Weekend Wind-Down #20 - Popfest Edition

Last week was the big ATHENS POPFEST and our friend Eric (a.k.a. BOOGIEPOP, a.k.a. SERGIO, a.k.a. TWEEPOPIZZLE) came all the way down from Cleveland to take in the festivities. He stayed with us at "The Ranch" and we even managed to pull out the TASCAM PORTA 03 4-track and record a FRENCH TOASTS song. Eric helped out on backing vocals, shakers, and triangle while Missy and I did our thang...








FAVORITE MOMENT FROM THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Meeting Eric and talking with Leia about Blythe dolls.
RAOUL - Jen and Stew's baby, Tallulah, pumping her fist punk rock style...Boogiepop pumping his fist punk rock style.
ERIC - Meeting Missy, Raoul, and Nilla.

WORST MOMENT FROM THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - All the sleepy moments.
RAOUL - Having to re-type and post all this a second time because Blogger timed me out.
ERIC - Andy From Denver getting booted off the stage due to time constraints after only three songs.

WORD OR PHRASE OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - "oh my gaaaawd"
RAOUL - "country dump"
ERIC - "Girl Puzzle"

FAVORITE MEAL FROM THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Lunch at Five Star!
RAOUL - Sundaes at IHOP.
ERIC - Pancakes and sundaes at the IHOP!

FAVORITE PERFORMANCE FROM THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - The Music Tapes.
RAOUL - Bad Animal...I laughed and was pleasantly surprised.
ERIC - There were a lot of really good ones, but if I have to choose one, I'd say the Smittens. I might end up changing my mind later, though...

BEST BAND T-SHIRT YOU SAW LAST WEEK?
MISSY - The Music Tapes shirt was pretty cute...
RAOUL - The appliqued Boyracer t-shirts by Jen...effin' cooler than cool.
ERIC - That Huey Lewis and the News t-shirt at that clothing store across from Little Kings.

THE GRILL, THE GRIT, OR IHOP?
MISSY - Sundaes at IHOP.
RAOUL - Indiepages meet-up at The Grill!
ERIC - I don't know if I can decide. Also, you didn't mention that place where they played Weezer's Blue Album... I forget what it was called. But like I said, IHOP had my favorite meal.

LITTLE KINGS, FLICKER, CALEDONIA, OR 40 WATT?
MISSY - Hanging out with Jo and Andre at Flicker.
RAOUL - Empty anonymous field off of Hancock Avenue.
ERIC - I didn't even go to Flicker or Caledonia. I'll say Little Kings. I'd be excited to play at a Little Kings show if I played a Popfest. The afternoon shows have all the true believers and stalwarts who came from out of town for Popfest.

WHAT THREE BANDS/PERFORMERS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT A POPFEST?
MISSY - The Decemberists, Joanna Newsom, The Monkees.
RAOUL - Beat Happening, BMX Bandits, The Yummy Fur
ERIC - Neutral Milk Hotel, Contraband, and Gemini Cricket.

WHAT WOULD'VE MADE THE PAST WEEK BETTER?
MISSY - Another day off!
RAOUL - More money for records and more time for just hangin' out.
ERIC - Having a girlfriend to spend it with. Also, getting to Athens on Sunday instead of Tuesday night.

WHAT'S SOMETHING ON YOUR TO-DO LIST FOR THIS WEEK?
MISSY - sew plush water/rain drops.
RAOUL - Post about Popfest.
ERIC - I haven't really thought that far. I'm still officially on vacation today, even though I'm back in Cleveland, and I don't want to think about reality right now. I did get the snare drum that I bought from Agora fixed today, though. Yay!

PERSONAL SOUNDTRACK FOR THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Same as always...
RAOUL - Stereolab, The faintest Ideas, The Maulies, The Stool Pigeons, Floozy Drippys, Nixon, Churchbuilder, Elf Power, C.O.C.O, Tummybug, Hot Chip, Prefuse 73, The I Live The Life Of A Movie Star Secret Hide Out, Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can!, Harriet Records comp, Orange Twin Records comp.
ERIC - Most of it was from my long car rides to/from Athens. Let's see... The new Lewis Black album, some Henry Rollins spoken word, Argyle Miss, Bran Van 3000, Titus Andronicus, FannyPack, Atom and His Package, Say Anything, Tree Fort Angst, The Beatles, etc.




(Eric and Missy posing victory-style on a Georgia Bulldog wearing a toga in downtown Athens during Popfest)

Flicker Jamboree

(my FRENCH TOASTS set-up: toy piano, alligator xylophone, and shaky banana)

Hi Everbody!

Finally, here are some photos and video snippets from our show this past wednesday...all this stuff happened on June 25th, 2008 at the FLICKER THEATER & BAR...Missy and I performed as THE FRENCH TOASTS, a band from Long Beach, California called FAMILY TREE shared the stage with us, and lastly, GEMINI CRICKET helped round out the show.

Missy and I got to Flicker a bit after 8:30pm, after hauling our equipment a couple of blocks. Good thing we don't use amps! We set up our instruments on a couple of tables in the middle of the room, shunning the stage (we hardly ever perform on stages if we can help it):


(Missy's FRENCH TOASTS set-up: toy piano, kazoo, xylophone, happy apple, triangle, and alligator xylophone - we have two!)


(Missy talks to our friends, Shelly and Tina, under the watchful eye of R2-D2, who lurks in the corner and scans everybody's brain waves)



After we performed a brief but rousing set, our new favorite live band hit the stage full force with folky sing-alongs and pitch perfect harmonies...this is what you'd get if you K RECORDS and the movie "A MIGHTY WIND":





















Some of the SPILLAGE HOUSE tenants, dressed in splendid headgear, stopped by with a gift for Family Tree - a one-eyed alien/monster thing they made with cardboard and schoolhouse craft supplies:





We bought a cd off the band, and Missy bought a crocheted finger puppet bear. Not only are Family Tree an awesome live band, but they also have awesome merch! Missy hit up Flicker's FREE POPCORN machine between bands, and took pictures of newly-christened JOLLY OLLY BANJO BEAR frolicking in salty-buttery goodness:









Sara performed a little dance with Ian (FAIRMOUNT FAIR, FOLKLORE, NANA GRIZOL, etc.) while Blake ran to the restroom:





Jolly Olly Banjo Bear and his newfound friend (Ian couldn't resist the crochet bears either) on the attack...I don't know what happened next, because the flash on my camera depleted the last bit of energy left in the batteries...

The Getaway Bugs

Missy has just officially released a limited-edition 3" cdr of one of her old bands, THE GETAWAY BUGS, and she has them for sale at her webstore, MISSYKULIK.COM...get 'em while they're hot and in supply, because once they're gone, they're gone for good! The release comes with tons of little inserts and features the following song titles:

Robot Club
Trouble at the Panthenon
Cowboys
Inventions of the March Hair
Hot Chocolate Youth
Sham Rock (Shake!)
Lullabye for Darth Vader
Meeting Steve
Hot Chocolate Youth (version)

Needless to say, the entire package is CUTE. You just gotta have it!...if you just happen to be a fan of Missy's other music projects - TUMMYBUG, SUGAR COOKIE, THE FRENCH TOASTS - then this rare gem definitely needs to be part of your collection. So, wax up your board and surf the no-wave into twee noise oblivion with THE GETAWAY BUGS!...for more information go HERE...

Spills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches

So, Saturday night was our show at THE SPILLAGE HOME FOR WAYWARD YOUTH. To recap, THE FRENCH TOASTS, CAPTAIN #1, CAMP LOOPS, and GEMINI CRICKET, played a "family-friendly" show that featured a potluck and children's art show. Needless to say, if you weren't there, then you missed a really fun show! But lucky for you, I took some pictures, and even a little bit of video...(no French Toasts footage though, sorry!)

When we first got to the SPILLAGE HOUSE, Stacey Marie gave us a tour of the grounds out back, which featured several vegetable gardens, a two-story shack, a trampoline, the remnants of a home-made rollercoaster, and this rope hanging from a tree that used to be a tire swing...Missy was super excited about the rope and climbed it...she did some aerial acrobatics for the few lucky ones who were there to bear witness...









Missy put on a little pre-show show for us:























Afterwards, a few people got on the trampoline. There was a big gash in the fabric, preventing fun-seekers from doing anything too crazy:









Inside the house, there was a lot of art and scribbling on the walls...





Safety message scrawled above the stove:









Some of the childrens' art they had on display:



Sara from Gemini Cricket showed-off her new SPEED RACER bling:



Missy and I set up our instruments then decided to go for a short walk...we walked down the street to FLOWERLAND to take a picture of their sign, and to take pictures in the red British-style phone booth (no idea why it's there)...and then we crossed the street to the DUNKIN' DONUTS-slash-31 FLAVORS so Missy could get an ice cream. I ended up getting some sprinkled strawberry-flavored donuts for the potluck...



Stacey Marie and other Spillage youth hangin' out on the front porch:











After we got sugared up, we played our set...and debuted our cover of "Jimmy Carter Says YES!"...Tim and Jenny of the excellent Captain #1 played afterwards...





Then came Camp Loops, all the from Kent, Ohio...the rocked the house with their unique brand of fractured pop kid-friendly pop:





Gemini Cricket closed the night out with some audience-participation-style fun, including a dance (see video below), and a sing-a-long to THE FACES "Ooh La La" (a.k.a., the song that plays over the closing credits of RUSHMORE):