Music

New Babyshambles Album!

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Pete Doherty has spoken about the next Babyshambles album, which he says is close to being written.

In an interview with French radio station Inter on July 6, Doherty revealed that Babyshambles‘ guitarist Mik Whitnall is writing all of the music for the album, leaving him to focus on the lyrics.

“Even as we speak, at this very moment in London somewhere, Mr Michael Whitnall – my erstwhile guitarist and songwriting partner in Babyshambles – is getting the demos together for our new album,” Doherty explained in the interview…. – NME

That’s very cool, but Babyshambles aren’t quite the Libertines. I’m still hoping for my fifth (previously #1) favorite band of all-time to make a comeback.

Uncategorized

Saint Swithun’s Day

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Saint Swithun was from Winchester, England and is widely remembered because on St. Switun’s Day, July 15 (my birthday),  if it rains, it will rain for forty days and forty nights!  This from the British weather love proverb:

St Swithun’s day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St Swithun’s day if thou be fair
For forty days ’twill rain na mair

Thus far, as I recall, it has yet to rain on my date of birth.  Hopefully, this year will be the same!

Chris DeCarlo

Culture Jamming

How To Take Advantage Of…

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carnivalfountain

Carnival Cruise Fountain Fun Cards

Step One: Purchase a Fun Card, which allows you to keep buying soft drinks/juice every day on board for a price of $5.50 per day, on the first day of your cruise.

Warning: In order to prevent you from exploiting the system, the card states that only one drink may be ordered at a time. That makes sense. BUT the system can easily be exploited….

Step Two: Buy drink #1 at bar #1. Buy drink #2 at bar #2. Buy drink #3 from a waitress/waiter walking around the pool area. Have somebody else in your group/family buy drink #1 at bar #1, drink #2 at bar #2, and drink #3 from a waitress/waiter. Repeat this process with as many different people as possible.

Quick Note: In case you are worried about being caught…you won’t be! As long as you clearly show that you have a Fun Card, the bartender will not check the back for a name.

Music

Funny Irony

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Sonic Youth’s latest, fantastic, release, The Eternal has earned the band’s highest chart performance, peaking at 18 on the Billboard 200. Previously, the band’s  highest chart placement was 34, with 1994’s Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star. Of course to a band like Sonic Youth, where artistic integrity means everything, I’m sure this is frivolous and as a fan, it is for me. On the other hand, I find it noteworthy, ironic and actually a little humorous that it is this album in particular that has reached the higher ends of the charts. As some of you already know, this album is the band’s first release without the support of a major label in over twenty years. I suppose this proves that the band did not need to be on a major label to reach wider audiences and gain some commercial success. Over the years, the band had built up enough of a fan base to let go of the major (perhaps they were on a contract with Geffen for all of these years?). We, fans, do not need anything else, but the simple notice that a new album is being released, to get off our asses and check it out. Maybe, others will play the SY game of signing to a major and creating a large following, then taking it with them when they return to their independent status. Unfortunately, it should be noted that SY is a rare example of a band that has remained completely true to themselves over the years within the corporate ogre.  All in all, check out the amazing album, The Eternal now!!!

Chris DeCarlo

Music

Chris’ Greatest Concert Experiences (minus one)

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Supreme Genius:

1. March 2009 – Black Lips/Gentleman Jesse & His Men/Mean Creek – Grade: A+ at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA

2. May 2009 – King Khan & The Shrines/Mark “BBQ” Sultan/Homosexuals (didn’t like) – Grade: A+ at the Paradise Rock Club

3. April 2009 – No Age/The Beets/Lemonade – Grade: A+ at Wellsley College

Genius:

4. October 2008 – Built to Spill/Dinosaur Jr/Meat Puppets – Grade: A at the Orpheum Theatre

5. May 2009 – Animal Collective/Grouper  (hated)– Grade: A at the House of Blues

6. August 2008 – Radiohead/Grizzly Bear (didn’t see) – Grade: A at the Comcast Center

7. November 2008 – No Age/Soft Circle/Silk Flowers – Grade: A at the Middle East

Continue reading Chris’ Greatest Concert Experiences (minus one) →

Music

My Greatest Concert Experiences!

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The Best
1. March 2009 – Black Lips/Gentleman Jesse & His Men/Mean Creek – Grade: A+
2. May 2009 – King Khan & The Shrines/Mark Sultan/Homosexuals – Grade: A+
3. April 2009 – No Age/The Beets/Lemonade – Grade: A+
4. September 2009 – Walkmen/Here We Go Magic/The Dig – A+

Amazing
5. August 2008 – Radiohead/Grizzly Bear – Grade: A
5. September 2009 – The Rifles/Mike Fiore – Grade: A
6. August 2009 – Arctic Monkeys/Modey Lemon – Grade: A
7. May 2009 – Animal Collective/Grouper – Grade: A
8. September 2009 – Pains of Being Pure At Heart/Depreciation Guild/Cymbals Eat Guitars – Grade: A
9. July 2009 – Head Automatica/Cubic Zarconia – Great: A
10. July 2009 – Handsome Furs/Dri/Cinnamon Band – Grade: A
11. November 2008 – No Age/Soft Circle/Silk Flowers – Grade: A

Great
12. January 2008 – Editors/Hot Hot Heat/Louis XIV – Grade: A-
13. June 2009 – Sunset Rubdown/Elfin Saddle/Witchies – Grade: A-
14. July 2008 – No Age/High Places/Abe Vigoda/Ppalmm – Grade: A-

Continue reading My Greatest Concert Experiences! →

Culture Jamming, Politics

Dell Sucks…A Problem With PM Corps.

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This isn’t really a thorough, ground breaking analysis but…profit maximizing corporations suck. There is no excuse and here’s why: Dell, maybe you own a computer made by these guys, utilizes a strategy called 3-7. It’s pretty simple, three out of ten computers are efficiently produced and are expected to be immune from any major problems. The other seven computers will be prone to problems and will require some kind of repair work. This business model works out wonderfully for Dell because people who encounter a computer that requires repair will send it back for service (back to India where the repair will be incredibly cheap) OR buy another computer (Dell hopes it’s one of their “3” models that costs only $500) all together, figuring it’s too much of a hassle to wait for a repair. Dell doesn’t mind repairing computers or assisting people in their difficulties. Their cheaply manufactured products will make them a shit load of money in sales and cost them only slightly in expenses and production. This kind of profiting off of bad things happening is not uncommon. It’s been around for years — the automotive industry has been a consistent example over the years of purposely making shoddily and unsafe parts and accessories. That’s because the cost of repair (paying damages to victims of an “accident” OFTEN subsidized by the government through TAXPAYER monies) is minutely important relative to profit, which will always be there. It can and has been argued that many industries make money off of bad things happening. And honestly I don’t feel like I am in the business to propose a lasting solution to this terrible problem. Social business is a start, perhaps most feasible in an industrial age like ours.

Culture Jamming, Music

Artists to Check Out

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This is basically a list of my favorite modern (formed in the 21st Century for the most part or became prominent within the past few years) bands and some of their songs.

1)  Black Lips- Top Songs: Bad Kids, Sea of Blasphemy, Dirty Hands, Fairy Stories, I’ll Be With You, and many more

2) King Khan and the Shrines- Land of the Freak, Took My Lady to Dinner, I Wanna Be a Girl, No Regrets, Welfare Bread, and others

3) Animal Collective- Summertime Clothes, Peacebone, Banshee Beat, Purple Bottle, Who Could Win a Rabbit

4) No Age- Everybody’s Down, Eraser, Teen Creeps, Brain Burner, Neck Escaper

5) Jay Reatard- See/ Saw, An Ugly Death, No Time, I’m Watching You, Screaming Hand

Continue reading Artists to Check Out →

Boston based shows/fests – DIY, punk, noise