Yay for Celeb Matches

The other day, Jose and I got an absolutely hilarious email from Marisa (Jose's youngest sister) telling us which celebrities we looked like according to a website called MyHeritage. All you have to do is upload a picture of yourself (or even a picture of multiple people) and MyHeritage runs a facial recognition program that will display which celebs you look like and the percentage of "facial recognition certainty" for each celebrity match. As you can imagine, spending time on MyHeritage was highly entertaining -- we couldn't stop laughing. . .especially at the matches that Jose got -- LL Cool J and Carson Daly are somewhat understandable, but Serena Williams and Dave Chappelle?! haha. Also, not only was it cool to see which celebrities we each look like from one particular picture, it was even more interesting to see which celebs reoccurred from uploading multiple pictures of ourselves. Speaking of which, I think Emma Watson came up a match on every picture for Jose. . .

Check out our matches and then see for yourself:

Hooray for Wednesday!

The last couple of days have not been so hot so hopefully today does not follow suit. I am about to eat some breakfast but before I do I thought i'd give you a nice slice of accoustic Lilly Allen doing "LDN" that should help put the best foot fwd, enjoy

Happy Columbus Day

Good morning all. Since today is Columbus Day and I work at a bank that is the reason I am not at work. I am going to bring you the top 5 ( well it is just now 3) list I meant to give you last week but just never had a chance to get a round to doing.

3. ( mp3) Her Own Conversation - Lolita Bras This New York band brings to mind some of the best parts of the 80's (u2 and the cure) with early 90's (oasis, ride) produced by Eli Janney.

2. (mp3) Magical Mind - Harvee This Montreal band brings to mind the sounds of Belle & Sebastian, Architecture in Helsinki and Broken Social Scene. been stuck in my head for weeks.

1. (mp3) If you rescue me - Chanson Des Chats great song from The Science of Sleep.

Time for a Celebration

Tonight our week will be rounded out by heading down to Coventry for the 3rd anniversary Party for B-Side liquor Lounge. The VIP portion of the party will be from 8-10pm with free Stella Artois and Ciroc Vodka along with hour devours from Vivo, Boulevard Blue and Pacific East. Then after that we are heading over to The Mont to check out The Tree House and 806.

Kelly suggested this jam to get your party started right tonight. I think it should do the trick.

(mp3) Sunglasses Told Me (team9 remix) - The Killers vs. Corey Hart

A Fall Friday

We've been out and out about the last 3 nights, going to just lay tonight. I am looking fwd to doing nothing and having a nice top 5 to share tommorow. For now I will leave you with this great collaboration Trent Reznor + Peter Murphy (Bahaus) and Tv On The Radio. Sadly Tv on The Radio are not coming to c-town this tour.

Bier + Jenny Lewis

Today it goes like this, first we are heading over to Bier Markt after work to check out the latest opening at their Kunstwerk Gallery. They will be showing the work of Italian photographer Paolo Pansera, he gives his own interpretation of music through his pictures taken from the East side of the globe. This starts @ 6pm there will be complimentary wine and cheese. There will also be Grey Goose happy hour.

After we hit up the opening we will be heading to the HOB to check out Ms. Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins. Also tonight we won't be be able to attend but La Cave Du Vin is having a wine tasting.

I wanna be your J-Lo

Tonight @ The Beachland Ballroom we are going to see one of the best tours this fall, C.S.S. and Ladytron. Doors open @ 8pm show starts @ 9pm see you there. Enjoy these videos by them to get you pumped for the show.

Ladyton - Sugar




C.S.S. - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above

Rodrigo Y Gabriela

Back in 2004, when Marisa (my sister) and I were visiting our sister (Becky) in Dublin, Ireland we wanted to get some local music. My little sister, Marisa asked Paul (Becky's boyfriend at the time, now husband) what she should get. He suggested that she purchase Rodrigo Y Gabriela live in Dublin and Manchester. We had no idea what that was but Marisa went ahead and purchased the album based on his advice. When we listened to the album we were both blown away. Rodrigo Y Gabriela are a duo from Mexico and now hail in Dublin, Ireland. They play very fast flamenco guitar. They like to cover hard rock and heavy metal arists like Led Zepplin and Metalica in addition to playing their own compositions. They are currently on a U.S. tour and will be on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic show tommorow and on Friday they will be on the The Late Late show with Craig Ferguson on CBS.

(mp3) Stairway to Heaven - Rodrigo Y Gabriela (Led Zepplin Cover)

Two Shows Tonight: Mobius Band and Hem

This evening, there are two very cool shows going on in Cleveland that Jose and I will be missing out on (b/c we will be at his parents' lovely Clam Bake), that you definitely should not:

Mobius Band at Cambridge Room at House of Blues
(check their myspace)

Hem at The Beachland Ballroom Tavern
(check their myspace)

Before We Go

Prior to us heading over to see The Science of Sleep, we are enjoying some music (and wine!) we recently discovered.

Here are select tracks from the two lovely *new* bands:

[mp3] Jed and Lucia - Off the Ground
[mp3] The Positions - Back to Me

As for the wine, we happened upon a simple (and somewhat obscure) label displaying: 2003 Sauvignon Blanc Wyatt, very much like this:
We would highly recommend this wine, retailing just under $10 and revealing slight fruit flavors and a clean finish.

it's going down!!

Despite this dreary weather there are some fun things going down in C-town tonight.

Today at the Cedar Lee Theatre (finally) the long awaited, "The Science of Sleep" premieres at 2pm for more info check The Cedar Lee.


Also today marks the fall opening for MOCA here in Cleveland. This event is from 7-11pm, free and open to the public. There will be an open bar (featuring Bacardi and Grey Goose) and hors d'oeuvres with music provided by San Francisco DJ Sabrina Tsang (aka Similak Chyld).



Following the opening at MOCA you can head over to the after party @ The B-Side Liquor Lounge in coventry to check out the sounds of the amazingly talented ?uestlove of The Roots. Cocktails will be provided by Hennessey (with a $5 dollar cover) or you can get it for free with your ticket from the opening.


Lastly if wine is your thing head down to Voinovich Park down by Cleveland Browns Stadium and check out the 1st ever Cleveland Wine Festival. The cost is $20 dollars and their will be plenty of wine from local and national wineries, food from great local restaurants : La Dolce Vita, Fahrenheit, Opa! and Saucy Bistro and music. The festival runs today from 4-10pm and tommorow from 2pm -1opm.

You Forgot It In People

Last night we went to go see the flick "The Last Kiss". We are going to post a review about it later today. We also recently saw "Half Nelson" and we will be giving a few thoughts on that thought film as well. Since I watched Half Nelson I have been on a big Broken Social Scene kick since they have 3 songs on the sidetrack. Only a band with a sound as diverse as Broken Social Scence could fit so well on a sidetrack for a movie like Half Nelson. If you have never seen Broken Social Scene's video for Fire Eye'd Boy you should check it out down below because it is good fun. You can buy the Half Nelson soundtrack here and the poster shown above here.






P.S. a couple of people asked me what was the name of the BSS song from Half Nelson when he was dancing with the girls. (mp3) Stars and Sons - Broken Social Scene

Turn Here

A few weeks ago while killing time on google I discovered the site turnhere.com. Turnhere.com is a site that posts 2 minute films that have been shot by local amateur film makers about cool or unique places in their cities. The aim of this sight is to let people know where is a great neighborhood, the best shopping, dining, nightlife and the best tourists attractions are to be found. Their goal is have a collection of these short films from all over the world. They already have a broad range of films on cities from Reykjavik, Iceland to Memphis, TN to Krakow, Poland and in-between. There are even films up for The Nati and C-bus but no Cleveland. So someone here in C-town needs to get with the program and submit a film for something in Cleveland like Tremont, Ohio City, Coventry or even just The Great Lakes Brewery. We need to show the whole world how we do. The next submission period ends on October 31st.

Mmm, Pumpkin Ale

This evening we are sipping on some delicious Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale that we were first introduced to last night while at La Cav du Vin in Coventry (read Cleveland.com's review of our favorite wine bar here). The taste of this beer is great because isn't too pumpkin-y while allowing other flavors, such as cinnamon and nutmeg, to be revealed. Contrary to what one might think, Buffalo Bill's Brewery isn't located in Buffalo, NY -- it is actually near San Francisco, CA where they run a restaurant and brew a variety of wheat beers, pale ales, lagers, and stouts. If you live or visit northern California, you should definitely pay them a visit -- or look for their beer in your local grocery store.

Lazy Saturday

After a highly entertaining Friday evening, Jose and I are going to take it easy this afternoon. Last night was spent at the So You Think You Can Dress? Fashion Show at the Cleveland Playhouse where this season's trends were on display -- not to mention the delicious mojito's and guacamole! Following the show, we went down to Coventry and were pleasantly surprised to see that Jimmy John's had opened :) As well as American Apparel, finally. . .

After we devoured our Turkey Tom and Vegetarian Subs, we headed over to La Cav and enjoyed a couple drinks with Erin. Although the weather was a little chillier than we would have preferred, we were very happy to be welcomed back in Cleveland with an evening such as this.

For now, I am going to finish getting ready so I can meet Jose for the much anticipated matinee showing of Half Nelson. Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Tonight!

Come join us this evening while we attend a fashion show hosted by Cleveland's 20/30 Club, focusing on business chic. Click here for more details!

No One Can Hear You Giggle

Tommorow evening if you happen to be in Dublin, Ireland you should definitely head over to the Temple Bar area to check out the very first Dublin Culture Night. Dublin, in effort to share its rich cultural offerings to the public, will have nearly 40 of its best museums, galleries and studios open until 9pm for the public to take advantage of them. One of the events that will be going on in conjunction will be the latest edition of the Fast Forward Ireland short film contest. This contest is run by Andrew McAvinchey (the brother of my brother-in-law, Paul, who is married to my sister, Becky -- this is who Kelly and I were just visiting in Dublin). Paul and Becky will be assisting Andrew with his fast forward Ireland contests. In fact all of us (Kelly, myself, Becky, Paul) were partcipants in Andrew's latest film which we shot last weekend while enjoying a few pints.


The lastest offering is called "No One Can Hear You Giggle" where you shoot a 3 minute silent short film and edit it in 24 hours. After this contest, Andrew is taking the show on the road to Portugal for their own very first Fast Forward Portugal event as well (for more info go here). I am looking forward to seeing the finalists for this contest which will be shown on the Fast Forward Ireland site on Monday, September 25th. All of the applicants of this contest will also be shown all weekend long on Curved Street (which is pictured above) in Temple Bar. You may also recall that a few weeks ago we posted Paul's film which was a particpant in another Fast Forward Ireland contest. Here is another one for you to check out.

Lay Lady Lay

So we have finally returned. We got back to the states on monday evening. Since they we have been recooperating and trying to get back into the swing of things. I didn't go to work today but Kelly did. This weather (so gloomy today high of only 60 and rainy) and jet lag won over going into the office. It has now been 1 week since I proposed to Kelly. Last week in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland out on the pier I asked Kelly to be my wife. Lucky for me she said yes.

We have been dating almost 3 years now and when I first started talking to her back then I never thought this would happen. When went on our first date she thought I didn't like her because I could not talk around her and that was certaintly not the case I could not talk around her because I was enamored with her beauty. I might add that we also went to go see Kill Bill: Vol 1 on our first date and that was not a movie that was conducieve to talking. I don't mean to get mushy here but I wanted to add that I love her so much and I am lookin forward to having her as my wife. Tommorow we should get back into the swing of regular posts and share some Ireland pictures very soon. Thanks to all who have expressed congrats thus far and a special thanks to my awesome sister Becky and her equally as great husband Paul for putting us up and showing us the time of our lives. Cheers

Lay Lady Lay - Magnet(Feat. Gemma Hayes) a very nice Bob Dylan cover

Bittersweat

Good morning. It is hard to believe that has been 5 years since the horror of 9/11/01 occured. It seems longer than that but at the same time so recent. I think being an American it is important to not ever forget that this occured. I think most Americans can recall what they were doing on this day and where they were when it happened. I am going to share with you what I was doing. On 09/11/01 I was in a seinor @ Muskingum College in the middle of nowhere ohio. I was really excited that morning because on 09/12 I was suppose to head to New York city to attend the CMJ conference that year. I was in my second year at the radio station of being our music director and really felt that I was headed for a career in that industry. I was set to go and try and meet the contacts I had made as an md, in effort to secure my dream job of working for a promotion company and or a label doing college radio promotion. Needless to say I never got to go. CMJ that year was rescheduled for the middle October I could not go because I had mid terms. I also considered going to SXSW that spring but I ended up going to Italy instead and that is a whole another story. I accepted all of this as a sign that I was not meant to work in radio after all.

As far where I actually was when the first plane hit I was on my way to class. Right before I went to class somebody said something about a plane crashing into the world trade center and I thought that sounded really odd but did not give it much thought and went to class. Then when that class was over at 9:50am I walked into the station just in time to see a replay of the plane that crashed into The Pentagon. I was floored and in complete shock. At that point I said "well I guess I am not going to New York tommorow". It was such a somber and unforgetable feeling.

On a lighter note, Today we are departing for Dublin, Ireland this evening for a litle vacation and to visit my awesome sister Becky and her equally as awesome husband Paul. This is going to be the first time Kelly and I have flown together. I am not a big fan of trans-atlantic flights so hopefully having her long will be alot of fun and help make the time go by faster. I imagine when we return on the 18th we will have some pictures and stories to share. So until the 19th don't expect any more posts from us.

You should check this out if you didn't see it on stereogum the other day. Here is a collage of touring footage made by the Sound TEAM boys with super 8 and 16m cameras.

Top 5 Songs of The Week!! (congrats to Erin and Todd)

Today is the big day. Today in a few hours we will be attending the wedding of Erin (Kelly's sister and Todd. These songs have nothing to do with that but I just wanted to wish the two of them well.

5. (mp3) Hang On, Girl - Favourite Sons these New York cats are dropping their debut album on tuesday check em out.

4.(mp3) When The Week Died - A Weeks Worth - this San Diego band, is starting to make some noise in their city. they say they sound like a happier version of the strokes.

3. (mp3) Christine - Monsters Are Waiting this Echo Park,CA band has a great combination of deep bass lines with great guitar licks on top of sultry vocals.

2. (mp3) No More Birthdays / San Francisco Bay - Sound Team wish i was going to check them out @ the grog on Tuesday with the french kicks and The Twilight (who are local and good)

1. (mp3) (DRAPED UP REMIX) - Bun B vs Bloc Party I have been feeling this track for days, one of my favorite mix of the year.

No time for love Dr.Jones

This weekend we have a full plate. Tonight we have the rehersal dinner for Kelly's sister erin's wedding. Tommorow we have the wedding in the afternoon and then the reception tommorow evening. Also going down tommorow night is the battle we have all been waiting for #1 Ohio State vs #2 Texas down in Austin. Then on Sunday is the Browns (we have the most the loyal fans in the NFL look here) home opener as they take on Reggie Bush and the Saints. Plus in between all that we have to find time to pack because we depart for Ireland on Monday afternoon.

I don't know how much time we will have to post but tommorow I got some good stuff lined up for weekly top 5. Tonight that new Zach Braff movie "The Last Kiss" if anyone goes to see it let us know. I am somewhat interested in seeing it because some of it was shot in Madison, Wisconsin ( i lived there back in 02-03) , hopefully I won't end up hating like I did with Garden State. Here is a little short with Zach Braff talking about the movie and some of the choices he made for the soundtrack.

Four Eyed Monsters

About three months ago on Four Eyed Monsters asked to be my friends on myspace. At first I was like what the hell is this then I decided to check out. It is actually a video pod cast that has been on going for the last year staring Arin Crumley and Susan Buice who met on online while being lonely in two different cities miles apart. They hit off and then they decided to document the formation of their relationship since both them are film makers. As a result of this collaboration they moved to New York to further pursue the project. They decided to use digital video as a medium to tell their story.

I should also mention that these podcasts feature some great indie rock as background music, some of the bands featured are Spinto Band, The Legends, The National Eyes, The Loveninjas, and The Golden Pastime. Over the last year or so hey have been able to get the actual film shown at various indie film festivals including Slamdance but now they want to take it to the people. Now in effort to do so since distributing a film cost a lot of money. They have chosen to distribute the film to the masses that want to see it.

On their website they recently had a contest to get to see it all you had to was vote for it and the cities with 150 votes or more would get chosen. The winning top 6 cities are New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, Chicago and New York (for your own information C-town got 51 votes not great but not terrible). Starting tonight in those 6 cities they are showing the film at local theatres. They want to do the same thing with another group of cities next month all you have to do is get 150 votes for your city for them to show it in your town. Just about anything you could possible want to know about them and their project is on your their site so be their friend on myspace and go check out their unique and original movie.


Four Eyed Monsters - Thursdays in September


Play Invite Watch Trailer See Video Podcast

here is a interview with the Four Eyed Monsters on Binside TV

Born to Quit

Tonight at the Grog shop there is an excellent bill of bands. The lineup consists of local openers The Lovekill (who feature Craig from Bears on drums), The Lovekill's great new record "These Moments Are Momentum") and headliners The Smoking Popes. You may recall them their hit "Need you Around" which was all of the airwaves in 1995.

Back in high school and college I loved this band to no end. I only managed to see them once at the old grog shop (rip). Now these guys from the windy city have reunited and are even going to put a new record. Which is great they make some of catchiest punk pop songs I have ever heard. Speaking of their music on their myspace page they have some new songs you can check out. Here is a recent interview they did with The Freetimes here in town. Doors open @ 8pm the show is $10.

Here is the video for the classic Smoking Popes song "Ruebella"

Fionn Regan

A few months ago, we posted a couple songs by Fionn Regan where we felt as though the songs had something about them that were familiar and had a tendency to stay with us. After hearing those songs, were definitely looking forward to his full length. We have actually had it for a few weeks now, but were procrastinating as we often do. So here is a long overdue post about Mr. Fionn Regan. . .

Fionn Regan is a singer song writer from Dublin, Ireland. As Americans, we both have a natural tendancy to compare any Irish singer song writer to the two most famous in recent years -- and those would be David Gray and Damien Rice. Mr. Regan sounds somewhat like those two but even more so reminding us of an Elliot Smith or a Nick Drake singing more upbeat songs with a voice that sounds like John K. Samson of The Weakerthans or that of a young Donovan. However anyone sees fit to interpret what he sounds like, what remains true is he very talented. He has the ability to draw you in and make you listen to him more. These songs sound simplistic yet beautiful with their great folk melodies and his soothing smooth voice.

His debut album titled "The End of History" came out August 7th in the U.K. on Bella Union records. This label is home to some great artists like: The Dears, Laura, Veirs, Explosions in the Sky and The Dirty Three. Being on a label with artists of that caliber will hopefully give him the exposure he deserves. The album, produced and written by Fionn himself, can be purchased here. Definitely take a moment to sample some of the goods below:

(mp3) Put a Penny in the Slot - Fionn Regan (very catchy first single)

(mp3) Hunters Map - Fionn Regan

(mp3) The Cowshed - Fionn Regan

Bonus: Video for Put a Penny in the Slot

Top 5 songs of the week

On this rainy Saturday morning here in September I can't help but smile because today means football is back, there is no work on Monday and Bears are playing tonight!


5. (mp3) Cinematic - The A-Sides these boys from philly make pop that sounds like the kinks, the zombies but also reminds me of psych pop bands like the oliva tremor control.

4. (mp3) Daily Sketches - Bastard Boy this San Diego native has vocals that remind me of Damon Gough (badly drawn boy) doing lo fi electronic indie pop.

3. (mp3) Atomic - Sleeper an oldie but a goodie. We saw the very end of Trainspotting last night while channel surfing, hence why I am including this.

2. (mp3) Julie's Story- TRS-80 This Chicago trio has had their music used by Nike and and Coca Cola in ads. they make music that sounds like... DJ Shadow, Fischerspooner and The Orb.

1. (mp3) Search Party - So Many Dynamos Pitchfork said these Missouri boys might be the next Dismemberment Plan, but they remind me more of MTB though. I put a song of their's on a mix for Kelly over a year ago.

extended weekend

This weekend is going to be pretty tame but it is just what we need. Next weekend is going to be the opposite it will be rather hectic for us because Erin who is Kelly's sister has her rehersal dinner next Friday and then next Saturday she is getting married. Then on Sunday is the first Browns game of the season and on Monday we leave for Ireland so we got alot going on.



Tonight be sure to check out Bears on 89.3 FM WCSB(here in c-town) or online. They will be guests tonight on the "Elixir is Zog" radio show from 11pm - 1am playing a special set of mostly accoustic versions of their songs. Also tonight if you are looking for a show in Kent head to The ECC @ 10pm to check out Nicholas Megalis doing a solo set. (see our top 5 from last week for info on him)


Tommorow if you are looking for something to do head down to the tavern in The Beachaland Ballroom and check out Bears first ever headling show. The openers will be Friend and Trouble Books. The show starts @ 9pm and costs only 2$ thanks to the awesome people at your favorite local indie record store Music Saves.

(mp3) Bears - Still Alright

Lastly tonight "Factotum" the movie based on the novel of the same name by acclaimed author Charles Bukowksi opens @ The Cedar Lee. People are saying Matt Dillion's performance of Henry Chinaski in this film is his best performance of his career. An interesting side note Sean Penn was their first choice for the role not Matt Dillion.

Trailer for Factotum

I got nothing but this...

This morning I discovered the blog: Chris Walker Versus. This is an interview blog conducted by Chris Walker who is a guy from Reno, Nevada. Chris is always doing an interview with someone -- hence the versus in the title of the blog. Over the last few weeks, his nitch has been Chris Walker vs Bands and Booze. Some of the bands he has interviewed during this time are Silversun Pickups, Division Day, Birdmonster, The Nine Black Alps (he posted their video "When I wake up" back in May of this year). To read the great interview Chris did with Drew (who went to my high school) the lead singer of Wintergreen go here.

(mp3) Fall Apart - Wintergreen


This is completely unrelated but I wanted to share with you if didn't know already that Wendy's now has vanilla frostys available here in the US!! I was informed that in the land north of us (aka Canada) that they have had them there already for years. Has anyone had one yet? If so, was it delicious? It sounds great!

Fast Fwd Ireland!

Those of you who read our blog from time to time might recall that we are going to Ireland. Well yesterday marked t-minus two weeks. Yes two weeks from now we will be in Dublin, Ireland enjoying some needed paid time off, meanwhile you all will be toiling away at school, work or whatever else it is that you do to pass the time. Seeing as how we are about to part for Ireland in the very near future I thought I'd share a short film that my brother in law Paul made and recently posted on youtube.com.

Back in June of this year Paul participated in the Fast Forward Ireland 24 Hour Filmaking Festival. The guidelines of this festival were that you had 24 hours to shoot and edit a 3 minute short film. Paul's end result is "A story of Aliens with mind controlling Mobile Phones and a Boyband reunion. Note the appearances by my sister Becky (his wife) and their dog Honey.



(mp3) Sharp Briar (demo) - The American Analog Set (doesn't really have anything to do with this post but seems like a good song on a dreary day like today)

appealing to the senses

Today everyone seems to be dragging @ss it seems to be just one of those days where you can't get anything done. If you are bored at work like most of us are, here are some things to past the time.

Unbeknowst to me Bill Mahr now has an interview program on Amazon.com called "Amazon Fishbowl" you can't download the program but you can view it using flash or windows media player. Some of the guests he has had so far on the show are Stephen King, Morgan Spurlock, Jon Faverau, Dixie Chicks and recently Chuck Klosterman. Last night when Kelly and I were looking for info about Chuck Klosterman's new book we came upon the interview. You can view it here. By the way the new Chuck Klosterman book " Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas" is now @ Borders according to Ryan. The release date is September 5th, I plan to get a copy asap.


While we reading the world news today, I came upon a recent study in Australia that say if you watch less t.v. , do crossword puzzles and eat fish once a week you will increase your memory. Now I realize that is not earth-shattering news, what I thought was interesting about the article was they provided you with a link to the results of the study and the actual test the applicants took. Alot of people tell me that I have a great memory so I took the test and I didn't do that great, I did about average. You should take the test here for yourself and see how you do.

And now something for your eyes and ears. Check out Nouvelle Vague performing Love will tear us apart @ Glastonbury this year.

On a Sunday...

Here is something for you to do today. Starts @ 12pm runs till 8pm. There will be food, bands, art shows and motorcross demos. What more could you want? Kelly and I went two years ago and I am sure it will be even better this year, now if only the rain would stop. For more information check here.

Thursday's are not so bad

Last weekend we saw Little Miss Sunshine, which was a really great film that we both really enjoyed. I know a lot of people are hyping it up but it was very funny and is deserving of the praise. The next film we are looking fwd to seeing in the theatre is Half Nelson. This film stars Ryan Gossling as a school teacher who is a drug addict and when one of his students discovers this about him they develop an unlikely bond. Much has been made about the performances in this film of Mr.Gossling and how it is a breakout role for him as well as for newcommer Shareeka Epps (no relation to Omar). Not to mention, Half Nelson recently won the jury prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

Also, there has been some good rumbling about this film's soundtrack which features three songs by Broken Social Scene as well as songs by Billy Brag, Ryhmesfest, and The Somnambulants. Here is just one of the many places you can buy the soundtrack. The movie is coming to c-town here @ The Cedar Lee on 9/22. And, Broken Social Scene are coming to c-town on November 10th @ the HOB w/ Do Make Say Think.

Some songs from the soundtrack:

(mp3) A New England - Billy Bragg (my favorite song by him)

(mp3) Shampoo Suicide - Broken Social Scene

(mp3) Comforts of Absence - The Somnambulants (I put this song on mix cd for Kelly over a year ago)

Definitely take a moment to check out Half Nelson's Trailor:

Tuesday shiz

Right now we are in the midst of another exciting week at work. Thankfully there is good new indie rock out there to help break up the montony. Assembly Now have a great new remix available for download for their song "It's Magnetic" the remix was done by Luke Smith who was a guitarist of the recently broken up London band Clor. Next Monday (August 28th) the lads will be releasing their first single "It's Magnetic" on Kids Records.

(mp3) It's Magnetic (Luke Smith remix) - Assembly Now

Asobi Seksu are currently getting ready for their fall tour which starts next week, (sadly no cleveland date) to promote their awesome sophmore release "Citrus". If you have not checked out their video for "Thursday" from that album check out this video that perfectly matches the song with it's dreamy imagery.



Lastly a few weeks ago on Entourage I heard "Luchini (This Is It)" by Camp Lo. I had not heard this song in years, as a result it made me smile (which i don't do that often) and now I am going to share this awesome old skool hip hop jam with you. In appeared in the episode from this season where they went to Vegas it was when Vince and Turtle were first walking thru the casino. On a sidenote back in college we used to cruise with this song blasting.

(mp3) Luchini (This is it) - Camp Lo

here is a funny clip from the show

Tonight: Bishop Allen @ The Beachland Tavern

For the past month or so, we both have been really looking forward to seeing Bishop Allen play in the intimate setting of the Beachland Ballroom's Tavern where they will be opening for Chris Mills. Also worth noting is Cleveland's own Nicholas Megalis being the first opener, reminding us much of Sondre Lerche with his theatrical melodies.

Kelly's Selection:
[Mp3] Bishop Allen - The Monitor

Jose's Selection:
[Mp3] Bishop Allen - Little Black Ache

Bonus:
[Mp3] Nicholas Megalis - I Will Say No

Wanted: Pancakes, Crepes, and a little Sunshine

I don't know how the weather is by you, but here in Cleveland it hasn't stopped raining all morning -- and it doesn't look like it is going to stop anytime soon. . .

So, to cheer ourselves up, Jose and I are going to The Original Pancake House to enjoy their absolutely fabulous Crepes and (of course) Pancakes. Following breakfast, we are heading over to catch the matinee showing of Little Miss Sunshine at Cedar Lee. If you haven't seen the trailer for this endearing movie yet, definitely do so here. The soundtrack also looks very cool, featuring songs from DeVotchKa and Sufjan Stevens.

Top 5 Songs (for a rainy day like today):

5. [Mp3] Jack Johnson - Banana Pancakes (Live at Moonshine Festival)
4. [Mp3] Sambassadeur - If Rain
3. [Mp3] Belle & Sebastian - Song for Sunshine
2. [Mp3] Tori Amos - Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Live)
1. [Mp3] Emiliana Torrini - Sunny Road (Live Acoustic)

Tonight!

After Jose and I head downtown for Kaleidoscope's Multicultural Event, we are going to try and stop by B Side's Retail Industry Party. This summer, we have been taking advantage B Side's new patio while enjoying their always excellent music selections and drink specials. So, if you have not yet had the opportunity to check out B Side this summer, tonight is the perfect night to do so (two words: mojito specials)!

Belfast comes to Cleveland

Tonight @ 9pm @ The Beachland ballroom is when the Oppenheimer show starts. The openers are Bad Flirt and The Twilight. Here is a recent live performance from Oppenheimer. for more info see our last couple posts on them.

Top 5 songs of the week

Gotta get out there and enjoy this sun but first some songs for your listening pleasure:


5. (mp3) Venice Isn't Sinking - Living in Polaroids This 16 year old girl from Long Island has a lot of talent and a pretty voice, reminding us of Azure Ray in this song

4. (mp3) Boat Song - Elephant Parade Peaceful bedroom pop that will make you smile

3. (mp3) Forever Lost - Magic Numbers Kinda like The Shins with a girl singing along (we normally are not fans of this band, but this song is an exception!)

2. (mp3) Call it Ours - The Legends A live version by this Swedish pop band was captured beauitfully by Bradley's Almanac

1. (mp3) We do not fuck around - Viva Voce This song gets stuck in Jose's head so easily it is just great and the chorus reminds us of The Pixies, anyone else feel the same?

Alive with Pleasure

It looks like is going to be a great weekend here in C-town which makes me feel alive with pleasure. Actually the reason for the title is the Viva Voce song of the same name. A few years ago I made Kelly a mix with that song on it and at the time I just figured that this duo was from somewhere in Sweden it just seemed like a good fit, just like how seem people think that Stellastarr* and Midlake should be from England. In reality they are from Oregon via Alabama which is great because it makes it a lot easier for them to tour the states. As luck would have they are coming to Akron on October 18th @ The Lime Spider with The Silversun Pickups.




(mp3) Alive with pleasure - Viva Voce


As far as the haps this weekend. There is some good stuff going down like:

Tonight there is the monthly Tremont Art Walk which starts @ 6pm

Tonight @ The Cedar Lee "I'm Your Man" will start showing. It is a documentary about Leonard Cohen that features performances by Rufus Wainwright, Jarvis Cocker, Bono, Nick Drake, Beth Orton and others.

Tonight @ The Lime Spider DJ Kardiac (Kevin from Music Saves) will be spinning with other local record stores owners , DJ Trophy Bass (Dave from Square Records) and DJ Charles (Charles from My Mind's Eye) . This well take place on the patio starting around 9:30-10pm.

Starting tomorrow down in Little Italy is the annual Feast of the Assumption starts @ 12pm and runs thru Tuesday the 15th

Also tomorrow is The Great Lakes Brewery : Burning River Fest @ Wendy Park on Whiskey Island starts @ 11am.

This Sunday marks the last Sunday for The Walk and Roll down @ University Cirle on MLK Blvd starts @ 11am.

Lastly Sunday night if the tickets are not too rich for your blood Tom Waits is playing a late night show @ 12am the HOB.

Like the linen

I woke up this morning with The Editors song "Bones" in my head. I could not find a live version anywhere , but I did find this nice performance of the song on youtube. Also if you have not checked out the daytrotter this week, I would advise you to do so. This week Sean has Thao Nguyen, if you have not jumped on board when it comes to this girl you should. You may recall we posted about her back in Feb of this year.

Girls just wanna have fun

This morning I bring you the music of Greg Laswell. Right now he is about to start a national tour for his second record "Through Toledo". Infact if you are home today @ 12pm central time he is going to be on WGN- TV out of Chicago doing a live performance. He is coming to C-town this saturday @ 8pm @ The Winchester. He will be opening for Tim O' Reagan who was the former drumer of The Jayhawks and now has his own band. Greg is a native of San Diego who has been compared to "Lou Barlow with a sweeter voice". I think he makes beautiful music and you should check out his cover of "Girls just wanna have fun".

(mp3) Girls just wanna have fun - Greg Laswell (Cyndi Lauper cover)

Tv Torso live

The weather has finally cooled today, it is nice to finally have a day where it is less 80 again. This makes me smile much like SOUND Team does. I missed them last week @ Kuyahoga fest because we did not want to wait out the rain. They are coming to C-town next month with Midlake & The French Kicks on September 14th @ The Grog Shop sound be a great show alas I will have to miss it because Kelly and I will be in Ireland holdin it down with Becky, Paul and Honey!





If you have never checked out there awesome WOXY.COM Lounge Acts performance you should check it out here

Young Folks

Happy Monday, to everyone. This morning I am feeling the effects of a good time. Last night Ryan, Lauren and my friend Zack came over to celebrate Ryan's birthday with us. We had a good time playing trivial pursuit and drinking a few bottles of wine while enjoying the delicious cake that Lauren made for Ryan's birthday. This summer Kelly and I have been totally in love with the song "Young Folks" by Peter, Bjorn and John. Yesterday I found the video on YouTube so I thought I'd share it with you.

The Return of the top 5 of the week!

As you may have noticed the last few weeks we have taken our top 5 off for various reasons mostly just being too busy and or lazy to post. Well this week have returned so here goes! This is going to be a list of songs Kelly and I have been talking about lately. Also everyone should be sure to wish Ryan a happy 23rd Bithday today, Happy Birthday Ryan!!

5. (mp3) I'm Already Gone - The Pleased This San Francisco indie pop/rock group has Joanna Newsom as member of their band. check out their performance from KEXP back in 04.

4. (mp3) I get the sense - Our Lady of the Highway This San Francisco band recently was featured on Pitchfork's download of the day. they play layered, jangly, indie rock with beautiful sad lyrics.

3. (mp3) Yours to keep - Teddybears STHLM This song is a great driving song and is known to cause people who can't dance to want to get down. Annie is featured on this track.

2. (mp3) America - Razorlight this song came on on shuffle on the iPod yesterday. We were surprised that it was this British band because they have come along since "Rip it up" and like the change.

1. (mp3) 6000 Shipwrecks - Kite Flying Society this San Diego band make great indie pop in addition to having a name that is a great Rushmore reference.

Good to go!

Here is some new regarding bands we have mentioned on our blog before. First off congrats to c-town's own Blazer, they recently announced that on August 21st they have a gig at PIANO'S NYC. They will be playing that night with Oppenheimer, Bad Flirt and Lifestyle. The boys also went to in the studio recently to record their first single so congrats to them.



Speaking of Oppenheimer who we have posted about a few times. They are coming to The Beachland Ballroom (in the tavern) on Monday August 14th with Bad Flirt and The Twilight opening. The show starts @ 9pm tickets are $6. So come out and support this great Irish band. You can purchase their album here. Coming up on August 17th @ 4:30pm they are going to have a Lounge Acts session on WOXY.COM. You can see how their tour is going so far on their live journal here.




The Hourly Radio were recently featured as spin.com's band of the day. Also the boys will be playing CMJ in November this year and they have an August residency starting @ The Annex in NYC starting August 17th. If you have not already done so go and buy their debut full length on iTunes it's great.


The Slack Republic have a new song up for download on their site and they also were recently featured in an interview on SHOUT!. They will also be playing The Midwest Music Summit in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 11th. Other bands playing the summit include : Dr.Octagon , Margot and The Nuclear So and So's , Page France, The Sun and Russian Circles.



And lastly R.I.P. to Arthur Lee the lead singer of the great 60's band LOVE. I was saddened to hear about his passing. I am not going to claim I am some indie snob who has known of them for forever. I honestly did not discover them till I saw Bottlerocket and I heard the song "Along Again Or". I did afterward check out their amazing album "Forever Changes" based on my friend Jeremy's recommendation.

Here is Love doing Alone Again Or live back in 2003




and here is Calexico doing a cover of Alone Again Or

Vote Pronk : Redux

You might recall right before the MLB All-Star Game this I urged you all to Vote Pronk. Well we as fans have more chance to get him the recognition that he deserves, so I am urging you once again to Vote Pronk when it comes to voting for the Century 21 Hank Aarron award. Each Year since 1999 (which marked the 25th Anniversary of Hank Aaaron becoming baseball's all-time home run leader) they have chosen in each league a winner of this award for the best offensive peformer. Pronk is nominated against some pretty stiff competition including : David Ortiz, Ichiro and Vladimir Guerrero. If you compare the stats you will sign that he is in top 10 in almost every major catagory when it comes to offense. I know that he can come out on top if we all do our job and VOTE PRONK!

In case you didn't know

Tonight marks the second month of the Summer Restaurant Tour here in Cleveland. This is a great fundraiser that donates a certain percentage of your bill at some of the hottest local area restaurants to the GLBT ( Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender community center of Greater Cleveland). For instance, if you go to The Old Angle Tavern on W.25th street tonight and say you are with the STR (summer restaurant tour) they will donate 40% of your bill to the cause. Some of the restaurants that will be participating this month include Boulevard Blue, Parallax, Momocho and The Grovewood Tavern. For more information check out the site here.

Tomorrow, unless you live under a rock you know that the 1st annual Kuyahoga Festival will be going on at Blossom. The gates open @ 3pm with local indie poppers Six Parts Seven kicking off the side stage @ 3:15pm. Unfortunately, Blossom only allows you to bring camaras when you are going to see the Cleveland Orchestra, so sadly Ryan will not be able to take any of his awesome photos. Regardless, I am looking forward to seeing The Flaming Lips for the first time and to finally getting to see what all the hype surrounging Sound Team and The Go! Team is about.

(mp3) Your eyes are liars - Sound Team

(mp3) Bull in the heather (sonic youth cover ) - The Go! Team

Lastly, this Sunday August 6th and the following Sunday August 13th the "Walk and Roll Cleveland" event will be taking place. This event takes place from 11am - 5pm on MLK drive for a 2.1 mile stretch it will allow all of us here in C-town to have the opportunity to walk this stretch of road and appreciate the beauty of the area that is often missed out on. Many people here in C-town do not ever explore the amazing Cultural Gardens located in his area now is your chance to do so. Some of the activities that will you can participate while at this great event will be: an Ultimate Frisbee Tournament, Yoga + Tai Chi, Chalk festival, Music and a History of the Cultural Gardens.

Riding low, Riding faster

Last night we attended the Phoenix show with Ryan, Lauren and Mike. It was the first time that Kelly and I had been to a show since July 9th when we saw Cat Power. We had been feeling quite burned out on shows and music in general so it was really nice to take a little break. Kelly and I were remarking last night on the way home how it is rather funny that not only were the last two shows we have seen both free, but they were two of the best performances we've witnessed this year.


As far as the show last night -- we missed the local opener The Very Knees but arrived just in time to catch all of The French Kicks set. With their new improved tighter sound I can see why Vagrant picked them up. If you have not already done so, go to daytrotter and get The French Kicks tracks from their great daytrotter session. Now on to the "main event" -- simply put, they were awesome. Phoenix had great stage presence, they were tight and cohesive as a band and had a phenomenal sound that left us wanting more. It was so amazing to see a band that normally plays arenas these days playing only 2 feet away from us at one of my favorite venues. Their set consisted mostly of new material from their most recent release it's never been like that. Luckily for us, during the encore they played the song we most wanted to hear which was "Too Young" best known from the Lost in Translation soundtrack and also on their album United. For more insight and some pics from the show check Ryan's post.

(mp3) Too Young - Phoenix

Tonight!

Interested in seeing Phoenix and The French Kicks in Cleveland this evening but can't seem to get your hands on tickets for this "Invite Only" show? Don't lose hope - just call Music Saves (or msg them on their myspace) and/or The Beachland Ballroom to see how they can hopefully hook you up.

Either way, you can always at least feel like you were at the show and check out Good Hodgkin's pictures and recap tomorrow :)