:: INFINITE IN YOUR AWKWARDNESS ::

(you'd rock hard too if you were drinking dollar beers; punk-fight mural; cock-centric mural)

Hope you're having a great New Year's. I ran away to this place for it. It's really nice.

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MP3:

While watching the band sort of pictured above (Death Sweats, featuring my little sister's ex and a kid who sat next to me in Chemistry class in high school on the drums), they performed a cover of Cleveland scene staples Coffinberry (who also features some old high school acquaintances of mine). So I thought I'd post something from their EP "Sleush." Sounds a lot like Smog meets Nirvana.

- Coffinberry - Just Like the Light Through Trees Do

A band's place in myspace.

:: ESSE QUAM VIDERI ::

Spent Christmas in North Carolina. It's a damn fine place.

:: THIS SONG IS ABOUT CHRISTMAS... OR DROWNING ::

(An Albatross and Parts & Labor performing at Knitting Factory; note the security guards shutting down An Albatross' set halfway through)

Currently at home in Ohio working at the family toy store wearing an apron and wrapping gifts for crabby ladies. It's kind of fun working with family and friends selling people good toys to make kids happy. We have a singing/dancing hip-hop teddy bear on the counter that just weirds me out, almost like a time warp back to the awkward advertising of the 90s.

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The title might throw you off, but this is an Xmas song. I seem to be on the melancholy holiday song tip lately. Hope you are having a good one.

- Lightspeed Champion - Another Song About Being Alone

A band's place in myspace.

:: ASSHOLES ARE JUST PART OF THE LANDSCAPE AROUND HERE ::

(photos of the sculpture installation on the Lower East Side by Brad Downey and Mike Wrobel)

Downey was in town for a flash recently, but long enough to team up with Mike Wrobel to make and install an 8 ft. high bench on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He asked me to document it for him, since the lifespan of this type of work is always questionable. Soon after I took these photos, the piece was removed by the DOT. But only after it made the news. Check out the articles in the NY Post, and AM New York. The DOT was nice enough to post flyers notifying the owner of the piece that they could come claim the work within 48 hours, before they scrapped it. I'm sure there wouldn't be any NYPD representatives present if someone did in fact show up to claim it, none at all. . .

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MP3:

Keepin' the holiday push going, here's a slightly melancholy Xmas track, along with last year's "Xmas Mix '06." Oh joy.

- Tralala - Christmas Never Comes

- Xmas Mix '06 - download here, or here

A band's place in myspace.

:: I FELL DOWN THE STAIRS, REALLY. ::

Outtakes from a photo shoot/people I love.

:: PUNK POINTS DON'T BUY GROCERIES ::

(Team Robespierre, Yeasayer, and High Places performing at the Mercury Lounge in NYC, more photos here)

Don't have much to say, utter exhaustion has forcibly occupied my brain cavity for now. Instead I'll just go for a shameless plug (something some of my friends think I don't do enough of, strangely). The Humble Arts Foundation is selling prints of my "Subway" photo from my Of Quiet series on their website. And until 2008 they are offering a generous 20% discount. So jump on that, get your friends a loving token of your undying affection for them and tasteful art. . . or something. But hurry, the edition is limited to 10 prints.

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MP3:

So I make an Xmas mix every year. This sprang out of the "no music unless it's holiday music" rule at my parent's house when I go home over the holidays. That usually meant Bing Crosby's "Mele Kalikimaka" till you puked. So I made a mix of tolerable tunes to play that qualified as "holiday," pretty much just to preserve my sanity. And then I started giving it out to friends, and they liked it. Now in it's fourth year, I present to you my '07 Xmas Mix. Keeping in mind that I have used up most of the good songs over the preceding three years, it's still not all that shabby. Enjoy.

- Xmas Mix '07 - download here, or here

:: YOUR PROBLEM IS THAT YOU ARE A CRAPPY PREDATOR ::

(some photos by me, others by my accomplice Jason Curtis)

Some holiday parties are better than others.

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MP3:

I had previously asked for holiday song suggestions that were unique, and still good songs at the same time (a hard thing to find). One reader pointed me to this track, which is a perfect example of what I was asking for. Thanks!

- Angry Johnny And The Killbillies - 6 Bullets For Christmas

A band's place in myspace.

:: LIKE THE SEXINESS OF A BLACK EYE ::

(The Death Set and Japanther performing at Shangri La in Brooklyn, more photos here)

Shopping for presents sucks. Spending time with good friends is awesome.

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This is kind of interesting. A holiday song sung to the exact same tune as a band's popular hit. Kind of a cover of sort, and a genius way to make an Xmas song that people will like.

- Thee Headcoatees - Santa Claus

A band's place in myspace.

:: ANYTHING BUT DEAD AIR ::

These are my singles left over from the month of November. For better or for worse.

:: CAUSE THE BAD KIDS HAD IT RIGHT ALL ALONG ::

(photos from this year's Santacon, photo gallery here)

Santacon was fun. Not all that debaucherous, but very very very drunk. Some hightlights below:

- Santa-themed punk band performing and giving out shots on stage at Don Hill's (anyone know the name of the band?).
- Rockettes-style line-dancing Santas in from the the Grinch theater.
- Capoeira Santas in Tompkins Square Park.
- Santas boarding a school bus and handing out candy canes.
- Best gift from Santa: porn, of course.
- Cutest Santa: Lil' Spencer Santa.
- Greatest Santa invention: Rudolph the rolling reindeer, who dispensed liquor our of his, er, thingy, and Hershey's kisses out of his, er, back thingy.
- Best non-Santa costume: Rudolph The Disgruntled Reindeer.
- Best variation on Santa: Darth Vadar Santa.
- Bummer Santa: was actually dressed as an elf. He threw a kid over a fence to fetch a ball and almost poured his 40oz on a homeless lady (luckily more-sober Santa stopped him).
- Most divisive Reindeer Game: punting kickballs into a crowd of very unaware Santas.
- Santas getting arrested and carried away in cuffs outside the bars on the LES (Santa shouldn't smoke illegal substances in public).

Chris from Team Spider made a "Santa Rampage" film at Santacon this year, you can youtube it here.

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It's punk and Xmas at the same time. Yes.

- Impact - Punk Christmas

A band's place in myspace.

:: LOVE YA LIKE A SISTER ::

Here are a couple pictures from a photo story that's in Vice right now. My friends Chrissy and Lyssa got some bro-tats from Steve Boltz. He said real bros use the same needle.

:: I HOPE THAT HEAVEN IS A LOT LIKE MY FAVORITE SONGS ::

(a certain someone you will soon be hearing about. . . hint: White Hinterland)

Goodbye Fall, hello "what-the-hell-am-I-getting-___-for-Xmas?" season.

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MP3:

Let's get the Xmas song posts started already. By the way, if anyone has any unique/great holiday song suggestions out there, please do send them my way. I've been putting together Xmas mixes for four years now. . . pickins are getting SLIM.

- The Swear - All I Want For Christmas

A band's place in myspace.

:: YOUR EYES ARE FILLED WITH BEAUTY AND DESTRUCTION ::

2 blocks, 1 week, 4 torched cars. Gotta love my hood. When the gas tank goes, the blast feels like you've been socked in the gut.

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MP3:

Our cover song streak is coming to a close. But before we switch over to some more seasonal flavors, here's a Sucka Pants exclusive track from local favorites of mine, Lidia Stone.

- Lidia Stone - Pay To Cum

A band's place in myspace.

:: SLIP, SKIN, SWEAT, CEMENT ::

(photos from a basement dance party in Harlem, more photos here)

I was invited up to a basement dance party this weekend in Harlem thrown by some notable names from that hood (Donnjay of Most Respected, Chrybaby who you might recognize from Chris Brown's recent video for "Kiss Kiss", with DJs Fatboy, Busta, and Rob Low of Uptown Flow, and DJ S-Dot of Hood Presidents). It was really damn fun, and reminded me what raunchy really is. Not to mention it was pretty great to be in a room full of people who were dancing their asses off without a care or any hint of self-consciousness.

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Gotta give it to Flosstradamus, Chicago lovin' on Chicago.

- The Cool Kids - Pump Up The Volume (Flosstradamus Remix)

A band's place in myspace.