When bad hair happens to good people

Oh Ryan, what did you do to yourself?

MIA TONIGHT!

So I have been pretty excited about the MIA show tonight - even if it cost me $30 and is in Maplewood. What I didn't realize until just now, is that I should have been more excited about her opening act, Egyptian Lover. I am speechless. So fabulous. Here is the video for Freak-A-Holic.

Nick's Single of the Week

Got the case of the Monday's? Need a little kick in the ass from the rough weekend at nanna’s tea party? Here is my Single of the Week for you to crank at your desk/cube/wi-fi hot spot.

The band is called The Heavy. They're from the U.K. The song is called Coleen. They sound like if Gnarls Barkley scored the music to a bad 70's porno starring Richard Roundtree. Enjoy!

I took the night off & missed a good show

I decided to take the night off last night - too many nights out in a row. Getting old. Anyway, I guess I missed a great show and my chance to take tequila shots with Jamie & Alison. Thankfully, recently released (hospital not jail) Leif, sent his friends who forgot to take pictures but came back with the set list - in case you were dying to know what they played:

URA Fever
Pull a U
Sour Cherry
Tape Song
No Wow
Alphabet Pony
Wait
Last Day of Magic
Kissy Kissy
What New York Used to Be
Cheap and Cheerful
Fried My Little Brains
Goodnight Bad Morning

Encore:
Love Is a Deserter
Drop Out

Letter to AliRose

I was very pleased to open my email this morning and find this email from a guy we will call "Inappropriate Hugger." Thank you, IH, for your DeVotchKa post. Keep em coming!

Hey –

I know there was a request to send thoughts about the show to My Music at Fox, but since I haven't hugged Fox yet I don't feel comfortable sharing my feelings with it/him/her. Anyways, I did get to the show early because I like being close, but not too close. Strangely that is the same approach I have with women... Anyways, the first act doesn't need commenting, they won a contest which is nice for them, not so nice for me. Second act, Basia, well she was adorable, has decent strange presence and was adorable. Did I say she was adorable? Well, musically the last song or two where the energy was picked up was considerably better than the direction the set was going. Maybe I need to listen to her stuff some more, but she was not nearly as good as My Brightest Diamond (last time's opening act). Before getting to the main act some crowd observations, I saw a lot of couples... I mean A LOT. Next down I would say packs of wild girls or gyrls or grls, usually in packs of 4. Not sure what the significance of that was... And finally, my group, sad looking single guys, looking for a taste of happiness or more sadness in strings and accordion music. I must say for a portion of the main act I felt like I was at the State Fair playing "Whack a Mole". Except in this case it was "Whack a Pot Head Hippy Gyrl." You see there were four ladies in front of me that would scrunch do to take a hit of a joint and pass it to the next who would in turn do the same thing. Not sure if they thought that was more discreet or not. The show itself did not feel as energetic as the last two I have been two. I don't know if it was the new tuba sans Christmas lights or something else. I will admit that I do love "Queen of the Surface Streets" and "How It Ends" and am not apologetic for that. I have most of their releases with the exception of the soundtrack and I enjoy it all, but there is something about those songs. As for the Slavic Sisters, that is what it is. Anyways, I hope you had a good time at the show. I did not seek you out for fear of another hugging episode. I know you sought treatment, but it could make for an uncomfortable situation for those attending the show with you.

Tell your mother you love her,
Inappropriate hugger.

Nick's Monday Morning Music Musings!

Peep the new Gnarls Barkley video "Going On" from their new album The Odd Couple. If you haven't bought this album yet, your life is not complete.

Go get the new Black Keys album Attack & Release as well. It is produced by Danger Mouse! It's awesomeness will bring a tear to your eye.

Speaking of tears, I literally cried my eyes out this weekend! I took my Mom and Grandma to the beautiful documentary Young @ Heart for mother's day. I haven't cried this hard since Free Willy! The movie is about a chorus of senior citizens from Massachusetts who cover songs by Jimi Hendrix, Coldplay, Sonic Youth, and more. Check out the trailer.

Here's a hilarious music video that they did for The Ramones "I Want to be Sedated"

Dr. G goes to DeVotchKa

Crowd Breakdown

• Dirty Hippies: 60% Who needs drugs when you can hear an accordion!
• Lesbians: 30% Ladies, just because you bought the band’s t-shirt, doesn’t mean you have to put it on directly
• Moms in Clogs: 5% Holla!
• Band and Entourage: 4%
• Swingers: 1% A small but visible minority (P.S. Seriously? Must all of you make out with all of you directly in front of me?)

Miscellaneous Data

• Aroma: A Light Roast of Patchouli and Body Odor
• Dance Move: Tie! The evening’s most popular move was split between Shark-Attack-Victim-Trying-to-Keep-Afloat (think no-armed rocking) with Asian-Styled Female Wrist/Hand Movement (see image)

What Gets this Crowd Off

1. Ladies who play big horns
2. The word “Minneapolis”
3. Songs they’ve already heard. Either on the Current or in their Slovak dreams.

Hypothetical Audience Situation

If the boy audience members were pitted against the girl audience members in an all-out bar brawl, who would win?
Good question. Initially I would say the women could take the fight without losing a single headscarf. However, after further audience investigation, I would have to say that the fight would come down to whichever sex could keep their artsy glasses on long enough to see their opponent.

Community Ed Class Recommendation

If you wanted to make a splash at future DeVotchKa shows, may I recommend taking “Belly-Dancing Your Way to Spiritual and Physical Fitness.” Southwest High School Gym, M-W, evenings.

Introducing Dr. G

There are plenty of people who can tell you about how the “music” of the show was - I am not one of them. But if you have ever asked yourself the following questions, please consider me your MMTC contributer:

1. Could I meet like-minded people by going to see this band?
2. If I wear a specific outfit will I get laid at this band’s show?
3. If the music sucks, will the audience mock-factor be worth the price of admission?

I am a purveyor of people, anthropologist of audiences, critic of the crowd. Stay tuned for my posts as they pertain NOT to the music, but to the fashion, social, and intellectual choices of the audience. First stop? DeVotchKa. I bet you can't wait...

Tommy oh Tommy

Man - Just heard Long Way Home again on the radio - what a song! I had the pleasure of meeting Tom Waits when I worked in college admissions at my Alma Mater in Oakland, CA. He came down with his daughter from Santa Rosa, in an effort to have her transfer from an area Jr College. He was wearing black jeans, motorcycle boots, a white short sleeved collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up and was, as one can imagine, just amazing looking. All three of us in the office dressed special for Tom Waits day, and stood in a line outside our building as he toured campus. He spent an extra long time in our glass & metals department, carefully watching the students blow glass and cast sculptures. It was a thrill. In the end, his daughter decided to stay in Santa Rosa, and he lamented as they left how much he wished he could be a student. Sigh.

I love YouTube. Here is a great video of Downtown Train:

He ain't born typical

Leif hopes to be un-institutionalized by Sunday night. He has been doing the jumbles in the paper to pass the time.