NO REALLY OFFICER, THIS BIKE IS NOT A PIPE BOMB

Critical Mass TODAY!

at 6:00pm there is a speak out on the steps of the South Side of Union Square. "Still we Speak." This is a permited gathering to let people know about how the city is attacking critical mass and Time's up an 18 year environmental group that should be rewarded for there commitment to a cleaner and more environmental friendly New York City.

Then at 7:00pm its time to pick your spot to start Critical Mass.

There are 4 start point options

1) Madison Park (23rd and Broadway)

2) Union Square North (the standard meeting spot for critical mass for about 8 years)

3) Tompkin square park

4) Washington Square park.

If you are an avid CMers I highly recomend supporting another location besides Union Square Park. When you get to that location, look for other riders and try and gather stragelers to one spot...I think this will become clear.

If you have never been to Critical Mass and were waiting for the warm weather...I say go to Union Square.

The idea is to break things up and make critical mass more fun. One goal will be to try and link up these rides from all 4 locations, but it may not happen. We may all be riding around the city as 4 happy little crews. I'd use the word cells but then of course thanks to media fear mongering...well you get the idea.

(text pulled from BikeBlog)

and don't forget Parts & Labor + Aa at Tonic at midnight.

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MP3:

i've been listening to this non-stop for a week. it's so good.

• Cupped The Band - Want U Dead


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PLAY HARD TO GET, END UP PLAYING WITH YOURSELF

i almost got hit AGAIN coming off the williamsburg bridge this morning. this time a flatbed 18-wheeler decided it needed to drive up over the pedestrian area right at the foot of the bridge. and of course gunned it up without looking. i doubt it was headed up the bridge since it was kinda huge. maybe it was just making a leisurely mid-morning u-turn.

so Critical Mass tomorrow. . . not sure how well this has been disseminated, but i'm still running into friends who haven't heard: multiple meeting points for tomorrow's ride. washington square park, tompkins square park, madison square park, and of course union square. 7 pm. all the rides are then going to try and join up with each other. if the cops are going to keep harassing us, let's make it a bit more challenging for them.

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MP3:

i came across this album randomly a few weeks ago, and i just keep going back to it. it feels reminiscent of something else, but reaches that balance between familiar and refreshing that can really hook you in. any suggestions of comparisons/parallels would be interesting. on this track i hear a little bit of The Microphones and maybe Bedhead. but a lot of the other tracks are a bit more rockin', so yeah, that probably doesn't help you much at all. enjoy.

• The Shocking Pinks - Alice


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IF YOU TRY ANY HARDER YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK

there is so much going on this weekend (again). . . dammit, when are people going to stop having fun so i can get some work done? grumble, grumble. . .

Thursday = Double Dagger speaking (6:30) + performing (8:30) at Cooper Union
Friday = Critical Mass Bike Ride and Parts & Labor + Aa at Tonic at midnight
Saturday = Puberty Press book launch party
Sunday = Grub? and Big Blue Kickball

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MP3:

i know you all are cool and already have this, but it is so good i couldn't pass it up on the chance that SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE doesn't already have it. goddamn it breaks my heart every time.

• Nancy Sinatra - Bang, Bang


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TRAPPED IN THE PLACE I CALL HOME

damn. almost got hit by 3 cars in less than two minutes coming off the williamsburg bridge today. first when a utility truck suddenly turned off the street and gunned it up over the curb to drive up the bridge (without looking). second, when an asshole in a sports car ran the red light (after stopping) right at the bridge. and third when a van cut across 2 lanes to suddenly turn up a side street (again without looking or signaling). god i love nyc.

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MP3:

this one goes out to a certain floridian skate rat. it's the super-team of Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Matt Sweeney, called Superwolf, covering R. Kelly. pretty damn fun (golden shower not included).

• Superwolf - Ignition


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NOTHING IS MORE GENUINE THAN DIRT

good weekend. friday night art openings and good company. saturday fixed my "new" bike, it didn't rain all day, and went to see Out Hud & Hella (okay, possibly the one downer all weekend). sunday went to a bbq with great bands (The Goddamn Rattlesnake, Poor Boy Johnson, and The Two Gallants), and then finished it off at Grub hosted by Visual Resistance. sweet. only thing missing was Big Blue Kickball (rained out). next sunday though. . . McCarren Park, 9:30 pm, be there, bring beer, and don't wear the fancy shoes.

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MP3:

been digging on this lately. has some pretty strong appropriateness to my mindset as of late. when the bad is bad, but the good is good, they cancel each other out. like fire and water in pokemon or something. . . they hit in the middle and dissipate. can't really argue that too much. also kind of reminds me of old Built To Spill or something. man, i miss those "indian summer" days.

• The Shout Out Louds - The Comeback


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F*CK IT DUDE, FREE FOOD

Free food, priceless conversation

Come one, come all: Visual Resistance is hosting a dinner this Sunday in Brooklyn. Toyshop Collective and friends kicked this thing off two weeks ago with the first in an ongoing series of free dinner gatherings at Rubulad, and challenged us to cook for the follow-up. There will be vegetarian & vegan food for about 40 people, first come, first served. Here’s the details:

Sunday, April 24
Rubulad — 338 Flushing, at Classon, Brooklyn (Map)
G train to Flushing or Classon stations, J,M,Z to Marcy, B61 bus to Flushing
7:00pm doors, 7:30pm dinner
Free (donations appreciated)

Now that you know where and when, you’re probably wondering who and why. Find out after the jump:

Grub

A cheap, simple dinner for strangers and co-conspirators.

We are a small group of people who do a lot of other things in New York, like decorate subways and throw parties in the streets. We work with several collectives and art groups, like Toyshop, Madagascar Institute, Visual Resistance and Rubulad. At Grub we’re just offering dinner.

Whether you are active in other collectives, your neighborhood, your backyard garden, or just new to town, we invite you to our table. To get a little squishy, we are looking for practical ways to build community. We are particularly inspired by weekly dinners served at squats in Amsterdam and Berlin, where you can get a cheap, tasty meal and catch up with friends in a cozy room. We like parties as much as anyone, but we think there should be places to talk without a pounding sound system.

We are not gourmands nor fancy cooks; we offer simple food simply prepared. We will only be able to serve 40 people, first come first serve. There will be plates for vegans and vegetarians alike. Please come early and hang out.

IT'S WHEN YOU NEED HELP THAT YOUR LIFE IS LAID BARE

i love that these search terms keep leading people to this site:
"big booty black girls in tight pants"
"beat downs"
"Condoleezza's Gorgeous Legs"

dope sh*t.

and f*ck yeah.

and how in the hell could a public speaker like this guy lose to the babbling blundering buffoon Bush? oh right, cheating. i'll give the republicans this, whoever sat them all down and explained to them that developing technologies (surveillance, electronic voting, etc) would soon become their best friend and biggest advantage was handing them the golden goose.

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MP3:

one thing i kinda like about this site is that i do not have any predetermined theme that i have to stick to. i just post what i happen to like at a particular moment. and so today we are getting a taste of Social Distortion. mainstream punk band from the 90s, but damn they are good. sometimes there is absolutely nothing better than tight fast driving punk tunes. and this morning, as i plodded to work severely late due to my alarm being powerless against me, this song came on and seemed a rather perfect fit for my sentiments from the past few weeks. hope ya like it.

• Social Distortion - Angel's Wings (Acoustic)


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WHEN THE APOCALYPSE COMES, YOU WILL NOT BE INVITED

sigh. where do we really start with this stuff anymore. . . the new pope was a nazi youth and fought with the german army in WWII. now he's the leader of the christian/catholic world. i guess it makes sense.

The Brooklyn Underground Film Festival was a lot of fun last night. i'm tellin' ya, don't miss it this year.

and i love smart hippies.

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MP3:

and here is the previously mentioned Smog from his forthcoming album "A River Ain't Too Much To Love." it has a very "earthy" feel to me. but i've also been half out of my head this entire month, so i think pretty much everything i've said since April 1st should be disqualified. i hope you like this as much as i do.

• Smog - Palimpsest


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EVERYTHING IS BETTER WHEN YOU'RE A WAYFARING STRANGER

we miss ya, Rollo. . . take care behind the iron curtain.

yes, even bad luck does have to take a break every once in a while.

The Brooklyn Underground Film Festival opens tonight. Out Hud + Hella on saturday, The Goddamn Rattlesnake + Poor Boy Johnson with the Two Gallants on sunday. damn this is going to be a good weekend.

and this is awesome. protesters get $231G from the city for RNC arrests. of course i know deep down inside that this won't actually change the way the city and the nypd do things. . . but it still feels pretty damn good.

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MP3:

Langhorne Slim. . . excited, frenetic, stomp-yer-boot-and-spin- around music. damn that's good. now we just need to get a show together with Langhorne Slim, The Goddamn Rattlesnake + Poor Boy Johnson, Oh Death, and Kim & Matt (for variety). hottt damnnnnn.

• Langhorne Slim - In The Midnight

• Langhorne Slim - Sisterhood


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THE GREATEST GIFT NYC CAN GIVE YOU. . . IS THE ABILITY TO LET GO

i don't have anything to say today, except that all luck (even bad luck) has to take a break once in a while. . . right?

and another plug for The Brooklyn Underground Film Festival. don't be mad when you are hearing about all the cool films you missed, you were warned.

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MP3:

it just occurred to me that i never posted any Out Hud. the less-sleazy half of the !!! clan. but still very very danceable, don't be mistaken. anyone going to the show on saturday?

• Out Hud - It's For You


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DAMN BITCH NEEDS A BIKE

Disco Utopia II, see a few more here.

so the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival opens on wednesday at the Brooklyn Lyceum. i have some photos hanging in the VIP room/projection room. my roommate The Goddamn Rattlesnake has some sweet paintings down in the screening room too. you should come by and check it out. or go see some of the great films they have this year. or both.

and don't miss this rare Revs interview in the NY Times, courtesy of Visual Resistance.

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MP3:

Dirty Bill and the bellingham boys bringin' the rock in Federation X. good, dirty, rock. (and yes, i do know that they are originally from yakima.)

• Federation X - Apeshit


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WHERE ALL THE DIRTY GIRLS HAVE GONE

seems like there are a lot of suckers making excuses not to go to brooklyn/bed-stuy tonight for Disco Utopia II. yer all pussies and you're gonna miss out. but that's your problem, not mine.

DISCO UTOPIA II
WHERE: Chicken Hut, corner of Spencer and
Willoughby Ave (top two floors), couple blocks
from the Bedford/Nostrand G train (Bedford exit)
WHEN: Friday, party o'clock - all night
WHAT: Insane dance party, Black Label DJs, booze,
debauchery, etc
WHO: The Moustache Riders and Black Label Bicycle Club
WHY: This is why you live here

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MP3:

in preparation for tonight's party, download this and put it on repeat so you can work on your dancing-into-making-out transitions. very important.

• Missy Elliot - Hot (Ratatat Remix)


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GET THE GOTHS OFF MY BACK

so my neighbors may hate me now, but i love them. i was up till 2:30 am last night, drilling and punching holes (in plexi) in my apartment. and they didn't complain once. next time their salsa bass wakes me up on the weekend, i'm not even going to grumble under my breath.

and i got this last night:

From: Tod Seelies Bike (iamyourbike@yahoo.ca)
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 15:49:11 -0400 (EDT)
To: tod@ofquiet.com
Subject: this is one very crazy world

hey tod...
hey there dear owner
first of all: I miss you terribly!
and now I'm writing you to tell you how I am.
it's not that I'm dead.
but those kids who stealed me from you did some ugly
things for me. they fucked around, tried to break me
in small pieces. but it was late at night and they
went to they're houses... pussys! while they were
messing me around I heard some conversations... about
they not goin' to college for a month and being proud
of it... but I mean...REALLY PROUD.
You are good, you are NICE
if it was on my destiny to come back I would...
we've been together for 8 years... try to not worry my
friend... I'll write here and there to you...
those kids are ROTTEN ugly shit and I really don't
think they will improove anything. Bug is smarter then
they and they're family together... I cursed them all,
they will never ride bikes again... they will break
they're legs then they're necks! HA HA! they don't
deserve your feelings. being good or bad.
I had no idea where was I...
I wanted to go back to hang out with you...
we are such good friends.
but I was lost...
anyway, anywhere would be better than there.
I ran.
ran without all my parts.
I'm glad I had no seat anymore...
no one can ride me basically... wich I'm glad... I'm
not into going out and meeting people right now...
it's not that I'll never love again or never have
friends... but I don't know... now I want to be quiet.

while riding around I've found some lost stuff. one
single old leather glove missing a thumb, a purple kid
knit sweater missing one arm... hey! we could all live
together on the 'stuff missin' stuff' kingdom... Ha!
if you ever get something missing you can join us!
hahaha... oh life...

I miss you buddy. you made me a smart and tuff bike.
you did a good job.
it was good to take you around
it was good to be taken around

Love,
Your bike.

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MP3:

so all the tracks i wanted to post today were covers, all of 'em. but i kinda want to save those for the next covers comp. so then i was going to post some new Smog from his forthcoming album. . . but i forgot i had to clean up the tracks first, so not today. soooooo. . . i'll post something that always makes me smile when it comes on. the Young Marble Giants (from wales) came about in the late 70s and hit their peak in the early 80s. still somewhat obscure, and with little recorded material, they are an overlooked gem that deserves better.


• Young Marble Giants - Brand New Life


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LIFE SUCKS DIE

sorry for the photos, been having a rough couple weeks.
Bonus: totally related

and this makes me feel like i'm covered in spiders when i watch it. via Scenestars.

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MP3:

been listening to this a lot lately. british, grime, eskimo, Vice comp "Run The Road," etc.

• Dizzee Rascal - Lucky Star


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OH NO YOU DON'T

early warning folks, Disco Utopia II is happening this friday at the Chicken Hut. 2 floors of the hottest dance party you ever seen. at willoughby and spencer in brooklyn. . . all night. brought to you by The Moustache Riders, The Black Label Bicycle Club, and the nice kids at the Chicken Hut.

oh yeah, and here's a news flash, police departments (NYPD) tamper with evidence to convict innocent people. gee, i'm shocked or something.

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MP3:

i HATE Sheryl Crow. and i hated her even more when she covered this song (horribly, of course) and then released it as the single from her last album. that is the sign that you really suck, when you have to release a cover of a popular song as your single. this is the version of "The First Cut Is The Deepest," by Norma Fraser. i have rarely heard a song so emotive as this. so when you listen to it the first time, stop whatever "important thing" you're doing and just listen.
*Note: originally written and recorded by Cat Stevens

• Norma Fraser - The First Cut Is The Deepest


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IF YOU'RE RICH, YOU'RE PROBABLY BORING

Mr. Johnny of S.T.R.E.E.T.S.

someday i'll stop bitching about how it's gotten almost impossible to get tickets to see any good shows that come through nyc, especially at bowery. now i tried to go see The Kills in jersey on saturday, only to have that sell out as well. so if anyone has got a spare ticket to tonight's Kills show at bowery, holla my way. i got a nice crisp $20 bill for ya. or maybe i'll just take a second job so i can just throw money at all those online ticket-service-fee joints and never miss another show, well except for all the shows i would miss cause i have to work my second crappy job waiting tables for ironic college students. that would kind of suck, i think.

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MP3:

S.T.R.E.E.T.S. = Skating Totally Rules Everything Else Totally Sucks. don't need to say much more, i don't think. the best skate thrash band ever, hailing from vancouver. i wish i could post everything of theirs i have. don't ever miss a chance to see them, even if you have to leave your grandma waiting overnight at the bingo joint. . . it'll be worth it.

• S.T.R.E.E.T.S. - Georgia Street

Bonus:
• mystery mash-up


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TO BE A YOUNG PAROMAR AGAIN

something i'm working on with my friends this weekend:

Grub

A cheap, simple dinner for strangers and co-conspirators.

We are a small group of people who do a lot of other things in New York, like decorate subways and throw parties in the streets. We work with several collectives and art groups, like Toyshop, Madagascar Institute, and Rubulad. At Grub we're just offering dinner.

Whether you are active in other collectives, your neighborhood, your backyard garden, or just new to town, we invite you to our table. To get a little squishy, we are looking for practical ways to build community. We are particularly inspired by weekly dinners served at squats in Amsterdam in Berlin, where you can get a cheap, tasty meal and catch up with friends in a cozy room. We like parties as much as anyone, but we think there should be places to talk without a pounding sound system.

We are not gourmands nor fancy cooks; we offer simple food simply prepared. We will only be able to serve 40 people, first come first serve. There will be plates for vegans and vegetarians alike. Please come early and hang out.

Sunday, April 10
Rubulad
338 Flushing, at Classon, Brooklyn
G train to Flushing or Classon stations, J,M,Z to Marcy, B61 bus to Flushing
6:30pm doors, 7pm dinner
$ = pay what you want, and bring your own booze
for info: elstem @ yahoo.com

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MP3:

The Blow is a newer offering from K Records. word on the street is that their first album is out of print, so that should make this track a little more choice. i got it from Sto, but sans track names (if anyone knows the title of this track, leave it in the comments please). i could try to give you some background and tell you how close they are with Mirah and The Microphones, and how The Blow was sort of originally Get The Hell Out Of The Way Of The Volcano and all that. but i am really tired and in a bad mood, so you'll have to do some digging on yer own if it sufficiently perks your interest.
*Update: the track is called "Hey Boy", thanks chris.

• The Blow - Hey Boy


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$4 PUNK SHOWS WILL SAVE THE WORLD

Guadalupe, Japanther, and Kim & Matt (about to be hit by a locomotive) playing at Pratt Institute last night.

no really they will. punk shows will save humanity. when the apocalypse comes and everything is reduced to rubble, the punks will begin rebuilding society by learning to play their favorite punk tunes by adapting them to rhythms using different materials to bang on. slowly small tribes will start forming around the group that can play the best Minor Threat song, or Fugazi, or Fifteen, etc. . . they will eventually grow and become very much like original native tribes, a society based around a primitive musical tradition. after all, that's the point of the apocalypse. . . to return humanity to it's long-lost origins. there will be other tribes, mostly based on early hip-hop due partially to the ease and attraction of sparse not-overproduced beats (and love, peace, dancing, girls. . . rather than drugs, guns, sex, murder). so these tribes will become the basis for a new humanity, all thanks to the tradition of the $4 punk show.

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MP3:

13 & God is the collaboration between Notwist and Themselves. Spacey Scandanavian pop meets mellow and strange indie hip-hop (thanks to being stranded in canada). it's been on pretty constant rotation in my head as of late. i should also note that both tracks are pretty different, with one side of the collaboration taking a bit more of the spotlight on each. so definitely give 'em both a peek.

• 13 & God - Perfect Speed

• 13 & God - Superman On Ice


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TOUCH IT AND KILL YOU

okay, so i not only have had my tires slashed and my lock jammed in greenpoint, i now have also had my bicycle stolen there. and the only reason i am more upset about it than the usual "damn. . . that suckssss" is that it was a birthday gift from my father when i turned 14. which in itself isn't a big deal, except that a year later he stopped having anything to do with me (long story). so it was always a constant subtle reminder of better times with my dad. now some jackass has it, minus the front tire, seat and post. good for him. i hope he gets hit by a garbage truck. (mentally add in a crazy long-haired bearded guy popping up in the background, yelling "F*CK HIM UP!!!" and then running away.)

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MP3:

so i've been lovin' this ever since i heard it a few weeks ago (but the covers comp had just started, so i had to sit on it for a bit). i was always never sure how i felt about Fannypack, were they just some flash-in-the-pan band with a fun novelty song ("Cameltoe"). . . or would they actually stick around and become a regular on any decent dance floor? turns out the latter is true, and all those cute butts in short skirts/tight pants are going to be doin' a lot more shakin' because of it.

• FannyPack - Feet And Hands


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YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE BECAUSE YOU KNOW LOSS

i woke up sick this morning, AND found some douchebag tried to pick my bike lock with a key and broke it off inside. everytime i leave my bike locked up in greenpoint something sh*tty happens to it (slashed tires, messed up locks, etc). so now i'm hunting for bolt-cutters. . . anybody got a pair i can borrow? i'll pick 'em up and return them. c'mon, i know you all got spare pairs of bolt cutters lying around somewhere.

- norwegians want to blow up america
- Mr. T raps about momma
- RIAA is starting home searches to catch and punish illegal downloaders

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MP3:

COVER SONG COMPILATION: #3 = LAST DAY!!!
so that's it people. . . it's all over. you have all the tracks and the song lists to match them up with. let's see those correct lists and save the lazy people the trouble of figuring it out for themselves. the first person with the complete correct list wins, uh. . . bragging rights or something.

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- insert outside (cover) [jpg] [pdf] [web]

- insert inside (song list) [jpg] [pdf] [web]


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MELTS YOUR FACE WHILE MOVING YOUR FEET

it's monday. i saw this show on friday. i'm still reeling. seriously. Lightning Bolt, Panthers, and DMBQ at this crazy transplanted polish miami dance club in greenpoint. Panthers = awesome. Lightning Bolt = awesome (even with the kinda insanely massive crowd. . . so much so that after having people knock over the drum kit, Lightning Bolt even asked if they shouldn't get up on the stage). and DMBQ (from japan) = totally mind-blowingly amazing. the photos don't capture half of their craziness or insane music. they definitely listen to a lot of Lightning Bolt and a whole lot of Hendrix. as soon as their set was over (and all the pieces of the drum kit had been returned to the stage from toppling the tower) there was this kinda thuggish dude behind me that kept yelling "BEST BAND EVER!" over and over again, until everyone had dispersed and he was standing there alone. . . then he stopped.

and Todd P. is a mad genius for making this show happen.

unfortunately i didn't know that they played at Asterix the next night (there's this thing called "promotion" Asterix people), so i missed a second chance to see this crazy spectacle. anyone go to that show? how was it?

Japanther with Kim & Matt at Pratt Institute on wednesday.
The Goddamn Rattlesnake & Poor Boy Johnson at Apocalypse on thursday.

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MP3:

COVER SONG COMPILATION: #3
below the tracks are cd-sized files (jpg or pdf) for printing out your own booklet (both inside and outside). the important part is that the INSIDE file has the song list, that being: the artist on the cd, the song, and the original artist. . . however they are all out of order. so download it and match them up as i post 'em. when it's all said and done you should have a pretty good 22 track mix cd of cover songs. i did not try to select obscure of difficult covers, i picked what i did based simply on what i liked. so while some will be very easy (and possibly already on your computer), it is intended to be a mix cd first and foremost. if there's a good response i may resurrect cover comps #1 and #2. #4 isn't far behind either. . . if for some reason anyone has trouble reading the song list, let me know and i'll just list it below. leave your guesses in the comments.

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- insert outside (cover) [jpg] [pdf] [web]

- insert inside (song list) [jpg] [pdf] [web]


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