So, seriously, Myspace is just like Crack. those with the power created it so we’d become addicted, and then they’d custom tailor advertisements to each and every one of us based on our likes and interests.

Let’s get down to brass tacks. I love “Hogan Knows Best.” Myspace knows this because they’re monitoring my habits. I’ve been checking VH1 more than ever, and I even tried to find our old Wrestling Buddy Hulkster.

So, that is why Myspace keeps putting the new Brooke Hogan video link on the welcome page.

There you have it.

Currently listening: Stankonia By OutKast Release date: By 31 October, 2000

CMJ Radio 200 for WBUL 1620 AM Tampa, FL 6-27-06

.. ARTIST Recording
1 MORNINGBELL FORGETTING TO WAKE UP
2 FLAMING LIPS AT WAR WITH THE MYSTICS
3 MOJAVE 3 PUZZLES LIKE YOU
4 LES CLAYPOOL OF WHALES AND WOE
5 RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS STADIUM ARCADIUM
6 AS FAST AS OPEN LETTER TO THE DAMNED
7 HECTOR ON STILTS SAME HEIGHT RELATION
8 MISSION OF BURMA THE OBLITERATI
9 JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS SINNER
10 JAMIE CULLUM CATCHING TALES
11 SOUND TEAM MOVIE MONSTER
12 THURSDAY A CITY BY THE LIGHT DIVIDED
13 MATT COSTA SONGS WE SING
14 SAM ROBERTS CHEMICAL CITY
15 SHOOTING AT UNARMED MEN YES TINNITUS
16 MOGWAI MR. BEAST
17 PEARL JAM PEARL JAM
18 MURDER BY DEATH IN BOCCA AL LUPO
19 UMPHREY’S MCGEE SAFETY IN NUMBERS
20 LOW LUSTRE EP
21 BUILT TO SPILL YOU IN REVERSE
22 ZERO 7 THE GARDEN
23 MITTENS FOOLS ON A HOLIDAY
24 BLACKPOOL LIGHTS THIS TOWN’S DISASTER
25 HOT CHIP THE WARNING
26 ELECTED SUN, SUN, SUN
27 STUART STAPLES LEAVING SONGS
28 PANIC CHANNEL WHY CRY
29 HOT CHIP COMING ON STRONG
30 HOT LIKE (A) ROBOT VIRGINITY

Currently listening: Bryter Layter By Nick Drake Release date: By 06 May, 2003

Yesterday marked our triumphant return to Tampa after being warmly welcomed at the Tropical Heatwave a month ago. 

The day started out with an invite to WMNF’s studio to pre-record a live performance/interview that would be broadcast at a later date on Chris Smith’s Live Showcase.  Travis accidentally got onto the Turnpike instead of continuing on I-75, so we got a 45 minute late start on things.  WMNF recently built a brand new building that is just amazingly beautiful.  The room we recorded in was a professional recording studio, complete with bad ass mics, headphone monitors, and a drum isolation room (the evan-aquarium as we called it). 

The recordings went well and we were rushed off to the live studio to go on the air with Scott Imrich on his widely popular Afternoon Asylum show.  After a quick on air interview, he played Bassooney and we bid adieu to the kind folks at WMNF.

Off to meet Julie, a reporter from the Tampa Bay Tribune and St. Petersburg Times for another interview.  We met her at her old Tampa style house a few blocks from the studio and threw down, Morningbell Style.

Then, dinner with Danny of Candy Bars and his friend Frank.  We ate at a great Thai restaurant right across the street from Mons Venus!  We didn’t go to Mons Venus .

By now, it was approaching show time at New World Brewery for the Summer Jam 2, so we headed to Ybor.  After unloading and getting settled in the bar, it started POURING.  Luckily, the bar already had a decent crowd that was now forced to stay and watch our set.  Actually, quite a large portion of the crowd was there to see us, which was quite nice.

We met Kim from REAX magazine, who wrote about us in her story on the Tropical Heatwave.  Fortuitously, it came out right before the Summer Jam and was one of the local papers responsible for promoting the event.

Show Time!  The set was a short one (30 minutes), but we got a great introduction from the event’s MC, Deacon.  First, let me tell you a little more about the event.  They were seeking to put on 5 bands, 5 hip hop acts, and 5 dj’s all from different parts of the state.  It was a really fresh idea and actually worked really well.  The set was lots of fun and perfectly capped off what was already an amazing day.  The crowd was really responsive and we were happy.

Afterwards, the guys from WBUL (USF’s station) wanted to interview us for their station and get a station identification tag from us.  It turns out that we’re charting at Number 2 with them, so that was really sweet. 

Overall, it was a great day.  We hope that Tampa will become our somewhat other home town.  So, if you’re reading this and you’re from Tampa, we love you and can’t wait to make out with you again, rock and roll style.

Currently listening: The Joshua Tree By U2 Release date: By 15 June, 1990

So, why is it that we musicians are all seeking the same thing….fame?

Is it because we see rock stars on TV as wee lads playing to huge crowds, starring in awesome music videos, or being interviewed for whatever is going on at the time?

I remember watching old Michael Jackson videos where he would be playing to like 203498wr billion Eastern Europeans who were all passing out as he sang.  I thought that it was so awesome that all those people would come watch one person sing.

I’ve always had this pipe dream to be a member of or as famous as U2.  Hell, I’d settle to be Larry Mullen Jr or Adam Clayton.  It always seems like they’re the most famous band on the planet because 1. so many people like them, 2. they’re actually really damn good, and 2. they’re always involved in some sort of World Political issue.  I mean, Bono is getting world leaders together to talk about Achtung Baby and 3rd World debt relief.  Theoretically, he and rockstars in general have no business in politics.  But on the other hand, they have everything to do with it.

So, what is it? 

Let’s think. . . Who was the most famous rockstar ever?  I’d feel confident in saying it was John Lennon.  He F’in rocked, he got all political on shit, he was leading an army of followers at every turn! 

And he also got shot. 

So, why do we seek fame? 

Why do we seek being shot at basically?

Who knows, maybe it’s because so few people ever attain it and understand what it brings. 

Regardless, we all still seek it.  Maybe some day, I’ll be playing bass for U2 and wearing a collinder on my head.  Then I’ll make a difference in the world.

Currently listening: Give Up By The Postal Service Release date: By 18 February, 2003

Hey space babies, we had a crazy idea for our July 7th show at the Shamrock. 

We are going to play Gainesville. 

We are going to cover: Swazye, The Most, Oh No and the Tiger Pit, Inuit Jargon and more!

It’s gonna be fun!

Currently listening: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits By Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Release date: By 16 November, 1993

WBUL, USF’s radio station has Morningbell Charting at #2 for the week ending 6/6/6!!!  How bout it??  The mark of the beast!  The mark of the Bell.

This is an improvement of the prior week where we charted at #3, and the week before that where we charted at #5.

This culminating just as we are about to hit the City of Champions!!! (see the sign as you leave their airport)

Currently listening: Getz/Gilberto By Stan Getz Release date: By 20 May, 1997

Stacie and I went to see Buddy Guy tonight.  First off, he was excellent.  I had a f’in great time.  And to start on a good note, the audience was incredibly respectful.  He played some songs so quiet that he would shout from the stage and ask if we could hear him (it was the Performing Arts Center, so imagine how big that is to be able to hear him shout over the band). 

Anyway, he was a great entertainer.  Hell, he’s a living legend!  It was a great show. 

There were, however, some shortcomings.

First off, the old man in front of me smelled bad!  I’m talkin bad!  He had onion stink breath, B.O. masked with heavy cologne, and kept leaning forward in his seat, obstructing my view. 

Second, and most disturbingly, people were responding to Buddy’s crowd banter as if he was actually talking personally to them.  During one song, he sang “I wanna make love to you woman.” and some guy said in the absolute whitest voice I’ve ever heard “ALL.  NIGHT.  LONG.”  Pathetic!

Also, he was doing the usual, Gainesville rocks garb and made a joke about watching out for all the alligators.  At this point, one guy said, in conversational manner, “Alligators…blah..Georgia…Gainesville….don’t….watch….blah….alligators…”

Shut the fuck up.  He doesn’t care.

Regardless, it was probably one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen in respects to the audience listening overall (despite the few examples I’ve highlighted).

Which brings me to the theme of this essay. 

Shut the F up when the Blues legend is talking.

Currently listening: A Ghost Is Born By Wilco Release date: By 22 June, 2004

I was thinking about this the other day.  How come albums find you at certain points of your life even though they may have been out for years (if not decades) already?

Some albums are just great period, but for some reasons, certain albums find you at certain points of your life and just become that much more meaningful.

Here goes:

1993: Zooropa.  My first U2 album and the first real rock album I ever bought.  I got it at the Hollywood Mall after borrowing it from Mike Carroll in freshman year of high school.  I think I liked it because of Numb, but I started to appreciate the simplicities and complexities of U2 that still stand with me today. I own the very same copy of it today.

1994: Wildflowers.  I already knew and liked Tom Petty, however, this album was a pure masterpiece.  I also started getting into it heavily at the same time as I started learning the guitar.  Even at an early age, I could appreciate the production quality and overall amazing songwriting ability that was present on the album.  I remember coming home from school and playing the songs and relatively easy solos on the electric guitar and thinking how bad ass it was.

1995: Anything by the Beatles. - I was a Junior in High School.  The Beatles Anthologies were on TV for the first time ever and I just absolutely fell in love with the later stuff.  Pretty much anything past Revolver, but especially Abbey Road and Past Masters II.  I can still picture playing golf at Hollywood Beach Golf Course around Christmas time with Travis and Steve and coming home to our old house at Monroe St. and listening to Hey Jude, Get Back, the whole B side of Abbey Road and thinking how these songs were the best things I’ve ever heard.  I can also picture the time I was waiting for friends at this Italian restaurant in Plantation for over an hour (until realizing I was at the wrong place) and just listening to Abbey Road over and over in the car while I waited.

1997: Dark Side of the Moon and The Division Bell:  Being an impressionable college freshman, I thought these albums were written about me.  That whole melancholy feeling comprised of being happy about being sad, totally fit that time of life when I was trying to figure out who I was, etc. 

1999: Whatever and Ever Amen:  I missed the bandwagon on Ben Folds Five, but got turned on to them later by Steve and Stacie.  It was happy music, but with sometimes heavy or angry lyrics.  But in a way that your average white kid (being me) could understand.  Not heavy like Tool, not ethnically themed like Public Enemy.  Quality nonetheless. 

2001: Left of Cool (Bela Fleck and the Flecktones): This album came to me at the time when we started the band for real.  We thought we were awesome and unstoppable and then we lost a stupid battle of the bands.  On the way home, I listened to “Sojourn of Arjuna” and the line “one cannot jump to the absolute, he must evolve,” still sticks with me today as a reminder of how to run my life/goals/etc. Also, Big Country is one of the most beautiful songs ever.

2002: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots and The Soft Bulletin.  Steve bought Yoshimi, which garnished my scorn (not knowing anything about the Lips besides She Don’t Use Jelly) and played it on the drive from Hollywood to Gainesville.  I was blown away by the album and needed about 6 solid months of listening to it nonstop before I could even consider buying their previous effort, the equally massive Soft Bulletin.  Both albums have directly shaped who I am today, even though one of them came out 5 years earlier than when I bought it.

2004: Bryter Layter (Nick Drake).  My final semester of Law school.  I hated it.  Couldn’t wait to finish.  I woke up every morning angry and depressed.  I had a shower radio at the time and put this album in it.  Every morning, I awoke to One of These Things First.  It immediately put a smile on my face.  I listened to it before I took the Bar.  I listen to it at least once a week on my drive home from work. 

So, why does it happen.  How come some albums hit us at the right moment, while others hit us right when they come out and help create the right moment?

 

Currently listening: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band By The Beatles Release date: By 25 October, 1990

http://www.alligator.org/pt2/060608morningbell.php

Currently listening: Abbey Road By The Beatles Release date: By 25 October, 1990