This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Monday - Keane
• Tuesday - John Legend

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Tuesday - Old Crow Medicine Show
• Thursday - Billy Joel
• Friday - Issac Hayes

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Thursday - Cut Copy

Ghostland Observatory - 9:30 Club (12/13/08)

Two words - sensory overload. That's what happens when you have a rocking dance beat, high-pitched lead singer, laser-light show, flying glow-sticks, and smoke machine all making sweet love under one roof. Can just two people make that kind of ruckus? For 1 hour and 30 minutes, Ghostland Observatory answered that question with an emphatic 'YES!"

There were two points during the concert that I had to walk away because I thought my head might explode. Trying to pay attention to everything that was going on proved to be too much for me. Focus on the music OR the lasers OR what looked like a rave on the lower level.... not all three at the same time. Great concert with an insane amount of energy, but my head is still spinning.

Back-to-back

[PSU.edu]

Congrats to the PSU women's volleyball for winning their second straight NCAA Championship on Saturday. The numbers are impressive...

• 38-0
• Only lost 2 games all season
• 64 match winning streak (dating back to Sep '07)

Hooray Friday!

- More Best of Lists from P-fork (albums, tracks), Ultra 8201, and Earfarm, MFKWCRG, Let's Sexy Fighting,

- Sign up for Grant Lee Phillips' mailing list by Dec 23rd and download the unreleased track "Jimmy Dean." For free is for me! Thanks to T.O. Snobs Music.

- Seems like I've been hearing about this Hot Chip and Peter Gabriel cover of Vampire Weekend's "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" forever. Well, it's finally here and I'm not all that impressed. Oh well, worse things have happened.

- Okay, didn't believe me about Of Montreal in concert. Here's a little taste from Letterman, thanks to P-fork.

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Tuesday - The Cure

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Wednesday - Brendan Canning (Broken Social Scene)
• Thursday - Of Montreal

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Wednesday - Death Cab for Cutie

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - John Legend
• Tuesday - Fleet Foxes

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Tuesday - The Dan Band
• Thursday - The Cure

Is all that real?

That was the million dollar question one of my co-workers just asked after oogling over the Jennifer Aniston's GQ spread. My answer?

Who gives a shit if it's real, fake, airbrushed or natural? What matters is what's in your mind. Reality doesn't matter in this case because, no offense, you have absolutely no chance at reality.

Sometimes the truth hurts.

Hooray Friday!

- And the Best of 2008 lists keep coming... Metro D (part 1 & 2), NME, SPIN, Rolling Stone (albums, singles), A.V. Club, Drowned In Sound. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. If you're craving more, more, more, Largehearted Boy's list keeps growing by he day.

- The Shins cover "Strange Powers" and Aquarium Drunkard thinks it's better than the original by the Magnetic Fields. Have a listen for yourself.

- Double-shot from AD... this one from Pavement's stop in Minneapolis on their 1992 Slanted & Enchanted tour.

- Some "reissue" packages really piss me off, mainly because it's obvious that bands or labels are just looking to cash in on the greenbacks. That doesn't seem the case though with Pearl Jam's reissue of Ten in March. While prices haven't been set yet (which may change my mind), they are definitely giving fans options... four to be exact. Seems like some pretty sweet extras if you ask me. Let's keep our fingers crossed that they keep the prices reasonable.

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Wednesday - Adele
• Thursday - Snow Patrol

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Tuesday - The Gaslight Anthem

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Tuesday - Josh Radin

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Monday - The Duke Spirit
• Thursday - Bon Iver

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Wednesday - Tokyo Police Club

This week's late night TV lineup

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Tuesday - Sia
• Wednesday - Jenny Lewis & Elvis Costello

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Monday - T.I.
• Thursday - Tom Jones
• Friday - Ludacris

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Wednesday - Tom Jones
• Thursday - Common

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Wednesday - Steel Train

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Wednesday - Pendulum

Hooray Black Friday!

Hope everyone had a good Turkey Day. Had my first deep fried bird and it was quite tasty. By the way, did anyone catch the Jonas Bros at halftime of the Cowboys/Seahawks game? They can't carry a tune! I guess you have to be a teenaged girl to understand the hype. One more reason to hope for a boy.

- The first wave of 2008 Best Ofs have started to roll in... Filter, Paste, Swanktastic dot org, and multiple ones from KCRW. If you haven't had a chance to listen to some of these, Amazon is offering the 50 most popular albums for $5 each... not bad.

- And the ying to the best ofs yang. The Couch and T.O. Snobs have the most disappointing albums of the year. Thanks to Brooklyn Vegan for the tip.

- Aquarium Drunkard has a handful of unreleased and live Neil Young diddies and a bonus video from 1975-6.

A Hot Ghetto Mess

[120 Minute IPA + 20% ABV = 1 hell of a buzz]

Not sure if this is how I would describe Dogfish Head Brewery but if the lead brewer wants to, I think he's earned the right.

If you've never heard/seen/tasted one of Dogfish's delicious brews or liquors (that's right, they also distill rums, vodka and gin), your tastebuds and liver are truly missing out. Sam Calagione started Dogfish Head in 1995, survived some early missteps and now sells about 25 million bottles of beer per year. Still, with all of their successes, Dogfish continues to test the waters with new concoctions made from exotic ingredients like cloudberries, Chrysanthemum flowers, star anise and balsam fir tips. Some hit, some miss but who gives a shit... at least they're trying.

.

If I had to choo-choo-choose my favorites, they would probably be the 90 Minute IPA, Raison D'Etre, Olde School Barleywine and the lip-smackin' Brown Honey Rum. They also have Alehouses in Rehoboth Beach (DE), Gaithersburg (MD) and Falls Church (VA) with some pretty good eats. And if you're ever looking for something to do on NYE, their Rehoboth location has a kick-ass five course beer dinner. I've been twice and from what I remember, it was good times.

.

When you get a chance, take a gander at this article from The New Yorker on the Delaware brewery that gets more and more popular by the day (Dogfish can now be found in about half of the states). Just goes to show you that you don't necessarily need brains to be successful, just, as LBJ pointed out when he forwarded me the article, balls.

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Monday - The Killer
• Wednesday - Scott Weiland
• Thursday - Alkaline Trio
• Friday - Ben Folds

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Tuesday - The Killers
• Friday - Kaiser Chiefs

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - Tom Morello
• Tuesday - Kanye West

Late Show w/Dave Letterman

• Monday - Kanye West
• Thursday - John Mayer

Kings of Leon - Constitution Hall (11/10/08)

I was back and forth for awhile on this concert, but ultimately decided to go because I figured this might be the last opportunity to see these guys in a venue this small. I didn't want to be kicking myself in a few years when they were playing the likes of Verizon Center or Nissan Pavilion. I've tasted that medicine with Coldplay, Foo Fighters and a few others and boy is it bitter. Plus I scored a floor ticket so I figured what the hell.

I know that Kings of Leon is huge across the pond and can't quite figure out why they haven't caught on in the states. The way they played at Constitution Hall, it's just a matter of time. They play to the crowd, but not too much. Guitar solos, but not too much. Smoke and lights, but not too much. The only thing big about the concert was their sound and it was awesome to experience in a smaller venue. My advice is to see them now, before you find yourself up in the nosebleeds and they look like ants crawling around.

Of Montreal - National (11/1/08)

Yeah it's been 3 weeks since I saw Of Montreal in Richmond, but damn was it a great show... one of the most all-around entertaining ones I've ever attended. I've seen bands do less with more and more with less, but these guys did more with more. They were all about making it both an audio and visual experience. While I didn't completely understand all of the theatrics, that shit was fun to watch. And closing the night with a balls-out cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" brought the f-ing house down. The next morning, I made a few unsuccessful attempts to describe the evening to the LOML+1 and after noticing her eyes rolling in the back of her head, deferred to the pictures at P-fork (unfortunately, the horse didn't make an appearance).

On a side note, The National is a great venue. The ground level is an open floor with two "mini" levels and the top was stadium seating (everything was general admission). Great acoustics, plenty of options and room to wander around.

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Tuesday - Alkaline Trio
• Wednesday - The Whigs
• Thursday - T.I.
• Friday - N.E.R.D.

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Friday - TV on the Radio

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Wednesday - Phil Lesh and Friends

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Wednesday - Yelle
• Thursday - T.I.

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Friday - Eric Hutchinson

Hooray Friday (a few days late)!

Internet connectivity has been a bitch over the last few weeks. And excuses are like assholes so let's get after it...

- New music:

• Rachel Yamagata (w. Ray LaMontagne), “Duet,” Elephants… Teeth Sinking Into Heart (available now), I am Fuel
• Ben Sollee (w. Jim James), “Only a Song,” Something Worth Keeping EP (only available on tour), I am fuel
• Wilco (w. Fleet Foxes), "I Shall Be Released," recorded live this summer (available for download on Wilco's website if you pledge to vote), thanks to LBJ

- Listen to some old TV on the Radio songs live and acoustic thanks to Aquarium Drunkard.

- A couple of remixes of Tapes 'n Tapes' "The Dirty Dirty" courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan.

- NPR is at it again, this time with an interview and 4 song set list from Okkervil River on World Café .

Hump Day Humor

I'm sure this isn't going to be very funny in a few months, but it sure is now...

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Wednesday - The Whigs
• Thursday - T.I.

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Tuesday - Cold War Kids
• Wednesday - The Kooks
• Friday - Death Cab for Cutie

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Tuesday - Black Crowes
• Wednesday - The Last Shadow Puppets

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Tuesday - The Knux

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Wednesday - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
• Friday - George Clinton

Straight out of the WWE

This week's late night TV lineup

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Wednesday - Eric Hutchinson

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - Mates of State
• Tuesday - Atmosphere

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Monday - Hot Chip
• Friday - Unwritten Law

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Friday - Beck

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Thursday - Cold War Kids

Hooray Friday!

Slow, slow week...

- The Foals and Holy Fuck decided to team up, cover each other and sell the finished product on their European tour. Thanks to MOKB for the heads-up.

Hells yeah!

[Sportsline]

Rest up boys - you deserve it. World Series begins next Wednesday.

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Tuesday - Scars on Broadway

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Tuesday - Kings of Leon
• Friday - Black Kids

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Wednesday - Ray Lamontagne

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Monday - Cat Power

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Monday - Ra Ra Riot

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Thursday - Tally Hall

Hooray Friday!

- New music:

• Pete Yorn, "American Blues, Vol.1," American Blues (TBD), I am Fuel

- Much love this week from Aquarium Drunkard...

• My Morning Jacket session on KVRX radio, 2000
• Jim James acoustic "Steam Engine" video
• Beach Boys rehearsal, 1967
• Ryan Adams concert in Seattle, 2000

- Listen to the Of Montreal concert from the 9:30 Club on NPR's All Songs Considered and get a sneak peak of tracks from their upcoming album, Skeletal Lamping (Oct 21st).

This week's late night TV lineup

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Thursday - Beck

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Friday - Tom Morello

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Tuesday - Black Kids
• Thursday - Foals
• Friday - Atmosphere

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Thursday - Rachael Yamagata

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - Jenny Lewis
• Tuesday - Death Cab for Cutie
• Friday - Dead Confederate

Hooray Friday!

- If you haven't seen the fan-made video for "Reckoner" selected by Radiohead themselves, check it out here, here or here. Thanks to Metro D and Ultra 8201.

- I'm still trying to get into Modern Guilt. Check that... I'm still trying to get into Beck. I'm not quite sure what it is about him. Some of his music I really like, but I have a hard time listening to an entire album. He just wears on me. In any event, I am Fuel has an acoustic Beck concert from 2003 posted and available for your listening/downloading pleasure.

This week's late night TV lineup

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Thursday - Jack's Mannequin
• Friday - T.I.

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Wednesday - Department of Eagles
• Thursday - Ben Folds
• Friday - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Thursday - Cut Copy

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Wednesday - The Virgins

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Thursday - Michael Franti & Spearhead

Hooray Friday!

- New music:

• Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, numerous tracks, Cardinology (Oct 28), I am Fuel and Bag of Songs
• Vampire Weekend, "Ottoman," Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist soundtrack (out now), Stereogum
• Ray Lamontagne, "Meg White," Gossip In the Grain (Oct 14), Stereogum
• The Killers, "Human," Day & Age (Nov 25), Stereogum

- Eddie Vedder covered Nick Cave's "Ship Song" and NIN's "Hurt" while soloing it in Chicago. Still bummed I missed him when he came through DC (ironically, the LOML and I were in Chicago). Anywho, have a listen to both at I am Fuel.

- If you couldn't make it to the Austin City Limits music Festival, but still want to peek in from time to time in the comfort of your own home, bounce over to the AT&T Blue Room. The schedule includes Vampire Weekend, Hot Chip, Yeasayer, The Fratellis, Drive-By Truckers, Against Me!, The Raconteurs and Okkervil River just to name a few.

- Bon Iver played a 3-song set in NPR's World Cafe.

- I had to include this after my admission the other week that my first CD was the Batman soundtrack. Spike has the 10 worst songs that hit #1. And at #9... "Batdance" by Prince. Oiy.

The definition of hustle

I'm almost embarrassed to post this because of its "interesting" quality, but it was a phenominal play by Brian Dawkins on Sunday. I hate to say this for fear of causing a turn in good fortunes, but the Birds and the Phils are playing solid ball.

The Kooks - 9:30 Club (9/8/08)

Was I expecting the amazingness that was MMJ at Constitution Hall the week prior? No, and I was fine with that. Honestly I think my brain would have exploded if I had another experience like that less than a week later. As RatBat Bear put it "great Brit pop fun!" That's what I was in the mood for and that's exactly what the Kooks delivered.

With that being said it still took me a few songs to get my wits about me. I walked in just a few minutes before they took the stage and when they did it was obvious that the crowd was female heavy. Thankfully the cheering wasn't quite at the ear-popping, overwhelming shrieking level but it was definitely an octave or 2 higher than the standard crowd noise. And of course I found a decent spot upstairs until an overly exited 6'5" dancing man stood right in front of me. Luckily he came there for the concert and the beer, so it wasn't long before he was off to refill his beverage.

While I only had a few days take in Inside In Inside Out, it was enough to be decently familiar with the songs when they came up in the setlist. They played a solid main set that lasted just over an hour. Lead man Luke Pritchard kicked off the encore with two solo, acoustic songs which was a nice touch. All in all it was an entertaining show - good sound and they played to the crowd rather well.

This week's late night TV lineup

SNL - Duffy

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Tuesday - Atmosphere
• Wednesday - Foals

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Monday - My Morning Jacket
• Thursday - The Hives

Last Call w/Caron Daly

• Monday - Hot Chip

Late Show w/Dave Letterman

• Tuesday - Kings of Leon
• Friday - TV on the Radio

This week's late night TV lineup

SNL - Kings of Leon

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Friday - Cold War Kids

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Monday - Eric Hutchinson
• Wednesday - George Clinton & The Gangsters of the Love All-Stars

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Wednesday - Loudon Wainwright III

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Thursday - Fleet Foxes
• Friday - Duffy

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Tuesday - Tally Hall
• Thursday - Dr. Dog

Hooray Friday!

- New music:

• The Rosebuds, "Life Like," Life Like (Oct 7th), Ear Farm (link to stream entire album is also on that page)

- Looking for a Radiohead bootleg from their latest tour? Head over to Music is Art where they have the Mansfield, MA concert from last month posted and zipped up for easy downloading access. Cruise up a few posts and you'll find some of Radiohead's Neil Young covers. Thanks and congrats to LBJ.

- Can't get enough of Neil Young? Have a listen to Rogue Wave covering Neil Young's "Birds" over at I am fuel.

- La Blogotheque filmed two a capella videos of Yeasayer in an apartment and on a train. Thanks to Ulta 8201 for the K.

- The first album you bought with your own $$? Unfortunately I can't remember the first album I bought, and unfortunately I can remember the first CD I bought - the Batman soundtrack. Effing embarrassing. Anywho, the A.V. Club asks the same question to its staff and readers.

This week's late night TV lineup

SNL - Lil Wayne

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Thursday - Alejandro Escovedo

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - Bon Iver

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Tuesday - Grizzly Bear
• Thursday - Cloud Cult

Hooray Friday!

- New music:

• Kaiser Chiefs, "Never Miss a Beat," Off With Their Heads (Oct 13), Ultra 8201

- With the Kooks concert coming up next week and only one album under their belt, I've been wondering if they have any tricks up their sleeves to beef up their setlist. Butter Team answers my question. Hopefully they'll whip out some of these covers on Monday.

- Wilco and Fleet Foxes converged in Washington State and took on Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released." Thanks to Aquarium Drunkard.

- If you're like me and missed Radiohead in concert this time around (or want to see them again), NPR will be streaming their Santa Barbara show starting on Monday, Sept. 8.

My Morning Jacket - D.A.R. Constitution Hall (9/3/08)

Recently I was discussing upcoming concerts with someone who knows a fair bit about music and I mentioned that I was really looking forward to finally seeing MMJ. Her response was, "They're too serious. They need to lighten up." At the time I didn't quite understand what the hell she was talking about, and after Wednesday night here are my observations:

• If music is a person's/band's livelihood, I hope they take it seriously.
• Anyone who wears a towel on their head/moon boots/cape (whether it be on or off stage) can't be too serious.
• If too serious is defined as 2+ hour concerts, then more bands should be more serious.
  

Back to the concert. After scoring floor tickets on eBay for a whopping $5.50 (yes, the decimal is in the correct place), to say I was even more hopped up for "An Evening with My Morning Jacket" would be an understatement. They blazed a trail by opening with "Evil Urges" and "Anytime" and followed that son of a bitch for almost 2 1/2 hours. Songs from Evil Urges (which admittedly took me awhile to truly appreciate) came off even better live. Jim James and Carl Broemel have the harmonizing guitar thing down to a science and the whole band just feeds off of each other. Best part is that they waste very little time - Jim James kept his comment to a minimum and they just roll from one song to the next. Efficiency at its best!

SETLIST: Evil Urges, Anytime, Off The Record, Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt.1, Two Halves, Golden, Thank You Too!, I'm Amazed, The Way That He Sings, Sec Walkin, War Begun, Phone Went West, Cobra, Librarian, Dondante, Gideon, Lay Low, Steam Engine

ENCORE: Wordless Chorus, Highly Suspicious, Smokin From Shootin, Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt.2, Run Thru, One Big Holiday

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Friday - Black Kids

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Wednesday - Brian Wilson

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Tuesday - Ra Ra Riot
• Wednesday - Delta Spirit

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Wedsnesday - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
• Thursday - Ben Harper
• Friday - Local H

Late Show W/David Letterman

• Wednesday - Tricky
• Thursday - Duffy
• Friday - Warren Zevon Tribute with Steve Earle

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Friday - Jamie Lidell

If you pay them, they will learn?

This just doesn't make any sense to me, but I guess it's what the world is coming to (man, that makes me sound old). Washington, D.C. officials announced a new incentive program that will pay middle schoolers up to $100 a month for, well... being students. The pilot program, called Capital Gains is similar to one being run in NYC and gives students the opportunity to earn cash money for attending class, doing homework, getting good grades and staying out of trouble. Isn't that what kids are supposed to do? I would've loved to have something like that when I was in school. Instead, my incentive for doing all of that stuff was keeping my parents off of my ass... a "program" that seemed to be pretty effective. But I guess in a city where only 36% of middle schoolers are proficient in reading and 33% in math, it's worth a try.

This week's late night TV lineup

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Monday - Lupe Fiasco

SNL - Feist

Hooray Friday!

- This definitely warrants the top spot this week. Listen to the new TV on the Radio track "Golden Age" off of their upcoming release Dear Science (Sep 23rd) on the band's website. Thanks to Metro D for the heads up.

- Get ready for a superfecta from I am fuel...

1. fun is Nate Ruess' (former Format lead man) new band and "Benson and Hedges" is their demo. Take a gander.
2. Sounds like Wilco is looking eyeing the spring of '09 to release their new album, which I couldn't be happier about. Over the past few weeks, they've been testing the waters with two new songs: "One Wing" and "Sunny Feeling."
3. More new stuff, this time from the National apparently titled ""A Thousand Black Cities."
4. I am not a big Smashing Pumpkins fan, but understand that I am in the minority here. Flashback to 1997 when they played the Bridge School Benefit.

- Even more new music, this one from Bloc Party's latest Intimacy (digital - now, CD - Oct 27th) entitled "Trojan Horse." Thanks to Ultra 8201 for the K.

- And the last bit of new music news, could this be a new song from Radiohead that they performed during soundcheck recently?? You Ain't No Picasso has us scratching our noggins.

Get your tour dates here

• The Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers
• Andrew Bird
• Black Lips
• Black Mountain
• Ghostland Observatory
• The Walkmen (dates added)
• Nine Inch Nails (dates added)
• Neil Young (w. DCFC and Wilco)
• Fleet Foxes
• Coldplay (dates added)
• Iron and Wine
• Yeasayer
• Kings of Leon
• Jose Gonzalez (dates added)

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Tuesday - Huey Lewis and the News

Late Night w/David Letterman

• Monday - The Black Kids
• Tuesday - N.E.R.D.
• Wednesday - Low vs. Diamond

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Monday - Phantom Planet
• Tuesday - The Hold Steady
• Thursday - MGMT

The Hold Steady - 9:30 Club (8/14/08)

Good ticket karma is a beautiful thing. I showed up for the sold-out Hold Steady concert on Thursday thinking I was straight with a ticket (courtesy of some character on Craigslist). Unfortunately the bastard was a no-show and I was forced to quickly reevaluate the situation and come up with an alternate plan of attack. As I stood there contemplating my options, a guy who had a few extra tickets and was eager to get into the concert handed his extras to the lady working the ticket window and asked her to give them to whoever needed a ticket. After pinching myself a few times to check that I wasn't dreaming, I walked up to the window and asked the lady if she happened to have an extra ticket. Haha yes! I was already looking forward to seeing The Hold Steady in concert. Seeing them for free... eh niiiice!

These fellas sure do bring it in concert - something you wouldn't initially expect when you look at them. They came out of the blocks running and didn't let up for almost 2 hours. I'm a huge fan of their most recent effort, Stay Positive and hearing almost every track off of it on Thursday made me appreciate it even more. Their enthusiasm was infectious and efforts were definitely appreciated - so much so that the crowd hung around screaming and chanting even after the house lights went up. And in a truly classy move, The Hold Steady returned to thank their fans with one last song. Not bad for $0!

RatBat Bear might be pitching a tent because The Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers just announced a fall tour that swings through State College. And while it's not from their current tour, NPR has a few of The Hold Steady's concerts and a studio session up on their website.

Say goodbye to that case of the Mondays...

Fact: The LOML+1 and I are addicted to this show. Funny shit!

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Monday - The Cool Kids

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Tuesday - The Hold Steady
• Friday - Emmylou Harris

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Monday - Amy Smart (Not singing, but VERY easy on the eyes)

Hooray Friday!

- Nuts! I hate to start the weekend off with bad news, but 2/3's of Wolfmother is no longer. Sounds like Andrew Stockdale is going to try to make the name live on though. Metro D, who initially got me hooked on the boys from down under, with the info.

- Back to back love from the Newport Folk Festival last weekend. Live sets from She & Him and Jim James (acoustic style) thanks to Aquarium Drunkard.

- I am Fuel hooks us up with a nice little zip file of goodness from Fleet Foxes' concert in Denver recently.

- King of Leon has released the new single "Sex on Fire" from their upcoming album on their mySpace page.

- Download "Id Engager," Of Montreal's first single from their upcoming Skeletal Lamping (out Oct 7) courtesy of Stereogum.

- Looking for more music to keep you motivated while getting your swell on? The Art of Manliness has 52 workout songs for your iPod. Not sure about "No Woman No Cry" being much of a pump-you-up song, but whatever works for you.

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live

• Monday - The Cool Kids

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Wednesday - Conor Oberst
• Thursday - Solomon Burke
• Friday - Scarlett Johansson (don't worry, she's not singing)

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Tuesday - N*E*R*D

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Monday - Flobots
• Wednesday - Brett Dennen

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Monday - Fleet Foxes
• Tuesday - Spiritualized

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Thursday - Conor Oberst

The Black Keys - Live from Abbey Road

The benefits of house/dog-sitting for friends who have HD cable and a obscenely lairge boob tube. Doesn't quite make up for the number of times their dog whizzed in our place, but whatever. This is bad-ass none the less. Hells yeah!

"I Got Mine"

TV on the Radio - Dear Science

[The Brothers Brick]

So far 2008 lacks an album that blows the effing doors off the hoopty from top to bottom. Will Dear Science fill that void? Man, I hope so. But we'll have to wait until Sept 23rd to find out. Wonder if this sucker's gonna leak...

Tracklist and tourdates are out (courtesy of Filter-Mag). Uhhh fellas, no love for DC?? Oiy.

Dear Science Tracklist
01 Halfway Home
02 Crying
03 Dancing Choose
04 Stork & Owl
05 Golden Age
06 Family Tree
07 Red Dress
08 Love Dog
09 Shout Me Out
10 DLZ
11 Lover's Day

Tourdates
September
5 Portland, Or - Roseland
6 Seattle, WA - Showbox
12 Boise, ID - Big Easy
13 Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue
14 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks (Monolith Festival)
19 San Diego, CA - Street Scene
20 San Francisco, CA - Treasure Island Festival

October
10 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
11 Providence, RI - Lupo's
13 Boston, MA - Wilbur Theatre
14 Brooklyn, NY - Masonic Temple
15 Brooklyn, NY - Masonic Temple
18 Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
19 Indianopolis, IN - Vogue Theatre
20 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave.
21 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave.
22 Chicago, IL - Riviera
24 New Orleans, - LA Voodoo Festival
25 Atlanta, Ga - Tabernacle
26 Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre
28 Dallas, TX - Lakewood Theatre
30 Austin, TX - Stubb's
31 Oklahoma City, CA - Diamond Ballroom

November
6 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern
8 San Diego, CA - 4th and B

Class is in session

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Monday - Minus the Bear
• Friday - Huey Lewis and the News

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Monday - Gnarls Barkley

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - The Ting Tings
• Tuesday - Rose Hill Drive
• Friday - The Airborne Toxic Event

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Tuesday - Chuck Prophet
• Friday - The Heavy

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Monday - We Are Scientists
• Tuesday - Low vs. Diamond
• Wednesday - Atmosphere

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Friday - The Hold Steady

Hooray Friday (a day late)!

Just back from vacation with the LOML+1. You missed me, it's okay to admit it...

- Sneak peak the Cold War Kids' first single "Something Is Not Right With Me" off of Loyalty to Loyalty, out September 23rd. I'd say it's average.

- Being cable-less I've only been able to catch the Sundance Channel's Live from Abbey Road once or twice. This week featured The Black Keys and from the looks of the schedule, you can catch a replay tomorrow (Sunday) at 9am. Future episodes feature MGMT, Elbow, the Kills, the Fratellis, Gnarls Barkley and Ben Harper.

- Wilco covers galore (part 1 and 2) thanks to I am fuel. I've been a fan of these guys for years, but after their concert at the 9:30 in February, I'm pretty much addicted.

- Fleet Foxes stopped by NPR's World Cafe and recorded a three song Lillywhite Session.

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Thursday - Does It Offend You, Yeah?
• Friday - Jamie Lidell

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Tuesday - The Duke Spirit

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - Thrice
• Tuesday - Galactic
• Wednesday - The Duke Spirit

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Thursday - Brett Dennen

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Tuesday - Augustana
• Wednesday - Grizzly Bear
• Thursday - Black Kids

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Monday - Keaton Simons
• Wednesday - Curt Smith
• Friday - Griffin House

Hooray Friday!

Trying to get ready for vacation, so here's a few for you down-and-dirty style:

- The Boss in concert circa 1974 courtesy of Aquarium Drunkard.

- The Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O has a side project Native Korean Rock. Thanks to Ultra 8201.

- The previously mentioned Zach de la Rocha and Jon Theodore project One Day As a Lion has their first track up on their MySpace page. Thanks to Metro D.

- Have a listen to "Born to Be Your Man," the first single from Birdmonster's new album From the Mountain to the Sea (available for download Aug 5th ) on Ryan's Smashing Life.

This week's late night TV lineup

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Thursday - Coldplay
• Friday - OneRepublic

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Tuesday - Daryl Hall and K.T. Tunstall
• Thursday - Dr. Dog

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Monday - Lupe Fiasco

Kick that case of the Mondays square in the boo-boo

Even though you know it's coming, it's still funny as hell.

Hooray Friday!

- Stream The Vines' latest effort, Melodia out July 19th. Thanks to MOKB for the K.

- Merge Records is making three M. Ward demos available for download. I am fuel alway with her fingers on the pulse.

- If you don't make your way over to NPR's music section periodically, you are missing out. Besides Monday's Fleet Foxes concert at the Black Cat, you can also stream recent gigs from Jim James (solo acoustic in Austin, TX) and Shearwater. Put that in your pipe...

Fleet Foxes - Black Cat (7/7/08)

Fleet Foxes is one of those bands that I feared was too good to be true. Their vocals and harmonies are so polished on their EP and self-titled debut, it wouldn't have surprised me if it was a product of technology and good production.

I couldn't have been more wrong. These guys are for real. Even with lead singer Robin Pecknold sick, they still made great music and belted out incredible harmonies for the sold out Black Cat. I was happy to see that for the most part the crowd cooperated as well, keeping the chatter to a minimum during songs. But if they were like me, it was because they were both captivated and blown away by Fleet Foxes' sound.

Don't take my word for it, listen for yourself on NPR.

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Thursday - Lil' Wayne

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - Steel Train

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Monday - Cloud Cult

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Monday - Matt Costa

Get your tour dates here!

• Eddie Vedder
• Of Montreal
• Cold War Kids
• The Kooks
• Stars
• Silver Jews
• The Notwist
• Dr. Dog
• Takka Takka

Hooray Friday (a day late)!

- Zach De La Rocha (from Rage fame) and ex-The Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore are coming together as One Day as a Lion and releasing an EP on July 21st. Thanks to Metro D for the heads-up.

- If you're looking for more music sites, hit this up for the 100 most addictive ones. Thanks to Largehearted Boy.

- Philly's own Dr. Dog is releasing their new effort, Fate on July 22nd. Check out two new tracks on MOKB.

- Same blog different band. Listen to a few new diddies from Takka Takka off of Migration, out July 29th.

- Elliott Smith fans can listen/download a July 4th concert from 2000 on I am fuel.

- Glastonbury 2008 videos are up. Links courtesy of Ultra 8201.

- If you're looking for a Radiohead fix, check out A.V. Club for an interview with Thom Yorke and Ed O'Brien.

- A double-shot of the National from Sixeyes. The first with half of their 2007 ACL set and and second with the other half plus and interview with Matt Berninger.

- The Black Keys performed "Strange Times" on WRNR and The Music Slut has the action.

This week's late night TV lineup

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Monday - Newton Faulkner
• Tuesday - Ed Harcourt
• Thursday - Flobots
• Friday - Tristan Prettyman

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - Tapes n' Tapes
• Wednesday - A.A. Bondy
• Thursday - The Kills

Last Call w/Carson Palmer

• Wednesday - Local H
• Thursday - Tristan Prettyman
  

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Thursday - The Republic Tigers

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Tuesday - Duffy
• Thursday - John Hiatt

Jimmy Kimmel Live

• Friday - The All for Nots

Hooray Friday!

- Band of Horses played the Accelerator Festival this week in Stockholm and let loose on an unreleased song. Check out the video at P-fork.

- All reports from Bonnaroo are that MMJ killed with a 3+ hour set. I've been back and forth on seeing them when they swing through DC for their "An Evening with..." tour and I think this sealed the deal for me. Have a listen for yourself at You Ain't No Picasso.

- If you're looking for some new music to check out, head over to Sixeyes who has the list of nominees for the Polaris Music Prize which is given to the best Canadian album released in the last year.

- Not sure if I've already posted this, but Radiohead's April concert at the BBC Radio Theatre is available for download on Sixeyes.

- And the trifecta for Sixeyes! Some Shins live tracks from a concert last year are up and available for your listening/downloading pleasure.

- Spoon recorded a Daytrotter session which includes a cover of Paul Simon's "Peace Like a River" and three other songs.

- The Editors cover Calvin Harris' "Acceptable in the 80s". Thanks to Lets Sexy Fighting for the love.

- More covers from Lets Sexy Fighting. Grizzly Bear takes a crack at "Owner of a Lonely Heart" - can't wait to hear to this one.

- Take a listen to Blitz Trappen's title track off of their upcoming release Furr, due out in September. Thanks to You Ain't No Picasso.

- Another Peel Session from Aquarium Drunkard, this one courtesy of Fugazi from 1988.

- Aaaand the first of the 1/2 year lists are out.

Pearl Jam - Verizon Center (6/22/08)

I needed this. My last few concerts experiences have been… well, average. Good music, boring crowd (the Raconteurs); Okay sound, hot as hell (DCFC); Never made it (Radiohead). So I was itching to get back on track and see a barn-burner of a show. Cue Pearl Jam. When you’re looking for a 25-30 song, 3 hour concert – these guys are as close as it comes to a sure thing.

A few cool notes:
- During “All Along the Watchtower”, Eddie brought a kid (early teens maybe?) up on stage and handed him his guitar so the kid could play with the band. Are you f-ing kidding me?? Talk about inspiration for this lucky little shit. Don’t be surprised if in 10-15 years you read an article about a kid who played with PJ at his first concert and it motivated him to become the next Hendrix or something. More details and a picture at I am fuel.
- Also at I am fuel is a link to a PJ tour blog that a guy just out of college is doing for Spin. So let me get this straight – this guy's first "real" job is touring the country on someone else’s dime, going to PJ concerts for free, probably getting paid a salary as well and all he has to do is blog about it? I must have missed the job postings like that when I graduated college. Jealousy is a bitch.

SETLIST: Hard To Imagine, Severed Hand, Hail Hail, Do The Evolution, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Evacuation, Corduroy, I'm Open, I Am Mine, I Got Id, Daughter, Light Years, Even Flow, Green Disease, You Are, U, Who You Are, Why Go

ENCORE 1: Comatose, Sad, Given To Fly, Come Back, Grievance, Black, Rearviewmirror
ENCORE 2: No More (Eddie solo), Last Kiss, Crazy Mary, Alive, All Along The Watchtower, Yellow Ledbetter

This week's late night TV lineup

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Monday - Sleepercar

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - Drive-By Truckers
• Tuesday - Billy Bragg
• Friday - The Raconteurs

Last Call w/Carson Palmer

• Monday - Grizzly Bear
• Tuesday - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
• Wednesday - Flobots
• Thursday - Brett Dennen
  

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Friday - Wild Sweet Orange

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Tuesday - Phantom Planet

Jimmy Kimmel Live

• Monday - N.E.R.D.

Death Cab for Cutie - Merriweather Post Pavilion (6/9/08)

After a stop for burgers, onion rings and milkshakes at Cheeburger Cheeburger, we headed to Merriweather with general admission pit tickets for the Death Cab for Cutie concert. Last time we saw them, it was 6th row at Constitution Hall so I was curious to see 1) how DCFC would come across at a bigger venue and 2) how many people they would try to pack into the pit.

We arrived in plenty of time to catch a good bit of Rogue Wave’s set which sounded pretty solid. After milling about in between sets for a little, I headed to the pit to check out the scene. Hot, steamy, smelly and crowded – that about sums it up. Man, I hate people sometimes. I settled into one of the few open areas and made some room for the LOML as Death Cab opened with “ Bixby Canyon Bridge ” (good call, LOML). We split time between the pit and the lawn – partially because it was crazy hot and also because the sound where we were standing in the pit was horrible. I think DCFC does a great job with their setlists, pulling tunes from earlier in their career and sprinkling them throughout their more popular songs.

As far as how they came across in the bigger venue, they just didn’t look comfortable. Maybe they were trying too hard; maybe it was because it was balls-ass hot and humid; maybe the stage was too big… I don’t know what it was but something just didn’t seem right. With that being said, they put together a hell of a set and encore.

SETLIST (thanks to LY&MT)
Bixby Canyon Bridge
The New Year
Why You’d Want to Live Here
Photobooth
Crooked Teeth
Long Division
Grapevine Fires
A Movie Script Ending
Company Calls
Soul Meets Body
I Will Follow You Into the Dark
I Will Possess Your Heart
Cath…
Pictures in an Exhibition
The Sound of Settling
Marching Bands of Manhattan

ENCORE
Your Bruise
Title and Registration
No Sunlight
Tiny Vessels
Transatlanticism

This week's late night TV lineup

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Wednesday - Against Me!
• Thursday - Duffy

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Thursday - My Morning Jacket
• Friday - Alejandro Escovedo

Last Call w/Carson Palmer

• Thursday - Cloud Cult

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Wednesday - Martha Wainwright

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Tuesday - John Hiatt
• Wednesday - The Fratellis

Jimmy Kimmel Live

• Monday - Coldplay

Congrats on #600

I think Ken Griffey Jr. will always be my favorite baseball player. Brings back memories of when I was a youngin and going to baseball card shows with my Pops. Upper Deck, 1989, Card #1 - Ken Griffey Jr.'s rookie card. Upper Deck sure picked a winner to kick off the set for their inaugural year in the sport card industry. I'm not sure if collecting cards was the "cool" thing to do, but man we had some fecking good times doing it.

This week's late night TV lineup

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Tuesday - Augustana
• Wednesday - Griffin House

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Tuesday - Jamie Lidell

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Friday - Your Vegas

Hooray Friday!

- Coldplay fans can stream Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends on their mySpace page starting tonight (it actually might be just tonight). Thanks to NME for the K. In other news, it sounds like they in the process of finishing up a follow-up album to be released in the near future ala Kid A/Amnesiac according to Twisted Ear.

- The Kooks cover Peter Bjorn & John's "Young Folks" and MOKB provides the love.

- M Ward, Jim James of MMJ and Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes got together in 2004 for a "Monsters of Folk" tour. The bootleg has individual sets and a threesome (not that kind, you pervs) jam at the end. Thanks to I am fuel.

- If you're looking for a live Radiohead fix, look no further. Okay, you'll have to make a few more clicks of the mouse, but I can't imagine it's not worth the effort. Ultra 8201 as always is on top of it.

- Same blog, different band. NIN is all about giving free shit away nowadays. This is an EP containing songs from bands that will be opening for them on their tour: A Place to Bury Strangers; Does It Offend You, Yeah?; Crystal Castles; and Deerhunter.

- The trifecta from Ultra 8201! I've heard about this before, but it got lost somewhere in my mind. If you haven't done so already, check out Black Cab Sessions for nifty performances from Bon Iver, MMJ, Death Cab, Spoon and others.

Mid-week humor

The Washington Post runs a weekly contest in its style section called the "Style Invitational." The requirements this particular week were to use the two words 'Lewinsky' (the world's most famous intern) and 'Kaczynski' (the Unabomber) in the same limerick. Ahhh, the creativity...

3rd place:
There once was a girl named Lewinsky,
Who played on a flute like Stravinsky.
Twas "Hail to the Chief",
On this flute made of beef,
That stole the front page from Kaczynski.

2nd place:
Said Clinton to young Ms. Lewinsky,
"We don't want to leave clues like Kaczynski,
Since you made such a mess,
Use the hem of your dress,
And please wipe that stuff off your chinsky."

And the winning entry:
Lewinsky and Clinton have shown,
What Kaczynski must surely have known:
That an intern is better,
Than a bomb in a letter,
When deciding how best to be blown.

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Wednesday - Coldplay

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Thursday - Flobots
• Friday - Ed Harcourt

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - The Raconteurs
• Thursday - Jackie Greene
• friday - Lightspeed Champion

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Monday - Does It Offend You, Yeah?
• Friday - The Heavy

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Monday - Matt Costa

The Raconteurs - 9:30 Club (4/27/08)

It took awhile for Consolers of the Lonely to really grab my attention, but once it sunk its teeth in me it just wouldn’t let go. The more I listened to the album, the more I imagined it in a live setting - a Jack White guitar solo here, a little jam there. To say I was excited to see these guys in concert and what they’d gin up would be an understatement. I expected there to be a good bit of buzz outside of the 9:30 Club on Tuesday, with it being the first of two sold out nights for the Raconteurs. Instead, there were a hell of a lot of people trying to unload tickets and not too many takers. Hmmmm, interesting.

I walked in as the Raconteurs took the stage and opened with “Consoler of the Lonely” and thought to myself that we were in for a night of craziness. Musically it was great, but it lacked the intensity I was expecting. I was truly surprised by the lack of solos and/or jams. Yeah they threw in a few twists and turns, but definitely not as much I expected. Maybe it was the feedback that the band was getting back from the crowd. Rumors have been floating around the blogosphere for awhile now that DC concert crowds are less than spectacular energy-wise. And I'm sure that can be a buzz-kill for performers. I must admit that I contribute to that bad rap as I’ve never been one to be-bop around much… or at all. What can I say, it’s just not my style and I figure it’s in everyone’s best interest if I defer to those that have actual rhythm. So with that being said, I guess I really can't bitch too much.

SETLIST (thanks to I am fuel)
Consolers of the Lonely
Hold Up
Level
Keep It Clean
Top Yourself
Switch and the Spur
You Don't Understand Me
Rich Kid Blues
Yellow Sun
Attention
Steady As She Goes
Blue Veins

ENCORE
Shades of Black
Intimate Secretary
The Stones Will Shout
Salute Your Solution
Carolina Drama

Stream the concert on NPR.
Read the concert review on The Washington Post.

Hooray Friday!

Slim pickings this week. Either that or I'm really lazy...

- DCFC frontman Ben Gibbard wrote an interesting essay for Paste Magazine while in Big Sur, CA. Some people just have a way with words and I envy the hell out of them. The LOML, "lol" LC and I are looking forward to catching them in concert next week (thankfully not at Nissan Pavilion). Thanks to RatBat Bear for the shot of K.

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Monday - Stone Temple Pilots

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - Black Mountain

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Monday - Lupe Fiasco

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Tuesday - The Roots

Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson

• Tuesday - Grand Archives
• Friday - Mike Doughty

Hooray Friday!

- New Beck kids! "Chemtrails" is the first single from his upcoming album. While I'm not a huge Beck fan, it sounds pretty solid.

- P-fork has a handy guide to this year's festivals. Yet another year of me not attending one of these. I'm thinking it ain't ever going to happen.

- Death Cab for Cutie performed "I Will Possess..." on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Thanks to the Music Slut.

- If you haven't heard Attack & Release yet, you're missing out. The Black Keys swung through NPR studios and performed 3 songs for World Cafe. You can also check out their concert at the 9:30 Club on All Songs Considered - can't believe I missed it.

- More NPR goodness with Hot Chip on World Cafe. October can't come soon enough, when these cats roll through through DC again...

This week's late night TV lineup

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Wednesday - The Kooks
• Thursday - Death Cab for Cutie
• Friday - Neil Diamond

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Monday - Devotchka
• Tuesday - Mates of State
• Wednesday - Atmosphere

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Thursday - Ben Harper

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Thursday - The Republic Tigers

I remember the first time I...

Men's Health loves them some lists. In their May issue, they tackle some "virgin moments" for guys. While I haven't experienced all of these, they've pretty much hit the nail on the head with the ones I have. Here are some that I found both funny and true... see the full monty here.

- Your first paycheck. It gave you a one-two combination punch from the invisible hand of capitalism, the first being that yes, taxes suck. The second: This is not nearly enough dough. Both fueled your ambition to earn more zeros. And still should.

- The first time you fight the Man and win. Who knew that Tom over in the passport office had the power to renew yours on the spot? Goliath, when properly motivated, will cradle David in his big paw.

- Your first wedding as a groomsman. You looked your best, the free booze flowed, and you had that genuine pang of hope that someday you'd find the woman of your dreams--and that she might just be that hot bridesmaid dancing to "Baby Got Back."

- The first time you dump a girl. It took balls to walk away from free nooky. Maybe you're stronger than you think.

- The first time you're picked last. First thought: I suck. Second: I'll show them. That mojo can last a lifetime.

- Your first medical scare. Next time you're in the drive-thru or at the gym, remember that panic.

- The first time you talk your way out of a ticket. It teaches you that most cops are just trying to avoid pulling your ass out of yet another bloody wreck, and makes you accelerate more attentively next time. You just don't know what might be around that corner, do you?

- The first time you stay out all night and see the sunrise. Freedom. Hope. Endless possibilities. Attack every dawn with that mix of surprise, awe, and optimism.

- The first time you walk away from an animal pleasure -- the fourth pitcher, the available wench. It's an indication that your cerebral cortex has finally taken over from your lizard brain. Now you can pursue a life, rather than merely live it.

- The first time you ask your kid for advice. He'll be more likely to take your counsel if he's also sharing, so give him some choice research projects: Find the next car, the right home-theater setup, the smart college.

- The first time you realize that dropping a compliment can motivate change more effectively than issuing a command. The breadcrumb trail works better than the whiplash.

And they're off!

Big day tomorrow. In B-more for our annual visit to Pimlico. Happy b-day pops!

Hooray Friday!

- More fallout from the Radiohead concert at Nissan Pavilion. From the band's choice of venue to Live Nation's handling of the situation... I'm sure nothing will come out of it, but you never know. Thanks to Metro D and P-fork.

- Okkervil River stopped by WOXY and broke out a new tune, "Lost Coastlines" and dusted off some older ones. Thanks to Butter Team for the heads-up.

- If you missed MMJ on SNL last weekend, check out Metro D for the videos. I'm slowly getting into Evil Urges, but I think it's much different from their previous offering.

- The countdown to the Raconteurs concert at the 9:30 Club next Wednesday has officially begun. I have a feeling this is going to be mindblowing. Ultra 8201 has video of them performing "Consoler of the Lonely" on Later with Jools Holland. Hot shit!

- More late night clips. The Black Keys perform "Strange Times" on Conan. Thanks to Brooklyn Vegan.

2 out of 3 ain't bad

All in all, I’d say the weekend was a success – although I would have changed the ending. But you can’t win ‘em all…

The LOML and I caught Flight of the Conchords on Friday night at Lisner Auditorium in DC. The concert was a great mix of music and banter – almost like watching the show, but with just Bret and Jemaine. Arj Barker (who plays Dave on the show) opened for them and did a decent job of warming up the crowd. But everyone was there to see FoC, and the place went crazy when they took the stage. I was surprised how long then played – about 1 ½ hours with 2 encores – especially considering that they had a late show scheduled for 10pm.

Right after the concert, I headed for PA to meet up with the fellas – arriving around 1am. Luckily they were still coherent and had a few left in them when I got there. The rain was coming down pretty good in the morning, which allowed us to get a few extra hours of sleep before heading out on the boat. I think I was the only one who didn’t catch a damn thing, but I’m okay with that. My purpose of going was to booze and bullshit, and I definitely did a bit of both.

With the weekend rolling along just swimmingly, I decided to take my chances and head out to the nexus of hell (aka Nissan Pavilion) to see Radiohead on Sunday night. The rain had really started to come down and from the looks of craigslist, mucho people were bailing and attempting to unload their tickets. My thought was that it might thin out the traffic a bit… and that thought couldn’t have been more wrong. After two hours on the road, being detoured by the po-po a few times, and having no idea how close I was to Nissan, I decided to call it quits and head back to the house. A check of the Washington Post website (blog, article) the next morning confirmed that it was definitely the right decision. I’ve said it before, but I truly mean it this time – I will never go to Nissan Pavilion again!

This week's late night TV lineup

Tonight Show w/Jay Leno

• Wednesday - Kate Nash

Late Night w/Conan O'Brien

• Wednesday - The Black Keys
• Thursday - MGMT
• Friday - Everest

Last Call w/Carson Daly

• Thursday - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Friday - Kate Nash

Late Show w/David Letterman

• Tuesday - Death Cab for Cutie