Oy with the poodles already, it's been a full week since my last post and here I was promising you an Elvis Costello show review and everything. Well, what do you want to know? The show was great despite its location at the Reno Hilton. The sound was great and our seats were decent (though it was a bit disheartening to see all the aging highrollers who couldn't tell one Elvis from another yet had better seats than us....).

After sitting through an utterly generic set by American Hi-Fi (think: a mishmash of modern-era rock radio, everything from Train, Matchbox 20 and Blink 182 to Nirvana, all rolled into one utterly boring package), EC and Co. (including Steve Nieve on keyboards) took the stage and completely rocked it out. They played for two hours including four encores and there were only two ballads in the entire bunch - Alison, and the show's final closer, "I Want You". I was surprised but happy to hear that last song because it's one of my favorites.

They played a majority of the new album - "Alibi", "Tear off Your Own Head", "Spooky Girlfriend," "When I Was Cruel", etc - and the great thing is how instantly familiar these songs seem. The album's only been out for a few months and these songs already sound like classics. Chalk it up to both great songwriting and the fact that Elvis and the band barely breathed during the entire set - but just rocked through with an incredible fierceness.

Indeed, that Mr. C is still one smart and sexy m.f...alas, there are no in-bed-with-a-rock-star photos to boast of...I must try harder next time...Perhaps it is just that my head was clouded by all the cigarette smoke (I always forget California is the only state that's banned smoking in public places) and the perpetual din of clanging shot machines.

Oh and for the record, I put $10 into the nickel machines and all I got was a watery rum-and-diet....
I need to work on my own high-rollerin' techniques, I guess...I am a bit of a joke among the blue hairs and cotton tops, it seems....

On to other shows: Sunday night was the Jay Bennett / Edward Burch show at Old Ironsides. Bennett, formerly of Wilco, is a great songwriter in his own right and the evening's show (their last acoustic set before going out with a full band) was a spontaneous, intimate two-hour set that highlighted most of their new album, "The Palace at 4am (Part 1)". Yummy, sugary pop songs served up with a twist of bitter...oh and just for kicks, after Edward Burch took off his hat to reveal just how much he really does look like Elvis Costello with those thick, black glasses, the duo busted out half of EC's "Alibi".

Last night was the Calexico show at the Capitol Garage. Playing as part of the Tape Op conference entertainment, Joey Burns, John Convertino and friends played a fairly short headlining set that was nonetheless stellar. Can these guys do no wrong? They sounded great (duh, they were playing a RECORDING convention, ferchrissakes), looked super-cool and even played a Smog cover, "Red Apple Falls" ...yep, be still my beating, indie girl heart....

on to other thoughts....just in case you were wondering, yes I really do like the Pink record.. You got a problem with that?
Listen, Ms. Pink is tough and cute and the song "Get this Party Started" busts a super Madonna-esque groove. Much of the credit goes to Linda Perry who helped Pink break out of her pop diva cookie cutter shell and into something far more rocking and fun. I'm interested in hearing what Perry does for the new Christina Aguilera record....Anyway, in my opinion, Pink is the new Madonna - not Britney. She's got the same earthy, slightly-trashy sass. Judging by interviews I've read, she's not afraid to open her mouth and say what she means and, unlike Britney "I've got a poodle face but because of the big boobs, everyone loves me" Spears, she's actually quite hot...so there you go, I don't care if it's not cool to like her and, in fact, I kind of like confusing people who think I'm seriously compromising my indie cool cred when I stick up for her.

Indie cool cred is highly overrated anyway.