Went out to the Knitting Factory last night to see a rare appearance by the King Missile III. Having long ago purchased their Mystical Shit / Fluting On The Hump CD, I felt I owned it to myself to observe what may be the most successful lawyer/musician since Matlock picked up a Fender in the final episode. For those of you that do not know, King Missile III's lead singer is John S. Hall, Esq. of Hearty Hall, Attorneys At Law. Had I any interest in practicing law in Manhattan, I would make it my goal to lead the exact life Mr. Hall has led.

As for the show, it was a fine time. God Is My Co-Pilot had some interesting songs, although it appears that, having released their greatest hits album in 1996, they are not the band they used to be. I believe they are friends with King Missile, so I respect that.

King Missile did about a 45 minute set. No new material, not even the new Political Poem they released about 12 months ago with the CD "Royal Lunch." They did some of the Pain work off of their 2003 release though, so I was pleased. It was a small crowd, so he let us pick which of the pain songs he would perform. We went with papercut, and we were pleased. I also appreciated his song about how America doesn't care about international law. Very topical for me, as I am currently struggling to focus on my international law class. I guess I represent America writ small.

Very small crowd, a few people in business casual, a few in classic punk gear. It was my first trip to the Knitting Factory, and I think i got a cramp in my leg. Oh, and they did not play Detachable Penis. The End.

Two Lists, because I want to fail tax.

Best Singles Of 2004 15. Leaving New York - REM 14. Experimental Film - TMBG 13. Bread - On!Air!Library! 12. Walk on the Moon - Asobi Seksu 11. Itsuko Got Married - Bearsuit 10. Sad and Lonely - Secret Machines 09. Puttin' People On The Moon - Driveby Truckers 08. Sniff(Mash-up) - Kleptones 07. I Don't Believe You - Magnetic Fields 06. Common People (Cover) - William Shatner 05. Jesus of Suburbia - Green Day 04. Dime - Cake 03. Remember Today - The Thermals 02. Wake Up - Arcade Fire 01. The Ocean Breathes Salty - Modest Mouse

Late To The Party (Songs I Just Heard This Year, But Liked) 10. Red Right Ankle (Decemberists, 2003) 09. NYC (Mayflies, 2000) 08. Aside (Weakerthans, 2000) 07. Reasons for Silence (Delgados, 2000) 06. Glue (Gerbils, 1998) 05. My Horoscope... (Beulah, 1997) 04. Unsupervised (Mono Puff, 1996) 03. Pecan Pie (Golden Smog, 1996) 02. When I Was A Baby (DP,NP cover) 01. Papa Was A Rodeo (Magnetic Fields, 1999)

There you go.

I just recently turned 25, so here is a reflection on albums I consider the essentials in those years. However I define that right now. Probably not my top 10 of right now, I think. Anyway, if you need to know, my first two album purchases were CDs. I bought Weird Al's Even Worse and R.E.M.'s stand in 7th grade. So that's where I started.

Let's get these apologies out of the way. Sorry Cake, Decemberists, Ben Folds, Fountains of Wayne, They Might Be Giants and all the rest. You all missed the cut this week. I think Cake, They Might Be Giants and even Weird Al could land somewhere between 6 and 10th places with the right greatest hits album. There are just too many flaws on their current releases.

That's about it. I'll let the picks speak for me. Or rather, I'll do the rest of this introduction by moving through my choices.

	#10. Nada Surf Let Go How do you feel about it helping to reside in New York City to like this album, but not being necessary? This album was discovered thanks to the positive review given by the Rolling Stone magazine. This summer reading material is also responsible for another discovery on this list. That said, their reviews are normally too short to justify me posting a link to them. Instead, I will choose Pitchfork. Interestingly, save for one album on this list, nothing was bought BEFORE reading a Pitchfork review. Perhaps they are normally the way I seek to validate my choices. Well, not here at least. Pitchfork gave it a 3.8. [Read the review]
	#9. Arcade Fire Funeral Obviously, we cannot make a list without worrying about the Primacy and Recency effects. Am I always going to like the first albums I heard? Will one recent album always make the list? Hard to say. Hard to say. Putting this on the list forces me to quote High Fidelty. "Ohhhh. Kind of a new record. Very nice, Rob. A sly declaration of new classic status slipped into a list of old safe ones. Very P*ssy!" Hope that you really do take my recommendation though, I have enjoyed this album enough to give it away at a birthday party. Pitchfork gave it a 9.7. [Read the review]
	#8. Tenacious D Tenacious D First a quote from a Jack Black character and now his musical album? I recall resisting this album at first. But, you see, I hate late 60s, early 70s rock. And this was the perfect send up. It turns out all those rockers needed was a sense of irony. It was a tough call to decide this album should bump Weird Al off the list. It's just that I don't even like Weird Al's greatest hits albums enough-- they were all from the 1980s work, where his best work has been over the last three albums. As an album, Tenaicous D does it right. Weird Al is confined to a more limited format, so perhaps he should be rewarded for such creativity under those circumstances, but I just couldn't do it. Pitchfork did not review it.
	#7. TIE Old 97's Fight Songs If you were thinking this album list wasn't going to include another album Pitchfork hated, you are now officially wrong. The Old 97's opened a door for me into alternative country. Enter Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, Johnny Cash's less popular work, and more recently, the Drive-By Truckers. Cracker could never have opened such a door. Yeah, so maybe I heard that Janeane Garofalo liked this band. That couldn't possibly have influenced my decision. The Old 97's other work was also a major factor in earning this particular work a spot on the countdown. (Of note, I have given this album to my mother as a birthday gift.) Pitchfork gave it an 4.0. [Read the review] #7 Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot If you were thinking this album list wasn't going to include another album Pitchfork loved, you are now officially wrong. Wilco opened a door for me into alternative country. This entry is going to mirror the Old 97's entry, because I bought both Fight Songs and Wilco's "Being There" right before my second year of college. In that sense, the Old 97's 1999 release is meant to signal my entry into the world of what some would call 'twang-core' and then Yankee Hotel Foxtrot could be seen as a sort of rational ending point? I don't know how to be deep anymore. Just make something up here. Pitchfork gave it an 10.0. [Read the review]
	#6. Bishop Allen Charm School Part of making these little ego driven lists is that it furthers my ego. This was a band that I was telling people about as soon as I had heard them in a small Rolling Stones write up. I could tell anyone about them, because none of my friends had heard of them. They were, in that sense, mine. The CD is probably bubble-gum pop or something, but it's too clever for me to hate. Really, just think about a really pleased Modest Mouse or something. Pitchfork never gave it a review.
	#5. The Pixies Death to the Pixies A greatest hits album from 1997? Yeah, because I can't make it through any Pixies album without skipping songs. But they have quite a body of work, and this greastest hits and live show compliation is a CD set is one I treasure. Hopefully I didn't pick this just because Nirvana said they liked them a lot. Sorry Pearl Jam, Green Day, No Doubt and all the others! You failed to make the list with your greatest singles releases. Pitchfork gave it a 9.2. [Read the review]
	#4. Weezer Weezer (The Blue Album) Only in dreams is still one of the best buys on a jukebox. Not only is it good, but you get eight minutes for one play. Businesses were fools to put this album on, and customers are fools for playing the Pixies in bars. Sure, Undone (The Sweater Song) was the first song I can remember that made me want to watch MTV, at least, post every young boy's Weird Al phase. Which is an important part of your growth as a fan of the album format, because Weird Al is at heart, just a poor man's comedian. Pitchfork doesn't have a review.
	#3. Steve Martin A Wild And Crazy Guy My drives to high school changed dramatically when I finally made a tape off my CD. Comedy albums are the ultimate live album. If someone does something crazy in the audience, that's going to be on the CD. There is one bit in this one where Steve Martin fumbles, some audience member yells out something about his mood watch, which had been previous mentioned, and Steve Martin, without missing a beat, laughs a little, then goes "Yeah, I remember when I had my first beer." If you don't think it's appropriate for a comedy album to be on this list, we'll EXCUUUSE MEEEE!!!! Pitchfork doesn't have a review.
	#2. Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over The Sea How do I pick the best album? I will solely choose based on timing. If I hadn't spent college listening to Weezer, I don't think I would have been capable of connecting with this album. High school taught me two things: 1) I Rule. And 2) If you like two songs on an album, you buy it, and you will end up liking 4 of the 11 tracks. I finally broke through that sometime in early 1999, I think, and that was solely because I could listen to one album without skipping a song...and if you haven't guessed yet, my top album of all time is still... Pitchfork gave it a 8.7. [Read the review]
	#1. Weezer Pinkerton So you send me your love from all around the world As if I could live on words and dreams and a million screams Oh how I need a hand in mine to feel. Pitchfork gave it a 7.5. [Read the review]

That's it. I'll update this tomorrow (2004-12-10) with links to any other people who post their own list.

So far we have... One, Two, Three and that's it.

With this, Bhopal, and Pearl Harbor, it's hard to celebrate the first week in December.

John Lennon shot dead Former Beatle John Lennon has been shot dead by an unknown gunman who opened fire outside the musician's New York apartment. The 40-year-old was shot several times as he entered the Dakota, his luxury apartment building on Manhattan's Upper West Side, opposite Central Park, at 2300 local time. He was rushed in a police car to St Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center, where he died. His wife, Yoko Ono, who is understood to have witnessed the attack, was with him. Shots heard A police spokesman said a suspect was in custody, but he had no other details of the shooting. "This was no robbery," the spokesman said, adding that Mr Lennon was probably shot by a "deranged" person. Witness reports say at least three shots were fired and others have claimed they heard six. There are also reports Mr Lennon staggered up six steps into the vestibule after he was shot, before collapsing. [More from the BBC's original story]

Sorry John, you deserved better.

Then you listen to the music and you like to sing along,
You want to get the meaning out of each and ev’ry song
Then you find yourself a message and some words to call your own
And take them home.

* Albums (no EPs, singles) released (no re-issues) in 2004 in the United States (no imports) and in my possession.

Here is a list of albums that I liked this year. I did not actually purchase many albums this year. I spent more time buying the back catalogs of bands. If it was released December 2003, then it wasn't in consideration for this prize. If I heard good things but never got up the motivation to purchase the album, it doesn't get consideration. If the band happens to have a website that either contains free mp3s or a high quality stream, I may add a link for you.

Note: I realize I am making this list early. I know Lindsay Lohan's new album drops on Tuesday and other potentially awesome albums come out around Christmas. If something comes out in the next three weeks that totally blows my head off, we will make this a Spinal Tap List... because it will go to eleven. I know the risks people, and I just don't care. With that said, allow me to present to you...

Drum roll please.

	#10. Ben Kweller (website) On My Way "What's this? How did this make it on his list? It's not that good." -- Yeap, I was not expecting this to be in the top ten list either. But this year I only bought nine albums that were better than this one. Not a ringing endorsement, but what else do you expect for something that ranks #10? Pitchfork gave it a 6.4. [Read the review]
	#9. Asobi Seksu (website) Dorimu Popu Kuhado Had I not gone to see Bettie Serveert live last spring, I would not have even know this indie Japanese white noise band even existed. It was unlike anything I had heard before, so perhaps novelty was part of what made it so enjoyable for me. Anyway, the first half of tha album is so strong that the second half seems almost weak. Such small problems keep it from going higher. (Note: had Bettie Serveert moved the American Release of their album up from 2005, perhaps Ben would not have made the list.] Pitchfork gave it a 6.0. [Read the review]
	#8. William Shatner Has Been You expect camp. You get a little, but really, you get exactly what every nerd has secretly hoped William Shatner would do since his appearance opposite Ben Fold's Fear of Pop adventure. Obviously, you need to hear "Common People," but don't leave without "You'll Have Time," "That's Me Trying," and "Ideal Woman." [Note: If only Spock had released something decent, ben would not have made this list.] Pitchfork gave it a 7.5. [Read the review ]
	#7. Cake Pressure Chief Cake is quite possibly the best Cake tribute band currently touring America. Every album sounds like the previous one, but for me, that's a good thing. I don't need them to evolve, since there are currently no other bands that could fill their shoes if they suddenly only played the kazoo. I would recommend "Dime," "Wheels," and "Carbon Monoxide" if you have already had your fill of the first single "No Phone." Pitchfork gave it a ___. [There Is No Review!]
	#6. Drive-By Truckers (website) The Dirty South I'll be the first to admit it. I was too scared to buy the new Old 97's album. So I guess this is my way of satisfying my needs. If anyone has any information on the 2004 Old 97's album, please let me know. This is much darker than Rhett Miller's group, but what's wrong with that? I would suggest finding the track "The Three Great Alabama Icons" off of their "Southern Rock Opera- Act 1" CD before giving this a listen, but when you finish with that, check out the Dirty South tracks "Sands of Iwo Jima," "Puttin' People On The Moon," and "Carl Perkins' Cadillac." I bet if I have been braved enough to buy the Old 97's album, Ben Kweller may have had more competition. Pitchfork gave it an 8.4. [Read the review]
	#5. The Magnetic Fields i Theme album? Only if you can guarantee me that all of the songs will be good. As it is, this album scores points for its good songs, but then I think that perhaps it would have been better if its low points, which fit the theme, had been dropped in favor of songs that, while they didn't fit the theme, were actually enjoyable. If you liked 69 Love Songs, I would advise you listen to "I Don't Believe You," "I Don't Really Love You Anymore,", and "I Wish I Had An Evil Twin" if you have the time. Pitchfork gave it a 7.7. [Read the review]
	#4. The Secret Machines (website) Now Here is Nowhere Seeing them live, I hated them in the steamy hot Rothko. Buying the album was simply a reflex when I saw it on sale for $9.99. The CD is wonderful. I can control the volume, people are not moshing around me, and I can skip past the 4 minute buildup in the first track to actually get to what I consider the substance. Sorry artist, but the consumer has spoken, and he doesn't respect your choices. [Note: perhaps if Wilco hadn't decided to be such 'artists,' they could have dethrowned Ben Kweller from the CD.] As it is, the song arrangements are just so good in "Sad and Lonely," "Nowhere Again," and "The Road Lead Where It's Led" that I can easily forgive the weaker aspects of the disc. Pitchfork gave it an 8.2. [Read the review]
	#3. Green Day American Idiot Is it a punk opera? I think it is and I don't mind. I can really get behind the nine-minute "Jesus of Suburbia." I remember the band that released Dookie, and this is a better band. Like Asobi Seksu, I think the first half of the album is stronger than the second. Perhaps I have ADHD. This gets a higher rating because it has TWO nine minute songs that are must listens. The Jesus Song mentioned before and also "Homecoming." Consider "Holiday" in addition to the two singles from this sucker. Pitchfork gave it a 7.2. [Read the review]
	#2. Modest Mouse Good News For People Who Love Bad News How do I pick the best album? I enjoy all 10 songs on this album. Wait a second. Aren't there 16 tracks? Oh yeah, I hated some of the tracks so much that I deleted them from my computer. Who would want to be such a control-freak, indeed. So, having songs that are bad is always a problem for anyone competing for the number one spot. Lucky that I can distingush this album from their previous one, otherwise they may have just coasted into the lead. As it is, you should continue to listen to "Float On" everywhere but also "Ocean Breathes Salty," "World At Large," "The View," and "Black Cadillacs." Pitchfork gave it a 7.9. [Read the review]
	#1. Arcade Fire (stream) Funeral If the children don't grow up, our bodies get bigger, but our hearts get torn up. We're just a million little Gods causing rain storms, turning every good thing to rust. I guess we'll just have to adjust. Buy it. I can only tell you to buy it. Pitchfork gave it a 9.7. [Read the review]

Honorable Mention(s):
Kleptones - A Night at the Hip-Hopera,
Dan Bern - My Country II,
Brian Wilson - Smile, &
Flogging Molly - Within a Mile of Home

Other Releases Considered: On!Air!Library, The Cure, They Might Be Giants, & Volcano I'm Still Excited
Disappointments: Wilco, Franz Ferdinand, R.E.M., & U2

I would advise you to check out the Kleptone's Night at the Hip-Hopera hosted by Waxy.org. It is an even better concept mash-up album than their previous work featuring the Flaming Lips. I imagine this won't be around forever, since Queen and other musicians are probably not too happy.

If you aren't looking to download all 23 mp3s and then burn the CD, then I will make some suggestions for an initial sampling. To that end, my personal top five songs (Available if you follow the first link up there):

1. Sniff (Track 12) - This Under Pressure mash-up good because of David Bowie, Vanilla Ice, and Belinda Carlisle

2. Break (Track 15) - It's been a long time-- We shouldn'ta left you without a dope beat to step to.

3. Bite (Track 04) - The ODB and Another One Bites the Dust? Coincidence? People want them to sample Robbie Williams next.

4. Listen (Track 16) - More Beastie Boys, I know, I suck at choosing.

5. Question (Track 23) - Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Big Lebowski, and Fight Club all over Who Wants to Live Forever?

Two close calls: Live (Track 03) and Come (Track 18). Have a good time downloading it.

I went to see On! Air! Library! last friday night. I was technically running late, but Rothko was, as usual, running an hour late as well. I do not believe any concert hall runs exactly on time, but Rothko is consistently an hour late. That seems almost like false advertising. To finish up with my comments about Rothko, let me address the temperature management. I previously went to see the Secret Machines there. It was packed, and it got very hot. So hot that I couldn't stay around for the whole set even though I was in the back. Had I been up front or in some kind of mosh pit, I would have only myself to blame. But I was supposed to be chilling in the back. Instead, I was sweating bullets as I tried to focus. Tonight, it was cold. I guess they expected more people and had adjusted the AC to deal with a potential influx. My new working hypothesis: The ceilings are too high, temperature control would be easier if the room had less volume.

For anyone who cares, O!A!L! is one of the openers for the Interpol tour. (The other being the aforementioned Secret Machines). Four person band, pretty standard instruments used in creative and sometimes standard ways. Not that it's a gimmick, but the two girls in the band are twins. That should make them popular in the same ways as Ashley and Mary-Kate. I guess you should keep an eye out for their hilarious straight-to-video comedies.

The band was good. Three of their songs are available on their website. Of note, one of the songs off their CD features those lovable AIM songs. Also not a gimmick, I think, but I am not sure how to interpret it yet. I imagine that no one else will go see them unless they have tickets to see Interpol, since that is a 2 month tour. That's it.

Barring any massive unforeseen deletions, my computer crossed the 4,000 song mark on October 1, 2004 at 12:32 AM EST. The song was St. Jimmy off Green Day's American Idiot. While I expect that some songs added prior to it will eventually disappear, I do not expect that I will ever drop back below the 4K mark. I am already at 4013, in fact.

Just letting you know what's what.

Here is a list of Compact Discs that I have recently purchased. Obviously, a 10 point scale is basically useless. I'm not going to buy a CD that would deserve a 0.0 rating, but I need to keep the option in case I am given something as a gift. So just assume that 5 is a 0 and a 10 is a 5. Or something else, if you don't like thinking that way.

Built to Spill - Keep it Like A Secret - [6.9] - Should have bought it years ago. It may take some time to grow on me, but I think it will.

Motion City Soundtrack - I am the Movie - [7.2] - One song has been in my head for the last three months. We'll see what happens with the rest.

Dan Bern - My Country II - [6.8] - Some really good songs, and some I am not so sure will have staying power after November 2nd. I guess I am hoping I won't need any protest songs in 30 days.

Ben Folds - Super D EP - [6.2] - Not as interesting as the previous two. Perhaps he was distracted by the Shatner album?

Future Soundtrack for America - Various artists - [7.8] - $7.99 for an album with 22 songs from the who's who of modern rock! How could you go wrong?

The Upwelling - The Upwelling EP - [5.6] - Sometimes bands sound better live, I guess. Maybe I will need to give the CD a second chance.

The Secret Machines - Now Here is Nowhere - [8.6] - Sometimes bands sound better on their album, I guess. Maybe I'll give the live show a second chance.

They Might Be Giants - The Spine Hits the Road (Live Album) - [8.0] - Standard fare from the Giants. Why change something that works?

Flogging Molly - Within a Mile of Home - [7.5] - Standard fare from this European punk band. Same question as above.

The Arcade Fire - Funeral - [9.2] - And they're from Canada!

Johnny Cash - Live at San Quentin - [7.8] - Classic album.

Alice in Chains - Greatest Hits - [6.6] - At least it was on sale.

Robert Johnson - King of the Delta Blues - [6.8] - Maybe it will grow on me.

The Clash - London Calling 25th Anniversary Release - [7.3] - I was born 9 days before this album was released in the UK.

Brian Wilson - Smile - [7.4] - This album should have been released 13 years before I was born, instead, it was released 24 years after.

Green Day - American Idiot - [8.9] - This album is growing on me quickly.

Thoughts? Opinions?

Here

Adam's CD ( 2004 -9-21) 'Return'
01.	Action Action	Drug Like	*
02.	Amy Miles	Kill to Know	*
03.	The Arcade Fire	Wake Up	*
04.	Clem Snide	All Green	*
05.	The Exit	Let's Go to Haiti	*
06.	The Fiery Furnaces	Chris Michaels	*
07.	I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness	When You Go Out	*
08.	The Mayflies USA	NYC	*
09.	Q and Not U	Wonderful People	*
10.	Rilo Kiley	It's a Hit	*
11.	Superchunk	Her Royal Fisticuffs	*
12.	The Secret Machines	Nowhere Again	*
13.	Say Hi To Your Mom	Let's Talk About Spaceships	*
14.	The Thermals	No Culture Icons	*
15.	Unbunny	I Leave Stones Unturned	*

There you are.

Went to see Modest Mouse, they were good. They put a lot of thought into the lights and stuff. I was expecting something last minute, since this was supposedly a secret concert. It was advertised as "Wolf Parade & Friends." Some people were let in on the secret that the friends did not include John Tesh.

Anyway, they played a lot of songs, but sadly did not play Never Ending Math Equation. No reason to focus on the negative. It was a good time... but a man can dream, a man can dream.

PS. The Arcade FIre and Secret Machine CDs are great.

I went to see Dan Bern do a free show at the final South Street Seaport Summer Concert. Sadly, no one else was available, so my only company was my ipod, camera, and umbrella.

This was my first trip where I almost ran out of pockets on the way home. Keys, phone, ipod, umbrella, camera, wallet, and CD purchased at the show basically maxed out my cargo pockets. Secondly, I'm glad I wore shorts, since it was very hot in the subway station.

He played most of the songs from his new album "My Country II (Music to beat Bush by)" and it was great stuff. I'd link you to a place to purchase the album, but it won't be officially released until August 31. So eat that. CDDB had no idea about the album when I put it in my drive about 45 minutes ago. Who would have thought that I could legally get a disk before its official release date?

I recognized only two songs. Chelsea Hotel was somewhere in the middle. He closed with Jerusalem. I kept dreaming that he would sing Tiger Woods, but that was probably inappropriate for a free, family-friendly event. I would have enjoyed New York Women or Kurt, but he only had about a 80 minute set, so I can understand cutting them out. He mentions Kurt Cobain in quite a few other songs. Also, he does quite a bit of parody/tribute songs where he adopts other styles. He apparently doesn't care for Bruce Springstein's or Bob Dylan's accent. Of note, Mr. Bern has recently written a book, so perhaps I will go to the signing he is scheduled to have next week. I've got quite a bit of time on my hands at this point.

Regarding the concert venue, there was actually a "no standing" rule. To be in front of the stage, you had to agree to sit. Very interesting. I didn't mind it totally, except it did prevent me from slowly wiggling up for multiple shots from the front. As it was, I stood about 2 seated rows back, next to a guy who basically taped the entire show. I took one picture of the night from the perspective he had all night: staring down at his screen. I thought it was very meta. I hope you like it.

And...

...Goodnight!

Went out with some dudes to a record store's farewell bash. Something about a competitive market place driving out the indie stores. Anyway, Praveen's friend's band Metropolitan was playing. It was a small little store, about the size of the original plan 9 on the corner in Cville but in Old Town Alexandria. There were some people will some seriously professional cameras there, so this must either be a huge public interest news story or perhaps one of the many performing bands wanted some better publicity shots for their webpages.

My image is just of the band. There was one picture I took of the guy playing a cowbell, but I decided that while it was humorous (I gotta fever!) it didn't speak to the event as a whole. So you get Metropolitan combined with one of the indie photographers. You'll note her shirt mirrors the images on the sides of New York taxis. She must have gotten it recently, because it has the new prices. I don't know if non-vintage clothing was welcomed at the show, but I guess she could have been wearing it ironically.

After the show, I purchased a Cake Like CD for 50% off. It was a great find, since I always wanted to own a rock CD featuring the vocals and bass of a former member of MTV's The State. Since you are probably all wondering, Kerrey does thanks "the state boys" in the liner notes. Whew. Looks like they were all still on good terms in 1999. I believe Praveen bought a Red Hot Chili Peppers Greatest Hits CD and the soundtrack to some Irish movie. His friend Linda raided the clothing rack. Erika and Kristen ended up getting a Wilco poster. I tried to bargain with the guy behind a counter for an Uncle Tupelo sign, but he said they weren't selling it yet and I should "check back." But that's not going to happen. It's like 15 minutes away and I'm not driving there every day. His loss, I may have paid more than whatever he ends up selling it for in the future. But at least I tried.

Oh, and tonight I am going to buy a ticket to tomorrow night's Decemberists show. It should be a rocking time assuming it hasn't sold out. I figure I'll use my Sunday night to learn where the 9:30 club is and then recoup my gas costs by avoiding the online ticket charge. It's a win win. Okay, I need to get lunch.

Here you go.

Adam's Fake CD 4 ( 2004 -05-30) 'London Calling'
01.	They Might Be Giants	Taste the Fame	*
02.	Yeah Yeah Yeahs	Miles Away	*
03.	The Decemberists	The Soldiering Life	*
04.	Neutral Milk Hotel	Glue (Gerbils Cover)	*
05.	Guided By Voices	Teenage FBI	*
06.	On!Air!Library	Feb.	*
07.	Say Hi To Your Mom	Hoopla Involving Circus Tricks	*
08.	Bishop Allen	Busted Heart	*
09.	Minus 5	Formerly Hail Centurion	*
10.	The Postal Service	Such Great Heights	*
11.	The Delgados	American Trilogy	*
12.	The Apples in Stereo	Benefits of Lying With Your Friends	*
13.	The Silent League	Breathe	*
14.	The Decemberists	Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect	*
15.	Say Hi To Your Mom	Super	*
16.	Malcolm Middleton	King of Bring	*
17.	The Autumn Defense	Silence	*

Happy Memorial Day.

Update: It appears SubPop is currently down, but I imagine they will go online again some time in the future.

The circle is now complete, I own the songs that I heard last month at the Magnetic Fields concert. So the album is out, and I'll tell you it's not not cute. I think my statement's truth or falsity is moot, cause honesty is not my strong suit. So, I quote love unquote it. Well, stranger things have come to be, so let's agree to disagree (if you don't believe me). Since I am having trouble butchering the lyrics to make this review, let's wrap it up. I'll say this album is delightful and fun, but I say that about every one. So here is a full song, without dumb commentary so you can get a sense of it.

I Don't Really Love You Anymore True, I'd give my right arm To keep you safe from harm And, true, for you'd I move to Ecuador And I'd keep a little farm Chop wood to keep you warm But I don't really love you anymore I don't have to love you now if I don't wish to I won't see you anyhow if that's an issue. Because I am a gentleman Think of me as just your fan who remembers every dress you ever wore- Just a bad comedian your new boyfriends better than- Cause I don't really love you anymore. There'll be some day when your eyes do not enthrall me I'll be numb, I realize you'll never call me Cause I've read your horoscope And now I've given up all hope So I don't really love you anymore

There you go.

A quick Guide

I got a question about what WebJay does. And then I found the answer(s)

First, you can import my page if you want it to give you the file names. it also tests to see if something is now dead. This is the least interesting matter, since I normally provide a pretty good way for you to download. Here are the examples. You can see that some links are now dead, so people have lost out!

First CD, Done By Webjay, Second CD, Done By Webjay, Third CD, Done By Webjay, EP, Done By Webjay

Second, I could create the playlists there. If you do not know HTML, but have wanted to make pretty looking playlists, you can do it there just by copy and pasting the mp3 file address there. This would look nicer than the way my pages are created 'automatically' since I could title them better than the processing system that generates those imported lists.

Third, I could browse the other playlists that people have created. These offer direct links to available mp3s too. So I can find other songs to download! You can watch certain users once you find out you share their interests. So if someone like me kept updating, you would keep getting great songs. I may start getting a lot of songs from here. Let's cross our fingers. So to all you out there, go try it yourself

For my own personal record.

NOTE: This entry will be typed "Stream of Conscious." Good luck making any sense of it.

Just got done watching the Magnetic Fields rock the house. Obviously I am using rock loosely, as they are an incredibly chill band. I would give the entire concert a 7 balloon doggies out of 9. Not too bad, but not that amazing either. I was happy to get a dose of new music, but it was a little bit hot in the venue and they did not play enough old stuff to satisfy me. I would pay seven dollars again in a heart beat though, so you won't hear me complaining. As you can see from the picture, it was quiet a packed stage. Everyone sitting down, just playing good old fashioned sad love songs. Here is all the information you could ever not need to know about it.

I went with my former roommate Peter and another former Section 3'er named Michelle. Peter was instrumental in alerting me to the concerts occurrence, and Michelle had the band in her Friendster® profile, so I naturally invited her. Peter's interest in the band up until the concert had been the two songs "Yeah, Oh Yeah" and one other that escapes me now (Either All The Umbrellas in London or You And Me And The Moon, I think). Good thing we lived together! Anyway, the concert did sell out until today. So my need to camp out for 20 minutes on opening day? Unnecessary. But it was also the time I listened to the premier of Air America, so I would have just been standing outside anyway.

We met at 7:30 to grab pizza. We originally planned to go into the concert at 8 pm, but we were suddenly all turned off at the idea of sitting through anyone except the Magnetic Fields. You see, there was also an opening band called Mr Norman Main, which we skipped by sitting with people in the Baggot Inn (see trivia entries for more information about this venue). I personally found out about the opening band from some random live journal last night. I guess sometimes the internet is the best source of information! Other than this guys webjournal, there was NO indication of an opening band. Humorously, this opening act doesn't even have a webpage, so maybe they knew that advertising this opening band would actually scare people away. I still managed to find out a bit about the lead singer of that opening band, as i am wont to do, but I will not bore you with too many details. Long story short, he plays an accordion in a lot of NYC bands. I guess when you have a singular talent that no one else really had any interest in developing, you have to work with it and supply so much of it that no one else things about entering the accordion band member market. As we sat in the Baggot Inn, Norman Main took the stage. Within five minutes, we got calls from people who were inside the Kimmel Center at 8, warning us not to come in yet. Those kind souls eventually came down to hang with us. Sorry Norman, maybe next time!

I should publicly apologize to Michelle. She claims she knew there was a opening band that she didn't want to see, but I forced her to come back because I initially wanted to go in right at 8 pm. I will admit I am wrong, but I want you to understand some of the other issues that made interpretation so hard. Going back to the lack of indication on the ticket, I suppose it does say "Special guests" But then the purple ticket also reads SOLO. So what does that mean? Your guess is as good as mine, cause even if it refers to the lead singer of Magnetic fields, he was clearly there with the other three members of his band. So it could have been a solo show with the rest of his band as special friends. You can see that picture up there. Four people, no question about it. But here's the more important question: Who cares? There were Magnetic Fields to experience!

As you could discern from my comments about getting phone calls, there were other people from the law school at the event. Yes there were, but they didn't sit with us in the show, so they get no more mention due to a long standing rule*. And yes that's right, I said sit. There were 450 chairs set up in the auditorium. So everyone sat. Made sense now that I think about it, but still. I know how to stand, and if everyone stands, everyone gets to be closer. Michelle said that the last time she had seen them in a coffee shop, everyone had been sitting. Who am I to mess with a bands modus operandi? (Hmm, the spell check isn't telling me I spelled those two words wrong, I must be getting insanely lucky).

For the news. I was glad to hear You're My Only Home, Papa was a Rodeo, and Yeah Oh Yeah. As I expected, they played mostly new stuff off their Their next album has a theme! Every song starts with the letter I. It will be released on May 4, 2004 and be called "I" naturally. The songs were very simple and very good. I will be purchasing it. Hopefully there will be a sale somewhere on May 4th. I can purchase it after I finish my first exam. Someone at the concert has obviously already obtained it illegally. When the lead singer announced the name of a song, one guy cheered, and the lead singer remarked something along the lines of "There's no way you could have heard that song...(pause)... unless you stole it, you pirate!" I laughed, wishing the Magnetic Fields were on the iTunes Music Store. I still need to purchase the rest of their albums.

As you can tell, I've run out of things to say. The concert ended at 11:15, Michelle and Peter took off for uptown, I went back to study for an hour or two, but ended up spending some of the time on this entry. It was good, you should see them if they come to your neck of the woods. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

--- Begin Tangent About The Nose ---

On a side note, I just wanted to say that both the Booger and Email stories are still getting a lot of play around this law school. Nationally, I'm getting a few hits a day from people around the country who must be trying to establish the veracity of the email itself. No such national demand for the nose picking story yet. But as you can see, it appears that one of the musicians in the Magnetic Fields is getting into the act! Way to support our troubled dean! Of course, I can't imagine they will continue to show such support at future concerts where they don't have reason to believe NYU Law Students will be in attendance. So I guess it is just going to remain a "NYC only" sort of thing (Like being awesome is exclusive to the city). I think I could strike a bigger chord with the country if I had a picture of the Dean 'in the act.' I promise to work on it, the future of the blog depends on it.

The end. Of both the concert review and the tangent. Or is it...?

* There is no long standing rule. (...It wasn't!)

Free legal mp3s on the web? Who knew?

Found this on the NY times today-- A story On Websites for Music Playlists:

Morphing Mix Tapes You've heard a lot about the evils of downloading music, but did you know that a vast number of free songs are legally available online? Webjay.org, a new site, helps uncover links to songs by making it easy for users to create and share playlists of songs on the Web. When you click on a playlist, the site assembles the links into a seamless radio show that you can listen to without any messy downloading. Think of it as a mix tape you can share and change at will. Webjay already features several thousand playlists linking to more than 30,000 tracks, according to the site's founder, Lucas Gonze, a programmer in Brooklyn. "The point is to find cool unknown songs and to encourage people to share what they find," he said. ... Alf Eaton, a life scientist in Paris, has written several programs to encourage people to create playlists (www.pmbrowser.info/hublog). He credits "MP3 bloggers" - aficionados who unearth MP3 links - and sites like Webjay and www.songbuddy.com with "establishing a middle ground" in the war between file sharers and the music industry. "I hope that the record industry will begin to see the value in what these grass-roots enthusiasts are doing to promote their music," he said in an e-mail message.

How's that? I feel special, since I am the second mp3 blogger that I know. The person that inspired me? Yeah, I know it's not a great design and it really seems to push some band called "dirty on purpose" too much, but the heart must be somewhere near the right place. So that's it. Maybe I should step up and make another EP once I get into exam study mode. Oh, and if you go to Soundbuddy sometime, you will notice that I have like 70 songs linked there. Some of us were there like two weeks ago. About times the Times caught on.

I normally have pretty strong concerns about maintaining my privacy. That's why I post everything on the internet. I figure if people think that it's all in the open, they won't bother doing any research on my life and times.

For that reason, I posted my playlist, with ratings for each song. If I had paid for the full version of the program that generated that list, I could also have it display the number of times that I have played a particular song. Sure, there are songs I have given the "highest" rating, but have never listened to them since iTunes started keeping track for me. I just know they are good songs, I don't demand that they ring in my head every day.

Blah blah blah. I just installed a program called AudioScrobbler:

Audioscrobbler is a computer system that builds up a detailed profile of your musical taste. After installing an Audioscrobbler Plugin, your computer sends the name of every song you play to the Audioscrobbler Server.

With this information, the Audioscrobbler server builds you a 'Musical Profile'. Statistics from your Musical Profile are shown on your Audioscrobbler User Page, available for everyone to view.

It is free. It is open source. They promise not to exploit your data except for anonymous data studies, but of course, how much can people really gather other than what music and when you listen to it. Anyway, be advised, if you are a criminal, this might be used against you... I just don't think it will.

If you would like to see what I am listening to, here is my personal audioscrobbler list. Let me know if you sign up, I'll check up on you.

Download this song

I know I usually give songs in bursts, but this is just too important to A) Wait and B) Get lumped together with other songs. Way back in the summer of 2000, after getting a recommendation to check out Neutral Milk Hotel, I gave a listen to this song.

Neutral Milk Hotel - Holland, 1945

(Backup)

Here are the lyrics to the song

The only girl I've ever loved
Was born with roses in her eyes
But then they buried her alive
One evening 1945
With just her sister at her side
And only weeks before the guns
All came and rained on everyone
Now she's a little boy in Spain
Playing pianos filled with flames
On empty rings around the sun
All sing to say my dream has come

But now we must pick up every piece
Of the life we used to love
Just to keep ourselves
At least enough to carry on

And now we ride the circus wheel
With your dark brother wrapped in white
Says it was good to be alive
But now he rides a comet's flame
And won't be coming back again
The Earth looks better from a star
That's right above from where you are
He didn't mean to make you cry
With sparks that ring and bullets fly
On empty rings around your heart
The world just screams and falls apart

But now we must pick up every piece
Of the life we used to love
Just to keep ourselves
At least enough to carry on

And here's where your mother sleeps
And here is the room where your brothers were born
Indentions in the sheets
Where their bodies once moved but don't move anymore
And it's so sad to see the world agree
That they'd rather see their faces fill with flies
All when I'd want to keep white roses in their eyes

And here is what Pitchfolk thought about it last year if you need me to appeal to authority (link)

004: Neutral Milk Hotel
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
[Merge; 1998]

There are very few albums that resist categorization quite so effortlessly as In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. For forty staggering minutes, Jeff Mangum short-circuits all conventional modes of expression, forging a private language that is endlessly intriguing and haunting in the truest sense of the word. Mangum sings as if possessed, painfully conveying fractured and moving tales with the imagistic skill of a brilliant novelist. He gnashes his teeth at the fabric of time, then wraps himself in it like a blanket, channeling the violence of his personal past through a claustrophobic frustration with his dejected present. His band, whose contributions to Aeroplane remain criminally underappreciated, elevate Mangum's songs from chilling sketches into vibrant opuses, fully realizing the antique otherworldliness of Mangum's storytelling.

Opening with the achingly gorgeous nostalgia of "The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1", Aeroplane immediately plays upon a potent conflation of cultural and personal past. The world of Aeroplane is haunted by Anne Frank-- the specter of childhood's unimpeachable innocence amidst the unfathomable horror of the holocaust. In the feverish "Oh Comely", Mangum longs to save her in "some sort of time machine." By "Two-Headed Boy Pt. 2", the album's indelible and heartbreaking closing track, he seems to have resigned himself to loving a ghost, singing with a thoroughly unnerving blend of heartbreak and exhaustion: "In my dreams you're alive, and you're crying/ As your mouth moves in mine, soft and sweet." The way people have been affected by Aeroplane is ample proof of its power and uniqueness. Like all classic art, it is widely misunderstood; yet to some, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea has become a riddle the likes of The Wasteland-- an impossibly rich text that begs to be deciphered, yet continually evades any singular interpretation. --Matt LeMay

Perhaps you should work on buying the album. Apologies to everyone who already owns it. If you'd like to hear what most of the album sounds like, here are some direct links to the live versions of the album songs -- sorry that some of them aren't available.

1. King of Carrot Flowers Part 1
2. King of Carrot Flowers Part 2 & 3
3. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (None)
4. Two-Headed Boy
5. The Fool (None)
6. Holland, 1945
7. Communist Daughter (None)
8. Oh Comely
9. Ghost
10. Untitled (None)
11. Two-Headed Boy Part 2

Wilco has made it possible for all of you kids out there to preview their new album.

Wilco has made it possible for all of you kids out there to preview their new album. I believe you need Quicktime installed to do it right. Just go visit the page. You can listen to all 13 of their tracks if your heart desires. They have nothing to lose. They did it with YHF and still sold their albums. After all, they know that the mp3s are already floating around Kazaa. So they want to give you a way that won't bring the RIAA knocking at your door, I think.

And if you really feel like you are benefitting unfairly, you can donate to Justafan.org. The basic message of the site: Wilco loves and trusts you. Love them back.

Yo. April Fools is upon us, but I can't make fake mp3s (yet). So here are my latest suggestions for you to download if you get bored. For those of you counting at home, this will make the total number of mp3 links posted in this 'fake cd' format to 62. If I can do 62, surely you can do 15.

Yo. April Fools is upon us, but I can't make fake mp3s (yet). So here are my latest suggestions for you to download if you get bored. For those of you counting at home, this will make the total number of mp3 links posted in this 'fake cd' format to 62. If I can do 62, surely you can do 15.

Adam's EP ( 2004 -04-01) 'April Fool'
01.	Asobi Seksu	I'm Happy But You Don't Like Me	*
02.	Joe Strummer & ...	Coma Girl	*
03.	Neal Pollack Invasion	Memories of Times Square	*
04.	The Color Bars	All Your Kitchen Ghosts	*
05.	Call and Response	Rollerskate	*
06.	Pretty Girls Make Graves	Speakers Push The Air	*
07.	The Sounds	Seven Days a Week	*
08.	Cake Like	Guy	*
09.	Asobi Seksu	Sooner	*

I know, I know. Don't call you Shirley. Some jokes should have died in the 70s. Where the hell have the seventies brought me?

Yesterday morning, if you had asked me to recall the last time I left a concert with my ears ringing I would have taken quite a long time to recall the last time I attended a show with a band fully committed to rocking out.... I may forget that exact date, of course, but when people ask me about loud, I will tell them that Asobi Seksu and Bettie Serveert know the definition of loud, they are also well versed in the art of "Bringing The Noise"® (Not to be confused with Bringing The Funk ®).

Yesterday morning, if you had asked me to recall the last time I left a concert with my ears ringing I would have taken quite a long time to recall the last time I attended a show with a band fully committed to rocking out. Thankfully, as of 2 am last night, I no longer need to think back farther than March 27, 2004. I may forget that exact date, of course, but when people ask me about loud, I will tell them that Asobi Seksu and Bettie Serveert know the definition of loud, they are also well versed in the art of "Bringing The Noise"® (Not to be confused with Bringing The Funk ®). It is apparent to me now that Dutch government's decision to legalize all those hip drugs from the 1960s has created a large market for amps and guitars in a nation once known for Windmills and Tulips. One wonders why Courtney Love hasn't benefitted from the same access to narcotics and/or flowers.

For background, I was going to see a band called Bettie Serveert. They are a rock band that hails from Holland. Or Amsterdam, Dutch-land, or whatever you want to call it. But they sing in English and thereby allow me (and several million other Americans who still haven't learned Dutch) to understand at least the choruses. (And you know how people make fun of the Dutch Accent by just adding a slight twist on the Swedish accent? Well, maybe they are right, but the lead singer of Bettie Serveert doesn't have much of an accent.) Last year they released an album called Log 22. It is pretty good but it does not really represent how well they Rock Out during a live show. As an aside, I don't believe this micro-US tour was to support to help support that album, they appeared to play several new songs and made mention of recording a new album coming this summer.

Anyway, they like to jam, adding stuff to the middles and ends of their songs for the enjoyment of all. I was not expected it, so I pressed up close to the stage, expecting these tight little three minute sing-songy presentations. Everyone else was doing the same, but I reasoned that it was only because they were the headliners, not because their fans wanted to have their socks rocked.

And I was wrong. Dead wrong. Socks were rocked. (Pictures were taken of all three acts I saw too!)


Getting back to the story, I suppose I should have picked up something more from the hints contained in Asobi Seksu's earlier performance. When you are smart, you get similar bands to play together. When you are dumb, you don't even own a concert hall.

Asobi Seksu are "evolving and redefining what noise means within the model of pop songwriting. The band melts lush let wonderfully crushing waves of white noise in variation with synth-driven pop melodies and tight lounge progressions. The quartet's meltiing-pot aesthetics also include narratives sung in combinations of English and Japanese." Thank you CD cover, cause I had no way of describing it when I sat down to describe them. Those three sentences might not make much sense to you now, but it is right on. I mean, if I had known that those words could be strung together in that fashion, you can bet I would have done it exactly like that. Anyway, they did have these waves of white noise. And I knew when one was coming thanks in some part to my poker training. See, whenever one was coming up, the lead singer would throw her head back. Also, at that moment, wave after wave of white noise would start coming at us. People loved it. I even bought the CD, so I must have enjoyed it.

Getting there at 9:07, I had missed a two man band named "Dear Leader" but was right on time to watch Blake Hazard start to set up. The band appears to consist of her and a guitar, so I was surprised that set up took longer than 30 seconds, but it did. She was also selling her CD at the concert, but I apparently took a long time in the restroom, because when I came out, she was already in her jacket, throwing her guitar over her shoulder, so it felt awkward. In about four seconds I ran through three jokes in my head, but decided to just let the awkwardness sit. (the jokes were "I decided to buy it when I realized I didn't have any other way to flirt with you before you went back to California," "you don't sweat much for a fat chick," and "You know what? I always thought <pause> that Blake <pause> was a guy's name <pause> and I <pause> learned something today.") Anyway, those would have been funnier than just standing there.

Here is a quick list of the strange sightings at the concert.

• Old people waiving their hands and clapping along to the beat like morons.
• One guy was clapping louder than the band.
• Expensive beer.
• Drunk girl requesting Bettie Serveert play the song they had performed eight minutes ago. (TomBoy)
• Someone doing the Xena yell every 4 minutes. Possibly the same drunk person.
• Strange bald dude aggressively fighting for the right to sit on the stage?
• No one else using digital cameras until Asobi Seksu (Why most of my pictures of Blake are fuzzy)
• About five of the people leaving the front row during B.S.'s set - loudness was unexpected

The end. Also, I like the new HTML features built into this build of iBlog, so maybe I'll most more frequently again.

Here's the third in celebration of the one year anniversary of my fancy blogging software.

Adam's Fake CD 3 ( 2004 -03-11) 'I Should Take a Spring Break'
01.	Matt Sharp	Goodbye West Coast	*
02.	Jonathan Richman	Springtime in New York	*
03.	Bree Sharp	Lazy Afternoon	*
04.	Some Girls	Necessito	*
05.	Motion City Soundtrack	The Future Freaks Me Out	*
06.	Dropkick Murphys	The Gauntlet	*
07.	Saves The Day	Shoulder To The Wheel ("At Your Funeral" on site too!)	*
08.	We Are Scientists	Riffmaster	*
09.	New Pornographers	When I Was A Baby (Donner Party Cover)	*
10.	Quasi	Good Times	*
11.	Hot Hot Heat	Bandages	*
12.	The Mayflies USA	Sodium Pentothal	*
13.	Fruit Bats	A Bit Of Wind	*
14.	We Are Scientists	Coming Clean	*
15.	Quasi	Drunken Tears	*
16.	Modest Mouse	Dark Center of the Universe (live)	*
17.	Neutral Milk Hodel	Oh Comely (live)	*
18.	Jason Alexander	A Book Laid On Its Binding	*

Hope you all rock out.

I'm BACK. I just lacked the motivation to write anything down for the last two weeks. I made a slideshow last week, so I guess I didn't really have much left for other creative endeavors. Anyway, this online now has a basic trackback system. If you know what that means, you should make something happen with it. If not, go about your daily business.

Oh, and this NO LONGER needs cover art. (See below)

Adam's Virtual CD v2.0 ( 2004 -02 -25) 'The City Strikes Back'
01.	All-Time Quarterback	Rules Broken	*
02.	Beulah	My Hororscope Said It Would Be A Bad Year	*
03.	Death Cab For Cutie	Champagne from a Paper Cup	*
04.	Bright Eyes	Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh	*
05.	The Weakerthans	The Reasons	*
06.	John Vanderslice	Bill Gates Must Die	*
07.	The Shins	So Says I	*
08.	Bishop Allen	Eve of Destruction	*
09.	The Minus 5	The Town That Lost It's Groove Supply	*
10.	Jeremy Enigk	Explain	*
11.	on!air!library	Bread	*
12.	Ryan Brent	Hit the Ground	*
13.	John Vanderslice	They Won't Let Me Run	*
14.	Beulah	If We Can Land a Man on the Moon, Surely...	*
15.	Death Cab For Cutie	President of What?	*
16.	Spoon	I Could Be Underground	*
17.	Bright Eyes	A Line Allows Progress, A Circle Does Not	*
18.	South	Loosen Your Hold	*

COVER ART - Via Micah - Pretty sweet. With regard to the audio, perhaps this CD is inferior to my initial creation, but I had 24 years to work on that one. This one was made in three weeks. Honestly, before January, I hadn't heard of some of these bands! How's that for a learning curve? That's it for me. Peace.

Ta da!

I have seen a lot of people swapping mix CDs, and I think that's cute. But I don't own a CD player other than my laptop, so what's the point? I could put 200 audio files on a CD for you but you'd hate 150 of them. So instead I am going to do a small public service. I am providing a virtual mix CD for those of you who live on Broadband Land. Here are 15 or so songs that are currently available for free on the internet that you need to listen to once before you get shot in the face. I have had some of these songs for weeks, others for months, and two or three I discovered tonight. (Contest: Guess which are which! Answers coming soon!)

Without ado, Here is the Virtual Mix CD, Version 1.1. All these songs are available on the artist's homepages (or whatever you call them), so they are free and clear. Download and enjoy, as I used to say. Oh, and Micah made cover art.

Technical Note: The (*)'s on the far right take you to the webpage of the band where there is a direct link to the mp3 in question. The actual song titles are direct links to the mp3s and you should try those first, but some webmasters can stop you from deep linking to files, so I have given you an alternate route to the songs in case someone got tricky. As a pleasant side effect, if you like one song by a band, following that secondary link might take you to even more free songs! Life is wonderful.

Adam's Virtual CD v1.1 ( 2004 -02 -04 ) 'Get the F out'
0.	Peter Salett	Wet Hot American Dream	*
A.	SOUND Team	WTFDTMFTTDITMF?	*
B.	Ben Kweller	In Other Words	*
C.	Bishop Allen	Ghosts Are Good Company	*
D.	Piebald	American Hearts	*
E.	Pavement	Spit on a Stranger	*
G.	Bennett & Burch	Whispers or Screams	*
H.	Peter Bjorn & John	Falling and Passing	*
I.	Refreshments	Los Angeles	*
J.	7 Mary 3	Over Your Shoulder	*
K.	Minus 5	Retrieval of You	*
L.	Cex	Wrist Elbow	*
M.	The Roberts	Ghetto Cowboy	*
N.	Bishop Allen	Things Are What You Make of Them	*
O.	The Cautions	Coffee Shop Girl	*
P.	Refreshments	King of the Hill	*
Z.	Eugene Mirman	At Caroline's	*

There you are. Please feel free to suggest a better order in the comments section. Or do something more productive. Or make your own list. Or cover art for this CD. As long as you don't beat me up.

I have now discovered a song (and therefore a band) through a thirty second television commercial. I feel cheap and hollow. It was the Dentyne Ice Commercial involving around a subway station. You can check it out for yourself if you get bored. The band is called Papas Fritas. They recorded the song years ago, but just recently sold out in 2003. It's a pretty cool song anyway. No one is giving it away for free, so I guess you will just need to constantly watch the television commercial like me. Keep your ear out for it.

(Note I didn't call it TV. Because TV is a nickname, and nicknames are for friends. And television is NOT my friend.)

I remember several years ago that Sting advertised his new album by lending his song Desert Rose to some kind of car company. I guess it works out for both parties. I chew so much gum that my mouth explodes, and you get to read about it in a blog while I hum something along the lines of "I never said I'd be yours only." Are there any other commercials I should keep an eye out for? Assuming the super bowl goes as planned, I will soon discover a new one.

Also, how many things can you make taste like pizza?



Soup? Pizza soup? You know it. Keep your eye out for a review.

Went to see the Old 97's last night. It was great.



I ate around three potatoes before the show, and it kind of made me sleepy during the opener's set. The Damnwell's seemed fun, but I was busy using my blood to digest the massive amount of french fries I had eaten at some kind of British theme diner. We got a premium location. We were one row back from the front of the stage and I was tall enough (relative to the short dude in front of me) that all my pictures suggest to the untrained eye that I was in the front row itself (with none of the side effects!).

I probably took about 60 pictures, so take that Bowery Ballroom! I even attempted to tape one of their songs, but unfortunately I was too close to really get clean sound in my camera's microphone. If I had been standing about 5 rows further back, I think you would be in for a treat. I really like my camera. As we were standing there, I found myself petting it, calling it my precious. Anyway, I really do wonder if I will be able to get it into places that still do pat-downs on the way in to a show. I don't want to leave it with someone else during a show. Maybe I'll just pretend its a cell phone or something. Lucky for me, I don't go to many shows at MSG or the Roseland. There were a lot of digital cameras in the audience, so don't let me pretend I was the only one to emerge from the show thinking that I had perfectly preserved the experience in two dimensional form. I will probably never post the video.

That said, the show was great. They have too many songs that I like, so obviously anything short of a three hour set is going to leave some songs off the list. Over the Cliff and Barrier Reef would have made my day though. They did play a tight set but I won't bore you with it here. I took a sneaky photograph of the set list (given my proximity to the stage and my height), so one day I will probably transcribe the set list and post it for you. I don't know if they stuck to it perfectly. It indicates a 2 song encore and they played three. Verification will potentially come from some nerd on a message board that posts the full list. Then I can compare the two.

So that's it for now. It was a good time all around. The Old 97's are going to spend the next month working on a new CD. Oh, and they still know how to rock out.



In other news, I am behind in the reading for classes, there is still ice on the ground, and I am probably going to attend a primary party even though I'll hate myself in the morning. Time to get cracking on those books.

I am not going to the Tank everyday, I promise. I probably won't even check their website for another week. But I was always planning on seeing Bishop Allen. The Hazzards were more of an afterthought, or at least, a bargaining chip to insure that someone would go with me to see an awesome show. It was originally difficult for me to talk anyone into going to see them since I had only heard four of their songs (the free ones on their website), there was too much of a risk that I wouldn't like their other stuff. And bringing someone else to a show where you end up not liking the band is a big faux pas.

But the other songs were great. They happen to be a band that actually plays in a way that allows you to understand the words of songs you haven't heard before. So I made the decision to purchase their CD. Only $10 bucks at the show. The evening itself cost me $37 dollars. A $13 dinner at Spice, a Snapple®, two $2 subway rides, the $5 dollar ticket, the $10 dollar CD, a $1 dollar CD, $3 dollars for a piece of cake and a drink at the show. Not a cheap night, but I did get to hear four bands play from 9 pm until 1:30 am.

Here is the chorus to Ghosts Are Good Company (only available on CD!)

I can't do this, I can't do that.
I can't believe I got so fat,
At least ghosts are good company.

I can't believe it is so cold,
I should get up before I get old
And then I'll change my ways
Before my ways change me.



There is some percentage of the band. The unpictured guy was really peppy and excited to play music. How peppy you ask? Peppy enough to warrant mention here, since that fact sticks with me. He looked a little like a younger, innocent Michael Showalter. The girl was pretty and has bigger vocal parts on the songs only available on CD. The girl next to me was taking notes, so perhaps some magazine will be doing a write up about the show. If it happens, I will read it with pleasure.

Lisa, Jeff, and Audrey all came along for the best concert event of the New Year! Well, they only had to compete against a random young DC band and a band that plays with ukuleles. I assume that they liked it, since both Jeff and Lisa purchased the CD at the same time. Actions speak louder than words, and it is hard to dispute their behavior suggested that they wanted to hear the same songs again. But I won't presume to speak for them. I'm just saying that you should have already downloaded their mp3s and checked out their tour page to see when they are hitting DC. Oh my gosh, it's in like a week!!! Get moving.

Time for me to get back to watching football. But before I go, let me point out that I managed to snap a bottle cap in a humorous way this morning. I got it wedged in my closet door, so I took a picture. That's my hand in the mirror.



Somewhere in the Empire City
Someone takes a curtain call.
I'm so broke at the end of the evening
That you'll find me hopeless in the back of the hall.

Brutus suffered the same fate.
They left him all alone with his shame.
Somewhere in the wings there's a sensible whisper:
"When you wield the knife, learn to carry the blame."

I left my apartment in the Village around nine o'clock Friday evening to drop off my moot court assignment. On the way to the office, I stopped at the ol' bank to get cash. On the way out of the office, I stopped at Burger King for the ol' 5 piece chicken tenders. Thirty minutes later I was standing on 42nd Street thanks to the C train. The chicken tenders, you ask? They were delicious. The night air, you ask? Not so cold that I couldn't stand around taking pictures of the portion of 42nd street between 10th and 9th Avenue. But it was still cold, so I walked quickly past a familiar sign and store. The last time I had been on this portion of 42nd Street, I was in a large U-Haul fan, filled to the brim with goods owned by myself or my sister. It was a slightly more stressful time back then. After a five hour drive, mid-afternoon traffic in NYC weights heavier on your mind than wind-chill. But I digress.

My friend Lisa called at 9:45, saying she might be getting to 42nd Street late. Something about a dinner. I was not really listening, because I had just seen the first sign for the The Tank and I knew that even if she never made it down from Columbia, I would be able to exchange seven dollars for a night of ukulele playing (due to past problems, this was not, in my mind, synonymous with fun). For you see, the Hazzards, New York's Baddest 2 Girl Ukulele Band, were about to take the stage at the Tank to literally warm the hearts of the mid-town, and I had a date with destiny.

Now that I've set it up, it's time to let you down a little with detail. The Tank is basically a bar and artspace sitting about five blocks from Times Square. It only has bottled beer, there are no mixed drinks, and yet it attracted quite a crowd this evening. I attribute the packed house to the "opening night" phenomenon I observed the last time a new group premiered a show at Variety Underground. It is easier to pack the house with your friends if you are doing something new and different, and this was the opening night appearance of The Fabulous Entourage, which are a power pop band complete with two backup singers and attitude to spare. (Also, they were giving away their EP "I smell danger" with the purchase of a ticket. Since the ticket to the show was $7.00 even, and the CD costs $7.99, I was basically getting paid 99 cents to see their show!)

But I am getting ahead of myself. As you now need to know, the Hazzards were the opening band, and yet, they were the only reason I made the trip. The day after the snow storm kept me from venturing out to see Bishop Allen at Mercury Lounge on the 14th, I began planning on going to see them at this place called "The Tank" on Saturday. I approached Lisa (mainly because she was online, I wouldn't have taken the 1-9), asking her if she wanted to go with me to see a random band she had never heard of at this place in mid-town called the Tank. She replied "Is the random band the Ukes of Hazzard?" The conversation continued, we realized that the band she had heard about was actually playing on Friday night, my band was on Saturday Night. She told me that they had a funny song called Gay Boyfriend , complete with video. She was right about the funny. I think the video is better than anything I could have produced, even with ten years of work with iMovie. I would suggest hitting pause on this journal and watching the higher quality movie file available through the video link above. So, Lisa has a band she wanted to see on Friday and I had one I wanted to see on Saturday. Quid Pro Quo, we both agreed to see each others band. The second band was an afterthought, much like the band We are Scientists will be an afterthought tonight (unless Bishop Allen is opening for them, then they are a forethought). I would not be the proud owner of the I Smell Danger EP if it were not for the two girls who recently dropped "the ukes" from their title but still play the ukulele at their shows.

Anyway, Lisa made it before the show started. And as you can see, we got a picture with the Hazzards. They have a blog, so suck on that bands that don't feel the need to keep their fans informed.



The whole experience was great. They played with a full band (guitar, harp, and drums) backing them up. They played their full complement of songs, and a cover of Guns & Roses "Sweet Child of Mine". If they had played November Rain, I think I would have been amused to death, so I am thankful they stuck with their artistic choice. I took some pictures, I sang along when I knew the words. Lisa was more familiar with "I Can Hear My Roommate", but I wasn't there to compete. They do not always wear the costumes. Here are some photos of the Hazzards. That's it. Time to move on for now. If I hear more about them in the future, I'll direct your attention there.

I enjoyed the Fabulous Entourage as well. Lisa was not as amused by them, but I think she may have been looking for something different. I would suggest downloading the band's free mp3s if you are bored. They are a keyboard, guitar, drums and two backup vocals kind of band. The combination of the pop music and the moves of the backup singers was enough to keep me entertained. For example, during their performance of "Robot Girl", the singers did the robot dance at the appropriate times in the song. And it was good. They are very entertaining live, but I probably won't see them again at their Tank engagement. They tried to do this opening skit, but I guess I wasn't into it, so I am just going to pretend their strange "Vice Squad" skit didn't happen.

So we explored the venue after the show. In the basement, there was an a art space called Spaceworks MixedMedia that was currently showing an exhibit by an anthropologist interested in the development of e-mail spam over the past fifteen years. There was a computer, a telephone, some printed out emails, and other random things. He had a complete classification system to go with his exhibit (What was the spam offering, etc). It was entitled Reimagining the Ordovician Gothic: Fossils from the Golden Age of Spam and very interesting to see. If you are a fan of the Nigerian Scam, this is the place to see its ancestors for the next four weeks while it is still installed. On the roof, there are a few chairs and a interesting view of 42nd Street. We weren't supposed to be there, I think, but we went, and it was fun for all.

Leaving the venue around 12:45 AM, we walked uptown towards the Russian Vodka room. On the way there, we discovered about five fire trucks parked on a street as firefighters struggled to control a blaze coming out of some store. We only saw smoke. That is, until they broke out the chain saw to get into the adjacent building.



Hard to say? Well, can we say "Oh my god there's a man in my office with a chain saw!"? Anyway, we watched them break glass, climb ladders, and generally do what you expect fight fighters to do with their time. It was pretty sweet even though it was cold. We were the perfect New Yorkers, gawking and making comments with other onlookers about whether the restaurant that was burning served anything that would be missed.

But after I got my pictures, it was time to go. We ate at the Russian Vodka room, told stories, and then went our separate ways around 3. I walked to the nearest ACE stop. I finally saw my first rat! And when I had a camera! It is the small black blob down below that bench. I am sure you never thought that I would end my journal entry with a picture of a subway rat. But you were wrong.

It was cold today in NYC, as you probably heard or experienced. But it was nothing that could keep me from traipsing around the Village today. Praveen had come up to visit the city with a specific plan that involved traipsing and not even Neptune's best efforts could keep us from our ultimate goal in our odyssey across the Village. Neptune's interference caused us to only catch the least exciting portions of the Rams & Panthers playoff game while eating and drinking in a bar called Down the Hatch. The siren's call for pizza took us away from there and into SoHo. Tied to the mast of our group's ship of feet, I discovered another place that charges way too much for pizza (I guess you can do that when you get a 25 in Zagats). It was good pizza, but I don't know if four dollars a slice will ever be justified. Even in the face of New York prices, the crew ate like they had been transformed into pigs. that And I finally made my way into the Mercury Lounge, realizing that we needed the help of a God if we were going to make it home. He advised me to take a herb and watch a rock show, lest I be forever doomed to wander the Village. Having run out of ways to make classics majors roll their eyes, I now move into the substantive portion of tonight's entry.

Regarding the Mercury Lounge. I am considering going to see Bishop Allen there next week, so learning the cost and layout will allow me to make a relatively more informed choice than what I was facing on Friday. To aid you in picturing this bar, here are a few tidbits and impressions. It is a very small venue. The fire marshall has determined the entire building can safely hold 299 people. The stage was raised about 30 inches, there wasn't much in the way of lights, and the crowd was not exactly in more than a 'head bobbing' mood. We dominated the front row of the standing room environment. At one point, we almost came to blows when Praveen kicked my cup across the floor. Tempers were wearing thin and there was not much to entertain us in between sets.

None of the bands I saw were big enough to have groupies yet. Metropolitan was a self-described "Indie Noise Pop Rock" band up from DC for the weekend. Praveen knew their bassist and we talked with him before and after the show. I didn't feel any catchy hooks, but they were only playing new stuff to try and gain some press in the big apple. You heard it here first. The second and last band we saw was called White Mud Free Way. They had some catchy hooks and benefited from being local since a higher proportion of their fan base was able to make it out to the show. We did not know any of the musicians in the band, but the lead singer was pretty and sounded a little like Natalie Merchant. One of the band members was from Canada as we found out when he was trying to establish that he had street-cred regarding evaluating cold temperatures. Personally, I'm wetter than I've ever been, and I'm from Canada! Both bands have mp3s on their sites, so feel free to take them and exploit the richness.

Side note, my camera has taken its first celebrity picture! I am now the paparazzi. I do not know how I feel about that. Anyway, look down and examine the person resting behind Praveen's ear in the following cropped photograph. You will see someone who looks out of his element. (rimshot).



Eh? Eh? It is funnier since I just saw his supporting actor work in Big Fish. After taking this shot, Praveen talked with him. Rumor had it that he was there because his son wanted to see one of the bands performing that night. Little did he know that obsessive nerds with cameras would be there at the show. Oh, me and Praveen were there too. I think everyone involved was glad he was there. I did not say hello, but I made a plan. If I ever see him again, I will tell him I remember seeing him at the Metropolitan show at Mercury Lounge. It will make me look hip. Or maybe it will give him enough time to secretly dial 911 on his cell phone. Either way, one of us will be happy (or in his case relieved) when that conversation ends. And with that, the television beckons.

I managed to accomplish none of the things I thought I would accomplish on Monday. The repair shop was not done with my backpack, the phone store informed me that I did not need to do anything to keep my current plan, I was too lazy to do laundry, and many other things that could have occurred did not (but they are so minor that mentioning them here would be a waste of even my time). Perhaps my failures this break have been related to the car I have had the pleasure of driving



You be the judge. I tell people that I tell people the paint is peeling because I drive so fast. Really, it's just an old minivan. I put the 150,000th mile on it on my way back from Williamsburg this break. I will probably drive it during the summer if it lasts that long.

On a brighter note, the minivan and I did make it out to Bogart's Backroom with Tiffanie and Amy to see Devil's Workshop. I left my house at 9 to arrive on West Avenue at 9:20. 9:30 is the optimal time to arrive at Bogart's on monday night, if you were wondering. I learned that from personal experience and advice from Tiffanie. Recall that the time I arrived at 9 was also the time I discovered Bill had moved into a place in the Fan. You must accept the downside to optimal arrival time: you reduce the chance of zany adventures in the Fan. We sat down and waited for the band to start. I began playing with my digital camera settings. Here is the best result (considerably scaled down and reduced in quality for the blog, of course) of the evening.



The black and white setting, when used with no flash and a makeshift tripod (as suggested by Amy) produced a cool picture with very few problems in its 2000x1500 2 megabyte form. Unlike some pictures that I have simply thrown away save for a 15k image in this blog, I will probably keep the original. There is more of the band to the left, but getting them all in one shot would have required more work than I was willing to do. Also, getting a second shot and then posting them both was more than I did, so sorry. Go see the show. Here is another image of Devil's Workshop if you are really mad.

So, Tiffanie and Amy left after the first set finished around 10:40. I was hoping my friends Phil and Andy would arrive to take their place as my posse, but that sadly never occurred. Luckily, UVa paid off where Governor's School failed. A UTS bus driver named Kelly came into the bar with her own Richmond posse, and they were kind enough to let me join them. So I hung out with them on the other side of the room until 1:40 am. (Actually, my statement that GS failed is slightly an exaggeration, John from the class of 98 was also there, but I didn't want to force my way into his group, since it was loud, and I rarely make amazing conversation when I can't hear what the other person is saying.) So I screamed things to Kelly every once in a while and rocked out with the band.

Tomorrow is the Governor's School reunion at Maggie Walker from three to five, so you can look forward to one picture (or two) that encapsulate the evening for me. Until then!

Scanning a Radiohead fan site, I was informed that "Pitchfork Media, the eternal hipster homepage, has again revised their best 100 albums of the 90s list, and OK Computer has replaced My Bloody Valentine's Loveless as the #1 album." Not that I care that much, except that suddenly i realized that *I* now owned the Number 1 Album of the last decade. Under their previous ranking, I was the first loser. I went through the list, reading the reviews and deciding if I was hip enough to make a post about this. I decided I was.

For those of you who will not find your way to the list (Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1990s Redux), here is how a sample entry looks...picked, um, completely at random...


053: Weezer, Pinkerton, [1996]

In 1996, it was something of a shock to see Weezer jump from the sungazing confines of the Blue Album to a stalker-heavy concept album about blue balls. Soundscan numbers reflected this, chasing the band off the charts and back into the cult status preferred by their core fans. But Pinkerton soon became the Little Album that Could, building up enough steam during the band's hiatus to bring Rivers Cuomo, et al out of retirement, for better or worse (okay, for worse). It's still easy to see how people looking for some more "Buddy Holly" quirk were frightened away, what with Pinkerton's ferocious Frid-drums, overdrive switches stuck in the "on" position, and Rivers Cuomo's disturbingly literal lyrics. (There had to have been a few restraining orders filed in Cambridge after its release.) But songs like "Why Bother?" and "Falling for You" are sing-along catharsis that should be prescribed to people with social anxiety disorder, and "The Good Life" is a beerglass-swinger for the indie set. Modern emo may have sprung fromPinkerton's Asian art loins, but I'll be damned if it ain't the catchiest LiveJournal blog I've ever heard. --Rob Mitchum

As far as it goes, here is how I stack up against their revised list (meaning: Here is the list of the record that both appear on their list and in my CD collection!). Two quick points: 1) If you really bother to compare this list to the mp3s that I have in my current playlist, you will notice that some of the albums have never made it fully onto my computer. I guess I am not always a fan of an entire album. 2) There are one or two albums on here where I never purchased the actual CD, but own both the greatest hits and have acquired most of the other songs on the album. Basically, there are albums I keep meaning to purchase, by have not purchased them in their pure form. All such half-assed attempts will be noted by a star (*).

The CD's I own

001: Radiohead, OK Computer
003: The Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin
004: Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
006: Nirvana, Nevermind
013: Nirvana, In Utero
015: Radiohead, The Bends
018: Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream
019: Beck, Odelay
020: Björk, Post
026: Weezer, Weezer Blue
028: Pixies, Bossanova (*)
029: Modest Mouse, The Lonesome Crowded West (*)
031: Wilco, Summerteeth
034: Beastie Boys, Check Your Head
037: Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs (*)
043: R.E.M., Automatic for the People
053: Weezer, Pinkerton
064: The Breeders, Last Splash
083: Pixies, Trompe le Monde
088: Wilco, Being There

So, not a great showing, but then again, there are many albums on their list that I have both heard and disliked. Secretly, just between you and me, I purchased The Breeders Album just because of Last Splash. Also, it was sad to see that I purchased the wrong album by a band. LIke, I wish they had just done Top 100 Bands, since then I could totally bluff my way through the entire list. So that's it. Maybe I should purchase albums #2 and #5 to jump start my stalled 90s musical growth. What's Loveless about, anyway? And what have they done for me lately?

I would like to point out that they did make this list in 2000 as well (which is why this is called a redux). Many bands changed placed, dropped off, etc. I have four albums in the top 10 where I used to have three. All thanks to Neutral Milk Hotel's album going from 85 to 4. EIGHTY-FIFTH TO FOURTH. I knew it was a good album when my friend Priscilla recommended it. Pinkerton also went from 70 something to 50 something. Staying power is key. (of course, the blue album went from 14 to 26. Which is understandable. They are going to eventually merge). It is also funny to see what albums were simply on the list because they were recent. Here is the list of albums I owned that used to be on the list but are no longer on the list at all: Uncle Tupelo, Anodyne (sad, but two Wilco albums now on the list are better, and if you want UT, you can just get the greatest hits now anyway, so I can understand why this one would drop off in-favor of the later stuff by the better half of the old band.) They Might Be Giants, Flood (No opinion here. But to drop from 25 to nothing, really says something about it, I suppose).

Nothing major happening these days. Big school dance tonight. Far behind in all my reading. Went to Cosmic Cantina for dinner tonight. Drew Barrymore was eating there. She is really short too. So, that's it for October. Halloween will probably mask any other famous people. Oh, if only she was still with Tom Green. If those two crazy kids can't make it, what hope do the rest of us have in this topsy-turvy world?

Speaking of music, I will end tonight's post with some song lyrics. If you haven't heard of Bishop Allen, consider this fair notice. I would quickly say that they are a slightly more "pop"pie Modest Mouse. Case and point .

Here are some lyrics from Eve of Destruction, also available as an mp3 on their website.

And if this moment is gone in a flash
And my hand in yours becomes ash in ash
And everyone becomes just dust in the blast
At least this day will be our last
And I tell you over and over and over again, my friend
That I'm down with you, even on the eve of destruction

It's a fairly happy song.

Rock Over London, Rock on Chicago

Having just purchased the tracks to the new Ben Folds EP (He is releasing three EPs this year instead of an album) from the iTunes Music Store for just 3.99 (the CD retails for 5.98 plus tax, or is on Kazaa for free) I am going to make a giant list of all my current songs. Oh, alright and bookmarks. I think this will keep me more intellectually honest in my musical tastes and website visits. I mean, you always act different when you think people might be watching right? And everyone wants transparency. Now you can have both!

So yeah, go look for the Ben Folds Album if you are bored. Oh, and if you are that bored, feel free to let me know what songs I am missing or should delete.

(PS. Yes, I realize that not all of my songs have a ranking of 1-5 and some of them are inaccurate at best. You've got to give me time. That is a list of 2500 songs)

Lacking real content, I present the 60 some songs just placed onto tapes for my enjoyment during my drives to and from work. Most of these songs are from CDs I own, but feel free to point out if you think that one of the songs was actually better on a different album. Also, point out if I am completely wrong about one of the albums.

01 The Gambler - Kenny Rogers (20 Great Years)
02 Al's War - Less Than Jake (Hello Rockview)
03 In Too Deep - Sum 41 (All Killer No Filler)
04 Mykel and Carli - Weezer (Single: Undone - The Sweater Song)
05 Shadow Stabbing - Cake (Comfort Eagle)
06 Blizzard of '77 - Nada Surf (Let Go)
07 Gigantic - Pixies (Death To The Pixies (Live))
08 Barrier Reef - Old 97's (Too Far to Care)
09 Please Do Not Go - Violent Femmes (Violent Femmes)
10 Walt Whitman's Niece - Wilco & Billy Bragg (Mermaid Avenue Volume 1)
11 Hackensack - Fountains of Wayne (Welcome Interstate Managers)
12 Ana Ng - They Might Be Giants (Severe Tire Damage)
13 Special - Garbage (Version 2.0)
14 Paper Thin Walls - Modest Mouse (The Moon And Antarctica)

15 Goddam Right It's A Beautiful Day - Eels (Partay)
16 The Way You Wear Your Head - Nada Surf (Let Go)
17 91 Miles To Richmond - Pop Culture Casualties (They're Only Doing It To Get Attention)
18 Wonderboy - Tenacious D Tenacious D)
19 Hell Song - Sum 41 (Does This Look Infected?)
20 Baba O'Riley - The Who (The Ultimate Collection (Disc 1))
21 This is Your Proverbial Life - The Gaskets (Big Fun)
22 You Were Right - Badly Drawn Boy (Have You Fed The Fish?)
23 C-C-C-Cinnamon Lips - OK Go (OK Go)
24 Hundred Million - Treble Charger (Detox)
25 Pick Up The Change - Wilco (A.M.)
26 Now It's On - Grandaddy (Sumday)
27 Aqua Teen Hunger Force - Schoolly D

01 Wasted and Ready - Ben Kweller (Sha Sha)
02 The Secret Life of Morgan Davis - Ben Folds (Rockin' The Suburbs (B-Sides))
03 Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt. 1 - The Flaming Lips (Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots)
04 Where Have You Been? - Reel Big Fish (Cheer Up)
05 This Is What I Do - Rhett Miller (The Instigator
06 Looking at the World Through a Windshield - Son Volt (Rig Rock Deluxe)
07 My Name Is Jonas - Weezer (Weezer)
08 All My Best Friends Are Metalheads - Less Than Jake (Hello Rockview)
09 Coffeeshop Girl - The Cautions (The Cautions Debut CD)
10 Jerusalem - Dan Bern (Dan Bern)
11 Let Down - Radiohead (OK Computer)
12 Get Off This - Cracker (Garage d'Or)
13 Your Love - Less Than Jake (Goodbye Blue & White)

14 Holland, 1945 - Neutral Milk Hotel (In the Aeroplane Over the Sea)
15 New Madrid - Uncle Tupelo (89/93: An Anthology)
16 99 Red Balloons - Goldfinger (Stomping Ground)
17 The Good Life - Weezer (Pinkerton)
18 Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana (Nevermind)
19 Rhythm Section Want Ad - They Might Be Giants (Then: The Earlier Years)
20 Look What Happened - Less Than Jake (Anthem)
21 (Crazy For You But) Not That Crazy - The Magnetic Fields (69 Love Songs Vol. 2)
22 Irish Drinking Song - Buck O Nine (Songs in the Key of Bree)
23 Miss Emma Peal - Dishwalla (Pet Your Friends)
24 Teenage Victory Song - Weezer (Single: Island in the Sun)
25 Open Mic Nite - The Gaskets (Big Fun)
26 There's Something About Mary - Jonathan Richman (There's Something About Mary)
27 Please Don't Rock Me Tonight - Fountains of Wayne (Fountains of Wayne)
28 Higher and Higher - Craig Wedren (Wet Hot American Summer)

Two events. This post and I have been converting my owned songs from mp3 to m4a.

First, on the converting. I have realized that 1500 of my songs are without question legal. 400 are probably legal, they were taken from the artist's website with their permission. And then 500 are questionable. I say that because I haven't done any case work. But here is my question. I purchased a Stone Temple Pilots CD with 12 songs on it because it was the only available medium in which I could get the three songs I wanted. I would gladly return ownership of 9 of the twelve if I could. And my total number of questionable STP mp3s is less than 9. I would almost call that a fair trade.

Second. And this is more of the response to another post I read.

My mother likes country music. I blame being raised in Roanoke while the 60s were happening elsewhere. Either way, our musical tastes overlap only in twang-core. Or some call it alt-country. I happen to like the Old 97s and Wilco. They basically play to a 30s-40s crowd though, so I guess it is to be expected that my mother could identify with their music to some degree.

My father and sister share a love of the Beatles and 60s rock. My father did purchase the Everlast CD, but only because the title refers to one of his favorite baseball players, not because he wanted to really appreciate the evolution of the former lead singer for House of Pain.

Here is my proposal. At some point, your record collection gets too big. Or your mp3 (or m4a) collection starts to tell you that you will not hear the same song twice even if you listened to it for 10 days without stopping.

Lets say you have 200 favorite songs at 3 minutes each. Suddenly you have ten hours of music. Why listen to the modern rock station when you KNOW they will never play those 200 songs from the 60s and 70s? You are more likely to get to like the other songs from the 60s and 70s. In a way, you are locked into your musical decade because your exposure to new music only occurs within an environment that assumes you only want to hear music from that time period.

Of course, some stations claim to play the best of the 80s, 90s, and today (See my post 03/01/1990 "I hate B103.7 because they killed my family"), but honestly, they are not really playing many songs from the 80s and 90s, they are playing maybe the top 100 (in their mind) from each decade. True 80s fans will seek out an 80s station, and as time goes on, they will develop a real connection to 50 bands they never actually heard WHILE in the eighties, but get to hear day after day on the radio.

This all has something to do with specialization, but I don't know what exactly. I think that once MTV2 stops catering to my needs, I too will start listening to the classic 90s station whenever it is too much trouble to cart around my tiny mp3 player or something.

Location: Lyle's Porch in Dinwiddee
Price: One Microfiche Scanner

The Gasket's Website

Also Appearing:
Nobody. Eric was supposed to play, but he claims both his guitars were broken. Also, some twelve year old kid played along with them for a minute.

Went with Lyle, Lisa, Dawn, Bill, Eric, Kelly, Frankie, Elana, Tiffanie, Sara, James, Micah, Megan, Amy, Becca, Mary, Scott, Rich, Brennan, Laura Beth, Tommy, Stewie, Bill's friend, other people, John, Katie, Renee

Promoting their first major label release, Big Fun, and their future opening for Weird Al at King's Dominion

Was I satisfied?

This was probably the first concert where I was older than the band. Sure, I went to a few battle of the bands in high school where I was a junior and one of the bands was made of freshman, but that doesn't count. Also, these two guys were good. People compared them to They Might Be Giants and Weird Al, but I also detected a hint of King Missile and a less depressing Atom and His Package (no relation to me, but his package is his beatbox). While they sang (The opposite of King Missile's spoken word over music style), their actual songs were more hardhitting that Weird Al and They Might be Giants. So while people were able to see them act a little like those alternative bands, the actual content was remarkably different. Which is why I am remarking on it here.

Anyways, go check out their CD.

Random Information

This actually occured at Lyle's graduation party. I have never been to a birthday party with a pony, much less one with its own band. One time I dropped Ian Miller's band off at a party they were going to play at, but I had to go camping, so I do not know how they made it home. I also was not officially invited to that party, so as things go, I am probably glad I had the excuse. Not to go off on a tangent, but I remember Ian wanted to get us to Chesterfield, but we got off his road map because we did not take the I-95 exit. I eventually made it home, but there was about 15 minutes when I was driving back that I thought I might miss my ride to the camping trip.

So, Lyle danced and wanted us all to dance. I nodded my head in the chair and sang along when I knew the words (happened twice), so I feel like I did my duty for him. He does not have dance happy friends these days. Anyways, I think the cloudcover made the band more exciting. If it had been sunny, then I would have needed to squint the whole time, and perhaps I would have missed facial expressions and stuff. Who knows. I just wanted to point out that it was always threatening to rain on us. Isolated thunderstorms being what they are.
Also, I am using this review to remind myself about Lyle's party more than the band. I bought their CD for twelve dollars, so if I need to remember the band, I can look at the CD. I did not take pictures at the party, so the text must go here to save memories for the future.

I gave Lyle a microfishe reader and an old BAM card. I ate some chips, found out what old people are doing. I ate fried chicken and key lime cake (not a typo). I sat, I stood, I did not swim. The band did a love song to Katie. Everyone enjoyed how easy it was to comment on my shirt, even the band. We had high schoolers get drunk, we had college kids get drunk. We had the best of all words. I saw cigarettes get hidden in plants and then given away. People left after just an hour there, others stayed until I left at 2 AM. I made about 75 zombie related jokes. No zombies actually occured. There was about 15 seconds of rain followed by lots of cool dryness.

The bugs were held at bay by a zone of torches. When they went out it was like that scene in the Xfiles where the little bugs attack when it goes dark. We were all suddenly swept up and put into cacoons. Except that it didn't happen that way, we just went inside to watch Better Off Dead. I had several cokes to keep me up on the way home. Actually, it was Pepsi and Diet Coke. (Must have been a strange sale down at the Food Lion). Lyle seemed to enjoy it, no one was killed, but I'm sure we made fun of him too much. We almost drove him to swim! There was a 45 minute period where I just made annoying/brilliant commentary. Three Pepsis in a row can do that to a person, I guess. Also, I am comedian.

As the last two paragraphs have been semi-"you had to be there to understand" sentences placed end to end, I will now apologize. Sorry you were not there or aware of that particular thing while you were there. I may write an entry in my journal if I feel like it. More likely you found this page because I told you to find this in my journal. Unless this is anytime after the year 2003. Then some phrase on this page registered in a search engine. Monkey butt!

Place: Browne's Island
Price: Free

Fighting Gravity's Website

Also Appearing:
Driftwood's Website

Went with Lyle Elder and Renee Petrina
Ran into my parent's next door neighbor

Richmond puts on this weekly show during the summer to sell alcohol and other things. We wouldn't want to fall behind other cities with this thing

Was I satisfied?

Yeah. It was free after all, and the slight ringing in my ear was gone by the next morning. The opening band Driftwood did a cover of Eminem, and Fighting Gravity threw out about three covers, U2, some other thing, and then Weezer's Say It Ain't So. The crowd was pretty polite, probably because this wasn't mosh music and FG has been around so long, many of their fans are too old to bounce. Turns out Renee is best friend's with FG, so I wouldn't want to be negative here, since things can always come back to haunt you. Well, help me gather up the spliters and build a casket for my tears.

Random Information

Lyle and I grabbed food at a Blimpee's before hand. We were warned about the dangers of the six foot sub. Lyle forgot to order mustard because it was never explicitly offered like most of the other items, I probably could have used some as well. Since we had told Renee that we would pick her up at 6:15 and it was only 5:45 when we finished, I got gas across from the Domino's on Belvedier. I wanted to purchase water, so I elected to pay inside with my creditcard. Except that you have to pre-pay...and therefore predict how much gas you are going to be able to fit in your tank. I aimed low and it sort of turned out to be a waste of time because I got so little. But since we needed to waste time, I guess mission accomplished.

Because Lyle and I made a mistake due to lack of experience with the venue, we had to park several blocks away (but it was free!). Had we played our car(d)s right, one of us could have parked a block away and enjoyed the simple please of good parking. On the other hand, after the long walk back to my car, I was back on the interstate in the blink of an eye. Had we been too close, we may have sat in parking lot traffic for several minutes.

So, because of the parking mess and coordination problems, I got to the show at 6:10, everyone else got there at 6:25. The opening band was playing, but no one was within 30 feet of the stage, so I knew the rain threat may keep this venue from overloading. Anyway, I located the place where other people appeared to be standing and waiting, and I stood and waited there. Originally I had been about 50 feet from the band, but I realized that if I was that close, I might not be able to talk on the cell phone if my late friends tried to call and inform me of further delays.

We met some random GS class of '01 people through Renee. We rushed the stage for Fighting Gravity. Some drunk kids danced next to us. I couldn't keep up with the crowd when he wanted everyone to sing along. ALl the songs were so positive. We may have seen a girl named Ellen. Renee went and talked to the band at the end of the set. Lyle was out fast because he has a 50 minute trip home.

In the back of my mind, I told myself that if I had to pay for parking, I should just drive home and skip the concert. I also did not take a camera, but I will check Driftwood and FG's websites to see about pictures sometime soon. The end.

Location: Bogart's Backroom in Richmond
Price: Six Dollar Cover.

Devil's Workshop's Website

Also Appearing:
Nobody. The band is almost 20 people

Went with David Tyndall. Saw Bill Hunt Before the Fact

Promoting their first CD "Idle Hands". Actually, they play their every Monday night

Was I satisfied?

Yes. The music was nice, just like the last time I went. Basically, we went to hang out at a swank night club. It is worth six bucks. They all do good solos and stuff. Of course, I am barely familiar with their body of work, so I did not know what they were playing and when. They only had one song with words, but who comes for words?

Random Information

The website says that the doors open at 8:30 and the band starts at 9. This is wrong. The doors do open at 8:30, but the band starts just before 10. We got there at 9 and had nothing to do.

We wandered around that area of Richmond. We passed a park, what I thought was Lucy's house and what I thought might by Mr Schriber's house. We just kept taking random turns, since we had so much time to kill. As we turned the corner to start going back to Bogard's passed the Warsaw Retirement home, we spy Bill Hunt sitting on a porch. He is back in town, working at a paralegal firm.

Location: Steps of Columbia Library
Price: Free (Subway both ways)

Ben Fold's Website

Also Appearing:
Nobody

Saw Lisa Scavo after the fact

Promoting &quot;Ben Folds Live&quot;

Was I satisfied?

Yes. It was free, and since I got there late, I stood behind the stage (which also had a great view) and I took three pictures that may someday end up here.Random InformationThere seemsBen FoldsAt some point, he started playing drums.

One Angry Dwarf &amp; 200 Solemn Faces
Song for the Dumped (some in Japanese)
Kate
Elton John Tribute Cover
Other songs, etc

August 2002, unknown date
Location: Starr Hill
Price: $12.00

Also Appearing:
None

Their wbesite

I went with Praveen and Matt Daniels.

We ran into Marissa Cato at the show, and she gave us a ride home.

Was I satisfied?

Yes. Starr Hill was nice, and I saw a few people that I knew.

Random Information

None

New World Disorder Tour
Location: Innsbrook Pavilion
Price: $12.00

Appearing:
Sponge: site
Seven Mary Three: site
Spin Doctors: site
Gin Blossoms: site

Went with Praveen and Matt Daniell.

Was I satisfied?

Yes. It was nice to jump back to 1994.

Good times for all.

And at only $12, it was a deal.

Each band must have seen 15 cents.

Random Information That is the real stage to the right, but not the right concert. Combine the people below with that stage and a big open field and you will get a sense of the show. Not an amazing tour. But it was interesting to see these four bands trying to make it again. Sponge was the sad one. It seemed like they were in charge of TV sales for the rest of the concert. If not, then their girlfriends/wives were, and they were just unable to not help out. I brought my big red foldout chair, which was the best decision by far. While it tied me down to a specific regoin for longer, it did allow me to sit out the poor sets in style. Praveen and Matt were not so lucky. I do not know if they regarded my chair as dorky, but either way, I would have kicked myself all day if I had left it at home. I bought the pizza and sprite from the little vendor. We got the whole pizza, since there were three of us. Still a rather pricey purchase, if memory serves at this point (March 26, 2003 to be exact). Spin Doctors did do the best job of entertaining me.

Sponge These are pictures from the same tour, but not from the Innsbrook Pavilion. He was also shirtless at our concert.

7 Mary 3 They made a joke about how few people were at our show. There seemed to be enough port-o-potties for everyone to have their own.

Spin Doctors. Sorry, No good Gin Blossom Pictures from this random other show. At our show, he (lead singer of SD) did cartwheels.

Location:Patriot Center Price: $34.00 Weezer's Website Also Appearing: The Start: site Went with Chris Kelly and her friend Jason. Ran into Max, girlfriend, Becky, boyfriend.

Was I satisfied? Yes. It was WEEZER. I got a set list. It was Chris Kelly's birthday. We made good time coming back, after we finally got out of the parking lot. They played one song from the second album. I got pretty close to the front during the Start and stayed there for the majority of Weezer's set. Then I got a setlist, as I previously mentioned. Random Information Setlist Found 01.09.28 - Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA Set: Island in the Sun In the Garage Crab Knock Down Drag Out So Low Photograph Tired of Sex My Name is Jonas Do You Want Me to Stay? Smile Fall Together Undone (The Sweater Song) Don't Let Go Say it Ain't So Glorious Day Hash Pipe Only in Dreams Encore: Buddy Holly Surf Wax America

Karl's Report ...Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA: On the way to the gig we drove past the Pentagon, seeing first hand the damage from the terrorist attack on 9/11. After seeing it on TV for the last few weeks, it was surreal to see it in person, and to think that one morning not too long ago a jetliner streaked out of the sky and just ran right into the thing. The area is so open there, there must have been hundreds of people who were just driving along, or just looking out the window of their hotel room, and saw it happen. Incredible. To all the victims, we salute you again. Well over 9000 fans stuffed themselves into this "mid sized" arena, which was unusual on this tour because it was fully General Admission, even with the seating areas. So an unusually large proportion of people stuffed the floor, and once the music started, you could see various people opting out, to return to the "not so stuffed and rough" seated areas. Tonight saw the debut of another brand new song, "Fall Together", for which Rivers apologized in advance for any overly-metal sounds. Well I didn't think it sounded too metal!

My Set List

Location: Mayo Island
Price: $15.00

Website: Here

Also Appearing:
Spike the Dog
Bio Ritmo: site
Everything: site
Gibb Droll: site
Aquarium Rescue Unit: site
Agents of Good Roots: site
and Jimmie's Chicken Shack: site

Was I satisfied?

Yes. I got sunburned and learned a lot about concerts at Mayo Island.</p>

Random Information

Some other review: The set list clocked it atbarely an hour, with 19 songs. The Johns both looked and sounded really tired and more or less said so as well. And, Linnell hardly sang one song; Flans did all of wdtss by himself for example and just about all the songs were with just flans singing. They ended with Istanbul, which Flans practically whispered so that Linnell could also be heard. There was no encore because the security guard kept making the cut signal and pointing to his watch. Anyway, they got off at around 7:10 pm and probably left right away.

Songs played (wrong order):
Spider
James K Polk
Polka
Spy
XTC
Old
Sexxy
Exquisite Dead Guy
Istanubl
Sleeping
Dig

Encore:
Maybe
The Sun
Guitar
Twist
Actual Size
Sing Like a Girl
New York City