Kentucky Cocktail

Andrew Bird –

Today I was just thinking about how great Andrew Bird is. He put on a great show at the Northcote Social Club in January this year and I would highly recommmend checking him out. Enjoy.

Have you ever noticed that the world can seem that much more dramatic when you are listening to certain music on your headphones? You either suddenly feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, feel like you could kick anyone’s arse or just get really happy.

Just a quick mention that the Klaxons are returning to Australia in August to do a string of shows for their Myths of the Near Future tour. Though I missed their last gigs in Australia not that long ago, I would highly recommend checking them out, especially if you like a bit of a dance. Seems weird they’re playing at Billboard though. Last time I checked, sean john track pants and hoodies were the dress code there.

Ok, so after frontman Jamie broke his leg so irresponsibly, I was afraid they would bypass Australia altogether, but alas and alak the boys are coming back with the new tour dates just announced.

 The New Tour Dates are:

Saturday 20 October – The Forum, Melbourne

Sunday 21 October – HQ Complex, Adelaide

Tuesday 23 October – The Capitol, Perth

Thursday 25 October – The Enmore Theatre, Sydney (All Ages gig)

Saturday 27 October – The Tivoli, Brisbane

Today’s Emo kids are tomorrow’s future.

It could be because a certain celebrity’s band has toured Australia recently, or the fact that I saw Spiderman 3 last night and Peter Parker makes an unexpected emo transformation, but I have been noticing more and more that the number of emo kids seems to be on the rise. With so many young’ins choosing the black skinny jeans look it makes me wonder if there is something I’m missing there, I mean, do emo punks deserve respect?

My knee jerk reaction is no, dear god no, don’t encourage them. Bands like 30 Seconds to Mars, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Good Charlotte, Taking Back Sunday, Panic! At The Disco etc that are really successful definitely know what the formula is, and know how to make a ton of cash out of it. Especially in the case of Jared Leto’s 30 Seconds to Mars, which seems to just be a way for Leto to pump up his ego and make some cash while his acting career is stalled.

But do they mean it? My Chemical Romance seem to just want an excuse to wear military outfits and talk about how difficult their album of the moment was to make, while who know what the hell is up with Fall Out Boy, at least they seem a little more upbeat and less dressed for their own funeral. I suppose you can never tell completely, but reading article with Gerard Way always makes me roll my eyes, I mean, people who are depressed usually don’t talk about their depression so openly, which makes me suspicious.

One band that may get slightly more cred is Good Charlotte, based simply on the fact that they were poor trailer park boys that became successful. But when it comes down to it, does that mean they should get more respect than Leto? Yeah probably, but I still don’t have to like their music.

I guess what it comes down to is that as long as there’s a demand for emotional music that is still loud enought to piss off your parents, there will be Emo/punk musicians. I guess I wish people would listen to stuff that, while is emotional, is also really good as well, musicians like Dashboard Confessional and Bright Eyes (which are also labelled emo but seem to be in a different category of emo- go figure)

I should probably just not waste my time thinking about it.

*On another but slightly related note, I just recieved a comic called Emo Boy recently that I would recommend, especially if you too are annoyed with Emo types.

Winter is nearly upon us and as the sun begins to set earlier and earlier a sense of general malaise seems to descend. Therefore it seems fitting that in these circumstances, one would turn to the comfort of strangely pleasant pre-made casio beats and depressing lyrics.

Well thats what college dropout Owen Ashworth does as Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, and the season is all the better for it. Having just gotten my hands on a copy of 2006’s Etiquitte, I am just starting to develop that sense of album familiarity. This followed my great excitement of coming accross something that, although is extremely simple and almost childlike is great. Maybe it’s because it’s childlike and simple, I don’t know.

With lyrics ranging from broken pearl necklaces to moving to a new city and feeling alone or trying to get yourself together as a young adult, (“Since September I’ve been 26 years old she’s still the only one besides my dad who’s ever said I love you Creedence”) all sung over casio beats and the odd ‘real’ musical instrument, Ashworth accurately captures the sense of being a young adult today, the quarter life crisis playing out with a child’s keyboard in the background reminding us that playtime is over and we have to be adults now. Or whatever that means.

But not all hope is lost, with lyrics such as “I’m sorry that you fell but you should have known just as well you’re just a hobby Holly” and “Scrabble high score 409″, Ashworth is able to hit a few nerves while still retaining a sense of humour about the whole thing.

Other discs by Casiotone for the Painfully Alone include:

Answering Machine Music – 1999

Pocket Symphonies for Lonesome Subway Cars – 2001

Twinkle Echo – 2003