(03.29.08) Recommends:

The LA64.
#58: Merry Karnowski Gallery.
170 S. La Brea Ave.

#57: Shepard Fairey.

(explanation of series here.)

It feels like Shepard Fairey is an artist whose work we've always known. Obviously this can't be right; at some point we came across an Andre the Giant sticker and through due diligence discovered Shep as the mastermind. Growing up, we were huge fans of both the WWF and the absurd (query whether there is actually a difference between mid-80s WWF and absurdity) so our affinity for Shep comes pretty naturally.

We've taken advantage of seeing his work in a formal setting; we've attended opening receptions at Exhibit A Gallery:



and at Merry Karnowski Gallery:



We've stopped into Merry Karnowski Gallery a few other times. There's always something interesting being shown there. From what we can tell, it's widely regarded as one of the most important galleries in LA for cutting edge and underground art. And Shep, of course, is known primarily as being an underground artist, a street artist. So the thing that we've really come to
appreciate about him is that he makes us question our assumptions about what should be considered Serious Art and what should be considered Underground Art.

See, we grew up in a family that demanded respect for Serious Art. When our family would go on vacation, part of the drill would be to visit the local art museums. And we have very fond memories of these excursions. But here's the thing. Going to a Serious Art museum always felt -- still feels -- like a Big Event. You have to Dress Presentably. You have to speak in Hushed Tones. You have to Behave Yourself. These are all manners of behavior that no doubt have there required place in a civilized world. But.

But. It feels so stiff, you know? Isn't art supposed to inspire, to make the days more bearable, to create the unexpectancies that make life so exciting?

On the other hand, the other day we were just walking to the Beachwood Market, the local market that serves our neighborhood, Beachwood Canyon, and we happened to stumble upon this awesome Shep guerrilla job:



You may recall another Obama-inspired Shep piece that we stumbled upon during a Silverlake blogging adventure from earlier this month:



And seeing this kind of stuff makes us really, really giddy. That's what art is supposed to do, right? So here's the thing. Maybe Serious Art should actually be considered Underground Art. Because Underground -- at least to us -- suggests something that isn't experienced every day. And the Good Lord (along with our co-workers) knows that Dressing Presentably, speaking in Hushed Tones, and Behaving Ourselves just doesn't regularly occur. And, between working and carrying out the bare minimum necessary to get by -- eating and showering, we're thinking -- it's increasingly difficult to actually get to a museum during official museum hours, yaknow?

The flip side to this, of course, is that Shep should actually be considered Serious Art. And this makes sense. Shep takes it to the street; he adds unexpectancy and vibrancy and vitality to our daily view. He adds the color to our every day aesthetic that is both surprising and completely necessary.

Finally, we understand that there's a fine line between street art and vandalism. But we think Shep has demonstrated knowledge in navigating that line. And that makes his vision very necessary to our culture. It's a vision that demands respect from us all.

(03.29.08) Recommends:

The LA64.
#59: The Old LA Weekly Building.
6715 Sunset Blvd.

(explanation of series here.)


They say a picture is worth a thousand words. A picture of words? We don't know how much they say that's worth. But, we're sure we can all agree that the words pictured are words to live by.

(03.27.08) Recommends:

Measure for Measure.

Two of the most common themes that have emerged in this space are our appreciation of Andrew Bird as maker of some of the most compelling music we have, and our appreciation of the New York Times' embrace of the internet such that it has become one-stop news shopping. Today we were thrilled to learn that these two juggernauts are combining forces. Andrew Bird will be contributing to a new nytimes blog called Measure for Measure. The blog's description:

With music now available with a single, offhand click, it's easy to forget that songs are not born whole, polished and ready to play. They are created by artists who draw on some combination of craft, skill and inspiration. In the coming weeks, the contributors to this blog -- all accomplished songwriters -- will pull back the curtain on the creative process as they write about their work on a songs in the making.

Check out Andrew Bird's first contribution here.

(03.26.08) Recommends:

The LA64.
#60: Blue Neighborhood Signs.

(explanation of series here.)

We like to discover a town not by map, but by just getting in the car and getting lost. But for neighborhood-centric cities, one of the most apparent shortfalls of this method is that it takes a while to figure out the contours of the various neighborhoods. That's what is so genius about LA's decision to plaster blue signs to announce the official and unofficial boundaries of neighborhoods. You can never go more than about a half mile without learning where you are!

We recommend checking back to this post often, because we plan to continue documenting the blue signs we come across, and when we do, we'll be sure to post them here.

(03.25.08) Recommends:

The LA64.
#61: Brunch at Chateau Marmont.
8221 W Sunset Boulevard.

(explanation of series here.)


So, we were first taken here by family of family of a family friend. Or something like that. Neither party was exactly sure of the connection, but we were pretty floored by the generosity. Taking a wagon full of ne'er-do-wells such as ourselves to brunch is more than we could ever reasonably expect from others. But time and again -- as we've mentioned here several times -- the people we've come across in LA have showered us with enough hospitality to make a midwestern mother's son blush. And we think that's a tremendous storyline, and one underreported by makers of city stereotypes.

(03.25.08) Recommends:

The LA64.
#62: The Mendel's Hollyway Cleaners Sign.
8359 Santa Monica Blvd.

(explanation of series here.)


When we first moved down to LA -- okay, we realize that this is the second post in a row that starts with that phrase and we promise to stop it -- we found ourselves driving by this sign every morning to make sure that (a) it hadn't disappeared during the night, or (b) we hadn't just dreamed it up. LA does not have a ton of stunning architectural highlights, but what it lacks it more than makes up in awesome signage (we're predicting a good 30 of the LA64 could be signs -- we told you we're pretty new here).

Has either Mr. Mendel or this sign appeared in a Simpson's episode yet? We're pretty sure neither has and we're pretty sure there's not a reasonable explanation for such absence.

While we whole-heartedly recommend this sign, we've never actually used the cleaner. And we only mention this because it's received some pretty crappy yelp reviews.

(03.22.08) Recommends:

The LA64.
#63: The View From Everett Park.
Everett Street, One Block North of Sunset.

(explanation of series here.)

When we first moved down to LA, we were not willing to surrender to the fact that LA has crappy traffic. We were convinced for a brief period of time -- such time has long since passed, mind you -- that we could find secret routes! that would make our morning commute more manageable. The interesting thing about this is that, with certain big caveats, we are believers in the power of free markets. So it is unclear to us why we believed that, in a town with literally millions of commuters, we could just show up one day and find a route that nobody had yet discovered. [Whether this should be classified as being stubborn or delusional, we'll leave for you to decide.]

Anyway. What would inevitably happen while looking for secret routes! is that we would get completely, hopelessly lost. And getting unlost would just add another 45 vein-popping, nerve-shattering minutes to the commute.

What changed a lot for us was the time we got lost in Everett Park. Everett Park is somewhere either in or between Echo Park and Downtown. We realized that we were headed North and were driving up a Big Fucking Hill. We work more south and on Flat Land. Something was Seriously Wrong. Until we turned around and saw this:


And at this point, two things happened. One, it hit us that we actually lived and worked in Los Angeles, and this was a kinda exciting realization. Two, it occurred to us that everything would turn out okay.

We like this story because we think there's truth in it, corny though it may be. We are human and thus it is our wont to feel confused and sad and anxious at times. But sometimes, at the height of that confusion, sadness, and anxiety, the best course of action is to simply turn around and look at our surroundings. Sometimes, when we feel the most unsure, it turns out that we're actually just at the top of the mountain, overlooking our kingdom.

Of course, it also helped that Everett Park has a sign that reminded us, once again, that we are a government of laws and not of men:

(03.21.08) Recommends:

The LA64.
#64: The Silver Lake Lounge.
2906 W Sunset Blvd.

(explanation of series here.)


So, the Silver Lake Lounge. This one will throw the midwesterns for a loop: during the week it's a full on gay bar, then on the weekends, the place takes a break and transforms itself into a hipster indie rock bar. LA is smooth like that.

The place is our kind of place to see a show. Regardless of the weather outside, it is always dark, dark, dark inside. It's small and gets crowded and the sound can get sketchy and the sight lines can get sketchy. But when the stars align, the club is capable of putting on the Most Compelling Live Show You've Ever Seen. The bar is narrow and opens to a small stage off to the back left. The stage is adored with an illuminated sign that says "Salvation." With all the cynicism and sarcasm and detachment and aloofness in our society, there's something that devastates us about that sign.




The last time we were there we caught a great show by the Dodos. This morning the Dodos got a great write up on pitchfork. The Silver Lake Lounge gets a shoot out in the review. Good job, peeps.

(03.20.08) Recommends:

The LA64.

So as we find ourselves at the start of another round of March Madness, we also find ourselves at the end of our first six months living in Los Angeles. And we thought we would use the tourney as a hook to reflect back on what we've discovered since we moved down from the Bay Area. So starting later today, and continuing throughout the tournament, we will present, in full photoblogging glory, the 64 people, places, and things in Los Angeles that get us excited to wake up in the morning and reluctant to go to bed at night. [1] They will be presented in an order that is meant to portray whimsy, not preference. We hope everybody learns a little from it.

If you see us out and about documenting the city we love, don't be shy -- come up and say hi! Who knows, you may be or become one of our 64 favorite things in this city.



[1] Some people may claim that, despite all the awesomeness surrounding us, we still manage to be conked out cold, every night, by 11pm. The veracity of these claims, alas, will not be considered during this blogging experiment.

(03.16.08) Recommends:

Swinging Nachos Like You Just Don't Care.

So, last night we made tacos with a Fellow Blogger. And whenever we eat tacos late-night-style, we tend to wake up real early-morning-style the next morning. And this Sunday morning, we had some business to attend to in the Hills of Beverly. And one of our favorite parts of living in California for the last nearly four years has been finding ourselves traveling through locations -- much like the Hills of Beverly -- that we heretofore knew only through songs. And usually, when we find ourselves in these places that seem familiar, we put on the song that makes them feel familiar, and bump it, real loud like. So this AM, while still under the influence of a post-taco glow, we were blaring Pavement. We're not sure if the denizens of Beverly Hills were quite feeling what we were feeling. But at any rate, they were hearing us. And we thought we'd share with you that song, as well.

(03.11.08) Recommends:

Dawn Landes, "Fireproof" (Cooking Vinyl, 2008).

We've blogged about Dawn Landes before here and here, and this week she released a new album. We've been listening to it all week and we're really enjoying it. "Tired of This Life" is thus far our favorite track of the year. Luckily for you the new album can be streamed right here.

Dawn Landes -- Fireproof -- streaming audio.
Dawn Landes @ Myspace.

(03.10.08) Recommends:

Pastrami Sandwiches.

So we ventured out to our neighborhood deli yesterday. We got to the counter and were in a red meat mood. Just as we were about to order up some roast beef, the phrase "a pound of pastrami please" floated out of us. And we've gotta say, we can't remember the last time alliteration tasted this good. Why has it been so long since we've had a pastrami sandwich? We're not kidding around here, we've already had about three of them today. And if we're not careful, the whole pound will be gone by dark. We're told that pastrami was created as a method for preserving meat from spoilage in an age before modern refrigeration methods. Today, it preserved us from the Monday blahs and for that we could not be more grateful. Thank you, pastrami sandwich. You really are the king of the salt-cured meats. We promise not to neglect you for this long again.

(03.09.08) Recommends:

Not Overdoing It.

So yesterday was another action-packed day in Beachwood Canyon. We woke up super-early stizz, only to stumble upon a horribly visual car wreck in which the backside of a poor Mini Cooper was absolutely pancaked. Then it was off for some self-pamper -- calm down back there, it's been a rough month. We tried to get our hair in order, got to smelling pretty again, and got some fancy pants. Then it was off to catch an early show by the Dodos at Silverlake Lounge and an opening night reception at an art gallery. We dutifully recorded all of this via camera, but in our haste to upload the pics, we managed to destroy the chord that is needed for the transfer.

And this mishap caused us to realize that there's been too much stress in our lives lately and all of our hustle and bustle -- our need to be constantly on the move -- is probably a sign that we're trying to overcompensate for something.

Probably we just need to chill for a bit.

So then we hopped into bed and opened Life of Pi, hands down one of our favorite novels ever. There is so much about the novel that absolutely devastates us, but there is one passage in particular that we come back to, time and time, when we think that our emotions are getting the best of us. And we thought we'd share it with you all today.

I wept like a child. It was not because I was overcome at having survived my ordeal, though I was. Nor was it the presence of my brothers and sisters, though that too was very moving. I was weeping because Richard Parker had left me so unceremoniously. What a terrible thing it is to botch a farewell. I am a person who believes in form, in the harmony of order. Where we can, we must give things a meaningful shape. For example -- I wonder -- could you tell my jumbled story in exactly one hundred chapters, not one more, not one less? I'll tell you, that's one thing I hate about my nickname [editor's note: his nickname is Pi] the way that number runs on forever. It's important in life to conclude things properly. Only then can you let go. Otherwise you are left with words you should have said but never did, and your heart is heavy with remorse. That bungled goodbye hurts me to this day. I wish so much that I'd had one last look at him in the lifeboat, that I'd provoked him a little, so that I was on his mind. I wish I had said to him then -- yes, I know, to a tiger, but still -- I wish I had said, "Richard Parker, it's over. We have survived. Can you believe it? I owe you more gratitude than I can express. I couldn't have done it without you. I would like to say it formally: Richard Parker, thank you. Thank you for saving my life. And now go where you must. You have known the confined freedom of a zoo most of your life; now you will know the free confinement of a jungle. I wish you the best with it. Watch out for Man. He is not your friend. But I hope you will remember me as a friend. I will never forget you, that is certain. You will always be with me, in my heart. What is that hiss? Ah, our boat has touched sand. So farewell, Richard Parker, farewll. God be with you.

(03.08.08) Recommends:

The Craigslist Dating Blog.

My oh my. So we have this friend. He's smart and funny and gentle and outgoing and pretty much the perfect guy. He's everything we wish we were. But despite everything he has going for him, he is recently out of a relationship. And he's always recently out of a relationship. He's kinda girlie like that. So we took him out for "sympathy drinks" last night and convinced him that there were only two reasonable solutions to his problems. The first, start dating through craigslist. The second, blog the experience. Luckily our friend has taken our advice, and today passed along the blog. And now we present the blog that will do no less than change your entire life:

Craigslist Dating.

(03.05.08) Recommends:

Jeffrey Lewis and the Jitters.

So this band opened the Mountain Goats show at the Troubadour last night. As my friend and I entered the venue and were milling about in the front bar area of the Troub, we thought the Mountain Goats were already on stage; Jeffrey Lewis can sound uncannily similar to John Darnielle at times. But we hurried into the main room just as Jeffrey Lewis said the next song would feature a slide show, which seemed a bit un-John Darnielle-esque. In this song, Jeffrey Lewis had made an illustration for each line of a hilariously endearing song about the trials and tribulations of young punks and hippies. It set the tone that this is a seriously quirky band. A bit like the Moldy Peaches meets the Dead Milkmen meets Daniel Johnston meets X meets probably a ton of influential lo-fi punk bands that are too underground to even appear on our radar screen meets a bunch of graphic designers and comic book artists. It could easily come off as being too cute, but they rock enough and there's enough of an edge to make it work. They played for about an hour and we found it a completely satisfying hour.

So check 'em out.

On the web.
At myspace.

(03.04.08) Recommends:

Concert Photography, vol. 13 [Limited Edition vol.]
The Mountain Goats,
The Troubadour,
West Hollywood, Calif.
03.04.08.

We just got back from the show and we'll have more to say on it tomorrow. One thing that struck us at the show. Some people communicate through omission. Other people communicate through, well, words. The Mountain Goats communicate with words. We appreciate that. People who communicate through omissions are mostly pussies. See you tomorrow, folks.



Update: After going through our pics there aren't any good enough to post. The above picture is the clearest thing we got and it's pretty bad. It gets really dark and packed at the Troubadour and we're too reluctant to use our flash. We still obviously need training at taking pics in dark rock clubs. If any readers out there want to give us some pointers, we'd love some lessons. We're also thinking about moving beyond our old digital camera into something a bit more fancy and would love input on that decision as well.

(03.03.08) Recommends:

Concert Photography, vol. 12.
The Airborne Toxic Event,
The Troubadour,
West Hollywood, Calif.
03.03.08

So, at a very young age we discovered that we possessed a genuine talent for getting into sold out events. We also happen to be maniacal procrastinators. (It's unclear in which direction causation runs). So for most of our live event going lives we have employed the following tactic. We see that a band we love is coming through town. Then we tell ourselves that we should totally -- oh, totally! -- go to the show. Then, we completely forget about this until about a day before the show, only to learn that the show, invariably, is sold out. Then with about two hours before the show, we conjure our awesome hidden talent and manage to procure tickets, and usually at or below face value. We have used this talent to get/impress at least three dates.

But then an interesting thing happened. We moved to Los Angeles. And we have friends who are ridiculously well-connected [1]. Which means that our special talent has laid dormant for months. One less thing to worry about, we suppose. But also one less thing with which to impress people. At this point, we're worried we might never get another date.

So tonight's two cell phone call last minute hook-up resulted in a spot at the sold out Airborne Toxic Event show.



We first heard them when we had just moved to LA and were convinced that we were on our death bed. Luckily, we lived another day. And we've spent many of the lucid days that have followed listening to tracks from this band.



The crowds keep getting bigger, and more energetic, with spontaneous sing-alongs and fist pumps a common scene.



The fiddle is pretty much the neuroscientist of rock bands: we'll always have a soft spot in our hearts for them.



We know we've gushed about this band every time that we've blogged about them. But we really believe that they have the qualities to be a band that tours nationally and becomes a big sensation. They have a very big stage presence. And the crowds eat this band up.



But even if they don't become superstars, they still put on a really fun show. And they got a room full of hundreds of people to sing and smile and dance and bop their heads. And when we stepped back to get a better view of how the crowd was responding to the band, we noticed some stalwarts of the east side LA music scene smooshed next to people who probably have never ventured east of Cahuenga for their live music fixes. And that's a pretty cool thing. We could heard Willie Nelson singing, the life I love is makin' music with my friends, and I can't wait to get on the road again.



[1] These people are also well-mannered, well-tailored, well-coiffed, well-read, well-educated, smell pretty, cook gourmet meals, run sub-four minute miles, can create complex origami figures, engage in linear algebra over lunch breaks, look reasonable in Speedo brand swimsuits, and stop-drop-and-roll before you even smell the smoke. We don't know where they come from or why they agree to hang out with us. But we're not complaining.

(03.02.08) Recommends:

Exploring Your Neighborhood.

So as we promised earlier, we set aside some time during this weekend to do nothing but sit on a patio, soak in the beautiful weather, and enjoy some beer.

So we woke up Sunday and set out by foot looking for adventure.



Readers of this blog know we've become completely obsessed with Project Runway this season. So we were pretty stoked when came around the bend and happened to glance across the street.



That's right. We stumbled unto Rami Kashou's Silverlake studio. Note the drapes in the front windows. Homeboy knows how to drape, there's no denying that.



A Sunny Day + A Random Pop Cultural Sighting = Time to Get our Thai Beer on, Yo.



Not wanting to mess with what proved to be a successful formula, we kept on truckin', Thai beer style.



By this point, things like formulas were too much for our malleable minds. So we threw caution to the wind and set out by foot looking for more adventures.



While Chuck Taylor's make us 13% hipper, Thai beer makes us 14% more tired.



So we flagged down a DD and continued the adventure in a big SUV [thus also doing our part to contribute to the War in Iraq].



We continued heading eastward.



Listening to MGMT makes us an additional 13% hipper.



Burrito King makes us an additional 13% fatter.



We might have gotten fatter today. But we can change; we can lose that weight.
Yes! We! Can!

(03.01.08) Recommends:

Citizen Journalism!

So as we previously mentioned, we saw Cat Power last night. She used to have a reputation for putting on really shitty live performances. But, as we understand it, in the last few years she's gotten things in order and now puts on completely engaging performances. Last night included. Also, owing to the fact that we have friends in Los Angeles who are as generous as they are cool, we had a spectacular view of the show.

But what was particularly notable about the night occurred before the show. We got to the Wiltern a early, because it is located in K-Town, and we never, ever pass up an opportunity to drink Hite like a native. [Even though we're silly white people from Kansas[1], it can hardly be disputed that Koreans love us and think of us as practically half-Korean. South-style, yo. Stop laughing back there; this is all more or less true.] And when we got to the venue we noticed a sign posted on the Box Office[2]. The sign was a Public Notice of Application For Ownership Change. It listed the current owner as the Wiltern Theater. And the new owner as Wolfgang Puck Catering and Events, LLP. The sign also mentioned "on-sale general eating" whatever that means. So, does anybody know, like, what this means? Is Wolfgang Puck a reformed rock star who's going through a mid-life crisis and is now getting the band back together? Is the Wiltern going to be turned into a restaurant? Is Wolfgang Puck just going to be catering the shows? (And maybe some drum solos). We're confused, but we suspect that we can find the answer through fellow bloggers. So if people know what's going on, let us know.



[1] We were sporting a Kansas t-shirt last night. And before the show, while walking from the bar to the venue, we got a "Rock Chalk!" with accompanying fist pump. Then, while in the venue, an impossibly attractive female came up to talk to us because she had graduated from KU (as any KU grad can attest, there are many impossibly attractive girls at KU, the majority of which come either from the farmlands of Kansas, or from Minnesota. Strange, but true.). We mention these stories because one of our favorite parts of living in Los Angeles is that when we wear KU garb people approach, without fail, to tell us they either went to KU or are from Kansas. It literally happens every time we wear KU stuff. Honestly, we now wear Kansas apparel way more then we ever have before because these encounters make us really happy. We realize it might be corny to talk about things like a "sense of community," but we really feel it with our fellow Kansas ex pats. We also realize that it's strange that we strongly identify with our Kansas heritage when we did, in fact, leave Kansas, and all our friends and loved ones therein, when we left for California. But just because we left Kansas does not mean that we have forgotten it, or stopped thinking about it. We want everybody back home to know this.

[2] We would show a picture of this sign, but our camera is currently being held hostage by terrorists. Actually, terrorist, singular. Thus, we do not have access to it. So we took a picture of the sign with our camera phone, but we are bad with the technology and cannot figure out how to transfer the picture from our phone to our computer. So bear with our prose description.

(02.29.08) Recommends:

You Talk Way Too Much.

Apropos of, ahem, Absolutely Nothing, we've been listening to this song all day today.

(02.28.08) Recommends:

Looking Forward to the Weekend.

We don't want to jinx it or anything, but. We've been doing some research. We're scoured the internet. Poured over the newspaper. Flipped through all the channels on the teevee. We even consulted with the guy down at the corner store. The verdict is in. And it's unanimous: this weekend is shaping up to be the Best Weekend Thus Far For This Calendar Year. We all just have to get through today. And then we've got more potential highlights than reasonable people can shake sticks at. Behold:

1. Miss Chan Marshall will be serenading us on Friday.
2. The weather is supposed to be, um, another nearly perfect LA weekend. Weather.com sums it up succinctly with it's prediction of "abundant sunshine."
3. Which means we're gonna be getting our exercise outside!
4. We'll probably consume no less than three alcoholic drinks in a single sitting, because it is the weekend, and well, we can. Note: this does not mean the drink must come from a can. It might come from a bottle. Or a fancy glass. Or off the chest of an eager, nubile female. No, no. Another Note: we didn't just write that; it was the other editor; and it's completely false. And preposterous. We only love people for their minds. Sheesh.
5. Last and probably funniest: New Will Ferrel Movie Weekend.

So there you go. There's no point in asking if you can top this list because we both know you can't. But you should try anyway. 'Cause this is the weekend when things are gonna happen.

(02.27.08) Recommends:

Busting Our Your Favorite Driving CD and Going for a Drive.

Call us old timers, but this post is a nod to old school music listening ways.

One of the things that our iPod world makes us contemplate is the future of the Driving CD. Anyone born from about 1985 and earlier knows what we're talking about. The CD that you always have somewhere in the car because if a long road trip should suddenly break out, you'd need it because it's your favorite Driving CD. They are those rare albums where every song is good, every song flows perfectly into the next song, and together the album seems to perfectly soundtrack whatever landscape that happens to surround you.

Do people still have Driving CDs, or is it all iPod mixes, perfectly tailored to meet the expectations of the destination, the driving company, the climate controlled environment? God, we hope not.

Probably our favorite Driving CD is Son Volt's Trace. This record came out when we were Sophomores in high school, and my goodness, driving really meant something at that age, you know? We can definitely recall getting out and getting lost among the dusty backroads of Kansas, with the windows rolled down and that humid heat beating down on us, listening to this record over and over and over again. We didn't know where we were headed, but we were hopeful that the open road and this album held some of the answers.

And this week, we're there again. I mean, we're not back in Kansas. We've found ourselves sequestered in a certain California city that was heretofore unknown to us. But this town has a really stunning mountain range. So when we've had time, we've gotten out, like that Sophomore stuck inside of us, and have been driving in the shadow of that mountain range. Looking for answers, trying to clear our heads. And wouldn't you know it, but we had to bust out our favorite Driving CD again. And it can still make everything seem more meaningful.

These songs will never be as powerful to us as they are coming out of a CD player, out on the open road, but here are two of our favorite tracks from our favorite Driving CDs.

(02.26.08) Recommends:

PWRFL POWER.

Just the other day we were wondering -- luckily we weren't wondering this aloud, as is sometimes our wont -- what would happen if Satomi Matsuzaki, the lead singer of Deerhoof, and Sufjan Stevens, of, um, Sufjan Stevens made some kind of musical robot out of their combined presences. Luckily we didn't have to wait too long for an answer, because today the good people at Catbird Records emailed us the answer. The robot's name is PWRFL POWER and he sounds like this. Note: He's not actually a robot. But we're very excited by the results nonetheless.


PWRFL POWER -- Alma Song -- mp3.

PWRFL POWER @ CBR.
PWRFL POWER @ Myspace.

(02.25.08) Recommends:

The Bureau of Communication.

We came across this page via the Daily Candy email, and it cracks us up. The premise is combining the powers of the internet and Mad Libs to convey all those unspoken thoughts that go through our heads all day. So if you're not sure how to reveal your attraction or repulsion to somebody; your regret or appreciation over things; to communicate, to celebrate, to observe; BoC might be just the thing for you. Just go to the site. Pick out a pre-created form. Fill it out. Email it off. "Let that which is unsaid be said." Attempts at humor are strongly discouraged.

(02.24.08) Recommends:

"Sometime Around Midnight" by the Airborne Toxic Event.

One of the things that we've really loved about our time in Los Angeles is all the great local bands we've stumbled upon one way or another. We've seen and blogged about locals the Deadly Syndrome, Western States Motel, Robert Francis, Emily Jane White and lots of others. We think Airborne Toxic Event gets top honors for Weirdest Discovery. And we've been listening to this ATE single tons lately. One of the reasons we really love this track (and perhaps it's subconsciously one of the reasons we love this band) is that we're pretty sure this is what Neil Diamond would have sounded like had he decided all those years ago to front an indie-rock band. And we're not being ironic or snarky here -- we really love Neil Diamond.

So seriously. We're pretty sure this band is gonna break big this calendar year. And we're pretty sure they owe a big debt to Neil Diamond. If you doubt this theory, check out this tune, close your eyes, and picture Neil Diamond.

All you know about Neil Diamond and indie-rock might change upon this experiment.

Paradigms? They're about to be shifted.

(02.23.08) Recommends:

Six Degrees of Comedy.

1. Paul F. Tompkins performed down the street from us last night at UCB.

2. Paul F. Tompkins regularly performs in Comedy Death Ray at UCB.

3. A Comedy Death Ray album has been released.

4. Ian Edwards contributes a track on the album.

5. Part of his contribution is a bit on shark attacks.

6. And it's among the funniest things we've ever heard.

Here's the bit, in a slightly different form, that we found on youtube. [Starts at 1:44]

(02.22.08) Recommends:

The Track "Lights Out for Darker Skies" by British Sea Power (Rough Trade, 2008).

So Pitchfork apparently really hated BSP's new album, Do You Like Rock Music?, but we're really digging this song. I guess Pitchfork, and probably lots of other people, are upset that BSP hasn't put out an album it finds to be as awesome as their first, The Decline of British Sea Power. We really fucking love that album. But we're fine with BSP putting out whatever they want. Certainly people shouldn't be required to like everything by a band that puts out a killer debut. But we're also pretty certain that you're trying too hard at life if you can't get behind an anthem like Lights Out.

(02.20.08) Recommends:

The Mountain Goats.

Sometimes we sit around wondering how our culture will be remembered by future generations. Of today's cultural outputs, what music will survive, what books will be taught in high school English classes, what thinkers will influence the way the next generation understands the world.

However that history is ultimately written, as things stand now one thing is abundantly clear. John Darnielle is one of the most important songwriters we have. If you've ever talked to us about this in Real Life we're merely repeating ourselves, but we'll put it out there on the blog now: the closest we can ever imagine ourselves feeling like heroin addict is listening to The Mountain Goats. We mean this as a compliment, of course. The characters in John Darnielle songs have reached this level of pure, unadulterated misery; it makes us twitchy just listening to the narratives. But here's the thing. It's not like mindless nihilism. The characters embody what we imagine Janis Joplin means when she sings freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. They are at rock bottom, but they have a defiance toward the world that is both scary and awesomely impressive. And it's a defiance we damn well better understand if we want to try to make any sense out of the world.

Or, at least this is how we hear things. Sometimes we wonder if our lives would have turned out differently had we only listened to "upbeat" "happy" music. Frankly, we feel sorry for those who don't listen to the Mountain Goats.

They released a new album earlier this month. We're busting out of our britches with excitement to see them when they come through town for two shows next month. So for now we'll leave you with an old favorite and a new favorite.

Old Favorite:



New Favorite:

(02.19.08) Recommends:

More Thoughts While On the Exercise Bike at the Gym.

One. Do drive-by shootings occur more frequently in Los Angeles than the national average, and if so, is it because the shooters just can't find any parking?

Two. Does stalking occur less frequently in Los Angeles than the national average, and if so, is it because the stalker has to wait in so much traffic that eventually the stalker gives up on ever making it to the stalkee's place of residence and instead, e.g., detours to a bar to drink away the road rage?

Three. Are you really wearing that spandex outfit? Really?

If you have answers to any of these questions, please send them along.

(02.18.08) Recommends:

Mx Missiles by Andrew Bird.

If you've read this blog for any amount of time you know we're not really subtle about our love of Andrew Bird. If you want to see past musings, type his name up there in the search bar on the upper left hand corner of the blog. We're pretty sure by the time this blog is done we'll have used this space to individually recommended every song he'll ever put out. And our latest obsession is Mx Missiles. We recently hung out with a friend who's equally obsessed with Bird and Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production of Eggs soundtracked parts of the eveing. Mx Missiles has lingered in our ears since.

Have a listen.

(02.17.08) Recommends:

Not Making Going to the Gym Harder on Others Than It Already Has To Be.

Okay, look. We will be the first to admit that despite the fact that we live in Southern California, and the day-time temperature has unlikely dropped below 72 degrees since we've been here, our extremities remain a pasty shade of white, an ashy shade of gray. We realize we're kind of hairy. We realize that once we get going, we really sweat quite profusely. And our faces turn a shade similar to strawberry jam.

In addition to our own considerable shortcomings, we live in a section of a city with notoriously heavy amounts of traffic and notoriously scare amounts of parking spots. There are no take-a-quick-drive-to-the-__________ (fill in the blank)'s here.

Taken together, it takes something resembling a leap of faith to get us to even show up to the gym.

There are a lot of poor saps out there like us. But we show up. We're trying.

Therefore, An Important Note: If you are going to use the gym equipment immediately adjacent to, or anywhere within the peripheral vision of, a person, please do us all a favor and do not behave in the manner of an insane person. Good Lord: life is already difficult enough, people.

In these days of multiculturalism and multilangualism, we do not want to risk "behavior in the manner of an insane person" getting lost in translation.

So.

An Example.

If somebody is using an exercise bike, and it is obvious -- perhaps from observing (but you should note your Insane Behavior Monitor going beep! beep! beep! when observing from too close a distance or too long a time) the aforementioned amounts of sweat or facial shade of strawberry jam -- that said person is in the middle of an intense workout, and is probably putting out maximum effort and still just basically holding on for dear life, you should not do the following.

You should not get on the exercise bike next to this person, and immediately start pedaling at what has to be 150 RPM while punching the air like you are training for a goddam boxing match, then leave after five minutes. This, this is Insane Behavior.

One. It is easy to get the machine up to 150 RPM the second you get on the bike. It is also easy to maintain 150 RPM for five minutes. Nobody is impressed with your speed. However, the person next to you probably thinks you're a douche bag.

Two. You are not, in fact, training for a goddam boxing match, are you? Answer: no, you are not. So enough with the punching, Billy Blanks.

Three. All of your commotion is very distracting to the poor person who we have already established is just trying to get through his or her daily workout, which in theory is supposed to offer respite from the traffic and the lack of parking and the commotion of the city and the headaches of work and the disappointments of life and the price of gasandrentandglobalwarmingandthenever-endingelectionseasonandetcetcetc and your routine, well, just stop it already, dude!

(02.15.08) Recommends:

Don't Think Twice, It's Alright.



Okay so no one can dispute that Bob Dylan is a legend or that this song is legendary. To this end enough has been said and written about both to fill up entire internets. But please indulge us as we toss another one into the tube.

Not a month goes by without us giving this song a listen. It always speaks to us. It manages to move us and comfort us, to make us feel happy or sad, but mostly it reminds us that it's necessary and proper to set aside four minutes out of this hectic life to be contemplative.

And it's worth nothing that this song has been around for literally our entire lives.

Which means:

• We've known it longer than we've known family members, friends, loved ones

• We've known it longer than we've known the Bible, been allowed in a voting booth, held a job.

• We've known it longer than we've known some of humankind's most vexing elements: love, intoxication, indifference. etc.

People, things, movements, these are all fleeting; they come and go. But somehow, this song has been here forever. And it remains.

We sought refuge in it's words when we were confused 12-year olds [a child I am told]. We seek guidance from it now, standing -- confused again, we must admit -- at the dawn of 30 [a child I am told].

The song has literally become part of us. It's seen our past and knows our present and will be part of the toolkit that we bring to bear on the issues that we will face in the future. We find strength in it's longevity and we're hard pressed to come up with many other things in our lives that can make such a claim.

We love this timeless quality of music. And we think it's important to reflect on this quality when we get too caught up in thinking about how digital technology will affect music, and how the law will deal with digital technology, and how a generation of post-Napster people will view the law.

In the end, we turn to music because it's been there for us before, it's what we've always known. We've had rough patches in the past and the music is proof both of those old wounds and of the fact that we soldiered on, and things turned out okay.

Oh, things turned out way better than okay.

(02.08.08) Recommends:

An Urban Conversation in Los Feliz.

Several weeks ago we went to brunch with a Fellow Blogger at Alcove Cafe & Bakery in Los Feliz. Today's LA Times has a lovely article about a chess table located in the cafe that has turned into a repository for notes left by patrons. If you've ever found yourself mesmerized by Found Magazine, Post Secrets, or craigslist Missed Connections, you'll love this article.

(02.07.08) Recommends:

Headlines that make you go "hmmmm?"

There was a story on ESPN.com today about Pedro Martinez being filmed at a cockfight in the Dominican Republic. The headline was "Pedro Emphasizes He Was At Cockfight As Spectator." Hmmmm, was he concerned that people thought he actually got into the ring to fight a rooster?

(02.05.08) Recommends:

Aesop's Fables Teach Children The Art Of Voter Suppresion.

Happy Super Tuesday, zebras.

(02.04.08) Recommends:

Robert Francis.

Another young gun in the LA indie-music scene. We saw him a while back at Tangier in Los Feliz. He put on a set of indie-country rock and we enjoyed it. He has a Monday -- hey today's Monday! -- residency at Silver Lake Lounge this month. Go check him out. Also, go to his myspace and give Little Girl a listen. We really like that track.

Robert Francis -- Little Girl -- streaming audio.

(02.02.08) Recommends:

Pre-Invasion Jitters.

Back in October, we blogged a few times about David Dondero (here and here and here). Since that time we've found ourselves caught up in primary/caucus hysteria. (We've even blogged about a change we'd like to see in that process.) And all this political talk hearkens us back to those Dondero days. So last night, while we were catching up on the state of our political state we put on a live Dondero album -- released in January 2004 -- in the background. And up came Pre-Invasion Jitters. And man, oh man. There must be at least a half dozen ohnohedidn't! moments in these lyrics.

While we've been paying closer attention to politics these last few weeks than we have in a while, we're still pretty certain neither Democratic candidate would have the (gender-neutral) balls to bring a guy like Dondero up on the stage. So we feel it's our duty to continue to shine our light upon him. People complain that the young and the hip don't care about politics. Dondero cares. Anybody care to listen?

David Dondero -- Pre-Invasion Jitters -- mp3.

(02.01.08) Recommends:

Buying Low: Minor Leaguer Takes Stock of Himself.

A while back we linked to a Michael Lewis article on creating a stock exchange on which professional athletes are bought and sold. Today the New York times brings the story of Randy Newsom, a minor leaguer, who set up a website where people could purchase shares of his future major league income. The article says that through Thursday, Newsom had sold about 1,800 shares of himself at $20 apiece, bringing in $36,000. The article goes on to say a player like Newsome typically makes $8,000 for a five-month season. Newsom has temporarily shut down the market, as the SEC says the shares are securities, and their unregistered offering violates federal securities law, and MLB is concerned it violates league policies. It may also violate MLBPA (the player's union) policies. However, Newsome says "this idea is not going away." So the story, once hypothetical, seems to be developing in reality now. It'll be an interesting story to follow.

(01.31.08) Recommends:

Wifi.

We've always had a sort of willfull ignorance about Middle East politics. We figure that there is so much background information to get straight before any present conflicts can be fully understood. And we feel most of the sources that discuss the issues today either do not put the current issues into any kind of historical context, or they have an agenda that is not explicitly disclosed.

So we meakly throw up our hands and stay out of Discussions About the Middle East Conflict.

But we came across a story yesterday that blew our minds. According to this Salon article, the internet in the Middle East has suffered an outage because a cable carried by a submarine was cut.

W?
T?
F?

Granted, in the U.S., we have awesome politicians like Ted Stevens who sit and lecture us about how the internet is not a dump truck, but rather a series of tubes.

And we sit back and laugh.

But in the Middle East ... they ... what? We do not understand this. Their internet is hooked up by submarine? Do they actually plug their internet cable into the bottom of the ocean, and the submarine just acts as an intermediary? We have no idea what is going on here, but this is as concerete a reason as we've ever seen that the Middle East Issue Will Not, In Fact, Ever Be Solved.

(01.30.08) Recommends:

The track "Stranger" by Sunny Day Sets Fire (IAMSOUND, 2008).

We've been listening to this track on our way to work all week. We live less than eight miles from where we work. But often times it takes us 45 minutes to travel such a distance. Which normally annoys us to an unhealthy degree. But this week -- we'll we've just put this track on repeat and enjoyed it. It reminds us of The Apples in Stereo. We think the two could easily combine forces to create a psychedelic indie rock super group called Sunny Day Sets Fire to Apples in Stereo.

But anyway. If it can put us at ease in traffic, for the sake of our future children, we would like scientists to take a look at this song and figure out how it does it.

Sunny Day Sets Fire -- Stranger -- mp3.

(01.29.08) Recommends:

Google Alerts.

It's been a while since we've last blogged. And the absence can probably be blamed on us getting smart through Google Alerts. We like dumping knowledge on your head, but sometimes it takes a while to cultivate our garden, yo. Google is trying to solve this time problem, though. And outside of searching say, the Lexis Nexis news database, Google Alerts are one of the best ways to quickly get up to speed on particular issues of our time (and at any rate, it's certainly much cheaper than Lexis Nexis). Need to learn about ISPs engaged in DNS redirection?[1] Going to a cocktail party where you're expected to be familiar with Collateralized Debt Obligations?[2] Don't know where to turn? Well, You're in luck. Simply go to Google Alerts, type in your search term, and Google will notify you every time there are new Google results on the term. You can have the alerts emailed to you once a day, once a week, or as they happen.

It might sound dorky now. But trust us. You'll try it and soon find yourself making up topics that you're certain you must track minute-by-minute. But use your newfound knowledge wisely. Because on one hand, You'll probably become unbearable on dates and at cocktail parties. On the other hand, You'll be so addicted to getting your Google Alerts that you'll probably never leave the house for dates and cocktail parties.

Keeping you in the house and off the streets away from us normal folks: we deserve no blame and accept no credit.

Both go to Google Alerts.







--
[1]Why?
[2]No really? Who are you? We think you might need a new hobby or something.

(01.19.08) Recommends:

Replacing Negative Campaigning With Dueling.

So two more caucuses were decided today. Or, one caucus and one primary. There's a difference in there somewhere, but we still haven't figured it out.

Anyway. What happens next is each candidate spins the results; e.g., Barack Obama lost to Hillary Clinton in Nevada, but has announced that he received more national
delegates in Nevada than Mrs. Clinton. Nobody is actually sure whether he's right or not, because nobody actually knows how these primary/caucus things work. We only know they were invented by Al Gore.

Anyway again. What happens after the spinning is the candidates go back to either flat out attacks on the other side, or thinly-veiled attacks on the other side. Sometimes the candidates themselves do the attacking. Sometimes other people do the attacking on behalf of the candidates.

Wait. Let's back up. The "attacking" is only verbal, metaphorical. And that, we believe, is just lazy. As such, we propose: dueling. Seriously, think about this. The candidates do all this huffing and puffing, they express outrage! at the attacks and indignation! at the attacks. They say attacks ruin! politics and the people! are ready for change! Sometimes they even start press conferences denouncing negative ads by playing a negative ad that they say will never be shown.

It's really all ridiculous and high school. Therefore, if the candidates want us to believe that they actually believe in what they're saying, they can prove it to us by agreeing to pick up a gun, walking in opposite directions between five and ten paces, and then turning around and firing! The one left standing, we'll back up and vote for. The other one: s/he's dead and therefore ineligible for office [1].

If it was good enough for Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, it should be good enough for this year's crops of candidates.


[1] Of course, this technically isn't true. John Ashcroft lost the 2000 U.S. Senate election in Missouri to Mel Carnahan, who was dead at the time. We're willing to overlook technicalities if it will make political dueling fashionable again.

(01.18.08) Recommends:

Oliver Future.

So, other than Season Four of Project Runway, we've been pretty bored with popular culture lately. But this week we came across something that made us feel hopeful again. They're Oliver Future and they're another LA-based band. We know we've been way too LA-centric lately, but this is different. They don't come off as a band trying to capture a Silver Lake sound or anything. It's more like a mixture of Elefant and, we dunno, maybe the keyboards of The Unicorns. So maybe a slightly more earnest version of the Deadly Syndrome. Is that what we're saying? We're not really sure at this point.

But anyway. They're playing at blah blah blah bar in Los Angeles on blah blah blah. It'll be blah blah blah. Yet, you'll be blah blah blah that you went!

(01.15.08) Recommends:

Slate's Explainer.

It has been years since we've been a regular reader of Slate. But on the advice of a Fellow Blogger we started reading it again. And the thing that has kept our attention all week (we know it's only Tuesday, but stay with us) is the Explainer feature. One problem we have with modern media coverage is the amount of assumed knowledge present in so many stories. The value of the Explainer, then, is to take a current event and explain some part of it that is glossed over in other coverage. The stories are all over the map, from the strange Roger Clemens saga (explanation of types and purposes of immunity) to the New Hampshire primaries (explanation of why Obama and Clinton walked away with the same number of delegates even though Clinton won the primary).

We love the premise of this feature and are hopeful that the internet and its vast space (combined with bloggers and the competition they offer for readership) will encourage tradional media outlets to cut down on assumed knowledge and start giving edible background on stories.

(01.11.08) Recommends:

Intrade.com

Intrade is the prediction market that nobody can stop talking about, and during this election season it will become the place to watch. It called Obama's Iowa victory, and it became clear Obama was going to lose NH very early (although, in the interest of full disclosure, it had Obama at 95% chance of winning NH at the start of the day; but by the first precinct reporting, it dropped him to under 30% -- presumably because people with exit polls began trading). Intrade is really great. It's like working on Wall Street, what with all the fancy charts and graphs, but it predicts things that seem much more interesting to us than the price of stocks. Our main beef with the site is that it has no market on predicting the winner of Project Runway Season 4. Inexplicably -- and perhaps against our better judgment -- we've become obsessed with PRS4. And equally inexplicably, you cannot (yet!) trade the winner on intrade.

(01.04.08) Recommends:

Music Business Friday.

Today we're presenting three articles that have been bandied about this week by Young Hollywood's Emerging, Influential &/or Intoxicated [But Mainly Intoxicated (Or, At Least Post-Holidays Hungover)]. Actually, we just presume these links have been bandied about between these people, as we technically cannot get any of these groups to return our phone calls, text messages, or emails.

First up is David Byrne's Survival Strategies for Emerging Artists — and Megastars from Wired Magazine. If you've seen David Byrne in the last several years there's a chance you've seen him work a Power Point presentation. We're not kidding about this; dude has mad .ppt skillz. This article isn't a power point, but it's still got that graphic-designer-gone-boardroom look that only people like David Byrne can pull off: cool charts, bulleted lists, numbered lists, embedded interviews. Particularly recommended is listening to the interview with Mac McCaughan of Merge Records. The music business seems to be in good hands when you hear people like Mcaughan speak.

Next, we've got U.S. Album Sales Fell 9.5% in 2007 from the NY Times via the AP. This article is probably going to be reported as another sign the music industry is on its death bed, but frankly, it doesn't have enough analysis to tell us much. Album sales are down 9.5% from '06. Sales of digital tracks are up 45% from '06. Apparently, sales of albums in "traditional format" are actually down 15%, but the way the numbers are tracked, every ten digital tracks sold equates to one "album" sold which brings us to the 9.5% number. But then, overall music purchases, including albums, singles, digital tracks and music videos, are up 14% from '06. So we think this article actually says the music industry is far from dead. It's just trying to figure out its future. And isn't that what we're all trying to do?

Finally, we've got a rumor about Jay Z starting a record label with Apple. Our gut tells us that there is no way this rumor is true. We can't imagine the Justice Department going for it, or other labels going for it, or even Jay Z going for it, really (it's our understanding that he pulled his latest album from iTunes because he felt it should be experienced as a full album and not as single tracks. Whether this is true or not, we think it's a fair enough point. Books aren't available by the chapter, right?). But it's out there. And we're only spreading it because we love the theory behind the rumor -- the merger of people who understand technology and people who understand music. It's the natural way forward, but it increasingly seems that neither side wants to listen to the other.

(01.03.08) Recommends:

Radio Free Silver Lake 2008 Mix.

Since we made our Southern California plunge, we've been heavily dependent on the internet to help us get our bearings. There are many local blogs that purport to have their finger to the pulse of some part of LA. But there is only one we believe: Radio Free Silver Lake. If you live in LA and want to know about the best up and coming bands: Radio Free Silver Lake. If you live in LA and want to know about the best places to see live music: Radio Free Silver Lake. If you live outside of LA but are interested in where music will be in six to eighteen months: Radio Free Silver Lake.

It's a blog that does the dirty work so the rest of us can walk around like we know what we're talking about. And they're giving us a jump start on 2008 with their Radio Free Silver Lake 2008 Mix, a collection of 25 local bands. Download this. Burn this. People will think you, too, know what you're talking about.

(01.02.08) Recommends:

First Fridays at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Okay, probably every city in the country has some version of First Fridays. Standard protocol is to take the first Friday of the month, throw in some booze, throw in some kind of art or other cultural offering, and boom, First Fridays.

We're fans of First Fridays, though we've seen certain cities misplay them enough times to be somewhat cautious about the label. However. This Friday LA's Natural History Museum has put together a First Fridays event with a few twists -- and this thing promises to be something really cool.

First of all, it takes place at the Natural History Museum, and anybody in LA who has talked to us over the past several weeks will tell you we've been itching to go to this museum. The theme of the evening is "Discovery in the Age of Mammals: Building Brains and Making Minds." Such a topic brings with it guided tours by Anthropology PhDs and lectures from Neuroscience professors. Readers will recall that we really like Neuroscientists around here.

After getting your learn on, the museum hands the keys off to various bands and DJs, the highlight of which is Seawolf (he used to be in Irving, another blog favorite.

Here's Seawolf's video for "The Garden You Planted." It's our favorite track off of the 2007 EP "Get to the River Before it Runs to Low."

(01.01.08) Recommends:

Seven Songs Released in 2007 That 2008 Will Have A Difficult Time Topping (Listed Alphabetically, By Artist Name).

1. Arcade Fire: Intervention (from "Neon Bible").
2. Beirut: Elephant Gun (from the "Lon Gisland" EP).
3. Andrew Bird: Fiery Crash (from "Armchair Apocrypha").
4. Of Montreal: The Past Is A Grotesque Animal (from "Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?").
5. Okkervil River: Unless It's Kicks (from "The Stage Names").
6. The Shins: Sleeping Lessons (from "Wincing The Night Away").
7. Sunset Rubdown: Up On Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days (from "Random Spirit Lover").