Theme Park Experience

Song in my head: "Like a Friend" by Pulp The last time I gave out Halloween candy, I was in high school. In other words, it's been about six years. It was an absolute blast but it was a madhouse. Our seven bags of candy were gone in one hour. As a back-up, we gave out Chewy bars, Pop Tarts and Mardi Gras beads. Good times. Watched Dawn of the Dead and Donnie Darko this morning. This was my first time to see Dawn and it probably won't be the last. Darko is always great (I think today's viewing is five in total viewings). Ted Leo was right on the money Friday night. Great sets by him, along with Just a Fire and Engine Down. I walked up to Ted and said hi after the set. I felt like I was 16. As in, I didn't know what to say other than thanks. Went to a costume party Saturday night in a button-down dress shirt and tie. It's different than what I wear everyday, so it's dressing up for me. I could have donned a British accent and claim I was f...

EP listened to this morning: Ben Folds Super D I finally got it. Weeks (maybe a month) after it's been out. The final EP in the trilogy is now in my life. Having Ben's version of "Get Your Hands Off of My Woman" is worth the price alone. The other tracks are very worthwhile (especially "Adelaide"), but enough with all the teases of an EP! Until the new record comes out, I'll throw together a comp of all three EPs. Feeling back to normal this morning, so I'm ready for the weekend. Shows to attend tonight and Saturday and Halloween is Sunday night. Should be the opposite of last weekend's lack of activities. I got to hear some of the Arcade Fire last night. I liked what I heard and I want to hear more. Pitchfork has a daily double of good news: Stereolab is releasing a new compilation and Mark Kozelek has some new material in the works. Aimee Mann has a live DVD coming out next Tuesday. Rolling Stone has more info. I love this q...

Album listened to this afternoon: The Promise Ring Very Emergency I was wearing sunglasses (part of the sky was sunny) and had an umbrella in my hand (the rest of the sky was dark and cloudy) while walking back inside. A cold front is coming in. Next week's high will be 70. Holding off on buying the Franz Ferdinand record? Wait until November 23rd. Read why here . Driving home last night, I listened to a record I hadn't listened to in a while: Supergrass' In It For the Money . I think it's still great. I'm curious about their new best of CD and DVD . The DVD looks very appealing. I still need to pick up I Should Coco not just for "Alright" and "Caught by the Fuzz" but also for "She's So Loose." I'm holding off because I think there may be a reissue forthcoming (seeing as how so many 10-year-old records are getting the treatment). They're now giving gold and platinum awards for purchased downloads. Read all ab...

Album listened to this morning: Jimmy Eat World Futures Still feeling a little congested, but not as bad as yesterday. I should be back to 100% by tomorrow. I better be since I'm planning on seeing Ted Leo/Pharmacists tomorrow night. NME is talking about Band Aid III this morning. Sounds like a nice line-up. I don't know if this is as earth-shaking as when Kiss took off their make-up in the early 1980s, but this sounds kinda interesting. As a fan of commentary tracks, I find The Onion AV Club 's Commentary Tracks of the Damned highly entertaining. I've heard a lot of good tracks but there have been ones that were very dry, slow, boring and downright silly. This is like a public service for film geeks. I haven't seen or know very much about Primer , but I think it's cool that it was filmed around here. The Onion AV Club has an interview with the film's director, Shane Carruth this week. Mike Shumaker of Hey Mercedes has a blog now. V...

Album listened to this morning: Modest Mouse Good News for People Who Love Bad News Right as I was thinking I was 100% well, I get a small case of the sniffles. Key word: small. More info on this story as it develops. Pitchfork has some info about the next Bright Eyes releases. Jim James of My Morning Jacket is on the first track on I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning . Bravo! There are rumors that a cold front is coming to town. Next week's highs are to be in the upper 60s. That's something to smile about.

From NME : When John Peel’s sad, sudden death at the age of 65 was announced today (October 26) BBC Radio 1, the station that had been his home for five decades, broke with programming and played Undertones ‘Teenage Kicks’ – his all-time favourite song. It was a fitting tribute to a man whose dedication and unerring passion for all that was fresh and vital and youthful and vigorous about music saw him reject the dictats and mores of broadcasting to pursue a singular path launching the career of hundreds of bands, and soundtracking the youth of millions of music fans. Born John Robert Parker Ravenscoft in Heswall, near Liverpool, in 1939, Peel was the son of the wealthy owner of a cotton mill. He was sent away to boarding school in Shrewsbury, which he hated, an ordeal made bearable when he first heard Elvis Presley singing ‘Heartbreak Hotel’. "Everything changed when I heard Elvis," he said. "Where there had been nothing there was suddenly something." ...

NME reports the following: John Peel has died of a heart attack aged 65. The broadcasting legend, who had a career spanning over 40 years, was on holiday in Peru when he was taken ill. A statement has been issued by the BBC which reads: "It has been confirmed that BBC radio broadcaster John Peel died from a heart attack last night whilst on holiday in Peru. He leaves behind his wife Sheila and four children." Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt said "John Peel was a broadcasting legend. I am deeply saddened by his death as are all who work at Radio 1. John’s influence has towered over the development of popular music for nearly four decades and his contribution to modern music and music culture is immeasurable. Hopeful bands all over the world sent their demo tapes to John knowing that he really cared. His commitment and passion for new music only grew stronger over the years. In fact, when I last saw him he was engaged in a lively debate with his fellow DJs ov...

Album listened to this morning: Jawbox Novelty I saw Taking Back Sunday last night. The venue was totally packed, but it was a good time. I must admit, it was hard to see everything. My neck and feet still hurt because of all the contorting. Thankfully, it wasn't all 'staring at the back of heads.' There was quite a bit of movement in the crowd to see around. All in all, a nice intimate show with the 2,000+ in attendence. I didn't think "2,000+" and "intimate" could be used in the same sentence until now. Simon and Garfunkel have a new live CD/DVD coming out. Read more about it here . Attention Bad Religion fans: it looks like we can finally call him Dr. Greg Graffin . Pitchfork said this today: "Pavement's Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe -- packed with top-quality extras at a low price-- was a near-perfect example of how to reissue an already beloved record. " "Near-perfect?" What more could you ...

Song in my head: "Kill" by Jimmy Eat World No blogging yesterday because I was busy with book stuff. Did a phone interview and revised a chapter over and over. As painful as revising may sound, it's actually good for me. It makes it readable. MTV.com has an article on Keane today. I dig this band a lot. Yeah, people slag them for being a "Colplay ripoff" but I don't care. I believe "Bend and Break" is their new single. Great song. Ain't It Cool News has some set pictures from the upcoming Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire film. I'm sure there's a good reason for this, but I still don't understand why this movie was released this past weekend. I read this article over the weekend and smiled all the way through it. I read this article this morning and smiled cynically all the way through it. The 2-CD reissue of Pavement's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is scheduled to be released tomorrow. For a full tra...

Song in my head: "We Might As Well Be Strangers" by Keane The throat is on the mend and the fever has left, but I'm still taking today off from work. I don't think talking for seven hours straight will help it fully heal. So, the silent treatment continues for another day. Adding to what I said yesterday, "I'd rather be working than being sick and at home." I really enjoy working at where I work. While I like to be at home too, I can't be at either all the time. I just felt yesterday's post was a little too vague and sounded a tad on a "I hate work" side. While I've been laying low around the house, I did venture out last night and picked up the new Law of Inertia issue with interviews with Ian MacKaye, the Dillinger Escape Plan and Sparta. Good stuff and more info for research. Grant Hart and Bob Mould played together recently. Read all about it here . Today is Ryan Reynolds' birthday. While he may be best kno...

Song in my head: "Get Your Hands Off of My Woman" by Ben Folds (originally done by the Darkness) Wasn't feeling very well yesterday so I'm not at work today. Strange as it may sound, but I actually enjoy working instead of being sick at home. I think my voice just needs to rest for the day. I'll see how long I can go without saying a word. To follow-up the recent announcement about who's playing Superman, here's a link to see what Brandon Routh looks like. An Undressed alum. Rumors about when the first Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith trailer is coming is on Cinescape . Harry Potter author JK Rowling has her own website and the great thing about it, she actually updates it! If you haven't heard, she is going to have her third child next year, but she is still working very hard on the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince . People I know like to speculate who the Half Blood Prince is. I have no clue. I watc...

Until today, I've never understood why people would want to celebrate a singer's date of death. I thought people getting together every year to mourn sounded a tad morbid. Now that it's been a year since Elliott Smith passed on, I don't think it's morbid to reflect and remember. I never knew him and I never saw him in concert. I did walk by him on an incredibly hot day in Austin. Even though I was more familiar with his name and face, I had yet to get into his music. While a lot of people I know had been introduced to his music through Good Will Hunting and/or Either/Or , my full introduction to his music was with XO , his first record for DreamWorks. My friend Matt had suggested that I check out XO and without ever hearing a note, I picked it up on a rather gray winter day. It took me a couple of listens to really get into it because most of the music I was into at the time was harder, louder and faster than Elliott's folk-tinged songs. But I kept...

Album listened to this afternoon: Ted Leo/Pharmacists Shake the Sheets Ted Leo is the man. I know this has been said before, but I think it should be said more. I was introduced to his music when he and the Pharmacists opened for the Dismemberment Plan a few years ago. Very rare is it that I get wowed by an opening band that I've never heard of before. Red Animal War was one and Ted Leo/Pharmacists was another one. It's a little hard to put into words other than just listening and seeing him play live. I plan on seeing him play next week. If you've never heard Ted Leo's work, I would describe it as having shades of 1977-1979 era the Jam and Elvis Costello, but that's just a start. I can't think of a lot of other current bands out there that are like his, but if you like either the Jam or Elvis Costello, check him out. Shake the Sheets is his fourth proper LP and it is on Lookout! Records .

Album listened to this morning: Jimmy Eat World Futures Pitchfork had mentioned this recently, but MTV.com checks in with an article on . . And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead's next record. Punknews.org has some good news about the Screeching Weasel back catalog: Starting in February of `05, Asian Man Records will be re-releasing the out of print Screeching Weasel catalog. They'll be putting out BoogadaBoogadaBoogada , followed by My Brain Hurts , Wiggle , Anthem For A New Tomorrow , How To Make Enemies and Irritate People and finally Kill The Musicians . Word is that Asian Man will also re-release The Riverdales self-titled debut and Phase Three full lenth. All the releases will be re-mastered with new artwork new liner notes by the band members, and other extras to be announced. Rolling Stone.com has an article about a documentary on the late-great Jeff Buckley that recently premiered in New York. By the way, Buckley's Grace recently got rei...

Song in my head: "Storytime" by Channels So I picked up Jimmy Eat World's Futures with the bonus disc this afternoon. Turns out, the bonus disc is a collection of all of the songs in demo form. Nice touch for an alternate view of the record. While not radically different from the LP versions, it's good to hear an album in progress. Also sweet are some song-by-song comments from the band. Nice little headline in The Onion today: Drummer Unwanted

Jack Rabid checks in with an update on the next Big Takeover issue: Interviews with: Wilco (cover) Franz Ferdinand Nick Cave Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz & Greg Graffin All three surviving members of the reunited MC5 American Music Club Sloan Chris Stamey of the dBs The Libertines Hope of the States The Diodes and the history of 1977 Ontario punk Stiff Little Fingers Jeremy Enigk of Fire Theft and Sunny Day Real Estate Dr. Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesiser The Rezillos and more, along with tons of record reviews. Jack is also proud to announce Pink Frost/Big Takeover Records. First release is from Doug Gillard of the-band-name-soon-to-be-changed-back-to-Robert-Pollard, Guided By Voices. Second release is from Jack's own band, Last Burning Embers. Very cool.

Album listened to this morning: A homemade mix CD of songs from Nuggets II (including "Cathy Come Home" and "Going Nowhere") Today's weather is supposed to reach record highs for October: 93 degrees. Geez, wasn't I talking about light jacket weather last week? Apparently there is going to be a slight cool front coming in this weekend bringing the temps down to the low 80s. Why do I talk so much about the weather? Because I dig fall weather (read, not hot but not freezing cold) a lot and it's a tad frustrating. Regardless of the weather, there are some really good records being released today: Jimmy Eat World Futures Elliott Smith From a Basement on the Hill Ted Leo/Pharmacists Shake the Sheets Kevin Smith wants your short film. Follow this link . Meet your new Superman: Brandon Routh . I doubt anything from Kevin Smith's script (under the suggestion of producer Jon Peters) with the fighting polar bears and giant spider will be in ...

Songs listened to this afternoon that aren't by Budapest One or on Left of the Dial : "Burn Last Sunday" by Superchunk "Watery Hands" by Superchunk "Every Single Instinct" by Superchunk "Song for Marion Barry" by Superchunk "Guiding Light" by Television I picked up Punk Planet #46 and it gets a thumbs up from me. Maybe I should get around to buying a subscription from them. I have really enjoyed going through older issues and I hope they publish another collection of interviews like they did with We Owe You Nothing . I still have yet to watch Student Bodies but I thought I should watch this first. I have it on tape somewhere in all these DVDs. Summer weather is back: the sun is shining and today's high has reached 92. Average high for the week is between 88-92 degrees. Humidity is also back so, in the words of Charlie Brown: Good grief!

In 2002, Second Nature Recordings released a split EP with members of Small Brown Bike and the Casket Lottery. On it, there is a cover of the Queen with David Bowie classic, "Under Pressure." Great cover even though it's not that much different from the original. This makes me think about some of my other favorite covers (like "Walk On By" by the Stranglers). The Good Show recently had a show completely dedicated to cover songs . Nice batch of tunes always played on the good ol' college radio station on Sunday nights. The Good Life have two releases out this year on Saddle Creek : the Lovers Need Lawyers EP and Album of the Year album. Album of the Year is not a complete replication of Faith No More's Album of the Year . Two totally different albums.

Now playing: Budapest One This Town Just Gave You a Dreamer Two Sheds Music is releasing a Jawbox tribute album early next month. Here is the track listing: Actionslacks - "Iodine" The Actual - "Static" Black Cross - "Tools and Chrome" Colossal - "Spit-Bite" Fate Heroic - "Consolation Prize" Heros Severum - "Whitney Walks" The Life and Times - "Green Glass" Ourselves (members of Snapcase) - "Breathe" Pilot to Gunner - "68" Red Animal War - "Cutoff" Retisonic - "Cooling Card" Riddle of Steel - "U-Trau" Traindodge - "Tracking" Punknews.org has a nice blurb about some upcoming Bright Eyes releases: Bright Eyes will release two singles simultaneously on October 26th in anticipation of two forthcoming full-lengths. Both full-lengths will be released simultaneously on January 25th, 2005. The full-lengths, as well as the singles, will b...

Now playing: Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80s Underground Disc 1 I picked it up last night and I'm happy to say it is all that. For someone that was plugged into the Top 40 music growing up in the 1980s, this is a wonderful alternate universe of music. Rhino does another great job of representing such a vast body of work while introducing all sorts of bands to newcomers like myself. Recommended listening, especially while reading Our Band Could Be Your Life . The sticker on the plastic says it all: "Music that mattered from the decade that didn't." Due to the fact that there are so many songs spread across four discs, I'm going to make a mix CD (or two or three CDs) of the ones that really catch my ear and go from there. This is what I did with Direction Reaction Creation , Nuggets and Nuggets II and No Thanks and this helped me get into all represented on the set. Definitely worth checking out.

As much as I am into movies, I must confess, I haven't been to the movies in a few months. The last movie I saw in a theater was The Village . I really enjoyed the movie myself, but seeing as how 1) The average movie ticket price is $8.50 (aka, almost half of the price of buying it on DVD) 2) The turnaround from screen to rental is in the span of weeks to about four months these days 3) The amount of commercials and previews are like a 20-minute serial itself. So I ask myself: "Why bother?" There are movies I'd like to see ( Shaun of the Dead , Baadasssss ! and Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut top my list) but it's hard for me to get out and see them. Thankfully, I have Netflix . Because of them, I've been able to see movies that I would not have been able to rent from anywhere else. So, in other words, believe the hype on this company. It gets my approval. Recently, I've been enjoying Clerks X , Jersey Girl , the Star Wars trilogy box set ...

Album listened to this morning: Further Seems Forever Hide Nothing Still chilly with a temp of about 54 degrees. Today's high is supposed to be in the 80s. The Force.net has a couple of descriptions of the upcoming Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith trailer. Sounds crazy, but I just peeked a little at the first couple of lines and then stopped. I've decided that I want to see this movie not knowing anything more than I already know about it (the Anakin and Obi-Wan fight, Anakin becoming Darth Vader and Luke and Leia are separated at birth). Why? I read so much about Episode II before it came out that it kind of spoiled a lot of surprises for me. Yesterday I bought four bags of candy for Halloween. Two bags of Snickers Crunch, one bag of Reese's and one bag of Smarties. Hopefully the neighborhood kids will enjoy and I don't think we'll have problems eating whatever we don't give out. Splendid has a very nice review of Mission Label...

MTV reports the following: He might want to leave the R. Kelly jokes at home. Chris Rock, who has been brutal to celebrities as the host of several past MTV Video Music Awards shows, has been tapped to host the somewhat more conservative Academy Awards. "I am a huge fan of Chris Rock," Gil Cates, the producer of the Oscars telecast, said in a statement Thursday (October 14). "He always makes me laugh and he always has something interesting to say. Chris represents the best of the new generation of comics. Having him host the Oscars is terrific." The Academy Awards ceremony, now in its 77th year, will be broadcast live February 27 on ABC. >I will definitely watch this.

Song in my head: "At Least That's What You Said" by Wilco I had oatmeal for the first time today. It was Quaker's Banana Walnut and it was fantastic. While the weather is rather chilly today, it's supposed to get up to 88 degrees by Saturday. My house's AC is still on auto, so it feels like an ice cube in here. Off to shoot pictures of a parking lot where every other space says, "If You Park Here and Cross the Street, You Will Be Towed."

Album listened to this morning: My Morning Jacket It Still Moves Breezy and windy with a temperature of 52 degrees. Double-light jacket wearing weather for me. Kevin Smith is talking about a possible Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back follow-up to MTV.com : "He's hard at work on a Clerks sequel, and now Kevin Smith is thinking about a Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back follow-up. 'So many people ask about it — I'm just like, 'Where were all you mother----ers when they were in their own movie in theaters? I could have used your help!' Smith said. 'That makes me think every once in a while, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back did really well on DVD. I'm like, 'Wow, if we made a Jay and Bob movie now, we might clean up.' But I don't know, that's not a reason to make a movie.' A sequel would be a few years off, regardless, as Smith is committed to The Green Hornet after The Passion of the Clerks ." I support whatever Kevin...

NME comes through again today with some details on the new Nirvana box set. With the Lights Out features 3 CDs with 81 tracks and one DVD filled with all sorts of stuff and it will be released on November 22nd. Hopefully one of these 81 tracks is their version of "D-7" originally done by the Wipers.

During band practice last night, the clear bottom snare head split in half. I've never had this happen before in my 10+ years of playing. I continued to play on it but it sounded like I was hitting a beach ball. Maybe this is how Billy Joel, Liberty DeVito or Phil Ramone got that snare sound on "It's Still Rock & Roll to Me." I'm currently reading Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 , Jeph Loeb's Batman: The Long Halloween , Please Kill Me and Live From New York . When I finish one I think I'll start reading High Fidelity or Hot Water Music . My mind wonders too much to settle on one book. While I have barely played my Playstation 2 in months, I'm back with it thanks to Tony Hawk's Underground 2. The last game in the installment, Tony Hawk's Underground , took me about two weeks to beat on the Normal difficulty. Well, I'm nowhere near beating this one and am really enjoying playing it over and over again until my fingers ...

I can't believe it's been almost a year since Elliott Smith died. His final album (or first posthumous collection) Fr o m a Basement on the Hill will be released on Tuesday, October 19th. The album is pretty incredible. Anti- is releasing it and there are two MP3s available for download from its site.

Album listened to this morning: The Dismemberment Plan Change Even though the first day of autumn was a couple of weeks ago, yesterday was the first day it was actually chilly. I believe the overnight low was in the upper 50s. Knowing the weather here, I'd except it to heat up to 90 in just a day but it only got to 78 yesterday. This morning was 62 degrees with some wind chill. I dig the light jacket weather. NME is reporting that a new iPod is on the way. Now with a color screen and 50 percent more storage than before. While my experience with an iPod has been limited, I think it's a whole lot more inviting to use after worrying about my portable CD player skipping on family car trips. Rhino Records released Left of the Dial yesterday. I'll definitely be picking this up soon. It's like Our Band Could Be Your Life was made into a box set. I'm sure a box set with 1990s alternative rock is being prepared. Then I'll feel really old. On a relate...

From Punknews.org We checked in with Fearless to get some information about the At the Drive-In reissues due out on November 9th. Relationship of Command - which was originally released via the Beastie Boys ' defunct Grand Royal label -will be reissued with two bonus tracks: "Extracurricular" and "Catacombs." But more important for At the Drive-In fans will be the anthology record planned for release in Spring 2005. While the details haven't been confirmed, our contact at Fearless tells us that "it'll probably have a companion DVD with music videos, live footage and some interviews." as well as the bulk of the unreleased and live tracks from the band. >I'm curious if "Incetardis" from the "One Armed Scissor"/"Pattern Against User" teaser EP will show up on this anthology.

Album listened to this afternoon: Modest Mouse Good News for People Who Love Bad News This album just constantly amazes me. This interview with Isaac Brock is great too

From Billboard: The Beatles' first four U.S. albums -- "Meet the Beatles," "The Beatles Second Album," "Something New" and "Beatles '65" -- will be bundled together in the boxed set "The Capitol Albums Volume 1," due Nov. 16. All were originally released in 1964 as Beatlemania swept the United States. "In the '60s, American record labels often chose to reformat British records to suit the needs of the U.S. market," says Capitol president Andy Slater. "In America, singles were generally included on current albums, where in the U.K. albums and singles were most often separate releases. Higher music publishing costs in the U.S. also made it impractical to include as many songs on American albums. In addition, in the case of the Beatles, some of the recordings on the American albums were given more echo than the British versions, to 'Americanize' their sound." The albums, which have been rema...

I can't believe it but I've never made a mix CD just for myself. I guess this would be like if I still had a modern rock show on the radio. Here's the tracklisting: 1. "Me and the Bean" - Spoon 2. "Hover Near Fame" - the New Amsterdams 3. "Up All Night" - Creeper Lagoon 4. "Measure 3" - Matt Pond PA 5. "Dance of Days" - Embrace 6. "Kicking the Lights" - Girls Against Boys 7. "Surgical Focus" - Guided By Voices 8. "Filthy Way to Lose Yourself" - Retisonic 9. "Good" - Better Than Ezra 10. "For Ivandell" - Mineral 11. "Under Pressure" - Small Brown Bike and the Casket Lottery 12. "High" - the Cure 13. "A Life Less Ordinary" - Ash 14. "Where Do You Get Love" - Matthew Sweet 15. "Rapture" - Pedro the Lion 16. "68" - Jawbox 17. "You're Lucky to Be Alive" - Braid 18. "Nothing At All...

Record listened to this morning: Sparta Porcelain In the world of Sparta , they have posted a non-LP track called "Farewell Ruins" for download on Apple's iTunes store . It's a great song and I believe the lyrics are about "a song about someone I never knew but who affected me," Jim Ward told Billboard. Previously, the song was only available on the UK version of Porcelain , so $.99 cents is a lot more cost effective than $17 for import . This is what I love about iTunes. Sparta labelmates Jimmy Eat World will be releasing their new album, Futures , on October 19th. Amazon is listing it as coming with a bonus disk. I'm curious if it's going to have non-LP tracks. I have heard the record and I think it's really powerful. You could say it's like Bleed American , but it's heavier in spots and in other spots it's even more melodic and catchy than anything they've done before. As far as BBC's The Office , it turns ...

This is the first post of future postings about what's going on in my life. Enjoy.