The Automatik

The Shim Sham Club
November 24, 2001

One of the great things about club shows is that they’re relatively inexpensive ($8 to $15) so if the band sucks, you don’t feel like you got ripped off. Ironically, this was one of the better shows I’ve seen by a band I’d never heard before and I didn’t even have to pay! My friend Laura, who was working with the promoters, put me on her “plus one” list. Yay!
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The Howlin’ Wolf
November 16, 2001

I will admit that I have never owned a Stereolab album. I’ve heard plenty enough played by friends, and that is part of the reason I went to the show. The other part is that there is a paucity of shows with interesting, non-local bands on the weekends and I didn’t want to miss out on a potential great time.
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The Howlin’ Wolf
November 10, 2001

I was so excited about this show that I bought a wig and wore it there. That’s gotta count for something. The Woggles always put on a good show, but I hadn’t seen them in years because they always play on a school night. I’d never seen Mr. Quintron, because he not only plays on school nights, he plays in terribly crack �n’ crime infested neighborhoods. But now I have seen the light.
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The Howlin’ Wolf
November 9, 2001

Is nothing sacred? Not for David Cross, and thank God. The September 11 terrorist attacks, retarded people, President Bush, Christians, Scientologists, and even urine drinkers are all targets of his blisteringly liberal yet refreshingly politically incorrect rants.
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I’m reeling from this Canoe article, “Sloan has carved its own musical niche” (scroll to November 3, 2001). I totally agree with Andrew Scott when he says, “I hate everything that’s out there. There isn’t a band on the radio today that I have any respect for.” And shame on you, journo Mike Ross, for insinuating somehow that strong, negative opinions are bad. I myself am sick to death of musicians and celebrities that have no business collaborating or even being friends pumping each other up to nauseating levels (no names mentioned, ahem, Ben Stiller and Limp Bizkit, Steven Tyler and Pink, Puff Daddy and anyone…shall I go on?)
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The Howlin’ Wolf
October 25, 2001

Honestly, I didn’t even think I was going to go to this show. I was dog-tired from driving to and from a conference in Baton Rouge that day (three hours total on-the-road time) and I was going to have to drag my ass out of bed the next day for yet another long trek to day two of the conference. Plus, the massive hype that is The Strokes had me pretty well convinced I’d never find a parking space, much less get in. I tried to take a nap before the show, but I was too keyed up to sleep. I figured I’d cruise by, check out the scene, and take it from there.
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House of Blues
September 22, 2001

His name’s Rhett “Handsome” Miller, he’s a serial lady-killer
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Vinyl Countdown, 2004

Every true rock writer dreams of discovering some diamond in the rough, some bright, shining star amidst the endless mounds of crap that swell the walls of their post office boxes. When you find it, it’s damn near impossible to explain how you can see so much potential in the missed beats or slightly hesitant vocals, except to say that it just makes you feel good. And so it is with The Foxx, a cleverly titled four piece from New Mexico, three guys and a girl who remind us that rock ‘n’ roll was the bastard son of blues after all.
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Top Ten List of the Most Annoying People at Live Shows
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Shim Sham Club
June 6, 2001

You must understand that I’ve been a tremendous fan of Jim (Foetus) Thirlwell since I was 14. After the first time I heard “Throne of Agony” on our local college radio station, I became a devotée. Although I was never able to see him live, I couldn’t forget the man and his sonic sinfulness. When the Gash tour stopped here in 1995, I knew I would not miss it. I stood there in front of the stage, quaking with anticipation, my knees actually shaking until the man himself swaggered out, through a cloud of smoke, wearing a white tuxedo and living up to all my teen fantasies.
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