Oh, hai!

I've come to a conclusion that I never imagined I'd come to.

Sugar is bad for you.

Shocking, I know. But...so are artificial sweeteners. What's a girl to do?

Now before I get into this, don't believe that I'm jumping on the "Go Green!" band wagon. I know it's all the rage right now, but that's only because people have what my brother likes to call the "sheep mentality". If enough people jumped off a cliff and got Al Gore to support them, it'd be all the rage too.

I was visiting a good friend of mine in Monroe, Louisiana a couple weekends ago, and she'd just been visiting with her next door neighbor who knows pretty much everything there is to know about organic...everything. She'd found out that fresh-squeezed lemon or grapefruit mixed with water and a sweetener(optional) makes for a means of "cleansing your liver" (no, it's not painful, Viking). Now, this sweetener isn't SweetandLow or Equal (as I said before...those are bad for you because they actually make you retain fat as opposed to burning it (thanks Mom for the info!). It's an "herbal dietary supplement" made from the leafs of a plant called Stevia rebaudiana.


(THIS IS NOT POT, VIKING!)

Technically, it's original purpose was to be sold as a natural sweetener, but the FDA ruled it an "unsafe food additive" (BS!), so it now may only be legally sold in the States as a "herbal dietary supplement".

It's an all natural, zero-calorie sweetener that's literally 300 times more sweet than sugar. Can you really go wrong? (just don't put a cup of it in your batch of cookies)

No way on earth am I giving up sugar, but, this is a good alternative when you feel like making yourself feel better by eating green leafy crap. :-)


But this really doesn't have anything to do with bands. Here are our guests from the past two days!

Monday, March 11th, 2008
The Walks (listen to podcast)


Stop by their site and listen to there music HERE!

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
Slow Motion Crash (listen to podcast)


"Formed in 2004, by Brian Fisher (vocals, guitar) and Ryan Holmes (guitar, vocals) longtime musical partners/friends decided to leave the bustling St. Louis music scene and relocate to Atlanta to peruse a new musical direction. After recruiting several Atlanta area musicians, the band formally known as Creve Coeur debuted “Vast and Danger" and caught a regional buzz.

2006 yielded many changes to the band in the form of a new band name that everyone could spell and remember, a more crafted refined band sound, and a new bassist, New Orleans native Melissa Giorgio to the fold.

In 2007, the band released their self-titled album to positive reviews and toured relentlessly in support opening for notable bands; The Start, Snowden, Forward Russia, and The Birthday Massacre. The material on the new album explores a wide-range of sounds and genre shifting. They infuse precise layering of melodic and discordant guitar riffs, big bottom bass ends, unobtrusive semi-electronic landscapes, and dance-laden drums.

With the latest band member additions of Atlanta natives Joshua Broughton (keys, vocals) and Jason Curtis (drums) firmly in place, the band will continue to craft material that fuses their love of post punk, shoegazer, and electronic music to foster their own unique distinct voice and create an environment where any music fan can harmoniously coexist."

Read their full band bio HERE!



For all of you in the Atlanta area, they're going to be playing at these locations on these dates:

Mar 22 2008 9:00P	THE DEPOT -w/ Tx/Rx + The Swear	Covington, Georgia
May 16 2008 9:00P	SOHO -w/ The Winter Sounds	Columbus, Georgia

(Sweet...myspace copies and pastes that format)

Their album is available HERE! Be sure to check it out; their sound incorporates a conglomeration of warm tones and sounds from so many different genres. It's very intriguing!



-Blondie

Did you know...

...that St. Patrick wasn't Irish?

Nor was he canonized by a Pope?

can·on·ize /ˈkænəˌnaɪz/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunci[kan-uh-nahyz] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –verb (used with object), -ized, -iz·ing.

1.	Ecclesiastical. to place in the canon of saints.

2.	to glorify.

3.	to make canonical; place or include within a canon, esp. of scriptural works: They canonized the Song of Solomon after much controversy.

4.	to consider or treat as sacrosanct or holy: They canonized his many verbal foibles and made them gospel.

5.	to sanction or approve authoritatively, esp. ecclesiastically.

6.	Archaic. to deify.

Kinda makes you wonder why on earth half the world paints their faces green and chugs bottles of Guiness 'till they hurl!

But then again...who really needs a reason? *grin*
*Disclaimer - I don't drink Guinness 'till I hurl.*

Wednesday, March 5th, 2008
Rantings of Eva (listen to podcast)


"With a buttery smooth, vocally-centered sound, Rantings of Eva rapidly made a name for themselves on the local music circuit in Atlanta, and has kept their reputation pristine for the past six years by delivering performances of the highest caliber every single time they hit a stage. With an emphasis on dramatic and sumptuous music, Rantings of Eva delivers the type of sound you won’t find from any other band available to you today, unsigned or not. They practice the elusive technique of variety in their music, making each song quite different from the rest, a feat not easily or readily accomplished by the majority of mediocre bands in the pool today, and that’s what sets Rantings of Eva apart from everyone else you’ve heard.

Rantings of Eva has added appeal, as they cater to the taste of music fans across genres from alternative to pop to those who love a more obscure “indie” feel – it matters not who is listening, only that they’re responding in a positive way, and for very good reason.

Rantings of Eva’s latest recording was done with Jason Elgin of Synchromesh Studios (Wayne, Haste, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster). Lowering the Curtain on Memphis boasts a collection of tunes that are tried and true. A testament to this is the fact that the track “Infrared” has been on the top of Garage Band’s Alternative Rock Chart for a number of weeks and remains there still. They’re also the only band to have not one, but two tracks (“Still Holding On”) currently listed in the top 20. The newest single, “Bright Side,” has received accolades from bloggers and Internet streamed radio, such as Break Thru Radio and Cable & Tweed.

Southeast print publications are buzzing about Rantings, as well. Their live performances were featured in the October 2006 and January 2007 issues of Southeast Performer."

In my mind, Rantings of Eva has accomplished something many bands today struggle with. Having the ability to produce songs that each have a very unique air about them. From hearing their tracks, it's evident that listeners will be able to sit through their new record (soon to be released) without sensing any redundancy of any kind.

Check out their myspace HERE and keep an eye out for the release date of their record!

What's kickin'?

Monday, March 3rd, 2008
The Four Kicks (podcast up soon)


"This Nashville based band is bringing music back to the melodic roots pioneered by The Beatles, The Eagles, Rod Stewart, and Van Morrison. They are currently playing shows around the country, rapidly increasing their fan base with every chosen venue. The Four Kicks is comprised of members Jordan Phillips, Adam Stark, Gabe Anderson, and Lucas Cummins.

In 2004, Jordan brought his vision for a rock band from Atlanta to Nashville. For the first two years, Jordan honed in on his songwriting talents and began preparing songs that would be released on the debut EP “Jordan Phillips and The Four Kicks”. As fate would have it, Jordan was randomly selected to room with current band member Adam Stark. Adam, a Nashville native, came to college with a very similar vision of his own: to be a soul-filled singer/songwriter with mild rock undertones. Having an eclectic musical palette and a very strong background in rock music, Adam was open to the idea of being in a band with Jordan. They began writing together and immediately found a connection. With the help of bass player and long time friend Gabe Anderson (Staples, Minnesota) and drummer Lucas Cummins (Atlanta, Georgia), the group released their 2007 EP, which was recorded with producer/engineer Mike Odmark (Tyler James, Emily Clark, Jars of Clay).

The Four Kicks’ guitar-driven rock features honest and unpretentious lyrics that portray a key value of the band. That value is musical integrity. “We’re not like other rock bands, we don’t try to be something we’re not…we sing honest music that resonates in all of us…our goal isn’t to portray the rock n roll lifestyle it is to make genuinely relevant music”. The Four Kicks offer well-crafted songwriting along with hooky harmonies from singers Jordan, Adam, and Gabe. All tied into one energetic rock show that is guaranteed to keep you on your feet. One show is all it will take to become a fan."

"Kid Tested, Mother Approved!" The Four Kicks are a driven and down-to-earth band based in Nashville, TN, with a sound that leaves nothing to be desired. And on top of that, they love cowbell.

Listen to them HERE, buy their album HERE, and of course, don't forget to listen to the podcast from the show (which will be up tomorrow morning)!