i'm gonna mail you your hair

what? if you leave your dreadlocks in my home, i will mail them to you in an unmarked white envelope with no return address. i think it's a fair trade.

so i've been MIA this week-much to the dismay of my very loyal fans--due to some visitors and some unfathomably irritating 15 year olds. but, here i am, ready to tell you about a little group i like to call (and presumably, as it is their band name, they like to call themselves) pet lions.

(pet lions. who's in the button up?)

as my friend bobby (and my heart) tried desperately to get me to fly down to SXSW on a whim last week, bobby told me about this lovely band he was staying with who was playing a few shows at austin's most drunken week. they're chicago based and have a free EP for download on their myspace, and i think both of those things are beyond sexy. there are few things i enjoy more than chicago and free music. and most people know what those few things are. [read: certain beverages and cheese plates] They remind me a little bit of a less sunny Voxtrot, and well, you should listen.

Pet Lions: Roman History

a great dawes cover of the beatles/joe cocker(whomever you please)

just loved this and had to post it.

annnddddd the 'original'...

CHUCK KLOSTERMAN WEARS GREEN SWEATERS

and he has red hair, bright blue sneakers, and he even wears blue jeans! and he swears, a lot. and he comes to middle tennessee to speak to 400 kids about his career as half of them scour facebook while they receive extra credit.

for those of you who don't know, Chuck Klosterman is easily our nation's most prominent (and simultaneously ubiquitous) pop culture writer. He's written about everyone from Jack White to Val Kilmer, and his quirky analytical essays ranging from The Sims to Saved by the Bell have earned him the title of a pop culture guru. ALSO--this just in: his last name is pronounced with a LONG "O" sound, like in OPEN, not like CLOCK. so KL-OH-STER-MAN. crazy.

(our favorite redhead)

Klosterman is just as hilarious and quick witted in person as he is on paper, and his side tangents and irreverent commentary are nothing short of endearing and insightful. He spoke extensively about his career and about how his boredom of growing up in a town of 500 people in North Dakota led to an ungodly amount of time to think about what little culture he was exposed to. I believe his exact words were, "I could watch an episode of The Wonder Years, and then I could think about it for, like, a year." I wish I had time to think about Fred or Ben Savage for a year. Or do I do this regardless of time commitments?

Anywho, because I'm unabashedly and abrasively outspoken, I made sure to ask Klosterman a question during the Q & A as all the less cool people sat shyly and timidly around me. I was curious about his most bizarre interview, and luckily for me (not so luckily for the guy who asked him how big of an asshole he thought Don Henley was and a professor stepped in and said that Henley was a good friend of hers and he was fantastic), Klosterman had a lot to say about this--particularly in regards to the one and only Britney Spears:

"Because she was the most famous person I ever interviewed, the conditions were very interesting...We had to sit in a corner; she had to face into the corner because people would come up to her all the time...or they would come up to her and they would notice her, and really notice her [demonstrates a gawking passerby who drops a book],..."

He went on to talk about her confusion between herself and herself as a marketed product; and as he says in his book IV, "She's either a genius, or she's the least self aware person I've ever met." Love it. Oh, and then he mentioned an interview with a Civil Rights leader who had 18-20 kittens that crawled all over him while he during the interview. Bahaha. F-ing hilarious. Hate cats. (Sorry, Chels.)

For those of you who have never read Sex, Drugs, & Cocoa Puffs, Killing Yourself to Live, IV, Fargo Rock City, Downtown Owl, or Eating the Dinosaur, it'd certainly be in your best cultural interest to enlighten yourself. Here's a clip of him reading from IV...I think.

and my favorite Chuck Klosterman quote ever? Chuck Klosterman on hipsters: (who undeniably make up the majority of his fan base, making this all the more hilarious) Close friends of mine,I apologize, as I've definitely made you read this before and/or had it in my facebook profile for a solid six months.

Chuck said, "it's like this. You used to be able to tell the difference between hipsters and homeless people. Now, it's between hipsters and retards. I mean, either that guy in the corner in orange safety pants holding a protest sign and wearing a top hat is mentally disabled or he is the coolest fucking guy you will ever know."

Oh, and a new song I like from a band name I can't f-ing stand?

Deer Tick: Smith Hill (buy)

do not spill water on your computer

especially if you're in the middle of the good old war album. now, it's been a while since my last post; and, i know people have just been pacing around in front of their computer screens waiting for an update. it's okay, folks. i'm here.

after a computer crash, a trip to virginia, some new tires, and a speeding ticket, i'm ready to tell you about the good old war/circa survive show last friday at exit/in.

(good old war) (stripes on the left. yeah)

first of all, if you haven't heard good old war yet--you've clearly been living in a hole for a while. which is fine, you should just crawl out now. when i first heard good old war's 'coney island' around this time last year--i knew i had heard it: the quintessential folk pop song. once you hear it, you will NEVER forget it. and nor will you ever be able to get it out of your head. i've been known to dub it the greatest pop song i've ever heard.

Good Old War: Coney Island (buy)

regardless of the greatness of the song, and the three-part harmony that played out quite well during a live set performed for a bunch of questionably eighteen year old emo kids, good old war was oddly misplaced in this setup.

why? well they were third among the line up of Christmas Lights (a less-than-mediocre band with the most abrasive merch guy i've ever encountered; he actually hit me during good old war's set to try to get me to buy a cd of what i can only imagine was a band he was refused entry into), Terrible Things (not bad, but still confusing genre-wise), and the band that is quickly building a cult following: circa survive.

apparently, good old war is anthony green's favorite band. still, he is like, an emo-king. (forgive me as i horribly misuse that word, but the guitars are loud, his voice is high and whiny, and his fans are trying to molest him from the front row. soooo...) so it confused me. plus i had to sit through some interesting thrashing, screaming, and general pissed-offness to hear good old war. regardless, circa survive is going places. and anthony sings on good old war's 'weak man.'

I guess listen to the difference yourself and help me figure out just why they're on tour together.

Circa Survive: Semi Constructive Criticism (buy)

Good Old War: Weak Man (ft. Anthony Green) (buy)

until next time--

we'll miss your old home, yazoo.

yazoo brewery, my third home (a close follow up to mercy lounge), is officially closing their doors at marathon village and heading to the gulch. not that i've been here for years or anything, and certainly not that i've lived or worked there, but i do love that place.

plus, after my very nice, albeit expensive, sweater--i'm ready to promo yazoo wherever i may roam.

(p.s.--if you live anywhere in yazoo's distribution area: tennessee...etc,

check out hop project #27. just got bo

ttled. it tastes like the milk of the gods. and i'm pretty sure it gives you the ability to see through people's clothes. but only the attractive ones)

and then, whilst you drink a bottle of hop project #27 or the pale ale, listen to this band:

Ha Ha Tonka.

I call the one in the back center. Hailing from Springfield, MO, these 4 guys put out what they call, "foot stomping indie rock." Annnnnd, I wouldn't disagree. I think part of the reason I have taken such a liking to them is through their use of Dostoevsky in a lyric. ( I saw someone mention this elsewhere and immediately took notice.) Nothing like a good literary reference to catch my attention.

Oh, and Ha Ha Tonka is the name of a state park in Missouri. Look at that. They're nature lovers. Humanitarians. Naturalists. Also. I have no idea how I heard of these guys. I literally think I just stumbled across them one day. Maybe saw their name on Paste or something. But here they are, having conveniently fallen into my lap...ooooohhhhhhh....a girl can only hope.

Ha Ha Tonka: Close Every Valve To Your Bleeding Heart (buy)

Ha Ha Tonka: Walking On The Devil's Backbone (buy)

cadillac sky can be my hangman

in case by some bizarre chance you hate reading whatever i write about before i mention some ungodly cool band that you've never heard of, the bands i'm gonna post about in a minute are cadillac sky and jeremy fisher. ok?

the other day i asked nijay what first person point of view was and he responded simply with the word "adjective." i'm changing lives down here, definitely.

went to the freelance whales, bear in heaven, and cymbals eat guitars show last night, and it was pretty solid. the cymbals guys were kind young gentlemen (who, i can only imagine, were incredibly frightened by my bar-conversation attack), and the show was great--although not really anything to write home about.

my new friends. cymbals eat guitars.

tomorrow, at station inn, the one and only apache relay will be playing with a badass group, cadillac sky. they're from texas (TEXAS FOREVER), and their blend of bluegrass/pop/folk/acousticity makes me dream of tim riggins and consider moving my life to dillon.

cadillac sky: hangman (buy)

then, while i was on www.thesixtyone.com, i came across this charming young lad:

jeremy fisher: scar that never heals (buy)

he's attractive, plays a great simple tune, and is from vancouver. what more could you need? also, i believe his album was just on itunes' indie spotlight, so take that as you will. oh, and one more thing. a guy that looks like that and plays multiple instruments (including, but not limited to, the accordion) is nothing short of awesome.

he's sex in suspenders

i won't state explicitly whom that refers to or who said that, but i will say that it refers to a certain banjo player of a certain band from a certain failing michigan city. and while i like to keep chelsea doyle's anonymity most of the time, i'll just go ahead and say she might be involved in this. either way, frontier ruckus, the apache relay, rayland baxter, and rev. peyton's big damn band put on a damn fun show at the end on saturday night. it was complete with michael ford jr's enigmatic/remarkable stage presence, rayland baxter's soothing tunes, the raw sexual prowess of frontier ruckus and their ever-elusive lyrics, and washboard playing extroardinaires-rev peyton.

(frontier ruckus. banjo player stage right. left. ah. you can see the suspenders)

all in all, a solid saturday night.

tomorrow, freelance whales: generator ^ first floor (buy)

I believe they're from queens, and i believe they're often compared to owl city. well, no offense, owl city; i like these guys much better. they're playing with cymbals eat guitars and bear in heaven. never heard the latter two. should be interesting. particularly if there is a facial-haired banjo player.

On another note, I have a couple short vids from the show. Although, I was playing a decent amount of air violin (much to most everyone's dismay,) so there's not much.

Apache Relay:

Frontier Ruckus Vid to follow...

until my next and inevitably embarrassing social experience...

HAPPY GREEN BEER DAY, SOBRIETY!

as i sit here in my GBD '09 tshirt and cowboy boots, drinking a homemade magic hat green beer and munching on some smart food, i allllmmostttt feel like i'm in college. Except I'm not at CJs, there's no one around (Except the maintenance guy), and my responsibility today is much more than it was this time last year.

BUT IT'S STILL A BEAUTIFUL DAY!!!

A wise young writer once said,

"There is a bar somewhere in a magical alleyway that smells like vomit. It has a scintillating drink menu, an awe-inspiring staff and door security that could catch bin Laden. The bathrooms are spacious, the liquor is top shelf and the atmosphere is unbeatable. (Actually, the last detail might be true). Most importantly, however, is the fact CJ's is a one-of-a-kind haven for the weak, the weary, the underage, the overage, the tired, the restless, the abandoned, the broken hearted, the poor (always) and the forgotten. Or, perhaps, those who are too drunk to remember."

a wise one band once kicked ass and covered vampire weekend after writing a slew of their own hauntingly beautiful songs: MUMFORD & SONS.

Mumford & Sons: Cousins (Vampire Weekend Cover)

Mumford & Sons: White Blank Page (buy)

if you wanna come to band practice, you have to bring wine.

that's what my mother always told me growing up. and look where it got me. it's hard to explain why there is a dashboard confessional screaming infidelities tab open on my computer, why three guitars are in random places on my living room floor, there are 3 dozen chocolate cookies on my stove, but i'd be willing to say that you missed out on a good night last night.

yeah, you.

YES. the videos from Grimeys of Daniel Martin Moore and Ben Sollee. Love it.

more vids from the in-store show here

so i went to see dawes/cory chisel/jason boesel again on sunday night @ eddie's attic in atlanta. sorry i'm not sorry; they're all great. except i missed jason (again), but rilo kiley and bright eyes lead me to believe he's quite fantastic. in fact, since i'm nearly positive he's reading this and is offended that i missed his set, i'll go ahead and put up a rilo kiley song so we can hear-at the very least-his impeccable drum skills.

on a side note, i'm realizing that blogging while in the bathtub=not the most prudent decision one could make.

my mp3's won't upload, so no rilo kiley for now.

but, because david supica has bomb ass dreads and doesn't mind when cait and i are abrasive and invasive, you should check out the delta saints. no, not delta spirit, the delta saints. saints, like of the lord.

The Delta Saints. It's like the first time you had beer and liked it. Beautiful.

But, Matt Costa did mention loving Delta Spirit when I interviewed him at WMSR, and, well, they're pretty damn talented too. More on that later.