Edgerton's Pen Conspiracy on IndieFeed

Listening to the Alt/Modern Rock IndieFeed podcast this morning and guess who's the featured band? Our friends in Edgerton's Pen Conspiracy. We've had some great shows with them in Battle Creek and Detroit. Anyway, their new album is called Underground and the song is called "Can't See Straight" and it sounds fucking great. If you like indie, you'll definitely dig on this. Plus, you gotta hear what their bassist, Froi, is playing on this track, it's cool as shit.

If you wanna subscribe to the RSS feed, just put this link into your feedreader (or your My Yahoo! or whatever). You don't need an iPod to listen, you just need to have an MP3 player or a computer.

Terri Schiavo's Murder...

...is finally over. Or is it a mercy killing? I don't know but I do know that we don't starve serial killers to death. They get a last meal of whatever they want.

Her family wasn't allowed to be with her when she finally died. That's totally fucked up.

I betcha Michael Schiavo is keeping a close eye on his ass right now. I would be.

What? Can There Be More News Today?

Holy shit, there's way too much going on today.

Johnny Cochrane just died. I wonder if Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman are gonna give him a hard time. If they all went to the same place...

Is this Napster all over again as Grokster goes on the chopping block? No, I don't think so. That was a big deal in my life though. I even wrote a letter to Congress.

Sunspot sold a bunch of albums and reached a lot of people through promoting on Napster. For awhile, it was the ONLY place to find music on the Internet, and if you remember correctly, 1999 was a fucking free-for-all when it came to copyrighted music. You could get ANYTHING with Napster and a high-speed connection. I'm not kidding, it was badass.

Anyway, you've all used Morpheus or Kazaa, probably, so this is the next thing that goes under. I'm all for free information and shit, but in reality, these programs are really just a great way to get free music, movies, and software. I used to watch a new release a day I'd download on Kazaa back in 2002.

Yeah, it's good for independent band promotion, but you're working on the backs of major-label bands that are already popular. People go to these sites so that they can get the major label stuff that's obviously illegal. We just used that attraction to help promote ourselves to the people already there. I don't have an ethical conflict about it, but I never expected these things to last forever.

Look who's in agreement on Terri...

Read Nat Hentoff's piece in the Village Voice on Terri Schiavo if you're looking for the perspective of an old lefty. Steve Landsburg (not the guy that played Dietrich on Barney Miller, I know, I thought the same thing too) wrote an excellent article from an economist's perspective. And Christopher Hitchens weighs in too. Slate has been uniformly excellent in covering this story. Might be because they just got bought out by The Washington Post, but I doubt it. It's been solid for awhile now.

And as today's events unfolded, even Jesse Jackson showed up!

Look, I don't want to talk about this chick anymore, but I can't help it. I like the news, I like how fast it shows up over the Internet, and I'm interested. I know that it doesn't involve me and I shouldn't, but I can't help it.

I just can't be detached from the rest of the world, no matter how hard I try. I shouldn't care, but I do. I try just to think about music and partying and stuff, but I can't cut the rest of the world off.

I'm a total information junkie and you don't want to know how many times a day I check my fuckin' email.

Save Enterprise!

Alright, you know that we're big Scott Bakula fans. Well, looks like that UPN is going to cancel Enterprise after this season. Well, that's too bad, because the show was just getting pretty good.

Anyway, check out Save Enterprise.com if you're interested in keeping the 22nd century alive on our televisions.

ToxicNed told me what the Internet rumours are on how the show's going to end. He talked about it a coupla weeks ago on the Sunspot Discussion Forum.

Are they for real?

I'm not really into the death penalty and you're not going to find me agreeing with Focus on the Family on much (especially if they're "Christians" in favor of capital punishment), but this rapist-murderer who gets away with just life in prison seems like a good candidate for being put on ice. He says he was "addled with cocaine, alcohol, and rage"... ummm... okay. Too bad. They made the death penalty for guys like this. I guess the jury looked to the Bible to see whether or not it was a good idea to put him to death. Wow, I'm not really religious, but isn't something like contemplating a death sentence exactly where it's most important to believe in something?

Let me know if I'm on my fucking own here.

Anyway, I'm listening to more of this Motley Crue concert review and there's a clip of Tommy Lee breaking his snare drum head. Then he starts talking about how he just has to break stuff. Yeah, like your wife's face? What a classy guy. I don't care how big his schlong is (yeah, I've seen the video.) It takes a big man to beat up his wife. What an asshole!

Awesome Podcast

I've been playing with iPodder lately, because I've been wanting to listen to podcasts at work and I got a new one this morning called The Rock n' Roll Geek Show (The link is fixed now, thanks Timmy.) It rules, how can you beat a show that starts with "Nothing With You" from Descendents' Cool To Be You and then follows up with "I Could Change" from Marvelous 3's ReadySexGo! and then he talks about sneaking an iRiver into the Motley Crue concert (I don't care enough anymore to find out how to put the umlauts in, ya know, I used to be a HUGE Crue fan until I saw them in '98 and interviewed Vince Neil, he was a total fuckin' douchebag.) Anyway, check out the Podcast, it's one of the best ones I've heard.

Ben, Wendy, and I recorded some Public Service Announcements for WAMI's 25th Anniversary last night. They should be on different stations around the state, listen for 'em.

It was good to see them again, I think that put me in a better mood, because I was down as fuck yesterday. Gimme a week without the band and I have not a clue what to do with myself.

Monday Monday

Wow, I never really enjoy going back to work on Monday, but this one is particularly unpleasant. I used to get the worst dreads in history on Sunday night before I used to work at the TV station. Hello, Darkness, my old friend...

I've got this nasty useless failure feeling this morning, like I should be doing something else with my life. Emasculation. Maybe I need to go huntin' or wrestle a bear or something. Do something hypermasculine. Isn't that what men do when they feel beaten up by the world? Oh well, I'll look at football scores and porn at lunch today and maybe I'll feel as if I'm in control of my life again.

I don't quite feel as bad as The Schindlers who are now fighting over where their slowly-starving-to-death daughter will be buried, but I still feel a little depressed. I know, I should count myself lucky. But it's hard to count anything besides the bars on my cubicle doorway.

On the iPod right now: Day I Forgot by Pete Yorn.


... but I probably should be listening to Everything Sucks.

Happy Easter

If Easter is your thing, I hope you have a great one.

I spent most of the weekend in Brookfield, relazxing and partying. Saw a good cover band from Milwaukee last night called Modern Giants, they covered "Amsterdam" by Guster and I love that song. Too much Dave Matthews covers for me, though. It was at Calhoun Station in New Berlin. Lousy sound, lousy service. It was the first time I've ever been to a bar in New Berlin (where my father taught for decades at Eisenhower High School), it might be the last. Let me know if there's a better place to go see music in that town.

The Easter Bunny is coming to take Terri Schiavo away, it looks like the Schindlers have to give up. I watched a press conference by Michael Schiavo's lawyer yesterday. Maybe I was feeling emotional, but I started to cry pretty hard. Musta been my time of the month.

Gene Simmons on Childrens' Television?

There's something wrong about Gene Simmons working on a kids' cartoon, isn't there? I'll have to watch this sometime.

I guess KISS' biggest audience in their heyday was always children. I wonder if Rock Zilla has a huge tongue, too?

KISS at Alpine Valley in September of 1990 was the first rock concert I ever attended. They were on the Hot in the Shade tour.


Man, that was a ridiculous show, they came out of the mouth of the Sphinx with green lasers shining from its eyes. I'm glad they put the make up back on though. Aren't you?

Deathwatch

This guy is taking the law into his own hands trying to rescue Terri Schiavo.

At least he believes in something.

The rest of us are watching her die on the news. Her starvation and dehydration is The Media Event of Spring 2005.

Is it schadenfreude? I don't think so. She's become a political tool on both sides now.

I hope we all burn in Hell.

Slow Ride on the River Styx

We played with a band that covered that song a coupla weeks ago in Chicago.

Foghat's founding guitarist dies at 57.

What are county fairs around the Midwest going to do for entertainment now?!

Well, I did like the slap-pop part of the bassline in "Slow Ride".

I dunno...

...this whole starving Terri Schiavo to death thing still reeks of murder, not mercy, to me.

I'm just not comfortable with it. I feel like we're "putting her to sleep", like a decision someone makes about their pet. Starvation and dehydration seem more painful than lethal injection.

Here's an article on Slate written from the point of view of a disability lawyer that brings up some good legal arguments.

Car's still stuck...

Alright, the car's still stuck. I drove the van to work today.

Dave and I tried sticking carpet under the wheels last night. No dice. I'm gonna look for a winch today.

Uncle Brett, however, came over and delivered my new computer to me yesterday. Right on, man. Thanks.

On the iPod today: Audible.com's audiobook of Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex.

Whoa! Yeah! Oh what a shitty day!

So, I get up this morning and my car's stuck in the driveway (I tried to go forward down the hill a little bit and back it up so I could pull straight ahead outta the driveway... bad idea.) Anyway, the car ain't moving, I took the wrong keys so I got locked outta the house, didn't have any juice in my phone, had to call a cab, got mud all over the car and my clothes, was late for work...

...my morning was a fuckin' country song.

So is my life, have you seen how many cars there are at Sunspot HQ? Or should we call it the Sunspot Doublewide?

The Schiavo case goes...

...to federal court to decide whether or not to keep her alive.

My post last Friday generated a lot of emails, mostly about how people wouldn't want to be kept alive if they were in that same state. But have you seen the state? She can laugh and pay attention and smile. She has the intelligence of a baby probably. Should we off babies or retarded people because they're not at our same level?

She's not just some cadaver on a slab that's being kept alive through a breathing machine. She's never gonna be the same, but c'mon. I originally thought she was this corpse on a bed that was completely unresponsive, but that's not the case.

Well, take a listen to this audio file and see what you think. I don't think we should be ready to kill her just yet.

CBGB Going Under?

Looks like there's some back rent owed at CBGB. When I was just learning to play the guitar, that was the most famous club in the world to me. Probably to everyone my age. The owner doesn't know if he can afford the back rent by August and then his rent will probably double.

That sucks. I thought the most interesting thing in the article is that most of the club's money is now generated by t-shirt sales. What? Aren't there tourists lining up there almost every night to check it out? Plus, NYC liquor prices are disgustingly high. Hilly Krystal (the clubowner) has the rights to the name of the most famous rock club in the world, does he need a marketing lesson?

Anyway, show your support. If you're in NYC, throw CBGB some business, have a drink there and listen to some music.

Speaking of New York, it looks like Saturday Night Live was funny last weekend. David Spade wore a penile implant at the end of his nose while impersonating Owen Wilson. Now that sounds funny.


Why do I always miss it when it's good, but always see it when it sucks?

Happy Birthday to Wendy!

Yay! Now it's Wendy's birthday! I hope it's a great one, young lady.

Take some time today and wish her a very happy birthday. I'm getting dressed up tonight, I even have a special suit that I wear particularly for people's birthdays. I call it my.... nevermind.

On the iPod this morning: Balls to Picasso by Bruce Dickinson.

Wicked Show Last Night

Damn. Ben played like a trooper and got onstage last night and played his heart out.

Since Ben had to play sitting down, we put him in a wheelchair and we had some naughty nurses escort him to the stage and Wendy and I dressed up as hospital workers too. I'm gonna capture some video from the show so you guys that couldn't make it can check it out. We went over out set time, so we closed with "Flesh and Blood" because there wasn't any time left. It was a weird way to end the set, but it turned out pretty cool. Everybody was really complimentary afterwards, and I thought all the metal guys would be like "Why the fuck are you wearing scrubs?" but the reaction was great.

After drinking as much Berghoff as humanly possible we came back to the HQ for a little bit of partying. I was fucking exhausted after running around (literally) all day to get stuff ready for the show, so I was in and out of the party, but overall, it was a great time.

We've got the next week off as Wendy Lynn takes care of business in Vegas and Ben takes in some golden gate showers in San Francisco. I'll be around though, working on material for the new record. So let me know if anything fun is going on!

Bomblastica Tonight in Madison!

Don't forget to stop by The Annex tonight. Doors open at 8 - free beer til it runs out, no cover and they'll be giving away tattoos.

Fuck. Yeah.

We'll be the second band playing, up around 10 or so.

They Removed The Feeding Tube

Everyone in America is paying attention to this case. Even the Congress is doing something about it. Now, Terry Schiavo's feeding tube has been removed. She's going to die unless they order it back in.

Okay, her husband who has obviously moved on, says she told him once that she doesn't want to be kept alive through "extraordinary measures".

Some guy offered her husband a million dollars last week not to try and get rid of her. Why doesn't he just divorce his vegetable wife and let her family take care of her and then he takes the million bucks and gets on with his life? Sure, some people might not like him, but fuck them. He has one million reasons he can ignore them. He wants a new girl? A million bucks is pretty effective at getting panties wet.

So, he could be rich and single and instead he'd rather let his wife die? Something's up, I think. Does she know something she shouldn't about him? If she ever comes around and remembers, will she remember something damaging to him? Why doesn't he just move on? Why push for her death?

Tonight Cancelled, Tomorrow Is On!

Just a reminder, tonight's show is cancelled. Bomblastica at The Annex tomorrow is ON. Check the Shows Page for more details. We're up second right after the Mudride reunion.

I'm excited about that. My ex-girlfriend used to be the drummer in Shot To Hell, which was a pretty good alt-country band from La Crosse. Shot To Hell played with Mudride all the time back in 2002, so that's when I used to watch them. The lead guitarist is a hero and easily one of my favorite local players. It's gonna kick ass and with free beer tomorrow, you know the party is gonna be off the hook.

I have been on an cowpunk kick for the past few months. Not really the Wilco alt-country stuff, but more like the faster Supersuckers genre. Anyway, I wonder what kind of effect it's going to have on our next record. I've also been listening to a lot of Social D, but I always thought they were the balls.

Ben was looking better when I saw him this morning. He's gonna be waiting for the water heater today as it installs. Yesterday was his birthday, but I'm giving him a raincheck on the partying.

In the iPod right now: Planets, the new one from ADEMA.


The album gets released in a coupla weeks and I just got the advance press copy last night. I wasn't totally into their last record, but this one's pretty good. Less hardcore-influenced, I like that, because it's more melody and less forced tough-guy bullshit, but could still use more guitar solos. Ha, I always think that, though. "Planets", the title track, is a really good tune and so is "Barricades of Time". The first single is "Tornado", it's pretty good. A lot of distorted octaves in the riffs, I can live with that. "Enter The Cage" has a cool Maiden-esque bass riff.

Speaking of sweet metal riffs, I've had "Lights Out" by UFO in my head all week thanks to the excellent cover of it I saw KK and the Hamsters play on Saturday. Fuck man, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal might be my favorite kind of heavy music.

Plus, I've been in a old-school kinda mood after riding in the car with Madison rock scribe, Susan Masino, all the way to Milwaukee for the WAMI Party on Wednesday. Wow, she's got some cool stories. She's writing a book on AC/DC and her stories of hanging out with them are wicked.

The late 70's and early 80's, I think were one of the most exciting times in music EVER. Riding the newly popular medium of videos, exploring synthesizers before they became disgustingly overused... punk rock gets reborn in Southern California, rock starts subdividing into metal, new wave, pop... Maybe it's the nostalgia that everyone feels about the culture of their childhood.

Why do you think genres and styles get reborn every twenty years? As soon as a generation gets to be the coveted demographic, companies start marketing to that generation's nostalgia. Anyway, this post got off the point.

This was just supposed to be a reminder that tonight is unfortunately off, but tomorrow is still on.

$650 for a Water Heater?!?

Home Depot got me for 650 big ones today. What the fuck, man? This water heater better do oral.

I saw the My Chemical Romance video for "Helena" on M2 today. Fucking awesome. I've liked them for a little while, but never paid that much attention. I thought it was a spectacular video. My inner Goth practically leapt off the treadmill I was on.

Speaking of, lot of nasty people working out at lunch today. The old guys always get naked at the drop of a hat. If I see one more mummified pecker strutting outta that shower room, I'm gonna fucking crack.

On the iPod right now: Good Mourning from Alkaline Trio.

Show in WI Rapids Cancelled

Unfortunately, due to some serious illness, we're going to have to cancel our show in Wisconsin Rapids tomorrow. This isn't something we normally do, but we just don't have a choice.

We were really looking forward to it. Heartfelt Sky should still be taking the stage. If you guys were going to the show, make sure you still support it.

Right now, Saturday's show at The Annex is on. We'll let you know if anything changes.

Happy Birthday Ben and St. Pat's Day!

Have a good one today, man. I hope it's your best yet, that you're resting up, and feeling good.

Also, Happy St. Patrick's Day all! It's one of my favorite drinking holidays and a chance to celebrate my wonderful drunk and surly Irish heritage.

Hope everyone has a great day, just watch out for this guy:

Water Heater Update

Yep, it's still down. I showered at The Princeton Club today.

Looks like it's gonna be about $500 for a new one from Home Depot. Anyone know how to get a good deal? Mail me if you have any ideas.

New Doctor Who Already Online?

This news story from Wired suggests that the new Doctor Who series' first episode was purposely leaked online by the BBC.

Which leads me to a few questions:
Has anyone seen it?
Is it still on BitTorrent?
Would someone be interested in helping me obtain it?

Leaking something early is great marketing, but it's nothing new. Music from U2 and Eminem have been leaked in the past coupla years. I remember listening to a version of "2x4" from Metallica's Load album six months before it came out and the version was completely different.

What I really wanna know is, where do I get the new Doctor Who?

Anyone going to Droids Attack! tonight?

Who's going to The Annex tonight? I'll probably make it after Wendy and I get back from the WAMI party tonight.

$15 all you can drink and there's no cover tonight if you print this ticket out and present it to the door guy.

The Droids Attack! website is fucking righteous too.

Speaking of shows, have you been to the Sunspot shows page lately? It's the fastest way to find out when we'll be partying by you.

In the iPod today: Modest Mouse's Good News for People Who Love Bad News

Let's Get Laid on Spring Break!

Here's a good article from the Journal about a story that's making national news. University of Wisconsin Health Services are running an ad in the student papers telling students that they should have the day-after pill on hand during their spring break festivities.

Here's the ad. Full disclosure: I used to work at The Badger Herald.

Apparently, the ad is bothering some people. Is emergency contraception considered an abortion, though? I guess I don't know whether it is or not.

I don't think that's the point, though. We have a culture of expectation surrounding Spring Break that leads everyone who goes to literally expect to get wasted, fuck somebody random, and do stupid shit without considering the consequences of their actions. I went to Maztalan in Mexico and experienced it firsthand, Ben went to Panama City and South Padre Island and I'll let him tell you the stories sometime.

Let's just say that it's not just "letting off some steam" from working so hard in college. It's balls-to-the-walls drinking, drugs, and sex. And yes, it's as fun as you think it is.

We treat college and extended adolescence like some kind of la-la-land that is separate from the real world. Wrong-o. This is the consequence of it, we expect ourselves to have to take emergency contraception because we'll get so fucking schnockered that we can't remember to wrap it up when we're drunkenly humping some sunburned fratboy from Iowa for what probably will be the worst sex of our lives until we get married.

We already know that adolescence practically goes until we're 30 now. That's like 17 years into sexual maturity, you think we could have a handle on it. That's kinda cool with me, because I don't wanna be old. But at the same time, we have to live with our irresponsibility.

You baby boomers took away our moral foundation and replaced it with the relativism of your pie-in-the-sky do-gooderism that eventually collapsed in on itself. So, what do you want us to do now?

Hannibal For Real

This guy, on leave from the looney bin, hacked his friend up, cooked the dead dude's brain in a frying pan with butter, and ate it! Damn!

Anyway, I guess, he got to go away on the weekend for leave, because you know, the rules are pretty fucking lax when you beat a twenty-year old girl to death with a claw hammer. What douchebag let this guy out? And then when they take him back to the mental hospital he kills somebody else? I know that we don't want to hold people too accountable for their actions if they're fucked up in the head, but do we really need this guy hanging around? I dunno. What are we going to learn from him?

I always gathered that Hannibal Lecter believed he was a superior life form and intelligence to the rest of us and that's how he justified eating people. Like we justify eating cows or chickens and shit. Therefore, it wasn't cannibalism and that seems reasonable to me. This dude, however, might just be batshit nuts.

Hot Water Emergency at Sunspot HQ!

Well, we have no hot water. I had the guy from MG&E this morning and he said that our hot water heater is "fucked". That wasn't his words, but it might has well have been. Anyway, I hope there's some kinda warranty on that motherfucker, if not, looks like it's gonna be cold shower time at Sunspot HQ. But we're used to that through the whole being hawny and not getting laid thing.

Anyone know anything about water heaters?

In the iPod today: Singles 81-98 from Depeche Mode

Loser Now Available at Rokker Records

Just a FYI...

If you're looking to get some of the tracks from our album, Loser of the Year, on high-quality MP3 for your iPod or other MP3 player, we're now on .

You can still get our music from iTunes or Rhapsody, but the good thing is that we get a larger share of the profits from this company and also you're supporting a business based out of Madison, so the money goes back into the local music community.

Bomblastica Radio Commercial

Listen to WJJO this week for this commercial about Bomblastica which is this Saturday!

Did someone say FREE BEER and NO COVER? Yeah, that was us. You're going to want to be at this show.

Today on the iPod: Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction.

Steve Harris' birthday

Yesterday was Steve Harris' b-day, which was brought to my attention from the excellent bassist, Dimitri, from our rockmates, KK and the Flying Hamsters of Doom. We had a great show with them last night.

Up the Irons!

Stone's Throw in Eau Claire Tonight!

Tonight's gonna be a fun show in Eau Claire, we'll be with Shattered Red from Milwaukee. The Stone's Throw was the first place we ever played in Eau Claire and we've been there a lot of times.

I think it's gonna be a different setlist tonight. I'm feeling moody.

On the iPod right now:
Billy and The Boingers' Bootleg.

I Wish I Had a Comatose Wife!

Okay, maybe not a coma, but at lease in a PVS (Persistent Vegetative State).

So now, a California businessman is offering that assholio, Michael Schiavo, money to not kill his wife. How much? One Million Dollars.

Man, this whole thing is fucked up. Lost? Read up here.

Annex and WAMI Meeting

The WAMI meeting last night was probably the best one in awhile. It was two brothers who were in the band, Shoes, that was signed to Elektra in the late 70's/early 80's. Cool band, check out some of their songs if you dig Cheap Trick, The Cars, Big Star, stuff like that. They had some good stories and were talking about how there's so many more opportunities for bands to be DIY now and how a major label isn't really necessary. It was a nice demystification of the major label process and that's always something that bands need to hear.

After getting back from Milwaukee, checked out The Annex again for their local band night. I missed the first act, but when I got there, a really talented Chicago band, Punsapaya, was on. It was all-you-can-drink, no cover, the band put on a good show (I thought they were going to be fucking white-boy funk, which I usually despise, but while they flirted with it, they kept it to the rock), the sound system is great, the show's usually over before 1. So where the fuck was everybody?

I think the Madison scene right now is as good as ever, because there's a lot of great bands, is anyone else concerned that the traditional music industry is dying? With the massive influx of entertainment options, it seems like there's gotta be a way for indie artists to cut through. What is it, though? The traditional methods don't seem to be working. I guess that's exciting at the same time because it lets you break new ground in reaching people. But sometimes you just wanna fucking rock n' roll already.

I ran into Eric from Mary Ellis last night with Anand from the dearly departed Liquid Lyrics Lounge. That was cool. Mary Ellis is opening for Local H at Luther's next month, I probably will check that show out, it's on a Wednesday, I think, so that's perfect.

Alright, I've bullshitted enough.

AllofMP3.com narrowly escapes!

Digital Music Blogger is reporting that allofmp3.com is probably going to escape persecution (did I say persecution? I meant prosecution.) for awhile, because of a technicality in Russian copyright law that only covers physical reproductions of music.

It looks like the site will be safe and active until at least September 2006.

Which begs the question, isn't allofmp3.com paying the artists' royalty companies like it promised? That was the whole beauty of the site, a chance to tell the big record companies to go fuck off, while still making sure the artists get paid for their creativity. Is it legal in the USA? Do you really care? It wasn't legal for the record labels to price fix on CDs but the motherfuckers still did it.

Laws are human creations and are imperfect by their very nature. Legality seldom implies morality. Ask glaucoma victims about that. It's illegal in Wisconsin to shoot somebody who breaks into your house and physically threatens your family, but is that gonna stop you from busting a cap in that person's ass?

Anyway, this will be a good story to follow because it's an example of how the no-borders nature of the Internet is affecting our local country's laws, especially the music industry's.

Depressing Music

Man, I'm listening to She Hangs Brightly this morning and it's totally bringing me down. I love Mazzy Star, but I think I'm going to cry. I always thought Hope Sandoval had pretty much the prettiest, saddest voice ever.

I know they broke up. Oh wait, check this out. She's got a band called Hope Sandoval and the Warm Intentions. Cool.

Alright, I just fast forwarded to Armored Saint. The cock rock makes me feel a little less weepy. Maybe I'll get something done today... ahhh... maybe not.

Anyone going to the Union Theater tonight?

The New Yorker College Tour is in Madison tonight and it looks really fucking cool. Here is some more on it.

Tonight, they're having this guy who wrote a whole book, called Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking on why we trust our intuitions and how we might have evolved to make split-second decisions. Why do we trust "gut reactions"? Sounds pretty fucking interesting to me. Too bad, someone told me that tickets were sold out. I'd like to check it out. If you're going, take some notes, I'd like to hear what he had to say.

I listened to this guy on Fresh Air last year, and it was awesome. I wish they'd podcast that show, so I could listen to it again. I don't get NPR or any other FM stations in my cube. I used to buy from the Channel 10/36 auction, I'm a PBS and NPR supporter. Start podcasting, goddamit. They don't have the interview on their site, but they do have an story on his book from Day To Day. Check it out.

With No Sacrifice

One thing I was thinking about today on the way to work. The new Sum 41 song was on, you know, the one that talks about "everyone wants it all with no sacrifice". Anyway, it's another in a series of songs that talk about having nothing to believe in. A lot of songs kind of tackle this (including "Don't Tell Me I Missed The War" off of Loser of the Year) and I wonder if the current state of secularism among most of us is kind of driving us towards this feeling. I've usually found that if someone's actually religious (that actually cares about following established rules of orthodoxy), I think most people I know, take that person for a chump.

I mean, religion's a crutch, right? Jesse "The Body" said it in a Playboy interview a few years ago. Arthur C. Clarke came to that conclusion in Childhood's End all the way back in the 50's. So, why are we compelled to some kind of belief in something greater than us? Even the most relativist of secular humanists believes in some kind of morality, as do those awkwardly named Brights. Why?

It made me think about that book, The God Gene, and whether there was anything to that. Of course, for every reaction, there's an equal and opposite reaction, but the idea of faith being hardwired into our brains is interesting.

Why would it be hardwired? I'm tempted to say that it's because we're afraid of dying and faith gives is hope that there's some kind of purpose. As sentient creatures, we might not try to do anything for the survival of the species if it all seemed like death was our only destiny and everything was a colossal waste of time.

I had my own existential crisis when I turned 24. I was living in La Crosse and was working at a lousy temp job at a now-defunct shoe factory in customer service. Everyday, I'd go for a smoke break by the edge of a factory. The sign above the door where I went said "No Exit". All I could think was, "No shit."

Maybe we're the chumps.

Definitely click on the link to No Exit above if you haven't read it. Sartre flirted with some weird (and sometimes stupid) ideas, but that's my favorite of his works.

On a side note: I finally heard the Dresden Dolls song this morning on WMAD. It's called "Coin-Operated Boy". Ummmm... it's cute and catchy, sounds like a perfect novelty hit. I dunno if that would be my choice for the first single. Novelty singles to break into radio are risky, I think. I kinda like the name of the band, but German WWII imagery is so 80's, isn't it? They're opening for NIN on the upcoming tour. Lucky bastards.

Good shows weekend

Good weekend for shows. The Guitar Bar was bursting at the seams on Friday night, but I was beaten in the Beer Challenge by our new friend, Andy. Remind me, I owe him a t-shirt because I forgot to get him his free one for beating me at the boozy end of the night.

Saturday Thoughts for Food was fucking packed at Ricky's Place. You couldn't move in that joint. It was stuffed to the gills. It was cool to see everyone coming out and supporting a great cause.

I'm feeling pretty sick and tired today, though, so I'm gonna go back to sleep.

Guitar Bar in Milwaukee tonight!

Can't wait to hit the Guitar Bar tonight. Right on the home of Milwaukee partying, Water Street. It's right next to Fitzgerald's or McGillicudy's or whatever bar on that street has a fucking shamrock like House of Pain's gonna be there or something. It's across the street from the Water Street Brewery on one side and Art's Performing Center on the other. We've been there a bunch of times and every time the party gets better. I don't see tonight as any kind of exception. We'll start playing around 10 and we'll go all night, so bring your requests. It's gonna be a good time.


He's gonna be there, are you?

Oh yeah, I'm listening to Hot Water Music right now. "Call It Trashing" is a sweet song. Except I haven't set up any playlists on my iPod yet, so everything's still in alphabetical order and it just went to "Call Me Al".

This is my chance!

Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen are divorcing!

Denise is one of my old girlfriends and I was hoping to give her a call sometime, so it looks like now would be the perfect opportunity to get back together. I figure that we can pawn the kids off on that whoremonger, Charlie, and she can come live at Sunspot HQ. I don't think Ben would mind.

Good Times Had By Me

Feeling a little rough this morning. I'm wearing a flannel with my Nine Inch Nails hat on backwards, ripped jeans, and Airwalks. I'm waiting for someone to tell me that 1994 called and it wants its outfit back. Hey, at least I don't have a goatee.


Scott from Saving Face's new band, PINE, was excellent last night at The Annex. Heavy covers of Springsteen, I'd never heard that before. Their singer had an awesome voice. That motherfucker can scream. I'm looking forward to their record when it comes out.

The opener was called Automatic and they were young, from Janesville. Very pretty. Their drummer had an amazing stage presence, though. Funny enough, found out that he played in a band called Metridian that we gigged with at a benefit at Janesville Craig High School. I'm not sure if it was them or a band called Kalisto, but one of those bands completely spoiled the benefit by having a menstrual moment and leaving the show in a huff because they weren't headlining. They then told all of their friends to leave and you know how it goes, all of a sudden, everyone started leaving halfway through the show. Ahhhhh, nothing like rocking for a good cause.

Anyway, John did a great job on sound last night. Good mix.

I'm listening to some Samantha 7 right now, CC DeVille's awesome band after he left Poison and they took in child guitar prodigy, Ritchie Kotzen. Samantha 7 only released one album, and it was in 2000, but I think it's a great one. There's probably 3 awesome songs on it and the rest are just pretty good, but that's better than a lot of discs I have. You can get it used on Amazon for super cheap. Check it out.

More Keytar

Just click on the pic for more great pics of how people rock with the Keytar. Damn, I just couldn't help it. Is this instrument completely ridiculous or is it just me?

Anyone Going Out Tonight?

After practice, I'm heading down to The Annex tonight to check out PINE, which is Scott's new band from The Wizenheimers (remember that "Go You Packers, Go Go" song? Of course you do.) and Saving Face. Anyway, he's a good guy, so I'd like to check out his new act.

Anyway, if anyone's going out, shoot me an email with what time you'll be out.

Good story about Thoughts For Food this weekend

Here's the article from The Racine Journal-Times about the Thoughts for Food benefit show in Racine this weekend. It's probably the biggest benefit of its kind in the state, because it covers the whole city. Every venue's involved in it.

They quote me pretty well in the article, I don't sound like a tool too much. Except when I say, "They allow everybody to get together for a good cause, and we still get to rock 'n' roll. It's like rock 'n' roll with a little conscience behind it." I don't think I would've used the phrase "rock n' roll" twice so closely together in a paragraph in my speech. Do I talk like that? What phrases do I overuse? You'd let me know if I sound like an asshole, right?

It's a better interview than usual, where I'm usually tossing out rock cliches as fast as I can. We were on the Women Express tour last year with Rebekka Fisher. The writer talks about that tour in the article. Rebekka's really cool and she plays the keytar, how awesome is that?


The Keytar in action! She blinded me with science!

Oh yeah, I'm listening to some Social D right now. I just finished listening to "Ballad in A" by BoRd twice. That's probably my favorite on Cookies and Beer, today at least. Yep, I've now converted almost my entire CD collection into the iPod. Schweet.

The Evil of The Thriller...

Is anybody else as freaked out as me that Michael Jackson is on fucking trial for being a child molester?

I know that it seems like we've been making jokes about MJ fondling little boys for longer than they've been making fun of Catholic priests, but do you realize that we're talking about someone, who for a long time, was one of the most admired people in the world? I loved him, my sister loved him. I remember being able to stay up late for the premiere of the "Thriller" video for its premiere on Friday Night Videos. Anyone else think about that show anymore? Music videos used to be special and it wasn't just their novelty, I don't think. Yeah, they have always been just extended commercials for albums, but before the glut of visual media we have now, that may be the only chance you have to see the artist you hear on the radio, you know?

I was watching MTV last night and all night it was Real World vs. Road Rules crap and I realized that I'm either I'm out of the loop or MTV just sucks. M2 is okay, but it's trying too hard. It's not the same. The audience for MTV keeps getting younger, not like high schoolers, it seems like they're going for the tween Mary-Kate and Ashley audience. I guess that's okay, but do you realize that we're redefining cool to be younger and younger every day. Cool goes where people spend their money. And that's too bad, because the idea of fucking tweens determining what's cool makes me wanna barf.

MTV used to be the hottest shit around. Packaged, safe rebellion aimed at middle-class teenagers. That's what I'm talking about. Maybe my thoughts are all in a jumble from a weekend of non-stop dipsomania and discussion about the independent music industry (I really don't think they have any laws in Las Vegas.) Or it could be the strong-ass coffee with Southern Butter Pecan creamer that I've been sucking down this morning, I dunno. Bottom-line, MTV used to be tha ballz. Now it just sucks them.

Example, In "1985" by Bowling for Soup, you know the MTV version is different than the radio one, right? In the radio version, it's "music STILL on MTV", in the video it's "music PLAYED on MTV". Hmmm... I guess they didn't want to bite the hand that feeds them, but have some balls. Letterman's been doing it for years.

Anyway, MJ's on the stand for doing the nasty with pubescent boys and it seems like everyone just accepts it. Well, I don't. I know it makes sense because he had his childhood robbed from him, he's trying to get back what he lost, blah blah blah... that's all well and good, but does that mean he's going to start molesting children? Did Shirley Temple do that shit? No, she became ambassador to Ghana or some shit. Her childhood was taken from her and you know that the Hollywood studio system in the 30's had to be more confining than Joseph Jackson and the 70's music industry combined. Does MJ associate sexual desire with childhood? People get excited with things that they feel are unattainable and what's more lost than the past?

I think Lisa Marie Presley's pretty hot, though, and he married her.

I'm just saying. I used to think Michael Jackson was the greatest thing ever and the idea that he'd break one of modern society's biggest taboos and be a criminal like John Wayne Gacy or something... I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it.