February 28, 2008

Just A Fire - Graduation
Sugarhill Downtown Orchestra - Shin Shin Shin
Rx Bandits - To Our Unborn Daughters
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The Cherry Tempo - Cue The Light Brigade
Maritime - For Science Fiction
The Weakerthans - Aside
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Geography
Silkworm - Waiting on a Train
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Superdrag - Slot Machine / Phaser
Track Star - No Big Deal
Sambomaster - Sono Nukumori ni you ga aru
Robert Pollard - Our Gaze
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Cass Mccombs - Pregnant Pause
Good Night - Brights
Fruit Bats - Canyon Girl
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Son Ambulance - An Instant Birth
The Whitsundays - I Want It All
Ging Nang Boyz - Seishun Jidai
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Underground Railroad to Candyland - Over and O'er
The Odd Numbers - Apeman
Screeching Weasel - My Brain Hurts
The Blue Hearts - Mirai wa Bokura no Te no Naka
The Lawrence Arms - Quincentuple Your Money
Jawbreaker - Chesterfield King
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Andrew Jackson Jihad - Let Us Get Murdered
Mr. T Experience - I Don't Need You Now
Mu330 - 32 cents
Supergrass - Mansize Rooster
Polyics - I My Me Mine
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Sparta Locals - Hotaru
Cap'n Jazz - Little League

It's time for recess

February 21, 2008

Dillinger Four - ¡¡NOBLE STABBINGS!!
Alkaline Trio - For Your Lungs Only
Going Steady - Kakenukete Seishun
Superchunk - Her Royal Fisticuffs
Against Me - Cliche Guevara
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Polysics - XCT
Operation Ivy - The Crowd
Crimpshrine - Summertime
Weezer - The Good Life
Smoking Popes - Gotta Know Right Now
Jawbreaker - Do You Still Hate Me?
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Jets To Brazil - You're The One That I Want
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Swimming Pools
Husker Du - Chartered Trips
Boilermaker - Sunset Ridge
Unwound - Look A Ghost
Just A Fire - Hot Export
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Go!Go!7188 - Ukifune
J-Church - No Jazz
Pixies - The Holiday Song
Modest Mouse - Trailer Trash
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The Odd Numbers - High Alert
Track Star - This Is Number Forty Two
Unicorns - Tuff Ghost
Archers of Loaf - Web In Front
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Enon - Pleasure & Privilege
Ultras - Magic Wand
Fruity - Cinderella Boy
Frank Black - Thalassocracy
Touch My Rash - Wasting Life
Dr. Frank - She Turned Out To Be Crazy
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Maritime - Guns of Navarone
Billy Bragg - A New England
Band of Horses - Islands on the Coast
The Mae Shi - Lamb & Lion
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The Weakerthans - Left & Leaving (live)
Colossal - Human Jackson

Batman: Gotham Knight Trailer

Japantown

Having worked in San Jose's Japantown for over 3 years now, I've seen the area change so much. When I first started working here, my shop was getting steady foot traffic, holiday-time was out of control busy, and I quickly assumed that this was the norm. Well, it was the norm up until that point, but things went downhill fast! Our busy days now are like our normal days were back then. The internet has made consumers more savvy (or lazy), trendy shops like Maido in Santana Row draw away our casual customers, and, in general, there are FEW areas in San Jose conducive to leisurely walking and windowshopping. Certainly, Japantown's mere 2 blocks don't contain enough draw to bring out that many walkers and shoppers.

Soon enough, Dobashi, a decades-old family run market, closed. 2 storefronts across the street from Bamboo 7 remained empty for months on end. And, as usual, the old Nishioka Bros. building (pictured above) remained condemned and subject to repeated vandalism.

There was a ray of hope when it was announced that Nijiya, a small Japanese market chain, would be moving into the old Dobashi location. Nijiya has, in fact, done quite well for itself, but the extra foot traffic the rest of the neighborhood received last only a few weeks, and now all of the Nijiya-goers seem to make a beeline for Nijiya and don't wander the rest of J-town's 2 blocks.

It was announced last month that Soko Hardware would be closing down. It was sad to see another one of the old neighborhood staples close up, but the sad fact is that they can't compete with the big chain stores. These comments on yelp about Soko's poor selection don't necessarily reflect Soko's actually poor selection, as much as they do the fact that isn't financially feasible for a mom 'n' pop shop to compete with the big boys anymore.


Now the old city maintenance yard on 6th street has been demolished, and rumor has it that it's going to be replaced with a large housing development (13 stories or something?). I really hope that it's some sort of mixed residential/commercial space, because that would bring a lot of great foot traffic to the area.

PINHEAD GUNPOWDER!

My G's over at SILVER SPROCKET went to the Pinhead Gunpowder show at 924 Gilman on Sunday! NIIIIIIIIICE!

You can read all about it HERE.

February 14, 2007

Screeching Weasel - The Science of Myth
Toys That Kill - Safe & Warm
Hot Snakes - LAX
Scared of Chaka - Japan
Shonen Knife - Watchin' Girl
Slow Gherkin - He's Gotta Go
The Odd Numbers - High Alert
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Touch My Rash - Single By Choice
Dillinger 4 - Fuzzy Pink Hand-Cuffs
Alkaline Trio - Goodbye Forever
Hot Water Music - The Bitter End
Jimmy Eat World - A Praise of Chorus
Going Steady - My Soulful Heartbeat Makes Me Sing My Soul Music
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The Aquabats - Red Sweater
Los Rudiments - Pounce!
Polysics - My Sharona
Babyshambles - You Talk
Buck 65 - Lipstick
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Coconut Coolouts - 32 Wives
Archers of Loaf - Web in Front
Folk Implosion - Cold Night
Track Star - The One We Play
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Travel
Jawbreaker - Do You Still Hate Me?
J-Church - Never Happy
Selby Tigers - Pee Wee Hockey
The Advantage - Castlevania III: Boss Music/Willow: Village/Megaman II: Bubble Man
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Band of Horses - Islands on the Coast
The Unicorns - Ready to Die
Skankin' Pickle - Thick Ass Stout
Just A Fire - Graduation
Toots & The Maytals - Pressure Drop
Justin Hines - The Higher the Monkey Climbs
Pizzicato Five - Such A Beautiful Girl Like You
Bonnie Prince Billy - Kelly
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7 Seconds - 99 Red Balloons
Pinhead Gunpowder - 2nd Street
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Timorous Me
Pizzicato Five - Goodbye Baby & Amen

GAH!!!

Thinking about it, I've decided that this blog is total garbage! Aside from the playlists, I rarely post anything of any worth. Everything I write is just a blurb about things that I'm sure have been covered with more depth elsewhere. Maintaining a blog loosely centered around pop-culture is pointless when I'm too busy/apathetic to even take in any of said pop-culture! This blog is just one of many endeavours splitting my time and coming out half-assed.

Having said all this, I'm not planning on scrapping this blog at all, but I really want to write more about the things that I think about and see everyday. I want to write about the goofy, smiling lady with her mouth agape at the gas station, and how happy she looked. I want to write about the stern old man who comes in to my work once a week and surveys the videos on the shelves with little interest, and how unconformtable it made me when he kept punching his leg arhythmically today. I want to write about the big open field on Branham Lane that has remained through my 20 years in San Jose while every other patch of open space and farmland has been developed into a strip mall or apartment complex. I want to write about the city maintenance yard in Japantown that was torn down last week, and how I can now see the cargo trains pass by through the space it once occupied.

I can't offer you any tidbits of worth when it comes to pop-culture, but I can offer you a glimpse into my boring life in San Jose. And, even if it's boring, I think it's really sweet in a way, and that there's great things about everyday life here.

Rambeaux

I read another article that quoted Stallone again talking about how much he loved human growth hormone. While it may make you feel young again, good sir, you look like your face is made out of clay now, dude!!!

Anyway, action movies are fun to a certain point, until the 'roided up protagonist takes it into real life too much...

February 7, 2008

Underground Railroad to Candyland - Yuppie Hip Hop Ad
Derangements - In the Car
Fugazi - Epic Problem
Alkaline Trio - A Message From Kathlene
The Weakerthans - Watermark
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Cap'n Jazz - Basil's Kite
Eastern Youth - Bura Bura Bushi
Cass McCombs - Pregnant Pause
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Polysics - I My Me Mine
My Korean Friends - Turtle Tax
The Thermals - A Passing Feeling
Robert Pollard - Here Comes Garcia
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Track Star - Pretty Close To Nothing
Maritime - Calm
Stephen Malkmus - Mama
Band of Horses - Islands on the Coast
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Modest Mouse - All Nite Diner
Unicorns - I Don't Wanna Die
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Swimming Pools
Saturday Looks Good to Me - Money in the Afterlife
Ging Nang Boyz - I Don't Wanna Die
The Dismemberment Plan - Girl O'Clock
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The Buzzcocks - Harmony In My Head
Green Day - Jar
Afrirampo - Afrirampo
Mega City Four - Start
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Jawbreaker - Shield Your Eyes
Supergrass - I'd To Like To Know
Babyshambles - You Talk
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - The Great Communicator
The Minutemen - #1 Hit Song
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Built To Spill - Some
Sambomaster - Sekai wa Sore wo Ai to Yobundaze


Tonight's Background Music:
Blockhead - Trailer Love
Blockhead - Cheer Up You're Not Dead Yet
Your Song Is Good - Shortcake