The first review of Modernity Leave is in, and believe it or not, it’s a positive one! Looks like I sent it to the right people, because they seemed to get it, and not everyone would. It’s a review site called Babysue, who also gave Applewine a nice review waaaaay back in 2006. So thanks to Babysue for that little Modernity Leave writeup. Go read it!

Public Domain Rainbow update: I have actually been actively working on the album a lot in the past week. In the past few months, I’ve just been tweaking here and there because I’m afraid of finishing it (I might be coming down with Chinese Democracyitis), but I’ve been recording a lot of vocals (both myself and Alyssa), patching up parts that have been bugging me. The album feels very close to finished, and I think it’s because I finally feel like this batch of songs feels complete with the addition of “All You Need Is Love” as the closing song. I didn’t have a good closing song before, but now it feels like I’m finally getting some hotels on my monopolies. So I may end up finishing it pretty soon here. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll be releasing it soon, but at least it would be out of my system!

I just updated the reviews page with a couple of reviews for “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” one from the Portland Mercury and another from Rich at Eartaste. Consider this the overture for the shot heard ’round the world called Public Domain Rainbow, coming out in 2009.

I wrote back in August that I was going to spend all of my caloric intake on writing and recording ONE SONG. Well, I did just that (yet somehow a bunch of those calories still managed to find their way to my midriff). It’s called “Bad Vibrations” (haha!) and it will definitely end up on Public Domain Rainbow. It will blow y’all away. I am always hesitant to make such claims, but I really think it’s a good song. I have spent way more time on this song than pretty much any other song I’ve recorded, and I’ve made sure that every second of it is engaging and radical. It’s not 100% finished yet, but even in its 90% finished state, it pleases me, and I hope you too eventually. Again, I don’t want to set expectations too high, but I just want to say YES, it’s as good as I was hoping for. It should end up being a highlight on PDR.

Parfly,
Alex

I was finally able to track down some video of when CNN featured a bit of “Bomb Iran” back in February. Apparently, they showed it again last weekend too. It was on a show called News To Me, whose existence is news to me, as I don’t get CNN. But rad! Thanks Anderson (who is of course single-handedly responsible for every second broadcast on CNN)! You can watch it here. “Bomb Iran” is at 1:30 in.

I’m also going to make a video for my new sawng “YouTube Celebrity” soon. It should be pretty rad, and by rad I mean full of GREEN SCREEN. Also, does anyone know how much a Burger King crown costs?

Freshly,
Alex

I learned today something of grave importance. A new review was posted for Missing Briefcase. I haven’t seen any new reviews of it for a while, so I thought this warranted an otherwise completely unnecessary update.

Read it here and wonder how you ever missed it before.

–Alex

I found out today that Michael Wesch, an assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University, made a presentation before the Library of Congress last Monday about the cultural value of YouTube and included a good chunk of “Bomb Iran”! He told me he’s going to post the presentation on YouTube soon. He’s also the author of a well-known YouTube video that I’d seen and liked about “Web 2.0.” So that’s amazing. It amazes me how much mileage I’m getting out of that cheap-ass “Bomb Iran” video.

Some other guy named Milo made a video for “No Wonder.” It’s basically just clips from the movie High School USA, but that is kind of the genius of it.

As for new album news, I’m just about finished. I’m in the fixin’ and mixin’ stage now. I don’t know when it’ll come out because I kind of just want to wait for the right time to release it. I’ll need moneys and stuff for that. Too bad we don’t live in a socialist society where the government gives everyone equal amounts of money to release their albums. I think there’s a campaign angle for you there, Obama.

I am playing at the Mt. Tabor Legacy on July 20 with The Study and maybe another fellow band of minstrels. Mark your calendars and stonehenges!

Lastly,
Alex

Well, I may have lost out on the PDX Pop Now compilation, but I was informed today that “The Zaps” will be included on KINK’s forthcoming local music sampler. So, if I put you in a cage with a cougar and made you vote for me a couple months back, then you can rest easy knowing it worked!! So that’s a big FANKS to all who did vote for me. Y’all rule.

I’m not sure about how to get it once it’s out, but I’m sure I’ll have the details when they come.

Hourly,
Alex

I was informed via a couple comments on my “Bomb Iran” video that CNN showed a clip of it recently. I don’t really know anything else other than that, but that’s pretty cool! Thanks, Wolf!

Also, KINK will again be playing “The Zaps” on their Local Music Spotlight on April 1 at 9:20 pm. No, this is not an AFJ. It is for realz.

Make Me Dinner is not yet available on iTunes, but it should be up soon. Hopefully. I really don’t have any control over the actual time it takes to get it up there. But it should be soon. Maybe Wolf Blitzer can pull some strings, if you ask him curtly.

————–Alex

I wanna thank everyone who came out to my Missing Briefcase release show the other night! It was a modest gathering of souls, but it was a lot of fun. If you were there, your presence was invaluable. I really loved seeing The Morals and Mayhaw Hoons & The Casual Encounters too. Good dudes were in abundance. Backspace is totally a cool venue too. I uploaded a couple videos from the show to YouTube as well; “Still Pushin” and “The Zaps.”

So thanks dudes, and come on out to the 21+ release show at Holocene on Tuesday the 22nd! It’s a new batch of bands (Lonesome Radio Heart, New Agency) and a totally different venue, so if you were at the Backspace show, don’t feel like it’s gonna be more of the same. No, man. This Holocene show is like the Barack Obama of record release shows.

Come.

Also, KINK (101.9 FM) is going to be playing “The Zaps” on their nightly local music segment. So if you wanna hear how I look on the electromagnetic spectrum, then listen! It’s gonna be between 9:15 and 9:30 pm on January 23. Next Wednesday.

Fern-like,
Alex