the wizard

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No apologies this time. I already missed the Jenny Lewis / Heartless Bastards show this Tuesday. Pissed. Really wanted to go. I’ve loved her since Troop Beverly Hills and The Wizard. Someone please tell me about the show. Send me pics. Please.

Thursday, June 25

Starlight Mints / Evangelicals @ Granada Theater

John Vanderslice / The Tallest Man On Earth @ House Of Blues Dallas

Oklahoma must be a weird place. On the one hand, the Official Rock Song of Oklahoma almost definitely puts your state’s Official Rock Song to shame. On the other hand, this is the state that gave birth to Bush-fellating douche-bag, Toby Keith. Thankfully, the two Oklahoma bands playing Granada on Thursday night have more in common with Yoshimi than with Shock’n Y’all.

If you really hate Toby Keith, you should definitely check out the John Vanderslice show. His 2005 album, Pixel Revolt, and 2007 album, Emerald City, are extremely rare in that they actually say something intelligent about post-9/11 America. The multi-talented Vanderslice happens to have been in one of my favorite bands of the 90s, MK Ultra (their 3 records are available in hi-res mp3 for free), and he’s also collaborated with some of my other favorite bands like The Mountain Goats and Spoon. I’m not sure the political leanings of Swedish folkster Kristian Matsson aka The Tallest Man On Earth, but I’m guessing he’s no Keith fan either.

So basically, either way, the terrorists win.

Friday, June 26

Cryptacize @ Rubber Gloves

Ben Kweller @ Granada Theater

Cryptacize is an unconventional band. Much like Deerhoof is an unconventional band. When Chris Cohen parted ways with Deerhoof, I thought one of my favorite bands might be ruined. Instead, Deerhoof never missed a beat, and thankfully Cohen found a new avenue to explore his unorthodox arrangements and childlike sense of wonder. Cryptacize continue to get better, and I can’t wait to see them up close and personal on stage at Rubber Gloves. Apparently, they use very tiny drums.

If you want to make your girlfriend happy, take her to see local hero Ben Kweller. Girls dig Ben Kweller. It’s a fact. Just be sure to have your girl pack a few tampons. For Ben.

This entry was written by nate, posted on June 24, 2009 at 7:05 pm, filed under Shows, Uncategorized and tagged Ben Kweller, cryptacize, deerhoof, Evangelicals, Heartless Bastards, Jenny Lewis, John Vanderslice, MK Ultra, Spoon, Starlight Mints, The Flaming Lips, The Mountain Goats, The Tallest Man On Earth, Toby Keith. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.

weekly mixtape #4

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Normally I track the weekly mixtape with newer, “more current”, songs but I had to throw in an old N.W.A. classic to express my frustration for the speeding ticket I got on the way home today. You got it, Fu** tha Police! People have places to go, and I guess traffic patrol helps to make you late for whatever that place may be. Other than that, there have been some great releases this past week that you all might enjoy (including a sweet mashup from The Hood Internet). The fourth installment of the weekly mixtape begins now….

N.W.A. – Fuck Tha Police
Talking Heads vs Apparat – Psycho Killer
Brakes – Worry About It Later
Lady of the Sunshine – White Rose Parade
Jeremy Enigk – Restart
Joey Casio – Share the Cup
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero
Higamos Hogamos – Major Blitzkreig
Cryptacize – Blue Tears
Viva Voce – Devotion
Mika Miko – I Got A Lot (New New New)
Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Contender
Passion Pit – Moth’s Wings
Japandroids – Sovereignty
Television Personalities – Look Back In Anger

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