Biomassive Sound

"Biomass, in ecology, is the mass of living biological organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time. Biomass can refer to species biomass, which is the mass of one or more species, or to community biomass, which is the mass of all species in the community."

Have you ever seen My Bloody Valentine live? Have you experienced 88 decibels of pure feedback sound in a mass of 20,000 people that goes on for 15 minutes straight? Liken it to a school of fish being caught in a net where you can see all of the ocean, but you've suddenly become entrapped in a small area. No real boundaries are seen, but felt instead. Your head swirls around and attempts to focus while among the masses of people from all over the world. You surrender yourself to the sound after 10 minutes of the same loud tone. Let yourself go to remember we are all human and feeling the vibration.

This was one of the highlights for me from Coachella 2009.

ten years in the desert

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Coachella and I'm looking forward to telling the old lady happy birthday when I see her in April. Anyone who has attended a Coachella over the past 10 years can attest to the changes it's gone through but staying true to form in bringing diverse groups of people together. Now, some might argue that Paul McCartney is not "diverse" but having the opportunity to see him, Mike Patton, Dear and the Headlights, Crystal Castles, Morrissey and the Black Keys in the same day gets me amped up and wondering how well it will fit together.

My first year time at Coachella was 2002, the third year of the festival. This was the first large festival that I had ever been to and for me, it was a dream come true. I had always been envious when I read about all of the UK fests, Northwest fests and east coast fests that I would never be able to go to without spending a fortune. Plus, it felt like everyone I knew in Phoenix had gone the first two years so i had to catch up and catch on. Finally! A chance to see some of the best new bands ever? and it's 5 hours away? yes...let's get in the car now! 2002 was the biggest year of attendance up to that point in time for Coachella and it was amazing.

It's funny looking back on the lineup that year and how some things don't change. I can still remember everything from that year really well since it made such a great impression. Here's a taste of what we had....

The Beta Band. I had been reading a lot of Nick Hornby around this time and I remember saying "I am now going to sell 5 copies of the Beta Band album" over and over. It was annoying, I'm sure.

Bjork. This was the year she wore the bird dress thing. it was cold outside and all i can remember is seeing a white fuzzy thing on stage from 1000 feet away.

Charlatans UK. I love the Charlatans and it's always odd to see a pale English band playing in the desert sun. It elevates it somehow.

Elbow. I was elated to get to see Elbow since they had barely toured the US at all, some things don't change :) The lead singer was hammered, had a sunburn and was bantering on about why on earth anyone would ever live in the desert. it was delightful!

Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy. Both could blow your faces off. On the second night, as we were making our way out and slowing going across the field as Prodigy played their last song, the ground shook from the bass. it was like a mini earthquake, i kid you not. just incredible. breath with me.

Folk Implosion. They played at twilight and it was great to see Lou twice in one week. He had just played at Stinkweeds.

Jurassic 5. Always holding onto what's golden.

Queens of the Stone Age. Now, I have to say that seeing QOSTA at that time, in that place, at that moment was one of the best experiences of my life. They played right before twilight and we had been making our way up to the front of the line since we knew we were going to have to stake out for good positioning. Low and behold, we get right up to the front and have the best view I could have asked for. This was 4 months before "Songs For the Deaf" was released and it was one of the first performances with Dave Grohl playing live on drums. If you love QOTSA, you already know that if you're in Coachella, Palm Desert area, you are on their home turf. Add to that that SFTD is a concept album about the driving through the desert listening to all the songs. Now add sunshine, leaning palm trees, thousands of people, Mark Lanegan on vocals, Dave Grohl, Nick Oliveri, Josh Homme...it doesn't get much better.



Foo Fighters.
QOTSA on Saturday, Foo Fighters on Sunday with Tenacious D doing a couple of songs before they went on. It was a trifecta rarely seen! :)

The Pharcyde. Tha Alkaholics.
they were in a tent. it was hot and sweaty. there was a giant 40 ounce blow up thing.

Ian McKaye. Michael Franti.
Both of them did a spoken word thing that year. I saw TD Jakes walk past me in the crowd, that was weird. Juliette Lewis and Woody Harrelson were both in the tent at the time. Mike made a bunch of Mickey and Mallory jokes.

Siouxsie and the Banshees.
I never in a million years thought I would get to see Siouxsie. she was great!

Blonde Redhead. BRMC.
My first time seeing both bands.

MixMaster Mike and Z-Trip.
Two of my favorite DJs in one year! I have to say that seeing MixMaster Mike is like seeing an alien. It started to get really windy when he was DJing so you could see him fighting the wind and it was amazing to watch him recover.

Stay tuned for my ramblings about 2003 Coachella and then what I'm excited for in 2009! yeah!

Like a Virgin, touched for the very last time....

The 12 year lifetime of the Virgin Megastore Phoenix left an indelible impression on so many that walked through the doors thanks to the amazing group of people that worked there over the years! a true haven for the most intelligent, kind, amazingly creative record store staff!
Michael and I both took some terrific pictures of the store over the closing process. my goal is to post a history of the place using Mike's great pictures and the memories of all our friends. Especially our best friend, Music :)

hell yeah, you should remember Aurora

if anyone is interested, below is my Last.fm page. i listen to a lot of different, random but not always so extraordinary music :)
enjoy

nirvana day

mary's favorite singles of 2008

my favorite singles of 2008 in alphabetical by song order to be fair to all my little darlings.
A-Punk ~ Vampire Weekend 'Vampire Weekend'

Air Painter ~ CSS 'Donkey'

Armagideon Time ~ The Clash/Joe Strummer 'The Future Is Unwritten' DVD

Beat That My Heart Skipped ~ Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip 'Angels'

Bubble Pop ~ Del Tha Funkee Homosapien 'Eleventh Hour'

Cath... ~ Death Cab For Cutie 'Narrow Stairs'

Cheap Wine ~ What Made Milwaukee Famous 'What Doesn't Kill Us'

City of Labels ~ Pelican 'City of Echoes'. i think this is actually a 2007 song but it meant more to me in 2008.

Closer ~ Kings Of Leon 'Only By The Night'

Colleen ~ The Heavy 'Vengeance and Furious Fire'. so nice and funky

Crosseyed Beautiful Youngunz ~ Love as Laughter 'Holy'

Dawn of the Dead ~ Does It Offend You, Yeah? 'You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into'

Does This Mean You're Moving On? ~ Airborne Toxic Event 'TATE'

Dreamin' Of You ~ Bob Dylan 'The Bootlegs, Vol. 8'

Evil Urges ~ My Morning Jacket 'Evil Urges'. aahhhh, jim *swoon*

Falcon Jab ~ Ratatat 'LP3'

Fancy Footwork ~ Chromeo 'Fancy Footwork'. this is another single from 2007 that meant more in 2008. forgive my indulgence :)

For Guys Eyes Only ~ Hockey Night ....random Last.fm gem. thank you little red dot :0

Gamma Ray ~ Beck 'Modern Guilt'. you should go see Beck, it's worth it :)

Gettin' Up ~ Q-Tip 'The Renaissance'

God Loves You The Best ~ Earlimart 'Hymn and Her'

Golden State ~ John Doe ...i'm not sure where this gem comes from really...

Gray or Blue ~ Jaymay 'Autumn Falling'

Grounds for Divorce ~ Elbow 'The Seldom Seen Kid' ....oh, how i love this song..

Guns of Brixton ~ The Clash 'Live at Shea'

The Happy Song ~ The Aliens 'Luna'

Hometown Glory ~ Adele '19'

Hot N Cold ~ Katy Perry 'One Of The Boys'

How Could It Be Wrong? ~ Robot Tank 'Regret EP'

Human ~ The Killers 'Day and Age'. i get nervous when i see an open door...

I Got Mine ~ The Black Keys 'Attack and Release'

I Never Want to Go Home ~ The Whigs 'Mission Control'

I Will Posess Your Heart ~ Death Cab For Cutie 'Narrow Stairs'

July 23 ~ What Laura Says 'Thinks and Feels'

Lake Michigan ~ Rogue Wave 'Asleep at Heaven's Gate' ...another 2007 but it's cheaper than therapy....

Let Down ~ Robot Tank 'Regret EP'

Little Bit ~ Lykee Li 'Little Bit'

Live Your Life ~ T.I. featuring Rihanna 'Paper Trail'

Livin' For the City ~ The Dirtbombs 'Ultraguide in Black' . this is way old but i saw them live in 2008 for the first time... :)

Love In This Club ~ Usher 'Here I Stand'

Love Lockdown ~ Kanye West '808s and Heartbreaks'...oh kanye, tell me about it...

Low ~ FloRida...c'mon, bring on the shit talking now... :)

Momma Sed ~ Puscifer 'V is for Vagina'

The Old Days ~ Dr. Dog 'Fate'

The Opposite of Hallelujah ~ Jens Lenkman 'Night Falls Over Kortedala'

Paved The Way ~ Robot Tank 'Regret EP'

Phil ~ Mitch Hedberg 'Do You Believe in Gosh?'

Revelry ~ Kings of Leon 'Only By the Night'

Rising Up ~ The Roots 'Rising Down'

Rocky Took a Lover ~ Bell X1 'Flock' . i really love a good irish band :)

Royal Flush ~ Big Boi featuring Andre 3000...what? featuring? it's called Outkast already...

The Same ~ Robot Tank 'Regret EP'

Science Killer ~ The Black Angels 'Directions to See a Ghost'

Shut Up and Let Me Go ~ The Ting Tings 'We Started Nothing'

Single Ladies ~ Beyonce 'I Am...Sasha Fierce'

Sleep Deprivation ~ Simian Mobile Disco 'Live In Japan'

Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors ~ The Editors 'An End Has a Start'

Strange Times ~ The Black Keys 'Attack and Release'

Time To Pretend ~ MGMT 'Oracular Spectacular'

Touch Me, I'm Going to Scream Part 1 ~ My Morning Jacket 'Evil Urges'

Touch Me, I'm Going to Scream Part 2 ~ My Morning Jacket 'Evil Urges'

Troublemaker ~ Weezer 'Red Album'

Undead Rebels of the Night ~ Creepsville 666 'Creepsville 666'

Unless It Kicks ~ Okervil River 'The Stage Names'

Use Somebody ~ Kings of Leon 'Only By the Night'

Violet Hill ~ Coldplay 'Viva La Vida'

Wasted Years ~ Iron Maiden 'Somewhere Back In Time'

Weatherbeaten ~ Republic Tigers 'Keep Color'

West Coast ~ Coconut Records 'Nighttiming'

You Really Wake Up the Love In Me ~ Duke Spirit 'Neptune'

You've Got Nerve ~ The Night Marchers 'See You In Magic'

15 Steps ~ Radiohead 'In Rainbows'

The Boss

I find it funny that I always said "if he's the Boss, I quit". so now, one week after i get laid off, the Boss is on the cover of the Rolling Stone telling me "oh by the way, i'm the boss now, you're out". be careful what you wish for, i suppose....

mary's favorite shows of 2008

I was lucky to see some really sweet, unforgettable shows in 2008! here are my favorites....

Foo Fighters at the Joint, Hard Rock Vegas ~ I haven't seen the Foo in such a small venue in years!! it was a fucking treat to get to be in a smaller place with die-hard fans that absolutely love the band, the energy was incredible! it was a different set including "Gimme Stitches" which they've never played live. Even if Vinnie Paul stole my only chance to hear "Aurora" live, it was still a terrific show :)


My Morning Jacket at McMenamin's Edgefield in Portland ~ we were a little late getting to the show so as we walked down to the natural ampitheatre, you could hear the music playing. i love that feeling of hearing something wonderful in the distance and getting closer and closer. as we made our way into the ampitheatre area, jim is on stage...just him and the acoustic singing "watching the crowd roll in"....it was perfect and "Golden" is one of my all-time favorites. it was heavenly and i felt like he was welcoming us into the show. the weather was perfect, the crowd was really into the whole show and the set was a little over 3 hours! it was a super night with a highlight of getting to hear "Touch Me, I'm Going to Scream" Part 1 & 2 together as one piece....you can guess how long that went on :) great night, great company :)


My Morning Jacket at Marquee Theatre, Tempe ~ the first time I got to see the band perform any new songs from "Evil Urges" live so it was exciting to say the very least! they did not disappoint and played nearly 3 hours including tons of new songs and every 'classic' i needed and wanted to hear. i feel complete when i hear the beginning riff of "One Big Holiday" knowing that the band is wrapping up the magic show. again, great night with good friends enjoying a wonderful night of music. have i ever mentioned how much i dig guys who wear capes? and moonboots of course.... :)


Foo Fighters with Against Me! at Glendale Arena, Phoenix ~ this marks my billionth Foo Fighters show! :) all i gotta say is that it fucking rocked, amazing stage set up and i cannot believe how a band makes a room full of 50,000 people feel so intimate....go see an FF show, you'll see what I mean. Taylor remembered me this time....that about says it all :) Against Me! was really strong and I was really ahppy to see them since I hadn't heard them do anything live yet from "New Wave". set was perfect and was a definite highlight of the year for me.


The Whigs & What Made Milwaukee Famous at Modified, Phoenix ~ i was amped up to finally get to the Whigs and it was icing on the cake to see them at Modified. one of the absolute best musical treat for me this year was discovering What Made Milwaukee Famous thanks to this show. they were completely enticing with an immense amount of passion that really shined through. The Whigs were as great as I expected but by the end of the night, I wanted to just hear the "mission control' album in my car and see WMWF live again.... :)


MGMT at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix and the Casbah in San Diego ~ 2 shows back to back, first one in Phoenix was full of energy but the sound needed to improve. the casbah show was much better just thanks to the crowd who already had all of the words down to every song. you can be at the shittiest concert in the world but if the crowd is into it, it can always become entertaining :)


The Night Marchers at Hollywood Alley, Tempe ~ another amazing evening....John Reis is one of the purest, coolest, nicest rock guys in the world. i really loved the new album and it was great to get to see them live so soon after falling in love with the album. it's always fun to see Susan melt at the sight of Reis too.... :)


MGMT with Beck at Dodge, Phoenix ~ it was interesting to see them in a bigger venue and opening for someone like Beck. phoenix was the first date and you could definitely hear the nerves coming out of the casios but all in all, it was good for a first time out. the dodge has shit sound in the first place so who knows. Beck was actually much better than I expected. I hadn't seen him perform live with a full band a bunch of energy since 1996 on the Odelay tour. it was really good to see how great he his as a performer after so many years of perfecting what he does best....funky white boy.


The Dirtbombs at the Rhythm Room, Phoenix ~ this was a perfect surprise for me. i had already heard some Dirtbombs in my life and was familiar with KO & the Knockouts from the Underground Garage channel so I knew it would be a good time but i felt like shit and didn't think i was gonna go...long story, we go, it rocks and I now officially have a crush on Mick Collins! holy hotness, that man is amazing!

George Michael at US Airways Arena, Phoenix ~ this was actually one of those "hey, i told myself i was gonna see george michael one day back when i was 11, now i'm doing it" moments! i took my mom with me to this one so that made the show better seeing her reaction :) george has some serious pipes and he played over 2 hours. he also sweats a lot, that was weird.

Rogue Wave at the Rhythm Room, Phoenix ~ i feel really lucky to have seen this band at a smaller venue and i can't imagine it any other way. when i listen to the record, it's really relaxing and cerebral. band was really talking up the crowd and the set was perfect, the beer helped that evening.

Melvins at Martini Ranch, Scottsdale ~ i love Buzzo. this evening had everything...venue change, beer, guitars, art and feedback. very well rounded set of new and old songs. just plain noisy and good. 'star spangled banner' was a personal favorite.

Matthew Sweet at the Belly Up, San Diego ~ i had never seen Matthew Sweet live before so I was pretty happy to finally get the chance. matthew is an amazing guitar player who writes perfect melodies.

Boris at the Clubhouse ~ favorite parts include feedback, more feedback, noise, fog and lights. aahhhhh, boris...you keep giving :)

mary's favorite albums of 2008

True full-length albums that were important this year were few and far between, but I found a few gems... :)
here are my top albums for 2008, in actual order…


My Morning Jacket ~ Evil Urges (ATO Records)

How can a band always put out such wonderfully eclectic, melodic, AM-Gold loving albums and grow at the same time? I have no idea but Jim James and the boys did it beautifully and have released a terrific, consistently schizophrenic collection of songs that make up "Evil Urges". a true soundtrack to the year for me.


Kings of Leon ~ Only By the Night (RCA Records)

Another case of a band growing consistently and putting out an outstanding career record. i like the fact that you can hear every word on this one too...Jacob said he did that so his grandmother could finally enjoy one of their records... :) for me, it's the purest southern comfort.

The Black Keys ~ Attack & Release (Nonesuch)

I will never get tired of hearing this record. the whole piece has a perfectly produced blues rock sound without getting cheesy. guitar, guitar, guitar....mmmm.....Strange Times indeed....

Earlimart ~ Hymn & Her (Major Domo)
A dreamy, warm record of great harmonies. "God Loves You Best" sounds like Eliott Smith happy and in love with himself and is a beautiful dedication from the band to their mentor. there is a phrase called "desert guitar" that applies here and it's always something I love to hear (see Calexico below)

MGMT ~ Oracular Spectacular (Columbia)

In all honesty, the album is 'top-heavy' to me. the first half of the record is really the outstanding portion and I dare say, I could live with just the first 6 tracks. i look at it as a treat for myself in the future when i go back and listen to the record again and the second half fits in with my life as well as the first half did in 2008. "love must be forgotten, life can always start anew"


The Clash ~ Live at Shea Stadium (Epic/Legacy)

It's the Clash, it's live and it's amazing. you can hear the adrenaline and the crowd...if you don't know what's going on, just ask your neighbor what that's all about....


Robot Tank – Regret EP

all 5 songs will get stuck in your head at some point over the course of a few months. original but familiar melodies that are incredibly catchy. poignant lyrics and amazing, talented musicians creating this new sound from arizona.


Radiohead ~ In Rainbows (ATO Records)

it came out on vinyl and CD this year, in my world that’s where it counts. This album is what I was waiting for as a Radiohead fan. OK Computer is a personal favorite of mine and this album feels like a more mature, non-robot talking follow-up in many ways. either that's emotional or i'm reaching....either way, it fits me just fine.


Does It Offend You, Yeah? ~ You Have No Idea What You're Getting Into (Virgin)

I'm not really sure why I love this record so much....oh wait, could it be the spaz energy of "Let's Make Out" or the pure '80s melodic treat of "Dawn of the Dead"? this album is a shot in the arm.


Adele - 19 (Columbia)

it's the voice that just can't be overlooked. this is one of those records that if you play, people always ask about because it's actually good and intriguing. "hometown glory" alone carries the record and is a great reflection of 2008...."shows that we ain't gonna stand shit, shows that we are united, shows that we ain't gonna take it"

The Whigs ~ Mission Control (ATO Records)

I adore this record. It's a driving kind of album and lyrics you sing along to at the top of your lungs.

The Night Marchers "See You In Magic" (Vagrant)
Calexico "Carried To Dust" (Quarterstick)
Santogold "Santogold"
Girl Talk "Feed The Animals"
Mitch Hedberg "Do You Believe In Gosh?"
The Ting Tings "We Started Nothing"
Weezer "Red Album"
Puscifer "V is for Vagina"

mary's favorite things of 2008

First things first…..

HOPE. CHANGE. PROGRESS.


I feel a sense of relief and hope about things changing for the better in 2009. I think you should too :)