daft punk

fresh

Dr Dog

Dr Dog had me hooked since We All Belong, which was an absolutely amazing record, the track My Old Ways is haunting and so well written that I almost hate myself that I'm not that talented.  And then this new record comes out, Be The Void, and I begin to spiral out of control at the sheer mediocrity of my life.  Dr Dog is so unique, spanning so many genres from college radio to the delta blues and making it rock and roll for sure.  Lonesome is my favorite track from the record and I think it should be listened to loud, and probably alone, because when I listen to it I get into a trance like state, drumming on my thighs and nodding my head.  I dig it a ton.

The Flaming Lips

In recent years, I haven't been going to as many shows as I'd like.  Having kids and a job and house in the suburbs make it difficult to really get out to the small clubs and see cool new bands and keep my finger on the pulse.  When I lived in NYC, and before I was married I would go out constantly to check out new bands at small clubs, some of which are no longer in existence, like CBGB and Brownies, but there are other places that are fun to see live music like Arlene's Grocery and Mercury Lounge to name a few.  So far this year I have seen 3 (three) bands live.  It's a source of great shame.  Not only have I only seen three bands live, they were all at large venues with almost zero intimacy, and they were all bands with long and impressive histories.  Dinosaur Jr, the Who and The Flaming Lips.  The most recent was The Flaming Lips, and it was at the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, CT.  The show was amazing.  The stage design was elaborate and interesting, and the light show was absolutely mind blowing!  But take away the theatrics, and the righteous light show, the band was spot on.  Wayne Coyne is perhaps at the pinnacle of his game.  To be honest, I probably hadn't listened to them since around 2002 when Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (brilliant record by the way) was released, and I can't be sure whether or not I have seen them live, I suppose it's possible I saw them in '94 at Lollapalooza, but that would be the only time.
But ultimately I was blown away by the show, and while it wasn't really the intimate encounter I had hoped for, the Oakdale was a decent venue to see a show of this magnitude.  And The Flaming Lips Were amazing.  It's inspired me to dig back into their catalog, and I've been addicted ever since.  Killer show, and a killer band.  The new record The Terror is some of the bands best work, and I can't wait until I get a chance to see them again.

The Who - Quadrophenia

Some time ago I wrote a piece on my thoughts on aging rockers still touring and trying to maintain relevance while they're eligible to be a part of AARP.  So many great bands have ceased being cool due to the fact that they just can't give it up.  They don't know when to say when, or they've put themselves in a financial position to make it necessary to continue to tour.  And now some bands are coming out of hibernation to put on show's that should be cool and just fall short.  The Stones continual touring and recording irritates me, and don't get me started on Steven Tyler and his very public fall from coolness.  I went to see The Who at Mohegan Sun for the Quadrophenia tour recently, and had mixed feelings about it.  I thought Townshend was amazing, and I will always hold him up on a pedestal as one of the greatest rock and roll icons of all time, but I think he also is what i find redeeming in an aging rock legend.  He knows that he's aged and has conducted himself in the appropriate manner.  Not just that, but he has expanded, and evolved to remain relevant and avoided the pitfalls of his moment in time.  It was good to see the Who live at least once in my lifetime, although it would have been nice to see them in the 70's with Keith and John, but it was fun to see them.  I thought that Roger, at close to 70 years old, should have kept his shirt on, but it was fun.  Another disappointing aspect of the show was the crowd, who seemed to know little about the record that was being performed, and only got excited when they broke out Teenage Wasteland and Pinball Wizard at the encore.  One of the major problems with aging rock stars shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.  There is an inherent flaw in what they do, especially bands like The Who, The Rolling Stones and to a lesser extent Aerosmith, whose best work was done being the voice of a generation that was changing the world.  They were teenagers writing songs about teenage angst, and that came through in the music and the vibe, but when you're middle aged and older, singing about teenage problems and ideas just seems sad.



I've never been much of a gambler.  Casino's to me have always been very large and very loud bars that serve free drinks.

Dinosaur Jr - You're Living All Over Me

I wasn't the first person through the doors, but dammit, it was close.  I was walking slowly full of a copious amount of mexican food and several heavy beers, not to mention that I'm older now.  I don't move with the cock-sure swagger that I once did.  At the front door were security persons at four or five different stations patting down the lines of people waiting to get in.  It was a beastly and chaotic scene, and while I'm not one to complain about being touched inappropriately, I'm not exactly sure what this particular fellow was looking for when he grabbed me firmly by the balls...  glad to be done with that ghastly scene, and now past the velvet rope I was surprised to see that there were very few people actually inside yet.  Which was a good thing, no lines at the bars.  An empty bar is always a good thing, not just for the obvious reason of being refreshed in a timely fashion, but it also provides one with the opportunity to talk to the bartender and try and make some sort of impression on them so that when the bar is loaded with swine and filth, they will remember you.  A good suggestion would be to make jokes and tip very well.  There's nothing worse for your mental well-being than being in need of a drink, and unable to catch the attention of a busy tender of the bar.
The venue began to fill up while I hurried to drink as much as possible while the bar was still quiet.  The scene was mixed.  I was by no means the oldest one in the crowd (which I sort of expected), but there was an overwhelming 20-something contingent which gave the place a nice low volt buzz.  With Kurt Vile to open and guest appearances by Johnny Marr and Kim Gordon, I was ready for the show to start!  Not to mention that YLAOM is perhaps my favorite Dinosaur Jr record.  There was no disappointment at this show, J was in his element playing with the sonic force that he is known for!  Murph and Lou were spot on as well.  The band was tight and it was clear that this was how DJr was supposed to play.  Years of personal conflict be damned, this was one of the best shows I've EVER been to.

the good doctor

http://youtu.be/wwxQTQAC2Fg

heavy heart

I have two children.  They are 4 and 5 (almost 6) years old respectively, and I love them more than I ever thought was possible.  As a family, we are all up each others asses all the time.  My wife is gone long hours during the day due to a job with a lot of responsibility and a very long commute, so when it comes to the weekends we are together the whole time.  During the week I have the responsibility of caring for my kids in a full time capacity, while having a full time job of my own.  I get them ready for school, make their lunches and snacks, pack up their little backpacks, brush hair and teeth and get them out the door and delivered to school.  More often than not I'm rushing around, behind schedule and trying to get everyone to shake a leg so that we can all get to school so my son can walk to his classroom with his pals, instead of having to go with me to the school office, and then be escorted to his class from there.  It's not that big a deal, but I always feel that I'm under the gun and that everyone decides to be a pain in the ass right when I'm starting to feel the pressure. But when we finally get to school and it comes time for my children to leave me we hug and kiss, and say "I love you"  and sometimes "I'm sorry" when it's appropriate.  No matter how mad I am at them, or they at me, we always make it ok before we leave each other for the day.
So I drag myself to work everyday, but all day long I think of my kids and smile about the crazy things they do, and laugh and joke about how they drive me crazy.  but they don't drive me crazy.  They're like all kids and want to get away with as much as possible.  They want to test me.  At the end of the day, I pick them up from school and bring them home.  I normally have so much to do when we get home that I put them in front of the television so that I can get many things done in a very short period of time before I have to get them bathed and into bed.  Time is always an issue.  It's what is the cause of much of the tension.  But when it comes down to bath time I always try and do something that I hope brings them some joy.  I put on a record, and we dance.  And when we dance, and listen to music and have this brief moment that is just for us, something that we have together and it will never be .  For me and my children, this thing that we have together is something that gains greater meaning in the light of recent events.  I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around the tragedy, but all I can do is love my children and hope that when I send them out into the world they will be safe and happy, but the way the world is, there are no guarantee's.
I needed to talk.  thanks for indulging me