddley - diddley daddy - his best
bo diddley - pretty thing - his best
——————————-
bo diddley - bring it to jerome - his best
bo diddley - who do you love? - his best
bo diddley - hey bo diddley - his best
bo diddley - mona (a/k/a i need you baby) - his best
——————————-
bo diddley - before you accuse me - his best
bo diddley - say man - his best
bo diddley - dearest darling - his best
bo diddley - crackin’ up - his best
——————————-
bo diddley - the story of bo diddley - his best
bo diddley - road runner - his best
bo diddley - pills - his best
bo diddley - i can tell - his best
bo diddley - you can’t judge a book by it’s cover - his best
bo diddley - ooh baby - his best
——————————-
bo diddley - what did i say - surfin’ with bo diddley
bo diddley - white silver sands - surfin’ with bo diddley
bo diddley - surfboard cha cha - surfin’ with bo diddley
bo diddley - surf, sink or swim - surfin’ with bo diddley
bo diddley - piggy back surfers - surfin’ with bo diddley
bo diddley - surfers love call - surfin’ with bo diddley
——————————-
bo diddley - twisting waves - surfin’ with bo diddley
bo diddley - wishy washy - surfin’ with bo diddley
bo diddley - hucklebuck - surfin’
bo diddley - old man river - surfin’ with bo diddley

06-04-2008 | 1900-2100 | WPRB 103.3 FM
Special guest: Herbie S
——————————-
portastatic - baby - del mel de melao
——————————-
os brazoes - tao longe de mim - love peace & poetry: brazilian psychedelic music
grace slick & the great society - white rabbit - psychedelic dream
the fans - true - squares blot out the sun
the triffids - mgm - beyond the southern cross
——————————-
boris - no ones grieves - smile - N
testors - it’s onyl death - complete recordings 1976-1979
heavenly - lemonhead boy - heavenly vs. satan - R
wilco - sky blue sky - sky blue sky - R
clinic - shopping bag - do it! - N
ill ease - new york london paris tokyo milan - all systems a go-go - N
——————————-
polvo - tilebreaker - today’s active lifestyles
redd kross - linda blair - born innocent
built to spill - joyride - the normal years - R
cateano veloso - atrasw do trio eletrico - a arte de caetano veloso
mike rep & the quotas - fade away - stupor hiatus vol 2
macitajs on acid - saikadelik - 7″
earth - hung from the moon - the bee made honey in the lion’s skull - N
——————————-
comix - touche pas mon sexe - bippp - N
freddie mas - pillar - 7″ - N
orchestral manoeuvres in the dark - telegraph - dazzle ships
for against - friendly fires - shade side sunny side - N
the gizmos - the midwest can be alright - red snerts
——————————-
the chills - satin doll - kaleidoscope world
unrest - ufo - 7″
erotic drum band - plug me to death - 12″
john holt - the further you look - trojan’s greatest hits vol 3
the dave pike set - el-die-bie! - dutch rare groove
artanker convoy - charms - live on WPRB 8/30/04
——————————-
fontana - you’re obscene - 7″ - N
original sins - higher - self destruct
hearts of animals - underwater staggie - 7″ - R
wire - 12XU - pink flag
au pairs - we’re so cool - playing in a different sex
orange juice - falling and laughing - the heather’s on fire
——————————-
ut - tell it - new york noise

06-05-2008 | 1800-2000 | WPRB 103.3 FM
——————————-
violent femmes - crazy - 12″ - N
——————————-
the long blondes - separated by motorways - someone to drive you home
suagr - gee angel - file under easy listening
black eyes - scrapes and scratches - cough - R
most secret method - inch - split 10″ w/ the dusters
dahlia seed - milk - split 7″ w/ greyhound
effi briest - mirror rim - 45s mix #5 - N
henry’s dress - you killed a boy for me - henry’s dress
marcellus hall - i was sleeping - i like walt 7″
——————————-
jeffrey lewis - do they owe us a living - 12 crass songs - N
pepi ginsberg - the contortionist - red - N
21-645 - babble - laughing at the ground 7″
the cannanes - go and tell it to your father - caveat emptor
guided by voices - game of pricks - tigerbomb 7″ - R
the lapse - people wouldn’t shoot up if it didn’t feel good - betrayal
black tambourine - we can’t be friends - one last wish
lilys - ginger - a brief history of amazing letdowns
——————————-
his name is alive - *C*A*T*S* - detrola
lo-hi - runaround - say it more
a number of names - sharevari - disco not disco volume 3 - N
unrest - corpse pose - repetition - R
omega circo - gracias por haber venido - 7″
——————————-
nirvana - return of the rat - eight songs for greg sage and the wipers
solace - hammerhead - hammerhead 10″ - N
larsen - akin - rever
the kills - last day of magic - midnight boom - N
public record - mermaid’s purse - public record - N
——————————-
solace - hammerhead - hammerhead 10″ - N - R

» Her Jazz, Thursdays 6-8 PM ET: The prodigal daughter returns.

» Top Ten Show, Fridays 6 PM ET: Running through our weekly charts, and trying not to swear at the sight of all that motherfucking blog rock.

» Pop Recon, Fridays 7PM ET (Last Fridays ONLY): Music interviews and more. BTW, Pop Recon is now in podcast form. Do it up.

I’m also temporarily covering for Jon Solomon (Wednesdays, 7PM ET) for a couple weeks. Let us hope this does not become a regular occurrence.

For those of you who want to pitch me stuff for Pop Recon, there’s contact info on the WPRB archive page.

I have managed to squander the last 2 weeks and accomplished nothing. This is OK, because it’s what I intended to do, and it was totally deserved since I was (a) moving out of my apartment, (b) leaving my job, and (c) trying to make it through the end of the semester in one piece.

Here I am now, ready to tend to The Business of Fun. That new No Age album is quite possibly the greatest tribute to Further, like, ever. And please, take that as I exactly intend it to be — a compliment of the highest order. If you don’t believe me, watch the video below. (I admit that I am wrong about many things, but 1990s indie rock ain’t one of them.)

1. Please take a look at this blog and my radio show playlists. If your music doesn’t fit, don’t submit. It’s a waste of time (yours and mine) to send something that will never appeal to me.

2. I prefer vinyl and mp3’s, in that order. Don’t send me CD’s — I haven’t owned a CD player in over a year.

3. I have never bought the line about how “your friend” told you about some amazing band. I get it — you’re a marketing rep/intern/publicist/whatever. In fact, I prefer full disclosure of this stuff.

DISCLAIMER: Recording telephone conversations without consent is considered illegal, and you should brush up on what the law has to say about it. I am providing this information for journalists, not for psychopaths. On the flipside, if you think you have been the victim of wiretapping and/or eavesdropping, know your rights.

What You’ll Need:

1 iPhone (LOL)
1 Recording unit [1]
1 headphone adapter w/ mic function [2]
1 headphone splitter [3]
1 set of headphones
1 1/8″ male-to-male cable [4]

NOTES:
[1] I have a Marantz deck, but anything that allows you to record from a line-in will do. In this photograph, I hooked up an iMic so that I could tape directly to my computer. If you are recording to a computer, make sure you have recording software like Audacity (boo) or Garageband (hiss).
[2] Mine is a Phillips brand one that I got for 15$ at Target.
[3] The headphones I own came with a splitter.
[4] As you can see in the photograph, I put two 1/8″ RCA male and female cables together.

Directions

Hook up everything together like this:

Recording unit
|
Stereo/Mono cable
|
Headphone Y-Splitter –> Headphones
|
iPhone headphone adapter
|
iPhone

The following image should be useful:

You’re good to go! In my first version of this, I had the splitter come before the microphone attachment, and lost my side of the interview completely. So it’s important to send the mic attachment first before splitting the audio.

Anyway, though I found that the person on the other end sounded great on the recording, I didn’t. I guess that’s the small price one has to pay for portability, but I need to tape things that are broadcast-ready, so I devised this workaround:

In this version, everything to tape the interview is the same, except that I additionally tape my end of the conversation on a separate machine. All I need to do is match them up in post-production (not to mention all the usual editing, EQing, etc.).

If you have any suggestions or comments — heck, if you have an easier way of doing it — let me know.

Pop Recon returns to WPRB this Friday 4/25 at 7:00 PM ET with two archive interviews featuring ANTIETAM and SCRAWL.

These interviews have been transferred from the original reel-to-reels, and mostly likely, unheard since their original broadcasts. I hope you’ll tune in for these great, rare interviews and music from the artists.

Tune in! 103.3 FM on your radio dial, or visit WPRB on the Internet at http://www.wprb.com/

» Louisville, KY transplants ANTIETAM formed in 1984 — on the day of the Kentucky Derby, as the story goes. The group released a string of records on Homestead and Triple X, then quietly hung up their hats to focus on other projects. Antietam has recently regrouped and their new album, “Opus Mixtum,” is out now on Carrot Top.

This interview, taped in March 1990, catches the band right around the release of “Burgoo” (Triple X).

» Tough and noisy, Ohio rockers SCRAWL might have defined a lot of riot grrrl’s characteristics without knowing it. The group raged their way through seven albums for Rough Trade, Simple Machines, and Elektra. Though they called it quits in 1998, the group’s recording sound just as fresh as they did nearly twenty years ago.

The interview was taped in January 1990 at the Elm Club on the Princeton University campus, shortly before their show with Love Child. Needless to say, if I could devise a time traveling machine I would certainly go back to see this one.

ABOUT POP RECON
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pop-Recon/8493783673
Pop Recon is a monthly arts & culture series on WPRB. Pop Recon features new, on-the-scene interviews with musicians, writers, and more, and mixes them up with rare interviews unearthed from the station’s vault. Like the title suggests, Pop Recon seeks to take an in-depth look at the world of popular music.

Pop Recon is produced and hosted by WPRB’s Maria T (from the radio program Her Jazz), and is broadcast on WPRB the last Friday of the month at 7:00 p.m. ET. In addition to the broadcast, Pop Recon’s archive will be available for download via podcast. Pop Recon is WPRB’s first foray into the world of podcasting.

ABOUT WPRB
http://www.wprb.com/
Founded in 1940, WPRB is the oldest college FM radio station in the U.S.; it is a non-profit, independent organization operated by a staff of nearly 100 volunteer students and community members. WPRB can be heard on the airwaves throughout New Jersey and most of the Philadelphia metropolitan area by tuning into 103.3 FM or anywhere in the world via streaming audio at wprb.com or on iTunes radio.

Ever since I became a voter in PA, I have to say I am a little bummed that my polling place is, well, a little tame. The only difference between my PA and NJ voting locations is that my second grade teacher doesn’t sign me in and ask me if I’m still ice skating.

WPRB is covering the PA primaries tonight, beginning at 8PM EST. Can’t wait to check it out.

» The Constantines played Johnny Brenda’s on Sunday night and it was pretty fantastic. Sunday is a tough night for bands in this city, but there was a big crowd for the guys. Performance is the foundation of the Cons, so there wasn’t a dull moment on stage. I know a lot of folks aren’t crazy about Steve’s songs w/r/t the records, but they — and in this particular instance, thunderous and sprawling “Shower of Stones” — are perfectly tailored for live performance, appropriately linking the bands hardcore past with their current tastes. I was pretty psyched to hear stuff from the first album (”Arizona”, “Young Offenders,” “Steal This Sound” [? i think ?]), as well as their cover of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.”

» And in other news: I am in the process of moving out of my old apartment, dealing with the end of the school semester, and leaving my current job — all at once. (I believe these are what they call “Life Changes.”) Chances of me updating HJ in the next few weeks is pretty unlikely, but I’ll try.

The new Antietam album is quite fantastic.

Her Jazz 01-16-2008 | 07:00 - 10:00 PM | WPRB 103.3 FM (Princeton, NJ)
————————————————
the constantines - trans canada - kensington heights - N
lush - outdoor miner - for love
the strand - one more ring - seconds waiting
the fastbacks - impatience - 7″
julie peel - i believe in you - cinnamon girl - N C
sic alps - message from the law - description of the harbor - N
be your own pet - bummer time - get awkward - N
————————————————
del fuegos - i always call her back - 7″
monade - tout en tout est un - monstre comic - N
gordon withers - motorist - jawbox on cello - N
the thing - austere precautions - 10″
deception bay - ride - fortune days EP
external glands of secretion - run to me - northern exposure will be right back
breeders - night of joy - mountain battles - N
desk - astronauts - 7″
————————————————
pop recon: marc masters - interview - 3/9/08
the contortions - dish it out - no new york
teenage jesus & the jerks - burning rubber - teenage jesus & the jerks ep
pop recon: marc masters - interview - 3/9/08
mars - outside africa - mars
red transistor - not bite - 7″
pop recon: marc masters - interview - 3/9/08
dna - blonde redhead - a taste of dna
————————————————
dark day - nudes in the forest - new york noise vol 3 - C
antietam - i know - opus mixtum
blood on the wall - the ditch - liferz - N
helium - lucy - hole in the ground 7″
cause co-motion! - say what you feel - who’s gonna care 7″
the dentists - ugly - the dentists
cheveu - hot - cheveu - N
betty wright - mr lucky - eccentric soul: the outskirts of deep city - N C
————————————————
valet - fire - naked acid - N
grimble grumble - odyssey and oracle - grimble grumble 10″
magik markers - body rot - BOSS - N
unnatural helpers - heavy sugar - earwax EP - N
hearts of animals - lost in the translation - 7″ - N
————————————————
zumpano - let’s fight - goin’ through changes

The answer is Edison? Thanks to Maura for sending this!

I don’t want to say this is the perfect substitute for another Polvo album, because that would be downplaying Black Taj as a band. (It’s like if you dated someone and even though you broke up with said person, people would always use the ex as a point of reference. If it’s not kosher in our romantic lives, why is it acceptable to make similar comparisons when we’re talking about bands?)

But I digress. One of the strengths of Black Taj, I think, has been moving beyond what Polvo offered. Instead of western-tinged structures (which got super-indulgent and downright boring by Shapes), Black Taj shifts those trademark guitar riffs to classic rock. It winds up invoking the same fiery spark that put their previous band on the map in the first place. It’s not a throwback or a comeback, but rather staking out territory of its own.

Black Taj, “Fresh Air Traverse” (from Beyonder)
Pre-order the album here!
[Listen at Her Jazz]

Really. This image might top the dream I had about my friend Dominic booking a concert with Steely Dan, Jandek, and Robyn.

Because I don’t want to be The Ruiner™, You’ll have to click through to read the rest of this post.

If you followed my Twitter feed, you’ll know I waited for God-knows-how long to get inside the Zellerbach Theater (where they are taping CR for the week), and that I had to wait on another line once I was inside. Total wait time? Well over an hour. I probably would have had an easier time getting into Rachel Ray’s day party at SXSW.

Since they asked us to not use our phones and cameras during the taping, I couldn’t share anything in real-time. But here’s what I saw:

- DON’T BRING YOUR EXPLOSIVES, FIREARMS OR BOX CUTTERS. I mean really guys, leave ‘em at home for once. They will set off the metal detectors.
- The set is gorgeous, and complements the arcing nature of the CR set back in NYC.
- I enjoy the “Bill Cosby with pudding pop” homage in the background mural.
- What I wouldn’t give to have Ralph Archibald’s (aka, “Ben Franklin”) job. So much money for sitting in a chair onstage.
- Could Obama be tonight’s guest, rather than John Legend/etc? During the rehearsal they ran through an interview using his name.
- Stephen Colbert is just as funny in rehearsal as he is in the actual taping, especially since he gets to say “FUCK!”
- Rest assured, there will be some jokes you will cringe at.

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.

Trishy’s brother, Steve, runs Too Drunk To Blog, and it’s just as fun as the Dead Kennedys tune it references. Wii! Karaoke! Who needs to drink when you can do it vicariously through Steve?