LollapaloozA

I've succeeded in sweating through all of my clothes! Gogol Bordello is on stage, and the crowd is dancin' their sweatty asses off. The next two bands are Bloc Party and Radiohead...assuming I don't die of heatstroke.

Now including transsexual hula hoopers!

Here in Anaheim, CA for the annual American Library Association conference. Last night, Michael, Amalia and I went to see the stellar Lucha VaVoom show. This was a wild night, as we watched Mexican wrestlers in full costume beat the hell out of each other. In between matches, we were treated to a variety of strippers and dances. Oh, and did I mention that there were three person tag-teams featuring a match between three "whales" and three "chickens," and each team had one tiny wrestler. This was perhaps the most fun/strange thing that I've seen all year. Check them out if they are coming through you town.

Tom Waits

Here's a link to Tom's latest promo material for his upcoming tour...in the format of an interview with himself. Entertainment awaits.

one

In a bar called the "Fat Buddha" in Chinatown, drinking a beer, U2's "One" comes on. I sing along. So does the blonde in the green sweatshirt.

Blogging from Blackberry at ISA

I got in to San Francisco yesterday, and things are going well. The Hilton where the International Studies Association conference is being held is a huge labrynth. It took me 15 mins just to find the conference registration desk. I'm looking forward to going out tonight and seeing more of the town....but now it is time to hit the pannels.

My year in music

So here it is. My 2007 music list. I went to a bunch of shows this year, and of this list I saw LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, Ryan Adams, The National, and Bloc Party live. I am really looking forward to seeing Cloud Cult in concert in January 2008. I hope that you also like some of this stuff.


1. LCD Soundsystem, Sound Of Silver
All My Friends
North American Scum

2. Battles, Mirrored
Atlas
Atlas (Live version)
Tonto

3. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
Antichrist Television Blues
Intervention

4. Radiohead, In Rainbows
Bodysnatchers
Jigsaw Falling Into Place

3. Cloud Cult, The Meaning of 8
Chemicals Collide

4. Bjork, Volta
Earth Intruders
Declare Independence
Declare Independence (Live Version)

5. Ryan Adams, Easy Tiger
Two
Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.

6. Grinderman, Grinderman
Honey Bee (Let's Fly To Mars)
No Pussy Blues

7. The National, Boxer
Fake Empire
Mistaken for Strangers

8. Dizzee Rascal, Maths + English
Flex
Excuse Me Please

9. Bloc Party, A Weekend In The City
I Still Remember
Hunting for Witches

10. Gogol Bordello, Super Taranta
Start Wearing Purple
I Would Never Wanna Be Young Again

Other Great Albums:
Panda Bear, Person Pitch
M.I.A., Kala
Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Feist, The Reminder
Arctic Monkeys, Favorite Worst Nightmare
Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Loney, Dear; Loney, Noir
Jens Lekman, Night Falls Over Kortedala
I'm Not There (Soundtrack)
The New Pornographers, Challengers
Jose Gonzalez, In Our Nature
Lily Allen, Alright, Still
The Shins, Wincing The Night Away

Beautiful Sorta

I spent 3+ hours of Ryan Adams and the Cardinals last night in Indianapolis. The show was fun, but long. I have been an Adams fan since 2000(?), and I have never seen him live. The show started late (supposed to start at 8, they went on at 8:45-ish), but they played until 12:20-ish. This was a long show, but Ryan spent huge chunks of time mucking around with guitar tuning (isn't this what a guitar tech is for?) and god knows what else.

Several songs were stretched out into what I would call "Jam Band Hell." I spent some time wondering if Ryan was summoning the spirit of Jerry and possibly Trey Anastasio. The band just isn't very good with the whole jam band crap. However, the non-jam parts of the songs were awesome...and to be fair, they didn't jam on everything. They played a bunch of my favorites and Ryan was pretty funny in talking to the audience. There were some genuine idiots in the audience who kept shouting obnoxious things through the night. I'm thinking that there needs to be a "no frat boy" rule at all shows from now on. They all have to go to Dave Matthews Band shows and leave the rest of us alone.

Here's the setlist:

Set 1:
Peaceful Valley
Beautiful Sorta
Please Do Not Let Me Go
Rescue Blues
The Sun Also Sets
Goodnite Rose
Bartering Lines
Off Broadway
A Kiss Before I Go
Shakedown On 9th Street
Cold Roses

Set 2:
When Stars Go Blue
Nightbirds
Why Do They Leave
Everybody Knows
Let It Ride
What Sin Replaces Love
Dear Chicago
Mockingbird Song
Pearls On String
Wildflowers
Easy Plateau
Games
The End
Magnolia Mountain
Dear John
Freeway To The Canyon

Encore:
Wonderwall
I See Monsters