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.
  

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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.