Solid (Red and) Gold Dancers

I am now completely obsessed with Tusk, Fleetwood Mac's under-appreciated (but music-snob revered) follow-up to Rumors. The title track famously employed the USC Trojans marching band for that extra bit of bombast, and the video (which even appeared on MTV for a time) featured the Mac frolicking at the coliseum with the marching band. Who knew Stevie Nicks could twirl such a mean baton.

Anyway, that's nothing compared to this 1979 Solid Gold clip (with your hosts Dionne Warwick and Glenn Campbell!), wherein the USC marching band shows up to, uh...instrument synch(?) in the studio.

Unfortunately, in classic USC douchebag style, the school has subsequently worn the song into the ground. Not only have they blown their surplus coolness points through years of "guess what we did once" repetition, they've actually managed to render the tune anti-cool by turning the five-note horn build into the part where all the frat boys chant "U-C-L-A Sucks!"

(By the way... Try doing a YouTube search for your alma mater's marching band. The results confirm, once and for all, that Americans have too much free time.)

July 2007 Concert RoundupDown Wit' OPP (Other People's Photos)

Band of Horses @ McCarren Pool, 7/22/07
Thanks to the tireless and obsessive act of self-documentation that is blogging, you can now relive your memories online without ever picking up a camera. As long as you're willing to sacrifice precise perspectives, someone else will undoubtedly provide your memories for you on their site. Sure it sounds like something out of a Philip K. Dick novel, but it's quite useful when you a) have no digital camera of your own, and b) tend to obliterate your actual live-music memories with alcohol.

And so, apropos of nothing, I give you the July 2007 concert recap that you absolutely did not ask for, courtesy (primarily) of other people's cameras.

Bad Art Auction with Zach Galifianakis and Band of Horses
July 10 @ Hiro Ballroom
Photos and coverage courtesy of Pitchfork
This was one hell of a long night, but the BoH set (especially the cover of Ronnie Wood's "Act Together") made it all worthwhile.

Deerhunter
July 11 @ Bowery Ballroom
Photos and coverage courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan
I should note that I totally disagree with their assessment of the show. It was one of the best live performances I've seen in quite some time.

Black Lips @ Siren Festival
July 21 @ Coney Island
Photos and coverage courtesy of Music Snobbery
We basically skipped the other acts at Siren Festival (although we listened to M.I.A.'s set). But these guys almost made up for it. A great show.

Band Of Horses with Oxford Collapse and Annuals
July 22 @ McCarren Pool
Photos and coverage courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan
Dodgeball, beers, sunshine... all in all a great show despite some bad sound during BoH's set. Also, I actually took pictures at this one...

White Stripes
July 24 @ Madison Square Garden
Photos and coverage courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan
Well in this case the images do not reflect my memory of last night at all. Mainly because we were at MSG, and so the band looked very, very small and far away. It was a great show in theory, but I have simply lost the ability to be thrilled by seated arena shows. Without lasers or giant inflatable pigs (or phalluses), it just gets boring. $7.25 beers don't help matters any.

Well this is pretty much jumping the gun, as TV on the Radio is playing at McCarren Pool this Sunday, but it's nearly the end of July. Stay tuned for photos (many, hopefully, my own) and a recap of Lollapalooza. We'll be in Chicago (ostensibly doing a little Lolla liveblogging for AOL Music) August 2–5.

Your Cheatin' Hearrrrt

Is it possible to cheat on yourself? I wrote an "I Friggin' Love This Song" post over at the waaaay more famouser Spinner.com. So technically speaking I am now a blog two-timer. Anyway, go check it out.

(Thanks Dave)

U-S-A! U-S-A!

“OK guys, one more thing, this summer when you’re being inundated with all this American bicentennial Fourth of July brouhaha, don’t forget what you’re celebrating, and that’s the fact that a bunch of slave-owning, aristocratic white males didn’t want to pay their taxes.”

Way back on July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted "The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America," and today we celebrate by getting trashed and blowing stuff up. Which is pretty much the way they did it back then; in 1778, for example, General George Washington observed the anniversary by giving his troops a double ration of rum.

In honor of this great occasion, *bitter defeat* presents a selection of links that may remind you of what's really at stake when we celebrate our nation's founding principles.

The Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution, ratified in December of 1791

The USA Patriot Act
A document whose name would be utterly hilarious if it weren't so goddamn terrifying

"Imagine a Country"
On the growing disparity between the haves and the have-nots

But it's not all bad news. If you ever wonder why we even bother, this might help restore your faith.

Finally, in honor of the annual July 4 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, here is some unbelievable Takeru Kobayashi hot(dog)ness...

Kobayashi Vs. Giant Bear

Kobayashi makes a little girl cry

Kobayashi head in toilet

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

**UPDATE**
Not enough patriotism for you? Enjoy The DL's Star-Spangled Mashup.