Let's go out tonight!

Dear friends,

It's been so long since I've felt that going-out excitement. Like the jittery teenage nerves that I'd manage while getting ready to see friends somewhere out there in big bad NYC. I've always equated that feeling with a particular sound. The skeletal, echoing skitter of Robert Smith's guitar. No joke. Some people get their party up to dance music, not I. I like nothing more than cranking Primary on the headphones and pretending I'm putting on makeup in a speeding car. It matches the nerves perfectly.

Social situations terrify me, see?

So yeah, I don't know if I've gotten better with groups of people (doubtful) or if the fact that putting on nighttime make-up nowadays makes me look more like a cabbage patch doll than a siren (possible) but the feeling is dormant for now. I walk through the streets of my neighborhood looking at other people's homes and miss the party on purpose.

On the plus side, this song makes me feel like I'll get out there again.

Ghost Train/Thrushes (mp3)

photo by Jamie Onderdonk
Ghost Train by Thrushes starts out with what is probably a completely unintentional homage to the classic Cure intro and quickly dovetails into a jubilant celebration of GETTING THE FUCK OUTCHA HOUSE. The give and take of those opposing parts create a striking balance between anxiety and joy. For those that like girl-shouts, sonic uplift and pure, naive rush to their pre-game. What are you waiting for? Go pick out your outfit.

Purchase Sun Come Undone by Thrushes.

Love, D

A brief interlude involving Kids in the Hall

Kids in the Hall are in the midst of a North American tour, and I'm swept up in the madness. Their NYC shows were this weekend, and now my personal tour with them is over (unless I go completely insane and decide to go to Philly in the middle of the week, which is extremely unlikely.)

As I ease back into the stresses of work and moving to a new apartment, I am still finding myself insanely distracted by this tour. Maybe because I add a thousand people a day as their Myspace friends, or because I'm Tavie.

Anyway, their director, Jim Millan, was kind enough to provide me with a track list of the music for this current show. The preshow music is in no particular order (the cue music, of course, is.)

Preshow music:
Pump - B-52's
Rockferry - Duffy
Warwick Avenue - Duffy
03 03 A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
How Long Do I Have To Wait For You? - Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Everything Is Average Nowadays - Kaiser Chiefs
Most Exalted Potentate Of Love (The Cramps Cover) - Queens of the Stone Age
Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
la la her madly - ruff muff
ageless beauty - Stars
take your mama out - scissor sisters
Let it Ride - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Everyday Should Be A Holiday - The Dandy Warhols
Teenagers - My Chemical Romance
Filthy and Gorgeous - Scissor sisters
Here It Goes Again - OK Go
My Doorbell - The White Stripes
Highway 61 Revisited - Karen O & The Million Dollar Bashers
Stuck In The Middle - Mika
I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor - Arctic Monkeys
Gay Bar - Electric Six
Ooh La La - Goldfrapp
Me And Mr Jones (Fuckery) - Amy Winehouse
Bodysnatchers - Radiohead
Tear off our own head - Elvis Costello
Blitzkrieg Bop - Ramones
Rollover D.J. - Jet
Hey Ya! [Outkast Cover] (Live (BBC Live Lounge with Jo Whiley) - Razorlight
Just Because - Janes Addiction
Big Sur - The Thrills
Heterosexual Man - Odds
The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
Shut Up & Drive - Rihanna
-

And this is the cue list in the show with interstitial music
Having an Average Weekend - Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet
Here I Come - - The Roots (Feat. Malik B & Dice Raw)
take your mama out - scissor sisters
Get Out of My Dreams, Get into My Car - Billy Ocean
You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told) - The White Stripes
Cheap And Cheerful - The Kills
Everyone's A V.I.P To Someone - The Go! Team
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt. 1 - The Flaming Lips
LA Woman - The Doors
Dragonballz - Dragon Ball Z scary fight music(1) - Dragon Ball Z
Male Pee - Kids in the Hall
Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
Superman Theme - John Williams
Ever Fallen In Love - Nouvelle Vague
Ask Me Nice - Mose Allison
Theme From The Tiki Wonder Hour - Combustible Edison
Salma Dance - Los Lobos
Hey Little World - The Hives
The Doorbell Encore - team9 - white stripes vs jayz vs queen
Ballad of Mack the Knife - Three Penny Opera
Grade 8 Dance - Kids in the Hall
Brokeback Mountain Theme - Wings - Gustavo Santaolalla
Meeting Paris Hilton - CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy)
la la her madly - ruff muff
Music Is My Hot Hot Sex - CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy)
Teenagers - My Chemical Romance

After The Jump returns!

In a few short months, it will be Summer and that means the second annual After the Jump Fest! Bigger, better with even more acts and surprise guests, this year the festival takes place along side the city wide music event, Make Music New York (which itself is a part of the worldwide music phenomenon that takes place in 300 cities in 108 countries) on the first day of Summer, June 21st.

After the Jump Fest is the effort of 20 New York City music bloggers whose goal is to help new artists gain exposure while raising money for struggling school music programs. This year, After the Jump is teaming up with The Music Hall of Williamsburg and Galapagos Art Space for a festival stretching from noon until last call. In the next few months, After the Jump blogs will be making more announcements about the festival including new artists and pre-parties. Stay tuned and in the mean time, check out AftertheJumpFest.com for information on our past events and mark your calendars! It's going to be a doozy.

AFTER THE JUMP IS ORGANIZED BY:
themusicslut . batteringroom . disconap . earfarm . ryspace . irockiroll . merryswankster . softcommunication . theunderratedblog . sitdownstandup . watercoolergossip . bumpershine . themodernage . productshopnyc . subinev . punkphoto . poptartssucktoasted . stereoactivenyc . jinners

For press opportunities such as interviews with the organizers or bands, please contact publicity@afterthejumpfest.com
For sponsorship and all requests, contact producer Jennifer Kellas: jkellas@afterthejumpfest.com

In a few short months, it will be Summer and that means the second annual After the Jump Fest! Bigger, better with even more acts and surprise guests, this year the festival takes place along side the city wide music event, Make Music New York (which itself is a part of the worldwide music phenomenon that takes place in 300 cities in 108 countries) on the first day of Summer, June 21st.

After the Jump Fest is the effort of 20 New York City music bloggers whose goal is to help new artists gain exposure while raising money for struggling school music programs. This year, After the Jump is teaming up with The Music Hall of Williamsburg and Galapagos Art Space for a festival stretching from noon until last call. In the next few months, After the Jump blogs will be making more announcements about the festival including new artists and pre-parties. Stay tuned and in the mean time, check out AftertheJumpFest.com for information on our past events and mark your calendars! It's going to be a doozy.


AFTER THE JUMP IS ORGANIZED BY:
themusicslut . batteringroom . disconap . earfarm . ryspace . irockiroll . merryswankster . softcommunication . theunderratedblog . sitdownstandup . watercoolergossip . bumpershine . themodernage . productshopnyc . subinev . punkphoto . poptartssucktoasted . stereoactivenyc . jinners


For press opportunities such as interviews with the organizers or bands, please contact publicity@afterthejumpfest.com
For sponsorship and all requests, contact producer Jennifer Kellas: jkellas@afterthejumpfest.com

He'll want your biography and pictures of you in lace

Dear friends,

As far as songs that fall under the category of "I'm not your dreamboat but I can pretend to be" (and I feel like there might be a few) Sherlock Holmes is a peculiar one. The original, as performed by the kooky Mael brothers aka Sparks, was a confusing little number that came across like a man more interested in his fantasy of masculinity, the brainy, fog dwelling super sleuth Holmes, than the woman he was trying to woo. In the hands of The Dirtbombs things get more interesting. Lead singer/guitarist Mick Collins has always specialized in confident growling, even if you didn't know what he looked like you'd still get a sense that there was an easy, wolfish grin behind that voice. Not that the smile should put you at ease, especially not here. As he slides around the melody and snakes around his intended, you get the feeling that the lady is in far more trouble than she thinks. Perhaps this destroys the story behind the song (namely, he can approximate what she wants but won't be believable in the role) but it does suggest something more daring, which is while he "can dance like Sherlock Holmes" he will NEVER be Sherlock Holmes, and she won't mind one bit.

Sherlock Holmes (Sparks cover)/The Dirtbombs (mp3)


Purchase We Have You Surrounded by The Dirtbombs on Amazon Digital

The Dirtbombs play The Bowery Ballroom this Friday, April 11th and I am jealous of every single person that is going to that show.

Love, D