December 07, 2007
ha ha ha and yuck
I kind of did a douchebag thing and it came back to bite me in the ass this week.
My blog at rabbitvalleyroad.com was hosted on a friend's server. In August, the friend gives me advanced warning that he was selling it to another mutual friend. I could continue to use it if I pay for it. Fair enough. But the price would be close to my own personal server.
So I start shopping around and get lazy about making a switch. After a while, I realize that the site isn't going to be taken down, and I keep using it - without paying. Yeah, douchebag.
Now in my defense, I had plans to get my own host. I was going to share space with the Coral Castles site, but we got sidetracked and still haven't put a site together. So I wait. And wait some more.
Earlier this week, I discover that the site is permanently down. Crap! Luckily, I backed everything up in September, but I still didn't have the last 2 months. Then, I remember that you can access Google's cache of your page and get all the basic HTML off. Perfect.
I'm in the process of putting together 3 blogs right now. One is a new and improved Rabbit Valley Road. The other is a collaboration with my friend Safeguy. And the third will deal more with Chattanooga. That one will come later.
I doubt most of the old content will go back up. I like fresh starts. So if you've linked to rabbitvalleyroad.com in the last year, you're shit out of luck. Sorry.
Anyway, I thought it was a funny story and I'm anxious to get back to writing.
God bless the Google. It lets me look at my ranch in Crawford...
DM
Posted by davidm at 06:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 25, 2006
as promised
This site has moved.
Please update your bookmarks accordingly.
In the next day or so, the new one should be showing up in the chattablogs
directory.
Posted by davidm at 01:29 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 22, 2006
chris ammons on the interweb
I saw this on Josiah's blog, and thought it was worth reposting.
Ex-Chattanoogan, Chris Ammons (Jairus) has a portfolio online.
Some of the stuff is cool as shit, and you should check it out.
I also heard he graduates this weekend? Congrats Chris.
Posted by davidm at 11:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 11, 2006
now available in camo
Start my 1st of 5 final days at Fresh Market today.
Bastards scheduled me to close every day this week.
Go figure.
Yesterday, spent most of my time setting up Audio for my computer.
Reason is up and running, and I'm about to setup GarageBand for editing,
MIDI, and digital capture (long story)...
Does anyone have any experience with calibrating turntables?
Basically, I need to setup my Marantz so that A=440 Hz.
Any links on the web you know of would be helpful.
The crashed hard drive worked for about 15 minutes yesterday, but I wasn't able
to get any of the data off. James, did you get my e-mail?
Still working on wordpress site too.
Finally, I am in the market for the following:
cheap MIDI controller
Roland Juno-60
any sort of decent acoustic guitar
Posted by davidm at 11:54 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 05, 2006
the most awesome pimp there ever was
First full day in St. Augustine. Kristen and I spent most of the morning on
the beach. I haven't been to the ocean in a while, and everytime I lick my lips,
I say outloud, "Yep. Still tastes salty." I've done this about 6 times already.
Last night, we ended up eating at a venue I played once with J-Roddy.
Cafe Eleven is less than a mile from our hotel, and has really great food and
some excellent concerts coming up (Tapes n Tapes).
Tonight, we head to the historic area which should be cool. I think we'll have
some pictures to post later.
Oh. My friends Nick and Bethany created a website to chronicle their travels
(they've been officially homeless since June). It's a little cheesy, but I got a big
kick out of it.
Posted by davidm at 04:29 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 29, 2006
big mister rainshine
Last night, I watched Little Miss Sunshine. Easily, the best movie I've seen all year.
I'm excited that How I Became the Bomb is opening for The Features tomorrow
night.
Check out this interview with David Bazan on BrooklynVegan.
And the one song that got me through this summer is "Move Along" by
The All-American Rejects.
I came home and the XBox was gone. I will probably start writing again.
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...
On that note, I recently purchased rabbitvalleyroad.com where I will be moving
my blog site very soon.
Posted by davidm at 08:51 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 15, 2006
jack rabbit valley road
I'm currently working on a short story tentatively titled "Zen and The Art of Chicken
Salad." It deals with low wage jobs and increasing housing costs in Chattanooga.
J-Roddy Walston and The Business play Midtown Music Hall this Thursday.
I am kicking around some ideas for the future of this blog. It will no longer be
a daily update (no kidding). I might do a miniature online magazine (monthly) with
reviews, news, and concert info. I might drop it all together. Those are the breaks.
Things I will not be doing for the next few months: book, promote, or organize shows; write for The Pulse.
Everyone should check out the new Phoenix record, It's Never Been Like That.
Last month marked the 1-year anniversary of me moving to Slothville.
Movers beware.
Posted by davidm at 07:50 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
May 02, 2006
the features get dropped
The Features got dropped by Universal yesterday.
This was posted on their blogsite yesterday morning:
Earlier this week our record label offered us a chance to record a cover song for a large corporation to be used in a commercial. In addition to using the song in the commercial they wanted us to put it on our record and potentially use it as a single. We turned down the offer(knowing the probable consequences), and our record label dropped us.
Posted by davidm at 05:40 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 27, 2006
today's headlines
So, I've fallen off the chain the past week on music news. Local and otherwise.
Here's a recap.
DJ Shadow signs to Universal. New record out this summer. Details here
Everyone's favorite unsigned band, Tapes n Tapes, sign to XL. Click.
Gnarls Barkley announce Secret Myspace show.
Parker Lewis fired from 96.5 last Friday. So far, Parker and Mountain are hush hush
about the whole ordeal. I heard it was quite the catfight on Friday though. (See, I kept my word). Frankly, I don't care. Morning DJ's are inherently annoying.
Jairus plays Lamar's this Saturday with The Carter Administration.
It's probably about time for a monthly concert calendar. I'll get to it this weekend.
Posted by davidm at 10:00 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 26, 2006
wes anderson commercial
American Express commercial featuring Wes Anderson and a cameo by Jason
Scwartzman.
via yewknee.
Posted by davidm at 12:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 24, 2006
unum unum
So this is way off-topic, but I've applied for a job at Unum Provident, and I
was wondering if any of you know someone that works there, or more specifically
the HR person, so my name/resume gets on the top of the list.
If so, please e-mail me and I won't bite.
Posted by davidm at 11:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 20, 2006
wha? best of '06?
So a couple of my favorite blogs have posted their favorite records of 2006 thus
far. I decided to follow suit. I have 5 so far.
Mates of State - Bring It Back
Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
Jaymay - Sea Blue, See Green.
How I Became the Bomb - Let's Go!
Parts & Labor - Stay Afraid
Check out Gorilla vs. Bear and Said the Gramophone lists.
Posted by davidm at 09:56 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
April 19, 2006
dancing shoes and gorilla suits
Go grab your dancing shoes and your gorilla costume.
Two shows you should be attending.
The Flaming Lips
5/21 - Atlanta, GA @ Centennial Park (Southern Comfort Music Experience)
Beck
6/14 - Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
Posted by davidm at 10:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 18, 2006
better commercials
Check out this French Coca-Cola commercial via Ad-Awards.
While you're there, go ahead and look at some of the other ones.
Posted by davidm at 03:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
jack white sells out
Jack White wrote a jingle for a Coca-Cola commercial. It recently debuted in
Australia. Glorious Noise posted a link to the commercial a few days ago.
Posted by davidm at 02:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 17, 2006
gnarls barkley wasted my time
How can a song as good as "Crazy" have such a bad video?
For that matter, why does Gnarls artwork suck so bad?
Posted by davidm at 04:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
3 cheers
To my pleasant surprise, silvergiraffe located a bunch of records we've been
wanting last night. I won't go into the who and what, but I'm way stoked. Speaking
of which, he wrote an excellent review of the Good Players/Tremont show last
Sunday.
I've not been writing much lately. And thats ok. I will be moving this site very very
soon...thanks to dryan and silver.
I was supposed to post a mix last week, but I don't think that's gonna happen.
But 0249 and Safeguy pretty much took care of all the songs I would have posted.
I may start doing RVR podcasts depending on the interest and demand.
The idea of 'being productive' is funny to me.
People get hung up on a lotta shit that doesn't matter.
Crazy-ass week.
You think you know someone and then you find out how bad they suck.
3 cheers for Slothville.
currently reading.
Posted by davidm at 04:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 11, 2006
death cab for ms
Death Cab for Cutie released Directions today. The DVD features 11 short films
inspired by Plans. What's the big deal you ask?
As it turns out, they are premiering Directions at Tribeca Film Festival on May 4
in NYC. That premiere is a benefit for St. Jude's Research Hospital.
So what of it?
As it turns out, my boy Safeguy designed the Myspace profile for the project.
And it looks really good and he goes to NYC in May for the premiere.
(So what did I do today? Played some Halo.)
Posted by davidm at 08:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
pitchfork festival 2006
Music Festival hosted by the bane of indie rock.
PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL
July 29-30, 2006: Union Park, Chicago
SATURDAY, JULY 29:
Silver Jews, The Futureheads. Ted Leo/Pharmacists, Art Brut, Destroyer,
Mountain Goats, Band of Horses, Man Man, Hot Machines
SUNDAY, JULY 30:
Spoon, Yo La Tengo, Devendra Banhart Band, Mission of Burma, Aesop Rock,
The National, Jens Lekman, Tapes 'n Tapes, Chin Up Chin Up
$30 two day pass
Wha? $30 for a 2 day pass. That is a steal. I'm sure in between sets, their writers
will read reviews of the next band, so the crowd knows whether they should
spend time listening to a 7.3 or go get another hotdog. Seriously though, that's
a great lineup and excellent deal. Here's to Chicago Mr James.
Posted by davidm at 12:16 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 03, 2006
coke machine glow
Apparently, my favorite music website (non-blog) published its final issue this week.
RIP Coke Machine Glow.
Posted by davidm at 07:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 30, 2006
now they want our money?
Remember when you used to listen to WUTC?
When they had good DJ's with good local programming?
Remember when it had some relevance to the city?
Guess what? Now the station wants your money.
Their Spring fundraising campaign starts up on April 20th.
I strongly urge people to re-evaluate what the station means
to them before sending in their money. Before writing a check,
ask yourself:
Is the station really fulfilling its potential in our city?
How does WUTC currently enhance the Chattanooga experience?
Why am I paying for more NPR programming when I can just
stream it online at my own convenience for free?
How might my donation better serve the community?
For the last question I may have a solution: donate to Chattablogs.
Seriously. We need a new server big time. 700 blogs are currently
hosted on the Terrablog server. It's lagging and can't keep
up with the demand. Besides, our blogs exist out of love for the
city...which is more than I can say for WUTC.
A new server runs $3k. That's cheaper than running a radio station.
Need more info on the Terrablogs project? Read a recent article in
the Times-Free Press.
Posted by davidm at 01:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
silvergiraffe is crazy
Gnarls Barkley is having a contest right now to rework their flyer.
Silvergiraffe did this one. I watched and learned.
Posted by davidm at 12:08 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 29, 2006
the devil and daniel johnston
The Devil and Daniel Johnston comes out this Friday, March 31.Watch the Trailer.
I'm sure it will not be playing anywhere in our lame-ass city. Prove me wrong.
Daniel Johnston on the web.
Download Walking the Cow.
Other songs available on a fan-created Myspace profile.
Posted by davidm at 09:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 26, 2006
xoxo
Life Lessons from Charleston. (For Safeguy)
1. do may say think about what you do before you do may think say it.
2. if you feel like you're in a destructive cycle, just press the stop button, and quit
yer bellyachin'.
3. approximately half the human population is dumb as shit.
4. if a drunk calls you a dick for not taking advantage of her, who cares if she's right?
at least you can live with yourself.
5. if someone accuses you of being drunk b/c you speak truthfully, you're better off
not trying to become a seeing-eye dog.
Posted by davidm at 09:24 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
March 23, 2006
calendar
So we have a few good shows coming up, but you'll have to drive at least an
hour and a half to see the good stuff. More to come.
The Liars with Deerhunter
5/21 - Knoxville, TN
5/22 - Atlanta, GA
Mates of State
3/27 - Athens, GA @ 40 Watt
3/31 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
4/01 - Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
4/02 - Nashville, TN @ The End
The Walkmen
6/23 - Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
Parts & Labor with Wilderness
5/04 - Knoxville, TN @ The Pilot Light
5/05 - Asheville, NC @ Wedge Gallery
Centro-Matic
3/28 - Athens GA @ Tasty World
3/29 - Atlanta GA @ The Earl
3/30 - Asheville NC @ The Grey Eagle
Posted by davidm at 09:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 21, 2006
i f'ing love wayne coyne
Courtesy of Stereogum.
Video of Flaming Lips covering "Bohemian Rhapsody" at surprise SxSW show.
I get chill bumps everytime the big solo comes at the end.
Posted by davidm at 08:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 20, 2006
don't believe the hype machine
So my site has gotten a large number of hits from Googling "Band of Horses" today.
No doubt due to the 8.8 rating given to Everything All the Time on Pitchfork today.
Here is the review.
The internet hype machine...no one wants to be left behind.
People are frightened of missing the next big thing. Such a sad state indie
rock is entering where one website with sketchy reviews is the number one
barometer of cool.
I'm not knocking the record. I think it's pretty decent. I'm just a little surprised.
Posted by davidm at 10:42 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
sxsw reports
0249 comp'd a bunch of musicbloggers' reports of SxSW 06.
Check 'em out if you're curious as to what happened at the conference.
Posted by davidm at 11:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
lollipop-alooza
So the lineup for 2006 Lollapalooza was announced late last week.
Here's the list.
There's a lot of the usual suspects on there, but here's a few names that
piqued my interest: The Raconteurs, The Stars, and Lady Sovereign. (I like to
think of LS as the lil' chica that could.)
Also, both Jeremy Enigk and Lyrics Born are playing solo sets.
Finally, how in the hell did Be Your Own Pet get on?
I would like to also note that they're playing Coachella too.
Posted by davidm at 11:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 18, 2006
bio tech
Past week.
- Got a haircut.
- Added a Currently Listening link on this site.
- Mike Wolf has revamped his blogsite. Go check it out.
- All I wrote for the Pulse was this.
- Created the best Myspace joke I've seen to date. Bulletins kick it up a notch too.
- Great time hanging out with married people Thursday night.
- A so so time hanging out with soon to be married people last night.
Loves: Music, Mudpie, and Halo 2.
Hates: Chattanooga, TN.
Start new job next week.
One other note. Mike designed The Features/J-Roddy flyer. He did a great job.
I'm very lucky to have such talented friends.
Posted by davidm at 12:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 14, 2006
c'mon ryan adams
This article recently appeared on Pitchfork.
A couple of people are being prosecuted for leaking Ryan Adams' Jacksonville City
Nights onto the internet before its intial release. I'm assuming that this was more
at the behest of UMG rather than Adams, but his name will undoubtedly be
attached to the issue more than his label's. When I think of Napster, I think of
Metallica. Well, that's not true. I think of lots of free music. Point taken though.
Oh, the poor RIAA...the big 4 are hanging by a thread and they barely realize it.
Sometimes I pity the music industry's arrogance.
Posted by davidm at 02:15 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 13, 2006
online christian dating???
This was an e-mail I received today.
My favorite part is at the top:
If you are ready to meet "The One"...
Who would have thought that God has broadband?
Sometimes junk mail makes my day.
Posted by davidm at 02:25 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
March 06, 2006
e equals m.c. deuce
This past week was insane, and the one that just began will undoubtedly equal
its predecessor. I am in about as much transition as a 27 year old can find
himself in.
Lately, I've been remembering an essay by Einstein. For the past 8 years or so
this one has been very important to me. It's fairly well-known, but I need the
reminder from time to time. (Word up Ponyboy Curtis.)
Self-Portrait by Albert Einstein
Of what is significant in one's own existence one is hardly aware, and it certainly
should not bother the other fellow. What does a fish know about the water in
which he swims all his life?
The bitter and the sweet come from the outside, the hard from within, from one's own efforts. For the most part I do the thing which my own nature drives me to
do. It is embarrassing to earn so much respect and love for it. Arrows of hate
have been shot at me too; but they never hit me, because somehow they
belonged to another world, with which I have no connection whatsoever.
I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.
Posted by davidm at 11:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
help me buy a camera
I'm going to be in the market for a digital camera in about a month. I can't drop
a grand on some fancy Canon deal, but I'm looking to spend $500. I don't want
to get ripped off on some "Best Buy take snapshots of your friends" thing with a
bunch of bells and whistles I don't need. It will mainly be used for journalism. So
resoultion, color quality, and versatility are the most important things I'm looking
for. I don't need features like red-eye protection or video recording or built-in editing features (I have Photoshop). I need something that takes memory
cards, and has a USB output. Switchable lenses would be great if that's even an
option at that price.
With all that said, I'm looking for a "serious camera" at a mid-range price. I realize
that to the serious photographer, that's an impossibility (kind of like asking me
what's the best mic pre for under a grand...the answer is one doesn't exist).
While I would appreciate recommendations, links to good photography sites would
be even better. There are a lot of sites devoted to photography, but I have no idea
how to weed out the good from the bad.
novice extraordinaire.
Posted by davidm at 10:55 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
it do not come for free
In the new temporary digs today, admiring Mike's shoe collection. This past weekend, my brain nearly exploded. St Nich got an earful yesterday. Practiced with
The Good Players which went well. Afterwards, ate pizza, watching the Oscar's.
I realized it was the first time I'd ever consciously watched an awards show. Then,
I realized how boring it is, and that I'm not missing anything. I only caught the last
hour and a half, but here was what made it worthwhile:
Jon Stewart
Philip Seymour Hoffman's acceptance speech.
Three 6 Mafia.
("Martin Scorsese has no Oscars...Three 6 Mafia has one." - Stewart.)
Posted by davidm at 10:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 05, 2006
he done dunmore than u
I recently found this photoblog site of local photographer, Matt Dunmore.
Posted by davidm at 01:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 04, 2006
rabbit valley road on sxsw
No, I'm not going to SxSW this year (unless some newspaper wants to give me
an all-expenses paid trip to cover the event...heh heh). But if I was going, these
are the bands I'd be most keen to see. I'm sure I missed a lot; the best schedule
I've found is here.
The task of keeping up with everything at SxSW is daunting, but this is a pretty
good indication of how I would spend my time there. So if you are going, and
looking for recommendations, here's mine. I'm interested to hear from any
Chattanooga citizens that are making the trek, and what you plan on doing while
you're there.
Wednesday, March 15
3PM - Go! Team @ Waterloo Record's (Instore)
4PM - Ted Leo @ The Parish Room
7PM - Tapes n Tapes @ Austin City Limits Studios
10PM - Willy Mason @ Antone's
Thursday, March 16
6:30PM - Blackalicious @ Town Lake Stage at Auditorium Shores
7 PM - Spoon @ Town Lake Stage at Auditorium Shores
8 PM - Margot and The Nuclear So and So's @ Nuno's Upstairs
11:15 - Man Man @ The Velvet Spade
1 AM - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ Eternal
1 AM - Parts & Labor @ Velvet Spade
Friday, March 17
3PM - The Go! Team @ Stubb's
8PM - Rosanne Cash @ Town Lake Stage at Auditorium Shores
10PM - Jaymay @ Spiro's Patio
11PM - Band of Horses @ Red Eyed Fly
12:40 AM - Animal Collective @ Fox and Hound
1AM - The Foxymorons @ Spiro's Patio
Saturday, March 18
(sometime in afternoon) Anna Kramer/ A Fir-Ju Well @ Cream Vintage
12:15AM - Okkervil River @ Emo's Annex
1 AM - We Are Scientists @ Fox and Hound
Posted by davidm at 01:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 02, 2006
do we have a TFP debate?
I guess people do pay attention to me.
Check out this reaction to my earlier post about the TFP.
I encourage local residents to jump in with their comments on either site.
You should control local media, not the other way around.
Posted by davidm at 04:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 01, 2006
safeguy goes public
My good friend, Patrick McNeely, has started keeping a blog here.
For the past few weeks, it's been on the DL, but he decided to let me post a link
to it yesterday. He lives in Memphis, and it's a good journal of daily insights, music,
and random web links.
Posted by davidm at 03:42 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
tfp enters 2006?
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the Times-Free Press on Sunday afternoons. And
Trevor Higgins is one of my good friends. I enjoy his work, and he's very proactive
in the music scene, but...their website sucks. Aside from major headlines, it's only
available to paying subscribers. I do not get this at all. I understand that
maintaining a paper that size costs a lot of money, but that's what banner ads and
pop-ups are for. I refer you to exhibit A and B. TFP controls information in this
town. Since it merged (it used to be 2 different papers), it has no competition.
I can only attribute its pay to play web interface to arrogance.
Many people are unaware but the paper does have a blogsite. I frequent the site
on a weekly basis, and I'm always very frustrated with its interface. It always
comes off as more of a medium for informal reporting than a true blogsite. The
biggest problem is that it's not a public forum. The only way to comment is to
e-mail the author, and comments aren't ever posted from what I'm able to
gather. As of today, this has been updated so that blog entries are posted in a
window on the main page alongside their new podcasts (I haven't checked those
out yet). But the new system's archiving features are terrible. And you still can't
comment. I don't understand why they are eschewing a public forum such as
this one.
I'm sure a lot of people will read this from the paper, and I want you to understand
that I'm not looking to be a critic; I truly want to see your newspaper
do great things, and I would love to see it command a great web presence in the
city, but c'mon this isn't rocket science. And you have the cash to implement
a great website. So what's stopping you?
Posted by davidm at 01:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
the prose and cons of other people
I didn't have very much to do with the current issue of The Pulse.
Record review of The Teenage Prayers, Ten Songs.
Teenage Prayers on the web.
But there are some other good articles there.
Check out Aaron Mesh's article on the brand spankin new Chattanooga Craigslist.
The newly revitalized Pulse Blog is also worth checking out. A cool feature of the blog
is that content, comments, etc are going to start making their way into the
paper. Colrus asked me to start posting there as well, and also wants to start stealing
from me. I told him to get lost. Just kidding. It's fine by me.
Posted by davidm at 12:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 28, 2006
but i don't wanna be a luddite
I never try and hide my ignorance of web technology, and this blog site
has been a constant reminder of my own ineptitude. I spend an average of
5 hours a day on the internet. Mostly on music blog sites and Myspace and writing e-mail.
All this time, I've used Safari as my browser of choice. I like Safari. It's fast and
easy, but lately it hasn't worked so well with Chattablogs, so I decided to make
the plunge into Firefox. All my web-savvy friends have tried to explain how much
better it is than Safari because of RSS and so forth, and in reality I never knew what
they were talking about.
Today, however, I was cleaning up the default bookmarks in Firefox and
importing new ones when I noticed a little icon that read "Latest Headlines."
In my curiosity, I clicked on it and a whole lot of very recent headlines were
available as weblinks. 'What the hell is this?' I ask myself. Upon further
investigation, I found out that not only could I access BBC news headlines (which
I deleted), but I could access all of the most recent articles on my favorite sites:
BrooklynVegan, stereogum (which has a sweet mp3 feed as well), NPR,
yewknee. I'm in web/RSS heaven right now.
Yeah, I sound like a moron. But I was way pumped about this. Turns out you can
do this with Safari as well, but from what I can tell only in Tiger. I don't know
about IE, and don't really care. I know I came to the party late, but at least I
showed up, right?
So, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm glad. At least I wasn't alone.
But you have to check this out. RSS 2.0 is the best thing since RSS 1.0
Sites I couldn't figure out how to do this on:
Coke Machine Glow
Pitchfork Media
Posted by davidm at 06:55 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
state of the union address
Originally, this entry was a long feel sorry for myself kind of deal that I
thankfully put on the backburner for a couple of days. It's 2AM, and I can't
sleep because I've been taking Nyquil every night for the past 5 days to
sleep. (I had a bit of a cold). I'm out of medicine now, and trying to get back
on the healthy tract of life (caffeine, cigarettes, and beer only).
State of the Union is a State of DavidM. and Rabbit Valley Road.
Here's what I've done for the site. I just organized all entries into categories
which you can't easily access yet. It will make sifting through old entries much
easier. So if you want to find out about new records and mp3's you can scan the
"new music and mp3" category. E-Z (once I get the categories accessible)
In the very near future, I hope to revamp the whole page because it looks like shit.
I don't know MovableType, nor do I care to learn it. I just want to type and post
pictures. If anyone can recommend a good editor for Macs I would greatly
appreciate it. (by good I mean easy, free, and makes morons like me look like
they know what they're doing) If someone likes my site and wants to help me out
by spending an afternoon making it look good, I will be in eternal debt to you.
Otherwise, I'll try and find some template that's already slightly decent, and
move onward. But this gray and black business is for the birds.
I have no idea how many people read this now. When I blogged on Myspace,
it was like 100 hits/day. I would like to know of a way to get stats on this
thing.
Finally, I'm moving this coming weekend. Destination unknown, so things might
be a bit sketchy for the next week. Hopefully, this will not be a move back to the
parents' home. If that is the case, Goodbye DavidM. They don't carry high speed
internet in the sticks, nor do they have cell phone signal. Roughin' it!
Posted by davidm at 02:14 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
February 25, 2006
dwayne's world
I recently found the photoblog site, Dwayne's World.
He's local, and takes really great photos.
Posted by davidm at 12:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 20, 2006
chatty's almost a real city
It looks like Bill scooped me by an hour or so.
But finally...
Chattanooga has it's own craigslist domain.
Posted by davidm at 12:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 18, 2006
go team miles
Today I stumbled upon the Team Miles blogsite. It's a site written by 2 of my
friends, Matt and Jamie Miles. They live in Cleveland.
Oh, and check out this picture I snagged from their Flickr page.
This guy is the other half of the Rabbit Valley Road, and my primary inspiration
in life.
Posted by davidm at 12:46 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
February 14, 2006
v stands for
Junkmail For Blankets posted his own heart candy slogans.
For those that missed them, here are the cards made by JoytotheHurled.
I'm not an anti-Valentines Day guy.
But these are really funny.
Posted by davidm at 09:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 13, 2006
are you kidding me?
I was thinking about this entry while shaving this morning.
Here are some alternate titles:
They Don't Call It Food Poisoning For Nothing
How Taco Bell Ruined My Weekend
Blacking Out On The Floor Of Erlanger's Bathroom
Yeah, my weekend went really, really bad.
On Friday @ 5:30 PM I had to go to the emergency room as a result of food
poisoning. All that to say, I missed everything this weekend: Monster Truck
Rally, Maylene and The Sons of Disaster, The Squid and the Whale, helping
Charles Allison move, and so forth. It was supposed to be action-packed and
way fun. Now Monday is here, and I still get dizzy when I stand for long periods
of time.
So I have nothing new to say. That new song I recorded Thursday is finally
up on Myspace. I'm not sure what the delay was, but there you have it.
Also, remember to go see A Fir-Ju Well this Wednesday. They are badass.
Posted by davidm at 02:30 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 09, 2006
and the winner is...
Today I received a lot of e-mails about the Grammy's.
Here is a list of the nominees and the winners.
Things I didn't do last night: watch the Grammy's.
Tomorrow, Oh get this. US Hot Rod Thunder Nationals at McKenzie Arena.
(Tickets are as cheap as $5. How can you pass that up?)
Maylene and The Sons of Disaster at Fathom.
Saturday. The Squid and The Whale at the Bijou Theater.
Posted by davidm at 03:21 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 02, 2006
holy shit! radiohead at bonaroo!
So the supreme dons of mope are playing Bonaroo 2006.
Other notable acts:
Beck
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Death Cab for Cutie
Bright Eyes
Devendra Banhart
This list will continue to be updated until days before the festival.
For more info, bands, etc. Go here.
If the Flaming Lips sign on (as they usually do), I am there.
Posted by davidm at 07:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
the features have new blog
They posted this on Myspace:
Just wanted to let you know about our new blog we have up at our website. We will be updating it pretty regularly to let you know what is going on in our world. We are still writing songs for our next record and will be putting some of the demos on the blog. You can listen to them and let us know what you think. Also, for your viewing/reading pleasure will be new pictures, videos, and general silliness.
We hope to start touring in April hitting all of the US and UK/Europe throughout 2006. See you soon.
Posted by davidm at 11:38 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
what's new in the world of davidm
Lindsay Aquila made this.
A lot has been going on. Big emphasis on a lot.
I am starting to write for The Chattanooga Pulse, covering music.
I'm way stoked about this opportunity, and hopefully, you fine people
will enjoy my contributions to the paper.
I have been tooting my own horn saying I'm going to release some
solo music for the past month. The truth is that I haven't even started
recording yet. I've been so busy looking for a job that I can't
work on much else. Although, I do have a good deal of material written
right now, and I've recently spoken with some friends to help put
together a band for a few live appearances.
Plus, our studio (which is called Twisted Ankle BTW) is still in need of a drum
kit. Hopefully, this will be remedied soon.
The A Fir-Ju Well show is coming up, February 15. I just got the posters
in the mail yesterday. They are beautiful. I will post more about that later.
There are some other things in the works right now that will be awesome for
me and for the city of Chattanooga. I don't want to go into details just yet,
but I'm pumped regardless.
I've felt like a completely different person since January 1.
(Out with the old, in with the new.) Like I'm shaking the dust off my feet.
Life kicks ass.
Posted by davidm at 11:28 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 28, 2006
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
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 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
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