Anchormen, Aweigh! IX
The Anchormen are now on our very first compilation ever! Logan Tapes' Zombies of the Stratosphere collects a nice array of indie-pop and punk-rock goodness, including Tullycraft, All Girl Summer Fun Band, the No-No's, the Salteens, the Hissyfits, and your favorite Somervillains, the Anchormen. The Web site doesn't really indicate how to purchase the platter, and I can't find it at Twee Kitten or Interpunk. Not at Insound, either. Hmm. Hope they send us a copy, at least! If you see this anywhere, snag the puppy.

Event-O-Dex XII
From Timmy Nickels of the High-Steppin' Nickel Kids:

The High-Steppin' Nickel Kids are dead. That's what the answering machine said. I believe it was Chinua Achebe who said "Things fall apart." After a period of excruciatingly intimate self-examination (best done just after the shower, when the flesh is pliant and supple), the High-Steppin' Nickel Kids have elected to hang up their collective boots in an amicable parting of the ways. Essentially, those three jerks and I realized that we were all "traveling" on "different musical paths" in our "journey through music." Or something along those lines, anyway.

To speak frankly, this has been a long time coming. Signs were obvious, to anyone who cared to notice them, that Morgan's relentless self-aggrandizing, Tigger's uncompromising drive for total perfection across the board, and Joe's callous deceit and duplicity all stood markedly in contrast against my rigorous practice ethic and (admittedly high) aesthetic standards. It was a recipe for destruction, for which none of us had the appetite. For.

To make an interminably long story short (both as a band and in reference to this message), we'll be performing a "last hurrah" of sorts, this coming Saturday at the House of Suffering. None of us really wanted to do it -- Morgan's already caught up in the work that will take up his now-Nickel-free time, a comprehensive, cross-referenced concordance of the entire Shelter/Youth Of Today lyrical canon, Joe's opening up a chain of sushi-skateparks, and Tigger's already wolfing down record-industry cock like it was going out of style (sshh, nobody tell him!); unfortunately, our fans have been clamoring for one last extravagant blowout, and as has been our rigidly adhered to dictum throughout our storied career, we are bowing to the popular demand that we "give the people what they want." So come on out and enjoy seeing us take our clothes off one last time, won't you?

Thanks to everyone who helped out, gave a damn, came to see us, asked us when we were playing next, asked us what that song was about, gave us a floor to sleep on, a sandwich to scarf, a drink to drink and a drunk to drink with; thanks to everyone who we played with in the clubs (like we'll ever see the inside of the Linwood again) and everyone we played with in the basements, churches and circuses (see you on Saturday). Thanks to the jewelry stores, the second-hand clothing boutiques, the art galleries, the bars, and the Deli Haus. Thanks for 10 years, 8 years, and 10 months of memories that will last till we die. Thanks to the girls who came to see us and left with us (that is to say, the girlfriends, not the groupies; there never were any groupies, sorry), to the kids who came to see us and left with records, and the parents who've been so patient with their wayward boys.

Thanks for your patience and kind words over the years.

Next up: smashing the state from within and without. As a soon-to-be-ex Nickel Kid, my/our words of advice and plea on departure is this: shake the chains of The Man from your shoulders and turn his yoke back upon him. If the forces that rule America won't take your call, become an operator. This will serve as your final notice.

I guess that about wraps up my last decade or so. If anyone wants me, I'll be in my room, listening to the Streets, memorizing the poetry of G. K. Chesterton and creating ads for companies who aren't expecting them. I guess I should have a lot more to say, but I don't. I'll close with these thoughts: Abercrombie & Fitch have designed and are marketing thong underwear for 7-, 8-, and 9-year-olds, that have such catchy phrases as "Eye Candy" and "Little Tease" on them. This caused some stir at its announcement, over a year ago. Item #2: During an unscientifically conducted observation at Six Flags New England this past summer, easily 50% of those in attendance (male and female)were seen to be wearing Abercrombie & Fitch gear. No pre-teens were examined for thongs.

Shut up, America! You are guilty!

Saturday, Nov. 9: Ames Curve, Go for the Throat, None More Black, Thumbs Up, and the High-Steppin' Nickel Kids at the House of Suffering, 96 Chestnut Hill Ave. in Brighton. Show starts at 7 p.m. Costs $5.

I first saw the Nickel Kids at the Milky Way in JP, I believe. They wear jackets emblazoned with the band's name, like they're in some kind of gang or something. I've never met Timmy in person, but he does a good zine. And his girlfriend, who works at The Improper Bostonian, seems nice enough. I'm sure the Kids will be missed.

Television-Impaired VI
Vincent from Choo Choo la Rouge has the following good news to share:

In a somewhat financially rewarding turn of events, a song from our first four-song demo (you know you're you're a fan if you're one of the eight people who bought it), "Say it Twice," has been selected for use in this Wednesday's episode of Dawson's Creek. There'll be a scene where the kids are in a record store buying a No Doubt album, and our song is supposed to play in the background. You never know what will get cut at the last minute, but the contracts are signed, and the check's in the mail. You can check out the song on our site. Don't get too excited for us, though. Katie Holmes still won't return our phone calls.

Congratulations, Choo Choo!

Rock Shows of Note XLIII
Last night, the Handstand Command collective threw a little party at the Dilboy on Davis Square in Somerville. The basic idea was to improve on the Anchormen All-Star Karaoke event we organized last year, only with collective members performing cover songs, not songs by the Anchormen, spelling me as singer.



There were two sets of karaoke, punctuated with performances by Spoilsport and Swizzle. First up, Swizzle. Sporting a couple of new (compared to the band photo online, at least) band members and featuring a nice guitar and keyboard pairing, the band alternated between interesting indie-rock numbers and country songs, including a Hank Williams cover to cap the set. Good stuff.

Before the first karaoke set, the Anchormen took the stage, with me singing a couple of songs, "Houston" and "Celebrate Democracy," the latter in dishonor of the recent elections. Then, the karaoke began! Here's who did what:

Leslie (Asian Babe Alert): Kyliue Minogue, "Can't Get You Out of My Head"

Emily (The Operators): Guns 'n' Roses, "It's So Easy"

Steph (The Operators and the Tardy): Galaxie 500, "Strange"

Simone: Duran Duran, "Hungry Like the Wolf"

Dave (Swizzle): Motorhead, "Ace of Spades"

TD joined Simone for "Hungry Like the Wolf," and "Ace of Spades" was utterly priceless.



Then, Spoilsport. Every time I see them play, they increase in confidence and energy, which is good to see. They played their standard set of sunny-day cutepop, blending aspects of the poppier side of the Queers and the charming and disarming goofiness of Pansy Division. I shall not compare them to Tullycraft, which they've never even heard. Word is that I might join them singing a song at an upcoming show. Word up.

The Anchormen took the stage for another song, "Audobon Park," from our as-yet-unnamed forthcoming CD EP, before the karaoke calamity resumed. Here's who did what:

Dave Geisslah (Scrapple): The Anchormen, "Moonface"

Leah: The B-52's, "Strobe Light"

Chris (The Anchormen): Archers of Loaf, "Wrong"

Jen (The Operators): Rolling Stones, "Rocks Off"

Paul (The Operators and Sinkcharmer): Status Quo, "Pictures of Matchstick Men"

Birthday kids ensemble: The Figgs, "Favorite Shirt"



Then the Anchormen took the stage again. We played requests until they stopped coming. Then we all went home.

Picture Perfect
For at least $1,000, Viewmaster will create 1,000 custom Viewmaster reels. The offer isn't good for existing photographs, so dash your hopes of converting your holiday snaps. Instead, upon receipt of the $1,000, Viewmaster will send you a stereoscopic camera for 30 days. There's a $25 late fee for each day you keep the camera past deadline. You can also order Viewmaster viewers in bulk to accompany your seven-image Viewmaster reels. What a neat idea for a Christmas card, promotional tool, or advertising effort!

Thanks to BoingBoing.

Workaday World VII
Fast Company is looking to hire a senior writer to be based in Boston or New York City. Any and all interested parties should contact me and I'll connect you with the proper people.

North End Moment XXVIII


Looks like a man, doesn't it?

Magazine Me XIX
Coming soon to bookstore shelves near you: Several new books about... magazines. Yes, according to SFGate, several former staff members of The Industry Standard, Rolling Stone, and Wired have written tomes about their previous periodicals. Instead of falling into the tell-all trap, however, the authors have erred on the side of sharing stories about the economic rises, falls, and foibles. Should make for interesting reading! Now, who's going to write the book about my employer, Fast Company?

Thanks to Jim Romenesko's Media News.

Street Art II
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock's birth, 14 Hitchcock-inspired mosaics were commissioned for an installation at the Leytonstone tube station, not far from Hitchcock's birthplace. In Boston, the MBTA has been relatively good about building art into the T stations, including poetry etched into the brick floor of the Davis Square station, a wonderful wide-ranging glove sculpture littering Porter Square station, and other art scattered throughout the public transit system. If the city you live in has a public transportation system, let me know about public art in your area.

Thanks to BoingBoing.

Nervy, Pervy IX
A wily Frenchman has scanned and uploaded almost every single Playboy centerfold between December 1953 and July 2002. I don't think I need to say anything else.

Thanks to Blogdex.

Technofetishism XVII
I just downloaded and started using iTunes 3. And it's amazing. It's got all of the features from previous versions, with some notable additions that I'm really enjoying. While the new My Rating feature is useless in my opinion -- if you don't like a song, why do you have it on your computer? -- I'm extremely excited about the instant playlists iTunes now features, such as Recently Played and Top 25 Most Played. I've got the shuffle mode on in my Library, and in the last hour, I've listened to 22 songs ranging from Ray Lynch to Raycharles, Operation Ivy to the Doves. You can even burn mix CD's straight from your Recently Played playlist. Just another notch in Apple's belt -- and a welcome accompaniment to the new version of the iPod software, which adds a clock and some more flexible navigation options.

From the In Box: Tickle Me Emo
What is that "wrong" thing, though? Don't get me wrong -- I agree that there's something extremely creepy about stock "a capella;" I got stuck watching the Bobs open for Zap Mama once, and it was really unpleasant. However, Zap Mama, for example, is a group that does a lot of good stuff with unaccompanied singing. And I love less polished voices -- only stuff like shape note singing or music from the Georgia and South Carolina sea islands. I even like polished vocal harmonies like the Beach Boys and CSN. So, what is it, then? -- Joe Germuska

Well, I like Zap Mama and shape-note singing, too -- take the new Cordelia's Dad record, for example -- so I'm curious what it is, too. I think that I make a distinction between unaccompanied singing -- the root of a capella's definition, granted -- and stereotypical a capella performance.

Maybe it's the trappings of a capella that rub me the wrong way. Maybe it's the consistent characteristics of the way a capella groups are composed -- and the gestures and stage techniques they use while performing. Maybe it's the inward-looking competitive culture of the collegiate a capella scene. Maybe, just maybe, it's the hundreds and thousands of a capella groups that name themselves Five O'Clock Shadow.

I don't know. But when I say I dislike a capella, I don't mean that I dislike Zap Mama or the Beach Boys -- much less unaccompanied singing or harmonic vocals.