025 Number One in the Hood, G

With the news that the mostly hilarious Sealab 2021 aired its final episode recently, I decided to post 2 Aqua Teen Hunger Force mp3's. Sorta related under that whole Adult Swim umbrella... I just don't have any Sealab mp3's. Anyway, if you're a fan, check out this little Q & A with Brett Butler (voice of Dr. Quinn) transcript at Bradley's Almanac. You'll be surprised to find that to this day, he has never even met Erik Estrada (voice of Marco).


MP3: Shake Rap - from Aqua Teen Hunger Force
MP3: Meatwad Sings Theme - from Aqua Teen Hunger Force

***

And, lastly... I received a Colin Meloy solo show at Schuba's in Chicago recently and well... the boy can write a song. I just can't understand how this song didn't make it onto the newest Decemberists album (although via intensive research, i've found that it may be released on an upcoming "outtakes" cd. Assuredly, i'll like this personal solo version better.) ... Ok, Colin, take it.


MP3: The Bandit Queen (live at Schuba's) - Colin Meloy

024 Mp3 Coins in a Fountain

...each one seeking happiness, come on you know this one...

First things first, the goods. I promised some 54-71 mp3's and i'll deliver. A quick note though. You will never ever find these records in the US and that's a real tragedy because i'm sure they'd have a nice cult following, no more or less than Melt Banana, perhaps. If I understand the situation correctly, they are on a major label in Japan and thus, any indie label here interested in distributing or re-releasing the record would be in for quite the uphill battle. Another thing... you will not find anything online about them that is not in Japanese... (Sarcasm On!) Luckily we have options like "translate this page" on Google to make this interview a very easy read in English. (Saracasm Off!) I just can't make heads or tails out of any of that. But I think it's best this way. 54-71 is just so intriguing to me as an enigma. A drunken hallucination at 4 am in Japan. A rappin', interpretive dancin', hip hop hallucination...

"69 My Pheremone Up," which sounds like a Google translated title, could very well have been played that night in Tokyo. "Fire Fever" is on their newest record caled EnClorox and is more of a pop departure.
a. Which one do you like better?
b. The lyrics are in English. Try and figure em out!

... and then I had to throw in my favorite Melt Banana jam. Mmm... banana jam....



MP3: 69 My Pheremone Up - 54-71
MP3: Fire Fever - 54-71
MP3: Stick Out - Melt Banana

***

The Hayes / Rhodes 1954 compostion, "A Satisfied Mind," has been covered by Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, and a slew of country artists, some of which rode the song's simple beauty right to the top of the charts. True, such a confessional folk number would turn to gold in most hands, but when Jeff Buckley sang it... and most certainly when his version was played at his funeral, it took the song to an indescribably divine level. And thus, it is Jeff Buckley's version that lands on my 100 favorite songs of all time list. Number 48 to be exact. I feel as though I jipped you by posting my cover version and not his. All in good time...

MP3: Satisfied Mind - The City On Film

***

Things are really rolling into high gear for me right now. It looks like i have a job lined up for the next few weeks, shows for the US and UK tours are getting confirmed, the artwork and mastering of the “In Formal Introduction” LP/CD are being finalized... but I can’t forget.. number 5 of 5 memorable Hey Mercedes moments. This “moment” lasted two months and goes by the name of...

05 Summer Vacation on Planet Zebus

What the hell is that supposed to mean? I think Mike may have been referencing Pink Floyd’s “Live In Pompeii” film when he coined the phrase “they were on Planet Zebus” meaning that they were “stoned out of their gourd.” (who coined that phrase?) And chances are that phrase is not a Shumaker original, but to me, it was. I had never heard it before. Who coined the phrase “coin a phrase?” FU, bob.

The Summer Vacation Tour was a two month trot across the US, mostly with Piebald, Koufax, and Audio Learning Center. But what made this tour so special was that it was going to be our first full headlining tour on... ta-da... a bus! Now, i have to say that today, 4/29/05, we would all agree that taking a bus on that tour was the absolute worst (read: costliest) decision HM has ever made. Way worse than going to The Price Is Right. But we didn’t really care, now did we, as we had our pre-tour meeting at Botana’s Mexican Cabana, chomping on burritos & nachos, throwing back cervesa.

It was the night we were to leave and while we were wating for the bus to arrive at our practice space, we ate some dinner and talked about the tour to come. All Mike cared about was the possibility of an obnoxious airbrush job on the side of the bus. You know what i’m talking about... desert scenes and the sort. We were all pulling for the same. Shehot, 2 months on this thing, it better be stylin'. And wouldn’t you know it, as we rounded the corner by our practice space, she was there waiting for us....



It’s Planet Zebus!! And away we go... (As we walked through for the first time, it was painfully obvious that Zebus was one of the low-end planets.) Now I’ve often said that, with a little corroboration, I could probably write a paragraph or more about every single show i’ve played. My long term memory is a blessing because my short term memory is surely a curse. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve misplaced my glasses in the span of 2 minutes, but if you want to know who played with Friction in the basement of a house in Morristown, NJ in 1994... well, it was the Yahmos & Current.



The point being, this was an amazing tour and probably holds about 40 really great memories within that 2 month span, for instance, my 225 bowling score in Boise, our dance party in Worcester that is caught on video somewhere, our back lounge party in Chicago whereupon if you said the phrase “ding dong” you’d have to drink Jim Beam, our bus driver which for obvious reasons, we nicknamed “wrong way Dave” and so many more... Maybe I should write a book. I’d need a pretty good editor though, to weed through all of the rambling.



And now we ramble on...

(above thumbnails can be clicked for the big pic - thanks ryan for the photos!)

023 Two Nights In Tokyo

The fourth in our series of five memorable Hey Mercedes moments takes place in early 2002. Sadly, the story begins with the departure of one member and the very frantic search for a replacement... with a passport. We had 15 shows already booked and two of them were in Japan! So I called up my old high school pal and occasional bandmate Sean O’Brien, and asked him what his plans were for March. His schedule was open. I then asked if he had a passport. He said no. I responded, in true game show host fashion, “you better fucking get one fast cause you’re going to Japan!” Cue the balloons and the streamers! Woohoo! Over the span of 3 weeks, we learned all of the songs in my kitchen, practiced with the boys in Milwaukee, and hit the road.



How did this happen? Well, out of nowhere, a promoter from Japan sent us an email saying he was a big fan and that he’d pay for our tickets to come to Tokyo and play his fest. How could we refuse? I wish i could remember more about the first show. It was a small headlining affair at Shibuya Nest with two really great bands: Creaks and Come Back My Daughters.



It was night number two that i won’t forget. The festival was literally across the street and was an all night affair. And i mean that quite literally. The first band started around 3 or 4 pm. Our set time was 2 am, immediately after Album Leaf & Tristeza... and there were 2 bands playing after us! The place was packed and as I shimmied my way through the hallway to the backstage, i noticed a good deal of people actually sleeping against the wall. Hmm. An indie rock sleepover... We hit the stage right on time and thank goodness for the all day nap or else we would have been zombies up there. The show was incredible and it was now time to hit the Sapporo. Todd & Damon decided to head back to the hotel, but Sean and I stayed. Backstage was abuzz with drinks and chatter and I remember thinking to myself how excited I was that Sean could come along for this. I then realized that it was almost 5 am, even though the darkened theater hid all natural light.



Just then, Jimmy from Album Leaf busted into our room and said “holy shit, you have to see what is going on onstage right now!” We all filed out, mad with curiosity. This was my introduction to 54-71. I’ve tried to describe this many times and i’ll try again, but you really should just try and check it out for yourselves... The huge stage was empty except for the four members. The drummer was stage far right facing the middle of the stage. The bass player was in the back where the drums usually are. His amp was right next to him but he was facing backwards and had a mic for backups. The guitar player was stage far left sorta facing the crowd and then the singer creeped around the front of the stage dressed in what appeared to be some kind of ceremonial robe. He also did what you could loosely describe as interpretive dance... Ok, i have set the scene, now the music... I could say this. Imagine if Shellac turned off the distortion and Steve Albini decided to sing a little more hip-hop. Yeah I could say that... or i could just post mp3’s tomorrow! Uh oh! I know, you can’t wait. Neither can I.

And as 54-71 left the stage, the place begin to empty out, and Sean and I, drunk as ever, stumbled out into the... morning sunshine. It was 6 am.

Thanks Sean for the pix!



***

I started reading The Da Vinci Code. The first word of the prologue is "renowned." I'm on page 163. Holla. I'll have a lot more to say tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow...

022 Gettin' Trashed On Stage

...or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Being Pelted By Flying Pieces Of Hot Pizza.

Number Three of Five Unforgettable HM Moments goes-a-lil-sumtin-like-dis:

03 Summerfest 2004

Ah, Milwaukee’s Summerfest. Ten days of eatin’, drinkin’, and rockin’ courtesy of about 8 stages of rock, pop, soul, rap, country... Who do you want to see? Your choices were endless. Ask me who plays Summerfest and I can only answer everybody. According to their website, it is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest music festival. It’s something you plan to go to months in advance. It’s something you can’t miss. It’s something you keep in mind when you’re routing a big reunion tour... Yessir, smack dab in the middle of the Braid tour, during our one week of rest, was a Hey Mercedes appearance on the Briggs & Stratton stage at Summerfest right between The Used and The Response.

After years of seeing friends’ bands play, it was finally our turn to get up there on the big stage and attempt to entertain 100 fans interspersed among 1000+ drunk rowdies and even after a quick 3 hour practice, we were more than ready. Oddly enough, they make all of the openers play 90 minute sets, so we made sure to take advantage of the spaces in between songs to chat with the throng and fill up on free beer. Things were going spectacular. In fact, up until last Saturday, i’d even say it was the best HM show ever. Woohoo! The last song was “Let’s Go Blue” and we decided to extend the bass break ad nauseam to take up some of that precious 90 minutes. I was in the middle of trying to negotiate a hot solo in D when I remembered something Damon told me moments before we walked on stage. I’ll paraphrase: This is going to be a huge crowd so don’t be afraid to do something crazy. Let’s make this a memorable performance!

And that’s when i noticed some food on the stage. Some joker had thrown his nachos up here. He obviously was not liking our jam session in 7/8. ...no, Bob, don’t do it... Too late. I told everybody to throw stuff onstage. I don’t recall if i said “stuff” or “trash” or “money” or what-have-you... All I know is that within milliseconds, Summerfest was known for it’s flying beer and pizza. We wanted something memorable and this was it. I was loving it. Bottles of water, coins, food, it was insanity! The crowd was loving it, too. Hell, if I was in the crowd, i would have chucked a hot pretzel. We busted into the last part of the song and ended our set to a huge rousing ovation. This would be a Summerfest performance to remember, my friends.

But it didn’t end there. And this is where details get a little fuzzy since it was all happening so fast. When we left the stage, there were 2 or 3 thugs standing by our dressing room door with garbage bags. They basically said, “clean up the stage or you don’t get paid and The Used doesn’t play.” Fair enough. The 4 of us and friends walked across the stage like highway convicts picking up all of the disgusting trash that had caked into the stage and some of our amps. No biggie... So once the stage was pretty much clean, i walked over to stage right, opposite our locked dressing room, and there was a confrontation in progress between Todd and the stage manager, who was flanked by thugs. All of our bags were in our room, not to mention our friends’ coats, purses, etc. and they were not budging even though the stage was clean! Todd said something like “this is bullshit” and the stage manager ordered the thugs to “kick his ass out of here!” And that’s when our tour manager, Dave, stepped in to try and calm everyone down. In the meantime, The Used were trying to figure out a way to kick our door open for us. It was chaotic to say the least.



They finally gave us 2 minutes to clear out the dressing room and then they banned us from backstage. No worry, since i was eyein’ up the Ferris Wheel. Apparently Dave got an earful when he eventually got paid and I don’t think Hey Mercedes will be playing any future Summerfests. Again, no worry... It was completely memorable and I wholeheartedly pass all of the blame here to Damon, the little devil on my shoulder.

Todd / Mike / Damon - if you have anything to add, subtract, contradict, please do! I'm sure i forgot something.

021 We Want Quality

...when it comes to recreating a fake car wash in a university parking lot. The second of five fond memories of the 1600 or so days in Hey Mercedes is...

02 The Quality Revenge At Last Video Shoot

I’ve heard both sides of the debate. So depending on whatever side of the dividing line you stand, I deserve the credit or the blame for the concept of the Hey Mercedes video for Quality Revenge At Last. I had two ideas that I pitched to the directors, Maureen & Matthew. The first involved me being attacked by cats and tied up in yarn, possibly as revenge for my previous hatred of the feline species. (I now love them to death. To death!) They loved it and I preferred it, but we all agreed that getting the cats would be an expensive problem... So plan B involved a boy (that didn’t necessarily have to be me) in the middle of the screen lip synching. At some point, he’d start moving forward into a tunnel, as on a track. Then comes a dousing of water, then soap, then he would pivot to the left and right, all the while looking forward and mouthing the song. It would be at this point that you’d realize.... hey, this guy is in a car wash for people... The end of the video would be the dry, newly clean boy, being picked up by a girl who pays for the service. The point would be: the boy did something wrong and the girl needs him all cleaned up before she continues on with him. They loved it... although, we agreed that we’d have to refine it so that we were all in it.

Fast forward a few weeks and our dreams had become a surreal reality. They had set up a small tent in the parking lot of an LA university. A pick up truck was parked in it, pulling a flatbed trailer. There were lights, cameras, a bunch of props, a large crew (maybe 25?), and even a lil hospitality table with an ungodly amount of Red Vines. This was the first true video that any of us had ever done and i think we were a little awestruck by the spectacle.

Also waiting for us was a bevy of fake instruments. Ever wonder how the drummer can hit the drums and cymbals at full force and still be able to hear the playback? It’s because it’s a prepared drumset. The drums were full of padding making a strike to the floor tom no louder then a knock on a door. The cymbals were fake as well. And there was no need for a kick drum pedal. No one would see it anyway... Wonder why in God’s name Mike and I are playing Fenders in it? Well, it was because they were unable to find fake SG’s. The guitars we played were hollow and devoid of electronics and more than ready to take a bath. And the last lid to blow off is: in order to have the video appear to be moving in slow motion yet have the lip synching and drumming still be in time... the playback has to be much faster. Which means we were playing along to Alvin & The Chipmunks' version of “Quality Revenge.”



I give Maureen Egan & Matthew Barry so much credit for making this happen. I have a feeling it was the most difficult video shoot they have ever done, and you could see the frustration in their eyes at times. When we were wet, that was it, we were wet, so the video had to be filmed sequentially and the initial soak would have to be perfect the first time...

It wasn’t. The playback was going, the truck was moving, the clapper was clapped, we were lipsynching in fast motion, and at the given time, Matthew yelled “Water!” The two “hosers” couldn’t really hear him so well, so one went full power and the other barely shot anything. Cut! And then panic. I was pretty wet and the grey shirt would take a long time to dry... Luckily, Damon had an extra grey shirt and it fit me, so we gave it another go. Point being: i’m wearing a different shirt at the end and during the first soak, my hair is still a little wet from the failed shot.



I also chose to take my shoes off so they wouldn’t get ruined by all of the water. Imagine standing in socks and trying to fake rocking out in the back of a moving pick up truck. The bed of those things is a line of raised columns. I twisted my ankle. Many times... The next step was the soap, which i have to admit was a lot of fun to have layered upon you. Not too fun to eat, though... And then the soapy curtain, the roller, and finally the fans. By the time the fans were employed, it was night... and it was cold. Really cold. The end of the video was a frozen nightmare. Our hands were numb and we were still getting squirted with cold water! I distinctly remember Matthew jumping up and down to the beat of the song, orchestrating all of the movements with the furvor of a sweating coked up conductor. “Water! Fans! Go! Yes!” was mixed in with him yelling out lyrics for everyone to hear over the playback. Was he excited about the video? Excited that it was almost over? Just trying to keep warm?




We were all pretty relieved when it was over. It was a serious amount of work and the fact that the finished product looks sorta seamless points to the professionalism of the process. It was a learning experience. The first video. The last video. I didn’t want to be on The Price Is Right, but if I had to be on MTV, well ok. (side note: I don’t think it was ever shown on MTV, but it did get a healthy amount of airplay on Fuse.)

Watch the video HERE ( low / high ) courtesy of Vagrant Records and feel free to click on the thumbnails above for bigger shots! Thank you David McHenry for the pix.

***

Have you even heard Self? Chances are, you have. Know that "Expedia! Dot cooooom" jingle. Yep, that's him. Self is Matt Mahaffey and there are a ton of downloads here at Selfies.com. Thanks to the dashing Ryan D'Angelo for the heads up!

020 It's Over

... and nothing is wrong, we’re still getting along.

Everything felt right on Saturday night and it was all because of the wonderful people that came out. I couldn’t imagine a better last show than one big 90 minute celebration wiith dancing, singing friends. Thanks to each and every one of you! From DC, Florida, New Hampshire, New York, Arizona... It was incredible... especially after a good two years of feeling pretty low.

And that’s no secret. As Freddie Mercury eloquently sang, “It’s been no bed of roses, no pleasure cruise.” But in the same breath i can say that it was five years i’ll never forget and that’s a good thing. And so this week, I will expound on five really great memories I have of playing, touring, and being in Hey Mercedes: Here goes...

01 The Price Is Right

It was through some mutual friends that Vagrant caught wind of HM’s want of a record label, so without much ado, we decided to head to LA, play some shows, and meet with the man. This was in December 2000, four months after our first show... and we had to rely on so many of the friends that we had made from tours past. For the sake of this story, i have to really give credit and thanks to Kevin Knight. Not only did he put us up (and thus put up with us) for a few nights, but he arranged and joined us in the experience of a lifetime. Something we had audibly joked about and secretly dreamed about: We were going to a taping of The Price is Right. Hey Mercedes, come on down!

We had to wake up early to get there by 9:30 am and we weren’t too happy about that. I believe Mark actually said “this is the worst idea Hey Mercedes has ever had.” But after we had some coffee and a quick bite, we were abuzz with excitement. And I have to admit, on the way there, i was thinking of what i would do if i actually was called. My mind was racing through the aisles of the supermarket. Cough drops. $0.95? Gold bond. $1.50? Plinko chip placement. Center?

When we arrived, there was already a hefty line of folks bearing cheesy shirts that said the usual garbage like “marry me bob” or some other equally shameless ploy scribbled in marker. I looked on with disdain as the line piled behind us and we snaked around the turnstiles.

Now if i can blow the lid off of the whole process, it’s not some random drawing that determines who gets called up to Contestant’s Row. You actually have to audition. That’s right, the line eventually lead into an area where some guys with clipboards asked you questions. If you danced around like an idiot, if you wore some goofy saying on your shirt, if you were with an equally crazed posse, basically if you looked like you’d fit right in on a national TV show, your name was flagged on this producer’s list. They also put great effort in finding a nice cross section of Americana: race, gender, age, location... all parameters to keep in mind when you’re in charge of what gets shown on a game show being watched by millions.

With that being said, I thought we did a respectable job when it was our turn. Todd was first in line. He yelled about wanting to win some big money and the lot of us (11, i think) raised a big stink and did our best to impress these guys. Personally I think we did a better job than the group before us who actually prepared a song about Bob Barker. Ugh, they were so terrible. I hope they didn’t hear us giggling at their embarrassing display.

After hours of waiting in line, we received our ever important oversized name tags and filed into the studio. It seemed like random chance, even though some of us suspected otherwise... we were seated in the second to last row way up in the left corner. This basically knocked out all chance of us being on TV when the camera pans around. Within moments, the impeccably dressed Rod was onstage informing us that we were about to be on tv so we better act excited and clap loud and lemme hear ya and yadda yadda yadda. And then out comes Bob and the first five names. To be honest, i couldn’t hear the names because it was so damn loud with all of the clapping and we were so far back. Did they say just say Robert or Herbert or Barbara? Speak up, Rod! I was so torn up inside the whole time... I wanted to be called. I wanted to put a hole in one. I wanted to keep the yodeling mountain climber from heading over the cliff... But i didn’t want to be on stage, on TV.



No worry because none of us were called. We did have a quick exchange with Bob, though, during a commercial break. He would talk to the crowd during them about nonsense and noticed our rowdy crew. He asked who we were. We said a band on tour. He said something about alcohol and it was on with the show. It was that awkward and that quick... By the way, a member of the singing group before us in line was called to come on down. Unbelievable. I don’t think that chump even made it on stage, thankfully.

I’m sure we headed to Astro Burger straight from there. It was a safe haven for Hey Mercedes. We were all ALWAYS happy to be there. Kids in a candy store, still high from the experience, our hands tired and sore from clapping so damn much... and with so much of the day to go in the warm California sun. This was the beginning. Things were looking up!

***

Hey, I just heard that Bob Odenkirk (of Mr. Show fame) will be trying his hand at directing... The Fuck-Up! Chances are, I was reading that book (by Arthur Nersesian) during those shows mentioned above. It’s an extremely funny slice of a complete loser’s life in NYC without any cliche boring done-to-death slacker-ness, if you know what i mean. I only hope the movie can live up to the hype created in my head. If not, you’ll be hearing about it. Here.

019 I Always Used To Wake Up Sore

...now i remember. I'll talk more this week, but i'd like to wrap up mp3 weekend with two more "bonus" tracks.

Firstly, if you pick up the J Robbins fueled Channels' "Open" EP in Japan, as i did, you get TWO bonus tracks. One of them is a new acoustic song and one is a remix of "Win Instantly," posted below for your pleasure...

And then, oddly enough, a bonus UK track from an obscure (here at least) Canadian artist, Hawksley Workman's album "Lover/Fighter." I know you need the actual cake before you start adding the frosting, but i think it's a great song so there....



MP3: See America Soon - Channels
MP3: Ilfracombe - Hawksley Workman

018 My Sassy Soul

... an interesting twosome today for mp3 weekend.

There's an unlisted bonus track at the end of the Sam Cooke collection "Portrait of a Legend." I missed it the first time through, but I caught it as I brought up the song titles during iPod Transfer Phase. Gracenote has it listed as "Running Out the Tape" so that's how i'll list it here. I am convinced it's the sweetest, most beautiful 32 seconds put to tape. But then again, what could compete in terms of 32 second songs? The Locust? Sorry, not a chance. I think even they'd agree.

And then, I just had to... "Get'n Over My Sassy Self." One of 4 standout tracks from Broken Hearts Are Blue's "The Truth About Love." This band was doomed from the start, being way ahead of their time and suffering from the "ex-hardcore" tag. Seriously, if you were going to see the new ex-Current band and this is what you got, you'd be mad. You'd lash out. They were in the wrong scene... Anyway, the album is way out of print and probably terribly hard to find, but well worth it if you do...

And now, we head out and to the Metro for the last Hey Mercedes show. I'd say more... but... that will have to wait until word week.



MP3: Running Out The Tape - Sam Cooke
MP3: Get'n Over My Sassy Self - Broken Hearts Are Blue

017 Mp3 is the Magic Number

...what does it all mean?

It's too early. 6:33 am to be exact. What is it? Why can't i sleep? Excitement? Anxiety? Nerves? All three, perhaps... In a few hours, i'm heading up to Milwaukee for practice. I have a lot to think about and a lot to pack, so i'm going to have to keep it short. Luckily mp3 weekend starts today as deemed by me, king ruler of this domain. Get on with it.

Actually, there is one thing to mention. If you enjoyed the exorcist bunnies, you'll probably enjoy the last scene in Seven re-enacted by stuffed animals. It's worth watching just for "Brad's" reaction to "Kevin's" revelation.

The show begins with a new cover! One of my favorite songs (actually my 49th favorite song), Catch (originally by The Cure). Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me was the first Cure album I bought upon the recommendation of Star Hits or some weird 80's British rock magazine I used to read incessantly... and Catch was far and beyond the standout track, with "Just LIke Heaven" coming in a distant second. Maybe I just wasn't ready for Robert Smith's yawny vocal delivery throughout the album. In fact, i hated the first single, "Why Can't I Be You?" up until recently. Hmm. I wish i kept those old magazines. Mr. Smith was quite a staple in them. I distinctly remember a song-by-song analysis of Kiss Me written by him... and I remember some quiz that they gave a group of musicians and one of the questions was "What is Robert Smith's real name?" He got it wrong! (Robert Smith is his real name. He put Erich Von Stroheim.)



The show ends with two mp3's of tracks that were tucked away as bonus tracks on vinyl versions. Do you hate that? Or do you love it? I think that these two are absolute gems, more than worthy of being included on the proper album, but ours is not to wonder why, ours is but to seek and buy. Or download... Norman and I stumbled across the extra track on Jeff Buckley's posthumous "Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk," and i almost had a heartattack right there in the store, given that it was my favorite record at the time. I bought it immediately and then proceeded to leave it at a restaurant that night. I had to come back and get it the next day... but that's a whole other whale of a tale. The song, "Gunshot Glitter" is in my opinion, one of the best of the "found" 4-track stuff. I think i love it because it's so sloppily played, yet you can totally see where he wants to eventually take it. We assumed that he's hitting the mic with his finger to keep the beat. So check it out! One of my favorite Jeff Buckley moments comes at around 2:34, by the way.

And lastly, a track from one of my more recent favorite bands, Limbeck! "Yeah Totally" is one of TWO bonus tracks on the Hi, Everything's Great vinyl and this is a hot one with a rocking singalong chorus and a nice stop-starty verse. Yes, I like that. I like that a lot. Why bury such a treasure? Enjoy!

***

MP3: Gunshot Glitter - Jeff Buckley
MP3: Yeah Totally - Limbeck
and
MP3: Catch - The City On Film

(mp3's will be up for a limited time. i'm your stranger. jump!)

***

LATE ADDITION EDITION:
Since Damon's flight is delayed, I ducked into a Starbucks to get online and have some coffee and... I was overjoyed to find out that they were offering a FREE grande coffee if you bring in your own tumbler. Luckily I had one on me. Maybe it's the same at all Starbucks today? Everything's coming up Milhouse.

and OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE I FOUND THIS: From September, 1987. I still wish i had this magazine.

016 Everyday is Like Thursday

..Sadly, I believe Thursday is the most forgotten day when it comes to song titles. I can think of so many for every other day except for Thursday. Whatever. I do believe this is the worst topic on which to start a blog, which is why i'm changing it to vodka.



We had a running joke going at my old apartment, where my roommate (pictured above... yes, i roomed for awhile with Treat Williams) and I would hide this tiny airplane-sized bottle of Smirnoff vodka that we had filled with water. I'm sure the real thing went fast given the company we usually kept. Anyway, his idea was this: He'd hide it somewhere in the house. When I found it, I wasn't supposed to tell him. Instead, i would just hide it for him. So the first place i found it was in the medicine cabinet. So I hid it in the shower's soapdish. Eventually it ended up in a box of cereal. In the fridge. In a VHS box. Planted in a flower pot... The real kicker was when someone outside of our little world found it... We must have seemed like raging alcoholics to have a little bottle of vodka hidden in the silverware drawer. Ah the dumb stuff we used to do when we were young and... 27.

Not much happening around here today. It's just your normal regular old boring Thursday as far as I can see. I wish it was Friday so that I can start mp3 weekend #2. That's right, it's starting tomorrow. I have so many ideas! I'm thinking perhaps I should try and tie up all of the week's ramblings with my eventual choices... Speaking of which, did everyone get the secret mp3 hidden in yesterday's blog?

I have to link to this just in case you missed it over at Norman's place. It's so great. It's the Exorcist in 30 seconds, re-enacted by bunnies. And when you're done there, check out some of the other movies as well.

I wonder if Todd ever received this record which has now been repressed on CD: Robert Pollard's "Relaxation of the Asshole," featuring nothing but on-stage banter from the world renowned drunk of Dayton. It's amazing to me that something like this was even pressed, much less TWICE, but such is the rabid collecting fan base of GBV. I used to be one of them but I ran out of money around GBV-ish album number 30...

I'm not in the best of moods today. A nice 4 hour drive should cure that! I don't even know if i'm being sarcastic... Probably not.

015 How I Feel This Morning

...
and the weather agrees with me.

You know, I didn't plan on making yesterday's blog a mostly cooking affair. I took those photos for a completely different purpose. But once I realized that I had no pictures of the latter surgical operations of preparing the dip or cleaning up the heart, i knew i had to do something rash. Who wants another artichoke dinner? Seriously, though, you'll never have to force me to eat a fresh cooked choke... But wait... the store only had BABY artichokes. A pack of 9... so we bought em and I have to say that they are an entirely different beast indeed. I think we did ok for a first try, but that's another ramble. The point of this one: Your artichokes will just have to keep on boiling until I can get some pix to finish this recipe.

This brings up one final point regarding this veggie tale. Artichokes are not like potatoes or bananas. There will not always be heaping bushels full at your local produce market. They are a finnicky bunch. I forget the actual percentage but something like 90% of all artichokes in the US come from one place: Castroville, CA. That's really the only place they can grow them! What a pain.

I woke up this morning with some really intense allergies and that makes me happy. There's nothing I like better than itchy nose and runny eyes... Blah... I think it would have been much worse if i didn't activate my instant humidifier aka a wet towel. That's right. I find that if I just run a towel under some water and then have it next to me while i sleep with the covers over my head, it's like a well humidified tent all night. I do some really messed up stuff to remain hydrated, especially on tour. One particular time (before I started lugging a humidifier around) while staying in the dryest hotel room ever, I woke up in the middle of the night, grabbed a cup of water and just dumped it over the bed. Obviously this was before I realized that the towel would work better and save me from any potential embarrassment in the morning. "Seriously guys, I PUT that water there all over the bed."

That's right, stretch out, lil lappy. So much room... now that i've deleted the 1.2 GB pre-loaded Tony Hawk game that i will never play. Playing action games on your keyboard is a sad experience, i must say. Now there will be more room for my Garageband covers! Hooray! Speaking of which, I'm going to post a new one on Friday and then an new one the next Friday! They are both done and done...

OK, so i was listening to and enjoying the newest Spitalfield CD, Stop Doing Bad Things, and around track 4, I just had to mention aloud, "wow, they must have run out of ideas, because this sounds exactly like track 3." And a minute later, we realized that it actually was track 3... again. After a few phone calls, I found out that in a massive production snafu, on the entire first pressing (most certainly thousands and thousands) track 3 and 4 are the same song! Immediately I felt jipped. I thought I had found the "golden ticket" of the bunch, allowing me a tour of the Victory Records factory. But no dice. Several Oompa Loompas were fired in the wake of this defect.

Now, I have not read The DaVinci Code, but I'm thinking that I should. They just added one of my favorite actors, Alfred Molina, to the cast of Ron Howard's adaptation, which also includes Amelie herself, Audrey Tautou, and Tom Hanks. I enjoy all three, so I imagine that we'll have a big'n on our hands. Regarding Alf, I haven't seen any of the Spiderman movies, but he hooked me good as the "Sister Christian" loving druggie in Boogie Nights, and then what a shock to find out he was the "i throw you the idol, you throw me the whip" guy in Raiders of the Lost Ark!



Adios Dr. Jones.

014 I Cook a Choke, No Joke

...till ya heart is broken.

Thank heavens it's artichoke season. It's about that time when Castroville, CA explodes with lush flavor and the delicious ash settles all across this great land in bushels of fun at your local produce hut. Now... say "delicious ash" five times fast... I learned how to cook an artichoke about 3 years ago, and ever since then i've been refining and making the recipe my very own. I fear i may start salivating all over the keyboard if i say anymore, but i just have to. Ok, here's what you do... At the supermarket, look for chokes that are in the blooming stage, open a little but not too much... and also not completely closed. I believe this is when they are most scrumptious. Also, stay away from ones that are rubbery in texture. You want a nice crisp one with leaves that will snap if you try and bend em back. Get em home. Ooh and one more thing, just like an uncut guitar string, they can poke you pretty good. Good food does not come painlessly. Handle with care.



While amusing a cat with whimsical dancing and baby talk, remove the small wussy leaves from the stem and the first layer of small leaves with your hands. In the meantime, get the biggest fucking pot you have, fill it about halfway up with water and throw it on high heat. It will take awhile to start boiling, so you'll have time to prepare the wicked thistle. Now... say "wicked thistle" five times fast...



After threatening a cat with the sharpest, longest knife you can find (careful! see paragraph 8), cut into the choke, completely removing the top third. Discard the nasty thorny top leaves and marvel at the actual "choke" inside.




It should be a light purply color. If it is, you sure know how to pick your produce. Then, turn mr. artie choke around and cut about a half inch off of the stem, discard the end, and then cut the stem off at the base. So you should have a nice flowery blooming looking vegetable that sits flat on the board and its cut off stem... Repeat as necessary... and then wash wash wash it all well.



Throw the artichokes and the stems into the pot, which should be well on its way to boiling. Then cut a lemon in half. Squeeze the lemon over the chokes in the water. Catch the seeds. What a great action shot, huh? It's realistic to the point of being sorta disgusting. Enough! Then you drop the lemons into the pot. Then comes the tricky part. In order for the artichokes to cook evenly and correctly they need to be completely submerged. Problem is, they float. So what I do is I take a lid from a slightly smaller pan, turn it upside down and put it on top of the artichokes. That's right. A lid, too small, upside down, floating in boiling water. Weird, but it works. When you notice the water has started to boil. Add some salt to it. And now we play the waiting game.

I'm going to stop here and continue with the cooking fun tomorrow. There's so much blog already and i haven't even gotten to the canine molestation threats.

There once was a band from Kalamazoo.
Their name was Broken Hearts Are Blue.
Their song "Oh Natasha"
Was hot like kielbasa.
I wish they got big like U2.

I want to beat myself up for that horrible limerick. But I do wish that more than 100 people knew about them because then I could make a funny joke song about a warrant for Natasha Lyonne's arrest for threatening to sexually molest a dog. I just don't know what to say about this other than it is ridiculous on both sides of the issue. And i highly doubt that in the mad rage that caused Ms. Lyonne to rip down a mirror, she would calmly recite the words, "I'm going to sexually molest your dog," as the article states. We all know she has a more colorful vocabulary.

Thanks to everybody for their Playstation 2 recommendations. I'm still trying to track down Alien Hominid, but Ratchet and Clank is next on my list. Like i said, you just can't go wrong with " a small robot sidekick that you wear as a backpack." And there is still a part of me that wishes they had a serious of Playstation games specifially made for "adults" that weren't, you know, "adult themed." Like Monk, for instance. A Monk game would be great. There could be a germ-o-meter, where Adrian can only take so much before he has to wash... and in the meantime, solve murder cases... or of course, a game based on my favorite Food Network show, Iron Chef. How great would that be? I need to design this. Press X to deepfry the theme ingredient. Press R2 to reveal ingredients to Ohta. Press L1 to hurl foie gras at the chairman.

Bye.

013 David, Kill the Queen

...that’s a quote from one of the best movies I’ve seen in the past few years. And that movie is Shaun of the Dead. It’s finally part of my collection, and since Blockbuster had a buy-two-get-one-free deal goin’ on, i picked up Garden State and Coffee & Cigarettes as well. Haven’t seen the latter, but i’ve heard that i’d like it, so it was well worth my $0.

An old friend, Al, left this comment on my myspace page recently: you know that part in Shaun Of The Dead when they have to throw records at the zombies to save their own lives, and they can't really see fit to part with certain records due to their sentimental value...? that part is great.. cause, you know, we've all been there...

How brilliant. What a brilliant movie. I’ll watch it again this week and write a nice little essay on how it works on so many levels. Or maybe I won’t.

I’m on the road right now, somewhere just east of the hot metropolis (micropolis?) of Paw Paw, Michigan, home of a Big Boy, a chicken shanty, and that’s pretty much it i think. I also just downed a Nestle Crunch vanilla ice cream bar and that’s presently doing a number on the stomach. Luckily, I'm rocking the new Unique Chique so my nerves, for the most part, are calm calm calm. There is so much to talk about. Why am i wasting time?

I took some pictures yesterday to be used for the artwork of the split CD that i’m doing with Daniel G Harmann. I feel that I can show you this picture without giving too much away regarding the artwork concept. This is me being attacked by a rabid vicious ladybug.



I am overjoyed! Ecstatic! Completely and utterly jubilant! That our good friend, Norman Arenas has a new bloggy blog: Nervous Acid. And it’s so good that it’s going to be the first link in the old sidebar. I think it’s important that upon arrival to the Daily, you can glance over to the right of the screen and immediately be aware that there are much better pages you should be reading. So bookmark it baby.

I will admit to you right now that the idea for adding a daily picture or two to the daily daily was lifted straight from him. However, you will notice that i kicked it up a notch by digitally enhancing Bill Pullman’s facial hair. You could also say that i brought it down a notch actually... Through NA, I was also introduced to the legally hairy world of mp3 blogs and truth be told, I was a kid in a candy shop for about 2 hours. I was mostly looking for hard to find stuff like the Morrissey / Joni Mitchell thing which was very enthralling. And i found some great radio performances. For instance, a Doves acoustic song from Norman’s blog, and one of the Fiery Furnaces’ new songs from a radio show. (Speaking of which, if you have an "acoustic" version of "Teach Me Sweetheart," gimme gimme. i will love you forever.) There’s nothing sketchy about that in my eyes, and i feel the need to say that Pandora’s box has not been opened on the Daily. I’ll try and keep it clean, above the belt, and only on weekends. Get down with your bad self.

They really need to have a Shaun of the Dead playstation game. Three Christmases ago, my brother bought me a Playstation 2. A totally unprovoked obscene gesture of kindness which has yet to be returned by my broke arse... and i’ll occasionally bust it out, but i’m very specific about the games I will play. For instance, first person shooters can co-star with BIll Pullman in a Lifetime movie for all i care. I don’t like them and they don’t like me, so we’re cool like that. However, I do enjoy being in a destructive car with a mission, as in the Twisted Metal series. But the best games by far are the ones with goofy cartoonish characters with a purpose. And when i find a good one, i’m hooked until i beat it.

First it was Ape Escape 2 which is just incredible. You have to net all of these monkeys that have escaped from the wholly benevolent Professor’s lab. They each have distinct personalities and hide in crazy places. That one took about a month to get through. I can’t wait for Ape Escape 3. Should be out by the end of the year... Then was Ty The Tasmanian Tiger, who needed to collect some ancient jewels that were stolen by a rogue turkey. A little easier, but still pretty engaging. Simpsons Road Rage was next, and it is LEAGUES better than any previous Simpsons games. So many missions, races, characters, secret stuff. You could probably play that one for a year... if you didn’t cheat by looking online at walkthroughs... like i did... I’ve been hearing some good stuff about Alien Hominid, so i may try and track that down next.

But really, do i have time for this? No. I have 2 more songs to finish for the American Diary EP, I have slew of new shows coming up (not to mention Saturday’s Hey Mercedes show), and i have to find some temporary employment for May. Best get to it...

012 Everyday is Like Sunday

Hey hey. Mp3 weekend continues with another fresh batch. I'll let Joni Mitchell and Morrissey do the talking today.

***

MP3: Morrissey interviews Joni Mitchell Part One
MP3: Morrissey interviews Joni Mitchell Part Two

011 MP3 Weekend #1

...Ho!

This Saturday, just like every Saturday, is Travelin' Saturday. In a few short hours I'll be heading back to Chicago for a massive pick up operation which includes all of the musical equipment, a whole lotta cd's and stickers, and a bunch of scrapbooky stuff for reasons to be named later... I still have to pack here so i'll make it short and leave you with some mp3's to celebrate mp3 weekend #1! YEEHAH! It should really read "011 MP3 Weekend 001" but then i'd have to kick my own ass.

Why the mp3's? Well, let's just say that yesterday I went absolutely batty for mp3 blogs. I'll give you the whole scoop and nothing but the scoop this week, but for now, enjoy this interesting threesome. Ahem. The last one is courtesy of Large Hearted Boy. Enjoy!

***

MP3: A Salty Salute - Guided By Voices
MP3: A Salty Salute - Hey Mercedes
MP3: Da Club is Open - 50 Cent / GBV Mash-Up

****

Get em now cause they'll be gone on Monday! See you tomorrow.

010 Don't Let Them Bury Me, I'm Not Dead

... i'm just a really bad actor. My name is Bill Pullman and i have the screen presence of a floor mat. Poor guy. I'm sure he's a real hoot during happy hour at Friar Tuck's but he's an absolute trainwreck in front of the camera. Laughable even during the most serious of parts. And you better believe i laughed out loud during The Serpent and the Rainbow, which we watched during "horror week." Specifically the scene where he is arguing in the graveyard with Dr. Duchamp before they meet Christophe is classic. We had to watch it more than once to fully appreciate him in all of his glory. He would have made one of the scariest movies of all time (according to vh1) into a total joke if it wasn't for Zakes Mokae. Now there's some presence, my friends. Completely believable and unforgettable, and what do you know, he shows up in Monk as the marathon runner, Tonday.

Lately everything comes back to Monk. What a great show. I'd like to talk briefly about the genius of one Ted Levine. It's obvious that he does a swell job as Leland Stottlemeyer, and the character is not one-dimensional by any means. The episode that takes place in Vegas is a great example... where Stottlemeyer gets drunk, solves the case, and then has to try and remember everything in the morning. I still smile when i think about him being forced to sing "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone" while sober. It's just that he's so natural as a police chief. He seems as though he was born to play Stottlemeyer... But wait. This is exactly what I said when I first saw The Silence of the Lambs. I remember thinking, "Who is this total creep they got to play Buffalo Bill?" I thought it was such a career defining role (more like career ENDING) and good luck to that guy when he tries to get more work. I mean, he was born to play that serial killer. And that's what makes a great actor. You give yourself a pat on the back, grow a moustache, and keep on trucking. Ted Levine. He is no Bill Pullman. Bill Pullman would have to grow a moustache 20 feet long to outrun his embarrassment of a career.



While perusing some of Ben Weasel's old posts, i found that he had made the Monk/Lambs connection back in February and mentions it like it's no biggie. Well, i have to say that for a brief second my world was turned upside down in shock.

What is this deal with numbering posts? Well, i thought it would be a neat little cataloguing technique so if i ever have to refer back to a previous blog, i can just use the number. Nerd alert! Yeah, just be thankful that i didn't go the "CFD010" route as if each post was its own little album. And note that i'm rolling three digits deep, baby. That means i'm zooming well past post 100, with my eyes set on 1000. That should be in about 2008. Wow. What will i be doing in three years? Well, what was i doing three years ago? Oh right.

Why are the A and the Q so fucking close to each other on the keyboard? I have this habit of "selecting all" (apple-A) and then "copying" (apple-C) at various points during long blogs so i don't lose anything. The real kicker is that apple-Q quits the whole application! So after I wrote the first two paragraphs of this blog (and they didn't come easy mind you. I mean how much can you say about Bill Pullman?) I went to copy/save and my giant fingers hit Q instead of C. I screamed out loud. I probably woke up everyone in the house... next door.

The A / Q fiasco has me so flustered and it made this all take way too long, so i'm having some more coffee, some cereal, and then it's back to work on recording.

A quick note. I finished the first track of the American Diary EP (One Serious Matchup) last night and i'm heartily pleased! Two more songs to go for that one. And i laid down the last little bit on the next cover, which means, for the next two songs... i got em covered.

009 Hunting Cats

...is legal in Minnesota! And there are some that want to make it legal in Wisconsin. I just can't believe the rampant trigger happiness of some people. You just know that if it was passed, that very day, you'd have people sitting in perches, guns drawn, just waiting... waiting for your kitty to start poking around. And it's going to be shoot first and look for a collar later with these jokers... I guess I can see the sport or the fun of stuff like skeet or target shooting. Hey, i like darts just as much as the next guy... but i just can't see how a rush that someone gets from actually killing something is anything more than criminal. So yes, Don't shoot the cat.

I had a dream that David J from The Novi Split had just finished recording his record, but had absolutely no lyrics for it. So I said, hey, if you make me a copy of one of the instrumental tracks, i'll throw down some... and he was into it. I don't think I ever got a chance to start them, but i know i was planning to write about swimming pools.

I'm in a bad mood this morning. Not sure why. I think I need some coffee... or maybe a bagel or something... He he, i just found this picture of Todd's cat, Violet. What an enormous target!

Well, the last Hey Mercedes show is now 9 days away... and I need to start making sure that all my gear is in tip top shape. And that includes my guitar, which has been plugged in once since last September. Wow, that's sad. But hey, I haven't played a show through an amplifier since then. And come to think of it, when i tried to use it to record in February, it was being rather finicky. Hmm. As much as i try to be somewhat of a gearhead, given that I tend to be around them often, i just can't. I'm from the plug-n-play school of just make-it-go. I wish I wasn't like that. I wish I was more knowledgable about the why's and whatnot's so that when things go sour, i can quickly diagnose and fix. Personally, i just can't see how a rush that someone gets from brandishing a soldering gun is anything more than criminal.

(i'm tempted to type an emoticon. you need to fight these temptations, tooth and nail.)

Before I forget, I wanted to mention something about Jimmy Eat World's stage plot, which i thought was rather interesting. Where their amps should be, there were stacks of tv's that showed random images and whatnot depending on the song they were playing. Even more curious was that their amps were behind the tv's, facing backwards. Hmm. I suppose this may help eliminate some of the echo factor inherent in playing large theaters... but it must be excruciatingly loud back there for Zack. More research to be done on this.

008 In the Cracker Barrel Dumpster

... i found a bag. Red white striped I opened it, gag! Mummy dead bizarro dressed in a Inca rag. Call on into work quick. Tell em that i'm seasick! - The Fiery Furnaces

After falling so in love with the music of The Fiery Furnaces, so much so that i just had to buy every single one of their records, singles and all, while i was on the Braid tour, i finally got to see them live last night. And I have to say it was downright confusing. Now, i sorta knew what to expect. A medley. That's the way they roll. One song, forty five minutes long, no breaks. And during this very carefully crafted forty five minute song, you can expect bits and pieces of the vocal melodies of a few of the verses from parts of the the songs that you love. You see how this can be one big shoulder shrug? Somewhere in the mess I distinctly heard the vocals for the second and third verse of "Tropical Ice-land," but the music was completely different (than both versions) and nowhere near as catchy. They played three verses of one of my faves, "Evergreen," the first sounded relatively normal and then they dropped the key to like Z-Flat for the second two verses and the vocal melody was so deep for Eleanor that it really just disappeared. Then in a complete flash, it was off to the third verse of "Crystal Clear." At one time, i noticed that the bass player was playing "Quay Cur" while Eleanor was singing "Crystal Clear."

I dunno. I can't complain too much because i knew it would be like this. You have to give them credit for remembering a lightning fast 45 minute song, but at the same time, they all looked like... they were trying to remember a lightning fast 45 minute song. I don't think any of them smiled once... except for when the song was done. The bass player and drummer left the stage and Matt & Eleanor played three new songs from start to finish that were really impressive. Finally, their trademark beautiful vocal melodies, the carnivalesque piano lines, and some audible lyrical wordplay. I loved it. And so did they. And so did the crowd... I just don't know. I guess my final thought is: their records are really great. I'd suggest Gallowsbird Bark and EP before Blueberry Boat, but the latter will certainly grow on you. And another thing... either don't get used to what you hear on the CD's, or don't go see The Fiery Furnaces play. You'll leave upset.

Ugh, I'm thinking of more stuff to say about The FF. I remember this time when i was young and at my cousin's house and he had just received a saxophone as a Christmas present or something. He was so excited to show it to me and play some of the hot tunes that he had learned. He boldly asked, "What song do you want to hear?" I boldly replied, "Who Can It Be Now?" (which was a big hit at the time). And he said, "Awesome. That's my specialty," and proceeded to bleat out something that sounded like a trio of car horns beeping at a herd of goats (can you hear that? and goats are in herds, right?). He even sang a little. "Who can it beee now? (sound of car horns) Who can it beeee now? (sound of a goat yelling) Who can it beeee now? (sound of someone hitting a cat with a baby)" I had to say "Wo, wo, wo... Um, that is NOT Who Can it Be Now." And if i was paying for that mockery of a sham of a mockery, i would demand my money back. That's sort of how i feel now after the FF show.

Detroit is going mad with Fast Food Fever! The mayor has suggested a tax on fast food (i think maybe 5%?) to help offset the massive debt and the public is saying no way, Kwame. The radio is on in the other room and just overheard some "man on the street" reactions to the proposal that were like "you keep your hands off of my Big Mac!" And they were serious. The people sounded desperate and in peril.

If you want a new cover, then here it is... at Sayrah.net. They do these really cool monthly "mixtapes" where you can download all of the songs. It's a great idea and I let them have the next cover. I won't tell you what it is. You'll just have to go to Sayrah and see... and for no extra fee, if you like, one of them will come to your photo shoot party, get impossibly wasted, stumble up to the only place where no one is allowed, and then vomit all over for good measure. It's like the Sayrah tag. You should be so lucky.

"Someone hitting a cat with a baby" is another Simpsons quote, by the way. Ugh, i'm still confused by the FF show. I feel as though my attention span has been severely diminished. Oh well, i'll still try and cover another topic...

Alton Brown. If anyone can convince me to take on some crazy recipe with complete confidence in my ability, it's him. And yesterday, I got the sudden urge to try and make cheesecake. What the hell? So I watched the Good Eats cheesecake episode in its entirety, took notes, and then hit the supermarket. I then, watched the dvd as i went through each separate step of the process. (You could imagine how the dvd remote looked after the cream cheese / sour cream / sugar mixture made its way all over my hands... and the floor... and the cat.) It gets pretty specific: after you bake it for an hour, you turn off the oven, open the door for a minute, leave it in there another hour, and then refridgerate it for 6 hours! After all of that work, i was psyched to come home after a confusing evening and dig in. But it was a little soggy. I think that some of the water from the oven bath somehow leaked into the cheesecake pan. I'll try it again sometime soon... and take pictures.

For now, i'm going to make my famous fake bacon omelette and call it a blog.

Clog in the torso shoot: frat parties, hard drives, Sideways, Screeching Weasel, Monk, Lil vodka bottle, Miss Congeniality, Photos of Louisville, Stuffed artichokes, Proofreading, Jimmy Eat World's stage plot, Really bad t-shirt designs, Iron & Wine...

007 Now Where Was I

...oh yeah, Chicago.

The WLUW record fair was better than I ever imagined. 2 huge rooms filled with booths of local vendors. Not only records, but posters, crafts, food, and perhaps my most favorite booth: Shawnimals! Homemade stuffed animals with crazy back stories. Check out the website and search out Son Of Moustachio, Junky Trunky, and the Rampy's. So... yes, thank you to WLUW for asking me to play. It was a blast. Plus I was finally able to witness the intense beauty that is Unique Chique. Seriously, you need to check out some of their songs here. It's really amazing stuff. Think Jeff Buckley singing for The Sea and Cake. Yeah, it's that good... and their new cd, which is even better, comes out next month!

Afterwards, we just had to hit up Earwax for a quick meeting and quick eating. I dined on a scrumptious mushroom swiss veggie burger. Since i abstain from cheese a good week before a block of shows, I tend to binge as soon as the last note is hit. Ditto for ice cream, and i have a soft creamy delicious spot in my heart for Coldstone. I go for the coffee ice cream and have them smash graham cracker pie crust into it. Oh man, that's great. Heavenly!

I was a mess last night. For some reason, as I was working on some recording stuff, i downed about 4 cups of coffee like they were water. By the time I arrived at the State Theatre for the Jimmy Eat World / Taking Back Sunday / Format show, I was a shaky quaky mess. And it really didn't help that the staff there were so overly UNfriendly. We pulled up, got our passes, and then walked in. Jimmy had already started which made conversations impossible. I needed to get backstage and no one could help me find out how to do that. Given my state of mind, I was a total mess. I wanted to enjoy the set while hanging out with my friends, drinking their free beer, you know, taking advantage... and i was being thwarted at every turn. Finally someone from the back comes out to smuggle us in and things are better.

Al from Rescue hands me a beer and things are good. Doctor Hottub himself, my old friend, and Format's tour manager comes down to hang out and things are getting really great. Marco from The Format is the coolest guy ever... so after Jimmy heads offstage, we hit the backstage. Everyone is psyched to see each other and it's the class reunion that I predicted. And pretty soon, I get a little jealous. I'm having such a great time. I want to be on this tour. Seriously, I'll wave flashlights at The Format during their set. Just let me in the van!

Ah yes, but it is not meant to be. Patience, grasshopper, right? Tour is coming soon enough. And actually much sooner than i thought! It seems like new shows are popping up like moles in the whack-a-mole machine. May 1 in Dekalb, May 6 in Normal, May 7 in Detroit, May 13 in Springfield IL, May 28 in DC... This is crazy.

Tonight... it's yet another show: The Fiery Furnaces. Now, i love me some Fiery Furnaces on record, but I've heard that their live shows are fast and frenetic and completely different. So i can't wait. And yeah, i can't wait to write about it either.

Clog in the torso shoot: Sayrah.net, frat parties, hard drives, Sideways, Screeching Weasel, Monk, Lil vodka bottle, Miss Congeniality, Photos of Louisville, Stuffed artichokes and cheesecake...

006 Yes, Michigan

...the feeling's forever! Remember that jingle?

Sheesh, I have so much to say, there's bound to be a "clog in the torso shoot." That's a line from the Malibu Stacy episode of the Simpsons and I love using it whenever it's appropriate. If you send someone an abnormally large amount of text messages in a relatively short time, and that someone claims that only one was received... and then the others come an hour later at the same time... it was probably a clog in the torso shoot. All of the backed up traffic on the constantly de- and re-constructed Borman Expressway leading to Indiana & Michigan? Clog in the torso shoot. I just woke up. It is hot inside. It is hot outside... and it's hard to think.

Yes, Champaign, the feeling's forever! I spent 4 years there living, practicing, recording, and drinking... all while acquiring a worthless degree in communications, and i have a special place in my heart for the damn place. It was nice to be back, and the weather had a lot to do with my mood. I suppose if it was raining or something, i'd be flooded (nice one!) with all of the bad memories. For instance, my journalism professor pulling me aside and saying, "i really think you should start thinking about your grade" or leaving a statistics exam about a minute after it was distributed... or even worse, as a freshman, getting caught trying to sneak into a a frat party... under a fence!

So yes, even though the Courtyard Cafe was infamously too gosh darn big for the amount of people that came to the show, it really felt great. Very personal, and that's the way I like it. And plus, Nathaniel was able to use the standup piano that's up on the stage! And it was swell to see some of my old friends... After the show, we headed over to our pal, Paul's place, which was located smack dab in the middle of fraternity city. (uh oh, here comes another bad memory. one time, again as a freshman, my trusted friend from high school told me to go to this frat party and tell them i was this random person that they were expecting. So i gathered up some people, went up to the door and said "hey, i'm John Q. Whatever, can we come in?" They laughed in my face and said "No you're not." I then laughed in their faces and said "OK, then i'm LEAVING, so there!") At Paul's, we did some recording, devoured some pizza and breadsticks, and i fell asleep to the faint sounds of impromptu jamming of Saves The Day songs... complete with strangely beautiful homemade harmonies. Who was that?

Yes, Urbana, what a fucking dump. I have to mention that before the show, we took a drive around to see how the old Braid house was holding up. The answer is: barely. The poor thing is falling apart. Perhaps it looks exactly the same as it did in 1996, but we were just too buzzed from all the Rhinelander... I also drove by the house where we recorded the first two records and it's just as disgusting. You could easily imagine the house just collapsing if just the right number of pigeons gathered on the roof. In retrospect, what a great disguise for the thousands and thousands of dollars worth of recording gear, huh?

Yes, Chicago, the most beautiful place in the world on April 10, 2005! I was so jealous of Nathaniel's tourmate, Brian, on this day. Why? Because this was his first time rolling into Chicago and what a day! I take such pride in the place on days like this. In fact, I once gave sorta-out-of-the-way directions to a touring band coming in. I knew that some of them had never been here, so i thought it was important that they see the skyline emerge from the interstate 94 vantage point as opposed to the vile Interstate 90 Skyway-by-way-of-Gary vantage point. Don't tell them I told you.

I have a lot more to say, especially about the record fair, so we'll end this day's ramblethon with a

to be continued...

005 The Whirlwind Weekend of Shows

... is over. So now, i kick back, relax, and ponder what topic gets center stage for tomorrow's blog.

004 People Really Do Win

... on MTV. I just got a check in the mail! Apparently they play 13 seconds of (the Hey Mercedes song) "Quit" during an episode of Road Rules/Real World Challenge, and for every showing, i get.... drumroll please... $2.50! Oh yeah! My ship has come in.

One thing I forgot to mention about that show in Detroit. Halfway through Straylight Run's set, Aaron asked the whole room-full of us if we wanted to head to the slightly smaller club next door and check out Regina Spektor. So, it was quite the parade of misfits... about 15 of us, worming our way through the crowd, out the back door of on club and in the back door of another... Now, maybe this is bad to admit but I had no idea who Regina Spektor was and when we got in, she was playing this cute little song on a guitar where every line began with the words "hey remember." It was weird and quirky and pretty cool. So I chatted it up with Cory The Bear awhile, and every now and then someone would come over and say "hey, isn't this pretty great?" or "did she just sing 'smelly farts?'" and all was well. Until she started playing a song that I totally recognized. I thought it was a cover until she hit the chorus and I realized that I saw her play on Conan a week or two back. I went bitchcakes with excitement at my discovery, because as she was on TV, i was filled with shock and awe. Who was this girl at the piano playing this really odd song on national TV? And I said that in a good way.... Wow, what a ridiculous and unnecessary story. I guess what i'm saying is... yes, Regina Spektor. Check it out.

I have so much to do today. We got a serious late start from Detroit last night so I totally missed the entire show last night. Curses. By the time we hit Chicago, all we wanted to do was eat and sleep. So that's what we did. And as of right now I have 4 hours to program some new samples into my sampler pedal for the show tonight, which may be a chore. I have to finalize a set. Pack up all of the odds and ends of recording gear for a fun little collabo tonight. Make sure I have all of my merch in order. Head to the WLUW Record Fair and pick up CDs and posters from the Post 436 booth. Argh. What am i doing blogging at a time like this?

One last thing. I just found out that Hey Mercedes' old tour manager is tour managing The Format for their tour with Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday... AND they're all going to be in Champaign tonight. Why do i feel another class reunion coming on? Hopefully some of the posse can come out to the show.

And now, if you'll excuse me, Low Carb and Lovin' It is on. I have to go.

003 We Don't Have Money

...so we can't lose it.

That's the first line of my favorite new Minus The Bear song. Man oh man, what a show... I have to say that I'm totally jealous. In some way shape or form, I need to be on that tour! I think Gratitude could use a maraca, don't you? But seriously, it was like a class reunion.

Chris Common, Hey Mercedes' old roadie and present drummer of The City On Film, is doing front of house sound for Minus The Bear. We toured with Jonah from Gratitude when he was in New End Original. We toured with Honorary Title's merch magician, John Cheese, when he was merching for Limbeck. We're old friends with Ryan Chavez, of various productions in Houston and Panic in Detroit, and he's doing merch for MTB. Spitalfield are pals of ours from Chicago and i'm excited to give their new CD a listen. Will of Straylight Run is as dashing as ever and still the amazing drummer I marvelled over from touring with Breaking Pangaea. Slim from Gratitude is an old friend of ours from Milwaukee. By the time I saw Aaron from Honorary Title, i think we had both drank our fair share, so even though we had only met twice, we chatted it up like old bros. This is what i do. I gush. I should be on this tour.

OK, maybe i shouldn't. I have my own shows to do, you know. Tomorrow night, I hope you can make it out to Champaign. I don't care that you live in New York, Florida, California, UK, Japan. I sincerely hope that you can make it to Champaign. It will be strictly a solo acoustic affair and i'll be playing a bunch of new songs so i'm psyched. Note to self: Concoct a setlist and give it a few good practice runs. And... on Sunday, I will be playing the WLUW Record Fair at 3 pm! Both shows are with the wonderful Nathaniel Carroll, so just be there, kay?

A quick note about Will from SLR. His number is right next to my girlfriend's number on my cell phone, so i'm constantly paranoid that i'm accidentally sending him these creepy text messages like "oh baby you know i love you i can't wait to kiss you all up mwah." I actually did do that once when it was a different neighboring phone number and i realized it right after i hit the send button. So i panicked. But then I calmed down and text messaged the wrong recipient and said "he he. um. that wasn't supposed to go to you. um. but i love you too, uh, pal. rock."

Don't let anyone ever tell you that whenever I get the chance, I watch the Tony Danza show... You know, I don't like it, but if it's on, i won't change the channel... (are you buying this?)

OK, here it is! #50 - Summertime originally by The Sundays, of course. Please read yesterday's ramble for some quick backstory on its recording process! And despite all of my failed attempts to throw my voice into the mix, it just sounds better with only Lauren. I do have a really shoddy mix of the failed duet, so i may eventually post that. Maybe it will be the "secret bonus track" of a blog... But anyway, I asked Lauren if she'd be into singing on the song about 2 weeks ago and I gave her a copy of the original along with an instrumental version of my cover. When it was time to press record a few days ago, she was so prepared. I asked if she wanted me to print out the lyrics for her. She casually replied, "nah," and then proceeded to nail every line... and there are a lot of (odd) lyrics in the song. From Piscean to Liverpudlian, she knew em all... So i guess what i'm trying to say is: She is hardworking, extremely talented and... she is the singer your band is looking for. Don't you realize that?

I have completely finshed the next cover, and i only have one more guitar line to lay down on the cover after that. Talk about prepared! I am also 98% done with "Be Near" for the Post 436 Records split.

I'm going to be doing the old familiar drive from Detroit to Chicago tonight, and when you're in a car, alone, for that amount of time, you can't help but do some work. In fact, I wrote the complete lyrics to two new songs on that very same drive. Hence, I look forward to a lyrically productive drive coming up. And... I'm driving straight to the Minus The Bear show in Chicago, whereupon I will throw back some cool ones and then forget everything.

Have a great Friday everybody.

002 Most Mornings

I wake up totally confused.

My journal has been put to seriously good use in its first day of existence. I've already started to brainstorm some plans for the last Hey Mercedes show and some future collaborations for covers and some notes of interest that i'll have to keep in mind during an informal "meeting" that i've scheduled for Sunday. Yawn, i'm up too early. I have also successfully imported (from the old planner, by hand / pen /ink) all of the important dates coming up: Fiery Furnaces on Tuesday in Detroit, Iron & Wine on the 20th in Chicago, The Get Up Kids on June 9th... and of course, the hot hot show tonight: Minus The Bear.

I really love me some Minus The Bear and I really can't thank them enough for being such cool fucking dudes. Two weeks ago, I had to fly out to Seattle to do some recording and they were swell enough to give me access to whatever instruments I needed, not to mention, use of some studio space while they mixed. Not to mention, use of their spare couches and beds. Not to mention, more than a few of their cold beers. Engineer extraordinaire, Chris Common deserves a healthy heaping amount of praise as well, but i'll save that for another blog.

While I was out there, I was fortunate to hear the new Minus The Bear record and sweet heavens, it's incredible. Chris had been warning me that it was "different" which I had misinterpreted as "difficult." No way. I think their already growing fanbase will lose their minds when they hear it, and ditto for the jokers who aren't quite sure about em... If you've ever been to a mixing session, you'll know that by the end of the day, the last thing you want to hear again is the song you just worked on. It's monotonous and mind-numbing and i have utmost respect for folks like Matt Bayles and Chris Common who can even stand to do it, much less do it well... But the day they mixed "The Game Needed Me," it was a totally eye-opening experience for me and I wanted to hear it about 70 more times. Around every corner, a pleasant surprise. OK, enough gushing. I'm sure i'll do more after tonight's show.

Perhaps I lay it on too thick sometimes. After a Breaking Pangaea / Hey Mercedes show in Philly, I rushed over to Fred who was talking with a friend at the bar and just let him know I was in awe of his voice, especially during their cover of Human Nature. His friend looked at me and said, "Why don't you just kiss him already?"

You know what's a weird term? Guerilla recording. And i'm not really even sure I know what it means, but i think that maybe I participate in it. Everywhere I can, I record anything that sounds good, and I especially love capturing some "real" moments that in a proper studio session would be dismissed as garbage. It's true that in Nashville, we spent an hour trying to get the perfect sound of a tambourine crashing into a pyramid of beer cans on tape... and you know what? I think maybe 5% of the people who hear the City On Film album will pick it up... (So, that should be, what, 10 or so people? Listen for it!) Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, i've recorded vocal tracks on airplanes and in vans. I've recorded the sound of someone doing dishes for a song. I've even smuggled my laptop somewhere to get some notes from a real grand piano. Is this guerilla recording? Or am I missing some sort of politically charged motivational undertones in the whole process?

I just got this idea to sneak the laptop into the primate house at Brookfield Zoo and get some gorilla recordings. I can't help it. It's just the messed up way my mind works. And I had to write it. I just had to.

Ugh, I annoy myself. What I'm really trying to say: The other night, I recorded 3 whole vocal takes for Summertime, with my friend Lauren playing the challenging role of Harriet Wheeler. They all sounded great, so I mixed it down in about an hour (immediately after yesterday's blog) and had a really great finished product. But then I thought to myself, self!, how about making it a duet of sorts? I'll lay down some vocals myself. So that's what I did and I couldn't get it to sound quite right. It was painfully obvious that we recorded the takes at different times and this was supposed to be a duet, right? It should seem like we're singing to each other, right? Lionel Richie & Diana Ross? J-Lo and Marc Anthony? RuPaul and Elton John? So I spent, I kid you not, SIX hours trying to mix this thing. After hour number six, i decided to take a break and clean some old files out of the computer. Long story short, in my haste, I deleted the whole thing. He he he! Ho ho ho! And since I'm not particularly excited about re-recording all of the drums, bass, guitars, tambourines, vocals, etc, especially since they sounded so good to begin with... I think it's going to have to be the way that the good lord intended: the original mix of just Lauren / Harriet (Laurriet?) and no Me. It sounds so much better and it just goes to show that your first instinct is usually the best.

I want to stop writing but I know that if I don't get through all of my imaginary outline, I won't get to it all... so... I may have been in a different country when I saw this video, but I really thought it was great and haven't seen it since. I think it was a duet between the singer from the band Space and a female artist that i didn't recognize and the video is of them singing to each other while they are trying to save each other on the roof of a car that is dangling off the edge of a cliff. Have you seen this? What is it?

I saw Hellraiser yesterday for the first time. Luckily I wasn't alone because that was some creepy, gorey stuff. Even though the premise is ridiculous, the characters' motivations are assinine, and the hair is oh so 80's, i'm glad i finally saw it. It was highly imaginative and completely over the top, so I appreciated it... After I see a movie that I hadn't previously seen, I usually head over to the IMDB message boards and see what all the chatter is about. I really like it when people find plot holes or question motivation and stuff like that... but the best I could find over there about Hellraiser is posts like: "Here are some of my ideas for new cennobites." (!?!) In the words of a true internet geek, LOL.

Plan for today: I really have to record the basis for a lil collabo-guerillo-recordo this weekend, so that's a priority. I also have to call up the posse for tonight's show. And do about 75% of the stuff from yesterday's list. If you were wondering, the poor ducks had to go hungry yesterday.