I'll never change (always change) my mind

I can tell that was a good NXNE, because "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "Mr. Supernatural" are fighting for possession of my brainwaves. "Put the South in Your Mouth" and "Speak Japanese or Die" keep sneaking up on both of them. In sum I fell in love with four new bands, saw the Golden Dogs again and didn’t positively hate anything, so lovely.

The first act of the last night was Kinnie Starr, whose voice was a touch nasal for me when it wasn’t electronically altered. And her song-speech bits reminded me unpleasantly of Ani DiFranco. Also, her nervous tittery ‘banter’ resulted in an audience equivalent of disbelief unsuspension. I wish musicians would shut up between songs if they don't have anything to say. But, you know, it was purdy, especially "Sun Again".

Next was Jully Black, who J*Fish’s-roommate-who-looks-like-my-insane-ex tells me is filthy hot right now because of a song out now with Nas. She deserves to be filthy hot because her voice is powerful and beautiful – I think the most beautiful voice I heard at NXNE. And she snuck in some reggae, which was adorable of her. She also brought along phenomenal back-up singers. The slow song she did about her mum, "Travel" or something, I didn’t like, maybe because of the maudlin tinkling twee keyboard through it that made me think of that song Kanye West wrote about his mum on Late Registration, which I also didn’t like. In fact I can’t think of a single song for someone’s mum that I do like, except maybe "Bohemian Rhapsody". Otherwise, she was fucking cherce.

Then Old Soul. I didn’t like them – bopped around, felt vaguely uncomfortable, realized ‘this sounds like Ben Folds Five but better’, then thought maybe Ben Folds Five sounded better live than on the albums, and then suddenly I just couldn’t take Old Soul anymore. Just kept on hearing ‘give me my money back, give me my money back you bitch’ and wishing I wasn’t.

Last, the Golden Dogs, the alpha and the omega of my NXNE 2006 experience, in the sense they were the last band I saw there – after they were through last night, I was limp and spent. And in that when J*Fish told me a week ago they were playing and that the three day pass was a paltry $28 there was absolutely no question of me not going for it, although I’d never heard of any of the other bands, as I would pay far more than that for the Golden Dogs alone. I love them. They make me scream, dance, stomp, clap and forget myself. And there you are. They have a new album coming in August, thank god, because that means they’ll be doing more shows, and that means I get more Golden Dogs soon.

So much to do, so much laundry, so much reading, grocery shopping, bike repair, and I've just discovered the yummy books of Jane Jacobs, because the Economist wrote an obituary about her. And I must try to enjoy the sunshine in the midst of it all. Ahhhhh. Well, onwards and upwards.