NYC

i'll be in NYC for the SES this week (March 17 - 20). i'll be staying here, it looks nice. No word if Paris will be in the house, though.
i've never been there, so i am very pumped. Any tips? All's this boy knows about New York is what he peeps on the teevee and movies. i hope to hang out at Monk's Cafe and Central Perk as much as possible. Does Rachel still work there?
i plan on taking cabs wherever i go, so as to increase my chances of getting picked up by the CashCab, or Reverend Jim.
What's the most fun/ interesting/ off-the-beaten-path activity you've partaken in while there?
Is the pizza any good?
How can i get into the Letterman's audience without having to wait in line all day?
How do i meet the new governor? He seems pretty cool.
i like to take long walks at 3am with my headphones on, is Central Park a good place to do this?
Thanks for your help.
i'll post some pics and have a new MixTape for y'all when (if?!) i return to the Dallas.

NeffTunes MixTape: February 2008

i've got a classic case of my girlfriend and i broke up, she left and this place is empty and everything reminds me of her blues. Allow me this catharsis, dear readers. Next month i'll be back with more rockin' tunes.

Tracklist:
======================
01 - Last Night I Went Out Walking by The Handsome Family
02 - And I Remember Every Kiss by Jens Lekman
03 - House of Secrets by Mike Ireland & Holler
04 - Hate It Here [live] by Wilco
05 - Everything I Do by Whiskeytown
06 - I Flew Over Our House Last Night by Tom T. Hall
07 - The Buck Starts Here by Robbie Fulks
08 - House That Used To Be by Old 97s
09 - A House Without Love by Hank Williams
10 - Home Sick Home by Grievous Angels
11 - I Still Miss Someone by Gram Parsons
12 - She Doesn't Live There Anymore by Doughboys
13 - House We Used To Live In by The Smithereens
14 - Empty Shell by Cat Power
15 - Open Doors by Josh Ritter
16 - Wish You Were Here by Ryan Adams
17 - Ghosts of You and Me by Soulsavers
18 - Left and Leaving by The Weakerthans
19 - The Ending by Bobby Bare Jr's YCSL
===================
Download: Vacancy
160Kbps. 79.1 MB.
Enjoy!

Some recent shows in the DFW/Denton area...

Dove Hunter
Doug Burr

Telegraph Canyon

The Cush

Super Furry Animals

The Fiery Furnaces

Rogue Wave

Lots more pics at my Rock n Roll flickr set.
See ya at the next show.

The NeffList 2007

Dear reader, i have assembled the best songs from my top albums from 2007 and served up this super deluxe, extra rich heapin' helpin' of the rock (and some roll). Hope you enjoy.

Download Batch 1 here [160 KBps MediaFire 92.56MB]: Viola!!

Download Batch 2 here [160 KBps MediaFire 90.43MB]: Chow down.

Download Batch 3 here [160 KBps MediaFire 90.54MB]: Issue victuals! Full tracklist in the Comments section.
~N

2008 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic: Mizzou 38, Arkansas 7

The Missouri Tigers had their most successful season ever, and came to Dallas for the 2008 Cotton Bowl on Jan 1, 2008. Slice, Bu, and Wibbler joined me from the homeland to witness their dismantling of the hapless University of Arkansas Razorback "men's" "football" "team." The Tigers offense started slow, but once they realized Arkansas was dropping up to 8 men back in the secondary to stop their potent aerial attack, they simply let Tony Temple take the ball and run. And run and run and run. He racked up a Cotton Bowl record 281 yards rushing to help the Tigers roll in their bowl. Here are some pics from that glorious and historic day.


See more pics at my flickr here.

Modest Mouse 12/14/07 Nokia Theatre, Grand Prairie, TX

Modest Mouse rolled back into town on December 14, 2007, and once again, they were nice enough to let me hang out with them and document another wonderful performance. Here are some pics:





Lots more pics here at my Flickr. Thanks again to the band for rocking North Texas. See y'all next time around!

NeffTunes MixTape November 2007: Put Your Hands Together! Vol, I & II

i scoured my library and extracted the best hand-clappin' songs by my favorite artists. i came up with 49 songs that can fit on (2) CDs. A word of caution: Be careful when listening to these songs while driving. They may cause you to clap along, endangering you and your fellow travelers.
Download Volume I here.

Volume I Tracklist:
01 - Lamb on the Lam (in the city) by Band of Horses
02 - Wrecking Ball by Viva Voce
03 - Penny by The Tellers
04 - Women Are Born In Love by Oh No! Oh My!
05 - Fancy Claps by Wolf Parade
06 - Your Move by Blackalicious
07 - OK, Alright by The Whigs
08 - Hey Man (now you're living) by eels
09 - Clap Hands by Beck
10 - Away From Home by Crystal Skulls
11 - The Way It's Meant To Be by The Features
12 - Alone Again Or by Calexico
13 - Kicking The Heart Out by Rogue Wave
14 - Love and War (11-11-46) by Rilo Kiley
15 - We Used To Be Friends by Dandy Warhols
16 - Knockin' Em Back by Paul Westerberg
17 - 12-51 by The Strokes
18 - Slaveship by Josh Rouse
19 - Chill, Relax, Now by ScottMiller&TheCommonwealth
20 - Oh Sweet Susanna by The Mooney Suzuki
21 - Touch You Touch You by Hot Hot Heat
22 - The Way We Get By by Spoon
23 - Phantasies by Stephen Malkmus
24 - ReceptacleForTheRespectable by SuperFurryAnimals
==========================================
And get Volume II here.

Volume II tracklist:
01 - Stream Running Over by Apples In Stereo
02 - Ten O'Clock Your Time by The Waxwings
03 - Point Breeze by Marah
04 - Oppenheimer by Old 97's
05 - Happy Hour by The Promise Ring
06 - You Blew Me Off by Bare Jr.
07 - Amy 88 by The V-Roys
08 - Boom Swagger Boom by Murder City Devils
09 - Turn It On by Sleater-Kinney
10 - Where It's At by Beck
11 - Free and Easy Take 2 by BrianJonestownMassacre
12 - Connection by Elastica
13 - Public Witness Program by Fugazi
14 - Kitchen by The Lemonheads
15 - 99 Red Balloons by 7 Seconds
16 - VictimOfCircumstance by JoanJett&TheBlackHearts
17 - Rock The Casbah by The Clash
18 - Centerfold by The J. Geils Band
19 - Teenage Kicks by The Undertones
20 - My Best Friend's Girl by The Cars
21 - Right on Time by The Brothers Johnson
22 - American Girl by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
23 - Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder
24 - All The Young Dudes by Mott The Hoople
25 - My Obsession by The Rolling Stones
=======================================
Enjoy these tunes safely.
Hear somethin' you like? Buy it!

NeffTunes MixTape October 2007: Gloomy Day Music

The other day, a friend at work told me she needed some music for the gloomy day we were having, so i put these tracks together.

Download the zip file here.

01 - Either Way by Wilco
maybe the sun will shine today
02 - Ocean of Noise by Arcade Fire
a world of empty streets
03 - Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore by NickCave&TheBadSeeds
once there came a storm in the form of a girl
04 - The Past and Pending by The Shins
as someone sets light to the first fire of autumn
05 - Apartment Story by The National
sleep in our clothes and wait for winter to leave
06 - Cleanse Song by Bright Eyes
full of fever dreams that scare you sober
07 - I'll Be Around by Bobby Bare Jr's YCSL
when you need a warmth inside
08 - Open Doors by Josh Ritter
you don't see shadows on a cloudy day
09 - And It Rained All Night by Thom Yorke
the drops were the size of your hands and face
10 - It Covers the Hillside by Midlake
winter comes it sure is rough
11 - Famous Blue Raincoat by Leonard Cohen
your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free
12 - The Bank and Trust by The Elected
the streets are full of snow, and the shops are closin' down
13 - Left and Leaving by The Weakerthans
the sidewalks are watching me think about you
14 - Let's Stay In by Bright Light Fever
we're gonna stay inside 'til it begins to rain
15 - Fine Day by Jawbreaker
fine day to sleep
16 - Plastic Jesus by The Flaming Lips
i don't care if it rains or freezes
=====Enjoy! :o]=====

NeffTunes MixTape September 2007: Don't Call It A Sellout

In the past few years, i have noticed that Madison Avenue has been using tracks from some of my favorite artists to hawk their products. Some call the bands that lend their sounds for big corporations' marketing campaigns "sellouts." i'm not one of those people. i am happy to see these bands rewarded for their years of touring and toiling in virtual obscurity with some cold, hard cash. In many of these cases, the soundtracks for commercials are their first wide national exposure, which leads to greater interest, which in turn leads to more album sales, bigger tours and more cash to make more music. Everybody wins, except for the jealous, whiny "fans." i say, hooray for them. It's the American way. This MixTape is comprised of some of my favorite examples of NeffTunes on TV.
Download it here from MediaFire, fine readers and enjoy these catchy nuggets of American capitalism responsibly. And remember to support these artists by buying their albums and going to their shows. And if ya get a chance, congratulate them for cashing in. Word up.

01 - We've Been Had by The Walkmen
02 - Ocean Man by Ween
03 - Molly's Chambers by Kings of Leon
04 - 10am Automatic by The Black Keys
05 - The Revolution Starts Now by Steve Earle
06 - The W.A.N.D. by The Flaming Lips
07 - Gravity Rides Everything by Modest Mouse
08 - Woman by Wolfmother
09 - The Thanks I Get by Wilco
10 - Go by Apples In Stereo
11 - Ice Cream by New Young Pony Club
12 - Such Great Heights by The Postal Service
13 - So Here We Are by Bloc Party
14 - TheBleedingHeartShow by TheNewPornographers
15 - New Slang by The Shins
16 - One Two Three Four by Feist
17 - Chanty by Son Volt
18 - Ariel Ramirez by Richard Buckner
19 - Such Great Heights by Iron & Wine
20 - You're My Best Friend by Queen
Bonus: The Pizza Hut commercial that never was. In 2002, Ween was commissioned to provide a jingle for Pizza Hut's new "Insider" pizza - the one with a cheese-like substance baked into the crust. Track 21 is what they submitted.
21 - Where'd The Cheese Go? by Ween
Pizza Hut rejected it and told them to try again. Track 22 is what they came up with.
22 - Where'd The Cheese Go? (remix) by Ween
Needless to say, Pizza Hut didn't like the remixed version either. Just another testament to the genius of Ween. :o]

The National: An Awesomeometer Super Post

The National is officially this blogger's Favorite Band in the Whole World at the Moment, and their stellar 12-track album, Boxer has retained the title of The NeffList's Top Album of 2007 since its release earlier this spring. They played a kick-assed set at Dallas' Granada Theater Friday, September 14, 2007, and i was fortunate enough to be one of the many super-stoked fans in attendance. See my flickr page for tons of pics from that memorable performance.
They recently played "Fake Empire" on Late Night With David Letterman, and will play another track from Boxer, "Apartment Story" on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on Wednesday Sept. 26. So plan on staying up late or look for it on the YouTube the next day.
In June, The National was featured on NPR's Live Concert Series. Listen to their performance from DC's 9:30 Club here.
Filmaker Vincent Moon is completing a documentary featuring The National as they recorded Boxer last year. The film is titled A Skin, A Night. Check out Vincent's incredible footage of intimate performances of each song from Boxer here. Wow.
For all of you fans of The National who already have all of their CD's, but are left wanting more, i have scoured the darkest corners of the interwebs and uploaded all of the non-album tracks i could find. And you're very welcome. All files are zipped and uploaded to Mediafire for your convenience. You can find the tracklists for each file in the comments section of this post. Vive le National!!

The National: Black Session April 2005
The National: Live KEXP Radio 2005
The National: Boxer Demos
The National: Live Radio Show England 2007
The National: Live On Spinner 2007
The National: White Session May 2007
The National: Daytrotter Live
The National: Stray Tracks

Enjoy, you motherscratchers!!

Other links:
The National - Official Page
Daytrotter
NPR Concert Series
Spinner

NeffTunes MixTape August 2007 "Girly Sounds"

This one's for all the ladies out there. Aww yeeeeaaah...Download the zip file here.
"Girly Sounds" Tracklist:

01 - Doing It Right by The Go! Team
02 - Alaska by Camera Obscura
03 - I Hate Camera by The Bird and The Bee
04 - Living Proof by Cat Power
05 - I Feel It All by Feist
06 - Hello Hello I'm Back Again by Shivaree
07 - Tears Dry On Their Own (live) by Amy Winehouse
08 - Come Running by Sol Seppy
09 - If You Fall by Azure Ray
10 - Back In Your Head by Tegan & Sara
11 - Mockingbird by Minnie Driver
12 - The Sad Milkman by Sally Timms
13 - Lion's Jaws by Neko Case
14 - Odd Said the Doe by Nina Nastasia & Jim White
15 - Don't Break My Heart by Kate Walsh
16 - Trouble On The Line by Loretta Lynn
17 - You Cant Buy A Gun by Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs
18 - Wildness by Trailier Bride
19 - Blueberry Tree Part II by Husky Rescue
20 - Words by Lucinda Williams
21 - One Kiss Don't Make a Summer by Lucky Soul
22 - Lifesize by A Fine Frenzy
23 - Officially Dead by Veruca Salt
24 - Paper Planes by M.I.A.
25 - I Love You More by Sarah Silverman

Enjoy these fine females, and remember: behind every successful band, there's a woman.

NeffTunes MixTape July 2007

Stealin', thievin', perpetratin' and otherwise runnin' afoul of the man has always been a common theme employed by some of my favorite artists to tell stories. This month, i share with you some sweet tunes with an outlaw narrative from many perspectives. Download the zip file here. Tell your friends. Enjoy!

Thieves, Crooks & Criminals tracklist:
01 - FolsomPrisonBlues by JonnyCash & WillieNelson
02 - 21 Days In Jail by The Blasters
03 - A Week In A Country Jail by Tom T Hall
04 - InTheJailhouseNow by SteveEarle & TheV-Roys
05 - Crime Don't Pay by Mike Ness
06 - Steal The Crumbs by Uncle Tupelo
07 - Baby Out Of Jail by The Knitters
08 - Don't Steal Our Sun by The Thrills
09 - Robbers by Cold War Kids
10 - Bandits by Midlake
11 - Sympathy Crime by The Black Heart Procession
12 - Steal A Ride by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
13 - X Offender by Blondie
14 - Rhymin' and Stealin' by Beastie Boys
15 - Crime and Punishment by Fun Lovin' Criminals
16 - Crime & Medicine by Mos Def
17 - Bankrobber by The Clash
18 - Rude Boys Outta Jail by The Specials
19 - Did You Steal My Money? by The Who
20 - Been Caught Stealing by Jane's Addiction
21 - Stealing People's Mail by The Dead Kennedys
22 - Joker & The Thief by Wolfmother

NeffTunes MixTape June 2007

Down here in the Dallas, we will almost set a record for the most rainfall in any June in recorded history. That's a lot of water comin' down on us. So here are a bunch of tunes from some great albums (some of which have not been released to the public yet) that i can listen to while dreaming about being outside somewhere that isn't all wet. Download the zip file here. Enjoy it, and remember to tell your friends where ya got it. If you like what you hear, seek out these artists so you can buy some of their stuff. They deserve it. Creating art is difficult, and not always financially lucrative, so they would appreciate your support. And i thank you.

Tracklist:
01 - Nobody Listens To Silence By Ryan Adams
02 - Light Me Up By Ween
03 - Suco De Tangerina By Beastie Boys
04 - Natty Dreadlocks Pon The Mountaintop By Bad Brains
05 - Eddie's Ragga By Spoon
06 - Roman Holiday By Camera Obscura
07 - Like Castanets By Bishop Allen
08 - Innocent Bones By Iron & Wine
09 - Lady Detemer By Tim Armstrong
10 - Wastelands By The View
11 - Moving Pictures By The Cribs
12 - Hat And Rabbit By Page France
13 - Four Winds By Bright Eyes
14 - Go Places By The New Pornographers
15 - A Hand To Take Hold Of The Scene By Okkervil River
16 - Bee Of The Bird Of The Month By They Might Be Giants
17 - Ice Cream By New Young Pony Club
Stay dry!

NeffTunes MixTape May 2007

Zamage, Inc., and The Awesome-o-meter present the NeffTunes MixTape, May Twenty Ought Seven Edition. There's no common thread, no overarching theme, or any real connection between these tunes except that each one kicks a ton of ass. And they make me happy. Download the zip file here: NeffTunes MixTape May2007

Remember to support these artists by buying their records and going to their shows and tellin' your friends how their lives lack the luster of yours because these awesome bands aren't part of it.

Tracklist:

01 - Technology by The Whigs
02 - Work Hard Play Hard by Palace Music
03 - We've Got To Keep Running by Chin Up Chin Up
04 - You're Supposed To Be My Friend by 1990s
05 - You Blew Me Off by Bare Jr
06 - Broken Hands by Bright Light Fever
07 - Afro by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
08 - Grindhouse (Main Titles) By Robert Rodriguez
09 - Into Action by Tim Armstrong
10 - Connection by Elastica
11 - The Perfect Crime 2 by The Decemberists
12 - Hurricane by Division Day
13 - Nite Lights, Dark Days by Oakley Hall
14 - Here's Hopin' by The Handsome Family
15 - Exile On My Street by ThePonys
16 - Nicotine by Nuisance
17 - Lit Up by The National
18 - Nourishment Nation by Rogue Wave
19 - The King Of Carrot Flowers Pt 1 by Neutral Milk Hotel
20 - Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken by Camera Obscura
21 - Pepper by Butthole Surfers
22 - Worst Trip by Dr. Dog
23 - Fuse by Radio Moscow

Modest Mouse May 10, 2007 Nokia Theatre Grand Prairie, TX

Modest Mouse came and rocked the Nokia Theatre last Thursday night with opening bands Love As Laughter and Man Man. i hooked up with Modest Mouse percussionist Joe Plummer, an old buddy i used to hang with when we were mischievous teenage skaters in Pleasanton, CA. Joe moved away when he was a junior in high school, leaving our old neighborhood and close friends for grungy Seattle, WA. After high school, Joe played and toured in bands such as Bare Minimum, The Magic Magicians, and The Black Heart Procession, among others. After living in L.A. for a couple years, he settled in Portland, OR where he started jamming with Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse before joining them on tour in support of 2004's Good News for People Who Love Bad News album. i finally caught up with my old friend on Thursday, and i spent the day catching up with Joe and chillin' with the bands and crew of Modest Mouse's current tour (including the legendary and super-cool Johnny Marr!). Below are some of my favorite moments from this most awesome day. See more at my flickr page.
Click on each pic for a larger view.









Thanks to the bands, Modest Mouse, Love As Laughter, and Man Man for letting me hang out for a day and snapping these sweet pics. Don't pass up an opportunity to see any of these bands when they come to your area - you will be rocked. Also a very special thanks to Joe for granting me access and permission to intrude on evryones rock 'n' roll lives. It was a blast.