930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: Fico on September 12, 2005, 05:41:00 pm
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Anybody know who is opening up for them??
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According to their website, Giant Drag is opening.
www.giantdrag.com (http://www.giantdrag.com)
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Originally posted by falconetti:
According to their website, Giant Drag is opening.
www.giantdrag.com (http://www.giantdrag.com)
Wow, how did you pick up on that factoid? Nice work.
And... Giant Drag is not bad. The clips are too short to make an impressive, but the Blunt Picket Fence song is pretty good. It starts out a little draggy, but the music gets more interesting. Hopefully they'll be the 3rd band on the bill and the 2nd bill will be someone like the Arctic Monkeys or Test Icicles.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to this show very much.
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Stellastarr* are immediately annoying for a number of reasons. First is the name. It's not Stellastar, or Stellastarr, it's Stellastarr*. There's a little asterisk at the end. And guess what, it kind of looks like a tiny star. A stellar star, you ask? No, a Stellastarr*! Either it's a clever play on words that utilizes a helpless symbol normally reserved for touch-tone phone menu operations, or it's a tribute to a Tennessee Williams character and humorous misspellings.
The second annoying thing is the voice of lead singer Shawn Christensen. It's not bad; there's just something a little bit off. It's as if the band needed to find a replacement for their real singer and grabbed the guy with the most enthusiasm, neglecting to check his vocal chops. One of my music instructors once claimed that my voice had personality because it had a complete lack of personality. Ditto Mr. Christensen.
The third thing that's annoying is the fact that you think you've heard Stellastarr* before. You may not have actually heard them, but you think that you have. They are one of the many bands exported from New York that sounds like a host of '80s bands. They're a clone band, and they don't try to hide that fact, which is commendable. So they sound like a clone of the Killers and Interpol and all the other throwback bands that were inspired by the Cure and New Order and a glut of other new wave bands. Xerox copies of Xerox copies can still get the job done if the copying is expert. Few people complain about Interpol sounding like other bands because they've carved a unique niche for themselves and injected enough originality into their music to demand attention. Stellastarr* sometimes achieve this, but more often, they do not.
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Where did you lift that from, Rhett?
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The normally rather generous popmatters.com
http://popmatters.com/music/reviews/s/stellastarr-harmonies.shtml (http://popmatters.com/music/reviews/s/stellastarr-harmonies.shtml)
Originally posted by Jaguär:
Where did you lift that from, Rhett?
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Originally posted by Xavier Bush, Power Forward:
The third thing that's annoying is the fact that you think you've heard Stellastarr* before. You may not have actually heard them, but you think that you have. They are one of the many bands exported from New York that sounds like a host of '80s bands. They're a clone band, and they don't try to hide that fact, which is commendable. So they sound like a clone of the Killers and Interpol and all the other throwback bands that were inspired by the Cure and New Order and a glut of other new wave bands. Xerox copies of Xerox copies can still get the job done if the copying is expert. Few people complain about Interpol sounding like other bands because they've carved a unique niche for themselves and injected enough originality into their music to demand attention. Stellastarr* sometimes achieve this, but more often, they do not.
This is the most absurd part of this whole diatribe. Stellastarr* sounds more readily like the Pixies (at least vocally) then New Order. To say Interpol or - gasp! - the Killers have a more original take on this sound then Stellastarr* is ridiculous.
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Originally posted by Xavier Bush, Power Forward:
Stellastarr* are immediately annoying for a number of reasons. First is the name. It's not Stellastar, or Stellastarr, it's Stellastarr*. There's a little asterisk at the end. And guess what, it kind of looks like a tiny star. A stellar star, you ask? No, a Stellastarr*! Either it's a clever play on words that utilizes a helpless symbol normally reserved for touch-tone phone menu operations, or it's a tribute to a Tennessee Williams character and humorous misspellings.
It's actually supposed to be lower case "s" - so it's stellastarr*.
I'm not sure of the exact details, but they got their name from some girl, Stella Star (obviously), the singer went to high school with. Something about her lying to her boyfriend about being pregnant and him committing suicide. The singer saw it all over the papers and decided to name his band after her.
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Meh....Stellastarr is kind of a guilty pleasure for me...haven't heard the new album though.
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Originally posted by Wayne, BadSushi Fellatio AFICIONADO:
Originally posted by Xavier Bush, Power Forward:
The third thing that's annoying is the fact that you think you've heard Stellastarr* before. You may not have actually heard them, but you think that you have. They are one of the many bands exported from New York that sounds like a host of '80s bands. They're a clone band, and they don't try to hide that fact, which is commendable. So they sound like a clone of the Killers and Interpol and all the other throwback bands that were inspired by the Cure and New Order and a glut of other new wave bands. Xerox copies of Xerox copies can still get the job done if the copying is expert. Few people complain about Interpol sounding like other bands because they've carved a unique niche for themselves and injected enough originality into their music to demand attention. Stellastarr* sometimes achieve this, but more often, they do not.
This is the most absurd part of this whole diatribe. Stellastarr* sounds more readily like the Pixies (at least vocally) then New Order. To say Interpol or - gasp! - the Killers have a more original take on this sound then Stellastarr* is ridiculous. [/b]
Agreed. And how can stellastarr* be a clone of The Killers if stellastarr* formed in 2000 and The Killers in 2002??
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Originally posted by amnesiac:
Agreed. And how can stellastarr* be a clone of The Killers if stellastarr* formed in 2000 and The Killers in 2002??
Exactly. I saw the killers play a 30 minute support slot (and not even direct support) of stellastarr* a few years back. Oh, the revisionist history.
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Originally posted by Xavier Bush, Power Forward:
Stellastarr* are immediately annoying for a number of reasons. First is the name. It's not Stellastar, or Stellastarr, it's Stellastarr*. There's a little asterisk at the end. And guess what, it kind of looks like a tiny star. A stellar star, you ask? No, a Stellastarr*! Either it's a clever play on words that utilizes a helpless symbol normally reserved for touch-tone phone menu operations, or it's a tribute to a Tennessee Williams character and humorous misspellings.
The second annoying thing is the voice of lead singer Shawn Christensen. It's not bad; there's just something a little bit off. It's as if the band needed to find a replacement for their real singer and grabbed the guy with the most enthusiasm, neglecting to check his vocal chops. One of my music instructors once claimed that my voice had personality because it had a complete lack of personality. Ditto Mr. Christensen.
The third thing that's annoying is the fact that you think you've heard Stellastarr* before. You may not have actually heard them, but you think that you have. They are one of the many bands exported from New York that sounds like a host of '80s bands. They're a clone band, and they don't try to hide that fact, which is commendable. So they sound like a clone of the Killers and Interpol and all the other throwback bands that were inspired by the Cure and New Order and a glut of other new wave bands. Xerox copies of Xerox copies can still get the job done if the copying is expert. Few people complain about Interpol sounding like other bands because they've carved a unique niche for themselves and injected enough originality into their music to demand attention. Stellastarr* sometimes achieve this, but more often, they do not.
That's such horseshit. What band doesn't sound like another band? And if Stellastarr is xeroxing another band, which band exactly? Seriously, which band sounds exactly like Stellastarr? I would love to know, because then I can go check them out too. And while on this topic, what band out there doesn't sound like any other band?
And sorry to say, but Stellastarr came before the Killers, so if anyone is copping between those two, it's the Killers. As for Interpol, it's fine *now* to say they've carved out a new sound, because they have now released two records and played a thousand shows. Who was saying after Turn On The Bright Lights that they'd carved out their own sound? Noone, it was all a lot of griping about how they were copping Joy Division. In the few songs I've heard from the new Stellastarr album, it sounds like they are progressing and forging their own sound.
Stellastarr has only released one record. They are still developing as a band, and I think eventually they're going to hit the big-time in a big-time way. When I listen to their debut, and think back to the Black Cat show, it reminds me a LOT of the first years of the Smashing Pumpkins. You can argue all you want on whether the Pumpkins were a good band or not, but there's no denying that they hit it big and had a shitload of fans who loved their records. I'm betting that Stellastarr eventually reaches the same level.
The singer's voice is distinctive, to be sure, and it will rub some people the wrong way. But more people are going to be grabbed by it, and it will be the intro to the rest of the music. The same gripe about the vocals can be said about the Pumpkins, Jane's Addiction, Neil Young, the Cure, etc., I'd rather hear unique vocals than generic Killers yelping.
Stellastarr write good songs to which people will connect, as long as the band keeps at it. They've got an art-y vibe, so it will attract the snob types, plus they all look very pretty, which always helps. Based on the Black Cat show, they know how to put on a good show, and the songs are "epic" enough to give them a solid rep as a killer live band.
Okay, the asterik after the name is pretty dumb. But is it any more dumb than putting umlauts over the Husker and the Du?
But then, you didn't write the critique above so this might be just shouting into the wind.
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Originally posted by Relaxer:
Originally posted by falconetti:
According to their website, Giant Drag is opening.
www.giantdrag.com (http://www.giantdrag.com)
Wow, how did you pick up on that factoid? Nice work.
Hopefully they'll be the 3rd band on the bill and the 2nd bill will be someone like the Arctic Monkeys or Test Icicles.
[/b]
Still haven't decided if I'm going to this or Gang of Four at Sonar. But if Arctic Monkeys are added to the bill, I'll definitely be at 9:30.
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Originally posted by amnesiac:
Originally posted by Relaxer:
Originally posted by falconetti:
According to their website, Giant Drag is opening.
www.giantdrag.com (http://www.giantdrag.com)
Wow, how did you pick up on that factoid? Nice work.
Hopefully they'll be the 3rd band on the bill and the 2nd bill will be someone like the Arctic Monkeys or Test Icicles.
[/b]
Still haven't decided if I'm going to this or Gang of Four at Sonar. But if Arctic Monkeys are added to the bill, I'll definitely be at 9:30. [/b]
I completely pulled that out of my ass, by the way. It could just as easily be Inara George or Army of Me.
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Stellastarr has two albums out,actually.
When I heard them, I though they sounded like an inferior version of Rusted Root, who in turn sound like an inferior version of the Talking Heads.
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Originally posted by Relaxer:
Originally posted by amnesiac:
Still haven't decided if I'm going to this or Gang of Four at Sonar. But if Arctic Monkeys are added to the bill, I'll definitely be at 9:30.
I completely pulled that out of my ass, by the way. It could just as easily be Inara George or Army of Me. [/b]
Yeah, I figured. Just wishful thinking...
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Originally posted by Xavier Bush, Power Forward:
Stellastarr has two albums out,actually.
As of 2 hours ago. Most of us cannot give qualified analysis of a band's growth (or lack thereof) on a record we haven't heard yet. I'm sure you could, but still...
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Sorry, I was going on what allmusic said, which was an August 23 release date. I was put off sufficiently by their first album that I need not follow their growth. Finite supply of time and money dictates making a better choice than that, for me.
Originally posted by Wayne, BadSushi Fellatio AFICIONADO:
Originally posted by Xavier Bush, Power Forward:
Stellastarr has two albums out,actually.
As of 2 hours ago. Most of us cannot give qualified analysis of a band's growth (or lack thereof) on a record we haven't heard yet. I'm sure you could, but still... [/b]
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Originally posted by Xavier Bush, Power Forward:
Stellastarr has two albums out,actually.
When I heard them, I though they sounded like an inferior version of Rusted Root, who in turn sound like an inferior version of the Talking Heads.
Rusted Root? The hippy-ish jam band? Are you serious? I realize that everyone is entitled to their own asinine opinion, but that's mind-boggling. Truly truly I say to you now. You need more bran in your life.
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I've only heard stuff off of the first two Rusted Root albums, which sounded like the Talking Heads to me (especially vocally). The second Rusted Root album was produced by Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads. Maybe they became more jammy after that.
Originally posted by Relaxer:
Originally posted by Xavier Bush, Power Forward:
Stellastarr has two albums out,actually.
When I heard them, I though they sounded like an inferior version of Rusted Root, who in turn sound like an inferior version of the Talking Heads.
Rusted Root? The hippy-ish jam band? Are you serious? I realize that everyone is entitled to their own asinine opinion, but that's mind-boggling. Truly truly I say to you now. You need more bran in your life. [/b]
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Originally posted by Xavier Bush, Power Forward:
I've only heard stuff off of the first two Rusted Root albums, which sounded like the Talking Heads to me (especially vocally). The second Rusted Root album was produced by Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads. Maybe they became more jammy after that.
they definitely have (had?) a bit of a late-era talking heads world-music vibe ... but they are quite a bit jammier than the heads ever got (to the best of my knowledge, that is)
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I realize that everyone is entitled to their own asinine opinion, but that's mind-boggling.
Is every opinion, except yours, asinine? Just curious, as you seem to have a problem with people liking music you don't and vice-versa?
I think the new Stellastarr single is excellent by the way....Sweet Troubled Soul
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Originally posted by brennser:
Is every opinion, except yours, asinine? Just curious, as you seem to have a problem with people liking music you don't and vice-versa?
He made no comment on Rhett not liking the music, simply his assertation that they sound like Rusted Root. I can say DCFC sucks, and that's my perrogative, but I can't expect to go "it's my opinion death cab sounds like black sabbath" without being viewed as nuts.
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Well Rhett is right that stellastarr* sound like a watered down talking heads. I rather liked them for that.
I wonder if the show will sell out or if I should get tickets soon?
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Bad analogy. Stellastarr and Rusted Root's singers do "sing" with that sort of gulping, yelping vocal style. Ben Gibbard and Ozzy/Ronnie James have completely dissimiliar vocal styles.
Originally posted by Wayne, BadSushi Fellatio AFICIONADO:
Originally posted by brennser:
Is every opinion, except yours, asinine? Just curious, as you seem to have a problem with people liking music you don't and vice-versa?
He made no comment on Rhett not liking the music, simply his assertation that they sound like Rusted Root. I can say DCFC sucks, and that's my perrogative, but I can't expect to go "it's my opinion death cab sounds like black sabbath" without being viewed as nuts. [/b]
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Originally posted by Xavier Bush, Power Forward:
Bad analogy.
It is my opinion my analogy is apt. APT!
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Originally posted by brennser:
I realize that everyone is entitled to their own asinine opinion, but that's mind-boggling.
Is every opinion, except yours, asinine? Just curious, as you seem to have a problem with people liking music you don't and vice-versa?
I think the new Stellastarr single is excellent by the way....Sweet Troubled Soul [/b]
Oh boo hoo, because I dissed on precious fragile Sleater-Kinney? I was alluding to the fact that his comparison seemed way off of the mark. Note that I didn't disagree with the Talking Heads part of that, because there's some validity to that. If I said that my opinion is that Sleater-Kinney are a bunch of fat girls who need to find boyfriends, wouldn't you think that was an asinine opinion?
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I think we can all agree that Rhett, is indeed, mentally retarded. And his wife is a dog.
I saw Stellastarr* last spring with this terrible opening band called the Killers, who didn't even have an album out yet. Stellastarr* and Ambulance LTD owned the show, while it was thought that the Killers would just be another annoying foot-note of a shitty opening band, never to resurface again, especially considering how horrendous their show was.
My how we were all wrong.
Oh yeah, I'll be at this show.
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I've listened to the new album. From what I've heard, there's enough material on both of their releases to make one really good album (about half the songs on each). The rest is just filler.
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September 13, 2005
New CD's
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Sigur Ros
"Takk..." (Geffen)
Sigur Ros revisits its familiar empyrean realms on "Takk...," this Icelandic band's fourth album. "Takk" means "Thank you," and it's another set of awestruck, shimmering songs that circle through a few stately chords while evolving from near silence to unabashed pomp. On past albums, Sigur Ros has forged songs into hermetic sanctuaries, but on "Takk..." it expands its music toward both the abstract and the corporeal.
This time, Sigur Ros lets pop choruses rise out of the mists, and Jonsi Birgisson sings words rather than the invented language on the band's previous album, "()." The lyrics are in Icelandic, and Sigur Ros has said they are about "moments and small adventures." The production adds abstraction with surreal electronic effects, from carefully placed bits of static to elaborately manipulated instrumental passages. But it is also grounded in physical sounds, from bell tones and ratchety noises (possibly the music boxes Sigur Ros used for its collaboration with the choreographer Merce Cunningham, "Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do") to marching feet to symphonic arrangements.
The band is augmented by strings and, in one hallucinatory stretch of "Se Lest," an oompahing brass band. Sometimes more is less; there are passages in songs like "Hoppipolla" where the music turns earthbound, even kitschy, as bombast replaces grandeur. But for most of "Takk..." Sigur Ros continues to contemplate the sublime with rapture, melancholy and grace. The band performs tonight at the Beacon Theater. JON PARELES
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Originally posted by Bags:
September 13, 2005
New CD's
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Sigur Ros
"Takk..." (Geffen)
Sigur Ros revisits its familiar empyrean realms on "Takk...," this Icelandic band's fourth album. "Takk" means "Thank you," and it's another set of awestruck, shimmering songs that circle through a few stately chords while evolving from near silence to unabashed pomp. On past albums, Sigur Ros has forged songs into hermetic sanctuaries, but on "Takk..." it expands its music toward both the abstract and the corporeal.
This time, Sigur Ros lets pop choruses rise out of the mists, and Jonsi Birgisson sings words rather than the invented language on the band's previous album, "()." The lyrics are in Icelandic, and Sigur Ros has said they are about "moments and small adventures." The production adds abstraction with surreal electronic effects, from carefully placed bits of static to elaborately manipulated instrumental passages. But it is also grounded in physical sounds, from bell tones and ratchety noises (possibly the music boxes Sigur Ros used for its collaboration with the choreographer Merce Cunningham, "Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do") to marching feet to symphonic arrangements.
The band is augmented by strings and, in one hallucinatory stretch of "Se Lest," an oompahing brass band. Sometimes more is less; there are passages in songs like "Hoppipolla" where the music turns earthbound, even kitschy, as bombast replaces grandeur. But for most of "Takk..." Sigur Ros continues to contemplate the sublime with rapture, melancholy and grace. The band performs tonight at the Beacon Theater. JON PARELES
Wrong thread, boss.
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Originally posted by Relaxer:
*snip*
Okay, the asterik after the name is pretty dumb. But is it any more dumb than putting umlauts over the Husker and the Du?
cant believe you didnt mention Maximo Park when it comes to umlauts ;)
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Originally posted by xneverwherex:
Originally posted by Relaxer:
*snip*
Okay, the asterik after the name is pretty dumb. But is it any more dumb than putting umlauts over the Husker and the Du?
cant believe you didnt mention Maximo Park when it comes to umlauts ;) [/b]
True enough. It was hard enough not to mention the Crue.
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But all of those examples use it to accent in some way a vowel sound. The * is just decoration. And mine is just because I lost my password for my original account.
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I <3 Wikipedia:
Entry for "Heavy Metal Umlaut" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_umlaut)
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Originally posted by Relaxer:
But is it any more dumb than putting umlauts over the Husker and the Du?
"It's like a pair of eyes. You're looking at the umlaut, and it's looking at you."
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Brilliant link, thanks GGW,
"At one Mötley Crüe performance in Germany, the entire audience started chanting "Moetley Crueh!""
and
"Deathtöngue, fronted by the depraved and unwholesome singer/'lead tongue' "Wild" Bill Catt and infamous for the songs "Let's Run Over Lionel Richie With a Tank""
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Just heard this on WOXY:
Apparently, Cedars (the band formerly known as Cartel.dc formerly known as Cartel) are opening this show?
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whooooooo.......
nice one fico.........
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Originally posted by amnesiac:
Just heard this on WOXY:
Apparently, Cedars (the band formerly known as Cartel.dc formerly known as Cartel) are opening this show?
Are you sure it isn't the Cedars from Fargo?
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well cartel.dc has changed their name to cedars look.......
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=9454024&Mytoken=20050816100514 (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=9454024&Mytoken=20050816100514)
although it could be interesting if there is another band called cedars..........the whole damn thing's gonna start all over again.
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Originally posted by poorlulu:
well cartel.dc has changed their name to cedars look.......
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=9454024&Mytoken=20050816100514 (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=9454024&Mytoken=20050816100514)
although it could be interesting if there is another band called cedars..........the whole damn thing's gonna start all over again.
See here (http://www.930.com/cgi-bin/ubb-cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=011181;p=1#000016)
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it could be very (http://www.930.com/cgi-bin/ubb-cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=011181;p=2) interesting
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Jinx!
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damn you to hell!!!! :)
Originally posted by amnesiac:
Originally posted by poorlulu:
well cartel.dc has changed their name to cedars look.......
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=9454024&Mytoken=20050816100514 (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=9454024&Mytoken=20050816100514)
although it could be interesting if there is another band called cedars..........the whole damn thing's gonna start all over again.
See here (http://www.930.com/cgi-bin/ubb-cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=011181;p=1#000016) [/b]
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Originally posted by poorlulu:
whooooooo.......
nice one fico.........
Thanks! we're chuffed to bits, and of course we hope to see you all there...Markie heckling and all :)
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Originally posted by poorlulu:
well cartel.dc has changed their name to cedars look.......
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=9454024&Mytoken=20050816100514 (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=9454024&Mytoken=20050816100514)
although it could be interesting if there is another band called cedars..........the whole damn thing's gonna start all over again.
www.cedarsmusic.com (http://www.cedarsmusic.com)