NYE Itinerary, subject to revision

This is a plan. I repeat, this is only a plan. And Mei has yet to sign off on it all. But she's a good sport.

05:00 Dinner (Sawatdee, Luce?)
05:30 Melodious Owl / Mark Mallman / God Damn Doo Wop Band - 7th Street Entry
08:45 Enchanted Ape - Fine Line
09:30 Hookers and Blow - Lee's Liquor Lounge
10:30 Fab Tab and the Teds / Wag - Brits Pub
11:15 Hopefuls et al - Hyatt Regency
12:00 Revolver Modele Lingerie Party at the Varsity
12:45 Chooglin' et al - Triple Rock and/or Nomad World Pub & 400 Bar (Action Vs. Action et al) and/or Malachi Constant et al at Turf Club and Big V's (We won't be able to do all this - might have to sacrifice St. Paul to do the West Bank or vis versa.)
01:30 Bridge Club - Hexagon

And then the real fun begins, but I can't publish those locations and events.

Here's the RSS feed from dodgeball.com that will keep you informed of our whereabl

My top 25 albums of 2005 in somewhat slipshod order

Here are 25 albums I heard this year that I thought were remarkably good. It might be a sign of a fruitful year for good music that I realized early on that there was no way I would be able to limit this list to just 10.

1. Beck - Guero (So many good songs.)
   
2. The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers (Ditto)
   
3. Coldplay - X&Y
4. John Doe - Forever Hasn't Happened Yet (*This bluesy, folky album from the former X member, should make Black Rebel Motorcycle Club ashamed of themselves.)
   
5. Spoon - Gimme Fiction (It's just plain amazingly good. How does he do it?)
   
6. Antony and the Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now (Beautiful and heartbreaking.)
   
7. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
8. Amusement Parks on Fire - Amusement Parks on Fire (Wow.)
   
9. Nada Surf -The Weight is a Gift (This album is a gift.)
   
10. The Pony's - Celebration Castle
11. Metric - Live it Out
12. British Sea Power - Open Season
13. The Frames - Burn the Maps
14. Echo and the Bunnymen - Siberia (Their best Album since Ocean Rain)
    
15. New Order - Waiting For the Siren's Call (If they keep at it, someday they'll make a perfect album. This isn't it either, but they keep getting better.)
    
16. New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
17. White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
18. Decemberists - Picaresque
19. Sigur Ros - Takk (No, thank you!)
    
20. Kingsbury Manx - The Fast Rise and Fall of the South (A sleeper, but it's not too late to discover the classic feel of this disc.)
    
21. Animal Collective - Feels
22. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (Album title is a good description of the contents)
    
23. The Clientele - Strange Geometry (Same mellow, wispy stuff as they ever did, but it keeps growing on you.)
    
24. Teenage Fanclub - Man-Made (Almost didn't make my list, but it does deserve a spot.)
    
25. Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger (A lot of stuff sounds similar to this album, but this is the one you really need.)
    

Here are a few more albums I'm guessing might be in my top 10 once I've heard them all the way through. I've heard bits and pieces or have read things that make me believe I might have to revise my list further once I get me some more ejumacation:

• My Morning Jacket - Z
• Neil Young - Prairie Wind
• Paul McCartney - Chaos and Creation in the Back Yard
• Kanye West - Late Registration
• Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers (some amazing songwriting born of some really, really bad life experience)

Let's Go Crazy .... again. How many shows can we see New Year's Eve?

On Thanksgiving Eve I made an effort to hit nearly every major show in town and darn near succeeded to follow my itinerary. Near success says only one thing: I clearly wasn't ambitious enough.

There are even more worthwhile shows taking place New Year's Eve, and I'm going to try it again, but this time I'll have a partner in crime, the lovely Ms. Mei Young of Drive 105 and the Radio Homegrown program has graciously volunteered to do the driving.

Below are the main events from which we'll be picking from. By tomorrow I'll publish a more specific timeline that will enable us to hit as many of these shows as possible.

Assuming Mei and I survive the night, we'll be discussing our adventures on Radio Homegrown at 10PM as I begin my first Sunday of every month residency on that progam. (Lindsey Thomas was kind enough to write a flattering A-List pick in this week's City Pages about my debut on the program. I'll link in when I find the online version.)

If you have show suggestions to add to the list below, feel free to add them in the comments. And I'm looking forward to seeing you all out New Year's Eve!

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Mark Mallman w/ Melodious Owl / God Damn Doo Wop Band / Dark City Dames - 7th Street Entry 2 shows AA at 5PM and 21+ at 9 $8/10 (Note Melodious Owl headlines the AA show and Mallman headlines the drunk one, Dark City Dames play only the drunk show)

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Tim Mahoney / Catchpenny / The Hopefuls (11:30) / Leroy Smokes / The New Congress - Hyatt Regency

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Fab Tab & the Teds (featuring Katy Vernon), and The Wag (with guest appearances by Curtiss A., Robert Wilkinson, Stephanie Winter & Gini Dodds). Brits Pub 10PM Free!

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Bridge Club / Thunder in the Valley / Fort Wilson Riot - Hexagon Bar

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Le Cirque Rouge de Gus Cabaret and Burlesque NYE BASH 10pm $5

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NYE Party fe: the world famous First Avenue DJ's and the First Avenue Dancers! - First Avenue $10.00/ $20.00/ 8:00pm/ 21+

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Big Wu w/ Trampled By Turtles - Roy Wilkins

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Pat McCurdy with Enchanted Ape all inclusive NYE Party - Fine Line $65/75

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NYE Bash at the Bell (Auditorium), featuring Andrew Broder & FOG along with Traditional Methods scoring silent films with Free wine, beer, food and music in the adjoining museum. $15 general/$12 MPR, MFA or Bell members Reserve your tickets here

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Hookers and Blow - Lee's Liquor Lounge

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Action Vs. Action - 400 Bar

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Gingerjake w/ Crashing By Design, The Payback & The Lid - Urban Wildlife 5PM

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McKinley Place and Nothing Static - Bunkers 9:30

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Bodeans - Pantages

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Malachi Constant / Arctic Universe / Sims / Birthday Suits - Turf Club

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The Gleam - Trollhaugen (spelling fixed - thanks Aaron)

Lewis House Benefit 2 features Jaeneen Gauthier, Chris Harrington, Future Lisa, Trailer Park Queen and more

There are some clear front-runners for show picks tonight. Soul Asylum at First Avenue, The Flamin' Oh's and Ol' Yeller at the Fine Line, and the 2024 Records party at The Nomad World Pub. But here's another one worthy of attention.

"Lewis House Benefit 2", a musical showcase to benefit Community Action Councils's Lewis House Womens Crisis Shelters, takes place tonight (Friday, December 23rd) at Club Underground. (355 Monroe St NE, Mpls $5 . 9PM)

The will be hosted by event organizer Future Lisa. Acts include Jeaneen Gauthier (Jan), Chris Harrington, Codger, Scott Bartell on Bagpipes, Future Lisa, Larry Ravenswood and the Aura, Lolly Pop(Telephone), and Trailer Park Queen.

Lisa says that with all the hurricane and other disaster benefits going on people are giving less money to local charities, so she wants to help do what she can to help the two Womens Crisis Shelters that Lewis House runs.

"These are wonderful facilities," she stated in a press release, "where women and kids can escape domestic violence and be in a safe house environment while they get the counseling and other services they need to get back on their feet."

The Lewis house also does counseling and outreach for women that don't need the full live in environment. Lisa added that has used these services herself, and says she owes them for helping her escape a bad marriage. "I would not be Future Lisa today if not for Lewis House," she said.

My Top 10 Minnesota Albums of 2005 and more

You can feel it in the air, and taste it in your mouth, and you can't turn on the radio or open a newspaper without hearing about it. It's that top this and top that season again, the time of year we are reminded that it's not the stuff in our lives that counts, it's the lists we compile of that stuff. And the more lists, the merrier, right?

Obviously, any top 10 album list compiled by anyone not familiar with each possible selection in the sample is going to be biased in favor of those actually heard; but the Star Tribune's conservative estimate is that at least 112 albums surfaced in Minnesota in 2005, so it's hard to have listened thoroughly to each one. (See below for the complete list with the albums I own bolded. Not bragging, just publicly disclosing the deficiencies of my own collection in the hopes that even more CD's will come to the HowWasTheShow P.O. Box in 2006.)

So, I'm really only picking from 39 of the 112 (actually 40, after last night's visit to the Triple Rock -- Thanks Marty Dosh!) And though I've certainly heard selections from the others on the radio and the internet and seen many of the other bands live, keep in mind, my votes below represent a sampling of only 36% of the total offerings, and of that sample 25 made the top 10.

My Top 10 Minnesota Albums of the Year for 2005:

1. Vicious Vicious - "Don't Look So Surprised"
2. Divorcee - "Music for Cleanup Men, Breakdown and Inbetweens"
3. Tapes N Tapes - "The Loon"
4. Robert McCreedy - "It Might Kill You"
5. Fitzgerald - "Raised by Wolves"
6. Ashtray Hearts - "Perfect Halves"
7. Dallas Orbiter - Magnesium Fireflies"
8. Belles of Skin City - "Ha Ha Boardrooms Think Tank Tantrums"
9. Big Ditch Road - "Suicide Note Reader's Companion"
10. Chris Koza - "Exit Pesce"

Top 5 Songs of the Year:

1. Castaways - Vicious Vicious
2. I Can Breathe Under Water - Fitzgerald
3. Ghosts - Big Ditch Road
4. Your Little Hoodrat Friend - Hold Steady (still feels local to me even if they're from Brooklyn!)
5. I Can't Live Without My Radio - Halloween, Alaska (LL Cool J cover)

Top 5 Live Acts of the Year for 2005:

1. Belles of Skin City
2. Vicious Vicious
3. Revolver Modele
4. Fort Wilson Riot
5. Ouija Radio

2 Signs the local music scene was alive and well in 2005:

1. Renovated and re-opened dive bars and theaters becoming hip, happening music venues (Varsity Theater, Nomad World Pub, 331 Club.)
2. The great lighting at the Varsity (deserves its own line item.)

And here's the list of 2005 Minnesota CD's as compiled by the Star Tribune (And yes, I realize it's not complete - for one, it left off the 2005 Voltage: Fashion Amplified CD compilation that I produced. If you notice any other omissions from this list, please leave them in the comments.)

2005 Minnesota CD's (CD's I own are bolded):

• James Apollo, "Good Grief"
• Ashtray Hearts, "Perfect Halves"
• Atmosphere, "Headshots" reissue
• Atmosphere, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"
• Auto Body Experience, "Forgotten Lots"
• Renee Austin, "Right About Love"
• Belles of Skin City, "Ha Ha Boardrooms Think Tank Tantrums"
• Big Ditch Road, "Suicide Note Reader's Companion"
• Big Jess, "Good Clean Fun 2"
• Birthday Suits, "Cherry Blue"
• Blame, "Red Eyes & Sincerity"
• Omaur Bliss (self-titled)
• Brother and Sister (self-titled)
• Captain Yonder, "Mad Country Love Songs,"
• The Cardinal Sin, "Oil and Water EP"
• Chariots, "Congratulations"
• Cloud Cult, "Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus."
• Dear Machine
• The Deaths, "Choir Invisible"
• Desdamona, "The Ledge"
• Dessa, "False Hopes"
• Divorcee, "Music for Cleanup Men, Breakdown and Inbetweens."
• Pat Donohue, "Profile"
• Martin Dosh, "Power Horn"
• Dropping Daylight, "Take a Photograph EP"
• Charley Dush, "Highwood Hills"
• Falcon Crest, "Taste the Thunder Raise the Flag"
• Fat Kid Wednesdays, "The Art of Cherry"
• Fitzgerald, "Raised by Wolves"
• Fog, "10th Avenue Freakout"
• Frank Brownstone & Associates
• Front Porch Swingin' Liquor Pigs, "Last Album"
• The Gleam, "The Chisago County E.P."
• Jeff Hanson (self-titled)
• Halloween, Alaska, "Too Tall to Hide"
• Happy Apple, "The Peace Between Our Companies"
• Nachito Herrera. "Bembe en Mi Casa"
• Phil Hey Quartet, "Subduction"
• Hockey Night, "Keep Guessin'"
• House of Mercy Band, "Blesses/Curses (or Songs From the Blood-Washed Band)"
• Idiedaily, self-titled
• I Self Devine, "Self Destruction"
• Dan Israel, "Dan Israel"
• Joanna James, "Desire,"
• Jayhawks, "Live From the Women's Club Vol. 2" (Don't own it, but I was at the show!)
• Matt Jennings, "Two Become One,"
• Jistoray, "Footsteps"
• Gordy Johnson, "Trios v. 3.0"
• Kurt Jorgensen Band, "Dance"
• Lonesome Dan Kase, "Leave Here Walkin' "
• Kill the Vultures (self-titled)
• Lonnie Knight, "Better Days"
• Chris Koza, "Exit Pesce"
• Ryan Lee, "The Pride Before the Fall"
• Sherwin Linton, "Dakota Railroad Town Centennial"
• Low, "The Great Destroyer"
• Dean Magraw (with John Williams), "Raven"
• Mandragora Tango Orchestra
• Robert McCreedy, "It Might Kill You"
• Melismatics, "Turn It On"
• Paul Metsa, "Texas in the Twilight"
• Midnight Evils, "Breakin' It Down."
• Mint Condition, "Livin' the Luxury Brown"
• MoodFood, "Ice"
• Mood Swings, "Come On Tell Me"
• Motion City Soundtrack, "Commit This to Memory"
• Mulligan Stew, "Cookin' at the Hot Summer Jazz Festival"
• Mike Nicolai, "God Fatigue in the Post Atom Age"
• Nothing Static, "Surround"
• Dallas Orbiter , "Magnesium Fireflies"
• Orkestar Bez, "Nice Driveway, Vol. 1: Tales From the Land of Freeze"
• Peter Ostroushko, "Minnesota: A History of the Land"
• Peter Ostroushko, "Heartland Holiday" (live disc)
• Cecil Otter, "False Hopes"
• Reynold Philipsek, "25"
• Polara, "Green Shoes + 4"
• Ernie Rhodes, "The Orbital Effect"
• Robotboy, "And There Was No Future"
• Becky Schlegel, "Drifter Like Me"
• Sicbay, "Suspicious Icons"
• Skywynd, "Escape Plan"
• Soviettes, "LP III"
• Spittin' Cobras, self-titled EP
• SP Style, "The Sounds E.P."
• The Stnnng, "Dignified Sissy"
• The Pines, "The Pines"
• Prince Jabba, "Loverman"
• Redstart, "So Far From Over"
• Reticence, "ReMedial"
• Robert Robinson, "Inspiration"
• Sicbay, "Suspicious Icons,"
• Sims, "Lights Out Paris"
• Robert Skoro, "That These Things Could Be Ours"
• Skywynd, "Escape Plan"
• Slug (with Murs), "Felt 2: A Tribute to Lisa Bonet"
• Small Towns Burn a Little Brighter, "Mortality as Home Entertainment."
• Stnnng, "Dignified Sissy"
• Tapes N Tapes, "The Loon"
• Terramara, "Four Blocks to Hennepin"
• Various, "The Bootlegs: Celebrating 35 Years at First Avenue"
• Various, "Twin Town High, Vol. 7"
• Various, "TC Electropunk"
• Various, "Best of Smoke-Free Saturday Nights"
• Various, "Art Hear"
• Various, "The Music of Here. Now."
• Various, "Minnesota All-Stars: Great Accordion and Concertina Performances from the Northstar State"
• Vicious Vicious, "Don't Look So Surprised"
• White Iron Band, "Take It Off the Top"
• Paul Westerberg, "Besterberg"
• Jake Wisti and the Centurions, "Stonefaced on Mars"
• Luke Zimmerman, "Twilight Waltz"

City Pages Year in Music issue uses howwastheshow.com photo on cover

City Pages Year in Music issue cover, featuring my photo of Dave Matters. (Click cover for my original photo.)

Today at Anodyne, I finally had the chance to pick up the paper copy of this week's City Pages, the Year in Music 2005 issue, featuring a cover story by Pete Scholtes, Local Music Yearbook '05.

A few friends had asked, "Isn't that your picture of Dave Matters of Belles of Skin City on the cover?" and indeed it is.


Latest issue of the Grinnell Magazine

Speaking of the covers of magazines, Bruce Springsteen recently graced the front of my alma mater's seasonal publication, The Grinnell Magazine. Springsteen played in the now demolished Darby Gymnasium at Grinnell in 1975 (7 years before I set foot on campus, if you're wondering), and that visit was honored by an article in the current issue. (Have a look at the photo gallery from that show here. )

I should note that that same Darby Gym was also the place I first saw The Suburbs, David Johansen, and The Violent Femmes, and it was just outside that gym that I first saw the Replacements (in 1983.) Also at Grinnell, I saw The Wallets, Love Tractor, The dB's (minus Chris Stamey), and I think even R.E.M. Those were some good years.

Which brings me to why I was at Anodyne today, to be interviewed by Erin Peterson of that very same Grinnell Magazine for an article about HowWasTheShow.com. I am hoping the article appears in the Spring issue as it should be a perfect conversation starter at my, erm, 20 year college reunion which takes place the first weekend of June, 2006.

Honeydogs will not perform Friday and Saturday night shows at Entry due to medical problem - shows will go on without them

This just in from Craig Grossman at Vamp Music Source.

Adam Levy of the Honeydogs was hospitalized last night with appendicitis and heads into surgery today for an appendectomy. According to Grossman, "Everything is cool with him, but needless to say, we're needing to cancel the [Honeydogs] portion of these shows."

These were 4 band bills, so they will still take place, just without the Honeydogs.

So, tonight (Friday) it's The Sirachas, Rattletrap and Ellis, and tomorrow (Saturday) it's Byzantine Generals Problem with Coach Said Not To and JoAnna James.

I encourage people who were planning on going to still do so. For those who were still undecided, ticket prices have been reduced from $8 to $6. However, if you do require a refund, it can be obtained at the point of purchase.

HowWasTheShow wishes Adam Levy a speedy recovery.

First Avenue Bootlegs Review and Photos coming

Jessy Greene (left) with JoAnna James (middle) and Steve McPherson (right)

By the time the Xboys hit the stage in the First Avenue Mainroom, the event which kicked off with the Mood Swings spot on time at 8PM, had become as much a party as a show.

Early highlights included a beautiful set from Jessy Greene. Later the Jayhawks gave us all warm fuzzies, and Mike Watt teamed up with Golden Smog to bring the spirit of Iggy and the Stooges into the house (as if it had ever really left.)

Photos will be going up piecemeal throughout the day, so watch the photo blog and the HowWasTheShow Bootlegs Photo Set. (I shot a full gigabyte last night, 375 pictures in all, so the editing process is going to take a while longer than usual. With band after band in both the Entry and First Avenue going at the same time, this was no normal show.)

Also coming soon are a full review by Andrea Myers and more photos from Steve Cohen.

Oh, and this just in. A Flickr Photo Set from Chris Warren. And another from Andrea Myers.

Transmission cancelled tonight - Go to First Ave

DJ Jake Rudh has postponed the TRANSMISSION New Wave Dance Party from Wednesday, December 14th to Wednesday, December 21st due to both the weather and and to attend to some personal business. The Hexagon Bar will, of course, still be open for business.


Marc Perlman of the Jayhawks - Photo by Steve Cohen (click photo above to see a preview of Steve's First Avenue photo set.)

It's probably for the best as well, as I would expect most Transmissionites to be at the First Avenue 35 Year Bootlegs CD Release Party tonight.

Details:

FIRST AVENUE 35th ANNIVERSARY PARTY & Diverse Emerging Music Organization (DEMO) Benefit featuring The Jayhawks, The Hold Steady, Koalas, Jessy Greene, Polara, Rifle Sport, X-Boys, Aesma Daeva, The Mighty Mofos, Curtiss A, The Mood Swings, Mike Watt, Curtiss A, members of Golden Smog, & DJ's Kevin Cole and Roy Freedom. $1.50 per ticket goes to Toys For Tots.

Doors are at 7PM. $12.00 advance, $15.00 door

Make sure you head up to the VIP Room to see the photo exhibit featuring music photography of pictures taken at First Avenue by Tony Nelson, Matt Porath, Steven Cohen, David de Young (yup, me) Karla Ludzack, and more.

Here's a special sneak preview of some of the photos by Steve Cohen of musicphotography.com that will be appearing in the multi-media presentation.

I should start getting my mail at the Hexagon Bar soon

The Flavor Crystals at the Hexagon - Photo by Matt Porath (with my camera.)

I know it probably seems like I live at the Hexagon Bar, but I do very well for myself there. It's almost like I don't have to go to shows anymore. I just go to the Hexagon, and sure enough the shows come to me. And with "never a cover," it just can't be beat.

After ending up at the Hex Friday night, I was back Saturday for Lukes Angels, Flavor Crystals, and The Autumn Leaves. There's no review yet, but here's a link to the photo set. (The whole Hex photo set got bumped off the main page of HowWasTheShow by my Tagine photos from the Prince Tribute at the Fine Line. Though I enjoyed the Hexagon's music far more Friday night, the Tagine photos were hands down winners.)

Two of the best photos in Saturday's Hexagon set, including the one above, were taken by photographer Matt Porath, who was on hand to see the Flavor Crystals. Matt was kind enough to show me a few pointers (literally involving aim) on flash usage (Speedlight 420EX) and take a few shots with my Canon XT. Since many, many people will be getting Digital SLR's for Christmas this year, it is oh so reassuring to know that despite advancing technology, that "it ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it" that gets results.

Low Christmas concert - Photos by chuckumentary. And HWTS "summit" meeting at the Hex.

Chuck Olsen of mnstories was at First Avenue at the Low show Friday evening and posted a few prize photos of Alan Sparhawk and the band in his Flickr blog.

Below is one. See the rest here.


Low at First Avenue - Photo by Chuck Olsen

HowWasTheShow's writers were spilled out all over town from the Triple Rock to the Hexagon Bar Friday night. Late in the evening, we had a bit of an unofficial summit meeting as contributors Andrea Myers and Jennifer Whigham piled in from the Triple Rock to join Cyn Collins and me at the Hexagon. By the tail end of the Belles of Skin City, who were headlining booker Chris Dorn's birthday party, we were all together in the same club for I think was the first time ever. (And damn, it didn't occur to me to take a group photo.)

But here is one of the amazingly tatooed Dave Matters of Belles of Skin City from Friday's show.


Dave Matters of Belles of Skin City - Photo by David de Young

I'm number 5! (On Dodgeball Twin Cities)

So I ranked as the #5 best Dodgeball.com user in the Twin Cities for the month of November. That doesn't bode well for Dodgeball considering I used the service only on 3 separate days. If it hadn't been for my Thursday night before Thanksgiving runaround where I managed to check in from each of the 9 venues I went to that night, I likely wouldn't have made the top 10.

How does Minneapolis rank up (in terms of check-ins) to other Dodgeball cities in the U.S.?

Top 10 Dodgeball Cities in November

(based on number of check-ins, out of 22 cities)

1. New York
2. Seattle			(20%)
3. San Francisco			(13%)
4. Boston			(4%)
5. Portland			(3%)
6. Minneapolis			(3%)
7. Austin			(2%)
8. Los Angeles			(2%)
9. San Diego			(2%)
10. Philadelphia			(1%)

And I'm now up to 3 whopping Dodgeball friends. Whee!

Meanwhile, over on MySpace, I'm about to pass the 200 friend mark. Who will be #200?

26th Annual John Lennon Tribute is Thursday

Thursday marks 25 years since John Lennon was shot dead in New York City on Monday, December 8th, 1980.

That night I was doing my regular evening DJ shift at WMOI FM in Monmouth, Illinois (cool job for a 16 year old, eh?) The phone rang, and it was my father. He'd just seen on TV that John Lennon had been shot and suggested I'd better check the news wire.

Running to the newsroom, I found the AP machine chugging away. The paper from the news roll had touched the floor -- a no-no, which meant it had been more than 15 minutes since I last checked it.

Confirmations of Lennon's death had already been printed by the time I ripped the paper and ran back to the on-air studio. In an ironic twist, I was playing a Paul McCartney song. "Waterfalls" from McCartney II, if I recall, which had come out just that Spring.

I didn't wait for the song to end. Unprofessionally I abruptly turned down the pot, and breathless and shaken up, said into the microphone, "I really hate to be the one to tell you this, but....."

That same night in Minneapolis, legend has it Curtiss A. headed down to the 7th Street Entry and took over the stage to play Lennon songs the remainder of the evening. And so has it been, each December 8th ever since.

THE 26TH ANNUAL JOHN LENNON TRIBUTE Featuring CURTISS A "WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM HIS FRIENDS" $10.00/ $12.00/ 5:30pm/ 21+ - First Avenue

Read HowWasTheShow reports about last year's event here and here.

First Avenue: The Bootlegs Vol 1. CD Release Party and photo exhibit

You may have noticed a couple of older photos in the HWTS photo blog today. No, it's not a malfunction. I uploaded a few photos from last year that pre-dated my photo blog to make a little First Avenue specific photo gallery for inclusion in the DEMO photo exhibit which will accompany the First Avenue Bootlegs CD Release Party on December 14th.

The CD Release show will include a multi-media presentation of First Avenue photos by amateur and professional photographers, including long time First Avenue staff photographer Daniel Corrigan.

Below are 7 of my own photos that will appear in that presentation. Printed versions of the best of the batch will be hung on the gallery wall in the VIP room. (The DEMO team will start installing the exhibit on Monday, December 12th.)


Chris Bessinger of STNNNG

Chris Koza

The Melismatics

Bob Mould

Hundred Flowers

Brother and Sister


Halloween, Alaska

Spot Art Gallery opening to feature music photography by Emily Utne

Here's a great way to start off your Friday night before hitting the rock shows, and maybe have a free glass of wine or beer if you are early enough. Emily Utne, music photographer and Rift Magazine Art director (and my personal photographic equipment consultant) alerted me to this event.

What: Fashion & Band photography, sculpture, painting, ceramics and more by 9 artists.

Where: Spot Art Gallery: 1828 Marshall St. NE Mpls www.spotart.org

When: this Friday Dec. 2 from 7-11 (but probably will keep going
later)

Live music by: Crush Collision Trio featuring Lonesome Dan Kase

Henna Tattoos & Body Art by Judy Ostrowski

Sketch & Stand-up Comedy with local comedy groups Me & Bill and The Label

Spot Art Gallery is open during the winter on Monday-Wednesday & Friday from 6 to 9PM and Saturdays from 1 to 9PM.

Here's the artist listing:

• James Dankert - illustrations
• Junkykid - paintings
• Emily Utne - photography
• Patrick Smith - illustrations
• Kelsey Anderson - paintings
• Sarah Paul - ceramics
• Mark Mustful - raku pots
• Karl Friedrich - sculpture
• spleee - paintings

The show runs through February 3rd, 2006.

I make a cameo in the new Guided by Voices movie

So, I'm listening to "Queen of Cans and Jars" by Guided By Voices from the fabulous new First Avenue - The Bootlegs Vol 1. collection that came out last Thursday. This is a must have disc for Minnesota music fans in general, not just fans of First Avenue. The The bands who appear on the disc range from Minnesota's own Jayhawks to The Suburbs, Husker Du, The Replacements, and Mark Mallman. Non local acts like Richard Thompson, Joe Jackson, Jay Farrar and Guided by Voices also fully belong here since for many of us, that's where we have seen them again and again over the years.

You can buy the CD online here, or you can find it at Best Buy, or at local music stores including The Electric Fetus, CD Warehouse, Down in The Valley, Cheapo and others.

And speaking of Guided By Voices, and another great rock club, Chicago's Club Metro.....



...Nate Kranz from First Avenue told me last night that I make a brief cameo in the new Plexifilm concert movie, Guided By Voices - The Electricifying Conclusion that came out November 15th. (Watch the trailer here.) I have not seen it yet, but Nate says he spotted me in the post-show bits as I leaned against a wall at the top of the stairwell while waiting to exit the venue after the New Year's Eve, 2004 show in Chicago.

Nearest I can tell, this is my first appearance in an internationally-released film. I wonder if this will earn me a bio on imdb.com. Not!