Tuesday, May 15, 2007

if i found a rhyme then i would take the time and draw you one more line

Look at that! Two days in a row. I promised some babbling, so here I am.

One of the greater perks I have with my job is that sometimes I get advances of CDs that I don't know how to find on the internet when leaked, so I feel special when the mail comes in and something exciting lands on my desk. As a huge Tegan And Sara fan, I was thrilled to get a copy of their latest album The Con, which everyone is really excited about because Death Cab's Chris Walla produced it. After a couple listens I really like it, but its definitely a darker side to the pop-loving sisters, and I miss the perfection of their love songs of yesteryear. Ah well, give me a couple more days and I'll be singing a different tune. Keep a look out when it comes out.

I'm sitting at work eating delicious sour gummy worms from Whole Foods (organic, go figure) and thinking about the fact that I'm turning 23 in a couple weeks. This should be scary, I think (everyone over the age of 25 simultaneously rolls there eyes) but I don't find getting older that bad. In fact, every year has been better than the last so I imagine the best is yet to come. Plus, I'm having a super dooper birthday party which I'm really excited about which my wonderful boyfriend has put together. Lots of my favorite bands in tow, and fun times to be had. More details on that will be posted soon.

The one thing that birthdays always do to me is make me look back on the year before, and think how different things were just 365 days ago. It's weird to think I've been out of college for a whole year now. And then you think about how much can change in a year, not just with me, but with bands I've known for a long time. Unfortunately, some take a worse route that others. I don't want to name names, but well I'm going to anyways because this was a band that I felt had so much potential of the bat, but it's been a rocky road to discovery. Maybe it's just that it's not the road I wanted them to always take, but I can't help feeling that they now sound like a parody of a band I once adored. Listen to the first song here. If you ever heard this band's first EP, you'll know what I'm talking about.

But always one to end on a positive note, although Levy's formation has changed recently, the music is still as strong as I remember. James sent me an mp3 of their song "Glorious" off their album of the same name, out September on One Little Indian. I've heard a rough cut of the album and frankly it's pretty incredible. This is a band I think I'll always love and adore, even at 23, 43, 73. It's timeless.

Back to gummy worms.

Levy - Glorious

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Valentines Day Mix 2007

Any holiday that gives me an excuse to make a mix is fine by me. Sure, I've been known to say I hate this day and damn all those happy lovey dovey people, but in actuality Valentines Day isn't half bad. Who doesn't like chocolate and cheesy romantic gestures? And let's be honest, who doesn't like love songs. Not this girl.

I woke up this morning to a good amount of snow and an even greater hangover -- the perfect mindset to make a Valentines Day mix. It's a bit of an eclectic bunch of songs: some old, some new, feel free to borrow, but some will make you blue. Regardless it works for both you happy go lucky people and the miserable alike. It's also available in a handy dandy zip file below as well.

Enjoy.

  • Neutral Milk Hotel - Ghost
  • Broken Social Scene - Lover's Spit
  • The Postal Service - Against All Odds
  • The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset
  • Sure Juror - Ex-Cuties
  • Let's Go Sailing - All I Want From You Is Love
  • The Cure - The Love Cats
  • The Brunettes - Your Heart Dies
  • Arcade Fire - Crown Of Love
  • Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should Have Come Over
  • Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Cheated Hearts
  • The Wrens - She Sends Kisses
  • Birdmonster - Janine
  • Elvis Perkins - Without Love
  • Radiohead - High And Dry
  • Levy - So Hard
  • Jose Gonzalez - Broken Arrows
  • Marcy Playground - Sex And Candy
  • Blind Melon - Change
  • Oh No! Oh My! - Skip The Foreplay
  • Ryan Adams - Love Is Hell

    Download: Valentines Day Mix.zip

    And make sure you come to this tonight.

  • Monday, February 12, 2007

    The Undisputed Heavyweights @ KidRockers | Live EP!!

    Saturday night I may have drank a bit too much, but that didn't stop me from heading all the way up to 110th Street on a Sunday afternoon to see my beloved Undisputed Heavyweights perform at The Underground Lounge as part of the KidRockers series. KidRockers is a fairly new idea put together by some super-hip parents, bringing in two acts on a regular basis to perform for a bunch of kids and their parents. Seriously -- fun for the whole family.

    Artists perform original, not specifically made for kids songs in an authentic and kid-friendly venue. And let me tell you, these kids were the coolest ever. Not only were they requesting songs from James Levy and The Heavyweights, but they were rocking out to Bob Dylan before the show. I only wish I could be that cool.



    Watching The Undisputed Heavyweights perform in front of a crowd of kids was interesting and enjoyable. Perhaps it's because when I watch this band perform, I feel like a six year old -- giddy and enthusiastic, entranced by Casey Shea's antics and persona. One kid kept telling Casey he was crazy. Yes, he totally is, which is why this band is ideal for any age group. You'll always feel young at heart.

    The greatest moment was when the band played a truncated version of "Bitches Been Trippin" (cut out the whole bitches part). Casey exclaimed that he had the "stay in school" blues and that he gets mistaken for Harry Potter too often. The kids loved it. And the organizers of KidRockers handed out sunglasses for all them to wear, sharing in Casey's blues. What a sight to see.







    All the pictures above were taken by Sarah Ivy, and more can be found on The Undisputed Heavyweight's flickr. Check out KidRockers over at myspce.com/kidrockersnyc.

    --

    The Heavyweights will be playing next Thursday at Mercury Lounge (February 22) as a release party of their first ever Live EP. Live From New York City is the first in a series of EPs from Family Records, a division of Liberated Matter.

    The EP features six songs recorded over at Joe's Pub, by Ryan Ryspace, with one bonus track recorded at Rockwood Music Hall. The EP will also include 11 (!) videos from various performances and backstage antics. Partial proceeds of each EP sold will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the Sowbackya Illam Children's Home in India.

    Live From New York City is the first volume in a limited edition box set, called, The Bootleg Series. The Series, which will be released under Family Records, will feature several local artists. Super exciting.

    It's been a long time coming to have an official release from The Heavyweights. Consider yourself lucky, and pick one up on Thursday at Mercury Lounge!

    Thursday, December 7, 2006

    BLOG SHOW NINE!

    Holy craperoo. Our blog show is getting to be quite the talk of the town. Even if everyone is whispering, we are hoping they are saying nice things.

    This week we sat down in my comfy apartment to record the show, so that's perhaps why Nora sounds like she falls asleep half way through. It could be the dayquil. I giggle a lot (surprise) and we say goodbye to one of our most favorite (favoritest?) bands.

    Oh, and both of us play awesome awesome music.

    PLAYLIST!

    Thursday – Asobi Seksu
    Strawberries – Asobi Seksu
    New Years – Asobi Seksu

    Don't Make Me Wait - Locksley
    She Does - Locksley
    All Of The Time - Locksley

    Pretty Pet – Aberdeen City
    Sixty Lives – Aberdeen City
    Mercy – Aberdeen City

    On The Dance Floor - Levy
    Rector Street - Levy
    Squeeze - Levy
    So Hard – Levy

    Listen in at www.breakthruradio.com

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