The Uglysuit - 11/21/08 - Hague, Netherlands (Crossing Borders Festival)
Ah, Holland. Snow? Below 78 degrees? Blizzard? Great times? That’s right, all of the above!... read more
Calexico - 11/15/08 - Tarrytown, NY
A beautiful day on Main Street. Kids pour out of the Music Hall from a matinee production of Grease. The sun is shining, parents are with kids, there's lots of little shops and cafes up and down the block; but still in the back of my mind I know the ghost of the headless horseman is gearing up for a ride through nearby Sleepy Hollow tonight. He was a Hessian solider after all...I wonder if Martin and Volker know the story? ... read more
Calexico - 11/14/08 - Philadelphia, PA
There's a strange light that shines down on South Street Philly. ... read more
Calexico - 11/13/08 - Washington, DC
We wake up to a cold grey morning outside XM radio studios. Everyone in the band and crew works on auto pilot to load in, set up and sound check for the Loft session. ... read more
The Uglysuit - 11/18/08 - Cologne, Germany
And here we are. We had an off day today. Met a very nice Irish boy named Mark today who showed us around Cologne.... read more
Calexico - 11/11-12/08 - Carrboro, NC
A day off in a fine town. ... read more
Calexico - 11/10/08 - Nashville, TN
Been listening to and loving Nigeria Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-sounds and Nigerian Blues 1970-6 on Soundway.... read more
Calexico - 11/9/08 - St. Louis, MO
I wake up to a grey sky. Coffee helps kick start the day. I head for the local record store for warmth. Vintage Vinyl is a mecca for all things music/film/vinyl. There's a dog inside to greet me who's lost and looking for its owner. The local working behind the counter assures me that they're taking care until the dog is reunited with the home base. There's a celtic rainbow collar that makes me suggest asking the headshop next door if any customers lost a dog. I immediately start missing home and hanging out with Nova and my two... read more
The Uglysuit - 11/17/08 - Cologne, Germany
Currently listening to: The Triplets of Belleville soundtrack by Benoit Charest Hello from Cologne, folks. It is your resident pianist and journalist extraordinaire, Jonny. We just arrived in Cologne, Germany about two hours ago. About to eat some delicious food. Kyle, Israel and I are playing an acoustic set tonight in support of The Swell Season, whom we are all huge fans of. Meeting two people who won Oscars is very cool.... read more
Calexico - 11/8/08 - Dallas, TX
Still riding on the afterglow of Austin and the presidential and local elections. Sun is out and there's an autumn wind with a slight chill. We're heading straight North and into November cold season. The Weather Channel says there's unusually warm temperatures in the East. I'm hoping they linger a while as we move in that direction.... read more
The Uglysuit - 11/17/08 - Munich, Germany
Greetings from Berlin! Jonny here again. We just got off stage in support of Okkervil River.... read more
Calexico - 11/7/08 - Austin, TX
Austin feels like Tucson. Sister cities of some kind. We meet the rest of the band and crew. Everyone is in good spirits and well-rested. Lots of radio outings today: KUT and KGSR. Two great stations in one town. Not fair. Antone's is well worn and drips with soul, sweat and a massive spread of BBQ from Kreuz Market in Lockhart, TX.... read more
The Uglysuit - 11/14/08 - Milan, Italy
Currently listening to: Dandelion Gum [extended version] by Black Moth Super Rainbow Hello to anyone who cares enough to be reading this! This is Jonathan from the Uglysuit. As you may all know, we are in Europe for a few weeks on tour. And on my down time I will try to keep the few of you who care updated on how life is treating us here. We flew into Milan a few days ago and played a show here last night. Italy is absolutely beautiful and as none of us have ever been here, we have been trying to... read more
Calexico - 11/6/08 - Marfa, TX
Three of us on a big ass bus. Jason double checks to see if we really wanna go to Marfa. We nod in unison..."mmh hmm." Hours wiz by and we land smoothly and safely right outside the Thunderbird Motel. The front desk clerk, Kaki, rents us some bikes to tool around town. Old cruisers that take to the wide open road like a pair of new Converse on a hot summer day. Jacob and I meet a couple on similar bikes. We look like the only inhabitants on the city streets. Cars, tractors, trucks pass by. No one does a... read more
Calexico - Riding bikes in Marfa, TX
... read more
Calexico - 11/6/08 - Tucson, AZ
Jason calls and says he'll be a little late picking us up. He had to take care of a few last minute things before heading out of town. He arrives in a late '90's Prevost bus complete with what he describes as "cheesy" decor. He seems to be in a good mood. His accent places him somewhere between Texas and Saskatchewan. Turns out he's born and raised in Regina and spent a few years in Austin, Texas. He's wondering why there's only three of us and no one to help load our gear.... read more
Calexico - 11/4/08 - Cave Creek, AZ
Bus driver Jason Yakel is at a bar and receives an unexpected call from Calexico tour manager, Joe Puleo. Jason answers a little confused and a little buzzed, "I just got off the road with Death Cab For Cutie and I'm scheduled to pick up Calexico tomorrow?!"Joe replies, "If that's cool with you." [the phone goes dead for 30 seconds] Jason asks, "Can I call you right back?" ... read more
In which Birdmonster applauds America, shames California, and goes to Hooters. Everybody wins
Well done, America. A few months ago, you had me worried. Despite the selection of an aggressively ignorant rube as his running mate, Jowls McCain was leading in many major polls and I left for tour fearing unmitigated badness. However, our economy, a leaning Jenga tower when we departed, kept swaying, swayed further, and, while it didn't quite topple, the financial atmosphere last week felt like that Jenga tower but after somebody let a toddler high on Vault Cola and Pixie Stix into the room. Which is to say: precarious. ... read more
In which Birdmonster returns to Canada, or at least its border. Then the suckiness begins
Amongst the record-defying majesty of dolphinboy, the pre-prepubescent gymnasts of the host nation, and the perfunctory ass-whoopings of American Basketball, I rediscovered my fondness for the Olympics this past summer. There's something incredibly fascinating about the fittest people from every cranny of the globe competing in events as patently bogus as trampolining. And, like many people, I found myself not only rooting for my home nation but for plucky athletes from Monaco, Guam, and unpronounceable former-Soviet Republics. That, I think, is what the Olympics are supposed to be about: spirited competition on the one hand, global tolerance and unity and... read more
In which Birdmonster trades in Georgia, plays in Florida, and now is wallowing in a smelly smellhole in Loisianna
There's something off-putting about seeing a man drink while he's behind the wheel of a truck. It's like watching somebody build a home without blueprints or eat a bran muffin on the toilet: it's not just ignorant, it's aggressively idiotic. ... read more
The 50 Best Movies on Netflix Instant
The 25 Best Movies of 2012 (So…
The 50 Best Movies of 2011
The 30 Best TV Shows on Netflix…
The 50 Best Movies of the Decade…
