every day i write the book » music

I Don’t Want to Party

psd — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:18:56 +0000

For a Swedish band whose music is about “Difficult, dull, unhealthy, passionate, mean relationships“, you could surely never tell from their music. doublePark’s lighthearted, happy sounds belie the angst beneath–in fact, you could easily be listening to American AM radio circa 1972. Word in the blogosphere is they are all the rage overseas (thanks Instrumental Analysis). I predict an invasion.

Check out “I Don’t Want to Party” (from 2006!). This is what I’m going to be singing next week when all those holiday party invitations start rolling in…

Ha. I’m a Serious Throwback.

psd — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:52:18 +0000

I was A Master!
I scored 86/100 on theClassic Guitar Solo Quiz
Can you identify classic rock songs by listening to their guitar solos?

Quiz by Ibanez Guitar Blog

Eagle on a Pole

psd — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:14:04 +0000

I love the lyrics to this song from Conor Oberst’s new self-titled CD.

For the record, I love the entire CD. Glad to see his voice lost most of its somewhat annoying wavering quality. I’ve always thought he was an extraordinary artist.

These particular tunes are on high rotation lately and probably will be for some time now: Cape Canaveral, Lenders in the Temple, I Don’t Want to Die (in a hospital), Eagle on a Pole, Moab.

Saw an eagle on a pole,
I think it was an eagle.
Watched its’ shadow fly ‘cross the cement.
And I woke up in the snow,
All the trees, and crowds, and people.
No shirt, no shoes, no idea where they went.

I followed the fenceline thin,
Back where the yard begins
My woman, she stood crying like a man.
Said, where have you been?
Where have you been?
I thought you said that all of that was done.
El Cielo es azul,
Just don’t go telling everyone

Thought the kettle was a train.
Thought that Monday was a doorframe.
Tried so hard to finally settle down.
Heard the fire pop and snap.
Like a tack piano rag.
I never could get used to happy sounds.

Yeah, I hope the world’s exposed.
A cruel and elaborate hoax.
It convinces me to walk without a cane.
But what can you do?
Child, what can you do?
I always heard that what is done is done.
El Cielo es azul,
Just don’t go telling everyone

The past don’t ever quit.
There’s boxes in the attic.
Baby shoes and taxidermy dream.
While the ashes of the dead, like a dandelion head,
Explode and then are scattered by the breeze.
We’re such a long way back to all the fun that we had.
When nothing ever seemed to bother me.
But what can you do?
Brother, what can you do?
Sleep with the stars, and toil in the sun.

El Cielo es azul,
Just don’t go telling everyone
El Cielo es azul,
Just don’t go telling everyone

The RIAA uses Limewire

psd — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:10:32 +0000

Just read a post at The Chronicle (of Higher Education) about how the RIAA goes about identifying alleged music pirates. Apparently an anonymous representative of the organization stopped by the Chronicle’s offices and gave a rundown of how it’s done. I found it funny, and perfectly obvious, that they would use Limewire to identify people who share songs on the RIAA hotlist. Read more…

While sharing this article with a colleague, he tells me about a highly controversial act which just overwhelmingly passed the House – the PRO IP Act. Not bad enough that tax dollars may conceivably fund the ‘copyright police’, but how about hiring “a Cabinet-level “IP enforcement czar” that would report to the President and coordinate enforcement efforts across government”. Wha? Learn more, then call/write/email your congressman.

kids these days…

psd — Fri, 02 May 2008 01:36:33 +0000

I was surfing music blogs tonight and I came across something that raised my eyebrow. Now, not much surprised me, but this is hands down the winner of the most disturbing images evoked by a band name/album name in my lifetime:

My Penis is Made of Dogshit – Satan Gets An Abortion

This can’t possibly be good. Can it?

Good Times

psd — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:46:44 +0000

The equipment for the podcasting lab has (mostly) been delivered and we’re starting to plan for it’s use. ONce everything is connected and working properly, we’ll do some test recordings and get this show on the road. First up, a podcast from the kids in my summer Upward Bound Computer Tech class. They’ll get to preview the studio before anyone else, and, hopefully, help Caleb and I work out the kinks.

Last night, I searched Google for some simple podcasting tutorials and came across what may prove to be a easy-access podcasting gem–Gcast. You can record onto a computer, you can record from your cellphone and you can use songs from their sister site, GarageBand.com. And that click led me to this post.

In addition to being a resource for free music and soundbytes for your podcast, GarageBand is a showcase for new and unknown artists. This week’s Acoustic Track of the Week is Good Times by the Lance Sitton Band. It’s morning and I’m feeling ‘acoustic’, so I give it a listen. Huh. This guy’s pretty damn good! Definitely influenced by Jack Johnson and the whole, feel-good, surf-and-sun genre, Good Times sounds like it could have been straight off Jack’s In Between Dreams from 2005. I look to hear more from Lance Sitton.

Check out the Good Times video (via YouTube)

myspace | garageband

for the ms cheer gurlies

psd — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 05:44:29 +0000

cheer tryouts – dance by pdfob

MLK Weekend Fun: Punchline

psd — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 01:35:49 +0000

I finally took advantage of the fact that I: a) work at a local university, and b) have the opportunity to see great up and coming bands. This past Friday, I took Kate and Libby to see Deep Empire, Illuminea, Gene the Werewolf and Punchline.

Deep Sleep Empire opened with a respectable show. The guitarist broke a string and played the second half of the set to the amp to cover it up, but good solid music from them. They fit the whole emo/indie/punk expectation.

13 year old girl watch: Huh. They were pretty good.
Deep Sleep Empire on Myspace

Illuminea, with their 5 lead singers, cello and violin kicked off the second set. Somehow their psychedic sound just didn’t seem to fit with the punk rock theme of the show. It seemed like they needed to turn down the volume a little so the crowd could appreciate them more.

13 year old girl watch: They sound like hippies. We’re going out in the hall. Text me when they’re done.
Illuminea on Myspace

The curtains closed before the next set, bringing the anticipation level up just a little higher for the Gene the Werewolf set. Curtains opened with a twisted carney intro to the band, then went straight into Super Hero, a song off their demo that’s a little bit Kiss and a little bit (the) Darkness and a whole lotta fun. Jon, err, Gene, was dressed to kill in a white suit and black aviator shades. The followed with the other song off their demo, Make Love, before going in to a cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ that got the crowd sufficiently pumped up and in a party mood for headliners Punchline. Diamondcore, indeed.

13 year old girl watch: That was fun. They’re really, really good.
Gene the Werewolf on Myspace

Now, I had never seen or heard Punchline before this moment, save for their Myspace stuff which was misleading because the first few songs are acoustic. Acoustic is good, but acoustic is not what this band is all about. To quote lead singer Steve Soboslai, “…less talk, more rock.” And rock they did. The dove into their set with the volume cranked to 12 and didn’t let up for a moment. This show is exactly why I missed live music so much–the way the sound from the speakers blows the clothes right off your body. Punchline, now signed to Fueled by Ramen (Fall Out Boy, etc.), are off to Europe with MXPX after the show.

13 year old girl watch: They sound like Lostprophets. I like ‘em. Alot. Can I have a tee shirt?
Punchline on Myspace | Official Site

Check out Punchline’s video for ‘Don’t Try This At Home’ from their latest “37 Everywhere”.

I’m Writing a Novel

psd — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:43:07 +0000

Or so I’d like to think. I joined the NaNoWriMo yesterday on a whim. I always said I wanted to write a book. This looks like a good way to test the waters. If it’s good, yay me. If it sucks, at least I know what it takes to do it.

Hmmm…chick lit or scifi/fantasy? Decisions, decisions.

UPDATE: Okay. It’s over. I lose. But I did decide on SciFi. Better luck next time.

One Reason I Love Ryan Adams:

psd — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 20:30:02 +0000

Happy Halloween. Head.