Tha Movement Afterparty FEATURING ?UESTLOVE (From The Roots) Spinning At Plush Club on Beale - Sunday , May 1st

Join Tha Movement at Plush Club, 380 Beale Street, on Sunday, May 1st for a special appearance from ?UESTLOVE (of The Roots)! He will be DJ'ing some hot, hot wax for you people. Don't forget to come check out Nappy Wilson & Messiah Surat who will be bringing you sweet soul music to make your ears mellow. The doors open at 9pm and tickets are $8 and $10. Questions? Holla atcha people: 901-774-7437, or just go to ThaMovement.com for more details!

So I'm Blogging About The Beale Street Music Festival This Weekend...

I can't really sit here and lie to you good people -- I'm conflicted about this weekend's BSMF. I am honored and excited to have a chance to cover the festival for the Commercial Appeal's blog but, at the same time, I'm not thrilled with the lineup. About once every fifteen minutes of the day, I think to myself, "I am so fucking lucky". About two seconds later, I'm stymied with the thought, "What am I going to write about these bands? I don't like most of them!"

At the risk of sounding like a rock snob or a hipster dickhead, I have to come out and publicly announce my discontent with the lineup. I do like several songs by several of the artists performing -- The Roots, The Wallflowers, Mavis Staples, The Killers, Ben Kweller, Elvis Costello, and Billy Idol come to mind. However, there is nothing that just shatters the imagination in this year's selections. Either I'm too picky or the choices are far too mediocre and reflect some cosmic shift in the tastes of music buyers which I am not hip to. I have nothing against any of the performers. In fact, I've had great experiences with several of them over the years. The problem is this: nothing stands out.

The organizers of the festival are presented with a budget. Then they have to go around and see who is available. I'm not suggesting that they didn't do their homework, but I think they handed the homework off to someone whose taste in music reflects their personal vision of the festival instead of trying to encourage people to give something different a shot. Where is Bloc Party? Where is Copeland? Where is there even a sign of a band like Thursday or Thrice (not my taste, but geared towards what those darn kids like)? Please don't try to sell me on the emo-for-Jesus kids in Relient K -- I got the CD and have failed to return emails to the publicist at Capitol because I'm afraid to tell her what I really think. If she's reading this, she can now guess.

The responsibility of a journalist is to cover a story, any story, which is presented to them. Then I realized it: I'm not a journalist. I'm a musician, I'm a songwriter, and I work in the music industry on a day-to-day basis. Asking me to write blowjob pieces glorifying musical mediocrity is not in my personal job description. Since I'm not a paid employee, I would have to very seriously consider any attempt to steer me towards "liking" a certain band or artist for the purposes of generating press. Simply stated, I won't and you can't make me.

Now that I've gotten off of my chest what has been egging me since my invitation, I'm going to do my best to do what I've asked everyone else to do in my rant: to be open to something new. I'm going to give it a shot. I'm going to try, in spite of the weather and the crowds, to go and have a good time. I'm going to make an attempt to enjoy the music and the company of others.

The results will appear at the Commercial Appeal's Beale Street Music Festival blog over the weekend and on Monday. Wish me luck.

Spouse and Beanpole @ The Hi-Tone Tonight

Be sure and check out Spouse at the Hi-Tone Tonight with Beanpole before DJ's Sexpot Piper and Bad News Ang bring on the 80's Dance Party love. Spouse is an excellent band hailing from Northampton, MA and are well-worth checking out. See you there!

See You At The Two-Way Inn Festival -- Sunday April 24th At Cooper & Central

WHERE: Two-Way Inn 752 S Cooper St (just past Central Ave.), Memphis, TN
TIME: 1:00pm - ?????
BANDS: Lucero, The Pirates, The Glass, Circus Bears, Hedgecreep, Secret Service, Cory Branan w/Blair Combest & J.D. Reeger, Cryroom, Augustine, High Cotton, Amy & The Tramps, El Dorado and the Ruckus, Joint Chiefs, Color Cast, and Antique Curtains

BENEFIT: All proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society & The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

$20 for all the beer you can drink
$30 for all the beer you can drink plus all the food you can eat
$40 for all the beer you can drink, all the food you can eat, entry into the burger eating contest, and a limited edition t-shirt!!!

Mark Your Calendars! Scenestars.Net Presents "One Night Stand" Saturday, April 23

Like the flyer says, this is a FREE event.
This should be a night to remember, so
take the weekend off from work and
mark your calendars!!

Every Tuesday Night $5 P.B.R. Bust With DJ's Bad News Ang and Sex Pot Piper at the Hi-Tone

Be sure and come join us for some kick-ass punk, 80's, garage, post-punk, indie, and brit pop! DJ's Bad News Ang and Sex Pot Piper will have you spanking your couch with a bear claw, humping the picture of Elvis and Master Rhee in the corner & trying to launch a hotdog into outerspace with a roman candle! Sound like fun? YOU BET! I WILL SEE YOU THERE!

Well, I Just Hit 10,000 Visits & I Wanted To Say Thanks.

Big ups to everyone who has helped me out the last few months. I'm still trying to figure out what the hell I'm doing.

Thank You For Your Support!

Don't Let Your iPod Be Basic and Bland -- Check Out Catherine's Pita for Topstyle iPod Cozies!

If you know me, you know I'm all about the recycled clothing movement. In a freak accident of blogging, I was accidentally hipped to this great site called Catherine's Pita that has iPod cozies to drool over. If you own an iPod, you know how important it is to accessorize correctly & no accessory says more about you than your iPod cozy. Manufactured by hand in Cat's kitchen from recycled materials, these little cozies are both earth-friendly and fashionable. Obvs they are all limited edition and will go quickly. For a mere $25, you can have one of these hand-made cozies for yourself & new styles go up every week. She is also starting to make them for the iPod Mini's so why are you still reading this? Go check out Catherine's Pita because your iPod should be lonely no more.

The item pictured, "Sock Hop" Cozy, only has 1 remaining in stock, so you'd better snap to it if you want it!

All you lucky duckies with your iPods know I totally want to buy one but a couple of you are going to have to help me get my free iPod first. After you sign up and complete the offer send me an email to blogpop [at] gmail [dot] com.

Sigh...

Socks And Sandals Have Merged to Form Scandals!

In the "nuke it from orbit with fire" world of anti-fashion, no star shines brighter in the springisphere than this one. Yes, it's comforting to watch your relatives, friends, and acquaintances who are in-the-know proving that nothing shows pride in your sandals like wearing them with SOCKS! All of you sandal-socksers out there know that the way to show people you are up with the times is to don your favorite pair of socks before slipping into those cozy sandals. It's comfortable, attractive, and it lets people know who you are right away! Start wearing socks with your sandals TODAY!

Lindsay Lohan She Got Some Big Ass Titties

Just Click the Damn Thing Already

Mom, I Love You And I'm Not Ignoring You. So Here's The New White Stripes Single For You. Love, E.J.

See the radio blog box to your right? Clickity click on the song that says White Stripes - Blue Orchid. I love you and I promise to call you later. The rest of youse mutts I'll see at Tunnel Clones tonight.

RIGHT?

Don't Forget Poland!

Don't forget Poland.

What Am I Doing Friday Night? I'll Be Where You Are -- At The Hi-Tone Watching Tunnel Clones and the Memphis Feel-Harmonic DJ Symphony Orchestra!

Memphis, I've Been Notified About The Show Of The Year.

Beale Street Music Festival? BLEAGH. Who cares. I have just received news that on April 24th (the day after the Scenestars One-Night Stand Party at The Buccaneer), you will be treated to another extravaganza that will blow your doors off.

Be prepared -- Sunday, April 24th at the Two-Way Inn will be an all-day festival featuring Snowglobe, Lucero, The Glass, The Secret Service, The Pirates, and Augustine. More details as they emerge. Go back to whatever you were doing before, but next time wash your hands before you grab the mouse.

I Haven't Updated In A Week.

Well, I actually updated a couple of days ago. Then I took it down. Then put it back up. I found myself displacing anger that should have been directed at one person and focusing it on the wrong person. Yesterday I found myself incredibly upset with a person whom I met recently & I probably shouldn't have let it even get to me. I got bent out of shape about the way this person handled a matter involving a number of his friends. I think part of life is realizing that it is far better to confront than it is to be confronted, particularly in matters regarding accusations and people's reputations. I had a moment of clarity in which I realized that not everyone has the maturity to deal with delicate situations in a manner that is considerate and forthright. Oh, well. Like any person with a reason to be ashamed of themselves, he hasn't returned a single phone call to me. I was reminded of an important lesson learned (via the film Y Tu Mama, Tambien): "If you hang around with kids, you end up changing diapers." Seems fair enough, but I'm not down with Huggies.

Fortune cookie of the day from Pho Hoa Binh: "Actions Speak Louder Than Words."

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, I actually lost my cellphone for a hot minute. You probably think, "Oh no biggie," but it's something that has only happened to me twice in the last ten years. Fortunately, it was recovered from under my friend's sofa and life went on.

I'm sure I will update again later, something is bound to happen worth mentioning. After all, it is Friday. I might even go see Chess Club tonight.

New American Artists: Alex Pilkington

Every now and again, I see really great work from young artists here in Memphis. Now, in the art world, people know about Memphis College of Art, but I don't know that everyone is quite so familiar with our little secret. It's one of the most widely respected fine art and commerical art schools in the United States. As such, it attracts a wide range of people who seek to hone their skills. So I'll be using this space to highlight some of the artists I really like over the next several months. I'll try to do one a week. Here is some work by Alex Pilkington that I hope you'll dig. I like his interest in propaganda & particularly his love of propaganda as art. He also creates some of the best stencil work I've seen in a long time & hopefully you'll see some of his work around town. Where? Look around...you'll see it.

Welcome To The End of Celebrity Death Week.

This fucking week stunk for deaths, particularly in the worlds of music and comedy. There were several famous obituaries for us to mull over for various reasons -- lives that meant a great deal and deaths that gave everyone a reason to reflect. Let's do a recap, shall we:

Hideaki Sekiguchi (aka Billy Bass Wolf), of the band Guitar Wolf, 38. Cause of Death: Heart Attack.

Derrick Plourde, founding member of Lagwagon, 33. Cause of Death: Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound.

Paul Hester, drummer for Split Enz and Crowded House, 46. Cause of Death: Suicide by Hanging.

Mitch Hedberg, comedian, 37. Cause of Death: Heart Attack (pending an autopsy).

Johnnie Cochran, famous defense attorney and founder of The Cochran Firm, 67. Cause of Death: Brain Tumor.

Terri Schiavo, center of controversial Right-To-Die case, 41. Cause of Death: Mercy.

Honorable Mention: Pope John Paul II, leader of the Roman Catholic Church, 84. According to a report I saw on CNN, he died this afternoon. According to the Vatican, he's still alive. Surely the truth is out there somewhere.

Now you can keep up with all the celebrity deaths in one location -- head on over to The Blog of Death anytime, 24 hours a day.

Foo Fighters New Song "In Your Honor" Leaked To The Internet.

I'm not a Foo Fighters fan at all. But after having heard it, I have to say that the new Foo Fighters song, "In Your Honor", that has leaked to the internet is, in a word, brilliant. Dave Grohl has truly reinvented himself. Big thanks to Stereogum for hosting the track. Get it while you can.

Death Week Continues: R.I.P. Mitch Hedberg

You know that bullshit everyone says about how when things are bad they can only get better? Well "everyone" had better be right because this fucking week feels like one extended funeral procession of cool people. First Billy Bass Wolf dies, now news of the death of one of the only really funny modern comedians I know of, Mitch Hedberg, has reached us. Mitch was known to have some drug problems here and there and even had a felony arrest for heroin, but it's not suspected that his death from a heart attack was specifically drug related. We don't actually know, but according to his family he had a heart condition that was consistently life-threatening. Regardless, he was a master of one-liners and he will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, Mitch.

Thanks to a poster named GoLightly at the Goner Records Board for providing these quotes:

"Has anyone seen me on Lettermen? 2 billion people watch that show and I don't know where they are. You might have seen this next comedian on the Late Show, but I think more people have seen me at the store."

"I tried walking into a Target , but I missed."

"I haven't slept for ten days, because that would be too long."

"I type 101 words a minute. But it's in my own language."

"I wish I could play little league now. I'd be way better than before."

"I would imagine if you understood Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy."

"It's hard to dance if you just lost your wallet. Whoa! Where's my wallet? But, hey this song is funky."

"I played golf....I did not get a hole in one, but I did hit a guy and that's way more satisfying. Your supposed to yell FORE, but I was too busy mumbling that ain't no way that's gonna hit him."

"I wrote a letter to my dad- I wrote, I really enjoy being here. But I accidently wrote rarely, instead of really. But I still wanted to use it, so I crossed it out and wrote I rarely drive steamboats, Dad. There's a lot you don't know about me. Quit trying to act like I'm a steamboat operator. This letter took a harsh turn right away."

"And then at the end of the letter i like to write P.S.- This is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were eliminated."

"The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how much I play, I'll never be as good a a wall. I played a wall once. They're relentless."

"When someone hands you a flyer, it's like they're saying here you throw this away."

"I like rice. Rice is great if your hungry and want 2000 of something."

"I got my hair highlighted, because I felt some strands were more important that others."

"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it."

"I hate turkeys. If you stand in the meat section at the grocery store long enough, you start to get mad a turkeys. There's turkey ham, turkey bologna, turkey pastromi,.Some one needs to tell the turkey, man, just be yourself."

"I lke refried beans. I wanna try fried beans, because maybe they're just as good and we're just wasting time."

"I got into and argument with a girlfriend inside of a tent. That's a bad place for an argument, because I tried to walk out and slam the flap. How are you supposed to express your anger in this situation? Zipper it up real quick?"

"This product that was on TV was available for four easy payments of $19.95. I would like a product that was available for three easy payments and one complicated payment. We can't tell you which payment it is, but one of these payments is going to be hard."

"I was going to get my teeth whitened, but I said screw that, I'll just get a tan instead."

"I was at this casino minding my own business and this guy came up to me and said your gonna have to move you're blocking a fire exit. As if there were a fire, I wasn't gonna run. If you are flamable and have legs you are never blocking a fire exit."

"I don't own a cell phone or a pager. I just hang around everyone I know, all the time. If someone wants to get a hold of me they just say "Mitch," and I say "What?" and turn my head slightly."

"I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later."

"My friend said to me "You know what I like? Mashed poatoes," I was like, Dude, you gotta give me time to guess. If your ging to quiz me, you must put a pause in there."

"An escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. You would never seen an Escalator temporarily out of order sign, just Escaloaor temporarily stairs. Sorry for the convenience."

"I was walking down the street with my friend and he said "I hear music" As though there's another way you can take it in. Your not special. That's how I recieve it too. I tried to taste it, but it did not work."

"I went to the park and saw a kid flying a kite. The kid was really excited. I don't know why, that's what they're supposed to do. Now if he had a chair on the other end of that string, I would have been impressed."

"I was at the airport and this guy came up to me and said I saw you on tv last night. He didn't say if I was any good. He just told me where I was. So turned away for a minute and said Hey I saw you at the airport a minute ago. You were good."

I can't get into flossing, I can't. People who smoke say you don't know how hard it is to stop smoking. Yes I do. It's as hard as it is to start flossing. You seem jittery. Yeah, I'm about to floss.

"One time a guy handed me a picture of himself and he said. "Here's a picture of me when I was younger." Every picture of you is when you were younger. Here's a picture of me when I'm older. How'd you pull that off? Let me see that camera."

"I think pickles are cucumbers that sold out. They sold their soul to the devil and the devil is....Dill."

"Alcoholism, is a disease, but it's the only disease that you can get yelled at for having. Dammit Otto, your an alcoholic. Dammit Otto, you have Lupis. One of those two doesn't sound right."

"I was walking by a drycleaner at 3a.m. and there was a sign that said Sorry, we're closed. You don't have to be sorry. It's 3a.m. and your a drycleaner. It would be ridiculous for me to expect you to be open. I'm not gonna come by at 10 and say, hey I was here at 3a.m and you guys were closed. Someone owes me an apology."

"I get the Reese's candy bar, If you read it, there's an apostrophe. The candy bar is his. I didn't know that. Next time your eating a Reese's and some guy named Reese comes up to you and says let me have that. You better give it to him. I'm sorry Reece, I didn't think I would ever run into you."

"I've been working the colleges and I always buy the shirts from the college, because they're quality shirts. But people always get the wrong idea. I'm walking around wearing a Washington U shirt and someone says "Hey Washington U, Did you go there?" Yeah! It was a Wednesday."

"Y'know I order a club sandwhich all the time. And I'm not even a member. I don't know how I get away with it. I like my sanwhiches witth three peices of bread. So do I. Lets form a club. Okay, but we're gonna need more stipulation. Yes we do. Instead of cutting it once, lets cut it again. Yeah, four triangles. And we shall dump chips in the middle. Let me ask you something, how do you feel about frilly toothpicks? I'm for them."

"I opened a yogurt and underneath the lid it said "please try again" they were having a contest that I was unaware of. I thought maybe I had opened the yogurt wrong.Or maybe Yoplait was trying to inspire me. Come on Mitch, don't give up! An inspirational message from your friends at Yoplait, fruit on the bottom, hope on top."

"I brought a donut and the guy gave me a recieipt for the donut. I don't need a receipt for the donut, I give you the money, you give me the donut, end of transaction. We do not need to bring ink and paper into this. I can not imagine the senerio where I would have to prove that I broughrt a donut. Some skeptical friend. Don't even act like I didn't get that donut. I got the documentation right here."

"When you go a resturant on the weekends and it's busy so they start a waiting list. They say Dufrane, party of two, table ready for Dufrane, party of two , and if no one answers they'll say the name again, Dufrane, party of two. Bu then if no one answers, they'll move on to the next name. Bush party of three. Yeah, but what happened to the Dufranes, No one seems to care, who can eat at a time like this? People are missing. You people are selfish. The Dufranes are in someone's trunk right now ,with duct tape over their mouths and they're hungry.That's a double whammy! We need help! Bush search party of three. You can eat once you find the Dufranes."

Now please let this be the last death I have to write about this week.