Coachella 2012 Lineup Announced

I love Coachella.  Love, love, love it! It's my "adult spring break" and something that I definitely look forward to every year.  All of my friends and I make our annual pilgrimage to Palm Springs, rent a house, lay out in the sun, drinks lots, see great bands and have the BEST TIME EVER. Some of my favorite concert memories have been at Coachella.  My favorite year had to be when the Pixies reunited, which was also the same year that Radiohead and The Cure played.  I had a photo pass that year, so I got to be front and center for the first three songs of all of them.  I seriously almost cried like ten times. 

So, I'm really excited that after months of speculation the 2012 lineup has finally been announced.  When I looked at the line-up initially, it seemed pretty good.  But, then I looked again....meh?  Where's the big "get" for the reunited band this year?  At the Drive-In is awesome, but they're no My Bloody Valentine.  No Pixies.  And, certainly no Smiths (which I have been praying for forever).  And, I'm a little annoyed by this "two weeks" bullshit.  Is everyone I know planning on going the same weekend?  Which weekend will be the best?  At the end of the day, I do want to go and will definitely do what I can to try to go.  But, with my recent "employment financial freedom," I have more to consider.  I've already seen most of the bands that I want to see.  And, I am willing to say that the ones that I haven't seen will be back and at a smaller venue.  Is that worth $1,000 to go out to Palm Springs for the weekend?  Does my hesitation mean I'm getting old?  (DON'T ANSWER THAT!!!) 

After I host a car wash to raise money to go, these are the bands I definitely want to see:

Friday, April 13 & 20

The Black Keys
Pulp
Refused
Mazzy Star
M83
Girls
The Rapture
The Horrors
Frank Ocean
James
Dawes
WU LYF
Other Lives

Saturday, April 14 & 21
Radiohead
Bon Iver
The Head and the Heart
The Big Pink
The Vaccines
Grouplove

Sunday, April 15 & 22
Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg (DUH)
At the Drive-In
Weeknd
Girl Talk
Gotye?

COACHELLA OR BUST?!

Way Back Wednesday: Cocteau Twins

I loooove Cocteau Twins!  No matter how old their music is, or how old I am, I don't think I will ever get over how their music consoled me during some of my most emo times in the 90's.  Sometimes it's hard for me to remember Cocteau Twins qualify as a Way Back Wednesday because I still love them just as much as I did back then.  Sometimes they slip my mind, but then something will happen and remind me of how awesome they are.  I was in a restaurant recently and "Carolyn's Fingers" came on and I immediately gasped and was taken aback with the wave of emotions that fled through me.  Damn, I love that song.  For today, I chose "Lorelei" because...well, it's just a "Lorelei" kind of a day.

New Single: Fun.

What I know about Fun. after watching their video for "We Are Young":

- I like to have fun.  Given their name is Fun., they probably like fun too.  We might get along.
- They sing a song about being in a bar and getting crunk, but they look like they're 16.  That's ok.  So do I.  (x2)
- It's pretty cool that Janelle Monae sings on "We Are Young."  She's awesome.
- Record labels still pay for really expensive looking videos.  They must think Fun. is going places.
- This song is emo as hell and I love it.
- How cute are they?
- I can totally see this song being an anthem, with everyone singing along when it comes on the jukebox.  (This often happens with Arcade Fire at one of my fave watering holes).
- They have a new record called Some Nights coming out on Fueled By Ramen on February 21, 2012.
- It still feels weird typing 2012.
- Who brought their teddy bear to a bar?
- Is it so wrong that I hope that 2012 brings me someone "to set the world on fire" with.  At the very least someone who will say to me:

"So, if by the time the bar closes
And you feel like falling down
I'll carry you home
...Tonight"

And, finally:
- I can't wait to hear more Fun.

New Obsession: Azealia Banks

Kind of obsessed with Azealia Banks right now.  People keep comparing her to Nicki Minaj, who I'm not really a fan of (though I just found out my one and a half year old niece is - which is weird in and of itself).  I think Ms. Azealia is a bit more fresh and less packaged: more Kreayshawn, less Ke$ha.  And, she's so cool that she even covered Interpol's "Slow Hands."



Special shout out to my friend Bacon for always thinking of me when he hears the ill shit.

New Single: School of Seven Bells

I hate when I totally miss music that's good.  And, it's all my fault really.  I'm just not paying attention.  That was how School of Seven Bells escaped me.  I did actually catch them on Last Call With Carson Daly and meant to research more, and forgot.  That is, until this morning when I heard "The Night" on KCRW.  LOVE.  "The Night" is the teaser track from their forthcoming album Ghostory which comes out in February 28, 2012.  It's not as lo-fi as some of their previous stuff, maybe meaning they are going in a more poppy direction.  Either way, it's awesome and I can't wait to hear more!!

School of Seven Bells - The Night by Consequence of Sound

Chick Fil-A vs. Me

I would like to start by saying that I love Chick-Fil-A.  I grew up in Tallahassee, where I ate Chick-Fil-A all the time.  I used to hang around there like a typical middle schooler, crushing over a guy who worked there.  Moving to LA, Chick-Fil-A was one of the things I left behind.  I took any chance I would get to stop at a Chick-Fil-A here in LA, stopping there on my way to Palm Springs, feeling lucky when my return trip was on a Monday and not Sunday.  I also considered it a highlight of going to Coachella every year.  So, I was very excited when Chick-Fil-A moved into Hollywood, about a mile from my house.

Naturally, when they moved in it brought up a lot of discussion about Chick-Fil-A's stance on homosexuality, gay marriage and all around Conservative values.  Honestly, if *I* owned a company, I would probably keep my views to myself and just focus on running a business.  If the owners of Chick-Fil-A hate the gays, so be it.  But, don't use corporate money to fund bigoted and anti-gay propaganda.  It just doesn't seem to make good business sense, if you ask me.  But, that's their deal, not mine.  When confronted by a friend about my support of Chick-Fil-A, I told them that the support of anti-gay marriage was just one franchise in Pennsylvania and it didn't seem to be something that the company as a whole supported.  I love my gays, but I wasn't giving up my chikin.  On the real.

Then a couple of weeks ago this article appeared all over my Facebook News Feed, which clearly states that they don't think that gays have a right to marry.  Pretty disappointing, but I was still planning to eat there.  The food is just that good.  And, in any given week, I really only have an 86% chance of eating there (being that they are closed on Sundays and all).

Which brings us to where we are now.

The local Chick-Fil-A's sponsored the KIIS-FM Jingle Ball featuring Lady Gaga here in LA and tweeted about it.

I saw that they posted that on Facebook, and thought, "Well, isn't that queer?"  Lady Gaga is a HUGE gay supporter and the gays LOOOOOVE them some Lady Gaga.  I would be willing to say that she is probably more gay than most of the gays that I know.  I didn't post a comment on Facebook, but then I saw it posted again on Twitter, and decided to chime in.

I thought it was pretty nice and non-confrontational.  I wasn't saying that they were wrong for their opinions on gays, just noting that it's a little contradictory for them to be supporting a gay icon and hoping that they would soon come around.  This was Saturday.  No one really follows me on Twitter.  I talk to about five of my friends on there, and it's mostly for fun.  The next morning, I'm watching football and see that some jackhole has responded to me. 

Who is Justin Clark?  And, why did he see my tweet?  I don't know.  When I went to his profile, it seems that he tweets a lot about Chick-Fil-A.  He likes snowboarding and was snowboarding after he sent that tweet.  I know this, because his profile was public.  Now, it's not.  Maybe he works there.

I responded.

And then I got this.  From the actual Chick-Fil-A! 

ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?!!?!  Rude.  And, on a Sunday no less.  I thought they were supposed to be celebrating the Lord and not sending asshole tweets to someone who didn't do anything to begin with.  I went to Twitter, and the tweet was deleted.  But, I still have it in my inbox and I think it's rude.  And I think they owe me an apology.  And, as far as I'm concerned....no food is good enough to be treated like that.  ON THE REAL.

My New Favorite Web-Obsession: Florida Mugshots

I have stumbled on the BEST WEBSITE EVER!!!   It's called Florida Mugshots and features the latest in Florida Arrests.  The best visual breaking news to come cross my desk in....EVER.  I know that some might say that it's not good to knock people when they're down, but since I am from Florida, it's more like I am laughing WITH them.  I was a little disappointed that my home county of Leon does not show up as an option to search by (meaning that my stalking of old high school chums will only come to pass if they were arrested anywhere else in Florida).  BUT, I was able to see that an ex of mine was arrested back in 2005 for DUI.  Not a shocker, but further proof that crisis was indeed averted.

So far, it looks like Sarasota County is winning with some hot shots:

File Under:  Time sucker of the day.  Check out the Most Popular, or the section tagged Hotties and Hunks.  If you're so inclined, it might turn out to be your own personal Match.com.  You're welcome!