There's a lion in my pocket.
I'm reeling from whiskey and black tie fundraiser house party crashing and Afro-Licious not winning the BRAWL event last night, but here are some things:

Still haven't totally processed last weekend's incredible Tyler-Leah wedding, but Leah walking down the aisle to Dave Pajo's version of "Hybrid Moments" was something else. You can hear romance in the Misfits because it's there. 100 or so people were standing, trying to keep it together and beaming while Pajo sang "If you're gonna scream, scream with me...". Tyler and Leah's marriage vows knocked me out completely -- Tyler referencing the oncoming super nova death of the universe, Leah talking about her heart and the real world. Two of the absolute greats of all time, and I got to officiate it. Not bad.

Pajo - "Hybrid Moments"

I also kept thinking about starting the service with "Dearly beloved..." with organs playing in the background, and then kept thinking about the Purple One. "Let's Go Crazy" started out the dance portion of the night, and I was standing at the bar when one of the bartenders heard the opening spiel and pointed upwards at the speakers (the heavens?) and said "OH SNAP" and spoke/sang along to the whole thing. The next day I suddenly got Dump's rendition of "1999" in my head, from That Skinny Motherfucker With The High Voice?, and it's been stuck there ever since.  I'd forgotten about Dump (James McNew from Yo La Tengo) -- I'd loved "International Airport" when I first heard it a while ago, got a split 7" he did with Lambchop and then moved onto whatever else. But then somebody posted this tribute/re-working cassette recently and I dug in. He turns "1999" into drone church 808 pop, what used to be an instant dance song into positive meditation, speculating on eternity. It's ok to mess with the canon sometimes. His take on "Erotic City" is great, too, a rocker that most bands would envy (also: the original for comparison). I'm trying to find who posted the whole thing, let me look. Also, always wished I'd been the one to come up with "I was dreaming when I wrote this" as an opening line.

Dump - "1999"
Dump - "Erotic City"

I gave Mac Demarco's new record a shot and I kind of love it. The guitars sound great, everything is easy-going. It's not strict light rock, there's enough fucking around for it to work. It's like a record for poor, scruffy Steely Dan/Boz Scaggs/Rundgren fans? I guess? "Dreaming" is my favorite right now. "Cooking Up Something Good" starts off sounding like soundtrack music for a new Swiffer or the hottest brands at TJ Maxx, or like a cartoon animal walking down the street, but it's bent just enough that it's not exactly those things. And then the chorus is soooooo good.

Mac Demarco - "Dreaming"
Mac Demarco - "Cooking Up Something Good"

Oh shit, also: my friends Hollow Hills just put out a Halloween tape -- Haunted Hollow Hills! Limited physical copies and it's all covers -- Roky Erickson, Venom, Teddy Durant. GET THIS THING!  Eat some spooky nerds, drink cider, get in league with Satan.  I think they'll be playing shows in NYC soon, too, so look for that, New Yorkers.


Lastly: it can be weird when people you know are doing the best stuff around. Not weird bad, and not that you weren't expecting greatness, but sometimes they go way beyond. Tyler and Leah made a one-sided 7" single as a wedding favor and I still can't get over how good it is. I don't know if I'm allowed to post that song, so I'll hold off. I also just heard this song by Pleistocene and it blew me away. I've only talked to Katie Preston maybe twice. I actually just saw her last night and she had three beers in her hands. But holy shit, "To Bushwick" is great. Fuzzy intricate pop and real talk, so many good ideas and none of them seem labored-over. Legit stunning.