Weekend craziness/Meemaw/meteorites
January 22, 2010
Combined science/music post today. Not much time….
A meteorite about the size of a fist crashed through the roof of a doctor’s office in Virginia on monday. Reports say that it was traveling about 220 MPH when it hit the roof. There’s a common misconception that all meteorites hit the ground as a fireball and cause a crater. The truth is only the really big ones, about car-size and up, actually have enough inertia to keep up those kinds of speeds all the way to the ground. The smaller ones that reach the ground have long since been slowed by the friction of the atmosphere, and usually hit at speeds anywhere from 100 to 300 mph, depending on the size and weight. I don’t want to spend much time on this so go here or here for more info.
Now for the music.
I mentioned a while back that beloved Nashville scrap-punkers Meemaw decided to end their hiatus. Well, the time has come! It all goes down tonight at The End, along with Marj!, So Jazzy, and JEFF the Brotherhood. I don’t really know if you can quite call it an interview, but please do check out this gem of a video segment of them talking/playing a new song/goofing off over at Nashville’s Dead. Good times.
Unfortunately this had to happen the same night as a ton of other good stuff in town.
One of the aforementioned other things is the special edition of Happy Valley at the Cannery Ballroom, where I will be running the Generation Domination photobooth. It’s part of Mercy Lounge’s 7-year anniversary party, but unlike the other show upstairs, it will cost a meager $5 to get into. The FREE show upstairs will consist of The Non-commissioned Officers, The Ettes, De Novo Dahl, Apollo Up, and the two secret guests have now been revealed- The Features and Turbo Fruits. That has to be the most amazing lineup of local rock I’ve seen in a long time.
On Saturday Mercy is once again the place to be, as the last day of their week of free shows consists of Space Capone, How I Became the Bomb, Heypenny, Madi Diaz, Tallest Trees, and Armed Forces. This amazing lineup will be followed by the return of BFF, featuring yours truly and Fan Fiction of Nashville Nights on the decks, and we promise to keep your butt on the dancefloor till the wee hours.
In case you missed the memo, BFF was a weekly dance party held by me (Burgers) and Joseph (Fan Fiction) at Mad Donna’s in east Nashville. That location turned out to be not quite right for what we were trying to do, so instead of keeping BFF as a monthly staple, we decided to just let it be the branding we use whenever/wherever we spin together. There are two upcoming BFF-related events, the first of which I just mentioned, and the other is Feb. 5th at La Paz. More details are in the pipeline about that, but I’ll say now that it’s probably going to be the official afterparty for the Features’/Cortney Tidwell/Majestico show which just a block away at Exit/In. It’s gonna be a blast y’all.
Have a great weekend!
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.
Burgers winter 09 mixxxx/Morning Benders album due in 2010
December 16, 2009
The official DJ Burgers Winter 09 Mixxxx is here! Download it now and get ready to party down with Fan Fiction & Me this Friday at the 4th installment of BFF at Mad Donna’s! (Mad Donna’s is at 1313 Woodland St. in East Nashville, just a block past 5 points and across from Lipstick Lounge.) There will FOG MACHINES. There will be CRAZY LIGHTS. And most importantly, there will be BEER SPECIALS UNTIL MIDNIGHT! (More on the beer specials soon…)
Tracklisting:
Bag Raiders- Shooting Stars (Shazam Dub mix)
Lindstrom & Christabelle- Baby Can’t Stop (Aeroplane RMX)
Yolanda Be Cool- Afro Nuts (DCUP RMX)
Little Boots- Earthquake (Treasure Fingers RMX)
Ke$ha- Tik Tok (Fred Falke Radio RMX)
A-Trak & Arman Van Helden present Duck Sauce- Anyway
Busta Rhymes Ft. T-Pain- Hustler’s Anthem (Bit Funk RMX)
Fukkk Offf- More Than Friends (Markus Lange & Stereofunk RMX)
The Cataracs- Club Love (Nick Catchdubs & Proper Villains RMX)
Dan the Automator-Rapper’s Delight (TEPR Remix)
Golden Bug- Assassin
Bloody Beetroots ft. Cool Kids- Awesome
Some other random tidbits for today:
Ridley Scott directed a remake of Robin Hood that’s due to hit theaters sometime next year. It stars Russel Crowe and Cate Blanchett…. and judging from the trailer I think I’ll end up preferring the Kevin Costner version… See it at Apple movie trailers. (Via Kottke)
One of the few “new” bands that I’ve been head-over-heels for is the Morning Benders. I LOVED their 2008 album Talking Through Tin Cans, and I just found via You Ain’t No Picasso that they’re prepping their next LP Big Echo for release on March 9, 2010 through Rough Trade. Next year is going to be FULL of good releases….
First and foremost, for my Nashville readers, I must plug my DJ gig tonight at the new La Paz location on Elliston. It’s where Ombi Bar used to be. My friend DJ Potamus is going to be hosting a weekly friday night dance party there, and he’ll be having different guest DJ’s each week. This debut week, it’s me (Burgers). So come out and DANCE BETCHES! Seriously, if not for the hot jamz, come for the drink specials! (FYI- the next BFF is going to be Friday Dec. 18th in case you were wondering…)
It’s been a minute since I mentioned Hipster Runoff. In case you don’t follow Carles on a regular basis, he recently “retired” (aka wrote under the faux names of mike and becca and inevitably made some gullible people think he’d actually retired). But he’s back. Because he was ‘born 2 blog‘.
This has already circulated widely by now but it’s worth mentioning because it’s kinda cute and endearing… David Bowie’s giddy response to his first American fan-letter in 1967. (Via Flux-Rad)
Pitchfork has a pretty interesting reader’s poll going on right now. My favorite part is the “trend you wish would go away” category:
- 90s revivalism (No Age, Japandroids, Cymbals Eat Guitars)
- Afropop indie (Dirty Projectors, Fool’s Gold, Abe Vigoda)
- Animal Collective acolytes (Blind Man’s Colour, Our Brother the Native, USF)
- Balearic (jj, John Talabot, Windsurf/Hatchback)
- Chillwave/glo-fi (Washed Out, Neon Indian, Nite Jewel)
- Dubstep and its offshoots (wonky, funky, bassline)
- Post-Lily Allen UK pop (La Roux, Little Boots, Florence and the Machine)
- Prim, buttoned-up indie (Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, St. Vincent)
- Shitgaze/lo-fi aesthetics (Times New Viking, Wavves, Vivian Girls)
I had a pretty hard time with that one… as most of them are actually trends I wish would go away. Except for the 90’s revivalism one… but that’s mostly just me being a) nostalgic and b) in a band doing just that… kinda. (List via Brooklyn Vegan)
Speaking of 90’s nostalgia… My So-Called Band returns to the stage this Saturday at the Exit/In. I may or may not be DJing some 90’s jock jams in between/after sets…
See you tonight at La Paz!
My birthday bash/3rd BFF tonight!
November 20, 2009
Only one thing worth mentioning today:
Come to the 3rd BFF tonight at Mad Donna’s! It’s doubling as my birthday bash (yes, I’ve been alive 28 years), and our special guest DJ is Makeup & Vanity Set (aka Matt Pusti, aka one of my all-time favorite electronic music artists). This is definitely one you don’t want to miss! Fan Fiction has returned to the lineup and will kick things off, with me (Burgers) in the middle, and MAVS closing things out. We’ll be going till last call so if you’re going to the Mountain Goats show, by all means, make BFF your official afterparty!
As it was last month, it’s FREE if you’re 21+, and $3 if you’re 18-20. Please do come.
BFF tonight/new Weezer video
October 23, 2009
Obviously my main top priority today is plugging my DJ/dance event BFF, which returns to Mad Donna’s tonight at 10pm. I’ll be spinning some hot jamz along with pals Potamus and Fats. They’re both rad DJs as well, so a good time is guaranteed. Fan Fiction is sitting this one out to celebrate his bday at another event, but he’ll be back in full force for the 3rd BFF, which is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 20th (my bday!) Some please do come out to the east side tonight and dance the night away. As if Fats isn’t reason enough to get there early, I’ll also buy a drink for the person who brings the biggest “posse” and arrives before 11pm. Seriously, I will honor that! Mad Donna’s is on Woodland, just a block past five points, and it’s FREE if you’re over 21, $3 if you’re 18-20. Also, if you haven’t heard any of my mixes before, I suggest you start with the October mix I did for Justin Kase’s blog, Blogging Is Serious Business.
Weezer has a new album coming out next week, and the first single (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To also has a snazzy video which debuted yesterday at Babelgum. I’ll just link to it because I’m pretty sure it’s no embeddable on WordPress. But seriously, this is probably the best song they’ve released in several years (enough to make me buy the album… probably) and the video is actually quite entertaining. The styling is very visually pleasing, and it has a hilarious “bros before hos” storyline, not mention that it stars Odette Yustman. Check it out now. (Via Stereogum)
Now for some pure mindless entertainment. Why on Earth would you want to blow an anvil 200 feet into the air? Because it’s fucking awesome, that’s why. Meet Gay Wilkinson, world champion anvil shooter:
Have a great weekend, and hopefully I’ll see you tonight at BFF!
New JEFF album/next BFF/Cuddle Parties
October 13, 2009
JEFF the Brotherhood has a new album coming out today called Heavy Days. I’m gonna go buy it. You should too.
I couldn’t help but both laugh and be totally freaked out when I read about Cuddle Parties yesterday on the Tennessean website. This is simultaneously hilarious and terrifying… Adult people gathering with a group of total strangers, changing into pajamas, and laying in a big pile spooning, cuddling and massaging each other’s feet? I don’t even know what to say…. (Via Nashvillest)
The next official BFF will be going down next friday, Oct. 23rd, at Mad Donna’s again. My cohort Joseph (Fan Fiction) will unfortunately have to sit this one out because of prior birthday engagements, but I’ve recruited the help of DJ’s Potamus and Fats. Potamus has been making a name for himself opening for the likes of MSTRKRFT recently at Limelight, and Fats can be found over at the weekly Foobar event Totally DJ’s. This time around we’re instituting a miniscule $3 cover for those aged 18-20, but it’s still free for those 21+, so come out and dance next weekend! If you haven’t done so yet, please go grab my October mix for Justin Kase’s blog, Blogging Is Serious Business.
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…)
steve cross loves music and science 