Jukebox The Ghost Goes To The Zoo

I had one of the most amazing birthday weekends, most noteably due to Pat's wonderful show he put on for me on Saturday night. I really couldn't have asked for a better party. Tally Hall was a huge surprise, and did a short but sweet set of covers that left me with the biggest grin ever. I'm going to put up a bunch of pictures this week (with my new camera yay!) but for now, check out Pat's recap of the night and this...

In case you weren't aware that is members of four (!) different bands on stage singing me the Beatle's Birthday: Jukebox The Ghost, Seth Kallen & The Reaction, Tally Hall, and Wes from the Undisputed Heavyweights. Frickin amazing!

Speaking of Jukebox The Ghost, I went to the zoo with the band yesterday for a blog post up on CMJ.com. It was a really fun experience, complete with amazing pictures. Check out the post here.

Wisdom teeth go bye bye tomorrow. More soon!

SXSW '07 : A Hazy Recap

Last year I ventured down to Austin for the very first time. I had no idea what to expect. There I was schedule in hand, and determination in my eyes. I saw 90% of the bands I came down to see, and yet found the experience chaotic, yet fun. This year I hadn't the time or the energy to figure out a schedule beforehand. I rsvp'd to every email I received and went down with one intention: have fun. Any band I want to see will come to New York. I just wanted to relax, see some cool shows, check out some new bands, and catch up with some friends. And luckily, I did it all.

It was exhausting alright, but I wouldn't have changed a thing. I always get flak for seeing bands I've seen a million times already, but that's just how I roll. But most of who I saw was new, and I was glad to get an opportunity to check them out in one place. And thanks to Wes, I got up early and checked out some panels. Had it not been for him, I probably would have slept right through them or started drinking much earlier, but I was happy I didn't.

So as follows, my recap/awards/notes about this year's SXSW.

Best Show By Someone I've Never Seen: I think I have to go with Mika for this one. I know, you all probably hate him or thing he's a flash in the pan or whatever, but seeing this charming little guy up on stage singing with that incredible falsetto brought a smile to my face. He's a born star, in every sense of the word and although he claimed everything to have gone with the show I saw, I thought it was spectacular. I was ready to go home right there and then after that and be completely satisfied. Ah, Mika. What a guy.

Best Show By Someone I've Seen: The Rapture. Hands down the best band and the best performers out there today. It's always remarkable to me that they haven't received more attention, but perhaps its better this way. The longevity this band will have is so apparent; they just keep getting better and better. The crowd loved every minute of this show and I bounced and sang my little heart out. A great start to a fantastic week.

Best Panel: Tie between the A&R one and the Music Supervision for TV & Film. First, I have loved Perry Watts-Russell ever since DIG! and hearing his thoughts on bands out today was incredibly interesting. In fact, although the panel consisted of 6 white dudes, they were all very smart (minus one, I wont name names) and pretty funny too. A lot of talk centered around Arcade Fire and their next moves, which makes sense. The Music Supervision one made me so giddy because Gary Calamar was the moderator. You may remember if you read this blog regularly, I interviewed him two years ago when he was music supervisor for Six Feet Under. Such a cool guy, and since my secret profession of choice is to become a music supervisor for a cool show, I loved every minute of it.

Best Party: Fader Fort. Contrary to what Nora will think it wasn't just for the free So-Co juice mix, although that was so delicious, I could drink it all day. It hosted a great lineup throughout the festival, and I will forgive them for not letting me into The Good Bad And The Queen. Every time I texted anyone I had to use capitals: THE FORT. It was huge, and had great sound and an incredible step up from last year. Kudos Fader. You had me at free So-Co.

Best Venue: Maggie Mae's. It was my favorite last year, so good to know they are keeping things up. Its beautiful inside, they make a slamming margarita and although each band takes forever to set up, it always sounds top-notch.

Worst Venue: Eternal. Was there for the Mika/Amy Winehouse show and felt like I was going to pass out the entire time. Too many people, not enough air, and gross drinks. Plus, for Amy Winehouse I couldn't see a gosh darn thing. Time to make the stage a little higher or slant the floor for goodness sake.

Best Celebrity Sighting: Toss up. Seeing Peter from I'm From Rolling Stone made me totally giddy because I'm one of the 5 people who are in love with the show. He was very nice in person and although he told me he couldn't tell me if he won, I have it on high authority that he did indeed. Other than that? Seeing Michael Pitt on the sidewalk was kinda cool too. Nora and I screeched. It was awesome.

Most Nostalgic Moment: Seeing Birdmonster perform on the same stage that I saw them for the very first time, this time last year. And hearing their new songs and how amazing they are almost brought tears to my eyes. Almost.

Best Food: Iron Cactus. No competition. We ate there with Tally Hall on Saturday night and the fajitas were top-notch. Okay, so I was there every other day as well, but that night stuck out in my head as a favorite. I love those Tally boys. They stayed in their colored (newly skinny!) ties all weekend. What troopers.

Best Cab Driver: I forget his name, but the one we took from the Diesel U Party back to the Pure Volume Loft. Nora decided she wanted to marry him, but he needed to know a few more things. Sampling of questions: Do you like people who major in economics? How do you feel about dishonesty? Don't you think Justin Timberlake's Dick In A Box made a pretty dweeby guy cool? Amazing.

Most Heard Complaint: "My feet are killing." I don't know how those girls in heels lasted more than a minute. Even in sneakers, I was hurting. All that standing around all day really does a number. We all need foot massages, I imagine.

Band I Wanted To See And Didn't:  Peter Bjorn And John. It wasn't gonna happen. Sigh.

Best Afterhours: PureVolume loft. Vodka and Redbull at 1 AM is necessary. So is Nintendo Wii.

Best Band I Didn't Expect To Like: Matt & Kim. All the blog buzz in NYC really turned me off, but they turned out to be a totally fun and awesome band. Matt cracked me up with his in between banter, and the crowd there was having a pretty good time. So sometimes hipsters are right. Who knew?

Best In-Between Banter: Although Matt was funny, nothing will top Malajube. This band put on one of the best shows of the week, and I had never laughed so hard at a show before in my life. First they called everyone "Irish Vegans" (it was St. Patrick’s Day and we were at the Brooklyn Vegan Showcase) and then they called out two kids for smoking pot. "This one is for you slackers." Maybe it was their French accents, but I loved them that much more.

Scariest Moment: Checking out Amy Winehouse's cool tattoos and then realizing she had intense scratches all up and down her arms. It looked like a cat attacked her, but I'm sure that's not the case. For such a talent, she really needs to get some things sorted out. It'd be a shame if she doesn't.

Band I Saw But Shouldn't Have: Badly Drawn Boy. Zzzzzzz.

Best Dressed: Datarock. I want a red jumpsuit. Like now. (Oh and "I Had The Time Of My Life" to close out their set? Genius)

Weirdest Moment: Seeing Golum wish everyone a Mazel-Tov and watching a hora ensue. I felt as though I walked into some hipster bar miztvah. Crazy.

Best Cover: White Rabbits covering The Pogues' "The Old Main Drag" on St. Paddy's day. The frat boys loved it, and I was too. Success!

Band I Didn't Expect To See But Did Twice: The Fratellis. Although both were acoustic sets, they were great. Shows just how good these boys are at songwriting. Wish I could have seen them perform with Pete Townsend, but oh well.

Cutest Girl Band: The Pipettes. Seriously, every boy I was with swooned. I wanted their outfits. A win-win.

Cutest Boy Band: Kristoffer. Mmmm. Swedish Boy with sunglasses and a guitar. Really can't get any better than that.

Thoughts for Next Year: Get a hotel closer. Save more money.

The end.

SXSW Preview: Austin, Here I Come

photo via Kathryn's flickr

Well here's the gods honest truth: nothing, no nothing, will stop me from heading down south for this year's SXSW. My deliciously disgusting tonsillitis has reappeared which means I'm probably going to have to get those suckers out, but not until after I've had my indie rock and taco fill. There are priorities at hand, I'll tell the doc. And roaming up and down Sixth Street for five days is one of them.

I'm going to admit that I'm totally not ready for this festival. The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind both personally and professionally, and while I've RSVP'd to every invite I've gotten, I have no idea where those invites, or parties, truly are. But that's okay. Last year I had an organized schedule that I followed diligently, and probably missed out on half the fun. This year I'm going to just wing it. Like Nora, there's a lists of bands/artists that I want to see, and as long as I end up seeing at least half of them, I'll be set. And plus, this is all about discovering your new favorite band, so if I happen to drunkenly wander into a show and confess my love -- all the better.

I'll do my best to update you throughout the week, but it may be tricky. I'm already trying to figure out how I'm going to balance getting news up on CMJ every day, while nursing the daily hangover with a Bloody Mary and a breakfast taco at the same time. This is going to be fun.

Bands/artists I'd like to see at this year's SXSW:

1. Amy Winehouse
I know, I know, she's canceled her shows, which means I want to see her all that much more. Never have I been in such awe over an artist, because frankly she doesn't give a shit about any one else and yet she still pulls it off. That's talent, people. I was really looking forward to seeing her train wreck of a live show and then maybe meeting up with her for a margarita, or 10. Sigh. Maybe next year.

Amy Winehouse - Back To Black

2. Kristoffer Ragnstam
Basically? I wanna have his babies. He's Swedish and oh so dreamy, and plus his electropop has won over my heart almost instantly. You know me, I'm never one to turn away a boy who can manage his own beats while still looking good. So let's see if this guy can actually pull it off. Because right now, this is all in my dreams.

Kristoffer Ragnstam - Breakfast By The Mattress

3. Peter Bjorn and John
I got shut out of their New York shows, so I'm going to use my handy-dandy badge to its full advantage and chase these boys around until I can see them play. Plus, I need to sing "Young Folks" out at its most loudest drunkest volume just once. Please don't let that wish come true. Please.

Peter Bjorn and John - Paris 2004

4. Birdmonster
I know. I've seen these guys a bazillion times, and they'll be in New York a week later. I'm aware of all of these things, but never will I pass up a chance to see this band live. And a little bird told me they have been working on some new songs, so come on. I gotta be the first New Yorker to experience those, right?

Birdmonster - Spaceman

5. The Fratellis
As an Apple connoisseur, I can't get that frickin song out of my head. Good thing that the rest of the album is pretty quintessential Brit pop, just my cup of tea. I bet they are pretty fun live too, and well, I got shut out of this show too. Go figure.

The Fratellis - Henrietta

6. Fujiya & Miyagi
From what I've listened to, I dig, and from what I keep hearing about, I should dig them a lot. This is what SXSW is all about. The make or break. And since I don't have to pay for each show separately, I'll give anyone a fair shot.

Fujiya & Miyagi - Ankle Injuries

7. Office
I've still yet to see this Chicago band live, and it's killing me. Their album Q&A was a favorite last year, and I need to see them live. Please, someone make sure I do this. Because it didn't happen during CMJ, and I have only the alcohol to blame. Thank you.

Office - Wound Up

8. Malajube
Again, I got shut out of this show in New York, so here I go. Nora is so excited to hear me sing French to all these songs. I've been practicing and I've almost gotten all the pronunciation down. Actually, not even close. But it's going to be a hoot to hear me try.

Malajube - Ton Plat Favori

9. Lily Allen
I'm a huge huge Lily Allen fan, but I fear that all of her showcases are going to be so gosh darned packed that I'll never get in. Maybe if I explain to someone how often I listen to that album, so often so that I've got all of her songs memorized like the back of my hands, even to the point of mimicking her British cockney accent they'll understand. Maybe if I tell them I'm also British, and I could rock sneakers and a dress just as good as our girl. I need to get a British flag. So much to do.

Lily Allen - Knock 'Em Out

10. Tally Hall
I might just throw out the entire list above and follow these tie-wearing boys around Austin the whole week. I'd be totally content with that.

Tally Hall - The Whole World And You

If you are going to be down in Texas, let me know. I'm going to need all the help (and alcoholic medicine) I can get.

Happy Birthday Nora!

Today is my radio co-host and all around partner in crime, Miss Nora's birthday. She is old-er. And to celebrate, we must do what we do best...drink a lot, dance a lot, and act like all around crazy people. And where is this happening? Our home away from home – The Skinny.

I will be djing tonight in celebration. You are all welcome to come and wish her a happy happy birthday. Festivities start at 10. I can't guarantee anything after that.

Tally Hall - Be Born

i heart kristoffer ragnstam, as well as every other band it seems

Ah, here you are. I knew there was some place I was supposed to rehash my silly shenanigans other than towards my friends. I knew there was a reason for the overabundance of eye rolling as of late. See! One plus of the internet. I can't see your reaction. Horray.

So where did we leave off? Ah yes! Jukebox The Ghost, to whom I declared my new favorite band (in their presence) while toasting a shot (I may have drank a bit too much on Saturday). But in all seriousness, this band made quite an impression. I had never seen them live, but for the past few weeks I have made a killing on their few songs I possess. I spent the better part of their set jumping around and singing out all the words. I really have no shame.

The trio hammered out an extremely enjoyable set to a packed crowd for the early hour on a Saturday night. I was sad to see it end, to be quite honest. Just when I was beginning to get over the initial shock (wow, they really are that good), they started to pack up their stuff. Perhaps that's the reason I drank so much that night -- I must have been in denial.

For better and more coherent ramblings on the awesome show, check out Pop Tarts Suck Toasted or The Music Slut's posts. And keep a lookout for this band. They are coming back at'cha this summer with a Piano's residency. Mmhmm, I knew that they'd make an impression.

Speaking of making an impression. This week I managed to have yet another awkward interview with Voxtrot's Ramesh, and yet another gush-worthy interview with Nic Harcourt. It's funny, both I have interviewed before in my past journalistic experiences. I'd like to think I now have a different outlook, nay approach to my interviews working for a legit publication. Nope, still the same ol' me. It's been a crazy last couple weeks here at CMJ, but my, I never knew how much I missed the actual act of reporting. And even  though I complain on a daily basis, and would rather stay in my nice warm bed and watch 24 all day, I'm pretty gosh darn thrilled that I ended up where I have. It's all been quite surreal.

But yes! Let's talk about music. Because I've actually been listening to some new music and hopefully I'll get back into writing succinct posts about each. But for now, I'll just let you in on my latest find, Mr. Kristoffer Ragnstam (don't ask me to pronounce that) who we did a news story on today, and now that I've listened to him he's one of my new favorite peeps to keep an eye on (there should be a list of those somewhere in my head). Not only is he a cutie mc cute (always a requirement, isn't it?) but his electro fueled pop is almost like a toned down Tom Vek with a little bit more pop. Plus, he's Swedish. He'll be at SXSW, so it is now my goal to make sure I catch at least one show. Wish me luck.

Kristoffer Ragnstam - Breakfast By The Mattress

Speaking of SXSW, I am indeed going for the second year in the row. I haven't had a second to comb through all the emails or schedules, so I'm hoping I can tag along with either Nora or Wes and they will have some sort of plan of action. But something tells me they are thinking exactly the same thing.

I'll also be mulling around with the Birdmonster boys (who just kicked off their ridiculous cross-country tour) and our Ra Ra Riot friends (whose EP you can finally now pre-order.) And yes, Tally Hall will be bringing their tie-wearing selves down south as well. I can't wait to follow those boys around.

Needless to say, I'm psyched. That's all for now.

Just kidding. Here is a brand spanking new track off of Ra Ra Riot's new EP. I've heard some more tracks and shista, they are good.

Enjoy this one for now.

Ra Ra Riot - Each Year In Our Graves

Tally Hall to play SXSW

Oh baby. According to Tally Hall's myspace, the band will be down in Austin for this years SXSW. Horray! And even though I haven't booked lodging, or transportation, or can afford a badge....I'll be there. With bells on.

Yesterday Austinist posted an (un)official list of who will appear at this year's festival. According to them, there's a 98% chance you'll see all these acts.

Amy Millan
Architecture In Helsinki
Badly Drawn Boy
Bloc Party
Cold War Kids
Emmylou Harris
Every Move a Picture
George Byrne
Ghostland Observatory
Girl Talk
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness
Interpol
Les Savy Fav
Lily Allen
Malajube
Margot and the Nuclear So And Sos
Mates Of State
Matt & Kim
Menomena
Morrissey
Okkervil River
Pete Townshend
Peter & the Wolf
RJD2
Rahim
Rocky Votolato
Say Hi To Your Mom
Scissor Sisters
Snowden
Tall Firs
Tally Hall
The Big Sleep
The Frames
The Fratellis
The Walkmen
The Young Knives
Thunderbirds Are Now!
Thurston Moore
Voxtrot
Yip-Yip
Youth Group

The whole un(official) list is here. Who's pumped? Who's going? And who has a couch for me to stay on?

Post-Turkey Mix

I didn't listen to a lot of music this past weekend. Most of the time I was sitting in my apartment watching Top Chef marathons, What Not To Wear (my roommate has given me this wonderful addiction) or countless cheesy movies while sniffling and coughing away. I was on a good amount of medication. If I sat in my room and just listened to music, I probably would have passed out.

However, I am back and breathing fairly normally again, and it feels nice to be out in public. The only time I went out was to take the puppy to the dog run at Tompkins Square, which is maybe the most fun place on earth. You can oooh and awww over so many dogs, and play around with them all day. It helped put a smile on my face during a quite depressing break.

Back to music loving and appreciation, so here's a mix I came up with this morning to help pump me back up into reality. Enjoy.

La Rocca - This Life

Matt Pond Pa - Deer Season

The Biggest Lovers - Threadbare

Blow - Eat Your Heart Up

Tally Hall - Smile Like You Mean It (Killers cover)

Deerhoof - Believe E.S.P. (link removed per request)

Field Music - Give It Lose It Take It

Lo-Fi-FINK - Adore

Robbers On High Street - The Fatalist

Mason Proper - 100 Years

Asobi Seksu - Strawberries

Mazarin - December's Coming

The Blog Show: Best Of

Well it's been seven weeks and we thought it was time for a recap. Plus, it's Thanksgiving so Nora and I thought it best to give thanks to all our favorite bands. Tune in today and all week to "The Blog Show" as we go back and pay respect where respect is due. And sorry if I sound a bit cracked out on this week's episode. I was on a lot of cold medicine.

Head on over to www.breakthruradio.com and click on "The Blog Show."

Here's the playlist:

Brother - Annuals
Modern Class - The Head Set
Tigers - Division Day

Modern Love - The Changes
Someday - The Silent Years
Saved Your Life - Army Of Me

Rented A Tent - A Tent, A Tent - Bound Stems
Lost (On An Island) - The Undisputed Heavyweights
Pretty Mess - A Brief Smile

Wound Up - Office
The Blue Around You - The Benzos
Fast As You Can - Liam & Me

The Once-Great Gender Debate - Sure Juror
Tokyo, Japan - Princeton
Tonight - Ennui

Welcome To Tally Hall - Tally Hall
Be Born - Tally Hall
Ruler Of Everything - Tally Hall

Feel free to gather round the whole fam for a listen. Or maybe not. But either way it'll be up all week for you to enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving :)

SMILE like you mean it!

Still sick. Head feeling like it's going to explode. But I am a trooper and I will stay strong, and you know why?

Nora and I are djing at The Skinny THIS Wednesday as a pre-turkey day dance off. And we JUST heard that there will be 5 hours of OPEN CRAZY BAR from 11pm -4am. 30 dollars for ALL YOU CAN POUR DOWN YOUR THROAT. Holy potatoes, am I going to be hungover for Thanksgiving, or what!

Wednesday @ the skinny
174 orchard @ stanton
10-4 w/ your two most favorite djs EVER

Speaking of how awesome we are, head on over to Nora's blog for Tally Hall's cover of The Killers "Smile Like You Mean It." It's so amazing, I can't stop listening.

And it's only Monday...

Tally Hall @ Knitting Factory

I thought I had seen it all.

Even though I was missing Lost and even though I had been out and about all day and only ran home for a 20 minute clean up session, I couldn't miss Tally Hall. No way. Not going to happen. I heart this band too much.

I've gushed and gushed and gushed, and gushed some more, about how great this band is. I won't put you through it again. But let me tell you. Although the "Freebird" cover they did at Maxwells the other week was fantastic, they ended their set last night with "Praise You." Yes. The Fatboy Slim song. Now we had heard rumors of this cover, and it hadn't been performed in New York for years. But those tie wearing boys brought it back last night and by golly, it was amazing. Zubin and Joe sang it so well, I was fearful they may pass out from holding those long notes. And Rob thrashing on the drums. Holy potatoes.

We ventured backstage with an invite for their amazing food spread. We ate some hummus and chocolate covered pretzels. Yum. This time Nora said I had to be kidnapped by their van. Don't tempt me. I'd follow these boys anywhere.

I wish wish wish wish I had a video or mp3 of their cover, but alas I don't. But I have spent some quality time with their amazing video library. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Okay, I actually fell off my chair.

Check this out and make sure you have a comfortable landing.

Tally Hall, ladies and gentlemen. Truly one of a kind.

Ruined Music on MTV

I have my beef with the station, but once in a while they'll feature some pretty cool stuff. Like Tally Hall, who I'll be seeing tonight (swoon) and then a segment today about Ruined Music, that awesome website that we are kinda addicted to. We named it our website of the week a little while back, so clearly....we heard it first?

I kid, I kid.

Check out the spot here. Bono speaks!