A Tale Of Things To Come

Greetings and the fondest summer wishes from The Sobriquets to everyone. We hope everyone is out there, enjoying life, music and friends as much as we are this summer.

It's been a while since we've written here, due mostly to the fact that we are musicians and folks with lives just as crazy and packed as yours. We've been up to quite a bit over the last few months, and we'd love to share it with you here.

First, and most importantly, we have some bittersweet news. Joshua Neale, our bassist since 2007, is departing from The Sobriquets to pursue his new project, Negation Delirium. For those who know Josh, you know he is an outstanding metal musician and metal enthusiast, so it is fitting that he is moving on to a metal band that will literally thrash you to new states of consciousness. Check out their very shiny and new Facebook page, and be sure to tell all your metal friends (you know you have them) about Negation Delirium. We wish Josh nothing but success and heavy riffs in this very amicable parting. Don't worry, we all still hang out together.

With that said, there is now a huge open space that Josh used to occupy in the band that we are in the process of filling. We are striving to have a new bassist in place very soon so we can get back to the business of making music for all of you. We're also looking to add a new element to The Sobriquets: a full-time keyboardist. We'll fill you all in on who the new faces will be just as soon as we find them.

Much of April and May was spent at Sine Studios in Philadelphia making what will be our newest record, the record that so many of you helped make possible with your support during our fundraiser earlier this year. Once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We could not have done any of it without the help of everyone who donated to the cause. And we could not have made the best record any of us have ever been a part of without Matt Teach and Mike Lawson, the two owners and engineers of Sine Studios. Their skills and brilliance, combined with their outstanding studio, are as much a part of the record as we are. To any and all musicians everywhere: make your next record at Sine. You will love every minute of it.

We're in the midst of the mixing process of the record right now. It's being mixed and mastered in Los Angeles by Dave Drago, and we're already psyched from the few samples we've heard so far. We hope to release a couple of tracks by the fall of this year, and the record should be released in early 2012. We all want to take our time with this one, and give it the proper release it deserves. So to all who have been anxiously awaiting the record (most likely because you helped pay for it), we ask you to wait just a bit more. It's coming. And it's going to be awesome.

Lastly, here's the big "shake-up" news that we've been alluding to over the past few weeks. With the new record and the new lineup, the remaining Sobriquets have decided to retire the name they've been playing under for more than four years. The new lineup will have a new name, as will the record. The music will be the same music you've known and loved over the years. We'll be looking for help on the new name, so keep an eye on the Facebook page for that.

Thanks to all of you who have supported us through the years as a touring band. We will see as many of you as humanly possible over the next few months as we get ready to head back out on the road with the new lineup. Everything we do is made better and more rewarding because of you. See you out there this fall!

- The Sobriquets (James, Dan, Nick and always a part of us, Josh)

WIDGET!!!!

So we were messing around with our TuneCore account (which I set up a year ago and promptly forgot that I had) and made you all a little "widget" to play with.

What exactly is a "widget", you ask? I know I did. THIS is a "widget":

Pretty neat, huh? We thought so, and hope you do, too. It has all kinds of cool features like a fully streaming version of our latest EP, "The Sobriquets Are Out Of Style", some photos of us from my Flickr, our videos on YouTube, our Twitter feed, tour dates and more. Please, feel free to share it and embed it on your favorite blog, message board, social networking site, etc. Feel so incredibly free to do so.

If you have any trouble sharing it, e-mail us at band@thesobriquets.com and we'll send you the HTML code ourselves.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer, and we'll see you all from the stage real soon (you could use the widget to find out when and where, it is that useful).

-Dan

Dan's Take On The Film "Inception"

It's been a quiet little while since we've updated from Camp De Guerre, due mostly to us taking a bit of time off after tour and going about our real lives. I found I've had more time to do things lately, such as throwing out a third of the contents of my apartment, spending time with my wife while she's not immersed in academia (I am now the proud husband of a Master of Art History), going to shows that I am not playing in (saw The Melvins with Josh and they absolutely blew us away) and in general just enjoying life at a slightly less hectic pace. That and going to work. But you all know how that goes.

I've also had a chance to get to the local cinema this summer. I know what you're thinking: "Dan, summer is full of a bunch of over-budgeted schlock designed simply to drive ticket sales for a week or so, and then be quickly replaced by the next pile of refuse! I thought you had culture!" My answer to this is: "Yes and no! I do enjoy many cultural, high-minded things. I also enjoy eating popcorn in frigid air-conditioning and watching shit blow up! I am well-rounded to a fault."

So I saw "Inception" today, which has been a highly trumpeted film of the summer, is supposed to both be THE film of the season and also maybe plug the oil leak in the Gulf, mend the schism of national politics and reunite the lineup of The Smiths. I don't know if it did any of these things (Morrissey still seems to be a hold-out), but it did do what a movie is supposed to do: make me forget about everything else for its running time.

You've probably read some reviews and heard a whole lot of hype about "Inception". You've heard references to its supposedly convoluted plot-line and hard-to-follow fantasy universe. Let me put these fears to rest. If you were able to watch "The Matrix" and took away from it more than a late-night image of Carrie-Anne Moss in leather, than you should do fine. There is nothing in this film that anyone who slogged through all six seasons of LOST can't wrap their noggin' around. Also, at two and half hours, it is a much smaller time commitment, and contains trace amounts of Michael Caine.

I'm attempting to give you a brief rundown of the plot without ruining anything. If you're one of those people who doesn't like to know anything before watching a film, then click that little "X" in the upper right-hand corner of the browser (or nondescript red dot if you're a Mac).

Basically, it's pretty simple. In this world, people can enter your dreams, where your mental defenses are severely lowered, and take information from you that you would not normally share while awake. There are people who are paid good money to do this, and they are called extractors. Leo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy; these guys are all extractors and are apparently very good at it. And there are all these rules when you're in a dream about how to conduct yourself. You can alter the physical reality of the dream, you can alter your physical appearance in the dream (if you've studied the person that you are going to impersonate, no cheesy tear-off masks a la "Mission: Impossible" here). At it's core, you essentially steal the information you need from the person, usually from a safe (this is the dreaming person's manifestation of keeping their secrets hidden). Then you need to get out, preferably without them knowing you were ever there, and leave them thinking it was (you guessed it) all a dream.

In order to make it an interesting movie, the team is charged with the task not to take but to implant an idea in the heir (Cillian Murphy) to a major energy empire's head via a dream. The idea is the he dissolve his late father's conglomerate so that a rival (Ken Watanabe) does not get pushed out because of a massive monopoly. This is thought impossible in their world (the implanting, not the monopoly), but the team soldiers on to do it anyway (there are motives from Leo's character that I won't get into so as not to give everything away). And there are of course complications in accomplishing this task. And explosions. And shooting. Lots of shooting. This is where the baser, less refined part of my brain gets all smiley and giddy.

But the biggest reason this whacko-brained sci-fi concept works as a coherent film is because it sets rules on its universe and works within those rules. Unlike "The Matrix", where all of a sudden Keanu can bend the very fabric of existence with no consequences, "Inception" sets out its rules and sets out the consequences to the rules. If the dreamer starts to realize that their mind is being invaded, they will try and dismantle the dream, which involves a physical dismantling of the physical surroundings (this is where the cool shit start happening, buildings collapsing and such). If the invaders wish to alter the physical landscape, they can. There is an absolutely dynamite sequence where Ellen Page's character bends a city street at a ninety degree angle, creating an Escher-like skew on perspective. The reel could have broken right after that, and I would have been still pretty satisfied with my movie experience. However, alter the world too much and the dreamer's mind senses something is wrong, and all its sub-conscious imprints (read: extras in the scene) will attack you in defense. Rules. Consequences. Consistency. I love it. This is where the high-minded, story-oriented part of my brain gives an approving nod.

I've boiled this film down to a basic idea for a movie-goer: it is an excellent mix of high-minded plot and story with healthy doses of cool shit happening. You do not get so bogged down in the minutiae of how the dream-invading works on a chemical level (and they do employ a chemist to regulate the sleep) that you lose interest, and on the flip-side, it is not by any means a non-stop thrill ride of explosions and catastrophe. This is how I like my sci-fi: just give me the gist of the technology (I know it's advanced, you fool), show it to me in the context of this world you've created, and then show me it doing incredibly cool things. Substance and 'splosions, that's pretty much my action film criteria.

The film does not take you for a complete idiot, and in granting you that courtesy, proceeds to reveal itself layer by layer in a careful and well-paced manner, giving you the shock-and-awe when necessary, and giving you the explanation when needed as well (Page's character as the newbie to their world acts as an excellent device for explanation, as you are asking the questions she is asking out loud at almost the same time). If you found "Transformers 2" to be your be-all-end-all action movie choice, maybe you should pass on this one. "Inception" has no interest in being a franchise, selling you a lunch box or getting it's own cartoon spin-off. It was not a cult graphic novel with a bastion of die-hard fans to dissect it, nor an obscure novel. It is an idea thought up for and executed in the medium of modern film. It is an original idea, with no history or mythology and no product tie-ins. Honestly, when was the last time you saw an action movie that was all those things.

I could go on for more paragraphs about the acting, the casting choices (it even makes Tom Berenger look good), the location shots and the special effects. But a good movie renders all these things individually useless by calling attention to none of them, and simply letting them exist in the universe that was created for them. And "Inception" is a very good movie.

Last Weekend's Fests: A Wrap Up by Dan with More Pictures by Dan (Part 2)

Saturday, 3/27/10: Fetzer Fest III, Allentown, PA

We made it home from NJ in four pieces, retired to our varying homes and awoke rested and ready for fest #2. When we arrived at The Sterling Hotel, it seemed clear that a) most people had way more information about anything going on than we did and b) we were going to have to learn some Avenged Sevenfold covers or something right quick. There is this genre of American hard rock that sprang out of the NuMetal scene between say, 1999 and 2002, that seems to permeate the lesser populated sections of most states. I do not know what to call it, it does not seem to have a name. I don't know how to explain it, just imagine if you based your entire band's style off of MTV's Headbangers' Ball and its immediate proteges, and then STOPPED taking in any new information. I think I may have just explained it. Trust me; like pornography, you know it when you see it.

I think I eventually found a roster on some swag-cluttered table that listed us as playing at 6:30pm on "The Chill Stage". Apparently, the stage is named this because it is on a sheltered, outdoor patio and is in fact much colder than the other stages, which are fully surrounded by walls.

At this point in our arrival (45 minutes or so), I am quite unhappy with a lot of things about the day so far. I am unhappy with the organizers for giving us almost no info about things like back line, running order, set times, etc. I am unhappy with James for booking us on this thing without bothering to find out what kind of fest it was. I am unhappy with the Hot-Topic-wannabe-metal-kids who keep trying to cadge cigarettes off of me. So I do what I do best: I go outside so as not to draw the rest of the band into my little spiral of unhappiness, and bring everyone down, man.

Happening upon a group of young musicians, I blend into the wall. They see me, but do not ask me for cigarettes, so I relax a little. I get drawn into their chat, and before I know it we're all talking about King Crimson records and guitar gear and general guys-in-bands stuff. These guys are in a band from Long Island called SingleSpade, and while I share very little in common with them musically, they were awesome guys and pretty much single-handedly turned my day around. So thanks, guys, wherever you are now.

Back inside at the bar, I get some JW and watch Brooklyn's The Whispering Tree, whom we've played with before. They have the unenviable task of being the first band to play for the day, and are doing it at the end of the crowded barroom while a much, MUCH louder band sound-checks in the next room. Here we have a female pianist and vocalist and a French male guitarist attempting to play their subtly gorgeous tunes and they are just getting swallowed. But they are such pros, they roll with it.

It becomes clearer to me that maybe I'm just being a huge alpha-control-freak about everything that day, and I should just re-fuckin'-lax. So I do. With my pal Johnnie Walker.

Playing in the slot right before us were The Dreamscapes Project from Fairfax, VA (coincidentally right around the area where we recorded "The Sobriquets Are Out of Style"). These guys were absolutely great, their wise-cracking, 3D glasses-wearing frontman Keith was the perfect amount of loud, boorish and energetic that keeps it fun. And any band that shows up to hard-rock fest with cellist and covers The Smiths at a hard-rock fest gets points in my book. They get us loosened up in order to play. It also helps that I think we're all a bit buzzed from drinking all afternoon as well. I run into some guys in a band called Kagero, whom we played with about three years ago. They are a gypsy-folk-punk band, and they are killer live performers. I'm starting to feel a little more amongst our element than I had earlier in the day.

By the time we start setting up, it's clear that we're all ready to play. The Dreamscapes Project has assuaged our fears that we do not belong here, or at the very least, we don't belong here right along with them. In an attempt to "bring the rock", I decide to turn my 30 watt combo amp all the way up in order to fill the room (they have not been miking amps). For about a minute, I'm getting sweet, tube driven tone. Then, with that familiar sound, I hear the tube fuzz out and die. I now have a dead amp and we have to play in about 60 seconds.

Luckily, one of the sound crew is watching the whole fiasco and runs out of the room to return with a 150 watt head that he puts onstage behind me on top of 4x10 speaker cabinet. You don't have to be a gear-geek to follow the difference: take my amp and multiply it physically and sonically by four. That's what I get to play through now. I am slightly ecstatic.

The set came off pretty well, great energy, the kind of locked-in playing we've been able to pull of consistently over the last several months or so. Kagero is on next, too! They get the whole crowd going, dancing in a circle up by the front of the stage. And now that the set is finally over, I find I don't mind hanging out here that much after all. See how the story arc moved me from one place to another, making me a better person and even learning something, too? Isn't it great we're all better people because of this?

But seriously, we had a great time. Our fest-weekend was a success, we met a lot of new bands and got to see some old friends. And all the food was significantly cheaper than in Cape May, which was a huge plus.

-Dan

Last Weekend's Fests: A Wrap-Up by Dan with Pictures by Dan (Part 1)

So first and foremost, we are chastising ourselves severely for being away from the blogiverse (Is that even a word? Will James yell at me about the spelling?) for so long. That's the downside of being a working band, we spend a lot of our lives working on (less fun) things that are not The Sobriquets, and this makes us forget to do things like update the blog, restring our instruments, check the tubes in our amplifiers (more on that in Part 2), etc.

Let's travel back in time, shall we? Last weekend (March 26th-27th, to be exact) we had the great fortune of playing two festivals in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Friday, 3/26/10: The 3rd Annual Cape May Singer Songwriter Festival, Cape May, NJ

We've been doing this fest since its inception in 2008, back when we were a lowly three-piece with one record to our name and severe lack of back beat. It's a great fest, put on by the same people who do the Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg, PA, and they do a superb job every year of keeping things running tightly and on schedule. They offer up two days and nights of bands as well as some great musicians' panels where independent artists get together and talk about all the nuts-and-bolts of being an independent musician (marketing, booking, branding, production, distribution, and so on).

James, Josh and Nick arrived in Cape May early on Friday to partake in panels and general knowledge gathering. I had to work (big surprise), but met up with them in the evening in time to play our set at The Ugly Mug in downtown Cape May. But first, we ran around the rather chilly beach like fools for a bit.

We got to play with a handful of really great acts, like Kelly Carvin and the Future (who featured an absolutely astounding guitar player that they apparently met that day at the hotel and asked to sit in), True Witness, fellow Philadelphians New Liberty and The Dead End Cruisers (who we would hang out with the following day at Fetzer Fest). Everyone played a great set, and it was refreshing to do a show with so much camaraderie between bands who had just met each other that day. We all came from different places and we all approach playing music differently, but it's great to be amongst high-quality musicians who are supportive of one another, rather than being spiky and cold to each other. Warm feelings all around!

I would also like to note that it was the first year at Cape May where it did not rain biblically on us. That's the risk you run doing a fest at The Shore in March, and we were happy to be able to be outside for parts of it.

More pics and video will be posted via The Sobriquets on Facebook as I get them finished up. Not a fan of The Sobriquets on Facebook? Make it happen, you can see all kinds of documentation of shenanigans on the road, as well as some of the serious work (playing music) as well.

-Dan

Coming up: Part II of the Fest Weekend featuring Fetzer Fest in Allentown, PA.

2009 Wrap-up: The Dan Edition

I was the one who essentially asked the entire band to have their Year End Wrap-Ups in before Christmas. And only Josh listened. I didn't even listen. I am incapable of following even my own instructions. Yay me!

My list(s) isn't so much a Top Ten type thing, but a series of smaller lists. Some have to do with my own listening habits. Some have to do with being on the and off the road with the band. Some have to do with neither of those. Enjoy!

2009: My Top Records That Were Released This Year

If you scroll down through my previous posts, you'll see I've mentioned several records already this year that I've highly enjoyed. But here are a handful of ones that have really stuck with me.

- St. Vincent, "Actor": I'm absolutely in love with her voice as well as the outstanding arrangement on this one.

- The Dead Weather, "Horehound": There's a sucker born every minute, and I am that sucker for Jack White projects. While I was never enthused with The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather hit me hard with garage lo-fi hooks and some really great grooves going on with the drums (played by White). One of my many "gimmees" of the year.

- Bat for Lashes, "Two Suns": This year has definitely been a year where the records that have really hooked me have been the labored-over studio pieces more than the fast-and-dirty rock that I also gravitate towards. Bat for Lashes garnered a lot of Kate Bush-a-like praises, but her vision and scope for this record is a study in how a sparse song can be realized as a massive sonic masterpiece by surrounding yourself with the right band and the right studio crew.

- Converge, "Axe To Wield": I came to Converge a little late to the party, but I'm so glad I showed up. This is the Converge record for people who've never heard of them. Blistering metal-core for people who aren't into "that screaming shit", this will make a convert out of any metal fan.

- Mastodon, "Crack The Skye": Josh is correct, this is one of my absolute favorites of 2009. I would put it on my MP3 player and be mad at myself for not having put it on 20 minutes sooner. I have huge respect for any band that simply goes out and makes the record it wants to make, regardless of where they stand in their genre. Fans who dismissed this record don't love music, they love an image and a logo. This is phenomenal music, regardless of what music you call "yours". My wife loves this record, and she throws things at me when I blast my Botch or Meshuggah in the house (and rightfully so). Enough said.

2009: My Favorite Bands I Have Been Lucky Enough To Share A Stage With

- Ashpark, Boston MA: Think Mew meets The Gloria Record meets late-period Sunny Day Real Estate. A true find for any music fan, and the lead singer has a license plate that simply reads "Khaaaan". I love these guys.

- The Lights Out, Boston MA: What is it about bands from Boston? We were lucky to play just earlier this month with this ungodly good band. Tight rock with a superior sense of dynamics and rhythm, and half the band has ties to Syracuse (Go 'Cuse!). So happy we got to meet them.

-Stalking Horses, Baltimore MD: Imaging if The Boss had been born as a quiet looking Mid-Atlantic girl, and she went on to use her killer pipes to front a killer band. Played with these folks twice, and they brought their A-game every time.

- Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps, Minneapolis, MN: This band was a pleasant surprise in the midst of a month of playing with really ho-hum bands. Excellent pop sensibilities matched with great melody writing. For any fan of Regina Spektor, Mirah and the like.

- Filmstar, Philadelphia PA: All it takes is a subtle Smiths vibe and some really retro, 80s college radio sounds to sign me on. Filmstar has all of that. They were one of the great treats in life: discovering a great band who lives in your own backyard. Every time I got to see them this year, I had roughly 40 minutes of heaven.

2009: Favorite Eating Things I Never Got To Have Until This Year

- Seaweed salad

- Oxtail dumplings

- Homemade soy sauce

- Lamb chili

- Mahi mahi tacos

- Zucchini fries

- The French Dog at Devil's Den

- Brazilian style sausage

2009: Best Drink I Invented

The Sacajawea

- 1 part sweet tea vodka

- 2 parts champagne

Mix together in a paper coffee cup (neat) while hanging out in a hotel lounge long after a wedding is over and you really should have stopped drinking, let alone inventing drinks, hours ago. Fall into a very drunken sleep, wake up hung-over as all hell and then drive back to Philadelphia from New Hampshire. Do not repeat. For the love of God.

This year was a good year for The Sobriquets, and if we haven't said so already, we thank everyone who came out and supported us, bought a record or was just nice to us while were were away from home. 2010 will be a great year as well, with upcoming shows in NYC, Harrisburg and our own night at The Blinkin' Lincoln with Talahassee and some other special guests. Hope to see you out there! Have a great New Year!

-Dan

A Night You Won't Forget: January 29th, 2010

When The Sobriquets get snowed in to Philadelphia, you actually get to see two blog posts within about a week of each other. Weird, right?

We did make it back to Philly from their show at the Sidewalk Cafe in New York before the snow fell, some more easily than others (apparently James got stuck waiting for a train out of Penn Station, some sort of power outage). Photos and video to come (of the band, not of James in Penn Station).

But most importantly, we'd like to start getting you psyched for a big show we've got coming up in 2010. The good folks at the Blinkin' Lincoln in Roxborough will turn the stage over to us for a whole night of Sobriquets' curated music on Friday, January 29th. And we are so excited to announce that one of the bands will be Tallahassee from Providence, Rhode Island. These guys are an absolutely amazing folk/bluegrass/acoustic act. Check out their newest release, "Wolfe Moon", and get comfy with them before you get the chance to see them live in Philadelphia.





Fun Trivia Fact #1: "Wolfe Moon" was engineered and produced by former Denver/current LA producer Dave Drago, who also lent a hand to our newest EP "The Sobriquets Are Out of Style". Small world, right?

Fun Trivia Fact #2: Tallahassee bassist Shawn Carney was the photographer at Dan's wedding. He did an excellent job.

Fun Trivia Fact #3: Seeing both The Sobriquets and Tallahassee together could possibly be the greatest thing ever.

Anyway, there will be more info about this awesome show as it comes, including the identity of the third band. And stay tuned to Songs De Guerre for info about our upcoming slot in JerseyShows Battle of the Bands at Doc Watson's on January 17th.



Everyone stay well,



The Sobriquets

This Is A Long Drive For Someone With A Lot To Listen To... A Sunday Sermon

Dan here. Been a while for me as well with the blogging and the keeping people informed. As James has already pointed out, we've been busy with prepping the record, the tour dates, and also rehabbing a new practice space with state of the art (read: whatever I can find extremely discounted on the Internet) gear. My standards for the new gear have been "Will not course electricity through my body when turned on." So far, so good.

I recently went on one of my long jaunts up through New York State (where James and I both hail from). Being unemployed until the start of July, I've had some time to kill and have been spending it seeing family and friends who have otherwise gone neglected for the last couple of years. With that said, my preferred method of transport is almost always a car, and preferably be one that I'm driving. I have at times a raging type-A thing going on, and being in control of a vehicle helps.

So during my last trip, I loaded up the fauxPod with a ton of records that I've downloaded and haven't gotten around to listening to yet. Here are a few that I finally got a chance to check out over the last week:

The Wooden Birds' "Magnolia"
- This is Andrew Kenny's new band. Kenny was the frontman for an absolutely superb band called The American Analog Set, one of my personal faves from college. It's a very muted, quiet record, with very sparse arrangement and a ton of close mic-ing on everything. I really love the tight, up-close-and-personal sound on this record, it's hardly treated at all (ie. no walls of reverb, overproduced drums and vocals, ten-layer guitar tracks, etc.). Kenny's voice is hushed and soothing, and the girl he has singing with his is excellent. Fans of AAS, Songs:Ohia and the like would definitely enjoy this.

Heaven and Hell's "The Devil You Know"

- Old rock stars should just sit at home, collect their royalties, and stop embarrassing themselves by creating reality shows that show what dysfunctional lives they lead. Unless you're Ronnie James Dio, Tommy Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice and you want to pretty much pick up where "Mob Rules" era Sabbath left off. Heaven and Hell is the post-Ozzy lineup of Black Sabbath, often overlooked by most fans, but glorified by the die-hards. The new record is by no means an earth-shattering reinterpretation of anything. It is a solid album of old metal dudes proving to the rest of the genre that they must never forget the face of their father. Iommi's lead playing has really progressed, and there is not as much of his classic "pentatonic noodling" (that's a Josh term, and I thank him for it). This record came on at a point where I was starting to get a bit car-groggy, and it did the trick better than a 5-Hour Energy Shot.

Grizzly Bear's "Veckatimest"

- I am not very familiar with Grizzly Bear, but this got some insane rating in Pitchfork (who could snark at anything, I swear). What a fresh sounding record! Only gave it a once-through listen, but I was really impressed with the overall tone of this record. I could produce a laundry-list of influences on this , but rather than playing the spot-influence-then-cross-reference game I often play in my head, I just let it happen. That doesn't happen often to me, so it's welcome when it does.

Sonic Youth's "The Eternal"

- SY is one of those bands that has influenced me so hugely, but which you can hear almost no evidence of when I play. Like The Velvet Underground, I think everyone who bought SY albums in their musically formative years went out and formed bands, whether those bands sounded like "Goo" and "Daydream Nation" or not. Mine certainly didn't. My fave from them still continues to be "Murray Street", and "The Eternal" works on me in the same way, which means I enjoy it as a record from a very talented crew of players who have been consistently making records for around 25 years, and I get to accept it as part of a very large body of work, an autobiographical progression of songwriting, if you will. I love a band that just goes out and does what they want, how they want and has a fan base that is (for the most part) willing to give it all a shot and not bitch and moan about artistic vision, major label betrayal and the like. "The Eternal" is incredibly accessible, very melodic in a lot of places and genuinely a great rock record.

Phish's Summer '09 Tour Tapes

- Like James said previously, they're playing better than they've played since coming back from hiatus. I was lucky enough to see them in Camden a couple of weeks ago, and it was like coming home. Proclaiming anything about Phish stirs up a lot of sentiment from both sides of the coin, but they've been one of my favorite bands since high school and will never apologize for that, ever. The Northeast tour tapes have been truly great to listen to because I get to hear four of my musical heroes refind what they love about playing music while they're finding it.

Okay, enough of my gushing. I tend to only post about music that I love, so you'll rarely hear me snark about much of anything musical here. If I don't like it, I tend to just not mention it, as it isn't worth my time to listen to, much less write about.

In Sobriquets news: We've got a date coming up July 1st in Philly at Lickety Split on 4th and South Streets. This place has been hosting a great roster of bands from Philly and beyond, and we hope to see you there. Check out thesobriquets.com as usual for more dates, particularly the CD release shows on July 17th and 18th. The show on the 17th is with a band we recently played with in Baltimore and we just love them. I'll gush about them later in the week, I'm sure.

-Dan

Sunday Roundup

Pretty slow week here in the big-haired member of the Sobriquets' world... work, sleep, work, sleep, pet the cat,
work some more. No vacation to sunny California for me; just sunny, mid 60 degree Philadelphia. Poor me.

We're all pretty broken up about Harry Kalas; as a transplant to Philadelphia in the last decade, I wasn't raised on the golden tones of Harry K, but he quickly became my stress reducer of choice (especially when paired with a cold beer and a Ryan Howard strike out or two) during the warmer parts of the year. He passed away this week in the booth while preparing for Monday's afternoon game against the Nationals; I suppose it's the broadcaster's equivalent of "dying with ones boots on." Harry has been eulogized in many places by many people more eloquent than I, so I'll just give my thanks that he went out with a World Series win and that a part of Philadelphia's soul is Outta Here.

Ryan Howard, on the other hand, is hitting .341 at the moment, and has played in eleven games. Usually at this time of the year, he's at about .115... this is pleasantly disconcerting. He also apparently legged out a triple today. Wonders may never cease.

Beyond that, I'm just waiting til Dan gets back from LA with the final masters... he tells me it sounds like an early Hip record.

Gonna go get dinner now.

Loves and Kisses,

J