I like pickles

I shed a few tears when I watched John Edwards give his speech announcing he was no longer running for President. I also felt really inspired. I know he will not disappear and continue to fight for the underdog, after all, he was one himself. Coincidentally, today on campus was the vote smart bus. I just discovered an amazing website that I wish I had known about earlier. Vote-Smart.org Check it out!!!

CONGRATS TO MIKE AND CHRISTINA!!!! Both received calls from Live 105 for a follow up interview to be the next SOUNDCHECK PRODUCER! I don't know who else is getting interviewed but I can tell you I would have a HARD CHOICE picking one out of those two!

Tom Morello made me better

I don't by any means like Tom Morello, I respect him of course. I can appreciate his intelligence and his political views. That said, I have to extend the greatest of thanks to him. Why? Because after beating him in battle for Guitar Hero II I was able to beat the next four songs in a row on my first try. That battle changed the way I play guitar (hero...II). So thank you, Mr. Morello.

Bitch City

All the usuals came through at popscene. Got to see Nancy for the first time since... klaxons maybe? That was awesome. Car rides back home with her are fun. Seeing Mike A and Christina was legit too. Danced and stayed after the band finished for the first time in a while. Since, the whole Arctic Monkeys debacle matter of fact. 

The fucking cold was horrible. At least it made me numb to the usual stench that lingers while crossing the street from

 boarders to 3rd near popscene. 4 Realz.

Talked to lead singer (or talker, cause its not really singing but I don't mind it at all) and he told me they were trying to get an opening spot on the Kills tour that is suppose to happen in March. Cross fingers.

Teenagers got on stage around 11:40. Setlist reads:

Starlett

Feeling Better

111

Make It Happen

Trouble

Sunset

Love No

Fuck Nicole

Homecoming

Streets of Paris

End of the Road

Lead singer definitely bumps. Crowd was better than I expected. I haven't been that pushed at a popscene show in a while and thats always a good sign.

Steph sang homecoming as she should have. It was incred. The drummer looked like she should be modeling somewhere. It was cute, could tote tell she was a novice since she was counting as she played. Photos from the gig. Just a few. I don't motherfuckers taking my shit without permission either.

I am listening to Under the Influence of Giants circa the Bitch City era. Or the "Transition" record as I like to call it. That being because they recorded it in between what was Hometown Hero and what would become UTIOG. I recently found out HTH played Coachella waaay back in like 2002 or something.

Damn, I miss this record. I really hope they finally got the rights to this from the now defunct Maverick Records so they can release it to the masses. Its amazing. It was made over 3 years ago. I can imagine them rerecording it and how epic that would be. Some of it surpasses material from the debut. San Francisco is my bitch city.

COACHELLA 2008

Whoa! It just got taken down! FUck.

Okay, found it. Courtesty of the coachella forums. I have no idea why the fuck it looks shitty.

These are more confirmations to add to the previous list from a few blogs back. Confirmed via the LA Times 

Roger Waters

The Verve

Protishead

The Raconteurs

My Morning Jacket

Rilo Kiley

Jack Johnson

Death Cab for Cutie

Kraftwerk

Justice

M.I.A.

Love & Rockets

The Breeders

Sasha & Digweed

Cafe Tacuba

Fatboy Slim

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10 AM

I am most excited about tickets going on sale Friday, sadly. I am hoping they are bringing a shit load of smaller bands to make up for the poor main headliners. Its weird Justice is playing two years in a row. Would make sense since last year no one gave a shit about them and their tent was half full while they were on. The full line up and poster should be out tomorrow, not today as expected. KROQ in LA is suppose announce the complete line up in the morning hours of Tuesday as well.

This may offend you.

I just found juno online. So, lets watch that at too early/late in the morning. I wanted to discuss my day... I attended the counter protest in sf and the kiss in on saturday. I will wait till I am more awake.

On too ELLEN PAGE!

EDIT:

The Walk for Life event was held in SF this year. Somehow, that turned into a protest against the GLBT community. So, of course, queens don't stay quiet and a counter protest was organized. I of course support the belief in the human being to be capable of making their own decisions and dealing with any possible moral consequence that they may consciously or subconsciously face. A "Kiss In" was also organized as well. In protest to their need to hold the walk in SF because they felt we were a morally corrupt city for allowing women to make decisions for themselves and allowing men, women and those in between to enjoy their lives completely and reach their fullest potential. A group of couples of all sorts, and some really nasty people who like to risk getting mono by kissing more than one person, decided to kiss at noon in front of the Walk For Life marchers. What message that sends out I will let you decide for yourself. I can tell you one thing, a lot of those marchers were looking, some even wishing, they were making out with someone.

The march ended near uhh, some park near Gharidelli and past peir 39. I should know the name ...whatever. We stood there and held our signs proudly as all the Marchers passed us perpendicularly. Though they out numbered us by a lot (the Pro- Life Marchers had about 10,000+ people while we wavered at about 500...max) I do believe we left an impression. It was hilarious to hear people blessing us as they passed (are you someone how connected to a god than I am? I thought we all have the same direct line?), and reading some of their signs. 

What was frustrating by far was the amount of Latinos there were marching. By no means am I against being spiritual, but I am completely against allowing yourself to be taken advantage of by a church that massacred your ancestors and whipped you into submission into believing in a god they manipulated to use to justify their actions. Pro-Lifers will not allow women, individuals, to make decisions for themselves and use a book that has been misinterpreted and written by men as their strongest argument I offer them these simple question: What about the millions, even billions, of people that have been put to death because simple men have used that book to concoct reasons to kill them? Did they deserve to die?

To any Christian zealot that may read this I tell you: Your heavy books are written in the blood of those who have been killed because of it. So how dare you tell me how to live because of your idiotic understanding of it? Christianity is a mass murderer.

My five favorite Pro-Choice Signs:

5) Get Your Rosaries Off Of My Overies

4)Want to Reduce Abortion? Increase Contraception DUHHH

3)Thank You For Your Tourist Dollars

2)This sign (and lady of course):

1)Jesus Died to Give Us Choice

Good for a laugh, that turns into a cry.

Um, so this was just leaked.

I do believe a lot of the bands listed will be on the official line up.

However, some reasons why this is fake:

Bonde do Role (on haitus after lead singer left)

OneRepublic (hell to the naw homie)

Cyrstal Castles listed BEFORE NYPC

Sunday is really empty. They wouldn't do that many last minute additions. 2005 (or was it 2006?) was an acception to that rule.

Girl Talk again? Nope.

Friday being the most full day. No go. Friday started the latest of the three days last year and was the last day to sell out because people have jobs folks.

Coachella 2008 Assumptions

My opinion is no more relevance than any other person out there. Though I do pay a bit more attention to this type of shit than the average person (watching band myspaces and the offical coachella boards). What I have done for a few bands (very few, like 3) is just looked at the available information on Pollstar (marked with *) and just assumed. I am no more viable than anyone else. Despite the fact that I have this innate ability to predict things before it happens. Ha. This will be fun to look at once it is announced (Jan. 21 is the rumored date) offically through coachella.com.

How to eliminate any band you may have in mind:

-They played last year. Never ever book bands two years in a row. Maybe there is a .001% chance but I doubt it.

-Playing LA area around that time. It is in the contracts you aren't allowed to as it might hinder the festivals attendance.

-It is some fantasy you are harboring. Sorry Zeppelin fans, Coachella is not a charity.

Confirmed:

Goldfrapp (Yahoo)

Confirmed (via coachella board)

The Breeders

Death Cab For Cutie

Cold War Kids

Kid Sister

VHS or Beta

Deidi Vogel and the Cinemtic Orchestra

Autolux

Austin TV

Chromeo

Dredg

Sons & Daughters

Not Confirmed:

Bigger Acts:

Queens of the Stone Age

Tegan and Sara

Spoon

Raconteurs

The Kills (just finished next record)

M.I.A. (hasn't played since 2005)

Franz Ferdinand (new record due around that time)

My Bloody Valentine (playing some UK shows)

The Verve

Radiohead

UK/ International:

Maccabees

New Young Pony Club

Maximo Park (Lead singer told me they were trying to get on)

Mystery Jets (record should be coming out around that time)

Shout Out Louds

Operator Please

Kate Nash

Alex Turners side project (lead singer of Arctic Monkeys)

Teenagers

Les Savvy Five

LightSpeed Champion

Mark Ronson

British Sea Power

Bat For Lashes

FLight of the Conchords 

US/ Canada:

Hot Hot Heat (brought out record in September, haven't played in a few years)

We Are Scientists (record release date set for March, declined to play last year)

Vampire Weekend

Phantom Planet (have a following, new record soon I hear, just signed with Fueled By Ramen)

Scissors for Lefty 

Delta Spirit

Explosions in the Sky

Portugal, The Man

Manchester Orchestra 

The National

Dance Acts:

Them Jeans

Holy Fuck

Simian Mobile Disco*

Hot Chip*

Moving Units

Chromeo

Cut Copy

Crystal Castles

Definately will not be there:

White Stripes 

Strokes

Led Zepplin

Pete Doughty and Babyshambles (yeah right, they will never give that dude a visa)

The Cure*

The Cribs*

Bonde do Role (singer left the band)

What do you think?

Did I leave anyone out?