The debut of the Perfect Face For Radio Adventure Story Hour is only one week away!

So Friday night I saw the Stills, Metric and Sea Ray at the Metro (yes, I found someone to go with). Metric was sooooo awesome, the singer, Emily Haines, is my new hero and I've decided I want to be her. We left halfway through the Stills when the singer began going off about how we all have to vote for Kerry and how anyone who does otherwise is just dumb. Thanks Canadian dude. The next band that starts spouting political at a show just might make me turn Republican. Ok, obviously that's never going to happen, it will probably just continue to annoy me instead.

Do bands tour in Alaska?

So yesterday I was looking through a few contract riders. I thought ridiculous backstage demands were reserved for divas like J Lo, but apparently indie bands have them too. Stuff like:

48 bottles of lager (i.e. Not Budweiser), preferably Red Stripe
One bottle of tequila Monday, Wednesday, Friday, one bottle of vodka Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday
A fruit platter
4 meals (two vegetarian)
Socks

And that's all I could remember, the band had like 10 demands. Even moderate fame and all humility is lost.

So, Billions has THREE shows this weekend that I could go to for free, and I currently don't have anyone to go to them with! Anyone want to come down to Chicago this weekend and see something with me??? Anyone????

Friday- The Stills, Metric, and Sea Ray at the Metro
Saturday- Califone at the Abbey Pub
The Washdown at the Bottom Lounge

Come on, you know you want to!

Some CD recommendations:

Of Montreal- Satanic Panic in the Attic. I'm obsessed with this CD now. It's called "psych pop" apparently, which apparently just means its inspired by the Beach Boys or something. This album is so fun and catchy and just makes me happy.

AC Newman- The Slow Wonder. Ok, this album doesn't come out until June 8, but I got an advanced copy here at Billions. This is the guy who started the New Pornographers, and this CD is a lot like all the NP songs he sings on and just as good as them too. The song "Miracle Drug" is one of the best songs I've heard all year. I'm guessing WSUM probably got a copy, so Rockey, definitely play this one on the new PFFR.

Last night I went and saw the Thermals with the Hold Steady. The Hold Steady were so awesome, the singer sort of yells/sings over the music, which is pure rock and roll and sometimes the guitar riffs are throwbacks to classic rock. I bought their CD and am now in love with a song called "Killer Parties." Highly recommended. Then the Thermals came on and just blazed through their songs, it must have been like 30 songs in 30 minutes. Excellent show.

JULY 31 at the Rave in Milwaukee: Modest Mouse, the Walkmen, and Broken Social Scene!!!

This is some sort of special stop their making while being on the Lollapalooza tour- someone must meet up with me in Milwaukee to see this!

Franz Ferdinand scores a porno film???

Here I am on my first day at Billions. I got to look at all the information they had about the Califone show at Party in the Park. It was funny to see that booking process from both ends. Luckily the database didn't say something like "don't ever work with WSUM again" haha.

Oh my gosh that is so cute! I think you two will meet again, in the same outfit.

Check this out, local mustachio-ed musician Charlemagne got a review in Pitchfork!

Yesterday, during the graduation ceremony, to my absolute surprise, I saw Greta, the girl who was wearing the roller-blades and puma jacket at Party in the Park! Once again, we were both wearing the same thing: a black cap and gown. Unfortunatley, she is leaving for the summer, but I'll always remember her as the girl, who wore identical clothing as me, who got away.

I'm here! And I'm almost all settled in. I'm also violently sore from moving OUT of my apartment yesterday morning and then IN to my apt. in Chicago yesterday afternoon. Becky: my desk definitely broke in several places, but some duct tape should take care of things quite easily.

I'll be changing my phone number tomorrow, so expect an email from me with all my new info tomorrow as well.

good luck with your move, nicole! chicago is a better town with you in it!

Holy crap, I'm moving to Chicago tomorrow! I'm going to keep up with the website as Rockey finishes up the show this summer. Hopefully by the end of the summer I'll have a show on Chicago's community radio station WLUW, which is webcast, and then I can make this site for that. Stay tuned!

Night 3 of the 5 day insanity was indeed a success and crazier then the night before... And now I've got my roller-blades back. Hopefully, I don't get sick at work, which I have to go to... now.

I'm done now too! And I'm sooooooo inappropriate. What a week.

Anyone who is finished is welcome to stop by my apartment tonight anytime after 7 to celebrate by drinking on our porch with Becky and I, with possible bar action going on afterwards.

I am done period exclamanation point! It's been fun Bucky, but the bender to end it all began on Tuesday night. Three cheers for the summer!

The first official Perfect Face for Radio Broadcast of the summer will be on Monday, June 7th, at 7PM. It will showcase the all-new Perfect Face For Radio Adventure Story Hour at 8PM. Keep checking this site for details.

Now here's something funny:

www.richdorkmedia.com

We just made a killer transition from The Dismemberment Plan into Dismember. This is hot.

TOMORROW FROM 2-4 PM: INDIE VS. METAL ON WSUM 91.7 FM
Join Metalhead Chris Gutmanis and me Wednesday afternoon for a full on battle between indie rock and metal. Call in and help me prove why indie rock is so much cooler.

nicole, i don't get it...i mean, don't you normally get your hair cut at cha cha? and WHAT is up with this blogger? AND i am in minneapolis for only a day and a half more - last chance to see me in minneapolis!! if you DON'T see me here, then you are going to have to visit me in p-land. no other way around it

Confidential to Annie, Liz and Tori: I just made a hair appointment at Studio Quest. HA!

Ashley's and my interview with Cursive is finally up on the reviews page, check it out.

Testing testing

Hmmm, I seem to have added the ability for readers to add comments. We'll see if this was a good idea or not.

Blogger looks funny. I don't think I get it.

I bet it was lost by one of the 15 people who picked HOT!

This morning I saw 7 dollars outside of Bascom Hall. The five and two singles were just laying there plan as day. There was not another soul in sight so I picked it up. I think it's going to be a good week.

We just played a song off the new Thermals album, and it was very good. Much more produced/less lo-fi than the first, and I like it a lot. It's called "Fucking A."

Catch my last PFFR today at 6 PM! Be there or be square!

DONE...DRINKING TO START...NOW!!!

Oooh look, I got a letter published in Salon.com! It was in response to an article about Friends, where they asked everyone who'd stopped watching it at some point why they'd stopped watching it. I'm on page 3.

Surprise Spoon tour!

Madison: Wed. June 23- the Annex
Chicago: Friday, June 25- The Metro

Sad, I'd much rather see them at the Annex since it's so much smaller than the Metro :( . Britt Daniel OWES me Everything Hits at Once, and I'd have better access to demand it at the Annex.

I'd just like to add that I think that confirms again that boys are dumb and to stay away from them, because they won't win you $7.

I'm done now too, except for one joke of a final next Thursday. Woohoo! Speaking of that joke of a final, I won $7 in real estate yesterday. How you ask? Earlier in the year we were given a list of real estate stocks and told to pick one randomly, and who ever chose the highest performing stock at the end of the semester won $100. Well, I of course used the very technical route of choosing the stock with the coolest ticker name, and of course went with Starwood Hotels (HOT). Of course, 15 of us chose it for probably the same reason, so we had to split the $100. Still, I'm a winner! Anyone need me to pick stocks for them? It was between HOT and BOY for me, but obviously I chose wisely!

the olsen twins scare the shit out of me - i think they look like aliens...
tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow can't come soon enough....
so, you like stuff?

I am done with class period... exclamation point! That's right, no more going to class in Madison for me anymore and, oh yeah, the Perfect Face For Radio (Now Showcasing the Perfect Face For Radio Adventure Story Hour) has been given the green light for the summer! The new night will be Monday. The new time will be 7 to 9 PM. It's time to get excited.

Oh god. The Olsen twins are indie. I'm not sure what to think about this. I might have to renounce my musical interests in favor of metal.

Holy crap, that's hysterical! Do hipsters shop at Bloomingdales who might pick up on the cool indie music?

I just downloaded Screenblast Acid Xpress, which I am supposed to be able to use to mash up songs a la Danger Mouse's Grey Album as well as create cool electronic music. I have no freakin' clue how on earth to use it. I should also be studying for my marketing final and not trying to mash up Bjork and Four Tet.

Armand Van Helden's New York: A Mix Odyssey was released today and it may just be the most exciting mix CD of 80s rock I've ever heard. Scratch that, best best mix CD ever. I gotta dance.

Oooooooh . . . fabulous new homepage Rockey! Check out the interview we did with Single Frame in this issue of Emmie. Also, they forgot to credit me with the Liars review and made blatant typos in a couple of my pieces, but oh well, such is the life.

Oh, and here's my Coachella experience in a brief nutshell:

SATURDAY: THE DAY OF THE HEADLINER
TEMPERATURE: 100+ DEGREES
$$$$ SPENT ON WATER JUST TO STAY ALIVE: $10

12:30 - Dios. Very cute.
1:00 - Erase Errata. A little annoying art-punk chick band.
2:45 - The Stills. They were better than when I'd seen them open for Interpol, and seemed much younger than I remembered them.
3:55 - Trail of the Dead. One of the biggest disappointments of the weekend, they only played one song from Source Tags and Codes (Another Morning Stoner); otherwise they basically seemed to be testing out new material they'd barely practiced. Also had two drummers for some strange reason.
4:35 - Sad attempt at seeing Beck. He was a last minute replacement, so for some reason the man who headlined the first Coachella was in a tent in the afternoon doing an acoustic set. We couldn't get even remotely close to the tent, and since it was acoustic we couldn't hear crap from outside the tent. Instead we went to watch Death Cab for the second time in two weeks.
6:00 - Sparta. We only went to see Sparta because they were before the Pixies. Apparently we weren't the only ones with that idea, because there was no way all those people were there to see Sparta. They were ok, but unfortunately began the long weekend of annoying Bush bashing. Now I'm a big Bush hater myself, but I don't go to shows to see musicians spout politics, I go to hear them play music, and rarely have I seen a musician talk about it who sounded like they had any clue outside of "Fuck Bush."
7:20 - PIXIES. HOLY FUCKING SHIT did this rock. All 50,000 festival-goers were clearly at this stage at this time for this show and good lord was it awesome, even though I was smushed somewhere off to the side. They played everything, Here Comes Your Man, Velouria, Debaser, Monkey Gone to Heaven, Where Is My Mind, etc, the band was really excited to be there and Kim Deal totally rocks my world.
8:20 - 20 minutes of the Rapture before Radiohead, spent sitting on the ground instead of dancing because I thought I was going to die of exhaustion at this point.
9:00 - Radiohead. Nothing different from what I've seen the last two times, though good as always. Until the encore when they played . . . OMG they played CREEP. I never in a million years thought I'd ever hear that song live, and Thom Yorke busts it out and sends me into tears. He prefaced it with "I don't know if I even remember this one" and it was charmingly rusty and so totally amazing. This plus the Pixies made this night totally unforgettable.
11:00 - Oh my gosh the night isn't over yet because it's time to see: KRAFTWERK. They just put out their first album in 17 years recently and what a creepshow. Both Kim Deal and Ben Gibbard said they'd be there. They were in a tent on a stage with a screen behind it, four guys in suits with creepy masks on standing eerily behind laptops while strange images ran across the screen and robot voices sang in German about radioactivity. Then a curtain closed around them and reopened to reveal . . . ROBOTS behind the computers, moving around while a song about robots was played. Totally freaky and totally awesome.

Then I went home and passed out to do it all over again on:

SUNDAY: THE DAY OF THE GROUND STAGES
TEMPERATURE: HIGHER THAN SATURDAY
$$$ SPENT SO FAR IN GENERAL: UNGODLY AMOUNTS

1:30 - Got there late and only saw three songs of Pretty Girls Make Graves, which saddened me deeply. I'm clearly not destined to see this band as every time they come around something doesn't work out for me.
2:05 - !!! ("Chik Chik Chik" or "Pow Pow Pow" or "Uh Uh Uh"), who totally dance-punked my ass off. These guys need to tour with the Rapture for the ultimate indie dance party. The singer was one of the funniest people ever and made an amusing attempt at talking about world issues, then went back to dancing like a maniac with the band. If he had red hair he'd be Carrot Top.
3:20 - BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, and the absolute most amazing performance of the day and one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen. With their 11 members their sound was just so big and beautiful that you got totally lost in it. They played all the best songs off of You Forgot It in People and best of all, Emily Haines of Metric was there to sing "Anthems for a 17-Year Old Girl" and "Almost Crimes," both of which sent absolute chills through my body. Then just when I thought I couldn't get any more emotional, the cute guitarist proposed to his girlfriend on stage before closing with KC Accidental. Everyone in this band clearly loves music and loves playing it and it totally showed in their performance. Good lord.
4:30 - Took a break to sit down and heard Atmosphere in the distance, doing his Minneapolis rap thing and of course, talking about politics at the beginning. Will it never end?
5:45 - No it won't, because Cursive is there headlining the Plea for Peace tour, which is *supposed* to be promoting registering to vote in a totally non-partisan way. Except Tim Kasher keeps telling everyone to register, then vote for Kerry. Hmmmmmmm . . ..
6:35 - Heard the end of Belle and Sebastian doing their incredibly twee thing, though they ended with this song I love but have no idea what the name of it is, though I found out it's on Boy with the Arab Strap. If you know the name of that song, let me know.
7:35 - Air. What better way to watch the sun set than while listening to the atmospheric sounds of Air. They played mostly from Moon Safari and Talkie Walkie. The best part was when one of them used the robot-voice microphone to say "I am a French Robot. The night has come. It is time to dance." Gosh that's great. It was awesome to hear their music in a more rockin' setting with some live instrumentation.
8:55 - The Flaming Lips. Good lord. Wayne Coyne delayed the show about 10 minutes to set up a giant bubble. He later got in the bubble so he could crowd surf in it. Then the animal costumed people came out to dance around with lights as usual. Finally they played a song. Then Fight Test. Then Wayne went off on Bush for seemingly forever. Then Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Then we sang happy birthday to Beck's future baby. Then it was over. 3 songs!!!!!! He could easily have cut out the Bush diatribe and the strange bubble thing to actually play some music. I didn't mind because it was funny as hell, but if I were a bigger Flaming Lips fan I would have been livid.
10:20 - The Cure, who also started about 25 minutes late. I had high hopes for the Cure- after all these years, never thought I'd actually get to hear "Just Like Heaven," which always makes me go crazy. Robert Smith finally came out looking like he was electrocuted. They played all the hits off Galore and Staring at the Sea. Unfortunately and extremely disappointingly, they played them so uninspiringly and with such lackluster that even "Just Like Heaven" made me want to just sit down. People started leaving by the droves.

So that's my weekend, if you made it this far you are a trooper! I gotta go to this thing every year. It was one of the most exhausting yet wonderful experiences I've had in a while, and there were dozens of bands I wasn't even able to see! I need a time machine, like Hermione, so I can go back in time and see the bands that play at the same time.

I'll have pictures up sometime when I get the chance.

New Emmie is out in school buildings, coffeehouses, and record stores now! I have a lot of fun stuff in it, so check it out before you start studying for finals.

ONE MORE EXAM....i want to die

Back! And Graham has joined us, huzzah!

I am so exhuasted but still completely exhilerated from my amazing weekend of music. Tomorrow when I have more time I'll provide a complete update on my experience, and there will also be a tinymixtapes feature about it.

I think our final show this Saturday needs to be a Best of the PFFR. Go out with a bang. Want to make a JPG for the homepage DJ Lazer?

i know!! he's an "avid jogger" and so gosh darn cute - but he's back to work, making our nation right...

Mifflin Street Block Party has made national news:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Midwest/05/02/keg.crackdown.ap/index.html

Line of the day: "four kegs amount to an ungodly number of pitchers"

"Being drunk at Mifflin Street Block party is awesome. But being drunk at Mifflin Street Block party on roller-blades is 10 times as awesome."

Yes, the block party did indeed rule. All the pessimists were wrong and the weather was fablous. No rain and not too hot either. My attire, roller-blades and a DARE jacket, received many compliments, received a shout-out from a house's speaker system, and became the subject of many photographs.

The Perfect Face For Radio Mifflin Street Rock Party was terrific fun and also performed entirely on roller-blades by both myself and DJ Craker. Our first caller promptly asked when Nicole would be back.

And now it's time for a well-earned nap.