Listen To Sigur Rós
I "acquired" all their albums in one shot last night, and I’ve been listening to everything most of today. Just totally ethereal and beautiful, difficult and interesting and worth the effort, and they set a new standard for me. If you listen to some Sigur Rós and then make a sour face and go back to the Nickelback tracks on your iPod, I don’t want to be friends with you. I’m just sayin'.
- posted by Liebs @ 9:27 PM 0 comments

 
I Wasn’t Voted Best Hair For Nothing
Jewfro memories, courtesy of Mr. Swina himself:

"Your fro was legendary. You were like a blacker Lenny Kravitz."
- posted by Liebs @ 6:03 PM 0 comments

 
Remember, Remember
Finally got around to seeing V for Vendetta. It kicks ass. Maybe a little too cerebral for most, and there’s maybe a little too much condescending summary for the cerebral, but certainly the best Alan Moore film adaptation so far, even with the Wachowski Brothers’ fingerprints all over it. My girl Natalie Portman gives a decent performance (far from her best, though), a little too quiet and timid, and not enough rage for what the role demanded, but then again I can’t think of any young actress that could’ve done a better job with the wide range of emotions that the character of Evey goes through.

I understand why in the current Bushiban climate the folks at Warner Bros. were hesitant to market this film aggressively, but they’re still complete pussies for being so. You’re telling me they couldn’t have sold a ton of Guy Fawkes masks? I know I want one. Had this film been released in late summer, that would have been all the rage for Halloween. I also wonder if they would have shelved V completely if Bush’s approval ratings were anywhere north of 40 percent. A strange business, this show business.
- posted by Liebs @ 6:30 PM 0 comments

 
Currently On Infinite Repeat
"Shopping Trolley", off of Beth Orton’s fantastic new album, Comfort Of Strangers. I really dig the Keith Moon-esque drum groove, and the simple production suits her new songs. This record has been four years in the making, but quality over quantity is fine with me.
- posted by Liebs @ 9:14 PM 0 comments

 
What I Learned In San Antonio
- The Radisson Downtown Market Square is in neither downtown nor Market Square. If you’ve got to go to the convention center, stay at the Marriott Riverwalk or Hilton Palacio del Rio. If you’re taking your lovely for a romantic weekend getaway, stay at the Omni La Mansion Del Rio or the Westin Riverwalk and get a riverwalk view with a balcony.

- The Riverwalk – also known as Paseo del Rio – will be cool for about 20 minutes, then you’ll realize you’re in the middle of a crowded tourist trap. The people watching is fun, though. Unfortunately I didn’t see anyone tumble into the river, but I was told it happens at least once per evening. I did see three dudes getting arrested over the course of the week, so that was nice.

- Looking for kickass Mexican food? You won’t find it on the Riverwalk, though it is fun to sit out there on a patio and chow down. Café Ole (file that one under stupid multilingual puns) was the best we could find over there (and I was very much into the hottie hostess), but the Republic of Texas was vile. Zuni Grill looked good if you wanted Southwestern, and the Italian places were average at best. As for the places I didn’t have time to get to, Acenar looked to be the best of the bunch, a little further up the river.

- Oh yeah, kickass Mexican food. Mi Tierra Café and Pico de Gallo are your destinations (at least in-town), over in Market Square. Mi Tierra had by far the best flour tortillas I’ve ever had (they were transcendent – yes, tortillas so good they can be described as transcendent), and their panaderia (that’s bakery for you gringos) is unfuckingbelievable, dulces like you couldn’t even imagine. As the neon sign out front says, "We Never Close", so if you’re looking for menudo (not the boy band, asshat) at three in the morning, head on over.

- The Alamo? BFD. I took a picture and moved on. I can say I’ve been there, that’s about all it requires.

- Be careful drinking at some of the spots around the Hyatt. Seven dollars for a draft Shiner Bock in a plastic cup? Fuck you Crazy Sam’s, everywhere else in the entire city Shiner was no more than $3.50.

- Cielo Lounge looked pretty cool, and though I was rocking the classy threads, my buds were not, so we couldn’t explore the place further.

- Daddy flies first class. His lab slaves graduate students fly coach. And if Delta ever wasn’t completely fucking inept and got me somewhere actually on time, I might have a heart attack right there on the spot.

- That blazer I thought was brown is actually forest green. But dammit, in the low light of my closet the fucker is brown, I swear. Regardless, I looked good.
- posted by Liebs @ 9:16 PM 0 comments

 
The Strokes – The Tabernacle
I still feel The Strokes are one of the most important bands making music, and my expectations are always high, so walking over to the Tabernacle from my always-reliable secret downtown parking spot I was hoping for some magic, for a show that would take its rightful place in my all-time top five.

It didn’t happen. It was a really great concert, but as a live band The Strokes are five Charlie Watts instead of a Mick and Keef or Lizard King or Hendrix. They were somewhat boring despite the great material. Nothing surprising, nothing off-book. Any energy in the room was provided by the crowd, trying their best (but in vain) to will the band to new heights.

A Josh Homme-less Eagles of Death Metal were the opening act, and showed what a little enthusiasm and charisma can do for a live performance. Their Stealers Wheel cover, "Stuck In The Metal With You", was a standout. And there’s always a place in my heart for a chick drummer.

To the surprise of exactly no one, The Strokes opened with "You Only Live Once", the first track on First Impressions of Earth. The first third of the set was heavy on the First Impressions stuff, but thankfully they omitted "On The Other Side". Overall, the setlist mined most of the best off of all three albums, and the encore opened with "New York City Cops", much to my delight. No "You Talk Way Too Much" was a bummer for me, however.

Here’s what I have to take issue with, though. Every song sounded almost exactly like it does on the record. No covers, no jams, no improv, no surprises. Julian Casablancas is a Floyd lead singer, but the band needs Clarence and Alabama. Were they consistent and relentless the whole show? Absolutely, and it seemed like the crowd got a little fatigued by the end of it all. But there was nothing mindblowing, nothing truly memorable or jawdropping. I got my $42.10 worth, but I don’t think I’ll be telling the grandkids about this concert (unlike my top five, for example).

The light setup was pretty cool, heavy on the brightasfuck LEDs, but not as good as muse’s from last spring. As for the crowd, I must say, that was the highest proportion of hot chicks I have ever seen at a rock concert. I don’t think I’ve been to a club in Atlanta with that many gorgeous women in one room, and it was a lovely variety, unlike the Southern Stepford clone thing you find at most places. I was glad to see that both Nick and Nikolai noticed the smokin’ hottie brunette with the strapless green shirt in the front row of the side balcony about the same time I did. And to the stunning blonde in the strapless top who continually tried to grind her ass through my jeans the last hour of the set (seriously, am I the only person this always happens to? Y’all may as well start calling me the Ass Magnet), thank you for the contact high from your joint.
- posted by Liebs @ 9:45 PM 0 comments

 
THEBlog About THEVegas Weekend
I survived (and enjoyed) my 50 hours in Sin City. It was pretty much exactly what I expected, mostly tacky and overpriced for what it is. THEHotel at Mandalay Bay goes well overboard with the THEs (THE TP stickers on every roll of toilet paper, hello), but it was a cool place to stay in Las Vegas. The rest of the details are, well, none of your damn business, but here are some choice quotes out of context.

"I’m majoring in math at UNLV."

"The guy who designed that is a friggin’ engineering genius."

"Your legs are incredible."

"Now that’s a great pour for 12 dollars."

"You look old."

"You’ve got a nice-shaped head, though."

"Here’s your gangsta drink."

"Look for the giant Excursion limo with the Filipino guy hanging out the window."
- posted by Liebs @ 10:09 PM 0 comments