My holiday gift to you.............

Enjoy the fruits of my labor today....a good 3+ hours tinkering around in the basement today has resulted in the following cover songs for you to enjoy. Listening to the playback, I've noticed that my voice sucks ass, but hopefully you can get past that and get a kick out of them anyways. I don't think you can actually download the songs at this point, so if you really want them, let me know. Happy Holidays!

Best of 2007

I hope my readership had a great holiday....I'm finally recovering from all of the running around we took part in. 5 holiday events in 4 days - insanity. I've got the day off today, and have boatloads of things to take care of, but I thought I'd start it off with my annual "Best Records of 2007" list. Here are my Top 10, in no particular order:

• Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
• Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
• Radiohead - In Rainbows
• The White Stripes - Icky Thump
• John Davis - Arigato!
• Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
• Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
• Frank Black - Bluefinger
• The Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder
• Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band - Live In Dublin

There it is kids. Let me know your favorites from this year in the comments section. I'll be sending you a special holiday present later today, so stay tuned!

Long Road to Ruin - alternate take

Just stumbled across this alternate shot of the new Foo video. Brought a smile to my face, and I don't even have any computer speakers!

Holy canoli, Batman!

Check out the new trailer for The Dark Knight right here! This movie is going to be so badass.

New Green Day tunes?

You be the judge - check out the "Foxboro Hot Tubs" right here. This isn't the first time that Green Day has released music under another band name...I'll be curious to see how this all shakes out. They have 6 tracks available for download, and they appear to sound like 60's rock and roll. Check it out and let me know if you think it's the boys from Green Day or not.

EDIT - I'm pretty sure it's Green Day. And it sounds pretty damn awesome.

Teenage angst has paid off well

I get up around seven...

My brother Jeff and I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Slash yesterday at the Mall of America. He was there signing copies of his recently released autobiography, "Slash". Looks like the publishers thought long and hard about the title.

We arrived at the MOA around 4:30, and after picking up the book, we proceeded to stand in line for the next few hours. During the wait, we got to listen to Velvet Revolver's new album about 3.5 times. I wanted to pull the remaining hair from my head out after about the 2nd playback. It's an OK album an all, but it just started to get on my nerves after a bit.

Slash took the stage around 6:15 and got right to work. There was no funny business at this event.....no pictures were to be taken on the stage, and he'd only sign the book. My brother caught the above image on his cellphone. I got to spend about 3 seconds with him - we shook hands and I told him thanks for coming. All in all, he seemed like a pretty laid back dude, and I'm looking forward to cracking into the book. My one regret is that I wish I would have picked up a few more books to get signed - it appears that a bit of a profit can be made on these things!

In other news, the White Stripes have released a video for their new single, "Conquest". And you can check it out for your viewing pleasure right here - enjoy!

Magazine on the cheap

Are you interested in getting 11 issues of a music magazine, filled with articles & reviews, as well as a CD sampler featuring new music, for as low as a buck a subscription? If you're like me, then you are. Check out the Paste Magazine website for details. There, you'll find more details about what you can expect from the mag. Check it out, and name your price for the subscription. I just placed my order for 11 issues for the whopping price of 1 dollar!

Free songs!

During Superdrag's recent stop in Chicago, they entered a local studio and recorded 4 songs live to 2-track. You can listen to the fruits of their labor at this location. The songs they recorded are as follows:

1. Tell Me I'm Not Free
2. Sold You An Alibi
3. Senorita
4. Cynicality

Feel free to enjoy these at your leisure.

I'm tired........so tired

There's a fantastic interview with Rivers Cuomo of Weezer fame at this location. The article goes into detail about the demo compilation that Rivers is releasing next month, containing many Weezer/solo tunes that have never been released or heard by anyone. Check it out - it's a great read! The band has been known for posting tons of their demos online in the past, so I'm definitely looking forward to giving this a listen on December 11.

It's a "2 for the price of 1" Friday!

Hey kids....the weekend is upon us, and I bring to you 2 treats that hit the airwaves last night. First off is a medley of "The Pretender" and "God Save the Queen" that the Foos did at the EMAs last light.



Second, I bring to you the video for the new Foo's single, "Long Road to Ruin". Looks like they've finally hit their funny bone again, after a string of pretty serious performance videos. Enjoy...

R.I.P., Mr. Goulet

My little Princess

Here are a few photos that were taken of our cutie pie yesterday at a friend's house in Minneapolis. Our weekend was spent running from one activity to the next, and we wore Evie out pretty good. Hopefully she can find it in her heart to forgive us.

Rock star mug shots

Happy Friday everyone....if you're looking to waste a few minutes today, flip through the gallery of pictures here. It's a pretty humorous collection of rock stars (like the gentleman to the left) that have been thrown in the clink.

Big weekend ahead - lots of Halloween activities for the little one, and an adults night out as well. I'm hoping that my sweet wife will make a pit stop at a Best Buy that's doing a midnight sale for Guitar Hero III on Saturday night.

Enjoy the weekend, and make sure to spend as much time outside as possible. It boggles my mind to look around the neighborhood after work, and see everyone all cooped up in their homes while there's still daylight and it's gorgeous outside.

Cheat code to unlock all of the songs in Guitar Hero III

YO RB RO GB RY YO RY RB GY GY YB YB YO YO YB Y R RY R Y O

Freaky

My computer crashed, and I'm loving every minute of it!

As you may have noticed, things have been awfully quiet around these parts. A lot of that has to do with the fact that our home PC took a crap on us about a week ago. This turn of events has actually been kinda cool, even though it'd be nice to have a machine that's working again. Here's some benefits of not having access to a computer 24/7:

1. Spending more time with the family
2. Getting more things done around the house
3. Getting more sleep
4. The chance to sit down and read a book
5. The opportunity to sit in the basement and play/listen to music for the first time in awhile
   

In general, I feel like I've been a little more focused at home. While it'd be nice to get access to a PC again for simple things like iPod management, it's not too bad to be without the internet for awhile. Try it out sometime - you might like it.

For those of you with the internet, here are 2 items to check out:

• Go here to check out some Soundcheck performance that the Foo Fighters did for Wal-Mart.
• I was listening to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion last night, wondering what in the hell they've been up to lately. Apparently, MTV has been having the same thoughts - check it.
  

Feeling a little Surly

I just stumbled across this company today, and it looks like they have a helluva product. Surly Brewing Co. is a local beer company that has been in business since 2005. They currently have 2 beers (Bender and Furious) that are available year round. They also come up with several specialty beers that are available during various times of the season. I've never tasted it, but I have a feeling that I'll be picking some of this up in the very near future. I'll give you my taste test report after the pickup mission has been completed. In the meantime, visit their website to learn more about the brewery. A link has been added to my links section on the right-hand side for future convenience. Cheers!

Buy this album!

John Davis, the lead singer/guitarist of a little band called Superdrag, has a new solo album out called "Arigato!". He recorded it at the Foo Fighters' studio in LA. Click on the link below to pick it up for only 10 bucks!

Guitar Hero III tracklisting

Here's the final tracklisting for Guitar Hero III, due in stores on Rocktober 28th:

AFI - “Miss Murder”
Aerosmith - “Same Old Song and Dance”
Alice Cooper - “School’s Out”
Backyard Babies - “Minus Celsius”
Beastie Boys - “Sabotage”
Black Sabbath - “Paranoid”
Bloc Party - “Helicopter”
Blue Oyster Cult - “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll”
Bret Michaels Band - “Go That Far”
Charlie Daniels Band - “Devil Went Down to Georgia”
Cream - “Sunshine of Your Love”
Dead Kennedys - “Holiday in Cambodia”
Die Toten Hosen - “Hier Kommt Alex”
Disturbed - “Stricken”
DragonForce - “Through the Fire and Flames”
Eric Johnson - “Cliffs of Dover”
Foghat - “Slow Ride”
Gallows - “In the Belly of a Shark”
Guns N’ Roses - “Welcome to the Jungle”
Heart - “Barracuda”
Heroes Del Silencio - “Avalancha”
In Flames - “Take This Life”
Iron Maiden - “The Number of the Beast”
Kaiser Chiefs - “Ruby”
Kiss - “Rock and Roll All Nite”
Lacuna Coil - “Closer”
Living Colour - “Cult of Personality”
Matchbook Romance - “Monsters”
Metallica - “One”
Mountain - “Mississippi Queen”
Muse - “Knights of Cydonia”
NAAST - “Mauvais Garcon”
Pat Benatar - “Hit Me with Your Best Shot”
Pearl Jam - “Even Flow”
Poison - “Talk Dirty to Me”
Priestess - “Lay Down”
Queens of the Stone Age - “3’s and 7’s”
Rage Against the Machine - “Bulls on Parade”
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Suck My Kiss”
Revolverheld - “Generation Rock”
Santana - “Black Magic Woman”
Scorpions - “Rock You Like a Hurricane”
Slayer - “Raining Blood”
Slipknot - “Before I Forget”
Smashing Pumpkins - “Cherub Rock”
Social Distortion - “Story of My Life”
Sonic Youth - “Kool Thing”
Stevie Ray Vaughn - “Pride and Joy”
Superbus - “Radio Song”
Tenacious D - “The Metal”
The Hellacopters - “I’m in the Band”
The Killers - “When You Were Young”
The Rolling Stones - “Paint It, Black”
The Stone Roses - “She Bangs the Drums”
The Strokes - “Reptilia”
The Who - “The Seeker”
Velvet Revolver - “She Builds Quick Machines”
Weezer - “My Name Is Jonas”
White Zombie - “Black Sunshine”
ZZ Top - “La Grange”

Whistling

Over lunch, I made a visit to the local LifeTime fitness center. While getting ready in the locker room, I was enjoying some of the sweet music they play over the in-house speakers. Today, I was kicking it to some "That'll Be The Day" by Buddy Holly. For those of you that know the song, the melody isn't too complex.

Some joker comes waltzing into the locker area, whistling along to the song. Wait, let me re-phrase that. He was trying to whistle along to the song. Whistling to a song without changing the note you are whistling is not encouraged. It just doesn't make any sense, and I have no idea why someone would do it. It goes against all whistling regulations.

So, if you are in violation of this heinous crime, please stop. I can get you help. Maybe even give you a lesson or two. For practice, I would recommend listening to "Patience" by GnR, "Young Folks" by Peter, Bjorn & John, and anything by this man.

New Radiohead!

Release date - October 10
2 options:
Discbox (includes everything above + electronic download)
Electronic download only

I'm super excited for this release! What a cool idea, and how badass is it for a band to announce the release date of an album 10 days before they're going to put it out?

Here's the tracklisting....find more details at www.radiohead.com

CD 1 AND VINYL
15 STEP
BODYSNATCHERS
NUDE
WEIRD FISHES/ARPEGGI
ALL I NEED
FAUST ARP
RECKONER
HOUSE OF CARDS
JIGSAW FALLING INTO PLACE
VIDEOTAPE

CD 2
MK 1
DOWN IS THE NEW UP
GO SLOWLY
MK 2
LAST FLOWERS
UP ON THE LADDER
BANGERS AND MASH
4 MINUTE WARNING

Happy days are here again

Another work week is about to bite the dust. In this neck of the woods, daylight is diminishing with every passing day, which kinda sucks. We have been having some gorgeous nights however, and this weekend is shaping up to be just as nice. Evie and I will be going to watch Mommy kick some butt in a 5K tomorrow in Victoria. Some possible deck work, as well as a party on a deck, may be in the cards as well.

If you're looking for something to entertain you during the workday today, be sure to head here and check out the 10 best Foo Fighter videos (voted by NME). These were posted to celebrate next week's release of their new album. Hopefully my readership has their pre-orders in already, or has made plans to get to the record store first thing Tuesday morning and snatch it up.

I experienced a first last night. We were in the beginning stages of prepping some pizzas to cook on the grill. While Shel was getting a few ingredients together, I decided to head downstairs and kick out a few quick tasty licks on my new amp (which can be seen here - it's minty). I had the amp at what I thought was a pretty low volume....maybe at a 2. Apparently, it wasn't quiet enough. I didn't hear her, but apparently my daughter opened the door to the basement and was yelling at me to turn it down. Boy, I wish I would've heard her...I would have laughed my ass off. That was the first of many times that I'll be told off by my daughter...

Here's an article on The Hive's new album.

That's all for now kids - have a killer weekend.

Video killed the radio star

Buttloads of new videos this morning! First off is a cool little feature that Bob Dylan is doing to promote his new greatest hits collection coming out next month. My creation is below, and you can make your own messages here.



Next up is a tasty number for the MTV VMAs a week or so ago. This is from the Foo Fighters' suite party. Be amazed by the power of Eagles of Death Metal!



Last up is a bit of late breaking news - The Foos have announced that the next single from their new album will be "Long Road to Ruin" (track number 4 for those who have heard the album ;-)). This is one of my favorites from the new one, and you can check out a live rendition of the track below. Boss!

This movie looks like it'll be a hoot

I'm so excited

And I just can't hide it.

The Boss is back in town

Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band are back in stores with a new album, Magic, on October 2nd (the vinyl version will hit stores on September 25th). The first single, "Radio Nowhere", is available for download through the iTunes store for 1 week, for FREE! Go get it now!

Also, the band will be at the Xcel Center on 11/2 (tickets go on sale 9/22).

And finally, check out this new interview with Brooooce here. One, two, three, four!










Magic tracklist:
1. Radio Nowhere
2. You'll Be Comin' Down
3. Livin' in the Future
4. Your Own Worst Enemy
5. Gypsy Biker
6. Girls in Their Summer Clothes
7. I'll Work for Your Love
8. Magic
9. Last to Die
10. Long Walk Home
11. Devil's Arcade

The Prentender

With being out of town last week, I've been dropping the ball on keeping my vast readership abreast of the latest buzzing in the music world. For this, I sincerely apologize, and I present you with the first video from The Foo Fighters' Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace.

Queens at First Ave

The Queens of the Stone Age rolled into town on Saturday night and put on a slamming show. I was very pleased with the setlist, as they pulled out tasty tracks from their back catalog, as well as some of my favorite cuts from the new album. Michelle gave the show a B-, which I think is a tad harsh. But I can see where she's coming from, and here are the reasons why:

1. We have definitely been spoiled in the past, as we had the opportunity to see the band at the 400 Bar (much more intimate venue) with Dave Grohl on the drums, which never hurts.
2. Josh Homme (guitar/vocals) is in urgent need of knee surgery, so he's basically playing in pain every night. So that may have affected the performance somewhat.

Regardless, I thought they put on a fine show...I'd give it an A- (it would've been nice if they threw in a track or two from Rated R).

Here's the setlist:

You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar But I Feel Like A Millionaire
Do It Again
3's & 7's
Tangled Up In Plaid
Avon
Regular John
Into the Hollow
Misfit Love
Suture Up Your Future
Burn The Witch
Turning on the Screw (YAAAAAYYYY! The one song I needed to hear, and they delivered.)
The Fun Machine Took a Shit and Died
Little Sister
Make It Wit Chu
Sick, Sick, Sick
Go With the Flow
Song for the Dead
I Think I Lost My Headache

Viva La Vinyl!

Vinyl is a beautiful thing. It provides us with tracks you normally wouldn't find on a compact disc. Like the songs below.

Foo Fighters - Never Talking To You Again
Oranger - Bizarro

QOTSA at First Ave tomorrow. I'll provide a show report when I'm functionable.

Hate to say I told you so

Your favorite band from Sweden will be hitting record stores on October 9th with The Black and White Album. 1st single Tick Tick Boom should be hitting iTunes any day now.

The family is gearing up for a nice little vacation next week. We take off on Sunday for Webb Lake in WI for a little R n R. Next Saturday brings us to the Queens of the Stone Age show (which recently was relocated to First Avenue). Should be a killer time.

Looking for something to do?

Give this game a whirl....only takes a minute or so. My current high score: 139.823m.

Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace artwork

Guitar Hero III tracks

Here's a partial listing of songs that will be included in Guitar Hero III, due for release on Rocktober 29th:

* “3’s and 7’s” – Queens of the Stone Age
* “Barracuda” – Heart
* “Cherub Rock” – Smashing Pumpkins
* “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll” – Blue Öyster Cult
* “Cult of Personality” – Living Colour
* “Even Flow” – Pearl Jam
* “Knights of Cydonia” – Muse
* “La Grange” – ZZ Top
* “Lay Down” – Priestess
* “The Metal” – Tenacious D
* “Miss Murder” – AFI
* “Mississippi Queen” – Mountain
* “My Name Is Jonas” – Weezer
* “The Number of the Beast” - Iron Maiden
* “One” – Metallica
* “Paint It, Black” – The Rolling Stones
* “Paranoid” – Black Sabbath
* “Raining Blood” – Slayer
* “Reptilia” – The Strokes
* “Rock and Roll All Nite” – Kiss
* “Rock You Like a Hurricane” – Scorpions
* “Sabotage” – Beastie Boys
* “School’s Out” – Alice Cooper
* “She Builds Quick Machines” – Velvet Revolver
* “Slow Ride” – Foghat
* “Suck My Kiss” - Red Hot Chili Peppers
* “Through the Fire and Flames” - DragonForce
* “Welcome to the Jungle” – Guns N’ Roses

Chaos in the Minneapple

As I'm sure you've all seen in the news, we were rocked by the collapse of a bridge on 35W yesterday. This morning was filled with calls and e-mails from people checking in to make sure everyone was OK. I'm very fortunate in that no one that I know of has been directly affected in this tragedy....makes a guy feel pretty damn lucky to be alive today. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and those affected, as well as the crews that will be working in the wreckage.

On a completely unrelated and trivial note, the new Foo single, The Pretender, is out for your listening pleasure. Check it out at their MySpace page.

Shuffleitis

I've been running into a problem with my iPod lately. It's a problem that I have created a brand new word for - Shuffleitis. Shuffleitis occurs when you run into a string of songs on your iPod where you continually have to fast forward to the next song. I can probably blame this predicament on myself, since I was the one who loaded all the music on the dang thing. I have come to the conclusion that there are 3 cures for this condition:

1. Trim the unnecessary fat from the library. While this method would prove to be extremely time consuming, it would result in remedying the frustrating symptoms that are brought on by Shuffleitis.

2. Create custom playlists. This solution basically takes the randomness out of the equation, as the user is in complete control of what songs come up, as well as the order in which they are played. This takes any surprise element out of the listening experience, but you are left with a group of songs you know you'll be satisfied with.

3. Target in on specific albums/artists. There's nothing wrong with admitting that you are in love with the entire Kenny Chesney catalog. For those of you that have that artist that can do no wrong, just cue them up and select "All". This can also apply to those albums that you can play from front to back without skipping a song. While these types of albums tend to be few and far between these days, they are still out there.

In closing, I hope I've been able to reveal the best ways to overcome this evil condition. If any of you out there happen to have any insight to cures for Shuffleitis, I encourage you to leave your feedback here.

I feel old

I hope you all got to enjoy the beautiful weather we had in MN this weekend. I got to take part in the Lion's softball tournament in Victoria on Saturday. Actually the tournament goes all weekend, but we only got to play Saturday, because we don't really gel as a team. Anyways, I hit pretty well, but my body is paying for it today. I'm not sure if it was all the playing, or the mass quantities of fluid that went down my beerhole, but I feel pretty beat up. Probably not as bad as my compadre, Mike D:
That's his knee. It happened when he fell down in the outfield, flailing after a ball. He's gonna be fine, but he might have to sit out for a few weeks, which blows.

Here are some other items of interest that I've stumbled upon over the past few days:

• I went to college with this guy.
• Want to make some paper sculptures for your desk? Check this out.
• The last Harry Potter book is out...I've never read a one, but I'm thinking about just reading the last one to find out what happens. Should be a good time saver.
  

Superdrag reunion

The original Superdrag lineup is reuniting for 6 shows this fall. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the Chicago show, but here's hoping that more dates are added. Here are the tour dates:

October 05 - Nashville, TN @ City Hall
October 13 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
October 20 - Knoxville, TN @ Barley's Taproom
November 02 - New York, NY @ The Fillmore
November 03 - Boston, MA @ Paradise
November 08 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

And, in case you have no idea who this band is, check out this little ditty and see if it jogs your memory. This was their only real "radio hit", but they have a great catalog of just good ol' power pop/rock tunes. I strongly encourage any fans of good music to check them out.

Happy hump day

We've reached the hump of the week, and things are looking allright. The weather has been nice and cool, just like the gals in my life. And have you been in a music store lately? Holy crap, has this been an awesome week for new albums. New Pumpkins, Interpol, and a re-release of the Foos' classic second album, The Colour and the Shape, have been the highlights for me.

Mtv.com has posted a cool article detailing the "Pinkerton effect" (albums that were crapped on when they were initially released, but after time were recognized for how kickass they truly are). Give it a read here.

And finally, it looks like someone found another way to throw $600 down the toilet.

New Foo album info

Billboard story on the new Foo album is right here. Tentative title of the album is "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace", and look for it in stores around September 25th. Here's the tracklisting:

The Pretender
Let It Die
Erase Replace
Long Road to Ruin
Come Alive
Stranger Things Have Happened
Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup Is Running
Summer's End
The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners
Statues
But Honestly
Home

Woo hoo!

Don't quit yer day job

You are about to experience some rare ass tunes up in this piece. There may be a total of 23 people in the world who own this album. Released on cassette in the spring of '98, limbo's "the basement tracks" launched the career of my solo musical endeavor. It lead to an opening spot at that summer's block party in St. Joseph, as well as....oh, who am I kidding? It lead to nothing. It was my first endeavor into 4-track recording with a cheap ass tape recorder, 1 Radio Shack mic, and even cheaper instruments. But as I look back on the 2 week recording process, I can't help but smile. Granted, the majority of this album is all filler (no killer), but there are a couple tunes that stand out for me. And 2 of these are below. The first is a pretty straight forward, pop/rock song that I wish the whole album could have been. The second track is a noisy song about smelt. So sit back, relax, and experience the sweet sounds of limbo.

Cheer Up, Boys, Your Make-Up's Running

New Foo Fighters song from the secret gig last week - enjoy!

History in the making

I just realized that (I think) I own the first drumkit that was owned by the drummer of White Light Riot. "Who are these guys?", you may ask. This band made the front page of the Source section of the Strib today (story here), and they have a new album that just came out this week. They recorded it down at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls. Visit their website to check out some audio - if you dig it, pick up a CD! They're playing a record release party at the Fine Line tomorrow night, and it sounds like tickets will be going fast.

Friday follies

• Part 2 of that Rolling Stone record industry story has been posted here.

• The Foo Fighters played a secret show at a dive bar in Southern California last evening as a warmup for their opening slot at the Police show this weekend. One new song was played - " Cheer Up, Boys, Your Make-up's Running". Video was taken at the show, and it should be out and about this weekend. Reports from the show have stated that everyone but Chris appears to be involved in a beard growing contest. I hope they aren't turning into the Eagles.

• Are you ready for a rip snortin' humdinger?

• Pumpkins news - this is just lame.
  

I can't think of a title

Random news/thoughts of the day...

• Rolling Stone has posted the 1st part of a 2-part story documenting the decline of the record industry here. Check it out - it's a good read.

• Speaking of slumping record sales, have you had a chance to pick up the new White Stripes album yet? It's quite fantastic, and I suggest that you rush out to your local record store and purchase it immediately. There's tons more quality music that's on the way this summer, so make sure you're supporting the artists you love.

• Since I probably won't have a record in stores any time soon, I've decided I might as well start giving it away. I'll be posting some older tracks I've recorded in the next few days, and hope to have some new stuff posted in the near future as well. Stay tuned.

• Bon Jovi has apparently released a country/pop album. Check out one of my first blog posts here for my thoughts on the recent transformation of Bon Jovi. You heard it here first.
  

Runnin' with the devil...

(Click picture above for larger image)

The results are in! Shel basically matched her race time at Grandma's last year, and I was able to shave 2 minutes off my time from last year. One of the hardest parts of race day is getting up at 4 in the morning to make sure we can make it to the start line at 6:30. The crowd turnout was great, and while the weather was a bit on the hot side, it was an awesome day to run down by the lake in Duluth. After crossing the finish line, we chowed down on some fruit, bagels, ice cream, and other goodies to get our energy back. Then it was off to the beer tent for a few frosty cold ones, followed by the best nap of the year. We made our way back to downtown Duluth around 9 for a late dinner, and then back to the beer tents for some more liquid refreshment. We ended up at a bar called Saratoga for some late night cocktails and shots of Petron. The night ended as we stumbled into our home for the weekend around 3 am and crawled in to bed. All in all, it was a great weekend of running, awesome weather, and many libations.

Best award for roadside fan goes to the guy who was drinking beers at 8:30 in the morning around mile 9, offering brewskis to runners. He was holding a sign that said, "Let's face it - we're both going to shit our pants today". I was so close to grabbing a glass from him, but I decided to wait until I was past the finish line.

Westerberg update

The Strib has posted a story on local hero Paul Westerberg and his rehab progress on his left hand here. While I've never really given his Replacement's recordings a good listen, I still have a lot of respect for him, since he's a local boy who has done good. And I really do enjoy some of his solo work.

Stroke of genius

Looking to let the creative juices flow for a few minutes? Head on over to http://www.jacksonpollock.org/ and let your browser be your canvas, and your mouse be your paintbrush.

Floyd's Blue trounced their opponents last night. My bat wasn't very hot, but everyone else's was, which is what counts in the end. My girls got to head down to the park for the game, which was awesome. Of course, the one time I get a hit, they were off playing at the playground.

New Release Tuesday

Make sure to head out to your local record store and pick up the new Queens of the Stone Age record, Era Vulgaris. It contains 11 killer tracks, including the one seen here:



If you want some bonus tracks with the album, head to an independent store (like an Electric Fetus), and receive a bonus CD with the track "The Fun Machine Took A Shit and Died". The Best Buy version includes a download for their cover of Billy Idol's "White Wedding".

Also, the Traveling Willburys are re-releasing all of their albums in a 2 CD/1 DVD package today. These records have been out of print for years, so for you Willbury fans out there, it's a nice opportunity to snatch them all up for a sweet price.

Next week sees the release of the White Stripes' Icky Thump, which is becoming one of my frontrunners for Record of the Year.

The Grandma's Half Marathon is rapidly approaching us. My wife is going to kick ass, and I am going to choke on her fumes. But we always have a great time up there, and it's our 5-year wedding anniversary weekend, so we have lots to look forward to.

Reaching new forms of crazy

My life has just approached a new level of excitement. I just took an inventory of all of our spices and input the data into an Excel spreadsheet. Next, I'm hoping to tackle our coupons and sort them by expiration date and product type. Does the fun ever start?

Oh Snizzap

Duluth tour

From billboard.com:

As expected, Queens Of The Stone Age will visit primarily small markets this summer on their Duluth tour, which begins July 22 in Costa Mesa, Calif. The 13-date trek in support of the upcoming "Era Vulgaris" will run through Aug. 11 in Oklahoma City.

"We want to play to people who hardly ever get shows and just burn the house down," Queens frontman Josh Homme tells Billboard of the outing, which will precede a major market run in September. "I think we're too stoked to not go deeper than we have before. It feels like the right time to go, 'Hey, man, sorry I'm late, but here we are.'"

Further indulging hardcore fans, the Best Buy version of "Era Vulgaris" will be bundled with a cover of Billy Idol's "White Wedding," while indie retailers will get a bonus disc with the oft-discussed rarity "The Fun Machine Took a Sh*t and Died."

In other Queens news, UNKLE leader James LaVelle has just completed a "clubby" remix of the "Era Vulgaris" track "I'm Designer," LaVelle tells Billboard.com. It is unknown just yet where the new version will appear.

Here are Queens Of The Stone Age's tour dates:

7/22 – OC Fair – Costa Mesa, CA
7/24 – Chico, CA – Senator Theater
7/25 - Eugene, OR – McDonald Theater
7/27 – Boise, ID – The Big Easy
7/28 – Missoula, MT – Wilma Theater
7/29 – Billings, MT – Shrine Auditorium
7/31 – Fargo, ND – Playmaker's
8/1 – Duluth, MN – DECC Arena
8/3 – Cedar Rapids, IA – Hawkeye Downs Fair Grounds
8/4 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room
8/7 – Memphis, TN – New Daisy Theater
8/8 – Little Rock, AR – The Village
8/10 – Tulsa, OK – Cain's Ballroom
8/11 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom

Also, there's a new interview on mtv.com here.

METAAAAALLLLL!

Here's some live Probot action to usher in the weekend.

Double takes

• A Beatle is doing what????

• Who beat who on this week's Billboard charts???

This is a crazy, mixed-up world we're living in. Thank goodness there's a swarm of new releases due to hit store shelves over the next few weeks that should knock these teenyboppers down a few pegs. Like these guys!





And these guys (or at least half of them)!

On the cover of the Guiiitaaar Woorld

The anticipation is building for June 19th and the unleashing of the White Stripe's new album upon the world. Check out the latest shredder that made the cover of GW for next month...

A case of the Tuesdays

The family and I have just come off a nice 4-day weekend, and I hope all 3 of my readers had an awesome weekend as well. Ours involved some golf, cocktails, dirty marbles, and delicious BBQ. Big thanks to my wonderful wife and daughter for hanging out with me all weekend. I think the batteries are recharged enough to make it through the rest of the week. Big projects are in the works that involve wood chips, pulling weeds and birthday parties.

Did anyone have to fill up their vehicles with gasoline this weekend? I had to fill up the tanks of 2 gas hogs, and I had to take out a 2nd mortgage. To demonstrate, I have pulled the average gas prices in MN over the holiday weekend - I hope you're as shocked as I am. I am this close to buying a motorcycle, moped, or maybe even a dirtbike.



To sum up today's post, the following gentleman said it best when he proclaimed, "Let me talk, Carol!"

Thursday thoughts

• The Floyd's Blue softball team got beat again last night. The bats have been cold for the last few games - I think a little batting practice is in order.

• Check out the new White Stripes video for "Icky Thump" here!

• New info on Guitar Hero 3 here!
  

• Happy birthday wishes go out to Robert Zimmerman (aka Bob Dylan), who turns 66 today. Happy birthday, you old fart!

• The family is heading up to Brainerd after work today to relax in a condo for a few days while it rains and pours outside. This'll be the 1st family vacation we've taken in awhile, and we're all looking forward to a little R n' R.
  

Deep thoughts

• There's this guy that pitches for the Twins. His name is Boof Bonzer. From now on, he will be known as Fat Boozer. Thanks to Cub for that one.

• New Queens album = soooo awesome. Review coming soon.
  

Pumpkins live return

The Smashing Pumpkins have started the 1st show of their reunion tour in Paris. Check out live pictures from the gig here. Setlist is below...I'll update later with any reviews I happen to come across.

Pumpkins rarities set on iTunes

For anyone looking to get a hold of a boatload of Smashing Pumpkins rarities/b-sides (119 songs to be exact), head over to the iTunes store and search for "Smashing Pumpkins". There, you will find their "Rarities and B-sides" album for the low low price of $9.99. It's the deal of the century! Run and get it before they jack the price up!

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

The new Batman movie cannot arrive soon enough. Here's the 1st picture released of the Joker from the new film. Nutty, huh?


Check this page out to see where the above image came from. Pretty cool stuff.

New Velvet Revolver Single

Get the new Velvet Revolver single, "She Builds Quick Machines", here. It's great that they are putting out the 1st single for free and all, but it kinda sounds like a rehash of the first album. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the rest if the album sounds like when it comes out in July.

This Lullaby

Would you like to see a video history of the Queens of the Stone Age in 2 minutes and 37 seconds? If so, look no further than the video below.

"Zeitgeist" info

Here's the cover art for the new Pumpkins album. 1st single "Tarantula" hits radio on May 22nd. Tracklist is below:

01. Doomsday Clock
02. 7 Shades Of Black
03. Orchid
04. That's The Way
05. Tarantula
06. Starz
07. United States
08. Never Lost
09. Bring The Light
10. Come On (Let's Go)
11. For God And Country
12. Pomp And Circumstance

A message from Wilco HQ

Check out the following note from the guys in Wilco. If you're a fan of music, go out and buy their new album tomorrow.

Greetings to you all from the east coast branch -- where we've been burning the midnight oil for months getting ready for May 15. And it is finally upon us.

By now, you know that next week is the official release date of Wilco's 7th album (or 9th depending on how you count). Hence the slightly serious tone of this note. Tuesday, to be precise, marks the US release of Sky Blue Sky on Nonesuch Records. If you haven't had a chance to listen to the on-demand stream, by all means click here and take it for a spin. We're pretty sure you'll enjoy the ride.

But once you've done that we hope you'll take a moment to reflect (see, I told you this was serious) on how this dynamic has worked over the years -- the dynamic between us and you. We (and this "we" means the band, first and foremost) expend a lot of time, energy and other resources trying to make this something you are not just a witness to, but a participant in and we genuinely hope you can feel that.

We've been asked many times if we'd consider changing the way we do things, usually by people who are convinced we'd be more successful if we did. And either out of stubbornness or something else, we keep refusing. Instead, we just do what we do and somehow it all works. We continue to make lots of music available free to all in the road case, continue to allow taping/photos at shows, and basically just try to keep the things we do charge for of a quality that make you feel like you got a bargain. You know, mutual respect and all that. We like the way it works... a lot. We really do believe in trying to keep as much of it as free and open as is humanly possible. That seems pretty obvious... but somehow it remains a slight novelty in the modern day music business. So much so that people continually mention it in their stories when they write or speak about the band or the somewhat sad state of the music business.

Anyway, what we're getting at here is that right now we need you to participate in a way that is part of what has made this nice little story work. We're actually asking you to please go out next week and do the right thing for Wilco. That is, vote with your feet and prove the band's faith well-placed and buy the record. It's available from Tuesday at all kinds of retailers everywhere. Ask for it by name. It's also available here, and for those of you who are more digitally inclined, here.

Okay, enough campaign speeches. You get the message. And we trust that you'll act on it as you always have.

New feature

I just added a slick little feature to the blog. If you look at the top right section of the page, you'll see that I've added an area that allows you to subscribe to this blog. All you have to do is enter your e-mail address, and you'll get an e-mail every time the blog has an update. Pretty sharp, huh? It's no longer necessary for the 3 people who read this thing to check this place out on a daily basis. So feel free to sign up and let me know how it works.

New Queens Lineup + live vids

For those of you who aren't in the know, the lineup in Queens of the Stone Age tends to change with every album. And their next album is no exception. Here's the new lineup:


Michael Shuman - Bass/Backing Vocals
Dean Fertita - Keyboards/Guitar/Backing Vocals
Joshua Homme - Lead vocals/Guitar
Joey Castillo - Drums
Troy Van Leeuwen - Guitar/Lap Steel/Keyboards/Backing Vocals

A few new live QOTSA songs have made their way to YouTube. The quality may be a little questionable, but hopefully it'll give you a taste of how killer this new album will be when it comes out in about a month.

Turning on the Screw



I'm Designer

Well, this is dumb

I just found out that a local radio station (Drive 105) is switching to "Love 105". I don't know what they'll be playing, but based on the new name, it can't be good. Drive 105 was the station you could always rely on when you were flipping between 93X and the Current. Check out the Strib story on the format change here. Tune in when you get a chance and let me know what they're playing. In the meantime, I'll continue to throw my iPod on shuffle and be surprised.

Random thoughts

• "We play instruments on the whole album, as opposed to sampling. There's more rock on there. If you know us you can trace the influences and they're no completely surprising. Someone who listens to us casually might think 'What the hell are these guys doing?'" Mike D commenting on the new Beastie Boys album, "The Mix Up" (due in June) (from nme.com)

• "We've been in the studio for the past month and a half, and we've got about another month to go. We've been recording with our friend Gil Norton. He worked on our second record, he's a good guy and he makes amazing albums."
  "So we're making a really big powerful record, which I'm very excited about and I cannot wait to finish. I'm not saying I'm not having fun., I'm saying I can't wait to jump on stage and do this stuff, it's gonna be great."
  "So the album that we're making sounds like a Foo Fighters album, but it's definitely moving in a few different directions. It's cool man, I love it." Dave Grohl on the new Foo Fighters record (courtesy of nme.com)

• Floyds Blue came out victorious in our first softball game of the season last night. While I did not get any hits, I did take a crucial walk which set us up for breaking a tie late in the 6th inning. Big props go out to Mr. Robideau, who went 3 for 3 with 2 dingers, and excellent acrobatics in the field by Nick and G Wo. Victory sure did make the beer taste sweeter last night.
  

iQuiz release

Apple has just released a new game for the iPod called iQuiz. The game uses your music library to come up with trivia questions. I played it a bit this morning, and it's pretty sharp, and definitely a bargain with it's 99 cent price tag. Pick up your copy here.

Shedding pounds with Mario

I grabbed this data from the latest issue of Wired (calorie expenditure is based on a 180-pound male).



Who knew people could have sex for 15 minutes?

The Landlord

Watch and laugh...

Random mumblings

• Have you picked up the new Nine Inch Nail's album Year Zero this week? If not, get out there and pick it up. You don't want Avril beating Trent on the Billboard charts, do ya?

• A new Queens of the Stone Age song titled "3's & 7's" is now playing on their website. Check it out right now, because it is friggin' killer. Seriously.

• Evie and I are home alone for the weekend as Mommy jets off to Vegas and hopefully win us lots of money. While in Vegas, Shel gets to rock out to Prince as he closes out his residency at Club 3121. Hopefully Evie and I can keep the house in one piece during Mom's absence.

• After softball practice last night, I've come to realize that I will probably never ever hit a home run.
  

Wiped out

What a weekend...I can't remember the last time I've cried so hard at a casino...from laughing. A fantastic weekend was had at the Grand Casino up in Hinckley. I could try to recap some of the stories from the weekend, but I'll probably never be able to get the point across unless you, my dear reader, were present at the time of such events. So let me just say thanks to my compadres from the Dingleberry for an excellent weekend of shennanigans. It will be awhile before I consume Jack & Cokes and White Castle in the same evening again.

So....the Queens of the Stone Age sent me a nice little package on Friday, consisting of a 1-track CD containing the song "Era Vulgaris" This song will not be appearing on the album of the same name when it is released in June. They sent the song out to a select group of fans with the specific intention to spread the song across the interweb like wildfire. So grab it and be sure to share it with anyone who may express an interest.

Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris

That's it for the moment...may you all have a splendid week. I got the new Superdrag demos/rarities disc in the mail over the weekend, so expect a review on that one in the near future.

Surprise!

The other day, I stumbled across a little contest that was being put on over at the Queens of the Stone Age message boards. All you had to do was enter this contest, and select winners would randomly be chosen to receive a package from the band. I had nothing to lose, so I entered without hesitation. I guess over 900 people entered this contest, and I just got an e-mail from someone inside the Queens' camp saying a Fed Ex package would be arriving at my house on Friday. Kickass! I'll be sure to let you kids know what arrived on my doorstep. I have a good feeling that a song or 2 from the new album may be included in the shipment.

I get to hang out with all my college housemates this weekend. We're heading to the Grand Casino in Hinkley, where five dudes will be sharing one hotel room for two nights. Prepare for hijinks to ensue. Hopefully I'll be able to report back with grand stories of big winnings. NO WHAMMIES!

Year Zero is here

You can hear the new Nine Inch Nails album, Year Zero, in its entirety, right here. All you have to do is enter your e-mail address. Check it out, because it's really good.











Also, if you're in the mood for some kickass 60's rock and roll classics with lyrics sung in Spanish, look no further mi amigo! Presenting "De Dia y De Noche" by Los Straitjackets! This song comes from their album entitled "Rock en Espanol Vol 1", which was just released in stores yesterday. If you dig it, pick it up here! I've seen these guys open up for the Reverend Horton Heat in the past, and they put on a killer live show - very tight.

Kings of Leon show announcement

Kings Of Leon
Special guest: Albert Hammond Jr. (Strokes guitarist)
Friday, May 18th, First Avenue
Doors at 8, show starts at 9:30
$24 (tickets are here)

These guys are great! I'm really hoping I can make it to this one. Their new album is fantastic.

I'm not black like Barry White, no I am white like Frank Black is

Happy Friday! Cooking Vinyl records over in the UK has just announced that a Frank Black "Best Of" collection will be released on June 4th. To check out the press release, which includes a huge interview with Frank, click here. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

A few favorites

Here are a few of my current favorite things, in no particular order:

• Pomegranate Green Tea from Adagio Teas
• Bear Naked Granola

• 

• The slew of new records coming out this summer. Nine Inch Nails, Wilco, Chris Cornell, Queens of the Stone Age. The list goes on. There certainly will not be a shortage of new tunes to pump on the studio this summer

Updates have been few and far between on this thing as of late...hopefully that'll change. We've been super busy with weddings and whatnot, and that probably won't change as we head into summer and the maintenance of the outside of our house is added to the current maintenance of the inside.

I'd like to end this post with a moment of silence for Calvert DeForest, who passed away on Monday at the age of 85. Godspeed, Larry "Bud'' Melman.

Queens of the Stone Age creating Era Vulgaris

New studio clip released today. Rad jams.

It's Martini Time

I made last minute plans yesterday to go check out The Reverend Horton Heat at First Ave. Met up with a buddy from college for some grub before the show, and made our way in around 9. The Rev didn't hit the stage until 11:15. A little late for a school night, but the Reverend has always put on a great show.

The last few times I've seen these guys, the setlists have generally been pretty similar across the board. The dear Reverend addressed his critics halfway through the set, taking several requests. They busted out "Bales of Cocaine", which I don't ever recall hearing in concert, and was super pumped to finally hear.

I sure would like to make my way downtown to more shows. As the years have passed by and responsibilities have increased, it has definitely become harder to attend shows. Which I guess in the end makes me appreciate the action of attending a show a lot more than I have in the past.

Do any of you have any concert plans in the near future? I can't think of anything special coming up, but I'll probably post some upcoming shows here in the near future.

Icky Thump

The White Stripes have a new album in the can. Titled "Icky Thump", it'll be released "as soon as corporately possible" (ha ha). Read the news release here, and check out a little snippet of them in the studio below.

This I Believe

Waye Coyne of Flaming Lips fame read an essay he wrote about "Creating Our Own Happiness" for an NPR segment titled "This I Believe". You can check out a transcript of the essay right here. That Coyne boy has always had a good head on his shoulders.

At least someone is being productive in the studio

The Foo Fighters are entering the studio today to being work on their sixth album. Helming the producer's chair is Gil Norton. Gil brought his exceptional production abilities to the Foo's second album, The Colour and the Shape, among many other fine records of the past 20+ years. Hopefully we can see a new record from these guys this summer/fall.

While I did spend a little time in the studio this weekend, there really is no way that I'm realistically going to get this album finished by Wednesday. I think I have a good start, however, so I will continue to move forward on the project. I promise I'll have some pictures and songs posted here in the near future.

I hope all is well out there...may all my readers have a bitchin' week.

And then it alternates

If you haven't noticed, I'm on a bit of a Queens of the Stone Age kick at the moment. Check them out here as they work out "Song for the Dead" in the studio. Youtube is friggin' phenomenal.

Expect some updates from my studio tomorrow (which is really today).

QOTSA teaser

Check out a little teaser of a new Queens of the Stone Age song here. I am extremely excited for the new album.

100 posts!

Holy crap. I've reached the 100 post plateau. Granted, the majority of my posts have been pretty pointless, but I still feel pretty damn proud to have made it to this point. I want to extend my deepest thanks to the 3 people that read my blog - you make it all worthwhile. I hope you'll stick around for the next 100 posts.

Apparently, we're supposed to get hit with a buttload of snow this weekend. It'd be nice to cover up all the dirty snow and exposed grass in the area. It'll also give my daughter a chance to get outside and play in some fresh snow, and I'll probably get out of taking down the Christmas lights this weekend.

If I want to get serious about recording this album I've been talking about before the end of the month, this weekend will be the weekend to do it. I'll keep this bad boy updated with live news as it develops.

The big four-oh

It's pretty damn hard to believe, but Kurt Cobain would have been 40 years old yesterday. As some visitors to this blog can attest, I was goo-goo for Nirvana back in high school. I can remember the day he died like it was yesterday...

In celebration of the birthday that could have been, I present to you a live version of "Sappy". This song originally appeared as the untitled last track on the "No Alternative" compilation released in '93. I highly suggest that you pick it up if it's not in your music collection. It holds a great assortment of tracks from the 90's alternative scene (Soundgarden, Pavement, Urge Overkill, Pumpkins, etc).

Weekend Warriors

I found this cool article the other day about a group of guys that get together a few times a month and make music. You can check it out on the MPR website here.

Baby steps

Well, I didn't get any songs recorded this past weekend. Surprise surprise. I did play around with a few song ideas that I'll try and flesh out this week. I've got 10 days until the end of the month to start and finish this album. If I don't get it done, it won't be the end of the world. However, it sure would be nice to say I made it to the finish line.

A few buddies came in from out of town this weekend to celebrate my friend Ches' last remaining days as a free man. We met up at the local watering hole and proceeded to get overserved. Lots of debauchery took place at Schmitty's, and I think everyone succeeded in filling their tanks. We also stumbled up to Floyds to say hello to the locals. And just think...we get to do this all over again in a month!

We brought Evelyn to her 4th official birthday party yesterday at a gymnastics facility. After warming up a bit, she ended up having a blast on the trampoline and other activities that took place. Mommy had to play along with her for the most part. A little cake and ice cream topped off the event, which Evie had no problems scarfing down.

Tomorrow night, my better half is hosting book club at our house. I'm super bummed that I can't stick around. I'll probably head over to Mike D's place, where he'll try to get me to drink with him. I must stay strong in the face of his temptations...

Chris Cornell's new album = the end of Audioslave

Chris Cornell has announced that his new album, Carry On, will be released on May 1st. Along with the statement released today, he included the following:

"Due to irresolvable personality conflicts as well as musical differences, I am permanently leaving the band Audioslave. I wish the other three members nothing but the best in all of their future endeavors."

I for one am happy about the announcement. Chris needs to release this album and go out on tour, and then get back together with his brothers in Soundgarden. And the same goes for 1/2 of Army of Anyone...

I'm drinking the water. So should you.

There's an elaborate marketing scheme that is beginning to unfold for Year Zero, the new album by Nine Inch Nails. To read more about it, check out the mtv.com article.

On top of this campaign, a new NIN track titled "My Violent Heart" was leaked to the web yesterday (kinda fitting that it happened on Valentine's Day). Apparently the track was found on a thumb drive in a public bathroom in Portugal (wink wink). You can listen to the track on the NIN myspace page.

Everybody knows that you're insane

This was posted to the Queens site yesterday...it sure is gonna be a fun summer.

2/14/2007
I was at the Sizzler today. Hitting the cheese bread pretty hard you know how I do. Heard a French guy in the booth behind me dropping bombs. Turns out QOTSA are going to be doing some press to announce the new album. the Dr. is not gonna be scooped like a pile of potato salad. The record is called Era Vulgaris. It's coming out in June. Your fake track lists makes the Dr. laugh like a little girl.

Into the Hollow
Sick, Sick, Sick
Misfit Love
Battery Acid

Could be song titles. or could not. go sign up on the mailing list for future insider info then get off the internet and go get laid, its valentines day

kisses,

dr. inside