The dirtiest music post, ever!!!

(alternate title for today: "This post is rated 'R,' for Rockin'! And swears")

I had the chance to see this first band a few months ago here in KC. And, as I tend to do, I missed it. I don't remember why I didn't go, I actually knew about their show ahead of time, but for some reason, I stayed home. I kind of wish I would have gone, I think they were playing with Caribou.

The Fuck Buttons (website | myspace) are an experimental/noise/prog group from the UK, kind of along the same lines as 65daysofstatic, but with a more ambient noise influence, less of a guitar-driven influence. Maybe if Animal Collective and 65dos got it on and had a baby in the form of another band. A sweet, sweet sounding baby.

Fuck Buttons - "Sweet Love for Planet Earth" at SXSW

Staying foreign (and a possible future place of residence for yours truly, if America keeps on being a basically bad place for things, and depending on what happens in November), and in the same vein of music, here is Holy Fuck, of Toronto (website | myspace). These guys would probably be the young, brash brother of the Fuck Buttons. Maybe a little edgier in sound, but with a family resemblance. This family likes to experiment with sounds, with some catchy loops and hints of electronica, without the glow sticks and ecstasy.

Holy Fuck - "Milkshake"

Ok, maybe a little bit of ecstasy.

Slightly less foreign, but still hailing from a place I would like to live (Portland, OR), is starfucker (myspace - couldn't find a website, and not to be confused with the NIN song "Starfuckers, Inc."). In this little musical family that I have been creating, these guys would probably be the cool cousin that the other two like hanging out with for a little while, mostly at parties. They still have the "experimental" sound, but it's a little more dance-y, and a little poppier. In a totally sweet way.

I also couldn't find that great of a video, but I didn't really search too long. There are some live ones out there, so you should check them out.

So there you have it. Three awesome bands with something in common. I'll leave that to you to find out what it is. . .

And soon to come: a recap of my most recent concert - Stars!

It's hell to get old -AND- a public apology to RPC

So, tonight, I seriously threw my back out picking up a sock. A fucking sock. Granted, it was wet, and a little heavier than usual, but still. It weighed maybe 5 ounces. After I picked myself up off the floor (writhing in agony, of course), I finished loading up the drier, put my coins in, and nearly crawled across the parking lot to my apartment, where I commenced to call my mom the paramedic. Her professional advice? Take some ibuprofen, drink some beer, ice my back, finish my laundry. Done, done (Delirium Nocturnum is delicious), done, and nearly done.

Then, to add (literal) insult to (literal) injury, I decide to go on myspace a little and check stuff out. I figure I need to leave a comment for my old friends Rock Plaza Central, saying that they need to play in KC sometime. A couple hours later, I get a comment back, saying that they were just in Kansas City. They tried to play it off as being one of their worst publicized shows, but still, as a fan, it's my duty to know these things, I really dropped the ball there. It was A WEEK AGO. 7 DAYS. I feel like a grade-A doofus. I failed. It would have been infinitely less frustrating to see you guys play on Monday, compared to what I actually did. So if you're reading this Chris Eaton and Co, I'm sorry. I will make it up to you. Next time you head this way, I've got a place for everyone to stay. I can even hook you up with a place to play! If you like barbecue, I know a couple good places. If you don't, I know a good Indian place, a couple awesome Mediterranean places, good pizza, some decent bars, and have a number of friends I can bring to a show. Need a sax player? I'm your man. Need a scratch guitar player? I can do that too. Just watch out for the laundry rooms in this town. They're killer.

Frontier Ruckus - my latest musical obsession

These guys are pretty awesome. I love their bluegrass sound, and the lead singer's voice works really well with the style, without going to the "twangy" side of the genre. Not that it would be a problem if he did, I dig. Plus, I'm a fan of any musical use of a saw. These guys are good at what they do.

Frontier Ruckus - Nerves of the Nightmind

They're from East Lansing, MI, but I can forgive them that. Check out their home page, myspace, and youtube for some more sounds, and keep an eye out for their debut LP, being released on November 6. They're good. I hope they make their way to the KC area sometime in the future. That would rock.

Introducing Chris Brooks and a rebellion of the French horn nature

The last line is "With buckets of popcorn." I made it up on the spot.

And yes, I realize this is probably the best possible choice to have for the first video of myself on the internet. At least the first video of which I am aware.

This was at our company outing to the Royals game, so I am surrounded by coworkers, including my manager, and my boss (both sitting to my immediate right). I am a hit, and probably the most popular guy around. That American Idol guy David (can't remember his last name) isn't the only one from KC with talent.

At the risk of making this post too awesome, I couldn't help but post this other video, too. The song is just too damn good, and the video is too damn amazing. So enjoy a little bit of Milwaukee's own French Horn Rebellion



I dig these guys. It's like Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses went electro, joined Minus the Bear, brought some 80's pop synth sounds, and damn catchy lyrical lines. Damn. I can't stop watching the video. This song is just too good.

East Coast Recap

Today is the first Sunday in a while where I've had nothing to do, no where to go, and some time on my own. It's nice. The new (to me) laptop that I got last weekend allows me to write this post from bed, which makes it doubly nice.

Yes, I got a new, three-year-old laptop from my stepdad, because it sometimes likes to shut down on its own, probably due to overheating. It doesn't really do it that often even, I think it's happened maybe 3 times since I've brought it here. So that's pretty sweet.

The past few weeks have been busy ones, with a trip out east (that rocked in every way), a trip to Iowa for the first Hawkeye home game (also a high level of rockage), a few Royals games (of course), a performance by my "band," five fantasy football drafts, all mixed in with some occasional laziness. It happens.

My east coast trip went down almost exactly as I had outlined it in my last post, only I didn't get to see my friend in Baltimore because she was in the midst of moving to New Jersey. It was a packed weekend, with a lot of driving, but definitely worth it. The Phillies game was fun, even if we showed up 4 innings late. We still got to see Greg Maddux pitch (and get rocked), and Chase Utley hit a home run (Ryan Howard had homered earlier, but we missed it). We didn't spend a lot of time in Philadelphia, but it seemed like a pretty cool city.

Vermont was beautiful. I really really loved it there, the air was so fresh, the rolling hills provided some nice scenery, and the wedding and reception were a blast. It's an area where I wouldn't mind living, if only there were an easy way to get there. There's not. But I did pick up some amazing maple syrup!

The wedding and reception were both held at the same place, at the home of a member of the bride's family. It was outdoors, in perfect weather, with some really great people, and good food (amazing corn bread, and some homemade chocolate truffles were my favorites). I even danced! That very very rarely happens.

On Sunday, we used the North Jersey Shore as a resting point in the long drive, spending a couple hours sitting by the ocean. Such a good choice. We relaxed, soaked in the sun and sounds, and played in the ocean. Not too far in, since the waves were getting pretty huge, but enough to enjoy it.

We made it back to DC in time to watch some of the Olympics' Closing Ceremonies, then hit the hay. The next morning I caught the train back to Baltimore, making it with a whole 2 minutes to spare (I made the train to DC by 4 minutes, so the timing on this whole trip was almost spot-on), and flew back to the Midwest. I didn't want to come back, but I guess that's the norm on vacations.