congratulations!
congrats to danny and sonya of the big sleep for tying the knot. they are currently having fun in greece on their honeymoon. i also got a call from doug about how he's lying on the beach sipping a nice cold alcoholic drink in st. thomas. for some reason this seems more appealing to me than the cubicle i'm sitting in right now. yeahhhh.

musical comics
here's an interesting article on musical indie comics like neil hamburger, david cross and jon wurster.

say hi to your mom!!!!
eric's record release party is tonight @ mercury lounge. get more info on looserecord.com!

i don't pay enough attention to the good things when i got 'em
i added josh pyke, nada surf, dirty on purpose, clap your hands say yeah and the cloud room to the jukebox above. thanks for listening!

in reflection, i had a pretty good weekend. sometimes in the moment, i think i had a terrible time, but i'm starting to maybe come around. maybe.

friday night i had to stay pretty late at work, but i got home around 10 or so. by that time, i was exhausted and opted to stay home and watch harold and kumar go to white castle. as a minority, i think watching this movie is probably a different experience than watching it as other people (the majority). i felt bad for harold. perhaps i identified with him more because he was asian, because if a white character played him, i probably still would have identified with him, but not so specifically. however, i don't think i could ever condone eating white castle burgers. i live around the corner from one. ick!

saturday started off as a bright and sunny day. i went for a quick jog in the morning. then i stopped off at the bike fetish day. it was full of people with bikes, as expected. all kinds of bikes -- some of which looked sort of like motorcycles. it was crazy! i hung out a little bit with the right rides kids, who were looking for people interested in being part of the bike patrol. ryan the girl was there also with a blender that operated on biking power -- she was making smoothies for people by biking. how awesome is that?


later on i ended up at cake shop to see mazing vids. cake shop is a great new venue on the lower east side... but it sort of lacked a/c that night. i coulda used a blast or two. mazing vids were indeed dancablish, as ryan promised. anna and jenna were certainly dancing up in a crazy way. after the show i had a kimchee dog from the new cart on the corner of ludlow and stanton. maybe it's not new, but realize i haven't been out in a while, and everything is new to me right now. anyways, later we went to b-side for a drink. there was a japanese movie called versus on the tv, and we sat mesmerized for a good hour or so (i think...). there were some strange things going on in that movie. i might have to rent it to see it in its entirety.

sunday started much the same but i was seriously hung over. i somehow dragged myself to rock and roll brunch, which was organized by kelly of the art of shooting. taos, pela and other passengers played (along with some other band i didn't know the name of). i ate three hot dogs, which i think is one hot dog too much for my memorial day weekend. whoa. it was a good day in the sun.

at night i went to celebrate johnny's birthday. i caught the end of noah of sam champion's solo set. then clap your hands say yeah played, followed by apollo sunshine, the national, and peelander-z. i was dancing dancing dancing, it was a lot of fun. the usual suspects showed up. those lower east side kids are crazy party animals!

make some memories this memorial day weekend
i know i've been in hiding, but i'm crawling out this weekend. just this weekend. so if you're out and about, you can try and catch me at the following awesomeness:

saturday day time
the first annual bicycle fetish day
hosted by the brooklyn civic riders and the city reliquary
noon to 6 p.m. (raindate is sunday) // FREE
Havemeyer Street between Grand and Hope Sts.
(just over the Willamsburg bridge)
There will be contests, jousting, food,music and prizes by local bicycle friendly vendors and community groups such as Times Up!, NYC Bikes, Transportation Alternatives, Trackstar, Bike Works NYC, and many more! Vegan fast food provided by Foodswings, as well as other baked goodies, BBQ and cotton candy! Live music by The Rude Mechanical Orchestra, The Good Good, The Besties, More Teeth, Ryan Sawyer and Tianna Kennedy! Come early, don't miss the fun. You don't need to have a bike to come--you might even find one for sale, or win one in a raffle!

saturday night time

i'm going to see ryan's band, mazing vids. they are playing with mirror mirror and tourettes at that new lower east side venue/bakery, cake shop. ryan says come and dance to his "dancablish" music. i say, ok!

sunday day time
rock and roll brunch
sponsored by the deli magazine
2 to 7 p.m.
97 S. 6th Street (between Bedford and Berry in Williamsburg)
with Pela, Other Passengers, The Art of Shooting and The Prids
Rock and Roll Brunch is a monthly outdoor party to celebrate the best in NYC music. The party is on a patio located directly underneath the walking path of the Williamsburg bridge, smack in the middle of the day. Oh, and by the way, Monday is Memorial Day. So you don't have to work the next day. In case of rain, the music will be moved indoors. All Ages. Bring sunscreen. BBQ'ing will be done.

sunday night time
happy birthday, johnny beach!
see you at your party party.
xoxo jinners

also:
diamond nights play shout! @ bar 13 (13th street and university in manhattan)
circa midnight

solipsist
the definition of a solipsist is: one who holds to the theory that the self is the only thing that can be known and verified.

but how many of us don't even know ourselves?

bloc party - "this modern love"

To be lost in the forest
To be cut adrift
You've been trying to reach me
You bought me a book
To be lost in the forest
To be cut adrift
I've been paid
I've been paid

Don't get offended
If I seem absent minded
Just keep telling me facts
And keep making me smile
Don't get offended
If I seem absent minded
I get tongue-tied
Baby, you've got to be more discerning
I've known never known what's good for me
I will be yours

I'll pay for you anytime

You told me you wanted to eat up my sadness
Well jump on, enjoy, you can gorge away
You told me you wanted to eat up my sadness
Jump right on
Baby, you've got to be more discerning
I've known never known what's good for me
Baby, you've got to be more demanding
I will be yours

What are you holding out for?
What's always in the way?
Why so damn absent-minded?
Why so scared of romance?

This modern love breaks me
This modern love wastes me

Do you wanna come over and kill some time?
Tell me facts, tell me facts, tell me facts
Tell me facts
Throw your arms around me

Hi everyone,

DoP is doing another video on June 5th. This time we will shoot a music video for "All New Friends," and we need your help! The shoot is going to take place on June 5th (Location TBA in New York). We have to gather about 30 video cameras and 30 people willing to help shoot the video. We would really appreciate your help! Please forward this to anyone you know with a video camera.

We'll provide beer and food for everyone willing to partake -- and it will be tons of fun! If you know people who have cameras and are willing to donate or partake in the fun, please forward this. If you want to participate in the video, please email me at
info@dirtyonpurpose.com with the subject line "Music Video". Please include your name and phone number.

Thanks, Dirty on Purpose

house arrest
i am in love with house. i must admit that i think it's because he reminds me of an old college professor i used to have a crush on. le sigh.

slow weekend
thursday night was katy's birthday, so i went over there to celebrate. we ended up watching vh1 classics for a while and i saw this really weird tom verlaine video. it was so over the top dramatic, but it really made me laugh.

stephie came to visit me this weekend, and it was nice to hang out with her and just chill. sometimes new york can put a lot of pressure on people to go out and do things, but most times it's just nice to hang out with people because you like to hang out with them. so that's what we did.

she arrived on friday, and i went to go pick her up. on my way to penn station, i bumped into morgan from diamond nights, and he was on his way to write some lyrics for the upcoming full length. i had tried to go to the band's ep release party at mercury lounge a few days before but the show was sold out when i got there.

anyhoo, stephie and i went back to williamsburg and hit all the thrift stores looking for a vintage dress she could wear in the dirty on purpose video we were filming on saturday. we looked everywhere but didn't find anything very satisfying, though i did buy a cool top from beacon's closet.

then we hit sea, where they make my absolute favorite pad thai. i hadn't had sea in quite a while so that was a special treat. we later met up with stephie's friend matt and just got a few drinks in the city. somehow i got really drunk without trying. we started off at motor city, then moved to lotus and then i don't remember. i think we went home and passed out.

the next day i got stephie and susan up early and we ventured into the city to hit the thrift stores there for some clothes. the flea market on 12th and A was a gold mine as stephie bought 2 dresses. one for the video, one for fun. the pressure to find a dress for the video was now off, so we went to odessa for some brunch. afterwards, we wandered over to metropolis, and i found a dress there to wear for the video. it was very turquoise.

we headed back to the burg and got ready for the shoot in greenpoint. we arrived there to find a nice gathering of people dressed in their finest vintage, drinking beers near the garage door of the practice space. it was like a little afternoon party -- so much fun! the actual video shoot was really awesome. the director we are working with really knows his shit, and as i was watching the monitors i was amazed at how amazing everything was going to look. my hands have a special cameo in the video, so be on the lookout.

after the video shoot, we were completely exhausted. we ended up passing out for a couple hours. i woke up around 1:30 in the morning, and decided to drag stephie out to the loose record party at pianos. we got there just in time to see amusement parks on fire. they were quite bad, and we had to go out for a ciggy. jay, adam and his crew were spinning some good music though, including blur's "parklife." eventually the party was over and stephie and i returned home to pass out again.

sunday morning was much the same as i took stephie to brunch at teddy's. then she had to catch her train and i ended up going over to the west village later to catch up with dj and joe who were doing an interview. after all that i was completely zonked and spent the evening watching the season finale of desperate housewives.

fuck reviews
today i was thinking about how i used to write those "i fuckin' love it!" reviews on this site. what am i talking about? i used to write short cd reviews that used the word "fuck" because i like to pretend that i have a mouth like a sailor. plus, it's funny.

so here are a couple reviews of the music i'm currently listening to:

gorillaz - demon days
they're fucking cartoons, but cool cartoons that blend the best of blur with infectious beats that vibe and jibe. this is in fact, a major improvement from the last gorillaz album because it feels more cohesive.

johnny cash - legend
why i never really picked up on johnny cash before, i can't really explain. but this four-cd collection is filled with songs that fucking tear my heart out and fill up the emptiness with a lil' country-infused humor.

weezer - make believe
i love every weezer album. even the ones that are panned by critics and fans. i have my favorites, of course, just like anyone would, but there is just something so compelling as fuck about nerdy power pop.

the caesars - paper tigers
you may hate them for having a song in an iPod commercial, but these guys have a retro British feel to their music which isn't as annoying as some of the other buzzed-about pseudo british bands. i won't mention any names, but you fucking know who you are!

duran duran - astronaut
what the fuck is this shit? it makes me want to vomit. the only cure for this sickness is to delete it from my itunes.

youth group - skeleton jar
if you miss sea ray, this is your aussie replacement. i love the lush melodies and the soaring vocals. perhaps it's better than fucking?

78 Saab - crossed lines
fuckin' a! sometimes it's hard to figure out why a band isn't bigger than they are. this is the case with 78 saab. terrible band name perhaps... but if you like the shins, you will love this band. i guarantee it.

neil young
i was reading this la times story on neil young accepting the ascap founders award (and how it's particularly special because he usually never accepts awards), and then i realized something amazing: i wrote the inscription on his award! and it's probably sitting in his home right now. this is what it said:

The ASCAP Founders Award to Neil Young

Songwriter...
Trailblazer...
Guiding Spirit...
Heart of Gold...

ASCAP Honors Neil Young Whose Artistic Legacy Will Continue to Rock the Free World and Enrich Generations to Come.

sweet lord

yesterday i played with blondie's wurlitzer and rode in an elevator where mariah carey filmed a video. i was so excited! doesn't take much.

congratulations to my french canadian roommate
do you want to hear the most romantic story i've heard in quite a while? my uber nice roommate marcel got time off for his girlfriend from work without telling. he packed her bags for her and took her to the airport, leaving their destination a mystery. he was whisking her away to the virgin islands for her birthday. it doesn't stop there. while they were on vacation, this 26 year old popped the question to his lovely girlfriend, and she accepted. sigh!!! congratulations, may and marcel. your story makes my heart skip a beat or two or three.

pela cd release party tomorrow @ mercury lounge
my friends in pela are celebrating their cd release for their ep, all in time, tomorrow night at mercury lounge. the band goes on at 8:30, just in time for after-dinner rockness. ok that sounded cheesey but you know what i mean.

weezer
i'm listening to the new weezer album, make believe, and it's making me feel weird. wop-e-i-rop-dop. did you ever speak op talk?

anyhoo, ascap honored neil young at the pop awards last night, and i'm so sad i didn't get to go to L.A. and meet the man who wrote "heart of gold." i fucking love that song.

dirty on purpose cd release party
here are the details on the show. i'm so excited!

saturday, june 18th :: $10
@ mercury lounge (new york, ny)

party for release of sleep late for a better tomorrow on north street records

sponsored by loose record

11:30 - DIRTY ON PURPOSE
10:30 - Bishop Allen
9:30 - The End of the World
8:30 - Chloroform


Read the dirty on purpose interview on Loose Record!

the double @ bowery ballroom
i went to see the double, for um, the second time last night. i was particularly excited because i haven't been to a bowery ballroom show in ages. hell, i haven't been to a proper rock show in ages. so i came out of my cocoon last night to support the double. i was so excited when they started their set with "up all night" -- one of my favorite double songs. it sounded amazing at bowery, really filling up the room. one thing i wish about the double: i wish they sounded more like their recordings live. like i was listening to "hot air" on the way to the show, and it really got me all excited about the new album. but when they performed the song live, i didn't even recognize the song until about halfway through when the lyric "hot air" came up. while they work on meshing their recorded music with their live show, i am sure there are bigger and better things for this band to come.

i suffered through most of feist's set, but she ran me out of the bowery after several songs. parts of what she was doing were kind of cool, but in essence, i just thought she was cheesey. she kept doing these christina aguilera vocal theatrics, and her music kinda reminded me of the loungey diana krall. but it was someone else who came up with the perfect description: "she's like norah jones for people who think they are too cool to listen to norah jones." that was exactly it!!! and guess who showed up to the show? norah jones. so funny! (disclosure: i like norah jones)

i wish i could have stayed for british sea power, but i could not suffer through another feist song. i'm sure it was great though, as they usually are.

nina simone
i've never really owned any nina simone. i'm more of a proponent of ella and billie, but susan played me this song last night called "do what you gotta do" and it was magically delicious... in a sad way. i put it up on the jukebox for you to check out.

from chicago to new york, the changes are coming
one of the few chicago bands i am familiar with, the changes, are coming to new york! they have a couple shows for those of you with hectic schedules. first they are playing this tuesday (tomorrow!) at the vicious party @ rothko. next, they are also playing at mercury lounge on wednesday. or hell, go to both shows. here's my preview of the vicious show on loose record.

loose record has finally launched!
fuckin' a, jay and the rest of the loose team, it looks awesome! check it.

it's been pretty quiet lately. i've gone to shows and stuff, but you know, nothing you haven't heard me expound my love for before. so here are some more songs i've been listening to lately. i recently got into this aussie band called youth group. there's something so pretty and soothing about their songs. check out the song in my jukebox called "shadowland." i also put up modest mouse's "custom concerns" and liz phair's "in love with yourself." so good!

save the date! saturday, june 18
hey peeps, the dirty on purpose re-release party for sleep late for a better tomorrow on north street records will be saturday, june 18th, at mercury lounge. i cannot wait!!! mark it down in your planner, and i hope to see you there. xoxo

guided by voices - game of pricks
i've waited too long to have you
hide in the back of me
i've cheated so long i wonder
how you keep track of me

you could never be strong
you can only be free
and i never asked for the truth
but you owe that to me

i've entered the game of pricks
with knives in the back of me
can't call you or on you no more
when they're attacking me

i'll climb up on the house
weep to water the trees
and when you come calling me down
i'll put on my disease

you could never be strong
you can only be free
and i never asked for the truth
but you owe that to me

best of the worst pick-up lines
1) "do you happen to know how much a polar bear weighs? well, it's enough to break the ice. my name is..."

2) "baby, you're sexier than socks on a rooster."

3) "hey, if i kiss you, will i get slapped?"

from msn.com

quiet
i enjoy my quiet time. i've never given myself this luxury in quite a while except lately. i used to be the kind of person who wouldn't do anything on her own. now i prefer it. also i've taken to not going out as much as i used to, and it's actually great to do things that you really want to do. sometimes that is going running and staying home. other times, it is meeting up with a friend (or in my case, roommate) for a laid-back outing into the city. i have new goals in life. i'm paying attention to myself and my needs more. it feels awesome. you should try it.

why is it so cold and rainy in new york? where are the may flowers? argh.

Update: still cold and miserable. this morning on the subway, i accidentally deleted everything off of my ipod. fuck. how the fuck did i do that? then when i got to work, my day just worse and worse. today sucks. that is all.

are you needy?
i think i need one of these needies. thanks anna.

sam champion @ mercury lounge tonight @ 9. see ya there.

nostalgic music, especially4u
today i'm relying on some music to keep my spirits up and bumpin'. yeah, that's right. i said bumpin'. so old school -- haha. anyhoo, today i've added to the jukebox above the very phil spectorish go! team song "ladyflash," the wonderfully sparkly "this modern love" by bloc party (one of my current favorite jogging songs), hollertronix retro dance mix in "don't get it twisted" and last but not least, time machine's "especially4u," "spelling bee" and "a million and one things to do." they are wonderful old-school style hip-hop in the same vein as de la soul. keep an ear out for them. they will be coming out of the underground soon with new music!

the hold steady on the cover of the village voice!
check your voice today, peeps. apparently the hold steady are on the cover as "Brooklyn's best band." i can't find the cover online, however. i'm going to hunt out a copy of the voice today.

Update: the cover says "We Believe in One Band"... Wow! And according to someone, this is the first band on the cover of the Voice in 9 years or something. Whoa! Don't miss their record release show at Bowery Ballroom on May 19 with Need New Body. Buy tickets here.

c'mon, laugh, you'll lose weight
i don't remember what dumb tv show i heard the above line from, but i did. and yes, i laughed. i don't think i lost many calories though.

anyhoo, i've been feeling kinda low these days, and dtl was kind enough to take me to see the last of three eugene mirman comedy central tapings at pianos. i really loved the comedy stylings of aziz ansari, eugene mirman (of course!) and demetri martin. i also loved the unabashed silliness of the host, bobby tisdale.

favorite line of the night: as aziz explains that he can't speak his native language very well he says he can't say, "you have awesome boobs." instead he has to say, "for you, right here (point to boob area), it's awesome!" thank you, aziz! that will crack me up for days on end.

ps. thank you, robin, for the maker's and ginger. you are my hero!

addendum: i almost forgot about god's pottery. they were a pseudo christian duo who sang songs like "the pants come off when the ring goes on."

thank you, webnerds!
thanks to everyone who voted for big rig design in the webby awards. they won the professional services people's choice award. ah yeah baby!

shoes, shoes, shoes
where have all the shoe stores gone? that's what the new york times wonders. i've got a secret for you... all the good ones are the vintage stores like edith and daha on rivington, metropolitan on 3rd avenue and my faves in williamsburg: fortuna, l'agniappe, beacon's closet, rejoice and rabbit.

oh, florent... where did hell go?
props to one of my fave college late night i got too drunk and i'm really fucking hungry hangouts: florent

on a sad note, i heard that hell, the gay/straight bar next door to florent, closed down. where will sexually confused college students and rufus wainright hang now?

i need one of these teddy bears
check out this interactive art.

go ahead, laugh
the kids in bishop allen, christian and justin, are starring in a film playing at cinema village right now... it's called funny ha ha. it's playing the whole month of may. go check it out! here's what they say about it: In the film, Christian's character is kind of jerk and Justin is very dirty, but it's not a documentary! The movie will be playing all May long at Coolidge Corner in Boston and at Cinema Village in NYC (22 E 12th St.)."