We gave you a free CD. So buy some f***ing merch!

I went into The Camel on Saturday night with an idea of what to expect from ambient rockers Now Sleepyhead. And all my expectations were thrown on its head.

The band held their release party for their latest album Noctune. A $6 cover got you in the door and a complimentary copy of the new CD. Also joining the party were My Friend Kyle, Brandon Peck and Josh Small, none of whom I actually heard because the mics were not working properly and I was closer to the bar and loud, obnoxious people.

Now Sleepyhead are hardly "ambient rock." I was expecting something soft and melodic. What I got was raw, emotional rock. Members of the group switched instruments at the drop of a hat (including guitars, french horns and piano). Very talented. I highly recommend seeing them.

Eternal Damnation
Use Your Bicycle As An Antenna
from Nocturne (buy here)

Why can't I pick up chicks here?

Friday night was quite interesting. Somehow after drinking at a few bars, a friend of mine decides to take me to Babe's, Richmond's premier lesbian bar.

After getting over my initial discomfort and not really knowing what to do, I talked with a very nice lesbian couple and realized it was okay for me to be there.

Once 11pm hit, most of the lesbians were gone and in their place were a lot of gay men and straight women.

I ran into a friend of mine (who is actually a lesbian and has a legitimate reason to be there) and starts yelling, "Why the hell are you here?" I respond with a pathetic "I don't know!"

After that, I started having a good time. My friend introduced me to all her gay and lesbian friends - and most of them told me I was very good looking. Hey, I'll take any compliment I can get.

Other highlights of the night:

• Watching my friend/co-worker dance on a stripper pole with 3 other women (the sides of people you see sometimes...)
• The old straight man who kept hitting on girls around us and offered us weed
• "Tina Turner" telling me I was a good dancer
• Getting schooled in volleyball (yes, there is a volleyball court behind the bar)

I had more fun at that place than I have at any other bar in town. Is it weird that I kinda want to go back sometime?

Jonathan Richman - I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar

My spirit screams

I finally saw the trailer for the upcoming superhero flick The Spirit, based on the famous comic strip. I'm really not sure what to think of it. It is directed and written by Frank Miller who blew me away with Sin City, but it looks like some liberties will be taken with this story and I'm not really a fan of all the psychedelic imagery. While it does boasts names such as Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Mendes, this doesn't look like the Will Eisner comic from the 40s. But I will probably see it anyway.



Hybrid - Choke (song in trailer)

Good advice in my inbox

I f***ing hate this picture

I was feeling a little bummed today on the state of affairs regarding certain friendships, so I decided to write a bit. However, it looks like Marcy from Lost in your Inbox beat me to it -- and summed it up much better than I could.

Friendships are hard to hold on to. And losing friends sucks hardcore. And it's much harder making new friends as you get older.

Take note of the people and places with whom you feel the best about yourself and treasure them. Nurture them and never take them for granted, because they will become more valuable to you as time goes by and you will really miss them when they're gone.

Good advice, Marcy. As always.

Cinematic Sunrise - Goodbye Friendship, Hello Heartache
Anberlin - Never Take Friendship Personal
Mystik Spiral - Freakin' Friends

Thursday night/Friday morning mixtape

Bored. Figured I at least post some songs I've been listening to and what's been flooding my inbox.

Sam Champion - Be Mine Everyone
Hearts of Palm UK - People and Logistics
Tracy Shedd - Whatever It Takes
Ed Laurie - Albert
You Me & Iowa - Dress The Stage

Jay Brannan makes me feel better

Leave it music lovers to bring up my spirits.

I was contacted about singer/songwriter Jay Brannan who has been described having a very Rufus Wainwright sound to him. And I liked it. It's brilliantly simple. A man and his guitar. Nothing overpolished or overdone. The music speaks for itself. It drives deep into your brain with its elegant simplicity and makes you realize that there are still people out there that get music.

Jay just self-released his first album, but he has sold out shows over the past year in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and many others.

Can't Have It All
At First Sight
Housewife
from goddamned which you can buy here

Meh.

Not in the best mood today. Things seem to be falling apart left and right. Apartment hunting has become too exhausting. The film I was going to direct is now a bust. Check back tomorrow. I may feel better.

Death Cab For Cutie - Your Heart Is An Empty Room
Fort Minor - Where'd You Go

The Graduate rises to the top of the class

Springfield, IL rockers The Graduate have been climbing in popularity thanks to an extensive tour promoting their album Anhedonia with bands like Jack's Mannequin and Simple Plan. I can only describe their music as power pop-rock interspersed with epic guitar riffs and systematically haunting beats.

At first, The Graduate may come off as another overly polished pop punk band. Look closer and you'll see that they have much more to offer.

Songs like the catchy "Sit & Sink" invade your eardrums and melt on your brain leaving you with a warm fuzzy feeling inside. I do like how the album is one energy packed song right after another. Makes it hard to try and skip ahead.



More goodness from The Graduate.

Doppleganger
Anhedonia
buy the album Anhedonia here.

More on their myspace page.

Indiana Jones and the Indie Rock Collection

This mix has a story behind it. A while back, I was reading a post by Marcy from Lost In You Inbox about Cassettes Won't Listen supposedly contributing to the soundtrack to the newest Indiana Jones movie. Upon further inspection, I saw that it was just a YouTube video of the movie trailer with a Cassette Won't Listen song playing. I informed Marcy of this and could feel her disappointment in there not being a Indie rock filled soundtrack.

So, in order to apologize for dashing Marcy's hopes, I made an Indiana Jones soundtrack that every indie rocker could love.


David Fair - I Wanna Be Like Indiana Jones
Elika - The Whip
The Good, The Bad and The Queen - Kingdom Of Doom
Kate Capshaw - Anything Goes
Safari So Good - Why Did It Have To Be Snakes
Calvin Badness - Mr. Jones
The Cure - Fire In Cairo
Cassettes Won't Listen - Large Radio
Vermont - Indiana Jones
The Hours - Ali In The Jungle
The Aquabats - Attacked By Snakes
Steven Ramsey - Sophia
The Shondes - I Watched The Temple Fall
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Papa Won't Leave You, Henry
Epica - The Last Crusade
Christine Lavin - Harrison Ford
Walter Murphy - Raiders of the Lost Ark

Writer's block or general laziness?

I have the hardest time writing in this blog. Some days are better than others. Like when I get a new album from a band I really like. Or when I go see a show where something cool happens. But most of the time, I have to make myself sit and down and update the blog or else it becomes stale and pointless.

Half the time I know what I want to write about, but never really find the right way to express what I'm thinking down on pen and paper... or text and screen.

I think about the readers of this blog -- sometimes I wonder if there are any -- and think about if they'd want to read what I'm putting together. Is what I'm saying written well enough or does it convey some type of meaning that readers will be genuinely interested in? I'm very critical of my own writing and honestly, I never think it is very good. Every time, I try to write something, whether for the blog or for work, I painstakingly go over what I want to say and make sure it sounds right. And even then, I'm not satisfied with the finished product.

Did I write enough? Or too much? Does the content of my writing seem interesting enough? Am I a good enough writer? Am I just being overly critical of myself and thinking way too much about it? Or am I just asking too many questions?

Coffinberry - Write This
Thom Yorke - Analyse