A Popkid's Dilemma.

All of you cardigan'd, horn rimmed popkids (and I'm including myself in that category, so be quiet) out there better start thinking about your plans for next weekend. This could be a battle of epic proportions:



Friday, November 9th through Sunday, November 11th, this year's installment of the colossal Popfest! New England is happening at the Elevens in Northampton, with more tambourines & handclaps than you can fathom. In particular, I would like to voice my support for the awesome Bunnygrunt, who are headlining the opening night, if you're into things like energetic Superchunk-y pop-punk with co-ed vocals, as well as the Tullycraft-meets-Beat Happening styled Lil' Hospital, who are playing the Sunday afternoon matinee show. There's a kick-ass, download-able sampler featuring all of the bands on the Popfest! roster up here that I highly recommend checking out.



But before you cough up the cash for one of those three-day Popfest! passes, you should probably be aware of the fact that Expressway to Yr Skull favorites Yo La Tengo are going to be at Mass MoCA in North Adams on Saturday, November 10th as part of their "Freewheeling" tour. From their website: "The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo Tour is a rare opportunity to see this ever-surprising band in a setting more intimate and interactive than any tour in their 23-year career. A little bit "Storytellers", a little bit "Unplugged", with a soupcon of their famously varied Hanukkah shows, it will feature the band playing an almost-acoustic set of songs from their entire catalog, with stories about their life as a band, and an encouraged back-and-forth with the audience. Already famous for never playing the same show twice, this fresh look at Yo La Tengo offers rare insight into one of the most important, unique, and beloved bands in American rock. Yo La Tengo's latest CD, I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass, will be the springboard for these shows, though anything can and will happen from there". Mass MoCa shows are pretty incredible (seeing Mission of Burma there was nothing short of mind-blowing) & Yo La Tengo has yet to disappoint me live.

So here's my proposal: Hit up Popfest! on Friday, make the trip out to North Adams for Yo La Tengo on Saturday & spend your Sunday going through indie-pop overload at the matinee/evening Popfest! shows. And after all of that, you'll probably be ready to catch a Lightning Bolt show or something to make up for things.

Celebrity Cameo

Why is it that everyone's getting Cuteoverload boners for Angus's kitten snorgling but no one's commenting about the Zach Galifianakis cameo in the new Liars video?

Waits Wednesday

Since this is one of the few days during the year that a grown person can revert back to the glory days of a seven year old, this one seems Halloween appropriate.

"I Don't Want to Grow Up" from Bone Machine

Wheezy Wheezed

Here is WMUA's contribution to the music blogs paying tribute to Lawrence, Massachusetts-born Robert Goulet's death via a Will Ferrell impersonation.



Happy Halloween! No raping! Rapping is fine.

Tuesday Bum-Out.

First, a real downer, stolen from an article at the Onion AV Club, Those of you who followed the whole mid-to-late 90s Touch & Go/Matador Records thing might remember a woefully underrated band by the name of Silkworm (and if you don't, I recommend that you go acquire all of their albums immediately, perhaps beginning with the tremendous Firewater). You might also remember the horrible incident two summers ago, when a woman attempting suicide in Chicago plowed her car into the vehicle occupied by Silkworm drummer Michael Dahlquist, killing him as she escaped from the collision essentially unscathed. Long story short, said woman was recently found guilty of reckless homicide (rather than the three counts of first degree murder she was originally facing) & is looking at up to a whopping ten years in prison for killing three innocent bystanders. Totally depressing on a number of counts - to paraphrase Bill Hicks, if you're going to kill somebody, at least have some fucking taste.

Silkworm - "Wet Firecracker" (this band ruled so hard!)


And for you fans of art-damaged dance punk: shed a tear, because apparently the Gold Standard Laboratories label has bit the dust. Now would be a good time to pick up all of those Chromatics albums you slept on, or perhaps that Fatal Flying Guilloteens/This Moment In Black History split that will rock your face off. Y'know, while you still have the chance.

Miracle of Life

Vice has a blog post up with three above and beyond halloween costumes, this one setting the bar for halloween costumes to come. Slightly (or totally) not safe for work.

And as a last minute reminder, WMUA is currently in the midst of its annual fund drive. If you have a wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket or thinking of getting deeper into debt, consider making a donation to the station. Better yet, make your donation tonight during Expressway to Yr Skull (that's Monday, 8-10 pm). Erika and I have made a bitchin' 3 CD boxset that comes free with ANY donation amount. $1, $100, $1000- everyone gets the same gift on top of the other station-sanctioned premiums available. The boxsets are each one-of-a-kind packaged and will feature a mixes made by Erika and me individually along with a joint best-of-2007 music. Catch it!

Halloween Hangover.

If you manage to escape without catching a razorblade in your Halloween candy this week, you might want to go to this show & get your shoegaze on.



Thursday, November 1st
A Place To Bury Strangers
The Bunnies
8:30pm
Hampshire College Dining Commons (893 West Street, Amherst)
FREE!

Also, at 5pm, there's a Death By Audio workshop with Oliver Ackermann of A Place To Bury Strangers, so if you want to earn some cool points & learn about circuit bending or pedal making, here's your chance.