New Years Eve on the town

For the first time in my young life, I will experience New Years Eve away from the comforts of a house party at a familiar abode, and I will venture into the city to partake in bar-stlye festivities. Unfortunately, most of the NYE events are advertised as "sexy" and "sinful" and charge $60 so that patrons can enjoy overly-handled cold appetizers and a champagne toast at midnight, all while enjoying the latest sounds of this year's top 40. Being cheap and somewhat unfamiliar with dressing appropriately for a night of sex and sin, I've been searching the event listings of my favorite music clubs. I'd rather pay $20 for a night of local bands and cheap beer. And I don't like dress codes. I just don't do them...I work at a bank. That's enough dress code for me.


SO! This is where I'll most likely be for New Years Eve 2009:

Harpers Ferry, Allston

I love Harpers Ferry. It's a big venue in an excellent area. College scenesters are crawling all over the streets, and I love it. I hope to move to that neighborhood next fall.

HF is having an overwhelming number of bands play that night, and it sounds everyone will be doing covers. That works for NYE because everyone will be so drunk that covers will tickle us to tears. At least I know I'll be tickled.

And $20??? Yes. My cohort and I can manage such a fee. There is a lot of room to mingle and a long bar at which to quench our thirsts.

Hooray and Happy New Year :)

POTTER!

Oh my goodness! I know I some may look down at me for this, but you know what? I'm not ashamed. Not ashamed of the fact that I have been a rabid Harry Potter fan since I was in middle school. Not ashamed of the fact that I've read a few of the books 2-3 times. Not ashamed of the fact that I was young enough when I started reading them to think I had a chance being cast as Hermione Granger if they were ever made into movies. I had really frizzy hair back then! I actually still do have frizzy hair but age has graced me with the wisdom to know how to contain it. A bit.

So, a Harry Potter exhibition is coming to Chicago in April. Lucky for me, I have la famiglia in Chicago and I was already planning on visiting them early next summer. This makes those plans concrete.

Yay!


Also, I kept writing "Happy Hotter" instead of "Harry Potter". Hello, subconscious?

While I'm posting videos...

I should just stick my favorite videos from my favorite bands on here. I think I decided that my three favorite bands are Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene and Kaki King.

Though not exactly a music video, this Arcade Fire performance inside of a French elevator is mindbogglingly beautiful. Also, I wasn't sure "mindbogglingly" was an official word when I started writing it, but apparently dictionary.com approves it. So be it! Mindbogglingly beautiful performance of Neon Bible:



As for Kaki King, this is the video that introduced me to her about 4 years ago and it was love at first pluck. I was finally able to see her last spring at Pearl Street in Northampton. I bought two tickets hoping that one of my roommates would see her with me, but said roommates turned out to be mindbogglingly disappointing people. I also had SEVERELY sprained my ankle the week before the show (about 3 months after I had SEVERELY broken my foot on the other leg) and I had been home for a week trying to heal a bit. I drove from Framingham to Northampton that fateful Sunday night and dragged my bum leg(s) into Pearl St and stood (painfully) for the show. It was worth it. And she is the smallest person I have ever seen. And absolutely my favorite female musician in the galaxy. So here is Kaki King with Playing with Pink Noise:



I have another post on here about the Broken Social Scene show I saw at the (boooooo!) Wilbur Theater. I was introduced to them back when I was 16, and they've been in the Top 3 ever since. My shoulder hurts from long hours at the bank (ugh...just ugh) so I won't type any more tonight. Ouch ouch ouch, but this is lovely lovely lovely. Fire Eye'd Boy by BSS:



Okay I just found this so one more. I don't think I even need to explain why this one is significant. Behold--David Bowie joins Arcade Fire on Wake Up:

From youtube virals to SNL digital shorts

I've been a great fan of The Lonely Island boys for a few years now thanks in large part to my little brother's uncanny ability to discover hilarity in every nook of the internet. I imagine that boy is capable of finding anything online. Andy Samberg is now a familiar face on the funny-again SNL (also my initials, ha!) and Jorma and Akiva, his Lonely Island brethren, are also part of the SNL family now. Akiva directs the digital shorts and writes them alongside Jorma and Andy. Finally, Jorma makes an appearance on the show rather than just spending his time dancing behind the scenes:



and to another of my favorite bands:



But this is possibly my favorite Lonely Island video. I think I can just really relate to it.



I love storks.