time for a music post.

Okay, so. Tonight, went to see the Brain Handle sendoff tour. Brain Handle have always written great songs, and they’ve grown into their songs as far as playing tight is concerned. Ovens is a fantastic, fun-to-watch drummer, which is great (having started playing drums late, I love watching drummers develop). If you’re in another town, check them out on their tour, which, as of a couple weeks ago, looks something like:

May 15th (T): Pittsburgh tour kickoff
May 16th (W): Cincinnati @ Robbie’s Parent’s House, 4132 Floral Ave, Norwood, OH w/ Dead Sea and Paralyzer
May 17th (Th): St. Louis @ Skullfuckeree, 3520 Wyoming, St. Louis w/ Cardiac Arrest
May 18th (F): off/driving
May 19th (S): Chaos in Tejas Fest
May 20th (Su): San Antonio @ some joint with American Cheeseburger
May 21st (M): Las Cruces – no show…eating, shitting, maybe swimming
May 22nd (T): Arizona - The One Place (?) not confirmed - maybe getting on a hawdcore show there
May 23rd (W): San Diego/Other - NOTHING AS OF YET
May 24th (Th): LA/OC @ Mexican Cultural Center w/ The Cannibals + others
May 25th (F): LA/Silver Lake @ some joint with La Fraction
May 26th (S): Oakland @ Hazmat
May 27th (Su): SF @ Thrillhouse Records
May 28th (M): Portland @ some joint with Hellshock, La Fraction and others
May 29th (T): Olympia @ Witch House
May 30th (W): Seattle @ Atlas Clothing w/ Sex Vid and Black Breath
May 31st (Th): Montana - NOTHING AS OF YET
June 1st (F): Rapid City @ TREA Bingo Hall! with KEPF
June 2nd (S): Minneapolis – 2 FUCKING SHOWS - early at the Alamo/late at Memory Lanes
June 3rd (Su): Milwaukee @ some joint/basement
June 4th (M): Chicago @ Albion (most likely)
June 5th (T): Cleveland @ Now That’s Class
June 6th (W): Albany/Western Mass - NOTHING FUCKING CONFIRMED
June 7th (Th): Portland, ME @ Sahara Club
June 8th (F): Providence @ AS220 w/ some fucking cool bands
June 9th (S): Boston @ 50 Ashford Street, Allston w/ Conversions, Scapegoat, Heathen Shame and Girl Trouble
June 10th (Su): New York City @ 538 Johnson w/ LOSER LIFE, Crime Desire and Easter Kids
June 11th (M): Philly @ some fucking place
June 12th (T): Raleigh @ flint house
June 13th (W): Athens @ a house
June 14th (Th): Chattanooga @ a house
June 15th (F): Nashville @ at house
June 16th (S): Richmond @ No Way Records world fucking headquarters

Also buy their LP.

Midnite Snake also ruled hard and also have a new album out. I’ll have an article about them in next week’s paper. I’ll have an article in tomorrow’s paper about The Old Haunts (on KRS, now featuring Tobi Vail on drums) but by the time it’s online the show will be over because it’s tomorrow. (Remember how I said last week sucked? This should’ve run last week but it didn’t occur to me until it occurred to my editor and that was much too late.) They’re pretty good, so go if you like rock bands. I should be there, but no guarantees; I have a lot of packing to do, not to mention sleeping.

I think I’ll write up a post about Downtown Lunch one of these days soon. I’m familiarizing myself with my options as I go along.

That’s all for now. Seeya.

following directions

Two things that made me laugh today:

This morning, going through a pile of stuff and packing what I want and throwing away the rest, I came upon some homeopathic allergy pills that I got last year in Philly that didn’t help me. Reading the package, I realized what was likely the reason it wasn’t working: under “other directions,” it says “For best results, take with a clean mouth.”

Then, this afternoon, I signed up for a cellular account with Sprint PCS and found myself faced with this page:

Take a look. The terms and conditions? They’re hanging out in that frame there that’s about one inch square. You have to scroll through the entire thing, reading two words at a time. AND you have to scroll side-to-side to read some of the words.

okay.

So a week of hell at work is over. Tomorrow I give the momz her Mother’s Day gift. I have a new place to live, in Regent Square. I’ve got the keys, will be moving over the next couple weeks. I have a new exciting blog project that’s finally rolling in a major way. I rode my bike a lot tonight. The reading last night went well. Tomorrow night is the Double D release show. Sunday night I hang out with the Midnite Snake so I can write about them. I have a copy of the new issue of Tennis magazine that I intend to devour shortly. I just ate pierogies.  Good night.

Time for an inventory.

• Finished Our Gang, by Philip Roth. It was a funny speculative satire about the Nixon administration, written in 1971 (so, in the heat of the administration, but before Watergate). It’s written like a play; I suspect it would be funnier if performed, but I still enjoyed it. Next up: Gay Talese’s Fame & Obscurity, since I barely read it when we read it in school.

• Thursday is the reading I’m part of; I’m disastrously not ready. But whatever. I’m first, so maybe no one will have arrived yet. Also, there’s not much that preparation can do to help me. That all having been said, please come!
• Friday night is the Kinks cover show at the Pub and also the big Girl Talk shindig at Mr. Small’s. I might go to the latter to catch Midnite Snake since I’m working on an article about them.
• Saturday night is the Double D release at MoFo, plus Michael Johnsen and Centipede. Then, at the Pub, RTX and the Dirty Faces. The new RTX is something. I’m not sure if it’s something good or something bad. I might go to that show if I’m drunk or feel like getting that way. Otherwise I’ll probably stay away.

ride a bike.

I’m knocking on wood as I type this: I replaced the tube in my rear tire finally, and rode around for a good twenty minutes or half hour or so tonight, hitting small potholes, overrunning sticks and stones, and I came back home in one piece. I may be mobile again, bicycally.

Elsewise, I chilled this weekend and gave siblings birthday gifts and played basketball and badminton with small children. Also watched the Pirates lose embarrassingly.

what’s up?

This weekend is that of the Great Sibling Birthday Cookout, and therefore I will not be updating you. Be calm and know that I am zeroing in on a new place to live, and am preparing for the reading next week (see below), and am enjoying the beauteous weather. SEEYAH.

hard hat cereal guy.

YOU: Guy in a white button-down shirt and red hard hat with a shopping cart, giving away little boxes of Honey Bunches of Oats on the corner in front of Bruegger’s.

ME: Skinny dude getting a bagel.

I didn’t want any cereal; you lamented the fact that I didn’t want free breakfast, then warned me that at about 2 PM I’d get hungry and wish I had taken that Honey Bunches of Oats.

Are you an employee or a Yippie or just someone who hates Bruegger’s?

This is in or around Bruegger’s on 7th Ave.
It is NOT ok to contact this poster with further breakfast cereal solicitations.

event number two: joe jack talcum et al.

June 22 - Roboto - 7PM - $6

Joe Jack Talcum
Of the Dead Milkmen
The Weird Paul Rock Band
Possibly the weirdest band in Pittsburgh
Ukebox
From Philly, there’s a ukulele involved
Daddy
I hope this is a real band — feat. members of Brain Handle, Warzone Womyn

event number one: the new pittsburgh poetry

Hey. I’m reading in this event next week. Do please come and see. I don’t promise I’ll impress, but many others will.

The New Pittsburgh Poetry

May 10, 2007, 7:30 PM, ModernFormations Gallery. $2.

Readers, in order of appearance:

Andy Mulkerin
Jerome Crooks
Jacquelyn Seigle
Thomas Kane
Jason Endress
Tiffany Merriman-Preston
Shannon Norman
Jonathan Loucks
Claire Donato
Jonathan Moody
Jessica Fenlon
Scott Silsbe
Kristofer Collins
Ed Steck