Ramsayings

Remember when music start-ups were such a source of frustration for me? Now I really enjoy some of them! Chief among them is ex.fm, which my friend Mark showed me just the other day. Possibly the most useful Google Chrome extension that doesn’t involve a Google product.

What does it do? It sniffs out all the mp3s on a page and stores them temporarily in the extension, which allows you to browse away from their source while you listen via a sleek player. I’ve been playing Mark’s blog like a mixtape thanks to it, as well as blogs like Songs from Treme and more.

Now if it could just travel back in time to 2003…

When I was growing up, I always dreamt of working at a record store. Whether I was in Kutztown, NYC or Philly, I’d always drop off an application and say a prayer for a few hours a week at a cool shop, mostly to subsidize my record habit.

Now those gigs, along with similar ones at book and movie rental shops, are disappearing. What’s a geeky kid to do for those jobs we take on summer break, or those we take after, say, getting out of grad school?

Sure, you can always sign on at a temp staffing firm, but where’s the fun in that? I know plenty of people who’d sooner take a job that paid less at a cool shop. What those gigs don’t have in pay, they make up in prestige. How can one do underemployment in style these days?

Proof that Philly’s still weird: I met Phillies’ set-up man Ryan Madson at the Troc’s downstairs bar at Yo La Tengo last Thursday night.

He was floored by the band, calling it “pure music,” asking if they were on iTunes and was just an all-around sweet guy. He also shared that his dad played in a band like that in the ’70s. (Ryan, if you ever find this post, can we talk about your dad’s band?)

Me? I played it cool. You see, Ryan Madson is one of just two Phillies that I have a rehearsed story about their career. My Madson moment? 7 relief innings against the Mets. He gave up a homer to Beltran in the 13th, but I told him that he really showed something there. Gutting it out as a struggling young pitcher ain’t easy anywhere, let alone Philly, but he did it. Can’t wait until he’s our closer in 2012.

Yo La Tengo? Predictably great, although the cruel wheel (pictured above) fell on Sounds of Science, Part 2. Ouch. Definitely a “for fans only” set that was a slow burn. They finished with a dazzling second set that blew Ryan Madson’s mind. “Doesn’t it sound like 6 people are on stage?”

Caught some amazing local bands at Younglove’s last night. Finally saw the Party Photographers, who totally lived up to the hype. Really fun band. Friendly people, too. Check them out over on their Bandcamp page. Watch them play Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon” in the video above.

Surprise of the night was Slutever, who filled in for a last-minute cancellation. They were AWESOME! So much fun. You should probably get Sorry I’m Not Sorry right now.

Special thanks to Mark and Erin for the lift and the banh mi! Thanks to Younglove’s, too! Great little spot and Dock Street is right across the street. Hard to beat if you’re thirsty and want a bite to eat before a gig out in west Philly.

My friend Mark made it. It’s pretty cool, so I’m sharing it, but chances are you saw it on Pitchfork or pretty much every blog in the known universe. It’s that good! So are Nightlands. Can’t wait to see them play the Ox in late January. It’s gonna be downright cozy in that icebox!