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//oakland, calif. //age 33 //home //about //last.fm //message //permanent mp3s 
 
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:: 1.31.2003 :: (listening to: The Mountain Goats: Isopanisad Radio Hour) For the past couple months I've been stuck listening to old tapes in my work truck as I drive around Sonoma County on Wednesday afternoons. I have two huge cardboard boxes full of old cassettes, some made for me, most made by me, and all of varying degrees of listenability. Every morning before I leave the house I pull five or six out at random, tuck them away in my bag, and head out the door. A couple days ago I had two tapes, both without labels, of mixes I made sometime in late 1999 or early 2000. I honestly have no recollection of making either of them, but one in particular I can trace back to February of 2000 by dating the songs. It's really interesting to me to see how much indie rock I used to listen to, and how I've somehow fallen out of that mold. In early 2000 I was listening to a lot of indie rock and playing in an indie rock band, and here three years later, I listen to less indie rock, and, well, play in a different indie rock band. Ah, the more things change, the more they stay the same. If you're interested to hear what I was listening to in 2000, I've re-created one of the tapes and posted the tracks on Soulseek. My username is, again, blackyellowblack. While you're at it, you can also download old MP3s of the week, as well as my Top 10 Of 2002 mix. Woot! (!)blackyellowblack - the mystery mixtape #1 - february, 2000
(7:14 PM) :: (link)
Thankfully, my boss is a coffee junky so I persuaded her to let me go
walk down to get some good afternoon brew
and enjoy the gorgeous day. I was still feeling a bit glum as I headed into
the cafe, but while standing in line I came up with a way to cheer me up for the rest of the afternoon.
A couple minutes later when my order was ready, they called out SLATCH!
, order ready for SLATCH! I giggled
and pretended I didn't hear them the first time, just to make them repeat it.
Yeah, now I'm smiling.
(11:18 PM) :: (link)
Ah, nothing feels better than finding "More Than A Feeling" on some little station while getting
ready to smash my little cheap-o radio on the ground in frustration after finding
nothing but C-R-A-P on the rest of the airwaves. I just might make it through the day afterall.
My new minidisc player should arrive any day now, and I'll get back on the record-review train,
and I will never, *ever* have to subject myself to that one Red Hot Chili Peppers song
that the local "alternative" station plays over and over again, or any of the Blink 182/Sum 41/
Good Charlotte type pop-punk. Good riddance I say! I can't wait to rock to the dozens of new
CDs that I haven't even listened to yet while pretending I'm not stuck in a warehouse 8 hours a
day.
Last night we continued our Burt Reynolds film festival by watching 1973's White Lightning,
the story of Gator McLusky, an ex-bootleg whiskey runner in Arkansas hellbent on destroying the
local sheriff who killed his little brother. Not nearly as good as Sunday night's inspired viewing
of Smokey & The Bandit ("Breaker! Breaker! That's a big 10-4 good buddy!"), but it was
alright. The video store clerk told me that White Lightning hadn't been rented since
March of 2002, and now I know why.
Next up I'm going to try and track down a copy of Fuzz, whose tagline is "Burt Reynolds + Raquel
Welch = Dynamite!" I can't wait.
:: [here's the scoop] ::
After two great years of playing keyboards in Amscray,
I've decided to leave the band in order to pursue other musical avenues. The second Amscray album,
Songs For Your Next Wedding, is 95% done and will be out in a couple of months. I do have
to say it sounds amazing, and I'm excited for its release.
My last show with Amscray will be on Thursday, February 7th at the SF Eagle, on the corner of
12th and Harrison in San Francisco. I'd love to see as many friends there as possible, and
(hopefully) we'll have a couple special guests performing with us. If anyone is interested in
attending, send an email my way.
A couple months ago, I began playing keyboards and organ in a new East Bay band called
Communiqué.
I'm very excited about this opportunity to play along with a terrific group of musicians, and am
also looking forward to the prospect of touring often to support our music. Communiqué have an EP coming out on February 25th
on Lookout! Records, but you
can listen to an download
"Cross Your Heart" right now. If anyone wants to buy a limited-edition two song CD with a hand screened cover, Communiqué badge, or hand screened t-shirt, let me know and we'll work something out.
I'm extra-super excited to embark on some West Coast tour dates in March with
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists on our way to the annual South By Southwest music and media
conference in Austin. We'll be playing three(!!!) shows for SXSW, including the Lookout! records
showcase at Emo's on Thursday, March 13th.
The proper Communiqué website will be up soon at: www.radiocommunique.com
So now ya'll know what I've been up to, practicing 3 (sometimes 4) times a week and collecting
new pieces of musical equipment. If you live in Southern California or Phoenix, come check out
the shows, click here for tour dates. Those
around the Bay Area can come see us play with Ted Leo and The Cost on March 5th at Bottom Of The Hill in
San Francisco. You can buy tickets here for the
show. Hope to see some of you there.
Phew! The Daily Photo is down right now because all the pictures I took this weekend somehow
got deleted from my camera. Technology and I are having a bitter war this week.
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