4.26.2011

Vote or Cake or Death

4.25.11

4:42 pm


I'm going to try to limit the bitching about the voting to a minimum here.

*breath in, breath out*

Okay.


Last week, I saw Cake for the third time in as many years, and this may have been the best of the three.

In 2009 it was the first time I'd seen them since 1998 at Firestone in Orlando, FL, so I was understandably wowed by how awesome they still were.

In 2010, they performed at Central Park's Summer Stage which was also great, but lacked a certain something, perhaps because they played quite a few songs from the 2009 show, played them well, but the same ones nonetheless.

Last week's though, they switched up just enough to keep it fresh and nailed everything.

The only ones missing that I would have jumped at were Love You Madly, Italian Leather Sofa and either The Winter or Easy To Crash, both off their new effort.

They played pretty much the "good" songs off third new album, Sick of You, Long Time, Federal Funding (great live), Moustache Man (also great live) and Bound Away, and since I actually knew the words to these this time, they were fully enjoyed.

Along with a few hits (Never There, The Distance, Short Skirt/Long Jacket, Shadow Stabbing), they stepped into the way-back machine and whipped out a few gems from their first album, namely Pentagram, Ruby Sees All and Rock And Roll Lifestyle (full snark enabled).

There were five, count them, five songs which ended in massive, mandatory sing-alongs, including Jolene, Satan Is My Motor and Sheep Go To Heaven. Maybe could have done with one or two less, by I'm not running the band.

And speaking of the band, the Tree Giveaway was in full, we're-aware-that-fans-kind-of-hate-how-long-we-take-with-this-so-we're-going-to-take-twice-as-long-just-to-rub-it-in-your-face-and-remind-you-who-exactly-this-is-an-evening-with-bitch effect.

It was a plum tree.

They rounded the evening out nicely with Opera Singer, Guitar and Frank Sinatra, all solid songs.

And, as usual, the band played excellently, Xan doing things to his guitar that most people can only dream of.

I found myself unable to focus on just one instrument in fact, distracted by the bass, then the trumpet, then the guitar, then the bass again.

I suppose that's the benefit of having the same band members since their formation in the mid-90's.

They still do not use set lists; there's just a look and a nod that goes through them and the next song begins.

It's almost telepathy...smug, solar-powered telepathy.

In a recent interview, John McCrea stated that they're getting a bit sick of touring and would like to stop soon, hopefully to make a new record before 2018, but, this is Cake, and they'll make a new album when the damn well fell like it.


Other than my Cake Day, I've been mostly consumed by the new Mortal Kombat.

I sincerely hope that my being inured to this ridiculous level of horrendous violence has less to do with some burgeoning darkness within me and more to do with the fact that I'm completely centered in reality and understand that this is just a game and not real life.

I'm not nearly as attractive as Michael C. Hall and I'm a lot easier to pick out of a crowd.


On the shoulders of MK, Chris and I finally got around to watching Machete over Easter weekend.

Meh.

Honestly, I felt that Rodriguez should have gone further.

Anyone remember Planet Terror?

Yeah, THAT is what I was expecting.

Maybe in Machete Kills...or Machete Kills Again.

And it's good to know that not even nudity can make Lindsey Lohan worth watching.

She's is just as awful as staples in a penis.

But, with the help of God and luck, she'll be dead in a few months anyway, so, no worries.


Tomorrow marks the release of the They Might Be Giants preview EP for their new album (coming out in fucking July) 'Join Us'.

Four tracks, the first four off the album, in fact, and not hits three minutes.

I was fine when TMBG had minute and a half long songs...when there were 20 per album, but 14 two minutes songs? A thirty minute album?

Jesus, guys, come on.

But, like I keep telling my tear soaked pillow and Jade, I'm desperately holding out any judgment until after I've heard these new tracks and full judgment until July when the full album drops.

Head's up: that probably won't happen.

Expect a review of these four tracks later this week.

I must say, I wish they'd taken a more 'Indestructible Object' approach with this EP and put out one or two tracks from the new album and three b-sides.

I miss TMBG b-sides.

They were weird and fun and what SHOULD be their a-sides...

Anyway.

Yeah.


And, finally, the Voting.

I have a mixture of Hope and Defeat roiling inside me as I watch these (mostly) untalented fucks' votes rise like rapists' erections while mine vacillate between the same and twitching sadly like a quadriplegic's wang.

People.

Vote.

There is a week left and hardly anyone did their duty over this Holy weekend.

I blame Jesus and his whining for that, but there's nothing to excuse you this week.

ONCE A DAY, EVERY DAY (12:00AM to 12:00AM, 24 hours from vote to vote), EVEN ON THE WEEKEND, UNTIL MAY 2ND.

Tell your friends, tell you family, tell those people who Facebook Friended you who you may have met once at some thing somewhere you can't quite recall.

I need your help.

I need it hard.

Help me hard, people.

Help me hard.

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