Ice Ice Babies.

I got bored of the hotel, so I went back out to walk the city for an hour. Downtown Charlotte seems loaded with museums and arty stuff to do, but it's all closed. It's like they have no idea what to do with weather like this, so they just stay home.

I saw one enterprising bunch of guys who look like a landscaping crew using their gas-powered leaf-blowers to clear the sidewalks.

I did manage to catch this shot of a Charlotte rarity...this is the owner of one of the approximately seven snow-shovels in the city, actually using it:



...and the Checkers cancelled their game for tonite. Wusses.

Snowbound In Charlotte

I'm in Charlotte visiting the in-laws, and damned if I'm not snowed in at the hotel! In North Carolina! I was fully expecting some relatively balmy weather in the 40's & 50's. This is the view from our room at The Westin downtown:



It's Saturday afternoon, and practically the entire downtown area is closed. I guess they only have a couple plows here, so not many streets get cleared anyway.

At lunchtime, rather than go for the insanely priced room service choices, we bundled up and walked a few blocks to one of the few businesses open, Matt's Chicago Hot Dogs.

I had a "Carolina Hot Dog", which had chili, mustard, cole slaw, and seasoned salt on a steamed poppy roll:



It tasted WAY better than it looks.

Along the way, we saw maybe three other intrepid dopes on the street other than ourselves.

Last night we met up with some family at the Cricket Arena to see the Charlotte Checkers play the South Carolina Stingrays. I'd never seen minor league hockey, and it was a blast. Maybe the most amazing thing about the event was when I bought 2 hot dogs, a Coke and a beer, and only knowing hockey food prices from Devils games at The Meadowlands, I was stunned when the tab came to a mere 10 bucks and change. The Checkers lost 4-1, and play again against the Columbia Inferno tonight, weather permitting. Kimberly's brother has hooked us all up with tickets on the glass, so I hope the snow clears enough that we can find our way out there.

Habib Koite Wednesday Night For Oxfam

Next Wednesday night, I'm working for Oxfam at the Habib Koite show at S.O.B.'s (on Varick @ West Houston). Koite is a singer-songwriter-bandleader from Mali, who is also a spokesman for Oxfam's campaign against U.S. policies that dump commodities on poor countries. His country is particularly affected by the dumping of cheaper American cotton, making it difficult for local farmers to survive, let alone compete in their own country.

From Hoite's bio:
Habib is known for his unique approach to playing the guitar. He tunes his instrument to the pentatonic scale and plays on open strings as one would on a kamale n'goni. At other times Habib plays music that sounds closer to the blues or flamenco, two styles he studied under Khalilou Traoré a veteran of the legendary Afro-Cuban band Maravillas du Mali. Unlike the griots, his singing style is restrained and intimate with varying cadenced rhythms and melodies. His supporting cast, Bamada, is an explosive super-group of West African rhythm section talent.

With one foot in the past and the other in the future, Habib Koité is an artist for a generation that has witnessed the breaking down of cultural barriers. While he respects and treasures the music of his ancestors, Habib also envisions a day when village chiefs will communicate with the world from grass-thatched huts via a computer. Habib's music proves that we do not have to forsake the past in order to develop, and that the modern world, for all of its benefits, needs to keep its links to the folklore, mythology and history of the people in order for it to retain its soul.

Short music clips here.

S.O.B.'s is always fun, and this sounds like it's gonna be a great show with a chance to inform a bunch of people.

"2 Rippers, Gravy Fries, & A Medium Coke To Stay"

Kimberly just sent me a link to this guide to Jersey hot dog joints. It's a cruel joke to send me this on a day where there's 15 inches of snow in front of the car and all of New Jersey in a State Of Emergency.

I've been to a good number of these places, and it looks like their ratings are pretty acccurate as far as I'm concerned. My all time favorite, Rutt's Hutt in Clifton, scored a "5-Grease Stains" mark. I'm a fast/cheap food fanatic, and Kimberly prides herself on her ability to find some of the best/weirdest/most fun restaurants for us no matter where we travel worldwide, but I've never had a menu item as perfect as a Rutt's "ripper", their deep-fried hot dog on a steamed bun with their own special relish and mustard.

Just as cool is the fact you can eat your meal either inside their bar/lounge area served by some grizzled older local gal who'll call you "Hun", or on the other side of the building at their walkup counter where you can stand side-by-side with bikers, truckdrivers, and depending on how late it is, barely-standing-drunk-as-a-skunk ne'er-do-wells looking to treat their buzz with a dose of grease.

I was turned on to this place by my brother Ron and his intrepid pal Raul, who knows every awesome out-of-the-way place to eat between Baltimore and NYC, and west to Pittsburgh. In turn I've suggested or taken virtually everyone I know to this place, and have not had a single reaction other than "wow, this place is excellent!".

I've even turned a trip to this place into fodder for a soccer story when I was writing for NYSX.

Anyway, if I had a snowmobile or a horse-drawn sled, I'd be standing right now at the counter at Rutt's, looking through the window over snowcovered Route 21, polishing off at least two rippers and some fries. And a couple Molson drafts if someone else was driving the horses.

Smiths Reunion At Coachella?

A guy in the biz whom I trust told me last night about the effort to reunite The Smiths to play Coachella this year...I was pretty skeptical, especially having recently read Spin editor Marc Spitz's novel "How Soon Is Never", a fictional account of a rock writer's efforts to put the Salford Lads back together.

However, a conversation with a PR pal who works for one of Coachella's sponsors confirmed that he'd heard the same thing. A quick check of some of the better blogs turned up a story of Productshop NYC all but confirming the story.

Since festival tickets go on sale this week, perhaps its all a bit of coordinated rumor mongering to generate buzz, but wouldn't it be cool if true?

This Week's Saturday Night Music Pick...Go See My Dentist.

The guy that's in charge of creating caps for my wonky molars and injecting my gums with sweet, sweet novocaine when I roll into his office about two years late for a checkup complaining of jaw pain is playing The Back Fence (Bleeker @ Thompson) this Saturday night (assuming the alleged snow storm doesn't close the whole Northeast down like the TV newsteams are praying for).

Dr. Bob Clapcich plays an interesting mix of classic rock-ish tunes, and though I've not seen him yet, his sassy Dental Assistant, Erica, tells me he's pretty good. He is, in fact, the first medical practitioner I've ever had that has called me in his office to show me his recent guitar purchase.

He also tells great dirty jokes, which can really screw you up when you are loaded on the pain junk and have a mouth full of metal, cotton, and drying porcelain.

And The Back Fence has free peanuts, so that oughta seal the decision for you.

Benefit For Sarah

The very nice and friendly Sarah from spinART is recovering from some crazy immune disease, and her friends are helping to raise some dough to help her out.

Ted Leo, The Benzos, and James Murphy of DFA (among others) are playing a benefit for her at Rothko Tuesday night, tickets here.

There are also a bunch of cool items being auctioned (including signed guitars from Frank Black and Trashcan Sinatras) on eBay here.

More details, including a link to make a direct donation by PayPal can be found here.

Let Me Blow Your Mind Hasselhoff-Style:

Click this link and repeat out loud, "You are a big star in Germany, I will obey".

The Pulsating Hasselhoff

Scary stuff.

This could be a nice way to spend my birthday...

From Pollstar:

MERCURY LOUNGE

Wed 03/02/05 Sleater - Kinney

Thu 03/03/05 Sleater - Kinney

Hoboken...Cool Hang or Yuppieville?

I've always had a love/hate relationship with Hoboken.

On the one hand, it's loaded with great little stores and restaurants and old-timers who tell stories about "the old days" and mob hits and Sinatra. It's also got some really great places to hang and drink and see music, most notably the famous Maxwell's on Washington Street. I've seen some amazing shows there in that little back room over the years, including Nirvana, Oasis, The Replacements, and scores more (Just last year I saw oldsters The Fall, The Cardigans, Johnny Marr and The Psychedelic Furs and newcomers like Franz Ferdinand, The Bravery, VHS or Beta, and The Mooney Suzuki).

On the other hand, you can't walk a city block without getting hit by a stroller pushed by some Powermom yapping on her Sidekick setting up a playdate convenient with getting her Audi tuned up. And then you should expect to get the "Hoboken Snarl" from her if you didn't jump out of her way quick enough.

And forget about finding a convenient parking spot to wherever you are going...they just don't exist.

I guess the good outweighs the bad, and that's why I find myself continuing to spend time there. One of the coolest things about Hoboken is my friend Jim's store on First Street, Guitar Bar. Just look at this place, which is in what used to be a flower store:



And dig these chandeliers!:



The store is not only loaded with some seriously beautiful instruments, but every nook and corner of the store is decorated with some sort of rock & roll tchochke. I was there this morning waiting for my wife to finish up some lessons when I noticed a Television - "Marquee Moon" 8-track tape on a shelf near the pedal and gadget case. Righteous.

Possibly the best reason to be in Hoboken, however, is its amazing views of Manhattan, especially at night. Here's what it looked like today shortly after Noon under the overcast sky:

Nice, right?

I'm Hypnotized By Joanna Newsom...

and I'm not sure why.



Her song, "Sprout And The Bean" (video here) totally annoyed me at first, with its cutesy lyrics and Joanna's voice which sounds like an 8 year old's, but now I can't shake it out of my head. I usually don't go for stuff this "precious"...could be the excellent harp, I think.


More on her here at SFburning.

Asobi Seksu/Hit & Run

Got to see Asobi Seksu last night opening for Razorlight & The Features at Bowery Ballroom. It was a fantastic set, very powerful for the roughly 30 minutes they were allowed. They started off kinda poppy, and ended in a great wall of noise that felt fantastic vibrating through my bones. I can't wait to see them play a full set.

I stayed for most of The Features set, which was much better than I expected. I have their CD around here somewhere, and will probably dig it up this weekend. I'd already seen Razorlight play a pretty great set at Sin-e a couple months ago, so despite the crowd loaded with hot young rock chicks, I abandoned my pal Charles (who took the photo above) to make it home at a reasonable hour. On my way out I ran into Yuki, Asobi Seksu's singer, and said hello. She's tiny.

I walked up Bowery, turned down Spring Street, past Gatsby's where I had a perfect pint of Boddington's just before the show, when I heard an obviously drunk voice yelling at a cab. I saw the cab coming past me up the street, followed very closely by a drunk guy yelling for the driver to stop and pick him up. I watched the drunk actually catch up with the moving cab close enough to grab the door handle, when I lost sight of the guy and heard some sort of a bang. As the cab drove away, I looked up the street to see Drunk Guy in a heap in the road. The bang was either him hitting the side of the cab, or the cab hitting/running over him. A group of about a dozen people who had just left Balthazar on the opposite side of the street ran up to help the guy, so beered-up me just kept walking down to Broadway & Prince to catch the subway.

As Cindy Adams says, "Only in New York, kids...only in New York".

The Free iPod Thing Works!

This was waiting for me when I arrived home tonight:


Now I've got a spare. I think we are the only 3 iPod couple I know. I may load this one up just for DJ'ing.

Help my man Michael K. get his now, by clicking here.

Dig Me.

I've got one of these scheduled for delivery to my new basement lair this Friday:



Das rite, sucka.

I don't wanna brag but, it's got all this stuff:


SONY WEGA
51" rear-projection display: TV shows, sports and movies take on a new life with this 51" screen.

--HDTV monitor: Enjoy dynamic high-definition programming.

--Enhanced images: Sony's DRC™ circuitry upconverts lower resolution video signals to near-HD quality, while the 3D digital comb filter keeps images sharp.

--Widescreen: The 16:9 aspect ratio delivers your favorite films in their original cinematic format, and CineMotion™ Reverse Pulldown technology ensures that movies always look their best.

--A/V inputs: DVI and HDMI inputs guarantee stunning images from digital video sources, while component and S-video inputs make it easy to hook up your entire home theater system.

--Picture-in-picture: Sony's Flexible Twin-View™ 2-tuner picture-in-picture is the perfect way to watch two programs at the same time.

--TruSurround™ SRS® audio: Enjoy crisp, realistic digital sound from the built-in speakers.


And if I knew what most of that stuff meant, I bet I'd be even more fired-up.

Anyway...Manchester United v Liverpool is on Fox Sports World at 7am Saturday morning, live in my basement on a friggin' huge screen. Everyone on these Internets is invited...admission is one donut (apple spice, toasted coconut, or vanilla frosted with sprinkles preferred).

If you need to find me Thursday night, I'll be here:

More Asobi Seksu tourdates for the rest of the country:
01/20/05 Nectar's, Burlington, VT w/ Sound of Urchin
01/21/05 Kings Tavern, Saratoga Springs, NY
01/22/05 The Elevens, Northampton MA
02/05/05 Rudy's, New Haven, CT
02/10/05 Talking Head, Baltimore MD
02/11/05 Pilot Light, Knoxville TN
02/12/05 Martin's Lounge, Jackson MS
02/13/05 Twiropa, NOLA
02/14/05 Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta, GA
02/15/05 Red Star, Baton Rouge LA
02/16/05 Club Downunder, Tallahassee, FL
02/17/05 Caledonia Lounge, Athens GA
02/18/05 Local 506, Chapel Hill NC

If you need something to do tonight (Sunday)...

you oughta make it out to L.I.C. for this:



More details can be found here at BrooklynVegan.

Ashlee Gets Served By The Daily News...

..and rightfully so.

The Creepiest Arcade Fire Ticket Craigslist Post Ever

It starts out like this:

Reply to: anon-xxxxxxx@craigslist.org
Date: 2005-01-04, 4:44PM EST
Hey, ladies! I've got one Arcade Fire ticket left for Irving Plaza and I'm willing to give it up -- for free! Here's the deal:

I am a straight-up, totally normal white dude. Hedge Fund wizard by day, Spuds McKenzie by night!!! :) I'm in pretty damn good shape, if I do say so myself -- hit NYRC at least three times a week! 29 years old, brown hair, brown eyes and a sparkling smile!

I am NOT looking for sex. Just a fun, ATTRACTIVE lady who wants to accompany me to the concert, maybe dance with me during said concert, and go out for at least 1 (one) drink post-show. In other words, if you're just planning on ditching me during the show this is not going to work -- it happened to me at the Strokes show at MSG theater so I'm going to be pretty vigilant about this.
The full scary post is here.