Qbot’s blog

my favorite song this week

nobody@vox.com(Qbot) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 21:23:38 -0700

I love covers. It's nothing against the originals, but I like to see what someone else's take is on a song that's already familiar to me. Sometimes it fails miserably, sometimes it's equally brilliant. This hip-hop version of Wham's "Careless Whisper" falls somewhere in between. I actually really like the added lyrics, too. It's not the best I've ever heard, but it's definitely interesting, not only for the genre-switch, but also because I don't believe I've ever even heard anyone do a Wham cover before. What a shame! Someone needs to get working on a cover of "Freedom", stat!

Some Wham trivia:
I still have the 7" single of the original song from when I bought it with my allowance in 1984, and I could've sworn, until exactly 30 seconds ago, that "Careless Whisper" was a Wham! song--because that's what it says on the single. Apparently this is only true for the U.S. packaging, as it was released as George Michael solo originally.

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QotD: Thanks for the Memories

nobody@vox.com(Qbot) — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 23:05:28 -0700

What are the 10 most memorable music performances you've seen? (Remember, "memorable" may not be good.)
Submitted by Bill.

Not in any particular order, the very good ones [locations added since I've seen almost all of them more than once]:

Spiritualized at the Vic Theatre, Chicago
Gang of Four at Metro, Chicago
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at Chicago Theatre, Chicago
Dismemberment Plan at Metro, Chicago
Sigur Ros at the Lyric Opera, Chicago
Tori Amos at the Pritzker Pavilion, Chicago
Stromkern at Sonar, Baltimore
Nine Inch Nails at SIU, Carbondale [Illinois]
Funker Vogt at Funhaus, Toronto
Monstrum Sepsis at Club Anything, Milwaukee
Jesus Jones at Beat Kitchen, Chicago
Sisters of Mercy at Pier 2, Bremen [Germany]
Chris Connelly at Otherworld, St. Louis
Moby at Otherworld, St. Louis
Kill Hannah at Metro, Chicago
Econoline Crush at Otherworld, St. Louis
Illusion of Safety at Deadtech, Chicago
Bellyfeel at Mississippi Nights, St. Louis
The Strand at 5th and B, San Diego
Underworld at the Riviera Theater, Chicago
Airiel at Double Door, Chicago
Galaxia at Firehouse, St. Louis

Memorably bad:
Superstars of Love at Abbey Pub, Chicago [not that they really should be considered a band]
Fun Club at Elbo Room, Chicago [not that they should be considered a band either]
Thanatos at Dome Room, Chicago [not their fault, but the sound guy should've been shot]
Thrill Kill Kult at 5th & B, San Diego [not that they should be considered anything but a joke at this point]
Kill Hannah in the cafeteria of St Louis University [also not their fault--there were 8 people there]
Alanis Morrisette at Kiel Center, St Louis [yeah I know, it's my fault for agreeing to go in the first place]

And just plain weird:
PM Dawn at a Wal-Mart turned into a country bar in St. Louis, with opening act Britney Spears, no joke.

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QotD: First Signs O' Spring

nobody@vox.com(Qbot) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 19:35:47 -0700

What, to you, is the first sign of spring? Have you seen it yet?
Submitted by Spy.

Well, since I live in Chicago, where the weather is hardly different until at least April, I'd say it would have to be that bands start touring again. In fact, I'm going to see a show tonight--updates later!

The update: Kelly Shafer, a fine musician in his own right, texted me about some band called Porsches on the Autobahn, and they were going to be in Chicago on Friday, and I should check it out. Now, Kelly has done this a few times before with bands, and I have learned to trust his instincts. So, sight unseen and sound unheard, I rounded up a couple of friends and went to Elbo Room.

Disclaimers:
1. They weren't doing a very good job of pretending to be German.
2. They weren't doing a very good job of pretending to be playing live.

They were, however, VERY entertaining and a lot of fun. If you can get past the above items, I highly recommend them. We had a great time and laughed a lot and my friend even got up onstage with them and danced!

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snowed in

nobody@vox.com(Qbot) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:54:57 -0800

We got about a foot of snow today in Chicago. This is the first time I've ever had a gig cancelled due to weather. A wise move on Neo's part, though, as obviously no one was going to come out in this to hear power noise and industrial on a Tuesday night. I think we might do our event next week, though.

Industrial Bass Machine: Invisible Force

In the meantime, enjoy this song from Industrial Bass Machine.

I'm going to try to use this time to get started on some remixes I'm working on [more on that later].

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QotD: Repeat After Me...

nobody@vox.com(Qbot) — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 23:00:54 -0800

How have people mispronounced your name? How is it supposed to sound?
Submitted by Lorie.

For some reason, that Q throws everyone off, and they just sort of stare at it blankly. They don't really pronounce it wrong, because most don't even try. I find this rather funny, since it's phonetic.

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the exhausting life of a dj, part two

nobody@vox.com(Qbot) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 22:30:35 -0800

I must be sick. I'm in my apartment, which, this time of year, is typically a balmy 80-90ºF [overactive radiators], and I'm freezing. Shivering, bundled up, sneezing every five minutes.

I'm djing in St Louis tomorrow night.

Before I leave in seven hours, I need to:
-pack my clothes, etc [omfg what am I wearing!? I'll be onstage, so this is more important than usual.]
-pack my dj equipment [forgetting anything at all would be disasterous
-make sure I bring all the music I might want to spin
-design flyers for one of my nights here
-upload them to the printer before I leave
-dye my hair
-clean up this apartment enough so that Kamar can find my dog to take her out tomorrow night
-brush up on how to get to the train station
-print out all necessary documents, etc
-pack my homework so I can do it on the train
-recharge my phone

I think that's it. Despite the fact that I'll only be there for 36 hours, the only real difference is that I'm packing less clothes. I'm taking Amtrak; I keep wondering if I should bring extra, in case the train is a delayed a day or two. Suddenly that doesn't seem like such a good idea.

Earlier this evening, I made a flurry of phone calls/IMs:
-who's taking the dog out
-who's got a mixer for me to borrow in StL
-who can take these things to the post office tomorrow
-who can call and confirm the aforementioned flyer order so that it gets done while I'm gone
-who's going to the party tonight that I couldn't attend--I need a full report
-who's picking me up at the train station
-what do I need to bring to set up at the club
-what am I doing when I get back
-where are we going for lunch when I get there
-is anyone in my family coming
-how do I get in touch with my neice while I'm there
-where am I staying
-who do I need to contact when I arrive
-collecting various contact numbers and information
-discussing the possibility of future shows there
-confirming that on Sunday it is, in fact, my baby brother's 20th birthday, and denial on my part isn't going to change it--I'm old
-finding someone to take notes for me in the class I'm missing tomorrow

After all that, I needed a nap--I'm sick, after all, and I need to get better before tomorrow. Except, I kept getting up and doing shit I had forgotton--go to bed, get up and call my mother, go to bed, get up and make a birthday present for my brother, go to bed, get up and check to make sure I cited that book right on my lab report, go to bed, get up and refill the humidifier, go to bed, get up and put Vicks in the humidifier....

Well, at least my done/to do list is finished. ;)

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WTF is wrong with Apoptygma Berzerk?!

nobody@vox.com(Qbot) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 19:56:58 -0800

I haven't posted on this thing in a while, but I'm back to bitch. I've been going through ALL of my music this weekend, and it's a huge pain in the ass, not to mention sort of enlightening [apparently I do have Psyclon Nine, and there are remixes of The Faint's "Desperate Guys", and what am I doing with Franz Ferdiand demos, exactly?].

On to the topic at hand, though. I know this is old news; we've all known Apop started a fast downward decline at least five years ago, but has anyone questioned why? What is happening here?
Unfortunately I have no answers, but..

Exhibit A: "Mourn"

Mourn (Remix)

I still play this.Why? Because the new stuff sucks. Why can't they write something this good anymore? Lost their muse? I mean, I don't expect them to keep writing "Kathy's Song" over and over, but...

Exhibit B: "Love To Blame"

Love To Blame

?????????
This sucks. Now Stefan sounds like the guy from They Might Be Giants, which is perfectly fine for that band, but not for Apop. :( Did they lose a critical member? I don't keep up with these things, I don't know.

Someone please explain this to me. I haven't seen a band go bad so fast since, well, actually, The Killers went downhill much faster, and more recently, come to think of it.

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QotD: Very Superstitious

nobody@vox.com(Qbot) — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 17:38:59 -0800

What are your superstitions?
Submitted by lazywong.

I would tell you that I don't believe it, but I still do not listen to the band's cd before the show.

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QotD: Things I'm Truly Passionate About

nobody@vox.com(Qbot) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 13:20:50 -0800

What are the things in life that you're truly passionate about?
Submitted by Jess.

Music and food....there are other things? *turns on stereo, heads for kitchen*

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QotD: This Song Makes Me Festive

nobody@vox.com(Qbot) — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:15:08 -0800

What song gives you the most holiday cheer?
Submitted by Roxy.

I generally find all holiday songs horribly annoying, save for the below mentioned Apologetix "Have Yourself A Parody Little Christmas," my favorite of which is a Santa-themed rework of Van Halen's "Panama".
I wouldn't say that it gives me any "holiday cheer" though. Cookies and gift-giving do a much better job.

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