For those of you who were unable to attend BlogJam, here's an article in this week's MW telling you all about the event. I've talked with Jimbo, Geek, and Andrew; we will attempt another reading in late January, perhaps to coincide with this event. Words can say so much.

Tuesday's High Heel Race was fun, I think; a bunch of us congregated at a friend's house for the pre-party, and some of us never made it off the couch. I heard the roar of the crowd, I could smell the greasepaint, but alas, it was not to be, for me. Participants started flooding the party, and my legs were falling asleep, so it was off to Luna for a sandwich, JR's for a bottle of water, and home to bed. Photos can be found here, courtesy Matt Dunn.

If you're in Baltimore tonight, check out the MOREL show.

John Peel will be missed by all whose lives he shaped and changed.

Saying goodbye can be difficult. It's meant to be that way. Goodbye for now, but not forever.

What a wild and busy weekend in the 202.

Friday night was spent with the gang at Windows, a smaller turnout than usual, but fun nonetheless. Jimbo and Homer stopped by as I was leaving with friends for dinner. An early evening was exactly what I needed - travel days, even when effortless, can take it out of me. Airplane air, flu season approaching. must stay healthy!

Saturday saw the arrival of a plethora of bloggers, including Geek and Joe. Met us with a bud at the gym, then off to replace truck tires and spend money at the mall. A bunch of us went to the MOREL show at Velvet Lounge, and had the most excellent time. Rich and the band were great, the stage looked fabulous, and, as always, it sounded like a million bucks. Eagle for a nightcap, and finally to bed.

Sunday started with the classic DC brunch at Annie's. Additional coffee, grocery shopping, then out to Bethesda for more clothes. It's getting colder every day, and I need new threads. Very little time to prepare for BlogJam; I was printing out Joe's pieces, and ran out of paper - try finding printing paper at 6 PM on Sunday. Rush, rush, scramble, try to get to the club on time, only to find that everything is running late.

The show was wonderful; huge thanks and gratitude to all the readers. We had two no-shows, but not one person asked for a refund. There was a good turnout, and the feedback has been very positive - everyone was asking me when the next reading would take place, which was nice. I hadn't even thought about a return date; maybe in the Spring? Rich and I spun tunes until everyone went home.

Yesterday, two trips to the gym, a lovely dinner with Geek and two of his oldest and dearest friends. I'd never been to DC Coast before, it's one of the venerable DC dining institutions. Off to the a couple neighborhood pubs with some friends - Waremouse joined in the reverie. Once my head hit the pillow, I was immobile.

Tonight is the 17th Street High Heel Race. It should be a fun time.

Thursday night's show was a total success, at least $50K was raised for Karl Mueller. It was a bit of an old home night, lots of familiar faces, and some serious blasts from the past. Personal notes: it was great to see Karl in such good spirits, and Dave Pirner is 100 dollars richer (a two year old old bet we had, he won). Pat Morley (original SA drummer) stopped by - great to see him, we used to pal around a lot in the old days. Spent a few minutes with the ever-beautiful Lori Barbaro, who has a new band, and is also DJ'ing on a regular basis. Let's see, who else: Abby and Peter J, Connie from First Avenue, the Gear Daddies, the Smog gang; my apologies to PW, I didn't mean to make you nervous. Here's a review of the show. It was all about Karl, the good cause, and thanks to everyone who plunked down the cash for tickets - I hope you all got your money's worth. Thanks to the gang at 360 Music as well, especially for the swanky swank accommodations.

Back to house cleaning and preparing for tomorrow's shindig. Also, MOREL tonight at Velvet Lounge. Show time is 10:30 PM. It will be packed, get there early.

NP: The Go Find, Miami CD

Posting for the next 5 days will be sporadic at best. Here's the reasons:



Tomorrow, I fly to Minneapolis for a solo ELECTRIC performance. The benefit is called "Rock For Karl", you can read all about it here. I think the show is sold out. It will be great fun to see the Soul Asylum guys again; the last time I saw everyone at once was when we played together a few years ago in Long Beach, CA. George Wendt was hanging out backstage with all of us, it was a kooky kind of day. I haven't seen Westerberg in years, it will be good to get caught up. I haven't heard his new CD, but people are talking about it.

I return Friday night, just in time to witness various bloggers descending upon the District for the weekend.

Saturday night, MOREL (band appearance) at Velvet Lounge. This will be the show to commemorate the release of the new CD, Lucky Strike.



Sunday night is BlogJam. I have no idea what to expect, beyond a jolly good time. There have been questions, rumors, suggestion and innuendo buzzing around this event, none of which Jimbo or I expected when we put this lineup together a few months ago. The festivities begin promptly at 8 PM; tickets are available at the door. BLOWOFF to follow. Hopefully, our dance won't end up like this!

The new MOREL CD is in the stores today. Buy it. It's great.

The United State Of Electronica album is now available online. I've been grooving on it all morning, it's pretty strong from start to finish. (I can't believe I missed them last Tuesday, they were at DC9; I was at VHS Or Beta in Arlington.) I'm really hoping this record will catch on with guitar music fans. A live band, supplemented by loops, lots of groovy vocoder, upbeat messages. Sure, they've studied the Daft Punk records backwards and forwards - but how can that be a bad thing? Other reviews have mentioned The Avalanches, another group I can't recommend enough - perhaps the party segues make people draw that parallel. Between U.S.E. and VHS Or Beta, it's been a stellar month for guitar-flavored electronic music.

OK, while I'm at it, a plug for Miami, the new full-length from The Go Find. My friend Arne (p/k/a Styrofoam) sent me a couple tracks earlier this year, and Over The Edge quickly settled into regular rotation in my BLOWOFF rock sets. In 2002, Morr Music was a label that was always brought to my attention by the German press, presumably due to a roster of artists who were experimenting with merging traditional pop / guitar music with new electronic tools.

You still need to buy a few more things? Swayzak's Music From The Bergerie is more analog and dub than their latest offerings. Sasha's Involver CD has been out for a while, but I've only started spending time with it - start to finish. The Ulirch Schnauss track that closes the record is unbelievably cool - Rich plays it regularly in his sets. Expander was my entry point for electronica, so I've always got time for his work. The new Interpol CD is growing on me.

U2 (new single: Vertigo) or R.E.M. (new single: Leaving New York)? Damn, it used to be a close call. In one year, the casual music fan (you know, the ones, when you're on a date, who say "I like music!") will look to Apple iPod TV adverts for their next music purchase. Forget about MTV (if you didn't years ago) or commercial radio: your neighborhood friendly OS will show you 30 seconds of commercial pop. Fits perfectly with the SAS mentality - why listen to the whole song, or make an expensive video? Chroma key your lip-synching into the iPod ad, and you're set.

Happy Birthday to DanBlog, who links to the excellent Sunday NYTimes Op-Ed piece, endorsing John Kerry for President.

Another birthday come and gone, and I'm still happy to be here. I always find amusement in the ancillary comments people make to me, once I've answered the "how old are you" question. At the risk of sounding conceited, I do look pretty good for 44, and (most days) I feel pretty good, too. Today, a little sore from a long Sunday workout; I'll have to hit it twice today to get rid of the soreness. That's how I stay as young as possible. (Shaving the beard would subtract 10 years, too.)

Friday night, a fun time at Windows. Ran into lots of old friends, made a few new acquaintances, and off to dinner. While standing on the street with a friend, deciding where to go, two rather intoxicated and, er, how shall I say this, flamboyant guys starting dancing around us, waving their hands, saying "come to Annie's, come to Annie's" - which is where we ended up. They were seated before us, and I noticed a table open next to them. The host greeted us, and I said, "Do you have a 2-top available, and not the one next to them?" For my chutzpah, we were given the best table in the place - which was not next to them. (I also fed him the 2-top line, which allowed him to offer the homo-flavored rejoinder: if I had * ****, I wouldn't be here. I suggested he wouldn't be in DC at all. Oops.)

Saturday (the actual birthday) was spent cleaning my house. Funny: speaking to a fellow Libran this weekend, I found this was exactly what she did on her birthday. A wonderful group dinner at Lauriol Plaza, some funny and cute gifts and cards, and a sinful cake from CakeLove. Rich and I had to leave a little early, and made it to BLOWOFF at exactly 10 PM. A good turnout, lots of pals and bloggers: Clickboo and Copperred made it, but Jimbo bailed after dinner.

Sunday, the heavy workout, a big brunch, and a LONG walk around DC. Georgetown was not so filled with terrorists, I mean tourists (been listening to W too much). I loves me the Internets, by the way. Are any of them faster than the one I'm using right now?

Here's something that will help explain things to those not yet old enough to vote. (Thanks Neil.)

This is not a spoof.

This is ridiculous.

65 in 1000 is 6.5%. That's scary, and true.

A cool music site.

I received a few comments on yesterday's entry about DC homo attitude. Last night, I ran the idea around the bar, and most everyone agreed with me: it's crazy how puffed up everyone seems to be as Election Day nears. The cell phone attitude comment, well, maybe that's a function of feeling older - especially today.

BLOWOFF tonight. It should be great fun. Back to cleaning.

The Homophonic show at Virgin Megastore was a good time. All three acts were quite entertaining, and there was a large and appreciative crowd. I must say, 10 years ago, if someone had suggested there would be 3 young, independent label, out musical acts performing at prime time in a corporate record retail space, with sponsorship from a car company to boot, I would have laughed. I attribute this to the power of the Internet, the willingness for America to embrace out culture, and the musical acts being worthy of the opportunity.

New York City: it's a funny and beautiful place. I walk the streets, my old brisk pace returns, and I feel like I never left. Lots of things have changed in my life over the past 2 years, but that town - even with all the changes, some for the worse - is almost TOO familiar. DC moves at a slower pace, and I would posit a meaner one. When I moved to DC, I initially walked with my New York City face. Don't look up too much, avoid eye contact, stay to the right, that special rhythm, the secret beat that only long time New Yorkers know. In DC (my neighborhood, at least), it's the creepy cell phone strut. Lots of vaguely average younger guys in last season's fashion, leering at you while NOT engaged in a call. It's a queer skit; I have no idea how it started, but it never seems to end. New Yorkers are nicer, and way more real - it's no contest. I enjoy DC, I make it what I want it to be, but the difference between walking down 17th Street in the District and up Eighth Avenue in Chelsea, it's night and day. I guess I didn't want to admit it until it became so painfully clear. I hope the self-important vibe that rises off the streets of DC will pass once the election is history. DC Girls, you are not ALL THAT.

I blow though so much money in NYC - finance is the man thing keeping me from returning. Most things are a good 20 to 50% more expensive; it is an island, after all. Big Cup, Rawhide, Paragon Sporting Goods, Rothmans, elmo, Union Square Coffee Shop, W Union Square. The DJ gig was awesome as well, much love and thanks to the VHS Or Beta gang for letting rock the house with them. Good to see the Junior Senior guy, can't remember his name, but he had a fun set as well.

BLOWOFF tomorrow night.

If Matt LeBlanc says he's not gay, I believe him. If, at some point in the future, the story changes, that's cool. His denial is direct. Let's hope, for his sake, he's telling the truth. Celebrity 101: always be nice to the limo driver.

Went to see VHS Or Beta last night at IOTA in Arlington. I like the Clarendon neighborhood, it's fairly convenient by Metro, all sparkly new and clean. There's tons of new condo development happening around the station, Vietnamese restaurants everywhere, the Apple Store - perhaps, when I've had enough of the gayborhood, I'll find myself over there on a more regular basis. Waremouse liked them (see his review), the bigyawn guys were there, and that was pretty much it. Tough night of the week, and it might have been the wrong room for the band (they tore up the Black Cat a while back). They are also plagued with problems whenever they come to this town. Last time, torrential rainstorms from Boston to DC; this time, a tire blew out on their trailer.

I hope things go better tomorrow night in NYC. I'll be spinning with the guys at Delancey, there'll be plenty of good music on the decks (upstairs). I think we start around 1 AM. I'll be needing that legendary "disco nap" at some point tomorrow.

Before I head to the club, I'll be appearing at the launch party for Homophonic, a new streaming audio channel of planetout.com. Here's the details.

BLOWOFF this Saturday night.

Before I peer into the rear view mirror, check out the updated BlogJam site, complete with "bios" of the confirmed readers. There's at least one more name to be added to the list. BLOWOFF and blogging; what could be better on a Sunday night in DC?

Thursday, the usual shirtless night at Green Lantern. Ran into a friend who had been absent from the scene for months, nice to see him reconnect and get caught up with the gang. Beyond that, nothing of note. In short: a familiar and predictable experience, an uneventful evening where life is exactly what you expect it to be.

Friday, a long overdue trip to the department store for some new clothes. They look no different than the ones I'm replacing, other than the absence of holes and worn patches. Two hours and $400 later, I am basically set for another year. Evening takes me to happy hour at Windows. Went to dinner later with decaf Clickboo and Copperred; what was envisioned as a quiet meal turned out to be something quite different. At Duplex, they have two large TV screens in the bar area. Everyone in the restaurant had their chairs turned toward the screens, the sound of the debate blaring over the speakers. An establishment full of (mostly) successful gay white men, cheering and hissing at all the appropriate moments. My neighborhood is unified in its' contempt for the current administration, despite the fact that many of these men profit in some way from the situation. Do not perceive this as a disparaging comment - it is meant to frame the environment that is the District. It is a vacuum; eating dinner in this establishment, in this neighborhood, in this city, a stone's throw from the White House, everyone so opposed to the machine that keeps the city alive, there's something surreal and exciting in the moment. A few more stops, and then to bed.

Saturday, some reorganizing and working in the studio. I've been writing a lot of music lately, and if it weren't for this blog, I would have certainly lost the ability to string thoughts together with punctuation and meaning. In other words, words are currently escaping me. I feel my emotions, I sense the variance of pulse and statis, I'm generally alive and well. The act of channeling experience to prose is slow to start, though. When in doubt, take a long walk, or engage in mindless socializing.

Off to the bar, where I run into various acquaintances. Despite the interesting tales of business travel and outdoorsy getaways, I didn't stay long. The invite for the after hours party sounded intriguing for a moment, but I got dinged along the way, and was in need of some quiet time (read as sleep).

Sunday was spent walking the streets of Northwest. One of the nicest days of the year, 70 degrees, sunny, breezy. It reminded me of days spent walking around Manhattan, thinking on my feet, bouncing ideas around, shooting the shit, bumping into acquaintances every few minutes. Later that evening, I went to DC9, spending a few hours at the monthly party known as Taint. Spoke with a few friends, but mainly sat near the DJ booth and listened to the music. This party is becoming very successful; by the time I left, it was nearly impossible to navigate through the crowd, and a line had formed outside. As I left, they allowed one more person to enter. I planned on meeting a friend, but we somehow missed each other. We later commented on how young (for us) the crowd was; the music is really good, though, so I'll suffer those pity glances.

Monday brings the climatological start of Fall. Clear skies, but a noticeable snap in the air. A quick post-workout brunch with Waremouse, whose new blog is doing quite well these days. Met up with a bud to see the new John Waters film, A Dirty Shame. Upon leaving the theater, neither of us could look at anything around us through normal eyes for about 30 minutes. A funny film, but if you're at all prudish about sex, skip it. More work, cooking, a quick trip to the coffee shop, a pleasant catch up / early birthday phone call with a dear friend, and I'm asleep by 11 PM.

If you're in the area tonight, VHS Or Beta are performing at Iota in Arlington VA. It should be awesome, and will likely be packed. Arrive early, and be ready to dance and rock.

There's nothing like going out of your way to make someone feel comfortable in your social circle, only to be publicly ignored by the same person a few days later. It makes me sad.

Thanks to everyone who had such wonderful things to say about Tuesday's show. It was a labor of love, and by the time I hit the stage at the end of the night, I was WIRED. There's a few fun things coming up in October, so allow me to run them down, in order:

THU OCT 14 - I'm heading up to NYC for the day. I'll be appearing (I'm one of the MC's, technically) at an event sponsored by PlanetOut.com. The event will be held at Virgin Megastore Union Square, starting at 5 PM. More info as the date approaches.

Later in the evening, there's a good chance I'll be DJ'ing downtown, as part of a CMJ Music Marathon party. I'll know later today, and will post details as soon as it's confirmed.

SAT OCT 16 - BLOWOFF, Backbar of 9:30 Club. It's my party.

THU OCT 21 - I'm heading to Minneapolis to take part in a benefit show for Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller. It'll be fun to see everyone again, and raise some cash for the good fight. I'll be performing solo acoustic at the event. The event is SOLD OUT.

SAT OCT 23 - MOREL at Velvet Lounge. His new album, Lucky Strike, is released on the 19th, so this will be a big deal for the guys. It will rock.

SUN OCT 24 - BLOGJAM: THE HOMO SPEAK at DC9. This is shaping up to be a fun event. Musings, blog entries, and improvisation are on the menu; see the home page for more details. Rich and I will spin some BLOWOFF favorites after the readings.

TUE OCT 26 - The annual 17th Street High Heel Race. Remind me to do my neighborhood shopping early that day, the streets will be packed! Here's some photos from last year's event.

Ran into Brendan last night at Warehouse Theater; his hand is healing nicely (after punching one of his cymbals at the get-go of our short set). It was fun to watch Burn To Shine in a theater setting - it looked great on the big screen. We hung out for a while, wandering next door to watch some of the Gogogo Airheart show.

That's enough for one day. I have a short tour to promote.

What a fun night! last night's WEDrock concert was a total success - everything went without a single hitch. The turnout was a little less than we were hoping for, but the enthusiasm of the performers and audience made for a great party. (We tried to get the debate rescheduled, but no luck.)

Henry Rollins was a great MC, keeping the crowd engaged, entertained, and informed throughout the evening. It was Henry's first time in the MC position, and I think he's got a future in it, if he so chooses. I had no doubt he would be good; Henry's the quintessential "go to" guy - he can do anything, and do it with great energy and enthusiasm.

Sandra Bernhard (and her new band) drove down from NYC, and they kicked off the show with a great performance, touching on both Aerosmith and Lita Ford in their 30 minute set. David Catania engaged the crowd with the recounting of his own personal journey, and the importance of advancing the cause. We really appreciated his appearance, given the business of his schedule. Avenue D turned in an outrageous performance, lovely gals that they are.

John Cameron Mitchell, who helped to organize the first WEDrock, managed to make it to DC, and people were thrilled to hear "Origin Of Love". I played 12-string for John, and it went very well. He's back in NY promoting his new film today, we wish him the best of luck. Purty Mouth flew in from Seattle, and were having the time of their lives on the big stage. Morel mesmerized the crowd with their performance. It was nice that they were able to sneak in an extra song, everyone really dug them.

As for me: I had a 10 minute blast! With Brendan Canty on drums, and Brandon Butler on bass, we bashed out 3 quick numbers to close the show. To glance over my shoulder (stage left), and see Henry banging his head to the groove - man, it was like nothing ever changed. We're all a little older now, but for a split second, everything felt really familiar. Songs played: If I Can't Change Your Mind, See A Little Light, Makes No Sense At All. It was VERY loud.

The after show was good fun as well: the VIP ticket holders had a good amount of personal time with Henry, John, Rich, and myself. The general feedback I received was lots of beaming smiles, and some shock from the Blowoff guys. Lots of them were unfamiliar with what Rich and I do (beyond the DJ trip), so that was a cool thing for both of us. The party continued on into the wee hours, changing venue a few times, and I arrived home a very happy camper. One of the best nights I can remember.

More later. Thanks to everyone who supported the cause. Special thanks to Steve Gdula and Josh Wood, my cohorts in producing the show. Josh, I hope you found your shoes in time to make the train.

It never stops with Sir Elton. Now he's cutting a promo on Lady Esther, er, Madonna. He's turning into the weird relative who shows up belligerent at Holiday functions, or maybe Hank Hill's dad, Cotton Hill?

I know I shouldn't care, but it's bizarrely fascinating.

Been working the streets hard this past weekend (not like that), promoting tomorrow's WEDrock show. We're expecting a good turnout, as everyone I've talked to is excited about the show. I think there's a good variety of artists, a little something for everyone. Advance sales are picking up; there are both $40 and $100 tickets remaining, and there will be tickets available the evening of the show. Doors open at 7 PM, and the show starts at 8 PM.

One thing I forgot to mention about the Blowoff photos in this week's online edition of MW: so many bloggers! I see Waremouse, Jimbo, Chrisafer, Sassy Mark, Copperred, and those are only the bloggers I've met - there may be more. (Who doesn't have a blog?) This bodes well for BlogJam on October 24.

Other bloggers spotted this weekend: DanBlog, Virtual Earl, Reillocile (update!), and the wildly popular Clickboo (shirtless pic driving those hits up)! My apologies if I missed anyone - like I said, I have been working it!

I'll spare the details of my weekend socializing - you can track my whereabouts by following the links. Speaking of TMI, someone sent me a link to that site where you can track donations to political candidates. There's someone with my name, living in DC, within 10 blocks of my house, who made a $500 donation to John Kerry. Weird. It's not like I have a common name.

More WEDrock press: the Washington Blade article, advancing the show this coming Tuesday. Thanks to Bryan.