Hipster Replacement

Google and Apple: the war begins (continues?)

2009-08-03T13:02:00.003-04:00

NY Times: Google Chief Resigns as Apple Director

Clearly relations between Google and Apple are really breaking down. Apple's rejection of the Google Voice app (see article) is really moving this along.

One of the biggest frustrations of coming up with something new is the extreme difficulty of getting it to those who need to hear it / could make use of it most. With the When I'm Mobile approach, Google could really punch Apple in the eye at a time when they seem to really want / need to do this.

So for now I will keep plugging away, get my thoughts and ideas out here and wherever I can, and hope the right people start to see what I am working on and the power that it can unleash...

Good Article

2009-07-20T00:22:00.002-04:00

Is Your Website Mobile Friendly? Here are Some Tips To Help
by Ramon Ray, from allbusiness.com

Take the "When I'm Mobile Challenge"

2009-07-19T23:15:00.023-04:00

So let me tell you what I am working on.

No... let me show you.

The When I'm Mobile Challenge:

Take a look at your own website, or actually any website you want, on your iPhone, your Palm, your BlackBerry, your Android; whatever mobile device you use to access the web. Your company site, your blog, your MySpace page -- the site(s) you use to present your information to the online world community.

How is it looking? How is it working?

Is it taking a long time to fully load? Is it showing up at all? How easy is it for you to use? More importantly, how easy is it for people visiting your website to use?

Is it easy to find what you're looking for? Does audio play? How about video?

How many people out there, on those millions of iPhones and BlackBerries and Androids and such, are having this experience while trying to use your site?

How much does this matter?

Now -- take a look on that same phone, at some examples of how your website can be presented, and your work experienced, on the mobile web:

Restaurant:
Paulie Gee's: www.pauliegee.com
Union Square Cafe (demo): www.whenimmobile.com/usc

Music:
Radio Paradise: www.radioparadise.com
Tori Sparks: www.torisparks.com
The Shackeltons: www.theshackeltons.com
Beggars Group USA (prototype): www.whenimmobile.com/bgusa

Non-profit:
Friends In Deed: www.friendsindeed.org
Young Audiences (pending upcoming launch): www.whenimmobile.com/yai

I have been working on When I'm Mobile for the past year and a half. My mission: to provide the best mobile user experience possible, within the capabilities of the device being used.

This is my vision for how the web should be experienced on our phones... and I'm trying to get the word out

It's been a while

2009-07-10T17:47:00.004-04:00

but I am trying to get back to this.

I have created a company called When I'm Mobile, check it out. I got a smartphone from my last job, started trying to use the web on it, and realized that the web sucks on the phones.

Then I found out it's not the web that sucks on the phones, it's the websites. So I figured out how to make websites work properly on the mobile devices and am building a business around it.

Still very into music, though; going to see Mission of Burma, Ponytail and Fucked Up this sunday at Williamsburg Waterfront. Will be tabling the event for KEXP.

HUGE news from KEXP and WNYE: this will change everything

2008-02-13T22:26:00.016-05:00

Somebody at KEXP asked me to keep an important secret for them when they came to New York for CMJ. I was able to do it, only telling my wife; but it was the toughest secret I have ever had to keep. It was an incredible honor to be trusted like that.

KEXP and Brooklyn radio station WNYE 91.5 are embarking on a historic collaboration which will give New York bands unprecedented access to KEXP's worldwide audience, as well as exposing the great KEXP programming to many more people in our area than ever before.

The press release was Monday, the link is on this page:

KEXP/Radio New York alliance

As a passionate KEXP member, listener and volunteer I am extremely excited about this news. I believe it will have a seismic effect on our music scene. This will give new opportunities which were previously unattainable to many bands, especially those who aren't yet in a position to spring for a trip to Seattle for a precious John Richards in-studio. Now those sessions can take place in Williamsburg much of the year!

Reaction from Seattle is of course mixed:

Seattlest

The Stranger

Please offer your congratulations to both stations, KEXP and WNYE. This is great news for New York.

you gotta check this out

2008-02-09T00:42:00.001-05:00

Found on BrooklynVegan, always credit where credit is due:

Songerize

Have fun with this. Share your finds.

In the words of one of my favorite two dj's: "Holy shit that's good."

It can be creative, and it's pretty amazing and will remind you of a different day...

EDIT: it seems to be down sometimes

Lots going on

2008-01-29T16:36:00.001-05:00

Been very busy with my new project. I am finally making my move into the music business with my first band website; I have been working with the Shackeltons. From what I can tell they are now the first ever band to have a mobile website. If you access the site from a mobile web device/smartphone, you will see a version of the Shackeltons website designed specifically for these devices.

My company is called When I'm Mobile, watch for more on this soon.

I am probably going to 5 nights in a row of music this week now that I am done with the website; it was launched today along with the Shackeltons new CD. It's great, give the songs a listen at their website.

Tonight: Vampire Weekend CD release party at Bowery
1/30: Jeffrey Lewis at Mercury Lounge
1/31: seeing a friend play his new music (I get to be the first outside his band to hear this, very exciting! I know KEXP will be playing these songs when they are released)
2/1: Shackeltons at Club Midway
2/2: Hot Chip at Highline Ballroom

Holy Cannoli! 2 of my favorite Seattle bands are coming!

2007-12-22T11:20:00.000-05:00

Blue Scholars - 2/15 at Mercury Lounge

Presidents of the United States of America - 3/24 at Bowery - OH MY GOD!!!

Don't miss these if ya know what's good for ya

2 shows this weekend at Mercury Lounge

2007-12-14T15:15:00.000-05:00

Big music weekend for me, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip late show at Mercury Lounge tonight, and Friction NYC featuring Yeasayer tomorrow night. I have posted about both these acts before (here and here) and expect both shows to be very memorable.

Vampire Weekend, Big Head Todd in 2008

2007-12-01T12:17:00.000-05:00

The Sondre Lerche show at Bowery Tuesday night was way cool. Sondre is an amazing talent, he was up there solo and captivated the crowd. Definitely catch him if you can; btw, he composed the entire soundtrack to the new Steve Carrell movie Dan in Real Life (which I want to see real soon).

Dan Wilson put in a great performance as well, his solo work is as strong as his work with Semisonic. I suggested that he sing Secret Smile, he said that's a great idea and that he would play it at Maxwell's. Bummer for me, bonus for others.

I just added two new shows to my schedule for '08: Vampire Weekend 1/29 and Big Head Tood and the Monsters 2/27. I saw Big Head Todd a few years ago at Irving, they always put on a great show and it's a nice fun West-Coast-centric crowd.

Saturday night was tribute night @ Bowery

2007-11-12T19:47:00.000-05:00

I really had a blast Saturday night at Bowery Ballroom. Decided to go at the last minute because a new friend of mine, Dave Godowsky, was in the headliner, Mr. Brownstone. Awesome GnR tribute band with CYHSY member Sean Greenhalgh as Axl and my friend Dave as Izzy. They really rocked the place until way too late. Great crowd, everyone was very friendly.

Just before them was Tragedy, an all-metal BeeGees tribute band, they were a hoot. Ramones tribute band Pet Sematary was there too, they wore out my legs with their dead-on covers.

Next up for me is Sondre Lerche Nov 27 and my buddy Hank's band Wormburner on Dec 20, both at Bowery Ballroom.

Rogue Wave at Bowery tonight 11/1

2007-11-01T16:17:00.000-04:00

Going to see Rogue Wave at Bowery tonight; very psyched, they are a great band and great guys. Terrible week at work, I am glad to get out to a great show at a great venue tonight.

No Age, Double Dagger at Columbia Univ 10/25

2007-10-26T11:39:00.000-04:00

I decided at the last minute to go to a punk show at Lerner Party Space at Columbia University last night to catch No Age and Double Dagger. This was a great show, and as Double Dagger and I are both from Baltimore it was extra cool. Nice small intimate space, and the bands really brought it. WBAR sponsored this event. I hope to attend more shows there as it is one of the few venues in town I can actually walk to.

KEXP Pledge Drive going on now!

2007-10-26T11:35:00.000-04:00

KEXP's pledge drives are always fun and are a great way to introduce yourself to the station and what it is all about. Please give it a listen in the next several days for maximum entertainment and if it moves you, make a donation and become a member. This station has changed my life and the way I experience music.

Poison Control Center, Yeasayer at KEXP in-studios

2007-10-23T18:43:00.000-04:00

Thursday of CMJ week I spent most of the day at KEXP sessions at Gibson Guitar Showroom. Had a meeting in the morning so I missed the Sammies, but I hear they were great. I did get to see Poison Control Center and Yeasayer; New York Noise videotaped both sessions.

Poison Control Center asked us to sing along to their last song; see if you can figure out which one is me...

CMJ: bands I'm seein' and lovin'

2007-10-17T10:38:00.003-04:00

Spent all day yesterday at Gibson showroom with KEXP, and most of the evening at BrooklynVegan's CMJ showcase at the Bowery Ballroom. Saw the following bands kill during their performances:

Pela
Eagle Seagull
The Hold Steady

The Shaky Hands
The Most Serene Republic

Looking forward to tonight at KEXP listeners party and showcase at Mercury Lounge.

Vampire Weekend Instore at Other Music 10/18

2007-10-09T11:09:00.001-04:00

Vampire Weekend is doing an instore performance at Other Music on 10/18 at 11AM. I am not publicizing this beyond my post here since I want the line to be short when I get there (yeah, right). Let's see how many people actually read this blog.

They Might Be Giants at Columbia - Set Time Announced

2007-10-02T07:42:00.001-04:00

The TMBG show at Columbia I previously posted, which BrooklynVegan brought to our attention a few weeks ago, showed up in a New York Times ad this week. Here is the schedule, highlights include the TMBG set (reading? playing? both? who knows) from 2:15-3:00; Cheech Marin!! directly before them from 1:40-2:00, and Peter Himmelman at 4:10.

The National at Music Hall of Williamsburg

2007-09-29T09:23:00.000-04:00

Finally getting to see the National headline at a venue I like. I saw them open for Arcade Fire in Philadelphia earlier this year and they were great. They are playing one show at Terminal 5 and two at MHOW, all are sold out. I am up to 5 out of 6 nights of shows around CMJ now. This is a lot for me.

KEXP Listener Appreciation Party at HiFi 10/17

2007-09-28T18:45:00.001-04:00

KEXP, the only station that matters, is coming to New York for CMJ week and doing in-studios all week at the Gibson Guitar Showroom in midtown. All the in-studios are full (even the TBAs) but there is a free listeners party at HiFi on Wednesday, Oct 17. I will be there early to set up buttons, postcards and banners for the party. Hope to see you there!

Switcheroo - Kaiser Chiefs is out; Sea and Cake is in

2007-09-28T18:38:00.000-04:00

Since I was really going to Kaiser Chiefs at the Beacon tomorrow night for the 1st opener, Datarock, who are awesome, and didn't really care about the main act, I decided to sell my Kaiser Chiefs ticket and buy a Sea and Cake at Warsaw ticket through Craigslist. (Datarock is playing Gramercy Theater for CMJ, I hope to catch them there instead.) I bought and sold both tickets at face (ethical people rejoice) within an hour of each other! Yay Craigslist! Psyched to see Sea and Cake at a non-Webster Hall venue for a change...

EDIT: This was a fantastic show. Both opening acts blew me away. Soft Circle is a drummer who sets up electronic, vocal and/or guitar loops and then does drum solos to the layers he's created. While it is a bit of a work in progress, once he gets going he really grooves. Catch him if you can.

Antietam came on next. A trio led by a woman who looks like she could be your mom's friend from yoga class - and I mean that in the most respectful way - killed on guitar and the audience was way into this band.

And of course Sea and Cake were mesmerizing, Archer Prewitt comes up with amazing guitar textures with way fewer gadgets than you'd think he'd need to do that.

Gary Lucas Gods & Monsters - FREE show at BAM Cafe

2007-09-25T22:06:00.000-04:00

Gary Lucas, the guitarist from Captain Beefheart and the guy who wrote and played the instrumental line for Jeff Buckley on "Grace," is performing a free show 10/5 at 9PM in the BAM Cafe as part of the Next Wave Festival. I cannot tell you how cool it was to see Gary play Bowery Poetry Club and to have 2 Modern Lovers members (make sure you listen to I'm Straight), a Talking Heads member and a Television (man, I could find NOTHING; Wikipedia them I guess) member rocking out with him on stage. The sax player is great too, he's in the Hungry March Band.

Why this is free I have no idea.

BrooklynVegan CMJ Bowery Show

2007-09-17T13:58:00.000-04:00

I am starting to plan my shows for CMJ. In addition to the numerous KEXP shows I will probably attend, I am definitely going to BrooklynVegan's showcase at Bowery on 10/16. Will update as my choices become clear.

The Little Ones / Voxtrot 10/14

2007-09-15T16:09:00.000-04:00

I heard and became friends with The Little Ones last year during CMJ, after seeing them open for Gomez a few weeks prior. They are playing CMJ again this year and opening for Voxtrot at Music Hall of Williamsburg Oct 14. I am looking forward to seeing and hearing them again, and also looking forward to Voxtrot who I haven't seen live yet but hear great things about...

Vampire Weekend Blue CD-R: Bedtime Music

2007-09-12T20:53:00.001-04:00

My 6-year-old loves the Vampire Weekend Blue CD-R collection and is listening to it as her bedtime music! Now if she'd only stop dancing and go to sleep already!! (she says Wolcott is her favorite song)

Girl Talk / Dan Deacon at Bowery Ballroom 9/15

2007-09-12T19:35:00.000-04:00

Just bought a ticket to the Girl Talk show at Bowery for this Saturday night. I've been waiting to see Dan Deacon (2nd opener) for a few months now and am really looking forward to finally experiencing this. Held out for a venue I really like; I have passed on many shows of Dan's because the venues didn't suit me. (I am very picky about my venues.)

They Might Be Giants at Columbia University

2007-09-12T13:35:00.001-04:00

They Might Be Giants is playing October 14 at Columbia University to support a Target-sponsored reading event for children. No word yet on a set time. I will be there with the family, should be fun!

Thou Shalt Always Kill

2007-09-11T13:05:00.000-04:00

Check out dan le sac VS scroobius pip's song "Thou Shalt Always Kill." Heard it this morning on KEXP and it grabbed me. Awesome lyrics. My favorite line is

"thou shalt not want a girlfriend who's a freak like me"

Vampire Weekend has taken over my soul. Haven't been into a band this much since Gomez; VW are really fun live and they are moving up FAST. If they play in a small venue near you it is a must-see performance.

What I am listening to these days

2007-09-10T15:45:00.000-04:00

Blue Scholars - Sagaba
Wormburner - A Heroes Welcome
Finian McKean - Monsters of the Deep Woods
The Sea and Cake - Everybody
Primal Scream - Riot City Blues
KEXP - Live at KEXP Vol. 3

Secret Machines, Vampire Weekend

2007-09-07T15:30:00.000-04:00

I will be attending the Secret Machines residency at the Annex on 9/26. They are doing 4 dates there. Saw them in Baltimore at Artscape last year and they are really good.

I am also thinking hard about Vampire Weekend at the new Music Hall of Williamsburg this coming Saturday night 9/8. Great lineup including Harlem Shakes, who I saw open for the Go! Team a couple of years back, and Yeasayer, from which BrooklynVegan has 2 downloadable songs on his blog.

New Pornographers

2007-08-15T16:09:00.000-04:00

just got a ticket to New Pornographers Bowery show for Tuesday 8/21; very psyched, they usually play larger venues!

A New Approach to my Blog

2007-08-12T10:13:00.001-04:00

I'm back. After a long break.

I realized I may not be a music blogger after all, because:

1. I won't take pictures at shows. Distracts me from enjoying the show, and distracts others who are trying to enjoy the show as well. My opinion anyway.

2. I don't like writing about music. Why do you want to hear what I think about a song/band? Listen for yourself and decide.

What I will do is post shows I am scheduled to attend, so those of you who know me and want to know which shows I am seeing can get this info here. I will also occasionally post links to bands I like. It will be kept very simple.

So...

Shows I am headed to in the next few months:

Thinking about the National at the Seaport this Friday (8/17); great band but not sure I want to put up with the crowd for this one. We'll see.

9/29: Kaiser Chiefs / Datarock at the Beacon. Really going for Datarock.

10/5: Gary Lucas Gods + Monsters at BAM Cafe. Gary is a great musician and a great guy. Worked closely with Jeff Buckley and was a major part of Captain Beefheart's band.

10/23: Tunng at Union Hall. Found out about this band from Gomez, if you like bands like Fields and Mew, check these guys out they are great.

10/27: The Go! Team at Bowery. Cheerleaders on acid.

Thinking about:

9/6: Bill Callahan (Smog) at Southpaw. Sorry, no good music links for this guy. Here's his main website as far as I could find: http://www.dragcity.com/bands/smog.html

11/1: Rogue Wave at Bowery

OK, Break's Over...

2006-04-29T20:48:00.000-04:00

Well I haven't gone to a concert since Art Brut, unless you count the two Gomez Listening Parties which I don't count. But May and June have some great indie acts coming through New York, and my schedule is starting to fill up.

Here is what I have planned so far; I will post links to music and bios for the bands shortly:

May 5 - Josh Ritter and Hem at Bowery Ballroom

and you gotta hear this Hem song

May 7 - Alice Texas and Spotiswoode and His Enemies at Living Room
May 15 - The Mugs at Gigantic Studios (KEXP session)
May 16 - The Go Station at Gigantic Studios (KEXP session)
May 16 - Chris Thile at Living Room
June 4 - Tapes n Tapes at Bowery Ballroom
June 7 - James McMurtry, Willie Nile, Tim Easton at Bowery Ballroom
June 13 - Eels at Winter Garden/World Financial Center
June 15 - Bottle Rockets and Bobby Bare Jr. at Maxwell's

Eels and Bottle Rockets the same week is a real treat for a RadioParadise listener, and for anyone really.

In July I don't think I can prevent myself from being at Castle Clinton twice, unless it's really hot like last year. Okkervil River plays July 13, and the Hold Steady plays July 27.

Gomez Listening Party in San Francisco; Some Jazz & Blues to Enjoy

2006-04-26T09:47:00.000-04:00

Wasn't able to get to the live shows in San Francisco that I was considering, but I was able to make it to the Gomez How We Operate Listening Party at the Boom Boom Room. I had a blast. Great group of people there, I hung out with Ed, the host of the party, for a while after the show; very knowledgeable guy when it comes to music.

Ed turned me on to a few acts I was unaware of:

Snooks Eaglin - Ed mentioned Snooks to me when I expressed my interest in Sonny Landreth, my favorite slide-guitar player. Real down-to-roots New Orleans blues. Blind guitarist with a lot of personality, Ed says he is amazing live. I wasn't able to find much in the way of tunes from this guy on the web, but there are song samples from one of his albums here, and you can hear songs from his other albums at the same site.

Astral Project - While I am mostly into alt-indie music, my tastes run quite eclectic, and this jazz band from New Orleans is striking. Starts out seeming like straight jazz, and then as you listen you hear a lot of elements from all sorts of other musical influences. My favorite cut so far is Bongo Joe from one of their older albums.

Garage A Trois - another great jazz band. I had heard of these guys, but hadn't heard any of their material. They swing. They provide full versions of songs on the discography page, and there are several live shows available at their live music archive page.

I probably won't be featuring jazz that often here, but the above are great acts that I am grateful to Ed for letting me in on.

Marika Hughes - Musician Extraordinaire

2006-04-19T13:11:00.000-04:00

Really cool thing happened on the plane to Oakland last night. We were getting on the plane and my wife asked the woman next to us, "Do you play the cello?" Turns out it was none other than Marika Hughes, who my wife recognized as the cellist from a Vienna Teng concert we saw at Joe's Pub at least 2 years ago.

Marika is a very prolific artist involved in several projects, among them Charming Hostess and 2 Foot Yard. She is also involved in a new project, Red Pocket, in which she has co-written the songs. As big Vienna fans, my wife and I were interested in her recent experiences with her; Marika is on Vienna's new album which is due out in July.

Marika's music is very avant-garde and quite interesting, from what I have heard so far. I definitely remember her solos at the Joe's Pub show. She is touring in Europe in May.

Appel Farm Music Festival - Saturday June 3

2006-04-18T14:51:00.000-04:00

I have attended the Appel Farm Music Festival in the past; always a great lineup, usually terrible weather. Hopefully the weather will be better this year, as 5 of my favorite artists are performing in one day. This year you won't have to make difficult choices between the headliners as they are not playing opposite each other on the two stages.

If Friday's weather isn't rainy (meaning a muddy field) and Saturday is also OK, I will be heading down to Elmer NJ (about 2 to 2.5 hour drive from NY) to see:

Fountains of Wayne
Duncan Sheik
Klezmatics
Toad the Wet Sprocket
Richard Thompson (hear some RT songs here)

... and others, ALL IN ONE DAY!!

Vacation

2006-04-18T10:43:00.000-04:00

I am off to Bay Area for vacation today. Except for a possible concert Friday (either Black Crowes Acoustic at the Fillmore, if I can get a decent-priced ticket, or Luka Bloom at Great American Music Hall), I am not planning any concerts while I am there. Slim pickens compared to New York and Seattle music calendars, that's for sure...

If you are reading my blog, please let me know what you think so far. This is a work in progress and I an only starting to define its direction.

When I return, I will list the concerts I am considering, the summer concert series are heating up and there are many good options. I know I am going to Eels at World Financial Center on June 13. Should be a great show.

Gomez Listening Parties - New York April 27

2006-04-15T00:02:00.000-04:00

Gomez is coming out with a much-awaited new album, How We Operate, on May 2. They are on ATO, Dave Matthews' label, and are doing some shows with them. According to XM's "Nude Music Review," they may just be about to take America by storm, finally.

There are listening parties scheduled all over the country, the one in New York is at Jake's Dilemma Thursday, April 27 on the Upper West Side. I am attending both this one and the one at the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco on April 23.

Those not familiar with Gomez' music can become acquainted by listening to the HWO title track streamed at Myspace. Their back catalog is remarkable; their first album, Bring It On, won the Mercury prize, upsetting both the Verve and Massive Attack. They were doing things in 1999 on Liquid Skin that Beck didn't discover until Guero.

people of paper has a couple of songs from the new album...

...and Golfo has some gems from past albums.

KEXP NY Sessions are up! May 15-19

2006-04-13T02:50:00.000-04:00

This comes around a couple times a year and is one of my favorite music events in New York. Kickass public radio station KEXP Seattle hosts a week of private (very private) sessions of 4 or 5 songs and interviews with one of the KEXP DJs. Both local and national acts participate, although the focus is on New York Area bands.

They are FREE! All you need to do is sign up, do it fast as this is getting more popular each time they come to town. Here is the signup form.

I am attending the Mugs session at 12pm Monday and the GoStation session at 12pm Tuesday.

I have been to 7 of these sessions since 2004. I have seen Baskervilles, Concretes, Sondre Lerche, Caulfield Sisters, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, Goldspot and Youth Group with maybe 20-50 people in the room. It is also a real treat to see the KEXP DJs practicing their craft. These are the people who are guiding our musical exposure to a great degree, and this is an opportunity to let them know how much we appreciate them and see some awesome sessions as well.

I hope the new venue (the previous sessions were broadcast from Museum of TV and Radio) is just as intimate...

A Note about Popups on my Blog:

As of this posting, I have coded a single popup screen for the links I send you to. This is so you can keep the main blog page open while navigating to my links. I am only sending you to one screen, which will be reused for eack link you click. I am doing this to prevent multiple popups while enabling you to retain easy access to this page. Too technical?

Art Brut

2006-04-12T11:04:00.000-04:00

Went to Art Brut last night. It wasn't boring. At least the last two bands weren't boring (Rogers Sisters and Art Brut); the first band was in fact boring (Favourite Sons).

My new friend Bolts of Melody was there and has a review and pictures.

Upcoming shows for me:

May 5 -- Josh Ritter/Hem -- Bowery Ballroom
May 16 -- Chris Thile -- Living Room (Amazing mandolin player from Nickel Creek, doing 4 shows in May at the Living Room.

It's time to take a break from shows. I am showed-out for a while.

And so it begins...

2006-04-11T12:42:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone, I am Hipster Replacement. I go to a lot of indie music shows here in NYC, and want to share my passion for music with anyone who chooses to read my brand new blog. Occasionally I suppose we'll discuss other issues, but this is primarily an attempt at an urban music blog in the tradition of Brooklyn Vegan.

I am in my early 40's, hence the name Hipster Replacement. While I find that I am generally on the older side of the audience at the shows I attend, I can easily establish my music-knowledge credibility. At first people seem to think I'm a narc or something. I have learned to find this amusing.

New York is such an amazing place for a live-music aficionado, I have been going overboard for the last 3 years or so since discovering the small- to medium-sized venues and the great bands they showcase. Tonight I am going to see Art Brut at Southpaw, great small venue in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I usually go to these shows by myself since it is hard to find people my age with as much time and interest in going to all these shows, but I am always open to going with other people. My wife joins me occasionally when the show is worth getting a babysitter...

Rather than rehash all the shows I have been to recently, and there have been many, I will post when I find a worthy show.

My main music resources are:

RadioParadise -- my favorite eclectic radio station, internet only. Definitely try this to expand your music horizons, no matter how broad you think your taste is currently.

KEXP Seattle -- by far the best public radio station for indie/alternative music I have ever heard. Hits you with new stuff every day, and the programmers/dj's are extremely knowledgeable. John Richards and Cheryl Waters are my favorite DJ's and I listen to the Morning and Afternoon shows whenever I can.

I actually stream both of these stations into my ipod and listen while at work or on the subway. I am surprised more people don't do this, I have been doing it for more than 3 years, before podcasting became a trend. I am happy to talk about how I do this with anyone interested.

The aforementioned Brooklyn Vegan -- I can't even count how many shows this guy has found for me. Indispensable resource for band and tour information.

That's it for now; I could go on for days about music but moderation is key...