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.