wheeee teddy bear

thanks christy! speaking of christy, go check out his band cheeseburger at tommy's tavern tonight! they are playing with that uber hip cheap-trick-style band, diamond nights (kemado). (ok nevermind, diamond nights dropped off from the bill. totally lame.)

also mommy and daddy and oxford collapse are playing a show at rothko on thursday, december 2(that's right, rothko's back in biz). this will be m+d's last show of the year. you should go support them too!

HERE'S SOME INFO I THOUGHT MIGHT INTEREST SOME OF YOU

win a free ipod... but it takes some work

so you want a free ipod, eh? betta work it.

girl bands wanted for coca cola commercials

but you have to be barely legal. here are the deets from shara:
National Coca-Cola Commercial
Looking for a girl band (any type of music) ages 13-18 ish, for a national Coca-Cola commercial, should have video tape &/ or pictures, or CD. Pays regular scale for national commercial (a lot). If you are in a girl band & are around this age or if you know of one, please e-mail me, Tina at: colorsomeone@yahoo.com

Then send tape to:
Caroline Sinclair Casting
Zipper Theatre
336 West 37th Street
New York, NY 10018

have a music biz horror story? share it with people magazine.

go ahead. i dare ya. plus, my friend saryn is a trip to talk to. she's the bomb! here are the deets below:

People Magazine is putting out 3 Hollywood Daily issues in the run-up to the Grammys Feb. 13. We'd like to run a "Swimming With Sharks" feature in each issue. Basically, we're looking for horror stories of working in the music biz -- abusive bosses, diva-esque demands or behavior, crazy meetings/concerts/parties, etc. We're looking for funny and outrageous stories, the nuttier the better. They can be from back in the day when you were so-and-so's intern or assistant,
or more recent. If you or someone you know works in the industry and has a great story to tell, please send my way. Thanks!

Saryn Chorney
PEOPLE Magazine
NY Bureau
saryn.chorney@gmail.com
203.494.3007

in a band? get money. maybe.

check out this story from shara:
bands urged to register and get their royalties.

and you stopped checking, right?

jasper finally posts some photos. whee!!


Dirty on Purpose


Cousin

guided by voices - "drinker's peace"

At times I wish I were dead
Busy people dancing all over my head
This I value with every move they make
Real bad headache with every step they take

I get a contact buzz
Can't remember what the problem was
I find it hard to even care
Life was too real till you got there

My life is dirt but you seem to make it cleaner
Reduce my felony to a misdemeanor
When I feel sick you're an antibiotic
Organize my world that was pointless and chaotic

unicorns = happiness

my friend christy drew this unicorn for me in like 5 minutes while he was drunk singing to def leppard. how awesome?! i'm still waiting for the teddy bear.

mmmm, what a good way to start the morning...

colin firth and coffee! thanks, miss m. you just made my day!

good music for people who like road tripping

this weekend i bought a few records while i was hanging with out with one of my cousins in the city. when i go shopping for music, i mostly rely on albums to pop out at me like beacon of light. i wish i was one of those people who kept a list of records to buy, but usually my mind goes blank when i'm at the store. this time though, i had a few songs that i was looking for in this new road trip mix i am making. first on the agenda: guided by voices. i was looking for "teenage fbi," but as i listen to the "best of" album i bought, i found like 10 other songs i'd like to put on the mix. i don't care if it's cheesey to buy the best of album... it's was $10 for 32 amazing songs at kim's on st. marks. it was something i simply could not pass up! why is this band so fucking good? hearing the recorded versions of songs is so different from hearing them live. i've seen gbv live a couple times, and i just can't believe this is a band that once opened for the strokes. that is shameful. they are legions better than new york's favorite indie boy band. come on now, peeps. so anyone who reads this site knows how much lyrics are important to me. if you have great music and bad lyrics, i kinda can't get past that. it's laziness. you're musicians. work it. make it perfect. make it mean something. make it reach out into my heart and grab the words right out of my skin. just fucking do it!

my fave cuts:
"everywhere with helicopter" - what sticks out about this song is the vocal rollercoaster, which really reflects the idea of flying all around with a helicopter. it's as if his voice is gliding along the wind with each note.

"my kind of soldier" - this song sounds so classic and seamless. it just sways back and forth with whimsy in between cascading guitar notes that fall onto your skin like vapory drops of water from a sprinkler.

"glad girls" - is it wrong to say i used to think he was singing "hey black girls?" listen closely, it could be easily misconstrued. boy was i relieved to hear he was actually singing "glad girls." after i found that i out, i fell in love with the capriciousness of the song.

"surgical focus" - the lyrics resonate as strongly as the music: "with surgical focus, she stared at me and said, 'i'm willing to reach out, get into your head, and i will keep you and cleanse you.'"

"cut-out witch" - "do you suppose she can change your life? if she could, then i wish she would." it's both frenzied and sedate, and leaves me dizzy and aching.

"non-absorbing" - the lyrics get caught in my throat, like peanut butter, like guilty pleasures... "do you see me like i see you? ...we wants to be alone but we can't be alone."

"teenage fbi" - these are anthemic lyrics! it makes me want to scream and shout and jump up and down until i get the attention of the entire world. "someone tell me why i do the things that i don't wanna do. when you're around me, i'm somebody else."

honorable mentions: i also really liked "learning to hunt," "tractor rape chain," "game of pricks," "the best of jill hives," and "motor away." or basically all of the songs were good. ha. the one thing i can say is that the band wasn't very good at coming up with song titles. but the words that do resonate, resonate hard.

new york was beautiful today

today as i walked around in the cold sunshine, i was happy. new york is perfect in this crisp, brisk weather. both energizing and euphoric.

annie says the cure to loneliness and depression is making out. i am inclined to believe her.

make the puzzle pieces fit, please

last night i had a drink with annie "sweet" hart at barcade. we played tetris. i lost terribly, but luckily it only cost me 75 cents. barcade is a bar on union avenue and ainsle in williamsburg off the second stop on the L, Lorimer... it is lined with real, old school arcade games that cost like a quarter to play. it is my new favorite bar. it is also williamsburg's newest meat market... meaning both nerdy and fashionable singletons make their way to this bar to play more than just arcade games. let the macking begin. everyone is checking out everyone else. so if you are single, i highly suggest this place. also, they have a fucking pool table. so choice!

incidentally, filter mag has asked me to join their legion of bloggers. i said what the hey, why not. i got a free subscription to the mag and lo and behold the magazine arrived in the mail today. i opened it and found an essay written by jonathan ames. if you don't know who jonathan ames is, you really shouldn't be reading something like my site. though i'm sure he can be a bit of a prick in real life (coming from someone who used to fetch him water many a times in my college days), he is deeply funny and at the same time tragic. this essay is on his breakup with his girlfriend of two years. it made me terribly sad as i have felt many of those feelings, minus the bald laments. here's to you, jonathan. i hope you find happiness quick.

now here's my mini essay: in the quest for perfection, i feel like a lot of girls in new york lose touch with reality. our culture grows more and more superficial. so vapid. and you know what? it makes me terribly sad. and at the same time, it makes me glad i know girls like annie "sweet" hart. she is the personification of triumph and valor. she is the metaphor you could never come up with because it's extremely witty with more substance than you can imagine water in the world. and it makes me feel better about myself, as silly and simple as that might sound.

ps stolen from jay. what i am thankful for: stretch corduroy, thanksgiving invitations from 186, maker's mark, gingerale, new friends, old friends, kitties, bunnies, penguins, puppies, dirty on purpose, the up-and-down search for love in a seemingly cold cold world, getting my ass kicked in online scrabble games with shara, life buffers (you know), pepper jack cheese

completely unrelated detail: i bought morrissey and marr at the strand this weekend. delicious.

my dear friend and coworker jeremy...

jeremy will say things like "fuck with that?" and "i'm so assed out" which will make you laugh for the rest of your life. then he will spin some michael j and some eddie murphy and make your ears tingle with absolut delight. get drunk, listen to his tunes!

the postal service - "from such great heights"

i am thinking it's a sign
that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images
and when we kiss they're perfectly aligned
and i have to speculate
that god himself did make us into corresponding shapes
like puzzle pieces from the clay
true, it may seem like a stretch,
but it's thoughts like this that catch my troubled head
when you're away
when i am missing you to death
when you're out there on the road
for several weeks of shows
and when you scan the radio,
i hope this song will guide you home

they will see us waving from such great heights,
'come down now,' they'll say
but everything looks perfect from far away,
'come down now,' but we'll stay...

i tried my best to leave this all on your machine
but the persistent beat
it sounded thin upon listening
that frankly will not fly.
you will hear the shrillest highs and lowest lows
with the windows down
when this is guiding you home

the winter pageant @ mercury lounge

hey peeps, mike's band the winter pageant are playing at mercury lounge tonight. their new cds are done, and will be available at the show... go out and support! i have to say their live show is very dynamic, and i think if you've heard the recordings, you will be surprised at how emotionally charged and evocative the band is live.

my weekend in photos

i only got three hours of sleep last night... so i'll just talk in photos today. did everyone see u2 on broadway? look out your window, yo. they just passed 63rd street.

do something nice and thoughtful for thanksgiving

what you can do for those who are hungry and living in poverty

u2? you too.

so it seems that u2 is driving around on a flatbed truck in manhattan (down broadway) singing u2 songs with hundreds of screaming fans chasing after them. this is cracking me up to no avail. if you haven't heard about the secret show in dumbo... check out jay's site for details. i can't stop laughing. when did they turn into outrageous caricatures?

ween - "i don't want it" from quebec

this song is so good i had to post the lyrics

Did we miss the moon?
I'd lie in your arms if I could
Such a common pain
Repeats itself again and again

Flowers grow in the springtime and leaves fall from the trees
I've been GONE for so long, you just threw away the keys
I understand it, but I don't want it

I know it so well, you tripped me and I laughed when you fell
This isn't how it should be
I've let you drift so far, from me

But please hold onto the memories
Before we really crash and burn
We've got ourselves so wrapped up that we've forgotten how to learn
I understand it, but I don't want it

the world is a warm fuzzy... jacket

have a good weekend, folks. i leave you with this image, which made anna and i giggle quite a bit. we sooo wanted to touch it.

desperately seeking r&r

i am struggling to keep it together today. my energy levels are at a new low.

however, i kicked myself out of bed this morning and slithered my way into work. i listened to a new favorite song on repeat the entire way, which certainly helped my lagging spirit.

last night i went uptown to columbia/barnard and hung with the young'uns and handle knife skills business. bidi informed me of some free food in the student center and we went -- i had some nice ethiopian food. but we were like the only non-white people there at this "international food fest." so naturally we got approached by the campus magazine photographer. she took our photo, and i got asked if i went to b.c. i said yes. she spelled my name wrong but i didn't correct her. bidi told her i was a senior, and when asked what year i graduated, i drew a blank. i simply said, "sorry i'm really bad at math and can't figure out what year i graduate." the lady didn't question my stupidity at all. maybe ivy leaguers aren't as smart as we all thought.

It's not the first time you took a fall. Act like you've never seen double before

ps. the walkmen are on the oc tonight

Tonight, as you feed your teen drama addiction, watch those five lovely gents, The Walkmen, rock up the Bait Shop. Seth and Summer will be there and I guarantee you'll witness making out, breaking up, and/or loads of parent-kid tension. What more can you ask for from TV, really?

If you have no idea what this means, tune into FOX tonight at 8:00 pm EST / 7:00 CST / 8:00 PST (If you live in Idaho, consult local listings).

It's gonna be grand!

AND...see the Walkmen play “Little House of Savages” on David Letterman’s show Monday, November 22nd.

Still not enough? Check out Jimmy Kimmel on December 2nd, and when those fellows hijack the national airwaves one more time.

the walkmen music video

if you visit the walkmen site right now, you'll see clips from their music video for "little house of savages." did they get better looking? is that hamilton running in the woods being chased by many little kids with bows and arrows? how lord of the rings. oh how we've grown.

fuck the lower east side tonight

sam champion @ pianos

last night i met up with doug to go to the sam champion show at pianos. we strolled over to 186 to hang with jay and the crew for a bit before the show. i had a glass of wine and got drunk. damn i'm such a lightweight. jay put on the recoys album, and we sat around the kitchen and sang along with hamilton. it's amazing how the guy can twist and wrap his mouth around his lyrics. it's quite an exercise. you should try it sometime. then doug and i went over to pianos for dinner and met up with dj. it was nice just sitting around and chatting, catching up on life.

sam champion kicked a stellar set of rock with new addition, sean from the now defunct band these bones. the band sounded much fuller with a fourth member. their twangy alt rock is rich with roaring waves, swept up with accents of distortion. they played all the hits, including a t.rex cover. i hear next month they're covering a dirty on purpose song... i'm curious to hear how that will sound! kudos to sam champion for playing to a packed room. hotness.

i stayed for a song from the head set... i had never seen them before. the lead singer, jordan blaugrund, has quite a set of pipes and a tortured soul stage presence as he swung his long bangs back and forth from note to note. the music has a lot of commercial appeal.

somehow dj convinced me and jay to go over to the delancey with him to check out free blood, a trio composed of two members of !!!. they were heading on at midnight though, so i called it a night. i am just getting over a cold, and was fading fast!! needless to say, i went home to get in a good night's rest.

special thanks to daniel for my early birthday present.

so good!!!!!!!

the first to know, quick to criticize.
blow by blow, cunning boxer eyes.

that's not the way
that's not the way to make
that's not the way to make friends

contempt for love
and everything you've drowned
i know these words can't be turned around

i know you think politeness is what i need
well i don't but it might as well have been

that's not the way
that's not the way to make
that's not the way to make friends

my dear bergeri watson

my dear friend gregory j. wilson, affectionately bergeri watson to some jokesters like moi, is a great photographer. i had give him a photo pass at the arcade fire/hidden cameras/dirty on purpose show... and he sent me a couple initial scans of photos... the one of the arcade fire from the back of the stage is pretty hot. it's with a fisheye lens and it's neat to see the audience. click on the thumbnails below to see a larger photo.





greg has also taken some great band photos. hopefully he'll have his portfolio online soon. till then... email him and ask him about his work.

why nerds are useful in music innovation

whoa. no wonder mit kids are smart. jon sent me this link. crazy.

if you forget how to feel, reach inside your chest. is there a heart beating? or is there just emptiness?

the shortlist

btw, congrats to tv on the radio for winning the shortlist prize. i was gonna say something earlier... but then i got distracted. i really love their song "don't love you anymore."

her stories are boring and stuff

i know, i know. you love interpol. sure, their music is good. but i can't get past their lyrics. it's like listening to the futureheads and getting into it and then all of a sudden they awkwardly sing something like, "you eat shit cuz you're stupid and shallow." lyrics like that kinda suck. a lot. but keep in mind, this isn't no intervention.

i'm not the only critic though:
i love this new york times review of interpol. so true.

and to recap, this is the stylus magazine article on interpol's worst lyrical offenses.

coming up this week

tonight
these days, everyone's a booking agent and a showmaker. tonight gothamist.com and its bevy of music bloggers take their shot at booking shows. and i must say, it looks like a tasty lineup at the knitting factory tonight. unfortunately i will not make it to the show cuz i gots bidness to take care of, but you should take a gander if you like the grinding melodies that drive asobi seksu (and you should if you don't) and the delicate and bombastic, soon-to-be-renamed sons of sound (who should never cease and desist their music). snowden, who i've only seen once before, is also playing. as i sorta recall, they weren't bad. i'm particularly happy that there's a band on the bill i haven't actually ever heard of... the fresh. let's hope they live up to their name.

wednesday
sam champion joins the head set residency at pianos. noah will lay upon us his alt country croons with a swagger that is both charming and adorable. so come early (8:30) and adore.

thursday
that other band i manage, tough math rockers, knife skills go back to college. yeah they are playing up at columbia/barnard on thursday with some portland faves, dear nora and the blow. also some campus band is playing... not sure who yet. it's at west end bar, which is located at (2911 Broadway @ 113th St. in NYC). it's $3 with a student ID and $5 without.

for some reason my mind is going blank for things going on during friday night. feel free to fill me in or whatever.

oh, canada

what is it lately about canada that is so appealing? partly the tone and outcome of the elections, i'm sure, with the whole "united states of canada" joke. but why do i keep running into canadians? maybe i should apply for citizenship there. i've heard good things.

first, it started with my search for a stable living sitch. i recently found an apartment to move into, which i'm pretty psyched about. i'm moving in with this guy marcel (a french canadian actor) and my high school friend susan. this apartment is awesome, complete with a washer and dryer in the apartment. marcel has turned out to be one of the nicest guys ever. he calls me surprisingly to let me know i can move in my stuff earlier than dec. 1, free of charge. i told him i don't have too much to move, considering i don't even own my own bed. he told me he has two beds and that i can have his extra one. how awesome!?! i have a good feeling about this guy, and i'm just happy to moving into my own room. woo hoo!

then the whole hidden cameras/arcade fire show was pretty exciting. running into my old friend and former coworker lex was one of the bright points of that night for me. lex is one of those intensely creative and fun human beings -- and it doesn't surprise me that she is in a playful, arty group like hidden cameras. when she and i used to work at the moth, we had so many good times putting together storytelling shows for the literary scene in new york. it was something that hadn't been done in new york at all at the time. think about it -- it was almost 6 years ago when i got involved with the moth, and it's turned into a huge event here in new york. i was heavily involved with the group for the first two years, and those were some awesome fun times. it's so cool to be back in touch with lex!

then this weekend, i finally met a new canadian friend who was in town. we met up at the hot snakes show at bowery. i met his cousin, and we all had a really great time. i introduced him to jay good times and many of the 186 crew. we all threw back a lot of shots. i saw a canadian driver's license for the first time (they look normal). we went to a restaurant afterwards. his cousin left early and the canuck and i sat and talked until like 6 a.m. our waiter was a total riot. he called this couple next to us "idiots" but pronounced it "eedeeeyits!" classic. the next night we started off with drinks at vera cruz in brooklyn. then because he was curious, i took him to misshapes. the party is always packed there, eh? we said hello to greg, sarah and karen, and left soon after arriving. i had way too much to drink and had to go home and pass out! never again, never again will i do two tequila shots back to back.

in any case, i've still been cranking away at my novel, which i think is turnng out pretty exciting. i've found that writers definitely have to use their own archive of experiences in their writing in order to draw inspiration -- but now i see how in between many of these things, there are added twists and turns to drive the story. real life isn't so perfectly packaged as the stories we read in fiction. i know my life certainly isn't, and you know that much if you've been a long time reader. how one's life can change so drastically but so steadily in 2 years of being slightly chronicled online is sort of weird. but you know, the entire story isn't online. there are pieces missing that only those involved know, and others with vivid imaginations tend to fill in on their own. here's to the vivid and involved.

thanks thanks thanks

thanks to everyone who came out. it was so cool. i absolutely adore bowery. the sound there is amazing, and the bands blew me away. the photo above was taken during soundcheck yesterday. hopefully i'll have more photos to share later.

we gave away every single cd. thanks to everyone who volunteered to hand out cds. we are lucky to be surrounded by a solid group of friends and supporters who always stand by us. this is why i love you so much.

george's brother greg gave cds to david bowie, david byrne and melissa etheridge. how hot is that? i think by the end of the night, david byrne had like 10 dirty on purpose cds because everyone i knew told me they gave him a copy. haha!


also it turned out i knew the drummer, lex, in hidden cameras. i had no idea!!! i hadn't seen her in like 5 or 6 years. we used to work at the moth together. their band was so amazingly fun, they had me dancing the whole time! i can't believe the go go dancers. too much CT!!


wasn't it funny when arcade fire broke out into talking heads? i wonder what david byrne thought of that. flattered!

the after party was at a gay bar called phoenix, but it was 2 am and i had to go to work today so i called it a night. i bet it was full of quirky debauchery though. i can only imagine.

overall it was a good night. reconnected with an old friend. reaffirmed current friendships. probably made a couple new ones. and my love grows stronger still.

here is a present for all of you, courtesy of anna.

sooooo tired. need sleep.

oh oh oh and thanks for all the hugs. you all rule.

hot snakes tonight at bowery!

xoxo
jinahmoon

ps. here is a video of dop singing "to forget" which has not yet officially been recorded. click here.

is this really happening?

last night i was at the practice space, making sampler cds. we were all there, and suddenly like, "holy shit. we're playing bowery ballroom tomorrow. holy shit!"

it just hit us. woosh. and we are super psyched beyond belief. it's been one of our dreams to play that stage, and it's finally happening! on top of that, we're opening for a band we really like -- a band we listen to because we think they're awesome. we're in total awe. it's so surreal. my stomach is in knots. i'm nervous, happy, excited, and feeling sorta insane. my nerves are tingling.


if you have tickets to the show, doors open at 8 and dirty on purpose hit the stage at 9 p.m. sharp. shows at bowery typically start right on time, so come a little earlier than 9 to catch the show! i can't wait to see you all tonight. give me a hug. i'll need it, i'm so nervous!!

also i can't wait to see hidden cameras. the new yorker described them as a gay male supremes!!! and the arcade fire -- i am prepared to go nuts!

something filled up my heart with nothing, someone told me not to cry. but now that i'm older, my heart's colder. and i can see that it's a lie.

cheap beer? good music.

while i'm slaving away finishing the dirty on purpose sampler cds for the bowery show tomorrow, you should check this fun event out:

The Zutons will be featured TONIGHT during Hi Fi's "First Taste" weekly new music night. We'll start the evening at 9 pm with new/unreleased tracks from Luna, Bright Eyes, Nick Cave, UNKLE, Hot Snakes, Pinback and more while serving up $2 Brooklyns, Pilsners, and IPAs. I'll throw on The Zutons new album at 10 pm and give away some Zutons vinyl, hoodies and T-shirts. Free stuff. Hi Fi is located at 169 Avenue A between 10th and 11th Streets. Hope to see you all there!

repeater

someone told me last night the dirty on purpose song never streamed the other day... so here it is again. let me know if it's working.

by the way, the band picked a winner for their ticket giveaway contest. check it out on dirtyonpurpose.com. surprisingly, there was only one naked entry. everyone hibernating for the winter or what?

my morning shuffle

sister gone - sea ray
i fell - the handsome family
fools life - dr dog
duck down! - the roots
the black angel's death song - velvet underground
the crimps - the walkmen
play for today - the cure
50 ft queenie - pj harvey
range life - pavement
dying for it - the vaselines
drums of war - sleep station
a kiss to make it better - say hi to your mom
strings that tie to you - jon brion

thanks, ipod, for cheering me up.

i hate this weather. that is all.

knife skills @ the delancey tonight!

things to do this weekend

friday:
** happy hour @ trash
** parts & labor @ sin-e
** the slip @ tonic
** first official WOWCH party!!
8 p.m. @ Ghostown (335 Grand St and Havemeyer in wburg)
Wowch is about a year old. We like to Party and so do you.
GUEST DJs: Gabriel Andruzzi (THE RAPTURE spazz), John Pugh (!!! beast), Adam Benatti (EARLYMAN angel)
++ Complimentary Drinks will be provided by RED STRIPE and SPARKS. Complimentary noisemakers , balloons, flashing lights , party favors, and T-Shirts provided by WOWCH.

saturday:
** the slip @ mercury lounge
** animal collective, gang gang dance, lasereye stingray @ north six (come support ryan's new project lasereye stingray! and hear animal collective sing "kitties! meow. kitties! meow.")

Rainy Days and Mondays!

Daniel and I got completely drenched in the rain yesterday. We tried to go eat at Relish in Williamsburg, but it was closed and said "Q Diner". Some movie is filming there and using it. Damn! It was raining raining raining. We walked to our second choice of Wasabi -- Japanese food. I was surprised to hear that he only eats Japanese food once or twice a year. Bachelor boys are so funny. Don't get mad that I posted this!

I got smashed on saki. Then took a car over to practice. I heard Joe sing "Your Summer Dress" and thought his voice was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. So I decided I need to play it on this site. Hope you enjoy.

Your Summer Dress

If everything you've ever wished came true today
Are you prepared to handle that?
When the sun comes out to stay.

It's raining out, the sky is dark
You're staring at the ground
But some day soon I promise you it'll turn around.

Lights shine, until the dawn
Then will the night fall?
When will it come?

I know you've heard this all before.
It's getting pretty old.
I know that you feel tired, angry and cold

It's raining out, the sky is dark.
And all your friends left town.
But someday soon, I promise you it'll turn around

Someday soon, I promise you it'll turn around

the warriors party