ratatat Blog and Journals

1. Odwalla Pomagranate Limeaide.
You wouldn't think that combination sounds good, but it's amazing! It's the perfect balance between tart and sweet. Mmmmm.

2. Wheatgrass Shots in my Calijuice smoothie.
The kid who made my smoothie today looked at me crazy because I got 4oz. He was like that sounds so disgusting! I told him don't knock it til' you've tried it. The only gross thing is that it makes my smoothie all gweeeen.

3. Kid Cudi and Ratatat
All day, everyday.

4. Chillin'
These past couple days have been non-stop back to back to back. I still have a lot of stuff to do but for tonight I'm taking it easy.

 

Life is getting pretty crazy at the moment. I'm trying to keep up with school, and my manager is for some reason scheduleing me pretty much full time at Caribou, which leaves no days available to work at Journey's. I'm going to start volunteering for Junior Achievement soon. I have a meeting on Tuesday to talk about what I can do.

We'll I'm going to go back to doing nothing.
Hope your weekend is going well, have a nice Monday.

-Jen

Chapter 3: Blank Slate

*Chris's POV*

When I got home that afternoon, I walked in the front door. "Hey Mom," I called.

"Oh, hey honey." My mom called from the kitchen.

I dumped my book bag on the steps to the second floor and walked into the kitchen.

"How was your day?" she asked, wiping off the counter.

"Good." I said, washing my hands, taking an apple and sitting down with it.

"Make any friends?"

"Yeah, a couple" I thought of Brittany and all her friends that had welcomed me into their group. I smiled.

"That's great." My mom looked over at me "You seem happy. What is it?"

"So it's a crime to be happy? I had a good day that's all."

"I'm glad you're happy. Do you have homework?"

"Some."

"Then you better get it done. You want to start out fresh, okay?"

"Sure." I started walking towards the steps, but I thought of something and called into the kitchen, "I think I might try out for the tennis team. Is that alright?"

My mom looked surprised. "You haven't played in a long time."

"I know, but, now I have friends on a team."

"I'm not stopping you, If that's what you want, go ahead." she smiled

"Sweet, thanks. And I'm gonna hang out with some friends later on...is that alright?" I asked.

"Sure, Christofer. As long as you do your homework and don't get into trouble." she gave me a knowing look.

"I won't, I promise." I walked upstairs to do my homework. My cell phone vibrated in my pocket:

 

New Txt Msg:

BrittanyIsSoMuchCoolerThanYouWishYouCouldBe:

Hey darlin'! Are we still gonna hang out 2nite?

 

I laughed and texted back:

 

Fur Shur!

 

He response came a moment later

 

BrittanyIsSoMuchCoolerThanYouWishYouCouldBe:

See you then, sweetie!

 

I smiled to myself and got back to my homework.

---

Short, I know. But I will be hopefully double posting tonight- OMG! lol. I just wanted to make sure I was posting something for you guys. If not, then definitely a chap later tomorrow. This week has been busy.

I changed the font b/c I just didn't like it Arial...haha

Something to point out about this story is that I've decided this is the piont in Christofer's life where he was pretty unhappy until now, since he's meeting all these people who accept him and he starts to become himself again... :)

I've been listening to Kid Cudi's amazing-tastic new song with Ratatat and MGMT...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyoJW12zpDY&feature=related

Listen to it, I swear. It's great and I usually hate rap. The lyrics are great and the sound of it is just...really cool and twisted sounding... I don't know how to describe it. Just listen to it and drop me a note or send me a message or whatever telling me what you think about the song...and the chapter of course.

Comment, Buzz, Exc...

xoxo

You know you love me,

 Gossip Girl

Just kidding! :)

xoxo

Mia ;D

UPFRONT featuring RATATAT: A JUNK MUSIC PROJECT

New York's rock-meets-electronica duo Ratatat, features multi-instrumentalist / programmer, Evan Mast and guitarist, Mike Stroud. Mast is also the brains behind the pretty laptop pop of E*vax, and with his brother E*Rock he runs the indie electronic label Audio Dregs. Stroud has also played, in the studio and on tour, with artists including Ben Kweller and Dashboard Confessional.

Between these duties (and Mast's job as a graphic designer), the duo found time to work on their collaboration. Mast worked beats and song ideas in his bedroom studio, which he gave to Stroud to develop while the guitarist was on the road. Though Mast and Stroud began working together in 2001, things began to really come together for the pair in 2003: in May, while they were still called Cherry, they played their first gig; by September they changed their name to Ratatat; and that November they issued their first single on Audio Dregs, which had a limited run of 1,100 copies. Dates with Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, and Battles followed, and Ratatat signed to XL Records.

The duo's self-titled debut album arrived in spring 2004, coinciding with another round of dates with bands including !!!, Electrelane, and Tortoise. Classics appeared in 2006, followed by a self-released remix album. Ratatat then took a different approach to their third full-length effort, emphasizing live percussion and keyboards while toning down their familiar mix of programmed beats and guitars. Recorded in several short weeks, LP3 was released in July 2008. The albums RATATAT, CLASSICS & LP3 are all available on XL Records.

Event Details

Date: 28^th May 2009, Thursday
Time: 8pm
Venue: ZOUK CLUB KL, 113 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

ADMISSION:

• RM75 at the door
• RM60 advance bookings (send your full details, IC & contact info to ticketing@junkonline.net)
• RM78 special package (Ratatat + KLue Urbanscapes 2009 (www.urbanscapes.com.my) tickets) at the door.

One free Heineken with entry, while stocks last only.

21-years-and-above only. Club rules apply.

Check out the UPFRONT FEAT. RATATAT (US) AFTERPARTY @ Barsonic at 10.30pm. Free admission for guests to the Ratatat show.

I would say that in 2008 most everyone can find themselves guilty (or not guilty) for embracing at least one of these common musical trends:
- Okaying of the electronic dance music outside of the rave (Justice, Ratatat).
- Accepting more pop and mainstream rap into our homes (Lil Wayne, Lady GaGa).
- Discovering the indie talent on tour with one of your favorite bands (Paper Route, The Ting Tings).
- Finding disappointment in the the emo-ish winey sounds that used to make you somehow happy (Fall Out Boy).

Trends are a good thing, because it means we can always expect something new and this something new might just accommodate the needs and desires for our short attention span. You still with me?

As anyone that follows me on Twitter or Facebook can attest, I go out a lot. And by "a lot," I mean "I probably see 3-5 shows per week—every week." If I had to venture a guess, I've probably seen at least 200 shows this year, especially if you factor in South By Southwest. Now that bands are taking a break from the road and there aren't as many shows to go see, I'm ready to talk about the 10 best I saw this year. To be totally honest, this is pretty much off the top of my head, with a little help from someone who was at nearly every show I was. I need to keep better track of the shows I see. Most of the time I just dump the ticket stub in my stub drawer. —Brad Barrish, Buzznet head of artist and label relations, whatevernevermind

10. Ratatat at The Henry Fonda Theatre on 09/09/08
I think I've finally figured out how to get an L.A. audience to take their hands out of the pockets and move a little. Play music that makes people want to move. The most memorable shows are the ones where I look around and think, "Now, this is how it's supposed to be!" There wasn't a dry shirt in the house after this show. Ratatat is unique in that their songs don't have lyrics and it's a guitarist, a bassist and a keyboardist on stage. I definitely moved more at this show than any other. Ratatat never put on a boring show.



9. Bridge School Benefit at Shoreline Amphitheatre on 10/25/08
I've been going to The Bridge School Benefit for six years now and it's always one of the highlights of my year. Aside from being an important charity, there's something very different about this show. Maybe it has something to do with being at Shoreline, but more than anything it's the kids and families that The Bridge School helps. Of course seeing Neil Young is always amazing too. Every year Neil and Peggy Young put on a special show where incredible artists and bands play acoustic. I've seen everyone from Brian Wilson to The Foo Fighters to Tenacious D to James Taylor to Jerry Lee Lewis. This year's lineup wasn't as interesting as I would have liked, but Band Of Horses, Cat Power and Wilco all played impressive sets. Even with a less-than-stellar lineup, Bridge is always one of the best all-around experiences.



8. The Cure at The Troubadour on 12/13/08
For nearly three hours, I watched The Cure play music from their entire career. It was definitely one of the best shows I'd ever seen. I have to confess to not being the biggest Cure fan in the world, but i couldn't help but enjoy it. Why fight it, right? I think any one of the lucky few that got to see this would agree that the last third of the show was probably the best. The encores were the highlight for me. Seeing the band play "Why Can't I Be You," "Boys Don't Cry," "10:15 Saturday Night" and closing out with "Killing An Arab" was amazing. Perhaps the second best thing was watching Robert Smith interact and converse with the likes of Davey Havoc, Jared Leto and others after the show. I even heard someone from MySpace called it the best Secret Show they ever did.



7. Kid Cudi at Cinespace on 09/30/08
Hip-hop usually can't keep my attention in a live setting. Perhaps I just go to the wrong shows. I wasn't really expecting a lot from Kid Cudi, but I stayed around until nearly 1am to see him play. As far a hype goes, there's tons of it around this kid and his mixtape is at the top of the heap as far as I'm concerned. He mixes rock rhythms and wicked synths with smart rhymes and incredible MC skills that bring some much-needed freshness to hip-hop music. He was a little sick for this show, but that didn't stop him and the crowd from going completely nuts. If you didn't hear about him this year, you will definitely hear about him next year.



6. Deerhunter at The El Rey Theatre on 11/25/08
I'm not a Bradford Cox fanatic, but you wouldn't know it by looking at my top albums and shows of the year. His bands appear 3 times. When Deerhunter played The El Rey, I loaded up the culmination of all my appreciation and brought it to the show. I parked myself right behind the soundboard and watched and listened to one of the most talented artists in indie rock play an intense set. Noisy guitar rock has always been my comfort music and this was a show at which I felt completely at home.



5. The Walkmen at The Troubadour on 08/22/08
It had been four years since The Walkmen put out a good record. I didn't see them at all when they were touring on A Hundred Miles Off. Boy, was that a fitting title. But, I digress. They made it all up to me and then some with their latest album, You & Me (one of the best albums of 2008). The first shows they played were small clubs and this Troubadour show was one of those shows where I heard myself say "wow" outloud a few times. I can't put my finger on why I am so fond of this band. Maybe it's the raw emotion that Hamilton [Leithauser, vocals/guitar] puts into his performance or the loud, crunching guitars. All I know is that The Walkmen would do well to stick with the formula they used on this album.



4. Portishead at The Mayan Theatre on 04/24/08
There are many perks to what I do for a living, and being invited to see Portishead do a rehearsal show before their Coachella appearance is one such perk. The last time I saw Portishead play was at The Roseland Ballroom in the '90s, after the release of Dummy. They had just released Third, which is one of the best albums released this year, and the Coachella show was to be the first and only show in the US. There was no stage production and the band was totally dressed down, but there was nothing but brilliance coming out of the speakers. Laid back or not, Portishead put on a really special show for their die-hard fans. I remember leaning over to someone four songs into the show and saying, "we're witnessing something really special and this will be one for the books."



3. Blitzen Trapper and Fleet Foxes at The Troubadour on 03/01/08
I knew this was going to be a special show before I actually got to the venue. While I intended on only seeing Blitzen Trapper, I had heard some rumblings about Fleet Foxes and was excited to see them as well. To say they blew me away would be an understatement. Keep in mind, this was months before they would become indie press darlings and be in the top 5 of everyone's top albums of the year. They were just starting out and only had an EP, which I purchased after they played. I missed some of their other LA appearances throughout the year, but this one has stood out for more than a few reasons.



2. Travis at The Troubadour on 11/11/08
In 2000, I got my hands on The Man Who and proceeded to see Travis play every show that they played in LA over the next few years, including their first US show ever, at The Troubadour. Many years later, they decided to play The Troubadour again and I was there once again. I like their newer material alright, but seeing them play songs from Good Feeling, The Man Who and The Invisible Band was incredible. I even jumped around in sync with the rest of the audience to "Why Does It Always Rain On Me." Andy [Bell, guitarist] climbed the rafters and Fran [Healy, lead vocals, guitar] played with shingles. There wasn't a person at that show that wasn't having fun.



1. Radiohead at The Hollywood Bowl on 08/24/08
There is only one other live band that can come close, but not with the same consistency. If for some odd reason you have never seen Radiohead play live, you need to add it to your things-I-should-do-before-I-die list. Even if you don't like their music, in which case you're no friend of mine, you will walk away with a new appreciation for the band. They never phone it in. They play their hearts out like no one on Earth and the stage production is always just as unique as their music. When someone asks me what the best live show is, I always answer with Radiohead. It's just a matter of which one I pick. This year, it was their Hollywood Bowl show.

This is not "THE" list of 2008, but my brain is very much in the mood to spit out some 2008 talk, so here is a ramble of information. If you can answer in the format of my linguistics, then by all means let me know 'sup! Leave a comment or post a journal on your own page with your choices for the categories below. Read on...

The last day of Coachella started later than the others.  I slept until noon because I was very, very TIRED!  Festival life is sort of a surreal existence - especially in the middle of the desert.  It's so strange to be in a barren landscape with pockets of vegetation fueled by imported water.  It's unnatural, yet not uncomfortable, if you know what I mean...

We decided to head back to the Anthem party for a hot minute to fuel up on free lemon bars from the Ice Cream Man, and hang with friends.  We just weren't motivated to get back to the polo fields quite yet.  It was extremely
.  Around 4ish, we headed back to the festival.  Parking wasn't as easy this time, and we were about as far away as one could be.  Fortunately, we hopped on a golf cart which took no time at all (it was worth the 10 bucks).

This is what closed out 2007 for me:

- CSS --->  I love this Brazilian electro rock collective!  They are fun, have great stage presence and get the crowd dancing! 

- Klaxons --->  These Brits really put on a solid, strong performance.  They got the crowd amped, so much that when Lily Allen came on afterwards, some audience members decided to jump over the barricade towards the stage.  The security guards were quite rattled by that intense experience!

- AIR --->  This French duo's music is so ethereal and calming.  Unforunately, the same stage setup that gave The Good, The Bad and The Queen such problems the night before, didn't help the AIR set get going on time either (30 min late).  During that waiting period, Paris Hilton decides to prance on the side of the stage with her entourage.  As soon as that happened, I was caught in a pseudo paparazzi chase while standing in the photo pit, getting practically knocked over by other camera lenses.  It turned into a regular freak show carnival - ugh!  Once AIR finally commenced on stage, life returned back to normal, well, sort of. 

- Ratatat --->  What a great way to end the night!  These guys rock it so hard in such a charismatic way.  I danced my ass off.  It's really what music is all about - having it shake you to your core so you can't stand it.  You just need more and more, for the rest of your life....



So that is my report of Coachella this year.  I came out unscathed, and really got back into writing and taking pictures.  It has been about a five year hiatus from music journalism for me.  I am really grateful that Coachella/Buzznet gave me the opportunity to write for you all!

Stay tuned, got some more coverage coming your way....

xoxo,
Missy