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.