'yeah i was out of touch, but it wasn't because i didn't know enough...'

Went to Bar Nine the other night to see friend Josh's new band's first show. Big Hands. A Violent Femmes cover band. With a ukelele. They were pretty great, despite the fact that the whole thing made me feel kind of old: apparently many of the young whippersnappers in the crowd barely knew of the Violent Femmes, let alone of their oh so awesome music.

Got home and found the above Gnarls Barkley cover which I love (though this actual Gnarls Barkley version isn't bad, either. I first heard this song while driving around the south island of New Zealand back in July of '06 whilst trying to find a decent radio station. It got played a lot that summer on New Zealand radio, and I was convinced it was a newly-popular song from the 1970s. It wasn't till I got home and mentioned this cool old song I'd heard while traveling that Nick burst out laughing and set me straight.)

A few more Violent Femmes gems: Blister in the Sun, Gimme the Car, Add it Up, Kiss Off, and of course American Music.

That evening out on the town watching Josh's band also ended with me frantically looking through my CD collection for a Circus Clone Records sampler I got at a show back in '03, because of its frighteningly good (if somewhat melodramatic) post-femmes Gordon Gano ditty, Under the Sun. (This compilation also included the wonderful Vic Thrill's Hummingbird Pneumonia,