Random musings about life & good music.
I recently found a hip band called Farewell Fighter and I’m here to share their goodness with you. Check them out HERE to sample their awesomeness and then go download their EP on itunes by clicking THIS LINK. You’re good to go!
I just got the EP myself and I’m diggin’ it. They even do a cover of “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” and I have to say, I love when any band punks up a decent song… but especially when they do it well. Farewell Fighter doesn’t overdo it with the heavy guitar… me likey!
Support my friends Xyzyx in their race to open for KISS!!!
Check it out and make sure you put in a relevant zip code (here are some choices).
I’m getting the last of my stuff together for my weekend adventure in NorCal. I’m really looking forward to this drive, and me being the crafty goddess that I am, I created a travel journal to record my adventures in. Here’s the cover; the rest will be posted whence I return and finish it. Something else to look forward to!
Cover for my travel journal
update:
update: As of 2:04pm PST I am now in possession of this little gem and I really must insist that you get your butt out to Best Buy or online to their website to snag yourself a copy. I got either the only copy ordered or the last copy available from my local store and boy am I thankful that I headed out on my lunch break to acquire it.
I’m only partway through the acoustic cd and already I’m blown away, impressed, energized, amused, entertained and extremely happy to have another new disc from my long-time favorite band. Serious awesomeness (no, not the Aquabats DVD) oozes from this cd set. Go get it, then come back here in a few hours for a more in-depth, song-by-song review.
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Zany Ska-god Dance Kings Reel Big Fish have served up all the standard RBF goodness and some tasty morsels of surprise with their latest release, “A Best of Us… For the Rest of Us” which is OUT NOW!
Be sure to BUY IT NOW from Best Buy or you will surely regret it, and catch Reel Big Fish on the Vans Warped Tour for the rest of the summer.
I spent the past week in lovely St. Louis and one of the first things I did was visit my favorite place in the city, the Delmar Loop. The Loop is a stretch of Delmar in University City that houses a ton of boutiques, cafes, restaurants, bars and places of entertainment. If you’re ever in the StL, make sure you take a visit. While you’re there, stop by one of my favorite places, Vintage Vinyl, to buy/sell/trade music. I love that store.
My other favorite place on The Loop is Avalon Exchange, a super-hip and totally awesome clothing, shoes and accessories shop where you can buy, sell or trade stuff that rocks. Back in the day, I spent many hours and even more dollars at this place. They even had a Bargain Basement where I obtained my favorite tee of the ’90s which featured Mr. Bubble ensconced in (what else?) bubbles, and my seemingly-one-of-a-kind-although-they-had-multiples Smurfs shirt. I didn’t have enough money for both designs, so I purchased the beach Smurf while wondering if I should’ve gotten the “Have You Hugged A Smurf Today?” one instead.
At some point while I was away at college, Avalon closed. I returned to find an imposter in its place, which was also eventually run out of town. I was a sad panda, to be sure.
However, upon my return to Delmar this past week, I was ecstatic to discover that Avalon was back on The Loop! In addition to the joy of reuniting with my favorite shop, I was further pleased to make many fine purchases (and saddened to leave twice as many other equally awesome garments behind). Among those purchases were these AMAZING colorful and oh-so-comfy shoes:
I also encountered a pretty spectacular tee featuring Mt. Rushmore. It was a jersey of sorts, maroonish-purple with the Presidents’ heads on the front and yellow and orange stripes on the sleeves. I’m actually pretty bummed that I chose the teal cardigan over the Rushmore tee because when I returned home from my vacation I realized that duh, I live in California… how often will I wear a heavy cardigan?
I also found this really fantastic tee that I got for my friend Katie, whose 30th birthday party happened to be that same night. A perfect occasion for the perfect gift!
The front of it has a pretty awesome and semi-worn decal that says “Member, Beer Drinkers Hall of Fame” which is excellent for Kt since she’s allergic to gluten and thus cannot drink beer without severe consequence. The white letters on the back are fuzzy, so it really is an incredible shirt.
And as if things couldn’t get any better, Avalon is having a THREE-DAY DOLLAR SALE on July 23, 24 & 25th so if you’re in the St. Louis area, you should go there. So many fantastic items on sale for just $1 each. I really wish I could be there but it’s probably for the best, because I imagine I’d be racking up a pretty high bill.
The next time I’m in town, watch out, Avalon: I’m hunting you down and I’m bringing a ton of stuff to trade with you!
Oh man, there are so many great new bands that I’ve recently found… it’s gonna be hard to keep everything to one simple post. As such, I will spend the next few weeks highlighting some of my favorites and encouraging you to check them out.
Lots of preorders made their way to my mailbox the past week or so. This Love came out with a new EP called “The Beginning” and it sounds pretty great. A bit unexpected and gets a little slow in the middle, but altogether it sounds awesome and I’m glad I got it with the t-shirt. Best of all, the band members individually autographed each disc so it’s got a little bit of a personal feel to it. I especially love “Like A Million Lights” and hope to hear more from the band very, very shortly!
VersaEmerge also released a new album, called “Fixed At Zero” and it’s worth a listen. You can reportedly get it at Target for $9.99 so I encourage you to check it out. Sierra’s vocals make the music stand out from others but give a hint of familiarity that mixes well with the music. Catch them on Warped Tour all summer long and follow them on Twitter to participate in some of their fan games. I’ll be seeing them on August 11th at the Pomona fairgrounds; can’t wait!
And of course, one of my long-time favorites, Rooney, released their first self-made album called “Eureka” and it sounds sick as hell. It’s been getting mixed reviews because so many people have tried to shove them into the soft-pop genre and are surprised to hear the versatility and unexpected sound of this album, but for me it’s my favorite record they’ve released yet. Catch them on tour this summer headlining through August, and then they’ll be joining Hanson for part of the Shout It Loud tour as an opener. I caught several of their Southern California dates and really enjoyed the show, and plan to head to the midwest shortly to catch their July 1st date in Columbia, Mo. If you have the chance to see them, I highly recommend it. They’ve been playing a good mix of old favorites and new hits with a setlist that keeps you moving along, so go see them and buy some of their kickass new merch! (The t-shirts are sooo soft and comfy!)
All right, those are 3 to getcha started. Whence I return I’ll be giving you some more wholesome musical goodness to check out. Peace!
I think I’m starting to figure out this blog control panel… maybe. When I first logged in, I swear I thought I was in training to become a pilot or something with all the buttons and links all around. However, after playing around all weekend I’m starting to get the gist of things.
With that in mind, I bring you the concert calendar! I may expand it in the future to cover other awesome events I attend, but for now it’s a listing of the live shows I’ll be headed to. If you’re in the area, you should consider meeting me there.
You can access the show information two ways: one, click the link on the bottom right of the page. Two, go to the top of the page and click the link for the calendar. Choose the event you’re interested in and you’ll be taken to an event page specific to that day. It will include venue information, including directions, and a link to purchase tickets if it’s available.
Have fun. I know I sure did. Woot.
You may be wondering how you got to this blog and why you might care to read it. Well, I can’t answer the first question for you but I can give you a quick overview of what to expect (and as a result, a reason for caring?)
I love good music and I spend a lot of time scouring the web to seek it out. I also love sharing my finds with others because I know that most people don’t have the drive, energy or resources to devote to searching for great bands. I always feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole by the way I find some of these artists. It’s like one big link to link to link to link and suddenly, bam! Wholesome musical goodness for the world to enjoy.
I’ll also keep you posted on new releases, live events I’ll be attending, and the occasional random musing or twelve. I plan to review albums that I’ve obtained as well as shows I attend, so you can get a better idea of what to seek out. I might even throw in a little contest here and there, so pay attention and reap the rewards.
I hope you find this blog to be educational, entertaining and enlightening. It might even border on ridiculous but if you’re okay with that, I’m okay with that. So sit back, relax and enjoy. Cheers!
