A Couple of Things: Guest Post, Pics

Have I Mentioned...?

Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram. So many outlets. So many different ways to get your CoolDad Music fix. I encourage you to use what works, though, my intent has always been for this to be the authoritative source right here.

With that in mind, I wanted to bring a couple of things that I may have shared via Facebook, Twitter, etc. over here to the blog.

Guest post over at United By Rocket Science. Blogger, photographer, fellow music lover, vinyl collector, and all-around nice guy James Damion asked me to do a guest review at the United By Rocket Science blog. I was flattered and more than happy to oblige. And since the record was the excellent Sighs by Jersey City's Overlake, the invitation gave me the motivation I needed to get on something that had been on my list for a while.

Make sure you check out United By Rocket Science regularly. We overlap a bit but not too much, and they often help me discover new stuff.

Built To Spill / The Warm Hair pics. I posted links to the Flickr galleries from Saturday's Built To Spill show at The Stone Pony.

Back in 2012, CoolMom and I got to see Built To Spill at the Wonder Bar. Saturday's show was, obviously, less intimate, starting with the guy who walked into The Stone Pony and clapped in my face
while screaming, "Built To Spiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllll!!!!" long before any music had even started; but Martsch and Co. played through a solid setlist that included classics like "Big Dipper," "Carry the Zero," "You Were Right," "Untrustable, Pt. 2," "The Plan," and "I Would Hurt a Fly" and some great covers ("Jokerman," "8 Miles High," "(Don't Fear) The Reaper").

Like last time, other than Martsch's "Awww, Thanks," there was minimal conversation with the crowd. Martsch and the band, it would appear, prefer to let the music do the talking. Even as I stood there squashed in a nearly sold-out Stone Pony, that was fine by me.

Openers The Warm Hair did a jammy set that could have come from about 1972 -- lots of false endings and extended guitar jams. BTS guitarist Brett Netson joined the band for a song or two. The indie rock crowd were confused initially, but ended up being very hospitable. Most people seemed to get pretty into it eventually. Warm Hair frontman Freebird praised Asbury Park several times calling it "pretty cool" and referring to the city as "BOSStralia." Doug Martsch stood at my shoulder recording the whole set on his point and shoot. Naturally, I never worked up the nerve to say anything to him.

I brought my own point and shoot, wanting something I could stuff into my pocket and not being really clear on the Stone Pony's interchangeable lens policy. The difference between those shots and shots with the new cam is pretty obvious, but that Panasonic LX7 does a pretty nice job for what it is.

So check both of those things out if you're interested. And like, follow, share, tell your friends, etc. if you feel compelled.

Thanks.