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

Unproductive

I didn't record a note of music this weekend. Time to regroup and hunker down. Hopefully I can provide some updates later this week. Once I get the ball rolling, it should be pretty smooth sailing.

Hello hello hello...is there anybody in there? Just knock if you can hear me...

It sure would be cool if someone besides Jesse left comments on this thing.

And we're rolling!

Or at least we will be rolling this weekend. Production on the new album starts tomorrow, which leaves me with about 18 days to finish it. I don't have a note written yet. Probably will try and get a few ideas down tonight. I believe Jesse has a few things rolling around. And Mike D is always good for some hot licks.

I made egg mcmuffins for the office this morning, using this wonderful piece of machinery:

It's the Back to Basics TEM500 Egg-and-Muffin 2-Slice Toaster and Egg Poacher!

This thing truly is a marvel of modern kitchen technology. It's everything you could ever want in a breakfast appliance, and it can be yours for the low low price of around 40 bucks. You can pick these bad boys up at Target.

The new Dinosaur Jr album is scheduled to be released in May...the damn thing leaked the other day, and it is wicked awesome. J unleashes a serious case of guitar wizardry throughout the entire disc. Make sure to pick this one up when it comes out this spring.

I'll close out this post with a graphic taken from the Smashing Pumpkins website...awesome news!

Is this thing on?

I've tried making some updates to this thing, but they haven't been taking for some reason. So this is a test post.

Also, no recording as taken place yet. I hope to get into full swing this weekend. The plate is full this month, with trying to be a good daddy and hubby, recording, trying to get to Lifetime 11 more times this month, and a bachelor party next weekend. Jeez!

Happy Thursday everyone, and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend ahead of them.

Let's get it on!

OK...here's the big news. I'm recording an album this month! I haven't done something like this since college, and I'm really looking forward to the challenge.

I signed up for this competition through rpmchallenge.com. It's basically a site that has been put together to allow other musicians to share their ideas about song writing and recording. The rules are simple...record an album in 28 days. I know that free time is in short supply these days, but when I ran across the site, I just knew I had to give it a try. And besides, if I don't make my goal, at least I'll have fun trying...

Anyways, that's my plan for the next 28 days. I'm sure recording will probably be relegated to weekends, but I think it's definitely doable. I'm hoping to get some songwriting collaborations going with a few friends of mine (you know who you are...).

So that's it. Stay tuned to this blog for updates on the recording process, including pictures and song clips.

Holy facelift, Batman!

Well, I finally switched over to the new version of Blogger, and gave the ol' blog a revamping. I think this new style will make things a little easier to read. I also added in news feed from the Rolling Stone website on the right hand side.

This past weekend was chock full of adventures...

Friday - after dropping Evie off at Grandma & Grandpa's, we jetted out to Pepitos in Minneapolis for a birthday celebration for a few of Shel's high school classmates. After dinner, we retreated to a friend's house for some serious Guitar Hero 2 throwdowns. People who had never played the game before were picking it up and having a blast.

Saturday - picked Evie up at the folk's house and drove down to Winona to surprise Shel's grandma for her birthday. Got to visit with the relatives and play some Buck Uecker. I drank a good 6 or 7 beers so I'd get out of driving home. My plan worked. We drove through Cannon Falls twice, which got me to thinking - I'd really like to take a tour of Pachyderm Studios some day. For those not in the know this was the location where Nirvana recorded In Utero.

Sunday - we had a crew of friends over for bloody marys (delicious...need to make beef jerky next time), black bean soup (Michelle comes through with a great meal yet again), and some Wii antics. An awesome way to end the week.

Well, it's back to business as usual...I think I have some big news lined up for this Thursday, so stay tuned.

Don't call it a comeback

With the recent announcements of Rage Against The Machine and The Police reuniting, it got me to thinking - what are some other bands that you'd love to see back together? Here's a short list of my dream bands I'd like to see back in action - drop a comment and let me know who you'd like to see rocking the stage once again.

• Soundgarden
• Verbena
• Urge Overkill
• Led Zeppelin (with Grohl on drums)
  
• Superdrag

Cold snap

Well, we finally are kicking into winter mode around here. At the end of last week, temps dropped from the 40's to single digits. We got a few inches of snow last night, which means that I get to clear the driveway off this evening. After that, it should hopefully be a quiet, relaxing evening. Here are a few ideas that may or may not be helping me pass the time while trying to stay warm:

• Read a book - I haven't hunkered down and read a book (start to finish) in awhile now. Might as well give it a shot one of these days.
• Sell stuff on eBay - I've got buttloads of stuff in the basement that I'll probably never use again. I keep telling my wife that I'll go on a selling spree, but it never really materializes. Maybe this week will be different.
  
• Clean out the computer room cabinet - it's been a repository for items that don't have a proper place, kinda like the kitchen junk drawer. Time to change that.
• Go downstairs and record some jams - I have fun every time I hit the "record" button and map out ideas...it's cool to build a song up from nothing, layer it with different instruments and make it sound like a band.
• Rent/play WarioWare - Smooth Moves - all the initial reviews say this game is killer, with lots of fun minigames that invite a multiplayer environment.
  

That's about all I can think of at the moment. Being a husband/parent, chances may be good that not one of those items will be attempted this week. But who knows...stranger things have happened.

Cool concert alert - The Apples In Stereo will be playing the Varsity Theatre in Minneapolis on Saturday, 2/24 , at 10 pm. The show is in support of their new album, New Magnetic Wonder, which will be released on February 7.

Slip the drummer one

Since I haven't been very creative with my posting as of late, I thought I'd post this kickass video until I come up with something better. Check out this display of killer video editing.

I only wanna be with youuuuuuuuuuuuu

I heard a song on the radio this morning that got me to thinkin'...remember when Hootie and the Blowfish was big? Boy, was that a sad time.

What a bunch of wankers.

I wanna live in Los Angeles

Boy oh boy, this man is prolific. On the heels of releasing a double album this summer, Frank Black has a new album, Christmass, out for the holidays. It features an audio disc containing 20 tracks - a mix of live and studio cuts. The album also includes a DVD containing live performances of 12 songs. It was released on Monday this week, and the only way you can get it is by ordering through Cooking Vinyl. Mine's on the way from across the pond, and I can't wait to give it a spin. For those that are curious, here's the tracklisting:

CD Tracklisting
1. Do What You Want Gyaneshwar
2. Bullet
3. I Burn Today
4. Wave of Mutilation
5. Living on Soul
6. She’s My Way
7. Massif Central
8. Where is My Mind
9. Raiderman
10. Demon Girl
11. Dead Man’s Curve
12. Cactus
13. Six Sixty Six
14. Radio Lizards
15. Don’t Get Me Wrong
16. All Around The World
17. Nadine
18. Manitoba
19. The Water
20. Outakes/The Shrimp Song

DVD Tracklisting
1. Brackish Boy
2. I Burn Today
3. Cactus
4. Nadine
5. Holiday
6. Sing for Joy
7. Dead Man’s Curve
8. California Bound
9. Ed is Dead
10. My Life is in Storage
11. Two Reelers
12. Whiskey in Your Shoes

Get Up I Wanna Get Down

I did something this evening that I thought I'd never do. I attempted to climb an indoor rock wall. And it was kicking rad. It's quite the workout. I didn't get very far on my first few tries, but that'll give me the motivation to do better in the future, I guess. It's a kickass workout, and it does wonders for the adrenaline. I think I'm gonna pick up some rock climbing shoes for myself as a Christmas present. If you have the chance to try it, do it. In fact, if anyone is interested, I'll bring you along to LifeTime so you can check it out for yerself.

A lost craft

Another holiday season is upon us, which in our household means that a special birthday has arrived. My better half's birthday is today. Right now, she's out celebrating with some friends, and I hope she's having a kickass evening. I wish I could be out with her, but our little munchkin needs monitoring. Plus, it's my turn to get up with Evie in the morning, so it's probably better that I'm at home right now. Chronicling my life on the Internet. But I digress...

I can't remember when I started this tradition (it has to be a good 7 years ago, if not more), but I've always recorded a song or 2 for Shellster's birthday. I just wanted to give her something different than the usual spa gift certificate, or whatever. It's something she could hold on to forever. Well, I really got in under the wire this year. I just got up from the basement recording studio, and the CD has been burned. I always seem to suffer from writer's block around this time (or maybe I always suffer from writer's block). I was a bit depressed when I fired up the ol' 8-track, and the last song I worked on was her birthday song for last year. I need to get those creative juices flowing again. But I digress...

Hopefully she digs what I came up with this year. The 1st track is an original ditty that I've been tinkering around with for the past few days. Hopefully no one else will ever hear it, because I've always found my original tunes to fall short. However, I will share with you the B-side to the annual Shelly's Birthday single. It's a cover of "On My Way" from Ben Kweller's album of the same name. Give it a listen and let me know if I should quit my day job or not.

We're not gonna take it

Twisted Sister played this on Leno last night...can't find the Leno version yet, but this should tide you over. Happy Holidays from Twisted Sister!

I can't tell which one of these people is the happier camper

Foo Exclusive # 4

Here's the 4th exclusive track from the Foos' Skin and Bones DVD - "What If I Do?" I believe that this live rendition is far superior to the album version. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Foo Fighters - What If I Do? (live)

Foo Exclusive # 3

Here's the 3rd exclusive track from the new Foo Fighters' Skin and Bones DVD - "See You". Dave does band introductions in the middle of the song, which ends up being pretty funny. Enjoy.

Foo Fighters - See You (live)

Foo exclusive # 2

Here's exclusive track #2 from the new Foo Fighters' DVD Skin And Bones - "Still". Enjoy, and happy Friday.

Foo Fighters - Still (live)

Foo exclusive #1

Here it is - the first exclusive audio track from the Foo Fighters' Skin and Bones DVD release - "On The Mend". You'll only find this one here, kids!

Foo Fighters - On The Mend (Live)

Where can I go make toilet?

I went and saw Borat last night with a buddy of mine (it was a toss-up between that or the Pick of Destiny - not sure if we made the right choice or not). While I was expecting more laughs, I did find it very enjoyable. If you haven't had a chance to see it yet, just let me tell you that there is a scene in a hotel room that is both hilarious and deeply disturbing at the same time.


Speaking of toilets, Axl Rose's mouth has been running like one again. In case you haven't heard, Axl booted the Eagles of Death Metal from the GnR tour after one night because of some pissy crowd reactions during their opening set. Jesse from EoDM recounts the story beautifully here.

No turkey this year

Well, Thanksgiving sucked ass for me this year. Sure, I have a lot to be thankful for. However, it was the actual celebration of Thanksgiving that unloaded a big turd on me. It all started Monday night when my daughter came down with the flu. 1st time in her life that she puked, and she took it like such a trooper - hardly a tear! But she was pretty out of it for quite a few days, which meant the wife and I had to take turns watching her during the day. We figured she'd be better by Thanksgiving, and we could go to the relatives to stuff our faces.

Wednesday night comes along, and you-know-what started coming out both of my ends. The timing was impeccable. Not only did I miss out on turkey day, but we ended up canceling a trip to Chicago that we had planned for months to see a good friend get hitched. Instead, the munchkin and I were homebound all weekend, and the wife was becoming stir crazy from being cooped up inside.

A week later, we've all snapped out of it. Evie is doing somersaults like it's no one's business, and Shel and I have a fun-filled weekend to look forward to. There's book club for her and a Guitar Hero marathon for me tomorrow night, a company holiday party on Saturday, and hopefully a chance to sneak out and get a Christmas tree this weekend. Wouldn't mind catching a few flicks (Pick of Destiny or For Your Consideration) either.

Happy hump day to my readers, and stay tuned: I'll be posting some more kickass tunes shortly (including some blog exclusive tracks from the new Foo Fighters live DVD). Glad to see the music link from the other day worked.

Heaven smiles above me

Hey guys...been awhile again. We had quite the adventurous Thanksgiving weekend...I'll post more about it later (I need some time to let all the excitement sink in). But for now, I wanted to share a new discovery I stumbled upon. I think I finally figured out how to share music on this thing. Click on the link below and let me know if it works...it's a live acoustic take of "No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age. If this works, more treats will be on the way in the future (including some possible compositions by yours truly).

Clicky

Long time no see

Jeez! Almost 3 weeks without an update. Where to begin...

Thanks to the warm weather we had this past weekend, we were able to get our Christmas lights up in record time...probably less than 2 hours. I think we finally have the system down to a science. I'll try to throw a picture of the light display up sometime after we are allowed to turn them on (which is right after Thanksgiving).

Saturday night I swung over to the local GameStop around 11 pm to pick up the new Nintendo gaming console, the Wii. I don't think I've ever been to a midnight release for a game system before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was greeted to a cooler of pop, chips and cookies. Sweet. After a few rounds of Guitar Hero 2, it was time to snag the new system. I was out the door and on the way back home around 12:30. I spent the next 3 hours playing the sports games that came with the system, as well as the new Zelda game. Needless to say, I'm very impressed with Nintendo's new offering. The controller scheme is something you've never experienced before, but it only takes a few minutes to pick it up. I'm looking forward to checking out some of the classic games they'll be offering for download through their Virtual Console soon. And hopefully I can budget my gaming time so that my gals don't think I'm neglecting them.

We went bowling yesterday with Shel's side of the family and had a great time. It was Evie's first time bowling, and I think she enjoyed it. Daddy was pretty mediocre as a bowler, and Mommy had a little spill, but it was good to hit the lanes again. Afterwards, it was off to Megan and Jeff's for some lasagna. Their kids are growing up at a tremendous rate, and it was great to see them.

This week, we've got a buttload of things planned for what appears to be the beginning of the holiday season. I'll be sure to check in again and throw out some updates here and there. I'll close things out with a few recent albums you should check out when you have the chance.

• Army of Anyone - Self-Titled: STP + Filter = a tasty nugget of rock goodness
• Tenacious D - The Pick of Destiny: After my 1st listen, I was a bit disappointed. After a few subsequent listens, I was hooked.
• The Beatles - Love: This comes out tomorrow. A great album of familiar Beatles tracks that have been remixed/mashed together to form a new take on some old classics.
  

Punkin

Here's a shot of my Punkin next to a pumpkin carved by Grandma

New Foo record up on MySpace

The new Foo Fighters live record, Skin and Bones, is now available in its entirety to listen to on their MySpace page. Unfortunately, the fast forward feature has been disabled, so you can't pick and choose which tunes you want to hear. However, this gives you a nice chance to experience the Foos in an acoustic setting. Check it out before it hits stores on November 7th.

Several big amounts are still in play

Michelle and I attended a Halloween party in our neighborhood last night. After struggling for several days to come up with a them for our costumes, Michelle came up with the excellent idea of a "Deal or No Deal" motif. She dressed up as case girl #17, and I tried to pull of my best Howie Mandel impression. Needless to say, our costumes were a hit at the party, and we ended up winning "Best Couple's Costume", or something like that. Big props go out to Shel for coming up with the costume idea. We both had a blast - good food, good drink (Blue Moon on tap...with orange wedges!), and good company. The Heiland family wishes you all a happy, safe and kickass Halloween.

Next up - Foo Fighters and Bob Dylan at the Xcel Center in St. Paul tomorrow night. Expect a show report and pictures from me on Monday.

The Chills, man! The Chills!

Come on. Admit it. You've gotten The Chills before. From some song you're listening to for the first time. The excitement builds up inside of you and leaves your body in the form of...you guessed it...The Chills.

You may be saying, "But Joe, today's music sucks ass. I haven't gotten The Chills in years." And I would have to agree with you. There really isn't a whole lot out there today that is Chillworthy. Getting a case of The Chills is a rare occurrance in today's world.

Well, I got The Chills this morning on the way into work. And it was from the last band in the world that I thought would have delivered The Chills to me.

That band was My Chemical Romance. And I'm only serious.

The song? "Welcome To The Black Parade", the first single off of their upcoming album of the same name. It came on the shuffle mix this morning. It comes in with a simple piano melody. Military drumming kicks in, and a modern-day Freddie Mercury enters the speakers. The volume picks up, the singer screaming the lyrics. And then the music fades out, and a drum fill kicks in to the main part of the song, a raved-up pop-punker.

I'll admit, this type of music is probably geared towards 13 year olds. Not an aging hipster like myself. But it just goes to show you that The Chills can come from some of the most unexpected places. Just make sure that when they come, you enjoy them to the fullest. Because moments like those don't come around every day.

Thank you, My Chemical Romance.

Now it's your turn...what songs/albums/bands give you The Chills? Come on, leave your thoughts in the comments section. And make sure to have a killer Friday.

New GnR album details emerge

Saw this piece on the Rolling Stone site and thought I'd share it with all y'all. As we all know, the recording process for this album as been extremely long and bloated, but I'm genuinely excited that a release date is in sight. And besides, if Sebastian Bach digs it, it's got to be cool. Right?

Check out what RS has to report below, and if I hear of anything else that gets released in Friday's story, I'll post it here. And start checking your local record store every Tuesdsay!

In the new issue of Rolling Stone hitting stands this Friday, our Brian Hiatt reveals what he’s discovered about the long-awaited Guns N’ Roses album Chinese Democracy. The article begins with this elusive quote from GN’R manager Merck Mercuriadis, in which he essentially retreads stuff we already know: “The album will come out this year. There are ten Tuesdays left before January – it will come out on one of them.” But trust us, it gets better.

• Following Guns’ headlining gig in San Bernadino, California, on September 23rd, Axl threw a party at his mansion and played the full album in his poolroom for visitors, including his friend Sebastian Bach, former singer of Skid Row. “It was mind-blowing,” says Bach, who is opening for Guns n’ Roses on their upcoming North American arena tour. “It’s a very cool album – it’s badass with killer screams, killer guitar riffs, but it’s got a totally modern sound. The word for it is ‘grand.’ It’s fucking epic. He’s reinvented himself yet again.”
• The album includes some tracks that have been played live or leaked onto the Internet, including the poppy “Better” and the hard-hitting “I.R.S.” “There’s this one song called ‘Sorry’ that’s almost like doom metal with Axl singing really clean over this grinding, slow beat that is fucking mean,” says Bach. “I cannot get it out of my head.”
• Veteran engineer Andy Wallace, who mixed Nirvana’s Nevermind, is working on the project, according to a source close to the band. “We’re absolutely delighted with the mixes,” the source says.
• On October 24th, the band will kick off its North American tour in Miami. Two dates — November 10th in New York and November 20th in Halifax, Nova Scotia — are already sold out, according to Mercuriadis. Additional U.S. dates will be added in early 2007, and the band will return to the States in the summer as well, he says.
• Though a source told Rolling Stone that the album is due November 21st, Mercuriadis declined to confirm this. “I don’t know that we will announce a release date,” he says. “You just might walk into your record shop one Tuesday and find it there.”

mtv.com has turned into a clusterfudge

So, I tried to head on over to mtv.com this morning to see if there was any late breaking news I could steal for the blog, and I got smacked with a crapload of ads and movies after it loaded in my browser. Want to look at an article? Well, you'll have to take a look at this ad for 10 seconds first. Why is it taking so long for pages to load? It couldn't have anything to do with the continuous stream of MTV "Overdrive" videos playing in the upper left corner of the site, could it? Nah...

As I'm sure many of you have thought before, I have no idea how they can call themselves "Music" Television. I cannot remember the last time I actually saw a music video on the channel. And now their website is overrun with content featuring reality shows and the latest celebrity gossip. My days of checking mtv.com for news are numbered. Goodbye emptyvee - hello Pitchfork!

Squash

Have you ever played Squash? It involves a small racquet and a tiny black rubber ball (smaller than a racquetball). You play in a court similar to a racquetball court, but there are certain lines on the court that define borders that you have to hit the ball in. And the ball doesn't bounce worth a crap, so you need to be on your toes.

Anyways, I played squash last night for the 1st time. Actually, it was my first time stepping inside a gym in a long time. And it felt pretty damn good. The wife and I just got a membership to Lifetime, and I'm gonna shoot for going 3-4 times a week.

In other news, some good friends of ours are leaving this Thursday for Florida. They'll be gone until Sunday. In all honesty, I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. I'll probably start by curling up into a ball, beat myself repeatedly in the head, and then sob uncontrollably until I run out of tears. Which is why I need your help. Can you guys help me come up with some thoughts that I can jot down in a card that will convey the feelings I'll be going through during their absence? Feel free to leave any similar thoughts/stories you may have had in the past in the comments section. Any comments I could get soon would be greatly appreciated, as I hope to give them this card at dinner this evening. Thanks in advance.

Believe the Hype

New feature to the site - if you let your eyes wander to the right of the page, you'll see a list of hot songs that have recently been posted to the Hype Machine. The Hype Machine is a repository that collects various music postings from the web and puts them in a central, organized location. So now you can stay hip to the cool, fresh beats that are hitting the streets. Never again will you have to hear about the latest Jay-Z track from your sister. Just plug in to the list on the right, and you'll be tuned in to the latest and greatest.

May you all have a slamming week.

Happy Thursday

I bring to you...Lithium...Nirvana live at the MTV Music Awards in nineteen ninety something or other. Make sure to check out the kickass display of bass tossing near the end!

Confirmed song list for Guitar Hero 2

Here it is kids - get your fingers limber, because on November 7th, we're going to have a whole new batch of Guitar Hero songs to master. I am extremely pleased with the roster of tunes they have assembled for this new edition. I just put my pre-order for the game in yesterday...time to beef up on the 1st game so I can be ready for some R n' R.

1. Opening Licks

* "Strutter" - KISS
* "Mother" (possibly by Danzig or Pink Floyd)
* "Message in a Bottle" - The Police
* "Monkey Wrench" - Foo Fighters
* "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" - Spinal Tap

2. Amp-Warmers

* "Shout at the Devil" - Mötley Crüe
* "Heart-Shaped Box" - Nirvana
* "Woman" (possibly by Wolfmother)
* "Carry On Wayward Son" - Kansas
* "You Really Got Me" - The Kinks, as performed by Van Halen

3. String Snappers

* "Surrender" - Cheap Trick
* "Them Bones" - Alice in Chains
* "Search and Destroy" (possibly by either The Stooges or Red Hot Chili Peppers)(not yet confirmed)
* "Tattooed Love Boys" - The Pretenders
* "War Pigs" - Black Sabbath

4. Thrash and Burn

* "Cherry Pie (not in yet)" (possibly by Warrant)(not yet confirmed)
* "Who Was in My Room Last Night?" - The Butthole Surfers
* "Girlfriend" (possibly by The Darkness or Matthew Sweet)(not yet confirmed)
* "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?" - The Rolling Stones
* "Sweet Child O' Mine" - Guns N' Roses

5. Return of the Shred

* "Killing in the Name" - Rage Against the Machine
* "John The Fisherman" - Primus (performed by Primus)
* "Freya" (possibly by The Sword)(not yet confirmed)
* "Bad Reputation" (possibly by Thin Lizzy or Joan Jett)(not yet confirmed)
* "Jessica" - The Allman Brothers Band

6. Relentless Riffs

* "Crazy on You" - Heart
* "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" - Stone Temple Pilots
* "Rock This Town" (possibly by the Stray Cats)
* "Last Child" - Aerosmith
* "Stop" (possibly by Jane's Addiction)(not yet confirmed)

7. Furious Fretwork

* "Madhouse" - Anthrax

Confirmed Songs not in the first 6 tiers

* "Arterial Black" - Drist (Bonus track)
* "Beast and the Harlot" - Avenged Sevenfold
* "Free Bird" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
* "Hangar 18" - Megadeth
* "Laid To Rest" - Lamb of God
* "Misirlou" - Dick Dale
* "Psychobilly Freakout" - The Reverend Horton Heat
* "Raw Dog" - The Last Vegas (Bonus track)
* "YYZ" - Rush

Foo orchestra live album details emerge

image courtesy of foofighters.com

From Billboard:

Foo Fighters Acoustic Trek Heading To CD, DVD

Three Los Angeles performances from the Foo Fighters' recent stripped-down tour form the basis for the live album "Skin and Bones," Billboard.com can reveal. Due Nov. 7 via RCA, the 15-track set was taped in late August at the Pantages Theater and spotlights an expanded eight-piece lineup featuring violinist Petra Haden and keyboardist Rami Jaffee.

A DVD from the shows, boasting additional songs and extra features yet to be announced, will arrive later in November.

The track list blends material from the band's half-electric/half-acoustic album "In Your Honor" with vintage cuts like "Big Me," "Everlong," "My Hero" and "Walking After You," plus the Dave Grohl-penned Nirvana B-side "Marigold," which the Foos had never performed prior to this tour.

As previously reported, the band is keeping the acoustic concept rolling with a host of fall dates, including three shows early next month in Australia, Oct. 21-22 appearances at Neil Young's Bridge School benefit outside San Francisco and a run of support slots for Bob Dylan through early November.

Here is the CD track list for "Skin and Bones":

"Razor"
"Over & Out"
"Walking After You"
"Marigold"
"My Hero"
"Next Year"
"Another Round"
"Big Me"
"Cold Day in the Sun"
"Skin and Bones"
"February Stars"
"Times Like These"
"Friend of a Friend"
"Best of You"
"Everlong"

New releases up in this piece

If you haven't noticed yet, I've add an "Upcoming Releases" section to the site (look to the right). I'll be continually updating this with new albums and movies that are popping up on the radar. Consider it a nice little tool to make sure your shopping list is in order each week!

I said anchovies...not centipedes!

The following pictures were taken by my esteemed colleague last Thursday night. The images below depict a slice of Papa John's pizza. The toppings we ordered were pepperoni and green olives. Apparently, the pizza maker was generous and decided to throw an extra topping in for free.

ENHANCE!

I've never heard of putting one there...

Ben Kweller is a true rock and roller. Check out the following letter he sent to his fans below, and be sure to pick up his new self-titled album that hit store shelves yesterday, September 19th.

It was 1:00pm and I was getting ready to play in front of 20,000 people at my favorite festival in my favorite city. If you've ever travelled by bus or plane then you know how dry the air can get. I was in the back of the bus getting dressed when I noticed a drop of blood down my lip. At first I didn't think much of it, I went to the bathroom got some toilet paper, pinched my nose and leaned forward over the sink. I've had my share of pick-your-nose nosebleeds that last 10 minutes but this was much different. This was some kind of a spontaneous-dual-nostril-bloodbath. After a few minutes I knew something was wrong. I've never had so much blood come out of my head before!

1 hour in, a festival paramedic was pinching my nose while her walkie talkie was blaring with other medical emergencies like a snake bit girl and a passed out drunkard. The minutes were flying by and all of a sudden it was 2:30 - my scheduled time to hit the stage! Everybody wanted to put me in an ambulance and cancel my show. Fuck that! There's 20,000 people out there, I'm not gonna cancel a show because of a nose bleed. What kind of excuse is that? I'm certainly not gonna make up some bullshit Axl Rose excuse! With blood barely stopped and a group of concerned friends around me, I headed to the stage. Forgetting all pre-show rituals or setlists, we took the stage and I immediately explained the situation to the fans but promised I would play until it got too gross for them. I said I'd bleed to death in front of them and I meant it.

The blood really kicked in half way through the first song and I would've bled to death had my manager not dragged me off stage 5 songs later. The hardest thing was trying to sing while swallowing and choking and spitting. Gremlin, my roadie, brought me a cigarette filter but it was too small for the situation. That's when I got the idea to ask the audience for a tampon. After being pelted by several, I picked up a travel tampon, opened it up and put it in the right nostril. It helped until it expanded too much. So i removed it and decided to play "Falling" on the piano. The keyboard quickly became a puddle of blood and my hands were slipping all over the place and I could barely sing. During the song my manager was waving & signaling for me to leave the stage. After the last chord was played he jumped over to me and said "Come on, we're taking you to the hospital!". I walked into the arms of some paramedics that took me on an ambulance ride to the hospital. I was at the hospital for 3 hours waiting for the blood to finally stabilize. It turns out there is such a thing called a Nasal Tampon! That's what they packed in my nose at the hospital.

Anyway, I'm back on the bus next to my new penquin shaped humidifier. Today my new album is released worldwide and we're playing in Tempe, AZ. I wanna thank everybody for all the kind words and support. I was determined to stay up there as long as possible but it's probably good that I didnt lose too much blood. I look forward to coming back to Austin in the new year to play a concert where I can actually play some music and sing!

Love Always, Ben

The White Stripes' appearance on the Simpsons

Check out this clip that aired on the Simpson's last night. It's a parody of The White Stripes' video for "The Hardest Button To Button".

Somebody stole my Rocketsauce

Check out "The Pick Of Destiny", the 1st song to be released from the soundtrack to the Tenacious D movie of the same name, right...

here.

Breaking news...

Stop the presses! Britney Spears had a baby boy the other day. I guess that means she can resume that awesome music career of hers soon.

It's really too bad that the press has to focus on a few "celebrity" pregnancies and clutter the headlines when the child arrives. I'd really like to know what makes these kids more special than yours or mine...



In more kickass news, I've heard 6 tracks off of the new Beck album, The Information. It's so hard to pigeonhole this man into one specific genre, so I won't even begin to attempt what this sounds like. I will tell you that it appears that Beck has cooked up another winner! Make sure to pick it up at your local record store when it's released on October 3rd.

And, in the most ass-kicking news I've heard in awhile, feast your eyes on this:



IT IS OFFICIAL... Rekords Rekords & DOWNTOWN unleash 'DVD By Sexy' October 10th, 2006!

Never has a DVD been so anticipated, so entertaining & sooo Chock Full of SEXY, until now!

SEE the Magic Boys in FULL Recording-Action!
HEAR the seductive sounds of 'Death By Sexy' in ALL your ear cavities!
FEEL your body fluids BUILD...You are engorged with Eagles of Death Metal!

Loverboy Liam Lynch (aka: Honeypants) wore many different trousers on the project including Director, Animator and Editor.

Special appearence's by: Joey "Sexy-Mexy" Castillo, Brody "Baby Doll" Dalle, Brian "The B.O.C." O'Connor.

Tell my mom I'm doin' fine...

Awesome rendition of "Skin and Bones" by the Foo orchestra on Leno last night. I missed it because I was too busy drinking my ass off, but now it is here for your enjoyment.

Double drums...part deux

Here's what happens when you're up past midnight and nursing your eighth beer of the evening. You post videos of people rocking out on the internet. Happy Friday everyone...

Double drums...part one

It's Friday, and it's time to rock out. Njoy.