Weekends like the one we just experienced don't happen too often. We are lucky that no one is in the hospital, and everyone had a good time. A shitshow of this proportion will become mythical in time. Stories will become embellished. Conquests exaggerated. Bowling scores inflated. One thing is for certain; if we continue trying to top ourselves, someone will go down, (and not because they were on the receiving end of a Culkin). Since I'm pressed for time, this weekend must be recapped in series of Haikus.

Friday:

Marry me Morningwood loves sexy time.
Wrens' fans hate my friends

Happy birthday Beach.
Tequila in the back left.
I pulled a Belin.

Saturday:

We love barbeques.
Lucy learns to mold the meat.
Our hamburgers rocked.

Brooklyn isn't that far.
Bowling leagues are for pussys.
Drunk bowling is tops.

Must learn my limit.
Obligatory 2A.
Builder's comfy bed.

Sunday:

Cracked out brunch session.
Tooling around with Baldass.
Preserving our strength.

Starting on the deck.
Joe, Adam and Noah killed.
DJ Jay Good Times.

Perry turns bunny.
Heroic Tequila shots.
Wasted party peps.

Clap Your Hands was great.
Apollo Sunshine got dirty.
The National rocked.

So many mosh pits.
Peelander Z is crazy.
Get out of my house.

Monday:

Brunch take-two plus Hawk.
I finally did some work.
Curry is my bitch.

Yo! MTV Raps.

Being extremely hung-over at work sucks a giant dick. The 24oz of coffee I just ingested isn't clearing the hazy cloud that is lingering over me. Some people will give me shit because I did manage to get to bed by 1am, but let me say this; I was shit-hammered, but with good reason. Please bear with this post as it's sure to be a jumbled mess of mixed-up, incomplete thoughts.

Last night began with trim a la Jacob. Having a solid guy who does house call haircuts is worth its weight in tacos. Lets forget the fact that after every haircut I look 12 years old again, (not his fault, I have what some might call a baby face). Around 7pm I headed over to the Mercury to meet Captain Carbomb for dinner. I managed to hang around the box office and convince a lady to buy Kaiser Chiefs tickets instead of The Bravery. Kristen didn't appreciate my sentiment, but I meant well. Eventually Johnny Too Bad came down, and we headed to Paladar for a pair of their unbelievable Cuban sandwiches.

After the meal, I rolled over to Elizabeth Street to meet Liz before stopping by the Something In the Way launch party at Groupe. It was such a fashionista fuckfest at this place, (I wish Sean Bones was there because his commentary would have been outlandish). The magazine is some Vice / Fader off shoot, but I didn't manage to pick-up or even see a copy so that's all I know. We met Hawkins, Builder and Miriam in the back and fought our way to the free Bacardi. They were making fancy pants drinks with special rum that tasted like candy. Liz and I took up space by the DJ tables, had a few drinks and then walked on.

Destination number two was The Mercury Lounge. We were greeted by Enrique, Daylen and Beana, but our hellos were quick as I wanted to check out Tralala, (formerly Tight Fit). Upon first glance, anything with a dick will be drawn to this band. It is fronted by four completely gorgeous ladies who share singing duties. Backing them up on the guitar/bass/drums are three guys who I quickly forgot, (despite their incredibly catchy rock songs). They reminded me of a dirty pop rock band fronted by 30% Ronnettes and 70% Runaways with a splash of the Slits for good measure. Unfortunately I had a difficult time listening to the band because my mind was on complete overload. I couldn't seem to choose which girl was the cutest, but eventually I decided on the girl dressed like a tennis player. Though Liz didn't agree, I'm sticking with my decision.

After the band, Beach and I stepped outside to discuss some important business. We ran into Howerton, Rich and Rich's lady (I'm terrible with names). After the cool down we stepped back inside and waited for the guest of honor. Amusement Parks on Fire took the stage and (thanks to Mark) were a lot better than Saturday night. They were playing at an audible level that didn't give me a migraine. I was only able to catch a couple songs because Warrior Perry showed up and tequila was instantly consumed. If you don't know the Warrior by now, he is a top notch shithead who was brought into my life via Enrique. The kid has been overseas for five months traveling the world with his lady friend. I'm psyched to have the crazy bastard back in the 212. After a quick catch up session, Liz and I hoped a cab with the hopes of catching a bit of The Double at the Knit.

A bit is exactly what we got. I think we saw one song, but I couldn't tell you. Inebriation and excitement for The Ponys had my mind wondering. Between sets we stepped outside to catch some air and we ran into Michael from We Are Scientists, (Check them out at Galapagos on June 2). Then Beach, Daylen and Mr. Warrior showed up and we slid back inside for PBRs and rock n' roll.

The past couple times I've caught a Ponys show, I wasn't impressed, (probably because they opened for Bloc Party). Last night's gig renewed my love for the Chicago four-piece. They killed it and that's not just the booze talking, (did I mention I was capital 'W' – wasted at this point). They played a decent mix of songs from both records and even graced us with an encore. The new guitar player has found his groove, and they are once again playing like a cohesive unit. The lead singer has crazy stage presence. He has the look and voice of Voidoids era Richard Hell, (it's an obvious comparison, but I'm making it). The Ponys sound like they locked themselves in a LES apartment in 1978 and reemerged yesterday simply to play a show. Fortunately someone slid a Folk Implosion record under their door so they could expand on the straight rock of the late 70's. My only complaint is that their set felt entirely too short. See this band soon and buy their damn records, (if you even care about rock n' roll).

At midnight we rang in Captain Beefheart's 25th birthday with a carbomb. One led to two and I quickly realized my Friday was going to be difficult. I ducked out of the club and went straight home to pass out. Thursdays Rock.

The run of five sold out Bright Eyes / Faint shows is finally over. After today you won't have to hear me go on and on about the show so bear with me as I tread through the all too familiar ground one last time.
After work Dr. Champion and I met for a quick bite to eat at Karen's on Astor Place. I now realize that place has amazing soup and will probably become a frequent visitor if my wallet allows it.

Sidenote: On yesterday's walk home from work, I decided it was time to hang up the chain wallet. This wallet has swung from my hip since the 8th grade, and it felt like time to move on. My initial concern lied in the loss of my wallet, but since I've avoided the raging black out drunks that characterized my previous years; it felt like time to move on. My aim was to stop at the Army Navy store on Houston to once and for all say good bye to the jingle jangle, but much to my dismay the shop was closed. Now I'm reconsidering. Is it time? Does it make me look like a douche bag punk, (more than my regular appearance)?

So we finished our meal and walked over to the club where the line stretched all the way around the corner. Since Dan wasn't working tonight, I decided to take the outside traffic director shift which makes for a nice change of pace. The show went without a hitch. I was able to help out a bunch of kids jockeying for a ticket. There was even a really cute girl in a skirt and leg warmers who I helped out, but didn't get her name. If you or any of your friends read this, show the site some love and sign up for our mailer, (and email me). Thankfully I was inside when The Faint played "Paranoiattack," so I hustled upstairs and rocked out for a solid three minutes.

After the shift I went up to the merch booth to see if Kristen was hocking any vinyl singles of my adored track. With no such luck, I returned to the main ballroom entrance where Zeina and Beana (crazy names to see together) debated whether or not it was worth staying for Bright Eyes. They dropped out a song or two before me. I blew Connor a kiss good bye, wiped a tear from my eye and cruised home in the rain.

Thursday Recommendations :
Austin: Nothing's going on.
Chicago: Heartless Bastards @ Empty Bottle
Los Angeles: Boom Bip @ Echo
New York: Amusement Parks On Fire @ Mercury Lounge
Portland: Pixies @ Roseland Theatre
San Francisco: Goldie Lookin Chain @ The Independent

Notes From The Blogsphere:
*** A bunch of the friendly bloggers are participating in the Nike iD design contest. Check out their designs and vote for your favorite. The winner will score a bunch of kicks to hand out, and you might get one of them.

*** Jin notes that Dirty On Purpose needs your help for their next video shoot. Help them out, be creative and drink free beer.

*** Brooklyn Vegan posted a link to the video for The White Stripes single "Blue Orchid".

My gushing in reference to The Faint should stop by the middle of next week, but for now, I can't resist their delicious take on the 80's wave. Fuck all the haters. Seriously. Since they began their work-week-long stay at Webster Hall, I've rarely been able to listen to anything but their latest record Wet From Birth. After cycling through the tracks it dawns on me that this record hasn't torn up dance floors, (or maybe I don't hang out at places with dance floors). Either way, there are a couple tracks that completely transfix me. The first undeniable track is "Disappear" which is just a warm up to the truly unstoppable "Paranoiattack." The latter has everything I could want in a song that's built to incite riots among the little punkers. Granted the lyrics can be a bit cheesy in that they capitalize on the Bush administrations fear tactics, but the music… oh the music. It begins with an intro that makes you want to circle up and then with one solid punch to the gut you should be going absolutely ape. The track has a beat that invites even the goofiest of puberty deficient kids to bounce in unison. Couple this with an anthem bridge that calls for a chant of "Paranoia" before jumping back into an ass kicking finish, and you recipe for dance floor fire. Listen to this song and just try to contest it.

Enough of this. I sound like a high school girl who fell in love with the first danceable record her college freshman boyfriend gave her. Then she dyed her hair black and currently wears her belts backwards. Enough. Enough.

Yesterday was my first night off since Friday so I took the liberty to go straight home and hang out with the roommates. We dined on Mama's (new tip: get the mashed potatoes and liven them up with some bbq sauce) before Stevo stopped by to pick me up. On our way over to Rothko, I got a phone call from one despondent friend who wanted me to come help him Culkin the Olsen twins who were in attendance at the Mercury Lounge for Jared Leto's bands set. Unfortunately my mind was set on checking out Austin, Texas' Single Frame.

We rolled into the venue and saddled up to the bar. Forgetting the email I received earlier in the day, I ordered a $6 beer. As the bartender popped the top, a fellow patron reminded me of the free Red Stripe. Thanks man. It didn't take long for Single Frame to take the stage. The stage was decorated with various lit up cones and televisions. The three-piece only played three or four recognizable songs, and they left me with a middle ground feeling, (not impressive but certainly not bad). There were some funny moments like the band paying cassette recordings of noise, the drummer/singer working a typewriter into the beat of a song and the closer that had an intro produced by one of the prop televisions. Stevo and I were also fascinated by the guitar player's haircut. It was one of those buzz cuts with a real long top that hangs over his face. Like the dude from Less than Jake without dreadlocks, (I just blew up my own spot). It reminded me of being in 8th grade and going to hardcore shows where the older kids rebelled with the same haircut and cut off flannels. The best aspect of Single Frame is their crazy drum beats. They controlled the songs and indicated the changes. It was as if the rolls were reversed and rhythm duties were passed off to the keys and guitar. The drummer put together some super choppy, tempo jumping, off the wall beats that kept me guessing throughout the entire set. Check out Single Frame at Pianos on Friday night if you are a fan of the poppy side of Black Eyes or Liars.

Demander was second on the bill. After some changeover chat with Ms. Nelson and Mike, they took the stage and blasted through some killer tracks. This was my first time seeing them with their new-ish (he joined awhile ago) guitar player. Jared breaths new life into their songs with his razor sharp work on his ax. Sivan and Karen held it down as usual, but after half their set, Stevo and I ducked out so we could do some catching up before calling it a night. We set up camp at Johnson's, had a few drinks, shot some pool and parted ways happily drunk.

As I sat in bed, it dawned on me that it was only Tuesday. Will this week hurry the fuck up and be over? There is a weekend shitshow on deck.

My personal Wednesday recommendations:
Autechre @ The Parish (Austin);
Darediablo @ Double Door (Chicago);
Goldie Lookin Chain @ Troubadour (LA);
The Faint @ Webster Hall (NYC);
Gossip @ Berbati's Pan (Portland);
Architecture in Helsinki @ Café Du Nord (SF)

Can someone explain the whole Podcast thing to me? I'm sure its some mildly easy to grasp concept, but up till now I've avoided reading about it. Now that Apple has thrown their hat into the ring, it feels like its time to figure this jive out. You can send your explanations to info (at) looserecord.com. I'll buy you a cherry soda if you can explain in less than 30 words because if I read more than that it will put me to sleep.

I've got another question.

What is it about the kids who enjoy Bright Eyes? Why are they so nice? Well, let me explain this because we've seen a big mix of people coming to check out Connor's huge production at Webster Hall. For the most part there are tons of teenagers; young kids dying for a chance to see Mr. Oberst in all his glory. These kids come in two forms: 1. overly polite emo kids who are a pleasure to assist, 2. drunk 17-year-olds who don't know how to handle their booze. There have been a few kids each night who just get shitcanned and don't know how to act, but thankfully there are enough kids who are polite and awesome that have made the Saddle Creek run such a solid experience. So how do these emo kids who supposedly wear their hearts on their sleeves manage to keep such a pleasant disposition? Much like the gothic kids, they make my life easy, and easy is my aim. Either way, keep kicking ass kiddo's.

Speaking of these shows, anyone with a small inclination to see Vicious at Rothko featuring two tough-as-nails bands. Get there early because Austin's own Single Frame is scheduled to hit at 8pm. A couple of summers ago I was in San Francisco with my little sister. Anna was kind enough to take us to the gigantic Amoeba Music on Haight Street. During our extended shopping spree, I managed to spend nearly $300 on all sorts of discs. This was where I picked up Single Frame's Wetheads Come Running which completely blew my shit. I can't wait to see how it translates to the stage. Second on the bill is the always sexually dangerous Demander featuring the lovely Sivan and Karen. Though they are beautiful girls, they shed all the stereotypes that might come with it and kick out some serious jams.

Let's take a quick look around the other Loose cities. On first glance, Los Angeles is the place to be. First of all The Dears and Shout Out Louds are playing the El Rey. This is one of Loose's most highly anticipated tours. We are huge fans of both bands, so if you get the chance check this out. Following the show is a massive after party/CD release party at Cinespace. This is put together by Frankie Chan and is guaranteed to be a shitshow of weekend proportions because Frankie and DJ Steve Aoki (Dim Mak) will be one of the many gracing the wheels of steel. Couple this with some crazy drink specials, and shit will be bananas.

My other city highlights include: The Icarus Line at The Bottom of the Hill in SF, The Brunettes at Berbati's Pan in Portland and Kasabian at Chicago's Double Door. It may only be Tuesday, but that's no reason to stay indoors, (unless you have the O.C. season finally TiVo'd).

:: Round 1 ::

So you're wondering were I've been? I could use some cliché such as "Hell and Back", to describe the past few days of my life, but it wouldn't be fair. It's been butter since I left the office on Thursday, and in an effort to keep it going, my chips are on the table and the dice are in hand. Let me give you the rundown. Thursday was the second night of Doves at Webster Hall. Since Wednesday was a little crazy, I decided to take the outside post leaving the front door to the fasting D. It was a nice evening to be stuck outside, so I joked around with the masses while directing them into the venue. As luck would have it, my shift ended at the same time Meredith rolled up to the club. We cruised upstairs in search of a decent spot to see the show, but after running around we found the back corner to be our best option. We were joined by Sky, Rob, Mr. Midget and Daylen for the duration of the set. Doves sounded absolutely fantastic. The sound system did them some serious justice, and unlike the Bowery show, there was a bit of smoke/mist in the air so the light show couldn't burn out any retinas. I'm growing increasing familiar with their material, but I'm not in a position to give you a rundown of their set. I did recognize a heap of new songs from Some Cities, like "Black and White Town" and "Sky Starts Falling". They also opened the set with an older favorite, "Pounding", but the rest of the set was simply a dreamy mix of excellent atmospheric rock.

Enrique, Meredith and I decided to bail one song into their encore because we didn't want to be late for The Hold Steady's set at the Bowery Ballroom. We arrived as Need New Body finished up their freakish set. As a massive group of kids assembled in the back corner, poised to get drunk and have a good time while Craig Finn captivated the crowd. The Hold Steady took the stage and proceeded to play Separation Sunday from start to finish. It was an appropriate move since the show was billed as a record release show. As they blasted through some of my favorite songs like "Your Little Hoodrat Friend", "Charlemagne in Sweatpants" and "Don't Let Me Explode", it became clear that The Hold Steady will outlast the multiple bands that don't contain an ounce of the story telling talent possessed by Finn and his gang of bar stool prophets.

The encore blessed us with some of the classics from their first record. "Hostile Massachusetts" and "Killer Parties" were just two of the jams that really took my rowdiness over the edge. They gave tons of praise to everyone involved that included a big shout out to Noah and DTL. This got our beer soaked corner hooting and hollering. There was even a song titled, "212 Margarita" which I'd never heard before, but you can believe will soon be my theme song. We ended the night in the basement slamming beers without any regard for the following workday.

:: Round 2 ::

Friday was a struggle, but by 5pm a second wind caught my sails. This was fortunate because my phone rang off the hook until Hawkins and Leah picked Oveis and me up for a trip out to Park Slope. We arrived at Matt G.'s house and were treated by a suburban style backyard keg party. Matt finally turned 21 (who knew with that beard) and in honor his rents left the house for the weekend so he could ring it in with some close friends. Matt exhibited master grill skills and produced some of the finest dogs and burgers I've consumed in the outdoor setting. As some of the kids hung in the back, Leah and I snuck inside and ended up playing beer pong with Jenny and Tori. By the end of the game we were nicely toasted so we bid farewell and jumped back into the car.

On the way in, Lucy clued me into the fact that she was packing heat in the form of a tequila filled flask. I nipped on the fountain of youth while we crossed the bridge only to realize in the next few minutes that I was fairly intoxicated. After parking we hustled down to the club hoping to catch most of Stellastarr's set, but we'd run a bit late. Apparently they played a lot of material from the new record and the couple songs we heard sound like a continuation of their first effort with a bit less gloss. They came back out for an encore that included "My Coco" that had the place going bananas. After their set Lil' Beach and I managed to Culkin Enrique which pretty much solidified the evening on the positive scale of 1-to-Awesome.

The evening wasn't over. Adam decided to make an effort to move us to the Mercury Lounge were the one man dance machine, Baby Dayliner was scheduled to play a late set. This guy always seems to impress me. At this late juncture of the evening, the Mercury was a bit over half full, but everyone in the place was catching the solid gold grove the Kevin Bacon look-a-like was laying down. My plan was to stick around and try to talk him into doing a set at an upcoming Loose party, but I was so drunk and tired that the lure of 186 was to much. I went home and promptly passed out on the couch with my shoes on.

:: Round 3 ::

Saturday was epic from start to finish. It began with the roommates hanging out for a bit before Kyle and I decided to catch some brunch at our new Avenue A hotspot, Angelina's. This place is cheap and fucking amazing. Give it a shot, but don't tell your friends because it's still at the point where you can walk up at any given time and be seated. I had the most delicious bowl of fruit and granola before we settled up and headed west in search of hoodies.

After some shopping, we met Oveis back at the house for a quick hang before he took off for home. Hawkins and Christie picked me up around 2pm and we proceeded to get lost on our way out to Queens. We finally found the Bohemian Beer Garden where Dana and Jamie were celebrating their birthdays. I saddled up to Dana and we proceed to slam back Hoegaarden while kids dined on kielbasa and various other bar food delicacies. The day got a bit rowdy when the gang decided King's Cup would be a good idea. We ended up being that loud table that everyone at the garden would stare at and bitch among their friends, mostly because they weren't having as much fun as us.

Eventually Hawkins, Christie and I headed back to the city. I threw back a couple cups of coffee and got my self a sandwich so I would be in peak performance mode for the first Bright Eyes / Faint show at Webster Hall. The evening went so smoothly. Their fans are so well mannered that it made my night a breeze. By 10pm it was time for me to hustle down to 186 for a quick shower before the Loose Party at Pianos.

There are some mixed feelings about the Loose Party, but all around everyone seemed to have a good time which is what's important. I'm not going to go into much detail on the whole event, but thanks to to Amusement Parks on Fire for bring a rawkus late night set. After closing up shop a number of us relocated to Welcome to the Johnson's for some cheap tequila before last call crept up on us. Once the gates came down, Hawkins led Julia, Megan and I to some Lenny Kravitz after hours spot that was populated by some old friends from my first year of college. It was a great way to close out the weekend.

As I sit here humping my desk in my windowless office, Dinosaur Jr.'s "Feel The Pain" comes across the WOXY airwave and my door gets shut for a mild rock out session. This title pinpoints my reaction to the past couple days of press on Coldplay's 'fuck the man,' attitude that has permeated through various news outlets. It seems like Chris Martin's rebel attitude is the biggest media ploy coming from U.K. shores since Pete Libertines' Far East rehab trip. None of this really matters to me because I could give a shit about the band, but when they are a headline on every news site its difficult to ignore. Here just a few of the Headlines.

:: Rage Against the Machine! ::
:: Coldplay Frontman Turns on 'Evil' Doers ::
:: British Band Coldplay Irked by Corporate Pressures ::
:: Coldplay Attack 'Corporate Evil' ::

Does anyone see the calculation in these comments? Sure, Martin may be upset by all the talk that EMI's future might rest on their scrawny shoulders, but that story is a dinosaur at this point. Isn't it water under the bridge? Why does the press dwell on story, because it draws readers? Why does Martin continue to comment on the subject, because it draws attention? Why doesn't EMI speak out in their defense? Because the more time their band stays in the headlines, the more attention they'll receive which will should translate into bigger sales. It's not like they're in the press for Michael Jackson related reasons. No, they are in the press because they are fighting the system. They are selling this new record on a 'fuck all' front that doesn't make any sense to me.

Did Chris dream up this press blitz after a conversation with Sam Edincott? If you've already forgotten (and most of us have tried), The Bravery were called out by Brandon Flowers of The Killers on or around the date The Bravery's debut record dropped on Island. Is it a coincidence that Island is home to The Killers? My guess is no. Do you think they had a phone conversation prior to launching into this public battle?

Sam: Hi, is Brandon home?

Brandon's Mom: I'm not certain. Let me check. (In the distance: Brandon!)

Brandon: Yellow, Brandon here.

Sam: Hey, this is Sam from The Bravery. We have a record coming out tomorrow and Island thinks it would be a good idea if we got some sort of public tiff going with one of our label mates, but Fall Out Boy and Sum 41 both laughed at us. Can you help us out?

Brandon: Well, we are bad boys. Did you see the eyeliner I had on for the Spin photo shoot?

Sam: Yeah, it looked great. What was it?

Brandon: Well, we took the first shots with Maybelline, but when we got the proofs I didn't think it accentuated my natural color enough so I made them regroup for another shoot. The second time around we used MAC, and I looked fabulous.

Sam: Do you have a hookup there? I could really use some stuff that won't run at shows. It gets hot under all those lights.

Brandon: Don't I know it. Yeah, I'll call my girl and have her send some your way. No problem. Oh, this reminds me your hair always looks great. Rarely do you lose shape. I know you are going for the whole Misfits widows' peak now, but when you had that Asian street racer hair, what kind of gel did you use?

Sam: Funny enough Brandon, LA Looks was one of our earliest sponsors. My sister does their marketing. Since some people seem to think we have an 80's revivalist thing going, she thought this would be a good idea. It seems unfounded, but it's scored me tons of blow jobs so I'm going with it.

Brandon: Don't I know it.

Sam: So can you beef us in the press?

Brandon: No problemo.

Sam: Thanks buddy. Skank ya' later.

Brandon: Word to your mother.

Anyway, I wouldn't begin to deny the possibility that EMI asked Martin to run with this story. They are in dire straights, and if Coldplay could save them, piles of press will help. Only time will tell, but like I said; this band means dick to me.

For weeks Captain Mudtruck discussed his plan to start the psychedelic revolution. His plan is to book a bill that will completely blow the minds of all attendees. Kyle believes the revolution could start if this super-bill was constructed: Dungen, Comets on Fire, Dead Meadow and last but definitely not least, The Big Sleep. It might be a pipe dream hashed out over one too many knifer sessions, but the kid could be onto something. Last night we caught a set by The Big Sleep and realized he couldn't be more right on.

But don't let me get ahead of myself; the evening began well before my trip to the Mercury Lounge. Around 9pm Liz stopped into 186 to pick me up for a show at Rothko. Last night, Chicago based four-piece, The Changes played the Vicious party at Rothko. Awhile back, I met Rob (bass) at a show they played with The Bahamas (R.I.P.) and we've managed to keep in contact. The show was a great opportunity for me to see their progress. The Changes have come a long way since the last time I saw them. Their songs are shaper and sound well practiced. You can definitely say they are a "safe" rock band, but that doesn't mean they are lacking in sass or good times. The band was all smiles as they plowed through a set that had very few breaks in the action. Their melodies are so strong that it's surprising they've yet to score a record deal. Check them out tonight at The Mercury Lounge. They are part of a great bill featuring Pela, The Heartless Bastards and The Everyothers. The Changes hit at 7:30pm.

Toward the end of their set, Liz and I strolled over to The Mercury Lounge. We were greeted by Enrique and Builder who were perched at the head of the bar. In the back room Kyle was seated directly next to the stage watching The Big Sleep set up their arsenal. As the audio assault started, we wisely slide away from the speakers. The Big Sleep plays loud sweeping rock hell bent on destruction and dance moves. They pay particular attention to tempo changes, calculated pauses and driving rhythms. Toss this into a mix characterized by furious walls built by Danny (guitar/keys) and Sonya's (bass/keys) undeniable grove on her ax, and you get a band forces audiences to take note. As they closed their set with two of my favorite songs, "Murder" and "Brown Beauty", I couldn't fight the notion that everyone should make it a priority to see them live. Just do it, and buy me a "thank you" beer next time you see me. Forget that; don't buy me anything. Stop by the Mudtruck and tell the big redhead you believe in the revolution because, "You Can't Touch the Untouchable."

After their set we were joined in the front room by Mia and Beana who were fresh off a Coldplay experience. We decided to opt out of Benzos record release show that was happening a few feet away and went back to 186 for our own little jam session.

Some of you (read: real adults) might think 6 drinks is way too much, especially on a Monday night, but not me. I'm a champ. Well, I used to think of myself as a champ, but lately my hangovers are at the same strength as the morning after a high school party featuring Fire Water laced jungle juice. Last night was my triumphant return to nightlife, but this morning it certainly doesn't feel that way. Let me take you on a drink by drink ride through my Monday night.

Drinks 1 & 2: After a brief nap and some conversation with roommate Kyle (pictured above), I met with Dragon Ball Z for some dinner and drinks. We decided to hit up Paladar because it was close by, and she's been on a huge Latin kick, (think men, music, food). We were delighted to run into Sivan who was waiting for the rest of her Demander cohorts while sipping on a margarita. Christie and I took a seat in the back and dined on a delicious quesadilla and some mahi-mahi that made my head spin.

Drink 3: We finished our margaritas, bid farewell to our friends and headed back to 186 so Christie could beef up her iPod with the help of The Future. Thankfully I found enough mixers to make 1 margarita (for her) and 1 screwdriver (for moi).

Drink 4: By 10pm we were back on the street. The plan was to pick up a To-Go margarita from The Hat and cruise down to Bowery for a show. After we picked up said margarita, I got a call from Enrique who was also headed in that direction. Christie and I plopped down on a stoop at the corner of Rivington and Allen and sipped while waiting. Eventually Enrique met up with us and we cruised down to the club.

Drinks 5 & 6: Mr. Champion was on second door duty with mi main man D-Money so I stopped in to say hello to the guys, but they were in the middle of the big push so there was no reason to bother them. We slid into the back of the ballroom and were instantly hooked up by the Bango who was slinging this evenings poison. As we waited for Kasabian to take their place if front of a massive banner featuring their album cover, we ran into a very excited Mr. Cahlo and an always awesome Ms. Melody. They clued me in on the Saints + Lovers Stolen Transmission release (Ultragrrrl's budding label) that will feature an epic Joy Division cover and gushed about the new Morningwood record, (Paul. hook it up). Finally the band took the stage and we took our rightful spot in the back corner. At this point drink 6 was in my hand and the night grew fuzzy. We were joined by Sarah who is always rocking when it's most needed. Kasabian's mix was on point. Well, at least it seemed like it because I'd close my eyes and dream about laying in bed listing to their RCA debut. The crowd ate up all their hits, but there were some points where the band felt a bit too reminiscent of The Stone Roses, (I was never a big fan). Despite this fact, they impressed me with an upbeat live show that made my tired ass shake for a few minutes. Hopefully they'll be back on U.S. soil in no time.

So I hoped that Loose Record would be the end to Let the Good Times Roll. I'm sorry this sounds selfish, but maintaining a blog while managing a team of writers (among various other bill paying duties) could put me in an early grave. With the end finally in sight, I've gracefully welcomed this newfound freedom. Last week the Loose Team decided it was time to burst my bubble. Thanks to their incessant pushing, Good Times Roll will never die, (at least not before me). In the coming weeks you'll see Good Times Roll manifest itself at Loose Record. It may take a few tries, but eventually you'll see it return to its original glory. Please don't bother to hold your breath because I'm one lazy son-of-a-bitch.

Farewell Blogger.
Ok guys, as of yesterday Loose Record is officially launched. Please take a minute to check it out and throw us love. Also, this blog will continue... but not here. Within Loose Record you'll see a link to Good Times Roll. Click that for the latest blog entry. All the news that is regularly featured on this site will be scrolling across your screens in the Loose Ticker. Learn to love it. It's a beautiful thing. Thanks for rocking the blogspot while it was up. The new day has dawned.

No Ligers Show Tomorrow.
Kids, y'all know whats up with the Ligers. Y'all know whats going down next week at the Bowery. Word on the street was a show would go down tomorrow night, but I'm here to kill it. Go see the Dead 60's at Mercury. Their record kicks some ass.

Loose Mailer 1.9: Slow and Steady.
So you may not be signed up to the Loose mailing list, or your spam catcher is stopping the message, (just go into your spam box and label us as not spam). If this is the case and you didn't receive this weeks mailer, you can check it out here: Loose Mailer 1.9. Please forgive the incorrect spelling of Berekley and the fact that we didn't give credit to Tommy M. for making such a rad version of our logo. We appreciate your help along with everyone else involved with Loose Record. Expect the dime to drop next week. Get ready to be impressed.

Big Birthday shout out to mi main Mom's Marie! Happy 28th Mom. I hope you have a killer time at the casino. Hit me with 10% when you get a chance.

Did anyone else realize a new Weezer album is out today? Yeah, I'm not the happiest kid ever, but I'm going to give it a shot.

Sub Pop Will Save Your Life.
So my weekend was un-fucking-believable. All around top notch. Tons of work was accomplished, tons of drinks were consumed and Prefuse 73 blew my mind at the Bowery. Oh, and Oveis was in town. Who doesn't love a good Oveis appearance? Anyway this post is a quicky to let you know about Sub Pop's amazing summer blitz. Here are the bands already scheduled to stop through NYC:

1. Comets On Fire @ Bowery (June 23)
2. Constantines @ Mercury Lounge (July 8)
3. Iron & Wine w/ Band of Horses @ Webster Hall (June 16/17)
4. Love As Laughter @ The Hook (May 12) Thursday Night!
5. Rogue Wave w/ Helio Sequence & Sam Champion @ Bowery (June 17)
6. Sleater-Kinney w/ Dead Meadow @ Roseland (June 23)
7. Wolf Parade @ Pianos (June 4)

Finally, big-ups to Mom. Mama Belin is the reason I'm here today. I'm so lucky to have her guiding this pleasant disaster of a life. Hopefully she'll enjoy the Stevie Nics tickets I scored her. Happy Mother's Day, (plus one)!

Three Pieces Of Awesome News.
1. WOXY played Sam Champion's Company Dance today at 4:11pm. I listen to this stream all the time, but they usually don't play them during the day. Dana IM'd me as soon as it happened with an equally excited freak out. Now don't get so drunk at happy hour that you forget about their show. They are a guaranteed good time.

2. The Shout Out Louds have a new video for the first single from their debut recocd, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff which is set for release in the U.S.A. on May 24th by Capitol Records. The single is called Very Loud and you can view it in many different formats: Windows Media (lo / med / hi); Real (lo / med / hi); Quicktime (lo / med / hi).

3. Thanks to my Quan aka Hawkins, I'm going to see the Pixies, Interpol and LCD Soundsystem on June 14th. Life just got a little bit sweeter. Think about this week I'm going to have: Pixies, Bloc Party and then hit the road with Sam Champion and Rogue Wave.

Hence the term, Lucky Dog.

Five Things You Won't Want To Forget.
Ok, strike that. Six things you won't want to forget on Cinco de Mayo:

1. Pixies presale for Jones Beach tickets begins today at noon. They sent an email saying to check the Tours page on their website for details. Save me all the boo hooing for linking this. It was in their mass email.

2. Sam Champion is playing tonight at The Mercury Lounge. This is going to be a great show. It's a bit of a celebration as Sean, Noah and Jack are all celebrating birthdays this week. The band hits at 8:30pm.

3. Thanks to Manicmess, we now know Spoon is playing an instore at Virgin Union Square on Tuesday, May 10th to celebrate the release of Gimmie Fiction. Also, at 5pm today, Thurston Moore is signing copies of his new book at the Megastore. Go here for all the details.

4. It's only a week away, and I still don't have a Weezer ticket. Can anyone help a brother out? I'm a superfan and have the tattoo to prove it.

5. If you have an extra ticket to tonight's New Order show and would like a dance partner... by all means, give me a call. I beg of you. I'll pretty much do whatever it takes to see this show.

6. Drink buckets of tequila in my sober honor. I'll be the one munching tacos.

The Secret's Wearing Thin.
Mi Main Man Ghory just pointed out that The Ligers are playing a free show at Luna Lounge on May 13th @ 10:30pm. This is a warm up before their show at the Bowery since they haven't played out for so long. I'm still not mentioning the name just to be a prick, but get there early and bring a pee bucket because the place will be packed and you won't beable to move around. Enjoy!

This may not be as rad as The Shitty Beatles show at the Mercury Lounge back in... 2001? Was it 2001? When was that show? Secret identities only work if they're kept a secret. Isn't that right Tequila Jones?

On a side note: Have you ever noticed you can't spell identities without tities?

Wishing You Were From My Home Town.
My heart just stopped and not because the doctor told me that my blood pressure is too high. No, this mild heart attack was induced by the new and improved Beer Belly Buster at Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub in my hometown of Clearfield, Pennsylvania. Just when you thought life in small town couldn’t get more ridiculous, the rednecks up the ante with a behemoth of a burger. It’s great to see Clearfield being put on the map for something other than high school football, gruesome coed murders or Walmart. This first came to my attention last night when I ran into some kids on my way home from work at Webster. Elise asked me where I’m from. Upon answering she told me about this news story she found through Yahoo news. I didn’t know we’d taken back the crown.

This morning the Jigga man emailed me this link regarding the massive manwich. Just take a gander at these stats: Dubbed the Beer Barrel Belly Buster, the burger comes with 10.5 pounds of ground beef, 25 slices of cheese, a head of lettuce, three tomatoes, two onions, a cup-and-a-half each of mayonnaise, relish, ketchup, mustard and banana peppers -- and a bun. It costs $30. So here is an open call to whoever thinks they might come close to being able to take this down. I’ll rent a car, drive you back to Clearfield, put you up for the weekend at Casa de Belin (we have a hottub) and if you can finish the burger your weekend is on me. If not, you owe me something and it isn’t just beer or a blowjob. We’ll work it out. Throw it up for Clearfield. I-80 WHAT!

This just in: Dan just told me Clearfield is in the NY Post!

Also, a couple of quick notes: As you may have noticed in the Village Voice or from the anonymous poster in yesterday’s comments, The Pixies are playing Jones Beach on Tuesday, June 14th with Interpol and LCD Soundsystem. Yes, my jeans are crusted over at the site of this bill, but a Tuesday night makes it awfully difficult. Oh yeah, and I don’t think Jones Beach sells booze. In any event I’ll be buying tickets that go on sale to the public on Saturday at 9am. If you have presale information, hook a brother up. I’m quite uninformed since I went the way of a hobbit. Hawkins, warm up the whip. We are going to the beach.

Speaking of the Village Voice did you see this week's cover? It features The Hold Steady. Their new record, Separation Sunday, is fucking fantastic. You should go purchase it and make sure to get your tickets to their record release party on May 19th at the Bowery Ballroom with Need New Body and a special guest that I can confirm is not Atomosphere.

In April I told you to buy tickets to the Goldie Lookin Chain show at the Bowery on May 31st. This is another warning simply because their live shows are so much fun. And yes, I'm going to see this show in full hip hop gear. Hopefully I can get into the Bowery with my boombox.

I neglected to mention The Head Set are playing Mercury Lounge tonight, (May 4th). They hit at 8:30pm on what looks like an awfully solid bill. The Caulfield Sisters and Serious Weapon play after one of our favorite foursomes. Ask the boys if they have any more of their three-song demo they just pressed because it’s what I’d like to call catchy as hell, (it was recorded by the infamous Richard Lloyd). This show is only $8.

Take a look around the blogsphere. The secret identity of The Ligers has been revealed. I'm not going to say anything here. Just remember I wasn't the one to leak it. Now go buy your tickets.

My Friends Are A Fucking Laugh.
So I’m still not updating. Why, might you ask? Well, all I do is work and my life isn’t exciting. I know you don’t read this site for show updates. And if you do, you’ve got the wrong blog. Every once and awhile a hot tip comes my way (and I’m not talking about last Saturday’s bathroom action at The Hole) and it gets thrown up on the site for good measure. It’s a nice way to make me look like I’m connected. There is only one hot tip I have to offer for this week and it sits firmly behind the zippers of Sam Champion. On Thursday night the band is making a (now) rare appearance at The Mercury Lounge. This show has special ramifications, not only because Sean promises to high five everyone in the crowd, but also because we are celebrating my Jewish brother’s birthday. Noah and Sean turn 19 (or something) this weekend with Jack soon to follow, and they’d love it if you came to the show to wish them well. Unfortunately these buggers are taken (from what this article has to say) so please defer all make out session offers to Ryan. He’s really great at it. Here are the details for Thursday night’s gig. Show up and celebrate one of my (now) rare live appearances. Yes, I’ll be the one in the back trying my best not to drink, (doctor’s orders). Please don’t offer me a beverage as it could kill me. Fuck it. Tequila’s on me.

Sam Champion
Thursday, May 5th (8:30pm)
@ Mercury Lounge
w/The Merediths, Bobby Bare Jr, Oakley Hall
$10 / 21+ / Noah + Jack + Sean's Bday

Quote Of The Day.
It's 3am and Loose Record is in the middle of an all night work session. We've gone a bit crazy from staring at our computer screens for the last 8 hours. In fact, I just yelled at Builder when he went to the kitchen to fart. My exact quote was, "Fuck you. You think you're better than me because you shit in the kitchen?" It all makes sense from here. I'm going to eat more cake.

Don't forget to watch Family Guy tomorrow night. That show is funnier than homeless people.