Goodbye aughts: stuff to do tonight
December 31, 2009
So it’s New Year’s Eve. Inevitably everything in this post is somehow related to that fact. First of all, what to do tonight. Since I’m working the Generation Domination photobooth at Mercy Lounge’s “Happy Endings” party tonight, I must plug that first. But plugging is kinda pointless at this point, because if you haven’t already gotten tix, you’re pretty much SOL. According to a facebook message from 1:10am last night (this morning), there is only 1 VIP package left. The VIP package is for four people. Email drew@mercylounge.com for details. But honestly, it’s probably already gone by the time you read this. For a very visual representation of what else to do this NYE, check out the Nashville Scene’s official NYE flow chart:
Click through to see the bigger version at Nashville Cream
Nashville Is Dead has some details on a few select shows as well, most notably the (unofficial) Infinity Cat NYE show at the End.
Also of interest, i09 gives you ten reasons to live through the next decade. Among my favs: Ridley Scott’s return to sci-fi filmmaking, green development and progress toward 100% renewable energy, the LHC and possibility of finding the Higgs-Boson particle, and I totally agree with their #1 choice being the Mars Science Laboratory. I would, however, add to that the joint Mars program between NASA and ESA that I mentioned yesterday.
Now here’s the video to George Harrison’s “Got My Mind Set On You” just for kicks, via Yewknee’d.
Happy New Year, and we’ll see you next week!
BFF tonight/weekend stuff/Battle Pod 4
December 18, 2009
Obviously the big story today is that the 4th BFF (featuring myself and Fan Fiction DJing) is happening tonight at Mad Donna’s! This month we’ve decided to add beer specials to the mix, but the bar hasn’t told me what they’ll be yet. But get there before midnight to take advantage of that. Oh, and this time we have a fog machine to enhance your dancing experience. Mad Donna’s is on the east side, just a blog past 5-points on Woodland. It’s at the corner of Woodland & 14th St. across from Lipstick Lounge. In case you missed my last post, be sure to download my latest mix- the Burgers Winter 09 MIXXXX. For a tracklisting see my last post. And for a sampling of Fan Fiction’s style, just check his awesome music blog Nashville Nights. For even more info on this and more BFF’s in the future, join our Facebook group!
If you’re not feeling the east side, or not feeling the dancing vibe, my band Powerbrrrd is also playing Matt Friction’s Christmas on the Block show at Exit/In tonight. We’ll be on 2nd in a pretty awesome lineup of your favorite local bands playing Christmas tunes. But obviously I’ll be speeding over to Mad Donna’s right after we play to do BFF.
It should also be noted that Jeremy Ferguson, who runs the Battletapes recording studio, has posted his 4th “Battle Pod” podcast. It features some lovely Christmas covers by Lylas, Tristen, Jonas Stein (from Turbo Fruits), and others. Go grab it now.
Other weekend stuff:
Saturday: Holly House Winter Formal @ Mercy Lounge. This show will feature Tristen, Caitlin Rose, Eureka Gold, Shoot the Mountain, Non-Commissioned Officers, and more, all playing in each other’s bands covering various Christmas songs and whatnot. I’ll be doing a photobooth, and it’s part of Mercy’s 2nd annual “Winter of Dreamz” sponsored by Sweetwater. Oh, and there’s an indoor snow machine…
By then I’ll be so tired I won’t care anymore, so that’s it for this weekend.
WOTT podcast/weekend stuff
October 30, 2009
First and foremost, I must plug my band’s show at the 5 Spot tonight. I know, there’s a lot of shit going on tonight… but we (as in all the bands playing) promise to make your attendance worthwhile. First of all, check out Patrick Rodgers’ description of Heartbeater in his critic’s pick this week. If that isn’t good enough for you, then let me personally attest to the awesomeness of Bad Cop. These dudes have a youthful stage energy that matches their raw, explosive brand of garage-punk quite well. The frontman is obviously channeling some Iggy Pop, and in a really REALLY good way. Hammertorch was originally also on this bill, but had to drop off at the last minute. So come on down to the 5 Spot tonight!
This All-Hallows Eve I will be doing the Generation Domination photobooth at the Nightmare in Music City party at Mercy Lounge/Cannery Ballroom. It promises to be a huge party, with DJ’s not only in those two rooms, but also in 4 large tents which will be in the parking lot. The party is sponsored by Hustler Hollywood, and since Halloween has long since devolved into nothing more than an excuse for girls to dress as slutty as possible, this party is sure to please those who applaud said devolution… and also those who like to make fun of it.
We Own This Town posted a new podcast earlier this week, so if you haven’t already, go grab it now. It features unreleased tunes from Eureka Gold, Tristen, Caitlin Rose, Glossary, and many more. Also, mucho thanks to Michael for plugging my photo exhibition on there as well.
Now for something just to make you smile. The unofficial Hey Jude flow chart, via Flux-Rad:
Have a great Halloween weekend, and please be safe: use a DD, use a condom, all that…
NBN starts TOMORROW!
October 6, 2009
This year’s Next Big Nashville has really crept up on me. But it starts tomorrow and I’ll be one busy dude for the next 5 or so days. I’m shooting pics for the festival, and here’s where I’ll be found: Wed- Cannery for Nashville Music Awards/Ten Out of Tenn. Thur- Mercy Lounge/Cannery. Fri- Exit/In and The End. Sat- Exit/In and The End. I’ll probably also be at the Yazoo day party/sale on Sat. It’s gonna be a crazy weekend. If you’re totally LAME and don’t have a wristband or badge yet, your absolute last chance to score some freebies will be tonight at Rock N Roll Trivia at Mercy Lounge. Winning team gets 6, yes SIX, wristbands, plus a $100 bar tab at Mercy. Read more about that at Nashville Cream. I unfortunately MUST take tonight off to just chill at home and work on the DJ Burgers fall mix, which will be featured on Justin Kase’s blog, Blogging Is Serious Business. More on that later…
In other news, Vampire Weekend released the first track from the new album for free, and it’s effing everywhere on the interwebz today. YAWN.
I took some photos of Them Crooked Vultures at War Memorial for the Scene last night. I saw about the 1st 4 or 5 songs and it was pretty cool actually… I’ll have to check out their first release whenever it comes out for sure…
Big props to my friend and BFF co-conspirator Fan Fiction for getting tapped to DJ the final NBN afterparty Sat. night at Mercy Lounge.
I have no idea if I’ll even have time to post anything over the next 4 to 5 days, so don’t expect much. Besides, you should be out enjoying NBN, not at home on your computer!
Protomen/Pansy Dance/beer
September 25, 2009
So tonight is the epic CD release show for The Protomen’s Act II: The Father of Death. Epic is an understatement, actually. We’re talking a full choir, and a full string section. Not to mention the 10-15 people already in the band. The super-dedicated fanbase of this band never ceases to amaze me. They are flying in from all over the country for this show. Oh, and it’s sold out… so if you don’t have a ticket you’re SOL.
HOWEVER, if you’re still itching for something to do, and don’t have a ticket, there is something else for you to do, and it happens to be pretty close by. Little Hamilton is hosting the 2nd official “Pansy Dance” party, featuring DJ’s Kid Chicago and me (Burgers). I’ll be scooting over there right after the Protomen show’s over (around 1-ish) to DJ till the wee hours. So if you don’t have a Protomen ticket, just come, and if you do have a ticket, come over afterwards and dance the night away!
Some other random music tidbits:
Wayne Coyne is pretty crazy. And he likes to call people in other bands dicks. And he also likes naked people on bikes. So maybe he just likes the word “dick” in various usages. I saw their movie Christmas On Mars this past weekend, but I wasn’t on any kind of drugs so that must why I thought it was kinda pointless and needlessly weird. I still like the Flaming Lips though.
Jimmy Page, Jack White, and The Edge were all in a movie about guitars called It Might Get Loud. It’s playing at the Belcourt Sept. 25th through Oct. 1st. Read the Scene’s Patrick Rodgers’ take on it here.
My first batch of home-brewed beer turned out pretty decent, in case you hadn’t seen my twitter and facebook posts about it. I’ve actually given a good chunk of it away already, but I have about 20 bottles left. It’s a pale ale, and while it’s not exactly wonderful, it’s not bad for a first batch. The hoppiness is a little off- rather than a pleasant, crisp, refreshing bitterness it has a slightly unpleasant bitterness that sort of wears out your palate by the time you finish the beer. But I’ve discovered that drinking it with a meal greatly diminishes that effect and creates an overall pleasant beer experience. I’ve got a batch of cream ale in the fermenter as we speak, and it should be ready in a few weeks. It should be a much better batch because I used filtered water to make everything.
Also, Caitlin Rose officially approves of “Steve Cross’s attempted pale ale.” I’m thinking she should be the official spokeswoman. Just watch this video on facebook. (You’ll have to login to watch it…)
New Rocksellout/Pavement Reunion/Caitlin Rose video
September 16, 2009
I’ve known Brock Sharp for quite a while now, ever since he was involved with Vacant Cage Records back in the mid 2000’s. They folded back in ’07 and since then he’s been doing all sorts of random music-related things, including starting the Dig For Fire Agency with me. Just last week he was offered the opportunity to take over the music blog Rock Sellout. He agreed, and now it’s up and running again under his command. So go check it out. I may even end up contributing to it some in the future.
Tonight Those Darlins will be joining the Dexateens, the Rustlanders, and Band of Heathens at Mercy Lounge for an Americana Music Awards showcase. They’ll also be joined by a super-secret special guest, and based on the Nashville Cream’s hints and the AMA website, I’m pretty sure it’ll be John Fogerty.
In case you’ve been under a rock the past few days, the long-rumored Pavement reunion is definitely, absolutely, 100% happening. I knew there was something to that 5 Spot almost-reunion-show for Bob N.’s wedding. Maybe they’ll either A) play in Nashville, or B) play at SXSW next year. Or both?
It should be no secret that I’m the world’s biggest Mythbusters fan. That’s why I’m very excited about some of the topics covered in the upcoming season, which debuts October 7th. Can you build a sailboat out of duct tape? Or a cannon? Does a muddy car really get better gas mileage than a clean one? (WTF?) And the one I’m most interested in: does having multiple drinks with various liquors give you a worse hangover than sticking to one liquor all night? If the episode tackling that one is half as funny as the one testing other alcohol/sobriety rumors, then it’s gonna probably end up being one of my fav episodes of all time. CAN’T. WAIT. (Via Gizmodo)
I’ll leave you today with this video containing various drunken antics and a few performance clips from Caitlin Rose’s trip to the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks, CO. Wish I could’ve gone!
New WOTT mix/POBAH/BFF update
September 9, 2009
Wow. Waaay too many abbrevs in that title.
Ok so there aren’t really any updates for BFF, I’m just shamelessly plugging it. And also pointing you over to Fan Fiction’s blog where he plugged it as well. Be sure to check out the mix he did for Justin Kase’s blog Blogging Is Serious Business. That’s just a taste of the goodness he has to offer for your dancing pleasure this Friday night. Also check out my (DJ Burgers) latest mix SUMMERMIXXXX09. It starts off a little more pop/rock-oriented than anything I’ll spin Friday, but the latter 1/2 should give you a good idea of what I have to offer. Remember- it’s totally FREE, 18+ and at Mad Donna’s (1313 Woodland St.) upstairs lounge. We promise to love you long time.
We Own This Town has just posted a new mix for your downloading/listening pleasure. Go grab it now. It features some great new tracks from the likes of Turbo Fruits, Kindergarten Circus, and The Nobility, plus many more.
Speaking of great local bands, The Protomen officially released their long-awaited new album Act II: The Father of Death on Amazon MP3 and iTunes yesterday. It’s been doing AMAZINGLY well on both. But it peaked at fucking #8 on the Amazon download charts, competing with the likes of Phish, Kings of Leon, etc… Mind. Blown. Be sure to come out to their official album release party on Sept. 25th at Mercy Lounge. It will likely be the most epic thing ever to happen at Mercy Lounge. We’re talking the band plus a full string section and choir, playing both their first album and Act II: The Father of Death, in their entirety. Not to be missed. Then head over to Little Hamilton afterwards to this other party I’m DJing with Kid Chicago. More on that when it gets closer.
They Might Be Giants have released DVD children’s album called Here Comes the Science. Naturally I’m quite happy about this since it involves the two things this very blog is about. i09 posted several videos of songs from the album and it’s absolutely delightful. These guys have a long-proven record of being absolutely masterful songwriters, and to combine that kind of skill with the mission of educating our children about reality just makes me ecstatic. If I ever have kids, their first gift will be a boxed-set of all the TMBG children’s albums. John and John, you are my HEROES!!!! Check out Science is Real below, and check out the i09 post for even more.
POWERBRRRD debut tonight at Mercy Lounge
August 31, 2009
Hey people. I’ve been slacking lately… mainly because work/life/everything got 150% busier over the last couple of weeks. But I’m taking 5 min today to make sure you know about two awesome things.
Tonight is the official debut of POWERBRRRD, my new band. We’re playing the 8 off 8th at Mercy Lounge hosted by Ashley Spurgeon. We’re celebrating her birthday (which also happens to be the day Caligula’s birth…). It’s still Seth Graves and me, but we’ve added Brandon Jazz from the Armed Forces to the lineup. Josh is still around, but about to be a new daddy, so at the moment we’re a power trio while he focuses on family. Josh’s mojo will be added back into the mix soon enough. Our sound is really nothing like Tigers Con Queso, so wash any preconceptions you may have based on the old band. The only similarity is Seth’s voice. So please do come down to Mercy Lounge tonight. It’s FREE, and will feature other acts such as Daniel Pujole and Some Beaus (former Meemaw frontman), Denny and the Jets (members of Meemaw and JEFF), Max and the Wild Things, Electric Mayhem (Matt Friction, Dave Paulson, and some others…), and Gunslinger. A good time is guaranteed.
The other awesome thing to report is that I made a trip to All Seasons on saturday and picked up my first home brewing kit. Yesterday we did the boiling/brewing process and the fermentation has now begun. The recipe I used was for an American-style Pale Ale, so hopefully in a couple of weeks I’ll have a ton of beer to give away.
Nashville Cream’s 3rd b-day/Avatar trailer/Stacy Fleeman
August 21, 2009
As I mentioned earlier this week, the biggest event you should be concerned about this weekend is the Nashville Cream’s 3rd birthday bash at Mercy Lounge. The Features are headlining and will be playing mostly, if not all, new songs. Also playing are Kindercastle and The Billy Goats. I’ll be doing a photobooth, there will be lots of prizes to be won, free screen-printed show posters, and there will be a limited amount of free food to be had. All this for a a measly $5? How could you possibly say no? The thing I’m most excited about is hearing new Features songs. Props to Boss Construction for the posters.
Speaking of the Scene, Tracy Moore has a cover story in this week’s issue on Caitlin Rose, Tristen, and Those Darlins. It’s a great read and I strongly suggest you pick up a copy if you haven’t.
This isn’t related to the rest of the items in this post, but definitely worth mentioning- James Cameron’s new 3D sci-fi/fantasy film Avatar will hit theaters this December, and the first trailer was released through Apple yesterday. Go watch it in HD at Apple website. Your eyes will thank you.
In some much more depressing news, I was extremely saddened Wednesday to find out that the End’s doorman Stacy Fleeman is in the hospital on life support. He was found unresponsive, then put into a medically-induced coma which he then came out of, but apparently has little to no brain activity. Stacy is one of the good ones. He’s one of the kindest people I’ve met in Nashville and is a tireless supporter of the music scene. His label Spat! Records is just now starting to become financially successful and now this… it’s absolutely tragic. Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. We should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
I’m finally back! The Features!
August 18, 2009
Getting caught up on life after a week-long vacation is quite a task, and unfortunately this blog has been low on the list of things on which to get caught up.
I’ll have a link to some photos from Yellowstone, South Dakota, and all the other cool western places we visited soon. Again, editing these photos is not at the top of my priority list. I have lots of work stuff at Vandy this week so I won’t have the usual few minutes of spare time to browse my RSS feeds.
That being said… here are some great things that have been happening with the awesome Nashville music scene lately. You’ve probably already seen most of these, especially if you read Nashville Cream, but these tidbits deserve posting!
My favorite band from our fine Music City, The Features, were Paste Magazine‘s band of the week this week. Ever since they signed to Kings of Leon imprint Bug Music, they’ve been popping up all over the national radar. For a band that has been making such amazing music for so many years, it feels incredibly good to see them getting some of the recognition they deserve. In my opinion they should be inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, and sell millions of records and tour the world opening for Paul McCartney, but that’s just the superfan coming out in me. (Via Nashville Cream)
It'll make you cream.
In other Cream news, the blog we all love so dearly for its cantankerous commentators is turning 3 years old this coming weekend. As they’ve done the past 2 years, they’re celebrating with a superb show at the Mercy Lounge this saturday. Headlining will be none other than The Features, and supporting acts will be Kindercastle and The Billy Goats. I will be there doing a photobooth as I’ve at the past two. It costs $5, which is really a steal considering the lineup and all the free stuff and prizes you can enter to win. Seriously, it’s the only place to be this Saturday!
Ok, so I’ve raved and raved about The Features, but it’s well-deserved. The final bit of Features awesomeness comes from our great friends at Lake Fever Productions and Tugboat Productions, who have been churning out great videos of their live sessions called Lake Fever Sessions. So far they’ve done a ton of great videos of artists both local and national, including Cursive, The Privates, Those Darlins, and many more. Here’s a personal fave, the 1-2 punch of Whatever Gets You By/The Drawing Board. Even more exciting is that they have another one in the can to be released later this fall. It’s a version of their classic show-closer “Thursday” featuring gang vocals by a number of local musicians/etc… These videos really reminded me why I love this band so much. Something about the way it was filmed, the intimacy of the live recording, and the unusually flowery decor just really hit the spot.
steve cross loves music and science 