Top 5 albums you'd recommend to a friend

1. Stellastarr* by Stellastarr*. I really think Stellastarr* has got to be one of the most underrated bands out there. This is among my all-time favorite albums, ranging from the fast & upbeat ("Somewhere Across Forever" & "Pulp Song") to the almost hauntingly melodic. "My Coco," one of my favorite songs of all time, is on this album. And yes, it was one of my favorite songs before Team Coco.

2. Just Say Yes by Punchline. One of their most mature releases to date, although most of their stuff is pretty mature anyway. Some of my favorite Punchline songs come from this album - plus some of their best lyrics - like "Castaway." Which is beautiful live, by the way.

3. Everything in Transit by Jack's Mannequin. Kind of like a stripped-down Something Corporate. Heavy on the piano & catchy songs, & lyrics that hit you where it counts. "Into the Airwaves" is great for a musical pick-me-up, & songs like "La La Lie" are nice & mid-tempo.

4. Hot Fuss by The Killers. I played the shit out of this album when I first got it. I still play the shit out of it. I know it by heart. There's not a bad song on it. The Killers are everything that's right with music right now. "Mr. Brightside" is one of my favorite songs of all time. I have yet to tire of it. Same with most of these songs, including gems like "Change Your Mind." Even "Somebody Told Me" still gets me. If you can track down the remixes & acoustic versions, by the way, they're all fantastic.

5. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me by The Cure. Once again, huge favorites on this album & the one that really jump-started my obsession with The Cure that I've had since I was 13, pretty much, thanks to "Just Like Heaven" specifically. This album is a classic. Everyone needs to listen to it. So many gems. Tons of bands around today were influenced by The Cure, including probably every single one mentioned above. And don't let The Cure's reputation for being dark & moody fool you - while "Just Like Heaven" may take a dark turn at the end lyrically, it's one of the catchiest fucking songs on the planet. God bless you, Robert Smith.

1. What are the coolest and ugliest tattoos you’ve ever seen?
I can't think of very extreme examples of either, really. The gun on Nolan's ribs is pretty nice.

2. Have you ever had a meal in which squid ink was an ingredient? How was it?
Can't say that I have, & being a vegetarian, I probably never will.

3. Are you one of those people who has a favorite pen, or one of those people who just uses whatever’s at hand? What’re your favorite pens like?
I don't have a favorite specific one, but I have my styles & brands. I like very free-flowing ink.

4. There’s a box of colored markers on the table, and someone tells everyone assembled to grab one. If you have first pick, what do you take?
Red.

5. Have you ever written on a wall in a public place?
Not that I can think of, but I'm sure it's happened.

When it's your birthday 'round these parts, you get to choose the theme. I did the only thing I could do - went for a David Bowie theme. I still consider it to be among one of my better life decisions.

I was still in my History of American Popular Music class at the time, & the one advantage to being in Greensburg twice a week is the mall. Which meant I had plenty of opportunities to shop. God bless Macy's & their clearance section, party stores, & the internet, because I was able to put together a pretty decent Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie. Leopard leggings, glittery shirt, pink hair. The whole deal. That wig ruled, by the way.

It was a pretty good party. While I was still able to party, of course.

The night began with some surprise guests: my mom & aunt. My mom's always joked about coming to one of our parties, so she & my aunt planned to attend at least for a little while, without telling any of us. Meri & Nolan were told a few hours in advance, but I was kept in the dark until they walked through the door as a Thin White Duke & a China Girl. And they looked fantastic.

We thought that was a great opportunity to start a game of mother-daughter beer pong, which was hilarious & awesome. We discovered that my aunt is quite good, to the point where she beat nearly everyone until one final round where my mom & I defeated her.

Bros Icing Bros was in full force, of course. I was iced via my birthday cake, the bathroom, & Marion, plus birthday shots & some strong jungle juice that didn't taste very strong at all. After my surprise guests left, & by what I guess was around midnight, I was hammered.

For a little while, this meant pictures & dancing. Noah, in a new band called Unchecked Aggression, debuted a new song called "Smiling Like a Donut" for us. The song's actually on the band's main page & it's great so please check them out.

However, it wasn't long before I was sitting on the sidewalk throwing up in the grass. Which turned into my head between my knees & more throwing up, while Meri threw up into bushes behind me. She was at least able to shower & make it up to bed - I, on the other hand, spent the night alternately vomiting, & sleeping with my face on a cold tile floor. Tessa brought me water at some point. Bless her.

I eventually did make it up to bed with Meri. We woke up seven in the morning, felt horrible, ate some pasta salad, & went back to sleep.

Jacob's graduation party was the next day, which has tales of its own, but suffice it to say that I went in saying I wasn't going to drink anything & left with a wine cooler in my system.

Really, the whole week of my birthday was basically a party. A few days after my actual birthday, I got to go see Styx. This marks Styx show #3 for me, which is pretty awesome considering they've been making music much longer than I've even been alive.

And since I'm totally awesome at buying tickets for things, we were like four rows back or something unreal like that. I had a great view of Tommy Shaw, & that's what matters, man.

Kansas was good. Those guys are definitely good musicians, but weren't among the most entertaining of bands to watch. Then again, I'm 21 & I usually see musicians about my own age using the entire stage, & sometimes leaving it, so yeah.

Foreigner, however, rocked & rocked hard.

They have a new lead singer who was born to perform. These kinds of concerts tend to draw older crowds, & those older crowds tend to not be as into rocking out as we youngins are & are more inclined to stay seated, & that's just what most of our side of the pavilion did. However, the aforementioned lead singer was having none of that & climbed into the crowd, old-school, & climbed on top of seats & probably some people & got everyone on their feet. And probably gave security a heart attack. Whatever. You can't tame a badass.

I did enjoy them more than I thought I would, & probably because of him. He was also fond of showing off his ass. You can't argue with that. Plus I never really realized how many Foreigner songs I really like, so that was a plus, too. It always is.

And of course Styx is one of the best live acts in music right now.

They're just awesome. They're fun, energetic, & the music is fantastic, naturally. There's not a whole not to love. It's straight-up, in-your-face rock & roll. Fuck big extravaganzas with dance numbers, pyrotechnics, & performers that aim just to shock. This is what it's about. And we'll come back to this business when I talk about how Paul McCartney blew my mind.

But right now, I need to eat dinner.

There are links here. You should click them.

Next: Styx is awesome. Yeah, this was a short one. Whatever.

1. What did the last hat you wore look like?
It was a straw cowboy hat.

2. What’s your strategy for unscrewing those stubborn jar-lids?
We have one of those rubber grip things, so I try that. If that fails, I give it to a man.

3. How good are you at keeping a lid on it?
Very good. Secrets are safe with me.

4. Here in Hawaii, people are often very self-conscious about their eyelids. How do you feel about yours?
They're eyelids. I don't really consider them.

5. Are you acquainted with anyone named Lydia?
There was a girl in high school named Lydia. She left after a year or so.

Top 5 songs that help you when you are spitting mad

1. "My Coco" by Stellastarr. It makes me so happy that I can't be angry anymore, & even if I still was, I could dance it off.

2. "Across the Universe" by The Beatles. It calms me. And depending on what's happening, it also makes me cry.

3. "Lollipop" by Mika. Like "My Coco," it just makes me too happy. Any Mika does, really.

4. "Midnight Radio" from Hedwig & the Angry Inch. Also calming.

5. "In Between Days" by The Cure. Instant happy.