Category
Musings
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09.13.09An Open Letter To The Pet Shop Boys or How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?Dear Neil and Chris, The ticket I purchased to your upcoming performance in Seattle has just arrived! It’s been forever since I’ve seen a Pet Shop Boys show; in fact it was on the stunning “Performance” tour. The stage direction, the costumes, the amazing cast of dancers and back up singers was something I have not seen before or since in a live pop music performance. It was, and still is the best live show I’ve ever seen. Needless to say, I was excited to be a VIP for your new Pandemonium tour -albeit I had to pay to be a VIP which is something I’m ...
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09.05.09R.I.P. Jake Brockman, The Fifth BunnymenPhil called me Wednesday to break the news of Jakes Brokman's passing. I was on my cell phone and at first I didn't understand who he was talking about. Who? Somone associated with the Bunnymen? Which one? I hung up still not understanding. When I got home, I checked out my twitter feed and when I saw Jake's name, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Jake Brockman. Jake Brockman. Jake Brockman. I couldn't believe he died tragically in the same way as his good friend Pete De Freitas did just over 20 years ago - on his motorbike. ...
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07.24.09The Chivalry of M83’s Anthony Gonzalez"Chivalry is only a name for that general spirit or state of mind which disposes men to heroic actions, and keeps them conversant with all that is beautiful and sublime in the intellectual and moral world." -- Kenelm Henry Digby in Chivalry: The Broad-Stone of Honour Given that definition, I bestow upon Anthony Gonzalez the title Mr. Chivalry 2009. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a pacifist with a large peace sticker on the bumper. I'm constantly telling my six year old to use his words. I'm a lover, not a fighter. However, if a big burly security dude ...
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07.11.09R.I.P. Tom Wilkes 1939 – 2009This morning my friend Matt passed on the sad news that Grammy Award-winning album cover designer Tom Wilkes passed away this week. Like Matt, he was a Long Beach native. Tom Wilkes gained national prominence when his advertising firm landed the 1967 Monterrey International Pop Music Festival. He designed and created all the graphics, posters and other print materials for the festival, including the iconic psychedelic poster that was printed on foil stock paper. According to his daughter, Katherine Fotch, "He won an award from Reynolds aluminum for the most creative use of aluminum foil. He was always very proud of that." Music ...
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06.22.09Rob Gretton On The Record – 1 Top Class ManagerI just received this in the mail. 1 Top Class Manager is how Rob Gretton(January 15, 1953 - May 15, 1999) referred to himself as Joy Division's fifth member in the book. Through financial thick and thin, this amazing publication chronicles Joy Division's rise as one of the most influential bands of all time. 1 Top Class Manager is definitely for fans only - who else would care how much Stephen Morris (Joy Division's drummer) was owed for petrol from a late night gig? Rob was a dedicated hoarder, note taker and doodler. The compiled notebooks, memorabilia and business records have been ...
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06.08.09Sonic Boom Is Great, But Not Everyday.I recently set up my turntable which has been in storage for too long. It's a pleasure to sit on the couch with the windows open and listen to Dionne Warwick, Four Tet, Boards of Canada and Donna Summer. On a warmer than usual spring day it's fun to visit some of Seattle's record stores and dig around for cool music. I thought I would take some time to share some of my favorites for when you are out and about in Seattle. I don't have a straight up favorite record store but my favorites all have something that keeps me ...
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05.25.09Spencer Moody, you picked the wrong girl to fuck with[caption id="attachment_1594" align="alignnone" width="700" caption="Spencer Moody being an ass"][/caption] So, I'm happily shooting the main stage at Sasquatch, minding my own business. I'm shooting the Murder City Devils. There are about 20 of us photographers in the pit. I should have known that things could get a little crazy after Spencer Moody, the Lead singer, starts on a log-ass heterosexual rant. He's clearly quite agitated. I can't remember the whole thing, but it ended with, "A lot now, we play these shows in front of a lot of people, and I see a lot of gross, disgusting high school jocks in the ...
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05.13.09Erik Blood: The Way We Live Exclusive!Regular readers will notice Erik Blood's name being dropped here and there. Erik is one of the dearest friends I have in my life. The day we met we knew we would get on well. For years, Erik has shared pretty much every demo from his band, The Turn-Ons and his own material. It's always a thrill to be the first person to hear some of his crazy and usually spontaneous pop gems. Erik recently sent me a new song called "Jet Inside You". It's an early demo for a new album - I won't tell you what the concept is ...
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04.30.09Deb Googe: Join Me For A Drink?So you're sitting at Six Arms on Seattle's Capitol Hill. Fresh from a Sunday afternoon nap, ready for an IPA and some pub grub. Some girl who looks exactly like Deb Googe from My Bloody Valentine walks by. What do you do? Well I would run down the street after her - and I did. I walked quickly out of the restaurant and loudly said, "excuse me!". She turns around and I ask "Is your name Debbie?". The answer is "yes" and I proceed to become more of a shaking, bumbling geek than ever. I told her that I'm a huge fan and ...
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04.15.09My Bloody Valentine: Is EverythingAnyone reading this probably knows the news about the return of My Bloody Valentine. What you may not know is how obsessed I am with them. When Isn't Anything came out in 1989, I was so taken with the woozy and melodic approach they took to making pop music. I was working at Tower Records on Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue at the time. One of my co-workers bought it for me as a gift because we didn't carry it. When they played at Axis near Fenway Park, I gathered the troops. I made sure that all my friends went even though ...
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02.27.09R.I.P. Indie Rock Playlist[caption id="attachment_99" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="criznittle, creator of the Indie Rock Playlist"][/caption] I am so bummed that one of my primary sources of discovering new music is no more. For the past two years I've looked forward to Criznittle's Indie Rock Playlist, a tasty 120 track torrent he curated each month. In his honor, I give you two tracks that I never would have found if it weren't for Criznittle. Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream download mp3 | visit myspace page Wombats - Let's Dance to Joy Division download mp3 | visit myspace page Where do you find new music? ...
