Emo

Watch this segment from local cable news in Utah on "emo." It's amazing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYyUT3lG96Q

I <3 Bill Waterson

I give you the Calvin & Hobbes Searchable Database!!! Waste the day away!!!

http://www.transmogrifier.org/ch/comics/search.cgi?options=advanced

(Thanks, Shelly.)

Bye Bye Moose

So it seems Manny came up big last night and put the pathetic Yankees in their place. Thank you, Tavarez. My man Dan Shaughnessy had some great words about last night, as usual.

The highlight:

"While Pettitte and Schilling work at Yankee Stadium, Clemens will be pitching in Trenton (Double A). He is on course to return to the majors in Toronto next Tuesday. The perfect scenario would then have Clemens pitching at Fenway against the Sox on ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" June 3. This would result in mayhem not seen at a Boston sports venue since July 1972 when the Rolling Stones showed up at the old Garden four hours late after getting arrested at the Warwick, R.I., airport. Boston Mayor Kevin White was credited with preventing a riot and the Stones, naturally, were greeted with wild applause when they finally hit the stage at 12:30 a.m."

"The Rocket will not be greeted as kindly. In fact, his reception will make Johnny Damon's return to Fenway look like a parade through the Canyon of Heroes. Imagine Don Imus being introduced at next year's NCAA Women's Final Four."

In other great sports news, the Ducks eliminated the Wings last night for a trip to the Stanley Cup against the Sens. At the very beginning of the season, my prediction was Anaheim vs. Buffalo. I'll pat myself on the back - the Sens eliminated the Sabres in the last series, so I came surprisingly close. This is going to be a very close series. I would like to see the Sens win, because they've been around for longer and never won the Cup, plus I'd like to see a Canadian team take it all. Then again, I wouldn't at all mind if Giguere won. I love this time of year...

Quack Quack Quack Quack

Killer Cars

Friday night we left the Electric Factory and headed towards home to hit up some bars. When we began to cross Callowhill I noticed that there weren't any cars coming, and that their light would soon be turning green. As a result, I "jogged" across the intersection. Right when I got to the end I heard Shelly or Jeff Doug yell something to me. I looked to my left and saw a white car barreling towards me, seemingly unable to slow down. It all happened so quickly and before I knew it I was riding on its hood for about 20 feet. I quickly realized that I absolutely could not fall; if I fell I would be seriously hurt. Now, here's a quick history of me: I'm accident prone and I have terrible balance. Terrible balance. Apparently however, that's until I'm in serious danger. I rode that hood like a surfer rides a wave, and I kept my balance the entire time.

When I landed on my feet I immediately shook my body to make sure I wasn't seriously hurt. When I realized that I wasn't, I started walking in small circles in complete disbelief that I had just been hit by a fucking car. It was then that I noticed Shelly shouting at the driver after making sure I was okay, and the driver in turn yelling at me. That was the moment I came down to reality, walked to her window, and said, "Stop yelling at me! You just hit me with your Car! Okay?" I ended up fine. I took her information after convincing her that indeed, everything was fine and I wouldn't sue her or anything, it would just be a good idea to get the information.

Getting hit by a car was truly frightening. It was also one of those instances when I step back and say, "Only me..."

Graduation Playlist!!!
Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond (This new record is mint! Get it!)
Neil Young - After the Gold Rush
Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads
Morrissey - Ringleader Of The Tormentors (Just got tickets! June 29!)
The Boss - Nebraska
Dylan & the Band - Before the Flood

I Just Wanna Bang on the Drum All Day

It's official. On Sunday afternoon I graduated from college. I'd say "What a strange experience" or something sentimental like that, but honestly it felt natural. My uncle came down with my parents and we had a blast. The weather was perfect and the Guinness flowed like water. Last Wednesday I began interviews. I found my way up to Norristown and aced an uneventful and disappointing interview. That evening though, they invited me back for a second round the next day - a sort of "day in the life" experience. Again I trecked a couple of hours via train and bus to the suburbs. Long story short: I found myself an hour into Delaware selling pizza discounts door to door. I kid you not. That's what my writing gets me with a "direct marketing job". Needless to say, an hour into it I told him that I wouldn't be working for him. It was a frustrating and sobering experience because the guy I had the interview with directly lied to me about what I'd be doing so that he could get me there.

In unrelated news, I'm really trying to stomach this new Wilco record. The first times I listened to it I was completely disappointed - angry at Tweedy for making such a half-assed effort. Now though, some of it is growing on me. I also picked up the new Dinosaur Jr. record, Beyond. Now that is some stellar music. Mascis still rocks harder than Slayer. Speaking of metal bands, Venom was in my dream last night. They played La Salle's Dunleavy room. I just remember Erich and Lou being really excited for some black metal. Anyways, Dinosaur are not metal, they just bring me back to 1984. Well, they bring me back to 1984 the way a weekend with Jeff Doug brings me back to 1969.

Speaking of Jeff, he's coming down Thursday for a few days - namely the inappropriately confusing lineup of Mastodon, Against Me!, Cursive and TAAS on Friday night. Either way, it will be a trip.

If you dig stuff along the lines of Isis, Pelican, or My Bloody Valentine, there's a terrific "project" called Jesu, which recently released a new record, Conqueror. You can stream it at http://www.jesuconqueror.com/

I also shut down my old "lastfm" page because I'm very computer illiterate, and opened up a new one. Add me if you still keep one up. http://www.last.fm/user/whiteriot13/

And one last thing...come on Buffalo! You were my Cup picks. Regardless, Chris Drury and Daniel Brière remain hockey gods.

Lux Interior

The Cramps have to be one of the greatest bands of all time. Check out these videos...one is live from the Napa State Mental Hospital. How did that show ever happen? How did authorities at a mental hospital let a band like the Cramps in?! Horror sex rockabilly punk pulp fiction. It's all there. The audience wanders around the room dancing like zombies. It's so strange. "Somebody told me you folks are crazy. Well i'm not so sure about that."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5OMuj4FpII

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9aYGKsbjP0

The Break-Up

Friday I hiked around the city getting tickets for the last shows of two of my favorite bands: Kill Your Idols and Boy Sets Fire. BSF at the Troc is going to be a blast. It's been so long since I've seen them or anything, but I remember in high school when I borrowed J Ro's copy of "The Day the Sun Went Out"; I immediately copied it onto a cassette and listened to it over and over and over again for years. That was probably the first record that you could be angry and intense while maintaining a good deal of sensitivity. I remember going out and buying "After the Eulogy" not long after that and, even though it wasn't as "essential" to my youth, it still made an impression on me and I played the shit out of it. I feel like a lot of people are going to cry at this show. That will be entertaining, but I can't blame people for letting that band mean so much to them.

Saturday afternoon saw the final Philadelphia show for KYI. I've been really stoked/bummed on this show for awhile. I have never, since the 10th grade, missed a KYI show. Well, I missed one but it wasn't my fault. The last time they played was at the 7 Seconds show two years ago. I remember the show was almost canceled because of some lame fight involving FSU and a Champion roadie. We all waited in the cramped Church basement for over 1 1/2 hours until the decision was made to carry on. I was right up front and KYI walked on and made those 1 1/2 miserable hours completely worth while. Always been too punk for a lot of hardcore kids and too hardcore for most punk kids. Consequently, there shows have always been full of kids who listen to classic American hardcore. All hell broke loose that night, and in measuring it up to that, Saturday was kind of disappointing. There were so many people there but everyone just stood in the back. It was so fucking stupid. The last time they headlined in Philly there were about 30 kids there and we all went off because we all wanted to be there so badly. It was so obvious so early on this weekend that people were there so that they can say they were at KYI's last Philly show. Lame. I'd say about 15 of us consistently went off, but I was hoping for a lot more. Bad Brains and Jawbreaker covers rule though. Where was the Negative Approach!? Hopefully I can make it to there show in Jersey this weekend.

PS - I just heard that the Explosion are splitting too. Fuuucccckkkkkk...
PSS - Go Sox. Gregg, your Yankees suck.

Playlist
Pixies - Bossanova
Tom Waits

Ugh, allergies

Tonight sees the start of the second round of the NHL playoffs. The NY Rangers defeating the Atlanta Thrashers in four games was perhaps the greatest shock of the first round. Now they go up against the mighty Buffalo Sabres. I maintain that Buffalo will win the Cup this year. Over the past few years I have slowly but surely become a hugs Sabres fan. I think the sentiment was finalized when we drove through Buffalo last summer on our way to Ohio and about 1/5 of the houses and apartments that we passed, had Sabres flags. I love that - when a city not only gets behind but breathes their team. Erich and I placed our next round of bets last night. Below are the upcoming series - my picks are bolded. I am very confident that I will be making some dough on this.

Buffalo (1) v NY Rangers (6) - We are not betting here as we are both aware of the power of the Sabres. Buffalo in 6.

New Jersey (2) v Ottawa (4) - Although Brodeur made me a bit nervous against Tampa Bay, and I hate to cheer for Jersey, Scott Gomez will carry them through. I don't think that Ottawa has the defense to hold NJ back. The goal tending battles will be interesting though. NJ in 7.

Detroit (1) v San Jose (5) - I know that the Sharks can beat Hasek, as great as he is. Thornton drew countless penalties against Forsberg and the Preds last series, giving the Sharks the upper hand, and I see him doing it to Detroit. Although the majority of hockey fans are picking the Wings, I think that San Jose will pull an upset. San Jose in 7.

Anaheim (2) v Vancouver (3) - Vancouver is exhausted from 7 very long games with Dallas, so the Ducks will (have to) win the opening home games. Roberto Luongo is the Canucks last chance. Expect more overtimes than in the Dallas series! Anaheim in 6.

Gooooooo SEPTA!

It's that time of year again! Prepare for the second annual "Melrose Mullet Madness Gallery!" Only Barry can reference Cool Hand Luke and soft-porn with hockey.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2007/news/story?id=2834375

By the way, mad props to SEPTA for taking 45 minutes on the Express line to transport me from City Hall to Olney this morning. I could completely understand if this was just a one time accident; a train in front of us was having problems and we had to wait under this sparkling city for repairs. But the more I ponder, the more I recollect this happening at least five other mornings since Christmas. You know, no, I really would rather spend my time in other places than an 8 AM lit class, but the orange line is not that place. I would rather jump naked into a tub full of broken glass. It's a good thing that today's Metro had less spelling errors than usual. Can you say excited!? Ecstatic!? Thrilled!? Boy oh boy that newspaper really puts a smile on this bearded face! Especially when I'm sitting a hundred feet underground on a Hepatitis coated seat, reading about how SEPTA's fares are estimated to increase by 30% soon.
I <3 Philly.

Playlist:
Tragedy
From Ashes Rise

Team Rollins

Oh yeah, the new season of the Rollins Show begins this Friday the 13th, at 11 PM on IFC. Words cannot describe how great this show it. Half an hour of one pissed off man plus rad guests and musical performances.

Also, the NHL Playoffs commence tonight. Yesterday I placed my bets with Erich. It goes as follows:

Pittsburgh (5) vs. Ottawa (4)

San Jose (5) vs. Nashville (4)

Dallas (6) vs. Vancouver (3)

Minnesota (7) vs. Anaheim (2)

New Jersey (2) vs. Tampa Bay (7)

I have all the teams on the left. We are leaving the other three series out because both of us know that the NY Rangers will lose and that both Detroit and Buffalo will win. According to espn.com, I will win this round 3-2. According to my own judgement, the same will happen, only Pittsburgh will win where Dallas will lose. I also think that Minnesota has a genuinely good chance of defeating Anaheim. If they do it will be a huge upset and happen in 7 games. Anaheim has lost the steam that made them a #2 seed, and the Wild have been gaining that momentum. Either way this is my favorite time of year. It's funny because my mom's always pissed in these months because my dad's watching every game. Shelly has a genuine interest in hockey and will probably watch a couple of games with me, though more in the finals like last year. I'll just have to have beer present. The best lure in human history.

'91

There's a documentary called "1991: The Year Punk Broke", which follows Sonic Youth and Nirvana on tour around Europe. There are also peformances by Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr, Ramones and others. It's rad as hell. Someone uploaded it onto Google Video. If you have an hour and 40 minutes to spare, check it out.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5074745239075255736&q=year+punk+broke&hl=en

Rose McGowan

Last night I saw Grindhouse. I reccomend this film you you are not offended by any of the following: Rose McGowan go-go dancing, immense amounts of blood, immense amounts of slime, the word "fuck", the word "bitch", brain-less skulls, Rose McGowan, naked lesbians, accidental suicides of children, insane car chases, car crashes, severed limbs, Rose McGowan, Kurt Russell in a leather jacket, Sheri Moon Zombie, werewolf nazis, stakes in eyes, Bruce Willis playing almost as much of a badass as in Die Hard, severed balls and spending the best $9 you've spent in a long time. Seriously, Grindhouse was the greatest "theater experience" I've ever had. People walked out. It was that good.

This past weekend I found my old Mighty Mighty Bosstones records. That band is so good. I was skanking all afternoon Sunday. I read somewhere that Dicky Barret is now an announcer for the Jimmy Kimmel show. Huh?

Also, this new Cusack movie looks really rad. Check it out.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0450385/

Blue Moon & Egg & Cheeses (with tomato)

Last night Shelly and I went to Kildares for their "Ms. Kildares" event. Pat Pirate's girl, Theresa, was competing so she put on us the guest list (my self-esteem just went up!). There was free Blue Moon and Coors Light from 9-11; we got there around 10. This left us with an hour to justify: 1) the 25 block walk there, 2) the atmosphere. I don't have anything against Kildares it's just not my kind of bar. The people who generally go there (20-something business school graduates with expensive shirts) are not the kinds of people I choose to surround myself with. So with that said, we drank a lot of Blue Moon in an hour. A lot. So much in fact, that when I stumbled out of bed this morning I was drunk and hungover simultaneously. You know those mornings. The problem with this was that it was 6:30 and I had to go to La Salle to give a presentation. Damn.

As I walked outside listening to music, I realized two things: the day might not be so bad, and I really needed an egg & cheese. Even as I walked through Suburban Station I was enjoying myself. Good song, positive outlook, egg & cheese. This lasted until I found myself sitting in class forty-five minutes later. Oh man. I was no longer stoked on the day. I will say this though, egg & cheeses (with tomato) from the Lunch Truck remain the tastiest mother fucking egg & cheeses (with tomato) in this city.

I'm wearing a Sonic Youth T shirt with a flannel today. Think I'll listen to some Alice & Chains when I get home.

Playlist:
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead...
Mission of Burma - ONoffON

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

One defining aspect of spring/summer made itself prevalent today; the weekly newspapers began featuring full-page adds of outdoor shows. This week PW has a huge Morrissey advertisement. I saw him once...he changed his shirt three times during the show. That day definitely was not like Sunday.

Yesterday Shelly took off work and I skipped my internship. We took the R8 to Chestnut Hill and went hiking along Forbidden Drive. If you haven't done this yet, I highly recommend it. We walked for about 10 miles through the woods. It was a beautiful warm day and there weren't a lot of people out. Perfect day. When you're out there you feel like you're on the Appalachian Trail. It's amazing that, technically, you're still in this dirty, dirty city.

What's up with Modest Mouse tickets being $36?

Playlist:
Do Make Say Think
Hot Water Music - Caution
Avail

Handshake Drugs

The weather has made the past three days beautiful. Although it's sleeting out as I type this entry and I was wearing my winter jacket during my classes this morning, I've been wearing T shirts lately. Strange NE weather. Last night I had this feeling of excitement for the summer. I hate the heat more than any one, but there's always something charming about summer. With hockey playoffs a few weeks away and spring training underway, I'm pretty excited. Speaking of hockey playoffs, it's always interesting to compare the conferences in the final weeks. Like usual, the standings in the east will most likely be determined in the final days of the season. It's been so close. Contrary to the what NESN might be saying, the Bruins are out of the race. They may have two more games to play than most teams but they won't be able to make up the points. The west on the other hand is not so close. I think Colorado is at least 10 points out, in ninth place. Western teams have so much talent that when the playoffs come most of their games are decided by one goal and go into seven games. As a result, when one gets to the finals they're too worn out to compete with the east. I'm would really love to see Pittsburgh win it all. Mario did a great job saving them again and keeping them in the city. Realistically though, I think Buffalo will indeed take it all. Either way I'm so freakin' excited.

Playlist:
Jawbreaker - Dear You
Wilco - A Ghost is Born
Built to Spill - all

ISIS @ the TLA

Last night I attended the Isis gig at the TLA. Because I always end up going to their shows solo, I aimed to make it in time for the second (of three) bands, skipping the opener, and delaying the awkwardness of being around metal heads. The band I was aiming for was Torche. I saw them for the first time last summer when they opened for Mogwai and, stoned out of my mind, I felt like I was seeing the heaviest band in the history of music. Last night I was dead sober and I had a similar experience. It's not that they have a lot of chugga-chugga breakdowns or they paint their faces like Norwegian satanists or anything, their sound is just so thick and layered. Also, when the drummer uses double-bass he further emphasizes the sound by riding his first and floor toms, which are well-mic'ed at that. If I had to compare them to other bands/sounds I would probably say the doom atmosphere of Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, the layers of SunnO))) and the heavy heavy complexity of Botch. Right on. Anyways, as I was handing the door man my ticket they were literally striking their first chords.

After Torche came Isis. I was impressed that even after reaching the level of popularity that they have, they still set up their own equipment and everything. This made for a quick segue into the music with no lame delay to get the crows psyched like most bands do. The music was phenomenal. They opened with "Wrists of Kings" and went on to play(including the encore,) 8 songs in 1 1/2 hours, pretty much without breaks between songs. That equates to about 11 1/2 minutes per song. I might have miscounted and it was 9 songs, but you get the hint. You need an attention span for this shit. It was great. They also played "Not in Rivers, But in Drops," "So Did We," "Holy Tears," and amazingly "False Light." SoooOOOoooo Heavy. For an encore they played "Celestial" too. Everyone was so stoked.

The TLA was pretty filled up, especially considering that Jesu didn't end up playing as expected. You could tell that their tour with Tool won them some shithead fans though. I was standing behind a group of four kids who wouldn't stop talking about test presses and limited edition vinyl. I really don't get that stuff. The music is what's important. Why do you need limited editions of what you already have? Behind me were two kids discussing conspiracy theories between Dell, the Discovery Channel and the Catholic Church (that was when I put my ear plugs in.) Once the show got underway though, three scenesters kept making fun of and instigating a kid next to them because he was wearing a Rage Against the Machine shirt. Okay, so he's not as 'with it' as they are. Maybe they've seen Isis more than he has and been into them for longer. But when did this become some exclusive club? Oh, excuse me, it always has been. Jerkoffs like that have been around at every show in every state I've ever been. It's such a shame. They just weren't letting him enjoy the show and it was a real bummer. I remember reading an interview with Isis' frontman Aaron Turner recently and he was discussing how unfortunate it is that with the growing popularity of a band like his, comes idiot fans who ruin things. I remember seeing them at the Church last Autumn and a kid who, obviously isn't there to enjoy the music and instead to 'mosh,' was creating a scene and the overbearing Turner said some pretty aggressive stuff to the kid. It shut him up but it won't stop it across the board. I've read interviews with Kurt Cobain talking about meatheads coming to Nirvana shows when they got big. People just don't get it. It's like the girl standing in the back of a Bane show text-messaging. Are you listening to the lyrics, douchebag? Anyways, I won't let that get in the way of appreciating a great performance.

On the walk home a 40-something year old man in a car kept following me calling me sexy and whistling at me. At first I thought he was just messing around with me until he really started to creep me out. He wanted me to get in his car and to go somewhere. He was dead serious. I hate people.

Playlist:

Minus the Bear

EITS

Alright I am dying to go to the Explosions in the Sky show at the Starlight Ballroom next Sunday. I really didn't think that it would sell out as quickly as it did. Does any one know anybody who has one or two extra tickets? Please let me know. And if I ever run into the prick who's selling one ticket for $100 on craigslist, i'm going to hurt him.

Oh yeah, Spoon @ the Starlight Ballroom, April 22!

1117

It's official, I have "vacation syndrome." This morning my alarm went off at 8:30 and well, I could have gotten up then. I was tired but only in the "I just woke up" way. There was no "I'm tired because I got four hours of sleep"-exhaustion that the cats seem to be victims of after their eight-hour long naps. Instead I said "fuck it," turned the alarm off and slept for another hour and a half. "It's my last day of vacation," I murmured to myself as I dozed back off to dreams of Wendy's Spicy Chicken sandwiches and Volkswagen Jettas. I can justify anything to myself. I know people who would call that a flaw, but I suspect that's the jealousy talking.

In other news, Shelly and I are officially moved into the "Penn Center House" at 19th & JFK. We would have been idiots not to take this place. Sure, it's a little more than our last place (barely) but it's bigger, has (much) more storage, free cable, as well as a dishwasher and a washer and dryer in the freakin' unit. And it's just so nice. My dad brought down some old furniture for us and the place is going to look gorgeous. First though, we must conquer the cardboard jungle of boxes that has made its way into the bedroom. The vast majority of residents here are very old and they go on walks up and down the hallways. I kid you not. It's kind of sweet, kind of strange and more like Twin Peaks.

Lightning Bolt will be touring this spring. They'll be hitting up Philly on April 25. Now two things have begun/been announced that tell me that summer is well on its way: Spring Training and a Lightning Bolt tour. Bring it on...

Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to the Isis show next Tuesday night at the TLA. Too bad all my friends suck the fuck and won't be going. Anyone else interested?

Playlist:
Fugazi - Instrument Soundtrack
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Botch - Anthology of Dead Ends

Meeting Girls

This morning Shelly and I were talking about one of the first times we spoke. We had a night class together and during the break she was sitting on the benches smoking a cigarette so I nervously approached and said hi. I was going to see the Shins that week and it was the only thing I could think of bringing up so i asked her, "Umm...do you like indie rock?" Okay, we'll stop there. "Do you like indie rock!?" If some girl came up to me and asked me if I liked indie rock i'd throw her ice cream in her face and then burp the alphabet for her. I think that was the moment I really decided that I need to think things out before I speak. I think her answer was something along the lines of, "Umm, yeah...I guess." This is the Scrubs equivalent of her throwing ice cream on me and then burping the alphabet for me. I don't know how she restrained sarcasm. If I only had that amount of self-restraint.
Check out this video of Thom Yorke talking about people "shagging" to Paranoid Android. Think about the fact that I asked Shelly if she likes indie rock and then put the video on mute. Watch the expression on Thom's face at the end. I rest my case.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksphoBLtAmk

Fucked Up

Tell me that second flyer isn't the greatest thing you've seen all week. I was reading an interview with Ted Leo about a year ago and he was discussing the punk bands that really matter. The ones that he grew up on that he still listens to today. These are the ones, he argued, that have something to be angry about (aside from mom, dad & the cops.) They know what is corrupt and they build their band against it. He mentioned bands like the almighty Flag, Stiff Little Fingers, the Clash, Bad Religion and (as a contemporary example) Tragedy. I dare add Fucked Up to that list. Every week on their blog (lookingforgold.blogspot.com) they post intriguing articles and questions, about everything from religion to science to politics. I realize that this band is getting really big right now and that they're pretty hip to be into, but how great would it be if everyone talked about the issues they bring up? Semiotics, religion, etc. To be at the bar with your friends and talk about more than girls and money issues. I'm a Catholic and I continually welcome the issues that they bring up about my religion. My faith won't change but it's great talking about it. Seriously, check out their blog on a regular basis. There's a great article they have up on top right now about slot machines. The link's on the side of my page. Oh yeah, and they're playing the Church Friday. When they play "Baiting the Public/Generation" I am going to fight people.