And actually, it's not totally awful (although it wasn't all him who created the thing; Method Man definitely collaborated with other dudes, Sanford Greene and David Atchison, who, you know, do this for a living.) This little black and white number actually kept me entertained for the entirety of my bus ride home, in which I learned absolutely nothing except that Method Man thinks highly of himself. But we knew that already-- and dude was in Wu Tang, so he can basically do whatever the fuck he wants, all the time.

Here's the breakdown:

The book's main character, Peerless Poe, is a thinly-veiled superhero version of Method Man's hard-drinking, reefer-smoking self, who must join forces with an organization he spurned (a vow of celibacy and sobriety was involved) to save the world.

I think the most distracting thing about the whole thing was that all but the outside letters of the swears were substituted for dashes Including the n-bomb. But there IS a frame where Method Man informs us that he "got some dome" before coming out, guns blazing, to rescue us all. Thanks, Method Man!

The Black Crowes play the Puyallup Fair on Sept. 8. $25 gets you through the door.

Modern country artists that don't write their own songs!!! IS NOTHING SACRED!

It looks like the Black Crowes have caught Gretchen Wilson and TNT red handed. They've cried copyright infringement, saying Wilson's "Work Hard, Play Harder" seriously rips off "Jealous Again." (The only song I've ever sang Karaoke.) I'm ashamed to say that I don't know my Gretchen Wilson as well as I should, but one listen to the cut and it's F#^#@&ing OBVIOUS! Whichever Nashville songwriter pumped that one out didn't even try to hide his/her Crowes fetish. This is even more deliberate rip-off, actually than that Red Hot Chili Peppers single that groped Tom Petty's "Last Dance With Mary Jane."

You've this photo on REVERB before...

And this one...

Sadly, not this one...(but you've seen other photos by this same photographer in our pages)

These photos (and others) by local photographers Sarah Joann Murphy, Laura Musselman, and Jenny Jimenez will be on display at Tigeretail from August 7th through September 30. Why these three, in particular? Well, 1) because they are awesomely talented, 2) they are great, great people, and 3) they've been the go-to gals for our own Hannah Levin for quite some time.
Ms. Levin curated this little show and has more to say about it, so I'll stop rambling. More info after the jump.

Remember Corky Thatcher from the great Bush 41-era melodrama Life Goes On. Yeah, well, the actor who played Corky is a guy named Chris Burke. It's come to my attention that Burke has a band that gigs regularly at Down Syndrome Walks across the country. Here is Burke's band's website. Enjoy!

How did I not know this?!?!? This morning, as I was reading Astrid (half-sister of Neil) Young's memoir Being Young, I came across one of those eye-opening pieces of useless trivia.

Dale Crover, drummer for The Melvins, plays the "young" version of Neil Young in the video for "Harvest Moon"! Maybe y'all knew this already, but somehow this one passed me by. Check it out...

And, for further enjoyment, here's Buzz and Dale watching Dale's performance. Commentary from Buzz is, naturally, priceless. According to Astrid Young, everyone on the set called Dale, "the Pete Best of Nirvana". Awwww...

I dare ya to hit me back with a more useless piece of trivia than this! Ha!

Shaant Hacikyan sings during Cute is What We Aim For’s set at their headlining show on Wednesday night at Chop Suey. “Seattle has some crazy rain,” he said, talking about the condensed sweat dripping from the ceiling.

I was disappointed when I made it to Chop Suey a little after 9:30 p.m. and Cute is What We Aim For was already about to go onstage; the opening acts were all great — Powerspace, Danger Radio and Ace Enders — and I was hoping I wouldn’t miss them. But CiWWAF was my reason for being there, and CiWWAF was what I saw.

The show got off to a slow start, but the ear-piercing screams of a hundred teenage girls got things going a little better after just a few songs. To answer the question I posed in the Short List, are they processed? Not exactly. They did sound more raw on the stage, as they well should, but I really don’t think that the use of auto-tune in the studio means they’re untalented. I got the same impression watching the band perform.

It was a fun, fast-paced, poppy show, and by the end the set list had liquefied into an illegible mush due to the massive amounts of vaporized sweat mingling in the small space. It was over before 11 p.m., but the ending was fitting; Cute played first single “There’s A Class For This,” the song that got the band signed, and brought up Alec Cyganowski of Powerspace to help out with guest vocals. So even though it might have been more of a teen girl’s dream show, I thought watching the Buffalo pop-punk outfit was a fun way to spend a Wednesday night.

because the Silver Jews are touring this fall and will be here in Seattle on October 2nd at Neumo's.

I found Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea to be sort of disappointing (a little too produced, lyrics not as interesting, occasionally feels like I'm listening to a record called David Berman Does Morrissey!), but I can never get enough of the Jews, and there are a few gems like "San Francisco B.C" and "My Pillow is the Threshold" that I like quite a lot. I saw the Jews on their first tour at Musicfest NW two years ago, WITH Stephen Malkmus, and it was hands down one of the top three shows I've ever seen in my short young life.

I'm giving you ample notice. There is no reason not to attend this show. Unless you don't like the Silver Jews, in which case there is no hope for you anyway.

No WTO Combo Live From the Battle In Seattle November 1999, Showbox Theater, Vocal - Jello Biafra, Guitar - Kim Thayil, Drums - Gina Mainwal, Bass - Krist Novoselic

As an added bonus along with his weekly column -- this week tackling anarchy, Sept. 11, and WTO -- Krist Novoselic provided us with some video of the 1999 demonstrations and his performance at the Showbox with Kim Thayil, among others.

Krist Novoselic observes the demonstrations during the WTO Ministerial Conference in 1999. Photo by Mickey. Novoselic's column runs every Tuesday on the Daily Weekly.

SW photog 'Lil Scoop and I were wandering around Lake City Way last night when we were informed by a very credible source that the Shanty Tavern is for sale. The Shanty was closed last night, and its once-reliable hours have been pretty sporadic of late. Basically, when they've got live music or a planned party of some sort booked, they're open. When they don't, they're usually not. One of Seattle's few remaining beer-only venues (okay, they've got wine, too, but tavern's are for beer), the Shanty has been around for so long that I can't remember it not being around (I'm 34, and grew up minutes away). Post-college, when I had no money, the metabolism of of an Olympic triathlete, and a group of buddies with a house within walking distance, I spent many a weekend night drinking as much cheap beer as possible at the Shanty before konking out on my pals' couch. Ah, memories -- or lack thereof. Regardless, let's hope there's a white knight out there willing to continue the Shanty's rich tradition, one that includes an annual KEXP-sponsored car show and honky-tonk concert.

Many a struggling musician have looked to their European travels for inspiration, and At the Spine's fourth record, Vita, demonstrates what can happen when a guy who usually writes rowdy, politicized punk rock songs decides to see how the other half lives. Just as the European lifestyle moves at a slower pace than Americans are accustomed to, crossing continents slowed things down for At the Spine frontman Mike Toschi as well. Vita is definitely the band's quietest record to date, and while the revolutionary, introspective lyrics and badass breakdowns are still present, they, too, travel at a more leisurely pace. But while At the Spine's previous effort, Sonic Resistance, is solidly grounded in punk and metal, Vita feels like the band is testing the murky, unfamiliar waters of pop music, rather than swimming comfortably in them. Which is probably why I prefer Vita's handful of rockers, like "Transylvania" and "Crumble," to the slower numbers-- because to me, At the Spine is at its best when it's fast, loud, and in your face. And if that's what you want, give Vita a try, but you will probably prefer Sonic Resistance, a great specimen of homegrown punk rock music and my own personal favorite At the Spine record.

Oh, and I should mention that At the Spine will be celebrating the release of Vita on October 10th, even though the record officially comes out today, so stay tuned.