I'm not sure what the weekend holds in store for me, except slaving away for Team America for a large part of tomorrow. One thing I do know is that I will alleviate the suffering a bit by going for a (very) early happy hour with MS and perhaps AG after I get out of work.
Two of my partners in crime are away for the weekend, so I don't know if I'll make it to Mousetrap on Saturday night. No, I still haven't been except when I went up for a few minutes during our first bluestate. (And speaking of bluestate... we have a new contest going on right now. Go and check it out.) I'm curious about Cartel, who are playing with Palomar and Outland (whom I saw when they played with Fivefour) so I might have to venture out to the Velvet Lounge.
Tonight, I might try something different and join BV for a bluesgrass show, The Hackensaw Boys, at the 9:30 Club. And speaking of the 9:30 Club, Queens of the Stone Age is now sold out.
Thursday, February 10, 2005 :::
Good times at iPod Jukebox last night. They had a really good turnout, as well as coverage by reporters from both The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. The music was a good mix, with a bit more pop than usual. A certain former blogger who asked to remain nameless even played a Jennifer Lopez tune. I’m looking forward to when the set lists are posted.
As soon as I walked up to the DJ booth to sign up, one of the hosts said to me, “You’re going to play the new Hot Hot Heat, aren’t you?” He had planned on playing it, but didn’t get a chance to put it on his iPod, which was good news for me, since I would have been super-sad if I got there and he’d already played it.
So yes, I played Hot Hot Heat’s “Goodnight Goodnight.” Followed by:
As we sipped our greyhounds, MG and I were interviewed by The Washington Post reporter, who was working on an article about “iPod culture.” Basically, “what does the iPod mean to you?” In case you haven’t noticed, the media is really into this “iPod revolution” thing right now. Some angles that have been suggested in articles I’ve read recently:
Death of the album. Death of the hip-hop skit. Re-birth of the single (closely related to the death of the album). Empowerment of the consumer. Pressure on the record industry to produce better albums.
I don’t think I really had anything new to add to this, but the reporter was nice and it was amusing to be interviewed, so I figured, why not? I’m really hoping that my mom’s hand-knitted iPod cozy/sweater gets a mention in the article, since the reporter specifically asked about it, even writing down my mom’s name.
If I get labeled as a “tastemaker,” sarcastically or not, it’s going to be MG’s fault. I completely cracked up when she managed to work it into the conversation, but the humor of it was followed by the realization that if this actually makes it into the article, we’re going to come off as total tools. Oh well. I’ll still laugh if I open the paper this weekend and it’s there.
However, if I get quoted saying that one of the benefits of the burgeoning iPod culture is that I can listen to more pop music, well, that’s something for which I’m entirely responsible. Hopefully it won’t be something like “Oh my god, I love my iPod because I can listen to Britney Spears!” I’m pretty sure I was slightly more eloquent than that. I think I used the word “discriminating.” In the same sentence as “Britney Spears.” You know what, though? I’m totally not ashamed of that.
And speaking of Wednesday nights at Gate 54, the obligatory bluestate plug:
Wednesday, February 09, 2005 :::
Get your DJ on tonight at Gate 54 with iPod Jukebox. We hear there's going to be a Washington Post reporter there, so if you've always wanted to get quoted in the illustrious publication, this could be your chance. Plus, you get to be a "tastemaker for the masses."
Did anyone else catch The Killers' "On Top" during the Super Bowl post-game show? That was neat. (Yes, I watched the Super Bowl. And not just the halftime and the commercials. Only commie bastards don't watch the Super Bowl.)
Lovely female-fronted indie rock. Okay, so they're signed to Reprise Records, but the sound is best defined as indie rock. Another way to describe it: if Dawson’s Creek was still on, Eisley would be on the soundtrack. It's more WB than The O.C., but keep your ear out anyway.
01/05: Taint and Bliss present INFAMY, 9:30 Club
01/10: Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton, 9:30 Club
01/19: Benjy Ferree, Meredith Bragg and the Terminals, Greenland, Black Cat 01/24: Hej Hej, Cafe Saint-Ex
