Travis dudes at the Armory

Hey, remember when Travis released "The Man Who" and they were poised to become Adult Alternative's bad assed little helper but then Coldplay came along and got everyone's attention with vastly inferior songs and all we were left with were broken hearted memories and lyrical association from the best lines in "Driftwood" and suddenly Travis was an afterthought and we all felt bad but not really bad because even Fran admitted it always rained on him and at least they put out a few albums and never elicited hatred like other bands of their ilk and hey Travis is still cool, right? Well two of them are at the Armory in Somerville, and tickets are available now.

Everything Will Flow

In what was the craziest weekend ever -- the pill's standard course, cold revelations of a lover's secret rendezvous, denials turned to confirmations, a once-healthy heart ripped to feeble shreds, rock lotteries in Cambridge, decadent dance parties in the Fens, bloody beatdowns on the dance floor, broken glass used both ways as weaponry, enemies immortalized in time, seven stitches gleaming a 3am Emergency Room, hockey exchanges with a Doc named Avery, drinks with only the closest, naps on the trying hours, redecorating any semblance of yesterday, a banishment to far-off rooms and klonopin-induced entrees at Unos after many, many, many Will Clarks -- I must remind myself that yes, Everything Will Flow.

Golf with Lucic & Timmay, Gilmore-style

The 7 stitches to my head and few dozen hand lacerations will prevent me from participating in this tomorrow, but Bruins fans can get stoked on the new season by driving golf balls with Milan Lucic and Tim Thomas down in Middleboro. Today's INP:

Can you drive a golf ball like Happy Gilmore? Bruins [team stats] players Milan Lucic and Tim Thomas [stats] will be the judge of that.

The two hockey stars will serve as celebrity judges for the Boston Bruins Foundation’s “Swing Like Happy Gilmore” long-drive golf competition Tuesday from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Golf Country, 160 S. Main St. (Route 114), Middleton,

But don’t expect Lucic to start throwing haymakers at Bob Barker, because this time around, the price is right - and for a good cause.


A $10 entry fee nets each participant three swings, with proceeds benefiting the Bruins team charity. The drive derby serves as a warm-up for next week’s sixth annual charity golf tournament at the International in Bolton, but this is no ordinary driving-range throwdown - all parties must possess the guile to swing a golf club like Gilmore, complete with a running start and rugged hockey player mentality.

“I’ve never met a hockey fan who didn’t like the movie ‘Happy Gilmore,’ ” said Bob Sweeney, the foundation’s director of development. “We thought this would be a fun event to celebrate the end of the summer and help raise money for a great cause.”

Lucic and Thomas will meet fans and judge each drive, and the fan who hits the longest will score two tickets to next week’s golf tournament dinner as well as an autographed Lucic Bruins jersey. The runner-up will take home a hockey stick putter autographed by Lucic and Thomas. Other prizes will be doled out for most enthusiastic player and to the best “Happy Gilmore” look-alike.

In Adam Sandler’s 1996 comedy sports flick, Gilmore wore his black Bruins jersey to tournaments, and the organizers are encouraging fans to do the same. All that’s missing Tuesday will be Shooter McGavin and Sandler himself.

For more information, Go to bostonbruins.com.

One Night Band -- bands announced

This morning, while I was passed the fuck out, the Boston Band Crush kids somehow rounded up 40 musicians to be at the MIddle East (10am? That exists?) and randomly assigned their bands. See more on this event down below, but right now there are eight bands in various prax spaces, and tonight they take the stage at Middle East for One NIght Band. Here's the band breakdown, courtesy of BBC (I want to see Awesome Chariot!!!!):

Annnnd, the bands (in order of random draw; not actual set order):

Band 1: The It Kitties!
Martin Rex (Broken River Prophet)
Izzy Maxwell (Death of the Cool/Count Zero)
John Powhida (John Powhida International Airport/The Rudds)
C.D. Di Guardia (Emeen Z. Band)
Jen Johnson (Static of the Gods)

Band 2: The Champagne of Bands
Cullen Corley (Electric Laser People/Kuuluuko)
Brendan Boogie (Brendan Boogie and the Best Intentions)
Duncan Wilder-Johnson (Destruct-A-Thon)
Tad McKitterick (Sidewalk Driver)
Bo Barringer (MEandJOANCOLLINS)

Band 3: Awesome Chariot
Abe Lateiner (Hands and Knees)
Joel Reader (The Fatal Flaw)
Ad Frank (Ad Frank and the Fast Easy Women)
Jen De La Osa (Aloud)
Michael Potvin (DJ Fred Mertz & #1 Dad/Campaign for Real-Time)

Band 4: The Monster Trucks UK
Doug Fuller (The Silver Lining)
Matt King (The Lights Out)
Caleb Epps (Oxytocin)
Andy Santospago (The Vinyl Skyway/solo)
Ernie Kim (Tristan da Cunha)

Band 5: The Pink Meninos
Darron Burke (Blanketeer/recording engineer)
Justin Day (The Luxury)
Adam Ritchie (The Lights Out)
Tony Savarino (Black Fortress of Opium)
Sarah Guild (The New Collisions)

Band 6: The Peppermint Patties
Rich Adkins (The In-Out)
Julie Two Times (The New Alibis, Vagiant)
Jason Dunn (The Luxury)
Joe DeGeorge (Harry and the Potters)
Chris Mulvey (Muy Cansado)

Band 7: Milk of Amnesia
Travis Richter (The Motion Sick)
Jimmy Zavadoski (Party Wolf, SnowLeopards, Damn Personals)
Kerri-Ann Richard (Apple Betty)
Jimmy Ryan (solo artist)
Magen Tracy (St. Helena)

Band 8: Battle Toadz
Matt Graber (Sarah RabDAU & Self Employed Assassins, Mascara)
Nick Balkin (Kingsley Flood, Logan 5 and the Runners)
Henry Beguiristain (Aloud)
Ben Weiser (The Diamond Mines)
Eldridge Rodriguez (The Beatings/solo)

You're totally peeing your pants now too. See you tonight, Middle East, 8pm!

RIP DJ AM

The Summer of Death continues at a very fucked up pace -- TMZ is saying DJ AM, Adam Goldstein, was found dead this afternoon in his NYC home. Of course, DJ AM, along with Blink-182's Travis Barker, was one of two survivors of a mess of a plane crash that killed four others just last year. WTF.



Last Tweet, taken from a Grandmaster Flash lyric: New york, new york, big city of dreams, but everything in New york aint always what it seems.

Saturday: Videodrome, Episode 4

By now we all know about C.R.E.E.P. and One Night Band going on tomorrow night, but those who prefer the warm, soothing comfort of Allston Booze City are in for a delightful audio-visual dance party treat with the return of the CommonGround's Videodrome Discotheque On tap this week is "Episode 4 - To All The Girls I've Loved Before." What is Videodrome? Pay the good man at the door three bones to find out, and get in good with VJ/DJs before the student hive flushes us into oblivion.

GLI: Tweeting Too Hard dot com

First World Problems documented via my submission to the Herald's Gotta Love It spread: CLICK: TWEETINGTOOHARD.COM

To paraphrase R.E.M., “everybody tweets.” Unfortunately, not everyone tweets well. Check out a roundup of the dumbest and most self-centered tweets around at hilarious site Tweetingtoohard.com. Vote for the worst offenders of inane self-absorption and chuckle at gems like “OMG I was saying how I couldn’t afford the gas to fly daddy’s jet to the Riviera this summer, and this barista totally rolled her eyes at me” (@babesmcphee). - MICHAEL MAROTTA

Saturday Nite Horror Show: C.R.E.E.P.

Another cut from Cheap Thrills today, detailing Saturday's C.R.E.E.P. dance party at Machine on Boylston Street. I dunno, this could be Really Fucking Awesome, and it's been weeks since a party not my own has inspired me to go out and rage. Take the best elements to Thuderdome and <3throb and paint it black, and I'm excited even though the Herald said I couldn't name-drop Michael Alig in the blurb below. Ha! More info here.

PARTY MONSTERS
C.R.E.E.P. dance party at Machine Nightclub
1254 Boylston St., Fenway; Saturday at 10 p.m., $5 ($3 for those dressed to kill)
TLC had a No. 1 Billboard hit with “Creep,” Radiohead began its ascent to alt-rock royalty with their anthem “Creep” and Franka “Run Lola Run” Potente starred in a 2004 movie called “Creep” that no one saw. Now it’s time for Boston to stake its claim to the word, as the C.R.E.E.P. dance party launches Saturday in a savage display that could evoke the heyday of New York City’s Limelight events. Thrown by the party monsters behind Thunderdome and Hearthrob, the night features a darker, EBM-based slant on electro and house music as it holds court in the city’s darkened den of fetish underground, Machine. Expect a live performance by NYC burlesque troupe Mademoiselle Lena & Friends, and possibly an appearance by the American Repertory Theatre’s “The Donkey Show.” But with DJs Red Foxx, Torcher and Mistaker on the decks, this night is all about dancing. Call it Disco 3000 for the sinister New England club kids with a flair for dramatic.
Info: creepboston@gmail.com, 617-536-1950

Cheaps: '80s Prom & Harvard Greenz

From two-thirds of today's Cheap Thrills column, featuring a vocal '80s prom at the Brattle Theatre and all sorts of discounts over at Harvard Square tomorrow for those fixie kids. Info on C.R.E.E.P. TK'd for later...

SING YOUR LIFE
’80s Prom Sing-along at the Brattle Theatre
40 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge; Saturday at 10 p.m.; all-ages, $12 ($10 for students and members)
As Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast.” So if you missed the news that legendary filmmaker John Hughes passed away earlier this month and didn’t mourn or celebrate his life properly, the Brattle is here to give you a musical mulligan in the key of life. The ’80s Prom Sing-along, hosted by ’FNX Radio’s Julie Kramer and organized by Action Pack, promises many Hughes memories all caught in one giant tiara of ’80s goodness, complete with props, lyrical captions on the big screen and the crowning of a king and queen. Relive the decade that will never go away.
Info: brattlefilm.org, 617-876-6837

GREEN DAY
Go Green Walk/Ride Bikes & Burritos Party in Harvard Square
Friday from 5 to 7 p.m., all-ages, FREE
Offering up an eco-friendly high-five to Cambridge’s Green Street Initiative, which urges folks to travel via bike, foot or mass transit, the Harvard Square Business Association celebrates all who go green Friday night with a block party starring some supersweet food discounts. Leading the charge is Boloco on Mt. Auburn Street, which will be offering tasty burritos for just $3 and free smoothie samples to participants. Other area businesses taking part and offering discounts include Qdoba (50 percent off any entree), Om Restaurant & Lounge ($7 Thai burrito), J.P. Licks ($1 off its new line of Fruit Smoothies), Cardullo’s (free green tea bars) and more. Just get your hand stamped by the HSBA and be sure to go green all the way.
Info: harvardsquare.com, gogreenstreets.org

ITP: Saturday's One Night Band experiment

Way cool event going on Saturday night at the Middle East, when the Boston Band Crush kids present One Night Band, taking 40 musician and pairing them up randomly in eight quintets, all to rock out later that night. Will it rule? Will it crash and burn? Who knows. I wrote about it in today's Herald, also pasted below: Randomly formed bands to rock One Night only

As long as there’s been a music scene, local bands have come and gone. But Saturday stretches the definition of “short lived” as eight new bands form in the morning and then break up sometime around last call that night.

That’s the hook behind One Night Band, a musical experiment that takes 40 local musicians, teams them up randomly in bands of five, stashes them in eight different rehearsal spaces from Allston to Hyde Park and lets them take the stage later that night to unveil new material at the Middle East in Cambridge.

It’s as if “Project Runway” and “Rock Band” merged, and even the organizers, the folks behind local music blog Boston Band Crush, aren’t sure what to expect.

“The music can end up being ridiculous,” said co-organizer Ashley Willard, who admits to lifting the idea from - and with the blessing of - Chris Weber’s Rock Lottery concerts that started in Texas in 1997. “We needed to pick people we knew would take a leap of faith and trust us that we could pull this off. I think everybody’s excited because it’s something new and different.”

The 40 participants include one member each of such bands as the New Collisions, Logan 5 & the Runners, the Beatings, Static of the Gods, Hands & Knees, The Fatal Flaw and Diamond Mines. Only three bands - Aloud, the Luxury and the Lights Out - have two participants, guaranteeing the musician groupings will be fresh.

“We think they’ll stick to a rock band format, but maybe they’ll be more willing to experiment since they have nothing to lose,” said co-organizer Michael Epstein. “We’re hoping to push them out of their comfort zones.”

While One Night Band is marinated in musical uncertainty, there are some guarantees: Each new band will feature at least one bassist and drummer, to ensure a rhythm section. Each must write three new songs and learn one cover. And all proceeds from the night go to Zumix, an East Boston-based youth music organization, with Zumix’s teenage band Feedback opening the night’s festivities.

From there, it’s anyone’s guess.

“I like the chaotic, spontaneous nature of the whole thing,” said Aloud’s Jen de la Osa. “It’s going to be surreal.”

Not everyone will show up Saturday morning with a guitar or drum stick, and the most exciting possibilities could come if an old-school metal guy gets paired with a dance music-bred hipster.

“I don’t subscribe to the whole notion of a band, which is an outdated concept anyway,” said Michael Potvin of the Campaign for Real Time and #1 Dad & DJ Fred Mertz. “I’m going into this with an open mind, a bunch of drugs and probably a laptop.”

And of course, there’s the possibility of in-band conflict in the writing process.

“I’m hoping I get paired up with the craziest, most demanding egomaniacs in the whole thing,” said Brendan Boogie, jokingly. “Nothing is more hysterical to me than people who take things way too seriously only to have me ruin it.”

Added de la Osa: “There’s going to be disagreements, no doubt. The question is, what will it all sound like?”

Go to onenightbandboston.com for more information. Tickets: $10 in advance; $12 at the door.

Cale Parks tonight in Allston w/ Lemonade

Seeing opening acts at shows is always tricky. Most of the time, the band performing is the last barrier to catching who you want to see (Me suffering through the Flaming Lips in Iceland while waiting for Suede). Other times, the experience is enlightening (An as-yet-unknown Strokes opening for Doves at the Dise many moons ago). Falling somewhere in the middle of that, though closer to the positive side, was catching Cale Parks open for Passion Pit a few months ago here in Boston. Parks was entertaining, but I really wasn't in the mood and wanted him up and off the stage so Boston's hometown dance-pop heroes could soak in their glorious homecoming with the hundreds of "friends" jammed into the Comm Ave nightclub. But the longer he played -- just him, with drums, guitar and synthesisers lined up proper -- the more I felt he was onto something. Just wasn't feeling it right then and there.

So I'm psyched Parks hits Great Scott tonight, headlining a fantabulous bill with the Just-add-Firefly-for-a-Will-Clark co-headliners Lemonade and the Ayad from Passion Pit-managed Earthquake Party. Allston electro duo Roguewaves drop the afterparty beats, and all in all watching Parks do his one/man/band thing in his environment in a smaller room without awaiting a bigger fish should be quite enjoyable. Parks is a darker shade to the dance culture, and I've joked he's kinda like if Moby had been raised on Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy but with a shinier pop angle. Oh, and he looks like Ward Hayden from Girls Guns & Glory, so that's a plus.

This should be a fun drunken shitshow party, and has all the makings of an End Of Summer throwdown. "Tomorrow Never Happened," once again...

Maximo Park cancels US tour (9/20, Dise)

Repost from my Hotline blog: Maximo Park not coming to US.

Last week we got the news the Charlatans UK nixed their North American tour due to their drummer needing "shoulder surgery" (so long, Sept. 25 show at the Paradise with Hatcham Social!), and now comes the news British rock band Maximo Park have cancelled their own stateside tour due to "illness."

Word of the cancellation came down last night from Press Here Publicity. Maximo Park, who were getting a decent response to new album Quicken The Heart and ace single "The Kids Are Sick Again," were supposed to hit the Paradise Rock Club on Sept. 20.

Now we'll all have to go settle for that Miike Snow/Jack Penate gig at T.T.'s instead. Refunds are available at point-of-purchase, and here's a message straight from the band:

SOTD: Ladyhawke "My Delirium"

Got this album in the mail yesterday, and maybe it was the warm summer air blowing through my flowing locks as I carelessly cruised up the Mass Pike, but I'm thinking the new Ladyhawke album is one of the better releases I've heard lately. I figure "My Delirium" is one of the singles, as it's a fairly standout track beyond the drag-out verses... Chorus is top notch, and I suppose I'll mosey on down to House of Blues on Sept. 14 when she performs at some Perez Hilton concert (don't ask, I have no idea...) with Ida Maria.

Yes Giantess to tour with Little Boots

As first posted on my Herald Hotline bloggy blog: ‘Pop’ quiz: What do Little Boots, MSTRKRFT and Calvin Harris have in common? They’ll all be sharing the stage with Berklee-bred synthpop quartet Yes Giantess next month.

The band, which has been getting much love from the UK press and appear on the verge of international pop stardom, will tour with Little Boots for five coast-to-coast dates, but not before hitting Brooklyn with Calvin Harris and then warming up a Canadian college's dance floor for Toronto electro duo MSTRKRFT. Hot dang!

Once the North American mini-tour wraps up, Yes Giantess cross the pond for the NME Radar Tour then return stateside to show New York’s CMJ Festival what’s up.

Here are the September tour dates, courtesy of our friends at Magnum PR:

Aug. 22 – Blisspop at The Black Cat, Washington, D.C.
Sept. 10 – Music Hall of Williamsburg with Calvin Harris, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Sept. 11 – Humber College with MSTRKRFT, Etobicoke, Ontario
Sept. 14 – Wrongbar with Little Boots, Toronto, Ontario
Sept. 16 – Bowery Ballroom with Little Boots, New York, N.Y.
Sept. 17 – The Empty Bottle with Little Boots, Chicago, IL.
Sept. 18 – The Roxy with Little Boots, Los Angeles, CA
Sept. 19 – The Independent with Little Boots, San Francisco, CA

Said MTVu: "The Boston foursome doesn’t put on any ordinary brand of dance music; think of the cheeriest electro band you know, give it a bunch of happy pills, drench it in sunshine, and slap on some fun lyrics about getting girls and baby-making, and you’ve got Giantess."

With expectations suddenly raised around them, Yes Giantess just finished recording with Richard X (Kelis), Hannah Robinson (Ladyhawke) and Charlie Hugall (Florence and the Machine), and will go back to the studio after CMJ. Their single, “You Were Young,” is available on 7-inch through Neon Gold Records. The track was produced by Passion Pit’s Ayad Al Adhamy.

But it now, eBay it later, kids.

Lights at the Middle East

This just in, and I'll try to keep my composure over this news:

Middle East Upstairs Sunday Oct. 4
Lights (Doghouse Records), Stars of Track and Field (Wind-Up Records) – 18-plus $9 – Tickets on Sale Friday, Aug. 28... Sigh.

Dance for DJ Kon tonight at Middlesex

Once again, from my Hotline blog: Quick note from the Boston club circuit, where several of the city's best DJs are throwing a fund raiser dance party tonight to help fellow mix master DJ Kon. It goes down at the Middlesex Lounge in Cambridge, with DJs 7L, Soul Clap, Gucci Vuitton and more all hitting the decks to help out their friend. Here's the message from the Facebook invite, which has the venue deets:

In case you didn't know already, every Boston DJ's favorite DJ has been in and out of the hospital and unable to play his gigs for the last few weeks. Since Kon DJs for a living NO GIGS = NO INCOME!! A few of us have already donated money from gigs to Kon, but now it's time for everyone to step up for a great DJ and an even better friend... $10 SUGGESTED DONATION -- EVERY PENNY GOES TO KON + you get to hear Kon inspired music from Amir, Supreme One, 7L, Ms Thang, Gucci Vuiton & Soul Clap!!!

If you cannot attend or want to donate more money you can send via paypal to djmsthang@gmail.com. *Just added :::: Amir from Waxpoetics/ Kon& Amir/ King of digging.*

From XLR8R TV, pulled from YouTube:

'Would' you pay $399 to see Alice In Chains?

From my Hotline blog, in a rare moment of non-"Megan Wants A Milli" thought: Scalper prices soar for Alice In Chains gig at the Paradise

“Hey, they’ve come to snuff the scalper… no we ain’t gonna pay!”

Did you snag tickets to see the Layne Staley-less Alice in Chains Sept. 7 at the Paradise Rock Club? If not, get ready to go “Down In A Hole,” financially – scalper prices on ticket re-seller websites like StubHub have gone as high as $399! Over on Ace Tickets, there are two listings for the grunge legends’ local gig – one for $240.50 (gotta get that extra fiddy cents) and another for $440.25 (why not make it a cool 450?).

Of course, chances are these sellers won’t get those desired mark-up prices. The lowest ticket available on StubHub rolls in at $218. “Would” you? Unlikely, even if Staley were still alive.

A Live Nation rep said today that despite no other shows scheduled at venues such as the House of Blues and Orpheum on Sept. 7, the Alice In Chains gig won’t be relocated to a larger room. Instead, the band will play smaller venues before its new album “Black Gives Way To Blue” – its first with new vocalist William DuVall – drops Sept. 29 on Virgin Records. Other venues on the tour are similar in size to the Dise: Irving Plaza in NYC, Philly's Theatre of Living Arts and the 9:30 Club in DC will all house Alice In Chains shows next month.

Once this tour is done, the Live Nation rep said, the band will return to larger venues that better serve the market. So hold tight.

ITP: VH1 rolls out "Megan" damage control

From today's Herald, my article where I state that the Ryan Jenkins murder/suicide won't change much for the cable network, and that's OK with millions of viewers. My money says "Megan Wants A Millionaire" hits DVD shelves by Thanksgiving. Bank it. Photo by AP.

TMZ: Ryan Jenkins found dead

Spooky ass shit, as TMZ reports Ryan Jenkins found dead in British Columbia, RIGHT IN THE TIMESLOT where "Megs Wants a Milli" was supposed to air (Eastern Standard Time, kids). Meanwhile, "Megan Wants A Mortician" to begin filming immediately. I'd comment more but I'm currently enraptured by "My Antonio." (No I'm not, I'm listening to "Hot Rocks" and reading the MOJO Britpop Special.)

Halloween hint, part 1

Hey New York: BM Linx @ Webster Hall

So I'm debating heading home to New York tomorrow, first for Phillies/Mets at the new Citi Field ballpark, then over to Webster Hall to catch a BM Linx "secret show."

I look at Jonathan Linx's promo flyer, and think to myself "Self, that one band name seems recognizable..." and then it hits me -- Oh snap, The Party Death, that's London from Daisy of Love's band. LOLzer-rama. I might be a bit too VH1 Reality Star'd out after all this Ryan Jenkins shit but this might be too good to pass up. Who's in?

(Add on: Hey, London's band is pretty good. Huh. Take that, Sinister!!!)

Gotta Love It: Kid Sister (still... again...)

Extended my obsession with Kid Sister's "Right Hand Hi" into the pages of the Boston Herald today, snazzing up the Gotta Love It page:

LISTEN: KID SISTER’S ‘RIGHT HAND HI’
Is it too late for a new Jam of the Summer? In a season surprisingly light on memorable pop hits, Kid Sister and her banging, electro-rap “Right Hand Hi” deserve shout-outs. The first single from this Chicago rapper’s debut album, “Ultraviolet” (dropping Oct. 6), is a straight-up, elbows-in-the-air banger that should launch her from underground darling to pop princess. The slick production, trance-fueled chorus and bass-revved, whip-smart verses will please Top 40 folks and club kids alike. - MICHAEL MAROTTA

Twin Berlin live @ the pill tonight

We usually only book locals at the pill, but every now and again an out-of-towner strikes my fancy and I bring them to Great Scott for our Friday night dance party (BM Linx, Elkland, The Dossier). I've been all about Twin Berlin for weeks now, and am beyond stoked to party with them tonight. Here's the goods from the Great Scott mailing list I whip up each Thursday:

FRIDAY 08.21.09 TWIN BERLIN with resident DJs Ken & Michael V.
I'd be lying if I said I've been waiting for ages for this show, because quite frankly, it came together rather quickly and recently. A few weeks ago at Le Herald de Boston I received a demo CD wrapped in Connecticut newspaper.

In an age of fancy-pants press packets and overpriced look-at-me-sonically-spooge packaging, I was intrigued. Then when I listed, I was floored. A few days later, they had this gig at the pill. NYC's Twin Berlin shape up, right now, as a cross between the Libertines and the Strokes, a raunchy '70s-era rock n roll romp that's equally danceable and morning-after magnetic. In a year where the pill has offered Passion Pit, Giantess, Black Joe Lewis and New Collisions, I fully expect Twin Berlin to join the list of exploding breakthrough artists who partied with us in 2009. You should, too. This will be fucking mad town, and like the time we all saw an unknown band called the Strokes open for Doves around 2000, we can all say we saw them back when... Seriously, do not miss this shit, and go check out "Fake It Well" and "Pretty From the Window" on their MySpace as a primer. 21+ 10pm $5

La Roux at the Paradise, Oct. 27

Freshly confirmed: UK pop duo La Roux hits the Paradise on Oct. 27, and I'll have five pairs of tickets to give away in coming weeks on the pill mailing list (Join here). This is exciting news!

Radio Clash: FNX mayoral battle ships up

Major LOLz coming out of Lynn this morning, where Sam Yoon and Michael Flaherty selected the same song for their "My Song..." radio battle. (Details on the competition a few posts down). From my Herald blog:

Radio Clash: Yoon and Flaherty ship up similarly
In this morning’s “My Song Is Better Than Your Song” competition on FNX Radio 101.7 FM’s Sandbox Morning Show (which Hotline detailed a few days ago), both mayoral candidates had a similar approach.

Both defending champion Sam Yoon and challenger Michael Flaherty actually selected the same song: The Dropkick Murphys’ “Shipping Up To Boston.”

LOL City, pop. 2.

Yoon, a favorite of Sandbox listeners who had been undeafeated in the “My Song…” segement the previous five weeks, took home the win by a 3-to-1 voting margin. Votes were tallied by listener calls, emails and instant/text messages.

Tough break for Flaherty, who probably thought he had a shot at the upset by bringing in the Dropkicks. Not a bad plan, but Yoon, who had previously selected songs by Radiohead and the Violent Femmes, also went with the local punks.

ITP: Cheaps: GreenFest, Pee Wee & Dueling Squirt Gun Battles

Another Thursday, another Cheap Thrills column, with all the good bits cut out for family newspaper reading pleasure. Up this weekend: GreenFest, Pee Wee Herman replaces Michael Jackson as a creepy man-child and an all-out Wet Offensive:

EASY BEING GREEN
Boston GreenFest 2009
City Hall Plaza at Government Center
Today from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., all-ages. FREE
Three days of environmental awareness tucked neatly into City Hall Plaza, this year’s GreenFest is a veritable smorgasbord of eco-friendly vendors, exhibits and tours. From the Project Recycle Runway fashion show to lessons on growing organic food and using clean technology, it’s a Mother Earth lovefest. But GreenFest also boasts one heck of a musical lineup. Check out live performances by the Neighborhoods, the Click 5, Mamadou, Corin Ashley, Incus, Watts, Jenny Dee & the Deelinquents, the Dirty Truckers, the Lights Out, the Gentlemen, Midatlantic, AM Stereo, Cassavettes, John Powhida International Airport and a Saturday night headlining gig by Memphis rock n’ twang rebels Lucero. Check the Web site for complete schedule, and go find something to grow on.
Info: bostongreenfest.org

BIG SCREEN ADVENTURE
Johnny Cupcakes presents “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” at Coolidge Corner Theatre
290 Harvard St., Brookline; Saturday at midnight, all-ages, $9.75 (two-for-one admission for students)
On the good-news front, Paul Reubens’ timeless character Pee-wee Herman earlier this month announced his official comeback with the stage performance of “The Pee-wee Herman Show,” set to run Nov. 19-29 at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. While everyone’s busy on Orbitz trying to get to Hollywood on the cheap, Pee-wee fans in Boston can whet their appetite Saturday at the Coolidge, when hipster T-shirt mogul Johnny Cupcakes screens the 1985 classic romp about a rebel man-child in search of his missing bike. Score some T-shirts, do the tequila dance and embrace the free air conditioning. Just be sure to tell ’em Large Marge sent ya.
Info: 617-734-2500, coolidge.org

WET OFFENSIVE
Dueling Water Gun Battles
Allston Squirt Gun Day, Saturday at noon at Herrell’s, 155 Brighton Ave.; Bandito Misterioso’s Revolutionary Water Gun Battle, Saturday at 1:30 p.m., location TBA Friday at misterioso.org; both FREE and all-ages
Ever get tickets to a concert, only to find out later that another equally awesome concert is happening the same night? Here comes the water-gun battle equivalent to that conundrum, as two of the city’s finest rites of summer square off against each other. Last year, Banditos Misteriosos (whom we adore here at Cheap Thrills HQ) brought 375 water-gun slingers to the banks of the Charles River, armed with marching armies, fifes and drum corps. This year they’re at it again, with the secret location announced via e-mail blast Friday night. But their agua throwdown falls at the same time as Allston’s own wet battle, where the usually superbusy intersection of Harvard and Brighton avenues is invaded with 15 minutes of walk-signal fury. There’s an after party at nearby Ringer Park with water balloon slingshots, a free-for-all battle on the baseball diamond and even live music. Choose your side wisely.
Info: misterioso.org; myspace.com/allstonsquirtgunday

VH1 postpones Megan Wants A Murderer

VH1 has postponed airing any more Megan Wants a Murderer episodes, according to a statement I first saw on dlisted.com:

"Ryan Jenkins was a contestant on Megan Wants A Millionaire, an outside production, produced and owned by 51 Minds, that is licensed to VH1. The show completed production at the end of March. Given the unfortunate circumstances, VH1 has postponed any future airings. This is a tragic situation and our thoughts go out to the victim’s family."

Guess now I have to go see the Honors at Hennessey's on Sunday. TMZ also breaks the news that there is/was/is/was an "I Love Money 3" (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and the Jenkins douche WON THAT SHIT TOO!. Now that might not air, even though it wrapped filming four weeks ago. Jesus fuck.

Megan Wants a Murderer? VH1 contestant a "person of interest" in death of model

So let me get this straight: According to TMZ, the guy who may have won VH1's "Megan Wants A Millionaire" is a suspect in the murder of his wife, may have stuffed her in a suitcase and then ghosted up to Canada??!?! Talk about a rating bonanza for VH1. Very tragic news about Playboy model Jasmine Fiore, and I'm not making a joke about a girl being killed, but of course shit like this happens to involve a VH1 show. Daily News has more details.

From the TMZ story linked above: "Jasmine Fiore was found in a trash bin in Buena Park last Saturday morning. She was first reported missing by Jenkins on Saturday night. A police official told us they fear the 32-year-old Jenkins, a resident of Calgary, may be fleeing to Canada... Jenkins was a contestant on "Megan Wants a Millionaire," which airs on VH1. We're told he was among the final contestants, and may have won the show. The winner has not been announced on the show, which is currently airing."

Shit, 12 Pack didn't need to murder nobody. Mr Boston wouldn't do this kind of shit. Even Bay Bay Bay ain't THIS kray-zay. MeganWAM was pretty tame and I kind of lost interest, but I sure as fuck will tune in now to see how Ryan Alexander Jenkins rolls about town. Jeez Louise, these shows just keep going all next-level on us. I don't even know what to fucking say.

If all this turns out to be true and Jenkins is the culprit, will he get his own spin-off from prison? "Fugitive of Love"? Lockup of Love"? "Real Chance of Conjugal Visits?" Ugh, WTF!!!!!!

Passion Pit take on Letterman in September

Ok, I guess this is getting ridiculous: Passion Pit will play David Letterman on Sept. 28, breaking out of the late-late-night circuit and crashing the "p.m." Grandma talk show party. Sheet, what's next, "Saturday Night Live?" The band added a few more tour dates for the fall, but closest they come to our 617 hood is a gig in Providence. Smart move, if'ya ask me. Full tour lineup and MTV Movie Award-nominated video for "The Reeling" after the jump...


UPCOMING US TOUR DATES
Sept. 25 - New York - Summerstage
Sept. 26 - New York - Summerstage
Sept. 27 - Providence, RI - Black Repertory Theater
Sept. 29 - Columbus, OH - Newport Musichall
Oct. 2 - Lawrence, KS - The Yard At Beaumont
Oct. 4 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival
Oct. 7 - Salt Lake, UT - Urban Lounge
Oct. 9 - Eugene, OR - U Oregon Student Union
Oct. 10 - Vancouver, BC - Richard’s
Oct. 11 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
Oct. 14 - Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater
Oct. 15 - San Diego, CA - Soma
Oct. 17 - San Francisco, CA Treasure Island

ITP: Yoon v Flaherty, a mayoral musical debate on FNX

Some more ITP loving, via my Herald blog: Yoon vs. Flaherty: A mayoral musical debate on ‘FNX

It will be the most anticipated segment of “My Song Is Better Than Your Song” on FNX 101.7 FM radio’s Sandbox Morning Show since yours truly got schooled by Sponge a few months ago. Ok, it’s probably a bit more anticipated than that.

Mayoral candidates Sam Yoon and Michael Flaherty will be in the FNX studio in Lynn Thursday morning around 9 a.m. to play “My Song…,” a weekly segment where each contestant selects a song to be played and listeners call in, text or instant message their vote to determine a winner. It could foreshadow some Election Day results, or it could just give insight into these guys’ musical tastes.

According to the FNX presser: The candidates will each be interviewed about their mayoral run and each will have 30 seconds to tell our listeners why the song they chose to play is better than their opponent’s. The Sandbox will play each song on the air and then take phone calls, e-mails and comments online to vote for one of the candidates.

The winner of each week’s “My Song…” gets invited back the following week, selecting a new song and going up against a new challenger.

Yoon has been on a five-week winning streak, starting his run last month with Radiohead’s “Electioneering” (slick move, champ!). He secured victory last week with Violet Femmes’ “Blister In The Sun”, beating out the Smith’s “Panic.” Thursday will mark Flaherty’s debut.

It’s worth noting that listeners don’t know which song the candidates will select until the segment is aired.

And for the record, I won my first “My Song…” week on-air with Ride’s early ‘90s shoegaze classic “Vapour Trail,” but lost then in Week 2 when Sponge’s “Plowed” took out my pick of the Chameleons UK’s “Swamp Thing.” Sometimes, as in life and elections, these contests are unpredictable.

Henry Wolfe, Meryl Streep's kid, hits TTs tonight

Posted on the Hotline blog: TONIGHT at TT The Bear's Place -- Gringo Star, with Rosewood Thieves and Henry Wolfe, 9 p.m., 18-plus, $10

Now Atlanta rock dudes Gringo Star is a band worth checking out on its own merit (would they win a sonic thowdown against Ringo Deathstarr?), but those with Hollywood eyes that stretch down to kin should roll up early to Cambridge’s T. T. The Bear’s Place tonight.

Folksy Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Henry Wolfe, who opens the show and goes on around 9 p.m., is the son of actress Meryl Streep. An East Coast native, Wolfe first made the music rounds in New York City fronting the indie-pop band Bravo Silva (which I’m assuming wasn’t a reaction to the Seattle Mariners signing Carlos Silva for $48 million a few years ago, but whatever). Since relocating to the west coast, he’s been riding that time-honored singer-songwriter wave, and is starting to gain traction.

Wolfe’s latest single “Stop The Train” is featured in the Sony Pictures movie “Julie & Julia” and was released as a download-only single on Aug. 7. That might be his most well-known song to date, but “Orphans,” posted on his MySpace page, has been getting a few plays here at Hotline HQ in recent days.

And yes, we know that his mom Streep stars in “Julie & Julia.” That kind of stuff happens.

iGun Traffic Rampage

Props to Fletcher Ed from the FNX Sandbox Morning Crew for tipping me off to the best response to traffic since Michael Douglas just up and ghosted his ride in Falling Down. I gotz to get this app.

LIGHTS' major label debut in October

Ahhhhhh, best news in forever: Toronto-based electro-pop queen-inwaiting Lights, who I've already expressed a very ridiculous amount of love for, will release her Warner Bros debut album "The Listening" on Oct. 6.

Already one of the most beautiful girls to ever walk this planet, the musical props are steadily building (told you so): 16 million plays on MySpace, a 2009 Juno (Canadian Grammy, basically) for "New Artist of the Year," a cult-like online presence, impressive slots on the Warped Tour and airtime on Old Navy commercials and "The Hills." I'm always a sucker for electronic girl-pop, but this just puts me over the edge.

I want to type smiley-face emoticons and pair up <'s with 3's when I listen to this. The video below, for "Saviour" has pulled 625,000+ views since arriving on MySpace Aug. 8. She's opening for Keane across Canada this fall, with some US dates to be added soon.

Her show at the Middle East upstairs was near religious experience, and despite being 30 years old I bought a fucking t-shirt, and got her to sign my just-purchased EP as I acted like the most uncool dude ever at the merch table. Yes, I have issues. I might have called her the next Sara Bareillis or something to that effect in the Herald, but it's just so much better than everything else out there like that. As she describes it, her music is "soft, but not pussy-soft, you know?" Sadly, yes, darling miss Valerie Poxleitner, I do.

"How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you"

I don't have a source for this (stolen from Facebook*), but I'm still feeling lazy/busy and I kind of suspect Lola of plotting my death lately. Also, I kinda want that first cat pic with the skull and crossbones thought bubble as a tattoo. Huh. Click to enlarge for full-effect, and by full-effect I mean actual ability to read it. (* If you want to claim it, go right ahead...)

Week in advance: This and that, visually

Blacked out most of the weekend (except to have my mind blown by District 9 last night), so I'm playing catch-up on this gloomy Monday. So let's take a visual look at the weekend ahead, as I try to keep out of the once-tranquil broken apartment now consumed by hate. Regulary scheduled rants and raves resume later today...

Tonight: Hot Protestants @ the pill

Since Age Rings abruptly clocked out earlier this year, I've been really excited to see where Ted and Will musically head to next. The answer: Hot Protestants, a gritty rock n roll project that was super worthy of a (return) show at the pill, with an EP that's getting people talking. Download that shit here, peep the bio from the pill boston down below, and join us tonight at Great Scott. Doors at 10, $5 cover, Britpop & Modern Indie spun by yours truly and DJ Ken before and after ze band:



AUGUST 14: Hot Protestants: According to 2005’s “World Religions and Democracy” study, there are more than 800 million Protestants worldwide, comprising of roughly 13 percent of the global population. But rarely do any rock out, and, in even fewer circumstances, end up being relatively attractive. So the pill stands on the edge of enlightenment this week as the dapper lads of alt-rock luminaries Age Rings re-emerge from the seedy Boston rock underworld with a new project, aptly dubbed Hot Protestants. With a debut EP released in June alongside Ethan Dussault and Nick Zampiello at Cambridge’s New Alliance studios and a role this fall as the Angry Inch in the Arsenal Center for the Arts’ production of “Hedwig & the Angry Inch,” Hot Protestants not missed a biblical beat since Age Rings dissolved in April (their last show was at the pill, we think). Drawing from influences like Sloan, the Replacements and Cheap Trick while singing about late-night texts and assholes in nightclubs, these new Protestants are on a crusade of modern rock deity by moonlight. Have faith, young lover.

Sunday: RSVP to Treasure Fingers

Scion is throwing another party at the Enormous Room in Cambridge on Sunday, but you have to RSVP to get in.

It's a fairly cool lineup, featuring ATL's Treasure Fingers (that "Cross The Dancefloor" jam, and the Little Boots "Meddle" remix), Chicago house veteran Roy Davis Jr and a bunch of other hip cats.

I was debating the Trashcan Sinatras over at TTs around the same time, but might hit both. Would be quite a mix of Sunday night rompery. And since Megan Wants a Millionaire sucks and even if it didn't I have no one to watch it with anymore, we'll see where the night leads.

Jam of the Summer -- Kid Sister

Okay I was lazy bones when I posted this last night, but here's the thing: Every time I get wasted while DJing, I end the night with the LA Riots remix of Kid Sister's "Control." It's like the greatest shit ever and I kinda closed the book on the lady after her other stuff didn't blow me away, but now I feel; all shameful because this rules eight ways to Friday and if I don't hear this blaring out of a car stero by Labor Day I'll be mizz but I totally won't because I live in Boston and no one will get hip to this shit until 2013.

New Radiohead song leaked?

A new Radiohead track appears to have been leaked. "These Are My Twisted Words" has popped up on www.greenplastic.com, and... well, HOLY SHIT I CANNOT WAIT TO ANNOUNCE THE PILL's 7TH ANNUAL HALLOWEEN SHOW!!! It goes down Oct. 30 at GS. Four-band lineup, dance party at midnight.

That's a hint.

'Lost' Lifestyle album released online

Sean Drinkwater has posted the lost 2005 Lifestyle album "Adventure" for free download and listening pleasure. Sean gets into the back-story of the unreleased album in quite a bit of deatil, and it's a fun read and even funerer listen. The last track, "Escape," has always been a fav of mine, and we included it on an old pill comp back in the day. Enjoy!

ITP Cheaps: Mad Men party, Kiki's birthday and Faux Crowes

Thursday brings us another round of my Cheap Thrills column in the Boston Herald, this week addressing Noir's "Mad Men" premiere party, a two-gorilla birthday bash and an entire gig dedicated to the Black Crowes. Talk to me, Angel.

RETRO GLAZE
“Mad Men” premiere party at Noir
Charles Hotel, One Bennett St., Cambridge. Sunday at 9 p.m., 21-plus, no cover.
You’ve adopted Tom Collins as your drink of choice, you’ve slicked your hair back for the first time since middle school and you’ve created an animated avatar of yourself on AMC’s Web site. Ah, the things we do to fill the void between seasons of “Mad Men.” But now the acclaimed drama is back, and Noir has all the cocktails and cigarettes Don Draper-wannabes could ask for. Watch the premiere on Noir’s big high-definition projection screen, nibble on snacks from the era and let your eye wander following that pencil skirt across the room. Noir is awarding prizes to the best “Mad Men” look-alikes, and won’t give you the stinkeye when you order another scotch.
Info: 617-661-8010, noir-bar.com

GORILLA RATIO
Kiki and Kira’s birthday party at Franklin Park Zoo
One Franklin Park Road, Dorchester. Saturday at 11 a.m., all-ages, free with park admission ($13 adults, $7 children ages 2-12).
Last time we got an invitation to a birthday party for girls named Kiki and Kira, we woke up the next morning on the beach in Provincetown with our clothes inside out. Chances are this one will be a bit more docile, even though there are great apes involved. Ten-year-old Kira and her 28-year-old mom, Kiki, resident gorillas at the Franklin Park Zoo, are celebrating their birthdays together with a mother-daughter tea party at the zoo’s Tropical Forest. Snack on banana-themed treats from Braintree’s Konditor Meister Bakery and Green Hills Traditional Irish Bakery in Dorchester, and let the zookeepers find a gorilla-sized party hat.
Info: 617-541-LION, franklinparkzoo.org

CROWES FEAT
The Cover-Up’s tribute to the Black Crowes at Lizard Lounge
1667 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Saturday at 8 p.m., 21-plus, $8 in advance, $10 at the door.
The third installment of Brendan Boogie’s The Cover-Up series brings a host of musicians all worshiping at one altar of mock rock. And in this case, it’s Atlanta’s bluesy hard rock band the Black Crowes getting the love. The Rationales, Old Jack, Trucker Mouth, Will Dailey and others, including Boogie himself, will take the stage and roll out the Crowes hits, talking to angels while shaking their moneymakers. And it’s not hard to handle - there’s no costume required at this gig.
Info: 617-547-0759, lizardloungeclub.com, thecoverupboston.com

La Roux La Rules

I was putz'ing around the Boston Phoenix' picks page, getting hip to that Mystery Roar, DPony and DJ Die Young party Thursday at Enormous Room when my eyes drifted to the always-awesome On The Download blog and saw Carly's rant about how awesome La Roux is. I tend to agree with this sentiment, and read down to where he linked the band's appearance on Jimmy Kimmel way back whenever. And here I be, jacking that shit and posting it here. Cause it rules.


London electro-pop duo La Roux has been getting much love at the pill lately, with "Bulletproof," "Quicksand" and "In For The Kill" all getting spins each Friday (album hits domestically in October). You know a chick is all '80s when she starts singing about quicksand. Ain't nobody got caught in quicksand before Jan. 1, 1980 and after Jan. 1, 1990. Getting stuck in quicksand is the quintessential '80s thing, and singing about it is just so next fucking level.

Eli Reed signs to Capitol, curates Soul Fest

Straight from the pit of the Hotline blog: Expect a new album next spring from Brookline-born soul man Eli “Paperboy” Reed.

Reed, who performs with his band the True Loves, signed to Capitol Records earlier this week, securing a follow-up to 2008’s acclaimed debut “Roll With You.” The album was released on Virgin Records and Somerville-based Q Division.

In 2007, Virgin merged with Capitol Records to create the Capitol Music Group, so the switch in labels is likely just an in-house reshuffling of the deck. The important news here is that we’re getting some new material from Reed (and his True Loves crew), who moved to New York last year. Here’s the official word from Capitol, along with details of the Brooklyn Soul Festival going down later this month:

Capitol Records has signed rising soul singer and songwriter Eli “Paperboy” Reed. Reed, who Rolling Stone named a “Breaking Artist,” praising his “howling grooves and dirty down home R&B,” will be heading into the studio this month with acclaimed producer Mike Elizondo (Dr. Dre, Eminem, Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor). Capitol Records aims to release the album in Spring 2010.

On Aug. 28 and 29, Reed along with Dig Deeper will present The Brooklyn Soul Festival at the Bell House. The festival, which was co-curated by Reed and Dig Deeper, will feature two nights of performances by legendary soul singers from around the country, including Barbara Lynn, Roscoe Robinson, Hermon Hitson, Otis Clay and Maxine Brown. These unsung singers—rarely seen individually and never before together on the same bill—will be backed by two of the most in-demand bands in soul music today: Eli “Paperboy” Reed and the True Loves and The Sweet Divines. The opening night Reed will also be featuring songs from his forthcoming Capitol Records debut in between sets.

Shine on, rock radio. 'BCN signs off.

I moved to Boston in September 2000, long after 'BCN had sold its soul to grunge and corporate playlists. So it's been a treat for me to listen to the station's old sound the past four days during its retrospective, and intriguing to see everyone come out and mark the end of its 41-year-run.

'BCN signed off last night with Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," and it's second-to-last-song was the first one it every played in 1968, Cream's "I Feel Free." Catch up on some fan reaction on the BCN Twitterfall, as the Tweet round-ups have slowed a bit from last night but are still trickling in.



Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now theres a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom, blown on the
Steel breeze.
Come on you target for faraway laughter, come on you stranger, you legend,
You martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Well you wore out your welcome with random precision, rode on the
Steel breeze.
Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter, you piper,
You prisoner, and shine!

Well played, 'BCN, well played.

When you feel like a Crystal Castles freakout

It's 4:30pm, I need to ghost this joint and not stare at a screen while writing eventually-edited ragtime, but a broken home awaits and I really don't feel like dealing with the destructive Fall of the House of Possums. I pretty much have this racing through my head, courtesy of the always-applicable and ever-wonderous Crystal Castles...

Hotline: 'BCN film seeking contributors

Just posted this on my Herald Hotline blog, but it's worth a look-see here as well:

WBCN 104.1 FM rock radio may be off the air this week, but its legacy lives on beyond the current retrospectives and flashback re-broadcasts (which have been incredible, by the way).

Former newscaster and on-air announcer Bill Lichtenstein, who first took to the ‘BCN airwaves as a high school teenager in the early ‘70s, is producing the independent documentary “The American Revolution,” detailing the station’s pivotal role in Boston history – from breaking new music to covering current events.

And Lichtenstein, who is creating the doc with his Peabody award-winning LCMedia Inc. (formerly Lichtenstein Creative Media) wants your help and input.

“The film …chronicles WBCN during the years 1968 to 1975, and examines the station's role in covering and promoting the profound social, political, and cultural changes of that era,” Lichtenstein told Hotline. “We are collecting personal recollections as well as memorabilia, audio tapes, photos, etc. for use in the film at the web site WBCNthefilm.com.”

Check it out, and contribute accordingly.

Lichtenstein has also been filming the station’s final days for use in the film, and sent along this photo. “From the WBCN FM studios on the station’s final weekend, from the Class of late-‘60s/early-‘70s: “Rocket Bob” Slavin, Joe “Mississippi” Rogers, Bradley Jay, Sam Kopper, Tim Montgomery and “Little Bill” Lichtenstein, who were all on the air one last time on Sunday.”

Daily Pravda at the Head of this Radio

Don't read too much into that headline, especially when it comes to this October's pill Halloween Show (shhhh). But do read into the fact that my dear Daily Pravda are playing Great Scott tonight, a saving an Illius Rock bill that initially included Mystery Roar and Yes Giantess. Who the fuck knows what happened there, but luckily Pravda and a host of others will bring the Tuesday Night Rock to the ADC.

I'll roll up with a belly full of Gitlo Dim Sum, and casually knock out a few Will Clarks. See you tonight, and oh yeah, don't make non-pill plans for Halloween. Pravda leads the way...

Khed Khed Khed Khed Khed Khed Khed Khed Khed Khed Khed Khed

Jesus fucking Christ, it's the new music video from my boy Paul Foley's new duo WASTED TALENT. Yeah, it's called "Khed," and it's pretty fucking townielicious with shout outs to junkies, the MBTA Orange Line, Malden and whatever else Foley's going on about. Ahhhh boy, this is some highly entertaining shit, although if MGMT finds out P-Foles stole their war (face)paint, dudes' are gon'be pissed. Wicked pissed, KHED! Love it.

Mark Burgess/Curtain Society in NY tonight

Hey this rules -- Mark Burgess of the Chameleons UK and Worcester's the Curtain Society have added some more shows together, obviously realizing what went down in Boston last month at Hennessy's. Here's the listing for tonight in Brooklyn, with a Philly show planned for tomorrow:

Mark Burgess (of Chameleons UK) backed up by The Curtain Society
Monday August 10
The Bell House
149 7th Street (between 2nd and 3rd)
Gowanus, Brooklyn NY
(718) 643-6510
www.thebellhouseny.com
$10 advance & day of show.
Doors open at 7:30pm

There's some good news. I thought Burgess and the boys could do a few more dates and maybe sort out a tour around this whole idea. Together they slayed within a few hours of knowing each other and without a soundcheck/practice. I'd imagine this is ever better with some time invested -- though the magic in the air at the BOston gig could never be replicated.

Noisettes in Allston tonight

Being suddenly single and free of relationship shackles has some advantages, one being able to go check out the Noisettes on a Monday night without barrage on tow. So I suppose that's where I'll end up this evening, unless some ex calls me up and drags me to the Neverending Story at the Battle. Life got interesting again. Here's the word on the Noisettes from the Great Scott mailer I whip up on Thursdays:

MONDAY 08.10.09: Noisettes, with Phantogram and DJ Carbo
Straight outta London come indie trio the Noisettes, armed with one of the best songs of the year with "Never Forget You," a retro-hall swing that shows charismatic front woman Shingai Shoniwa offering a bit more Diana Ross than Skunk Anansie.

Just about done wrapping up opening slots for Lady GaGa in Europe (and if GaGa approves, that's all that matters) this will likely be the last mid-sized venue show for the Noisettes in the foreseeable future, and one of those times we're slightly red-faced about not having a green room. Shoniwa is a budding STAR, so attempt to approach her with a double-fist of PBR while you still can. 18+ 9pm $10 adv. / $12 door

Not sure why or how Vanyaland turned into a video blog, but fuck it, here's that jam:

New drink at Great Scott: the Will Clark

Last weekend I was treated to a new adult beverage at the Great Scott BBQ, featuring 3/4s Firefly sweet tea vodka and a quarter of Country Time lemonade. It was so smooth, so sweet, so natural, I named it "The Will Clark," after the greatest ballplayer who ever lived. This may be HQ of Red Sox Nation and a long way from San Francisco, but not even Todd Benzinger could roll with Clark's gifted stroke and overall greatness.

Being my favorite player of all time and boyhood idol, let's take a look back at the Clark's pivotal role in the 1989 Giants-Cubs NLCS before we all get shitcanned and bear-hug the weekend (props to Zack Info for the link):