music monkey

spread your tiny wings and fly away

2009-06-21T18:05:00.003-05:00

Things I didn't know about my dad until he died: he liked Anne Murray.

I know, I have no idea where I came from.

When we were planning the funeral music, my sister suggested we throw in some Anne Murray much to my confusion. We had put in a Patsy Cline song, one of Elvis' "religious" songs and ...Anne Murray? My family went on to tell me he used to love her. Thought she had a lovely voice and was very attractive. wtf? How did I not know ANY of this??

anyway, this is my tribute to my dad on Father's Day.

in totally unrelated news:
I'm starting Infinite Jest today as part of Infinite Summer. Don't expect to hear from me again until my birthday.

2009-06-08T15:47:00.006-05:00

I've volunteered at this event for the last three years. It's an excellent chance to check out work by local and regional artists. You can preview the vendors at http://www.indieanahandicraftexchange.com/

The INDIEana Handicraft Exchange summer show will be held from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, 2009 in conjunction with the Independent Music + Art Festival (IMAF) at the Harrison Center for the Arts, located at 1505 North Delaware Street, just north of downtown Indy. The event annually brings out a crowd of 5000+ folks. This year the IHE will feature 70+ vendors, a "Craft Mafia" gallery show sponsored by the Indy Craft Mafia, an outdoor textiles art installation, live music by Mandy Marie & the Cool Hand Lukes and Shirtless Biddles, and giveaways of many fantastic raffle prizes donated by our vendors and sponsors.

Admission into the fair is FREE to the public. Raffle tickets are sold for $2 each, three for $5 or 7 for $10. Patrons may obtain additional raffle tickets by bringing children's arts and craft supplies, or children's art books, for donation at the door the day of the event. Money made from raffle ticket sales is used to purchase arts and craft supplies for the Marion County Children's Guardian Home, as well as for select Indianapolis area public school art programs. Prizes for the raffle are donated by our vendors and local, independent business sponsors.

'Till I feel like myself again

2009-06-04T22:06:00.003-05:00

Brendan Benson announced on his myspace that his new solo album will be out the last week of August. This news makes me delighted as it's been too long since we've had anything from him sans Jack White. I loved Alternative to Love but Lapalco is probably my favorite. But really, he can do no wrong in my book.

A couple other upcoming albums I'm looking forward to:
* Regina Spektor - June 23
* Ok Go - summer 2009

In other news...
I've heard Phoenix twice in the last week, and both times it caused me to stop and ask "who is THIS?" I had a previous album of theirs, bu the new stuff is really impressing me.

Swim Until You Can't See Land

2009-06-02T08:56:00.003-05:00

new Frightened Rabbit? what? WHAT???

The people at Off the Beaten Tracks have given us three videos.
One off their first album (which is a fav on that album)
another is a Neutral Milk Hotel cover
and the third?

A NEW SONG

Holy cats do I love it! Such a tease of their new album.

There's also a photo collection of Scott in a garden in Scotland. And let's be honest, the fangirl in me swoooooooooned.

I'm checking 'em out Sunday at Pitchfork and then 2 days later I'll catch 'em in Detroit at the Magic Stick.

I keep thinking my enthusiasm for them will wane at some point, but it just gets bigger with time.

hey hey repeat repeat

2009-05-31T10:35:00.003-05:00

holy crap. digging on Cincinnati's The Seedy Seeds. Caught them last night at the Vollrath opening for Blind Pilot. While I went for the headliners, I think I came back a bigger fan of the opener. And a HUGE fan of the venue. A big YAY for Craig for helping Indy's scene.

The Seedy Seeds sound sort of like the Postal Service meets Tilly and the Wall (sans tapdancer). They rocked the kazoos onstage. And their myspace says they use penclicks as instruments. Definitely dancy. Definitely fun. Definitely a hit with the crowd.

You can hear them at their myspace page or download some demos at musicalfamilytree.

!!!

2009-05-29T06:01:00.002-05:00

2009-05-24T23:24:00.003-05:00

Jay Bennett died.

Been listening to some older Wilco lately
and this just stings.

I am trying to break your heart

2009-05-13T22:50:00.004-05:00

I wouldn't call myself a hardcore Wilco fan by any means. I vaguely remembered their album was due out soon, but wasn't waiting until I was updated by Twitter when the album leaked. But when I heard they were streaming the new album on their site, I was definitely eager to hear the new stuff.

I gotta admit it. I dig it. Reminds me at times of Summerteeth era Wilco, which to me is a good thing. Kind of wish now I was seeing them again this year. The last time I saw them was after Sky Blue Sky came out. And both Sky Blue Sky and A Ghost Is Born were not my favorite albums of theirs. So I'd be interested in seeing how they'd incorporate the new material in to their sets. Unfortunately, the closest show is in Cincinnati June 12.

Hey Chicago what do you say?

2009-05-03T22:23:00.004-05:00

I took the boy to see his first game at Wrigley Field this weekend. Admittedly I'm the baseball fan of the two of us. (He took me to my first Redwings game. I took him to his first Cubs game) I wanted to show him what I refer to as the happiest place on earth. And the Cubs won which made the experience even better.

As anyone who has been to Wrigley knows, after a Cubs win, Steve Goodman's "Go Cubs Go" blares through the speakers. The boy turned and stared at me with a hilarious look on his face. I laughed and asked what was wrong and he said "I didn't realize sports teams had theme songs."

I told him it was no worse than when I was at his cousin's wedding and sat in horror while listening to his Ohio relatives change the lyrics of "Hang on Sloopy" to the Ohio State fight song. Hoosiers don't spell out their state to the tune of old pop songs. How silly!

I then admitted something slight embarrassing. I totally had "Go Cubs Go" in my iPod. I hadn't thought much about it before that moment, but realized it was pretty nerdy to have it in there. When I got home this weekend, I realized that one song was not even the worst part. I have 5 different Cubs themed songs in there! Not including the standard baseball tune "Centerfield" by John Fogarty.

I could blame this guy for it all. But while he may have supplied the goods, he wasn't the one standing there singing like a fool after the win. The boy not only got to see a good game this weekend, but a whole different side of my dorkiness.

What a curious life we have found here tonight

2009-04-16T12:13:00.004-05:00

The AV Club has listed 25 great albums that should be listened to from start to finish. I mentioned previously that I was trying to get back in the habit of giving albums a thorough listen before I threw them in my iTunes and shuffled away. Perhaps this is a good starting point. I've already done some of these - even Zaireeka on four different cd players as it was meant to be. How many of these have you listened to from start to finish?

1. Frank Sinatra, Come Fly With Me (1958)
2. Cursive, Domestica (2000)
3. Hüsker Dü, Zen Arcade (1984)
4. Pink Floyd, The Wall (1979)
5. King Crimson, In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969)
6. Neutral Milk Hotel, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)
7. Deltron 3030, Deltron 3030 (2000)
8. Wyclef Jean, Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival Featuring The Refugee Allstars (1997)
9. The Flaming Lips, Zaireeka (1997)
10. Parenthetical Girls, Entanglements (2008)
11. Dr. Octagon, Dr. Octagonecologyst (1996)
12. Sufjan Stevens, Illinois (2005)
13. Catherine Wheel, Adam And Eve (1997)
14. Randy Newman, Good Old Boys (1974)
15. Queensrÿche, Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
16. Tom Waits, Franks Wild Years (1987)
17. Mike Watt, Contemplating The Engine Room (1997)
18. XTC, Skylarking (1986)
19. Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska (1982)
20. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Murder Ballads (1996)
21. Masta Ace, Disposable Arts (2001)
22. Willie Nelson, Phases And Stages (1974)
23. Prince Paul, Psychoanalysis: What Is It? (1996)
24. Drive-By Truckers, Southern Rock Opera (2001)
25. The Who, Quadrophenia (1973)

Top 10 artists of the week

2009-04-13T22:21:00.005-05:00

Been trying to get back in to listening to full albums. With having an iPod, I'm notorious for skipping songs and not giving them a proper listen. So I've been trying to listen to albums in full. I'm hoping it produces positive results. But I'll admit this week it was all about old favorites. The familiarity of Rilo Kiley's Execution of All Things and Andrew Bird's Armchair Apocrypha were a comfort this week.

Just treat me how you want to be treated

2009-04-10T15:18:00.004-05:00

There was this Facebook thing going around for awhile that I got tagged a half dozen times to do. I thought, screw that, I'll just put it here where my nerdier friends might appreciate it.

1) List the 10 best shows that you can think of and write a bit about why each was great.

1. Superdrag's last show at Exit/In Nashville
2. Flaming Lips at the Metro on NYE
3. Libertines @ Empty Bottle
4. Supergrass @ Metro
5. Moldy Peaches in Brooklyn @ the Red Hook

the top 5 are definitely in order. The rest are a few that I can remember off the top of my head
6. Black Keys @ Canopy Club
7. Frightened Rabbit @ Case Western
8. Ratatat @ Sonotheque
9. Ben Kweller @ DeKalb (with Adam Green)
10. Girl Talk @ Jakes

Superdrag @ Exit/IN - June 2003
I fell in love with Superdrag during my Phantom Planet years. And HOLY CRAP did they deliver. In retrospect, what a sad little sight to see them open for pp when they should have been headlining (same goes to OK Go who have obviously eclipsed the "California" rockers). But shortly after I began to appreciate John Davis and the boys, they decided the go on a "hiatus" which is usually code for breakup. So when I found out that they would be playing their last show at Exit/In in Nashville, my friends and I thought “why aren't we there? It's in our 8 hour driving radius. We're going!” I met up with other Superdag fans from North Carolina and Pennsylvania who had also driven in for the show. The set list was HUGE. The crowd was even bigger. By 2003, half the original lineup of Superdrag had moved on to other things. But Tom and Brandon came back for the final show, rocking out as if no time had passed. Mic Harrison and Sam Powers welcomed them in and gave the crowd what they were begging for. By far the best example of what happens when the band and the crowd combine and form an awesome team.

Flaming Lips @ Metro - 12.31.2002
I paid $75 to see a band I had very little knowledge about going in and came out a HUGE fan. My friend and I had met up with a couple people in line who had connections to get us in costumes. I declined as I wanted my first show of theirs to not be from the stage. But my friend Julia accepted and came out dressed as a unicorn. As I stood there front row, amazed at the glory that is G'pa Wayne and smiling like a fool, I got drenched in confetti and declared myself an official Lips fan. How could I not? I've had many an awesome Flaming Lips experiences (Lollapalooza, YMCA w/ Ben Kweller and Violent Femmes) but this one is special because it was my first.

Libertines @ Empty Bottle - Aug 2003
The only thing I wish would have been different about this show was I hoped that Crazy Pete Libertine would have been allowed to tour the States. Can you imagine that spectacle? HA! By far the sweatiest show I've ever walked away from. We stood front row and got pelted by rocking tunes. I have seen them twice since then and it never matched the experience of the first time. I remember lots of things from that evening - my friend's nonstop dancing to the political tirades from the Living Things, the pre-show stop at Filter for some crossword puzzling, declaring a long forgotten Dandy Warhols album as a really great one - but what I think I might remember most from that evening is the moment that Carl Barat took of his sweaty leather jacket, seducing us with his back dimples.

Supergrass @ Metro - March 2003
There was nothing implicately more important about this show than any others that I have seen. Other than I was taken aback by how much the crowd effin loved these guys. I would see that same enthusiasm a few months later at the Superdrag show, but I remember thinking THIS is why you join a band. You want to have that relationship with your fans that causes them to come out and sing every goddamn lyric from even the crappy albums. I suppose it was also significant as it was the first show I ever attended by myself.

Moldy Peaches @ Red Hook Brooklyn - Oct 2004
I used to have a very short list of bands I was desperate to see. I had the opportunity to see many of the acts I wanted to, but a handful of them eluded me. The Moldy Peaches were one of them. A band that was on permanent hiatus and I was CERTAIN I was never going to get to see them. Until they announced they were doing a benefit show for a local independent record store that supported them in their youth. PURELY coincidentally I already had vacation time planned during the show and I wasn't planning on doing anything. So my friend and I took off for Brooklyn - a mere 10-12 hour drive away. This was sort of the super secret show. I was living with someone at the time that made it impossible to hang out with other people alone. And when I got the chance, I surely had to sneak out of the house to do it. So when this show announced I was convinced there was no way I was going to get out of inviting this person to come along. Only the stars aligned and we were able to do it. Although we spent the entire show insisting we CANNOT tell her about this. AT ALL. Only to be outed on the internet when someone took a picture of Kimya Dawson with us in the background. Whoops. The show found us doing 16 year old freakouts in the bathroom, driving down Brooklyn streets the wrong way and nearly running over Steven Mertens of the band. We even befriended this chick from Iowa who later end up being part of Leslie and the Ly's. HILARIOUS

The top 5 were definitely in the proper order. But the bottom five are just some amazing shows I've seen over the years. I won't go in to as much detail for these

Black Keys @ High Dive - Dec 2005
Another show I attended by myself. This marks the first time I think I traveled a long distance to see a show alone. And man was it worth it. Especially to hear the guys play my favorite cover of "She Said, She Said"

Frightened Rabbit @ Case Western - Oct 2008
My new favorite band and by far my favorite album of the last couple years. It was my first time seeing them live (I got to see them do an accoustic instore earlier, but this was the real deal) There was a small crowd of dedicated fans and great company. Seeing the band twice in one day and getting my tattoo at the same time? A perfect way to replace a horrible reminder of what Oct 15 means to me.

Ratatat @ Sonotheque - September 2004
This was part of the birthday EP, if I remember correctly. Which was the extended celebration of my birthday. We hit Ratatat in two different cities and got recognized at both. I've had MANY a funny run in with Mike Stroud.

A) When we talked at the Abbey about his girlfriend who had been stalking me online

B) In DeKalb When I made him shrinky dinks and we had a long coversation about baked paper (clearly he was stoned out of his mind) and

C)Unsolicited hugs at the Empty Bottle. But I think him RATTING ME OUT by calling me by my SCREEN NAME takes the cake. Mike was trashed and nearly fell off stage a half dozen times during the show. My crew got shit faced that night and somehow I awoke with a ripped Ratatat poster between my boobs. A hilarious time, a great show to boot.

Ben Kweller @ DeKalb (with Adam Green) - Nov 2002
I mentioned it above, but BK was playing with Adam Green in DeKalb. It was a great show, even if I had to sit through Troubled Hubble to get to what I wanted. I've seen Ben Kweller probably 12-15 times over years, but his early days might have been my favorite. This was the night my friend's long lasting love of Adam Green was established and we got to hear an awesome cover of Kokomo by Adam and BK.

Girl Talk @ Jakes - Jan 2009
I realize I haven't seen a lot of awesome shows lately. Maybe I'm getting hardened. Maybe I'm seeing a lot of the same bands. Maybe music is changing. Who knows? But when I saw Girl Talk this year, he blew me away. I had missed Girl Talk once before and while disappointed, I wasn't too heart broken. And I was indifferent about going to this show at times. Despite going with myself and fighting off gross bugs at the venue, I was an unbelievable time. Who would have guessed a dude with a computer could produce that much effin energy.

2) Tell us about the first show you ever saw

My sister took me to see New Kids on the Block at Market Square Arena. I was so excited for it I didn't sleep for days. I kept hoping we'd pass their tour bus on the drive down or run in to them somewhere along the way. I even dressed up in my best clothes (which I would be HORRIFIED to wear these days) in hopes they might see me. I was a stupid 6th grader. ‘nuf said.

3) Tell us about your least favorite or most disappointing show
The White Stripes at the Aragon rank pretty high. First of all, it was at the Aragon. Secondly, the crowd was awful. Full of middle-aged men with their children who thought they were cool because they had heard about the White Stripes on Q101. Jack White actually scolded the crowd for being so quiet and unresponsive. Totally disappointing.

The more recent show was Gil Mantera's Party Dream. I had liked what the boy had given me, and he had hyped them up pretty bad. But man, was the show a HUGE disappointment. They had apparently changed their sound since their last album and tamed their live show quite a bit.

4) Tell us about the show you most regret missing.
I know this is probably lame, but probably Hot Hot Heat... at any of the numerous times I've missed them. I wanted to see them during the tour for the first album, not after no one cared about them. I also wish I had caught Franz Ferdinand when they played the Empty Bottle.

5) Tell us about the last great show you saw.
I talked about the last few ones above, so I'll go with Ed Harcourt at Schubas back in fall of 2008. He's a hard one to catch as he doesn't travel much here. I went in hoping to enjoy the songs I knew of his, but ended up being truly entertained by this piss-drunk Brit. A truly memorable show and I absolutely loved his stuff.

photo source

It overtakes me

2009-03-27T11:55:00.003-05:00

Two things that currently make me happy

* Flaming Lips confirmed for Sunday night of Pitchfork. Ticket already purchased. Happy little camper.

* The Daily Bunny. Not music related, but dammit it makes me happy to see it in my reader every day

I've been neglectful of this, as always. Been hanging with the boy. Making plans. Knitting baby blankets (not for me) However, I do have a few things on the horizon in the next month:

* State Bird in Akron
* Flight of the Conchords in Bloomington

Poor Ratatat got the shaft last weekend when too many things converged together and I had to bail on something. Next time, future husband, next time.

I gotta move while the streets ahead are sunny

2009-02-20T16:49:00.004-05:00

I was trying to figure out how many times I've seen Ben Kweller. Some where I have my master list of every show I've seen since about 2000 on. However, I don't have access to it right now. If memory serves me correctly, I've seen him more than a dozen times. I've watched him grow from playing to a semi-full house at Schubas to rocking Lollapalooza. And while I think there have been some misteps (I did not enjoy a lot of On My Way.) I think for the most part, I've loved every thing he's done.

Ben Kweller was one of those artists that I heard of via my Phantom Planet connections. And I was gobbling up Sha Sha the day it came out. Every last delightfully poppy morsel of it. And still today if I'm having a bad day, I'll throw in the album and my mood seems to just brighten. It's happy music. And dammit if Ben doesn't make me happy.

But on Ben Kweller's latest Changing Horses, he's opted to go in a more country direction. I'm sure this is influenced by his decision to return to his roots after moving back to Texas. But for me, Ben will always be the darling pop singer/songwriter who throws in a "bop bop" So to hear him sing about truck drivers with an extra twang in his voice just seems awkward. So I'm eager to hear his new material live tonight and make my decision. I'm curious to see how well he'll make transitions from songs like "Fallin" to "Launch Ramp" to "Gypsie Rose". But does it really matter? Ben's one of those artist where even if I don't agree with it, I'm still going to love it.

When I saw Ben at Lollapalooza a few years back, I was delightfully surprised by a text message that told me Mike Stroud of Ratatat would be playing with him on stage again. You don't think that's going to happen again in Bloomington tonight, do you? yeah, didn't think so either. frownies.

I used to win all the arguments when she felt inferior

2009-02-06T11:49:00.004-05:00

I was babysitting my nephew last night for a couple of hours when my sister called asking me to meet her somewhere to drop him off so they could go on to dinner with friends. So I threw the kiddo in the backseat and hopped in the car.

Now I'm all for awesome kid things. Like drinking copious amounts of apple juice while watching Powerpuff Girls together, painting everything with a thick layer of glitter and playing a rotating list of board games like Operation, Trouble and Candyland.

But I really REALLY get cranky if I'm forced to listen to kid music. I'm not sure where it comes from. But I have a very low threshold for that sort of things. When I as nannying for him when he was a baby, we'd listen to the Dora CD in the car. Or maybe Lori Birkner. It didn't matter. I'd get maybe a song or two in and I'm like, ugh, how can he like this??!

Over the last couple of years, I've tried super hard to get him interested in something more sophisticated*. Because as everyone knows 4 year olds should be listening to far more than Dora. hahaha However, what has resulted is his interest in the song "Menomena" from the Muppet Show (not bad) and showtunes (uh...). More specifically the musical Hairspray (um?)

So you can imagine my surprise when we got in the car last night and he suddenly took an interest in one of the songs from my iPod. Jonathon Richman's "The Girl Stands Up to Me Now" came on and I was sort of singing along under my breath, not paying attention to much else. When it finished, another tune came on and I started singing that one too when I heard an "AGAIN!" come from the backseat.

"What?"

"I wanna hear that again"

And so it went. We probably played that song 4 or 5 more times before I dropped him off. But you could tell he totally loved it.

So while I'm forced to listen to songs about Victor Vito and alligators on my head, I'll be delighted to know that there's some hope he'll grow up to like some awesome stuff. Now if I can just get him to stop singing "Shake shake shake. shake your booty"...

*When he was little, he did really well with words that started with B. Like "ball" or "baby" I tried SO HARD to get him to say "Bowie" but he was having none of that. =(

Now I'm free in parenthesis

2009-01-28T12:38:00.003-05:00

Last weekend* might have just been... perfect. Or the closest thing to it.

I'm afraid to speak too much about it for fear of jinxing it. Let's just say: Tater tot pizza! Cupcakes! Frightened Rabbit! FLOATING IN THE FORTH! Falling asleep on the couch together watching Iron Chef America. sigh. Simple pleasures.

There are moments that stick in your brain forever. A simple look, a genuine smile, an unexpected giggle, whatever. I had one of those moments this weekend and I wouldn't change it for the world. I'll thank Frightened Rabbit for part of my perfect weekend. But I'll credit the boy with the rest.

* I fully realize it's now Wednesday and my weekend ended 3 days ago. I've also been sick so suck it. Also, an FYI, I've now been told repeatedly that my sexy sick voice would be good for the phone sex industry. I'll leave you with that. haha

We're here to do two things. Eat pussy and chew bubblegum. And we're all out of bubblegum

2009-01-17T13:35:00.003-05:00

Holy shit was last night's show amazing. The sub zero temperatures surely didn't stop people from coming out and dancing their brains out at the Girl Talk show. I had heard the hype. I had heard he was worth the hype. But like hype, you always wonder "really? I should I buy into this?"

fuck yeah you should

Despite some technical difficulties, Girl Talk came out and made the sold-out crowd forget the frigid temps outside and sweat their asses off inside. Hearts of Darkness opened and it was clear the room was not having any of it. They were impatiently awaiting the headliner. Even Grand Buffet, who I LOVED was not doing it for some of the room. They wanted Girl Talk and they would simply take no substitutes.

and I have to say after seeing the show, I get it. Total dance party USA. While I'm not always the biggest fan of this sort of deal it was the perfect cure to my music blues as of late. Got me excited about going to shows again. Put that same stupid grin on my face that the Flaming Lips do. What a way to start off my year.

ps.
I never professed to being a photographer. That's as good as you get from my camera phone.

Frightened Rabbit late show 1/24 Empty Bottle

2009-01-09T20:24:00.001-05:00

I have one ticket for the Frightened Rabbit late show. My friend dicked around and didn't get a ticket before it sold out so we bought a set for the earlier show. Only now I have an extra ticket for the late show.

Here's the catch: I bought a will call ticket. Which means I have to sell the ticket and call and change the name on the will call list.

Here's the second catch: I am in Indianapolis right now. So the logistics of payment are slightly challenging, but I'm willing to work with people.

Midnight Organ Fight

2009-01-04T22:06:00.002-05:00

I like how it shows:
a) How freakish I was about Frightened Rabbit this year
b) How little I actually listened to music this year

I'm a little disturbed I actually listened to Phantom Planet that much this year
but everything else seems about on par.

2009 is about branching out.

This is how the modern stay scared

2008-12-31T13:34:00.005-05:00

This is the time of year when everyone puts together a list of their favorites or the best of the previous year. And I could do that. But it would consist of a single band. One single band grabbed me tightly this year and wouldn't let go. I fell in love with them. I fell in love to them.

Frightened Rabbit

Now I know I talked about when I first heard them. But since then, it's been unstoppable. By far, they are the band I listened to most this year. And not just by a small margin. I'd put their album on repeat on my iPod. My last.fm charts don't even cover it, as I have listen to their cds in my car and hit rewind to play a song over and over and over again.

It started with "Backwards Walk". And I slowly moved my obsessed to "The Twist" and then "Keep Yourself Warm" which is affectionately referred to between the boy and me as "The HOLE song" after my tipsy recollection of its title.

I first saw them play an intimate instore at Music Saves in Cleveland. I had just got done getting my first tattoo and then followed it up by an acoustic set by the brothers. Later that evening, I was got to see them perform at Case Western for free. I couldn't imagine a more perfect night on a more awful anniversary. A week later I traveled to Columbus to see them again. Had I had more time and money I would have followed them anywhere.

I think what has drawn me in is that the entire album is about relationships. Poor relationships. Deaths of relationships. Causal relationships. And I've been there. I am there. And every time I listen to their albums I find something else that I relate to.

Lately I've found myself listening to "The Modern Leper" on repeat and came to a sad realization about my current situation. You know you know someone who is the masochist who keeps coming back for more of the same shit. I feel like a 16-year-old-girl on her livejournal posting lyrics, but they're beautiful. So suck it.

And that is you in front of me
And you are back for even more of exactly the same
Well, are you a masochist to love a modern leper
On his last leg
And you are not ill
And I'm not dead
Doesn't that make us the perfect pair?
Just you and me
We'll start again
And you can tell me all about what you did today
What you did today

Frightened Rabbit make a return appearance to the area Jan 24 at the Empty Bottle. I've already got my ticket and the boy of course will be there.

My motto for 2009 has been change. But I will admit there's something somewhat comforting knowing that I'm starting the new year how I spent most of the old one. Even if it means I'm coming back for even more of exactly the same.

Always on my mind

2008-12-15T07:13:00.004-05:00

My friend has nudged me to get back into updating this thing. And I think it only fitting this be my first one back.

Back in 2000, I was living in a studio apartment in Bollingbrook, working as an intern at a crappy newspaper in the suburbs and trying to find my comfortable place between working and having a life. I was home one night, tv on in the background showing a forgettable show called Get Real. It was a show I had never seen before nor would watch again. But serendipitously, that show would change the course of my life.

There was a band performing on the show and I got excited when I saw it had the guy from the GAP commercials in it! The one I totally fancied! After the show was over, I promptly got online to try to figure out their name. Some band called Phantom Planet I saw they had an album out but couldn't find it anywhere so I ended up buying a promotional album off ebay. That night would set up a series of events I had no idea would happen.

I introduced my friend Julia to them who had already heard about them through Jason Schwartzman - who she loved in Rushmore. And that connection sealed a friendship for life. Who knew that one silly band would create so many friendships for me.

Because of Phantom Planet, I went to my first show at a bar (the Hideout!) that started at 11 (ELEVEN! Who goes out that late??!) I laugh to think how sheltered I was then. But because of them, I really found my own.

Through talking other pp fans, I made friends with a couple of local kids out in Wheaton who dug 'em as much as we did. I connected with kids in California, New York, Boston, Philly, Arkansas and Florida because of them. Those friendships are still around today, even if they aren't as strong as they used to be. I even lived with someone I met through being a fan.

I found myself flying to New York for my birthday to see the guys perform. It was less about the guys and the music at this point, and more about meeting the friends I had spent hours talking to via IM. Trust me, this was not the last stupid thing I found myself doing for them. I did some massively stupid shit for these guys (we're not even going to discuss my ill-planned, but HILARIOUS TRL appearance).

In 2003, the wave of hysteria passed. They were doing a final fan club only show out in LA and I felt it was time to close that chapter. So three days before I was set to move home for awhile and save some money (HA!), I flew to LA for less than 24 hours to see two back-to-back shows and bid them farewell.

In the last 5 years, I've really not thought much about the band. There have been additions and subtractions to the lineup and put out a couple of additional albums. But the magic wasn't really there for me. I'll admit. The music isn't that great. But it hit me at a perfect time in my life.

The band announced recently they were going to take an indefinite hiatus which is generally code for BREAKUP. They did a final show on Friday night at the Troubadour in LA, where they got their feet wet more than a decade ago. While I didn't feel the need to go see the show, I will admit I was a little sad. I kinda missed the excitement I got when going to one of their shows.

People have been posting photos and video and I'm sort of nostalgic for that period again. Below is a clip from their final show. I can't tell you how many times I've heard this song live. And every time, the 16 year old in me gets darn excited. If only I can find that pure enthusiasm for music again.

2008-09-06T15:43:00.002-05:00

Harrison Center hosts city’s premier contemporary crafting event

Indianapolis, Ind., July 24, 2008 – The Indieana Handicraft Exchange, Indianapolis’ premier contemporary crafting event, is pleased to announce a partnership with the Harrison Center for the Arts. The second annual Handicraft Exchange, scheduled to take place on Oct. 3-4, will feature live music, live roller girls and more than 45 artisans and crafters from the city, state, and beyond.

Far removed from your grandmother’s craft fair, the Handicraft Exchange is a bizarre bazaar, featuring handmade wooden rings, fanciful undergarments, custom vintage-inspired western wear, plush animals, hand-screened rock and roll poster art, and much more. The fair is free to the public and will open in conjunction with IDADA’s hugely popular First Friday event. Raffle tickets will be sold for $2 each for a chance to win prizes donated by vendors and event sponsors. Patrons are being asked to bring a children's art or craft book or supply for donation at the door. In return, they will receive an additional raffle ticket for each item. All patron donations and raffle proceeds will go to local public school art programs and the Marion County Children's Guardians Home.

For additional information on the Indieana Handicraft Exchange, vendor booth space, or event sponsorship opportunities, contact Amanda Mauer Taflinger.

Indieana Handicraft Exchange
Friday, October 3 - 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Saturday, October 4 - 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
@ The Harrison Center for the Arts
1505 North Delaware Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
http://www.harrisoncenter.org

CONTACT:
Amanda Mauer Taflinger
Indieana Handicraft Exchange
indieana_handicraft_exchange@yahoo.com
http://www.myspace.com/indy_bitchcraft

2008-09-03T05:38:00.001-05:00

I don't know how I feel about the song just yet
but I am a little more in love with Ben Gibbard after watching it

forever in blue jeans

2008-07-29T23:05:00.003-05:00

So I won a pair of tickets from Dodge over at My Old Kentucky Blog to see Neil Diamond (!!!) tonight. Everyone I asked to attend with me could hardly keep back the giggles long enough to tell me "no thanks". Well screw you, people. It was a good show! And my sister and I had a good time.

But that being said, turns out Neil Diamond got old. Real old. While fun, some of the songs were played at a much slower pace. "Cracklin' Rose", one of my favorites, was just slow enough to annoy the h out of me. And as the night wore on, Neil sorda stopped singing and just started... shouting the lyrics. At some point I think he even scared himself with his shouting as he pulled back away from the mic with surprised look on his face. I compared him to Johnny Cash. Johnny was one of those people who didn't really sing. He would just sort of talk to a melody. Neil just...shouted.

But don't get me wrong. It was fun. In a totally cheesy, ironic love sort of way. Way back in 2004 in a drunken karaoke night in a bar in Wicker Park, I, apparently, declared Neil Diamond my future husband. I wouldn't say in the sobering light of morning I would admit to that declaration, but I surely enjoyed seeing him tonight.

you're the shit and I'm knee deep in it

2008-07-27T09:48:00.003-05:00

There's something about Sunday mornings. Quiet. Peaceful. Reflective. More often than not, a little depressing. Depends on the weather, I tend to find myself putting on a something like Ryan Adams and laying around until I've got it out of my system and finally decide to get the eff up.

This lovely Sunday morning I discovered Frightened Rabbit. They were someone I had heard of here and there. Caught a video randomly one night on Subterranean. I rarely watch any sort of videos (be it on myspace/youtube/mtv/etc) so if something catches my eye, I definitely think they are worth seeking out.

And this time around it was. Their song "My Backwards Walk" is absolutely beautiful. I can't stop listening to it. The album is basically about the end of relationship. But this particular song just grabs me. With lines like this:

I’m working on erasing you
but I just don’t have the proper tools
I will get hammered, forget that you exist
but there’s no way I’m forgetting this

It seem so poignant right now. I've got a friend currently going through this very stage and it's so hard to see him - you, anyone - go through it. But we all do. And perhaps that's why this is so perfect. We've all been there.