it's my birthday... gimme some cake!!

first of all, big shout out to rob on his birthday!!! my life has been crazy busy & hectic lately (mostly worky, and therefore boring), but some fun was had this week when rob came up on tuesday to see cake. the only low point of the evening was the somewhat less than spectacular (ok ok, utterly craptacular) performance by the opening "band" northern state. imagine if you will beastie boys circa 1991 reincarnated as three untalented girls from long island who rap about virginity and body image. ummm, yeah. now picture sitting in the front row & desperately trying not to a) make eye contact with them, and b) burst out laughing. it was quite telling when cake made absolutely no reference to northern state opening for them. ouch. they definitely deserved the 0.8 rating by pitchfork. favorite quote: "It's rare that an album is rendered fully unsalvageable halfway through the first verse of the opening track, but that is precisely what happens on "A Thousand Words", when one of these Long Island lolitas utters, "I'm lean/ I'm mean/ I'm clean/ I'm not 17."

i haven't really ever listened to a lot of cake, but i really enjoyed their set. it was fun & very interactive. rob got a very disapproving look from john mccrea for sitting with his arms crossed during a song where participation was required. apparently cake does not support the disinterested indie hipster attitude. i was happy that they ended the show with 'i will survive'; one of the few cake songs i am really familiar with.

the fun fun fun continues this weekend as i head to kingston for the rob-robin birthday extravaganza tomorrow night. but FIRST i get to go see the cons tonight at mercer union... which should be super. i think we all know that i love the cons.