Gnooze - NASA Plans To Shoot The Moon

Happy Slip - Happy Tips

Best of Net - Ashkenne's Journal

A cool little Indie Rock blog written by….. a girl! Using the Live Journal format, Ashkenne’s Journal, is a must read for all you Bohemians out there who are into finding out about new, up-and-coming bands. The writing style is absolutely adorable, using words like “tee-vee” and “Yesh.”

This blog in addition to frills, has the thrills: pictures, videos, and short articles, just long enough to keep you interested.

In addition to music, the site touches on all sorts of pertinent topics, like black t-shirts and marshmallows. Even the ads are cute, they’re disguised as articles, and educate as well as sell.

Site: http://ashkenne.livejournal.com/
Rating: 4 Guns

Ask Dan and Jenn - Watching Porn - How Do I Make My Husband Stop Lying?

The Gay Republican #6 - Bad Taste Never Tasted So Great

*** IRRELEVANT PREFACE: My unspoken battle of wills with my landlord ended last night. I wanted him to mow the lawn and he, apparently, did not want to mow it. He won...

His wife told me on Monday night that the lawn mower was broken, which I suppose explains the Amazon growing in my front yard, but doesn’t really excuse it. And after an anonymous benefactor trimmed the hedges this weekend (Is the hedge trimmer broken too, Alex?) I felt compelled to borrow a mower from my neighbor across the street, and spend a cool evening collecting two full yard waste bins of grass clippings from my small front lawn. ***
___________________________________
A few weeks ago, my department at work relocated from the second floor of our building to the fourth. Not exactly an earth-shattering event, but a good excuse to waste a few hours of company time on a Friday packing outdated documents and personal effects into boxes, so that they can be carefully moved by dedicated relocation professionals, and then unpacked the following Monday to be neglected again in a new location.

Discussing the upcoming move a few days prior while waiting for a meeting to start, several co-workers voiced annoyance at the looming inconvenience. I disagreed, citing the better décor on the fourth floor. “Thank God we’re getting away from the ugly pink carpeting in the lobby on 2. I can’t even bring friends into the office; it’s embarrassing.”

A heterosexual associate voiced his agreement: “Absolutely, it’s classic office-tacky. Mauve, mauve, mauve; what is this, 1986?”

A wave of shame came over me.
SHIT. It IS mauve. What the hell is wrong with me? It’s not pink, that gross old carpeting is MAUVE.

*KA-CHUNK*
Another demerit punch in my gay card.

I watched the Oscars this weekend; all the way through, for the first time ever. And because I was watching them with Leah and Annemarie, we also caught some of the red carpet goings-on leading up to the ceremony.

I suppose it was an OK way to blow five otherwise-idle hours, but nothing really exciting happened. There were no outlandish outfits like Björk’s noteworthy swan gown or any of Bob Mackie’s fetish-esque creations for Cher.
Jon Stewart’s humor was pretty tasteful, nobody said anything offensive in their acceptance speeches, no technical glitches or production mishaps marred the broadcast.
I was praying for somebody to fall on the slick patch of stage floor behind the microphone. Nobody did.

The only thing I’m really *pleased* about is that I’m NOT the only one who found Cate Blanchett’s flat (and transgendered) portrayal of the Bob Dylan-ish Jude Quinn in “I’m Not There” uninspiring (and awkward).

*KA-CHUNK*
Those of you who have full cable service may have run across a channel called LOGO. (Since I don’t, the last time I’d heard about it was when some marketing operatives stuck a LOGO sticker on me at Pride two years ago.) I haven’t seen much of it, but judging by the program lineup, I can say this: If you’re queer, and you’re interested in being patronized to death, watch LOGO.

Over Starbucks a few weeks ago, my friend Leah told me about seeing a music video for a song called “Faggoty Attention” on LOGO. She was laughing so hard about it she could barely speak to describe it. But even more hilarious, according to her, was a show called “Rick and Steve”.

Set in the fictional town of West Lahunga Beach, “Rick and Steve” is a satirical portrayal of West Hollywood life. It’s an animated show, and all the characters are Lego people. Rick is a brainy, Pacific Islander bottom and Steve is a rocks-for-brains, white-bread, gym-rat top and together they compose “the happiest gay couple in all the world”. Their friends Dana and Kirsten are the stereotypical mullet-and-lipstick lesbian couple, and Evan and Chuck fill the roles of young twink-plus-old skeeze. More or less, it’s a gay South Park.

We Netflix’d season one and watched it all the way through last Saturday. She was right when she described pieces of it as fall-on-the-floor funny. There was the episode where Steve’s parents spend a night uninvited with him and Rick after his mother had a vaginal rejuvenation procedure in West Lahunga Beach. Searching for a way to convince Steve’s thick-headed southern parents that he and Rick are in fact a couple, they take their guests to a leather bar, where Steve’s mother dances so hard that she rips her stitches.

There was the episode where Dana and Kirsten decide to have a baby, and in order to secure the necessary turkey-baster effluent from Rick, they enter into a labor-for-semen barter arrangement: Dana fixes their kitchen dimmer switch; Rick gives Kirsten a wine glass full of spooge. (It spills out when they hit a bump on the ride home in their Ford Ranger. Yes, the raunch is hilarious.)

But as the episodes played on, I started feeling dirty. Parody though it may be, “Rick and Steve” offers an unnervingly identifiable and bitingly accurate portrayal of gay life. The very first episode has Rick and Steve, “the happiest gay couple in all the world”, having the “open relationship” conversation, and seeking out a third for a three-way to add excitement back into their bedroom.

In order to prepare for motherhood, Dana and Kirsten babysit another lesbian couple’s baby while her/his mothers attend what appears to be a dyke-nazi retreat. Before leaving, they admonish Dana and Kirsten not to derail their mothering methods, which include ridiculously insular and bigoted practices whose heterosexual inverses would shock the conscience of any West Lahunga Beach denizen.

After Chuck (the old HIV-positive, wheelchair-bound skeeze) asks his “partner” Evan (the ephedrine-addicted, 19-year-old Latino boi-toy) to promise that he wouldn’t have sex with anybody else after Chuck died, Evan responds, “But I have sex with other people NOW!”

Watching the show with Leah was just awkward once the character of Condoleezza the Fag-Hag was introduced. Condi is a tragic, corpulent character who goes to ridiculous, self-deprecating, abuse-inviting lengths in order to acquire and keep the attention of any gay man she sees. She is, in short, a fag-hag.

After becoming acquainted with Condi, Leah turned to me and asked, “I’m not a fag hag, am I?”
From the TV, Condi yelled after her new gay Lego friends, “Do you wanna go out, guys? I’ll drive!!!”

“No,” I replied to Leah, “You have a life.” (And she does.)

What I wanted to say next, though, was, “So why are we still watching this demoralizing show?”

Excepting its moments of quirky hilarity, the program itself is downright depressing.
The show may not actually be an animated parallel to life for all gays, or even a majority of us, but it certainly nails an unflattering bulls-eye on the most visible sector.
Granted, that opinion comes from somebody who doesn’t live in West Hollywood.
But after watching “Rick and Steve”, I’ve never been surer that I don’t want to move there.

*KA-CHUNK*
My card is starting to look like a slice of Swiss cheese. I’d better smoke some pink Nat Sherman Fantasias before the Cabal hunts me down and makes me watch “The Birdcage” again.

Artist to Watch - Leopold and His fiction

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Making Music fit to drink several beers to, and hailed by the press as the new White Stripes, Bay Area-Rockers Leopold and His Fiction, hammer home that Midwest roadhouse sound.

For a two-piece, they’re highly innovative, and bend the genres of Rock, Blues, and Country like the White Stripes, The Stroke, and Hank III having a screaming match.

Leopold and His Fiction – “Go On Have My Way”


Bio:
Leopold and his Fiction is a drum/guitar duo, fronted by the Detroit-based Daniel Toccalino, who have an affinity for a combination of low-fi country, blues, jazz, and rock sounds. But the comparison doesn’t capture Leopold and his Fiction adequately for at least one immediately obvious reason: jazz-trained, Kentucky-born drummer Ben Cook can play. (Sorry, Meg.) And what’s more: Leopold mixes the country/blues/jazz/rock genres in a way that makes the band sound both distinctly larger than their drum/guitar/vocals combination and uniquely dynamic.

The album’s first track, the grungy, rock n’ roll “She Ain’t Got Time,” sets the tone for the rest of the album. It’s lyrically entertaining and instrumentally tight, as Toccalino sings “I’ll be your baby tonight” over Cook’s varied straight-ahead beats. “Gonna Be Your Boy” showcases the duo’s country know-how. A twangy slide guitar glides over a steady 12-bar blues progression.

Roles are reversed throughout this tune: the guitar acts as a rhythm section by pounding down the 12-bar blues and the drum functions as a bass guitar, which Toccalino describes in an interview with the San Francisco Bay Guardian. “[Cook] fills up a lot of the low end” by artfully subbing in where the bass is “supposed to go.” “Miss Manipulation” is the mark of the duo’s well-rounded capability. The song fades in to reverberating slide guitar lines which float on the chords of an acoustic guitar, while the drums diminish to only muted symbols, creating a song as pretty as anything My Morning Jacket ever wrote. Quite simply, Leopold and his Fiction have created an coherent, solid album as dynamic in genre as it is rigorous in musicianship.

Be sure to look into the band’s live shows:

Tour Dates ::
03.13 Maggie Mae’s Planetary Group SXSW BBQ (Austin, TX)
03.19 Red Devil Lounge (San Francisco, CA)

Website

Myspace
Label

Like this band? You may also like: The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, The Strokes, Jet






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Hopewell - Beautiful Targets

Label: Tee-Pee
Rating: 4 Guns

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New York-based Hopewell, fronted by ex-Mercury Rev bass player, Jason Russo has been a critic’s darling from their inception. That’s understandable after listening to their new record “Beautiful Targets.” Hopewell, much like their West coast counterparts, The Shore, are American Brit-Pop at its finest. Cinematic in nature, and giving bands from England a run for their money, the ever-innovative Hopewell has released another classic Indie Rock opus.

The album starts off with “In Full Bloom” a slow, yet pretty song. It runs 3:10 before breaking right into “All Angels Road,” the album’s second track. This song rocks hard all the way through; as cinematic as it is heavy.

“Bethlehem” has that 1960s Brit-pop feel, sweet from beginning to end, and “Tree” has that Pearl-Jam-inspired arena pop-rock sound to it.

Throughout the album, the band shows they’re not afraid to experiment, throwing in random tidbits of keyboard, Theremin, and time-based guitar effects. Most bands can’t effectively integrate experimentation and hooks; Hope well isn’t one of those bands.

“Monolith” and “Echo and His Brother” are upbeat, cynical in nature, and cinematic all at the same time, referencing the movie “Big Fish” in the lyrics.

Hopewell - "To The Slaughter..."


Russo channels rock legend Mick Jagger in “Are You Anywhere,” and puts Radiohead to shame in ambient rocker, “Afterglow.” “To the slaughter…” the album’s closing track is by far the best. Fit to be in background of any movie, this ballad uses strings and fluttery guitar to take listeners on a journey into sound.

This album is a must buy for anyone into Radiohead and Brit-Pop.

Check out the video for “All Angels Road” below:



Like this band? You may also like: The Shore, The Verve, Oasis, Radiohead, Coldplay

Midwest Teen Sex Show #6 - Gym Class

The Red Romance - Self-Titled EP

Label: Self-Released
Rating: 3 Guns

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The Red Romance are making quite a splash. Already having toured with one of the biggest bands in modern rock (The Killers), these Indie Rockers are ready to go with their Self-titled EP.
Happy, poppy, feel-good music at it’s finest, the “Red Romance EP” gives stereotypical Indie Rock a much-needed breath of fresh air. Picture The Cure and The Killers on a weekend bender, and you’ve got The Red Romance.

The Red Romance – “Break Away”

Bio:
“You only get one shot,” sings The Red Romance’s Matthew Dublin on their self-released, self-titled EP’s first track. The band’s first big shot came in 2007 when the Killers who, after hearing band's early demos, invited them on the road for an arena tour. The unsigned band played across the country from Madison Square Garden to the Red Rocks Amphitheater to the Hard Rock Hotel, heaping up positive reviews from across the critic board. Entertainment Weekly.com boldly states that “The Red Romance is the best thing since [insert any band name here],” while Spin.com praises the band’s “affinity for the finer things in life: pop hooks and all their trimmings.”

The New York City-based band—Dublin and Darren Beckett (drums), both former members of Ambulance LTD, Adam Chilenski (bass), Wes Carnes (keyboards), and Irina Yalkowsky (guitar)—has steadily won over both fans and music critics alike with their tight live shows and unique pop style. Dublin describes the band as sounding “modern” and being “very much influenced by the Smiths and Roxy Music.” But fashioning the pop genre into something innovative and fresh, like their Brit-pop inspirations, isn’t all the Red Romance is after. Dublin continues: “We also want people to dance. That's real important.”

And they certainly make people dance. Commenting on the band’s 2007 CMJ show, Spin.com’s William Goodman writes “at a skin and bones level, The Red Romance's tunes embody cut and dry musical infection…‘Break Away’ exemplifies its zenith; a thick frosting of synths and simple, hum-worthy lead guitars float atop a solid Motown bass and backbeat spine -- something other bands often refuse to do: accept simplicity."

Be sure to catch the Red Romance at this year’s Planetary South by Southwest party.

TOUR DATES :
03.07 @ The Luna Lounge (New York, NY) w/Looker and The Orion Experience
03.12 @ Volume SXSW Show (Austin, TX)
03.13 @ Maggie Mae’s SXSW Show (Austin, TX)
03.22 @ Mercury Lounge (New York, NY)
04.01 @ Dublin Castle (Camden, UK)
04.02 @ 229 Club (Marylebone, London, UK)
04.03 @ The Enterprise (Camden, UK)
04.04 @ Water Rats (Kings Cross, UK)
04.25 @ The Rock and Roll Hotel (Washington D.C.) w/Telograph

Website
Myspace

Like this band? You might also like: The National, The Killers, The Cure, She Wants Revenge.

Artist to Watch - The Iry

Website:

Myspace:

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The Iry is the immensely talented four-piece hailing from Columbus, Ohio who have been friends and even family far longer than bandmates. Cousins Stefan Schwartz (lead vocals, keyboard) and Jordan Lothes (percussion), along with childhood friends Gregory Hewes (guitars) and Chris Williams (bass, backing vocals), create a unique sound based on eloquent lyrics, complex piano leads, intricate rock guitar and pop melodies. Drawing direct comparisons to such bands as Coldplay, Muse and the Cold War Kids, The Iry are impatiently waiting to exceed all expectations.

The Iry – “Whole Again”

As The Iry prepare to graduate from their respective universities they are transitioning from underground college favorites to chart topping artists. And by secluding themselves for two months in North Carolina with Jeff Juliano (Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R) and Ted Comerford (Zox, Army of Me, Red Wanting Blue) The Iry have laid the foundation for what is expected to be a groundbreaking album.

According to Jordan Loewen (Fresh Air radio, UK), "I have never encountered a band so young, so talented and so intelligent. The Iry are simply breaking every stereotype associated with talented musicians. In regards to the future success of The Iry, it is not a question of if, but rather a question of when."

Upon establishing a rabid following in the Midwest with their exceptional live performances The Iry is expanding their regional showcases into a nationwide tour. Why? According to Stefan Schwartz, "No gimmicks, no image and no abbreviated song titles… we are simply here to save popular rock music!"

Tour Dates :
04.07 The Verve (Terre Haute, IN)
04.08 University of Michigan (Flint, MI)
04.13 The Balcony (Oxford, OH)
04.15 Indiana University (Blomington, IN)
04.21 Spin (Indianapolis, IN)
04.22 Nate & Wally’s (Bowling Green, OH)
04.29 The Balcony (Oxford, OH)
04.11 Uptown Park (Oxford, OH)
04.12 The Nite Owl (Dayton, OH)
04.19 The Balcony (Oxford, OH)
04.25 Radio Radio (Indianapolis, IN)
04.26 The Verve (Terre Haute, IN)
05.09 The Balcony (Oxford, OH)
05.10 Indiana University (Bloomington, IN)
05.17 Butler University (Indianapolis, IN)
05.24 Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilnti, MI)
05.31 The Verve (Terre Haute, IN)
06.07 Columbus Arts Festival (Columbus, OH)
07.05 The Verve (Terre Haute, IN)

White chicks On Rap - Radio Head - In Rainbows

Label: Self-Released
Rating: 4 Guns

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Radiohead's album was two years in the making, but trust me it
was worth the wait! Radiohead is not group that is going to attract
major media attention...they are more of a critics and fan's band.

One morning, while getting ready for work and I managed to catch the
morning news. Somewhere in between the Dancing With The Stars results
and adopt a pet, the newscaster said "British group Radiohead is releasing their new album online and you can choose how much you are willing to pay."

For the next couple of weeks, people were saying Radiohead were idiots, because if given a choice, people would be more prone to download an album for free. I say, as artists, Radiohead is showing true respect to their fans and giving their fans a choice versus other music outlets that charge $20 and up for an album. Radiohead’s never been about the money, they’ve always been about the music.

The song "All I Need" is one of the saddest love songs I’ve ever heard.
The line "I'm an animal trapped in your hot car" is pure heartbreak. It's an honest song we can all relate to; when you love someone, but they don't even know you exist.

Listening to "House Of Cards", the lines "I don't wanna be your friend/I just wanna be your lover" reminds me of Purple Rain because of the lines "I never wanted 2 be your weekend lover/I only wanted 2 be some kind of friend". It is weird how the mind goes places!

"Videotape," a haunting song about death, closes with an absolutely perfect line that we should all aspire for: "No matter what happens now/I shouldn't be afraid/Because I know today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen." Inspiring!

Happy Slip - Soap Opera #6

The Skirt-Chaser #2 - The Valentine's Day Dilemma!

Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone…

What is Valentine’s Day? Is it the day we express our love for a significant other?

For some it is. In reality it is a day people get suckered into spending loads of cash on their mate.

Some of you out there are probably wondering, “Why did I just spend a hell of a lot of money on someone I’ve only dated for a few months?”

If I were there in the same room as you I would ask you the same question. Why? Why would anyone spend a lot on someone else? Now don’t get me wrong Valentine’s Day is a wonderful day for people who have been in a long-term relationship. By long term I mean a year or more.

But year after year you hear stories of people spending outrageous amounts of money on someone thinking it will mean so much to the other person. But this doesn’t just apply to Valentine’s Day. This happens on any given day, whether it’s an anniversary, birthday, you name it.

In reality what does a couple of thousand bucks represent? Love? Commitment?

No, it represents a couple of thousand bucks or several hundred. You choose the amount.
You may argue that it is not the amount but the symbolic gesture.

Many times women have told me of the expensive gifts they received from someone they were dating. I usually follow this piece of information with the following line of questioning:

“So where is this guy now? Are you still dating him?”
“Did he not have an awesome personality?”
“Was he a boring guy?”
It’s funny how girls always look at me with stunned silence before they admit that the guy who was the big spender was boring, lacked a fun personality and is now out of the picture. A guy who usually spends a lot on a woman is trying to compensate for a lack of personality.

Think about it. Why would a guy spend a lot on a dinner, a ring or a trip or any given object when a guy could instead be creative and make an unforgettable evening by adding fun and excitement?

Believe me, a man who spends little but provides a fun evening will be remembered for a long time. The guy who spends a lot will be exactly that… the guy who spent a lot.

Buying expensive things for a woman is not always ideal – for either party. Ask a woman how she feels when she receives such a thing.

Does she get warm and fuzzy inside? Does attraction for the guy increase?

Quite the contrary. A woman will immediately start questioning the motives for the expensive gifts. Don’t believe me? Ask a good female friend.

The majority of the time she’ll wonder what the guy wants from her even if it’s a “nice guy.”

Not long ago, a good female friend of mine who happens to work in a jewelry store told me of a guy who was buying a five thousand dollar ring for someone he had been dating a whopping three months. When I asked her what she would do in the girl’s shoes she responded with, “I would run so fast from that guy.”

Let’s face it, an expensive gift does not lead to attraction or keep attraction going. Odds are that it will do quite the contrary. It sends the wrong message. It says, “I’m a needy guy. I’m spending a lot on you because I’m afraid you’ll leave me. I need your approval.”

So guys, next time you get that urge to spend a lot on a Valentine’s Day, or that 3 month anniversary, or for no reason at all, I have a piece of advise…

DON’T DO IT!

Simply go ahead make her that dinner for two and have some great sex. Or better yet, don’t do anything. Odds are this will pay better dividends.

Dear in the Headlights #6 - Rachel Woodard

CWG: Where are you from originally?

Long Beach , CA

CWG: What's the most unusual project you've worked on?

I was an extra in a porno. [giggling] It was so hilarious. It was a Korean porno that was taking place in an airplane set, and I just couldn’t believe I was being paid to sit there and watch. I always wonder if you can see me real good in the scene but the director says it's only viewable over seas and I have no idea how to find it.

CWG: If you could do one thing to make the world a sexier place, what would it be and why?

I'd make everyone go to the gym. I hate to see when people let themselves go. The body’s a beautiful thing, and it sucks when people let it go to waste. I mean everyone's body type is different, but to me, fit people are sexy!!!!

CWG: What artist are you currently listening to?

I listen to a lot of J. Holiday's music. I also love Beyonce's new and old hits.

CWG: What was the worst date you ever went on?

My 1st date ever. [sticking my tongue out] This dude took me to the movies and made me pay for my ticket. I was like wtf? It was a big turn off because he is the one who invited me and he had me paying my own ticket. Wow, he couldn’t even pay $6 for me. It’s funny when I think about it now though. Lol.

CWG: Favorite place to hang out in L.A.?

I'd have to say City Walk. It’s so much to do and so many restaurants to eat at. I love the atmosphere!

CWG: What's your guiltiest pleasure?

[Smiling] Looking at myself in the mirror and thinking 'Damn, I’m such a M.I.L.F'.

Like Rachel? Send her a friend request on Myspace

Gnooze - Nader Goes To Washington

Tom Hoppa Speaks

Interview by: Jim Markunas

I had the chance to catch up with celebrity booking agent, Tom Hoppa via instant messenger for a rousing chat about our three favorite things: Music, the band Helmet, and livin’ the dream. The interview took place over several nights, as there were technical difficulties, coordination of schedules, and having to constantly fend off groupies. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s hard to be a celebrity.

JM: One of your first gigs was co-hosting a radio show, tell us a little about that.

Well, I was the Program Director and Music Director for a station called WSUW in Whitewater, WI at the University.....

So I got to call the shots and give myself, and my friend Mario, a show.

JM: What kind of show was it?

We played the music we wanted to, talked shit about people on campus, and scammed tickets and backstage passes to shows in Milwaukee and Madison.

JM: That's what the rumors say! What was the music scene like in Milwaukee?

It was ok....saw some cool shows. A lot of bands skipped Milwaukee. Its not a prime stop for a lot of bands.....so we saw what we could at the Rave. Most other places were 21+ so sometimes it was hard to get in.....I was under 21 most of my college career.

JM: After the radio show, how did you get your start in the music biz/booking bands business?

I met a band, Zebrahead, at one of those shows mentioned above. Actually Mario and I went there to interview them for a radio show of mine called "HYPE" about new bands.

I became friends with the guys in the band....and eventually they helped me get a job with their manager in Los Angeles.

So, I packed up the car 2 weeks after graduation and hit the road!

JM: What kind of work did you do for Zebrahead's manager?

Well, he also manages Motorhead and then at the time a few other bands. So, it was a lot of odd job stuff. One of the 1st things I had to do was take Lemmy from Motorhead from his home in Hollywood to the studio to do vocals for the album he was doing at the time

JM: Seriously!? What was that like?

Well, VERY interesting. Lemmy is one of the most interesting and intelligent people that I have ever encountered......besides you

JM: Stop you’re making me gassy!

Nice…haha!

We would sit and drink jack and cokes at his place for a couple hours, then drive about 40 minutes to the studio.

On the way he would tell me everything I needed to know about history and life.

He would do his vocals, and then I would drop him off at the Rainbow every night

JM: That’s a hell of a first gig! How did you get your start with TKO?

I was offered the job. You missed about 8 years worth of material homey. Ha!

JM: back track! What did you do after the Zebrahead/Motorhead gig?

My run with Zebrahead’s management was short lived....I went to William Morris agency first, in 1999 to learn the tricks there. Then from there worked into positions at Rick Sales Mgmt (Slayer), M80 (interactive marketing), House of Blues LA (promoting shows), CAA (assisting the Pres of Music), Clear Channel Touring (booking tours for Cher, Aerosmith, Kiss, McCartney and many more) to Live Nation Phoenix (promoter), and then....to L.A. with TKO.

JM: I hear William Morris is tough! What was it like working there?

It was tough!! They train you very well though.

JM: What was it like to work with all those rock legends like Kiss and McCartney?

Well, it was mainly working with their managers, but it was great.

Amazing learning experience; seeing Kiss in full gear backstage at catering was always very surreal.

JM: What kinds of acts do you work with at TKO?

Rock, punk, metal....and prog. but really anything that I believe in and can sign.

Some of my larger acts are Unwritten Law, Helmet, Fu Manchu, (HED) pe, Valient Thorr, Sepultura, Veruca Salt, Zebrahead, Burning Brides, Authority Zero, and some others....

JM: How did you end up getting to work with Helmet and Fu Manchu? Is there a crazy and exciting back story?

They were both with other agencies at the time (WMA and CAA respectively). I put together creative tour ideas / strategies that involved them as co-headliners.....and it worked out that I got the bands to come my way.

Working with both bands is amazing. I have been a fan of both for a long time.

JM: They say the concert industry is the way to go in the wake of faltering record sales? Any thoughts on that?

Well, when I started on this path 9 years ago I never planned for the business to get like this. It takes a lot of time and training to become an agent or manager.....so by saying that it’s the way to go.....it’s tough, because its just way too hard to predict
I would say that right now, it’s a good place to be.....
But, on the other hand, there are some labels doing VERY well.

Just not as many as there used to be.

JM: What kind of work goes into booking a national tour?

First you have to get a time frame from your client....which is determined usually by a record release, you then do a mock route, place holds at various clubs throughout the country.
get your support package in place....

Pitch the package to promoters and then ask them to send offers. You pick the best of the bunch all while honoring history, and keeping what’s best for your client in mind while doing this.
You then discuss all deals with your manager and get the final approval to confirm.

Once confirmed you need to get everything announced, on sale, and promoted properly. So then you work with the promoters and markets to do that....

On and on and on and on....

JM: You HAVE to tell me a music industry horror story. What's the most embarrassing thing you've done in your career (bonus points if you can top my random acts of asinine behavior)

Hmmm.. hard to say. I would say that its best not to drink at shows that you are involved with....as the line goes, “you are always working.” As far as embarassment goes.....

Hmmmm.....well, I must say that you have stumped me.

I am rarely embarassed.

Don't forget to send Hoppa a friend request on Myspace

White Chicks on Rap - Wu Tang Clan - The 8 Diagrams

Label: Universal
Rating: Three Guns

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A lot has happened in the six years since The Wu-Tang Clan released their last album. The members have gone to release successful solo albums, Ol’ Dirty Bastard died, so on and so on…

“The 8 Diagrams” brings all the Wu-Tang members (RZA, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, U-God, Ghostface Killah, Method Man and Masta Killa) together. Even Ol’ Dirty Bastard appears on “16th Chamber”.

The track that stands out is “The Heart Gently Weeps” which is a take off of The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. George Harrison’s son Dhani Harrison, Erykah Badu and The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ John Frusciante guest-star on the song. The song is dark as it explores loss and the reality of violence and crime. Erykah’s interlude “I don't know why/Nobody told you/Man's not supposed to cry/Though we're just babies and you're so crazy/How tears of joy bring so much life” speaks volumes to the emotions of life and yeah, sometimes life is that fucked up.

Like this group? you may also like: Ol' Dirty Bastard, Redman, Method Man, Jay-Z

Ask Dan and Jenn - Gun Shy? Or Just Leading You On

The Gay Republican #5 - Government? No! Lawyers? Yes!

As a gay republican, the most common retort I receive from those who dismiss me as a backward, self-hating closet case is “what about gay marriage? How can you vote for a party that wants to deny you the right to marry your partner?”

It is true that the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, was passed by overwhelming majorities in a Republican House and a Republican Senate.

The US DOMA stated simply:
No state need recognize a marriage between persons of the same sex, even if the marriage was concluded or recognized in another state.
The Federal Government may not recognize same-sex or polygamous marriages for any purpose, even if concluded or recognized by one of the states.

What you don’t usually hear about DOMA from the left is that it passed by an 85-14 margin in the Senate and a 342-67 margin in the House, meaning that it was supported by clear majorities of both parties. AND that it was signed into law… by President Bill Clinton, on September 21st, 1996.

In 2004, Karl Rove & Company were accused of gay-baiting by introducing state-level statute propositions and constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage in order to get out the narrow-minded bigot (read: Republican) vote. But what those accusers forget is that in the year 2000, California’s own Proposition 22, which simply stated “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California,” passed with a 61% majority.

That’s right; even reliably blue-state California couldn’t muster enough “social progressives” to defeat a new law that plainly and explicitly denied gays the right to marry.


Perhaps 2000 is too far back. Perhaps eight long years have taught the errant Democrat majority of yesteryear to reach down in their hearts, ignore their personal intestinal objection to homosexuality, and vote to grant their gay brothers and sisters the right to wed. Indeed, the current Democrat party platform states that they “support full inclusion of gay and lesbian famil