Weekend catch-up

OK, sorry for the short post, but I'm playing catch-up from the weekend. Joe Swank & the Zen Pirates (above), and The Cartridge Family, both put on good shows Saturday night at Slim's. The highlight of the evening was when Cartridge Family's Greg Rice sat in with Joe Swank for a few songs. The first two videos are from that pairing. First is a cover of Lynn Blakey's “Slip So Easily (The Beauty of 23)” and the second is “I Killed All My Friends Last Night” by Dave Schultz. The third video is Cartridge Family's "So Much". See more photos here.

Cartridge Family CD-release

I've been enjoying The Cartridge Family's "Shine Like a Bottle" for a while now. Now the band will have their official CD-release party tomorrow night at Sadlack's. In case you're not aware, shows at Sad's are typically early (7:30-ish), which means you can head down to Slim's afterward to see Richard Bacchus & the Luckiest Girls. Check out "So Much", which is my favorite song off of "Shine Like a Bottle".

Cartridge Family at Sadlack's

Last night I braved the cold, and Tony's dancing, to go see the Cartridge Family at Sadlack's. Check out the video below of "Party at My House" and "So Much," the first two songs from their new CD. The big event of the evening (no offense to the band) was that someone was giving away cans of Sparks. I'm not sure if it was Sadlack's proper doing the giveaway or if it was just a random box someone found. As one of the few people who absolutely loves Sparks, I hope this becomes a trend.

Short and sweet

OK, I'm a little behind here, so I'm basically going to put these movies up without comment. Friday, I caught a fully functional Cartridge Family (above) at Sadlack's before heading to the bikerfest downtown. Actually I went to see Kenny Roby and The Houstons, but since the bikerfest was happening at the same time, I actually saw part of Great White too. All I can say is Jack Russell is actually looking a lot better these days.



(Cartridge Family)



(Kenny Roby's Mercy Filter)

"Pneumonia" at the Carolina Rollergirls benefit

OK, so my intention was to go to the Carolina Rollergirls benefit yesterday at Sadlack's and FINALLY get some footage of The Cartridge Family. But as it turned out, their bass player, C.J., was out of commission with a combination appendicitis and pneumonia. My mother had to have an emergency appendectomy last year, and all I have to say about that is, it really, really, really sucked. Not my most eloquent description, but to the point. Mom would agree. Anyway, pianist Greg Rice took over the bass playing duties for the show, and after one practice earlier that day, they were good to go, and performed under the name "Pneumonia." Greg claims he's never played bass before, which I just don't believe. Surely, during his years as a musician, he's picked up a bass somewhere and jammed with someone. If not, then he's got a mighty impressive knack for it. What he can't do, though, is compete with Joe's rock face in this second photo. In fact it even looks like Greg is turned away in shame, knowing he can't feel the rock the way Joe is doing right here: I should note that this video is particularly strange because I just couldn't find a good spot. When I stood near Joe, the light was in my eyes. When I walked over near Greg, some dude started juggling beside me, which freaked me out. So enjoy the perspective on this one; it's like being everywhere at once. (Video removed)