so today kicked off the 5th Do You Hear We? Punk Fest in Chattanooga. I am in Puerto Rico though for two weeks which is rad in its own way but FUCK! I wanted to see Big Kitty and you know, every other amazing band (except for the Real Drag mysteriously). GEEEEEEZZZZ!
THURS JUNE 2nd JJ's BOHEMIA
730- BIG KITTY 815- FAST BOYS 900-TRIGGER MORTIS 945- CARSICK 1030- ROWDY DOWNSTAIRS 1115- BOBBY JOE EBOLA AND THE CHILDREN MACNUGGITS 1200- FUTURE VIRGINS 1245- SCUM OF THE EARTH
FRI JUNE 3rd JJs BOHEMIA
715- BASTARD KIND 800- VERY VERY SNEAKY 845- FLIES AROUND IT 930- SUNSHINE SS 1015- AYE NAKO 1100- GHETTOBIRD 1145- SHOTWELL 1230- HONKY HORN AND BAD MOUTH 115- ZIPPERS TO NOWHERE
SAT JUNE 4th SLUGGO's NORTH
545- DEAD DOG 630- COPING METHODS 715- DARK RIDES 800- SNARLAS 845- HOMEOWNERS 930- WITCHES 1015- LANDLORD 1100- ONION FLAVORED RINGS 1145- POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS 1230- YE OLDE BUTTFUCK 115- ADD/C
SUN JUNE 5th TBA 100-400 POTLUCK PICNIC / MERCH SALE
I don't remember much of this show. Admittedly was in the parking lot for 75%. Drinking some delicious peach moonshine c/o Casey, whiskey c/o Adam Foster, and smoking cigarettes. I should have paid better attention. I mean, Dark Rides is a Chattanooga supergroup, made up of members of some of the best bands around here (Sexy, Future Virgins, Hidden Spots, Jack Palance Band) and Hidden Spots are a total institution in these parts. I am an idiot sometimes. And sometimes broing out takes precedence over the all-mighty rock out. Rarely, but it does happen.
I did, however, watch the Future Virgins who were releasing their new LP "Western Problems". Of course they were good. And the record is good (and was included with the $10 cover, $3 if you are a miser and didn't get the record). But I was kinda loaded and gleeful and talking to cute boys so how the fuck would I even know?
Chattanooga's music scene is kind of amazing. Thanks Chattanooga for giving me what Daytona and Orlando never could.
(Note I did not take this pic and it was actually from the show at Sluggos. but whatever it's still Trigger Mortis)
So I am a totally bias fan of all these bands. I think the Fast Boys are a really fun band and better live than the Greenhornes (odd comparison? my reasoning previously stated here)/ The Real Drag is fronted by one of my best friends Casey Collis (they also have kind of a foxy drummer) and this was my first show seeing them as a three-piece. As for Trigger Mortis, I have made no secret about the fact that they are my favorite Chattanooga band, subject to change now that Big Kitty, another project featuring Trigger Mortis's Amanda Cagle, is playing shows again.
Totally bias.
I was kind of surprised and delighted to see this sweet lineup at Ziggy's, a venue I haven't went to for a few years now. It's not that I don't like Ziggy's, quite the opposite. They just never have any bands I really like anymore.
First up, the Real Drag. I certainly miss the old days of Bathtub Gin but I don't feel like Casey's new project lacks anything. In fact, I am pleasantly surprised that he is allowing GASP! a third member. (Yeah, I have heard tales of Bathtub Gin being a three-piece but I have actually seen this supposed third member as much as the mythical Chupacabra) This was the first show with new member Jimmy on bass and I honestly wasn't sure what to expect. Actually, I am a huge fan of the shows where Casey played drums, guitar, harmonica and sang. It seemed more distinctive and more awesome. Even when, ESPECIALLY WHEN, he went into a room of "I don't care who's playing in the room 10 ft from me" rude-ass hipsters at Discoteca (RIP) and talked absolute shit while still playing! I took a couple shows to adjust to Eric playing drums. It was good and all, just a totally different sound than when Casey did it. Now with a bass player, the sound somehow feels more filled out. And I dig it. it's just different. DIFFERENT IS OK.
I have to admit that for part of the Fast Boys set I was drinking moonshine in the parking lot so I didn't see all of it. That shit sneaks up on you. The Fast Boys don't do anything especially different or difficult, but there is something just something about em. I guess it's just the plain, simple, not annoying punk rockness of it all. They are just fun. Plus, Justin is amusing. He is kind of awesomely unpredictable: either super nice or drunkenly belligerent.
Oh Trigger Mortis! Always good. Amanda Cagle is a magic combination of Talented/Cute/Funny. Rare. Bob is a great drummer who adds radness to a plethora of Chattanooga bands, not to mention the unassuming zombie that is Old Dead Steve. This show was not unlike the rest of their shows I have seen. They were fun and fucking fantastic. I did think the sound could be better. At first, I could hear no vocals. Also, I want more jokes. I really luv the jokes. But I can still say that they are my favorite band in town. MORE MORE MORE.
Ziggy's has kind of a shitty beer selection but I kinda like that they obviously don't give a shit. ZIGGYS FTW
*UPDATE: The Real Drag bass player has left the band, so if you are interested in playing bass in a really great band (for 6 weeks tops, my guess) inquire about that shit.
My biggest regret about SxSW was the insane amount of times I managed to miss Hunx and his Punx play for what would have been my first time. This is why I was so happy to get the chance to see Hunx play with Shannon and the Clams (Shannon is in The Punx) and Nashville's favorite sons, JEFF the Brotherhood as well as locals Heavy Cream at The End in Nashville on Record Store Day. I kind of would have liked to go to Mess Around in ATL which featured Hunx, Shannon and the Oblivians (just to name my faves) but you cant be everywhere at once. Afterall, I had to be in Chattanooga Friday night to be UTTERLY UNDERWHELMED by the Greenhornes. Sigh.
If I had went to Atlanta though, I would have missed the radness that is Heavy Cream. There were some definite technical issues but nothing I would say ruined the show. I willadmit I was a skeptic after my companion remarked that they were "all cute". Not knowing what that means, I assumed they weren't that good. Wrong. They were awesome. And yeah the girls were cute.
Shannon and the Clams were fun and sounded perfect. Yeah it's kinda kitschy but who cares!? The music is shangri-las mixed with a John Waters movie in the best possible way.
Hunx and his Punx? I am not sure how to say it except that hairdresser/singer Seth Bogart (Formally of Gravy Train!) is probably the best frontman around and I wish he wasn't SO GAY because I am in love with him. When I went to buy merch from him I was a level of retarded normally reserved exclusively for Jenny Lewis and Lou Barlow.
THEN CAME JEFF the B-Hood. When I initially asked who was headlining the show (I assumed either Hunx or Shannon) I was told point blank by a Nashvillian "Definitely Jeff, ever since last year, I mean duh were in Nashville" Huh? Did I miss something. When they finally started playing and the jam packed club of under 21ers went absolutely fucking nuts, I felt similar to the confusion of seeing Odd Future at SxSW. Everybody went ape shit. But for good reason. Holy shit they are good. Dont know how to explain their sound. Rock. Good. Listen.
(Photo by the ultra rad Steve Cross for Nashville Scene)
So this show was supposed to celebrate Record Store Day, be in the very small and intimate Third Man venue in Nashville and only have I think 300 people. I was fortunate enough that someone I know got tickets and magically wanted me by their side. YAY!
Then, as they tend to, things changed. The venue was changed to the parking lot in front of Third Man (WTF?) and they released another couple hundred batch of tickets. So less intimate, outside and lots more people. BOO! Then due to the fact that it was FREEZING on Record Store Day, they moved the show to the next day. Good, because for a second, I was convinced that Jack White was trying to kill the KILLER.
So the show went down on Sunday at 1pm, perfect weather in Nashville. Those Third Man employees all decked out in their terribly fitted yellow and black suits and dresses. Jack Lawrence (of course, he's everywhere) was there, as he was playing bass for Mr. Lewis. Jack White was there too, taller than I expected and making faces at small children. Old softy.
Now for the music. I wasn't exactly expecting the Killer of old, jumping around playing the piano full of fire. More like a feeble elderly man, half-assly belting out a few singles. Where as he did mostly stick to his most famous songs, and there was no piano pumping, there was also nothing lackluster about it. No opener, tight band, it was kinda short but oh so sweet. He even adorable made a request for some Sprite "The only thing I drink these days" in that lovely Louisiana drawl that somehow made me smile from ear to ear. Some highlights for me were "Sweet Little Sixteen" and a great, though tamer version of "Whole Lotta Shakin" (Yeah there wasn't that much shaking actually going on, but this was an annoyingly hipster crowd of course). I had no doubt that he would play "Great Balls of Fire", though I did have doubts he could pull it off in the way a classic like that deserves. But I was so wrong! When Third Man releases the vinyl of this live performance in the next few weeks, listen to that track and tell me that it doesn't sound like it could have been recorded at the height of his career.
Let me start off by saying that I saw Jack Lawrence Friday, Saturday and Sunday somehow. He was ever present and always super awkward. SO SO SO awkward. I didn't go to mess around in Atlanta because I wanted to see the Greenhornes play in Chattanooga with my friend, who was a huge fan and had never seen them. I had seen them once last year at Max's in Hoboken, NJ and it was sorta boring but I chalked that up to being exhausted and overstimulated from the Lou Barlow show that I had seen earlier that day. Made my friend buy tickets in advance. Thought it would be awesome...
Meanwhile, I met up with my friend at Sluggos for the tribute show to Joey Ramone on the anniversary of his death. Sluggos is one of my favorite places in Chattanooga. Yeah they only have beer and their food is a bit on the overly healthy side, but thats actually a nice change sometimes. Great beer specials, great taste in music. And free Ramones buttons! I was just starting to enjoy the bands at around 10:30pm when I find out the Greenhornes are about to start so we haul ass over to JJ's Bohemia.
JJ's was naturally packed. Tried to buy a Greenhornes lighter (not a zippo but a plain lighter with the Greenhornes logo printed) but gasped at the $5 price tag. SAY WHAT? No thanks. I did however procure some AMAZING Ray's Homemade jerky on the back porch. Man, the show was so BORING. Even my friend, who has praised the Greenhornes incessantly for years was bored.Finally, we said "Fuck this, I'm bailing" before they even completely finished. I hardly even saw anyone I knew there accept a couple of old drunks Im not even fond of. BOO!
So we arrived back at Sluggos, thank God, in time to see the Fast Boys. The Fast Boys are local and not especially extraordinary, but somehow they were perfect! Basic Punk Rawk: simple, conscise, sloppy, and fast. It was exactly what I wanted to hear. I am a fan. The night ended ok afterall. I looked around at everyone in their sweet leather jackets and DIY patches and thought of NYC in the 70's. I thought of the difference between those punk bands back then and all the overblown other shit that was happening. Shitty Disco. And all the hyped shit that may have been epic on record but was padded with overpriced t-shirts and egos live. All the shows I had paid for and been disappointed. Weezer back in 2001. The Cure in 2004. The White Stripes at Sloss Furnace in 2007. The Strokes at SXSW this year. These less than stellar shows effectively ended my great love of these bands, not that I ever loved the Greenhornes like that, but my friend sure did. Yes those bands are still great and hold some place in my heart, but the countless t-shirts I have just remind me of how much I once loved them and saddens me to know how much I just don't anymore. Like childhood posters of Gavin Rossdale, I can't identify with the person who felt so strongly. How can a love so pure and true and big just end so quickly with one bad music experience? The higher the pedestal, the harder the fall I guess.
So last weekend was my beloved Record Store Day. Normally a day of general joy for vinylphiles like myself, in Nashville it is nothing short of a frenzy, with Grimey's Records leading the charge of shows and screenings and lines around the block. Third Man was naturally also insane due to inclimate weather forcing the rescheduling of Jerry Lee Lewis, as well as the fact that they are pretty much a porn store for completist record collectors. But I was cold and tired and not really into dealing with all that mess. I, being the resourceful and lucky charmer that I am, got a young man to pick up my desirables, the (limited to 1000 copies) mono version of The International Submarine Band and a Velvet Underground 7". Subpop released a sweet compilation I got, as did many other smaller companies. There were free shows from some of my favorites including Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Hunx and his Punx. Hell I can only imagine who was at Amoeba in LA. I have to say, this has become one of my favorite holidays. The idea of a day specifically to celebrate the dying greatness that is your local record store is amazing and long overdue. Yes, you can download pretty much everything, including the rarities specifically released on Record Store Day. But what can compare to the actual feel of a new record in your hand? To colored or marbled and numbered vinyl? A gorgeous picture disc? A shitty quality MP3? Hell no. And the sound of a record, even a scratched record with it's crackling and popping, is just...more special I guess? Regardless, it's the sound for me.
The first time I saw the Drive-By Truckers was at the Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga circa June 2004. It was right after Decoration Day came out and Jason Isbell joined. A friend had burned me Alabama Ass Whuppin, a live cd, so I somewhat knew what to expect. But I just couldn't have predicted before that show how much pure pleasure and southern pride I would get from seeing them live then and all the countless times since.
But like most things tend to, the Drive-By Truckers have changed over the years. Isbell left and has since done 3 solo albums and Muscle Shoals legend Spooner Oldham joined them around the Dirt Underneath tour in 2007, followed by Jay Gonzalez. Ultimately, they have calmed down a bit, if not musically definitely in their subsequent live shows. Maybe I am just bias ever since Isbell left because since 2008 I have probably seen Isbell play 3 or 4 times as much as my beloved DBT. And I haven't been that into the albums since the 2008's Brighter Than Creations Dark, much less The Big To Do or Go Go Boots.
However, DBT was coming back to Chattanooga's Rhythm and Brews. This is as close to a hometown show as they will get outside of Alabama in my opinion. Chattanooga really really loves this band. I missed the openers because apperently the show started hella early, but when I got there around 9:45 it was completely packed out, with people driving from all over the South to see them play. The theatrics weren't there like on the Dirty South or Dirt Underneath tour. But musically it was they were on point. Still.. I missed some the excessive drinking/rocking out that I had always seen in their lives shows. I can't tell whether they are just showing their age or they are just more subdued. They played a lot of new stuff which was honestly pretty good, but that meant less of the classics I have known and loved from the years. It's hard for me to love this version of the Truckers when I am still so blatantly mourning the old days, the era Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell pretty much equally shared in the vocals (and I am sorry to say this, Shawna Trucker stuck to bass) and every show had your adrenaline pumping, your ears ringing and you begging for just one more. All and all, this was good show. Just not as wild and awesome as when I saw them there in 2005. Then again, maybe neither am I.
Ok so I am a superfan. I have tour art tattooed on my sidebottom. I cannot be objective.
That being said, I went and saw Sebadoh in Nashville at the Mercy Lounge with some of my bros and of course, it was amazing.
This tour was sort of to celebrate the reissue of Bakesale and Harmacy, my two favorite Sebadoh albums. Lineup was Lou Barlow and Jason Lowenstein of course, but instead of Eric Gaffney who has always sort of annoyed me, they had the Bob D'Amico who plays with Lowenstein in the Fiery Furnaces. I really loved when Mike Watt's drummer Raul Morales was playing with Lou last year, but this guy was certainly adequate at least. They played pretty much everything off of Bakesale (which means I was super stoked on life) including "Careful", "Magnet's Coil" "Shit Soup" "License to Confuse" and "Got it", some of my favorites. In the encore, as Lowenstein yelled out "Black tar living room couch professor!" (from "Not Too Amused") I thought I was gonna have an aneurysm from pure joy. I also got to hear my three favorite tracks off Harmacy, "Prince-s", the song that got me into Sebadoh way back in middle school "Ocean" and an amazing version of "On Fire". When they played "Brand New Love" off of Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock/The Freed Weed, I was so happy my eyes watered a bit.
There was even some funny Lou banter when he proceeded to tell everyone how Conor Oberst goes through a mic a night due to his spitting problem.
Turbo Fruits: Liked it, should see this Nashville band more Natural Child: This is probably my favorite Nashville band actually. Saw them at the Jackalope and they filled me with pure joy, my favorite kind of garagy rock. Mister Heavenly: Michael Cera's band. didnt get to see them. Really bummed me out Smoking Popes: Holy Shit, this band sounds as good as they did in 1995. I was super impressed. "No More Smiles" was perfect even with my splitting headache and lap full of Long Island Ice Tea. Heligoats: They were no Troubled Hubble but I truly love this not-so-new project by their former singer. Catchy in exactly the right way. Still kind of Built to Spillish but without the pretension. Surfer Blood: Their live stuff still lacks some of the punch of their album. I guess it's the great production and echoey vocals. That being said, still really fun live. The Strokes: Um, I was sort of disappointed only because I built up seeing them live again as my mission in life. Not their fault. Too many people (free show after all) and I am not that into the new album. But when he butchered lyrics to songs I know by heart, it was somehow endearing? Personal and the Pizzas: Good but not as epic as I thought theyd be. I officially like Hunx and his Punx better Screaming Females: They had a screaming female. kind of cool Deer Tick: MOre forgettable than the last time I saw them opening up for Jenny and Johnny J Mascis: Loud, man he played a shit ton of times Odd Future: I was scared of the frenzied crowd and frankly, underwhelmed. Screeching Weasel: Ben Weasel sure loves to hear himself talk but between his incessant bitching there were some heart exploding happy moments when I sang my heart out and jumped around to songs I truly love. Then he punched two girls. Joey Cape: He was good and all, and maybe I am a jerk for this, but I really wanted to hear some Lagwagon Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: Good everytime I saw them. Big shock. Seriously though, I could have watched them 10 more times and not been bored. Caitlin Rose: She was funny and had just as beautiful a voice if not more so than on her recordings. In that setting however (daylight, free drinks, dumb people) it didnt hit me as hard as I thought it would. I mean, when I listen to "Sinful Wishing Well" I have been known to cry. This room was way too happy. Dead Milkmen: Holy shit this was amazing. They were so fun and happy and great. dancing on stage with random punkers, playing new songs which actually didnt suck, this was the highlight of my time at SXSW. I almost climbed the scaffolding and stage dove but realized I was wearing a short dress. OFF!: I was mostly getting bacon wrapped pickles at concession during this set, but I seemed fun and raw and rad. Weird long banter, there was the reading of a children's book. Still don't understand. Mean Jeans: So fucking good. I get why all my friends are obsessed now. Garage punk at its absolute best.
So my intention was to report everyday on my experiences. That did not happen because A: I didnt bring my computer. B: I was having too much fun. C: I will do this right next year okay?
I ultimately did not buy any sort of ticket or wristband prior to this event. Who has $750 dollars to spend? Not me folks. Not ever me. TIP #1 I did however, under the sage advisement of Seth Graves, RSVP for a shit ton of free parties everyday through Austin360.com which I highly RECOMMEND, but create a different email address or get spammed all year. I also downloaded a free app for my phone.
We (mostly Seth) drove 13 hrs, all night, to arrive in Austin around noon, Wednesday the 16th. Seth got his press pass from the convention center and on NO SLEEP, we began to drink and see bands at one of many free parties, including the PUREVOLUME party (free booze). Note on PureVolume: Although great on some levels, the long lines and general doucheyness of this everyday party makes me think I will avoid it next year. Right off the bat I saw Jason Isbell play and Caitlin Rose so I was pretty stoked, that was at the Swan Dive. I also at some point went over to Emos (Yeah? I think?) and saw the Fruit Bats while enjoying free Sparks. Which brings me to... TIP #2. Get all the free shit you can. Free drinks are yours if you plan accordingly, as is free food (and holy shit the breakfast tacos are plentiful at SXSW) just get there early. But you can generally get at least 1 free shirt everyday (I got a rad free SXSW shirt at an Eventbrite party, a Firefly Vodka shirt and a random shirt featuring Richard Pryor with Dre headphones. I dont get it, but I do love it). But there are so much other freebies, strings, water bottles, cell phone cases, hair dos, photobooth pictures, tote bags galore and even capos! The free parties are where you get this shit, plus free music. Just RSVP in advance although hardly anyone checked it.
I literally saw so many bands that I cant quite remember everything, plus I was admittedly quite drunk. I managed to only pay for 6 shows there and they were all pretty reasonable. Jason Isbell ($15 at Swan Dive), the Heligoats ($10 I think, Easy TIger) Joey Cape and Screeching Weasel ($20 at Scoot Inn ugh but thats another story, see TIP 11), Joey Cape at the Fat Wreck CHords showcase ($15 maybe at Barberella ?) the wonderful Smoking Popes ($20 Maggie Maes Gibson Room, good venue) and probably best bang for my buck, Mean Jeans and River City Tanlines (Easy Tiger for a measly $5). So my conclusion... TIP #3. Don't buy a badge. I spent less than a hundred dollars and saw most of everything I wanted since the Strokes were free and most everyone else played several free day parties. The badges are several hundred dollars and yes you dont always have to wait in a line and you have more flexibility to go between shows, but SHIT! Theres so much music at all times that its overwhelming. You will be fine.
TIP #4. Nap. Between noon and 7pm ish, there are free parties and booze and wonderful times to be had. The shows start about 8ish with the good headliners after 11pm. It is tempting to think you are gonna party all day, catch J Mascis at 6pm (He literally played everyday around 6 somewhere I was), eat your 50th free taco and then start your nights shows. NOPE, YOU WILL CRASH AND BURN. I say, get home by 5ish, take a power hour nap and get in line around 8 for the hard to get in shows and up to about 9 for everything else. How to get home at 5pm for said nap?...
TIP #5. Dont think you can drive or get a cab friend. Not a wise move AT ALL. Cabs and parking is few and far between. If you do cab it, get a cabbies name and number asap and try to call them first. My housemates found a Pantera listening to, pothead cabbie who was super nice and helpful. But ultimately bicycles, walking, or a 24 hr bus pass ($2) is definitely the way to go. Oh and speaking of walking...
TIP #6. WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES! Seriously. Everyone there is absolutely gorgeous and super fashionable so rest assured you will not be the best dressed there regardless of what you do. But even comfortable shoes will hurt your arches if you have been on your feet for several hours so be prepared. Oh and layer. The desert is hot in the day, cold and breezy at night so a light jacket you can wrap around you/sit on during the day will be your saving grace at night. This was especially true at the Mess with Texas Party.
TIP #8 MESS WITH TX RULES! RSVP (though they wont check) and plan on going to the free Mess With Texas Party. Not an official event of SXSW, it is a little far off from the main area of shows, couple miles maybe. It was at a huge outdoor venue with lots of amazing eats, reasonable shade and two stages. Ted Leo, Deer Tick, Screaming Females, OFF!, Lemuria, !!!, Fresh and Onlys, The Oh Sees, Surfer Blood, Dead Milkmen and Odd Future all played. It was definitely my favorite event. Come on, THE DEAD MILKMEN PLAYED!
TIP #9 Go with cool people who hopefully are veteran South Byers, or at least be ok with going solo and do your research. I had the pleasure of going with a friend with similar taste, but he had a press pass which sometimes meant, I was slummin it solo. But I met a lot of cool people (free rides!) and stayed with 8 people who all seemed pretty rad so I was generally not alone. That being said, for at least a couple hours every day I was by myself, but I had a blast. Why? Because I go to do whatever I wanted. And I am a nice, sociable person. However, I wasnt there to socialize, I was there for music. And that was never in short supply. Speaking of my friends...
TIP #10. Dont lose your cell phone!!! You will be fucked. get a tracker app if possible just in case. Carry extra batteries or at least a charger. For God's sake dont lose it because you will just be screwed. Payphones arent real anymore. My friend Seth had his stolen at the Pure Volume douchery over shitty vodka and probably shitty music. I left mine at Barberella but luckily the people there were cooler and someone turned it it, and I rewarded those good samaritans with Jameson shots. I would have had a small aneurysm otherwise. Someone elses phone magically appeared in a tote bag when were back in TN which means someone else lost their phone when their totebag got mixed up with my friends. DONT LOSE YOUR PHONE, YOUR LIFE WILL BE OVER.
and last but not least, BONUS TIP #11. Dont throw Ice or beer or a dirty look at Ben Weasel, or he will punch you in the face or kidneys. Especially if you are a girl.
Evidence:
Next post: Reviews of especially rad/ memorable bands from SXSW.
Theres nothing more satisfying than doing exactly what you want when you want. SxSw and live music in general brings me the kind of bliss, core happiness that nothing else can. As the oh so wise Drive-By Truckers say " Its fucking great to be alive"
So I am leaving for SXSW soon (or South-by as the hip music insiders say but eff that). I tried to get a platinum or music badge via eBay but failed repeatedly to win the auctions as I refuse to pay over $500 for the essentially 3.25 days of music I'll get arriving Wednesday night/ Thursday morning.
Then suddenly, a $500 Platinum Badge (get in to everything, don't pay, no real lines) pops up on Craigslist. Rad right? So I contact the guy, using his gmail address, I gchat him and he tells me the only catch is that I cant pay via paypal because he doesn't have an account and it would take too long to verify. This made sense until I googled his email and saw he was selling several pairs of tickets. RED FLAG. Why wouldn't this guy have a paypal? Still, I did as instructed and went to to Walmart, and put $500 on a greendot card. As I paid for it, I read on the package specifically NOT TO PAY PRIVATE PARTIES. So again, I feel really uneasy. The, quite by accident I google ToddEldridge81, accidentally leaving off @gmail.com. AND WHAT pops up via Craigslist? "SCAM toddeldridge81 Ticket Scam!! - $300 (Ultra Music Festival/ Basketball)" Needless to say, I didn't buy the tickets. Now I am simply gonna go down to Austin ticketless and hope for the best. I did just receive my Pitchfork Festival tickets in the mail for July 15-17th. So I can sleep a bit easier I guess.
Last night I bailed on Jucifer. It was a 30 minute drive in the pouring rain and my wipers were acting up. Im lame, I know.
Just scored a day pass for each day of the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago, July 15-17. Cost me $157, Instead of the $110 it would have if I had purchased the 3 day passes when I first thought about it. Whatever. still gonna be cheaper than my SxSW experience, that's for sure. "The Pitchfork Music Festival once again returns to Chicago's Union Park July 15-17, and we're thrilled to reveal some of the more than 40 artists who will perform on this year's eclectic bill. Among the acts who will appear: Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, TV on the Radio, Cut Copy, the Dismemberment Plan, Deerhunter, Destroyer, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, James Blake, and OFWGKTA (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All), Das Racist, Kylesa, Curren$y, Woods, Yuck, and Sun Airway. Many more will be announced soon."
So this is my first post in what is hopefully going to be a totally rad, rock and roll filled year for me. I just outlived Kurt Cobain and have somehow managed to be the least attached person on the planet who is not (completely) homeless. I am single, have no kids, no addictions, no pets, no mortgage. I work for my family occasionally when I am not traveling, working in politics. Sometimes this nomadic lifestyle has it's advantages, such as randomly being in various cities on someone elses dime, allowing for a wider range of show choices than in the Tennessee where I reside. But I find myself working 13 hour days, 7 days a week which usually means I cant make it out for live music unless it's really important. And forget about having the next day off to recover.
WELL 2011, you are gonna be a horse of a different color. My new year's resolution was a simple one. Music, my true love, is gonna take priority this year. Im gonna go broke in the process of seeing as many bands play as possible. I'm gonna go all over this fair nation in pursuit of the epic experience. Im gonna see the Strokes like a deadhead. I'm gonna foolishly make out with drummers and bass players. Im gonna edit these memories for my children who will ask me "Hey Ma, you really saw LCD Soundsystem?" To which I will reply, "Yeah, but I kinda bailed to watch MIA. Seriously, she was amazing"
My boss told me that older people have almost every advantage in life. They have more money, education, and experience and are generally just more put together, less awkward. But the young are better with technology (I don't care). And (... this one really pains me) the youth decide whats cool. I pointed out that I AM STILL COOL. He pointed out that that's only if the hipster population, respects my opinion and therefore still thinks I'm cool. It doesn't matter if its good or not. God, I was literally the exact same person when I was 14 as I am now.
