::: X-Ray Spex, "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" ::: this is their most famous song...

::: X-Ray Spex, "Warrior in Woolworths" ::: ....and then this is a superpoppy number that gets stuck in my head.

simon cowell has got his grubby little fingers in a new show. it's retardedly named "america's got talent!" and the producers are looking for all sorts of freaks to try out: spunky seniors, little people, irish jiggers, puppeteers -- whatever your deal is, if it's weird, they want to laugh at it. a friend of a friend who plays music with his hamster and his hermit crab is all ready to audition.

finally, i got bored and got on myspace. would you like to be my friend? take a chance and add me. i reserve the right to brutally reject your request if i don't actually know you. just so's you know.

saturday night carl and i went to the joggers show at rothko. i liked their first album and haven't really gotten into their second one (and honestly, would vastly have preferred seeing the gossip, but that show was sold out). but what the hey. i lucked into some free tickets, so why not? as it turned out, i was dog tired and spent most of the show working hard to remain awake and standing. but i was happy to run into some peeps, including brandon, and the bloggy-blog group of jeff, joey, and tricia m. and the band was pretty good, too, if a bit too scattershot at times for my tired brain to comprehend....

carl, a pretty big joggers fan, was not having any energy problems, and neither were the joggers. when they busted into one of their dancier numbers, carl wanted to share his love with the crowd so badly that he took off, in hilarious pinball-like fashion, arms and legs akimbo, dancing his way up to the front of the crowd. but as we all know, dancing is frowned upon in new york, and his antics were met with considerable disapproval. one gentleman even told him, "sir, you need to calm down." i would say that that dude needed to amp up, furious neck-bobbing notwithstanding, and he himself even admits it on his blog: "that guy was actually acting out how pumped I felt on the inside when they ripped into that song." dude, LET IT OUT! it's good for the soul. also, carl was not really drunk -- that is just how he is. i've seen him bust out the dancing to shake people out of their pretensions before -- it doesn't require alcohol. for more on the subject, read along as the former zine-ster dips his toe into digital waters with these thoughts on the "bleak" indie scene. finally, looks like jeff liked the show. and he was dancing quite enthusiastically, i must say.

::: X, "The World's a Mess, It's In My Kiss" :::

i've also been on a huge new-music kick lately, taking recommendations and checking shit out like it's my job, so i will try to post some thoughts about some of my new discoveries next week. have a good weekend, friends.

first up: black people looooooove leprechauns! [thanks to stu for today's biggest laugh]

my boss just informed me that an internet phenomenon has sprung up around the upcoming ridiculous movie snakes on a plane. i don't know about this claim that "snakes on a plane" has become a popular catchphrase like "whatareyagonnado" or "shit happens," but all the insane bits and bobs are chronicled lovingly at snakes on a blog. i might have to go see this movie on opening night when it comes out (in august). somehow i think kurt will be in.

they are blogging like crazy people over there at jane magazine. i'm all about their fashion blog, too. and apparently they looooove bloggers, because not only do they have fashion and beauty bloggers writing for them, but lindsay is taking her lindsayisms over there for a month. check the guest page for that, where she blogs alongside nick zinner.

now, of course i'm totally jealous of everyone who went to south by southwest and ran around seeing tons of bands and drinking beer and wearing tank tops, but whitney matheson ate sandwiches with rhett miller! one of these days i'm going to make it there....

so i forgot to mention that the hold steady signed to vagrant records. weird choice, methinks. but i'm sure they know what they're doing, and of course i wish them all the luck in the world. totally looking forward to their april 7 stop at the warsaw, and of course the album they'll start recording soon (though i thought they already were...). the wannabe hipster alerts me to the fact that they recently hosted an episode of new york noise....i wonder i can find that shit on bittorrent, my new obsession. oh yes. it's on. tv on the computer. eff tivo.

in terrible news for lovers of sweaty, oddball dance clubs, the bulgarian nightclub has closed! to make way for a ramada inn! why is there not more outrage over this! here at catherine's pita, there is.

the knitting factory has redesigned its website, and i'm thrilled to find that they now have a decent calendar on there, where you can see what's coming up for weeks and months on end, which wasn't true before. the calendar is a little weird, making you click through each day, but it's pretty much superfluous to the main page. kudos.

the raconteurs' "steady as she goes" video was directed by jim jarmusch. that's cred, people. i can't wait till the raconteurs album comes out. what little i've heard sounds hot.

hello! i had a very full weekend, in which i attended shows friday, saturday, and sunday nights. unusual! i must say that of the three shows, i think i had the most fun at the JOURNEY TRIBUTE SHOW. that's right. don't stop. believin'. we were all pretty sure that that was actually steve perry up there, and not this "hugo" person. that's right, i saw journey. don't be jealous.

i also got to attend the stereolab show friday night at town hall. now, i never really got into stereolab, but i had an open mind and carl wanted to go, so we went. reader, you would not believe the joy of the stereolab fan! we sauntered in half an hour into their set and settled into our seats. after a few minutes, someone up front stood up and yelled, "why? why can't we do it?" um. what? then: "why can't we stand up? yeah! let's stand up!" and then it was like a scene from a movie, with people popping up all over the place in a show of solidarity. stand up and face the enemy...it's a do or die situation.... this, for possibly the most boring band in the world. the love shown for stereolab and their pleasant little jazzy grooves, it was kind of mind-blowing. i was not converted, but clearly i was in the minority as far as stereolove goes. also of note: carl seemed to be most impressed by "the visuals," which he mentioned at least three times during the show (concerned that i could not see them), and twice the next day (still in awe of them apparently).

and then sunday night i dragged myself over to the jenny lewis show. she's wonderful. the only thing that sucked about the show is randi and i were stuck in the back craning our necks the entire time. but she sounded great, and those watson twins added some extra special-ness, with dramatic processional and recessional. it sort of leant a church-y vibe, especially when they didn't use microphones, which was a few times. strangely, the crowd at the jenny lewis show was the exact opposite from what i've experienced at rilo kiley shows -- old parental types instead of must-catch-the-last-train-back-to-westchester teens. weird.

those of you into project runway, and especially those of you into project runway and blessed with small bosoms, will be interested to know that forever 21 is currently featuring a couple of ripoffs of kara janx dresses. specifically, this one. it was pretty hot on, but as i am not in the habit of duct-taping my boobs, alas, it was not for me.

in honor of st. patty's day, i will provide two stereotype-supporting links: 15 people who can drink more than you (including bob pollard), and a list of drinking songs.

i don't know why i can't find the time to update this biotch anymore, but at least there cormi is on the bizarre-penis-story beat. in the meantime, rest assured that i am going to some events this weekend that will definitely provide some blog fodder. stay tuned! i know some of you think the pita is ailing, and maybe it is, but the pita will never die. ever! i'll be blogging when i'm like 80, okay? so shut up.

PUNK SONG OF THE WEEK! this week it's dc-style. the older brother used to listen to dag nasty. i had no clue which loud, frightening sounds emanating from his room belonged to which band. and i had no clue i'd end up liking their music 20 years later. (oh my god, i'm old.) i did like the t-shirt, though, which was the cover of the album "can i say," from which the following songs are taken. please note that i'm choosing two but i had a really hard time deciding between several others.

::: Dag Nasty, "Can I Say" ::: this is here mostly for the (awesome) breakdown, so listen to the end.

::: Dag Nasty, "What Now?" ::: cause they were EMO, see.

::: Killing Joke, "The Wait" :::

today marks the opening of the scope art fair, whose catalog and signage carl has been slaving over (and moaning about) seemingly forever. i can't wait to see the grassy knoll, and of course 30,000 square feet of art, including a "paintball shooting gallery," whatever that means. also carl says that a group of nudists are confirmed guests. you don't want to miss that. (do they sit in cabs nude, or remove clothing after emerging from the cab? one wonders.) it's open all weekend (providing they take care of some pesky fire-code violations), along with two other art fairs, one of which is some sort of Big Deal, apparently.

i just overheard someone recommending a walk across the brooklyn bridge, with the extra info: "it's a LOT of fun." apparently the person on the other end of the phone required some further convincing, because she followed that up with, "it's really, really fun." really? like, oh my god, WALKING! it's so fun! so, go, readers, walk! have a really, really fun weekend!

that second darkness album was not particularly well-received. i've actually only listened to it a couple of times, but this song has stood out and asserted itself into my being. it's on my latest workout playlist twice, in fact. makes me insanely happy:

::: The Darkness, "Girlfriend" :::

i enjoyed reading about these indie rockers who refused to sell their music to Hummer. nice to know principles still exist. [via maria]

check out this white furry lobster discovered on the ocean floor. i want to be that lobster for halloween.

i know you have been waiting for this: eating tips from catherine's pita! 1) have dinner at cafecito. this little cuban place is cheap and delicious! i should never doubt carl even when he is walking me through housing projects to get to our destination in the bitter cold. two words: ropa vieja. 2) eat pears. you forget about pears. they're all hard and uninviting...till you let them ripen for a few days, and then BAM! pear heaven. 3) weight watchers carrot cakes. these little logs taste like they have been dipped in honey, are quite filling for something the size of a ladyfinger, and only one point for fellow dubs-clubbers. you could eat like three of them if you were feeling hoggish. i recently saw a ridiculous batch of wedding cakes made out of twinkies, and i'd be totally confident having a weight watchers carrot-cake cake at my wedding. i am the girl who presented a pineapple during someone's wedding, of course. 4) the grilled chicken spinach salad with warm shallot sauce (key) at cafe on clinton. also with carrots and mushrooms, ultrafresh, and bacon if you roll that way. this salad sometimes pops into my head when i am least expecting it. officially added to my mental shortlist of awesome salads available in this fine city, joining the asian chicken salad at eatery and the tasty happy salad at tiny's. if YOU have any fave salads, please let me know.

check back here tomorrow for the...you know what. don't you love the one-two punch of the new thursday-friday update schedule?!

::: The Bouncing Souls, "Joe Lies (When He Cries)" ::: and then just because it's only 47 seconds, here's another one:

::: The Bouncing Souls, "I Like Your Mom" ::: a lot of the stuff on their downloads page is really catchy and awesome, too. hooray, pop-punk!

that's it. that's the pita. now everyone go read whitney's pop candy, now with a nice sensible permanent URL. i recently rediscovered it and its wonderful "lost" threads. and more pop-culture detritus than you will probably be able to stand. good stuff!

let's start things off with some animal-based weirdness, shall we? how about a cat making really weird noises? also, guinea-pig nose, dog butt, and super ninja kitty! (don't like these links? blame tamar.)

some dude posted an acoustic version of the hold steady's "stuck between stations." there's a lot of piano.

this gave me great joy today in a moment of midafternoon darkness: random funny mug shots from the smoking gun.

the best thing about this popmatters interview with bob pollard is the picture that accompanies it: bob relaxing on a well-lit couch in a parking lot. looks like dusk. pretty....

here's a new york times story about the chalk graffiti artist whose work has been popping up on the lower east side lately, stopping me in my tracks.

i've been listening to the new neko case album, "fox confessor brings the flood." itšs got at least two amazing songs on it. herešs one of them, officially released by the label: hold on hold on. love it. other musical treats for you to binge on: stream the new centromatic (not sure i really care about them anymore) and the new destroyer and bob pollard at merge records. the new rhett miller if you feel like purging.