Back in the Bay: Don't you just love British Accents? & the amazing Prius

Me & my brother made the long drive up from OC to SF today, we left at around 12:30 PM, then hit LA traffic until around 2:30. It was like 98 degrees outside, but luckily the a/c was pretty good. We heard the Dandy Warhols on Jonesy's Jukebox while we were stuck in traffic. They were discussing their "Odditorium" which seems like a huge studio with a nice kitchen for entertaining their guests, which are usually touring musicians.  They played acoustic versions of "Godless" and "Bohemian Like You." After that, I had a nice rotation of my compilations of Beggars Banquet, Matador, and 4AD artists.  I like the recent line-ups, but my favorite was "Deafening Divinities with Aural Affinities" from 1993, which features The Charlatans, Rollerskate Skinny, Tones on Tail, Grant McLennan, Peter Murphy, Bauhaus, Gary Numan, and The Fall... the classics! I also like the Sip More Tea! and Tea for 2000 compilations, which feature artists such as Brassy, Bowery Electric, China Drum, Magoo, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, The Delgados, Six by Seven, etc.

We arrived at 7:30 PM with a couple stops for gas. We had dinner with my dad at our usual favorite Chinese restaurant Gourmet Carousel. I got my Japanese edition of the Dogs Die In Hot Cars CD "Please Describe Yourself" from ebay! I've recently noticed how excellent the British Accents Newsletter is. I learned of it through Filter-Mag.com, and it's everything I ever wanted in a music newsletter: an online radio show, release dates, upcoming shows in your major metropolitan area, etc. According to the site: "British Accents is a radio show, e-mail newsletter, and now a website catering to American fans of British music." Here are the release dates listed from this week's newsletter:

NEW & UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASE DATES (subject to change)
Aug 8 - ED HARCOURT/Elephant's Graveyard  USA (b-sides, download only)
Aug 9 - ORANGE JUICE/The Glasgow School   USA
Aug 9 - SONS & DAUGHTERS/The Repulsion Box   USA
Aug 9 - MOBIUS BAND/The Loving Sounds of Static   USA
Aug 15 - SUPERGRASS/Road to Rouen   UK
Aug 15 - THE RAKES/Capture/Release   UK
Aug 15 - LEAVES/The Angela Test   UK
Aug 16 - THE STANDS/Horse Fabulous   USA
Aug 16 - THE KILLERS/Hot Fuss-bonus version    USA
Aug 16 - MALCOLM MIDDLETON/Into The Woods   USA
Aug 22 - BRMC/Howl    UK
Aug 23 - STELLASTARR/Harmonies of the Haunted   USA
Aug 23 - NEW PORNOGRAPHERS/Twin Cinema   USA
Aug 23 - JOHN VANDERSLICE/Pixel Revolt   USA
Aug 23 - THE CRIBS/The New Fellas   USA
Aug 23 - various/Live at KEXP Vol 1    USA
Aug 23 - INTERPOL/Antics: The Special Edition   USA
Aug 23 - THE BRAVERY/Fearless: The Remixes   USA
Aug 30 - THE CORAL/The Invisible Invasion   USA
Aug 30 - DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE/Plans   USA
Aug 30 - OK GO/Oh No   USA
August - UNDERWORLD   UK
Sep 5 - IAN BROWN/The Greatest   UK
Sep 5 - THE CLIENTELE/Strange Geometry  UK
Sep 6 - IDLEWILD/Warnings/Promises   USA
Sep 6 - RICHARD HAWLEY/Coles Corner   USA
Sep 13 - SUPER FURRY ANIMALS/Love Kraft   USA
Sep 13 - DANDY WARHOLS/Odditorium or Warlords of Mars   USA
Sep 13 - NADA SURF/The Weight is a Gift   USA
Sep 13 - ROB DICKINSON/Fresh Wine for the Horses    USA (x-Catherine Wheel)
Sep 19 - OCEANSIZE/Everyone Into Position   UK
Sep 20 - THE FALL/The Fall Head's Roll   USA
Sep 20 - GOLDFRAPP/Supernature   USA
Sep 20 - ORANGER/New Comes and Goes   USA
Sep 20 - MUSE/Origin of Symmetry   USA
Sep 20 - BILLY BRAGG/reissues    USA
Sep 20 - BROADCAST/Tender Buttons     USA
Sep 26 - PADDINGTONS/First Comes First   UK
Sep 27 - SUPERGRASS/Road to Rouen   USA
Sep 27 - ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN/Siberia   USA
Sep 27 - ROGUE WAVE/Descended Like Vultures   USA
Sep 27 - CALLA/Collisions   USA
Sep 27 - ELBOW/Leaders of the Free World   USA
Sep 27 - THE GO TEAM/Thunder, Lightning, Strike  USA
Sep 27 - METRIC/Live it Out    CANADA
September - THE CRIMEA/Tragedy Rocks   UK
September - SIGUR ROS    USA
Oct 4 - FRANZ FERDINAND/You Could Have It So Much Better...  USA
Oct 4 - METRIC/Live it Out    USA
Oct 4 - PAUL WELLER/As Is Now   USA
Oct 4 - BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE/Broken Social Scene    USA
Oct 11 - GANG OF FOUR/Return the Gift   USA
Oct 11 - THE CLIENTELE/Strange Geometry   USA
Oct 17 - CARDIGANS/Super Extra Gravity  UK/EUR
Oct 18 - DEPECHE MODE/Playing the Angel   USA
October - LIARS/Drums Not Dead   USA

Also, while searching for the site, I found this unusual article on an American woman from Indiana who had a stroke which gave her a British accent: "a mixture of English cockney and West Country"

And speaking of British Accents, here's yet another article on the 10th Anniversary of Britpop from BBC News, come on now - I really don't think Britpop ever ended.

Okay, one last update: an article from FMQB on the new Bunnymen album Siberia, #10's a charm!

Here's an interesting article about the totally awesome Toyota Prius - I've wanted one since they first came out, but I don't really like to drive (and I'm better off walking or taking public transport here). Actually, my dad should get one - I sold him on them a long time ago and here's an even better reason to get one:

Hybrid Car Enthusiasts Achieve 110 MPG In A Prius

From Eric Powers, Your Guide to Hybrid Cars. FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Prius Goes Nearly 1400 Miles On One Tank Of Gas

They did it!

The weekend of August 5th through the 7th, 2005, a team of hybrid car enthusiasts, took an unmodified Toyota Prius to a record breaking 1397 miles on a single 12.78 gallon tank of gas. That is a whopping 110 miles per gallon! This is an amazing accomplishment considering the EPA estimates for the hybrid is 60 city and 51 highway.

The original four men, Dave Bassage of W. Virginia, Dan Kroushl of Pennsylvania, Wayne Gerdes of Illinois, and Rick Reese of South Carolina, began driving in shifts Friday evening. On Saturday, a fifth man, Bob Barlow of Virginia, was added to ease the load of driving the nearly 1400 miles.

They drove back and forth for over 40 hours on an 18 mile stretch of 30 - 40 mph, four-lane highway. The route was selected specifically because it is in range in which the Prius can be operated very efficiently.

Leeds Festival 2002: The year of the infamous riots

I’ve finally gotten around to typing out my journal from Leeds 2002

An amazing experience, tons of great bands played… I’m still impressed with who I saw even looking back on it today. I met a couple of really cool Welsh girls who helped me a lot when I’d arrived with too much luggage and forgotten my tent poles. I was very lucky to have run into them. As I mentioned in the title, there were riots that included people setting toilets on fire with police helicopters flying around at night. It was very “Apocalypse Now.” Here’s that unforgettable line-up:

Leeds Festival – Friday 23 August until Sunday 25 August 2002

Aug. 23:
Main Stage: Guns ‘N Roses, Prodigy, Puddle of Mudd
Radio 1 Evening Session Stage: Spiritualized, And You Will Know Us By The Trail of the Dead, Cornershop, Haven, Six by Seven, The Shining
Carling Stage: Biffy Clyro

Aug. 24
Main Stage: The Strokes, Pulp, The White Stripes, Dandy Warhols
Radio 1 Evening Session Stage: Feeder, The Electric Soft Parade,
Guided By Voices
The Boutique Stage: Ladytron, Dot Allison
Carling Stage: British Sea Power

Aug. 25:
Main Stage: Foo Fighters, Muse, Ash, The Hives, A, Less Than Jake, Andrew WK
Radio 1 Evening Session Stage: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Cooper Temple Clause

See more progress on: Leeds

That's why they invented the internet!

I’ve been totally amazed by the generosity and kindness of total strangers on the internet. Back when I started using it in the early to mid-90’s, I used to subscribe to a few email lists. One of the first for me was the Chalkhills Digest for XTC fans. From just a few postings, I acquired about 7 different cassettes of Andy Partridge’s demos, which have been recently released in the UK as Fuzzy Warbles volumes 1 to 6. Also, I have 3 video tapes of XTC live and video performances.

In 1998, I started communicating with my oldest internet friend, Barry Christian, through the Dubstar mailing list. It began through the exchange of Dubstar’s first album Disgraceful for Angelfish’s album (and single). We met in Sheffield in 2002 when I went to England, but he passed away at the end of 2003. It was really devastating to read it in an email from his daughter. In the time we knew each other, we exchanged numerous emails, many CD’s, tapes, videos, and LP’s. He was an irreplaceable friend who I will never forget.

Recently, I’ve discovered the joys of community through Xanga, MySpace, etc. It’s great to see dedicated music fans of all ages who really know and understand some of the music that is most important to me. Of course, I’d love to meet people in person with my interests, but I think it’s just a matter of time.

See more progress on: make real friends that share my interests

Shoegazers unplugged at M Theory

>I really enjoyed the 2 hour drive to San Diego tonight, I really can't say the same for my brother since he was the one driving and very annoyed by the traffic. On the way down, I started playing Swervedriver's album Mezcal Head from 1993. It's good driving music, though there are a few very long songs... "Never Lose that Feeling/Never Learn" is over 11 minutes. Since the drive was so long (and traffic so bad), I next put on Catherine Wheel's Ferment which features classic tracks like "I Want to Touch You" and "Black Metallic." We were just getting off the freeway when I put on Ride's Going Blank Again which is probably my favorite album of their's because of "Twisterella" and "Leave Them All Behind."

When we got to the store, there was a lot of people crowded outside the store (and the store itself was packed). Adam Franklin (Swervedriver/Toshack Highway) was already playing. There were so many people inside that the only picture we got of him was just the top of his head among the backs of a lot of other people's heads. I've heard plenty of live Swervedriver and a little of Adam's solo acoustic stuff to kind of know what to expect. It's just not the same without all the noise and feedback.

Next, Rob Dickinson (Catherine Wheel) was on. He had a backing band that included a double bass and a few other people whose instruments I couldn't see. Probably more guitars. The pictures we got of him are pretty much just the top of his head and his eyes. Still too many people. Before Mark Gardener (Ride, also opening for BRMC on their upcoming US Tour) came on, I went across the street to buy some pizza and sodas. When I got back to the store, there were many plates of sandwiches spread out on the table in front. And they were really tasty sandwiches! There was also some delicious potato egg salad and a foamy minty milkshake-like drink. During Mark Gardener's set, we could actually see his face! I think my brother got one picture before my camera's batteries died.

After the show, I picked up some free buttons from inside the store. There were actually lots of cool ones: Kasabian, Oasis, Spoon, Shout Out Louds, Orange Juice, The Sights, Hard-Fi, Augustana and Autolux. We also got a couple of souvenir laminates for the show, probably made by the store for that event. Driving back was a little confusing, but once we got on the freeway -  it was a breeze. I played Swervedriver's 99th Dream album from 1998, which is still my favorite. When we got back to Orange County, I put on Catherine Wheel's Like Cats & Dogs which is a masterpiece of b-sides. I was thinking about how BRMC should put out a b-side album specifically for their American fans because it's so hard and expensive to get UK singles here, even with ebay.
 

BRMC Press links: 4 star reviews of Howl and a couple interviews!

BRMC's webmaster David just posted a bunch of new BRMC articles including interviews and reviews: Click here for the links!

Posted By: David
Date: 11:46am, Thursday August 11 2005

Howl has been getting some amazing reviews and I know you're all eager to see what the press have been saying. Here are the latest 4 star reviews from Q, Mojo and Uncut:

Q Review of HOWL

Mojo Review of HOWL

UNCUT Review of HOWL

Also, here are 2 interviews from The Fly and Clash:

The Fly Cover, August 2005

The Fly Interview, page 1

The Fly Interview, page 2

Clash Magazine interview

Buy Moz's LA house for 2 million

Continuing on the subject of famous homes for sale, here's a post from Torr's blog:

Buy Moz's LA house for 2 million

Realtor.com

1498 SWEETZER AVE
LOS ANGELES, CA 90069

$1,995,000
4 Bed, 3 Bath
Estimated payment: $9,098 Per Month*

Extraordinary 1931 Mediterranean in celebrity cul de sac above Sunset with dramatic city view. Entry to huge living room with beam ceilings, hardwood floors and massive fireplace. Upstairs master has spectacular city view plus walk in closet and huge limestone bath. Separate guest suite plus convertible media/den and separate maid's with bath. Full Mediterranean charm. Kitchen and baths recently remodeled with great style. Media & projection equipment included as-is.

The house in happier (furnished) times:

I'm guessing that's a little higher cost than the house he grew up in.

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Take a Private Tour of Johnny Cash's Famous Home

from CMT.com:

Take a Private Tour of Johnny Cash's Famous Home

Lakeside Property Near Nashville Remains Available at $2.9 Million Price Tag

By: Bill Conger

How would you like to live where two of American music's greatest icons made their home for 35 years? Johnny and June Carter Cash's three-story home in Hendersonville, Tenn., could be yours for $2.9 million.

Nestled on 4.6 acres of land on

the outskirts of Nashville, the contemporary house at 200 Caudill Dr. was the couple's home until their deaths in 2003. It's located near the late Roy Orbison's former home that's now owned by another famous country couple -- Marty Stuart (Cash's former son-in-law) and wife Connie Smith.

View photos of the Cash home.

Went with Epic to El Sauzal

It’s an orphanage near Encinata, it was a fun yet tiring experience since we left before 6 AM and returned late in the evening.

See more progress on: Mexico

Stereophonics rock da house!

I’ve wanted to see this band many times. The first time I actually did was at Virgin Mega Store in LA doing an acoustic set. My brother got a styrofoam plate that they wrote their set list on. Then, I saw them at V2002 doing their stadium sized performance. I did miss them playing with Placebo or The Charlatans, I forget which.

See more progress on: see the Stereophonics live

BRMC live is a Spiritual Experience!

I first saw them opening for Spiritualized at Cane’s in San Diego. I wrote a review of the show for La Plume Noire and was later inspired to start a fansite for them called Down Here

The last time I saw them live was at the Leeds Festival in 2002, which was very different from the San Diego show – but no less amazing… I just hope to see them on September 12th at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco!

See more progress on: go see black rebel motorcycle club live