An email popped up via my Airborne Toxic Event google alerts this afternoon. The article, from MTV.com, was titled “Exclusive: Rachael Ray Plans Return To South By Southwest” – The Hold Steady and The Airborne Toxic Event being the first two rumoured bands invited to her event. For those of you who don’t know her (that includes me, not being a Food Network viewer, and not being able to cook either, apart from maybe fried eggs and steamed vegetables), she hosts a cooking show, and is apparently quite a celebrity. And an indie music fan. Which should be fine, right? I mean, I like hanging out in skanky clubs listening to bands, and I also enjoy bird watching. But for some reason, she caused quite a stir when last year, she hosted a party at SXSW (that’s South by Southwest for those poor lost souls out there who don’t know, a very popular annual indie music gathering – of all music genres – that takes place in Austin, Texas). I guess it was startling and somehow unacceptable for someone who does something considered “mainstream” to also be interested in something well, not considered mainstream. Whatever. The bands she invited to last year’s soiree were considered respectable by those who had appointed and annointed themselves as qualified judges for us poor huddled clueless masses who obviously don’t know what’s good for us.
About an hour after the MTV article landed in my inbox, Brooklyn Vegan picked up on the news – and proceeded to get slammed, the first comment being “brooklynvegan, brought to you by People Magazine!”
An interesting thing is happening here, as the music industry collapses onto itself and goes supernova. The internet brings bands from remote small towns into the homes and ears of music fans around the planet. Those fans can listen to new music, purchase songs and support those artists without ever stepping outside, and without a record label, manager, PR firm, or physical record store getting involved. Band to audience. That’s it. And simultaneously, probably because of the internet as well and wider exposure for bands signed to small labels or not signed at all, it’s mixed with increasing competition for people’s entertainment dollars and a desire to keep things fresh and connect with younger viewers tethered to their MacBooks. More films (including the big Hollywood ones) are using indie music in their soundtracks, TV shows and commercials are doing the same, ringtones fer god’s sake, games, you name it. Mainstream. Or better yet, no “indie”, no “mainstream”, but just good music and sure, bad music too, but as they say the cream will tend to rise anyway. Whatever people want to hear, and everyone can decide for themselves what they enjoy. This is a bad thing?
Of course, there are dangers. Take rap music, for instance. I’m not a huge fan now, but I remember walking around the Village in the early 1980s, record shopping at those cool little places back then, seeing breakdancing in the streets, rap music blaring from boomboxes, and thinking “this is important.” Even with my decidedly upper middle class and white upbringing (having been moved by my parents from Queens to Connecticut just before things got interesting), I just knew. At that time, although the major labels were already starting to put their filthy paws on it, the lyrics were still very political, socio-economic, and vital. It was original, genuine, the voice of the urban community. Public Enemy… N.W.A….Ice-T. Fast-forward 25 years. Um… yeah. But again, all hail the internet; the pre-packaged, glossy, and exploited remnants of that genre, well, it doesn’t matter anymore, because there are so many others who have remained true to their vision. With the lack of boundaries and absence of rules, I’m convinced it’ll sort itself out. There will still be a place for the glossy shit, ’cause heck, there are people who like glossy shit, and then there’s a vast cornucopia of delights for the rest of us.
Then there’s the other end of the spectrum. The “British music fan disease” as I like to call it, though we’re not immune from it here on the other side of the pond. It’s the belief that once a band has more than 15 people who’ve heard of them, and maybe they’ve sold a few CDs at shows and can pay their rent and gas bills, they’re no longer considered “acceptable” and you can’t listen to their music anymore. What a load of rubbish, as those Brits might say.
Oh, and another thing. I just finished listening to TATE’s Maida Vale session with Zane Lowe for BBC Radio One. Which is a very big deal over there, and as dorky, behind the times, and uncool as I am, I know of Maida Vale for their legendary radio sessions – Bowie’s early 1970s ones come to mind). So there’s a brief interview and Zane asks Mikel and Anna what’s next for the band. Which, I dunno, I would think that might prompt a somewhat intelligent answer about the group’s plans – touring, upcoming release, etc. So Mikel says they’ll be touring across North America after these shows in the UK, and then goes on to mention that the single has just been released there, with the full album a few weeks later. And he adds, probably very honestly, “after that, who knows? I mean, we’re still a new band.” And he gets slammed for that! What, is he supposed to be completely dense about when their album is coming out and where they’re playing? Is it uncool somehow to be involved in the daily activities and direction of your band, and involved in the business aspects of your music, which you’ve spent the past few years of your life completely immersed in?
Rant over. And as for me? Me, the unkempt, unwashed, and uncool. Just now discovering music that the hip crowd listened to, celebrated, and discarded 15 years ago. Tuning in to TV shows that I find I quite like, only to have them go off the air a week later (or, in the case of The Sopranos, after it was already off the air). Missing punchlines and references from movies, because I haven’t seen them yet. No more “cool” or “uncool”, “indie” or “mainstream”. It isn’t this, it isn’t that. It just IS. How wonderfully refreshing. Thank god, I can relax now.
In honor of The Airborne Toxic Event beginning their headlining tour today, January 22, 2009 in Norwich, England, I decided to spew out a bunch of links to some of the more “essential” TATE articles, interviews and reviews. And because I saw a request on their newly opened official forum, a list of Mikel’s writings.
Have a wonderful tour, guys, and I’ll see you in March!
Well yes, it’s true, I’m always rolling out the superlatives when talking about this band. However, delivering a searing performance in a hot, sweaty club with devoted fans singing along to every word is a far more natural thing than doing so in front of a seated studio audience where most of the people don’t know who you are, you’re forced to do a truncated version of your signature song due to time constraints, and the pressure is clearly on to capture that audience, as well as the few million others watching on TV, within the 3:43 minutes given to you.
One of the breathtakingly beautiful things about “Sometime Around Midnight” is the slow build of the story, starting with the lush string introduction (they were joined by the tremendously classy Calder Quartet this evening), and continuing on with Mikel’s soft, dreamlike narration. Ever so slowly it builds up steam and angst as his emotions are stirred by the effects of the music of a club band, the wine, and the unexpected appearance of an ex-girlfriend. By the time she bolts from the place with the new boyfriend, the music is surging, the vocals are soaring, and the jilted lover is left to wander those late-night city streets in blind, feverishly obesessed despair. Trying to convey all that in under four minutes is like, to use a literary analogy, having to write a Reader’s Digest version of, oh I don’t know, War and Peace.
And they pulled it off. Not only did they pull it off — they pulled it off in grand style. The flowing narrative of the story was still there, as was the emotional build and rocket ship propulsion into outer space at its conclusion. All still there. I honestly don’t know how… but it was. Which is a real testament to the talent and vision of this extraordinary band.
Better late than never. Work obligations, the oppressive cold bearing down, and all that. But last Sunday, a distant and rapidly fading memory now, I braved the elements (snowy, windy and cold as they were) to see three really great L.A. bands at T.T. The Bear’s Place in Cambridge. And as I so often am at these times that finally inspire me to get my ass off my small island and down from the North Shore into the city, I was cold, lonely and bereft of inspiration, desperately in need of an indie band live music fix. These guys really delivered for me.
Local Natives, with guests
Local Natives were up first. Fortunately I was only a few minutes late for their set, as they were the one of the three I had not seen before, having had the great pleasure of catching The Union Line and Voxhaul Broadcast at two separate shows during my recent trip to L.A. Local Natives were just wonderful. Clearly loving to be there performing, even for very few people, their enthusiasm came across very strongly, and added that special quality to their obviously skilled musicianship to create some very captivating music. Their set ended with a seriously jamming version of a song called “Sundance” (I think?) “Sun Hands”, on which they were joined by members of Union Line and Voxhaul Broadcast, making for a crowded and festive scene on TT’s small stage. Since I wasn’t familiar with their music (only briefly visiting their MySpace page beforehand), I can’t say anything specific about the songs played, but I really enjoyed them, and picked up their “split single” (with The Union Line) that they had available. Which I highly recommend.
The Union Line, with guests
The Union Line came on next, and again, quite a class act and I was as impressed with them as when I first saw them at that strange club called Slidebar in Fullerton (with The Deadly Syndrome and Earlimart – wow, what a lineup!). In any case, they’re rootsy and rocking, with some wonderful percussion (loved the serious grooving on the bass drum). They performed songs from their debut album, and ended with a marvelous version of “Rich Man’s Tune”, supplemented on stage with no less than six members of Local Natives and Voxhaul, beating Local Natives’ previous “T.T.’s onstage record”. And they’ve just been featured on Groupee.com.
Voxhaul Broadcast, no guests
Voxhaul Broadcast blew me away when they supported The Movies at their Spaceland residency show back on December 22nd. They did so again tonight. Psychedelic, bluesy, spacy, dreamy, rocking, jamming… great, great stuff. I also really like David Dennis’s vocals. Go grab their CD “Rotten Apples” at either iTunes or Amazon, and see them live when you can. Their tour with Local Natives and The Union Line continues through Illinois, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada, before heading back home to California. And hopefully they’ll all be back on the East Coast very soon.
I’ll leave you with this: superb L.A. bands, and amazing enthusiasm, especially considering what a grind this tour must be, traveling around in freezing temperatures with inappropriate footwear, and playing in tiny clubs. Their contagious joy of performing live, even though they were playing mostly to each other on this cold and dreary Sunday night. But they didn’t seem to care, even when I apologized for the lame Bostonians who couldn’t leave their homes to support these immensely talented musicians. Their positive and vibrant attitude, and deep appreciation that I made the effort to get there (right back at ya, guys)… All this really impressed me. Please come back again soon! [It's much nicer here in the Springtime, really!]
First tour as headliners – very exciting! Here’s the map, with links to more information (click on individual location, and then inside that pop-up box, to be brought to venue or ticket site):
[e.t.a. unfortunately, the January 23 Hayle (Cornwall) show at the Sandsifter has been cancelled. Local Promoters SW1 Productions were unable to find a suitable alternative venue, but they'll try to reschedule something later in the year. It's too bad, as TATE really enjoyed playing at the Sandsifter back in November. If you recall, that was the infamous "tent show".]
I’ve put these up on YouTube, but thought I would post them here as well. What an amazing show, and once again, I’m missing them terribly. I already have my tickets for their upcoming shows in Boston and New York (March 7 & 11), and good thing too, as I’ve been hearing both shows are sold out (or very nearly so).
If you have a chance, definitely see this wonderful band! [I'll be posting one of those "interactive maps" of their tour soon, but for now, you can view all the dates and ticket info. on their official site.]
Soundcheck song
“This Losing”
montage: “Wishing Well”, “Gasoline”, “Does This Mean She’s Moving On?”, and “Something New”
[Note that this is culled from a few random scribblings during the shows that I'm trying to decipher now, my fuzzy memory, plus a quick crawl through their MySpace pages. It was the first time I had seen any of these folks, and I was only marginally familiar with some of their music beforehand, so I'm afraid these won't be terribly intelligent reviews. Nor especially useful in any way. But suffice it to say they were all superb. The one exception may have been "Terrapin," but that might just be personal preference, since a quick look at their MySpace page tells me they're quite popular.]
P.S. If you enjoy laughing over other people’s misery, you can read my L.A. trip review.
Yes, I know, it’s a movie and not a band, but Victor and I decided to see this when it became apparent that I was too sick to drive down on my own to Long Beach to see The Henry Clay People, and no one wanted to go with me. I had just learned that they’ll be supporting Airborne at two shows I already have tickets for, so I’ll get to see them in March anyway. So onto the movie… it was excellent, and very interesting for me, as I didn’t know the story of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk at all. Which leads me to say that even if you’re not familiar with his history and the events leading up to his assasination (along with Mayor George Moscone) by San Francisco Supervisor Dan White, you should try to see this film, as it’s extremely well done, and written in such a way that you don’t have to be at all familiar with the story. Sean Penn does a amazing job and delivers an intense and heartfelt performance in the lead role.
The Slidebar, Fullerton – Friday, December 19, 2008
The Union Line – local Orange County band, wasn’t familiar with them at all, but I was impressed enough to buy their CD from them after their set. From their MySpace page, I can tell you they consist of: Dickie, Jojo, “The” Tony, Johnny, and Brother Bear, and they were surprisingly good. They have a self-produced CD out, and I see that they’re touring with Voxhaul Broadcast (yeah!) and a band called Local Natives, and will be playing at a lovely little dive here in Boston (Cambridge) called T.T. The Bear’s Place a week from today. I will definitely try to see that show. Even though it’s on the same night as the Season 7 premiere of “24″. Now there’s dedication for ya.
The Deadly Syndrome at Slidebar, Fullerton
Deadly Syndrome – I was so happy for a second chance to see this wonderful band after missing that “Sweater Festival” thing at Echo. I had gotten to know them on MySpace, and then sent off for their debut CD The Ortolan (and also picked up this fantastic live at Spaceland CD. They were every bit as marvelous “in-person” as I thought they would be. “Wolves in the Garden”… “Animals Wearing Clothes”… “Eucalyptus”… wow, wow, wow! I seriously hope they can tour with someone, anyone, and play here in Boston. Seriously, I’d pay to see a really bad band in order to see these guys open, if I had to.
The Deadly Syndrome
Earlimart @ The Slidebar in Fullerton
Earlimart – Another band I had become familiar with on MySpace, then purchased their CDs, and dreamed of seeing live. Whereas with The Deadly Syndrome I was bouncing around (and trying to take pictures at the same time – go ahead and try that), with Earlimart, I was focusing intently, wishing I had the lyrics in front of me. They performed as a 3-piece this night, and sounded wonderful. I’m trying to recall now if Ariana sang lead vocals for more than one song… but she has a really nice voice. There’s a lovely performance of theirs from back in July at Amoeba Records up on the Majordomo site.
Ariana Murray of Earlimart
Echo Curio, Echo Park – Saturday, December 20, 2008
Soul Junk – wacky psychedelic rock… two guys with helmets and light antennas, lead singer and 10-year-old (?) drummer… all really great.
Soul Junk at Echo Curio.
Marshweed & Sunshine (a.k.a Heather Lockie and Shawn Lockie) – incredibly engaging; I sat there transfixed… feminist musical tirade against the evils of social morees and shaving… a traditional sea shanty rewritten as a loving ode to Barack Obama… an intense and beautiful song written by “Sunshine” a.k.a. Shawn (her very first song, as I learned – incredible!), which brought me to tears. And they’re sisters.
Marshweed & Sunshine, at the Echo Curio.
Spaceland, Silver Lake – Sunday, December 21, 2008
Summer Darling – I have to first explain about this show. We had no intention of going to Spaceland this night. We had driven into Hollywood (far too late, as we discovered) to see this special Christmas show at The Hotel Cafe. Discovering a line of people outside and soon learning it had sold out, we were at a loss at what to do, so I suggested Spaceland, which I think is always a good bet. The band playing when we arrived was Summer Darling, and they were really good. Now, I realize that’s a lame thing to say, but I wasn’t familiar with their music at all, and am still acquainting myself with them via MySpace. But I really enjoyed what I heard that night, and Victor did also (which says a lot, because he was even sicker than I was at that point).
Summer Darling at Spaceland.
The Terrapin – This band neither of us cared for, though it might have been just a personal preference thing, as I see now on their MySpace page, they seem to have a decent following of fans. It’s kinda funny – when we saw them listed, we were thinking they might be some sort of Grateful Dead cover band, or at least influenced by (they’re not either). Have a listen for yourself. I’m never one to cast judgement; so much of music appreciation comes down to personal taste. Let us not forget: I’m the only person I know who likes Say Yes To Apes.
Vaudeville – Again with the band names, this one sounds like a traveling circus. And in a sense, I suppose they are, but in a very good psychedelic/prog sort of way. Instruments mentioned on their MySpace page include: guitar, banjo, mandolin, tin whistle, clarinet, bass, keyboards, trumpet, drums, marimba and vibraphone. I don’t recall all of those in their live performance, but I do remember them being excellent musicians, and again, we both really enjoyed them. I’ll also say here that Spaceland is a fantastic venue.
Vaudeville at Spaceland
Spaceland, Silver Lake – Monday, December 22, 2008
Adeline & the Philistines – lovely, very distinctive vocals… superb sound with Adeline Park on those gorgeous vocals – and guitar, Aaron Kyle on lead guitar, Jim Putnam on bass, Stevie Treichel on drums, and Brian Cleary on keyboards. Or at least I think so. Because Brian told me that was their first show with a new lineup, I see additional people listed on their MySpace page, and between that and trying to figure out who plays in which other bands (Radar Bros., Tables & Chairs, Mt. Wilson Repeater, the Movies, Le Switch, Joe Lies, Panty Lions??), I’m completely confused now. But they’re really good. The three ladies from The Damselles made a guest appearance onstage for a final Christmas song.
Adeline & the Philistines at Spaceland
Voxhaul Broadcast – funky, psychedelic… “loose change” = serious voodoo… nice mix of gypsy stomp and pretty, swirling melodies… talking heads came to mind somewhere in the middle of their set, but I honestly don’t know why. Loved them. Yet another band I’ve been enjoying on MySpace, and a great joy to finally be able to see live.
Voxhaul Broadcast
The Movies – no notes whatsoever, but I know I really enjoyed their set. I think I was completely blissing out at this point. Yeah, I know, you’d think I live in Kansas or something and not Boston, where there’s a very vibrant music scene. I don’t know what it is, but the times I’ve ventured out, it just didn’t feel as inviting, and I always find the bands here to be very “noisy and thrashy”, which I’m not always in the mood for. Anyway, their new CD “Based On A True Story” is now out, and you should buy it, ’cause it’s really f*cking good. They’re a terrific live band as well. I can see they have a rabid following, ’cause Spaceland was packed to the rafters, and it was a hell of a great time. Contact them, where else, via MySpace.
The Movies @ Spaceland
The Damselles – I said it earlier, but I’ll say it again: I’m not a huge fan of ’50s music, but I really liked these guys (and gals). Lots of fun live. Great harmonies from the three ladies. From what I can gather, perusing their MySpace page, it’s the three of them and then I guess The Todd Clifford Four is their “backing band” (I mean that with no disrespect — they seriously rocked out!).
I probably should have realized, as we were sitting on the runway on our United flight from Boston to Los Angeles, and it was announced over the loudspeaker that our pilots were having some problems with the transportation from their hotel, and we would have to wait for them to arrive (obviously), that this was not a good omen for our trip. Over an hour later, we were finally taking off.
I felt dazed and was experiencing the beginnings of what would be a 3-week long cold, having finished a marathon month of non-stop working. But my goals were simple ones: to visit a friend of ours who’s been going through some tough times and offer a little physical and emotional support. To meet with someone I started working with on an exciting music-related project. To hang out in a very cool part of Los Angeles called Silverlake (and Echo Park, Los Feliz…) that I grew quite fond of during my trip a year ago. To do a bit of clubbing and see as many cool L.A. bands as humanly possible in 12 days. And to see my favorite L.A. band, The Airborne Toxic Event. The official reason for the trip: visit ailing friend, a noble and selfless thing to do over the Christmas holiday. Actuality? Total unabashed selfishness. I waited to book the flight until after confirmation of TATE’s Knott’s Berry Farm show. Oddly, or perhaps not, the selfish part of the journey proved mostly successful — hacking cough, stuffed head, and temporary laryngitis notwithstanding. The good Samaritan part? Not so much.
My meeting went well (even with the laryngitis), I got to visit with my comedian/actor cousin, and took Victor for some serious record shopping at Fingerprints (Long Beach), Freak Beat Records (Sherman Oaks), Rockaway (Silverlake), and a brief appearance at Amoeba (Hollywood) on Christmas Eve. And I fully enjoyed some Eastside delights — wandering around and shopping in Los Feliz, Sunset Junction in Silverlake, and Echo Park… a morning jog around Silverlake reservoir… spectacular Mexican food at El Gran Burrito (with a new inspiration to learn Spanish)… Griffith Park and the Observatory… kick ass espresso con leche and free WiFi at Café Tropical. Plus a lovely cruise along Mulholland Drive and the Hollywood Hills.
But back to the beginning of our trip. Standing outside Union Station at around midnight, looking like stupid East Coast tourists with shoddy carry-on luggage, with a dead cell phone and a non-working pay phone (and no quarters in any case), we had two offers of taxi rides from cars that clearly weren’t taxis. I probably should have just started walking to the Echo. Call it the first of many bad judgment calls, we instead called our friend Peter collect and perhaps a half hour later, Victor found himself nearly in the middle of a drunken fracas outside a taco stand on Sunset Blvd. Again I say, and probably not for the last time: embrace your first selfishly motivated hunch, and go with it.
I’d like to personally apologize to all Los Angeles residents for my visit, as I seemingly brought with me what appeared to be monsoon season — cold (for Los Angeles), windy, and with torrential rain. Yes, I know, it hadn’t rained like that for a year (when I visited last December). I’m now back in freezing cold, dreary Boston, and happy to see California back to its usual warm, sunny self.
Griffith Park Observatory
But the rain (and my voice) miraculously held out for the Airborne Toxic Event show, and my god, they were wonderful. Really great to see their triumphant return back home after a few months of solid touring, and I met some cool people that day. Most of that following week was spent being ill and trying to pretend I wasn’t (with mixed success). I did go for a lovely jog around the reservoir Tuesday morning and had a nice though vocally-challenged lunch at Millie’s in the afternoon, but had to bail on a Rocco DeLuca concert that would have been an hour’s drive, on my own. Wednesday was pretty much a wash (literally), and Thursday — instead of going to see the Henry Clay People down in Long Beach (it’s ok; turns out they’ll be on tour with TATE in March) — ended up seeing the film “Milk” at the Vista instead. Though this proved to be a cool idea, being as how it’s a California story, and just to hear the derisive snickering from the back of the theatre when Orange County was mentioned made it worthwhile. [I would understand this reaction the next evening, when I drove to Fullerton to see Earlimart and The Deadly Syndrome.]
Rugged terrain of Griffith Park.
Also on Friday was our visit to Griffith Park and the Observatory (highly recommended). Alas, we didn’t get to do our vaguely planned Mexican road trip (probably just as well, judging from recent news stories), but there are some pretty cool non-Hollywood places to see right in L.A. that I hadn’t been to before, this being one of them. Saturday was a little time spent with my cousin Fred, visiting his friend Kime at her cool boutique in Echo Park, Show Pony, and checking out her wonderful artwork. That night, I again refused to acknowledge that I was ridiculously ill, and instead walked down to the Echo Curio (awesome tiny performance space in Echo Park) and was rewarded with two marvelous bands, Soul Junk and Marshweed & Sunshine, the latter of whom impressed me so much I spent some time chatting with them afterwards.
View from Griffith Park Observatory.
Sunday started out well (at the last day of the Silver Lake Arts & Crafts Fair), got weird and stupid in the middle (culminating in a sold out show that I had planned on going to at the Hotel Café), but ended surprisingly well at good ol’ Spaceland (you can always count on Spaceland to save an otherwise fucked up evening). The middle band, Terrapin, was “ok” I thought, though I personally wasn’t crazy about the vocals. But the first and third bands, Summer Darling and Vaudeville, were both excellent. Victor managed to put aside his cold to join me for this one, and fortunately enjoyed them as well. Monday we drove down to Long Beach to have a look around and visit Fingerprints, and by night I was again on my own and popping cough drops, but delighted to see our friend Brian Cleary’s band The Movies (absolutely fantastic), and supporting himself (neat trick) in the equally impressive Adeline & the Philistines. In between the two was Voxhaul Broadcast (a favorite of mine from mySpace), and surprisingly I also really enjoyed 50’s style The Damselles, who closed out the evening’s festivities. I’m usually not a big 1950’s fan, but those three ladies were a lot of fun. It is truly mind-numbing how many astonishing bands there are in the Silverlake/Los Feliz/Echo Park area.
Drummers at Silverlake Arts & Crafts Fair
A rare dry day on Tuesday found us driving around in the Hollywood Hills and along Mulholland Drive, another highly recommended “inside L.A. and non-Hollywood” activity, with amazing views of the city and mountain vistas. More record shopping in Sherman Oaks at Freak Beat Records.
Nice palm tree on Silver Lake Blvd., near the reservoir.
Wednesday, Christmas Eve, and raining again. Decided to do some more shopping – cool pair of boots at American Vintage in Echo Park, lots more indie CDs (and rekkids for Victor) at Rockaway in Silverlake (best prices for used CDs, so I thought). Quick visit to Amoeba on Sunset and Ivers (’cause if you visit L.A., everyone asks if you went to Amoeba. Well, at least the people Victor and I know do.).
Not quite so impressive up close from this angle.
Christmas day, frayed tempers and nerves reaching the end of their limits so probably a good thing we were leaving that night (though I would have loved to see Spaceland’s New Year’s Eve show with The Henry Clay People, The Pity Party, and The Happy Hallows). Peter and Victor did an early morning radio show on KXLU (6-10 a.m.) that I’m sure no one was awake to hear. I opted to stay behind this time and sleep. We flew back on a red eye, loaded with cold medicine and cough drops, and apart from thinking my head was going to explode during the landing at Logan, everything went fine. Except, of course, that I was really not happy to be back in Boston. Especially when it snowed a few days later.
[Note: if you insist upon placing a neurotic Scorpio woman and an angry and bitter gay man with misogynist tendencies and a penchant for WWII Nazi films and right-wing talk show hosts in a small one-room studio apartment for twelve days... well, there's gonna be fireworks, and you might want to invest in a large cannister of pepper spray, at the very least. Add to that a recently adopted stray kitten with a taste for Mexican food and a reserved older female cat not terribly interested in sharing her space or dealing with a pissy little brat, and let's just say there were cat fights of both the human and feline variety. (though, even having said all that, thanks very much to Peter Choyce for hosting us once again in his palatial Silverlake digs.)]
Hello everyone. I’m back in cold, dark and dreary (and currently snowy and windy) Boston from a truly bizarre trip to Los Angeles, sorting through a bunch of photos and video footage. The video will take longer than I originally thought, so for now, I’d like to wish you all a very happy new year and a great 2009, and pass along these photos from The Airborne Toxic Event’s wonderful show at Knott’s Berry Farm on December 14.
A few videos are on the way, once I figure out how to get something bigger than a postage stamp from an older PPC G4 Mac into YouTube and/or this wordpress blog.
If you haven’t yet caught TATE’s cool NBC promo, you can see it along with some comments from Mikel and a quick “behind the scenes” look on the NBC site.
See you soon, and if you haven’t yet bought your tickets to see them on their upcoming tour, you might want to get on that. I’ve heard the London show is already sold out…
P.S. if you’re morbidly curious about how screwed up a well-planned vacation can truly be, please check back in a few days, by which time I should be posting a review of my trip and maybe even some bad photos. Also “coming soon” – reviews of some great gigs of local L.A. bands I somehow managed to get myself to.
