Motion City in Milwaukee

My favorite band, Motion City Soundtrack, played a show at The Rave in Milwaukee last night with Sherwood, The Higher and The Forecast opening. Jamie and I had tickets for this show as soon as the dates were announced because there was no show announced for Minneapolis and I didn't want to miss them. So, road trip!

We left town a little late and missed The Forecast and The Higher, for the most part. What we did see of The Higher was not that impressive - a pretty typical teen-pop-punk band in the same vein as Boys Like Girls, who opened for MCS at Roy Wilkins in February. We were really impressed with Sherwood, a very melodic group similar to Mae that utilizes keyboards very effectively. A really moody yet upbeat set made me excited to check out their CDs.

The Motion City show, as expected, rocked. They opened strong and fast, only slowed down briefly and finished on a crowd favorite, working in a few new songs from their upcoming album. In case you're interested, here's the set list:

1. Capitol H - one of my favorite songs and one I hadn't heard them play the other two times I'd seen them.
2. Everything Is All Right - the 'single' from their last CD
3. No idea. I have never heard this song, and they said it was 'an old one.' This song rocked, though - hard and fast, just like their other early stuff.
4. Fell In Love Without You - a new song. Pretty solid.
5. Modern Chemistry - another favorite from their I Am the Movie disc.
6. Time Turned Fragile - a run of safe, well-liked songs from their Commit This to Memory disc begins in earnest.
7. Better Open the Door - I like this song because it mentions a few Minneapolis landmarks.
8. L.G. Fuad - Time to slow it down.
9. Mary Without Sound - a deep track from 'Movie,' I was surprised that they played this. Not the strongest song on the album.
10. This Is For Real - another new one, I hope it's not indicative of the slower songs on the new album.
11. Make Out Kids - a good song to start to pull out of the slower portion of the set
12. My Favorite Accident - still keeping it a little more chill but with a bit of a pop
13. Broken Heart - the new single. I really like this song - check out the video here.
14. Attractive Today - seemed like they were going to bring us in to the home stretch and start to really rock...
15. Hold Me Down - but instead go with one of their slowest songs. It's still one of my favorites, but to play it right near the end?
16. The Future Freaks Me Out - the crowd favorite. A sing along!
17.Encore - Perfect Teeth - another one of my favs from their first CD, I Am the Movie. A great end cap.

This night was great because after the show we went to a bar around the corner called the Harp and Shamrock. It was just a little dive but the bartender was really cool. He gave us five bucks to feed the kick-ass touch-screen jukebox and we got 2-for-1s for being at The Rave earlier. I played bar dice and won by the skin of my teeth four times, which meant four free shots. We went and grabbed some late-night grub and headed back to the car. Right across the street from The Rave we passed Justin (right) and Matt(left), the singer and bass player and I was able to get a picture with them. I don't know who that chick is, but she was next to us at the show and we called her Tats. I think she probably scored that night. Jamie and I were surprised at how short these dudes were.


So the night was one big high note. We're excited to hit the surprise Thursday MCS show that they recently announced on My Space. It's at the Varsity Theater and only $20. I highly recommend that everyone check it out!

Close Shave

The 35W bridge across the Mississippi River collapsed today at 6:15. The article says eight cars, but the latest reports say 30-50. That makes sense since it was still rush hour. I left work at 6:00 after having a beer and a shot. I take 35W home every day across that river on a route that takes 20-25 minutes.

A beer and a shot.

Cooler Than Lost? Yes.

I only say the above because movies, you know, end. If you guys haven't seen this trailer for the super-secret J.J. Abrams project codenamed Cloverfield your lives are apparently empty of the unfounded yet inexplicably real and newfound terror that a monster is probably one day going to destroy New York. Really, it could happen to any of us. Just look how the monster ruined that nice guy's going away party...

Got Beer?

Hey everyone, as my friends Anders and Jackie get ready to move to Pullman, WA they've started a new blog. I'll be a contributor, apparently to spice the thing up with tales of my exotic affairs around the world with women of all cultures. So as soon as that stuff happens you'll see it there first. I'm sure I'll also offer up beer news, drink ideas and general alcohol related and induced commentary. Alcohol - the formula for success!

Hey, Remember That Time We Locked You In a Dumpster?

Introducing Cheese, the coolest dog on this whole damned planet! We got him on Sunday and he is a flippin' genius. He already rings a bell to go to the bathroom and when I woke up last night I think I heard him reciting poetry. Plus yesterday he balanced my checkbook.

When I brought him to a Fat Tire event at Nicollet Island it also gave Gregoire an idea that we could buy cheap puppies and rent them out to guys to take to the park and meet girls. Of course, we wouldn't need that, but some of you losers out there would. 50 bucks for one afternoon of awkward conversation with girls out of your league? What a deal!

Khee-Khew-Khoo-Khoo-Khee--Khew-Khee!

Dudes. You all have to leave right now and go to see Transformers. So, so sweet. If you like explosions, or robots, or robots that make things explode, this movie is the one for you.

Right off the bat the movie grabs you by your puny organic face and starts shaking you around. As this Blackhawk helicopter lands at an air base in the desert and starts just messing all these fools up, you will be so pumped. The sound! When they transform they make that old school sound!

The movie lets you chill for a while until Bumblebee rumbles with Barricade, the cop car (even though I thought that Prowl was the cop car). Then just when you think things are going to jump off, though, they don't. Michael Bay waits until the last half hour of the movie to give you what you want: complete robotic mayhem.

I will admit it - I loved the Transformers cartoon when I was little and from what I'd seen of the movie I was really excited to see it. I could be biased. Jamie, on the other hand, had no idea what the hell Transformers were until she saw the movie and had never heard of the cartoon. She loved it, too. The effects are, of course, the centerpiece of the movie and they are awesome. My only complaint is that the transformations happen so fast and most of the little details, the little moving parts involved, are just implied. The highlights of the movie come when Bay kicks it into slow-mo to showcase the transforming, like when an Autobot leaps out of his carmode, spiraling to avoid rockets and returns fire as he ducks and weaves down a city street. Damn! So cool.

Perhaps the best and most frustrating news is that it is so open for a sequel. As Optimus Prime closes with a little monologue aimed at other Autobots scattered across the galaxy, asking them to join him in protecting our planet, I realized that some of the Decipticons lived. More robot fights on the horizon! Yes! Then I realized that I would have to wait years before I got to see a new Transformers movie. Crap!

Mascot

PumaSpeed.com has needed a mascot for a long time and Ben and Jen Hedrington just provided me one. One day Will is going to be a seven-foot tall conqueror who eats flaming rocks for breakfast and holds the fury of two suns in his fists, yet is as righteous and just as Jesus and as smooth as Sam Jackson. For now, he's the PumaSpeed.com mascot. Baby steps.