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Rush, during more inventive years, when rock meant cool mustaches, bell-bottoms, and 20 minute songs. As one viewer comments, “Jesus Christ with a stick!” Saw a “rock opera” version of this performed Thurs. night at 7 Stages in L5P.

Dude, it ain’t over…Part II.

My newish band, Bad Magic Number, are playing not one, but two, shows this weekend. Tonight at the Drunken Unicorn with Dropsonic and Tetonic, and tomorrow at the Five Spot in L5P with State Radio. Yo, come check it!

Swervedriver, your Friday afternoon blast from the past. The more I think about it, could this band have been more appropriately named? With all the magical reunions and reunion one-offs having taken place over the last few years (Pixies, Gang of Four, Dinosaur Jr., Wire, Slint, Chavez ) is it too much to wish for??

Here’s a really funny documentary short I saw last night as part of the AFF done by David Moore of Eyekiss films. Check it out, you will laugh, and if you don’t, it’s definitely your problem. Music by The Georgia Fireflies.

The Agrifolk Art Movement:

Then continue with part 2 and part 3.

Check out infrequent MUS contributor Mogre’s piece on Porno Para Ricardo, a Cuban punk rock band. I can’t link directly to it because CNN is gay. So, (audible groan), you have to go to cnn.com/video, click “Browse/Search video,” then search for Cuba in the pop-up window. The piece should come up first and is called “Cuban band blasts government.” Hurry up because CNN only keeps stuff up for a few days, which is also gay. Good stuff about a place where punk rock is rare and truly revolutionary, not the emo fashion parade we are used to.

Here’s the video for PPR’s “Cake:”

While I’m on a youtube roll, here’s some Mastodon behind the scenes from the current Eurotour with Tool.

Came across this blast from the psychedelic past. Crimson back in the trying-a-little-too-hard-to-be-spontaneous days, complete with caveman percussion weirdo Jamie Muir on the whistle, Bruford shirtless in overalls, and Fripp with dazzling frizzy fro and silk scarf. A great music project that got it wrong as often as they got it right.

Two of my favorite cds of 2006 are from Atlanta bands, Mastodon’s “Blood Mountain” and Snowden‘s “Anti-Anti.” Both releases enjoyed good press, and Mastodon are clearly destined for Metal Superstardom. The Black Lips recently signed to Vice. Now Deerhunter is poised to release “Cryptograms” for Kranky, one of my all time favorite labels. Here’s Deerhunters “Strange Lights:”

Embarassed to say I’ve never heard of these guys till now…

Seeing Chavez play at the Warsaw this weekend was a frikkin dream come true, and the band confessed the same. They love us. We love them. Sound at the Warsaw is kind of primitive. Imagine the acoustics of a show in a high school gymnasium and you pretty much get the idea, although it didn’t really matter, it’s rock after all…suck it up. The place has oodles of character including two old ladies serving pirogies and kielbasa sandwiches behind a red and white checkered tablecloth. Don’t bother trying to stage dive or crowd surf at the Warsaw. Surly, bald, Cold War era dudes will throw your ass out immediately. The band was great, slightly sloppy at times, but full of energy. Let us all hope that this sold out show will convince them to at the very least play a few more. Or maybe the sea of James Lo air drummers.

On the crowded AirTrain back to Newark Airport some bearded dude stared at my CHAVEZ t-shirt disdainfully, and shook his head looking away. I started laughing, knowing immediately that the idiot thought that I was wearing a shirt supporting Hugo Chavez. The mistaken assumptions people make…

More on NY and pictures later. I’m recovering in so many ways.