Here he helpfully outlines a losing strategy for the Dems. Very helpful, David.

As others have pointed out, this is part of a GOP-advanced meme suggesting that "attack-politics" on the left must stop. The Neiwert article I cite below is a stunning rejoinder. Those needing more should read this fantastic Molly Ivins piece from Alternet.

Victoria Shoe and I arrived a little late.

Missed Ex-Boyfriends, unfortunately. Bitesize, a girl-girl-boy three-piece, seemed incompetent initially, but seriously rallied. Nice angular pop-punk with some great fuzzy guitar drones.

Upon V's urging, and under the influence of multiple drinks, I went up to dance by myself in front of the band. No one else was dancing. It was a good time. It reminded me a little of the Slide incident; more information about this will be revealed at a future time.

20 Minute Loop were great -- they reminded me of the pre-Sub Pop Shins. Lots of melody, complex songwriting, and judicious use of some tiny vintage keyboard they had perched in front of the female singer.

I can't say enough about boy-girl harmonies. They're pretty. And if you don't believe me, you should pick up the Joy Zipper record. Another review is here.

As for Victoria, she spotted an old flame at the show and I was abandoned. If it's not one thing, it's the other, y'know?

I may stay in tonight. I'm not sure.

Tonight I'm going to see 20 Minute Loop with Bitesize and Ex-Boyfriends opening.

I'll make sure everyone gets a full report.

RIP Kindercore.

Kindercore and Telegraph's parent company, IDEA, was under pressure from Central National Bank (its primary creditor) to cut overhead and consolidate operations...

Isn't it kind of weird that Kindercore had a "parent company" with a real, live bank as a creditor? I thought it was just another flailing, maxed-out-credit-cards indie label.

I don't really have that much Kindercore stuff, but I did buy this album yesterday on Telegraph.

Speaking of Sasha Bell, I don't know if all of these fantastic Brooklyn artists are linked to what-was-formerly the Elephant 6 collective. I think a fair argument can be made, however, that the Ladybug Transistor/Essex Green/Sixth Great Lake/Sasha Bell Brooklyn scene (is it a collective yet?) has put out consistently great work. Better, I think, than the largely overrated E6 stuff.

Changes have been made to the look of the blog. I think it's sufficient for now.

This piece from David Neiwert on the fascist leanings of the GOP is the scariest thing I've read all day. Here's an excerpt:

"As Buzzflash recently observed, talk like this is part of an increasing trend in conservative rhetoric: Pat Robertson wishing to "nuke" the State Department, Bill O'Reilly saying Peter Arnett should be shot, Coulter wishing Tim McVeigh had set off his bomb at the New York Times Building, John Derbyshire wishing for Chelsea Clinton's demise. Unsurprisingly, the same kind of talk is now heard on the "street" level, and it often pops up on talk radio. As we learned in Oklahoma City, eventually this kind of "hot talk" translates into all-too-real tragedy.

What is becoming increasingly clear is that conservatives are less and less inclined to rely on "intellectual" or political exchanges, and are turning more to an eliminationist strategy that seeks to demonize liberals and make them social outcasts -- and concomitantly, acceptable targets for violence because of the "damage" they cause the nation through their ostensible treason.

Already, this eliminationism is manifesting itself in the nation's military, where anyone deemed insufficiently supportive of the Bush administration is likely to face recrimination. The most prominent example of this is the way Sgt. Robert Ferriol, a former Marine Corps intelligence analyst, was drummed out of his job recently for daring to dissent from the party line. Many more soldiers are quietly reporting that they are simply keeping their views completely under wraps, since the consequences are becoming plain for them."

(Thanks to Eschaton)

I'm still working on the format of this baby. It's ugly as it is.