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!