June of 2005

I got kind of lazy for the end of May, I went to Caribou but skipped Autechre the next evening and failed to see the Dresden Dolls three days in a row - two opening for NIN (I missed tickets going on sale and they were gone quite quick... and scalpage was around $100 each) followed by a headlining date with ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead and the (International) Noise Conspiracy opening. I don't care for the Dolls I've heard (most if not all of the album a couple different times scattered over a few months, all on Rhapsody) but they're supposed to be quite entertaining live. If I were to go to any of those shows, though, it would've been for the couplings.

At any rate June should be busier:

• June 6: Of Montreal; Tilly & the Wall; Peachcake @ the Rhythm Room - I actually have a ticket for this show. This isn't nearly as shocking as the fact that I had a ticket for the Caribou show. I have never had a ticket for a show at the Modified (capacity ~150, I've only shown up and found it sold out once, circa February 2004 for Iron & Wine.)
• June 11: either Colorstore @ Paper Heart (with Asleep in the Sea; Rum Tenor and others) or the Stiletto Formal @ the Clubhouse (Greeley Estates pre-Warped Tour kickoff show)... I don't know, I haven't seen Colorstore since December but it'll be a while before I'll be able to see the Stiletto Formal again.
• June 12: Porcupine Tree @ Arizona Beach Club (nee Club Rio) - I really don't know their music but my friends do and are going so I'm considering it.
• June 16: Colorstore with Goodbye Blue Monday @ Emerald Lounge. Wow, it just hit me that it doesn't matter that I no longer work my late schedule (10:30am-7pm) because I'm taking the 17th off! I was going to comment that I probably would not be able to make this show... but it's free and all I need to do the 17th is make Hollywood by around 7pm.
  
• June 17: Electrelane @ Troubadour (Hollywood) - I drove to Tucson on a Friday last September, this Friday show is a bit of a longer drive away. Axes, however, is just fantastic.
• June 18: Bad Religion @ House of Blues (Hollywood) - Last Chance to See! An alternative would be the cheaper Go-Betweens show... but I don't know them as well. I also might opt for something else entirely, I like BR live but I don't need to go to the show.
• June 19: Dressy Bessy @ Modified - I do, however, need to go to this show.
• June 23: Enon @ Modified - I didn't go last time around, this time... I dunno. I very easily could be ready for a break. I'm sure it'd be a great show, though.
• June 24: Colorstore @ the Trunk Space - I've not been to this venue... OK, it is a Grand Avenue performace space/gallery... likely in the vein of the Paper Heart (see June 11)
• June 25: Architechture in Helsinki @ Modified - I've heard some of their stuff via Rhapsody... and when it's good it's very good. I can this show as being very fun.
• June 28: Mountain Goats @ Modified - I first saw Colorstore at Darnielle's last show at Modified back in 2003. That was a fantastic show.
• June 29: Rogue Wave; Helio Sequence @ Modified - A distinct possiblity. I really liked Helio Sequence live the last time I saw them but decided that I wouldn't enjoy them on CD; I didn't take much notice of Rogue Wave last time I saw them (Mates of State headlined but Rogue Wave and Hawnay Troof got there late so Rogue Wave ended up playing last) but I've been taking notice of Out of the Shadow.

12 shows in a month would easily be a record for me but it would put me back on track for the year as the tally so far is a mere 15 (a festival is counted once each day, thus Coachella counted as 2 shows, the New Times Music Fest as 1.) I'm not counting Mars Volta (06/07) either of the Bright Eyes/Faint shows (06/08 & 06/09), Crystal Method (06/10), Kasabian (06/12), Hot Hot Heat (06/17, conflict) or Warped Tour (06/29, conflict)... mainly because while these shows might get the greenlight during a down month hitting 17 shows is not something I could manage.

July will be a lighter month, partially because I'm flying to Michigan to visit family and attend a wedding in Ohio. As a sidenote I'm not sure I should use the phrase "flying to Michigan" because the flying might be done to Chicago and then from Cleveland as this would save (at currently quoted prices) $60 in airline prices and around 150 miles of driving at the back end.

Oh, and the reason I started this, the only show July has schedule thus far is Scout Niblett @ Stinkweeds (Tempe location, unfortunately.)

Looking out further Coldplay, Oasis and the White Stripes are all coming... I may be able to justify the ticket price for the latter. Oh, and, somewhere around that time is Bumbershoot which I want to make it up for... but we'll see. I don't know if I'll be able to swing Michigan and Seattle in the same year.