Awesome Archives

Go get it!

Not as much bite as, say, "The Hindu Times" but still really, really good. It has a distinct Revolver vibe to it. Very poppy and Liam is in fine form. I like this much better after one listen than I did "Lyla."

This bodes well for the new record.

Hat tip to Kegzies.

Everything Everything Everything Everything Everything Everything Everything
Everything Everything Everything Everything Everything Everything Everything

I'm Invisible I'm Invisible I'm Invisible I'm Invisible I'm Invisible I'm Invisible
I'm Invisible I'm Invisible I'm Invisible I'm Invisible I'm Invisible I'm Invisible

Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy
Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy

You Let Light In You Let Light In You Let Light In You Let Light In You Let Light In
You Let Light In You Let Light In You Let Light In You Let Light In You Let Light In

Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager
Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager Lager

Mega Mega White Thing Mega Mega White Thing Mega Mega White Thing
Mega Mega White Thing Mega Mega White Thing Mega Mega White Thing

Wow. That was one of the best shows I've ever seen. Period.

I don't know what I am more excited about, seeing KoL again (they were brilliant at the 9:30 Club last year) or finally seeing The Whigs. And by "finally seeing The Whigs" I mean, I finally listened to the album a few months ago and it awesome and I am so pissed that I missed them the 34 times they played here last year.

Also on the bill, We Are Sceintists. They were pretty damn great last weekend at the Black Cat. The material from their first record is fairly awesome. I need to cop Brain Thrust Mastery.

The tour dates are as follows:
September
23 New York, NY Webster Hall w/The Whigs

October (w/The Stills and We Are Scientists)
11 Las Vegas, NV The Joint
12 San Diego, CA House of Blues
15 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre
17 and 18 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
20 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
21 Portland, OR Schnitzer Hall
23 Denver, CO The Fillmore Auditorium
25 Austin, TX Austin Music Hall
26 Oklahoma City, OK Bricktown Events Center
28 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater
29 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom
31 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom

November (w/The Whigs and We Are Scientists)
1 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre
3 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
5 Milwaukee, WI The Eagles Ballroom
7 Toronto, ONT Kool Haus
8 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
10 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
12 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
15 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Ballroom
18 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
19 Nashville, TN Nashville Municipal Auditorium

The most linked-to thing on every DC blog in the next few days will undoubtedly be Jason's annual smackdown of The Hill's Most Beautiful People On Capitol Hill list. And with good reason, because it is fucking hilarious.

Enjoy.

Post Rock is all over this. Foo Fighters v. Underworld? That's a very easy decision.

I had an incredible weekend. Spiritualized blew my mind on Friday and then I met Ghostface on Sunday at Rock The Bells.

Beat that.

Full stories and photos to follow. V Fest schedule after the jump.

...Dustin Diamond, whose high-pitched nerdy exploits as Samuel "Screech" Powers figured prominently in nearly thirteen (!) years of Saved by the Bell incarnations (plus that infamous sex tape), has jumped on the tell-all bandwagon. Behind the Bell, which Gotham Books preempted from Objective Entertainment's Jarred Weisfeld, promises to detail "sexual escapades among cast members, drug use, and hardcore partying," and for those of us who spent untold hours in our formative years memorizing "I'm So Excited" and the entire back catalog of Zack Attack, this is the greatest book deal in the history of the universe.

James have announced a US tour!

James Tour Dates:
September
15 Boston, MA - Paradise Lounge
16 Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero
18 Washington, DC - 9.30 Club
19 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
20 Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony
22 Montreal, QB - Club Soda
23 Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
25 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
26 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
27 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
29 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre

October
1 San Francisco, CA - The Regency
2 Los Angeles, CA - The El Rey Theatre
3 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
5 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues

3 days, 28 bands and about 1800 photos later, the first festival of the summer is in the books. I can't show you much at this point (that will be revealed later today) but I will say that Whartscape 2008 was both bigger and better than last year. The focus of the festival this year was on the outdoor shows, which were held in an alley between two buildings last year. This year they held them in a parking lot on W North Ave and had three separate stages going on throughout the day. It was a run very smoothly (they even added a food vendor this year), although the sound was a bit shaky on Saturday due to the power generators continually giving out. There were only so many mic stands to go around, so when one set was over, someone would run them over to the next stage and then the next band could begin.

It will be interesting to see who breaks out of this pack of bands. Last year's Whartscape featured Yeasayer (very first band on the bill, I am pretty sure I missed them but have to go back and check), High Places (who I loved), Spank Rock, Beach House and, of course, Dan Deacon.

Bands I enjoyed this year: Killer Whales (had this funky, Primus thing going on), DD/MM/YYYY (very percussion heavy), Future Islands (my boys from the North Cackalack, currently B'more residents), The Death Set (lots of fun although they play to an iPod) and my favorite band of the entire weekend, Mae Shi. They were full of the manic energy that the Wham City kids get off so furiously on, but unlike most of the other bands there, they had the hooks and show to go along with it.

And hey, lookee there. They are at the Velvet Lounge tonight. I am seriously thinking about going.

Also, on the way up to Baltimore on Friday, as I was going over the line-up in my head, figuring out who I was going to shoot, etc., I realized there weren't any D.C. bands on the bill. I found out why when I got to the 2640 Space and went to the ticket booth/table. I handed them my ID and the girl at the desk said, "Arlington, huh?" and then went out of her way to roll her eyes at me. I guess that answers my question.

**UPDATE** My photos of Whartscape 2008 are up on Pitchfork now.

Wow. Have you seen the trailer for The Watchmen?

W
O
W
.

Johnny Mac is in town with his World Team tennis crew. I will be there with camera in hand. It will be the first time I've ever gotten to see him play in person and the first time I've come face to face with him since this.