The Weekend is almost here...

Hey all sorry for the lack of posts just been busy. Kelly left town today to go San Francisco for an extended weekend. Speaking of an extended weekend, this coming extended weekend is full of lots of greats shows coming to town here in C-town. Here is a list of just some of them.

Friday August 1st

The Nati's WOXY presents Spiritualized @ The House of Blues with D-troit's own The Dirtbombs

Saturday August 2nd

The Grog Shop presents: The Weakerthans are playing @ The Beachland with openers State Bird from Dover, Ohio, (Remember Dover Lake?) They recently did a session for Daytrotter.

Matt & Kim ( yea yea) are playing @ The Grog with local openers The Afternoon Naps & The Muttering Retreats

Gogol Bordello are bringing their awesome gypsy punk to The HOB C with DJ Dubta

To Be A High Powered Executive, Mystery Of Two, The Hot Rails and Clan Of The Bear Cave are all playing @ The Waterloo Arts Festival

and.... Next Saturday if you have not heard yet Low B who is M.I.A.'s touring DJ and one half of Hollertronix is DJ ing @ B-side that night.

Sunday August 3rd

Mates of State @ The Grog Shop with openers Judgement Day and Black Girls

Joshua Radin (He is from Shaker Heights in case you did not know) is playing @ The Beachland with Vanessa Carlton and Alexa Wilkinson

Tilly and The Wall @ Hartwood Acres (Pittsburgh, PA) for free with openers The Ruby Suns, we saw Cat Power there for free a couple of summers ago.

Monday August 4th

Dr. Dog who are touring in support of their great new album "Fate" are playing @ The Beachland with the awesome Machine Go Boom opening

Lucero will be playing @ The Grog Shop with Justin Townes, and Earle Glossary

it goes without saying that RADIOHEAD are also playing this night as well


Assorted tracks from the artists listed above

(mp3) Gogol Bordello - Start Wearing Purple

(mp3) Dr. Dog - 100 Years

(mp3) Matt & Kim - Silver Tiles

(mp3) Lucero - Kiss The Bottle (Jawbreaker Cover) They do an awesome job covering this great song from a great band who I wish so badly would get back together

Top 5 Songs Of The Week (Well Deserved Lazy Saturday Edition)

Photo by: The lovely Sarah Roos

Not only are we super excited to be off work today but also very enthused about Fausto finally coming off the DL and starting this evening's Tribe game. It's also worth mentioning how amazing being able to sleep in this morning was -- these past few weeks definitely took their toll on us. . .for now, we're just relishing in our laziness and in the fact that we have absolutely *nothing* to do today :)

For now, we hope you enjoy the following Top Five Songs of the Week as much as we do:

5. [Mp3] Passion Pit - I've Got Your Number Before the MGMT-like vocals kick in, our first thought was 604 era Ladytron and immediately got into this upbeat song. With a sound so unique, it only makes sense that they would recently be signed onto the eclectic roster of Frenchkiss Records, joining Les Savy Fav and The Dodos.

4. [Mp3] Tracy Shedd - Whatever It Takes Reminiscent of Liz Phair (back in her Exile in Guyville days) and other mid-90's female alt-rockers which makes us nostalgic for a time when The End blaired from our bedroom stereos.

3. [Mp3] Forest Fire - I Make Windows Twangy, Bob Dylan inspired melodies, the perfect compliment to other indie favorites like Fleet Foxes or Bon Iver. This band from Brooklyn's music is best enjoyed while sipping on Brooklyn Brewery's Brooklyner Weisse Beer on a nice day.

2. [Mp3] Crookers - Embrace The Martian (ft. KiD CuDi) This Solon native is doing Cleveland proud with his very first mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, being dropped by Fool's Gold (that's A-Trak's label, Kanye's DJ) no less.

1. [Mp3] The Morning Benders - Love Fool (Cardigans Cover) Our very favorite song off their new cover album, Bedroom Covers, which is totally worth checking out in its entirety here. Don't miss out!

Cooking with Wine on Shuffle

Pictured above is José displaying our lovely dinner and bottle of vino blanco (Oveja Negra's 2007 Chard-Viognier blend, only $9.99 at Heinen's). And, no he is not wearing a dress, it's actually an apron his mother got him from Williams-Sonoma quite a few years back.

The name of the recipe we interpreted is: Sauteed Striped Bass on Israeli Salad

Please Note: Because we're both fans of greek salads and since this is a "Mediterranean" recipe, we decided to add feta cheese. Although the recipe called for Sea Bass (which gets fairly expensive), fortunately we were able to substitute with a nice (lesser expensive) white cod. These days, with the price of food, when it comes between paying more for seafood or getting a bottle of wine, we'll always choose the bottle of wine ;)

Per usual, while cooking we had our iTunes on shuffle so we can play the "guess the band" game with each other and totally laugh in the face of whoever doesn't guess correctly (even after several gratuitous hints).

Below is a sampling of the randomness:

[Mp3] Black Kids - Look At Me (when I rock wichoo)
[Mp3] Interpol - Rest My Chemistry
[Mp3] Ben Folds - Song For The Dumped
[Mp3] Joanna Newsom - Sprout And The Bean
[Mp3] Lali Puna - 6-0-3
[Mp3] Teenage Fanclub - I Can't Find My Way Home

Tori Amos: Comic Book Tattoo Tales!!

Okay, so who else is excited for the July 23rd release of Comic Book Tattoo Tales Inspired by Tori Amos?? I know I am :)

You can pre-order a hard cover or paperback copy on Tori's website store [here] or purchase a on Amazon [here] where apparently the book is already in stock.

The tales (aka songs) told in the comic book are interpreted as follows:

FLYING DUTCHMAN by DAVID MACK
BOUNCING OFF CLOUDS by JOSH HECHINGER & MATTHEW HUMPHREYS
GIRL by JONATHAN TSUEI & ERIC CANETE
MERMAN by JASON HORN & DEAN TRIPPE
TAKE TO THE SKY by SARA RYAN & JONATHAN CASE
MR. ZEBRA by RANTZ A. HOSELEY & JAMES STOKOE
LITTLE EARTHQUAKES by TRISTAN CRANE & ATTICUS WOLRAB
MARIANNE by KAKO
CRAZY by NIKKI COOK
PROGRAMMABLE SODA by DREW BELL, KEVIN MELLON & MARK SWEENEY (C)
TOAST by JEFF CARROLL & MIKE MAY
JACKIE'S STRENGTH by JEREMY HAUN & AMBER STONE (C)
LITTLE AMSTERDAM by LEIF JONES
HERE IN MY HEAD by ELIZABETH GENCO, CARLA SPEED McNEIL & MARK SWEENEY (C)
SUEDE by KELLY SUE DeCONNICK, ANDY MacDONALD, NICK FILARDI (C) & KRISTYN FERRETTI (L)
SUGAR by CAT MIHOS, ANDRE SZYMANOWICZ, GABE BAUTISTA (C) & KRISTYN FERRETTI (L)
TEENAGE HUSTLING by C.B. CEBULKSI, ETHAN YOUNG, JOEY WELTJENS & LEE DUHIG for GURU eFX (C)
FATHER LUCIFER by OMAHA PEREZ
SNOW CHERRIES FROM FRANCE by IRMA PAGE & MARK BUCKINGHAM
WAITRESS by RANTZ A. HOSELEY, MING DOYLE, MARK SWEENEY(C) & KRISTYN FERRETTI (L)
CAUGHT A LITE SNEEZE by MIKE MAIHACK
WINTER by JOHN NEY REIBER, RYAN KELLY & KRISTYN FERRETTI (L)
BAKER BAKER by ALICE HUNT, TRUDY COOPER
1,000 OCEANS by JONATHAN HICKMAN
SPACE DOG by MATTHEW S. ARMSTRONG
THE BEEKEEPER by NEIL KLEID, CHRISTOPHER MITTEN & KRISTYN FERRETTI (L)
SIREN by STEPHANIE LEONG & SONIA LEONG
IIEEE by PEOV
SILENT ALL THESE YEARS by KELLY SUE DeCONNICK & LAURENN McCUBBIN
LEATHER by JOHN BIVENS
GOLD DUST by HOPE LARSON
PRECIOUS THINGS by EMMA VIECELI & FAYE YONG(C)
GLORY OF THE 80'S by CHRIS ARRANT & STAR ST. GERMAIN
HONEY by MIKE DRINGENBERG
CRUCIFY by PAUL MAYBURY
GOD by JIM BRICKER & CRAIG TAILLEFER
PANDORA'S AQUARIUM by DAME DARCY
SCARLET'S WALK by G. WILLOW WILSON & STEVE SAMPSON
THE BEAUTY OF SPEED by NEAL SHAFFER & DANIEL KRALL
I CAN'T SEE NEW YORK by ADISAKDI TANTIMEDH & KEN MEYER JR.
UPSIDE DOWN by MARK SABLE & SALGOOD SAM
NORTHERN LAD by TOM WILLIAMS
ROOSTERSPUR BRIDGE by JAMES OWEN
CORNFLAKE GIRL by SETH PECK & DANIEL HEARD
PIRATES by IVAN BRANDON & CALLUM ALEXANDER WATT
HEY JUPITER by LEAH MOORE & JOHN REPPION, PIA GUERRA, MARK SWEENEY &
KRISTYN FERRETTI
DEVILS AND GODS by JESSICA STALEY & SHANE WHITE
PAST THE MISSION by TED McKEEVER & CHRIS CHUCKRY (C)
SWEET THE STING by JIMMIE ROBINSON
RIBBONS UNDONE by LEA HERNANDEZ
PRETTY GOOD YEAR by DEREK McCULLOCH, COLLEEN DORAN & JASON HANLEY (L)

(C) - Colorist
(L) - Letterist

yay*

--------------
Bonus:

[Mp3] Tori Amos - Crucify (live)
[Mp3] Tori Amos - Here In My Head (live)
[Mp3] Tori Amos - Bouncing Off Clouds (AOL Sessions)

Taste of Tremont Pictorial

Taste of Tremont 2008

Todd happily test riding a sit down bike ;)

While deciding which vendors to hit up first, we escaped the humidity for a moment to enjoy a cold beer at The Tree House

Now onto the FOOD. . .

Jose = excited for Gyros!

Kelly = chow down on SouthSide's Lobster Gazpacho

Erin & Todd = Synchronized Screwer devouring (also from SouthSide)

Our *absolute* favorite was the "Nachos" from Fahrenheit!!

[Step #1]

[Step #2]

[Step #3]

The Puerto Rican Parade was also yesterday (however, we didn't end up going)

We looove La Fin du Monde (and Flying Monkey, our last stop in Tremont)

Honorable Mention: The Chicken Pad Thai from Ty Fun Thai Bistro was so good that we had to put the camera down to inhale it.

Top 5 Songs of the Week (Excited for Taste of Tremont Edition)

Despite the tremendous heat and humidity, last night was a *great* evening. Not only was it lovely spending time with close friends, we also had the fortune of running into other friends randomly. We were especially excited to have the opportunity to check out Coventry's latest addition, Bodega (thanks to Terry Travis), where we captured an image of their immaculate bar above. The vibe and atmosphere was very sleek and hip, while the sounds of a jazz band gave way to a dj spinning r&b and hip hop grooves. We took in our surroundings, sipping on Belvedere martinis and sampling a variety of small plates (our favorites being the hummos, pita, and calamari) and thought to ourselves what a welcome addition to Coventry this lounge is.

Following Bodega, we decided to hit up one of our staples, B-side's Patio, where we enjoyed the laid back environment and the sounds of Good Life Mike on the 1's and 2's. The evening concluded at none other than Jimmy Johns -- that's when you know you've had a good time ;)

This afternoon we are heading over to the 6th Annual Taste of Tremont. We have gone before and if you have not, we highly recommend you do so. For now, we just hope the weather cooperates and the rain stays away. . .

Until then, enjoy these Top Five Songs of the Week:

5. (mp3) Hearts of Palm UK - People & Logistics These ladies who do not hail from the UK but from the City of Angels make fun, cute, indie-electro pop. They remind us of Aurevoir Simone, Stereolab and Camera Obscura rolled up into one.

4. (mp3) Maps & Atlases - Artichokes This Chicago band has a new ep that just came. They make angular math rock with catchy melodies much in the vein that Minus Bear used to make but there is something about them that also makes us think of Battles (although that is probably just us). They are going to play at The Grog on August 5th w/ Portugal The Man and Rx Bandits.

3. (mp3) Menahan Street Band - Make The Road Walking By This is a new effort from Tommy Brenneck who is the awesome lead guitar player in the Buddos Band, The Dap Kings and for Amy Winehouse. Jay - Z sampled this song for his hit "Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)". It is the sh*t!

2. (mp3) Sam Champion - Be My Everyone This Brooklyn quartet has been gaining a ton of hype lately and with catchy as hell guitar riffs like the ones in this song you can understand why. We wouldn't be at all surprised if this song is used in a commercial soon. You should definitely check out this great session they did for WOXY Lounge Acts last fall.

1. (mp3) Sharleen Spiteri -All The Times I Cried Upon the recommendation of Venus, we got hip to this lovely lady. This is a solo effort for the lead singer of Texas. You might be thinking okay, yet another case of female singer from the UK channeling the 60's (ala Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Candy Payne) but Ms. Spiteri is doing it different and doing it better than any of those ladies. Jose doesn't even like songs like that and he can't help but get this song stuck in his head so that should tell you something right there ;)

Tonight: Jersey Boys!!

Tonight Kelly and I are going to go see the Tony award winning musical Jersey Boys @ The State Theatre in Playhouse Square. We have both been looking forward (especially Kelly) to this for months since we found it was coming to town and then we got tickets as a birthday present . She had a chance to see this show on Broadway but things fell threw and she was unable to do so. My dad has seen this show on Broadway and told us how great it is how also loves to play the soundtrack over and over. There are many other people who have seen this show in Cleveland and on Broadway too telling us many good things, we definitely have highs hopes and expectations and I am sure they will be met and we will be blown away.


We know they will be singing " Can't take my eyes off of you" but we have both always really enjoyed when Heath Ledger put his own spin on it in "Ten Things I hate about You". R.I.P it's too bad he is gone, we can't wait to see him in The Dark Night very soon.

Friday Night Sights

So, last night we decided to take the Cleveland Plain Dealer's advice and explore cheap date options our city has to offer ;) Throughout the evening we documented our experiences with photographs. . .

[sigh] We *hate* Jacobs Field's new sign

We started our evening early in Ohio City

Upon hearing excellent things about Flying Fig's Happy Hour, we decided to check it out:

Jose enjoyed a Mad Hatter IPA as Kelly sipped on a spectacular rum cocktail at the elegant and inviting bar

We chowed down on these amazing tempura green beans and quickly ordered an equally fabulous blue cheese burger (both only $5)

Next, we headed over to Touch for *free* sushi

Loved the endless delicious sushi

Taking in the overall laid back vibe
(ie - Cartoon Network displayed on the flat screens while hearing some choice indie rock favorites)

Local art on display

We couldn't resist ordering Touch's Duvel steamed mussels with french fries -- sooooo good and totally making us nostalgic for Montreal

A view from the bar

We heart Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Glass Bubble Project = FUN :)

Quick glances around Ohio City

Ah, C.C. . .miss you already

Capturing a sorta skyline on our way over to Tremont for the Art Walk

Such a beautiful evening to be out -- why can't every night be like this in Cleveland??

Sometimes it is hard to know where to start

There was such a great bustling energy within Tremont's streets and galleries

We especially love the art gallery, Asterisk*

We were amused by this one

Not only did we have a lovely evening filled with excellent food, drinks, art, and atmosphere -- we achieved our goal of a fun date night on the cheap*

Some Random tunes:

[Mp3] Kelley Stoltz - Jewel of Evening
[Mp3] Rogue Wave - Cheaper than Therapy
[Mp3] Jens Lekman - Pocketful of Money

Mamma Mia!

This evening we are checking out a pre-screening of Mamma Mia. While neither of us have actually seen this Broadway Musical set to ABBA songs , we each have a definite interest. . .well, maybe I'm really dragging Jose to see it with me ;)

In the meantime, we'll be sure to keep you posted on how we feel about it*

Top 5 Songs Of The Week (It totally kicks @ss when the 4th of July falls on a Friday Edition)

What a beautiful day it is to celebrate America. Hopefully in your town they are still showing fireworks because so many have unfortunately been canceled due to the awesome state of the economy. We don't have any plans to see fireworks today but we do plan to cookout with the family.

Speaking of food, last night we went to Luxe (yeah, again, but it really is that fabulous) for the third time in the last couple weeks and our meal was soooo good (in fact we are currently enjoying our leftovers as we wake up). Some selections on the menu worth trying are the steamed mussels with spicy garlic butter, seared tuna with chickpea salad & tomato aioli, potato gnochi with asparagus & tomato saffron sauce, and the grilled duck pannini with peppers, basil, spinach, provolone and lemon ailoli. A couple signature drinks worth sampling are the Dark & Stormy (thanks Hermione for the recommendation) and Joy.

For now, we hope you enjoy Independence Day and the following Top Five Songs of the Week:

5. (mp3) My Milky Way Arms - Sunshine They are not of this earth, their songs are out of a dream where you are floating on a cloud made of the lush sounds of peace, weightlessness and shoegaze guitars and synths. Unfortunately, they are not coming to c-town this tour but you can see them in da burg on 7/7 @ The Smiling Moose and in C-bus on 7/8 @ Sky Lab.

4. (mp3) Dr. Dog - The Ark This is the new single from this Philadelphia quintet who make catchy as hell 1960s' influenced indie rock. They have come to Cleveland a bunch of times and we have only seen them once (opening for The Spinto Band and Lovely Feathers a couple summers ago). Lucky for us, have even more opportunities to check them out b/c they're coming to The Beachland on August 4th.

3. (mp3) Tittsworth - Snippets from Twelves Steps DJ/Producer Tittsworth, The King of B-more, is coming out with his debut album. Here are some snippets from the album that sounds like from all the people he's got lined up (Kid Sister, Pase Rock, Santogold, DJ Assault, etc.) it is going to be off the chain.

2. (mp3) Takka Takka - Everybody Say We were just laughing a little to ourselves saying that they sound like a less wussy version of The Ballet, which is a compliment because we are fans of The Ballet, but at the same time you know they got some b*lls (well a slight bit, at least). We like this song and figure it will end up in a friggin' car commercial or something.

1. (mp3) Young Coyotes - Momentary Drowning (demo) We have been listening to this track from this young band from Denver band for a few weeks now. They bring to mind Bishop Allen with their use of hand claps, melody and integration of several interesting instruments. The passion in the vocals definitely brings to mind some of that white boy soul that Cold War Kids possess. They are definitely crafting their own sound and we can't wait to hear more.