And... Go.

So, it's always nice for me to see that there are people reading this thing. I greatly appreciate that you take a few seconds out of your lives to see what nonsense I'm spewing. And (even when I disagree with you) it's awesome that you sometimes take the time to post comments. HOWEVER... Henceforth, I will be deleting any comments that aren't signed. I have no problem with people declining to creating a blogger login, and posting as "anonymous". But if you're gonna do that, then just put your name or initials at the bottom. So I have some idea who's saying what, and know who's for real and who's just a troll. That's all. Resume regular transmission now. -PAR

This year's Nobel Prize for awesome goes to THE SUNDRESS. Previous years' winners include: Iced coffee, the "Funky Drummer" breakbeat, Tanqueray lemonade, and The Pacific Ocean. -PAR

This is, it seems, the summer where we take over New York. ANNOUNCEMENT #1: Dance party at Pianos on June 21st! Tuesday night. 10PM. $1 to get in. DJs Patrick A. Reed and Egg Foo Young (of Secret Frequency Crew) provide the hot jams. This looks to be LOTS of fun. I'll be spinning my typical blend of rockin' hip-hop, squiggly electro, danceable rock, and whatever else I feel like (provided you can shake to it). I'm not sure what Egg Foo Young will be spinning, but it's bound to be funky. Anyway, it's a Tuesday night in New York City. It's a dollar. It's cool people, strong drinks, and awesome music. You can't beat that. ANNOUNCEMENT #2: Beginning June 20th, it's a new sound in Alphabet City. Every Monday night for the summer, I'm spinning at Apocalypse Lounge with my buddy Anna Bond. She plays rock. I play everything. Expect to hear punk, indie, old R&B, shoegazer, classic hip-hop, 60s garage... Whatever strikes our fancy....

At six in the morning, I'm catching a plane from JFK, going to California for eleven days. San Francisco, Berkeley, Stockton, Los Angeles. Friends, family, good food, excitement, the ocean. Recharge, explore, hit the ground running when I return to New York. Adventure awaits. -PAR

Went to see Gang Of Four . Three times in two nights. (Twice at Irving Plaza , once in the basement of the Tribeca Grand .) It takes a lot to get a New York crowd moving to a rockshow. These two nights, you couldn't keep them still if you tried. Maybe the most thrilling and visceral concerts I've ever seen. Music as energy and gut reaction. Lyrics and songs as scalpels, incisive and carefully guided. 100% pure f***ing awesome. To hell with poverty. Let's get drunk on cheap wine. -PAR

As in all things, success will bring imitation. Nowhere is this more apparent than here in New York, where you can walk down the street and be assailed by endless tables filled with "designer" handbags and genuine "Hilfigger" sunglasses for sale. It's an inevitability that any product that does well will be aped by those who're looking for a quick buck. Ofttimes, the knock-offs can't be spotted without careful inspection. The average passerby wouldn't know the difference. So, do not be fooled. This is the real thing: This is not: Yes, it's true. There is a Dumplinganger. An upstart that not only moves into the same business that Lucas (the Dumpling Man) has so carefully cultivated, but rips off the distinctive logo. It's an incredibly brazen attempt to cash in on the goodwill and business that Dumpling Man has earned over the last six months. And whomever's behind it is so blatant as to position themselves only three blocks awa...

Warm nights spent in search of friendly patios, enjoying cold boozy beverages with friends, days spent working and watching the city adjust to spring. Along the way, somehow finding time to snap photos, steal onto a pier in the dead of night (and somehow not get arrested in the process), check out a hip-hop show, bartend another Jigsaw party or three, line up some lighting and sound gigs... And then there's the fun moments, like when a wino stumbles into work and passes out on the floor (after serenading me with a verse of "Careless Whisper"), waking just long enough to ask me to cap his vodka bottle and give me the phone number for the police. ("No man... Call the cops. They'll get me out of here.") Springtime in New York. Endlessly amazing. -PAR