Floating Away

Cold War Kids, the Little Ones, and 826LA

The kids over there at 826LA consistently know how to get the indie kids involved.  Whether its their benefit nights at Largo where past performers (Fiona Apple, The Watson Twins, Patton Oswalt and others) have performed to raise money for the after school reading and writing program.

This time, they are bumping it up a notch and moving east to the Echoplex (underneath the Echo).  On June 12, 826 LA will be hosting yet another benefit, this time with the Cold War Kids and the Little Ones.  More imporantly, another "secret local band we cannot name" will be playing too.  Hmm.  Secrets, secrets, secrets. Who could it be?

Tickets are no longer available on ticketweb, but will be available the night of the show.  So, get down there early for what should be a great night of indie rock and literacy! Go here for more info.

I couldn't care less, yet I am oddly impressed.

May 07 Mix

[In an attempt to keep my few readers abreast of what I am listening to, The Monthly Mix Series is a monthly post featuring music that found its way into my ears over the course of the past month.]

June is upon us which means its time for another mix.  This was genuinely hard to put together largely because I felt there was an influx of music coming at me this month.  I am still loving the new Bjork after her Coachella performance.  I keep playing the soundtrack to Once, weeks after I saw the movie.  The new Spoon, Besnard Lakes, Feist, Wilco, Ted Leo and Electrelane keep impressing me.  The Van Morrison song, Stepping Out Queen II, came on shuffle one day and I immediately remembered how great the Philosopher's Stone is. 

1. To the East - Electrelane
2. Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend
3. The Limit To  Your Love - Feist
4. Light - Track a Tiger [MP3]
5. Innocence - Bjork
6. Now. Now. - St. Vincent
7. (This is For The) Better Days - The Bees
8. La Costa Brava - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
9. In the Basement, Pt. 1 - Etta James
10. Stepping Out Queen II - Van Morrison
11. The Underdog - Spoon
12. Pieces of String - Alela Diane
13. On Bedford and Grand - The Besnard Lakes
14. You Are My Face - Wilco
15. When Your Mind's Made Up - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
16. Half Right - Elliott Smith

DOWNLOAD MIX

DOWNLOAD ARTWORK

Previously:
January 07 Mix
February 07 Mix
March 07 Mix
April 07 Mix

The Deadly Syndrome June Residency at Spaceland

Can't wait for this. If you haven't seen these guys yet, don't delay.

Their myspace page also has a new track up from their performance on Indie 103.1:

MP3: The Deadly Syndrome - Wolves in the Garden

Kobayashi's Hot Dog Record, Eaten!

23 year old, Joe Chestnut killed Kobayahi's record this weekend by eating 59.5 HDBs (hot dog + buns), setting up the biggest Hurldown in the history of the world:  Nathan's July 4th Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest!

So, just who is this Joe Chestnut who took down 59.5 HTBs in 12 minutes?  Well, you might remember him from his stunning 2005 MLE (Major League Eating) Rookie of the Year season.  Or, you might remember his fantastic second place performance at last year's Nathan's contest against the king himself, Kobayashi, where he set the American record with 52 HTBs.

Joe's official MLE bio says it best:

"Chestnut has become known for his simple, levelheaded approach to the sport. Blessed with strong esophageal muscles and extremely capacious cheeks, Chestnut is widely considered the best chipmunker on the circuit. At the end of the contest, he stuffs his cheeks until they look like Dizzy Gillespie’s mid-solo, in the style of a chipmunk. Many believe that he will use this very technique, along with his God-given gorging abilities, to beat Takeru Kobayashi in the near future, most likely in a short form contest."

The prize for his crushing performance?  A free trip to New York, a life's supply of hot dogs, and a $250 gift certificate at the Arizona mall where the contest took place.  Yeah, definitely worth it!