On the right side of the main page, about halfway down, you will find my new Google Reader widget. It shows you items I choose from the fifty or so different websites I read. Click "Read More" to see more articles. Enjoy. Leave me comments if you find something you think is interesting.

Also, I have added a Google map of all the venues from the show calendar. It's on the same page as the calendar, so just scroll down. Maybe now you can get to Jannus without guessing. I still can't. But I always get there.
Here's what the map looks like:



I will add more to it as I find venues I don't already know. Next up: The Atlantic, in Gainesville. Anybody been there? Leave a comment.

Labels: Hardcore, Hardcore Music, Indie, Music, Shows, Travel

This is the belated first post about my trip to New York. We came across this exhibit while walking to the Guggenheim Museum while it was closed. Why were we going to a closed Guggenheim? Because I wasn't paying attention, and who doesn't love a freezing cold walk in the rain up 5th Ave.? A friend on the phone had just mentioned how much she loved Basquiat a few minutes before. Then I saw the sign above. A small Pakistani man invited us inside, for free, and we gladly accepted. The exhibit was worth it, and not just because it gave us a chance to warm up and dry off. It was a spectacular collection of drawings and paintings, only a few of which I had seen before, and none that I had seen in any other exhibition.

Unfortunately, many of these photos (like the one above) also have me in them. I couldn't use a flash, of course, and it wouldn't have helped anyway since I didn't have a polarizer to get rid of the reflections in the glass. Sorry about the quality. But at least I got a picture with Basquiat, right?

See the whole set at my Flickr page.

If you have never heard of Jean-Michel Basquiat, here's the brief story:
Born December 22nd 1960. Died August 12 1988 in his studio from mixing cocaine and heroin. Probably a lot. He started his art career as a graffitist in Manhattan. His tag was "SAMO." The art world took notice. He became friends with Andy Warhol in 1982, and the two worked together on projects. Lars Ulrich of Metallica sold one of Basquiat's paintings at auction for over five and a half million dollars.

Read more about Basquiat at Wikipedia.

Labels: Arty, Basquiat, Travel

Summer Music Festival time is right around the corner! OK, I know that sounds absurd if it's right around freezing outside as you read this, but now is the time to start planning. Lineups have been at least partially announced for a lot of the big festivals already.

If you're not there right now, then you already missed a lot of SXSW, the South By Southwest festival. But the music doesn't start until March 14th, and goes to March 18th. Check out their lineup. This year, DirecTV will be broadcasting some of the shows live on channel 101.

Coachella is bigger and better this year. They have added another day to the festival, headlined this year by Rage Against the Machine on Sunday April 29th, Red Hot Chili Peppers on Saturday April 28th, and Bjork on Friday April 27th. Other notable bands: Interpol, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Arcade Fire, Sonic Youth, Peeping Tom, Blonde Redhead, !!!, Happy Mondays, The Lemonheads and lots of others. See the full lineup. Tickets cost $85 for single day passes. Three day passes have already sold out, but I'm sure you can still find some. The festival is held in Indio, California, which means traveling and staying there will be expensive.

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festivalis four days long this year, June 14-17, and is held in Manchester, Tennessee. The Police are headlining. Other highlights include: Tool, The Flaming Lips, The Decemberists, The Hold Steady and Mute Math, among many others. The whole lineup is here. Ticket pricing is a little weird. As in years past, the first tickets are cheaper, at $184.50US, and will eventually rise to $214.50. For more ticket info look here. They have some good travel information on the site too, including details about their airport shuttle.

The annual traveling one-day Warped Tour comes back for more hot, sweaty, dirty punk rock fun. The schedule is already up, but the lineup is still coming together. Confirmed bands include: Agent Orange, Alkaline Trio, Bad Religion, Coheed and Cambria, Flogging Molly, Pennywise and The Vandals. Lots more to come, as well. Not all of the bands play the whole tour, so pay attention on the Bands page to make sure you will get to see your favorites. Otherwise, travel.

Perry Farrell's Lollapalooza has managed to get something together for at least one more year. The festival no longer tours and will be held in Chicago, August 3-5. The lineup is amazing. It includes Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins, Violent Femmes, Sleater-Kinney, Built to Spill, Eels, Cursive, Nada Surf, Jeremy Enigk (formerly of Sunny Day Real Estate and Rainer Maria. Amazing. That's just a few of them. Their website is (annoying and cluttered) Flash, so no direct links. Tickets go on sale in April. This would be worth the trip.

Obviously I skipped some major festivals outside the States here. Check back, I will fix it when I have more time.

Labels: Hardcore, Hardcore Music, Indie, Music, Shows, Travel

I'm leaving for New York in a week, so posts may be a little slow next week. But when I get back, expect to see something about:

• The Appleseed Cast at The Knitting Factory
  
• The Shins at Madison Square Garden
  
• (Maybe) Sleepytime Gorilla Museum at The Bowery Ballroom (We'll see. I don't like anything I've heard, but it's supposed to be a great show.)
  

And I'm sure I will find plenty in the galleries in Chelsea to show you.

And you better believe I'm going record shopping. Last time I stopped in Generation Records I found a treasure trove, plus a store cat that took a shine to me.

Plus there's whatever else we do. I'll be here for a week still, but my head left yesterday. Can't wait!

Oh, and if you find yourself needing great maps and travel guides Not For Tourists have their entire guides online for free, in PDF format. I'm sure they would appreciate if you'd buy one. I used them last time I went. They are excellent guides in every conceivable way, but their best feature is the fact that they are essentially Moleskines. People write about these things incessantly for a reason.

Labels: Arty, Indie, Music, Shows, Travel