SD Album Release Shows acomin' ...

albums are like babies to musicians ... one passionate night of writing and there's no turning back, a few weeks thinking about what you've done, fear of things going wrong, the hard work, preparing for it's arrival ...

i don't have a baby, so it's probably nothing like it, but it's as close as i can get right now (kinda like passing a kidney stone is the closest i could come to giving birth) ... but it's an important time for us. and we want to share what we've done with everyone.

there's been quite a few albums i've been anticipating, and it appears they're all gonna get dropped on our collective laps in a whirlwind of release shows. ready?

July 9th, The Belly Up - Matt Curreri and The Exfriends - "Joy of Life"
July 14th, Casbah - Joanie Mendenhall - "On a String"
July 25th, Whistlestop - Swim Party - "Pixie Dust on the Blood Range"
Aug 1st, Whistlestop - Secret Apollo - ... i dunno what it's titled, but it'll be good, promise

damn. and i know the guys in Writer are putting the finishing touches on their new one, and i hear The Donkeys have an album in the works as well .... so i'm really glad we don't have all that to compete with. and thank you to all of them for coordinating so we could actually catch each show. that makes it easier.

with februaries like these...

and while we are talking collanders and calendars, here's, as best as i can pull together right now, a list of modlins-recommended shows for the month of february. with friends like these, i'll only have to figure out what to do with 15 of the next 26 days, because almost half of this month is already filling up with rock. here's what i got, here's to being happy, let me know if i missed anything.

wed 2/6 - joanie + secretaries / the fascination / emery byrd @ u31 (free)
thu 2/7 - the vision of a dying world / the paddle boat @ tnt mcasd (free-ish)
fri 2/8 - transfer's cd release @ the casbah, with apes of wrath / holy rolling empire / the sea of cortez ($12)
mon 2/11 - swim party / talkdemonic / a.m. vibe / f.u.z.z. @ casbah anti-monday league ($7)
wed 2/13 - hot hot heat / louis xiv / editors @ hob ($25)
wed 2/20 - red feathers / the paddle boat / the sessions @ u31 ($5)
fri 2/22 - swim party / silverbird @ the whistlestop (free)
sat 2/23 - secret apollo / drowning men / more tba @ tower bar (free? $3? $5?)
sun 2/24 - frantic romantic / get your death on / war stories / inigo @ casbah fm 94/9 tim pyles sunday night (free)
mon 2/25 - red pony clock / old man hands / bad weather california @ the che ($5)
fri 2/29 - the modlins / syndicate / repeater @ the ken club (free!)

11 shows, 34 bands, $54ish in cover charges, ~ 214 miles of driving round trips from my apartment to the venues @ 24mpg @ $3 / gallon = $26.75 in gas, assuming i can hold myself to $10/night at each place = $190.75

renaming february 2008 februaROCK = priceless.

ok in hindsight maybe i could do better than "februaROCK," but you get the idea...

if you were me

if you were me, you'd be heading to Scolari's office on saturday. Secret Apollo and Joanie and the Secretaries. free. why wouldn't you go? you wouldn't.

also, rosey has a cool little list of a bunch of SD bands "top 5" local band list. check it out here

so i've got a bunch of new music recently (or music i should've owned before) that i bought or got for xmas ..... the list?

Rivers Cuomo - Alone: The home recordings of rivers cuomo
The National - Alligator
Dappled Cities - Granddance
Yo La Tengo - and then nothing turned itself inside-out
Jeff Mangum - Live at jittery joes
Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
Neutral Milk Hotel - Everything is
Arcade Fire - EP
Arcade Fire - Power Out (single)
Grizzly Bear - Horn of Plenty
Walkmen - Pussy Cats
MF Doom - Special Herbs box set vol. 0-9
Sigur Ros - Hvarf/Heim

how the hell am i suppose to absorb all this? damn! not that i'm complaining, quite the opposite, i'm ecstatic.... elated!