Consolidation of blogs?

Well, here we are in a new year and I realize I haven't been writing much lately on the ol' blogs. So now I'm pondering the notion of maintaining just one blog. I mean, do I really need two? If I can't keep up with one, why do two? The initial intent was for this one to be my screeds and rantings and the other one to be more "scholarly" or work-related. Should I consolidate? I'm thinking that might make it easier. Or maybe I'll just close both of these and create one brand new SUPER BLOG, the proportions of which the world has never seen!! Nah, sounds like too much hassle.

Stay tuned. A decision will be coming soon (and by soon, I mean at the glacial pace that I seem to work under these day :)

Rock the Vote, DC!

Getting cranky/
Need a spanky
"Don't Touch My Bikini" -- The Halo Benders

Just a little bit past the two-hour point of the voting process The Halo Benders came on just in time to remind me that I was indeed getting cranky. And no, thank you, I didn't need a spanky. I would have liked to dole a few out to the poll workers though. Holy Christ. I'm down with the vote. I've never missed the chance to hit the polls and put on my sticker. I got a degree in Poli Sci. I interned for a senator. I understand bicameral legislature. I went to the bars to watch the debates because that's what you're supposed to do in DC. I get it. Then why can't the people who run the polls get their act together and make the whole thing a bit easier and a bit faster? This was the longest I've ever waited in line to vote for anything. I've also never seen lines like this aside from waiting for concert tickets.

I arrived at my appointed polling station on M St. at 8:15am or so. I was feeling pessimistic because of the news reports, but knew I had to do my civic duty. I walked down M St. and saw the line that awaited me. I passed the church and kept walking, then made a left onto 15th St., and kept walking. I finally stopped a few feet from L St. Not a good sign. Luckily, the temperature was pretty decent, I had tunes, a newspaper, some homework, and a cup of coffee. The line didn't move much but I just kept reading. I felt accomplished when I made my way back to M St. Finally around 9:15, I entered the church and noticed my friends Doug and Gretchen walking out. Odd, I thought, considering they were behind me in line. Apparently, the people with last names in the middle of the alphabet were pulled out of line because the line inside was empty for those letters. Cursed by my name! Bugger. Oh well. I figured, "I'm in now. How bad can it be." Well, the A-B line was 2nd longest, only beat by the S-T. So I waited and waited. The hour was nearing 10:00 and my feet were tired, my bladder was getting full, and I was hungry.

After finally getting checked in at the alphabet desk (took over 20 minutes), I got to get into the next line to wait for a ballot. That took a bit over 15 minutes. Then I finally got to get into another line to wait for a kiosk where I could fill in my ballot. DC uses a paper ballot where you connect a broken arrow with a pencil to indicate your choice. Of course they were out of "privacy folders" when I received my ballot, so I had to wait a few minutes for those too. The girl in front of me was getting a little lippy with the lady behind the table. "This early on Election Day and you're already running out of stuff?????? Not a good sign." I agree. Next, I filled out my ballot and then got into yet another line to submit it into the tally machine. There were two machines. One was broken. A tech showed up as I was standing in that line. Finally, success! My ballot was inserted and I received my sticker. I then walked out looking as miserable as everyone else I saw. Yay democracy.

So, overall yes, it's great to vote. You should all vote. We need to do that brand of business. I voted; therefore, I have the right to post this blog bitching about election day. If I hadn't voted, I'd have no right to bitch. The process was just too slow. The flow of traffic was a giant cluster eff. Plus, what was with all the people taking pictures??? Do you really need to document how long the line is for posterity? The media was getting on my nerves too because they kept pushing through the church to get shots of the crowd. Not sure what stations the media were from, but I'm guessing it was nothing you'll likely see, unless you watch the Kazakh Broadcasting Channel. Or ZNN (Zimbabwean News Network).

OK, after class I'm heading to the DCCC election party. Cuz nothing says HAPPY ELECTION DAY than a bunch of drunk politicos waving little flags and drinking free booze ;) Actually, I went last year, or whenever Nancy Pelosi took charge and it was solid event. I remember being on stage waving one of those little flags. We'll see how tonight goes. I have a feeling the celebration will be even stronger.

Summary: VOTE ALREADY. DON'T MAKE ME COME OVER THERE!!!!

Is Atlanta Radio Q100 Playing Games?

There's a radio station down in Atlanta called Q100. I don't know anything about it because I don't live in Atlanta, though I did see a couple of shows down there that I really enjoyed. Anyway, the station had a contest where people submitted videos of themselves singing New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) videos. The videos were voted on, with the winner ultimately winning a trip to Las Vegas to see NKOTB. My friend's friend, who lives in Atlanta, told my friend Dave about the contest knowing that Dave had made a video of a NKOTB song--"You Got It (The Right Stuff)". Dave told us about the contest and drummed up some support. Easy cheesy, right?? (I learned that from "My Name is Earl").

So was it easy? Apparently not. The finals were down to five contestants. People went on the Q100 and voted on their favorite video. The contest ended with a winner to be announced on October 6th. On Oct 9 I asked my friend Dave if he heard anything about the contest and he told me that another group, #5, had won the contest. I thought that was odd. Dave was able to link back to the poll survey results and showed me why he was dismayed. His video had won by a long shot--42% vs. 14%--against video #5, who won.

So what's the deal Q100? Why did video #5 win when clearly #4, Dave and my friends, won (purely based on votes)? I'm calling bullshit for now, unless there were more voting factors that you failed to make clear. Fair is fair and you should at least explain how the other people won. So how 'bout it? What's the dilly?

You're all "Perfect From Now On"

I headed to the 9:30 Club last night with my friend Doug to see Built to Spill, Idaho's finest export since the potato. They were performing "Perfect from Now On" in its entirety. Playing a whole album is a bit of a trend these days. Liz Phair just did "Exile in Guyville" at 3 shows, including D.C. And yes, I'm pissed beyond belief that I missed it. A bunch of other people have done it recently, but you'll have to research that on your own. I'm too tired. Anyway, for reasons not entirely clear, we almost missed the BTS show, and that would be unacceptable. We've been skunked the past few years because they come to DC around 4th of July, which is when a bunch of us go on vacation. Yet here we were with the opportunity to see them, and nobody was out of town, and we almost didn't go. Long story short, I got out of class early, called Doug, said, "HEY! We goin' to Built the Spill or what?" Within a couple minutes the decision was made. And I'm glad of that. And how's this for signs that shouldn't go unanswered? Monday morning, "Car" comes on my iPod on the way to work. Tuesday morning, "Car" comes on the radio. Hmm, lookit that.

I've seen BTS a couple times in the past and they never let you down. And last night was no exception. The whole show was rock solid, start to finish. The Meat Puppets opened. I don't know a ton by them, but I know some of their stuff. I was doubly impressed with the half hour of their set that we caught. Those boys know how to rock, and bring out the twang. That part surprised me a bit. And how's this for more alignment of the stars. Last night I saw the Meat Puppets. Today is the 17th anniversary of the release of Nirvana's "Nevermind". The Meat Puppets performed on the Nirvana Unplugged session back when MTV still played music. Wow! See what I'm saying here?? Watch the signs people.

But I digress. So BTS really wailed it out for the entire show. "Stop the Show" was an intense and dirty highlight. The last song, "Untrustable/Part 2 (About Someone Else)", was hardcore as well, but then it got better. I told Doug how much I hope they play "Going Against Your Mind" after the album. Later, he said he now has it in his head. Uh oh. So they're cranking Untrustable and all of a sudden the opening riffs from "Going Against Your Mind" burst out. Awwwww, shit. Yes. Here's YouTube video of the song (this isn't from last night)



I still remember the first time I heard the song. They played it at a show before the album "You in Reverse" was released. We headed up to Philly to see them at the Electric Factory in 2005. As usual, we were running late because we pregamed too long. As we walked into the club, there was a song that reminded me of motion. That's the only way I could describe it. I had no idea what it was, nor did anyone else. The following year I kept hearing the song on the radio prior to the release of "You In Reverse" and it all came rushing into my head. The song is peerless. It'll get you going like nothing else. And last night they crushed it. I cranked so hard that I actually hurt my shoulder (not the first time that's happened). But it was worth it. Following a quick break, the boys came back out and did "Car" and then a sweet 20-minute "Virginia Reel Around the Fountain." Wow. What a show. See?? "Car". I heard it twice, they play it.

Another interesting note was that from my perspective, the 9:30 was sounding better than usual. I'm not sure if they made some changes, but damn, the sound was tops. Good for them. Glad to see those $6 beers are going to something useful!

So, if you have the chance, go see BTS. You won't be disappointed. Unless indie jam bands with intelligent lyrics aren't your thing. Doug Martsch, the lead singer, also has some solid solo stuff. We went up and talked to him after the show. See, these guys ain't no fancy band with Cristal and all that crap. The picture above shows Doug taking down his own guitar setup after the show. He spent quite some time talking to anyone who was there. Great guy. I shook his hand AND got his guitar pick. Awwww yeah. I'll add that to the one I got from Vince Neil when he opened for Van Halen in 1990something and the one from the Goo Goo Dolls when they still rocked.

SF Outside Lands-Day 2

Yesterday was Day 2 of Outside Lands. It went much better than Day 1. I'm talkin' night and day. After picking up some food, so we could avoid wasting time in the lines, we made our way to the park. The lines on the way in were quick and we made our way to the Sutro Stage, which as a nice hill that gives a decent view of the stage. We set up shop on a blanket and settled in for Devendra Banhart. He's pretty eclectic and I dig his music for the most part. He did a great set, including a cover of Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime". Next up was M. Ward. He rocked and threw in a couple of mellower tunes. Surprisingly, he had two drummers, and the sound was tight. I really dug his show. Rather than moving stage to stage we just stayed at the Sutro stage for a few shows. Next up was Regina Spektor. She plays all her own stuff and mostly performs with just her voice and a grand piano. There were a few times when her sound got drowned out by the blowback from the other stages, but she powered through. By this time our group of 4 had become a group of 8 or 10 as friends arrived. The party was groovin'. While waiting in a bathroom line, I also got a treat of being able to hear nearly all of "Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys" from Steve Winwood's set from one of other stages. No "Back in the High Life" or "Valerie." Sadly.

After Spektor, we made our way to the Lands End stage for Ben Harper. After some crowd wrangling we found some friends at a nice spot and created our own little ghetto. The rest of the crew trickled in. Harper did what he always does--rocked. He makes you think too. But in a good way. We held our ghetto in preparation of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, who were closing Saturday's show. I've never seen Petty (I don't think), but he's the kind of person whose songs you know. He wins the prize for yesterday. I was far more impressed than I thought I'd be. At one point they took a break to fix something on the piano and they came out with Steve Winwood. That was a treat.

Time is running short, so I'll finish this later.

SF Outside Lands-Day 1 Impressions

So yesterday was Day 1 of the OutsideLands Festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The festivities began with a pre-game party at a friends friends house. It was a nice mid-afternoon get together before heading to the Park. Following some shenanigans there, we began the 25-30 minute walk to the park, with a road soda for each of us in our backpacks (you can drink once you get in the park).

Anyway, the streets and trails of the park were pretty crowded with people making their way to the festival grounds. Friday's shows were slated to begin at 5:00. The lines to get in weren't bad at all and security was all but non-existent. We waited in line for a spell to get our ID wristbands, heard Black Mountain while waiting, so that was band 1. Once we regrouped we headed over to the Lands End stage all the way at the other end in the Polo Field. There we caught Manu Chao, but mostly while waiting in the painful line for food and beer. Those basic tasks took close to 40 minutes. Next up was Lyrics Born, on the Avenues Polo Field stage right nearby. If there was a saving grace for the day, it was LB. He rocked. I've never seen Lyrics Born before because he rarely makes it to the East Coast. He rocked and was well worth the hassle. Joy, his backup singer, has one of the best voices in hip hop, or any other music style, and can bring a chill to you. And she did.

Following LB, we moved over to the main stage to see Radiohead, with a "quick" pitstop first. Yeah, no such thing as quick. The polo field was surrounded by porto-potties, but had one access point to get to them. People were climbing over or under the fences to get to them. We headed to the end point of the fence only to be greeted by massive lines. Me and my friend Shane went to the woods, as were most men, and some women. A fence had been knocked down and people were walking in at will. Two dudes walked by and said, "See? I told you we didn't need tickets." Nice. That's what $250 gets you if you play by the rules. Anyway, we attempted to meet with some friends, via text message. The stage area was overly crowded and it was hard to move from the back of the lawn towards the front where our friends were. We pushed along as best we could, but it was in vain.

Overall, the main stage was as shitshow. The sound got knocked out twice during two separate Radiohead tunes. The band was unaware and you could see them still rocking on the video screen. The other big problem was that for a field that big there were only two video screens, on either side of the stage. Radiohead was doing a four-image split, kind of Beatleseque. It sucked. The sightlines were horrid, and the crowd was kind of crappy. The most interesting thing was the girl who was doing interpretive dance to each song. I never saw someone interpretively dance to "Idiotique." But so it goes.

Overall, unimpressive first day. Let's hope Day 2 is better.

And now I must go to get ready for another day. Links and photos to follow.

Morning Hookers and Burning Towels

So we're out for a morning walk today and heading up 9th St. or somewhere near Chinatown, and I'm shocked to see a hooker trying to turn a "trick", as they call it in industry parlance. Or so I'm told. I guess I was surprised because it was around 7:00 am. Though prostitutes are an industrious lot, if we're to believe "Hookers at the Point", they just strike me more as a night-time industry. Kind of like rats, or club kids. Or aliens ("They mostly come out at night. . . mostly"). Regardless, I haven't seen many hookers in the DC area in general. I know that my area (Logan Circle) used to be ripe with them, and I'm not overly surprised that there's still action around Shaw or Chinatown, but still? The morning. Odd. What made it really funny though was the song that came on the iPod as I was getting ready for work. Remember "Are You Ready for the Sex Girls?" by the Gleaming Spires? It was featured in Revenge of the Nerds. Here's the video if you need a refresher course.



And speaking of odd, I was coming home from class last night trying to find a parking spot. As I headed up Vermont Ave, I saw some smoke near the corner of the street. Since the top was down on the War Wagon I was able to smell burning quite clearly when I rounded the bend. There was a bunched up towel sitting on the street smoldering. For some reason, it didn't faze me. This is also just a few feet from where the kid was murdered last Thursday. It hasn't taken me long to realize that Logan Circle is a different world than my old place in Georgetown. Oh well, flavor is what makes the world taste good. Unless it smells like acrid smoke from a burning towel on a 90-degree night.