An attempt in catching up...

Ok, so I really do suck at this, but not as bad as Charina...

The last few weeks have been chaotic, as I've been house sitting everywhere. The last house, while nice and comfy, had no internet. Actually, worse than none, dial up. I was pretty sure that dial up was extinct, but apparently it lives on. Being that I don't hate my computer, I couldn't possibly allow it to connect in such a barbaric fashion. Unfortunately, that meant that I got very little done via internet over the past 18 days. While I don't have 18 days worth of bands, I will give you two for now and we shall catch up steadily.

Tinted Windows is a band I recently heard while attending a U.S. Royalty show. For any former/current Hanson fans, I'm sure you'll get a tickle out of this. Taylor Hanson has formed a side project away from his brotherly trio. Along with James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne & Ivy) as well as Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick circa 1974), the band was formed. Recently, Tinted Windows played South by South West and released a self titled album. I can honestly say that while I wasn't a huge Hanson fan, this combination was certainly worth seeing. They have certainly found an interesting combination of members, which has added to their eclectic sound.

Gogol Bordello is a band I heard a few years ago, and was certain had fallen off the face of the earth. This band has been one of the most interesting I have ever listened to. The band has best been described as Euro-gypsy and Russian Indie. This 8 member band is comprised of Eugene Hütz - Vocals, Oren Kaplan - Guitar, Sergey Ryabtsev - Violin, Yury Lemeshev - Accordion, Pamela Racine - Percussion, dance, Elizabeth Sun - Percussion, dance, Thomas "Tommy T" Gobena - Bass,
Pedro Erazo - MC, and Oliver Charles - Drums. They have a fun sound and are definitely great for those days when you just don't want to take it serious anymore. However, this band has also made it a point to persue causes which may not seem to register on the media. Their most recent being the oldest Rom settlement in the world: Sulukule in Istanbul, Turkey. They posted bits and pieces of their trip there, along with photos. Definitely check their site out, as well as listen to their tunes. This is a fun loving band, which is almost certain to lighten the mood (not to mention, throw your friends off on a mixed tape)!