I’m going away tomorrow morning, until Sunday. I’ll be “upstate” visiting the Bay Area, enjoying a few days off of work and some much needed rest and relaxation. I might even see an old friend, or make a new one! That’s the great thing about trips…you never know what might happen.Then again, not knowing what [...]
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Now You See Me Now You Don’t!
Cosmic Michael - Cosmic Michael [Private (Bliss, 1969)]
This one came into the store last week. I don’t know too much about it, but the basics are that Cosmic Michael is a “real people” record by a guy who calls himself — wait for it — Cosmic Michael. The only thing is, he’s a little too talented for it to be a legitimate [...]
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Nintendo World Championships Gold, Futurama, Restaurants, Moving To NYC, Jumbo Flying Squid, Man-Eating Robots & Moonwalks
• In case you’ve ever wondered about the value of old NES Nintendo Games, or the people who pay for rare cartridges, here’s a classic story of some nerd dropping $17,500 in the middle of a recession to own Nintendo World Championships Gold. Actually, it’s not so much a “classic story” as it is a [...]
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Sunday Mix Tape Number 153
Nicci and I went to see the Bruno movie this evening. It was pretty alright. Nothing revelatory. There were a few laugh-out-loud funny scenes, but for the most part it was Borat-like and predictable. It’s best parts were a result of pure shock value, but we got that with the first movie too. I’d say [...]
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Sony And IODA Partner To Create “Indie” Behemoth
Dear any band who appears on this list. You are no longer “indie.” The supposed “Independent Online Distribution Alliance” has seen an undisclosed percentage of the company purchased by Sony. Whether it’s just distribution rights or not, this pathetic sell-out to one of the Big Four signifies, perhaps, the final nail in the independent [...]
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The Top Ten Weird Movie-Related Dreams/Nightmares I’ve Had
For those of you who do not follow every move I make with the fervency of a religious zealot, I made my latest post for WFMU’s Beware of The Blog yesterday. It is an exploration of the idea that is Mystery Drives, and a recent example of an epic Mystery Drive. For those of you [...]
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U.S. Christmas - Salt The Wound
U.S. Christmas, also known as USX for short, hail from the mountains of North Carolina. Their sound is huge, enveloping, painkiller-slow jams. Totally psychedelic and far-out, this is one of the first bands in a few years I have been excited about hearing new material from. Ian introduced me to their vinyl EP a while [...]
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Interview: Z
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Artist:
At some point on my never-ending quest to interview all of my friends, I realized that I had a life before Los Angeles. I thought, it might be pretty funny to interview some people that I met during my New Jersey years. After all, the real interviews with important people I am currently conducting are [...]
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Hendrickson Road House - Hendrickson Road House
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Artist:Hendrickson Road House
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Album:Hendrickson Road House
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Track:Tomorrow your sorrow
Another album from my list of the top ten private press records all music fans need to hear during their lives. Lovingly donated by an anonymous Swan Fungus reader. Two short reviews culled from the Acid Archives:“Mega-rare light psych item is one of the few in the genre in which the creative force is a [...]
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41 Seconds In State Prison
It was one of the more surreal “mystery drives” I’ve taken. After driving 86 miles north of Los Angeles, I found myself on some road called Avenue J near Lancaster, California. As I was considering turning around and starting back towards the city, I saw a sign for the California Poppy Reserve, a state [...]
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Earthless / Tortoise @ The Troubadour; Los Angeles, CA
My concert attendance has been so haphazzard lately, when I look at listings I feel like I’m high and could possibly make some really bad decisions. The only shows I want to see are “safe” bands I’ve seen before, who will not disappoint me. The prospect of taking a chance on something new, or going [...]
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Softball Recap: Cube Zombies 24 - Los Nuevos Expos 18*
Yes, that asterisk is intentional. You’ll learn all about it later. This week our team was dealt a crushing defeat. Truly this was another matchup we should have won, but defensive lapses and unproductive at-bats did us in. After a pathetic stretch of 4 games in which I batted .286 (a pathetic average for a [...]
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Sunday Mix Tape Number 152
I forgot to blog yesterday. Too much happened. So I’m back-dating this entry to Sunday Night because…oh, if only my night had gone well enough for me to get this thing done. I keep repeating the words from that Partridge Family song “C’mon, Get Happy” but instead of the traditional lyrics I’ve been substituting my [...]
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A Quick Post Before Leaving
I’ve got no time to update tonight. It’s really pathetic, I know. I got off work 20 minutes ago and I have to leave to head across town in 15 minutes. This isn’t nearly enough time to regale you with a hilarious story, or even to make something up on the fly. I woke up [...]
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Gandalf The Grey - The Grey Wizard Am I
As described yesterday, here is a must-hear private press album by Gandalf The Grey, which was lovingly donated by an anonymous Swan Fungus reader.The Acid Archives say,“Fashioning himself after a Tolkien figure (with a cape and hat no less), this NYC wizard cut a rare DIY folkrock trip that’s been known for decades on the [...]
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The Top Ten Private Press Records
Oh man, what a horrible day. Today was to start my five consecutive days of working open-close, and I woke up to a $3,000 tax levy from the IRS. Bank account frozen for the next 21 days? Check. Funds already removed in anticipation of transferring to the government? Check. Surprised Evan upon discovering that the [...]
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101 / 1001 Update II
It’s been nine months since I last updated you all on the progress of my Day Zero List. If you don’t know what that is, or you haven’t been reading this page for long, allow me to inform you. Day Zero is a project that is aimed at helping people achieve 101 personal goals in [...]
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A Well-Thought Out, Handsome Response To A Stupid Article On Online Dating
Hey there. Just so you know, there’s a new poll running on the site. I’m wondering whether or not you prefer the variety of daily MP3 downloads or the showcasing of my amazing record collection via “Treasures From The Collector’s Slums”. The poll will be open until a week from Tuesday. One random voter will [...]
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Will Oldham - Black Sessions (January 26th, 1999)
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Artist:
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Album:Black Sessions
It’s been a few years since I’ve listened regularly to the music of Will Oldham. I haven’t purchased an album of his since ‘05, but until last year or the one prior I would return to Ease On Down The Road and I See A Darkness if the occasion felt right. I have — with [...]
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Film Review: Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback
My boss dropped a DVD on my desk yesterday as he was leaving asking if I wanted to borrow it. The cover was a macabre-looking painting of a monk holding a banjo. It read, Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback. I asked if it was simply live performance clips, or was it a full documentary. He said [...]
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