Some of my favorite tracks by these artists, all uploaded for you in a “concert mix.” You Bay Area folks are going, right?

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1. The Album Leaf, “Another Day (Revisited),” from In a Safe Place (2004)
2. Under Byen, “Byen Driver,” from Det er mig der holder traerne sammen (2002)

Saturday 30 June 2007
The Album Leaf
with Under Byen / Arthur & Yu
@ Slim’s

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3. Battles, “ipt2,” from EP C/B EP (2006)

Monday 2 July 2007
Battles
with Ponytail
@ Slim’s

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4. SUNN O)))’s “0))) Bow 1,” from Flight of the Behemoth (2002)

(Sorry — encoded at 128 kbps because Box.net wouldn’t allow a file over 10 mb.)

Wednesday 4 July 2007
Sunn O)))
with Earth / Wolves in the Throne Room / Weedeater
@ The Independent

Not my favorite SUNN O))) track (that would probably be something like “Bassaliens”), but everything else was over 12 minutes long.

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5. The Psychedelic Furs’ “Pretty in Pink,” from The Psychedelic Furs (1980)
6. The Fixx’s “Secret Separation,” from Walkabout (1986)

Sunday 15 July 2007
The Psychedelic Furs
with The Fixx / The Alarm
@ Mezzanine

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7. The Polyphonic Spree’s “Section 9 (Light & Day / Reach For The Sun,” from The Beginning Stages of the Polyphonic Spree (2002)

Tuesday 17 July 2007
The Polyphonic Spree
with Jesca Hoop
@ The Great American Music Hall

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8. Sonic Youth’s “Teen Age Riot,” from Daydream Nation (1988)

Thursday 19 July 2007
Sonic Youth
@ Berkeley Community Theatre

They’re playing the entire album from start to finish.

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9. Slint’s “Good Morning, Captain,” from Spiderland (1991)

(Sorry — encoded at 128 kbps because Box.net wouldn’t allow a file over 10 mb.)

Sunday 22 July 2007
Slint
with Phantom Family Halo
@ Bimbo’s

They’re playing the entire album from start to finish too!

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10. The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Glynis,” from the No Alternative compilation (1993)

Tuesday 31 July 2007
The Smashing Pumpkins
@ The Fillmore

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11. Pelican’s “Red Ran Amber,” from The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw (2005)

(Sorry — encoded at a horrible 112 kbps because Box.net wouldn’t allow a file over 10 mb.)

Sunday 12 August 2007
Pelican
with Clouds / 400 Blows / Gargantula
@ The Great American Music Hall

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12. Wing’s “For All We Know,” from Wing Sings The Carpenters (2003)

Tuesday 21 August 2007
Wing
@ Cafe Du Nord

Plus Wing wrote to tell me: “please inform all my fans as many as possible since i come so far and spend so much money wich i don,t care. i just want to greet all my fans in sanfran. my first visit.” I asked if there were any other concert dates in other cities and she wrote: “i just doing one singing for sanfransico only.see how my fans like me. i,ll come back very soon if all my fans want me.” That means you.

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13. Midlake’s “Van Occupanther,” from The Trials of Van Occupanther (2006)

Thursday 27 September 2007
Midlake
@ The Great American Music Hall

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It’s only been in the last year or so that I became interested in what houses looked like. Since then I’ve had more appreciation for the house I grew up in — therefore, this guided tour of sorts. (I’m extremely lucky in retrospect to have parents with great aesthetic sense!)

The house was designed by — [name later, sorry] according to specifications from my folks — the result of stacks of clippings of architectural magazines — and construction finished in late 1971.

This is a shot of the “back” of the house (the front door is reserved for visitors). It’s actually the first thing you see when you walk up the driveway though.

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This is actually earlier than our Ateneo gig (which is later the same afternoon at 4:30). Seriously though, any readers of this blog in the area are welcome. No cover charge, no one drink minimum!

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Tagpuan: David’s Salon, sa tabihan nang parkingan sa ilalim nang Robinson’s sa Los Banos. Alas-onse nang umaga.

Tauhan: Jem, isang batang lalaking walang kibo na taga-shampoo at tagakuha nang sopdrink; Evelyn, isang customer; Sonia, isang maliit at buntis na hairdresser; Jaylord, isa ring hairdresser na puro itim ang suot.

Malakas ang aircon sa loob, sa awa nang diyos. Hindi mo marinig ang ingay nang mga batang naglalaro nang Ragnarok sa tindahan sa harap. Sa loob nang parlor malalanghap mo ang iba’t-ibang amoy nang kemikal at shampoo. Pati na rin ang nasusunog na plastik.

“Eh biruin mo ba namang anim na oras yung rebonding. Eh magsasara na, sila na lang ang hinihintay,” kuwento ni Sonia. Si Sonia ay buntis at mukhang malapit nang manganak, dahil parang bumagsak na ang batang pababa sa kanyang tiyan.

“Paano kasi iba-iba technique nang tao,” paliwanag ni Jaylord. Kasalukuyan niyang ginugupitan si Evelyn. Mukhang malapit nang silang matapos. Hanggang balikat ang buhok ni Jaylord. Naka-itim siya na polo at itim na maong na parang binaston sa may paanan.

“Puede ba naman iyon, anim na oras? E di dinugo nang hindi oras yung customer?” tanong ni Sonia. Ubod nang bilis ang kamay niya sa paggupit sa akin.

“Ikaw ba, anim na oras magrebonding?” tanong ni Evelyn, sabay tingala kay Jaylord.

“Hoy Evelyn, hindi ha?” sagot ni Jaylord. Kinuha niya ang hair dryer. Mas magaling naman ako kay PJ.

Tawa si Evelyn at si Sonia. “Ang galing mong manira, wala lang dito si PJ,” sabi ni Sonia. Tawa rin si Jem.

“Hmmph,” sabi ni Jaylord habang sumimangot. Binuksan niya ang hair dryer sabay tinikwas ang kanyang buhok. Madalas niyang ginagawa ito.

“Hoy, iyan yung nangangamoy!” sigaw ni Sonia. Unti-unti kaming nakaamoy nang nasusunog na plastik. “Natakot yung isang customer kahapon noong ginamit ko.”

“Ginagalaw ninyo kasi,” sabi ni Jaylord. Tinigal niya ang pagboblowdry at inilipat niya ito sa ibang outlet. “Ako lang ang hahawak nito,” sabi niyang bilang babala sa mga katrabaho niya.

“Sasabog iyan,” sabi ni Sonia. “Hindi mo ba naaamoy?” Lumalakas na ang amoy nang nasusunog sa loob nang salon.

“Hindi ‘to sasabog,” sabi ni Jaylord. “Paano kasi, pag tumatama sa kahoy, nag-pipeedback yung init sa loob noong dryer kaya dalawang klaseng init yung nagsasama sa loob. Kailangan patakbuhin muna nang matagal para mawala ang amoy.”

Medyo natahimik ang tropa sa loob nang salon. “Nagsalita ang expert,” sabi ni Sonia makatapos nang ilang segundo. Umaandar pa rin ang hair dryer.

“Hoy! Dalawa anak ni Eb!” sigaw ni Sonia. Hindi ito narinig ni Jaylord, dahil nakayuko siya sa hair dryer at inaamoy ang likod noong makina.

“Putaragis ka!” sigaw rin ni Ev. Pero nakatawa siya. “Hayaan mo munang manganak si Sonia!”

Nakangiti lang si Jem, pero mukhang kinakabahan siya at katabi lang niya si Jaylord at ang hair dryer.

“Hindi ‘to sasabog,” inulit ni Jaylord. Nilakasan niya ang setting nang hair dryer. Mas umingay sa loob nang salon.

“Ano ba naman, Jaylord!” Bumunot bigla nang suklay si Sonia sa tabi nang lalagyan malapit sa mga bulaklak na plastik at inihagis kay Jaylord. “Itigil mo na ‘yan!”

“Hindi ‘to sasabog sinabi, eh.” Kalmado si Jaylord na inaamoy-amoy yung hair dryer. Medyo lumayo na si Jem. Ako tumitingin-tingin na rin sa pintuan kung saka-sakaling kailangan akong umisplit bigla.

“O, ayan, wala nang amoy.” Matagumpay na pinakita niya ang hair dryer. Baka nga lang nasanay na kami sa amoy nang nasusunog na hair dryer, pero tunay ngang hindi na naming maamoy.

“Oo nga, ano?” Mukhang medyo hanga si Sonia.

“Mga wala kasi kayong tiwala sa akin, eh,” sabi ni Jaylord. “Mga walang tiwala.”

Tinaas niya ang isang kamay na hawak ang hair dryer. “Trust in Jaylord,” sabi niya. Tumalikod siya at umexit.

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