Darth Drabek

The Championship - Ferris Wheel Great alt-country band from Milwaukee. They're touring now, so go see them if they're near your town. We got to open for them Wednesday night and they put on a hell of a show.

Ha, I sent this around at work last week. It's a good find, and one of the many reasons I love the Internet.

Still one of my all-time favorite songs. Have you heard any of the the new Gutter Twins project yet? I think the album came out yesterday, and they've got the whole thing posted on their myspace page. My favorite is "The Stations." It's pretty much what you would expect from an album by Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan. The Who - La-La-La Lies

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Babe, I Got You Bad

You know, there's a bitchin' Afghan Whigs cover of that tune. It was on an otherwise mediocre Clash tribute album... the one with Ice Cube and the guys from Korn doing "Should I Stay or Should I Go." Blecch. There are certain songs that people expect to hear at weddings. For the few people who really pay attention, it's always a pleasure when someone deviates from the norm. ("Oh, great, 'Brick House.' Didn't see that coming"). But if you have the DJ play your ideal personal mix through the whole reception, chances are you'll have some confused guests and an empty dancefloor. Most people want to dance to the same songs they've danced to a million times before. Planning the music was one of the few wedding-related tasks I handled (I also picked the tuxes and helped choose the food!). The way I see it, a personalized song or two is a fantastic idea, especially for songs where it's just you and your bride-to-be dancing. Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin - Oregon Girl

Cracker - St. Cajetan

Basia Bulat - In the Night

I've hated every porter I've ever tried, but I love a good Scottish ale. When I was in college, I always made it a point to stop at the local brewpub for happy hour -- when a pint of any of their beers went for $1. They brewed a Scottish ale there that I still haven't been able to top.

I used to be a huge Floyd fan, but I just haven't listened to them much in the last few years. Back in my college years, I saw a pretty good Floyd tribute band play "The Wall" in its entirety, complete with the live stage show. I actually caught one of the blocks of the wall when they blew it up at the end. All in all, it was a pretty cool experience, especially when he kicked the TV set over. That's when I knew those guys meant business. Wilco - I Thought I Held You

An excellent topic... I'll add my two cents. Coors Light is my favorite of the big three light beers. Nothing beats a Silver Bullet on a hot summer day -- except maybe a Rolling Rock. Although I've stopped buying Rocks since Anheuser-Busch bought the rights to make it but stopped brewing it in Latrobe. The brewery sat idle for several months before City Brewing Co. bought it. They made a deal with the Boston Beer Co., and now the plant makes Sam Adams. Sorry to go on a tangent, but I really liked Rolling Rock and I was really steamed about what happened back then. That brewery is basically the only thing in Latrobe. A-B put half the town out of work when they decided it was more cost effective to brew Rolling Rock in New Jersey. Anyway, J.W. Dundee's Honey Brown is a tasty treat and it's only a buck or two more for a six-pack than one of the big three popular lagers. Every Sam Adams beer I've had has been good, even the Cherry Wheat Ale -- and I was pretty skeptical going into that one. I'd be terribly out of line if I didn't mention The Great Lakes Brewing Co., since it's basically in my back yard. I'm not sure how far it's distributed, though. Have any of you seen these fine Cleveland-born beverages in an upscale beer stores near you? My favorite of the Great Lakes beers, although you can't go wrong with the Dortmunder or Christmas Ale, either.

Ramones - She's a Sensation

We played well, but we didn't draw too well. So I don't know how happy the booking guy is with us. Ah well. That's what happens when you play a show on a bitter cold Tuesday night ... four days after a Friday night show in the same town. It was definitely a resume-building show. Hardly anybody was there specifically to see us (most of our friends came to Friday's show instead of the Tuesday show, as most people with day jobs would), but I think we got a few new fans out of it. Django Reinhardt - Blue Drag

Spoon - Bring it on Home to Me (Sam Cooke cover)

Nicole Atkins & the Sea - (live on Letterman) We opened for her last night; she was fantastic. Very friendly, too.

So what kind of body mods are we talking about here? Are we looking at x-ray vision or more noticable stuff -- like a third arm? I bet I could play guitar like a sonuvabitch if I had a third arm. I'm dragging at work today. We're going to have a new band rule: No more Tuesday night shows. I don't care if it's our foot in the door, the next day just isn't worth it.

Maybe he died in a grease fire. No, I kid. He was actually the best songwriter in G 'n R. Teenage Fanclub - Simply Nothing to be Done God DAMN, that chorus is so singable!

As we used to say on these boards ages ago whenever someone posted that song, CAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRIIIIIBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Frank Black and Teenage Fanclub - Handyman Yes, I clearly remember doing that. Enjoy the Hives, Muso. There was a time when "Die, All Right!" was one of my most-played songs. I also dug their cover of "Find Another Girl" on that same album. Howlin' Pelle is still one the best frontmen out there. Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds - Pressure Drop Wow, what a terrible cover of a great song.

Steve Earle - Valentine's Day Hope everyone's was what they wanted it to be.

The Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait

All right, then. I see people are still doing this? I'm having a productive day. I sent some queries to some PR folks, wrote the first section of one of my cover stories, talked to our freelance photographer about setting up a shoot for a cover subjects, and now I'm waiting for my tea to cool. I'll have to stay late at work tonight, which is kind of a bummer. I've got a phone interview with the CEO of a Left Coast company that is set for 2:30 p.m. their time. I'd try to reschedule, but it's hard enough to get on this guy's calendar. I wouldn't want to get bumped completely off it. The Valentine's shopping is done, but I still need to get a card. It's going to be a busy weekend. The band's playing a show on Friday night, so I'll probably be out of commission until midday on Saturday. Then, the wife and I (along with both sets of parents) are going to go see Wicked on Sunday. /drabek blog

The Tribe now employs a relief pitcher known as Kobayashi. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3120653 It's unknown whether or not this relief pitcher also works for Keiser Soze, but I think it's safe to say that we'll need to hire more hot dog vendors this year. If the Tribe can recover from that terrible, terrible choke in the ALCS, I think they'll win the Central. The Tigers' new lineup doesn't scare me. Good pitching trumps good hitting every time.

You're absolutely right, Kor. Apparently the picture I linked doesn't have th staying power of the seminal album from Bob Mould's power-pop-punk outfit (you see what I did there?). Lucero - What Else Would You Have Me Be?

"If I Can't Change Your Mind"

Faith No More - Stripsearch

Filthy Thievin' Bastards - Hopeless Vows