who was playing at Truetone Music in Santa Monica...

...Friday night, at their newly opened CLUB FENDER annex?  i watched from the street with a handful of other people, through the glass of the storefront.  holy wow, they were amazing.

here's a video of the last song they played last night, recorded by Don Was:
they were JACKSHIT, featuring guitar player VAL McCALLUM from Jackson Browne's band and two guys from Elvis Costello's Attractions and Impostors, respectively drummer PETE THOMAS and  bassist DAVEY FARRAGHER.

MUSIC: Bell X1 on David Letterman 17/3/09

here is the BELL X1 VIDEO from Letterman.

again, i beg you, does anyone know what guitar he is using?!!?

MUSIC: N*E*R*D - Seeing Sounds

so for weeks i've seen N*E*R*D do this song on all the nighttime talk shows: "hundred dollar bills, achoo, achoo!" and now the new album, SEEING SOUNDS is out on the 10th.

i just put on the CD and already it has blown me away. the production is SO organic sounding, so warm and nice. geunine retro synth colours, not just coming out of a sound module...tons of wailing electric guitar... modern sounding r&b melodies, but definitely not in the usual keys and progressions...lots of whispered voices interjecting between phrases of the song...crazy turnarounds and bridges that go in completely unexpected directions. it is classic Neptunes' signature tech-geek-schizophrenia-turned-soul-discipile-channeling-80s-new-wave brilliance! i freaking love you guys, Chad Hugo and Pharrell. and 'Everyone Nose' is only the tip of a massive iceberg of some really innovative music.