OMG! The Clientele is playing and I didn't know! Nooo... But with Peter Bjorn and John, who I'm not *as* crazy about (but absolutely no hate, for sure).

Dreamy hiss and nostalgic warblings. 60s psych-pop, 70s AM pop, weird shoegaze lulls... so pretty! The band is a total nostalgia trip, but in a strangely new way. And gorgeous songwriting and lyrics (listen to "Since K Got Over Me" and be in awe of the OMFGiness!).

Much love. For fans of bands such as: West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Slowdive, Chocolate Watchband, Cocteau Twins, Galaxy 500, The Church (their atmospheric side), etc... Pretty pretty!

The Church may be the best band in the entire world. Or maybe not. A moderately successful band that's managed to influence just about every band coming out of Australia today. They had a hit... can anyone name it? I guess they had a few more in Australia, but nothing major.

They're a musical anomally. Eternally outside of time and space, except when they want to be. I've loved them for years. Steve Kilbey would write the Dead Sea Scrolls if people hadn't already, I'm sure of that. One day he might claim to have done so in a past life. Just you see... The funny thing is, I'd believe him.

They have their moments... their pop moments, their "experimental" moments, their rock n roll moments... For a man who sings about ghosts and magicians and star crossed lover in ancient Perian myths over swirls of ambient sounds, Mr. Kilbey has a keen sense of rock n roll. At worst, an academic take on Marc Bolan and Jim Morrison... at best, hymns for a coming race. Always otherworldly, but always as intimate as a half-forgotten memory.

Everyone knows the "Starfish" album... "Under the Milky Way", "Destinations", the exquisite "Hotel Womb" (one of the best songs ever)... But "Seance", "Priest = Aura", "Hologram of Baal", "After Everything Now This"... the list goes on. Over 2 1/2 decades of music making under the pop idiom... managing to progress and evolve through all of it. Melodies copped from other worlds via a band that, if they keep it up, will one day actually turn into a ball of light (or at least convince their fans they have... not a hard task).

I had the fortunate/unfortunate luck of discovering Regina Spektor early... before "Soviet Kitsch" was *officially* released, before the "Us" video soldified the star that would be.

It's a weird thing... seeing her live. Short set, awkward posture, coy laugh, just her and a piano. A crowd of however many people the Warfield holds. She seemed so out of place... like her audience is already outgrowing her. But hark! A white light beaming down on stage, getting bigger and bigger, a small voice chiming "Hallelujah!", an audience mesmerized... And maybe she was always a star, and he audience is just finally growing into her.

All things said... she's one of the most idiosyncratic and brilliant songwriters since Jacques Brel, which may not be entirely accidental. She's just a small Russian girl, afterall... but her head always seems to deliberately be in the clouds... like if a normal word comes out of her mouth then she'll crumble. Weird for the sake of weird, but with a very poetic motive.

"Songs" is one of the best albums ever. That version of "Samson" has broken many hearts, I'm sure. "Reading Time with Pickle" and "Consequence of Sounds" are brilliant. "Lulliby" is beautiful.

"Soviet Kitsch" is the album that made her a hipster staple, and take that for what you wish. But the power of songs like "Carbon Monoxide" and "Ghost of Corporate Future", and the deliberately juvenile pomp of "Us", is astounding.

"Begin to Hope" is the real break-through... the pop star in the making, but with apocalyptic love songs and some of the most idiosyncratic character studies this side of Bob Dylan. "20 Years of Snow" is too much to not feel, and "On the Radio" should be listened to in moderation, lest all mankind fall in love with each other and die of the ensuing heart attack.

I love Regina Spektor. Here's hoping her audience grows into her before they grow out of her! And OMG she's SOOOOOOOO PRETTY!!!

O! Nostalgia! The Pumpkins are, in a mushy and gross sentimental way, my favorite band. They were my first favorite, and for years seemed to mirror my changing interests (Billy started wearing dresses and apeing Marlene Dietrich hand gestures at the exact moment Glam rock and pre-code film infiltrated my brain... creepy).

The band always seemed like a bit of a secret, even when they were huge. Small awkward songs that seemed so big. Gut-wrenchingly teenage lines that will always hold an eternal truth (see title). Snarling guitars exploding out of lullaby-esque atmospheric waves (*the* band of the ADD generation...). A man whose hair disappeared as he became more and more famous (mirror images of Samson and Icarus rolled into one, really). Beautiful!

"Siamese Dream" stands as an angsty love letter to the human race... the most bitter songs are also the sweetest. "Adore" is just the best album ever, OK? Dancing out of tombs and into wombs on each cloudy day.

Billy Corgan is a genius, and enough of an egomaniac to think he actually matters. So he does.

"Zeitgeist" is a really good album. It's different. A band who no longer remembers who they were... but that's good. Times change. Better to forge anew than become The Police or Fleetwood Mac (*cough*). It's not their best, and maybe some of that heart and awkwardness is lost in a guise of maturity... but it's still there somewhere. Lines like "Of course I love you, baby / Coz I'm alive" couldn't be topped by Bolan, Dylan, or St. Augustine. And "Stellar" is, like, one of the best songs ever!

It's rock n roll, OK?! It's not a science. Sometimes it has to suck to make it special. And for that very reason, Billy Corgan is the patron saint of a generation's inner 14 year olds, for better or worse. <3

PS: See them live, if you can. They're still amazing.

Ohk, so I'm totally a pathetic Pumpkins fan. Have been for years. I insult them, and make fun of them, and call Billy an egomaniac (and he is)... but they're amazing. The show last night (July 15th) was amazing. The best show I've ever seen. A 3+ hour set with some of their best/most gorgeous songs. It's not a show for casual listeners... yes, they play a few hits, but they play way more "fan favorites", new songs, and a couple that were unveiled for the first time at that show. If you're expecting an hour long runthrough of their hits from Mellon Collie and Siamese Dream, PLEASE give your tickets to someone who actually loves the Pumpkins, because you'll be disappointed.

So... Billy's an egomaniac. But he deserves to be. The highlight of the show was during the acoustic set when he unveiled two brand new songs, both of which were some of the best of the night. Add to that fan favorites such as "Hummer", "Drown", "Starla", and an amazing version of "To Sheila", and it was *almost* perfect (... I was hoping for "Shame", but you can't win 'em all).

Billy's rad and keen on Jesus-poses. Jeff is adorable, though is often overshadowed by Billy's planet-sized ego. Jimmy is wonderful as always. Lisa is really pretty and an amazing keyboardist. Ginger is a much better bassist than D'arcy (sorry).

!!! It was wonderful... and I'll see them again on the 25th! If you love(d) the Pumpkins but are worried about the trappings of reunions and the lame nostalgia that usually comes with that... so was I. And I was wrong. If you can get a ticket, do. You'll be glad you did.

The only low-point was the 30ish minute long closer, "Gossamer"... a very long and very boring song. Hopefully they'll skip it most nights. But if they don't... it's an excuse to go to the bar and get something to drink to re-hydrate yourself after hours of swaying and bouncing and dancing as the insanely long show wraps up.

The Church!!! They're wonderful. Amazing. Fabulous. For anyone who for some reason hasn't heard of them, they've been around forever, but their music is always exciting and new as opposed to becoming some 80s nostalgia act like ___ (fill in the blank). They're a perfect mixture of REM, Syd Barrett, The Cure and the Cocteau Twins (but better) with the intimacy, delicacy of Tyrannosaurus Rex era Bolan/Blood On the Tracks era Dylan. You can hear some of their new songs at www.myspace.com/thechurchbandofficial, and the songs are amazing. You can hear some of their older songs on MySpace fan sites, or just pick up an album ("After Everything Now This", "Priest=Aura", "Starfish", and "The Blurred Crusade" are all good places to start for respective eras-of-church... or the new album, "Uninvited Like the Clouds", of course). A mouth like Wilde and a soul like an astralnaut... THE CHURCH!!! <3<3<3 (w00t)

Ryan Adams is great and everything, and he's headlining so all the info is about him, but... JESSE MALIN!!! So, go here: http://www.jessemalin.com/ And...

"Since the release of Jesse Malin’s debut album The Fine Art of Self Destruction, Jesse has been either on the road, writing, or recording. When he’s writing, he may break to a movie theater, watch a rock show, grab a burrito on Avenue A, comb through a record store, sing on a friend's new recording, or stop in for a late night beer somewhere downtown. He's often jammin' out new tunes with local players in a local backstore basement. He’ll check in at a guitar store now and then, or get his amplifers fixed. For the most part, he is working on new songs. He did make time to organize a benefit concert that raised several thousand dollars for the Hurricane Katrina Emergency Relief fund. The sold-out show included performances from friends such as Butch Walker, Debbie Harry, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, David Johansen, Marah, Joseph Arthur, Willie Nile and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. He also recently played at Carnegie Hall on a tribute concert to Joni Mitchell to benefit music education in the schools. The Fine Art of Self Destruction, produced by Ryan Adams, was released first in Europe in 2003 bringing worldwide attention to this New York City rock’n roll performing songwriter. Soon after, Artemis Records released it in North America to more rave reviews. This first album contained New York tales with songs like “Brooklyn” and “Queen of the Underworld” that gave the world a true taste of Jesse’s unique life as a kid growing up in the glittering, shimmering, and sleazy streets of this great, crazy city. His was and is a very distinct journey. At 14, Jesse’s very first band, the hardcore band Heart Attack, shared stages with others like The Circle Jerks, The Beastie Boys and The Dead Kennedys. Soon after, he formed the great brash trash pop rock band DGeneration, who really stirred things up in NYC, releasing 3 major label albums. Out of suitcases in hotels and backstage dressing rooms, emerged The Heat, with classic songs like "Swingin' Man", "Silver Manhattan", "Since You're In Love", "Basement Home" and "Indian Summer", "Going Out West", "God's Lonely People" and "Mona Lisa". Much of this 2nd album was written while on tour in the UK, where the songs became stories written with a distant, outer city voice. Jesse self-produced the record, recording it in bits and pieces during touring. Though Jesse claims “it's a nightmare to try to star and direct yourself in the same movie unless you're Dennis Hopper," The Heat was very well received, achieving 4 Stars in Rolling Stone Magazine and Top 10 on Uncut's "Album of the Year" year-end chart. Jesse will be working with a new producer on his next album and this record will be released through Adeline Records (www.adelinerecords.com) in North America and on One Little Indian in Europe. Jesse writes dark, confessional and optimistic lyrics about young people growing up in the new modern world of myspace and itunes, about unsung heroes tryng to survive in an age ringing with apocolyptic overtones and the never-ending quest for meaning and love in the diverse lives in which we all live."

--- www.myspace.com/jessemalin

Ryan Adams is great and everything, and he's headlining so all the info is about him, but... JESSE MALIN!!! So, go here: http://www.jessemalin.com/ And...

"Since the release of Jesse Malin’s debut album The Fine Art of Self Destruction, Jesse has been either on the road, writing, or recording. When he’s writing, he may break to a movie theater, watch a rock show, grab a burrito on Avenue A, comb through a record store, sing on a friend's new recording, or stop in for a late night beer somewhere downtown. He's often jammin' out new tunes with local players in a local backstore basement. He’ll check in at a guitar store now and then, or get his amplifers fixed. For the most part, he is working on new songs. He did make time to organize a benefit concert that raised several thousand dollars for the Hurricane Katrina Emergency Relief fund. The sold-out show included performances from friends such as Butch Walker, Debbie Harry, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, David Johansen, Marah, Joseph Arthur, Willie Nile and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. He also recently played at Carnegie Hall on a tribute concert to Joni Mitchell to benefit music education in the schools. The Fine Art of Self Destruction, produced by Ryan Adams, was released first in Europe in 2003 bringing worldwide attention to this New York City rock’n roll performing songwriter. Soon after, Artemis Records released it in North America to more rave reviews. This first album contained New York tales with songs like “Brooklyn” and “Queen of the Underworld” that gave the world a true taste of Jesse’s unique life as a kid growing up in the glittering, shimmering, and sleazy streets of this great, crazy city. His was and is a very distinct journey. At 14, Jesse’s very first band, the hardcore band Heart Attack, shared stages with others like The Circle Jerks, The Beastie Boys and The Dead Kennedys. Soon after, he formed the great brash trash pop rock band DGeneration, who really stirred things up in NYC, releasing 3 major label albums. Out of suitcases in hotels and backstage dressing rooms, emerged The Heat, with classic songs like "Swingin' Man", "Silver Manhattan", "Since You're In Love", "Basement Home" and "Indian Summer", "Going Out West", "God's Lonely People" and "Mona Lisa". Much of this 2nd album was written while on tour in the UK, where the songs became stories written with a distant, outer city voice. Jesse self-produced the record, recording it in bits and pieces during touring. Though Jesse claims “it's a nightmare to try to star and direct yourself in the same movie unless you're Dennis Hopper," The Heat was very well received, achieving 4 Stars in Rolling Stone Magazine and Top 10 on Uncut's "Album of the Year" year-end chart. Jesse will be working with a new producer on his next album and this record will be released through Adeline Records (www.adelinerecords.com) in North America and on One Little Indian in Europe. Jesse writes dark, confessional and optimistic lyrics about young people growing up in the new modern world of myspace and itunes, about unsung heroes tryng to survive in an age ringing with apocolyptic overtones and the never-ending quest for meaning and love in the diverse lives in which we all live."

--- www.myspace.com/jessemalin

Yes... So, I love Regina Spektor. For anyone who hasn't heard of her and just stumbled across this... If you like Joni Mitchell, Bjork, Devendra Banhart, Bob Dylan, Edith Piaf, Cat Power, Tori Amos, Antony & the Johnsons, Vanessa Carlton, Billy Bragg, or anything inbetween, Check out REGINA! Her website has all of her albums available to stream ("Songs" and "Soviet Kitsch" are the best), her MySpace has some new songs, and www.reginaspektor.net has a lot of demos/bootlegs/rare stuff. She's wonderful and can attach the suffix "-ology" to almost anything!

If I could have grow-ow-own all upon my ow-ow-own... (If I cry my tears are the Sippy Cups') <3 T. Rex and children's music... what could be better?

Fun for whole family!!! What kid shouldn't know the words to "Heroin". I mean, they probably wouldn't really understand "Arnold Layne", anyway! La di da! (but seriously... this sounds brilliant. Kudos to the Sippy Cups)

Oscar Wilde!!! <3<3<3

Ian smokes onstage, even in non-smoking arenas. Yeah, he's THAT badass!

ANDREW BIRD!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!