In other words... SnoozeFest 2008

We have a band here in Boston called Tulsa (who totally rule, BTW), but I'm guessing this is a different Tulsa. That's a long trip for a birthday party.

Ash @ 2, I'm about 99% certain it is the same Tulsa. They get played on KEXP quite a bit. I actually like them quite a bit.

Since Boston to Seattle is apparently not too far to travel for a birthday party, I probably should have sent you an invite to mine two weeks ago.

Wow, I'm totally surprised... or not. He's determined to be known more for breaking bands than actually caring about the quality of the music. These bands could be great, but the fact that they're relatively unknown is all that matters here.

Also, the show is being held in Seattle (what, not another remote from SXSW?!), and he's presumably a Seattle resident, but he's decided to headline two bands from the UK & one from Boston (it is the one you know, Ash; check his playlist. I hope the bands receive some money for the travel). Who cares about the locals when you're vying for national awards!

Delightful.

Is John's birthday March 7? He stole my birthday! THat's MY BIRTHDAY!

ChrisB: Yeah, I was wondering where my invitation was. And, it's not like I didn't travel all the way to Seattle for TIG's birthday parties, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

In that case, I'm friendly with Tulsa's Carter
Tanton (who also plays with Drug Rug and used to play with Township, two of my fave Boston bands), so I'ma go find him on the interwebs and tell him we're talking about him. If you, my fair TIG friends, happen to go to the show, please give him and the Tulsa men some love!

Just cause they're undiscovered doesn't mean they're not good. I don't like the Voom Blooms too much but I actually know John personally and he actually thinks these bands are great. And just cause he doesn't have a local act on this show means he deosn't support local acts? I think everyone at KEXP's given more than enough support to local bands with no name for themselves.
I don't think it's that great of a line-up either but people are making a lot of presumptions that aren't logical or correct.
Tulsa seems OK though.

Thanks for this post. I hadn't heard about this and I've really been wanting to see Duke Spirit live, so yeah! (And what I've heard of Tulsa sounds pretty good too.) And who says he needs to pick local bands? If anything, local bands are already way overhyped on KEXP and yes also on the various Seattle music blogs. Virtually none of them are as unique as Seattleites want to think they are.

Damn. It's the same night as the Magnetic Fields show at Town Hall. I hate having to be in two places at once.

What's with hating on John? First of all, it's his birthday - he can pick any damn bands he wants! And second of all, to insinuate he doesn't care about the quality of the music but only the notoriety of "breaking" a band is ludricrous. If he didn't think a band was a quality band, why would he even try to "break" them even if that is what he was trying to do? Secondly, he has been espousing his love for The Voom Blooms for the past two years, while all of us that know enough about music to know they are not at all unknown have been literally dying for their full-length to come out. They are huge in the UK, and I have been wanting to see them here for over two years now. That John got them to play JITM is an awesome treat for listeners. I know somewhat less about Tulsa, but from what I have heard I love their music as well - so I don't see any lack of quality here. As for dogging on the lack of Seattle bands, give it up. KEXP hosts events almost weekly that promote local bands. They get tons of exposure as a result of both KEXP and John's support. He just loves music, so who cares where the bands are from? The three bands being showcased are from three diverse areas and represent different types of music, so my apologies to the myopic wannabe hipsters that just have to hate on something, even if it's an underpaid guy doing what he loves for a living just trying to have a birthday party. Lighten up.

"an underpaid guy"

What tax bracket are you where John's salary qualifies him as underpaid?! You can take issue with any number of criticisms, but that one is hilarious. Given that the station is a non-profit, and he built his career on the backs of the unpaid student dj's until they were shoved out, John is doing quite well for himself.

Sara @10, you had me totally agreeing right up to the 'underpaid' bit. Doesn't Richards make $100K+/yr? He does a great job at KEXP but I don't think he's suffering financially.

Sara...
(Shhhhhhhhhhh...) John's alright, and all, but that was a silly post... (And you're calling $125,000 a year at a public radio station underpaid?)

(Scratches head... Huh?)

Personally, I think if you listen to John's and Cheryl's playlists lately, they're a bit bored. Trying REALLY hard to find new things to get excited about. Probably too much jet lag from flying back and forth to New York, Austin, Chicago, Versailles, etc.