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January 28, 2006
regina spektor: us
Nick sent this link to me.
I'm not sure which is cooler: the song or the video.
Posted by davidm at 03:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
v-day blues
A sister of a friend made these incredible Valentine's Day Cards.
You should order them even though she lives in Canada.
Posted by davidm at 10:46 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 27, 2006
the greatest neighborhood in chattanooga
It's funny. I haven't lived in St. Elmo in about 7 years, but yet
it is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Chattanooga.
Forget North Chatt, forget MLK, Southside, or Highland Park.
The best neighborhood in Chattanooga is St. Elmo. For the most part,
it has been left alone by urban development (in comparison to other
neighborhoods). St. Elmo remains untouched, funky, and eclectic. It is
composed of artists, musicians, artisans, Covenant students,
crackwhores, and junkies. Aside from North Chattanooga, it is the only
true community in the valley. Other neighborhoods are fabricated, and feel
forced, fake, and in search of an identity.
Someone who isn't familiar may ask, "What is so great about St. Elmo?"
The only commercial mainstays are the Incline and Mr. T's. It doesn't have
the hip restaurants of Frazier Ave. It doesn't have the visual appeal of the
waterfront. It doesn't have the fresh cut look of the Southside. In fact, other
than a handful of up and coming business's (which, by the way, will define
Chattanooga’s media presence in the years to come), there is nothing here.
Absolutely nothing.
To understand its greatness, you have to live here. I did at one point.
(and I hope to again very soon). You have to walk down St. Elmo Ave in the
spring; see your friends and neighbors, and sit on their porch drinking
Southpaw (North Chatt has its PBR; but St. Elmo is Southpaw country). You
have to experience the incredible hospitality of its residents. You have to eat ice
cream at Mr. T’s. You have to go to a party and spend hours discussing liberal
politics, Wilco, and George Segal. Bypass IKEA and furnish your house thru
estate sales. You have to eschew a Fifth Ave mentality, because St. Elmo will
swallow you whole. It is the real deal, and always has been.
Today, I was looking for information on St. Elmo and found a collection of
blogs by Josiah that deal specifically with the neighborhood. Check ‘em out.
photo stolen from Josiah
Posted by davidm at 04:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 25, 2006
equal airtime
This article ran in the Chattanooga Pulse today.
It presents 2 sides to the WUTC debate.
If these changes will boost ratings and fundraising drives, why has no one
(outside of the station) come out and said that they look forward to the
changes?
As it turns out, Parker Smith posted this on The Chattanoogan.
Parker is a DJ for 96.5 The Mountain.
Posted by davidm at 12:05 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 24, 2006
model world
I found this article via yewknee.
It's called Model World and features photography by Olivio Barbieri.
click.
Posted by davidm at 03:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
chuck norris
Mike posted this on Myspace.
It's worth repeating.
Top Ten Chuck Norris Facts
1. Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried. Ever.
2. Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
3. Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order
are trademarked names for his left and right legs.
4. The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain.
5. If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see
Chuck Norris, you may be only seconds away from death.
6. Chuck Norris has counted to infinity. Twice.
7. Chuck Norris does not hunt because the word hunting implies
the probability of failure. Chuck Norris goes killing.
8. Chuck Norris' blood type is AK+. Ass-Kicking Positive. It is
compatible only with heavy construction equipment, tanks,
and fighter jets.
9. Chuck Norris is 1/8th Cherokee. This has nothing to do with
ancestry, the man ate a fucking Indian.
10. In fine print on the last page of the Guinness Book of World
Records it notes that all world records are held by Chuck Norris,
and those listed in the book are simply the closest anyone else
has ever gotten.
Posted by davidm at 02:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
american altitude
I made a new years list a few weeks ago, and listed some of my favorite
unsigned bands of 2005. I was reading back thru that post and realized
I forgot American Altitude from New Jersey.
They cite Jim O'Rourke's Bad Timing as one of their biggest influences.
I played one of their songs at the photo show.
They are awesome and you should check them out.
In fact, you should check out every band on that list (whoever you are).
Posted by davidm at 11:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 19, 2006
new music by jaymay
Everyone who knows me knows that I'm obsessed with Jaymay,
the singer-songwriter from New York. Her new EP,
"Sea Green See Blue" is coming out soon, and she
has posted 2 songs from that EP on her Myspace
page: "Gray or Blue" and "Sea Green See Blue."
You should check them out because they are fantastic.
Hopefully, her revamped website will be up soon too.
Supposedly, she will be touring this year. Maybe with a little luck, she'll
play in the SouthEast.
(photo by beiginside/D. Robert)
Posted by davidm at 10:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
comings and goings
Last Friday, I DJ'd Lindsay Aquila's photo opening at the Stone Cup.
The photos are still there and everyone should go check them out. They're really good.
I've received a few questions about some of the music I was playing,
so I decided to post the playlist here.
(It's divided into 2 halves and you can click on the images to make it bigger.)
This weekend, The Good Players (which I am now a part of) form the greatest,
most rocking cover band to ever grace Lookout Mtn. We're playing a wedding
reception for Stephen's brother-in-law, Ian Cardillo.
We've been working on our set for a couple of weeks now. It includes music
by The Beatles, Queen, The Flaming Lips, and The Beach Boys.
And we're tricking it out with analog synths, loud guitars,
and some bad-ass drumming (that's me :).
Posted by davidm at 10:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 18, 2006
he sounds just like bowie (the cloud room)
Check out The Cloud Room from Brooklyn.
Make sure and listen to "Hey Now Now" and be blown away by how much
this guy sounds like Bowie.
Posted by davidm at 03:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 17, 2006
show promotion at lamar's
Someone asked me recently why there aren’t as many shows at Lamar’s as there used to be. I’m pretty open about not being a fan of the venue, and there are a few reasons why.
Several years ago, Lamar’s was a great venue largely because you could put on shows there at a low cost. How many people remember seeing Neutral Milk Hotel, The Dirty Three, and Olivia Tremor Control there? At some point while I was living in Nashville, punk bands started playing there. One show in particular, a fight broke out, and the main room was trashed.
Following the event, Lamar’s setup a *No Show* policy. Eventually, they saw their alcohol sales go down which were probably pretty hefty during the hay days between 1998 and 2000. Instead of reversing their policy, they started having a room rental fee. This is pretty common for some venues, but there are several problems in this particular instance. For starters, all they have is a room. There is no PA; they don’t staff the events; and they don’t offer a cut of their bar sales to make up for any losses on your end.
Continue reading "show promotion at lamar's"
Posted by davidm at 12:12 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
it's about time
Finally, The Squid and the Whale will be playing in Chattanooga as part of the
ongoing AEC Film Series at the Bijou the week of February 10-16.
I'm a huge Noah Baumbach fan.
For those unfamiliar, you should try to rent Kicking and Screaming (1995).
This isn't the Will Ferrel movie. Sadly, it's only available on VHS.
Noah Baumbach also co-wrote The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
Check out the movie's official site for trailers.
For more info on Noah Baumbach, go here.
For a full list of the movies in the AEC Film Series, hither.
Posted by davidm at 11:07 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 16, 2006
the hat sucks but the song still rules
I pity anyone who ever thought this hat was a great idea. (I'm talking to you,
Bryce Blair). Watch the video here.
For some reason, I can't stop listening to this today.
Posted by davidm at 12:59 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
January 13, 2006
great things to come for chattanooga music and arts
I've been hearing all this hype for months about how George Parker
is going to revitalize music in Chattanooga. In case you didn't know,
George was recently named General Manager of the Tivoli and
Memorial Auditorium. He's claiming that he's gonna bring big ticket acts
with some cultural relevance to Chattanooga.
Here's a list of upcoming events.
Tivoli:
Rickie Lee Jones in Concert: Friday, Feb. 3. at 7:30 PM (EST)
Menopause the Musical: Sunday, February 12 at 3:00 PM (EST)
George Thorogood & The Destroyers: Thurs., March 16 at 7:30 PM (EST)
Memorial Auditorium:
Sesame Street Live: Fri-Sun, January 13, 14, 15, 4 Shows!
The Man of Her Dreams: Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 8:00 PM (EST)
Gold City & the Crabb Family: Saturday, February 4 at 7:00 PM (EST)
Casting Crowns: Saturday, February 18 at 7:00 PM (EST)
Paul Belcher Gospel Concert: Saturday, March 11 at 7:00 PM (EST)
George Jones: Saturday, April 1 at 8:00 PM (EST)
George is an employee of our city.
Why not e-mail him and tell him what you think of his work thus far.
Also, you can read a great interview with his superior, Missy Crutchfield here.
Missy is head of the Arts, Parks, and Recreation for the city.
____________________________________________________________
Changes at WUTC go into effect Tuesday.
John McCormack, WUTC station manager, told the Times Free Press:
"NPR programming attracts the most listeners [as opposed to local music
programming] which is why the syndicated shows are being extended."
Meanwhile the article (which ran Thursday) claims that the number of listeners
has declined from 58,000 to 30,000 since 2002. Hmm...how long has he been
station manager?
Posted by davidm at 02:41 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
latest and the greatest
This here is a link to the greatest Myspace profile ever.
Make sure you click on 'view more pictures.'
And remember: We are all CHAMPIONS!
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in Atlanta, March 10.
Tonight, Jason Isbell (from Drive By Truckers) plays Lamar's.
Posted by davidm at 02:08 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 12, 2006
from the hotseat to the cold one
Today I made the trek to ATL for a job interview. It was supposed to be a
really killer job that I was way pumped about. Upon my arrival, I found
out that the pay was lower than I was originally told by the president of the
company and the work schedule was grueling: 60 hours a week, constant
travel, and so forth. In addition, I would have to move to Atlanta.
I'm not a big fan of the city. A friend described my possible move as
"following the dollar straight into the depths of hell."
Never a truer word spoken, Dale.
I just got back in hopes that I would have returned e-mails about jobs in
Chattanooga, but that ole inbox was empty save for a few words
from my friend, Nick. Go figure. So now, I'm out $40 from gas and food,
I still have no job, but I look damn good in a tie. Say what you will about
DM, but he does know how to dress. (insert Derek Zoolander face here).
This week is plagued with concerns about WUTC and how that station is going
down the toilet. (C'mon, it sucks now and we all know it.) There will be a
couple of articles in the Pulse and the Free Press about it and then in a few
weeks it will make its format changes anyway...and thus another blow is
dealt to the arts community in Chattanooga. c'est la vie muthaf@ckas.
Words From Nick:
Tell your rabbit valley road people to prepare themselves for this link!!!
Check out the lead singer.
Posted by davidm at 02:42 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 10, 2006
NYTimes: Public Radio Listeners Want Their Station Back
Someone passed this along to me.
BUSINESS / MEDIA & ADVERTISING | January 9, 2006
Public Radio Listeners Want Their Money Back
By MARIA ASPAN
When the public radio station in Detroit canceled some local music shows and
replaced them with talk and news programs, listeners filed suit for the return of
money donated during a pledge drive.
Posted by davidm at 09:35 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 07, 2006
Programming Changes at WUTC
I received this mass e-mail from an unknown source.
Please take the time to read it and respond accordingly. Thank you.
- DM
I'm writing this email to alert you to important formatting changes at
WUTC-88.1. The ultimate goal is to change WUTC-88.1 from an A3 format
(local, eclectic, adult music plus national news) to a (syndicated,
national) talk format. The community will notice the first step towards this
goal (shrinking Richard Winham's program to a mere two hours and running
"All Things Considered" in repeating cycles from 4 to 8 p.m.) later this
month. The morning program has also been reduced from its original 3 hours
to two hours.
Continue reading "Programming Changes at WUTC"
Posted by davidm at 06:19 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 04, 2006
my life is feast or famine
Long story, but my New Year's went sour.
But I made up for it by tying up some loose ends.
I've spent a lot of time playing music the past couple of days,
and also writing a lot of music which has been kind of refreshing.
I hope to have some new stuff posted on Myspace by the end of
the month.
I've been out of the loop with my internet cravings and information.
Here's what I've picked up.
1. The Flaming Lips new record is out April 4. It is called At War With the Mystics
Details here.
2. I'm promoting another A Fir-Ju Well show for February 15.
I've been hard at work on the new studio with Stephen. We're recording
for the next few days. It should be fully operational by February.
I'm in overdrive right now. I've done nothing but breath music for the past
five days. It's been great like spinning plates.
Word to your bitch of a mutha'.
Posted by davidm at 07:19 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack