TREE TORCH (2011)

Sigh.

One day I really am going to get my shit together and honor this blog correctly, often and on topic. Some day I really will get back to it's more major purpose, the chronicling and history of the KINGS mixes. Sadly, it is so hard for me to keep up with it. But hey, life is long. Someday (some day sooner for some of us) we're all going to be old and bored and have nothing to do with our lives, retired, children grown and moved away and starting their own families, etc... Luckily for me I'll have this silly blog to still be catching up on and KINGS mixes to write about. So I won't have to like, head down to the VFW hall to play bingo or whatever.

So, yes, no new relevant stuff here. Still trying and trying to just get current on the DJ stories. And to that end I offer you TREE TORCH. This is apparently becoming a tradition at Noni's. Sometime after the new year Matt likes to invite people to haul down their old dead Christmas trees and throw them on a huge bonfire that they make out in the back parking lot of the bar. Sounds dangerous and like a sure way to get the cops called right? Apparently it's not an issue.

This year the plan was to have a DJ set up inside and one outside in the January cold. My man Ryan B. Was sort of in charge of the music this eve and he invited me, a little last minute, to come share to mic with him. The plan being that we would switch off, inside and outside, hour by hour. So I showed up with my rig and set to work in the toasty bar with Ry-Ry outside in gloves. We went back and forth a couple times until it was apparent that no one, including us, wanted to go back out into the cold night, and all the Xmas trees were rendered ash.

It was fun, cold, not too crowded, but fun. There was one couple in particular that was digging what I was playing. I kind of approached the night as an anything goes type of deal, a chance to play a little heavier PILL-influenced set. And like all plans, it started out that way and then just kind of turned into whatever it wanted to be. I have one particularly fond memory of just blasting "Not In Love" outside to black, cloudless sky.

I wish I had Ryan's set to show you what was alternating, but alas, I do not.






INSIDE
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Handsome Devil-The Smiths
Stay Away-Nirvana
Strangelove-Depeche Mode
That’s Getting Personal-The Foxglove Hunt
Dawn Of The Dead-Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Lights Out-Santigold
Holding Hands In The Shower-Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head
Another Day, Another Night-The Dossier
Time To Pretend-MGMT
Lights And Music-Cut Copy
And I Was A Boy From School-Hot Chip
Blind-Hercules & The Love Affair
Black Eyes (Le Castle Vania Remix)-Snowden
Agenda Suicide (Jagz Kooner Remix)-The Faint



OUTSIDE
----------------------------------
Stripper-Sohodolls
20th Century Boy-T.Rex
Hard To Explain-The Strokes
Sucked Out-Superdrag
Drain You-Nirvana
Beating Heart Baby-Head Automatica
Feeling This-Blink 182
Shoulder To The Wheel-Saves The Day
Blood On Our Hands-Death From Above 1979
Chelsea-Mannequin
Worked Up So Sexual-The Faint
Polaroids And Red Wine-Jaguar Love
Let’s Make Out-Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Not In Love (ft. Robert Smith)-Crystal Castles
1979-The Smashing Pumkins
Head Over Heels-Tears For Fears
Bizarre Love Triangle-New Order



INSIDE, again
----------------------------------
PDA-Interpol
Mr. Brightside-The Killers
Banquet-Bloc Party
Telephone-Lady Gaga
Kiss, Kiss-Chris Brown
Shutterbug-Big Boi
Rill Rill-Sleigh Bells
Monster-Kanye West
Cameras-Matt & Kim
Dance Yrself Clean/All Talk (Mix)-LCD Soundsystem/Kid Cudi/BLACK OUT BRIAN












































it is 4:41 am
this is the seance



















xx

GUSH (2)

Well, Jesus. I am really not doing much of a good job keeping up with any of my online lives. I prone to, as usual, apologize, but I feel like the people that could give a shit are such a short list I am going to refrain.

That being said I am like, not only so far behind on updating here and on THE WRAITH and so much has happened/so much new info has come in, respectively. I am like four going on five DJ nights behind. To the point that I am having trouble remembering anything about them.

This was the second official GUSH. I was feeling fired up by the success of the first GUSH. I was full of very large, very grand ideas. I figured this whole thing would be a series of steps, plateaus to be reached. X amount of fliering and promo and whatnot the first time had produced X amount of interest. Building on that I figured if I did more fliers, told more people and came up with cooler shit then we would be on the up and up.

This one was a lot of work beforehand and it was going to be a big deal. I made buttons:


which I was really proud of (and I promise are still coming in the mail to far away friends that want them. I've got sets set aside you y'all).

I made a huge backdrop:



to hang on the wall behind me while I DJ'ed, like the way bands will hang sheets behind them and project things on them. It was pretty much the size of our living room floor. Near the end of the night CJ came in briefly and I do recall saying fuck it and putting it up for the last hour or so, regardless of the low energy of the room.

I also fliered a lot more aggressively. BUT, all for not. This GUSH was a fucking bust. I mean there were folks and the bar sales were totally decent. No one felt like it was a failure. Except me. I had big ideas and I wanted the world to adhere to them. Sadly the world kicked back a whole lot fucking harder.

It did not get jumping. There was not really an outlet for button distribution (though, on the upside I gave a bunch out to friends and coworkers who were immediately supportive in wearing them, thank you guys) and it felt silly to go to the trouble of hanging the backdrop in a not-so-jumpin'-jumpin' room. I had fun, we all had fun, it was fine. People were there. It's just that it was not bigger than the last one. I guess, to be fair, it was right after Thanksgiving and it was cold as fuck. So I guess people were out of town and doing other shit and didn't feel like coming out. I understand. But, inside I was really let down. I felt discouraged that the amount of work that went into the night did not yield equivalent hype-ness.

This awfulness was then compounded by the fact that, as a result of the way the Fridays played out and the holidays that there was no GUSH in December. So, yes, insult and injury, cake and eat it too. A bad turn out followed by being sort of snubbed for a night. I'm not gonna lie, there was a moment when I was ready to blow the whole idea off and there were certainly people around me telling me that it was no big deal if I wanted to give up on the night. I mean, of course I wasn't going to really give up but for a minute I really wanted to. Luckily (for my ego and my faith in humanity and the notion that hard work and high quality result in results) the new year has seen a major turn around for those of us here at Team GUSH, as I will explain in upcoming posts.

In the meantime, the way I recall things, it went like this...





The Headmaster Ritual-The Smiths
Boys Don’t Cry-The Cure
Going Underground-The Jam
The Guns Of Brixton-The Clash
Wave Of Mutilation-Pixies
Beat My Guest-Adam & The Ants
No Action-Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Me And Mia-Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
Margin Walker-Figazi
A Heat Rash In The Shape Of The Show Me State…-Los Campesinos
Giving Up On Love-Slow Club
Oh Girl-Cut Off Your Hands
The Opposite Of Hallelujah-Jens Leckman
Sweet Darlin’-She & Him
I Saw Her Standing There-The Beatles
Baby Please Don’t Go-Them
Weight Of The World-Tarkio
Sing Me Spanish Techno-The New Pornographers
Set Yourself On Fire-Stars
Heartbeat Song-The Futureheads
Hybrid Moments-The Misfits
Judy Is A Punk-The Ramones
Police Truck-Dead Kennedys
Sound System-Operation Ivy
Give It Up-LCD Soundsystem
See/Saw-Jay Reatard
Shoulder To The Wheel-Saves The Day
Dancing With Myself-Billy Idol
Shimmy Shimmy Ya-Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Big Pimpin’-Jay-Z
Party All The Time-Eddie Murphy
Susudio-Phil Collins
We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off-Jermaine Stewart
Rhythm Of The Night-Debarge
Senorita-Justin Timberlake
Tipsy-J-Kwon
ATLiens-Outkast
Number One Spot-Ludacris
Who Am I? (What’s My Name?)-Snoop Dogg
Hey DJ-Lighter Shade Of Brown
What’s Luv?-Fat Joe
PDA-Interpol
Mr. Brightside-The Killers
Time To Pretend-MGMT
A-Punk-Vampire Weekend
Last Night-The Strokes
1901-Phoenix
Love Will Tear Us Apart-Joy Division
In Between Days-The Cure
My Sharona-The Knack
Take On Me-A-ha
Head Over Heels-Tears For Fears
Valerie (Remix)-Steve Winwood
Zero Machine-Le Castle Vania
Not In Love-Crystal Castles
No Hands-Wacka Flocka Flame
Lemonade-Gucci Mane
All Of The Lights-Kanye West
Just Dance-Lady Gaga
Only Girl (In The World)-Rihanna
Tik Tok-Ke$ha
Untouched-The Veronicas
All The Things She Said-T.A.T.U.
Let’s Make Out-Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Blood On Our Hands-Death From Above 1979
Dance Yrself Clean/All Talk (Mash Edit)-LCD Soundsystem/Kid Cudi
Feeling This-Blink 182
Semi-Charmed Life-Third Eye Blind
Chase The Devil-Max Romeo
Lucifer-Jay-Z
Fire Fire-M.I.A.
Set Fire To The Face On Fire-The Blood Brothers
Don’t Turn Around-Ace Of Base
Paparazzi-Lady Gaga
Tenderoni-Kele
Spiderwebs-No Doubt
Say You’ll Be There-The Spice Girls
Lovefool-The Cardigans
The Sign-Ace Of Base
Pop-NSYNC















it is 5:15 am
this is the seance.

















































xx

The Last Night Of The Year Cont.

All photos taken while walking around listening to --080(The Last Night Of The Year), in the park, around my old house and school, waiting for Jenn to get off work and/or pick me up, and then in the car with her, going to the Farmer's Market and the liquor store, Dec. 31st, 2010.





































it is 4:15 am
this is the seance.







































xx