may the wind be even at your back.

featherduster @ 2011-08-04T20:07:00

2011-08-05T00:07:08Z

This is so much of more interesting ways to talk about what I feel when I'm in my head and how I wish I could write. I can't shake this piece from my muscles. I've been reading it over all day, wrapping myself tighter in it. I adore it.

TRUCKER
by Cooper Lee Bombardier

SHE WALKED BY ME EIGHT FEET TALL, AND IT WAS THEN THAT I THOUGHT: IF I COULD REACH HER HIGHEST BRANCHES, I COULD CLIMB HER. SHE WAS OBVIOUSLY A SUPERHERO. I COULD TELL BY HER UTILITY GARTER BELT AND SHE SMILED AT ME LIKE MY AWE AMUSED HER. SHE PUSHED A THICK CERAMIC MUG OF GUT-ROT COFFEE ACROSS THE COUNTER AT ME, AND HER SUPER-POWER STARE KEPT ME FROM BEING ABLE TO HEFT IT'S WEIGHT TO MY LIPS TO SIP.

HER MOUTH CURLED IN A RELUCTANT SMILE ON ONE SIDE AND SHE SAID, "YOU GONNA HAVE SOMETHING TO EAT, MISTER?" I AUTOMATICALLY INHALED AND PULLED MY SPINE OUT OF A SLOUCH SO MY TITS WOULD BE OBVIOUS AND SAID, "I'M ALL THE MISTER YOU NEED!"

SHE SIZED ME UP AND PICKED ONE OF MY CALLOUSED HANDS UP FROM THE WORN-DOWN WOODEN COUNTER IN HER GIGANTIC SUPERHERO HANDS LIKE IT WAS A MAGAZINE IN A DENTISTS OFFICE OR LIKE IT BELONGED TO HER. I WONDERED WHAT THE HELL AN EIGHT-FOOT TALL SUPERHERO LIKE HER WAS DOING WORKING AT A CRAPPY UNOCAL 76 TRUCK STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF BUTTFUCK, LOUISIANA, ANYWAY. I WAS ABOUT TO ASK HER BUT HER GREEN EYES HELD MY BLUES LOCKED, AND IT WAS THEN I REALIZED THAT IF I PUT MY FEET ON TOP OF HERS AND HELD ON SHE COULD TEACH ME HOW TO DANCE.

SHE SAID, "DARLIN', YOU'RE THE FINEST THING TO EVER GRACE THE COUNTER OF THIS GREASY DIVE. I'M OFF AT THREE O'CLOCK AND YOU'RE COMIN' WITH ME." I WASN'T SURE WHAT MADE ME FINE OR DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER GUYS HUNCHED OVER GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES AND GRITS EXCEPT MY AFOREMENTIONED TITS-OR MAYBE IT WAS THAT SHE FELT THE GENTLENESS IN MY ROUGH HANDS. "I DON'T KNOW YOU, BUT I THINK I LOVE YOU!" I SAID BY ACCIDENT, AND MY FACE WAS SURPRISED BY WHAT MY MOUTH HAD JUST DONE. I TRIED TO RECOVER BY SAYING I HAD TO HIT THE ROAD, I HAD PLACES TO GO.

SHE SAID, "EASY, TRUCKER, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?" POURING ANOTHER SLUG OF GUT-ROT INTO MY CUP. "WELL," I SAID, "TRUTH IS I GUESS I'VE GONE A LOT OF MILES ALONE TO TRY AND FIX SOMETHING, AND PROLLY I'M AFRAID WHAT A SUPERHERO LIKE YOU MIGHT DO TO MY HEART SHOULD I GIVE IT TO YOU."

SHE HELD MY SHAGGY HEAD BETWEEN HER HUGE HANDS AND PULLED MY FACE INTO THE POLYESTER-ENCASED HEAVEN OF HER BREASTS AND SAID, "BABY, SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOT TO TAKE LOVE WHERE YOU FIND IT. DON'T BE AFRAID."

featherduster @ 2011-06-21T13:28:00

2011-06-21T17:28:16Z

Still in love with Youth On Fire, still adoring my apartment and my favourite Alex-roommate, still having an affair with the summer on the Charles River, still reading everything I can get my hands on, still searching for a job, still have a hard time getting out of my infinitely comfortable bed.

I have absolutely no idea how to talk about the kind of sad I am feeling because it's the sort that comes from being infinitely happy for a very brief period of time. And then, of course, there's the immediate aftermath when things go back to normal. Everything in my world is actually really lovely, and I have very little to complain about -- but my girlfriend was here for the weekend and now she's not, and it'll be another month until I see her. And then it'll be a month and a half after that time, and that somehow means a lot more sadness than it ever has before. We work so comfortably together that it's easy to forget that we don't always get to move around each other's worlds like we want to. I want to keep her around for absolutely as long as she'll let me. I am getting the feeling that if the distance doesn't kill us, that might be a good long while.

In other news, have a meme: leave a comment if you want and I'll give you a letter. Then upload 10 or so of your favourite songs starting with that particular piece of the alphabet!

1. Ghosts by Laura Marling.

he walked down a busy street
staring solely at his feet
clutching pictures of past lovers at his side
stood at the table where she sat
and removed his hat
in respect of her presence
presents her with the pictures and says
these are just ghosts that broke my heart
before i met you.

2. Graceland by Paul Simon.

there is a girl in new york city
who calls herself the human trampoline
and sometimes when i'm falling, flying
or tumbling in turmoil i say
oh, so this is what she means.

3. Good Arms vs. Bad Arms by Frightened Rabbit.

i decided this decision some six months ago
so i'll stick to my guns, but from now on it's war.

4. goodbye, I! by mewithoutYou.

but the tortoise turned and smiled
with a peacefulness which proved
that there's a movement in our stillness
and however much we move
we're bound to stand completely still.

5. Get Up, Stand Up by Bob Marley & The Wailers.

but if you know what life is worth,
you will look for yours on earth:
and now you see the light,
you stand up for your rights.

6. Go Or Go Ahead by Rufus Wainwright.

so i will opt for the big white limo
vanity fairgrounds and rebel angels
can't be trusted with feathers so hollow
heaven's invention, steel eyed vampires of love
you see over me, i'll never know
what you've shown to other eyes.

7. Getting Some Fun Out Of Life as performed by Billie Holiday and her orchestra.

when we want to sing, we sing
when we want to dance, we dance
you can do your betting, we're getting
some fun out of life.

8. Good Man by Josh Ritter.

you're not a good shot but i'm worse
and there's so much where we ain't been yet
so swing up on this little horse
the only thing we'll hit is sunset.

9. Ghost by Neutral Milk Hotel.

and she was born in a bottle rocket, 1929
with wings that ring around a socket
right between her spine
all drenched in milk and holy water
pouring from the sky
i know that she will live for ever
she won't ever die.

10. Gray Or Blue by Jaymay.

i know the shape of your hands
because i watch 'em when you talk
and i know the shape of your body
'cause i watch it when you walk.

11. Gonna Make You Love Me by Ryan Adams.

this old world, well, it was mine to take
faith can keep you warm, but i'll teach you how to shake
and i'll come to you like a little girl
it's only gonna make you love me more.

And if you want to download all of them, the .zip file is right here!

featherduster @ 2011-06-04T01:37:00

2011-06-04T05:37:32Z

Post a comment, and I will reply with one or two reasons why I think you're great. In return, you have to post this same meme on your blog and comment for other people.

Saying nice things to people! I think we could all do with a little of that.

featherduster @ 2011-03-31T18:38:00

2011-03-31T22:38:30Z

if anyone is moving to the boston area or knows someone who is, we have a room available in cambridge starting in may! let me know if you want any details about the place or want to see pictures, or if you know anyone who does. wooo!

Shot in the dark request.

2011-01-22T17:12:25Z

Does anyone have those recordings of Bare: A Pop Opera that were floating around in 2005 before the official CD was recorded? Featuring Michael Arden as Peter and John Hill as Jason -- recorded in 2004, potentially from the last night of their run. Maybe it's live, but I'm not sure. Either that, or it is a demo that was recorded and a few songs were released! As Wikipedia has just told me. Every link I've found has expired and did so years ago. I'd appreciate anyone pointing me in the right direction! Thank you thank you.

some things about my year.

2010-12-31T04:36:51Z

This year has been totally monumental in a lot of ways that I never could have expected. Last year, at about this time on New Year's Eve, I was eating Chinese food in a little black dress on the couch of one of my greatest friends. We were drinking champagne and playing Apples to Apples and watching Cheaper By The Dozen 2, and that never could have prepared me for what this year turned out to be. But it was a pretty excellent night nonetheless.

There was a lot of stuff in between January and the summer, but mostly: I graduated from my undergraduate college career at Bryn Mawr College. I got the shiny gold class ring in the mail a few weeks later, and then went to Houston for the summer to live somewhere outside of Pennsylvania for the first time. I met and worked with amazing people, both coworkers and clients, and figured out something that I'd really love to do with my life. I also still had no intention of ever going back to school. Hilarious, right?

In September, I moved to Boston. Out of state, on my own, with just my college roommate and all my stuff by my side. We found a place in Cambridge and moved in with our other new roommate -- who, by the way, is hilariously incredible and the happiest accident ever -- and I have to say it: this city is golden. I wouldn't be surprised if it actually sparkled, or glittered, or something equally lovely. The apartment feels homey, the two cities are becoming familiar in very different ways, and I'm finding places to call my own even when there are other people around.

I don't have a job yet, but I'm okay with that for just right now. I babysit a lot, and sometimes I'm really bored and have nothing to do, but half my week is spent at Youth On Fire, a day shelter for homeless, runaway, street-involved, and high risk youth, aged 14 - 24. Mostly what it means is this: I hang out with amazing people, hear their stories, have expectations totally smashed, and sometimes I cook for 30 people and get vitamins out of the medicine cabinet. I don't know if I can really talk about how much this place means to me without sounding stupid or preachy or bleeding heart or offensively ignorant, but it's taught me so much in such a short time about a population I knew absolutely nothing about and has given me an idea of what I might want to do when and after I go back to school -- which I now see as not only an inevitability, but an option I am probably gladly going to opt into.

Not everything's perfect, but I'm at peace with where a lot of my life is. I feel healthier than I have in some time, even though I haven't lost any weight and I don't eat well, but I move. I walk. I walk everywhere. I think about my body every second of every day and I always will, but I get defensive when people tell me that I should change something about it because there are so many more important things, to me. I need to be healthier than I am, but the way I look has nothing to do with that. For the first time in my life, I like how full my body is, and I can't imagine what I would look like without my curves. I don't want my stomach to be there, but even if I started losing weight today it would be around for a good long while. I'm used to it and I'm past making it my number one worry.

Also, this year: I fell stupidly in love. I'm still stupidly in love. I do everything backwards, which means that I was head over heels before we were ever officially dating, but I guess that's sometimes how these things go. It's new and it's healthy, which means I'm the most neurotic I've ever been about a relationship, which is another new feeling for me. Usually I'm calm and collected. This time I'm a comfortable, quietly paranoid wreck. Anyway. She's amazing, and I miss her, and Maryland is a stupid place for someone to live. Apologies to anyone from Maryland, of course.

I miss more people than I can count: my mom, my Katie. Other states and other countries took everyone important in my life, but I'm moving along and waiting for the visits I know will happen.

Other things about my year, in succession but not chronologically: I made peace with the ellipsis, rediscovered the magic of the interrobang, watched a lot of Misfits, yelled a lot about Johnny Weir, yelled a lot about the Colts and Peyton Manning's life choices, lost some friends, made some friends, realised a lot about current friendships, started a book club, walked the length of Manhattan in 4 and a half hours, and painted and decorated an apartment in under 48 hours.

For next year I want: to do the things I said I'd do, learn to hike safely and do it often, to make the gap between my bad days and my good days just a little bit smaller.

featherduster @ 2010-10-07T13:07:00

2010-10-07T17:07:05Z

Season 7 of The West Wing is a go. Waiting to hear about a job, getting ready for Ali to visit from New York, writing massive emails to the girls and getting some happy ones that make me smile.

Bored, bored. Here's the WHAT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO TELL YOU meme and heeeeere's my link. Tell me!

wow_katie sent me a link yesterday that I've become totally infatuated with: 8tracks.com is the current soundtrack to my life while I bop around and wash my dishes. If anyone knows how to download from there, I'd love to know, but enjoy nonetheless. Good mixes should always be shared.

Really, life is fascinating.

featherduster @ 2010-10-04T19:44:00

2010-10-04T23:45:00Z

So, since I have yet to find a job here in Cambridge, I have been doing a lot of reading. Because of that, I got a goodreads account. My page is here, if you are curious about what I'm reading or want to be my friend! Hint, hint, nudge, nudge, etc.

The fall weather is beautiful here, but fall always makes me nostalgic for everything I don't have around me. I miss too many people and places and I want to bring them all here. Anyone visiting, please let me know! I'd love to see you.

OCT 15: JIMMY EAT WORLD CONCERT!!! That is more for my joy than a heads-up for anyone else. Because... really. Going to see Jimmy Eat World. Probably going to be the highlight of my month. And/or year, you know.

featherduster @ 2010-08-25T22:05:00

2010-08-26T02:05:55Z

Tomorrow begins the grand adventure! Or so they say.

I'll be driving to Philadelphia bright and early tomorrow morning. My car is full of boxes that'll get put in a moving van that I pick up on Friday, and on Saturday we're moving stuff up to Boston for good. It's a little backwards, since I'm driving from Western Massachusetts to Philadelphia and then back again, but it's actually what makes the most sense, cost-wise. We don't get to move in until next Wednesday because the boys who live in the place now are being difficult and won't let us stay in the empty bedroom, but it should be fine. I'll have two days of down time at home with my dog while my mom's off camping in Montana, and then I move in to my very first apartment.

In the meantime, I'm going to stay at Bryn Mawr for a day or two. I want to see everyone before I head up north, see about a girl I'm crazy for, and try to remember that I already said my final goodbye to the place. Not that I won't visit, obviously, but I have to try to remember that it's not my home anymore. I'm feeling kind of panicky about that.

But: I start my life soon! And anyone who is in or around Boston or is visiting or wants to should stay on my as-of-yet nonexistent couch because I'm going to want to see familiar faces as often as I can.

Here is a song I have been listening to on repeat as of late: "What A Good Boy," by Barenaked Ladies.

Also, everyone should read both Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann and The History Of Love by Nicole Krauss. And also probably The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami. I AM SO INTO READING! Even if I'm the latest on the uptake on good literature.

featherduster @ 2009-10-07T12:09:00

2009-10-07T16:10:10Z

does anyone have any recommendations for perfect fall-time music?

superglued.com is up and running.

2009-06-24T17:53:18Z

this summer, i'm doing an internship with superglued.com, a community website based around live shows and finding people who love the music you do. the people i'm working for, rush and lucette, are phenomenal -- they're passionate about music, interesting, and care about bringing people together; so many of my friends have just looked at me and said, "they are your people."

one of the opportunities i'm getting through doing this internship is the option to do a project we're calling "50 in 50," which is essentially just this: i'm going to 50 shows in 50 days and documenting each one. they're all free in the nyc area, since economic times are tough, and rush and lucette wanted to show that there is so much music in nyc to be celebrated without spending lots of cash. the calendar is here, if anyone's interested. there are some seriously great shows on the roster: blonde redhead, soy un caballo, conor oberst & the mystic valley band, the afro-punk festival, built to spill (at siren fest), matt & kim, man man, superchunk, ted leo & the pharmacists, ginuwine, bela fleck, pat benatar and blondie, etc. if you guys are in the nyc area, let me know so we can meet up at shows. my roster is here if you want to see the kind of stuff i'll be going to.

i think i just really wanted to say: this is making me really happy. if you guys have been to shows that you thought were great and want to share the experience, please check out superglued and tell us about how much you love music.

i don't even know, guys. it makes me all wistful!!!

sing me a story i haven't heard yet.

2009-05-13T16:25:24Z

so i started making this mix like a month and a half ago and i finished it yesterday and took it for a test drive! so shut the hell up lvj and have your mix.

01. it's a fact (printed stained) - matt and kim.
02. talk talk talk - mansions.
03. personal space invader - andrew jackson jihad.
04. talking - annuals.
05. the wolf - miniature tigers.
06. the twist - frightened rabbit.
07. i think i wanna die - someone still loves you boris yeltsin.
08. pink triangle - weezer.
09. if i don't write this song, someone i love will die - hello saferide.
10. the facility - other girls.
11. stumble over my - all girl summer fun band.
12. this is not a test - oppenheimer.
13. there will be fields for us - a drum and an open window.
14. story - great northern.
15. tambourine - the happiness hollows.
16. swimming in the flood - passion pit.
17. aside - the weakerthans.

download password: moremayhem.
click the image for download! this is a great spring/summer/sunny in-transit mix.

featherduster @ 2009-03-04T18:13:00

2009-03-04T23:13:48Z

LOL

i ship it // my thread

who do you ship me with???

featherduster @ 2008-12-08T01:30:00

2008-12-08T06:33:01Z

just back from an all get out/dead confederate/kevin devine/MO show at the northstar! kevin and manchester put on really great sets. unfortunately, it was severely coloured by the girl who a) was taller than me and stood directly in front of the group i was in after having pushed through and b) gave her boyfriend a handjob in front of me during "cotton crush." then they were tongue-wrestling -- literally; this isn't some clever way to say making out because their lips weren't touching -- and she looked me in the eye. i almost cried.

WHO DOES THAT SHIT???

CONGRATULATIONS!

2008-11-21T07:52:12Z

i take back every single thing i've ever said about pete and ashlee being rational human beings. i'm sure their kid's gonna be adorable, but his name is bronx mowgli wentz.

julie says, "i'm gonna go write my paper and try to pretend that he didn't just name his kid bronx."

am i the only one that's stuck on mowgli? i get the sentimental value, but -- well, at least he left us a clue. pete's latest blogspot post was fondly titled, "junglebook." maybe we should have known.

still: parents. ♥

featherduster @ 2008-11-20T21:02:00

2008-11-21T02:13:27Z

okay. i know that less than half of you care, but INTOUCH IS REPORTING THAT ASHLEE SIMPSON IS IN LABOUR.

i love her. legit, she makes me smile so much. honestly, i think she seems like a fantastic human being from the very little we get from the media. i am ridiculously fond of a) her, b) her music, c) the way she presents herself in public, d) her husband, and e) pretty much anything she does. needless to say, i wish her and pete and the baby all of the best health.

in summation of all of my flailing toward everyone ever: SHE'S GOING TO BE A MOM, OKAY???

have some videos, because i'm all about ashlee tonight:

invisible (this is my current favourite).
little miss obsessive live on ellen.
ashlee in chicago, the musical; she performed as roxie hart in the west end in london -- these are clips of performances and interviews.
autobiography; VINTAGE ASHLEE. god, i love it.

EDIT: BUZZNET IS NOW REPORTING AS WELL.

featherduster @ 2008-11-04T23:28:00

2008-11-05T04:29:28Z

isobamapresident.com.

i am so proud to be an american. and it's not even because, "after eight years of hell," we needed this. this is what it should have been all along. this is what i knew we were capable of, and i don't know why it took us so long to get here.

he's not a saviour, but this is a step in the right direction. something's starting.

featherduster @ 2008-11-04T22:50:00

2008-11-05T03:51:41Z

from fivethirtyeight.com:

Barack Obama wins Ohio. All call. We aren't "calling" the overall race yet, but that's ballgame, folks. He will be the next president of the United States.

Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States.

The roar goes up in Grant Park. They know.

this is it. yes, we can. three ringing words.

there's never been anything false about hope.

2008-11-04T18:45:14Z

"And so, tomorrow, as we take the campaign south and west, as we learn that the struggles of the textile workers in Spartanburg are not so different than the plight of the dishwasher in Las Vegas, that the hopes of the little girl who goes to the crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of L.A., we will remember that there is something happening in America, that we are not as divided as our politics suggest, that we are one people, we are one nation.

And, together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story, with three words that will ring from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea:

Yes, we can."

featherduster @ 2008-11-04T07:21:00

2008-11-04T12:25:14Z

LET'S D THIS.

get out the vote. make your voice heard. be a part of history.

i'm all tied up and i'm trying my best to get down.

2008-10-11T05:32:17Z

on thursday night, i went to see the cobra starship show at the trocadero theatre. it was great! cobra was hilarious. at one point, gabe gave a shout-out to my chemical (b)romance because ryland said something inappropriate and gabe responded, "we can't do that. you know what they do to guys like us in prison!" jersey love, kids. the river runs deep. anyway. the whole point of this post is to talk about the very first opening act, with whom i have become acquainted (their music, at least; also, read as: fallen in love with) over the summer:

SING IT LOUD.

there was a point during the month of august where i was listening to one of their songs, come around, about 10 times a day because i would listen to it on my own, and then when i got in the car helluvalot would put it on repeat in a not-so-subtle way.

you should all love them like i do.

THIS MAY NOT BE DIAL-UP FRIENDLY EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE ONLY 25 PHOTOS.

as julie said after we saw them dancing with fans, they are "the scene" at its best. we should be dancing with these guys after they play their sets; we should get to scream and shout to great, fun music with the guys who play it. with them, we are.

first, i'm going to introduce you to them through a few photos, because we all love visuals.

THE BAND. this is sing it loud.

the first photo is sing it loud v1.0, and it is no longer the same band i know now.

l to r: ben peterson (keyboards/backing vocals), nate flynn (bass), pat brown (lead vocals/guitar), kieren smith (guitar/backing vocals), & the old drummer dane.

EDIT: this is sing it loud v2.0, including chris "sick boy" lee as their drummer.

l to r: nate, chris, pat, ben, kieren.

here are some facts about them:

1) they are from minneapolis, minnesota.
2) they haven't figured out how not to post personal pictures of themselves on the internet.

that's all i know.

this is their biography from their myspace, found here:

Sing It Loud is a proud pop band with an arena-rock musical background and a punk-rock pedigree. "So many pop bands are on ‘pop' record labels, but we're a pop band on the most badass, punk-rock label ever," explains vocalist/guitarist Pat Brown. "It lets us keep a more individual and original vibe because we're not associated with a bunch of bands on the same label that sound exactly like us."

On the flipside, the members of Sing It Loud are prepared for punk purists to call foul, but they aren't fazed. "Many old-school, Epitaph punk kids hate our band, but I don't care," admits guitarist/vocalist Kieren Smith. "Honestly, people will love and hate what you do. I'm doing this band for me and my boys. People change, music changes, labels change."

That said, Sing It Loud is happy to usher in change when Epitaph Records releases their debut Come Around on September 23rd. Produced by Motion City Soundtrack guitarist Josh Cain and engineered by Mark Trombino (Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World), Come Around is a collection of songs with fist-pumping melodies (like "I've Got A Feeling" and "Marionettes") and head-bopping choruses (like "Best Beating Heart" and "No One Can Touch Us (featuring Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low)"), which are sure to give fans a full-body workout. It's no wonder that audiences are advised to hydrate before seeing the band live, which is something that longtime listeners have known since seeing the band play their first shows.

Although those first shows were admittedly terrible ("I honestly don't know why [Epitaph label head] Brett [Gurewtiz] signed us; we were so bad," insists Smith.), Sing It Loud showed the kind of promise that couldn't be denied-despite only playing seven shows before they got signed. It all started in April 2007 when frenemies Brown and Smith were in two rival local bands in Minneapolis (Semester and Jamestown Story, respectively) but soon realized they had an unexpected connection: Smith's step-aunt was dating Brown's dad, unbeknownst to the two teens. It was then that they decided to join forces, form Sing It Loud and meld together Brown's love of pop punk with Smith's affinity for arena rock.

"I was always captivated by bands that could own their crowd and whose fans stood by them through thick and thin," remembers Smith, who counts Kiss and Def Leppard as among is early influences. "They became more than a band; they were a lifestyle."

Sure, that lifestyle had a lot to do with big hair and spandex pants, but it also included longevity-something that the members of Sing It Loud hope to achieve with the release of the album's first single "Come Around." One listen to this infectious, pop-tastic love letter and you won't be able to get it out of your head no matter how hard you try-that is until you listen to "Don't Save Me." Sometimes relationships just aren't meant to be and the song is an ode to making a clean break from the one you worked so hard to woo. Come Around has something for everyone-big riffs, bigger choruses and enough catchy melodies to fill a PODS storage unit.

"We don't want to be a band that lasts for only one or two albums and then drops off the face of the Earth," says Brown. "We want to be able to play shows and support ourselves by doing this for the next 10 to 20 years, hopefully. We love doing this and there's nothing else we want to do."

these are all photos with dane, their old drummer:

MEET THE MEMBERS.

ben, the keyboardist.

ben is absolutely fantastic. while we were waiting to tell pat how fantastic they had been, ben came flying by (probably trying to avoid the crowd, and also because fewer people wanted to talk to him). i smiled at him and he smiled at me and he kept walking, and then he turned around and smiled again and we stopped him so that we could talk to him. i leaned over and said, "you guys were really brilliant tonight. that was an amazing performance," or something like that, and he smiled so wide. he grabbed my hand, leaned in and said, in probably the most earnest voice i've ever heard, "thank you so much! i'm ben." and then he legitimately waited for me to introduce myself before he left for the merch stand, even though he'll never in his life remember my name or face.

nate, the bassist.

this kid is ridiculous, and probably my favourite to watch on stage. after his own set, he shot through the crowd to the merch stand and was there all through hit the lights' set. halfway through forever the sickest kids' set, he came racing into the back of the room where we were standing and started dancing so hard to one of his favourite songs, right in the middle of a circle of fans, singing along with them. they started videotaping (in a cute way, not a sketch way, if that's possible) and he grabs the camera and tells the girl videotaping to get into the circle so they can have a video of all of the friends dancing together. i leaned over to him because he was about a foot away from me, and i said, "hey, i can take that if you want to keep dancing with them," and he did the cutest voice (not able to be transcribed, i kid you not) and waved his hand and said, "nah." about 30 seconds went by of him still videotaping and he leaned over and said, "i feel like such a creep right now," and we laughed, and then he handed the camera back to the original girl and started dancing and singing along again, because in that moment he was just a kid who was watching one of his favourite bands at a concert.

pat, the lead singer.

the pat brown, kids! that's his myspace name, minus the kids part. he photographs well, but on stage this kid (and i say kid ironically in this one, because he's the only 21+ one in the band) absolutely radiates sex. he was trying to make his way toward the merch stand after their set and got mobbed by fans. we decided to wait it out, just to be able to tell him that he had done a spectacular job (we didn't want signatures or photos, by that point, because he looked so tired) and we ended up waiting through 1.5 sets (all of hit the lights and half of forever the sickest kids). he looked over a couple of times and i'm pretty sure he smiled apologetically at wow_katie, and he definitely knew we were waiting for him. eventually, he made it over to us and just slumped in gratitude when we just thanked him for playing a great set and told him he was amazing. he stood with us for about two minutes total, the first of which he kept leaning in to say things about how great forever the sickest kids were and to say how grateful he was that we were there, but the second minute was just silence, and at the end he leaned over, smiled, said thanks again, and then told us it was nice talking to us but he had to go. it was very sweet.

this photo was titled, "pre-show ritual!"

kieren, the guitarist.

wow_katie caught his pick! we didn't get to talk to him, but he was next to us talking to some girls for awhile. he seemed lovely. the only two photos i have are from his photo blog.

that is his cat. she is 16 years old, according to the original caption.

he got a haircut, said the caption.

chris, the drummer.

i have no photos of him! nor do i have stories, because he didn't come out into the crowd after. i do, however, know this: he was absolutely phenomenal to watch drumming. he was (almost) comparable to watching jeremiah (of manchester) in enthusiasm. he was kind of entrancing. if anyone has any info on him, i would greatly appreciate it!

NOW, ON TO THE MUSIC.

they are a baby bandom band. their brand of music is pop-punk, with a little bit more pop but the same amount of headbanging. think: we the kings, all time low, the academy is..., and bands a lot like that. in fact, they have toured with all of those bands! i think. don't quote me on that fact. they have at least toured with we the kings, i know that much.

anyway! their music is cute. one of their songs, come around, is totally and completely addicting, and it kills me that we were some of the only people rocking the fuck out to it last night (the only time i've ever moved my body harder during a concert is during the gym class set at warped). that one is their best (in my opinion) and sounds a lot like baby jimmy eat world (as first pointed out by helluvalot). one of their songs, no one can touch us, features a guest appearance by alex gaskarth of all time low and it is fantastically adorable.

for all of their songs, think: strong vocals, loud choruses, some synth, strategic pauses, and sweet lyrics. i think they have a way to go with the development of their sound, but i also think that they're one of those bands who can definitely get there if they try. they have the potential to do something a little bit different with the pop-punk formula, and if it happens i absolutely want to be around to hear it. as of yet, they're better live in my opinion, but their recorded tracks are enough to hook you into wanting to see a show. if this grabs your interest, please go see them. they're outstanding on stage, have the cutest merch, and would love to talk to you.

here's a small .zip file of my favourite songs! they have a full lp that came out two weeks ago, and you should totally go buy it.

download the mix HERE. the download password is moremayhem.

come around; the one that's addicting.
don't save me; their newest single!
no one can touch us; featuring alex gaskarth of all time low.
bite your lip; starts out sparse and builds.
best beating heart; sappiest and cutest lyrics ever.
come around (acoustic); starts out a bit rough but has some stunning harmonies.

their myspace is here! and everyone should check them out.

they have an online merch store here and it is pretty cute stuff. i bought one of the tee-shirts and there are sunglasses, guys.

in conclusion! here are some photos of the dudes being dorks together.

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE: most of these photos were taken by a guy by the name of collin hughes. he's a music photographer and (seemingly) a friend of the band, and he deserves all of the credit in the world for his lovely photographs. check out his flickr here!

the rest of the photos were from their photoblogs (that they link to on their myspace) or from random image searches that i did. if any of these are yours and you do not want me posting them or want me to give credit, please let me know!

in summation: their music is so fun, guys.

featherduster @ 2007-09-30T09:35:00

2007-09-30T13:35:48Z

THIS IS MERELY FOR BRYN MAWR PEOPLE:

If you're not at Plenary, you should be.

icon post at pantyshopping!

2007-09-13T22:58:04Z

8 icons of Jesse Lacey, lead singer/lyricist for Brand New.
7 icons of Patrick Stump, lead singer/composer for Fall Out Boy.

(It's all ninjajab's fault.)

( we all got wood and nails and we sleep inside of this machine. )

there are other things in my life than bmc, i swear.

2007-09-12T20:12:31Z

I love talking about strap-ons, rough sex, and "mamas, don't let your babies become cowboys" theories about foreplay in my gen/sex class. I love being able to talk about ridiculous concepts, and seeing how much people care what they're talking about. I love the quiet observers whose comments catch you off guard. I love looking at the boy who's sitting next to me (the one, singular male in the class) and seeing "DIP ME IN HONEY AND THROW ME TO THE LESBIANS" written across the top of his paper.

I love my public opinion class, in which the professor talks about "stitch and bitch" associations where people "are sad in each other's presence," and in which he randomly yells out things like "THOSE FUCKERS" and talks about having an article published in a magazine, then laughs and says, "...because I'm so fucking smart."

I love my history class (American, 1940s - present) because we say shit like, "Switzerland was neutral because Hitler couldn't climb the Alps" in reference to why he never invaded, and whose professor assigns 125 pages of reading a week and then tells us not to do it.

I love being back, even though I don't know if I love this place as much as I did last year, because I know that it'll come back -- multiply, probably, because I am and I will be watching people go through exactly what I did just a year ago.

What do you love?

featherduster @ 2007-07-30T09:44:00

2007-07-30T13:47:22Z

Hey, guys. Just a heads-up! I'm going to Maine for two weeks and I will probably have internet access, but I'm not sure. If you need to contact me for whatever reason, feel free to send me an email or call my cell phone so that I can get back to you.

♥ Hope everyone's having a wonderful summer.

( PS: my contact info is here! )