RAD POSTER

Cheeseburger's Christy Karacas did his own version of a flyer for my party on Monday. RAD! Milfs, please! HA.

Test Your Indie Rock IQ

Hmmm, during some downtime today I decided to make my first Facebook quiz. I used to write quizzes back in the day, and decided to flex my muscles a bit today.

Click here: Indie Rock IQ Test

LinkedIn To Dan Kennedy

My friend Lauren sent me this link to a McSweeney's piece on LinkedIn by Dan Kennedy. So funny! My favorite one is:

"Since you are a person who has blocked my iChat instant messages and is apparently acting like you can't receive e-mail from me, I'd like to say that I've forgotten completely about adding you to my professional network on LinkedIn."

Read the piece here.

Or make up your own in the comments!

Let's Get Crazy. Mondays are the new Thursday, Innit?

Preview of My 5th Year Anniversary Show From the Village Voice:
Cheeky Brooklyn trio Cheeseburger have won themselves plenty of Stooges comparisons with vocalist Joe Bradley’s whiskey-soaked growl, their sloppy three-chord romps about cocaine and sex, and their fun, filthy stage shtick. With Dirty on Purpose/Shorebirds alt-country psych-rock side-project Neckbeard Telecaster and Frenchkiss post-rockers the Big Sleep, who are set to release the follow-up to their thumping, feedback-drenched freak-out Son of Tiger in February. Also: Coin Under Tongue. [jinners note - coin under tongue are like a heavier, southern nirvana. in other words, they rule!]

Are you ready to have a rock and roll heart attack?









RSVP For FREE Admission!
http://www.going.com/jinners

Gibson and Jelly NYC Holiday Winter Coat Drive @ Ben Sherman SoHo Store

Remix Download: Amanda Blank - "Get It Now" (Robot Koch Remix)

So y'all know I am an Amanda Blank fan (after seeing her with Spank Rock during CMJ), and I have been itching to find some music on her. I already love her song with M.I.A. called "Take It Easy" (if anyone has this, please send it to me!).



But I just got an interesting message in my inbox from a Berlin-based DJ called Robot Koch. He did an awesome remix of Amanda Blank's song "Get It Now."

Download it here.

Soulsavers @ Blender Theater at Gramercy

I went to see Soulsavers last night featuring Mark Lanegan. I'll admit that I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into. I just ended up going to the show to hang out with Mike, but I was pleasantly surprised. I had heard a little on MySpace and loved the dark, serious nature of Mark Lanegan's vocals over the dramatic music.

The crowd was like half industry, half fans. It was my first time at the Blender Theater, and I didn't like the $7 beer. Ouch. Where's the $3 PBR? I am poor and thirsty!

I didn't realize there was an opener, and it turned out to be Wild Light, who I have been curious about -- especially because they've been touring with Arcade Fire. During their set, I was trying to figure out who they reminded me of -- but it was really hard to pinpoint. I guess they've been compared to Arcade Fire, but I kept thinking of bands like The Cure and The Jam... maybe even sometimes emo, especially on the vocals. On a lot of the songs, three singers would harmonize. It didn't seem to be their night however -- a fan from the crowd yelled "Call it an early night." I guess they were anxious to see Soulsavers. The band just replied with something like "suck my dick" and moved on to rock the rest of their set. I like when bands can work through hecklers. Hecklers are so rude.



Before the Soulsavers crept up on stage, there was a hypnotic purple light show and some ambient mood music. As the band walked on stage one by one, there was a certain sense of drama and suspense. Mark Lanegan's deep voice and sturdy stance was so... masculine. Kind of a turn on, honestly. He sort of reminded me of a mix between the dark sexiness of the late Mark Sandman from Morphine and the soulfulness of John Doe from X with a brooding attitude. The combination was intoxicating to watch.

See for yourselves... More Soulsavers dates below:
November 28 @ North Star (Philly)
November 29 @ Black Cat (DC)
December 1 @ The Independent (San Francisco)
December 2 @ Troubadour (Los Angeles)

Rock and Soul Holiday DJ Party

Rock and Soul is a DJ store located near Penn Station that seems to be the spot to go to for serious DJs and DJ lovers. It's been around now for over 30 years. See the list of celebs who stop by the store. Last year they had a holiday party at the store that featured special appearances from Tony Touch, Kid Capri, Kool Herk (the Godfather of Turntabling), Mister Cee, FunkMaster Flex, Grand Master Flash and more with giveaways from all of the major DJ equipment companies.

"It was a talked about event for the DJs who were there until this day," said store owner Sharon Bechor. "Rock and Soul is a place where true New York DJ culture exists. I want the new generation of DJs to know about the store. That DJ stores is not what they see at Guitar Center."

This year, Rock and Soul are repeating their party and want y'all to come out and rock it with them. Here are the party details:

Thursday, Dec 20th
@ Rock and Soul
462 7th Ave at 35th Street
New York, NY
3pm-7pm

Below isn't a clip from last year's party, but it was an impromptu performance by Roc Raida at Rock and Soul...

Grandmaster Roc Raida @ Rock and Soul

Peasant @ Knitting Factory Tap Bar

Last night I went to The Music Slut's Blogger's Delight party to see Peasant, a.k.a. Damien DeRose, who is a singer-songwriter from Doylestown, PA. That is right near where I grew up in Lansdale.



His songs have a small town feel and are emotionally dreamy, but not in that annoying emo, cheesy way that some singer-songwriters are. Instead, Peasant's songs are charming and modest -- and that modesty sweetly enhances the "awwww" factor. I hear some Iron & Wine influence -- that hushed but smooth vocal that's so intimate, you want to lean in to hear every delicate note, every intricate pluck of the acoustic. The music totally makes me sigh. I love it.

His album, On the Ground, will be released in 2008 on Paper Garden Records.

He's in town playing some more, so go check him out:
November 28 @ Rockwood Music Hall (NY)
December 6 @ Pete's Candy Store (Brooklyn)

Karate Cat

OMG TOOOOOO CUTE.

Karate Cat

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Peter Moren @ Joe's Pub

Peter Moren of Peter Bjorn and John is a great guitarist, and he displayed his skills at his Joe's Pub gig on Monday. He's also got such a charming, modest personality, which totally enhanced his VH1 Storytellers-style solo show.



Doug Marvin from Dirty on Purpose was accompanying on keys, and Chris Egan from The Shorebirds was playing on drums (Peter jokingly dubbed it Peter Doug and Chris). Both were on hand clapping duty. There were also three girls on strings, and later on in the show Bjorn came out to play on piano.



The songs and show were really intimate. Peter's ability to inflect different emotions and tones is a pop gift that helps elevate his songwriting. He's like the Swedish Elvis Costello. He opened with a cover of Richard Hell's "Time." He also did a four song encore, which included my favorite 80s song ever, Aha's "Take On Me."

I can't wait till his solo album comes out! He'll be performing again on Dec. 5 at Bowery, opening up for The Besnard Lakes. Can we say killer show? Oh yes, oh yes!

Here's a video clip from the show...

The Big Sleep on Filter TV

If you are not familiar with The Big Sleep, you might have been Rip Van Winkling in the past couple years. With the release of their debut, Son of the Tiger, on French Kiss Records, the band has really blown up. And deservedly!

Check out this feature on Filter TV that the band did recently...

From Crackle: The Big Sleep on FilterTV

Peter Doug and Chris

Hello hello, Doug from Dirty on Purpose will be accompanying Peter from Peter Bjorn and John on his solo gig tonight at Joe's Pub at 11:30pm in New York. Doug will be playing piano with Peter and our good friend Chris Egan will be playing drums. Call it Peter Doug and Chris!

RCRD LBL Has Launched! Get Your Free Downloads!

While I was away in Amsterdam on vacation, RCRD LBL launched its fabulous self. RCRD LBL is a new business model for music. Give away music for free. Good music. Handpicked for you. Pretty awesome!

As you probably already know from the blog's first post, Dirty on Purpose will be contributing some tracks as well very soon. They are currently recording the music. I can't wait for you to hear them!

I've been enjoying the songs on the site, which I'm sure I will start to discover in my own pace... Check out this Bad Veins song called "Gold and Warm." This song made me smile today.

Also, I've actually been listening to this Beat the Devil song for a while lately, and I'm so glad they have it here because it's a stand out track. I remember Mishka from my Luxx promoter days. Read more and download here.

Going Back To Amsterdam

I am getting very excited for my trip to Amsterdam. I have been starting to let go of the stress I've been feeling for the last two weeks. My shoulders are ready to relax. I am ready to hop on a bike and ride my way around this wonderful canal city! Mike and I are celebrating our two year anniversary there. Total bliss!

I am loading up my iPod with some new music. I have not really been using my iPod lately so the music on there is kinda outdated. I've mostly just been using MySpace to check out new music. This is a very sad and bad habit that I am determined to break!!! It's making me feel so blah and lame. I've also been listening to music on CD, but listening to music on your iPod is a more intimate experience. I want to reconnect with music again! Yeah me and music, we need some QT.

Mike and I have a non-stop flight so I will have plenty of time to just chill and listen. Here is what I plan to upload to my iPod from the pile of CDs I have on my shelf...

1. Cheeseburger
2. Matt Pond Pa - Last Light
3. Jamie T - Panic Prevention
4. Mirah and Spectratone International - Share This Place
5. These Are Powers - Terrific Seasons
6. I'm Not There Soundtrack
7. Kevin Michael
8. Bangers & Cash
9. The Cake Sale
10. A Place To Bury Strangers
11. Bad Veins
12. Thurston Moore - Trees Outside the Academy
13. Beat the Devil
14. Nicole Atkins - Neptune City
15. PJ Harvey - White Chalk

The Japanese Are So Crazy!

this made me laugh. i needed it this monday! thanks, jedd!

here's another crazy one...

Photos From the Past Few Events...

Project Runway Fantasy Team

Project Runway is one of my guilty reality show pleasures, and the new season starts this Wednesday! Unfortunately, I will be on my way to Amsterdam for a much needed vacation... but maybe I'm sure I will catch one of the zillions of Bravo's weekend reruns. Maybe I'm not the most stylish person, but I love watching fashion -- and this show let's you see how the mind of the fashion designer works.

My fascination for fashion is probably why I also am currently watching America's Next Top Model (Tyra Banks modeling competition), America's Most Smartest Model (competition for beauty and brains that features Ben Stein and some snotty fashionista) and The Shot (fashion photographer competition). That's sort of too much though, admittedly, but I'm totally addicted. What can I do?



Anyhoo, the wonderful people over at Genart actually were holding auditions for the new upcoming season of Project Runway and actually placed three designers in the competition: Rami Kashou (who has styled Jessica Alba), Elisa Jimenez (edgy one-of-a-kind designs) and Kit Pistol (punk inspired pieces), pictured above respectively.

I found out through the Genart national newsletter that you can play Fantasy Project Runway. I've never done the whole "fantasy" game before but I think I might be tempted to play this game and be more interactive with my guilty pleasure. Check it out here...

Based on this runway preview, I liked...











[Forgive the blurry screenshots!] And for my fantasy team, I picked Victorya, Jack and Jillian.



Can't wait to see how they are on the show!

Best News Ever: My Bloody Valentine Reunites!

"Shields stated the album (their first since their break up in '95), will be divided in three sections. Besides the new material, the album will consist of songs from '96/'97 (work done between Shields and fellow Valentine, Bilinda Butcher) and a couple of previously unreleased tracks from '93/'94.

As for those rampant Coachella rumors, there has been no comment by Shields or anyone connected to the My Bloody Valentine camp."

[VBS.TV]
[Filter-Mag]

Feline Pillow Talk

Don't you just wish you were a cat for a few moments?

glumbert - Feline Pillow Talk

Update: I was playing this video really loudly on my computer and brought my cat hazy over to see it. She put her nose right on the computer screen. Then my other cat ziggy came down from the loft and jumped onto the bed right next to hazy. They both stared at the computer screen and then started licking each other in the ear. Do you think the kittens in the video are saying, "Lick my ear"?

Silversun Pickups All Over MTV

What is up with all the Silversun Pickups promos on MTV? They are on the Hills promos, the Tila Tequila promos, pretty much every promo on MTV features them. Wow.

Why Can't We Smile Just Like We Used To?

Last night I went to Warsaw for the Razorlight, Von Bondies, Gran Ronde show. Just to hang out I guess and spend some time with Mike. We got there, and the way Warsaw is, it feels like a high school auditorium. And with the swirly lighting, it felt like a high school prom. Then I heard the dreamy voice of Luna's Dean Wareham start singing "California (All the Way)" from Bewitched circa 1994, and it took me back to high school completely. Maybe it had a little something to do with the Polish beer I was drinking, but I couldn't help the big grin on my face. I started to sway and sing along...

"Why can't we smile just like we used to? Why don't you figure anymore? Why has my sympathy now turned to malice? It doesn't matter anymore."

Oh man, I used to listen to this album all the freaking time in high school, but the songs still resonate today. Why oh why did they have to stop being a band? They could tour and just play that album over and over again, and I bet everyone would still be loving it to this day.

Listen to a clip of the song here on Facebook/iLike.

"I'm Not There" Concert @ Beacon Theatre

Last night, an impressive collection of musicians gathered to celebrate the film and soundtrack to Todd Haynes’ Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There at the Beacon Theatre in New York. The concert benefited 826 National, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students, ages 6-18, with expository and creative writing at seven locations across the country.

Towards the beginning of the night, Calexico and Jim James of My Morning Jacket collaborated for a beautifully intricate version of “Goin’ To Acapulco.” Even as he stood there casually dressed in a dark hoodie with his hands in his pockets, Jim James really shined as a performer.

[Read more on Filter-mag.com...]

Songwriter Spotlight on The Rosewood Thieves

I've been doing a series of interviews lately that focus on the songwriting aspect of music called "Songwriter Spotlight." No TMZ BS here! This time around I'm putting the spotlight on The Rosewood Thieves!

The band's music is not as eery as their disembodied press photo heads are above. The songs are actually warm, folky numbers -- the kind you listen to on the porch while drinking some spiked iced tea. Or rather, with the cold weather coming up, it's the kind of music you listen to while sipping on drunken apple cider in front of a nice fire.

[Read more of my interview on Extrawack...]

Excerpts From the LefsetzLetter on Extrawack

I published my first post on Extrawack about the Lefsetz Letter. Check it out here!

Jinners.com 5th Year Anniversary Party

Jinners.com is celebrating its 5th year as a New York music blog, and I would love to see everyone at this party! Since December of 2002, Jinners has been covering the New York music scene and cheerleading her favorite bands. This party is part of the Blogger's Delight free concert series at the Knitting Factory Main Space in New York.

Jinners.com Presents...
Monday, December 3, 2007
@ Knitting Factory Main Space, NYC

Cheeseburger (dirty, fierce rock and roll)
Neckbeard Telecaster (members of Dirty on Purpose/Shorebirds)
The Big Sleep (psychedelic dreamy rock)
Coin Under Tongue (aggressive grunge)
DJ Dug (of Dirty on Purpose)

FREE w/ Going.com RSVP!!
http://going.com/jinners

62 Percent Paid Nothing For Radiohead Album

Well there ain't much of a pot of gold at the end of In Rainbows for Radiohead. After offering fans the option of paying whatever they wanted for the new album, it seems that fans are either lazy and/or cheap.

According to Digital Music News, "17 percent paid an average of $4 for the album, while 12 percent paid between $8 and $12." I guess even bands that have been around for a while with long-standing fans don't have the loyalty from their fans that one would have expected. Is everyone just way too jaded to pay for albums anymore?

Of course, what is unclear so far is whether the band still earned more now than they would have if they had to also cut in a major label. They still sold a substantial amount, moving over a million units.

On a related note, Parlophone has put Radiohead's entire back catalog and put it on a 4GB USB stick to be sold for just under $73. Why even bother!

Why Are Bees Funny?

Annie Barrett explores why honey is funny for EW.com... But I am more excited by the fact that she got to comedically (that's not a word is it?) tango with Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld. This is a very difficult dance to execute and could be hazardous -- I once tried to be funnier than David Cross, and he totally wasn't having it. Too many whiskeys can do that to ya...

The Thermals, These Are Powers @ Warsaw

Last night I wasn't really expecting to go out to another show, but somehow I ended up at Warsaw in Brooklyn to see The Thermals and These Are Powers.



These Are Powers are fronted by Anna Barie, who used to front Knife Skills (a band I used to manage). When Knife Skills broke up last year, Anna formed a band with her boyfriend Pat Noecker, who used to be in Liars and No Things. She has totally grown infinitely as a front woman, her vocals are polished but also seemingly spontaneous at the same time. She has a way of charming the audience with her high kicks and jumps. She and Pat have really formed a chemistry on stage. Add Bill on drums and spooky noises, and you have what the band has dubbed "ghost punk." She handed out instruments to the audience and had them play along to a couple songs. She jumped into the audienced and danced with the common people. It was fantastic. It was my first time seeing them, and I was so impressed with their performance. Go out and see this band now!! They have an album on Hoss Records called Terrific Seasons.



The Thermals of course totally rocked it. I always feel really giddy when listening to the Thermals and I'm sure I've said it before -- they make me feel like I am back in high school. The feelings of rebellion, excitement and youth come rushing back to me. It's exhilarating. They didn't disappoint last night!

Check out more photos on my flickr.

A Very Cheeseburger Halloween

Last night I popped into The Onion/Adult Swim's Halloween show at Union Hall to see one of my favorite bands in Brooklyn, Cheeseburger. This is a band that gets better and better every time I see them. But without fail, every time, I get so freaking excited! I wasn't even drunk last night, and I felt like I got a total contact high from the performance.



In the beginning of the night, Sara from Spinner (dressed as a sexy Spidey) did a "Name That Tune" round before the band took the stage. I correctly identified Vampire Weekend and won myself a free shot. That's so hipster of me. Thanks to Jeremy Yohai for pounding that band into my skull so early on. Now I kind of see the poetry of that band name.



I downed the tequila and then moved my way to the front of the stage. Part of the experience is about watching frontman Joe Bradley do his thing on stage. His crazed, drunken fierceness is probably second only to Tim Harrington of Les Savy Fav, and that's probably only because Tim Harrington is twice his size.

Rolls of toilet paper were brought out and thrown all over the venue. Candy was thrown into the audience. Beer was spit on Halloween wigs and costumes. It was pretty magical.

Watch Cheeseburger perform "Derby Day" at Union Hall-oween.



Check Out the Costumes!













See more photos on my Flickr.