Solid State

Yes, the Pants show was amazing. Yes, you should be sorry if you missed it. Yes, they were as good as I remember. Maybe better.

Cheers to everyone who helped make Saturday one of the finest local rock shows ever. Especially to The Pants themselves. Pistol, Hutch, Tom and Neil: you make lovin' fun.

That said, I think I need to call some old, non-Burlingtonian friends. We could maybe talk about stuff besides music. Lord knows, I could benefit from the different perspective.
It sucks to be surrounded by people but feeling lonely. That's my B-town conundrum. Thank God for Brooke; the sanest, most ethical and supportive person on earth!

This will probably be my last Pants-related post until after the show.

And it's by request; some folks expressed a desire to actually hear the band before the concert. What, my word ain't good enough?

Anyway, here's a handfull of choice cuts. Keep in mind that it's kind of like choosing my favorite flavor of soy ice cream - I like 'em all!

"Sometimes" Eat Crow, 1997

"Lawnfire" Fred Sex, 1995

"Them Stones" Eat Crow

"Lucky In the Sun" Eat Crow 

"None of That" The Pants!, 1994

Can one actually brew excitement? I dunno. I imagine the fermentation process would ruin everything. Pontiac claims to build it, but that's altogether different.

Hey - The Pants!

What once felt like some bizarro fantasy is almost upon us. I've been chatting with band members, old friends and fans, and I think everyone is starting to get hot 'n' bothered.

Listening to all the old records has brought up a range of partially submerged emotions. Can't imagine what this process is like for the fellas in the group.

Above all, The Pants wrote great tunes and played them with class and conviction. Their stuff was often sophisticated, but it always rocked. It was smart, but never precocious. And what fine humor!

Buy your tickets. It'll be worth it.

PS: It's been brought to my attention that nearly a decade ago, some freelance reviewer at Seven Days wrote a shit review of The Pants' swansong, Eat Crow. This individual was obviously deranged.

Murf at False 45th has nominated the Jazz Guys for a "Best music of '06" podcast.

Go here to investigate further.

As promised in this week's Soundbites column, here's the Smittens' new video.

See ya when I get my head out of my Pants.

Hmm... Pistol's axe?

Looks like Schoolbus has been doodlin' again.

Oh, and AIC ain't playin'. More in next week's paper.

Go see The Books and Greg Davis tonight at HG.

Off to do laundry!

I've got a birthday coming up!

When we go to CA, we'll be driving up to San Francisco from L.A. We're thinking of stopping by Hearst Castle, which inspired the "Xanadu" compound in Citizen Kane.

In that spirit, check out "The Fall of the House of Usher: Prelude" From The Alan Parsons Project's ridiculous Edgar Alan Poe-themed album.

Orson Welles is on it!

It's gotten more rare that I stop by my local indie record store, Pure Pop. Makes me feel kinda bad.

It's part laziness, part the fact that I already have too much music as it is. And eMusic/iTunes pretty much fills in a lot of blanks. Convenience kills!

But I'm actually psyched to check out Aquarius Records in San Francisco. Brooke and I will be in California at the end of June, and AQ is definitely gonna be one of our stops.

One of my favorite things to do every other week is to spend Saturday morning going through their new release list and listening to samples. I've found a lot of music that way, even when I was working at the Pop.

The AQ kids (well, they're mostly my age) are almost like rock stars to me. I'll tremble in the presence of Black Metal Andee, I'm sure.

Sucks that I'm probably going to be kind of broke, or else I'd buy a bunch of stuff. Maybe it's better that way.

On Tuesday, February 28, 2006, I was told that the 3" of Soft Rock was about to be pressed. I know the date, because I blogged it. It was already months past its initial "release date," and nearly two years old.

Then, couple of weeks later, it was gonna happen the following week. And so forth.

May 9. Still waiting. Maybe we should start a letter campaign, like for that Fiona Apple record.

Actually, I think I might just move on to a new batch of music and throw these tracks in the lake. Which is right by my house.

But it will live on in my mind...

...And in the form of an ancient curse.

Answer these three questions and you might be on your way to see The Pants for free!