A Few Things

1. I guess that the Ear Candy attracts quite the interesting fan base. Who knew that stating my excitement for an upcoming show would warrant the solicitation of a prostitute. Thanks for the offer Miss Hatfield (wink wink, I guess the music thing has been a little slow for you lately), but I'm doing alright without having to pay hourly for that kind of entertainment. I paid for that sort of thing up front with a wedding ring and a promise of forever. And with the rates that you were asking, I apparently got quite a good deal.

2. As a result of the post made by Miss Hatfield, the settings for making comments at the Ear Candy have changed. I still welcome comments from those of you who know me and hope that this will not deter any of you from participating.

3. Despite my bout with the flu, I did make it to the Ryan Adams show. I felt like hell throughout the evening, but it was a great show. There is a great recording of the show here that you can listen to or download. They were very chatty and funny between songs and played a great set list that spanned most of Ryan's solo career. The Heartbreaker songs stole the show though. Check out "Come Pick Me Up", "Oh My Sweet Carolina", and "Bartering Lines." "La Cienega Just Smiled" was pretty boss as well.

4. I have totally bought into the hype for the new U2 album. I have never been so excited for a U2 album that I have yet to hear. I can't wait for Tuesday. That, and week straight appearing on Letterman? Cool!

5. I need to get my favorites list from last year together.

6. What happened to my focus on all things goth this month? I guess a start at it is better than nothing.

Countdown to The Cardinals

My man is finally coming through Connecticut! As Ryan Adams reaches the point that he recognizes the nutmeg state as a viable tour stop, he announces that he is walking away from music and getting married to Mandy Moore. Mandy Moore?


So I am trying to work through his catalogue over the course of the week leading up to Friday's show. Even without the Whiskeytown, Patty Duke Syndrome, The Finger, Freightwailer, and all of the goofy internet alter ego stuff, I am up for quite a task. He has 10 official studio albums, a few eps and an album or two worth of b-sides from the last ten years. There are also at least five other albums that weren't officially released, but leaked. And then there are all of the songs that he wrote and played live, but never officially recorded and numerous covers. Also there are all of the live versions of songs that are so drastically different from the originals. If I were to listen nonstop, I might be looking at close to a 48 hour stretch, maybe even more.

I have been way into Mr. Adams ever since I discovered Whiskeytown in 1998. He has been profoundly prolific since then and has fed my interest with a steady flow of albums, bootlegs, media stunts, and various internet sites and blogs. He has been the voice of the broken hearted and the victim of one's own vices for over a decade and now having him claim to be walking away from music has been kind of a shock to my system. Any given day, there has been something new with this guy. Most of the time it has been for the better (flood of unreleased and live tracks that continue to fill my podcast folder), sometimes for the worse (the Jack White feud). Now the dude is sober, in love, and walking away from music. What am I going to do with all of that time I spent keeping up with Mr. Adams?

RA & The Cardinals -
myspace
On Letterman

Sanctuary Radio

The Goth movement is undead. It has simply branched and grown, much like any other living and healthy entity. Sanctuary Radio is a great resource for classic and modern Goth, Industrial, EBM, Electro, and Darkwave. I found it in my iTunes radio options under the alternative folder. You can also listen online at their homepage. Give it a listen for a little while.

If nothing else, starting and celebrating Goth History Month at the EarCandy inspires me to dig back into the music that was such a huge part of my past and reminisce about the times spent discovering and absorbing these tunes. Beyond that I am rediscovering what initially drew me to it and rekindling the hunger to seek out what is new.

Listening to Sanctuary this evening has been like reliving Thursday nights at Gotham, or Flux at the Webster Underground. Who knew sad music could make you want to dance?

R.I.P. Lux Interior

I'm glad I saw the Cramps when I did. Today their frontman, Lux Interior, passed away. How? I haven't found that out yet. Pitchfork covered it pretty well so far. Psychobilly Rock will never be the same without him. We'll miss you, you very strange, strange man.

Goo Goo Muck - Live '81
Bikini Girls With Machine Guns
Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?

Goth Reading and Listening

Reading:
1. Check out last year's Goth History Month posts. Somebody had a lot of time on his hands!
2. Another great read is What Is Goth by Voltaire. He presents a thorough, in depth, and humorous overview of goth culture.
3. Anything by E. A. Poe.

Listening:
One of my all time favorite albums is Disintegration by The Cure. It is sweeping and beautiful and just a perfect piece of art. I keep erasing what I write about the album, because I can't seem to do it justice. Just buy it and let it speak for itself.



Here are the videos of the singles from the album. It's not quite the same as listening the entire thing, but it's a start.
Lovesong
Pictures Of You
Fascination Street
Lullaby

Goth History Month

Here comes the second annual goth history month. 28 days of drab goodness.