Video Fun - Owl City Parody: Key of Awesome

I've been readying some photos from the Laura Marling show at IOTA last Sunday, but this just came to my attention, courtesy of Andrew Sullivan's blog, and I had to share it.
I LIKE Owl City, but this is right on, too:

How Sweet to Be An Idiot

No, the title of this post has nothing to do with Sarah Palin.
To those who followed the classic British comedy of the early 70's, a guy named Neil Innes was (is) a musical hero who worked with Monty Python and was a member of both The Bonzo Dog (Doo Dah) Band and The Rutles. He appeared last week at Jammin' Java and I popped in to see his one man show, a mix of classic Python numbers like "The Philosophers' Song," Rutles favorites (in a piano medley) and new tunes, some of which were actually more poignant than novelty numbers. I meant to write an in-depth review, but time is tight and I'm off to Toronto Friday morning, so I'll give you some photos and odd bits between.

I recently pulled out a factoid from an UNCUT magazine compendium of rock trivia that fits here and now. There's a popular indie band that took its name a Bonzo Dog Band track. The title of the song – and the band’s name - comes from the lyric: “Death cab for cutie/Someone’s going to make you pay your fare.” So now you know.

“I've suffered for my music,” he famously said once, introducing a song. “Now it's your turn."

The picture above was taken from a song that mocked Elton John, the one below shows Neil leading the crowd in blowing raspberries.

"How Sweet to be an Idiot" was performed at the piano, with duck chapeau.

If you want to see Innes in action, here are the remaining dates on this tour:
APRIL 23 - THIS AIN'T HOLLYWOOD - HAMILTON, ON
APRIL 25 - THE DOIUG FIR - PORTLAND, OR
APRIL 26 - TRIPLE DOOR - SEATTLE, WA
APRIL 28 - COBBS - SAN FRANCISCO, CA
APRIL 30 - McCABES - LOS ANGELES, CA
MAY 1 - ACCOUSTIC MUSIC - SAN DIEGO, CA
MAY 2 - SKYE - PHOENIX, AZ

Neil was very nice about hanging out after the show and signing all sorts of fan collectibles. I brought a vintage Rutles ad from the Rutland Dirty Weekend Book. (I am not in the habit of destroying my books; the glue had lost its stick'em and the pages were loose.)

And so ended the evening for two "veterans" of Back in The Day. Take that, you young whippersnappers.

A short, happy, beautiful thing...

Banksy and Beiber and old skool VHS

In Sunday summation, my past few days in music, movies and old skool video:
On Friday, the Hubby and I saw a screening of “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” the new film by British artist/provocateur Banksy. It has been, as Hubby put it, “tickling our minds” ever since. While "Exit..." is presented as straightforward documentary, I have my suspicions; after all, this is Banksy. He appears – a hoodie covering his face and his voice electronically altered – to say that this is the true story of an obsessive videographer who documented the illegal street art scene before becoming the artist known as Mr. Brainwash, but I’m not buying all of it.

My personal theory is that the first half of the film is an accurate depiction of how a Frenchman named Thierry Guettathe became chief chronicler of a scene that included Banksy, Shephard Fairey, Space Invader, Borf and others. But about midway through, when the previously un-artistic videograher begins to create his own, highly derivative pieces for a massive LA exhibition fueled by hype and the name-dropped power of his friends, I began to believe that Mr. Brain Wash is a new Bansky creation and his biggest prank yet on the art community. (In looking up Mr. Brain Wash's real name just now, I see that one reviewer wrote that Sundance viewers were guessing that maybe Spike Jonze actually directed!)

For me, the film might well be a cerebral, art-themed “Spinal Tap.” I’d break it down as 60% true, 40% bullshit and 100% brilliant, moreso if it is, indeed, created from whole cloth (or canvas?). Looking forward to seeing it again when College Girl, a huge Banksy fan, returns from school. In the meantime, be sure to see it and get back to me with your theories.

Risking intellectual whiplash, and the backlash of more discerning (snobbish?) readers, I will now discuss my second favorite cultural event of the week – Justin Beiber on “Saturday Night Live.” There have already been aghast comments on my Facebook page for saying that I muchly enjoyed The Kid. Yes, it's a big switch from making joyful, drunken fun of him at a New Year’s Eve party full of cynical revelers who couldn’t believe this unknown (to us) little pipsqueak was a featured performer.
When the Easter Bunny left a copy of My World 2.0 in my candy basket, it was a joke, inspired by the fact that writing about JB for examiner.com earned my greatest number of reader hits yet. But by then the scales were already tipping in the teen sensation’s favor. I wrote about the takeover of the Funny or Die site (“Beiber or Die,” along with other April Fools pranks by musicians (Coldplay’s new fragrance, Angst, and the super-deluxe 176 disc reissue of “Darkness on the Edge of Town.” The latter, alas, has been removed from the Backstreets site.)

But The Kid (shall I trademark the nickname?) won me over with his self-mocking display of video diva-dom on FoD and, when I actually listened to the disc during a Wii sports workout (I am the Joan Jett of bowling, Hubby says), I liked its pop smarts. And I’ve since learned that Beiber was not concocted in the test tubes of the Disney music laboratory but earned his first break through YouTube exposure. Good on you, JB.
For a mere 16-year-old who just happens to share my March 1 birthday, Beiber was an MVP on SNL, appearing in skits and doing right by his dual live performances. In the second, during “U Smile, I Smile,” he even ad-libbed a sweet little shout-out to Tina Fey and held his own with my comic heroine in a wildly inappropriate – and all the better for it – teacher/cougar sketch.
So, yeah, I’m on Team Beiber. And all the snotty older white male music critics who would deny my rock credibility as a result can go back to their own ridiculous/childish entertainment choices and KISS my ass.

As for today’s musical adventures, it started innocently enough with the perpetual cleaning of the basement/rec room/media storage facility and the viewing of some vintage VHS tapes. I started with the family home movies, which need to be organized and labeled in hopes of eventual conversion to editable digital video (anyone out there have any good ideas of how to do this at home, cheaply?). Watching them has been a delightful, sometimes moving peek back to the past, complete with adorable children and views of since-departed loved ones. It’s gonna take a long time to get through them all, but I’m looking forward to it.
Along with the family tapes, there’s an unhealthy bunch of music/TV videos – concerts, SNL segments, MTV award shows and other remnants of LBT (life before TiVo) as I recorded things to watch later and then didn’t record over them. I pulled one random tape out to survey as I began typing this, thinking that I could send it off to the Thrift Store after confirming that there wasn’t anything of a personal nature on it. But now I’m having second thoughts.
The first third of the tape consisted of live performances taken from SNL and some MTV show that featured in-studio appearances from the likes of Hole, L7, TMBG, Cracker, Blur and Liz Phair (who pretty much butchered “Supernova"). Then the tape switched to a History channel show on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. At this point, I was fully confident I could toss the tape with no regrets – or offer it to anyone reading this blog who might want to claim it.

Even as the History channel show gave way to some old MTV clips, I didn’t feel any attachment. If I want to see Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” again (how did they get away with that crucifixion imagery back then?!), I could always call it up on online.
But then, after a Beastie Boys clip cut short, I’m looking at Michael Stipe hosting “120 Minutes.”
I used to love that show, the Sunday evening (right?) two-hour block of music that really excited me at the time. Here’s Weezer (“Buddy Holly”) and PJ Harvey (“Man-Sized”), Soul Asylum in a clip with Kevin Smith, Grant Lee Buffalo (like “Heart-Shaped Box,” “Mockingbirds” was directed by Anton Corbijn and is even more bizarre), where-are-they-now stars like James and Luscious Jackson and, of course, vintage R.E.M. Other highlights are Flaming Lips’ “She Don’t Use Jelly” (Wayne Coyne with bright orange hair), a B-52s video I don’t even remember (“Revolution Earth,” looking like MGMT with zebras) and “Supernova” again in its video version, where Phair can sorta hold her notes.
Even with its smattering of people I didn’t relate to (Samiam, Dink, Bad Religion), the show is great fun to see again and Stipe is a host unlike others. Changing his shirt for nearly every new segment, his deadpan intros are initially off-putting, but then he seems to warm slightly to the task, as when he introduces Patti Smith’s “People Have the Power” and I remember why he was such a major figure in my life at the time.
Damn. Looks like I can't let go of this one.

We Get Out - Norah Jones

So, that examiner.com column I keep asking you to subscribe to doesn't pay worth a damn, but it's always been less about making money than staying in the loop. And, there are the delicious perks - not just the free music, but comp tickets, too. Having done a short piece about Norah Jones' fine album, "The Fall," late last year, I was emboldened (though not necessarily entitled) to ask her publicist if there might be tix available for the concert in DC, Friday night at the 'luxe Warner Theatre.To my pleasant surprise, she sent back a confirmation and the hubby and I were in for a real Friday night date (as, it seemed, were many other couples!) The opening act was Sasha Dobson (seen in the photo below, at right) who sings with a lovely, Jones-like voice and plays guitar, also helping out in NJ's back-up band. Dobson's short set - marked by beautiful contributions by her two sidemen (a graceful guitarist and a pianist/xylophone-ist?) and largely dull songs - sent my head back, eyes closed, as I nestled into the comfy Warner seats and nearly fell asleep. Contrary to what some of her detractors might say, there's nothing sleepy about Norah Jones in concert. She actually spent more of her time onstage playing guitar and, as the songs on the latest album push a little harder and deal with a love gone wrong, there's more bite to her music than you'd suspect. Three songs into her set, she moved to a keyboard to play the delightful "Chasing Pirates" and, awhile later, sat at a piano for some other highlights, including a most moving, "Back to Manhattan" and a reworked "Don't Know Why" that kept things fresh for the players while displaying the melodic hooks the fans wanted to hear.
During the encore, Jones came out with a handful of players, all bearing acoustic instruments, and they huddled around a single mike, looking more like a folk quartet than a jazz or soft rock outfit. It was a charming end to Date Night Friday.

We Get Out - Joseph Arthur

Why am I not a better, or at least more frequent, blogger? Let's blame "Old Dog, New Tricks" syndrome. I'm so used to writing Real Journalism Stories - beginning, middle, end, with pauses for researching, transcribing and fact-checking (not that there's anything wrong with that!) that I lose sight of the nature of blogging itself. Just Do It. Say what you're thinking and get out. Instead, I get caught up in all the things I've meant to mention - recent shows, new additions for the O/CD Tally, etc. - that I freeze.

In an effort to break that cycle, I will interrupt myself and proceed to photos of Joseph Arthur, who played at Jammin Java last night.

I didn't see the whole show, as I was there waiting for a call from Grad Girl to pick her up at a nearby Metro station. But what I saw before the taxi whistle blew was good stuff. Arthur records his shows as they happen and sells them - along with an unusual array of merch, like art books and hand-printed shirts - after each show. On stage, he's surrounded by instruments, electronics and art supplies. He sings and plays, and sometimes sets up a loop so that he can sing while he paints (!) or performs spoken word pieces.

It could all be insufferably arty, but he has a laconic sense of humor that takes the edge off.
Since I wasn't going to be there for the end of this show, I picked up a discounted copy ($10 vs. $20) of a previous night from this tour, March 5 at NYC's City Winery. In the brief time I spent listening on the ride home, he did a cool cover of Peter Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey," which makes sense given that (I was told) he was once signed to the Real World label by PG himself.

Arthur's been around a long time, and I've heard good things about him, but our paths hadn't crossed before. The lovely Mei, who tweets as @JamnJavaDoorGal, is a big JA fan and told me I needed to see him live, so thanks to her for the tip (and for letting me in!) The club really is a great place for live music but you don't have to take my work for it. The new City Paper, Best of DC 2010 edition, lists the venue twice in its reader polls - as runner-up for Best Music Venue (the venerable 930 Club was top dog) and as Best Place to See Local Music.

A brief, but fine, night out.

Sloppy Shopping (but I wasn't drunk)

This post has nothing to do with Saint Patrick's Day, but I wanted to wish you a good, green day anyway.
This is about “pruning the bonsai,” or you could also say “culling the herd.” That’s me, facing the ever-growing music library lately and figuring out what stays and what goes. These days, it’s less about the music than the packaging. I still love physical CDs and, when bands go the extra mile to make the case interesting and/or fill the booklet with nice photos and background info, I’m much more likely to want to get – and save – the actual disc.
But now that I’m getting so many new albums as digital zip files with just an album cover to go with them (and those who don’t even include the artwork, shame on you), I’m learning to let go – a bit. And since I like the occasional shopping spree on other people’s money, I’ve taken to moving a larger number of CDs to an external hard drive and “recycling” the no-longer-needed discs at my local trade-in store.
[With that resolution, a brief warning: I moved a crapload of my holiday CDs to a dedicated hard drive in the weeks leading up to Christmas. While it made the compilation of the annual “Cool Yule” mix much easier, I also lost a lot of files when said hard drive – a purchased new Western Digital – crashed. Luckily, I had burned duplicates of my most favorite discs, so I generally lost only lesser selections. But Be Warned!]
So, yesterday I brought a bag of CDs and about a dozen LPs to my local trade joint (after checking on amazon.com to see if any of them were worth big bucks, of course). It appears that the rest of the world is doing similar CD purges as well. Everything in the two bags netted me a grand total of $16 store credit. The cashier dude told me that all my carefully selected offal was probably going into the clearance section ($1.99 each, 10 for $15.99) and therefore earned only about 50 cents per. I might have argued the point – I bet there were five or six things there that will be sold at $5 to $8 a shot and, in future, I think I’m gonna stockpile the LPs to make a boxload sale down the line – but it’s not worth the hassle. And besides, he gave me an ever better deal on the clearance items – 10 for $9.
More than that, I was there with a friend and not in my usual Record Geek mode. I was pretty sloppy in my perusal of the clearance racks. Between busily chatting with my pal and being a little self-conscious about my usually obsessive browsing, I didn’t do my needle-in-haystack search for all the cardboard and slimline cases that often mean advance/promo discs. Instead, I just grabbed anything that looked interesting. And then, having gotten close to the magic number of 10 (when the $1.99 discs become 10/$16), I simply carried them all to the checkout without a careful process of re-examination/elimination.
And that’s how I wound up with two Rod Stewart CDs!
ROD STEWART – Every One a Winner (n/a)
The simple B&W text cover, neatly printed, led me to believe this was some kind of promo, but only after getting it to the car and checking did I realize it’s a home(well)made CD-R! Well, kudos to the person who did such a nice job. The 16 tracks here are pretty much all winners; the only track I don’t recognize is “Stone Cold Sober.”
ROD STEWART – Human (Atlantic)
Now I fear this is the same album I seriously trashed in a review for e!online.com when it first came out. I didn’t recognize it in its commercial case, as I had worked from a generic advance. I think it was from Rod’s “I don’t really give a toss; I just need some cash” period.
MADE in BRITAIN 2007: The BEST NEW BRITISH MUSIC (Mojo)
I’m a sucker for British music mag compilations. This one has bands I’ve heard about – Noisettes, Bat for Lashes, Rumble Strips, Young Knives and a whole bunch I haven’t. Since the comp is from three years ago, I guess those others never broke through to the USA.
The SMITHEREENS – Downtown Train (The Right Stuff)
A five-track EP said to be the 2nd “single” from an album called “One Step Up, Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen.” Not a big Smithereens fan myself, but I like to hear reinterpretations of good songs, even if there’s only one other artist here (Greg Kihn) that I recognize. And it’s sealed, which means it could be a good resale item (just found it listed on a British site for $13 American).
HOPE of the STATES – Left (Sony/BMG)
A 2006 imported dual-disc (DVD material on flipside of the CD) from a great British band I saw many CMJ festivals ago, but they never seemed to catch on here.
JOE HENRY – Fuse (Mammoth)
Saw him just last week at the Wolf Trap Barns, care of a friend who’s a big fan and gave me a ticket for my birthday, earlier this month (thanks!). Though Henry’s songs tend to blur together after a bit – mature/melancholy ruminations on live and love, in minor keys with great, Tom Waits-ian arrangements – there was one song he performed that I was hoping to find, adding to the trio of albums I already have of his. Confession – I couldn’t read the tiny (really!) print on the CD, but didn’t recognize the cover, so I took a chance. Turns out I have this already, in a slimline advance with a different cover. Now, which one do I get dump?
EMMA POLLACK – Watch the Fireworks (4AD)
Promotional copy of the 9/11/07 release which always makes me think of Grad Girl (there’s only 3 letters difference in their full names). On first listen, I think I like it, too!
HEAR IT NOW: The SOUND of the ’60’s (Columbia)
The usual suspects from the Columbia Records hippie/folk/rock roster – Simon & Garfunkel, The Byrds, Donovan, etc. Probably the only track I don’t have is “Time Has Come Today” by The Chambers Brothers,
LIAM FINN – I’ll Be Lightning (Yep Roc)
He comes from good stock, and it was in one of those cardboard letterpress digipacks.
[Careful counters will note that there are only 9 CDs here. The tenth was one for my friend – a remastered version of Mile Davis’ “Kind of Blue.” Given its position in the racks alongside a number of titles I had brought in the last time, there’s a very good chance she just bought my traded-in duplicate! She also scored a copy of Wilco’s “Sky Blue Sky” for a mere $1.99, so that shows you just how low the prices can go these days for stuff that isn’t Big Name/Recent Release.]

I wound up giving some money back to the store, as I also grabbed a pair of CDs at full(er) price:
The KILLERS – Live from the Royal Albert Hall (Island)
Grad Girl wrote Killers on her list of CDs she wanted, but wasn’t specific and, since we already own the first album (two great singles and some above-average filler) but I haven’t much cared for their releases since (“Are we human? Or are we dancer?” What the hell does that mean?), I went for the best deal – this CD/DVD set for $11.99. And I will watch the live DVD to see if the band has improved over time; on the tour I saw for the first album, Keane (of all people!) blew them away.
STEVE FORBERT – The Best of (Epic/Legacy)
I knew he was coming to Jammin’ Java soon, so a $5.99 greatest hits might well replace my vinyl copy of his first LP and prepare me for the show, as in help me decide whether I even want to go. And now I see that he’s playing this Friday (March 19) and it’s an early show, so I need to make up my mind soon.

YTD O/CD Tally:61

Happy Weekend!

Yes, I know I've been bad, but I was also sick in bed much of last weekend, so be kind.
Anyhoo, in a bid to get something up here and re-establish my presence, here come some recent examiner.com links (have you subscribed yet? c'mon, save us both some time and make me some pennies!):

Another story about my favorite young singer/songwriter, Andrew Belle.
ANDREW BELLE – Live At Hotel Cafe, March 3, 2010

ANDREW BELLE - Live at Rockit!
The first CD is one that Andrew sent out via email to those on his email list. The second was sent to me in a zip file by his manager when I was writing the story. It's also being given away on Belle's site with orders of his new CD, "The Ladder."
In early February, I wrote about OK Go and their fun live video for a song that they were also giving away for free. And then, within a few short weeks, they came up with a wild new clip that I couldn't resist writing about, too. If you haven't seen the band's contraption-laden video for "This Too Shall Pass," catch it here and now. I mentioned the new album,
OK GO – Of the Blue Colour of the Sky before, when I got it in digital download form, but the publicist followed through with the actual disc so, as the band itself would put it, "here it goes again."
Late February brought with it a new Johnny Cash album and the Man in Black's birthday, so that brought this story and accompanying digital zip file.
JOHNNY CASH – American Recordings VI: Ain’t No Grave
Wilco gave away free downloads of two fine 2009 concerts in an effort to raise funds for Haitian earthquake relief, so I wrote about that, too. I made my donation, so now I can listen, guilt-free, to:
WILCO – Live in Brooklyn
WILCO - Live in London

All of which brings the
YTD O/CD Tally to a tidy 50

There's a positive frenzy of downloading lately; almost every day I get a few single tracks and a full-length CD or two, so prepare for the digital odometer to spin mightily when I finally get around to that.

Me and Yoko, we're likethis

Think she reads any of the 228,000+ tweets?
I wouldn't be surprised if sometimes she did.
And made art out of it.
If Yoko wants to organize a flash mob, I'm in.

We Get Out - Sing Me Insomnia, The Bigger Lights

No, I am not a cougar, but I do enjoy me some cute boy pop/rock. And that was what was on the bill Friday night at Jammin' Java, my musical home away from home, where Mei the lovely door lady stamps my hand without even looking at the guest list. (I don't take it for granted, and I love it so!) This night, I came to see the second act on the three-band bill, Sing Me Insomnia (missed Action Item, who opened the show).

SMI won last year's Mid-Atlantic Battle of the Bands, hosted by the club - and for which I was a judge on two of the four evenings, including when these guys won their night. I was muchly impressed then by the group's three-song set. It was smooth, bright and tight and when I realized how young they are, the level of professionalism on display was even more remarkable. Seeing them again, in a longer set, I was not disappointed.
Let's get a little closer with the guys, Tiger Beat fans. Here's singer/guitarist Jared:

And Marshall (they don't generally use last names) on keyboards....

Here's a trio of good looking, talented young guys (the drummer is in the back, and he's cute, too). Sing Me Insomnia have just released a five-track debut EP on iTunes. Check 'em out.

I knew nothing coming in about the headliner, The Bigger Lights, but the size and response of the crowd led me to believe that this quintet, also local Northern Virginia boys, has a reputation. The band has toured with Cartel and Never Shout Never and records for Doghouse Records. By the look of the well-inked guitarist, you could guess that TBL's sound is a little rougher than SMI's, but it's still catchy and non-agressive.

Guitarist John Kendall "JK" Royston is a founding member of the band...

But it's vocalist Topher Talley who really grabs the spotlight with a bit of Jagger swagger...

...and, dare I say it, maybe a dash of brooding Edward Cullen?

And he knows how to work the stage, to a point that it was hard to get a still picture of him!

All in all, an energizing night and a nice reminder that talent is blooming in my little suburban world, helped along by a great venue that books national names but continues to support the local scene with quality, all-ages shows.

The best Frank Zappa tribute yet?

Ooops. I left an important set of pictures out of yesterday's NYC trip recap. On the drive home, we took a break at one of the rest stops in Maryland, just north of Baltimore and guess what I found? (The headline may help.)

I am a sucker for squashed penny machines and try to remember to carry some shiny coins to make especially pretty ones when I find them on my travels. I do prefer, however, that the penny has some relation, even a tangential one, to the region that's selling it.

And since Frank Zappa was born in Baltimore, his penny most definitely qualifies. He's the only musician I've ever seen immortalized in such a manner. Anyone out there seen any others?

I [heart] NY

Oh, New York City, you are a shiny toy, indeed.

(all pics by Terry, BTW, this one shot at Pearl River Mart on Broadway)
With the snowpocalypse finally behind us (here's the view outside our front door after the second wave hit), we were able to get out for a trip to our beloved former city.

Luckily, we had my 4-wheel drive Honda, so didn't have to dig Terry's car out...

It was a family field trip, long planned by the girls with the express purpose of seeing the Tim Burton show at the Museum of Modern Art. Pictures were prohibited within the exhibition (I snuck a few) but it was OK to pose with the huge figure on the ground floor so, of course, I did. GO SEE THIS SHOW. It's amazing.

It was fashion week in the city and there were beautiful and well-dressed people out and about. We passed by the showroom of the late Alexander McQueen and noted the tributes left on the sidewalk outside.

That was the same day that Terry and I took a walk along the elevated Highline walkway, cool (literally) in the winter and I bet it will be spectacular in the spring. And you'll no doubt have to fight for one of these comfy chaises.

After the Highline, we stopped at a closet-sized coffee joint called DubSpot on 14th Street, where they offer DJ lessons and you sit/sip at tiny tables attached to drum kit stands.

A small shop with a big heart, the place was selling a compilation CD - FUNK AID FOR AFRICA – Various Artists (Dubspot) - for African relief, mixed and compiled by one their own, DJ Obah, for a mere $10. So, yeah, I bought one.

Alas, the huge record stores I once prowled are no more although, this being NY, there will always be small boutique places to buy. We walked past the former downtown site of Virgin Records, and stopped briefly in the old Tower Records building, where an artists' collective called No Longer Empty was holding a gallery showing/concert under the banner title of "Never Can Say Goodbye" (the signage was done in Tower's trademark red on yellow).
We considered stopping in Other Music to get the new Sade album, until I had second thoughts about buying such an MOR release in such a cutting edge shop and being mistaken for - gasp - tourists (yeah, I know that's silly).
The Strand, of course, is known as a book store. One hell of a book store, to be sure. But on a previous NYC visit, I'd scored some amazing finds at the Wall Street area Strand, where a table of cast-off/cut-out/clearance CDs netted me a Johnny Flynn advance and MGMT's debut at steal-deal prices. The Village Strand has only a few racks and fewer rarities, but I came away with:
BETH ORTON – Trailer Park (Arista/Legacy/Heavenly)
The sticker says “Indie-folk classic," here in a 2-CD set with B-sides, live and instrumental versions. (I have the original, but couldn't resist this two-fer at $12.) Listened to the first disc on the ride home and was reminded what a revelation Orton's mix of electronica and folk was at the time. And it still holds up, enough that Terry asked when there'd be time to hear the extras disc.
UP. DOWN. TURN AROUND (Circa 80) – Various Artists (Starbucks/Rhino)
More great car tunes, including a few obscurities I've wanted on CD (China Crisis' "Working with Fire and Steel," "So Alive" from Love and Rockets, "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" from Split Enz) and many fine favorites by Bowie, Talking Heads, Kate Bush and more.
Between those two albums and the fine sounds of radio WFUV and WXPN, we never got around to the final Strand purchase:
PATIO PARTY! – Various Artists (Starbucks/Universal)
There were a number of Starbucks samplers on sale for $6 each and, if money were no object, I'd had bought more, but this one made the cut for having artists I need to know more about - Miriam Makeba, Tito Puente (the original "Oye Como Va"), Mongo Santamaria - and some sweet oldies (Roy Head & The Traits' "Treat Her Right," Nina Simone's "Feeling Good"). It's not patio time just yet, but a musical hint of spring will help us get through this snowy month.

Add in some great reunions with old friends and family and the NYC trip was a hit on all levels.

YTD O/CD Tally: 44

SnOMG! Music to cure cabin fever

Well, we didn’t break the record, but we came close with the second major snowfall of this crazy winter season. Some called it Snowmageddon, others liked Snowpocalypse 2: Electric Boogaloo, but whatever you called it, it was pretty amazing and amazingly pretty. We had nowhere to go and nothing particular to do and there’s still plenty of beer, milk and food staples, so what’s not to like? Pajama party!

It was also a chance to do a few household tasks, like clean up my clothes closet with the help of Grad Girl, who made sure that I got rid of the stuff that was neither hip nor age appropriate. And music, of course, helps make being trapped inside more tolerable.

I turned the computer on to stream while I walked the bedroom runway, catching up with a few recent digital deliveries, Wasn’t impressed by a handful of tracks from
The Soundtrack Of Our Lives – Communion (Yep Roc)
It’s a double album, but I lost patience after about five tracks, which had a certain MOR taste to the them, too close to the cheesy album cover photo of a middle-aged couple that looks like something you’d find in the plastic pages of a new wallet. The group is playing in DC on February 18 and the PR email says, “These dudes put on an epic live show.” Really? Based on this sample, I don’t see how, so maybe I’ll revisit.
On the other hand, I much liked
PEASANT – Shady Retreat (Paper Garden Records)
Peasant is Damien DeRose, a 23-year-old poet turned musician, from Bucks County, PA, who worked out of his bedroom studio throughout high school, and released his debut album, "On The Ground," in 2008. He records in a converted studio in the woods, inspired by the likes of "Pet Sounds" and Nick Drake; the sound is sweet, simple and pretty, reminding me of Blind Pilot and Fleet Fixes. I’m allowed to share one track with you. This is “Well Alright” and if you like, the album comes out on March 2.

Meanwhile, one of my favorite new releases, in steady rotation around the house, snowbound or not, is:
The BIRD and The BEE - Guiltless Pleasures Volume 1 (Blue Note)
Subtitled “A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates,” the CD is billed as “a love letter to [the] famed ‘rock and soul’ duo’” in eight cover tunes and one original song (”Heard It On the Radio”) that fits comfortably alongside, like a fellow Top 40 pop radio hit.
I can say without reservation that Hall and Oates make really great pop tunes because I like the tunes despite the fact that, back in the days when I did lots of feature interviews in person, said Hall and Oates were the most obnoxious people I’ve ever had to chat with. As you might expect, Oates sat there and didn’t say much of anything. Hall, meanwhile, dripped attitude and preened with a self-regard that seemed to imply that, because I was a female reporter, I must want him. The two were embarking on a seriously scaled-back tour since they hadn’t had a hit in years and talked grandly about how they had decided to make a daring move to get close and personal with their fans in small venues. God, they were pompous jerks.
So, anyway, the fact that I love this CD is a tribute both to the durability of the songs and to the much nicer duo reinterpreting them - the lovely Inara George on vocals and multi-instrumentalist/ producer Greg Kurstin, who can make synthesizers sound fun again. “I Can’t Go For That” has been a staple of the pair’s live act since I saw them in late 2008. Loved it then, love it now. The album comes out on March 23.

YTD O/CD Tally: 40

Oh, dear. I’m watching SNL while I type this and just saw a commercial for the new season of “Celebrity Apprentice.” It always makes me sad to see Cyndi Lauper among those losers. She was one of the nicest people I ever interviewed and has real talent. She deserves so much better.

Digital Deliveries - with some for you, too

It’s been a frenzy of downloading here at the CPF HQ – some sent to me via zip, some purchased, some that I can share with you. So let’s have at it!

I paid for the full album of songs HOPE FOR HAITI NOW – Various Artists (iTunes) that was made available the day after the big telethon. You’ll get all 20 tracks (the Jay-Z, Bono, The Edge and Rihanna collaboration comes in both live and studio versions) for just $7.99 – a steal of a deal. But if you want for some reason to get only one song, the Justin Timberlake version of “Hallelujah” is as good as I remembered.

There’s another way to get lots of fine music at low cost and fee good, too. My pal Mark (check out his local news/political satire blog) turned me on the fact that the wonderboys of Wilco are pitching in to help raise money for Haitian earthquake relief. The band has posted recordings of two live shows (including one from last July that included live collaborations with Feist, Yo La Tengo, and Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste) at its web site.
WILCO - Live at Keyspan Park, Brooklyn 7-13-09
WILCO - 11-04-2009, HMV Forum, London
You can download the shows for free, but Wilco is asking that you donate at least $15 to Oxfam or Doctors Without Borders in return.
Bless ‘em. And catch ‘em doing a tune on Craig Ferguson’s show on January 28 (that means Thursday night, right? Even if it’s technically Friday morning the 29?).

Every month, I have 30 downloads to enjoy care of my emusic.com account, working out to about 50 cents a track (take that, iTunes!) so I decided to catch up with these:
ATLAS SOUND – Logos (emusic.com)
The FLAMING LIPS – Embryonic (emusic.com)

Zip a dee doo da; these were sent to me via zip file:
BENJY DAVIS PROJECT – Lost Souls Like Us
Really enjoyed this band’s album from last year and like this album cover, so it’s all a good start.

SEASICK STEVE – Man from Another Time
VIA AUDIO – Animalore
NOUVELLE VOGUE – NV3
NORAH JONES – Chasing Pirates Remix EP (Blue Note)
Love the single so much I named it one of my Top Ten of the year in the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll, but I can’t say that the remixes are adding much to my enjoyment.
CLOUD CULT – Lost Songs from the Lost Years
Put this band’s name in the groovy new search feature above and you’ll get to my rave review of last year's DVD documentary release that traced its history and offered lots of live music. Now the band is releasing a special collection of previously unreleased songs from the past 15 years in hand-numbered CDs that are available only on the group web site (unless the publicist is nice enough to send it digitally). Also from the vaults:
CLOUD CULT - Aurora Borealis/They Live On the Sun
The former was originally released in 2004; the latter in
2003, but now they’re being reissued in a two-fer.
I truly love this outfit; looking forward to diving in.

It’s always a joy to discover good new music and, while casually scanning (is there a audio equivalent of that visually-oriented word?) new material that came in through the promo zips I found two new acts that make me smile:
RADAR BROS. – Auditorium
GOLDSPOT – And the Elephant is Dancing
The Goldspot CD came out last year, but is on its way to becoming one of my faves of this new year. It’s the sophomore release from frontman Siddhartha Khosla who plays under the band name, much like Owl City is really Adam Young and whoever joins him on tour. And, like Owl City, Goldspot has a joyous, sunny pop sound, influenced by Bollywood, the Beach Boys, R.E.M. and the Beatles (especially George). The album title comes up in the delightful love song to a faraway voice, “Call Center Girl,” which is in heavy rotation on my ipod.
OK GO – Of the Blue Colour of the Sky
I’m going to do an examiner.com story on these guys soon, so I won’t get into it now. But here’s a little oddity – I wanted to include the label name but I don’t have the disc in front on me. And yet, even after a quick scan of emails from the publicist and a visit to the band’s own web site and myspace page (it only says “label: major,” as if embarrassed to go into detail) I didn't see it. So much for how important labels are these days.

Let’s end with a pair of freebies from a Brooklyn-based band that’s on the edge, I think, of big things. They will play DC on February 21 at the 930 Club with the Editors – a show I’m gunning to see – and made a sweet, sad album last year, called “Hospice,” that came thisclose to getting on my aforementioned Top Ten. A visit to the Antlers' site myspace gets you two free EPs (look to the right and scroll down a bit to find them):
The ANTLERS – New York Hospitals
A 2008 release,
The ANTLERS - Cold War
From 2007.

Year-to-date O/CD Tally: 37

A great night of TV

As Conan does his last show (I always watched Letterman, but I think Coco got screwed, big payout or no), I salute the Hollywood/NY liberal media elite for the "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon. Damn fine music.

Once you put aside Madonna (if only we could) who still needs a huge chorus to hide her lame live vocal abilities (remember Live Aid? that was even worse), there wasn't a bad performance in the bunch. Even people I'm not generally crazy about (Kid Rock, Sting) rose to the occasion. And some of it was truly stunning. I thought John Legend's "Motherless Child" was going to be the highlight but then Justin Timberlake appeared, with his protege Matt Morris (and co-producer Charlie Sexton) and started "Hallelujah." I thought it was a brave, maybe foolish choice and then they nailed it! Gorgeous.

And the ladies ruled - Alicia Keys set the bar high with her opening song, Mary J. Blige may be our new Aretha Franklin, Rihanna got me (or maybe I got her?) for the first time, and I was taken by Shakira (it took a while to even realize it was her) for her power and restraint. I'd also praise Christian Aguilera for the same things, but memories of "Dirty" still linger.

I've pre-ordered the music from the show from iTunes. The whole thing for just $7.99? Can you even call it a contribution when you get so much back, including a good feeling?
Same thing applies, if I may, to what Paste magazine is doing, with 200+ downloads being given to anyone who donates. I wrote about it for examiner.com, if you want to check it out. But it's not about me. Watching the show, eating a lovely meal prepared by my dear husband, with my happy, healthy kids out and about, one of them about to celebrate her birthday, I know how very, very, very lucky I am.

Oh, and one more thing - Brad Pitt, man up and own your beauty. In other words, lose the goat-tee!

Ahhh...Neil Young is singing "Long May You Run" for Conan. A sweet musical ending to this post.

OMG O/CD Tally run amok

Too early in the year to fall so far behind with the Tally. There's a handful of My Own Cash Money purchases to get to, plus the PEP (Puffy Envelope Promo) Squad, and the always hard to keep track of Digital Deliveries, but I'll start with yesterday's first trip of the new year to the CD Cellar, my go-to swap shop in Falls Church. My bag of cast-offs netted me a couple of new release DVDs and a healthy bunch of musical acquisitions. As usual, I spent much of my time scouring the clearance section, where discs are just $1.99 or 10 for $15.99. Also as usual, once I found more than five or six I wanted, I went for the even 10. And so, I add these:

The BLACK CROWES – Warpaint (Silver Arrow)
Haven’t listened to these guys in a while, and the package design is cool.
ALBERTA CROSS – Broken Side of Time (ATO)
I confess – the first time I heard this band, I thought it was the name of a female singer with a gruff, tough voice. Either way, I liked the one track I heard, so now I can explore the rest.
HEADLESS HEROES – The Silence of Love (World’s Fair)
I got this album last year in digital form and since I’ve been enjoying the music – female-fronted mid-tempo smart rock - and think the cover is beautiful, why not?

OLIVER TWIST – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Sony Music Soundtraxx)
Music by Rachel Portman, who’s done some lovely stuff for the likes of “Emma,” “A Little Princess” and “Chocolat” – yikes, just checked Wikipedia and she’s composed for about 100 films! People like that make me feel sooooo lazy.
LESS THAN JAKE – Greased (No Idea Records)
I like the band OK, but was really taken by the cover – a parody of “Grease,” the totally inappropriate for HS musical theatre production (lesson: girls, give up your own personality and be a tramp and you’ll get the guy). And yes, the band is actually performing songs from the soundtrack so, if you’ve ever wanted to hear “You’re the One That I Want” played in breakneck punk style, here’s your chance.
MIDDLE DISTANCE RUNNER – The Sun and the Earth (Engine Room Records)
Simple cardboard cover with a nice insert card from a hard-working local band. Didn’t even know this title existed, even though I was in regular touch with a member of the band for awhile.
MATT MORRIS – When Everything Breaks Open (Tennman)
Just before I left the house, I saw that this guy was coming up on the Ellen Degeneres show (mom was watching) “with Justin Timberlake.” The advance listed JT as a co-producer (with Charlie Sexton of all people!), and one reference from a Google search named MM the JT of Colorado. Hey, RH at “All Things Considered” – I got your watermarked copy here. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
CITY of LIGHT’S CAFÉ PARIS MELODIES - Various Artists (Delta Entertainment/Laserlight)
A 2-CD set of songs sung in French by uncredited vocalists. Risky, but could be amusing dinner music.
BEST TRACKS from The BEST ALBUMS of 2002 – Various Artists (Q Magazine)
For a while, I was buying all the British music mags with CD samplers, so I may well have this one already, but I don’t recognize the cover and the acts included are so good – Doves, Moby, Bowie, Polyphonic Spree, Badly Drawn Boy, U2, Flaming Lips, that it’s like (barely) paying for someone to make me a cool mix CD. I do, however, bristle at the inclusion of Nickelback.

And a few more at "full" price:
DEAN MARTIN – Making Spirits Bright (Capitol)
“The Greatest Holiday Songs” it says here. Maybe, maybe not. But I love Martin’s voice and laid-back, near insouciant (a fancier word than “nonchalant") manner. I hesitated at spending the $5.99, but wasn’t sure if I’d be able to find this again before next year’s Cool Yule.
MAX REBO BAND – Return of the Jedi (LucasFilm/RCA)
This sweet little single, only $1.00, features the alien band that played in the cafe scene in the Star Wars film. It's one of those clear discs with a colorful graphic (of three aliens) that makes it appear to be a die-cut disc. One day it will make a great gift for a SW fan in my life, or I'll find someone willing to make me a profit for it on ebay.

Year-to-Date O/CD Tally: 20

When I was fab

Some days you feel like it's time for a little ego massage. That's when you Google yourself - and don't tell me you haven't. If self-Googling sounds a tad naughty, I think it may well be. The urge to reinforce one's own existence and/or relive past glories is probably not a healthy one.

But then you discover that there are other people, perhaps even dozens, with your same name. And, as you read what they've done, you may get jealous. Or maybe they haven't done anything particularly interesting and you get protective of your own name, wondering if old boyfriends might mistake that dowdy French author for you.

This philosophical musing is brought to you by the fact that, two days ago, I bought myself a late Christmas gift (it was on my list, but Santa didn't bring it) - the Rolling Stone Cover-to-Cover CD-R collection, which contains every page of every issue (yes, including ads) from its launch in 1967 to May of 2007. Maybe there's a new one coming soon to bring us up to date; this old one, originally priced at $125 is now going for $24.98 in Barnes & Noble clearance (10% off if you're a B&N member and another 15% if you use the coupon emailed last week). So, under the pretense of having a good reference tool and maybe dumping some of my old copies of the magazine (as if), I bought it.

And now I'm looking up the pieces I wrote for the magazine in the period of 1984-1990. That's the first thing that took me by surprise - the smattering of articles I did for them really spanned six years? Here's what the search engine brought up for my name:


This listing doesn't include a few Random Notes bits I contributed from various DC-based events, mostly WHFStival summaries. A handy thing about having these discs is that I need not bother now with finding old magazines and scanning my articles to add them to my online archives. But I do need to figure out how to resize the pages from the database software. For now, the one piece I can screen-grab at legible resolution is a bit forecasting the death of the 7" vinyl single in the mass-marketplace. Here's that blast from the past:

Of course, I just realized that these bits are too small in blogger pic view for anyone to read. But if you click 'em, they pop up to larger, legible size. Eventually, I will convert the full list to post in my archives. If only to say, yes, I once wrote for the illustrious Rolling Stone. So there.

And yet, as if to tease me for being self-referential (in a less pejorative sense of the word?), Fate has played a prank on me in the RS search index. When I clicked on the August 1989 article entitled "Alternative Bands Make Their Stand," which is listed as one of mine (although I didn't recall it), the printed page shows that it was written by a fellow female (oxymoron?) scribe named Moira McCormick.

Hey Moira, if this blog post pops up in some search engine of yours, leave a comment and let's reconnect!

In the meantime, I am reminded that byline fame is, indeed, fleeting.

Freebies in lieu of real news.

Greetings, blog people.

I planned to do a real posting, with news and links to new examiner.com stories and an O/CD tally, but then I started checking email and, while looking for an eddress for the publicist at Merge Records, so I could propose a story on the NPR stream of the new Spoon album (and maybe hit her up for a copy), I realized that she'd sent a bunch of free mp3s that were cool for sharing. So, instead of babbling on, I give you a Merge mini-sampler. I haven't heard all of the songs yet myself, so these are not necessarily recommendations. But hey, at these prices, what do any of us have to lose?

Download “Take It In” from “The Knot,” by Wye Oak.

Grab "Coast of Carolina" from Telekinesis! (I do like them)

From "Goodnight Unknown" by Lou Barlow, here’s "Gravitate."

Enjoy a download of "We are the Men You’ll Grow to Love Soon" from “In the Court of the Wrestling Let’s.” Singer Wesley Patrick Gonzalez describes this song as “Let’s Wrestle’s Barmitzvah from whence they turned from punk pre-teens into men who rock.”

Shout Out Louds’ new CD is called "Work" and due out digitally on February 2. The free MP3 I can share: "Walls.”

From the Radar Brothers’ "The Illustrated Garden", here’s "Horses Warriors.”

An album called "Mister Pop" contains The Clean’s “gorgeously hazy sunset anthem” called “In the Dreamlife You Need a Rubber Soul.” and an “Autobahn-referential instrumental moment” called ”Tensile."

And here’s a whole CD’s worth of songs from various artists doing material in the “old lonesome sound.". I think I posted this last year when it was first made available, but it popped up when I was sorting the mail and it's still there to grab, so why not?

And finally, though this blog has no illusions of being a force for world change, think of/pray for/donate to the people of Haiti if you can, and send good karma their way. And remember that, whatever crap we may go through day-to-day, we're damn lucky to sit here playing on our computers and listening to music.

Tally Ho!

Since I don’t have much to say about last night’s People’s Choice Awards (suffice to say that I felt sorry for the “Glee” cast having to shill frozen pizza), let’s get the O/CD Tally rolling, with the past two day’s worth of acquisitions.

And since Letterman has Rachel Maddow and Nick Jonas as guests tonight, I can take my time to write ‘em up.

Digital downloads:
PR contacts at EMI have kindly sent some new music via zip file:
CORINNE BAILEY RAY – The Sea
First response: mellow and melodic; need time to see if anything sticks.
2010 GRAMMY NOMINEES CD - Various Artists
20 tracks to catch me up with some of the bigger hits of last year that slipped by.
Release date: January 19, so if you need a cram course before the big awards night (usually a much better show that the PCA), it’s there for you, too. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the CD benefit the MusiCares® Foundation and the GRAMMY Foundation® (non-paid commercial announcement).

Freebie Alert!
DOCTOR ROSEN ROSEN – 2009 Remixes
Last year, I did a story for examiner.com about this remixer’s freebie reinterpretation of Lily Allen’s “It’s Not Me, It’s You” album. Now the good Doctor is it again, offering a compilation of 10 remixes he did in 2009, including Phoenix, Weezer, Eminem, Lady Gaga (a take on “Poker Face,” the original of which is in the Grammy collection), In the year to come, the DR2 promises some new official remixes like Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce (did you hear it here first?) so it appears his star is on the rise. If you want your own set of tunes, click here. You’re welcome.
ITUNES NEW MUSIC SAMPLER - Various Artists
I've already forgotten how I heard about this (Senior moment?), but iTunes is offering a free 20-track sampler to anyone who signs up as a fan on Facebook. A lot of it is unfamiliar (kinda the point, I'd say) but there are cool tracks from Metric, Moby and Sting to add star power and the price, as they say, is right. And, since I just went to FB to look at the page and got a second free download code, here it is: XP4FENTTXKH4
One time only use. So let's see who's getting CPF on the RSS!

PEP (Puffy Envelope Promo) Squad:
NUKE THE SOUP - Make Waves Not War
The first official physical promo disc of 2010 is a little-known (by me, at least) Maryland-based band led by a dude named Mark Davidson, formerly of an outfit called Cubic Feet. The album was produced by Pete Solley, who’s done the deed for Oingo Boingo and the Romantics. Given the band’s name and the accompanying sticker (tiny swag is better than none) of a mushroom cloud emerging from the titular (snicker) snack bowl, I was expecting a pop-punk sound suitable for a Warped tour slot. But it’s actually more of a DMB-via surf club vibe, the type of sound they could easily make fun of on SNL’s “The Mellow Show with Jack Johnson.” And – I am not making this up – there’s a song whose title is explained thusly: “apparently, male dolphins excite easily and are known to offer a certain body part to swimmers as a ‘Finger of Friendship.’”
Not the most auspicious beginning.

Thrift Store Finds:
Always fun to trade off a few bags of unwanted clothing and housewares if it gives me a chance to browse the $1.50 CDs and today was no exception, especially since I got the holiday albums at 75% off!
ELECTRO LOUNGE – 3-track sampler
Whoa! I just looked up this disc on amazon.com to see a date (1999) and see that it’s discontinued, with the price for a used copy starting at $24 bucks. I actually hesitated in buying it ‘cause it was just three songs, but I was intrigued by the combination of Dean Martin and Julie London on a remix of the title track remix (there’s also Martin’s original and a James Brown theme). Guess what’s gonna ripped to hard drive and put up for sale?
BELLY – King (Sire/Reprise)
On the other hand, I bought this, even though I already have a copy (signed by the band at a radio show) ‘cause it was sealed and I thought it might have resale value. No such luck, says amazon; there are scores on sale for less than a buck. So, it’s off to swaptree.com, where I can trade it for something on my wanted list for the cost of postage.
WINTER WONDERLAND – Various Artists (Varese Saradande)
Always on the lookout for new additions to the Cool Yule collection, even if it means buying in advance. This collection has a lot of vintage stuff – “Button Up Your Overcoat” by Dick Haymes, for example – and there’s a lot of stuff here that is winter-themed, but not Christmas specific. So it may get some play before it goes into the bin.
THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL – original soundtrack (Jim Henson Records/BMG)
But this, ah, this was the big score. Grad Girl adores this movie, a regular feature of our family’s December celebrations. She was able to get a few of the songs from a friend who did some Internet magic, but asked me to keep an eye open for the full album. And it wasn’t even in the CD bins; it was left on a shelf in the toy section and just happened to catch my eye as I was waiting to check out. It was fate, I tell you!
And it’s the inordinate joy I get from finding a CD like that in a thrift store – and giving it to my daughter - that makes me, now and forever, a true music geek.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in this new year of 2010, CPF presents the
O/CD Tally: 9

Let's Get This Party Started!

Yes, I know it's five days into 2010 already and this is only my first post. I wanted to start with something big and dramatic, like the relaunch on a new site, but I'm still looking into Wordpress. I haven't been to any shows yet, and the only disc I've acquired in the new year is a CD-R of cover tunes by my husband's friend's bar band, so the O/CD Tally isn't ready to go, either.

But I have heard some fine new music which I can share, somewhat. The new Vampire Weekend album, Contra, comes out next week, and it's being streamed in its entirety in two locations:
care of NPR.org
or via the band's web site.


I've listened only once, but I liked what I heard and am eager to revisit. It would appear that the guys, who hubby and I saw in concert last year and enjoyed muchly, have beaten the sophomore slump.

Meanwhile, in ExaminerLand, my first story of the new year turned out to be tour news (with presale code) and a free remix download from Owl City. Again, I was gearing up to do something with a more punchy End of One Year/Beginning of Another vibe, but the details just fell together and it seemed timely in its own way.

So, while this is less than sensational opening salvo for the CPF 2010 Blog, it's got new music and a freebie - and I did play with the settings somewhat (more to come), and that's not a bad beginning, right?

And hey, it would be really great if there were more comments this year. Nudge, nudge, know what I mean?