I know Dammerung hates it when I post videos, but the Internet needs to know this stuff.
So, as probably evidenced in part by my love of Julia Nunes, I have a thing for cover songs. Not just some other band singing a different band’s song, though. I like cover songs that make a distinct change to the original.
For example of what I’m not a huge fan of – one of my favorite bands when I was in college was The Ataris, and they kind of operated under the radar a bit until they put out their cover of Boys of Summer:
It’s good, I like it. I’ve always liked The Ataris. However… they didn’t really DO anything with it, now did they? The original was a good song, thus this is also a good song, but… it’s kind of the same song, just in Kris Roe’s voice instead of Don Henley’s. So, I liked this one just because I like The Ataris.
But then you’ve got a different kind of cover all together. A band I really love, I have a tattoo of their logo even, is Alkaline Trio. They came out with a new CD this year and I got a chance to see them live, and it was awesome. They sound fantastic live, their new album is fantastic, I’ve really been continually enjoying it. And today, on a friend’s myspace page, I stumbled across this video. This girl takes my favorite song from the album and covers it, changing it just enough that there’s enough of the original song to remind me of why I love the song, and enough of her own twist on it to make it a new and different listen:
And then you’ve got these guys I found on YouTube a couple of weeks ago and kept meaning to tell you guys about. They’re called Tennessippi and they at once crack me up and seriously impress me.
This is their copy of Chris Brown’s Kiss Kiss:
Obviously, if you look at the original here, they’ve definitely put their own… er… spin on it.
And they’ve done it again, as well, with Baby Bash’s Cyclone. I LOVE this one.
So hopefully that makes it clear what I mean about cover songs – I like them, with specific qualifications:
1. That the new artist put a distinctive spin on it, and
2. That the new artist not make it suck.
So, what I want to know from you, Internet, is if you’d mind pointing me in the direction of interesting covers. To make it more difficult, let’s assume I am completely aware of Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies and things of that nature, such as NFG’s “From the Screen to Your Stereo” albums.
So, Friday night I drove up to Baltimore to go see my favoritest band in the whole world, Alkaline Trio, with my friend Pie.
On the way there, he and I were talking, and I was telling him how I think that this was the last time I’m going to do this. I’m too old for this, or at least I feel too old for it, I told him, and I think I’m over standing in a dark club for hours with 3 billion of my closest, sweatiest, underage-y-ist friends. As the night went on, this was only proven to be completely true.
We hung out in the upstairs bar for the first two bands – The Fashion and American Steel. We weren’t particularly enthused by either of them. American Steel was all right, but The Fashion really weirded the both of us out. Maybe it was because they were from Denmark. However, the lead singer’s style of dancing, plus his style of pants-sans-underwears translated well enough – I had to turn away from all the bouncy flopping of… parts.
We headed downstairs towards the middle of American Steel’s set, I really don’t remember much about them at all. I bought a shirt, it matches the tattoo on my arm, and my boobs already totally broke the screen printing on the front, but that’s ok, it gives it character.
Pie and I went out for a smoke before Alkaline Trio came on, and he mentioned to me once we got outside that he had seen a bunch of kids with the big black Xs on their hands (over 21 – a stamp that says “RHEAD” on one hand, under 21 – big black X on each hand) lifting beers in the air, all “woo! beer!” with their big stupid Xs on their stupid hands. He jokingly said something about ratting them out to the bartenders or bouncers, but wasn’t serious. I told him if I saw them, I’d rat them out in a second, which lead to an interesting discussion between the two of us.
His main point: They’re not going to learn anything from it.
My main point: They’re somebody’s KIDS.
So he says that to get them in trouble or thrown out would have no effect whatsoever. Who cares if they’re going to be stupid, let them deal with it. If anything at all, you’re wasting their parents’ money, assuming their parents paid for their tickets.
I say that you don’t know which of them is driving or if one of those stupid (and oh, they were stupid, if they were waving their beers around with their marked hands – clubs that hold all ages shows don’t mess around like that) girls was going to go in the bathroom and do something regrettable with one of the many, many skeevy men in attendance that night, that if they’re dumb enough to behave in such a manner, they’re obviously not mature enough to be drinking, and that kids of that age will keep behaving in such a manner until there is some kind of negative consequence. Like not getting to see Alkaline Trio.
I guess I don’t care if some underage kid drinks at these shows and is smart enough to handle it and get away with it. But I saw enough of stupid drunkenness that night – one girl who seriously PEED ALL OVER HERSELF and was left on the curb outside by her friends – to just be annoyed and aggravated with the whole thing. Really, my whole argument DID boil down to “But they’re someone’s KIDS!” which Pie had no sympathy for, except to confirm that yeah, maybe I am too old for this now.
I dunno, maybe it’s because my brother is 18 and getting ready to go to college, or because I spend so much time with a kid (Noah, not my own!) these days, and it’s not that I think it’s my job to watch other people’s kids, but I guess you can consider it an idiot tax. If you’re THAT STUPID, I have no qualms about helping you get thrown out on your ass, before you hurt yourself, get the club in trouble, or, worst of all, annoy the fuck out of me.
But what about you people who have teenagers, what do you think of that situation? You send them off to an all ages show, knowing it’s in a place that has no less than 6 bars. I assume you’d trust them not to drink, or at least to drink responsibly (and again I have to say “WOO BEER!!” with the clear under 21 markings on your hands is not a sign of a responsible 16 year old drinker), would you hope that someone they didn’t know, unaffiliated with the club, would turn them in if they saw them?
Anyhoos! Alkaline Trio came on and they were seriously and totally spectacular. They sounded great, they looked great. They didn’t play everything I wanted to hear, but that would have been impossible. They played two of my favorite songs from the new album, and they played Nose Over Tail, Private Eye and Radio, which are three of my long time favorites. There was a really good mix of new stuff and really old stuff. The crowd, for the most part, was great, and we only saw one fight break out, which unfortunately ended in a heap of people at my feet, leading to me almost climbing up Pie to get away.
Now, thinking going into it that I was too old for this stuff, I was a bit surprised at my reaction to the whole thing. I’ve never seen Alkaline Trio live – I had tickets once a few years ago, but a WHOLE LOT of bad stuff happened in one week, and I had to sell the tickets, for 5x what I paid for them, to two girls who didn’t even want to see Alkaline Trio, they just wanted to see stupid My Chemical Romance open for them. That stung. But anyway, it was such a great show, and I’d never seen them live, and I spent at least the last half of the show just sitting on a bar stool with my jaw completely dropped. Matt Skiba, one of the singers (there’s two, and they both have super distinctive, super different (from each other and other bands right now) voices that work really well together) is not my type, not even a little bit, but I do think I am smitten. I am in deep smit. I don’t know how to describe it, but you had to see it – you know that movie Bring it On, the part where that one cheerleader accuses Kirsten Dunst of having cheer sex with the guy in the stands? Matt Skiba was totally having face sex with the entire audience. I don’t think I can exactly, in words, describe what face sex is, but if you’ve seen it, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Aside from that, the weekend was pretty uneventful. I saw Wall-E, which was great – I actually laughed out loud a bunch of times and I’m glad Doom encouraged me to see that instead of Hancock. I babysat Noah last night, and marveled over how grown up he looks with his new hair cut. He looks positively THREE. I can barely stand it.
AND I added a couple of new pictures to the “Hi TJ!” page, they’re awesome and thank you to the people who sent them.
Hi, Internet. I just got back from Baltimore and boy are my… everythings… tired.
IT WAS SO AWESOME. I CAN’T EVEN TELL YOU HOW AWESOME. IT WAS SO AWESOME I NEED TO USE CAPS. NOT FOR EMPHASIS, BUT BECAUSE YOU NEED TO IMAGINE ME ACTUALLY YELLING ALL OF THIS. OH MY GOD INTERNET IT WAS SO AWESOME.
A girl peed in her pants! And a tiny man was looking at everyone’s butts! And all the video I took can’t be shown because it all includes me displaying QUITE the potty mouth. More tomorrows.
(PS – I was at Ram’s Head tonight, and they stamped my over-21 hand with “RHEAD.” Hmmm… R. Head. I feel eerily like I’ve been branded.)
New voicemail from my sister: Hey butt nugget, call me back.
*ring*
*ring* Kate: Hello? TJ: Hello, butt pipe. Kate: I’m calling YOU back from yesterday so what’s up? TJ: Yesterday? Oh. OH! Ok. Here’s what ended up happening! [long involved story I won't go into here.] Kate: Wait wait… why are they following this guy with a camera? Ooh, hang on, I’m about to be on the news… [sound of newscaster aggressively interrogating someone in the background]. Aaaannnd moving away from the camera… and I’m clear. So what were you saying? TJ: Where was I? Oh, so THEN [more story]… Kate: Heh. Funny. People are so stupid. Ok, I’ve got to walk back past the camera… TJ: Say butt pipe! Kate: And I’m walking… and I’m walking… TJ: Say butt pipe! Kate: And I’m passing the camera… BUTT WIPE! TJ: Nooo butt pipe! Kate: Butt wipe. TJ: I said say butt PIPE. Kate: I said butt wipe! TJ: BUTT! PIPE! *insert glancing over shoulder at other assembled smokers on the loading dock here* Kate: Oh. Well, that’s funny, too. TJ: It’s too late, you wrecked your big shot at fame.
ANYWAY! Administrative crap stuff!
One! I have finally updated (for the first time in a year!) all my links and moved them to a place where they fit. Up at the top there’s a link to… er, well, all the links. I took them directly from my Google Reader, so that’s [most] of the stuff I read all day. Some stuff I held back, either because I was too embarassed to admit I read it or because a girl can’t reveal ALL her secrets. Mostly the embarassed part though.
Two! Oh my gosh! Do you see that other link up there? The “HI TJ!” one? It is a project I have started. And by “I have started,” I mean I have put two photos on a page and am going to demand that you, Internet, help me fill up the rest of the page. I want ONE SKRILLION “HI TJ!” pictures. From you. Or Julia Nunes. Or the Lincoln Memorial. Or any place or person or anything you see where you can stick “HI TJ!” and take a picture. I got these as kind of a joke, but then I was smitten with them and wanted a skrillion of them, but unfortunately it is not nearly so amusing to take pictures of myself saying hi to myself, so that’s where you come in, Internet. Please don’t let me down, I have so little joy in my life!
Three! You can now e-mail The Redhead. No, seriously.
The Redhead: ooooh, fan mail…. TJ: indeed The Redhead: i think i just peed a little TJ: it could be done. The Redhead: MsRedhead [AT] ymail.com TJ: well I will make a post to the effect that you are now accepting tributes and fanmail sometime soon The Redhead: accolades
I am accepting accolades
From now on, I will attempt to remember The Redhead’s fanmail address in every post in her category. I’ve had the address for a couple of days, but I wanted to wait until I had some Redhead Gold for you to comment on, to sort of jump start her. And wouldn’t you know, with her, you don’t have to wait too long.
The Redhead: oh your face
so i just took this really long online test thing
and apparently i have the emotional intelligence of a lump of dirt
go figure.
FOUR. This is not at all administrative, but I am going to see my favorite band tonight and I am way excited.
So if you’re awesome enough that you’re ALSO going to be at Ram’s Head in Baltimore tonight, come say hi.
I haven't found a convenient, easy to update method of displaying a list of links to all of the blogs I read, nor am I interested in getting all wrapped up in the politics of who is listed and who is not, so here is a link to a single blog that I do, in fact, read, to be updated randomly and completely at my own whim, for no particular reason or reasons I DON'T FEEL I NEED TO DISCUSS WITH YOU, INTERNET, but you can rest assured that I would not maliciously steer you wrong.
Hello! I'm TJ and this is my blog. The picture is a joke, get it? Because I'm INSIDE the INTERNET?
I'm 30 years old and I live in Arizona with my husband and our two big dogs. I've been married for just over a year, and we have a 7 month old daughter named Penelope. You can do the math. It's okay. We don't mind.
Read my stuff. You'll like it.
I know that at some point, this section of my site will be out of date. I promise you in advance, I'm aware of that.
