Billy Bragg at the Grand Ballroom, New York, NY

Tonight I had the privilege of seeing Billy Bragg live for the first time. The show was extra special because it was Adam's Birthday present ... and it was awesome.

Part Nader Rally, part punk rock show, part acoustic performance at a coffee shop, on-stage, Billy Bragg, is not like any performer I've ever seen - partly because he spent about as much time talking as he did playing. He bitched out an audience member who was heckling him about war in Ireland. He talked about the excitement he felt in the US over this election and warned us that, like Britain when Blair became PM after Thatcher, our expectations were high and likely to not be met. However, if Obama is elected, we shouldn't be cynical because this election, while it doesn't represent a change in the world, it does represent possibility. He was so good that I even enjoyed one of my least favorite songs - "Sexuality."


There were two especially profound moments for me though. The first was when he related an anecdote about going to see The Clash at the first Rock Against Racism show. At the time he was working in an office with a bunch of racist, sexist assholes but he never said anything to them because he felt like he was alone in his disgust. After going to the Clash show, his perspective changed and he went into work the next Monday and told the guys in his office what he thought. The point of the story was that people say that "what we are doing here is preaching to the choir" but he sees it as a way to come together and become invigorated with the notion that we are not alone in our beliefs. Then we can go out in the world and stand up for what is right with the backing of that knowledge.

The second special moment for me involved the interesting crowd. There were 2 meat-headish guys standing in front of us. Not the kind of guys you'd think would be at a Billy Bragg show. One of them was particularly into the show. When Billy began playing "There's Power In a Union," this guy along with half the crowd raised his fist for every "The Union Forever" and he dude-hugged his friend at every "With our brothers and our sisters from many far-off lands/
There is power in a Union." The friend - like many in the crowd - seemed a little uncomfortable at first but by the end of the song he was raising his fist with everyone else.


When I was a teenager, I would go to shows and be profoundly moved by the energy of the crowd - the bodies swaying together, the voices singing together, the towering-yet-accessible guy on stage. That's a feeling that is - for better or worse - no longer really a part of my life.

Tonight's show was a grown up version of that teenage feeling of camaraderie, energy, and hope and Billy Bragg is nothing short of a modern Woody Guthrie.*

* In fact, he played a Woody Guthrie song and noted how poignant and relevant the lyrics to Guthrie's songs are today.

New Playlist: "Reinventing Happiness Again"

I made this last night. It's the first playlist I've made in a long time. Significant? Perhaps.

Give it a few minutes; it takes forever to load ...



If it never loads, click here.

How to be a Rock Star - Life lessons and other such dissapointments ...

In my previous, and also ironically titled, post, I wrote about having to make a big scary decision. Update: I wussed out in making it and now it has been made for me ... which may or may not be better. The point is this: I'm back to square one. Literally, figuratively, emotionally.

Last week, I felt like I was treading water ... and had been for a long long time. I wonder where that metaphor will take me now ... hopefully, swimming forward but then again, it might take me out of the pool entirely.

Tonight, as I paid $15 an hour to play by myself, a certain lyric I wrote long ago hit me:

i was taught a lesson i'll never forget
the things i want the most are the things i'll never get

Ok. Enough with the self-pitying drama. Anyone know a drummer??

Genius Playlist: Maybe Tonight

I was messing around with Apple's new Genius feature and to try it out, I asked it to come up with a playlist for Nicole Atkin's song Maybe Tonight.

I just realized this playlist changes as it goes so instead of listing it, I'm going to list the high lights and low lights so far ...

I started with: Maybe Tonight by Nicole Atkins off Neptune City in Country - Alt Country

Highlights:
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists in Rock - Hipster
The Pretenders in 80s/New Wave
Paul Westerberg in Rock - Indie/Alternative
Pixies in Rock - Indie/Alternative - I'm not a big huge Pixies fan but I think it's nifty that it came up here
Old 97's and Rhett Miller in Country - Alt Country - Since I was introduced to Nicole Atkins when she opened for Rhett Miller recently, this is extra fitting.
Sucked Out by Superdrag off Regretfully Yours in Rock - Indie/Alternative - I'd forgotten how awesome this song is! Yay 1996!
The Clash in Punk - See! My love of country AND punk totally makes sense!
Elvis Costello
Into Action by Tim Armstrong off A Poet's Life in Ska - Excellent Song. Well played Genius.
Neko Case - Obvious but enjoyable.
Motion City Soundtrack - Hells Yeah! Teeny Boppin' Pop-Punk meets self-proclaimed 'pop noir'! It's like cheese and wine ... perfect.
Dashboard Confessional - See above.
Billy Bragg
The Muffs - Yes yes yes.

Strange/Unexpected/Unsure:
San Francisco by Vanessa Carlton off Harmonium in Pop - It's true. I like Vanessa Carlton. Go ahead and judge.
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths off Louder Than Bombs in Rock - Indie/Alternative - Those closest to me know my most hidden, shameful musical flaw - I don't really like the Smiths. However, in this context, they were quite nice.
Nellie McKay - A friend gave me this album years ago and, truth be told, I haven't listened to it much. I enjoyed her though and will probably take a few more listens.
Tegan and Sara - Tegan and Sara was a popular association for Genius. I got all my Tegan and Sara songs from a friend and really only ever listen to them on shuffle or now on this. It's not that I don't enjoy; it's just ... I don't know, perhaps on their own, it's too much hipster/indieness for me.

Not so much:
Fountains Of Wayne off Traffic and Weather in Rock - Indie/Alternative - A couple songs off this album came up and I felt the need to skip them everytime. I guess I don't like Fountains of Wayne so much - except "Leave the Biker," that song is freakin' awesome.

And it's iTunes for the win!

Sunday I installed the new version of iTunes - usually I'm pretty lax about my updates but iTunes was giving me weird errors so I thought it would help. With the new install, came "Genius," a nifty little side bar for iTunes that recommends music or creates playlists based on a selected song.

I decided to try it out and see what it would say. To be honest, I was wary. I selected my favorite Buddy Holly song - (I don't care) Baby you're so square (which, by the way, Joni Mitchell covers - how wierd is that?). Genius created a playlist which I have yet to listen to - it was an interesting mix of old rock n roll and punk which, for me, is an excellent sign and Genius recommended a few Buddy Holly songs I didn't own.

So I begin trying this for various other artists, styles, etc. At some point, I click on The Cramps ... and what? iTunes now carries two albums - A Date with Elvis and Stay Sick - that I have had on backorder from Amazon fo-ever! Amazing!

I kept looking and end up on Face to Face. What awesomeness does iTunes recommend?? An EP called So Why Aren't You Happy? that came out with Ignorance is Bliss and was only available from Best Buy!

Dear iTunes - I love you. I know you didn't carry all this stuff before because I've searched for The Cramps album but now that you do, I am forever grateful.

On iTunes:
The Cramps - A Date with Elvis
The Cramps - Stay Sick
Face to Face - So Why Aren't You Happy? EP

The New Mission - How To Be A Rock Star

I've been thinking of changing the "mission" of this blog. It's not that I won't or don't enjoy posting cd/band/concert reviews and writing about other people's music; it's more that I think I need an outlet for my own process of doing music - my own frustrations really. In jest - seriously - I'm calling it "How To Be A Rock Star." At the moment I actually find that really unfunny ...

When I came to New York 2 years ago, I felt ready. Ready to pursue music for real - not quit my job, starving artist - but pursue it with a responsible gusto. You know, practice once a week, play shows, record. I felt like it was my time - a new beginning - time to do the stuff I wanted to do.

Here I am 2 years later. On the surface, I'm in exactly the same place I was. Only playing for myself; dreaming of something more; lowering my expectations to desperately attempt to accomplish something, anything. It's true that I do practice with a "band" but despite an attempt in the last year to push things into gear, I seem to have hit a plateau. I know what I need to do and I know that it means starting over on some level. While I know deep down this is the right thing to do - getting rid of dead weight will keep me from drowning - it's depressing. It's depressing to feel like you've put a lot of work into something and have nothing to show for it; no sense of accomplishment; nothing but shame when people ask you about it.

Perhaps that's melodramatic. I guess it is. I think this feeling is so raw and poignant for me because it's a feeling I lived with for most of adolescent life ... and we all know how hard those hang-ups can be to get over. I will say this - that connection between my past feelings and my present - is somewhat comforting; it somehow lessens the blow.

To be fair - to myself at least - I have learned many things in the last two years. My voice has begun to bloom and I will actually sing in front of people. I have improved my songwriting and am able to write not just in inspiring flashes but when I need or want to. I've become more comfortable with guitar and with playing with others. I've gained confidence in my own abilities and my own vision. That's a lot.

But what's missing - what, it seems, is always missing from my life - is other people. People who can share my vision and level of commitment. I have sometimes flirted with the idea of being a solo singer songwriter and it always feel like such a cop-out. I want a band! I want to rock! The truth is the community, family aspect of punk has always appealed to me in a 'something i want but don't have' kind of way.' I wish I could say, truthfully, 12 or so years after I discovered The Descendants, that I had that. I wish I could say it, but I can't.

iPod shuffle-age ...

I just have not been in a specific music/artist mood lately. To quelch my musical needs, I've been turning to iPod's shuffle feature lately. Just because I can, I thought I'd share the suffle-age.

(Beginning from #12 because that's where I'm at right now)

1. Dear Girl by The Steinways (feat. Hallie from The Unlovables) - "p.s. where the fuck's my sweatshirt?"
2. My My Metrocard by Le Tigre - I wish I liked Le Tigre half as much as I love Bikini Kill but I just don't ... "next stop: Atlantic Avenue"
   
3. Basket Case by Green Day from Bullet In a Bible (Live Album) - I love Green Day for not editing this album (which I know because they occasionally fuck up and you can hear it)
   
4. Even Angels Fall by Jessica Riddle from the 10 Things I Hate About You soundtrack - um ... love this song ... love the movie ... sad but true
5. Sick Boy by Social Distortion - I wish Mike Ness, in his old fat age, wouldn't hit on girls in the audience anymore ... it's getting kinda gross. sorry but it is. in other thoughts: this song. great. classic.
6. Help Save the Youth of America by Billy Bragg - I can only tolerate Billy Bragg's brit-rockness (I know it's wrong, I just can't help that post-the 60s and not including The Clash, I kind of hate British rock) because he's just so fuckin' talented and awesome.
7. Volvare - Dean Martin
8. I Wanna Live - The Ramones - dude! this is the 3rd Ramones song I've heard! I love them but I think Apple could improve their shuffle algorithm. To be fair, they have released A LOT of albums and we have all of them.
9. Anchor Grill by The Descendents - This album (Cool to be You) was such a phenomenal dissapointment. 'Merican was an awesome teaser EP and then ... the 'Merican songs were the only good songs on the actual album.
   
10. Educated Guess by Mxpx - awww ... it's my high school era fake-boyfriend ... haven't listened to this for years.
    
11. Teenage Labatomy by The Ramones - See!
12. Four-Eyed Girl by Rhett Miller - He's so freakin' cute especially when he does his butt-shake-dance on stage ...
13. O Holy Night by Mariah Carey - uh, skip. this is only semi-ok during Christmas.
14. Breathless by Wanda Jackson - if you get a chance to see her live, do it. she's ADORABLE!
15. A Man Can Cry by Freddie Fender
16. You Do It So Well by Name Taken - this is from my sister and I am reserving judgement ...
17. Billy Be Bad by George Jones - I don't actually know who this or where this came from but it ain't bad ... a little Hank 2 pop-country-ish ... ultimately, it's skipper ...
18. No, All! by The Descendents - Does this even count? It's 2 seconds long!
19. 30 Days by Run DMC - Skip! It's only very very very occasionally that I have any desire to listen to rap ... no disrespect to Run DMC though, he's the cream of the crop ...
20. Gonna be a Blackout Tonight by The Dropkick Murhpys

That's all for tonight kids!

Open Questions for Greg Graffin, Lifetime Acheivement in Cultural Humanism Award winner and all-around inspiring dude

This past Saturday, April 26th, 2008, Greg Graffin, lead singer of Bad Religion, Phd in evolutionary biology, and generally inspiring dude received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism from the Harvard Humanist Chaplaincy (Watch it here; Listen here.). Being the big fat nerd that I am, Adam and I headed to Boston to witness this blessed event.

The church(!) pews were filled with an odd assortment of mostly punk rock kids/adults, a few parents, and other middle age adults. The front pew was filled with Greg's dad and his fiance. Sadly (well sad for the stalker in me), I couldn't catch a glimpse of her. I did already know that they were getting hitched because Brett & Jay don't seem to understand the peeping tom potential of their beloved myspace. But I digress ...

The event began with introductions by the president of the Harvard Secular Society and the all important radio intros (it was being sponsored by and broadcast on NPR as well as on local tv). Then Greg came out, in a suit, along with the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard (seriously, how do you get that job?) who gave a long, mildly incoherent, nervous introduction to the award, Graffin, and why it was awarded to him. During this time, Greg stood in the middle of the altar looking awkward.



Students from the society then read leaders to Greg from his PhD advisor, Will Provine, his co-author of Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?: A Professor And a Punk Rocker Discuss Science, Religion, Naturalism & Christianity, Preston Jones, and Brett Gurewitz. Provine's letter consisted of a story about how they didn't expect Greg to finish his dissertation so quickly but he did ... and not much else which was mildly amusing. The letter reading was a sweet touch though.

Finally, they presented Greg with the award and he came up to the podium and gave a very professor-ish lecture on the history of humanism. Frankly, it was a bit hard to pay attention to - especially considering we hadn't got much sleep the night before and the fact that I didn't have to take notes or write a paper on it (Grades are apparently quite the motivator. Who knew?).

After finishing his speech, Greg took off his suit jacket - proclaiming that he'd never played in a suit, rolled up his sleeves and played a few acoustic songs. He played: Highway off his solo album,Cold as Clay, Suffer off Bad Religion's album Suffer, and Sorrow off Bad Religion's album The Process of Belief.



After he finished playing, there was a Q&A session with the audience. Although I had a few questions in my head, I didn't go up to ask them for a few reasons. Firstly, by that point, I was utterly exhausted and knew I had a 45 minute T ride preceding my collapse into bed. Secondly, I know how judgmental I am of the people who ask questions (especially the pretentious "i'm an aaartist music snobs" and that overweight red-headed dude who felt entitled to sit in the front row despite the fact that it had been roped off ... for Greg's family. Seriously, what a douche. Seee?)

Anyway, Adam and I spent much time discussing the questions we might have asked on the subway ride to the hotel so I thought I'd pose them here where they may live on in internet oblivion.

• In Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?, Graffin discusses Steven Jay Gould assertion in Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History that, if the Big Bang were to happen again, i.e. if we could start the world & evolution over again, humans wouldn't exist. While discussing this, he argues that evolution isn't logical. This struck me as a huge contradiction for someone who calls himself a naturalist. It seems to me that logic, and by logic I mean mathematical logic not our colloquial logic-as-a-synonym-for-reasoning, is the very underpinning of the experimental method: if A given B then C. Verifiability is essential to science and naturalism and verifiability requires replication; it require that, given the exact same circumstances, you will obtain the same results and if you don't, it means that the initial experiment was invalid and there are likely causes that aren't being taken into account. While I can completely believe that if the world were to start over again, the existence of humans would be highly improbable; I cannot believe that if the world were to start over again and every determining event happened exactly the same, humans wouldn't exist. I cannot believe the latter because it, in essence, disproves the scientific method itself. Having never read Wonderful Life, but having read another book by Gould, Full House: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin, I would have asked Graffin to elaborate on Gould's assertion and his own statement on the matter.
• In Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?, Graffin displays a disdain for philosophy. I'd love to hear him expand upon this.
• It seems to me that the issue of creationism vs. evolution; religion vs. science is always set up as a strict dichotomy - including and perhaps especially by Graffin. (His PhD dissertaton was on religious belief amongst evolutionary biologists). As the daughter of two scientists (PhDs in physiology) and regular church goers, I grew up totally (blissfully?) unaware of this inherent conflict. Granted, I did not end up religious at all but my sense is that among scientists in general (not to mention the plethora of people trained in science and biology for other professions - medicine, pharmacology, nursing, teaching, engineering, etc) people are able, however tenuously, to rectify their belief in science with their belief in god. Regardless of how illogical or bullshit I may think that reconciliation is, the fact is that it exists. I'd be interested to hear Greg's thoughts on the matter.
• Since Graffin's father was at the award's ceremony, I would have loved to ask what his dad thought of Bad Religion.
• Graffin mentioned, in a response to a Q&A question, that he had not grown up religious at all and while that was good in many respects, there are essential questions of the world and our place in it that are taught in places like Sunday school; questions that he didn't have answered until he discovered science. I have occasionally missed going to church, especially during turbulent times in my life. For me, I think what I was longing for was the sense of community and roots that are found in religious institutions. (Happily, I have learned that many atheist parents are starting "Sunday schools" in their area to combat this very issues. Perhaps the existence of humanist societies also fills this void.) I would be interested to know how he, as a parent, instilled his values in his children and combated this issue.
• When introducing Graffin, the Humanist Chaplain quoted a song from How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, which Greg wrote when he was 15. I know that I did and said some stupid, embarrassing things when I was 15 and I wonder how Graffin feels to hear those words now. I also wonder how it feels to be 42 and to influence 15 year olds.
  

Possibly the most amazing thing I've ever seen ...

I mean seriously. SERIOUSLY.

CD Reviews: The Loved Ones, Horrorpops, and Tim Armstrong

Some thoughts on recently purchased CDs:

The Loved Ones - Build & Burn

After listening to The Loved Ones new cd, Build & Burn, I missed the intense drive of Keep Your Heart which begins with pounding drums and an energy-filled yell. I think it's safe to say that The Loved Ones grew up ... at least a little.

On some level this is disappointing since I credit The Loved Ones and their song "Jane" to re-awakening my love of cheesy pop-punk and, in many ways, re-awakening myself. Nonetheless, after a few listens, I have come to really enjoy Build & Burn - and get its songs stuck in my head.

Despite the decrease in intensity, Build & Burn offers all the catchy-ness of Keep Your Heart. "Louisiana", a song about rebuilding New Orleans, is the first song that stuck in my head. It's gospel-esque repetition seems fitting for the subject and pulled me in immediately. After my obsessive singing of Louisiana, the next song to catch me was "Pretty Good Year". The catalyst for my love of this song, I believe, is the very good lyric: I'm reinventing happiness again. Amen.


The Horrorpops - Kiss Kiss Kill Kill

My first impression of The Horrorpops third album, Kiss Kiss Kill Kill, was that it was the link between The Horrorpop's more rockabilly and psychobilly first album, Hell Yeah, and their pop-punk influenced second album, Bring It On!: a little harder and more rockabilly than Bring It On! and more pop-punk-esque than Hell Yeah.

Like Build & Burn from The Loved Ones, I thought that Kiss Kiss Kill Kill lacked the drive of their previous album, Bring It On! After seeing them live, I realized that part of this was the use of one guitarist as a opposed to two. Especially live, some of the songs fell a little flat without another guitarist.

Regardless, this is a rocking album ... surely far more rock 'n roll than any of the popular punk bands out there. Patricia's voice, as usual, has the perfect tone, scratchiness, and volume for the music. I think she has one of the best rock n roll voices out their today.

Truthfully, my biggest beef with the album is some of the lyrics. For example, the second song on the album, "MissFit," has the line:

And I'm, I'm from the wrong side of town,
Now frown,
On top of that I'm female.

While I love and appreciate the sentiment of the lyric - the intersection of class and gender and the double prejudice that comes with it - I find that the word "female" stands out every time I hear it - and not in a good way. It's like reading a book and finding yourself correcting grammar and awkward sentences: distracting, to say the least.

This isn't an isolated incident either. There's the song "Copenhagen Refugee." Again, I relate to the theme of best friendships falling apart when one person moves forward in their life, even if it's in a direction that both desired. But, come on. Copenhagen Refugee?? That has to be one of the most 15-year-old-I-just-learned-about-punk-lame lyrics ever. Sorry but it's true.

However, the more I listen to the album the more I'm able to let the obnoxious lyrics go and enjoy the power of the music and appreciate the theme of the songs. Despite my bitchy, obsessive, nit-pickiness, I would definitely recommend this record.


Tim Armstrong - A Poet's Life


It seems that more and more I find myself having "God I'm old" moments. Often these occur when I find out about a band or album way after it's come out. Discovering that Tim Armstrong had put out a solo album was one of those moments.

In my own defense (and in an attempt to make myself feel better), I haven't bought a Rancid album in years and I haven't really been into one since ...And Out Come the Wolves. Everything since then has just seemed like the same old, same old.

This made me pretty excited that Tim was doing something new. Apparently, he started making songs available to download for free while fans waited for the new Rancid album. Fans responded so positively to the songs, especially "No Action", that he decided to release the songs as a solo album.

The album, A Poet's Life, is like a reggae version of Operation Ivy. Tim's husky, smoker's voice lends a rock n roll-ness to the reggae music. Combined with female vocals on "No Action," it stands heads above the other songs.

A Poet's Life didn't knock my socks off but it is the perfect album far chilling (preferably with a cold beer) after a long, grueling day.

Girls Rock: Kathleen Hanna & The Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls

As some of you may or may not know, I am currently on the Advisory Board of the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls and an alumni of their inaugural Ladies Rock Camp. I don't think I could ever express how amazing I think this camp is and the awesome experiences that come out of Rock Camp.

Check out Kathleen Hanna and rock camp volunteers talking about the camp on Current TV.

Also, mark you calendars for the premier of the film documenting the Portland Rock Camp for Girls, Girls Rock! The Movie. It comes out March 7th and the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls will be holding a Mini-Rock camp in honor of the movie.

Count Your Blessings Now ...

Do you ever find a song that you need to listen to over and over and over again? It's catchy and speaks to you ... in an abstract way. It expresses a universal, undying truth or emotion - but you can't relate it specifically to an event in your life.

Than, suddenly, something happens and that song is it. The song is happening to you right now.

When someone said count your blessings now
'fore they're long gone
I guess I just didn't know how
I was all wrong
They knew better
Still you said forever
And ever
Who knew

Who Knew?

Who hearts Pink? I heart Pink!

I believe Pink has been listening to a lot of Freddie Mercury lately. There are certain moments in her new album, I'm Not Dead, that caused me to furrow my brow and rewind in case I'd heard wrong. First, it was the chorus to the title track, I'm Not Dead: "I'm not dead just floating." The punctuated, tentative high pitch of the delivery screamed Freddie Mercury to me but then I thought maybe I was just crazy. On comes "'Cuz I Can" with high pitched faux-Classical style backing vocals that include "Ice Cream Ice Cream We All Want Ice Cream" and "Ruff Ruff Ruff" (which was preceded by the line "I'm trying to school you dog." Now I know I'm not crazy ... and I know I freakin' ♥heart♥ Pink.

My love of Pink is not new it's true but I really thought I had gotten over it. I came reluctantly to Mizunderstood. At the time I saw Pink as another R&B Britney wanna-be ... with cooler hair. But the more I learned about her - the fact that she actually skateboarded - and the more songs that came off Mizunderstood, the more I was hooked. It's catchy shit y'all ... and more importantly, the lyrics had a sense of integrity that no one was getting from Britney or Christina or Jessica Simpson. "Everyday I fight a war against the mirror" - hello? what teenager girl hasn't?

Then Pink came out with Try This - which was partially produced and written by none other than Mr. Hot Influential Punk Rocker with a Chipped Tooth, Tim Armstrong. I could hear the Tim Armstrong influence in the ska guitar strums on "Last to Know" and the rock beat (and rockness) on many of the other songs. That really solidified things for me. Pink freakin' knew who Tim Armstrong was! And wanted to work with him! (Something tells me that Baby Face - owner of her record label - wasn't standing in line to work with Tim Armstrong.) Plus she was dating MotoCrosser Carrie Hart. All this added up to cool in my book. And I got myself and many a friend through break ups with "Walk Away."

But then Pink disappeared and aside from the occasional listen to "Walk Away" on Break-Up mixes I'd made for others , I didn't really notice. At one point, I think I saw the video for her first single off I'm Not Dead, "Stupid Girls," and heard the first booty shaking beats and thought "ugg." Then I saw a live performance of "Dear Mr. President" on Fuse and it was amazing. "What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away?" Who hasn't asked that question? (Besides Dubya of course) However, the straw that broke the camel's back was, while standing in line at the grocery store, hearing a familiar catchy song ("Who Knew") and realizing that Pink was singing it. That was it. Three strikes, I'm hooked so I bought the record off iTunes.

The first thing I noticed when the songs downloaded was that "Dear Mr. President" featured the Indigo Girls. The Indigo Girls. How amazingly awesome is that? In fact, on Pink's Official MySpace page she lists the Indigo Girls as an influence ... as well as Bad Religion!

I accidentally had my iPod on shuffle for my first listen to I'm Not Dead and the first song to come on was "I Have Seen the Rain" featuring none other than her father! She introduces the song by saying her father brought it back from Vietnam and it was the first song she learned how to sing and harmonize with. See? Awesome.

I gave "Stupid Girls" another try too and it surprised me. It's beat is booty-shakingly catchy - which I can handle some of the time - but it's the lyrics that were so pleasantly unexpected. It half parodizes the Paris Hilton-esque female celebrity ("They travel in packs of two or three with their itsy bitsy doggies and teeny weeny tees") and expresses a desire for something better ("Outcasts and girls with ambition that's what I want to see.") And the video is hilarious! Seriously, though, it gives me hope to see celebrities - especially celebrities who are speaking directly to young girls - expressing their political beliefs in general and these particular beliefs.

Mostly, I give Pink a lot of credit for honestly expressing relationship issues from a female perspective. Too often us ladies are the spoken too not speaking. A while ago I had a conversation with a friend and it turned to the politics of our relationships with liberal (and awesome) guys. She related an incident in which they went out to a club and her guy pointed out a girl dressed to the nines. He said he hated girls like that because they never talked to him. She looked at him quizzically, "She's just here to have a good time with her friends." Perhaps Pink says it best in her song "U + Ur Hand:"

I'm not here for your entertainment
You don't really want to mess with me tonight
Just stop and take a second
I was fine before you walked into my life
Cause you know it's over
Before it began
Keep your drink just give me the money
It's just you and your hand tonight

Amen to that.

After listening to the whole album I really felt a kinship with Pink. I wanted to go out and have a drink with her ... even though I'm pretty sure that she could drink me under the table.* So who ♥hearts♥ Pink? Me!



*Note: This is not a good litmus test for electing a president ...

The definition of Irony?

Irony - when there is a gap between what a speaker says and what is generally understood.

While working out at the gym the other day, I saw Good Charlotte's video for Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous.

Is it just me or is the fact that someone who sang, if not, wrote these words:

Lifestyles of the rich and the famous
They're always complainin'
Always complainin'
If money is such a problem
Well they got mansions
Think we should rob them

is now having a kid with Nicole Ritchie the exact definition of irony???

Is Nicole Ritchie not the definition of :

Celebrities who want sympathy
All they do is piss and moan
Inside the Rolling Stone
Talking about
How hard life can Be

I really liked him better when he was robbing the cradle with Hilary Duff ...

Grammies & Druggies: A night with Paramore (Nov 28, 2007, Roseland Ballroom, NYC)

So Hayley Williams, the lead singer of Paramore, has an adorable grandmother. Adorable.

I ran into her very proud grams in line for the ladies bathroom at the Roseland Ballroom, NYC on November 28, 2007. I wanted to tell Gramma Williams that Hayley had quite a voice but she was busy chatting it up with the girls behind me. So instead I'll tell you.

Hayley Williams has quite a voice.

I first saw Paramore on Steven's Untitled Rock Show on Fuse in their video for Pressure off their Fueled By Ramen debut, All We Know Is Falling. Hayley's amazing voice and coveted red hair coupled with their unexpected rhythmic changes sold me immediately. (Adam would call those unexpected rhythmic changes 'their drummer is too good for his own good' changes but as someone who can't stick to one rhythm when writing a song, I say: whatever.) In fact, I continued to flip to Fuse - a station which, until then, I rarely watched - to try to catch a glimpse of that video and the name of the band in it. Finally, I found it and out to the record store I went.

All We Know Is Falling is addictive. Addictive like pop rocks. Sometimes you don't even want it but you need to have it anyway.

And I'll admit it. Hayley and her 'I'm 15 and a rock star' life is living my dream. And then there's the hair. The fact that she's now 19 doesn't subdue my jealousy at all either. Me and my dishwater blonde are totally, completely jealous.

Hayley and Paramore lived up to my expectations at the show too. I'll admit my expectations weren't that high considering my love-hate relationship with the current pop-emo-rock trend going on. Nonetheless, Hayley rocked herself just like she does in the video and it was awesome to see a female up there head banging and dancing around like she fucking owns that stage. And she did own that stage ... and like the gracious hostess she is, Hayley would step aside during musical interludes to let the boys shine too. And shine they did.

Paramore is definitely a talented band. Perhaps, as Adam says, a little too talented for their own good but talented none the less. They are also a fun band - the kind of band that brings energy to the crowd not just the other way around. I think the place would be "tickin' like a clock", as Paramore says, even with a generally apathetic crowd.

The part of the show that really endeared me to Paramore, though, was when they covered a Sunny Day Real Estate song and attributed the band's formation to one of the boys putting the song on a mix tape for Hayley back in the day. Their intro to the song was, like all their stage banter, a little contrived. Nonetheless, I love it when bands share the history of their music with their audience. It's how underground music propagated and it's an important tradition to continue.

An another important tradition that was alive and well at the Paramore was one that I've harped on more than a few times here: punk rock community.

Everywhere I looked at the Roseland Ballroom that night I saw kids wearing t-shirts proclaiming "To Write Love on Her Arm." I thought: What the hell? Is this a new band I've never heard of? If so, that name is quite a mouthful. Am I really so out of the loop that I've never even heard of the band let alone heard it?

When I got home I googled "To Write Love on Her Arm." And no, as the cool kids reading this know, To Write Love on Her Arm is not a band at all. Instead it's a grassroots organization dedicated to alleviating the self-destruction behaviors tormenting youth or, in their own words,

TWLOHA is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for those struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

I think that is awesome. The phrase "To Write Love on Her Arm" comes from a story the founder wrote about helping a friend overcome addiction. Read the story here. Now, they have a little bit of a religious bent which I'm not into, but they are open about their beliefs and have stated that their mission is to help everyone:

Identifying something (such as a band, store, venue or project) as "Christian" often alienates those outside of the church/Christian culture, and we don't want to do that. TWLOHA aims to be inclusive and inviting. This is a project for all people. This is a project for broken people, and it is led by broken people.

Like I said, awesome. Donation to TWLOHA can be made via paypal at www.twloha.com and 25% of all money goes to the following organizations:

NATIONAL HOPELINE NETWORK (1-800-SUICIDE) - WWW.HOPELINE.COM
The National Hopeline is a non-profit organization that fights suicide at the front lines. Their toll-free call line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and links the caller to the nearest crisis hotline in their area. To date, they have received over 2 million calls from individuals struggling with thoughts of suicide.

TEEN CHALLENGE - WWW.TEENCHALLENGEUSA.COM
Teen Challenge is a rehab program with locations in 70 different countries. "Teen Challenge endeavors to help people become mentally sound, emotionally balanced, socially adjusted, physically well, and spiritually alive." Many Teen Challenge centers offer treatment for free, and that is made possible through donations.

MERCY MINISTRIES - WWW.MERCYMINISTRIES.ORG
Mercy is a non-profit organization for young women who face life-controlling issues. They provide residential programs free of charge designed to address the whole person: spiritual, physical and emotional. Mercy homes are located in the USA, Australia, and the UK.
Construction is underway for Mercy's first home in Canada.

S.A.F.E. (Self-Abuse Finally Ends) - WWW.SELFINJURY.COM / 1-800-DONT-CUT
"S.A.F.E. Alternatives is a nationally recognized treatment approach, professional network and educational resource base, which is committed to helping you and others achieve an end to self-injurious behavior."

KIDS HELP LINE (Australia) - WWW.KIDSHELP.COM.AU / 1-800-55-1800
Offers free, confidential, anonymous 24-hour phone and online counseling for young people (5-25) in Australia.

INDIA:
Back in January, three of us traveled to Kolkata, India, as part of a group there to experience the work being done in the fight against human slavery. We partnered with two different organizations, and as part of our commitment to the children we met and the work we experienced, 5% of the money we give away will go to those
organizations:
Apne Aap - WWW.APNEAAP.ORG
Sanlaap - WWW.SANLAAPINDIA.ORG


***


Fucking A. Who said that kids today are apathetic and uninformed?

Not me. Not Hayley either.

Well, there's a million other girls who do it just like you
Looking as innocent as possible to get to who
They want and what they like it's easy if you do it right

Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse!

Stroke your emo - Dashboard Confessional at the House of Blues, Atlantic City, November 10, 2007

Dashboard Confessional is not one of my favorite bands. I'm not sure Dashboard would even break the top 20. Dashboard Confessional is, however, a band full of memories. From my initial rash, un-informed hatred of their emoness to certain friends to good times and bad. Their music makes me especially nostalgic for my time in St. Louis singing at the top of my lungs to songs from 'A mark, a mission, a brand, a scar' in my nice, big apartment dreaming of a certainly impossible man who would write those dreamy words for me:

I'll be true I'll be useful I'll be cavalier I'll be yours my dear And I'll belong to you ... if you'll just let me through ...

Those same words that I sang into Adam's ear while he stood begrudgingly next to me at the Dashboard Confessional show at the House of Blues in Atlantic City on November 10, 2007. That song, 'As Lovers Go,' is especially poignant for me since I see myself as the antagonist of the song. But enough about me, on to the show.

Chris Carraba is adorable ... and tiny. He came out - to roaring applause - to sing with each of the opening bands (neither of which, in my opinion, are worth mentioning ... or remembering for that matter) which, aside from being a rousing endorsement, gave him a badge of integrity in my book ... and proved that he has quite the voice. When he finally arrived on stage for his own set, he was effectively naked - it was just him and his guitar. For most of the show, the mic effects blurred his vocals, but the onstage banter i made out was amusing. For all I've read about his stage fright, he seemed at comfortable, at home on stage. Despite the obnoxious, collar-popping crowd, I enjoyed the quiet, graceful momentum built up and torn down with each song.

I may not rush to see Dashboard Confessional again but the show, like the songs, will hold a special place in my heart for a long time. Which, I suppose, brings this blog post back to me again. This is what connects me, reluctantly, to those other kids at the show - the deeply personal and private way I think about Dashboard Confessional.

I read an excellent (albeit pray to the glorifying, mythical talk of music fan turned journalist) book, Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo. Dashboard Confessional comprises an entire section. For good reason. Despite the debatable history of emo - from Rites of Spring and Sunny Day Real Estate to Face to Face to the Get Up Kids and Saves the Day, Dashboard Confessional is probably the band most widely associated with emo. I came to terms with my love of poppy punk/rock long ago; yet it was this book, tracing the history of emo and describing the intense - familiar - way the fan's feel about the music, that allowed me to admit that I, too, have an emo place in my heart. It is not a large space - I need more rock than Rites of Spring or Sunny Day or many of the new wave of emo bands can provide - but it is there nonetheless.