tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44457411741945204452024-03-05T20:07:53.176-08:00Blah Blah BlogChecking out the local scene in the DMVjfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-71746143663558304632011-03-31T06:42:00.000-07:002011-03-31T06:55:39.097-07:00Holy Ghost!/Cut Copy 3/29/11<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcRCiODw87cRFO5udOxJbPSAymWed0_RdmleWSOp240XRwhg_ywnFHkwlZLPibbBlL4TgSgbQ5oSPtimfozF-vJPpztcyHq0bid5A5wVcTWRuCXmtfX5iaaPMhph0EnCldFBByjNVs5u6/s1600/IMAG0608.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcRCiODw87cRFO5udOxJbPSAymWed0_RdmleWSOp240XRwhg_ywnFHkwlZLPibbBlL4TgSgbQ5oSPtimfozF-vJPpztcyHq0bid5A5wVcTWRuCXmtfX5iaaPMhph0EnCldFBByjNVs5u6/s320/IMAG0608.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590242383873432514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkLvYyBaUMLFZva3SRIecFueg8q1fxzC1kEdZzsZPC5sh-U-DBsaHVxzniKOyVKEPe9onLd0AmMC10T2oSDyuv9hEq3heB8eEbJ23HthMXiEtmppX0ZkOYa6LfNiCkNxbZDovF9t3ZOqs/s1600/IMAG0627.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkLvYyBaUMLFZva3SRIecFueg8q1fxzC1kEdZzsZPC5sh-U-DBsaHVxzniKOyVKEPe9onLd0AmMC10T2oSDyuv9hEq3heB8eEbJ23HthMXiEtmppX0ZkOYa6LfNiCkNxbZDovF9t3ZOqs/s320/IMAG0627.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590242382557395730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mnYAioeG_GNxGaOnIOBDOQSc8q67sjvl0GPyaeCE3DrOd_-YL1KR0MSvX9otcqNrZzAhTGkxspoSgHaLbp6RZJVIm41RFXCzfvuiYfY1MSHOKtNwChEIuCqopBRjLGUuIeoViU85xbEi/s1600/IMAG0609.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mnYAioeG_GNxGaOnIOBDOQSc8q67sjvl0GPyaeCE3DrOd_-YL1KR0MSvX9otcqNrZzAhTGkxspoSgHaLbp6RZJVIm41RFXCzfvuiYfY1MSHOKtNwChEIuCqopBRjLGUuIeoViU85xbEi/s320/IMAG0609.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590242019887100466" /></a><br />What a great four (six) day break I'm having! I have been totally on a DFA/New York disco binge ever since I went to visit with Gary last year. The whole scene is great and I would love to venture back in the city for some local clubbing. For now all I could was wait for Cut Copy's return to DC. They sold out two 9:30 Club shows this week and even spin records at the U Street Music Hall after their final Wednesday set. Going to the show, and seeing Holy Ghost! open, was quite the treat. These two groups play some infectious big beat dance anthems that made the weather bearable for at least one night. I have been pumping Holy Ghost! EP since it came out last year and the duo surprised me with a full band. Hearing booming live drums helps tremendously as the sound carried throughout the venue. They played about six or so songs before leaving for Cut Copy. The Australians new cd is better than their last cd, which I finally bought at the show, and they got the crowd involved every song. The band's leader had a charismatic way he delivered his music as if to say "I love these songs, enjoy them with us." Everything was clicking that night and I can't wait to see either band perform in the future either live or spinning records. I'll take anything they produce!jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-34414129588538047962011-02-09T09:34:00.000-08:002011-02-09T09:57:36.486-08:00Black Squirrel/Smash! 2/3/11Broke out the Washingtonian Best Bars Edition and had to check something out for happy hour. I gave my roommate three addresses and told him to pick. One was in Georgetown, Adams Morgan, and the Atlas District. He picked the Black Squirrel in Adams Morgan. I haven't been to Adams Morgan during the day and was pleasantly surprised that they're were no cars on 18th St. We parked right out front and walked in, just up the street from my favorite bar on the block, Bourbon. We kind of opened Black Squirrel and got thoroughly wasted with the very wide selections of beers from all over the world. My favorite was the Aventus and 10% double IPA that was off the menu. To slow down the high content I checked out the food selections and got the four cheese mac. It was awesome!!!!! The bar staff was very cool and the patrons fit the "good beer bar" vibe. It was the best possible scenario at happy hour, though they had no specials, and I was very satisfied. On the way out we stopped by Smash!, the local record store. They had reasonable prices and some lps and punk stuff hanging around but the store was awful. One employee working with headphones and no sound! This guy gave me the creeps, plus I was a little buzzed. No sound too? What a buzz kill. Check out the bar but skip the record store, such a shame!jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-71666806857405944102011-01-31T06:35:00.000-08:002011-02-01T14:09:25.184-08:00Girl Talk 1/29/11<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpY8hXW7d42vnQ-bXxWuxWgSotzWNtv2SNdrP57yG72D9hIo7QvkQOvcUVAFBIvjwfCzgbGZAJbxzxPA2t8hEwKq36KGSjfPAO7GPu865qJod_jyPD8V7o_cdKy_KC45yI3zdjPyi6bvg/s1600/IMAG0216.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpY8hXW7d42vnQ-bXxWuxWgSotzWNtv2SNdrP57yG72D9hIo7QvkQOvcUVAFBIvjwfCzgbGZAJbxzxPA2t8hEwKq36KGSjfPAO7GPu865qJod_jyPD8V7o_cdKy_KC45yI3zdjPyi6bvg/s320/IMAG0216.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568846318439923170" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cOQErxPyrmL08WpDSPDHQRhFF3CdfW8ILE1K8smUlr-R8EU4cg_7-BxZxTHpzVbbz_oZEvdILGhCNofDCvcYsKYqNHVEY7XjqW1WJy5fQuL2bxCq6Pwb6LcflvuLIcdCkYIsx4HcoYGh/s1600/IMAG0213.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cOQErxPyrmL08WpDSPDHQRhFF3CdfW8ILE1K8smUlr-R8EU4cg_7-BxZxTHpzVbbz_oZEvdILGhCNofDCvcYsKYqNHVEY7XjqW1WJy5fQuL2bxCq6Pwb6LcflvuLIcdCkYIsx4HcoYGh/s320/IMAG0213.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568846306616085474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFPLDiHJX1HuiuXbjx4asLgDCg6H7QEzr5WjygMQs5QQKkHnttEJnvVBIPHfyS8FZkXpEEmtyDPwB1MnYzOm7mgN8DuFnCck9vE4Gst2FoFXON1-v0ouhCn-B06LqF4lR6uCwcqs87G4V/s1600/IMAG0212.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFPLDiHJX1HuiuXbjx4asLgDCg6H7QEzr5WjygMQs5QQKkHnttEJnvVBIPHfyS8FZkXpEEmtyDPwB1MnYzOm7mgN8DuFnCck9vE4Gst2FoFXON1-v0ouhCn-B06LqF4lR6uCwcqs87G4V/s320/IMAG0212.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568846297930389490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4wPjCMD-6tQrcALo-5hX6gE_XeTGATAlvEDV1m1FKvHkjzYmHkDhocax7Yh8O2XnIDO92mhNMjcQX9L_3kn3YVic0D131Rwvi6mtXKZkScPmOHg-r0pOjjQHhqbgItnP9IWMz6Knpv9r/s1600/IMAG0209.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4wPjCMD-6tQrcALo-5hX6gE_XeTGATAlvEDV1m1FKvHkjzYmHkDhocax7Yh8O2XnIDO92mhNMjcQX9L_3kn3YVic0D131Rwvi6mtXKZkScPmOHg-r0pOjjQHhqbgItnP9IWMz6Knpv9r/s320/IMAG0209.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568846291900532930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWb3P_Mc_-fDG8GzcowKVz8SFV1xaJ6JLHnMZXeI09C7gbupoVaY82GK4sR4W9UlMqednaY-TVeJ_4RrVqMhTxYMVBWl7Kw3Z2vlu4Gunfk0f2QXU-LypVROb8H2bXYNZ0IRuB3UzgV4P/s1600/IMAG0218.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWb3P_Mc_-fDG8GzcowKVz8SFV1xaJ6JLHnMZXeI09C7gbupoVaY82GK4sR4W9UlMqednaY-TVeJ_4RrVqMhTxYMVBWl7Kw3Z2vlu4Gunfk0f2QXU-LypVROb8H2bXYNZ0IRuB3UzgV4P/s320/IMAG0218.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568846286126181394" /></a><br />I love DC, really I do but it does has its hang ups. We're better than a Baltimore and smaller than a Philly but as far as music goes you gotta be real quick on the trigger when it comes to shows or you'll miss something before the tickets go on sale! And thus begins my new program of leaving town when good artists sell out quickly. I had wanted to see Girl Talk ever since I saw him two summers ago at Virgin Free Fest. The guy had the crowd with his mash up mixes of everyones favorite songs, both past and current staples. When spin.com posted an interview last year and a link to a free download of his new album "All Day" for free I was hooked. Slow as I might I missed whatever presale he had for two(!) upcoming shows at the 9:30 Club here in town. Word on the street is he sold those two dates out in a mere ten minutes. The only good news is that he was playing the preceeding Fridany and Saturday in Norfolk and Richmond respectively. Since Norfolk is my old stomping ground I emailed the old gang and set up a dance party that they would soon not forget. Last Friday we embarked on the most sweaty and drunken dance party any of us could ever have hoped for. Imagine yourself at the greatest wedding reception on crack! Girl Talk is not a DJ, he's a visonary with a laptop that knows how to put on a great live show. I was hoping he wasn't going to just plug in some speakers and play "All Day" from start to finish but instead he followed the new record loosely adding more danceable cuts from past works into a two hour dance frenzy. He had everything: people onstage, toliet paper flowing out of leaf blowers, camera crews, balloons (giant/regualr/condom shaped), and lots of confetti. Everyone knew all the words to the mixes from Biggie to Miley and Black Sabbath to "Living on a Prayer". All my friends never stopped dancing and luckily they took my advise and wore t shirts and forgot about the pushing and beer soaked mess they were in. The venue was very similar to the 9:30 Club with a closer stage and wider balconies and no one had a bad time. Right around midnight the two hour sweat fest was over and we exited The Norva exstatic. The show sold out earlier in the week and although I'd rather have seen him in DC, Friday was the way to go. After all, who wants to go to work the next morning after staying up all night with Girl Talk?!<br /><br />Download "All Day" for free!: http://www.illegal-art.net/allday/jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-49105642411413395232011-01-24T14:42:00.001-08:002011-01-24T14:46:09.478-08:00Lights & MusicWell I definitely slept on Chromeo and Das Racist. That blows, but this weekend I'm catching Girl Talk and in a week Free Energy. But even better news is that in the coming months I'm going to check the 9:30 Club for Cut Copy and CSS. It'll be a hipster dance party this spring and I'm stoked about that. I gotta ask though, who's coming with me? No metal, no problem. And that'll set up the summertime because last year the DC was banging! So I've got mueseums to look at and concerts to look forward to. 2011 is shaping up nicely!jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-73734339528602237692011-01-22T13:36:00.000-08:002011-01-22T13:46:19.866-08:00District Chophouse 1/17/11One last thing! I almost forgot to review the District Chophouse from Monday. This place is located near the Verizon Center and the Crime & Punishment Museum and they boast a brewery and prime cut meats. I took the girls there after walking through a Smithsonian and it worked out because it was Restaurant Week. The deals are the best during lunch as each person is charged $20.11 for an appetizer and an entree. I ordered the calamari and pork chop and they were both excellent. Also served was a almond crusted halibut with some very creamy mashed potatoes. The calamari was very good and not too greasy and they didn't use a lot of weak tentacles which I hate. The pork chop had a strange sauce that I didn't like and was stuffed with something they smelled minty but the meat was very tender and the side of french fries were very good and hot. I also had a brown ale, which wasn't as good as a New Castle but it was smooth enough to order again in the future. They had many brews on tap and I would like to return. The bathrooms were a bit tricky as I had to take an elevator to a basement that was unoccupied and kind of gloomy. Overall they had great food and I was very curious to sample more beer so I would definitely recommend this place before a game or a play in the neighborhood.<br />www.districtchophouse.com/jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-1660164222199072232011-01-22T13:22:00.000-08:002011-01-22T13:36:51.520-08:00MLK Weekend 1/14-1/16/11Had my lady come up last weekend to celebrate her friends birthday from Virginia Beach because they don't have much to do when the waves out there are frozen. After I took her up for NYE she was impressed with the nightlife and things to do she decided that DC was going to be a good spot for an extended birthday weekend. They arrived late afternoon Saturday and though we missed the Tattoo Convention held at Crystal City's Doubletree, we did make to the Smithsonian before closing time. We ended up at the American History Museum and it was quite a treat. They recently renovated the place and it is very exquisite. The subjects of our country's history from wars, culture, and even sports were displayed with a modern freshness that begged the eyes to gaze upon it. They liked it so much we went to the Natural History building on Monday to look at the Night at the Museum themed exhibits! So getting cultured is in full swing and I think I'll hit a new place every Sunday and give a report. To conclude Saturday we went to my favorite bar in town, Bourbon in Adams Morgan. They have over 75 bourbons plus all the other wines, beers, and spirits and the upstairs has a dance party on the weekends. Two Southern girls can get on that trip, for sure. Sunday started late as we were going to catch a Capitals game (they won finally 3-1) but before that I took everybody to a drag brunch at Nellies off U and 9th Streets. Yeah, it was a total drag and they even lip synced to some pop songs of the drags they were supposed to look like. To each is own I guess but it was a good time. Great weekend and best of all I was able to show off a huge diverse part of the city to some out of towners that are big fans now. All in all great success.jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-51033554264158467212011-01-21T16:12:00.000-08:002011-01-21T16:35:37.990-08:00Death Race!My 2011 concert line is weak as of late as I missed Das Racist, missing US Royalty, and probably skipping Chromeo's first set. That's alright because outside getting cultured I'm going run my ass off this year. It started with my new Garmin watch I got for Christmas and a bunch of cold weather gear. Then came the the obsessive compulsive race calendar creations. Let's see I'm doing the National Half Marathon, The GW Parkway Classic, and the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler all on consecutive weekends this spring. That'll be some serious running that my fat ass needs to train for or else it's going to be real ugly. Why? Well this summer I'm focusing on obstacle course races such as the Metro Dash, Warrior Dash, and the Spartan Race. These look intense but they're only 5K. That's totally doable now but I want to be drinking standing up and not puking laying down at the finish line, or ambulance. Gotta go, gotta get moving and best of all I think I'm playing soccer in NYC this summer at the World Police & Fire Games! Here's to resolutions bitches!<br />connect.garmin.com<br />www.nationalmarathon.com<br />www.cherryblossom.org<br />pacersevents.com/parkwayclassic/index.html<br />www.warriordash.com <br />www.spartanrace.com/index.html<br />www.metrodash.comjfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-14385478309775469962011-01-20T10:05:00.000-08:002011-01-20T10:30:49.701-08:00Happy New Year!It has been a while since an update, sorry I've been really lazy. The weather has been freezing, cold, snowing, and yesterday it was 50 degrees. It's incredible out here in DC. Well got a new sweetheart and she came to visit over new years and I determined a new goal for the new year. I need culture! First thing I did was join up to the Zoo. Becoming a member to the National Zoo has its perks. Actually outside of the animals the best part of joining up is all the social events members get like the Boo at the Zoo. Anyway, went to the Zoo on the 30th to see the final night of the Zoo Lights. It was pretty nice to walk around and the lady sure enjoyed it. We stayed out a Kimpton Hotel in DuPont called Hotel Topaz. Great big room and it was cheaper than most of the major chains in the immediate area. For New Years Eve we skipped the crazy young kids parties and headed out for a quiet night at Policy, a new place off 14th/T St. We went there because I had a Groupon for it (which was void during NYE) and because it was close to our hotel. The food was great and was of the small plate variety but the real treat was tons of can beer by Butternuts. The decor was pretty cool and the layout was good too. After a couple drinks we left for a new bar but settled into Bar Pilar until the ball dropped. After midnight I finished my cocktail and we hightailed home. Leave the singles to fight over cabs at 4am! The rest of the trip was spent at malls, Georgetown, and even a speak easy in Old Town. Great trip and I'm looking forward to checking out new and old aspects of the city in the coming year. Now, who's coming with me??!jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-30699951156459282962010-12-20T12:20:00.000-08:002010-12-20T12:23:08.428-08:00The Best of 2010Year's just about over and this is my first official best of list, so enjoy peoples! Go download these now: Check mishkanyc.com/bloglin for some other great reviews and free mixtapes!<br /><br />Best of 2010 (in no particular order)<br />Albums <br />1. LCD Soundsystem: This is Happening<br />2. The Black Keys: Brothers<br />3. Yeasayer: Odd Blood<br />4. Vampire Weekend: Contra<br />5. Free Energy: Free Energy<br />6. Klaxons: Surfing the Void<br />7. Girl Talk: All Day<br />8. Das Racist: Sit Down Man<br />9. Das Racist: Shut Up, Dude<br />0. Surfer Blood: Astro Coast<br />1. Local Natives: Gorilla Manor<br />Singles<br />1. Wavves: Post Acid<br />2. The Black Keys: Tighten Up<br />3. Deftones: Diamond Eyes<br />4. Holy Ghost!: I Will Come Back<br />5. Klaxons: Echoes<br />6. Sia: You've Changed<br />7. Neon Indian: Sleep Paralyist<br />8. LCD Soundsystem: I Can Change<br />9. Washed Out: Feel It All Around<br />0. Oh No Ohno: Helplessly Young<br />1. Smith Westerns: Weekend<br />2. Cool Kids: Delivery Man<br />3. Chromeo: Don't Turn the Lights On<br />4. Mark Ronson & The Business Intl.: Bang Bang Bang<br />5. Duck Sauce: Barbara Streisand<br />6. Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti: Round and Round<br />7. Mayer Hawthorne: Maybe So, Maybe No<br />8. Big Boi: Shutter Bugg<br />9. Yeasayer: Madder Red<br />0. Das Racist: Nutmeg<br />1.Vampire Weekend: Run<br />2. Surfer Blood: Floating Vibes<br />3. Local Natives: Sun Hands<br />4. Major Lazer + La Roux Feat. Gucci Mane: I'm Not Your Lemonade (Heroes & Villians Remix)<br />Best Shows I Saw 2010<br />1. Black Keys<br />2. The Dead Weather<br />3. Dead Meadow<br />4. Best Coast<br />5. Chromeo<br />6. Neon Indian<br />7. Phoenix<br />8. Vampire Weekend<br />9. Mayer Hawthorne<br />0. Free Energy<br /><br />Can't wait for next year's shows and records, looking for Girl Talk and Chromeo to go on tour coming soon!jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-85925114847410814332010-12-20T12:06:00.000-08:002010-12-20T12:17:21.071-08:00Las Vegas 11/19-11/23/10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3sGeRiI_TbH9U330XisvRWngT0-qo8FWh4fsCJblbLVcfhg7ue5tCFG0-EJTtcdhFcINSfoK4Zw-EupfRu_obns1YfcctzDuaTrnIJekIZH2D6sPZsAXAdAPoAAKUpUut29UGWCRh3PN/s1600/IMAG0128.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3sGeRiI_TbH9U330XisvRWngT0-qo8FWh4fsCJblbLVcfhg7ue5tCFG0-EJTtcdhFcINSfoK4Zw-EupfRu_obns1YfcctzDuaTrnIJekIZH2D6sPZsAXAdAPoAAKUpUut29UGWCRh3PN/s320/IMAG0128.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552861067021447890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDul2mFH_sTVm7siQi5yRp3S5wUFOnZ-zaKjVUmbzgWB7Rnzgw_o26tZEFkOG5MDdwGd077lZYNJztBsQzjs_wqN9GsSfh1k_RiMzvOQmdYLDZg_37lnSzZeHpDKiQBVQDtiFlRjvRzkTb/s1600/IMAG0080.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDul2mFH_sTVm7siQi5yRp3S5wUFOnZ-zaKjVUmbzgWB7Rnzgw_o26tZEFkOG5MDdwGd077lZYNJztBsQzjs_wqN9GsSfh1k_RiMzvOQmdYLDZg_37lnSzZeHpDKiQBVQDtiFlRjvRzkTb/s320/IMAG0080.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552861058720434130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1bSr8cxRfhvRaKkoPyQnG1G4bdBs5ekWfCPPxOP9_lhUbTxv7QXN7feP-zXil7N-h3x9mbuxX2zH_kdGXIhfV74yuG57fxYHMopNn1CVpK1p9om6flFfox1H6QSL1ZeySk7DWgen3N8y/s1600/IMAG0070.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1bSr8cxRfhvRaKkoPyQnG1G4bdBs5ekWfCPPxOP9_lhUbTxv7QXN7feP-zXil7N-h3x9mbuxX2zH_kdGXIhfV74yuG57fxYHMopNn1CVpK1p9om6flFfox1H6QSL1ZeySk7DWgen3N8y/s320/IMAG0070.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552861053527149698" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUee5YPN2l_ikvFV8Xozk_s6txA89CvR1GRzvgVJIbwab1zfXQFD1j52KLxfp855xivIhlgrOwBlcYi_054ZhQfn1s4pS_naRYP3MKiicNZ1B-wJSRewAA-QfdsQ4udGRPFw2uP4d-Lkn/s1600/IMAG0065.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUee5YPN2l_ikvFV8Xozk_s6txA89CvR1GRzvgVJIbwab1zfXQFD1j52KLxfp855xivIhlgrOwBlcYi_054ZhQfn1s4pS_naRYP3MKiicNZ1B-wJSRewAA-QfdsQ4udGRPFw2uP4d-Lkn/s320/IMAG0065.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552861048349664722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjusSbAYJqZrs7Wuh_cZGAytEC-uwgH0vjXzHQVfI0DZEINsTHTTio02P_MAiAE2MPPC-ASjJPyS5XHGeBDCv2rYwqHsjTzSJgWRklgBqTUMiZ9MmLabPNURmPsEXoVWi8_vD7s1y6Necc/s1600/IMAG0066.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjusSbAYJqZrs7Wuh_cZGAytEC-uwgH0vjXzHQVfI0DZEINsTHTTio02P_MAiAE2MPPC-ASjJPyS5XHGeBDCv2rYwqHsjTzSJgWRklgBqTUMiZ9MmLabPNURmPsEXoVWi8_vD7s1y6Necc/s320/IMAG0066.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552861047216064962" /></a><br />Well I just recovered from Las Vegas. I mean two days ago. Vegas is awesome but I can't handle that place. I've been three times now and this was by far the best and the wildest. The best part was defintely seeing my old pal Diaz and hanging out with the Warren family. I got to go to an Elvis themed wedding and took shots in a bar that was 5 degrees below. That was cold. I got to drink Fat Tire beer all week, in the mall, on the streets, everywhere. I saw O by Cirque Du Soliel and it was quite impressive. The only bad part was the weather: it was real chilly. Being outside the casinos was brutal after hours and the wind was crazy. Hanging out with everyone was great and although I didn't win a lot I had a great time with the group I went with. I love that city and hopefully when I return I'll be ready to handle all the splendors of Las Vegas once again.jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-72976897784781436832010-11-18T08:05:00.000-08:002010-11-18T08:21:29.680-08:00DJ Shadow 11/16/10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5TKJxMUsOUbiWVGSE0f7RhGqh-DFHRhsiEgrkE8gl6fikDAuv-pkJ5noq5IFDO_htwHZQwCZ4eoFtoo7x3lAnPr_NSvUkwpChfd8DACgCLdcxtN2BDYADlePGRJBGR0B1w8CXoJ249hg/s1600/IMAG0012.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5TKJxMUsOUbiWVGSE0f7RhGqh-DFHRhsiEgrkE8gl6fikDAuv-pkJ5noq5IFDO_htwHZQwCZ4eoFtoo7x3lAnPr_NSvUkwpChfd8DACgCLdcxtN2BDYADlePGRJBGR0B1w8CXoJ249hg/s320/IMAG0012.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540925509755963042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiechyphenhyphen6yJ1T_B4KklaTTtUY7bM-SD3ynb-HMTnsUSsKys9st14j2bYW_xDBSOYglumWKAjSdBJjUv-DcntLMJTboET-aF0oO9XVYV7uNUZp_1jGr8CPidehm57ZQLxRolxkyAHTfZlNdr/s1600/IMAG0038.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiechyphenhyphen6yJ1T_B4KklaTTtUY7bM-SD3ynb-HMTnsUSsKys9st14j2bYW_xDBSOYglumWKAjSdBJjUv-DcntLMJTboET-aF0oO9XVYV7uNUZp_1jGr8CPidehm57ZQLxRolxkyAHTfZlNdr/s320/IMAG0038.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540925500015004226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgK901Xiwwlexem7FtUL-WiC6JZrOqf4pV2SQY6CHNf333G8ElX4-6QGo_bYuOCp28cLeuqBxsu53eRLVLk6mkt2E2WnS9ihv-3SklP-AQJNdteednvcZCqGlb0LfNe96_98pEpU302Vr/s1600/IMAG0035.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgK901Xiwwlexem7FtUL-WiC6JZrOqf4pV2SQY6CHNf333G8ElX4-6QGo_bYuOCp28cLeuqBxsu53eRLVLk6mkt2E2WnS9ihv-3SklP-AQJNdteednvcZCqGlb0LfNe96_98pEpU302Vr/s320/IMAG0035.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540925478912072066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4p_jgP8AgXx8aj7fiCpbvMRik-lOhRV_R9cNUwbz7Y6CABPhA6qP1EkYaGQSnapvVdxGI1zA52xFGX-dKK3ubNLcljAzOxJe0OlUoscmrbcY6HnE4qItLDKU63wpeD4Ic47rqVqNZgOZ/s1600/IMAG0034.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4p_jgP8AgXx8aj7fiCpbvMRik-lOhRV_R9cNUwbz7Y6CABPhA6qP1EkYaGQSnapvVdxGI1zA52xFGX-dKK3ubNLcljAzOxJe0OlUoscmrbcY6HnE4qItLDKU63wpeD4Ic47rqVqNZgOZ/s320/IMAG0034.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540925455744400194" /></a><br />It's been a while but it's been a busy couple a weeks. Between work and play I've been quite active. In the mean time I went on two adventures, Richmond and NYC. Richmond is pretty good for a weekend and NYC, well it's pretty awesome. So, in the spirit of the great American road trip I spent Tuesday with my buddy Gary in the Big Apple. Without a plan or a place to stay we managed to do some searching en route and found my favorite dj playing a show that night in Brooklyn. We arrived in SOHO/NOHO/NYU to check out Other Music, a record store of course, and just take in the city. I probably was last in NYC in '93 so everything around us was new and exciting. We checked out a few stores then took the subway to Times Square. After getting blinded by the lights we linked up with a fraternity brother in the financial district and had a few drinks. By 2130 we finally arrived at the Brooklyn Bowl to catch the tail end of DJ Shadow's set. I missed him in Baltimore and was more than excited to check him out in a great music town. The venue looked great and it actually had a bowling alley inside. That makes for a great evening, bowling to DJ Shadow. The master dj mixed an incredible finish from my favorite albums .<span style="font-style:italic;">..Endtroducing & The Private Pres</span>s and the visuals were intense. It was smooth and people were really getting into it. I love that. After the show we went next door to a great whiskey bar and took shots with the bartenders. Great time but now I'm super tired. Big ups to Brooklyn! Next trip: Vegas...jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-32808320931614481912010-10-22T07:34:00.000-07:002010-10-22T07:54:29.077-07:00Mayer Hawthorne & The County VIP! 10/21/10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUn6s-2vFf03XcmM7WpYOjEnbw60gmMErNoLFf1ZBKPZxOwm459J1_Ft9TuuzjZyeJSkynJUZwL2Iam5rpE1QE32yfqjwdaN9kKnSZkJLVEPS41yj9nNTQdcxpURPmY6KofOjTV4myVUr4/s1600/IMAG0684.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUn6s-2vFf03XcmM7WpYOjEnbw60gmMErNoLFf1ZBKPZxOwm459J1_Ft9TuuzjZyeJSkynJUZwL2Iam5rpE1QE32yfqjwdaN9kKnSZkJLVEPS41yj9nNTQdcxpURPmY6KofOjTV4myVUr4/s320/IMAG0684.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530883896280464194" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1NvP0hxFZXCBBSEOWpBpyVrG8QDaTisDmJbPNr2gV5ASAtArfLW2EFRi4LNarGH4pykso28tXLyz5x-3AlPzSGzFlEIRCe3un1WrZjSdkD747ks2zncKZKHEGuOc9qRIqoi3Fhd7sDh8/s1600/IMAG0690.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1NvP0hxFZXCBBSEOWpBpyVrG8QDaTisDmJbPNr2gV5ASAtArfLW2EFRi4LNarGH4pykso28tXLyz5x-3AlPzSGzFlEIRCe3un1WrZjSdkD747ks2zncKZKHEGuOc9qRIqoi3Fhd7sDh8/s320/IMAG0690.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530883892986835218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6_bLBMLa3bX11NHH8eImcfjWAGJDmRbfv7ITXe0fM9zVk4ffo0r944n8CKl229Nfw54iOod-BylTFZIhWw_cTQsAUA04g1l7i1-Ngk-XwdkP8XbeDTUVbDHJy8fUkc2dQM-oR2XhHcfR/s1600/IMAG0694.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6_bLBMLa3bX11NHH8eImcfjWAGJDmRbfv7ITXe0fM9zVk4ffo0r944n8CKl229Nfw54iOod-BylTFZIhWw_cTQsAUA04g1l7i1-Ngk-XwdkP8XbeDTUVbDHJy8fUkc2dQM-oR2XhHcfR/s320/IMAG0694.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530883873407481138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCoK0BYbghSky5vPJeOId8ahlzjZfzZGKrOoWy32xcpDTlF2OZORbtAYm7YpdISf6TlzP55CnEwSDWNFcpBReTyxr3kFuMkgah1QT_dVLJjZcYCGKdxkxpF30yo_hKTb05ZWxZCp6Fcdf/s1600/IMAG0700.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCoK0BYbghSky5vPJeOId8ahlzjZfzZGKrOoWy32xcpDTlF2OZORbtAYm7YpdISf6TlzP55CnEwSDWNFcpBReTyxr3kFuMkgah1QT_dVLJjZcYCGKdxkxpF30yo_hKTb05ZWxZCp6Fcdf/s320/IMAG0700.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530883864354895522" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqu6FvNCAlJFZdhAQcoiwli1W5gzPBLjYBeAeSfHl5yEsfFK4dcEY4sy2zFFn2s39ulAWn5hbcfDq8B7U5NtX3Fr8gkuUnBVvGcyAOsLZqBEoFeXrlj50dWQN_tFeTQ0lCycLU3lSgbjJ/s1600/IMAG0709.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqu6FvNCAlJFZdhAQcoiwli1W5gzPBLjYBeAeSfHl5yEsfFK4dcEY4sy2zFFn2s39ulAWn5hbcfDq8B7U5NtX3Fr8gkuUnBVvGcyAOsLZqBEoFeXrlj50dWQN_tFeTQ0lCycLU3lSgbjJ/s320/IMAG0709.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530883860870956946" /></a><br />First off I would just like to thank both The Black Cat and Mazda for letting me win a VIP Meet & Greet with Mayer Hawthorne and putting together a great event. It was very cool. I'm always entering contests for anything that comes around but on my birthday I got an email stating that I was going to be meeting Mayer Hawthorne @ The Black Cat. Love this guy and I dig the venue and its neighborhood. I didn't know what to expect going into the VIP since I had never heard of this done at the venue before and was really excited too. Got there on time at 1830 and once inside I received a VIP pass and two drink tickets then was escorted to the Back Bar for some fan interaction with the Mazda people before Mr. Hawthorne made his appearance. They got pizza from the Italian Store and the beer was pretty good too. After about an hour I got my CD signed and my sister got a nice message on a poster, something about Twitter. After hanging in there we got upstairs to check the first band Gordon Voidwell. If you can imagine Matt & Kim where Matt is black and Kim is a white guy and you've got them visually. I was surprised how infectious their sound was, it was electronic keys and drums but very danceable rhythms. They started off with "Heart of Glass" and flowed together the rest of their own material in that same style. Next up was The Heavy. These guys sounded like Sevendust, no joke. A rocking band with an intense black man singing, with a British accent! Ok not so much Sevendust especially with their horn section but they weren't that bad and they played a good long set. After they got done the house DJ played most of "Illmatic" while The County got ready. When they came out the place went nuts. I saw these guys at the Rock And Roll Hotel earlier this year and they killed it. Mayer brought new songs this time with a bigger stage and it worked. It was a genuine Motown band, that's the best way to describe them. I wasn't around for the groups and solo acts back then but all the old footage I've seen was Mayer's perfect homage to some great music. Had to have been in the top five shows I've seen at The Black Cat and that's without the VIP package. Free shows are great but I'd pay hard cash to see this guy, next time he's in town I won't miss it. Great night for sure.jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-31656849693688463212010-10-11T12:53:00.000-07:002010-10-11T13:06:29.632-07:00Oktoberfest Shirlington 10/2/10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKikpvGXQisZar2Zshy2Vev56tKOpFVHSOxlsPuS14NL85ShKYWwSUgkaXa812nZ2V1eJyVyppJElfzVr3St7IIhsBMarnWw4UNqIuutzAQHB0uFBPUVVhQNH7Hb8Sk4S8c995l1wtWtJx/s1600/IMAG0674.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKikpvGXQisZar2Zshy2Vev56tKOpFVHSOxlsPuS14NL85ShKYWwSUgkaXa812nZ2V1eJyVyppJElfzVr3St7IIhsBMarnWw4UNqIuutzAQHB0uFBPUVVhQNH7Hb8Sk4S8c995l1wtWtJx/s320/IMAG0674.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526881232508394834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDDnYrEQWHRpY-cmRTAeoM5t9IzsrYuavgAswZTdghSmVvmDU2dIQPzuZpI7mg3X0R1Las-MFJia00JDedLKW9DeyYQag4OKH_yfQA6ShyyTVaRhRA52Glz4gFPpcIKbFsXJqtkgm6gh1/s1600/IMAG0677.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDDnYrEQWHRpY-cmRTAeoM5t9IzsrYuavgAswZTdghSmVvmDU2dIQPzuZpI7mg3X0R1Las-MFJia00JDedLKW9DeyYQag4OKH_yfQA6ShyyTVaRhRA52Glz4gFPpcIKbFsXJqtkgm6gh1/s320/IMAG0677.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526881229081272034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_2-ZwwDx9rgZdoRUGoEI9FFF1Z8UqE5MmtnM7-w22b4d74pJC5-6lxqQoMif6yw0XSAXGLzaV8vInhsCO3ufqTVrJ7sFlpHnug-4X6y8H-A9plnXzrMyFxBr31iG_RLw0qoWIFbRuyfH/s1600/IMAG0676.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_2-ZwwDx9rgZdoRUGoEI9FFF1Z8UqE5MmtnM7-w22b4d74pJC5-6lxqQoMif6yw0XSAXGLzaV8vInhsCO3ufqTVrJ7sFlpHnug-4X6y8H-A9plnXzrMyFxBr31iG_RLw0qoWIFbRuyfH/s320/IMAG0676.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526881219000082594" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhlIYNtQ9TuAm_pn3UfrnJalaBW-cKSe17_y3th67dOappBQXvkwGaqHmmIALm1CZUZ770H5Ya7_EyEwJf9rvVl3jrrz3ZedYz4XWSjaDaZE3F8fWQbgq2VU4-iw92NZYR3ZiVvcodfml/s1600/IMAG0675.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhlIYNtQ9TuAm_pn3UfrnJalaBW-cKSe17_y3th67dOappBQXvkwGaqHmmIALm1CZUZ770H5Ya7_EyEwJf9rvVl3jrrz3ZedYz4XWSjaDaZE3F8fWQbgq2VU4-iw92NZYR3ZiVvcodfml/s320/IMAG0675.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526881219180318210" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjii8SzWKnVqQYUsTrCwXamYk2Xu46wQ8tksVCHIxRqmCxb15Ab5xIkZYjaQpe8G_D4iVK8AYN3HnFmrPVZy7cLpmx2Gv6fkcT1H9VeqSMeUCsdEIn0MHR-hQt22_l0s3g-_PYoKqgSLilc/s1600/IMAG0672.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjii8SzWKnVqQYUsTrCwXamYk2Xu46wQ8tksVCHIxRqmCxb15Ab5xIkZYjaQpe8G_D4iVK8AYN3HnFmrPVZy7cLpmx2Gv6fkcT1H9VeqSMeUCsdEIn0MHR-hQt22_l0s3g-_PYoKqgSLilc/s320/IMAG0672.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526881208104151794" /></a><br />Kicking off the best month of the year in style heading out to good ole Shirlington for the season's first Oktoberfest. The weather was incredible, even hot at times, and the crowd was large. I like Shirlington's downtown outdoorsy set up and it was great Saturday event. The only bummer was the fact that you couldn't buy advance tickets which led to one hell of a line to get inside the area. The beers were good and the tents wrapped around but honestly I kinda used my ten measly tickets for beers 1. I never heard of and 2. had no line. With a great slate of college football games on later that day it didn't matter that the tickets ran fast as my gang ended up in Baileys Ballston to close out the best 3:30 games. Saw a lot of old friends and even some German dance crews and all in all it was a great time. The DC area is pretty awesome at street festivals and the like. Enjoy.jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-67231611864601924912010-09-29T09:46:00.000-07:002010-09-29T10:28:37.731-07:00Black Diamond Skye 9/26/10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bN-H4z-fWGR5G1OJzA3rp2pBho7k0rqg3n_mJ41vOgRUiOZPLU4YM4BEahQTw2HKgSC-k15V1RrHtF8isoLjq8SDxzet1vYrw2dIRVpRUaVBWCKLjE4GC-PA3XYF6SVAqzDMMr331EYE/s1600/IMAG0648.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bN-H4z-fWGR5G1OJzA3rp2pBho7k0rqg3n_mJ41vOgRUiOZPLU4YM4BEahQTw2HKgSC-k15V1RrHtF8isoLjq8SDxzet1vYrw2dIRVpRUaVBWCKLjE4GC-PA3XYF6SVAqzDMMr331EYE/s320/IMAG0648.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522388688951781570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInHJKWh64bd7agd1P3yxLLIKLpR3IfRa8HspRfnMqk7Ax5b2-fhVD9kyooQnPOqyksGsg3ebpshM6Z2Vpn0t2Pf_aW1fmG86ipTzUzVH9Udc3K9EdX9eoyi8AUmQHauz5Hw4pRrzunsRo/s1600/IMAG0656.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInHJKWh64bd7agd1P3yxLLIKLpR3IfRa8HspRfnMqk7Ax5b2-fhVD9kyooQnPOqyksGsg3ebpshM6Z2Vpn0t2Pf_aW1fmG86ipTzUzVH9Udc3K9EdX9eoyi8AUmQHauz5Hw4pRrzunsRo/s320/IMAG0656.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522388684458278530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDPnEx0cmq4IfaL5nlNTTHo6Ct9FMjyuAGng7iP6Doy8Ft41gTGfztE9EnGVUmyaRLOw18V3pcEfnkmYnyX7JpSdp6GNsD2Po52wHlaN5GtgSU1LG9hOtask2PiFBnWSJduRpo8wMDeiu/s1600/IMAG0662.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDPnEx0cmq4IfaL5nlNTTHo6Ct9FMjyuAGng7iP6Doy8Ft41gTGfztE9EnGVUmyaRLOw18V3pcEfnkmYnyX7JpSdp6GNsD2Po52wHlaN5GtgSU1LG9hOtask2PiFBnWSJduRpo8wMDeiu/s320/IMAG0662.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522388675201484002" /></a><br />I cannot believe the years steady rollin' to a close and I finally (FINALLY!) got to a metal show. First and foremost living in Fairfax County doesn't get me any closer to good venues but every now and then someone good comes to George Mason University's very own Patriot Center. Last Sunday I got to see Mastodon, Deftones, and the new revamped Alice In Chains. Titled Black Diamond Skye in reference to the three bands latest album titles. Absolutely blown away at the performances. These guys can flat out play, especially when you are in to metal as much as I am. First up was openers Mastodon, who I have been totally in to since I first heard last year's Crack The Skye. Having missed their Halloween Patriot Center performance last year due to work I was not going to miss out. The band played great songs from their last three albums including "Oblivion", "The Crystal Skull", and closed out with "Blood And Thunder". Very metal and it was great to finally see them live. After a short break Deftones took the stage opening with "Rocket Skates" off their new album "Diamond Eyes". I can honestly say that I have never heard a bad Deftones album nor been to a bad show. They have a great stage presence as lead singer Chino Moreno was all over the stage sweating like he just ran a race. They cranked out my favorite songs from every album and right as the flow was continuing I saw a fan hand Chino a piece of paper during a song that he looked over and after the song was over called for lights and did something totally unexpected. The note was from a guy that had a question from his friend that Chino read: "Will you marry me?" At a Deftones show, a marriage proposal. Never seen one. Ever. I live near the Nation's Capital and I have never seen someone get down on one knee at a monument or a sporting event or at a park but at the Deftones show? Whatever man, and I've been told that I'm not romantic! Anyway, they followed that up with "Change" and the crowd was ecstatic again. After their set we hung out some more and Alice In Chains hit the much larger stage layout. They had a hanging curtain that was lowered as they opened with "Them Bones". These guys came back with a new singer/guitarist that sounds somewhat like the late great Layne Staley. My buddy Palmer said he saw them when it was just Jerry Cantrell fronting the band a few years ago and said they were great then so I was excited. They actually sounded good and they played the two new songs I liked and the rest were songs in their catalog that really defined the bands original early '90s grunge sound. Great way to end the weekend and got home early with my ears still ringing! Long live metal!jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-59401878821083762252010-09-27T15:02:00.000-07:002010-09-27T17:39:48.675-07:00Virgin Free Fest 9/25/10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVLcIU5cyeQeiIbaERPqItsMD5E8-js2An0GKyxkKyc1T4jE05Dzz1fbDq_Ap7DefK4txAv9KYjcyYTzPdezv4jNISGp4-9QZQ99L57fgA6RAyOVljLaI7YZSBgisDWI42QH0xlII9qlN/s1600/IMAG0646.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVLcIU5cyeQeiIbaERPqItsMD5E8-js2An0GKyxkKyc1T4jE05Dzz1fbDq_Ap7DefK4txAv9KYjcyYTzPdezv4jNISGp4-9QZQ99L57fgA6RAyOVljLaI7YZSBgisDWI42QH0xlII9qlN/s320/IMAG0646.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521757588917899506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWmHb1W2Nuy_Ry1xsTTqd-Ko3fwm3JLjaOre1fQZwIg9sf3PJhS0nhqFUB6AEj1C-xkCukloCM16QWn16rXt1MwpedDRJZ1CBBlTItDnvPY6M7HF9r51LIuzF64RsR23d6GnJFAHysrT4/s1600/IMAG0645.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWmHb1W2Nuy_Ry1xsTTqd-Ko3fwm3JLjaOre1fQZwIg9sf3PJhS0nhqFUB6AEj1C-xkCukloCM16QWn16rXt1MwpedDRJZ1CBBlTItDnvPY6M7HF9r51LIuzF64RsR23d6GnJFAHysrT4/s320/IMAG0645.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521757583318223970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJBNtQf0FtSEh27AlF15d6BPGa2Ynqq4tyAdH2suRpRfCXzpqBOit4Kk5r1LDG-ZCXxy6UgXLHPCzA5ufYXm7vqjWPxIgHJzrKN13fqnd0LSnQAU8uNs5agkZ9X6lRJnRmOAVF24pVVTQ/s1600/IMAG0643.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJBNtQf0FtSEh27AlF15d6BPGa2Ynqq4tyAdH2suRpRfCXzpqBOit4Kk5r1LDG-ZCXxy6UgXLHPCzA5ufYXm7vqjWPxIgHJzrKN13fqnd0LSnQAU8uNs5agkZ9X6lRJnRmOAVF24pVVTQ/s320/IMAG0643.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521757578280795842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrenJgxS5mOMAIR6oTWBmDCk7XcBikgOWu9LX9s8z45v142XN_lsI7zVOOTXZW4Ucqv6sjbdZ3tHD1h3lKtFw2oJj08_6W7E-smjYAC-WlAzy8pnTaNZtClJAMj_PYOjplewdK2OrUzSsa/s1600/IMAG0642.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrenJgxS5mOMAIR6oTWBmDCk7XcBikgOWu9LX9s8z45v142XN_lsI7zVOOTXZW4Ucqv6sjbdZ3tHD1h3lKtFw2oJj08_6W7E-smjYAC-WlAzy8pnTaNZtClJAMj_PYOjplewdK2OrUzSsa/s320/IMAG0642.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521757577161448082" /></a><br />It's Virgin Free Fest time and what a festival! Overall great price (free) for the amount of talent there at Merriweather. It was a stellar day with good, if not hot, weather. I was happy to have made it when we did as three bands I really wanted to see all played at or near the 3 o' clock time frame. I heard Yeasayer while in traffic and I liked what I heard so they'll be a separate show for the future. We checked in and to our immediate left sat the dance tent (actually more of a forest) and Neon Indian was playing. They seemed to have an electronic sound on disc but I was surprised to see a guitarist and a drummer. The sound quality was amazing and they played all the songs I knew and even my sister got into it. Very beat driven danceable songs. I would love to see them by themselves, preferably a club setting. Next we walked out and about and saw Joan Jett start and we kept a going. She's kind of outdated with her pop punk and all, just saying. On the way to the outside stage we saw Thievery Corporation begin their set. They had DJs, sitars, and tribal funk that was infectious. I can't dance that hippy jive but I would have liked to! After a few songs we went back to see Matt & Kim on the main stage. One guy singing and playing the keyboard and one super smiley chick banging in the drums. They didn't really make me a believer and their best songs were impromptu jams of old school rap songs you knew the words to faster than their own songs. We caught about five songs from Chromeo next. Very great live band. I would love to hear them play their 80s electro soul vibe anywhere but outside amongst the trees was pretty cool. My sister then insisted we see Ludacris next. He said it was ten years ago he put out his first platinum hits. I saw him then too. Ludacris has a ton of recognizable hits from songs he did solo to that awful new Taio Cruz song. But he performed without all those jokers and kicked ass. I cannot believe they let M.I.A. play after him to close the 2nd stage but I'll get on to that soon. We left Luda early to hear this summers most hyped band Sleigh Bells. Honestly they sound like heavy metal for the cheerleader set, or maybe cheerleader music for heavy metal types. Either way I was ready to be impressed. They had the largest crowd for the dance area and yet they probably played the shortest set. The songs sounded awfully loud as if they would break the speakers yet I only saw one guy playing the guitar sparingly. The lady singing was hot from the distance I was at but she did a lot of "ah ah ah ahhing". It was actually a weak set. More blown speaker sounding guitar mess and the jumpy singing. Not a fan nor did I see what the fuss was about. Maybe I'm getting old cause M.I.A. didn't kill it for me either! She was about ten or so minutes late, big difference since everyone else was on time. Then the DJ played a drone ten minute mess that was followed by M.I.A. staring out at the crowd yelling "DC" and some other unintelligible stuff. She had so many distractions on stage and sang/rapped so sparingly that she lost me after two actual songs. The worst part that after I left I was so tired and dirty that I stayed through only three great LCD Soundsystem songs. I'm probably going to see them again but overall great day of seeing a tons of great bands. And it was free! Next show Black Diamond Skye!jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-80104937811773001172010-09-25T09:54:00.000-07:002010-09-25T10:18:18.714-07:00Free Energy/Titus Andronicus 9/24/10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW90ImQ-bmSTCtAS5Ud0Jj4joHs37EIx4CNKuGpGN82so5sJS_EUpqDiD_DnfeIVYHioOiDIxudnjKpOI0sbeGoGuxyu0pEZ0fIokvW7fEmMf6DzNMEOMhkm28FSkbZDaneXZHxCJbpR7A/s1600/IMAG0627.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW90ImQ-bmSTCtAS5Ud0Jj4joHs37EIx4CNKuGpGN82so5sJS_EUpqDiD_DnfeIVYHioOiDIxudnjKpOI0sbeGoGuxyu0pEZ0fIokvW7fEmMf6DzNMEOMhkm28FSkbZDaneXZHxCJbpR7A/s320/IMAG0627.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520901603179932418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQg5WY1ugVjJyhu1uTSc6Q_rCL62qF5gtFa76KNiCGpLS7L4tPKR91cxVL9iGQv0XyudETD1PeFbATUBqzTTBLSyGd__BcDF1OQsDuKcuvIozKqzYoMC9cFiBbaykCHwRz1jhtY1RKPXNh/s1600/IMAG0626.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQg5WY1ugVjJyhu1uTSc6Q_rCL62qF5gtFa76KNiCGpLS7L4tPKR91cxVL9iGQv0XyudETD1PeFbATUBqzTTBLSyGd__BcDF1OQsDuKcuvIozKqzYoMC9cFiBbaykCHwRz1jhtY1RKPXNh/s320/IMAG0626.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520901598866278530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5B4P1-2eaRKKTPfTIh7-nQ_dmSRhStNh1TAob-056tu8jz-QqCkWqGa8PlIVQFBsCQhrCsXFcn1eCh1X2ewjjP7S-O4NeofzmkmDDkIIGRXjdQ8iyT5hSaxBE8ySuLiODqWkaQ9ns8PwA/s1600/IMAG0635.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5B4P1-2eaRKKTPfTIh7-nQ_dmSRhStNh1TAob-056tu8jz-QqCkWqGa8PlIVQFBsCQhrCsXFcn1eCh1X2ewjjP7S-O4NeofzmkmDDkIIGRXjdQ8iyT5hSaxBE8ySuLiODqWkaQ9ns8PwA/s320/IMAG0635.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520901592607452050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWsx9HkLkkT3JhHGOpogoLKESmq5LAwyDJZBpg0p3NWf43T31ppCXr7-XjrnLJ3VhVJL552CqqzkuLYRx7-6gD9PJZnr7WE4zf9adjVdvU0wIGXVDzrzUueMg-NwXMjTa0Kv-yaEejg8n/s1600/IMAG0623.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWsx9HkLkkT3JhHGOpogoLKESmq5LAwyDJZBpg0p3NWf43T31ppCXr7-XjrnLJ3VhVJL552CqqzkuLYRx7-6gD9PJZnr7WE4zf9adjVdvU0wIGXVDzrzUueMg-NwXMjTa0Kv-yaEejg8n/s320/IMAG0623.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520901590148357842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc59GErfNc3ZdfLWHf4WctVGovCwTCB3vvWZAKDxl8hYmpOskKs7me7qkHiJ8dRZmANxGSOqMCjz2cB7sc-KNjgCiPVjjJEiYnlGdR0OauC1Z5BxUXl5hqUbnatVVu720_2LAzkKlibYJ5/s1600/IMAG0633.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc59GErfNc3ZdfLWHf4WctVGovCwTCB3vvWZAKDxl8hYmpOskKs7me7qkHiJ8dRZmANxGSOqMCjz2cB7sc-KNjgCiPVjjJEiYnlGdR0OauC1Z5BxUXl5hqUbnatVVu720_2LAzkKlibYJ5/s320/IMAG0633.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520901580850881602" /></a><br />For the first time in four visits I finally went to a sold out Free Energy show. These guys kick ass no doubt but this tour they opened up for fellow indie all stars Titus Andronicus. Very Strong performance and after some good touring enough fans present knew the words to the songs and were dancing and having a great time. The highlight was my favorite live track "Bad Stuff" but most of all when the chick guitarist from Titus came for "Something in Common". But the highlight was when the lead singer from Titus came out to sing a Bruce Springsteen track (I'm going down down down), I heard both bands were doing a Bruce track for obvious influence reasons but it was amazing to hear it live. They said since they loved DC he was going to stay on stage for "Bang Pop." Great performance, after Free Energy's set we ended up hanging out with the rhythm guitarist outside the Hotel. Pretty down to earth guy, my favorite band of the year. Titus Andronicus had everything, three guitars, a violin, and some keys. These guys are like a punked out Bruce Springsteen but they had too much loud/soft fast/slow songs. Some were much longer than others and although the energy was high it was hard to follow up Free Energy's set. But they were still good to rock to. Show two down: today Virgin Free Fest!jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-87779557971560671962010-09-24T07:38:00.000-07:002010-09-24T08:02:44.703-07:00Klaxons 9/21/10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7na9DteGhibf0sdLBbCOBlyFlDaYWM7erYBsQ8fBhXf4YVEpO5m1xZfPRCE6Spg4TxiWHoQsaf3_BxQKeWgbnDbBgHW8iX6R2pdK5y28_rRM_-uolKgQqk0Vb6_o-QyFu0ySz4fkTYWZ/s1600/IMAG0608.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7na9DteGhibf0sdLBbCOBlyFlDaYWM7erYBsQ8fBhXf4YVEpO5m1xZfPRCE6Spg4TxiWHoQsaf3_BxQKeWgbnDbBgHW8iX6R2pdK5y28_rRM_-uolKgQqk0Vb6_o-QyFu0ySz4fkTYWZ/s320/IMAG0608.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520492856575568242" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2C2-hhwH12-wcWo1jIouGQ8qmi5fmEXEArVzIZ7XCRNuGiE-f2ml2X_Kizf2P982s7hSl5WYtOlKR9LAY2hoP1C6aOkoAxlk4MDhbggxf-dSJ79GVQJpx2ibX8ZCJJ99NwODpcJa58Y6/s1600/IMAG0619.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2C2-hhwH12-wcWo1jIouGQ8qmi5fmEXEArVzIZ7XCRNuGiE-f2ml2X_Kizf2P982s7hSl5WYtOlKR9LAY2hoP1C6aOkoAxlk4MDhbggxf-dSJ79GVQJpx2ibX8ZCJJ99NwODpcJa58Y6/s320/IMAG0619.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520492852688405634" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCT7l6Q6i3aZORXM87wSQII3NrTNl8kDphWh-MCbWtbBq66PTro1k0LPBvUXp-rD9mlWyJGI1TwBZcpDtIiNQ5yb9TK5ZeneY8BDCL43vS3tgKxiCXFkqVBTYM82-PDwqKdxZPvy9-wyu/s1600/IMAG0615.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCT7l6Q6i3aZORXM87wSQII3NrTNl8kDphWh-MCbWtbBq66PTro1k0LPBvUXp-rD9mlWyJGI1TwBZcpDtIiNQ5yb9TK5ZeneY8BDCL43vS3tgKxiCXFkqVBTYM82-PDwqKdxZPvy9-wyu/s320/IMAG0615.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520492850589349538" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mu_3N9kxSOjjz43skvOyXNtkckXS55tM-Y0kGm3_o7l7bxNvUN7VC2NmG_tkp0-WPT9Pyl97XOnUD0cGWYOhQPG9ao70C-pGbAVMER1H7qkjKnU-6rQ3okiBwa7oiEkqr8BnzFzCPa1q/s1600/IMAG0603.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mu_3N9kxSOjjz43skvOyXNtkckXS55tM-Y0kGm3_o7l7bxNvUN7VC2NmG_tkp0-WPT9Pyl97XOnUD0cGWYOhQPG9ao70C-pGbAVMER1H7qkjKnU-6rQ3okiBwa7oiEkqr8BnzFzCPa1q/s320/IMAG0603.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520492843737571410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJMH1L-a_SsaJMfBBiNEqgY6aOrwq0KflWfKwRMG2BSlGV-1lNGYhOdsSewC0cNsNi9i0D3cHGt0PJV0OTWedaiedDYbOhKyhKi-gwfiJZwyl8vRXzFnNRixy2vV1ioDGDMEHP2tXw71h/s1600/IMAG0620.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJMH1L-a_SsaJMfBBiNEqgY6aOrwq0KflWfKwRMG2BSlGV-1lNGYhOdsSewC0cNsNi9i0D3cHGt0PJV0OTWedaiedDYbOhKyhKi-gwfiJZwyl8vRXzFnNRixy2vV1ioDGDMEHP2tXw71h/s320/IMAG0620.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520492839910748418" /></a><br />Almost three years by a week or so I showed up at the 930 club to hear the Klaxons play their new album, which came out that day as well. First and foremost I have never, ever stood near the stage at any 930 club show as they tend to sell out or I stay closest to the bar. Anyway there was nobody in attendance that night. It was good for me because I got up close and personal and finally was able to take some great pictures from stage left. These guys have a very British new dance/rock sound and the new album had a bit of Bloc Party by way of Pink Floyd/MGMT vibe going on. And where MGMT went all weird then stopped on their latest record The Klaxons pounded an excellent follow up to 2007's "Myths of the Near Future" with "Surfing the Void." From the start to finish they played my favorite songs off disc one: "As a Above, So Below" and "It's Not Over Yet" and rocked out over the new stuff too like the enthralling "Echoes." They played to the crowd with minimal talk. The only strange part happened when they let a wild eyed homeless looking older gentleman up onstage to dance with the peace sign and introduce a girl in a beauty contest. It was a def WTF and no one new what was happening but overall it didn't ruin the show. First of many nights to close out the month in one of four separate venues. It's going to be a good weekend. Tonight: Free Energy/Titus Andronicusjfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-52869635856356868682010-09-22T13:45:00.000-07:002010-09-22T13:56:45.103-07:00Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon 9/19/10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vr8J8aTmMtOxbt7QamomKo0t8ErTkxweFrtulFWUj_fn9mUnmORGj_YtL8j2i_QqUKLsOVI-7cj44u_73Gm5wBaHI7xDoPJhGQg12VDnVt9iUk19WF1utXkaxnPKNAfMyQ_WrEpFpKYP/s1600/WILG2245.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 178px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vr8J8aTmMtOxbt7QamomKo0t8ErTkxweFrtulFWUj_fn9mUnmORGj_YtL8j2i_QqUKLsOVI-7cj44u_73Gm5wBaHI7xDoPJhGQg12VDnVt9iUk19WF1utXkaxnPKNAfMyQ_WrEpFpKYP/s320/WILG2245.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519844653425846930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNw3HayFMzIcyY4UMwyyo-Ez0C-kaCujdWfLTpoGjFsXjWn8tW3mcVvwUszkBnJVdKiPtMDO4JiKbWF_qTRGNlUQRdjnMPaOcleFvyHt86MT9F641QFluaXz6OqWNFnd17xFukXP4dIwK/s1600/WILK1528.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 179px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNw3HayFMzIcyY4UMwyyo-Ez0C-kaCujdWfLTpoGjFsXjWn8tW3mcVvwUszkBnJVdKiPtMDO4JiKbWF_qTRGNlUQRdjnMPaOcleFvyHt86MT9F641QFluaXz6OqWNFnd17xFukXP4dIwK/s320/WILK1528.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519844647689041122" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs44jUtbAXnTKoGekB8HAtvsWUZ7KIBcS7pjtWCyuS-yzAx0fGTimVNgg7ZKlPH-Tw9tOz-y9_c7-8HvAqfnh8XgJpGIonkMTd8OU8gvRgkQKHlGpsbJm2CnSG0lyllFCw6i_b6cweGg59/s1600/WILN0222.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs44jUtbAXnTKoGekB8HAtvsWUZ7KIBcS7pjtWCyuS-yzAx0fGTimVNgg7ZKlPH-Tw9tOz-y9_c7-8HvAqfnh8XgJpGIonkMTd8OU8gvRgkQKHlGpsbJm2CnSG0lyllFCw6i_b6cweGg59/s320/WILN0222.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519844644113555042" /></a><br />First race in a long time and it was a big race too. Beautifully laid out was the Inaugural Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon running from Mt. Vernon, Alexandria to the new National Harbor in Maryland. Basically it was ten or less miles of the George Washington Parkway plus a bridge then wrapping up around the National Harbor with a grand finish near the relocated Haynes Point Giant "The Awakening". Showed up early with Helga and met up with Stacey and Heather, three chicks that ran me over. I'm not a professional runner by any means but it was good to get passed by my team. Great weather to start and finish and the views were spectacular. I would do this race every year if I am off I like it so much and it was co-sponsored by Pacers! Race went smooth until the middle of the bridge (mile 9) when I got the cramps again. Great pace was all but washed out with some walking/crawling/jogging through the final three miles. Unfortunately the worst part of my race was out in National Harbor amongst all the spectators, including my sister! Oh well, I got a good race in and didn't finish too badly at 2:10:59 but will break two hours next year! As for now, it's time for some rest, ice, and some beer. Word.jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-50637689908035736712010-09-09T05:17:00.001-07:002010-09-09T05:29:29.122-07:00Best Coast 9/8/10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoaJ6NCV1yNcxHnEa6mkQv7fxy7ZlPINN9yhUEz4xapBC0EUAFC30lV6VqJV6k444hAD7XkwNQ8ROSOFNK-zC9baa8m4hyBock3fMssB3fed20RTUlh_FNwXX4yXeUpxCQa6qVqfE95mD/s1600/IMAG0582.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoaJ6NCV1yNcxHnEa6mkQv7fxy7ZlPINN9yhUEz4xapBC0EUAFC30lV6VqJV6k444hAD7XkwNQ8ROSOFNK-zC9baa8m4hyBock3fMssB3fed20RTUlh_FNwXX4yXeUpxCQa6qVqfE95mD/s320/IMAG0582.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514889892118478418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpF2AaB7oPjL5G2um6KCE8VEUozP55MjsZlfnmUSZgu9Dgqdc0ga7A2lTDdMerL3B8iU43ehkluxblAllFbd-U5mdHqrYFg2jFqWVbrU00rcFkssgWMrBy-8m1AWS0pqCV9aDD_RoZ0b41/s1600/IMAG0574.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpF2AaB7oPjL5G2um6KCE8VEUozP55MjsZlfnmUSZgu9Dgqdc0ga7A2lTDdMerL3B8iU43ehkluxblAllFbd-U5mdHqrYFg2jFqWVbrU00rcFkssgWMrBy-8m1AWS0pqCV9aDD_RoZ0b41/s320/IMAG0574.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514889884548576594" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHl58zQB9WgFRzWgHUIc-JaZhZlm6fYX0NT8YdqDa9fAfcKpFWUTQIyXq0RH6p6V-xAMt5kb9EtLKy73T9DXpbPYAXmuJHELgcqdiTbVs1RTxwrzIE8nAJWNoT5SneYl_FhUsuoYZ_c5Fs/s1600/IMAG0573.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHl58zQB9WgFRzWgHUIc-JaZhZlm6fYX0NT8YdqDa9fAfcKpFWUTQIyXq0RH6p6V-xAMt5kb9EtLKy73T9DXpbPYAXmuJHELgcqdiTbVs1RTxwrzIE8nAJWNoT5SneYl_FhUsuoYZ_c5Fs/s320/IMAG0573.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514889879459778978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5OilZU7ieQIgh0wdmZDQ7j4AOd72FgJg7DjV8sb26SOGto0ZqryRnBbvbpav-fXt59IW4uSsaFMoxrQBpWZhJj6RAFX9Ngl4WloiNMRM6txuyCZ4K4zsWsI5rBIGbjXdKWWojc2t9d5g/s1600/IMAG0570.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5OilZU7ieQIgh0wdmZDQ7j4AOd72FgJg7DjV8sb26SOGto0ZqryRnBbvbpav-fXt59IW4uSsaFMoxrQBpWZhJj6RAFX9Ngl4WloiNMRM6txuyCZ4K4zsWsI5rBIGbjXdKWWojc2t9d5g/s320/IMAG0570.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514889871091591314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwF8QOtWXHeTzhz85i_WIbr67qieSsdM8e5DtOM4bt0Y5c65WM4JHpsy2LcVMGQMhvPi4Nmbt2LdKT_wddGCCgLcFdoSOToMj1rn-2YHAI0SUwsD9KuqznU-B97YCFTNdOo2q_LfaB42Y/s1600/IMAG0575.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwF8QOtWXHeTzhz85i_WIbr67qieSsdM8e5DtOM4bt0Y5c65WM4JHpsy2LcVMGQMhvPi4Nmbt2LdKT_wddGCCgLcFdoSOToMj1rn-2YHAI0SUwsD9KuqznU-B97YCFTNdOo2q_LfaB42Y/s320/IMAG0575.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514889868058757794" /></a><br />Been a while but after a few weeks I'm back and got the first September show in the books. Saw Best Coast last night and if you can imagine Courtney Love's Hole without the coke and crazy and instead of angry songs replace them with teenage love songs. Best Coast even sang a song they dedicated to Love so go figure. They came out with an hours worth of easy to sway to 3 minute or less songs with one singer, two guitars and a drum set. They sold out the Rock and Roll Hotel which I can say I haven't been too for what I can remember. (I did get up close but the pictures I took may be too dark, damn moody lighting!) They played somewhere between 15-20 songs, all good, and despite being so close the sound was good and not too loud which is a plus being in such a small venue. I like them and I hope they come back, but not too soon: It's almost metal time!jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-91089835418835059062010-08-29T07:21:00.000-07:002010-08-29T08:18:17.660-07:00Restaurant 3 8/21/10Got a dinner for the close of restaurant week at Restaurant 3 in Clarendon. Great place, got a table out in the cool patio and ordered some good drinks first. Having never been there before I was relieved that they had a good beer list. As I get older I like the old standards (Bud Light & such) for sports and happy hours but if I want to enjoy myself I want to pair the dish with some quality brew. The calimari appetizer was awesome. Way to big for an app though and I had to take a bulk home. I got the Peach BBQ glazed pork chop with the mashed potatoes and although they acaully put peaches on my food it did taste good (of course I wiped off the peaches first.) The dessert was a warm bread pudding that until recently I had never tried. All in all great resuarant and good way to cap off a great food week in Clarendon!jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-42836520502463056702010-08-22T16:24:00.000-07:002010-08-22T16:32:24.741-07:00DC Coast 8/19/10Got in the first restaurant of the year at DC Coast on the corner of K & 14th Streets in the District. Going in for lunch with the twins was pretty easy and the reservations helped because that place was packed. At 1pm during the week! I guess all the K Street heroes gotta get that power lunch in before they go back in to work and screw our country up. Oh well. The food was great and I survived a mushroom soup that was a grayish green color and a baby food texture. It looked like something witches eat but it was surprisingly good. I also got a great jambalaya for the main course. It was a rice based meaty concoction that was hot and spicy and full of flavor. I believe the guys at DC Coast also run Arcadiana up the street that the twins took me to last year. To cap it off I had an Anchor Steam brew, straight from the tap. Great success!jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-53569740510238195272010-08-17T14:42:00.000-07:002010-08-17T14:50:51.723-07:00DC Restaurant/Beer WeekSo DC's restaurant week is in full swing and hopefully I'll be making it out to somewhere this week. It's a great event and luckily I'm off in the days so I could probably swing going out somewhere for lunch. I love eating out and drinking beers which leads into next weeks festivities! I have never heard of DC having a beer week or that many bar crawls but since they are having one I better check it out! Hopefully someplace new with good beers that I can add to the good to go list. Also the Washington Post is putting a guide to a few neighborhoods in the area that are worth checking out in August. I got the family out for a trip to one of DC's best areas on the 8th of August to check 14th and U. They call it midcity (I guess not to confuse with midtown) and they even have a web page: www.midcitylife.com. It was a good trip, especially for mom because she got to see some cool furniture stores that she's read about. Made for a great day and hopefully I can continue this trend. Until then make sure you hit at least one spot this week and ate least two next!jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-45340139379369660002010-08-09T11:50:00.000-07:002010-08-09T15:52:36.664-07:00Spoon/Arcade Fire 8/6/10Well we finally got out to Merriweather this season for an outdoor show and we picked a great night to do so. Thursday's monsoon got me a little nervous for possible rain Friday or at least mud in the lawn but instead it was very nice out. No rain and no mud just two of indie rocks best live acts the last couple years to come to the area and play to kick start a great weekend. After a few Bud Light Limes in the parking grass we got inside the venue to catch Spoon, already in progress. Spoon's a great band from Austin that has put out a number of good albums lately including one earlier this year. They had a good showing and despite being the "opener" they had a large crowd cheering through the whole set. After a break we ventured throughout the place and got reseated on a corner of the lawn and set up chairs and beers for The Arcade Fire to blow our minds. These guys can play and the have a full on sound that reminds me of Bruce & E Street as many players bringing different sounds and showcasing their talents on each song. I've been a fan since "Funeral" came and have continued to follow their careers but I finally got the chance to see them live. The new album sounded good, despite a drum machine problem, their were no interruptions in play. Having just previously played at Madison Square Garden I am glad they continued their awesome wave of power through the DC area. Hopefully more people will want to come and do big festivals here in this area so we can compete with the likes of Chicago, Austin, and hell even NYC. Until then I'll just settle for a free Virgin Fest coming to Merriweather next month. Great show once again and it reaffirmed my affinity for live music. Word.jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-2313445874728662772010-07-28T10:19:00.000-07:002010-07-28T11:38:06.523-07:00The Black Keys 7/26/10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCMRwHMWKk4oAEVHdVbBL4AwUAhQsXq-31GRjPUSqKkVsbutmZmKhkzDc65368D9CQkmadLkxuZHxgSX8WZ7ZrsFHRgyTr3FVCdsKkYDQbmDM_1WMyuBL-UCDPwQiyVb4qp52nPQ6-5ze/s1600/IMAG0549.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCMRwHMWKk4oAEVHdVbBL4AwUAhQsXq-31GRjPUSqKkVsbutmZmKhkzDc65368D9CQkmadLkxuZHxgSX8WZ7ZrsFHRgyTr3FVCdsKkYDQbmDM_1WMyuBL-UCDPwQiyVb4qp52nPQ6-5ze/s320/IMAG0549.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499027994369230242" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuT8YEh_tSJlSLN7FniWgbFprXOusySekC730h9Hb6VIWX_kS45UjBPebovbND4uzqwYFZv0BzUVK4esZrD2TMbn5msFcUHwap8TadThXRN_zi19Wt4Ox-QK23lNH5ZslFSP4MjKeC6eh/s1600/IMAG0547.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuT8YEh_tSJlSLN7FniWgbFprXOusySekC730h9Hb6VIWX_kS45UjBPebovbND4uzqwYFZv0BzUVK4esZrD2TMbn5msFcUHwap8TadThXRN_zi19Wt4Ox-QK23lNH5ZslFSP4MjKeC6eh/s320/IMAG0547.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499027985995090754" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHkoM0Jp5umLII3YjvmB2ZNerR3uaKFmwrqKS09RPsm_7z_uvTtmFo6IeCPrY_T6Zec0eGGRlxO1HKsM-YjX5f4C7tRIVxXMICW81dNg-PB2Lo5Nxbq5KvDkjZ2HOKkEd0WoeVNCos_GJ/s1600/IMAG0539.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHkoM0Jp5umLII3YjvmB2ZNerR3uaKFmwrqKS09RPsm_7z_uvTtmFo6IeCPrY_T6Zec0eGGRlxO1HKsM-YjX5f4C7tRIVxXMICW81dNg-PB2Lo5Nxbq5KvDkjZ2HOKkEd0WoeVNCos_GJ/s320/IMAG0539.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499027978212890834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhKShJAoGnK_Mj0ZseWRkEJFWyIR0dTrle9uABBgdVzUxGmTCURKpxWctdmCqRis0TtEKNPsYOUvX-7_xgFEQlYbuFfnluftnIJSM8HHTeU-cDnpGs-5qH_N8H3Bzhg7aXeqQju285q9g/s1600/IMAG0537.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhKShJAoGnK_Mj0ZseWRkEJFWyIR0dTrle9uABBgdVzUxGmTCURKpxWctdmCqRis0TtEKNPsYOUvX-7_xgFEQlYbuFfnluftnIJSM8HHTeU-cDnpGs-5qH_N8H3Bzhg7aXeqQju285q9g/s320/IMAG0537.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499027971606691954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwvdZXmQXbCqhE3PVapeUnimHiwqNIjmdapq5iHhiQqNCVTtbbXiG6z8BpGw1KdYhQT4PGd9ze7lxJBR-jbQfgKTSwdrt4xcoFzY8IqTu-G0n-RskTo_huza2h3Uvx6fwgp0OqbKrCCk4/s1600/IMAG0534.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwvdZXmQXbCqhE3PVapeUnimHiwqNIjmdapq5iHhiQqNCVTtbbXiG6z8BpGw1KdYhQT4PGd9ze7lxJBR-jbQfgKTSwdrt4xcoFzY8IqTu-G0n-RskTo_huza2h3Uvx6fwgp0OqbKrCCk4/s320/IMAG0534.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499027964004934850" /></a><br />So far this year I've been to small venues and big ones, no outdoor ones yet, and heard some powerful live shows. All have been pretty great but Monday night they were completely blown away by The Black Keys. I saw these guys @ 930 in support of their Danger Mouse produced album "Attack & Release". It was so good I made sure I was on a mailing list for when they were coming to DC to play "Brothers". I actually got tickets on the floor at Constitution Hall which was great and the presale tickets also included the new album so I would be prepared for the awesomeness that is a Black Keys show. To my satisfaction they started the night by getting right into the classic older stuff from the first three albums, I thought I even heard a tune off "Chulahoma" too. These guys have some serious power and the tracks were short and full of energy. Besides Josh Homme I would have to say that Dan Auerbach is the best guitar player out there right now. It's hard not notice his heavy bluesy twang that encompasses each song he plays which stand out all the more because it's just his guitar playing. On his right was the strong and steady Patrick Carney whose drumming was always on point whether the song was loud and fast or soft and slow. After about a half hour the two Black Keys were accompanied by a bass and keyboard player to start performing selections from their new album that had some full band elements reminiscent of "Attack & Release". The new players were very subtle and didn't take much away from the original guitar and drum format that is The Black Keys signature sound. Despite the full on production value of the last two albums the majority of the hour and half set belonged to the simple but full sound formula. These guys can flat out play and I can't wait to see them again. Don't miss these guys, you will be blown away.jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445741174194520445.post-10450925164867001302010-07-24T14:36:00.000-07:002010-07-24T16:39:25.965-07:00Virgin Free Fest/Ticket Fly Hot MessWhile I have normally applauded ticketfly.com for their great service and ease of getting concert info out there quick and releasing tickets early the Virgin Free Fest was a total disaster. I haven't really hated on much on this blog but this was ridiculous! Usually if I want to see a hot show I have found out about them soon but if I know it'll be seated, or in this case free, I'll get my ass up to a phone or computer to make sure I get in the infinite waiting room of online servers to get my tickets before they sell out in mere minutes. I went to Virgin's first local festival with some friends that cost in the hundreds but it had a slew of great bands playing. I saw Wolfmother, Brazilian Girls, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Who, and The Racteouers that year. Not bad for the price despite it being played at Baltimore's dirty Pimilico Field infield. Then last year it went free and I was shut out thanks to Ticketmaster. I've been hounding the Virgin Free Fest fan page on Facebook all week to get a head of the pack and they released their presale code the night before the first attempt to made on the tickets. Needless to say I was ready. CRASH!!!!!! System crashed, what a bummer. Nothing worked, no direct links, nothing. I got back on Facebook and the masses were hot. Eventually at around ten after Virgin Free Fest sent a new link up. Still no dice. After ten more minutes they finally stated they got everything all up and working and I finally got in and got tow tickets. I was even able to call a few people to send them the link too. I checked today and tried but nothing got through. They posted later that 75,000 people tried for close to 35,000 tickets. That's ridiculous. Glad I got hooked up because I have been waiting to hear word on when LCD Soundsystem was coming to DC. I am also grateful that Sleigh Bells, Chromeo, and Neon Indian are coming too since I missed their last go round here. Sorry to vent but the ticket situation is crazy but I can't complain since they're free. Thanks Virgin and Ticket Fly, Love Julian.jfor5khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14397968533682818565noreply@blogger.com1