I would have posted this yesterday, but I spent most of the day away from the computer, enjoying the beautiful weather. I also find it quite an interesting challenge to write about a band I like so much. This night was particularly fun for me because I recently became an assistant organizer of a rock meetup group. Since I am always going to shows and 1/2 the time I am by myself I thought it would be fun to invite other people who are into the NYC music scene to join me. My new friend Godfrey joined me for this show and despite being into much heavier rock, he really liked The Secret Life of Sofia. He even bought their CD after the show.

This was my 3rd time seeing The Secret Life of Sofia and they played at Cake Shop, on the Lower East Side. They played a couple of new songs and some from their CD "Seven Summits" and EP "Empty Sleeves" which was great because I know those so well it's really cool hearing the live versions. Of the new songs, there's one about a childhood crush that I really like.

I also really enjoyed the show since I wasn't taking pictures and could just focus on the music. (Godfrey took the pic above.) After, we chatted with Kyle a bit and I have to say aside from being a fantastic band they are just so nice. They seem to genuinely appreciate their fans. Unfortunately this will be the last show for awhile as the guys are all taking vacations.

If you would like to check out one of the best CDs of 2008, which is not just my opinion but that of several music bloggers, you can order "Seven Summits" from their myspace page or I think it's still available from Insound. More info on the band at:

http://www.thesecretlifeofsofia.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Secret-Life-of-Sofia/9828384462
http://twitter.com/secretlifesofia
http://myspace.com/thesecretlifeofsofia
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Secret+Life+Of+Sofia

It seems like the thing to do if you're in a band these days is to create a side project, which is what Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) and Wes Miles (Ra Ra Riot) have done in Discovery. Their new album "LP" was released today and take a listen to see if you like it. It's also on sale at Amazon mp3 for $3.99.
 http://dscvry.net  

Jill posted this track to her facebook page. It is my favorite song of hers and this is a rare live version with Cyndi Lauper. Buy Jill's latest CD "California Years" from http://jillsobule.com
http://c.ilike.com/d/0000/534/0000534838.mp3?fn=Jill+Sobule-Mexican+Wrestler+%28Live+with+Cyndi+Lauper%29.mp3

The Secret Life of Sofia are playing at Cake Shop on 7/7 at 10 p.m. They gave this song to some of the music blogs and I ended up buying their CD "Seven Summits" which I still listen to often. They also gave away a free EP Empty Sleeves to their fans. They are one of my favorite bands and I have seen them twice and really love their live shows.  

http://thesecretlifeofsofia.com
http://myspace.com/thesecretlifeofsofia
http://twitter.com/secretlifesofia

For today's flashback video I present you with my favorite scene in "Some Kind of Wonderful." It's one of John Hughes' films that wasn't as popular as Pretty in Pink but actually had a much more satisfying ending. I love this movie. I can totally relate to Watts' crush on Keith and this scene always gets to me. Also the soundtrack to the scene (and the film in general) is so great. First bit of trivia: Amanda Jones was a Rolling Stones song and Keith and Watts were named after the respective members of the band.
Second bit of trivia: Not only did Mary Stuart Masterson graduate from my high school but we took piano lessons from the same teacher when I was in elementary school. She was an excellent pianist.

I took percussion in the 7th grade and I have always regretted joining the yearbook committee the next year instead of continuing with drums. I have played piano & guitar, but really I always wanted to be a drummer. Last Monday I had the unique opportunity to be onstage and play percussion with Fountains of Wayne at Maxwell's during "Hey Julie." I tried really hard to find someone who had a pic of me onstage but it's a dead end. It was fantastic though! Unforgettable - words cannot describe it.

Jenny Owen Youngs recently recorded a Daytrotter session and this is my favorite of her songs. It's very fitting as I recently met this boy and I thought we had hit it off and I gave him my number. He called me the next day & asked me out for Wednesday. I never heard from him again. I can't believe I let myself get my hopes up over some complete stranger and I felt kind of depressed all day yesterday. I eventually ended the self-pity and took myself out to the Canada Day celebration at Joe's Pub. I'm not Canadian but I spent a summer in Ontario in 1996 and well people who aren't Irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day, so what's the difference? Enjoy the video and thanks to Daytrotter for the song.
http://media.daytrotter.com/audio/dt/jenny-owen-youngs-fuck-was-i.mp3

Jill Sobule teaches John Doe how to play her song "Spiderman" from her new completely fan-funded CD California Years.

I first heard of The 88 when I watched The O.C. - you know you watched the first season too. Besides being a fun show, the music was really great. It's really when I started getting into indie bands, so thank you Josh Schwartz for that and for putting Ben McKenzie into my TV. I also watch Gossip Girl - and it plays some great songs too, like last year when Kings of Leon were everywhere. The 88 were featured on GG also.
Now they are on a major label, but I still consider their sound as indie music and this is my blog so well I can feature anyone I want. Anyway, they recorded their latest song out on iTunes today by using an app called Four Track on their iPhone. I'm kind of geeky so I appreciate that. You can read all about how they recorded "Love is the Thing" at http://www.the88.net/love.htm
Download it from iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=321285228&s=143441
More info:
http://www.the88.net 
http://twitter.com/the88  

http://earbuds.popdose.com/kelly/Shane%20MacGowan%20and%20Sinead%20OConnor%20-%20Haunted.mp3

This is a really nice song from last weekend's Soundtrack Saturday by Kelly Stitzel at popdose.com. It's from the film "The Matchmaker" starring Janeane Garofalo, which was filmed in Ireland. I've always wanted to go there but never have. American girls always find cute guys there in the movies.

Last night I dreamt about my ex-boyfriend who lives in Lincoln, Nebraska. I have this recurring dream where we reunite and it's never very satisfying. He was in a band called "The Boys" and now is married with several kids. He was very sweet & I hope he's happy. I actually loved living in Nebraska back in the mid-90's and there is a music scene there, which leads me to Shiver Shiver. They are Chase Thornburg and Jordan Elsberry, from Omaha. They have a new CD called Soulless Sex Appeal (available from CD Baby.) For a short time you can download "November Song".
http://www.shivershiver.com/epk/mp3/06%20November%20Song.zip

For more info, check out:
http://shivershiver.com
http://myspace.com/shivershiver