a much delayed end-of-semester recap + summer news

i never posted the last two playlists of the semester. i'm sorry. here they are:

04/30/2007 - songs that i often forget about but really love when i spontaneously put the record on:
1. Hit 'Em High - B Real, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J & Method Man (Space Jam OST)
2. Giant - Matthew Good Band
3. The City - Dismemberment Plan
4. Army of Me - Björk
5. Kids Get Cut - Meneguar
6. My Slumbering Heart - Rilo Kiley
7. Why Is My Sleeping Bag A Ghetto Muppet? - Chin Up Chin Up
8. Killing a Camera - Braid
9. Give Me a Fuckin' Break - Limp Wrist
10. Detonation - Strike Anywhere
11. A Gentleman Caller - Cursive
12. Getting Over the Others - Ruiner
13. Comedy of Christ - Pg.99
14. Someone Else's Song - Wilco
15. Place to Be - Nick Drake
16. Loretta's Scars - Pavement

The Dismemberment Plan Reunion Show inspired this playlist a great deal. The Dismemberment Plan was one of the first local bands i was exposed to, and they played a huge role in my initial involvement in the dc scene, prior to all this hardcore/scene political nonsense. I hadn't been to the Black Cat in a very long time and found myself having a sincerely good time at a show in DC, something that stopped occuring for a while.


05/07/2007 - LAST SHOW OF THE SEMESTER! Summer songs + summary of freshman year.
1. Rather Be Dead - Refused
2. Like a Future With No Friends - Small Brown Bike
3. Things We Say - Gorilla Biscuits
4. The Purple Bottle - The Animal Collective
5. Let's Go Get Some Cokes - The Faction
6. Amoeba - Adolescents
7. Circle Pits and Karate Kicks - The Spark
8. Binaire et Lisible - Amanda Woodward
9. Look Back and Laugh - Minor Threat
10. The World At Large - Modest Mouse
11. No More Fighting Cats, OK? - Des Ark
12. Bruno Is Orange - Hop Along, Queen Ansleis
13. One Hundred Resolutions - Sundowner
14. No Cars Go - The Arcade Fire

That weekend I went up to Philly and visited one of my best friends from high school, plus saw The Arcade Fire at the Tower Theatre. One of the best shows of the year, and within the top 10 i've ever attended. i danced harder than I have at a show in a couple of years; drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Refused was an ode to my co-djs first semester on "Pump The Brakes!", Gorilla Biscuits because that was the first show I went to in Baltimore, The Spark because it's a critical Baltimore band + Mike Riley is one of my favorite people of all time. Hop Along, Queen Ansleis for Charm City Art Space, and Sundowner's cover of One Hundred Resolutions, because, well, it was our year for sure.

Freshman Year, especially spring semester, made me continually stoked on life. The summer has had it's ups and downs, a never-ending turbulent plan-making period, but it's turning out well. highlights so far:

the same weekend classes ended/i moved home, i traveled across the united states to the northwest to hang out with Broadway Calls, and incidentally The Riot Before (of Richmond, VA/good friends of CCAS!!) . Spent a couple days on the road, seeing the majority of the northwestern landscape. As south as Bend, OR and as north as Seattle, WA. The trip was an incredible opportunity for me to see more of the country, as well as create tighter bonds with friends I make through being a member of the punk community; it's such a vast community, yet very intimate at the same time. I made some great friends while i was out there, and everyday, I'm reminded about how awesome my life is. i came back to the dc area for a day and then took a roadtrip to chicago, saw propagandhi, now have sites set on that region of the united states (will most likely be my 2008 exploration). had a few shows in may and june, worked a lot. now i'm finally getting my driver's license and making the best of my time in my hometown. there are 5 weeks left in summer, and it's action packed. summer is going to end with a bang, that's for sure, although i can't wait to be back full-time in towson/baltimore!