Cheap Trick + Blackhawks = potential t-shirt

Not that the world needed another Cheap Trick logo parody, but here it is. I listened to a bunch of Cheap Trick this afternoon and while watching the Chicago Blackhawks beat St Louis tonight I thought this might be a cool combo. This was only intended to be a mock-up to see how it would look and to decide if I wanted to do it for real, but I was happy with how it turned out already. Looks wise it would have worked better with Blackhawks as two words, but I think the point still works.

Now I need to find a print-to-order t-shirt place because I want this on a shirt.

MP3 Shuffle-a-gogo

I did a shuffle for MetaChat and am cross posting it here.

1. ECHO & the BUNNYMEN - Lost On You (What Are You Going to Do With Your Life? 1997) The later Echo albums pale in comparison to the first four, but the songs still sound great coming up on a shuffle. 
2. the PRIMITIVES - Thru the Flowers (Lovely 1988) I played this album nonstop when it came out, Still sounds great.
3. KIM WILDE - Kids In America (Kim Wilde 1981) Another album I played nonstop when it came out. This is one of my favorite new wave songs, but rest of the album is quite good as well.
4. the KNACK - Good Girls Don't (Get the Knack 1979) Maybe the first power pop album I ever bought. Although at the time I think I liked the Alvin and the Chipmunks version from Chipmunk Punk better.
5. the DOVES - Black and White Town (Best of the Doves) Love the larger-than-life production on this song. Sounds like a Motown record with pounding drums and modern British vocals. Actually, I never thought about it before, but this sounds like later Jam.
 6. JASON and the SCORCHERS - Both Sides of the Line (Fervor 1983) A killer blast of American rock and roll. Live this song was an absolute monster (as the video linked shows).
 7. the SCREAMING TRIBESMEN - Igloo (Bones + Flowers 1987) For a few songs I was sure that Screaming Tribesmen were going to be my favorite band, but they lost steam pretty quickly. This song always reminds me a bit of Mitch Easter vocally.
8. the MABUSES - Cubicles (Mabuses 1993) Syd Barrett influenced psychedelic pop that came out on Kramer's Shimmy Disc.
9. DAVID BOWIE - Seven Years in Tibet (Earthling 1997) I really like Bowie's mid 90's forays into industrial and techno and I think they've held up quite well. Earthling and Outside have their share of filler, but both have enough strong songs to get me to return to them on a regular basis.
10. the DISTILLERS - Hall of Mirrors (Coral Fang 2003) 2003?!? I guess I can't refer to this as "one of my favorite punk albums of the past decade" anymore. I absolutely love Brody Dalle's shredded vocal style. Hadn't heard from her in a while so I looked her up and am glad to see she's making a new album with Alain Johannes (Spinerette) Michael Shuman (Queens of the Stone Age) and Shirley Manson.

A few more recent doodles from the Moleskine sketchbook

Here are a few more recent pages of doodles from the sketchbook. Even more doodles are over in my flickr  "Cartoons, Doodles, & Sketchbook pages" set.

[ CLICKA THE PICTCHA TO MAKE A BIGGA ]

the First Doodles of 2013 - a new sketchbook just itching to be filled.

Rather than keep doodling in the sketchbook I've been using on-and-off all last year I decided to start the year off with a new sketchbook. Below is a cover page (?!?!) featuring me and my three cats.

My favorite drawing pen (black medium tipped Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen) ran out of ink and apparently I forgot to restock backups, so I decided to give another try to brush tip markers. Below are two pages of doodles, really just trying to see if I can control the lines at all. Sort of digging the results, which means I might give the pen some more doodle time and see if we can become friends.

Joe Strummer

Joe Strummer is one of the few celebrities that I miss and think about on a regular basis the way I would a close personal friend. I saw this wall painting during a marathon bar crawl on trip to New York in 2006. I couldn't remember exactly where it was, but a FaceBook friend reminded me that it's outside Jessie Malin's bar, Niagara at 7th Street and Avenue A. I was quite excited to hear that it's still there.

Touch and Go 25th Anniversary Block Party at the Hideout (2006) PART ONE: Didjits, Pegboy, Jon Langford, Sally Timms, and Katrin Bornfeld

The Touch and Go 25th Anniversary Block Party was the greatest music fests I've ever attended. On September 8, 9, & 10 twenty five Touch and Go bands got together to celebrate 25 years of Touch and Go Records. Along with many current artists on the T&G roster were several one-off reunions, including Scratch Acid, Big Black, and the one I was most excited for, Didjits.

CLICK PICS TO ENLARGE (there are plenty more photos in my T&G25 photoset on flickr)

Didjits @ T&G25

 Didjits @ T&G25

 Didjits @ T&G25

 Didjits @ T&G25

 Didjits setlist for T&G25

 Didjits @ T&G25

Didjits @ T&G25

MORE PICS AFTER THE JUMP

Shuffle-a-gogo - some random MP3 player action

It's time for a little MP3 Shuffle-a-gogo action. The rules are simple: MP3 delivery device of choice set to shuffle/random, first ten songs, post em. Here's what I got today:

1. the CRAMPS - Faster Pussycat (Smell of Female 1983) Cramps do a killer version of the swinging theme song of the Russ Meyer film, recorded live at the Peppermint Lounge in LA.
2. X - I See Red (More Fun in the New World 1983) The fourth X album is my favorite, and pretty much every song is my favorite until the next one comes on.
3. the SPECIALS - Do the Dog (Specials 1979) Not the donkey!
4. IDLEWILD - There's Glory in Your Story (A Distant History: Rarities 1997–2007) One of the b-sides to "These Wooden Ideas" from the band's second album.
5. DURAN DURAN - Drowning Man (Duran Duran aka the Wedding Album 1993) I was never actually a big DD fan until their surprisingly great comeback in 93. This is an album that still gets regular play from me, although I always have to skip that horrifically misguided cover of "Femme Fatale".
6. the SINCEROS - Socially (Pet Rock 1981) This skinny tie new wave pop song from the London band's second album sounds like equal parts Greg Kihn and Joe Jackson
7. the ANGELS - I'm Scared (Darkroom 1980) Australia's Angels could always be counted on for at least a few great rockers on each album, but thanks in part to Doc Neeson's distinctive lead vocals even a basic pub rock song like this one sound great.
8. JETS TO BRAZIL - One Summer Last Fall (Four Cornered Night 2000) For me the 2nd JtB album is Blake Schwarzenbach's masterpiece. Everything clicks - the song writing, the playing, his vocals. Over a decade later it still sounds great.
9. BEACH BOYS - God Only Knows (Pet Sounds 1966) Hey, speaking of masterpieces!
10. MADNESS - Swan Lake (One Step Beyond 1979) Tchaikovsky is skanking in his grave.