Special Report: Best Kissers In The World Reuniting!

This posting showed up on Gerald Collier's Facebook yesterday:

"You asked for it and you got it...... July 30th...The Tractor Tavern, Seattle WA. Not a reunion but a continuation.....rising like a Phoenix from Arizoregon. Best Kissers In The World."

And that's all I know. Well, I guess I also know that I'll be attending.

Here's "Pickin' Flowers For" to get you back in the mood.

Also: I will be back soon with the normal posting. I just have some of my own music to make, and sadly, this blog takes away from that. Shouldn't be long.

Special Report: RIP Whereheezity - Another Sign of the Times.

I took my cat to the groomer this morning (yeah, I take my cat to the groomer - he's fancy), and after I dropped him off, I decided to stop by Wherehouse Music at the Eastport Plaza, as it's right around the corner. When I pulled into the parking lot, this is what I saw.

Bummer.

The Wherehouse in the Clackamas Promenade briefly turned into an FYE a few years back, and then closed shortly after that. This was the store that my brother worked at for a long time, and the same one where I pulled holiday shifts for a few years. Honestly, I was sad to see it go. The Wherehouse was never the most reliable place to find the music I liked, but I lucked into some good shit there over the years. And I felt quite comfortable in the Clackamas store. Some good times were had there. I wasn't shocked to see that it had closed, but I was disappointed. One less good place to go when I'm in that neck of the woods.

I sort of assumed that the Eastport store would be quick to follow, but it continued on, and I continued to shop (and sell CDs) there. The writing was on the wall, but I chose to ignore it. They were paying me a little too much for my used CDs, and the store seemed to be getting rearranged every month. One day I went in and they just weren't selling video games anymore. The CD stock dwindled, and the DVD stock expanded. That was fine by me; I mostly bought movies there anyway.

But all this inconsistency pointed to a company struggling to stay afloat in the crappy music business times we live in. I guess maybe I knew I was enjoying it while I still could.

I spent a good amount of time in there today, shopping hard through what was left of the store. It was depressing. The walls were bare, and the store was in even more disarray than it usually is. Of course, the 40% off all remaining merchandise made the whole thing tolerable. I was able to score some last-minute extra Christmas gifts for the wife (at those prices, I couldn't resist), and grabbed some shit for myself that I couldn't pass up. Things were picked through, but there was still plenty of deals to be had. I have no idea when the sale started, but by the amount of people who were there at 11AM and the amount of stuff that was left, I'd say it hadn't been going long.

I asked the girl at the counter when the store was actually closing, and she said they "had to be out by January 31st," but that if they sold as much as they felt they could, they might just pack up the rest and mail it to an FYE store.

I'm going to miss that place. I liked the nerds who worked there, and it was a great place to get used DVDs. Now I'm stuck with...what? Everyday Music and CD/Game Exchange? Meh. Everyday Music's DVD sections are clusterfucks, and I hate everyone who works at the CD/Game Exchange that's closest to my house. Fucking bros.

I guess I've always got eBay. Thank goodness.

Anyway, if there's a high-ticket item you haven't wanted to pay full price for, now's the time. Get down there, get a sweet deal, and pay your respects.

Special Report: Faith No More Reuniting!

Sorry to interrupt the Fugazi fest, but if there was any news worth breaking up the party (other than the announcement of a new Fugazi record), this is it. After more than a decade, Faith No More has decided to give it another go. The official statement, taken from fnm.com:

Faith No More has always stood out as some sort of unique beast; part dog, part cat--its music almost as schizophrenic as the personalities of its members. When it all worked, it worked really well, even if the chemistry was always volatile. Throughout our 17years of existence, the mental and physical energy required to sustain this creature was considerable and relentless. Though amicable enough, when we finally split, we all followed paths seemingly destined to opposite ends of the universe.

Yet during the entire 10 years that have passed since our decision to break up we've experienced constant rumors and requests from fans and promoters alike. Nevertheless, for whatever reason, none of us kept in regular touch, much less to discuss any possibilities of getting together.

What's changed is that this year, for the first time, we've all decided to sit down together and talk about it. And what we've discovered is that time has afforded us enough distance to look back on our years together through a clearer lens and made us realize that through all the hard work, the music still sounds good, and we are beginning to appreciate the fact that we might have actually done something right.

Meanwhile we find ourselves at a moment in time with zero label obligations, still young and strong enough to deliver a kickass set, with enthusiasm to not only revisit our past but possibly add something to the present. And so with this we've decided to hold our collective breaths and jump off this cliff....
BACK, GOD FORBID, INTO THE MONKEY CAGE!!!

We can only hope that the experience of playing together again will yield results erratic and unpredictable enough to live up to the legacy of FNM.
Who know where this will end or what it will bring up...only the future knows. But we are about to find out!

FAITH NO MORE are:
Mike Bordin, Roddy Bottum, Bill Gould, Jon Hudson and Mike Patton

I'm assuming this was written by Billy Gould, because he's always been the de facto spokesperson, but that's, as are a lot of things regarding this announcement, speculation. Let the fanboys congregate, and still, somehow, complain that Jim Martin will not be joining them. People are the worst.

Anyway, I can't help but think that my extensive overview of the band's catalog on this blog not only reinvigorated the fanbase, but reassured the band members that there is still fervent interest in the group's music. So, to the world I would like to say: you're welcome.

On a slightly more reality-based note, I'd like to say that while I'm excited about the prospects of the band reforming, we must remember that this was (is) a group that was notorious for their dysfunctional relationships, and I worry that maybe we should collectively wait to see how this all plays out before we start making our "'The Perfect Crime' rulez!" signs to take to the concerts. There are, as of right now, no North American dates scheduled, and this all still seems very preliminary.

But, I'm excited to have something else to write about in this blog, so expect more FNM news of the interrupting-the-flow-of-things nature as it is made available.

Back to business.

"Digging the Grave"