Typhoon

Whenever I get an email from a band on the West Coast, particularly from the Pacific Northwest, I pay a little more attention. Why is that? Oh, I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with names like Mother Love Bone, Nirvana, Soundgarden, The Melvins, Mudhoney...do I need to go on? I mean, talk about a track record.

One of the latest Pacific Northwest gems is the conglomerate that is Portland's Typhoon. Consisting of about 17 (17!) friends that have known each other since high school, I liken their sound to a less-European sounding Beirut. The melodies are captivating, the music is intriguing, and their sound as diverse as the band's members, who often find themselves playing unannounced house parties across Portland.

The band has a couple of actual dates coming up in the Northwest that you can check out if you're on that coast (see below). If not, you'll have to settle for catching the ambiance they bring to a room via video for now.


07.17.10 - Portland, OR @ Pix Patisserie NE
07.25.10 - Seattle, WA @ the Tractor Tavern
07.31.10 - Seattle, WA @ Live on-air at 90.3 KEXP at 6 PM
08.06.10 - Turner, OR @ the Great Idea Festival
08.07.10 - Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
08.08.10 - Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
09.10.10 - Portland, OR @ Musicfest NW in Backspace

Electric Tickle Machine

When you get as many emails as I do and check them as little as I do, needless to say, they pile up. Unfortunately, a lot of good stuff probably gets lost in the inbox, but one thing I was able to dig out was the news that Blew It Again, the debut full length from Electric Tickle Machine, it out today.

I mean, with a name like Electric Tickle Machine, how could they not catch your eye? After a listen to a few of their tracks, I'm confident they'll catch more than just your eyes, but likely a few of your dollars as well. They've got a fresh, "garage-band that doesn't know any better" feel to their sound and are sure to cause a ruckus in some NYC clubs near you soon.

Check out a few free tracks from Blew it Again, below:

Electric Tickle Machine - "Part of Me"
Electric Tickle Machine - "Honest Injun"

If you need more convincing, you can check out the entire album which is streaming this week at AOL Spinner

Electric Tickle Machine on MySpace

Sunday Open House: June 13, 2010

I cut one of my typing fingers the other day, so I'll keep this short (like myself)

If you missed out on the action at Bonnaroo this year, you can catch the recap at Muzzle of Bees.

One of the artists I was fortunate enough to catch while staying dry at the Verge Music festival was She & Him, who put on a rousing performance Friday night. I particularly enjoyed M.Ward's rendition of "Roll Over Beethoven", which he rocked. They recently covered the classic tune "Fools Rush In" which you can nab for free here. Admittedly, the only other act I caught the entire weekend at Verge was Cold War Kids, who I stood in the cold rain for for an hour for just to see. We were so cold and wet (and sadly, old) that we left hours before Weezer even took the stage, since it would have been another soggy three hours before their set.

I haven't gotten my hands on the new Tokyo Police Club album yet, but in the meantime, I've really been enjoying this "Wait Up (Boots of Danger) (DOM Remix)" which you can snag here.

There's no way I would have found this track had it not been in my email and mentioned the name of my wife, Felicia. But if for no other reason than that, why don't you head over to Myspace and check out the track "Felicia" from The Constellations. My wife found it...interesting. I doubt we'll be catching their June 26 show at Summerfest, though.

Now, a few other notes...

Caught the Season 3 premiere of True Blood tonight. What a great show, although I felt the Season 3 premiere tonight was a little underwhelming. I'm real interested to see how the werewolves come into play this season. As long as there's no team vampire vs team werewolf like in the Twilight series I'll be happy. What did you think of the premiere?

The other night I found myself captivated by the shows Mall Cops: Mall of America and Police Women of Memphis. Not sure what point in my life I've reached to find shows like that satisfying, but hey, might as well embrace it.



Germany had a strong performance in their first World Cup game today, dominating the Aussies, which was nice to see. Was a little worried how well they would play without Ballack but they didn't seem to miss him. After the United States, they are my favorite team in the tournament.

The National Get Iced

The National get "iced" at the Wiltern in LA

My friend Brent iced his buddy Finn today which lead me to research the world of "icing" that has taken over the country. I seem to be the last person I know to know about this phenomenon, but now that I do, you can rest assured I will be packing some Ice with me at all times to counter any attack.

If you're new to icing too, check out this story on the viral drinking game at BrosIcingBros.com.

Deadspin, however, is not a fan.