Crushing Krisis

Monthly Archives: December 2009

What I Tweeted, 2009-12-06 Edition

Sunday, December 6, 2009

My best and most-interesting tweets of the last week.

You should follow me on Twitter so you can read my tweet action as it happens.

Feeling neutral about this day so far, which is a lot closer to awesome than starting in a deficit of grump. Excelsior, as they say. #
@amanda_nan omg, if they are gone forever I quit. Like, for realz, it would be over. in reply to amanda_nan #
20+ people standing in line at UPS – not a single employee in sight for over 5 minutes. And this is a local hub! Very poor customer service. #
@radiocolin I expect that any business would not leave the till unmanned for over 5 minutes. We could have taken stuff right off the counter in reply to radiocolin #
@jennlyn81 I have no patience to wait for physical service. I'm definitely of the younger generational ilk that expects all to be automated in reply to jennlyn81 #
Music fans: You *MUST* peruse Amazon.com's $5 MP3 album sale. Even the jaded constant-consumer that is me found 10+ LPs from my wishlist. #
Bought so far at the Amazon.com $5 sale, albums by: Heartless Bastards, Rx Bandits, Regina Spektor, Matt Nathanson, & Nina Simone (50songs!) #
@sifelaver I have located it. It is in my hand presently. in reply to sifelaver #
They also have $5 LPs from Mayer Hawthorne, Neko Case, Indigo Girls, Fine Frenzy, Ben Harper, Flight of Conchords, everything GoldFrapp… #
Sorry, I just delight in cheap music from big box retailers. Artists still make their same (small) cut & the retailer takes a loss. All good #
@KateFromage Well, if you can abide by having things only in MP3 (for me, depends on the artist), then today is a good day to stock up. in reply to KateFromage #
@eedawson @radiocolin @johhnny5 The new LP from the lead singer of The Format is $5 today @ AmazonMP3 http://bit.ly/7BR4hE #
@dorkabella It doesn't punch me in the gut quite as hard as the two Format LPs, but I definitely love it. in reply to dorkabella #
Try as I might, I can't enjoy Mayer Hawthorne. I love throwback Motown / Northern Soul arrangements, but his voice just isn't up to the task #
@amanda_nan Well, that was the episode I was going to show you if you claimed you hated it, so I guess I would have won either way ;) in reply to amanda_nan #
Already running late only to find every damn septa bus in my neighborhood is running on some queer detour. Awesome feels really far away. #
@PurpleCar @sarahcooley that is exactly the way I use my favorites ;) in reply to PurpleCar #
@radiocolin Not specifically, but the double entendre works well. in reply to radiocolin #
@erinbrumleve I try to gauge the potential awesomeness of each weekday as I hit my morning commute; today is not faring well so far. in reply to erinbrumleve #
RT @PhillyGG: It's believed over 20 MILLION PEOPLE currently infected w/HIV but dont know bcuz they've never been tested. KNOW YOUR STATUS! #
This is World AIDS Day: a day to be #red, to become educated about people living with HIV/AIDS, and to be aware of your own sexual health. #
@phillyrockblog Up the chain. Hezekiah jones. Stonethrown. Joshua Popejoy. Alexandra Day. Shackamaxon. Christee Lenee. Fall of man. More? in reply to phillyrockblog #
! RT @jakekaskey: Way to GO DC City Council!!! Just passed marriage equality with a 11-2 vote! We keep pushing toward full #LGBT equality! in reply to jakekaskey #
I don't have many good vibes here in Philly with me today, but the internet is making up for it a little. #
@phillyrockblog trying to think of ones w/good recordings. I LOVE Victoria Spaeth and her band, have to get her to demo stuff in my studio! in reply to phillyrockblog #
@phillyrockblog and I think you're already acquainted with my wife's band @filmstarband ;) in reply to phillyrockblog #
@sethgoldstein it's in fine form today, I might have to send you a photo ;) in reply to sethgoldstein #
Tweet #Eden1K4AIDS to raise awareness for #WorldAIDSDay. 1,000 tweets gets AIDS Service Center of NYC $1,000! http://bit.ly/8RvkPI #
Do you know that the four bodily fluids that transmit HIV are blood, semen, vaginal fluid, and breast milk? #worldaidsday #
@amanda_nan I caught up on the remainder of S3 this weekend! It definitely got better, but I still think it's not as sharp as it started. in reply to amanda_nan #
@bengarvey @phillyrockblog As soon as I sent my tweet I was kicking myself for leaving off Bevin Caulfield & Adrien Reju. Also: Papertrees in reply to bengarvey #
@jennlyn81 Just a more upscale LJ in my experience. in reply to jennlyn81 #
He's my fav of the old PyraLabs gang RT @Jack Announcing our new company, @Square, which I'm thrilled to be a part of: http://squareup.com #
This is a great article. RT @wfenza Surprise! Humans live in a constant state of denial about how & why they judge people http://is.gd/59a1F #
WOW! @philebrity nominates #blamedrewscancer as Philly "Do-Gooder of the Year" http://bit.ly/553jzW . A shame we' have to beat Victorino ;) #
Not that I encourage random businesses to follow me to try to get me to buy stuff, but I sorta want to ride in @ThePartyRide -see their page #
@theoreticalgirl Seriously, that was iconic! I always read all of their blogs, but it was only @jack that I had a secret cool-dude crush on. in reply to theoreticalgirl #
Today went from lame to harried to cyclone in the span of 2.5hrs. Looking forward to @imogenheap tonight w/@eedawson @amanda_nan @LunaTechie #
@theoreticalgirl Is he still a musician? I don't even know. Clearly I am not maintaining my cool-dude crush very well. in reply to theoreticalgirl #
@RyanDaniel It's coming! RT @RajaniFaye Guess who is a Blackberry Foursquare beta tester! Woohoo! #
@not_pele Totally should have told Andrea :( RT @imogenheap Want to audition cello for Philly show tomorrow or NY show? We're ready now :) #
@theoreticalgirl Yeah, but he's the only one of them that doesn't make me want to throw my Blogger "B" mug across the room at his smug face. in reply to theoreticalgirl #
@eedawson @melissa_shae How can I know how excited to be unless I know how many centimeters!?! I'm not going to get excited for 1cms, dudes. #
@radiocolin @eedawson @melissa_shae I'm thinking the ability to be sarcastic about this topic might correlate with having a penis. #
@jacmmkay Are you sure it's sold out? I think you can still buy live even though you can't get them on the LiveNation website. in reply to jacmmkay #
@djsnyder Can you share some data about that? Definitely information I'd like to be armed with. in reply to djsnyder #
@jacmmkay The TLA box office should be open since it's the night of a show – if you call directly they could tell you. in reply to jacmmkay #
@melissa_shae I think I'm off ice-skating for good after a particularly harrowing trip just before E and I started dating. in reply to melissa_shae #
@jacmmkay Boo. Sorry to get your hopes up. We can keep our eyes our for peeps with extra if you're really rabid about it. in reply to jacmmkay #
@jacmmkay Indeed, I am, though probably being a bad music-lover and skipping openers. in reply to jacmmkay #
This is insane – I've seen a lot of amazing live music, but @imogenheap is like nothing I've previously witnessed. #
@therealdesh April. You must attend. in reply to therealdesh #
@Yellaphant Yes. in reply to Yellaphant #
Here's my report on today's potential awesomeness: weird vibes of yesterday improved; today largely dependent on listening to awesome music. #
@SarahRobinson So far Duke Spirit's second record, a bracing blast of PJ Harvey tinged rock. Zeroing in on my next choice presently. in reply to SarahRobinson #
@SarahRobinson That would involve thinking, & usually I let iPod do the thinking for me, considering the 16k+ songs it has to choose from :) in reply to SarahRobinson #
Maybe this is a silly thing to be excited about in the midst of stress, but next week I start playing guitar for our company's choir! #
@iFreddie Indeed, that's it exactly! I get to perform in front of a full primary school auditorium :) – What about you? End of year stress? in reply to iFreddie #
Band you've likely never heard of that is awesome: The Long Winters. Rarely play a song I dislike. Now: "Pushover" @sarahrobinson @iFreddie #
@mrdelv Newest disc is "Putting the Days to Bed." Indie Rock crossed with something more melodic and jangly. Lots of sarcasm, smart lyrics. in reply to mrdelv #
@jshanley My coolness tends to exist solely in the eyes of the beholder. I hardly know anyone who likes TLW. Other recommendations? in reply to jshanley #
@amyisarockstar I can't understand how unknown they are – especially on Barsuk, which is one of the best indie launching pad labels there is in reply to amyisarockstar #
@bsii I might have originally heard of them from you, actually. in reply to bsii #
@jshanley Have some individual thoughts on a few of those; will reply when I am comfortably at home w/slippers and tea :) in reply to jshanley #
@elizabethmarley What does Guilty Pleasures entail, exactly? in reply to elizabethmarley #
@ginidietrich For Droid TwitterRide is great; others enjoy TwiDroid. in reply to ginidietrich #
@SarahRobinson Came up short in that they didn't work on Droid, or that they didn't have features you wanted? @ginidietrich @BMAMan in reply to SarahRobinson #
@SarahRobinson Interesting; I don't really enjoy TwiDroid, but love TwitterRide – feels a little more natural than Seesmic. We're reversed. in reply to SarahRobinson #
@aharcharek that is awesome! I hope it keeps going this well (or better) in reply to aharcharek #
I can't believe we're really seeing @ladygaga in less than 12 hours, especially after her pile of Grammy nominations! Hut. #
How hilarious is it that over 50% of my potential glam @LadyGaga concert outfits are from HIGH SCHOOL? #
@iFreddie You would be the ultimate concert-buddy! If only… in reply to iFreddie #
Not only is it GaGa Day, but I am mere hours away from releasing my biggest project of the year to print! This day is exceptionally awesome. #
@JettSuperior Say it ain't so! I almost passed out from laughing when Gina's mom showed me the trailer at T-Give. in reply to JettSuperior #
@phillyrockblog Spent some time discussing it with @not_pele last night, both in terms of the article and the subsequent trolling :) in reply to phillyrockblog #
@PhillyBossLady While you await, awash in our good vibes, are you doing the TMs / Stef cover band double-header with us on Saturday? in reply to PhillyBossLady #
@IJennaUsh Good morning! I just caught up on your wonderful "True Colors" last night. I love when you have solos ;) in reply to IJennaUsh #
Today's awesome may also be due to the fact that I am having one of my Top 10 hair days so far this century. Just sayin'. #
@PhillyBossLady TMs doing Philacapella, and Stefani debuting with her new cover band @ Connie's Ric Rac. @not_pele in reply to PhillyBossLady #
Oh! @brimil never attributes my quotes: "Toys are so lame these days. Whatever happened to having 200 GI Joes & making your own soap opera?" #
Blog tracks the designers of @LadyGaga's fashions: http://nicolaformichetti.blogspot.com/ @brimil @melissa_shae @ryandaniels @mandy_payne #
I've just entered the Thank EMI it's Christmas competition for today – BOWIE DAY! Try your luck: http://bit.ly/6hmQIq #
@melissa_shae Also love it! It's what I used to retouch photos on the go from my honeymoon. in reply to melissa_shae #
@drew xoxoxoxoxo in reply to drew #
@jonrosenberg Augh! I missed signed copies! Do you think you'll be doing any other signed ones by mail, or should I just order a normal one? in reply to jonrosenberg #
@kaytee_did You could buy a COLONY of ACTUAL hamsters for $30. Or, probably two for $8. in reply to kaytee_did #
@jonrosenberg Like, offer the option of going back in time to acquire a signed book 2, or just offer signing for book 3? in reply to jonrosenberg #
@jonrosenberg Despite their fearsome.. um…. stegs… they would be easy prey for time travelers. (And, cool, re: prior answer) in reply to jonrosenberg #
Love:"If I had the power to go back in time I would not be wasting my time on twitter, I would be hunting stegosaurs" (RT @jonrosenberg) #
It's almost GaGa time! I cannot recall the last time I was this attractive. I will try to secure a photograph. #
Omfg, speechless into pokerface on an acoustic piano. @amanda_nan found us during speechless! Intermission for costume change. #
Any day that includes a @LadyGaGa concert PLUS random people tapping me on the shoulder to tell me my hair is amazing is THE BEST DAY EVER! #
@CaptainEmilyy It will be worth every dollar, especially if you get super close!!! :) in reply to CaptainEmilyy #
@KateFromage I was well documented by our Gaga Team. Excellent hair, David Bowie shirt, and a blazer. I was HOT. Photos will turn up shortly in reply to KateFromage #
@kaytee_did The show was incredible. I feel like I was completely brainwashed by her. I can't remember a show that captured me so completely in reply to kaytee_did #
@amanda_nan That's an accurate description. Although, true story, I went to sleep sitting upright on my couch to try to preserve the hair. in reply to amanda_nan #
I was impressed that @LadyGaga is very much a regular person with vision – even on stage she doesn't present herself as separate/untouchable #
She shared a few personal stories, including one where someone told her, "You'll never be nominated for a Grammy." She was very empowering. #
@marksherrick Still in front of 1000s of people but I felt like it was genuine compared to her press stuff. She definitely respects her fans in reply to marksherrick #
Alright, I'll try to scale down the Gaga content now. Thank you all for enduring :) #
@cheryldoherty <3 you! in reply to cheryldoherty #
@DJMarilyn To be fair, you tweet under a few other aliases… in reply to DJMarilyn #
@valerieeev Powelton was always our favorite pizza. If we're near enough we always make a point of getting some delivered to us. in reply to valerieeev #
@brimil Ashley has a photo of us looking really fierce from the beginning of the night. #
@markb How simple of a database? ;) in reply to markb #
@valerieeev Indeed, both my wife and I. She lived a block from Poweltown Pizza, at one point. Also loved: Mad Greek chicken sandwiches. in reply to valerieeev #
Philly did you know: Before 1900 Mummers were citywide and chaotic. The city introduced the parade to contain the feathery carnage to Broad. #
@phillydesign Source: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20091204_Stu_Bykofsky__Mummers_are_special__treat_them_as_such.html in reply to phillydesign #
@markb This is effectively a spreasheet, sortable, via a MYSQL database. Something like this? http://jukebox.uprush.org/tdb.php in reply to markb #
@feleciacruz I am endlessly fascinated by this ability, which my friends often have and I do not. in reply to feleciacruz #
Is it a sign that I'm watching too much Dexter if I am actively plotting a way to kill the screaming children outside my door, one by one? #
@mrdelv I can't believe you've tweeted three times as much as me, already! And, the great thing is it's almost all conversation ;) in reply to mrdelv #
After a few weeks of being solely a spectator, today I need to transition back to creating music and other content. #
@YoungBillyMays I think S1 was utter cinematic perfection, and though the performances continue to improve in S2/S3, the plot declines. in reply to YoungBillyMays #
@YoungBillyMays It's criminal that the actress behind Deb has not been nominated for and/or won an Emmy. in reply to YoungBillyMays #
Working on my PHP/MYSQL song management database system. It's great for managing songs, but I want it to manage albums and audio as well. #
Do you have a project/goal you swore you'd complete in 2009 that's still undone? Is there any way to squeeze it into these last four weeks? #
@redmoonriver Too many goals to start with, or just an unproductive year? in reply to redmoonriver #
@jimtyrrell Ahh, that's a little hairy. Half done, like, half the songs are done? Or, half done, like, half of each song is done? in reply to jimtyrrell #
@redmoonriver To try to solve that for myself I made a list of the goals that were actually important, and checked in on them every quarter in reply to redmoonriver #
Just updated a database it took me years to compile by hand with about 10 minutes of MYSQL queries. I love automation. #
@redmoonriver Yes, two moves would certainly put the whammy on your goals! Also in that category: weddings, job changes in reply to redmoonriver #
Need to learn the best practice of how to read data into an array when it's coming from multiple related tables in a database. #
JOIN statements. Excellent. How did I not already know about that? #
@sarahcooley mmm, love it there. in reply to sarahcooley #
@radiocolin One of the primary reasons I am now firmly in the anti-drop-ceiling category, although at least you could open & trap with them. in reply to radiocolin #
Mmm, fresh cranberry scones from wife. Who just reminded me she is going on tour to Boston in January with @filmstarband. Ah, married life. #
@mrdelv I am the same away about eating fast. I find it hard to slowly enjoy food. It's a necessity, nothing more, even when it tastes good. in reply to mrdelv #
@brimil @amanda_nan @mandy_payne @melissa_shae @ryandaniel @arw723 Merry Christmas, little monsters: http://bit.ly/7JLh4q #
Now have a functional way to add Releases (ie, albums) to my song database, along with links to audio and cover images. Morning well spent. #
@amanda_nan @brimil So, apparently if we were farther away the optical illusion of the raked stage would look like this http://bit.ly/7jiWCt in reply to amanda_nan #
@amanda_nan Nah, Could always score some tickets farther back for Borgata… :) in reply to amanda_nan #
@amanda_nan @brimil The genius of it being she planned for small stages and figured out a way to make her set look bigger/deeper than it was in reply to amanda_nan #
@drawonthewalls It was forced perspective – up close it wasn't nearly that wide, and the floor was raked pretty severely. in reply to drawonthewalls #
@sifelaver haha, so it was in there all along, but under a different band name? in reply to sifelaver #
@melissa_shae You can have one guess at the song I am sitting on my couch and strumming right now :) in reply to melissa_shae #
@arw723 Look for "Cherrytree Sessions" too for the acoustic Poker Face. Also, a really cool version of "Eh Eh" in reply to arw723 #
It would probably be good for my music career if I could go an hour without playing a @LadyGaga medley. But, it would be way less fun. #
@anniemal All my love to you and your family today and in the days ahead. xo #
@Lukester Did it leave? It's been my go-to "Ok, if I *must* do one…" shot for years. in reply to Lukester #
@peterzimmerman We were apparently at the same show as each other, in the same pit. Tempted to see it again from farther away for the stage. in reply to peterzimmerman #
Need to pass a hidden variable from an HTML dropdown form that self submits to a PHP function WITHOUT using Javascript. Currently googling. #
Because my iPod is one with my brain it just cross-faded from "Brown Eyes" to "Speechless" – perhaps my favorite song of 2009. #
OH HAI, maybe I don't even need a hidden variable. But, I still want to know how to do that. #
@bengarvey Yeah, each one is pinned to a specific selection value, so I can just pass it as value. But now I jwant to know if it's possible. in reply to bengarvey #
@bengarvey My approach to anything MYSQL tends to be doing it complicated first, then learning the sane way :) in reply to bengarvey #
@amanda_nan @mandy_payne @brimil This was the GaGa song we didn't recognize: http://bit.ly/59WfNG #
@bengarvey I also just learned how to use JOIN correctly, which is probably going to half the length of my song database code :) in reply to bengarvey #
@mrdelv I meant in comparison to people who are blasting out their status, or links, etc. You use it more for conversation than that. in reply to mrdelv #
@amanda_nan True/False: Summerboy is like a mashup of No Doubt & Grease. in reply to amanda_nan #
@amanda_nan Listening it on shuffle exposed that Speechless is pretty fast for a ballad, and PokerFace is just fast in general. in reply to amanda_nan #
@amanda_nan Meanwhile, we need to find a high quality version of Fashion. It's "album only" on Amazon MP3 ;( in reply to amanda_nan #
@bengarvey Yes, a monstrous MYSQL db to track all of my songs / lyrics / albums / chords, etc. Want to finish, make it available to others. in reply to bengarvey #
@bengarvey Indeed. Just started #253 on Tuesday. in reply to bengarvey #
@bengarvey All I've written or co-written, though a handful were in notebooks lost to time and I just know the titles. Might add a covers DB in reply to bengarvey #
@bengarvey That's why I did it! I used to go through the book where they were written down, but it didn't help me remember how to play them. in reply to bengarvey #
If we paid $1 a year to follow each Twitter user, how many people would you be following? Think less about budget, more about who's worth it #
@therausch09 Well, it's not working for me at the moment, but it's an interesting thought. If you can't justify $1 a year for someone… in reply to therausch09 #
@amanda_nan You mean she sounds alternatingly shouty and breathy, with neither being especially tuneful? ;) in reply to amanda_nan #
@suz925 Are you going to the TMs show and/or Stefani's show with her cover band?! in reply to suz925 #
Philly: Looking for a low-key night out despite the snow? Head to Connie's Ric Ric for our friend's awesome cover band http://bit.ly/5NRIdt #
Stefani's band, The Unoriginals, really slayed for it being their first time out. Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, Michael Jackson, Beatles, & more. #
@therealdesh I feel like she's already playing to a cult following, which is dangerous for someone only on a sophomore effort. in reply to therealdesh #
We are 11 minutes into Away We Go and Elise is already enthralled with the zaniness. #
@sifelaver For Umami, probably. Some other things do the same job, but Soy Sauce is ubiquitous. Also, I bet E already said that.Let's see… in reply to sifelaver #
@sifelaver No, I just know she would have said that :) in reply to sifelaver #
@therealdesh Might not be for you. If you have the time, try a few more to the mid/end of S1. I feel like that's when it really clicked. in reply to therealdesh #
@therealdesh But if you "really didn't like it" I don't think that will help. Like me with the Office – I just don't like the entire style. in reply to therealdesh #
@seesawshuffle I can't wait either! I have been brewing my own response to your 52-songs project, as well :) in reply to seesawshuffle #
@BrettCoppol I didn't love it as much as wife, but I did appreciate how real the writeing was. Like, things we'd actually do and say. in reply to BrettCoppol #
My songs database can now add and edit releases, search all lyrics and titles, and display an admin footer on all pages! I'm almost done!!! #
I might need a break from programming tools for my music to play some music. Also, FYI, probably doing a streaming concert later tonight :) #
Elise and I both have the A far below our actual range (for her, bass, for me… um, sub-bass). Clearly from all our hard partying. #
You know, I don't like covering Jason Mraz for the exact reason of the bridge in this song I am writing, yet here I am trying to play it. #
@PhemmePhoodie It's soooo good, and lately she has perfected the pressing-of-tofu to time-spent-searing ratio. in reply to PhemmePhoodie #
Great customer service story; immediately saw ROI. RT @robangeles Lowe's Travels To The Future To Discount Appliances http://ow.ly/16797K #
I've now coded 5+ new features into my database AND finished a song that I was stuck on. This weekend could not get any more productive. #
Which is a better line: "I'm counting the seconds, the minutes are too long." OR "I'm counting the minutes, the hours are too long." #
@adventuregrrl That's what I was leaning towards; a little more unconventional, and desperate. E says the song sounds like Kelly Clarkson. in reply to adventuregrrl #
SCORE: Wife likes the new Mraz-ish tune. Songs she likes during the ugly-duckling songwriting phase tend to wind up awesome when finished. #
@hughweber Major score on that one, sir. in reply to hughweber #
@arikhanson Having forsaken my Eagles, Vikings and Saints are my two most-fav NFC teams. Looking forward to an awesome NFC title game. in reply to arikhanson #
@burgerbaroness Hey! Did I miss the December gathering of the burger club? in reply to burgerbaroness #
@amandamello Like, to proofread, or you're breaking up with the therapist? in reply to amandamello #
In case you were wondering or had forgotten, the NFL Tie-Breaking Procedures for playoff seeding: http://bit.ly/4VVTRw #
Having "fuck" as the 3rd word of a song is really convenient to my rehearsal process, because that's where I usually mess up & scream "fuck" #
@iWIC3 I like giving myself little challenges like internal rhymes or seeing how early in a song I will need to be censored on television. in reply to iWIC3 #
"The promise of something real In a wasteland of fakers & plasticine people, supercilious waiters who don't know for what they're waiting." #
Words come out of my head & I have no idea where they came from. Well, "plasticine" came from "Lucy In the Sky," but you get my point. #
@amanda_nan Ready for the Firefly movie??? in reply to amanda_nan #
@amanda_nan Holy wow. That's pretty intense. I'm really wanting to see it again, from farther away, but tix are SO expensive. in reply to amanda_nan #
@harveymilk Unsure about Refresh – Mondays are never super nights for me to head out directly from work. I will certainly keep it in mind! in reply to harveymilk #
I think a LIve @ Rehearsal stream is pending in the next hour – lots of new stuff, a few covers. #
@arw723 You would KILL that at karaoke. It better find its way onto some playlists soon. in reply to arw723 #
I think this Live @ Rehearsal stream might be comprised almost entirely of songs I've never recorded before, in any form… #
Testing a tweet from LiveStream… #
Live now: Lady Gaga's Paparazzi – http://www.livestream.com/krisis #
Clearly not off-book on "Fixable" yet! But, that's what Live @ Rehearsal is for :) #
Really digging LIveStream's capabilities! But, there's so much more there than the simple setup of their TwitCam. Lots to learn! #
@KateFromage Just a little frustrated that I pulled "Somewhere Down the Line" out of my ass, but the one I was playing all day crashed. in reply to KateFromage #
@KateFromage Always. On the plus side, I think the new one holds up, aside from the frigging novella of lyrics I have to memorize. in reply to KateFromage #
Now all of @markb's LiveStream knowhow from Blameathon is flooding back into my brain – I can queue up YouTube clips & stuff! Must plan… #
A hilarious group shot of us leaving Gaga. It documents my perfect hair. RT @arw723 http://twitpic.com/shm14 – Proud to be Little Monsters!! #
@melissa_shae I lurrrrrve it. in reply to melissa_shae #
@Travisuniversal Just caught her on Monster, actually. We were super-close to the stage, and I want to see it again from farther away. in reply to Travisuniversal #
@jon_k You know, day-to-day he really doesn't look like Alan Tudyk, but there he REALLY does. in reply to jon_k #
@Travisuniversal Definitely worth going in cold! And, as cool as it was to be super-close, it was definitely meant for the wider audience. in reply to Travisuniversal #
@Travisuniversal I'm seriously considering going to one of the RCMH shows in January. in reply to Travisuniversal #
@brimil @amanda_nan @mandy_payne @arw723 @melissa_shae @ryandaniel This may be my fav Gaga outfit so far: http://bit.ly/8PUVw8 #

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Monday @ Downey’s Open Mic

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

I have been on an open mic tour this fall, in an effort to get my music out of our living room and into the ears of people other than Elise.

It’s not that I don’t like performing. I love performing. It makes me realize why I torture myself with all this practice. I just don’t like leaving the house. Or traveling to where I’ll be performing. Or staying there past midnight.

Otherwise, yes, I love performing.

A wonderful thing about Philadelphia at this point in time is that there are open mics within walking distance of just about anyone, which at least eases the traveling aspect. Last night E and I headed out to Downey’s on front and South – a mere mile away – for a rare combo open mic: me solo, and she as an acoustic half of Filmstar along with Glenn.

I was in better mood or voice or whatever than usual. “Regenerate” felt real and true. I love starting, singing “In a room full of strangers that were once known to me,” and wondering if I am in that room of strangers, or if I am telling a new and different room a story about them.

The beauty of playing “Regenerate” first is that if I make it through I feel relatively invincible; I tore through the rest of my set in short order (including my still relatively new cover of “Poker Face).

Elise and Glenn acquitted themselves well, with E playing guitar in front of people for the first time since 2003. And we heard our visiting songwriting friend Rob Lytle, as well as my increasing dear friend Cris Valkyria with her otherworldly first soprano siren.

It’s a good morning to be awake and alive, I think.

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Tuesday @ Smith’s

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

I stayed late at work last night, ostensibly to head with guitar in tow to the open mic at Time, but ultimately E and I wound up at Smith’s on 19th right above Chestnut. Tuesdays at Smith’s they serve mussels $2 by the dozen.

E and I didn’t understand the methodology at the top of the night, ordering single plates. Gina and Megan later showed up and showed us how it was done: “I’ll have two” “I’ll have three.”

The mussels were good – dressed in a simple, succulent white sauce. No competition with Monk’s or, my favorite, Nodding Head. Ultimately Smith’s is pleasant, but too immersed in the shadow of my building to make me feel like I’m really out anywhere. More like lunch break, circa 8pm.

Afterward I told E that I really needed some pastry. I was craving pastry. I could not live without pastry. So, she drove me to the supermarket, where I bought a cheesecake, a pumpkin pie, cinnamon rolls, and a strudel.

Hopefully I will not consume all of them before the next post.

We’ll see.

Filed in Philly, elise, food, gina | | Comments (0)

What do you mean you don’t like Wham!?

Thursday, December 10, 2009

I spent the night at home last night – E was out rehearsing with the band while Gina and I commandeered the living room for Arcati Crisis rehearsal.

We’ve been so consumed with our open micage this fall that we’ve forgotten a bit about how much we like to just be in a room playing music with each other. An hour – a whole hour – practicing our acoustic duet of “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” In what other living room in America can you hear that?

We’re the house band at the Shubin Theate holiday revue next weekend, as we’ve been since 2003, amidst opera and flamenco and one-act plays. I tried to convince Gina to learn a Christmas song, but we reached an impasse after she declined “Christmas Song,” she wanted “Father Christmas” but neither of us really know it, and I wanted “Last Christmas” and we discovered her secret prejudice against Wham.

HELLO, SECRET PREJUDICE AGAINST WHAM? Seriously, we’ve been friends for half our lives and I didn’t know about this? Wham is like the best super-cheap jug of wine ever – cloying, a little too syrupy, but only a guilty pleasure after you realize you drank the entire thing all in one sitting and bought a second.

Apparently she just likes “Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go)” as a novelty. No “Careless Whisper,” and no “Last Christmas.”

So, yeah, no Christmas songs from Arcati Crisis, per our usual MO. We’ll play our newest stuff and unleash “Total Eclipse,” as well as probably “Falling Slowly” – which makes me nervous as hell. We’ve never done a song before where I have to just stand still and sing well.

You’ll get a preview of it next week. And if you’re in Philly and will die without attending the holiday revue, let me know via comments.

Filed in arcati crisis, gina | | Comments (2)

I #blamedrewscancer for being a Philebrity

Friday, December 11, 2009

I have a story to tell you.

I met half of the #blamedrewscancer crew at Fuzion at around seven for the Philadelphia Area New Media Association (PANMA) holiday party.

That is not the story.

We were at PANMA for some brief networking and catching up with friends, but our end destination was The Trocadero, where Philly blog fixture Philebrity was holding their non-denominational X-Mas party slash year end awards.

Blame Drew’s Cancer was up for the “Outstanding Do-Gooders of the Year” award. Polling had been open and transparent, so it was easy to see that we were getting creamed by Phillies’ Shane Victorino from day one. As such, we didn’t marshal much of a vote – eventually coming in fourth, behind even Mayor Nutter for his ballsy budget bluff.

The four of us – Britt, Mikey, Libby, and I (plus Libby’s awesome husband, another Peter) rolled in to the Troc fashionably late, and occupied the “Reserved” table closest to the stage. Our innate rowdiness took over shortly, and we were hooting at the house band (shout out to BC Camplight) and yelling “Hut!”at any reference to Lady Gaga.

Okay, maybe that was just me.

Suddenly, it was time for our award category. Philebrity Captain and one of my personal Journalist heroes Joe Sweeney read down the list of nominees. When he hit #bdc we cheered, the crowd cheered for us, and he continued down the list.

End of story? Not quite.

Joey Sweeney: So, Shane isn’t here tonight, so we’re going to give this award to Blame Drew’s Cancer.

Team Blame Drew’s Cancer: ???

No, he was not joking. Suddenly we’re being gestured at and motioned towards to the stage and then we’re on the stage and then I’m hugging Joey Sweeney and then, inevitably, I am standing in front of a microphone gaping at a rather large crowd seated at round tables all Golden Globes style and I am like, omg I think now they want me to talk.

Luckily, there is video to document my surprising coherent trip through award show aphasia:

Philebrity Awards from Mark Magliocco on Vimeo.

(Take note of my neck-bobbing walk down the stairs, as it figures in to the next bit pretty heavily.) Continue reading ›

Filed in Philly, Twitter, Year 10, blamedrewscancer, dancing, introversion, memories, parties, stories | | Comments (1)

Doppelgangers

Friday, December 11, 2009

Tonight we saw Elise’s brother depict Orsino in his high school’s performance of Twelfth Night.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to recap high school theatre at length for you. At least, not just yet. First, I have to tell you about my doppelganger.

Basically, there is a kid that is friends with E’s brother, and he looks and talks and moves just like me. He’s even inappropriately loud at all the wrong moments, just like I was (but am not as much anymore).

Every possible person has commented about it. E’s mom thinks we look alike. Someone else in the show saw me in the audience and thought he/I had snuck out from backstage.

It’s uncanny. I didn’t have the curly hair back then, he has a better nose, and I don’t think he is under the impression that he is David Bowie, but otherwise he is a relative spitting image of me.

It’s a little unsettling, if only because E’s brother reminds me of me enough to begin with (mostly intellectually, and in wishful thinking, because I wished I was him when I was in high school), but then to have another person remind me of me, and to have the two of them be buds and gallivanting around on-stage, is kind of mind-collapsing.

Also, Twelfth Night itself is a play of doppelgangers and doubles. It’s possibly my favorite Shakespeare comedy because it moves briskly and doesn’t require much suspension of belief. The troupe did it in the style of commedia dell’arte, which meant they all played as archetypal models, and nearly all wore elaborate masks. They also played a collection of found and real instruments, and did some offstage singing to score the scenes.

We did a commedia-style show my freshman year – the brilliant A Company of Wayward Saints – and it was also great. There’s something about the reductiveness of the archetypes that makes it easy to bring amazing scenes to life – like it’s easier to just sink into the character without thinking too much about it.

We also did the found-music thing in Bretch’s Good Woman of Setzuan, a process well-documented in the annals of the blog.

Basically, bro just did my two most technically challenging collegiate shows wrapped up along with Shakespeare AS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, and knocked it out of the park. As did my doppelganger, and all of their castmates.

They’re pretty cool.

Filed in elise, high school, stories, theatre | | Comments (0)

Filmstar @ Fontana’s

Saturday, December 12, 2009

I am in Fontana’s in the middle of Chinatown in New York waiting for Filmstar to play, and Emily Cavanagh is talking to me from the stage.

Well, not just me, but it might as well be, because she has that kind of stage presence where she is drawing us in instead of pushing herself out.

We are in the midst of a Santa bar crawl, she informs me, clad in a short red skirt and candy cane striped, fur-trimmed arm warmers.

Emily’s three piece is fun and jazzy, and I am marveling at the merry-go-round of NYC music. I might hate it here (not really) (okay, really), but there’s such a wide range of music to hear. I mean, there’s a show with this fun jazzy stuff followed by Elise and the band glam-rocking through a Filmstar set.

I don’t feel like that happens in Philadelphia. It’s still more segregated – the jazz kids stay on the jazz side of the line, the acoustic kids hang out with their own, and the bands drive the big shows.

There are more Santas here by the minute. The room is now filled with Santas. Some are bearded and authentic, while others are half-hearted in hats and vests or just striped stockings.

Emily is kind of killing it, first with “Branch,” then “Down the Line,” and something about “Sunday Morning.” I think I’m going to have to say hello to her.

But, first I have to go sit in our parked car and give the appearance of knowing how to drive a car, because our parking pass expires three minutes before parking is free. And god help me if anyone calls that bluff, because I don’t think I know the window wiper fluid from the gas pedal.

Filed in Filmstar, nyc, thoughts | | Comments (2)

It’s good enough for whales, dude.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

We just got through sitting in our parked car eating dumplings, a queer little Saturday night date in the midst of this insanity of rock shows and serious theatre and made up awards.

Based on two visits, I love nearly everything from Vanessa’s Dumpling House on Eldridge Street, but my shrimp dumplings were not what I expected. I’m not sure what that expectation was, but it wasn’t a dumpling with dozens of teeny shrimp all nestled inside with no seasoning to speak of.

Ever since I saw District 9 I’ve been a little leery of shrimp eating, and the dumpling of a thousand shrimps was not making the shrimp-eating experience any less ooky.

I turned to E for some comfort.

P: These dumplings have, like, thousands of tiny shrimp inside of them. It’s a little creepy.
E: Like sea monkeys!
P: You’re not helping.
E: Or krill!
P: Okay, now I’m done.
E: Hey, it’s good enough for whales, dude.

E and the band were pretty good, although I can already tell she’s not going to like the video because she wasn’t happy with her vocals (she’s been pretty sick since Thursday). Every time I mention a good spot she has a bad spot to match.

I’m always inconsolable after a performance, for better or for worse. Either I know in my heart it was awful, and no coaxing can convince me otherwise, or I’m sure I was excellent and need no further discussion on the topic (Monday being a prime example).

I won’t rattle her cage any further about it being good or not. We’re off to peek into bro’s cast party to catch up with various sibling units before bed.

Filed in Filmstar, Year 10, elise, food, memories, nyc, stories | | Comments (1)

Adventures in Adulthood

Sunday, December 13, 2009

The past ten days have been an adventure – from the unreality of the Imogen Heap and Lady Gaga concerts to the front seat of our car parked in Chinatown a few hours ago.

It felt right to end it sitting on a bedroom floor with E, her sister with her delightful boyfriend, and appearances of an adrenaline-filled little brother and an exhausted dad, both visiting from the cast party downstairs.

I can find a myriad of reasons to be unhappy. I’ll grant that I used to be better at it, but growing up and getting things that you’ve always wanted for yourself takes the edge off. Still, even all married and with a fulfilling job and being a part time rock star I can make myself miserable. Just ask the me of two Monday’s ago.

I say that by way of contrast: when I’m happy, I know it. I clap my hands. I laugh. I love my hair. I say delirious things that get tweeted if Britt or Amanda are anywhere near me. I break out into Rent in the middle of E’s dad’s foyer, high school girls tittering as they walk past.

Those kids sealed the deal for me. I turned around to talk to E and between us was one of the leadz from the play – imperial and larger than life last night, but tiny, young, and fragile between us. I finally got to tell her how awesome she was. She grinned, thanked me, and then yelled, “Steeeeeeeve, where do I get water in your house?”

She was oblivious, moving through space effortlessly just like she did on stage last night. I never knew how to do that as a teenager. If I was happy, it was fleeting, and if I moved through space effortlessly it was because I forgot myself.

I could not have possibly pictured this life as a teenager, sitting on the floor with a partner and siblings I love, laughing louder than the combined forty teenagers downstairs.

Next time I’m feeling grumpy, awful, unhappy, hateful … just remind me about these ten days.

Filed in elise, family, high school, identity, memories, thoughts | | Comments (1)

What I Tweeted, 2009-12-13 Edition

Sunday, December 13, 2009

My best and most-interesting tweets of the last week.

Quotes of the week:

If you had to pay $1/yr to follow each person, how many would you follow? Think less about overall spend, more about who/what is worth it. #

I'm like The String Whisperer – I always know when my set is about to start breaking. #

This day was supposed to get progressively easier. It should not feel like I am being beat about the head with a communications shovel. #

Oh: "She's kinda fat for the cover of Fitness." "Honey, it's a fitness magazine, not Emaciation Weekly." "I'd subscribe to that." #

Random childhood memory: jungle boat ride at Disney, age 5. Fell in love with 6yr-old girl across from me. Relationship never consummated. #

Um, #blamedrewscancer just won a phucking @philebrity award and I got on stage and said stuff extemporaneously AND HUGGED JOE SWEENEY. OMFG. #

How does Philadelphia hold all of these amazing people? And, when you meet them you say, "You are awesome, why don't I know you already?" #

Elise thinks that the American Red Cross should team up w/TwiHards across the country to throw special midnight vampire-themed blood drives. #

Highlighted topics/conversations: PANMA Party / Phileb Awards, Filmstar in NYC

You should follow me on Twitter so you can read my tweet action as it happens.

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Backfilled

Monday, December 14, 2009

I’ve been crap about blogging live for the past few weeks. Too much life, not enough to say.

Or so I thought.

I kept jotting down thoughts as I lived, because stuff kept happening. It seemed pointless at the time – journaling that would never see the light of day. However, starting from the Philebrity party on Thursday I felt like a theme was beginning to emerge. I went back to straighten things out and edit a bit, and it turns out I had something to say that I want represented on CK after all.

The result is that I’m backfilling all the non-blog blogging I’ve done since the first of this month. It’s blogging via hindsight, having seen the threads of my story woven neatly together over the weekend.

In the future I have to post as life happens and trust that a story is being written.

Filed in bloggish, over-achievement | | Comments (0)

Daily Demo: Falling Slowly (Live @ Rehearsal)

Monday, December 14, 2009

A few weeks ago Gina and I convened to brush up on our originals for the impending annual Shubin Theatre Holiday Revue, and in the process caught one of our newer covers on virtual tape.

The song is “Falling Slowly,” the Academy Award winning tune from Once.

Gina saw Once early in its theatrical run – before I had even heard of it. The next day she came to rehearsal and said, “I have to play you this song.” She proceeded to unfurl a beautiful, played-by-ear version of “Falling Slowly.” She narrated her way through: “Here the woman starts singing a higher harmony part.” “And, you see, in the chorus he goes up for falsetto -the lines cross.”

I was enamored with the song immediately, though less so when I heard the warbling official version from the soundtrack. I filed it in the back of my head as something to try as Arcati Crisis at a later date.

That later date came this summer, as we were casting about for some new covers to learn. “What about,” I queried with caution, “playing ‘Falling Slowly’?”

Gina was all over the opportunity, with the caveat that this was to be my chance to sing a song without playing guitar. Which sounds like a nice vacation, but it is actually TERRIFYING – partially because the song is tricky and I sing better harmony while I am playing guitar, but also because I’m simply not used to singing without an instrument (aside from karaoke, which is a different beast).

This live @ rehearsal demo of the song finds us at a late stage of the rehearsal process – we’ve worked out the road-map and harmonies, but we’re still fine-tuning the blend between our voices. We’ll debut our performance of it this Saturday at the Shubin Theatre.

Falling Slowly (Live @ Rehearsal): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Filed in arcati crisis, demos, flicks | | Comments (1)

What I Tweeted, 2009-12-20 Edition

Sunday, December 20, 2009

My best and most-interesting tweets of the last week.

Quotes of the week:

As soon as a song hits the radio it #isplayedout. Radio is where good songs go to die, not where they can be found. #

Almost 10yrs ago I had a close internet friend in a coma. I wrote a song for her that her friend played by her bed. She WOKE UP days later. #
Did she wake up because of my song? Probably not. But my positive energy was there to greet her when her eyes opened. #

Together we're so much more powerful than cancer. We can connect the experiences of all of the survivors, families, & lovers to crush cancer #

Withering take-down of the Table-Games bill in PA by @philebrity-award winning blog The Clog: http://bit.ly/6e8qJ8 #

I apparently used two days' worth of voice last night, because I sound like a cave troll this morning. But, in a healthy, non-raspy way. #
Soon I will be like Bono and need to travel everywhere wearing a humidifying mask. #

[Re: Breeding Dragons] @anniemal Not sure about the fire-breathing, but I say we start with crocodiles and eagles and see where it takes us. in reply to anniemal #

Dear Adam Levine: You sing like a duck. Yes, a very rangey duck, but still a duck. It takes more studio magic than anyone should need to fix #

Hoping our performance of Falling Slowly tonight will be as gorgeous as this: http://bit.ly/6KitbX (I'll be playing piano!) #

Ladies & awesome-haired gentlemen, I need advice: How do I keep my perfectly curly locks safe and plump for the show on my walk? A bonnet? #
I currently look a lot like Rosie the Riveter. #
I am only showing you this because I love @drew and he said, "pics or it didn't happen" http://twitpic.com/u8luj #

B T Dubs, my hair is AMAZING – beyond expectations. I am seeking a room lit well enough to capture its amazing texture and depth on camera. #

Safely home! Involved lifting a sheet of ice as big as my torso & pushing Gina's car 30ft down the street. You know, standard Arcati Crisis. #

Wow, and here's a quote about my life: RT @laermer One man's proofreading is another's glance! in reply to laermer #

I had to trade her a future 1am Wendy's run for this trip to Avatar. Hopefully worth it. #

Highlighted topics/conversations:

Amanda Palmer & My Doomed Song

Getting ready for, trudging through snow to arrive at, and playing the Shubin Theatre Holiday Revue

Indie Band Vocal Critique

You should follow me on Twitter so you can read my tweet action as it happens.

Filed in Twitter | | Comments (1)

Fisher Price – Arcati Crisis, Live @ Rehearsal

Monday, December 21, 2009

Gina and I shot a nine-song Live @ Rehearsal concert last week at the Shubin Theatre as we prepped for our anchoring slot at their Holiday Revue. Here’s the first tune – Gina’s rollicking “Fisher Price.”

(watch in HD on YouTube)

Love “Fisher Price”? Download our latest Live @ Rehearsal recording of it, for free.

Upcoming songs include two video debuts from me, Gina’s righteously awesome rock single, a ten-year-old tune, and two never-heard-before covers!

Filed in arcati crisis | | Comments (1)

Monday Evening Remainders

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

I really need to get better at discharging links more expediently. At the moment sifting for true gold is an all-evening prospect.

Kevin Smokler highlights eight awesome facts about Michelle Lynn Johnson, AKA Me’shell Ndegeocello.

Do you feel like your eyes are bigger than your stomach? Well, maybe your eyes and stomach are the same, and the food just got bigger.

Andre Torrez establishes seemingly unattainable resolutions, like not buying books for an entire year. For 2010 he is only listening to newly released music. I will gladly abet him in that quest.

James Franco, on Soap Opera as performance art:

I disrupted the audience’s suspension of disbelief, because no matter how far I got into the character, I was going to be perceived as something that doesn’t belong to the incredibly stylized world of soap operas. Everyone watching would see an actor they recognized, a real person in a made-up world.

Genius. I love anything that alters an audience’s perception of art based on peripheral factors. See also: Brecht, Dresden Dolls, Lady GaGa. (via Kottke)

Also via K: a couple paints what they want, then sells the painting for the price of what they want, then buys what they want. Ingenious, no?

Stumped for a gift for a precious or precocious kid on your list? Get them a pad and some crayons, and spend some time with them on Christmas drawing monsters. Then, have their favorite monster made for them.

Debbie Millman, one of my favorite bloggers and role models, is launching both a book and a television pilot. Both worth seeing.

Who Sampled lets you figure out where that sampled hook came from (or, if the song you want to sample has been oversampled already). (via Fresh Arrival)

Seth Godin’s blog is a goldmine of best-practice thinking and tools. Recently, a post chock full of personal to-do list web apps. Loves it.

Speed Tracer is a Google Chrome extension that can help you figure out what’s slowing your page load. Remember when every page had to be smaller than 20k? Good times (via Lifehacker).

PS: I have switched over to Chrome full-time for personal browsing. LOVE. And this is coming from a lifelong Mozilla devotee.

Time for bed; another AC video in the a.m.

Filed in thoughts | | Comments (0)

Love Me Love Me Not – Arcati Crisis, Live @ Rehearsal

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The second song in our Live @ Rehearsal concert is my “Love Me Love Me Not.” LMLMN is infamous in that I spent several months actively writing it – like, daily – before it was finished. And then my amazing vocal instructor Dr. Emily Bridges turned it upside a bit, and then Gina turned it upside down a bit more, and then we arrived at this:

(watch in HD on YouTube)

That’s the first-ever video of “Love Me Not”! If you love it, download a high fidelity Live @ Rehearsal recording of it, for free.

If you missed the first song, it was Fisher Price. Tomorrow I’ll have a brand new cover, and after the holiday another week of videos!

Filed in video | | Comments (0)

Religion / Falling Slowly – Arcati Crisis, Live @ Rehearsal

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Today you get two songs in one post!

The first is one of our two brief single-minute tunes – Gina’s “Religion.” The fun fact about this bitingly sarcastic little agnostic ditty is that it’s one of the first songs Gina ever wrote. Its original demo was featured on CK during the first ever Blogathon in 2001.

We always joke that people probably like the 2001 demos better than our current stuff, because they are so warbly and indie rock. Oh, fickle tastemakers.

(watch in HD on YouTube)

If you’re in the slice of audience “Religion” doesn’t offend, feel free to download our most recent demo.

Today’s second song is “Falling Slowly” from the movie Once; I shared our demo of it last week. Ultimately I wound up playing piano at our appearance at the holiday revue, but I was still simply singing when we shot this rehearsal footage:

(watch in HD on YouTube)

The Arcati Crisis Live @ Rehearsal concert will be back with five more installments next week, including our two newest songs, a Peter deep cut, Gina’s magnum opus, and a new 80s cover.

Filed in arcati crisis | | Comments (1)

What I Tweeted, 2009-12-27 Edition

Sunday, December 27, 2009

My best and most-interesting tweets of the last week.

Quotes of the week:

Chipotle must be very high in umami. That's the only possible explanation for how I could love something more than ice cream. #

Great post. RT @trevor_neilson: RT: @kanter @socialentrprnr What can Pepsi learn from Chase Fail? http://bit.ly/6XXxxb @socialcitizen in reply to trevor_neilson #

Agree/Disagree: Any best songs of the decade list that doesn't start with "Since U Been Gone" is badly calibrated. #

1,000 True Fans, a fantastic article: http://bit.ly/568LhN (re: last night, @brimil) #

Dying of LOL listening to "I Sure Hope I Don't Have To Beat Your Ass This Christmas." Master Shake is my #1 Role Model. http://bit.ly/6NXn1q #
This is the greatest X-mas song ever. I wish Master Shake could be my internal monologue. Did I mention it's live & you can DL for free? #
Oh. "Christmas is a time for forgiveness." "Forgiveness does not turn chicks on like Old Spice shower gel." #

This is BS. Vick does not deserve to be a public figure anymore, let alone win awards: Eagles vote Vick Courage Award – http://bit.ly/8Ceyx8 #
I swear, if by some outside Phillies-blessed chance the Eagles win the Superbowl I AM NOT GOING TO COUNT IT because Vick is on the team. #

Nothing puts me in the Christmas spirit quite like the last half of the first act of RENT. #

Oh: "Your a very special family of nerds that I fit in with so well." #

You should follow me on Twitter so you can read my tweet action as it happens.

Filed in arcati crisis | | Comments (0)

Holy Grail – Arcati Crisis, Live @ Rehearsal

Monday, December 28, 2009

Welcome back from your hopefully restful holiday weekend, and to a hopefully equally-restful post-holiday week! I’ll continue to rock you with new Arcati Crisis Live @ Rehearsal videos all week.

Today’s song is a web debut – Gina’s “Holy Grail.” It started as a simple strummer about a year ago, but both Gina and I heard something more in the chords. After a few listens I came up with the entirety of my insane lead line, which in turn pushed Gina to play her rhythms harder and punkier. We wound up with an awesome, poppy, rock tune:

(watch in HD on YouTube)

That’s the first-ever digital version of “Holy Grail,” so I don’t have an MP3 to share with you. The best way to find out about new Arcati Crisis music is to become our fan on FaceBook.

Tomorrow I have a Peter classic for you…

Filed in arcati crisis | | Comments (1)

Monday Evening Remainders

Monday, December 28, 2009

Blogs were good this past week, so let’s get right to it, shall we?

100 Days puts a fine point on your fuzzy resolutions – can you pick ONE THING to do for 100 days in a row? Easier than a year, but harder than aiming scattershot at many different things. For Day 25 Matthew Sheret left a note for a girl whose heart he broke.

Similar is Chris Brogan’s concept of a goalbox, and advice on how to stay on target.

The intersection between that and 100 Days is something close to how I manage my yearly goals, but I like the simplicity of each – things there I can still employ.

The Ghostvillage Project populated an abandoned 1970s village with vivid artwork.

Why Up! was not one of the best films of 2009. Includes a rare (but accurate) critique on Pixar’s paucity of strong female characters. Helen Parr aside, it’s quite a boy’s club in their films.

Sugru is like sculpty or silly putty, but with the express intent of being used to augment existing objects in a permanent way (think: smoothing a rough edge, adding extra padding, filling a chip). Also cool: Gyrowheel, a training-wheels replacement that uses gyroscopic force to keep the bike upright. That would make you the coolest four-year old on the blog, guaranteed.

Why The Simpsons no longer matters. Goes beyond the currently in-vogue Simpsons-hate to talk about how the early-Simpsons experience can’t be replicated on television anymore. (via Kevin Smokler)

Kottke (and many others) posted a link to Jim Lehrer’s rules of journalism. I really ought to keep a folder of these “required reading for J-school” things in case I’m ever teaching a class in J-school (heaven forbid).

Filed in linkylove | | Comments (0)

Under My Skin – Arcati Crisis, Live @ Rehearsal

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

I don’t want to steal the thunder of the impending essay you’re due for this song in 10 days when I celebrate its tenth birthday. (Hello, this song has it’s own freaking CATEGORY on my blog.)

Suffice it to say that after you’ve been playing something for long enough you stop feeling the feeling that you originally felt and start just feeling the song, because the song embodies the original feeling, and that is beautiful state of affairs to be in as a performing songwriter.

I have been playing “Under My Skin” with Gina since shortly after its writing in January of 2000. Even with a backbone of a mere three chords it keeps getting better, even after we retire it for months or years at a time.

This is as fine a version as any, save for one flat chord and a pair of swapped words. Otherwise, divine.

(watch in HD on YouTube)

(The pitter-pattering part of the outro refrain that crests around “just a kiss, and I don’t think that I miss you anymore” has always meant to invoke the Jackson 5 – even pre-dating my more recent obsession with the Jackson 5. I sometimes segue from that part straight into “Never Can Say Goodbye,” but could just as easily get to “I Want You Back” or “ABC.”)

Gina and I haven’t done a proper duo recording of “Under My Skin,” but she did overdub her newer bits of the arrangement onto a recording I love from NaBloPoMo 2006. You can download that here.

The best way to keep up with Arcati Crisis happenings is to become our fan on FaceBook, because I don’t always blog every little thing.

I know, it’s hard to believe.

Tomorrow we will play you our new cover, which will lead either to head-explosions or mocking, but probably not both.

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Tuesday Tech Links

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Here’s the techier side of the links I re-remaindered out of last night’s remainders post.

Why did Duke Nukem’ Forever take forever? I’ve read some great articles on this vaporware legend (my fav example of which I cannot seem to track down), but none with a line so succinct and close-to-home as this one:

t’s a dilemma all artists confront, of course. When do you stop creating and send your work out to face the public? Plenty of Hollywood directors have delayed for months, dithering in the editing room. But in videogames, the problem is particularly acute, because the longer you delay, the more genuinely antiquated your product begins to look — and the more likely it is that you’ll need to rip things down and start again.

Substitute “pop music” for “video games” and you have the story of Chinese Democracy, or my long-promised LP. (Via Daring Fireball).

Indie acousta-rocker Scott Andrew got tired of trying to sync his blog to MySpace, so he wrote an app for that.

I’ve been seeing little boxes from LaLa on just about every blog albums-of-the-year/decade list, proffering handy audio samples. Apparently Apple just bought the La^2, and in the process scuttled a longstanding CD swap service. This is notable because they backed out of it in (what I considered to be) an apologetic, helpful fashion. Take note, MySpace/iMeem.

Via Contentious: An E-Book Buyer’s Guide to Privacy charts what personal info different eBook services can track. This chart should be combined with “An E-Book Buyer’s Rights” guide that talks about what privileges can be rescinded by each service. For example, if you replace your Kindle it will not reload your purchased periodicals.

(For the record, I am anti-eBook – if I wanted to read something I don’t own from a screen I’d just keep sitting in front of my laptop.)

Also via the same Contenious post: Backupify to back up your Twitter, FaceBook, and Gmail … for free. That is, sign up for it now, get a grandfathered freebie account even when the service switches over to a paid model. Quote from Backupify president: “[S]torage is cheap while customer acquisition is very expensive.”

Smart guy.

In a similar vein: Download videos from YouTube with Gazzump I come and go on the usefulness of this service. I used to want to sit on my own personal archive of everything. While I still feel that way about my audio collection, I think I’ve sacrificed video to the cloud. Still, handy.

Finally, not strictly a tech link, but: The Flag of Earth.

Filed in games, linkylove | | Comments (0)

Total Eclipse of the Heart – Arcati Crisis, Live @ Rehearsal

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Today was pretty crazy.

In short, I unexpectedly stayed home from work, and just as I was finally dragging my carcass out of bed a digital series of events began to unfold on my laptop (which had been in bed with me) that resulted in my being booked for a solo appearance at the Tin Angel – opening for my friend and esteemed musical colleague Dante Bucci.

Not how I expected to spend the day, and a lot of information to process (and songs to prepare!) in the next nine days. What will I play? Will I slip in a surprise cover?

Gina and I never used to be good at learning things in a hurry, but in 2009 we got suddenly alright at it. We surmised in an interview earlier this year that it’s because we finally figured out what we’re supposed to sound like. Now that we understand our sound, it’s much easier to build it from scratch.

On that topic, this is perhaps our seventh or eighth full run through “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” which we learned in two brief sessions.

(watch in HD on YouTube)

There’s still some tweaking to do, but I’m happy we captured this hilarious blast through it on video.

There are just two more songs left in our web concert; after that I’ll be presenting some solo content to take us through my appearance at the Tin Angel on January 8th!

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Better – Arcati Crisis, Live @ Rehearsal

Thursday, December 31, 2009

I love this darn song.

When it comes to my past few songs, the typical Arcati Crisis selection process is like so:

I write a ton of songs. Sometimes dozens. We sift through them, and eventually choose one because Gina or I finally get stubborn about it. If I don’t change my mind in a month or two, then we learn that song.

“Better” was different. I wrote it knowing it was going to be an AC song before I ever played it for Gina. I wrote it with counter-point, callbacks, and open harmony all built in.

I just knew. And because I knew, it’s so very satisfying to play, to hear, and to watch. It’s not much of a stretch to say it’s my favorite one of my songs to play as a duo right now, and I’m in love with our performance here:

(watch in HD on YouTube)

That’s the only way you can hear “Better” at the moment – we took a shot at recording it live, but I suspect it’s going to be one of our first fully tracked songs.

Around the big ball drop I’ll chime in with our final song, somehow appropriate for the end of the year. Then, on to solo music to ramp up to my appearance at the Tin Angel next Friday, opening for Dante Bucci!

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