I'm late posting this news, but in case you haven't heard, Weezer's lead singer Rivers Cuomo was hospitalized after a tour bus accident in New York Sunday morning.
According to Weezer's website, Rivers suffered a punctured lung and injuries to his spleen but is on the mend. His assistant, Sarah Kim, was also injured but has since been released from the hospital.
The December shows for their Raditude tour have been cancelled, including DC101's Festivus tomorrow that I had planned to cover. I'm not sure if that particular show will be rescheduled or not, but I will post details if it is.
I had the privilege of speaking to both DA Wallach and Maxwell Drummey (Max) by phone today and it was a blast! I already loved their sense of humor in previous interviews I've seen them do. Just as I expected, they had me LMAOing the whole time.
If you have not yet heard of Chester French, you don't know what you're missing! This band is ON FIRE, let me tell you! And they are rising quickly with stars like Diddy and Paris Hilton taking notice among many others.
In fact, they've been touring around the country with Lady Gaga and crowds have responded well, snatching up their CDs after the show like candy. Diddy gave them a shout-out on Twitter, causing their followers to rise by 3,000 (DA said that it means a lot to them to have the support of such a legend). They recently performed for Paris Hilton at her birthday party in Vegas. And MTV has made them a featured artist.
If I could lay money on it, I would bet that they will be a household name by the end of the year.
In keeping with their fantastic sense of humor, Max answered "medium-loud" when I asked him what kind of sound fans can expect from "Love the Future." Seriously though, the CD will have lots of diverse tracks, and DA hopes everyone can just "listen straight through, close their eyes, and get into our minds" when they hear the music.
What sets Chester French apart from most other bands is their DIY-style. DA said that they write their own music, and do their own engineering and producing so that everything is "self-contained."
"We've been doing this for six years now," he added. "We're not entitled to anything more than anyone else is, but we've worked really hard to get where we are. We've played to empty rooms, we've sold CD's in the streets and after shows. We've put all of our energy into making music."
And it shows. The band is currently offering a free mix tape called "Jacques Jams," the brainchild of Clinton Sparks ("Get familiar!") Max said that Clinton "made them do it" and that he and DA are Clinton's "mix tape children."
"Jacques Jams" is more than just music. It's an entire story, complete with skits. In addition to CF and Sparks, it features other amazing talent such as Diddy, Solange Knowles, Pharrell, Lady Gaga and more.
Click here to check it out and sign up for your free copy. (My favorites are "What a World," "Ciroc Star" and CF's exclusive remix of Lady Gaga's "Love Game." I can't get enough of those three tracks!) With 60-80 thousand copies already downloaded, you'll definitely want to be in on this one!
Another thing that sets CF apart from other artists is their love and dedication to their fans. DA and Max will sit in their tour bus until 5 am just responding to emails from their fans.
And just as a side note....when I asked them what a typical day is like on their tour bus, they jokingly told me, "Usually a combination of binge drinking and gang banging." Max wanted me to emphasize the latter part and to mention that it's "every day." I assured him that I had underlined it in my notes.
Not only does CF try to write back to every email they receive, especially ones from their biggest supporters, but they also reach out to fans...and even haters....through Twitter.
Check out this recent exchange:
AgentSkitzer: @brooklyn3383 chester french does not rock!
DAChesterFrench: @AgentSkitzer Hope to win you over. We think you rock, at least! xoxo
CF has even been known to surprise their haters with free copies of their album and other goodies to win them over. "I try to keep an eye out for what's being said about us," DA said. "Some of our strongest supporters started out as haters."
He said he understands when others judge them because "we can be judgemental" at times too. With the band being so new, he said there are a lot of misconceptions about them.
"If someone is talking shit about us, I ask them what can we do to get them on the same page as us," DA added. They've found that most people are open-minded and receptive once they've reached out to them.
As for how the band got its name, it's actually derived from Daniel Chester French, who sculpted the Lincoln Memorial in my hometown of Washington DC. When I asked if they'd been to the Lincoln Memorial yet, Max chided that he makes a point of going there once-a-month.
I told them that even though I've lived here my whole life, I've never been to the memorial myself, and that I was going to visit it just for them. "You'll have to write our name on the wall," DA said.
"Oh good idea," I laughed. "I'm gonna graffiti up the whole memorial just for you!"
When I got more serious and said I had some ideas in my head for what I could legally do, maybe something with a photo, they assured me not to worry if I went to jail because they would bail me out. ;)
So who knows...maybe my next blog can be "So a Blonde Walks Into a Jail?" All for my love of Chester French! I'll be sure to sing their hit "She Loves Everybody" at the top of my lungs in my cell while I'm there too:
Click here to check out more on this fabulous band so you too can fall in love with them, find out their tour information, watch their hilarious videos, and more.
Pre-order "Love the Future" here. (Exclusive tracks will be available on Amazon and iTunes - different tracks depending on where you purchase)
Finally, watch for Chester French on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on April 21. They assured me they are in touch with the most reputable designers (couture fashion is SO them) so be prepared for them to be dressed to the nines for the show.
Update: Below is video from Chester French's performance of "She Loves Everybody" on Jimmy Fallon...
Note: Many thanks to my assistant Heather who helped me with preparing questions for the interview and who will most likely be joining me when Chester French plays in DC. I need to confirm this, but I believe they will be opening for Lady Sovereign at the 9:30 Club in May. I'll be sure to post the exact details once I confirm them.
UPDATE: Chester French will indeed be opening for Lady Sovereign at the 9:30 Club on May 9 at 11 pm. Click here to purchase tickets to the show (CF is not listed as an opening act as of yet, but I have been assured that they will be there).
I've always wanted to say that since falling in love with Lady Gaga. ;)
Before I put up part two of my Britney Spears Circus Tour review, I thought I'd let you all in on my next review. Yes, the "Lady" I referred to before is LADY GAGA and I'll be covering "The Fame Ball" tour!!!
I got my press pass approval for her show on Thursday at the 9:30 Club in DC and will bring you all along virtually for this one too. You can follow live, up-to-the minute tweets by clicking here (live tweets will start Thursday after 10:30 p.m. EST....I'm covering the late show).
Note: I'm a "dj" (ha!) on Blip.fm now so I'm going to put a song on each of my posts for your enjoyment. You can play it, then read. Or not. You can also head on over to my profile and favorite me and listen to my tunes if you'd like. Enjoy!
I am usually bad about reciprocating these (I think I owe Dutchy and B a LONG overdue thank you for awards they've given me in the past). But since I've been super busy and could use some blog post fodder, I jumped on in here tonight to post this one.
If you've known me for awhile, you know how nervous these things make me. Not the receiving. I'm good at that. It's the giving. Because I don't want anyone to feel left out. I love ALL of your blogs! I really do!
But I have to pick just seven and this in no way means I love those of you I don't pick any less. Honest. Oh and I'm leaving out those who've already been nominated (which is a TON of my friends...including Sybil and Whall who K stole from me *grin*)
So here goes....the rules:
The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
Link the person you received your award from.
Nominate at least seven other blogs
Put links of those blogs on yours.
Leave a message on the blogs that you’ve nominated.
I happened upon a sweater the other day that is in my absolute favorite color to wear...well second to black. Coral. I had to have it. And I paired it with black which I love even more. It's a lightweight, summery sweater and I wish I could wear it every day.
THEN, the fashion gods were smiling down on me because I just happened to have a lipstick already that matched it perfectly. I was so excited that I decided to snap a couple of photos (I figured I needed a new profile pic anyhow):
So now one pic is on my blog page, and one is in my profile (because I can't decide which one I like best).
I also added some more of my favorite songs to my Playlist in my sidebar (you have to click on "pop out player to see all the songs...I have to work on fixing that). Does anyone ever listen to others' Playlists? Or am I the only one listening to mine? I'm guessing it's the latter.
I almost want to start my own radio show just so I can open with "Maneater" by Nelly Furtado and close with "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" by Cake. Or maybe "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stafani. Or, or....ugh..I love them all! But that's a good reason to start a radio show, right? :)
Finally, I am dying for someone to come debate Obama's stance on Iraq over at my political blog. Any takers? I promise I debate nicely. I really do! And I don't judge others for their beliefs so I will love you just as much even if you don't agree with me....which I know in blogland is just about everyone.
Oh, and if you missed it over the weekend, make sure you check out "Penis Power" in the post below. Worth. Every. Minute.
Note: Got the camera back and it was all non-embarrassing stuff. Good for me, but boring for you all, I know. :)
On another note, check out my new playlist in my sidebar. I had to cut the width so the only way to scroll through the songs is to hit the forward/back buttons, or click on "pop-out player." As if anyone is going to listen to it but me, heh.
I've been meaning to blog this for awhile now, and I did send it around Facebook. And Poppy posted it as well. But just in case you haven't seen it, I wanted to post it here because it's that good.
Seriously. If you ever watch one YouTube video in your life, it should be this one. You will sob hysterically, but it's a happy kind of cry. I have watched it a million times and still can't do it without crying loudly.
Like Poppy, I dare you to watch it without crying! I bet you can't.
Did you notice how the lion's jaw drops when he recognizes the two guys? He has a look like, "Oh my gosh! It's you!" That face gets me every time. *sob*
Thanks to John who posted this at the CASPCA blog, which is how I found it.
(Note: No one is ever around to take photos of me...how selfish are they? I couldn't back the camera up enough to get my face AND the IPod in the shot...not that anyone probably cares, lol)
How could I have spent so much time living in the dark ages? My gosh I am love with this thing! (Thanks again, Avi!) My favorite songs right now? Well, anything Timbaland, whom I worship. I exercised yesterday to:
~Elevator (Flo Rida and Timbaland) ~Low (Flo Rida) ~Umbrella (Rhianna) ~Hips Don't Lie (Shakira) ~Give it to Me (Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado) ~Obsession (Animotion) ~Break the Ice (Britney Spears) ~The Way I Are (Timbaland and some chic) ~Say it Right (Nelly Furtado) ~Piece of Me (Britney Spears) ~Gimme More (Britney Spears) ~Crazy On You (Heart) ~Magic Man (Heart) ~Promiscuous (Timbaland and Nelly Furtado) And then I cool down to: ~Let's Get it On ~Sexual Healing ~Kiss You All Over ~The Pina Colada Song
Now I just need to figure out how to get my newer songs onto CD from Itunes (instead of the other way around...I figured that out fast...yay me!) so Amanda and I can dance to them.
Dancing is my favorite way to exercise. You totally don't even notice the time go by. *love*
