Bright Lights, Big City......

When I was the NEW kid in NYC, a man dressed in black looking a little like a NARC and a little like a PUBLIC PERVERT that hangs on the subway gestured to me come over as I was looking for the NEXT EXIT out of this grimy UNTITLED, illegal lower east side dive. To much forced PDA and stitled conversation here.

The man in black seemed like another OBSTACLE 1,2 but this bar was EVIL tonight and NOT EVEN JAIL would make me stay. He said C'MERE while he beckoned me to the door with his MAMMOTH fingers. I was lonely in this big city - never in my life before did I feel it a TIME, TO BE SMALL so I moved forward slowly, remembering PACE IS THE TRICK. SLOW HANDS wrapped around my wrist pulling me out in the light of street lamp. I was ALL FIRED UP by this boldness and came at him like a WRECKING BALL and growled at him "HANDS AWAY buddy. WHO DO YOU THINK you are?"

He said "I am the SPECIALIST.. And I want to TAKE YOU ON A CRUISE." I just rolled my eyes, oh the SCALE of the lies men will go to for LENGTHS OF LOVE. The MASCARA on my eyes smudged on my cheek and he bent forward brushed it away. I felt my heart PRECIPITATE as the REST MY CHEMISTRY became flushed. He grabbed my hand and said come with me to PIONEERS TO THE FALLS. What I said? A bar on Avenue A.

We moved like LEIF ERICKSON in search of a beacon from a phantom LIGHTHOUSE on unchartered shores.

SAY HELLO TO ANGELS as we walked into the half empty bar and then he introduced me to ROLAND, who was cutting with array of knives limes, maked them perfectly CUBED. Then I met his other mate. HEINRICH MANUEVER close to me while my STRANGER IN THE NIGHT got me a drink. Both his friends leered at me in a hungry way and I knew that there would be NO I IN A THREESOME tonight with them and slinked away slowly.

The man in black returned. And said come with me to the jukebox. I want show you something. He said play SONG SEVEN. I did.

As the room became filled by a booming voice singing "STELLA IS A DIVER AND SHE IS ALWAYS DOWN," I turned to my companion who was quietly gaging my reaction while smoking a marlboro red and asked him what his name was. And he replied Paul and I was listening to a song of his new album.

And that is how i became introduced to INTERPOL*

(It is mostly somewhat true story. Please note names of people and places have been changes to protect the innocent and maybe to get all the names of the songs in their catalog to fit).

So, I wrote this little story to try to win tickets from Gothamist to Interpol's concert in Atlantic City. I have not heard anything yet so I assume I was not the winner. Oh well, It occupied a good hour or so on a very boring work day at the NRDC.

Day after day...

I guess I have not posted my blog in almost two years. Alot has happened since the halcyon times in good ole London town. I promise I will fill you in. In fact, there is much I need to tell you of my past. And I will.

But for now, all you need to know is I am back in the East Village

I am Rick James, Bitch.... (Create an Image)

So, I was playing around with this cool little google option called Montage-a-Google; which creates a collage of images from any Google Image search results.

All you do is enter your subject's name (such as Paris Hilton or Michael Jackson) optionally set how many images and what size your montage should be, and then watch the page fill up with pictures.

If you want to enlarge a particular image, all you have do is click on an image to see the original. Hours of enjoyment....

So, I decided to type in one of the more colorful musicians Mr. Rick James and strangely enough an image from the Family Circus cartoon was in the montage....

It kinda proves my theory that the only reason Family Circus has been able to keep its spot in the Sunday Comics is a pact with the devil...mmmm, dare I say it.."Super Freaky."

Me needs da Needs.....

Special Needs, originally uploaded by rojacaliente.

ripped from the Special Needs forum:

Nambucca is now Bigger, Better, Booty-shaking-er and BACK FOR MORE!!!

Special Needs in association with pure groove PRESENT...

Funfairs & Heartbreak

at Nambucca, 596 Holloway Road, nearest tube Archway

from 6 til 1, £1 Entry after 8pm, £2 pints, free scrabble

***NOTE new later opening, no stupid 'no-one in after 11' shite and barely bank busting door charge***

anyone who wants more information on changes at Nambucca can email me at jennyjenny@puregroove.co.uk

This month...

Special Needs, LIVE!!!

The Holloways, born in Nambucca itself (I cut the cord). These boys personify and amplify the sound of London town, poetic, lilting, thoughtful and frenetic some of you may have seen them support babyshambles at Bucca.

Hadleigh Ford, providing the 'variety' angle, so I hear. A peculiar acoustic set provided by Zac's cousin's mate's dog's babysitting vicar.

and an exclusive gig from Joe Driscoll, on a brief stint over from NYC, this human music machine is wowing crowds around London cropping up at impromtu gigs in his lo-fi high-top beatbox stylee for the next week, catch him while you can.

This Friend of Mine......

Down Loading Porn with Dave-O, originally uploaded by rojacaliente.

Q4music has a great little interview vignette on Mr. Adam Green, formerly of the Moldy Peaches. Adam, in the video, talks with Q about his inspiration for his newly released and quirky album, Gemstones.

To be honest, I just enjoyed watching it because Adam is one of my old homies from the hood...He is one of the nicest guys around, if not the silliest. I can't tell you how many times I have seen him play...Always a fun show (don't let his anti-folk garb and sensibilities fool you, I swear he secretly desires to be a lounge singer)...A little bit of a clown but always super sweet....

Anyways, check it out... To see the Q4music interview, click here

More info: www.adamgreen.net

Festival Season is around the corner.....

So, T in the Park sold out in a matter of days... and like me you had no idea they went on sale.. Scratch that one of your list.

Just to make sure you are paying attention...The people at The Carling Weekend: Reading Festival this year decided to release a few tickets early this year. mmmm as in TODAY.

But no worries...Tickets will officially go on-sale after the line-up for the event, taking place from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th August, is announced on Monday 21st March at 7pm. To read more, click here.


Also important to note....Tickets for Glastonbury 2005 go on sale at 9am on Sunday 3 April, and cost £125 plus £4 booking fee and £4 postage and packing.

E.T. Phone Me........

th-ETCVLG_ET-FS35, originally uploaded by rojacaliente.

This is for all of you (and you know who you are) whose guilty pleasure is scouring through Craig's list missed connections in hope that may be the missed connection. Well, here is one out of this world...

According to The San Jose Mercury News:

Craigslist Chief Executive Jim Buckmaster won an eBay auction over the weekend - at $1,225 - for the chance to send a message into outer space. Florida's Deep Space Communications Network, an audio and video production company, will transmit the postings at least one light year into space using its existing satellite broadcasting gear.

Here's what the ad will say:

Missed Connection with Gentle Alien (M4M? M4F?)

You: Short, gray skinned, large brained alien being.

Me: Back roads motorist beamed up onto ship.

You had me at "We mean you no harm." The gentle way in which you drew my blood, urine, and semen and probed my rectum made me fall for you right away. I was so sad when you deposited me back in my car and erased our time together from my memory. But how can I forget you? The subdermal tracking device you placed in my buttocks keeps beating. As does my heart.

Care for another encounter? Email me if you want to meet for coffee.

Baby, beam me up....

Now the neighbors can dance... Here comes the Arcade Fire

Run... I tell you...Don't walk and snatch up the Arcade Fire's debut album called Funeral released in the UK tomorrow on Rough Trade.....

Released last year in North America, the album was on every who's who of music critics top five albums of 2004 and is projected to take to the UK like wild fire. All I know is this album is my number one most played artist and track on my audioscrabble list and I have had the disk only since Christmas. I love it.....

Even more exciting is that they will be town this month to play two small venues in London and then will return in May to tour the whole UK. This is what has been announced so far:

4th May Manchester MDH
5th May Glasgow Debating Chamber
6th May Birmingham Academy
8th May Bristol Academy
9th May London Astoria

They put on a great show I have heard...This October they went to CMJ festival in New York and played a small gig which my sources said was one of the best shows in ages. They were the darlings of CMJ... A few months later, the buzz around them was so great that the record company moved their original venue at the Bowery (Astoria sized) to two shows at Brixton sized venues. Both shows sold out no problem......

No Brakes now! The other upcoming band of the moment in the UK.... The Bravery will play an instore gig at HMV on Oxford Street at 6pm tomorrow, 28 February 2005. Most of their shows are already sold out the next couple months so this might be your only chance to see them for awhile!

100% Better Club

Today, Babyshambles put on a vibrant and kinectic show at the famed 100 Club on Oxford Street (gawd, the last time I was there was in the early 90's to see a big band play swing.) Anyways, Babyshambles seemed to be having a grand ole time playing at this small, smoky basement venue. There was a much nicer vibe than the Brixton show, even though there seemed to be just as many celebs: Jonny from Razorlight, the guy from Primal Scream and a few faces I recognize from somewhere but I am not a native to the land so the names escape me...

Babyshambles shows are always better when they are closer in proximity to the fans...

Pete also seem to be in a better mindset. He joked around with Patrick and even made an attempt to leap into the crowd but the hired muscle pulled him quickly back...He even quietly wished me happy birthday in between sets* as write this I begin to giggle like a school girl.....

Enough gabbing... I actually need to rush off....I am off to catch the Metro Riots at the Barfly and then the secret guest (?British Sea Power?)at the Frog. Sometimes, London is too much fun...

Here are some photos of the show:

I love the next photo of Pete. It really captures how I think he must feel. It is very honest.

It is cool also in black and white...

A howl screams out in the Urban Jungle: Guerilla Gig about to happen

The Others, originally uploaded by rojacaliente.

The Others just announced that they are going to hold one of their signature Guerilla gigs tonight.

They will be doing a gig on the pavement outside the South Kensington museum at 7.45pm.

If you missed their infamous Guerilla gig on the tube. Here is your chance to be part of what make the British music scene so much fun and just plain cool.....