Newsletter 4-14-08

Hey Everyone,

It's NHL playoff time and let me just start off with my usual complaint about the NHL...IT'S TIME TO RETRAIN THE REFS! I don't think any other professional sport has refs as bad as the NHL. It's a shame, and it's ruining the game I love.

Moving on...

Big thanks to everyone who came down to Buddie's Tavern on Saturday for the BlowUpRadio.com & LazlosDen.com Free Concert Series. Starting with a wonderful solo set from Kate Hart, ending with a exciting indie-rock set by Mike Ferraro & The Young Republicans, and a stellar debut set from acoustic trio Alter Ego. If for some reason you weren't there, you missed one hell of a show.

I did have an odd moment on Saturday though. A guy comes over and says, "you're the legendary Lazlo?"

and I said, "well I'm Lazlo...far from legendary".

"Dude, I heard Howard Stern talking about you"

"I think you're mistaken"

"No, I'm not. Howard was doing a contest on indie bands and talking about you."

"Well, that's news to me."

"Dude, you're famous!"

The whole thing was really bizarre, and I'm still sure the guy has me confused with someone else, but if anyone can confirm what this guy says, please let me know.

Anyway...

The next the BlowUpRadio.com & LazlosDen.com Free Concert Series at Buddie's Tavern will be an extra special, extra big show on Saturday May 10th. It's my (Lazlo) Birthday Bash! We're starting early too (8pm), because we have 5 acts rocking my b-day bash: The Heshers, Mod Fun, The Successful Failures, Echofission, and Jim Testa! As always, the show is FREE, so mark down May 10th, and I'll see you at Buddie's Tavern.

If you missed the in-studio interview with Echofission that aired on Lazlo's Den last week, you can now stream it in the Interview Archive at www.LazlosDen.com.

And while you're at LazlosDen.com (or BlowUpRadio.com), you can read new reviews of CDs by Paul Sanchez, The Groucho Marxists, and Thing One.


Concert Picks for this week:

Lazlo (BlowUpRadio.com)
Friday at Maxwell's check out Spiraling as they preview songs from their forthcoming new CD. Also on the bill is The Milwaukees, who put out one of my favorite albums of last year with their "American anthems vol. 1" CD.


Jim Testa (Jersey Beat)
Friday, April 18
THE MILWAUKEES, Spiraling, Stereo Deluxe - Maxwells, 1039 Washington St. Hoboken - 9 pm, $8, 18+
The Milwaukees always bring their best game when they play Maxwells. Their hearty rootsy American rock and roll will be complemented nicely by the keyboard finesse of Spiraling.


Gary Wien (Asbury Music)
My pick this week takes place Saturday at the Saint in Asbury Park where Val Emmich will be on a bill with The Fave, Edible Red and Andy Frasko. This weekend is also the debut of the Asbury Music Expo - if you didn't know it was coming don't worry neither did anyone else. This is the expo that was originally scheduled to launch three years ago! There looks to be live sets from Jersey artists, panel discussions, and more.


Jared Migden (WRSU)
Income taxes are due on Tuesday. Celebrate not having to deal with them for another year at the Court Tavern with Vulgarsund as they play their first live show ever on Tuesday night. Featuring ex-members of Don Juan Destroyer, Vulgarsund's music is reminiscent of early Dischord bands with lyrics in both English and Spanish--a little something for everyone, or, like the band name implies, the sound of the people.



This week we have a very special guest Pissed Off! from Mike Random from Six To Eight Mathematics (http://www.myspace.com/sixtoeightmathematics)

"Frustrated"
Current mood: frustrated
Category: Blogging

So Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recently warned of the country’s shrinking economy. He all but said we’re heading into a recession due to the growing housing, credit and financial crisis. Is it just me or aren't we in a recession already? The signs are all around.

Here in New Jersey, costs for services have been increasing for the past several months, and more and more jobs continue to be cut. I’ve personally experienced a job loss this year and apparently I’m not the only one. The entire retail division of the company I was employed at was shut down, displacing a large number of experienced workers. While networking, I encountered several fellow industry workers who experienced similar happenings at their company. We’re not talking first-year post-grads; these were employees with 10 or more years of service behind them. While it may be somewhat comforting to have so many people in the same boat as you are, it also means more competition for the few jobs that are out there. And it’s not just this industry; all are affected to some degree. Scores of businesses are leaving the state, once known for cradling the Industrial Revolution in America. While some big pharmaceutical companies call Jersey home, the state’s primary resource is agriculture. However, crop production has decreased, and old farmsteads are being bought by greedy developers (do not get me started on them!) who build monstrous housing complexes that wind up sitting idle and unoccupied because no one can afford to live in them anymore, and NOW our governor wants to eliminate the agricultural department to cut costs??!! Our state is in crisis, and the powers that be are continuing to create an economic climate that favors the upper class, all but shutting out the middle and lower classes which make up a large part of the population! We don’t all live in Alpine or Short Hills!!

So what to do, what to think? Between job loss and mass foreclosures, it’s pretty unstable here in NJ. Now the four of us fund the band ourselves, as do many local bands here. We get what we get from CD sales and once in a while from a paying gig, but for the most part it comes out of our pockets. Don’t get me wrong, we do this out of love for the music, the challenge is how to balance this and our home life responsibilities (rent, spouses/significant others, medical, utilities, etc.). We’ve done it this whole time, but its stretching a bit tight these days. How is it in your neck of the woods? How’s the economy in your state, or country? Let us know, we’d love to hear.

You can reply directly to Mike's blog entry at http://www.myspace.com/sixtoeightmathematics


That's all for this week folks.

Peace,
Lazlo
www.BlowUpRadio.com