If you missed our last show at North Star Bar, you missed a good one. Shit got a little crazy. A few bands played before us including Penrose and A Million Years. They were incredible.

By the time we hit the stage it was already 1am. The crowd was good and drunk by then. Lots of hooting and hollering. Good energy in the room.

Halfway through the set, in the middle of one of our songs, the stage lights went black. We later found out that someone spilled a beer on the lighting board. They were OUT. No bringing them back. So we just kept playing. It was completely pitch black in there. The only lights were the sporadic flashes from cameras in the crowd. We played several more songs in complete darkness - including an encore.

Here's the song we were playing when the lights died - they go out at 4:00. Check it out.

If you're in Philly on Saturday July 10, you can check us out at North Star Bar. It's one of the best venues in Philadelphia and we're headlining! Get tickets here. Do it now! Well, you know, if you feel like it.

My band has a new EP - a live recording from a recent gig in Philly. Download it at The Codes website for free. And spread the word.

Your pal,
JJ

Throw rappers names into your regular daily conversations. Like this:

Dork #1: "You want to go to the movies with me tonight?"
Dork #2: "Mos def."
Dork #1: "Awesome. I'm thinking we can check out that new creepy movie, Orphan."
Dork #2: "Coolio."
Dork #1: "Oh shit. I just realized we don't have a way to get there. My car's in the shop."
Dork #2: "Eazy E. We can borrow my mom's car."
Dork #1: "Fresh Prince!"
Dork #2: "What?"
Dork #1: "I'm just saying."
Dork #2: "I don't get it."
Dork #1: "Fresh Prince. Like - 'Fresh'. You know. Like it's cool that we can take your mom's car."
Dork #2: "That's Ludacris."

1. Life's Been Good - Joe Walsh
2. Rocky Mountain Way - Joe Walsh
3. Dirty Laundry - Don Henley
4. Boys of Summer - Don Henley
5. Smuggler's Blues - Glenn Frey
6. The End of the Innocence - Don Henley
7. You Belong to the City - Glenn Frey

I'm not a fan of the show, but I'm glad my wife DVR'ed this latest episode. Tokyo Police Club is badass, and I'll take pretty much any opportunity I can to mention them here. Check out a couple of their videos from MTV's website:

I could not possibly hate a commercial more than I hate this one. The song is catchy and completely awful at the same time. I will never buy a Toyota. Ever.

The original song is from The Fixx, an 80's band. It's full of syncopated percussion, synth sounds, tons of reverb, a mulleted singer with a grim face, and vocals that sound almost like a slightly more upbeat version of Joy Division. Totally 80's, but not vomit-inducing.

The song in the commercial, however, is clearly a studio recording by some piece of shit classic rock cover band doing their version of a song that was mediocre to begin with. Imagine a backwoods Florida rock band in black t-shirts, tight acid washed jeans, waterfall mullets, and black Reebok high-tops performing a full set of Foreigner songs. Then out of nowhere they sneak in their version of this clusterfuck by The Fixx. That's how bad this song (and this commercial) is.

Watch at your own risk. If you off yourself after witnessing this atrocity, I will accept no responsibility whatsoever. I warned you.

During the semester in which this story takes place, I was edging toward a blue collar, faux-rockabilly sort of look. I wore jeans, a long-sleeve plaid flannel over a white t-shirt, with oxblood red low-top Doc Martens. My hair was getting long, and I had gotten into the habit of slicking it back behind my ears with a generous slathering of Vitalis.

I headed to the Hardback Cafe in Gainesville to see an old friend play in his band Hot Water Music. It was a little weird for me - going to see a hardcore show. I was heavily into that scene in high school, but during college I had mellowed out a lot. I spent far more time listening to the likes of Sebadoh, Pavement, and The Mountain Goats than I did listening to hardcore bands. And it had been years since I last spent any time in a mosh pit. But this was a special occasion. Old friends, awesome music, and a gullet full of alcohol - I was ready to throw down.

The band started up and I made my way toward the front of the crowd. I knew the music, and I had memorized the lyrics. I was fucking psyched. I consciously decided to forget all inhibitions so I could rock the fuck out. I longed for the early 90's when I spent every weekend checking out hardcore shows and Saturday nights ended with me dripping in sweat (and sometimes blood).

Lost in the moment, I jumped and threw fists into the air, banging around with a couple of other die hards. It was so nostalgic for me - feeling like I was to be back in the scene.

Three or four songs into the set, they played one of my favorites. I started screaming along with the chorus and I jumped back with passion. I felt bodies hit against mine and I turned around to brace myself for the physical reaction from the other guys in the pit. But no one was pushing back. Instead, there was a girl laying on the floor. I immediately bent down to help her up. Her friend grabbed one hand and I took the other as we guided her out of the crowd toward a nearby barstool.

She sat down on the stool and gathered herself. She was bawling. Completely sobbing. And her lip was bleeding. It didn't look like the kind of bleeding that would lead to stitches - more like she got punched in the face. And it was all my fault. I was embarrassed and apologetic. I offered to do anything I could to help or. Water? Damp towel? Anything? Just thinking about it now, a dozen years later, still gives me douche chills.

She seemed to accept my apology - but I was certain she and everyone else who witnessed the event thought I was a fucking jackass. Paranoia set in immediately (is it paranoia if it's true?). I stuck around for another song or two, standing way behind the crowd in the back of the room. Then I just couldn't take it anymore. I was red-faced and sweating from embarrassment. I had to get the fuck out of there.

After that, I couldn't bear to hear that song anymore. Every time I tried to listen to it, I pictured that horrible moment when I smashed a girl's face. I never saw that girl again. And I stayed far away from the hardcore/punk scene. I felt like I clearly didn't belong. I stuck strictly to indie rock and lo-fi.

I still have that 7" single in my basement. Maybe one of these days I'll give it a listen. I'm a glutton for punishment.