T-Shirts June 10 - 12

June 10: Izze
Year Acquired: 2005 (I think)

Location: Boston

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This a a strange one. Some friends had a mysterious box sitting near the mailboxes in their apartment building for weeks and weeks. It was addressed to a former resident and no forwarding address was available. It was determined that the statute of limitations for opening mail had passed so we opened the box. There was many t-shirts promoting that overpriced (yet tasty) drink that I've only seen in Starbucks. I'll never turn down a free t-shirt.

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June 12: The Wrens
Year Acquired: 2007 (I think)
Location: mailorder

One of the softest t-shirts I own. And I borrowed the name of this blog from a Wrens song off, "The Meadowlands," one of my favorite non-metal albums. The song is definitely worth hearing. And if the album title didn't give it away, the shirt will tell you where the band hails from.

T-Shirts June 3 - June 8

June 3: Sidney Crosby
Year Acquired: 2009
Location: Pittsburgh

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An excellent Christmas gift from Tim and family. It may be sacrilegious to say, but aesthetically I prefer the blue alternate uniforms of the Penguins. Thanks to a recent trivia question (hi Penny) I know Pittsburgh is the only city to have all their major sports teams use the same color scheme so I can understand the reliance black & gold. But I'd rather see the blue unis.

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Unfortunately, wearing this didn't bring them any luck.

June 6: Anthrax Judge Dredd
Year Acquired: 2011
Location: Pittsburgh

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Concerts used to be a major source of t-shirts, but I'm old and hardly ever go to shows. I couldn't pass up the thrash triple-bill of Death Angel, Testament and Anthrax. Anthrax is a band that I've loved for years, but for some reason it took until 2011 for me to see them live. The comic book/metal crossover with Judge Dredd and a favorite band made this a "must buy." A great shirt, but not nearly as cool as old one of Tim's that he destroyed during a rod hockey game.

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In addition to Judge Dredd, there were a bunch of other comics I started reading due to being mentioned in the liner notes of Among the Living. I started reading the John Byrne run of Fantastic Four, Boris the Bear, and some others thanks to Anthrax.

June 7: James Neal
Year Acquired: 2011
Location: Pittsburgh

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Because I'm a superstitious hockey fan I wore this under my dress shirt at work and while watching the Penguins lose their final game of the season. I was also wearing it during their last win of the season. I think I'll be taking a break from the Penguins gear for a bit.

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June 8: mnftiu
Year Acquired: 2002 or 2003
Location: Pittsburgh or Syracuse

I have a very similar shirt that will also appear. I'm a fan of David Rees's and his comic like "My New Filing Technique is Unstoppable" and "Get Your War On." Since the shirts are so similar I can't remember which shirt was a gift from which friend. The shirts often result in comments from strangers so if you're looking for a conversation starter you can borrow one of these shirts.

June 8: Wet Leather Congress
Year Acquired: 1996
Location: CMU
Two shirts in one day since this one was used for grass cutting.

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Much like the 2012-13 Penguins, Wet Leather Congress was a team built to win the CMU intramural floor hockey championship but that was not to be. I only wore the shirt once or twice in a game-action thanks to a torn ACL when playing for a team made up a most of WLC as well. Now the shirt shows up to yardwork and home improvement projects.

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T-shirts - May 29 - June 2

May 29: Orientation Shirt
Year Acquired: 2010 or 2009
Location: Meadville

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Not really much of a story for this one. One of many free Allegheny t-shirts, this one given out for helping at orientation. I can't remember which year exactly and the only thing that would make this really significant would be if this was from the year where there was a power outage on our street the day before move-in. 

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A telephone pole at the end of our street just broke in half, resulting in a flash of light and a power outage. Iris was obsessed with this since we toke her outside in the middle of the night. We probably would have forgotten about it, but Iris brings it up to this day. I guess there was more of a story.

May 30: International Festival
Year Acquired: 1996
Location: CMU

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I went to events for all the International Festivals while at CMU and I got the t-shirts from at least two, Africa and this one from Latin America. I remember Europe being one of the other regions, but I can't remember the fourth one. This is the only one that still survives. I think the Africa one was lost to a few years of yard work and painting.

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May 31:  Pittsford Pirhanas
Year Acquired: early to mid-2000s
Location: Meadville

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A gift from Liz commemorating my love of Rochester. Oddly enough I wore this a few days before learning I wouldn't be visiting the lovely Pittford schools any more. But I'll still have the shirt.

June 2: Iron Man with all the Iron Men
Year Acquired: 2009
Location: Meadville

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 Another gift from Liz and the first appearance of a comic book t-shirt. Many more to come!

I can't remember yesterday, I just remember doing what they told me

Queensÿrche - I Remember Now

Year Acquired: 1988 or '89
Location: Northway Mall t-shirt kiosk, source of many metal t-shirts.

 

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Sometime last year I realized I have a load of t-shirts. For more than half my life I've collected comic books, hockey cards, records/tapes/cds but I've never consciously thought of myself as a t-shirt collector. They just accumulated since I never part with things. Last year, once I had all my summer clothes unpacked, I decided to see how long I could go before repeating a t-shirt. I need more arbitrary rules for my life. Obviously, I washed and re-wore undershirts and gym shorts, but for my real t-shirts, I think it took me until October to repeat. I've decided that Memorial Day will mark when I pull out all my t-shirts and try my best not to re-wear anything until I wear all my shirts at least once. And thanks to recommendations from Penny and Jesse, the world is stuck with this blog where I will document the process.

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To start this process (i.e. ordeal for friends and family) I had to begin with a memorable shirt. Without exhaustive research I think this is the oldest shirt that I still wear. I do have a few relics tucked away in the attic that aren't in rotation, but this is the oldest that is regularly worn and definitely a favorite. I have many of the "black concert t-shirt" variety but this was my first. At the time of it's purchase in the late '80s, Queensÿrche was my favorite band. "Operation:Mindcrime" was just released and it was in constant rotation. My second or third favorite band was Metallica so when I saw that Queensÿrche was opening for Metallica on the "..And Justice for All" tour at the Civic Arena I asked my parents if I could go to my first concert. Not surprisingly, as a naive 8th grader I was denied. Oddly enough, less than a year later my parents allowed me to go to my first concert at the legendary Pittsburgh punk & metal dive The Electric Banana. Which I guess since it was smaller seemed safer than the Civic Arena?!?

Back to the shirt. As a consolation prize I couldn't go see Queensÿrche but I was allowed to get a shirt from the mall shortly after the concert. I didn't see the show, but I at least have the t-shirt...and still wear it 20 plus years later.

Ah, who cares you always end up in the city

The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbor

• Destroyer - Dark Leaves Form a Thread
• Constantines - Trans Canada
• British Sea Power - Waving Flags
• Testament - Henchman Ride
• Exodus - Children of a Worthless God
• Overkill - What It Takes
• Entombed - Public Burning
• Manowar - King of Kings
• She & Him - This is Not a Test
• Wye Oak - Please Continue
• The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbor
• Clinic - Corpus Christi
• Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Glue Girls
• Billy Bragg - Sing Their Souls Back Home
• Jonathan Richman - When We Refuse to Suffer
• Spoon - Rhthm & Soul
• What Made Milwaukee Famous - For the Birds
• Matt Pond PA - The Crush
• Elf Power - The New Mythology
• The Broken West - On the Bubble
• Local H - The One with 'Kid'
• Britta Phillips - I Am A Child
• Ida - The Killers 1964
• Kathleen Edwards - Oh Canada
• Jim White - Blindly We Go
• Mission of Burma - That's When I Reach for My Revolver
• Dead Meadow - I'm Gone
• The Breakup Society - How Failure Saved Me From Myself

this part of the day bewilders me

the weakerthans - civil twilight

• gary louris -she calls on sundays
• bob mould - shelter me
• band of horses - marry song
• steve earle - tennesee blues
• sage - too wild to live
• the weakerthans - civil twilight
• the broken west - down in the valley
• nada surf - imaginary friends
• portastatic - i'm in love (with arthur dove)
• the gutter twins - all misery/flowers
• ween - friends
• minus the bear - memphis& 53rd
• fountains of wayne - new routine

yeah, it's been such a long time

boston - long time

it's been awhile hasn't it? to be honest, i'm surprised this account was still active considering i haven't posted in almost exactly a year. lame. even more lame that i'm quoting boston too, a bad that i don't even like. i guess living in pittsburgh and listening to wdve while working at mctighe's some things just get burned into your subconscious. ok, i'll confess that "more than a feeling" is actually a pretty sweet tune. but i digress. i have a show again and as of yet i have no witty name for it like "the william zabka radio house" or "i've made a huge mistake." i guess it's just snuck up on me and i haven't been feeling creative. the lack of creativity has also led me to continue the whole "connected" theme for this first show. well maybe i'm not being fair to myself since i did make up the playlist and never had a chance to play the rest of it so i'm really just finishing what i started. and before i quote a lame van halen tune i'll just get to the playlist.

• thurston moore - frozen gtr
• sonic youth - unmade bed
• loose fur - the ruling class
• jim o'rourke - eureka
• amy millan - all the miles
• stars - the night starts here
• dean and britta - threw it away
• galaxie 500 - snowstorm
• luna - malibu love nest
• jets to brazil - air traffic control
• cub country - o great telephone
• burning airlines - wheaton calling
• j. robbins - fear is a man's best friend
• channels - lucky lamb
• death cab for cutie - information travels faster
• chris walla - geometry &c
• the postal service - against all odds
• maritime - guns of navarone*
• the promise ring - electric pink
• the new pornographers - letter from an occupant
• destroyer - it's gonna take an airplane
• frog eyes - stockades
• neko case - lady pilot
• butterglory - she's got the akshun!
• matt suggs - where's your patience dear?
• ryan adams - follow the lights
• whiskeytown - choked up
  

* i used to have this sweet playset for the little green army men that was based on ft. navarone. man i loved that thing. i sure wish davey von bohlen wrote this song about that. or at least that movie of the same name with harrison ford.

I am yours and you are mine the way it should be

The Smithereens - A Girl Like You







Go ahead and call me cheesy for doing a show of love songs on Valentine's Day. The shoe fits. I couldn't help it. So I'm interrupting the "connected" theme this week for a group of my favorite tunes about love, requited and unrequited and all types in between. I must confess I am a sucker for more of the "Love Untold" type but I wanted to give equal airtime to the likes of "Another First Kiss" as well.

• Billy Bragg - The Fourteenth of February
• They Might Be Giants - Another First Kiss
• Yo La Tengo - You Can Have It All
• The Smithereens - A Girl Like You
• Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
• Beulah - Popular Mechanics For Lovers
• The Magnetic Fields - I Don't Believe You
• The Shins - Gone For Good
• Sloan - The Other Man
• Freedy Johnston - While I Wait for You
• Luka Bloom - I Need Love
• Jets to Brazil - In the Summer's When You Really Know
• The Wrens - 13 Months in 6 Minutes
• Bob Mould - See a Little Light
• The Rosebuds - Wishing for Kisses
• Paul Westerberg - Love Untold
• Sugar - Your Favorite Thing
• Eels - Jeannie's Diary
• Damian Jurado - I Can't Get Over You
• Dean & Britta - Night Nurse
• The Orange Peels - You're So Clever
• Camera Obscura - I Love My Jean
• The Pixies - La La Love You
• The Martinis - You Are the One
• Portastatic - Sweetness and Light
• Weezer - Falling for You
• The Smiths - I Want the One I Can't Have

If you make sure you're connected the writings on the wall

Stereo MCs - Connected

The theme for this installment of Battlestar Rock-tactica is somewhat of 6 degrees of separation type dealie. Bands and the bands that formed after break-ups plus side-projects, solo work and the like. You get the idea.

• Alan Sparhawk - Be Nice to People with Lice
• Low - In Metal
• The Retribution Gospel Choir - Breaker
• Mark Kozelek - What's Next to the Moon
• Red House Painters - New Jersey
• Sun Kil Moon - Tiny Cities Made of Ash
• Uncle Tupelo - Acuff-Rose
• Son Volt - Windfall
• Wilco - I'm A Wheel
• Billy Bragg & Wilco - Secret of the Sea
• Glenn Kotche - Reductions or Imitations
• The Autumn Defense - Canyon Arrow
• Jay Farrar - Like a Hurricane
• The Minus 5 - With a Gun
• Loose Fur - Stupid as the Sun
• Golden Smog - Pecan Pie
• Broken Social Scene - Cause = Time
• Stars - Romantic Comedy
• Metric - Patriarch on a Vespa
• Feist - Let it Die
• The Posies - Grant Hart
• Jon Auer - Four Letter Word
• Big Star - Hot Thing
• Ken Stringfellow - Reveal Love
• Bob Mould - Days of Rain
• Husker Du - Chartered Trips
• Sugar - Gee Angel
• The 6ths - He Didn't

Played every record that I own today

Eels - Only Thing I Care About

• Portastatic - Tremelo Chase
• Morrissey - On the Streets I Ran
• Frank Black- I'm Not Dead (I'm in Pittsburgh)
• Essex Green - Sin City
  

A trilogy of songs mentioning my beloved birthplace of Pittsburgh. Sadly none of them are too flattering. "Streets" proves my friend Matt's theory that Moz really hates the Burgh. Maybe someone threw an Iron City at him when The Smiths played the defunct Fulton Theater in 1986 instead of giving him gladiolas?

• The Wrens - They'll Need a Crane
• The Replacements - Message to the Boys
• Rhett Miller - Question
• Portastatic - I'm In Love (With Arthur Dove)

For the second year in a row Portastatic put out my favorite album of the year. Be Still Please is a fantastic blend of last year's rocking Bright Ideas and Mac's soundtrack work. Portastatic at the Warhol was the concert of the year for me too. Granted I didn't see many shows but even if I had it would be hard to top that one.

• Eels - Only Thing I Care About
• Muhammad Ali - Theme from "Ali and His Gang Vs. Mr. Tooth Decay"
• Merit - Nixon
• Robert Pollard - Supernatural Car Lover
• Mark Kozelek - Glenn Tipton
• Camera Obscura - Tears for Affairs
• Eef Barzeley - I Wasn't Really Drunk
• Band of Horses - The Funeral
• Johnny Cash - A Boy Names Sue (by request)
• The Elected - The Bank & Trust

If forced to pick a single favorite song of 2006 I think it would have to be "The Bank & Trust." I still remember hearing it for the first time on WARC when driving on the bridge back home from a trip to Giant Eagle. If I can pinpoint the first time I heard something it's usually a sign that it's pretty special.

• Tilly & The Wall - Bad Education
• The Killers - A Great Big Sleigh
• The Long Winters - Pushover
• Belle & Sebastian - The Blues Are Still Blue
• Dean & Britta - Words You Used to Say
• Great Lake Swimmers - See You On the Moon
• Islands - Rough Gem
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion

Can't say I've been impressed with the YYYs up to this point. I heard this almost a year ago and didn't know who it was and found it infectious. Maybe I was just biased due to all the hype about the band? It hasn't made me check out anything else for them but this is a killer single.

• Destroyer - Your Blood
• Her Space Holiday - Missed Medicine
• Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - The Charging Sky
• ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Eight Days of Hell

Burn down the disco, hang the blessed dj

The Smiths - Panic

Wednesday night will mark my return to the airwaves after a long layoff. I'll be spinning records and pre-recorded music in other formats on WARC from 8 to 10 p.m. If you have requests you can IM during the show at warc903. I'm thinking tomorrow night I'll be playing some favorites from 2006. I'll try to have different themes each week. Any suggestions?

Would you sing a song for all the suckers too?

Portastatic - Drill Me

Since Friday broke my months long dry spell of concerts I figured I'd break the dry spell of blog posting. I caught Portastatic at the Warhol on Friday and what a damned fine show it was. I'm borrowing the setlist from Mac's blog:

getting saved
sour shores
through with people
naked pilseners
sweetness and light
oh come down
drill me
arthur dove
cheers and applause
white wave
san andreas
noisy night

bye bye pride
hey salty
baby

Sure I would have loved to hear "You Blanks" but I still can't say one non-positive thing about the night. "Noisy Night," one of my all around favorite tunes, sounded amazing in a more punked up live format. "White Wave" rocks just as hard as some of the metal bands from my old mullet and black hi-top sneaker days. Thanks to someone that posted some clips posted to YouTube from the night's performance you can see just how hard the band rocked during during that song.

The show was even better because I'm typically the solo guy at shows trying not to look like a creep so it was sweet to be there with a friend. Plus I totally owe her friend for dragging us up to the very first row, something I probably wouldn't have had the nerve to do on my own. It allowed me to take some pretty decent pictures:





You can see the rest of the good ones here.

I even like some of the blurrier ones since it gives you a sense of just how hard Mac was a-rocking.



The rest of the blurry, or shall I say "more artistic" shots, are here.

I think it's safe for me to declare "Be Still Please" as my album of 2006. For the second year in a row, Portastatic takes the taco. If you haven't heard it, I recommend buying it right now, but you can also listen to it for free on the Merge site, along with some other killer albums.

I thought I was right but now I know ...

John Wesley Harding - I'm Wrong About Everything

Dear Apple,

I'm sorry what I said about you a few years back. I was a young, foolish 30 year-old. I admit it, I was wrong. Your invention is pretty revolutionary. I'll still buy my records and cds but I'll then be uploading them for my iPod so I just have one little, elegently designed item to take on road trips rather multiple cd wallets. Now I won't forget to pack socks when I'm trying to decide between one more Superchunk cd and Crimson Glory's best.

Again, my apologies.

i see you sitting on your suitcase, i see you sleeping in a chair

the handsome family - all the time in airports

this show was done on thursday, june 8, i just got around to posting it today. this marks my return to the airwaves after some time off. no particular theme today just some new music. for someone that dislikes flying i find it funny that i like songs about flying and airports so much such as this new handsome family tune. some other favorites are air traffic control by jets to brazil, window seat by john wesley harding and movie script ending by death cab for cutie. well that last one technically isn't about airports but the lovely video takes place in an airport and perpetually runs through my head when i have the unfortunate need to fly.

portastatic - the sunset rock
great lakes swimmers - see you on the moon
cat power & karen elson - i love you (me either)
the essex green - sin city
loose fur - the ruling class
jon auer - four letter word
i love you but i've chosen darkness - at last is all
morrissey - on the streets i ran
the handsome family - all the time in airports
tilly & the wall - bad education
the robot ate me - bad feelings
stephin merritt - the little maiden of the sea
snow patrol - chasing cars
wolfmother - woman *
frog eyes - one in six children will flee in boats
russian circles - enter
don caballero - i agree...no!...i disagree
jolie holland - you're not satisfied
camera obscura - if looks could kill
denison witmer - are you a dreamer?
danielson - did i step on your trumpet?
david & the citizens - big chills
mammoths melting out of the ice - happy birthday motherf#$%^&
the lovely feathers - pope john paul
the concretes - the chosen one
the eels - hey man (now you're really living)
the eels - i like birds


* i've read about this band and a few folks whose opinion i value that have gone nuts over this band. i hate this word but i think the best way to describe my reaction is "nonplussed." perhaps i'm unimpressed because i'm possibly the only heavy metal fan in the world that despises led zeppelin and this band certainly worships at the alter of plant and page. if i want to hear "misty mountain hop" i'll listen to classic rock radio for about 10 minutes rather than this rehash.

it's so beautiful our lunacy, it's so beautiful

of montreal - disconnect the dots

here's the playlist from my show last thursday. the spring weather and friend's recommendation insprired this week's theme: the elephant 6 music collective out of athens, ga and various other parts.

• neutral milk hotel - in the aeroplane over the sea
• the essex green - this isn't farm life
• dressy bessy - side 2
• of montreal - disconnect the dots
• marbles - out of zone
• olivia tremor control - hideaway
• the sunshine fix - what do you know?
• elf power - the big thing
• the ladybug transistor - jersey streets
• beulah - you're only king once
• the late bp helium - candy for everyone
• the minders - it's so hard
• the highwater marks - sixth of july
• of montreal - climb the ladder
• dressy bessy - this might hurt (a little)
• the essex green - by the sea
• neutral milk hotel - holland 1945
• the ladybug transistor - oceans in the hall
  

i listen to my same old cds, new order and morrissey

in the morning, before work - owen

today's installment dedicated to the warc exec gang heading out to macrock. pour some syrup out at the waffle house in my name.

• aloha - your eyes
• the wrens - was there ever
• ida - what can i do?
• at the drive in - napoleon solo * by request
• wolf eyes - stabbed in the face
• appleseed cast - silas knife
• the walkmen - the rat
• john vanderslice - up above the sea
• decibully - skipping over goodbye
• pedro the lion - when they really get to know you they will run
• sufjan stevens - john wayne gacy, jr
• matt pond pa - so much trouble
• the rosebuds - back to boston
• owen - in the morning, before work
• elliott smith - a fond farewell
• mates of state - nature and the wreck

we are cried at the ending, we all stayed for the credits and i kept my ticket as a souvenir

damien jurado - matinee

• looking for leonard theme - portastatic - looking for leonard
• matinee - damien jurado
• jealous guy - luna - mr. jealousy
• face to face - l.a. symphony * by request
• the lucky one - freedy johnston - kicking and screaming
• it's the nighttime - josh rouse * by request
• miss misery - elliott smith - good will hunting
• trees lounge - hayden - trees lounge
• new slang - the shins - garden state
• if you should try to kiss her - dressy bessy - but i'm a cheerleader
• promising actress - john vanderslice
• cancer for the cure - the eels - american beauty
• where is my mind - the pixies - fight club
• ghost world - aimee mann
• something to talk about - badly drawn boy - about a boy
  

what happened to our heavy metal? what happened to our coat of arms?

clap your hands say yeah - heavy metal

• prong - avoid promises
• sepultura - the rift
• the appleseed cast - ceremony/woodland hunter part I
• glenn kotche - mobile part III
• wilco - kicking television(live)
• the eels - hey man (now you're really living) (live)
• arctic monkeys - the view from the afternoon
• clap your hands say yeah - heavy metal
• the glad version - calendars & coffee cups
• the light footwork - coastlines are landmines
• metric - empty
• mates of state - like u crazy
• burnside project - get better soon
• electric president - metal fingers
• yeah yeah yeahs - gold lion
• stars - what i'm trying to say
• ariel pink's haunted graffiti - alisa
• belle and sebastian - funny little frog
• the clash - lost in the supermarket
• built to spill - goin' against your mind
• the boy least likely to - be gentle with me
• destroyer - your blood
• neko case - john saw that number
• eef barzelay - i wasn't drunk
• karl blau - slow down joe
• jenny lewis with the watson twins - the big guns
• robert pollard - love is stronger than witchcraft
• the minus 5 - cemetery row
• marah - the closer

at a record store is where i spent all my time

the rosebuds - kicks in the schoolyard

it's taken me awhile to post this since i was in rather a hurry the other day. this is my playlist from thursday, march 23. this week's connection between all the tracks was the record label merge, hands down the best label out there. i can't say there's really another record label out there that i'd pretty much buy every one of their releases. i like a whole lot of stuff subpop and secretly canadian and others put out but not with the consistency of merge. if i could relive my life i'd go to college somewhere in north carolina and do an internship there. hell i'd be happy to open mail for them and stuff mailorder boxes right now.

• portatstatic - oh come down
• camera obscure- eighties fan
• david kilgour - a head full of rolling stones
• lambchop - this confusion
• the third eye foundation - sound of violence
• the rosebuds - kicks in the schoolyard
• the essex green - lazy may
• matt suggs - where's your patience dear?
• the magnetic fields - two characters in search of a country song
• destroyer - painter in your pocket
• the clientele - geometry of lawns
• robert pollard - dancing girls and dancing men
• superchunk - art class (acoustic)

re-rent the saddest movie you've ever seen

her space holiday - missed medicine

today's installment of "i've made a huge mistake" brought to you by the number two. also known as dos.

• ...and you will know us by the trail of dead - will you smile again?
• pavement - shady lane
• wire - mr. marx's table
• broken social scene - k.c. accidental
• sonic youth - unmade bed
• i love you but i've chosen darkness - the ghost
• architecture in helsinki - it's!
• mates of state - fraud in the 80's
• her space holiday - missed medicine
• billy bragg - upfield
• billy bragg & wilco - california stars
• wilco - kamera
• the jayhawks - tailspin
• bob mould - wishing well
• the replacements - alex chilton