I wrote this post on the flight out to Intonation last Friday. The picture to the right is Rory being awesome. In fact, everyone was awesome the whole fucking time. Thanks to all the folks who made it such a killer event. Vice knows how to throw a party. More to come later... for now...

I'm currently on a flight to Chicago. As many of you know, Loose is heading to Vice's Intonation festival. Personally, I'm giddy with excitement. Sitting to my left if my boy Rob and flanking my right side is the always fashionable Christie Z. Personally, I'm scared shitless of flying. Yup, your super hero has some kryptonite. It didn't help the cause when after a 20-minute delay Flight 347 had to sit on the runway waiting out the weather and a backlog of flights. It seemed as though we might be doomed, but our pilot flashed his VIP laminate and we skipped ot the head of the class. Currently or rather presumably we are somewhere over my home state of Pennsylvania. By the time this post is finished we should be high above Ohio with little time left before our final decent. By the time this gets posted (also presumably) I will be waking up after a night of heavy partying in Chitown. I'll fill you in on all that at a later date. Let me use this time to catch you up on another rad night in the neighborhood.

After work Stacks and I cruised down to the 186 to watch some ESPN and grub while awaiting our respective shows. 9pm quickly snuck up on us, and despite our will to chill we peaced out. He was headed to Rockland while I aimed to meet Anna outside of the Mercury. As Heart on a Stick pointed out, the show was backed up due to an early showcase by douche-pop boy wonder number whatever. To be honest I couldn't give a good goddamn who it was; I just wanted his crowd to clear the room so we could see White Rabbits aka Blanco Conejos. Anna and I slipped into the back corner after talking Chicago excitement with Cara (who is currently headed to Newark to tail our us). We caught some space with Beach, Lucy and Gigs who were equally unimpressed with White Rabbits more than inadequate soundman. To be fair White Rabbits sounded good, but there where points in the set that made me wonder where they found the chap twiddling the knobs. They played their hearts out to a room full of bouncing hipsters on the cusp of everything cool, (including my company and me).

Sidenote: I think this altitude makes me a jackass. Yeah, it's either the altitude or my brain.

Back to the lecture at hand: White Rabbits - they are going to flip some indie switches. Their sound is light and playful, (Anna couldn't get over how much they sounded like the soundtrack to a surfing video - but don't think Dick Dale). Their sound (as I've said before) will agree with fans of The Walkmen and Sound Team, but they seem to take the sting out of any seriousness that grounds their predecessors' attitudes. They look and sound as though they want to be there and more importantly they want you to be there. Next time they gig find yourself someone who enjoys that old past time known as fun and go bounce along with some agreeable rock.

Next on the chop block was a trip to Sin-e. Being the consistent moron you've grown to love, I forgot earplugs. Anna and I quickly ducked out of the club and hustled back to the 186 to snag a couple pairs from my seemingly endless stash. We returned to see LEVY play the final few songs of their set of mostly new tunes. In they past they've been compared to the Strokes, but not before last night was the comparison so warranted. Their swagger, their sound and their confidence (don't think cocky) add up to a mix that feels like you're witnessing one of the fab-five's Luna Lounge shows circa 2000. Don't get your bandana panties in a bunch - we here at Loose love the Strokes. Like it or not, that band was the catalyst for a backlash of indie bands - for better or worse. This much is true: they will always be near and dear to me. Much like how my mother can't help but to shake her hips when she here's The Rolling Stones play "Satisfaction"; I can only imagine my arthritic ass attempting to do the white man shuffle when my kid plays "Hard to Explain". Again, hold up on those panty bunches. I'm not saying the Strokes will have the timeless, lasting affect of the Stones, but here is one indie kid who is hoping so.

As LEVY finished their set, we ducked out to have a drink at Sin-e Bar located just down the block. We were joined by a few of Anna's friends who were instantly offered some cocaine from one of the neighborhood dealers. It had that old-timey B-Side feel to it - before the pool table was pulled out.

Eventually the 11th hour drew near and I ducked back over to Sin-e where The Big Sleep had just commenced their assault. Typically the levels they play would force me to rip the plugs from my pockets and shove them into my ears faster than Mustachimo and a cored cantaloupe, but there is something about their live shows that requires the full attention of all the body's senses, (well, maybe not smell). Long and short of it (Rob and I just started a Family Guy episode) their set was unreal. They are going to make some serious waves, but you already knew that didn't you?