the Hit On List

The Best Exploitation Flicks

todd — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:44:27 +0000

Wired picks their top exploitation flicks including a personal favorite of mine

Last night at Father’s Pub

todd — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:32:31 +0000

I played Boris’s open mic at Father’s Pub and Grub last night. I played She Probably Thinks I’m Happy, I Don’t Drink Any More and Leaving You Isn’t Easy. It went like this:

Todd 8-31-2010 from Father's Pub & Grub on Vimeo.

Last Saturday night at The Fretted Frog

todd — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:42:46 +0000

I played The Fretted Frog’s new open mic last Saturday night. The place is an alternative acoustic music shop in Echo Park with tons of crazy banjos, ukuleles and oddly tuned guitars. It’s an awesome atmosphere just for a shop but it turned out to be possibly the best open mic I’ve ever attended.

I arrived a bit early since traffic in LA is always a big question mark. Roland, the owner of the shop, and Colin readied the place for the open mic by arranging chairs and a bench to face the stage. They ran two mics through a small PA system and a Lunchbox amp. (Which was the coolest amp I’ve ever played through. Want one.) The sound was just spectacular. In that room surrounded by guitars all over the walls with just some simple amplification, it was amazing.

They set out snacks and drinks and soon people showed up just to watch. Nice, polite people who just wanted to hear the music.

I met Ricky Stein from Austin, TX and talked to him while they waited to start the evening. He went on after me and basically tore the roof off the place with three original Americana tunes that sounded older than he is.

Roland allowed me to go on first since I had to depart a little early to make another engagement. It was, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating, the best time I’ve ever had playing an open mic. It sounded so good to me and I felt so comfortable in that environment. I sang Frankly Mr Turner, Stay Together For the Dog and Ewa. During “Ewa,” I had that momentary feeling that everything was going right — I was singing well and strong, hitting the notes, hitting the words, playing well. It was beautiful. Roland video recorded a lot of the show but I almost don’t want to see it since it could taint my version of my performance. It was a really wonderful experience on all counts.

Charlotte

todd — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:00:11 +0000

Written in the summer/fall of 2007.

30 August 2010 — Demo recorded on the Tascam DP-004.

Download audio file (charlotte-demo.mp3)
Download Charlotte – Demo

Open Mic at Father’s Pub

todd — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:32:04 +0000

Title: Open Mic at Father’s Pub
Location: 13912 Ponderosa Street Santa Ana, CA 92705
Link out: Click here
Description: I’m playing an open mic at Father’s Pub that my friend Boris hosts.
Start Time: 21:00
Date: 2010-08-31

Johnny Riggs’s Photos

todd — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:38:58 +0000

I’m enjoying Johnny Rigg’s Flickr stream. (Just wish he’d give them a CC license.)

A Heart That’s Empty

todd — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 05:13:31 +0000

This song has a strange history. Years ago annoyed or amused by mainstream country music, I decided to write a conventional country song with one of those stupid titles they have. I was going to call it “My Heart is on E.” And the chorus would go, “my tank is on F but my heart is on E.” Pretty good, right? I never got any further than that.

Then last year (2009) — I think — I decided to try to write a mainstream-ish country song but not out of any desire to mock it. And I remembered the title. And I hammered out this tune. Which, despite all the cheesy location references, is actually completely sincere, almost fully true, and, I think, a sweet little tune. Every so often, I’ve remembered it and played around. I finally settled the rhythm down from the gallop it began with. And here it is.

I am, of course, mortified that it runs to 4 minutes.

27 August 2010 — First demo recorded on the Tascam DP-004. The baby Taylor in the left speaker, the Yamaha in the right on the lead. Percussion on the face of the Taylor. Singing through a 57. Put your headphones on.

Download audio file (A-Heart-Thats-Empty.mp3)
Download A Heart That’s Empty

Tried a new thing last night

todd — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 03:47:02 +0000

Set list on the side of the guitar.

Last night at Viento y Agua

todd — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:54:11 +0000

I played Viento y Agua Coffee House last night with Blue in the Face, a piano / guitar / laptop duo from Portland, Oregon. I had a good time. The crowd was sparse but the environment is so cool and the sound is so phenomenal that playing there is a pleasure no matter what. It was the first show I’d played there (I’ve played some open mic nights) and Angie does a great job on the sound and making you feel welcome. I hope to be back there soon.

For those of you who missed it (and you know who you are), audio and video are below. I tried a little experiment of playing a bunch of short, similar songs all together right up front. I have mixed feelings about that approach. You can leave me your impressions in the comments.

Here’s the video. Audio is below it.

the Hit On List – live at Viento y Agua from the Hit On List on Vimeo.

You can play the individual tracks below or just right-click that first link to get all the mp3s. The song titles link to the song pages where you can get more info on that particular song.

Download a zip file of all the audio tracks for the show

I Don’t Make Passes at Girls Who Don’t Wear Glasses
Download audio file (I%20Don’t%20Make%20Passes%20at%20Girls%20Who%20Don’t%20Wear%20Glasses%20-%20Viento%20y%20Agua%20100826.mp3)

Out the Other / Kari / Babs / Nicole
Download audio file (Out%20the%20Other%20_%20Kari%20_%20Babs%20_%20Nicole%20-%20Viento%20y%20Agua%20100826.mp3)

I’m Sorry
Download audio file (I%27m%20So%20Sorry%20-%20Viento%20y%20Agua%20100826.mp3)

Lazy Man
Download audio file (Lazy%20Man%20-%20Viento%20y%20Agua%20100826.mp3)

Frankly, Mr Turner
Download audio file (Frankly%20Mr%20Turner%20-%20Viento%20y%20Agua%20100826.mp3)

Hollyday
Download audio file (Hollyday%20-%20Viento%20y%20Agua%20100826.mp3)

Ewa
Download audio file (Ewa%20-%20Viento%20y%20Agua%20100826.mp3)

Selina / With You
Download audio file (Selina%20_%20With%20You%20-%20Viento%20y%20Agua%20100826.mp3)

Head Rush

todd — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:12:16 +0000

Kari Byron’s Head Rush starts this week. More Kari is always a good thing.

Ke$ha vs Miley vs Katy

todd — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:19:58 +0000

This hurts my head.

Last night at Viento y Agua

todd — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:16:35 +0000

I played Viento y Agua’s open mic last night in advance of my show there tomorrow. It wasn’t as packed and crazy as the last time I played there but it was a strong crowd and the performers were eclectic again. It’s a great space and has a great welcoming vibe. I played “Frankly.” It went well, I thought.

Open Mic at the Fretted Frog, Echo Park, Los Angeles, CA

todd — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:49:38 +0000

Title: Open Mic at the Fretted Frog, Echo Park, Los Angeles, CA
Location: 1200 N Alvarado, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Link out: Click here
Description: I’m playing the Fretted Frog’s new open mic between 7pm and 8pm on Saturday night.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2010-08-28

Open Mic at Viento y Agua

todd — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:46:28 +0000

Title: Open Mic at Viento y Agua
Location: Long Beach, CA
Link out: Click here
Description: I’m playing the Viento y Agua Coffee House’s Open Mic tonight. Assuming I get there on time.
Start Time: 19:30
Date: 2010-08-24

Scott Pilgrim

todd — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:01:05 +0000

I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. the World over the weekend. It was awesome and I loved every second of it. Ignore the press. Go see it.

You get to see George Michael punch out Anne. And he also fights that wang from Fall Out Boy.

It was a tad too long. When you go over 90 minutes, Mr Director, consider trimming. It’s like a pop song with too many choruses. If people want to sing-along again, they’ll just replay it.

The Baby Taylor

todd — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:47:15 +0000

I bought a baby Taylor a few weeks ago. I found it used at Guitar Center which was odd enough. It was in good shape but it needed some adjustment. Hoping for a quick fix, I gave it to the tech at Guitar Center. He didn’t have the right tool to adjust the neck so he wasn’t able to do much. So I took it to the Guitar Doctor.

Doc played it, looked it over, told me exactly what was wrong. I decided it was worth the cost of a full setup. It was ready a day later and it played like a new guitar. He’d fixed the neck and the frets and just improved the overall play and sound of the instrument immensely. I can’t stop playing that guitar now.

I’ve been going to Doc for all my guitar setups and adjustments. He put the electronics in my main guitar. I love the vibe of his shop. He’s a guy that you can immediately tell knows what he’s talking about. And I trust him with my instruments because of it. Nothing against the guy at Guitar Center who is probably a fine technician but he didn’t diagnose the problems like Doc did. And he wasn’t going to give me the advice that Doc does. Doc is worth every penny and more.

So now that this post on my new awesome baby Taylor guitar has turned into a big, wet one for Doc, I guess I should punch out. Go see Doc.

Over the weekend

todd — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:15:06 +0000

I got Bryan to take some photos of me this weekend for promo purposes. We went for a real professional feel. As you can tell.

The evening’s entertainment

todd — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 23:05:11 +0000

Spent the evening hanging with my pal, David Dewese. We did a hectic tour of some OC beaches, caught a performance of the ukulele jam put on by Ukulele Paradise on Huntington Beach. Then saw some more music at the Gypsy Den and Cobantigua. All the while, I grilled David about his music. He’s been going pretty hi-fi lately while I seem to be trying to find the lowest-fi acceptable. It was great to spend an evening with a Nashville pal out on the West Coast. I probably need more of that.

This Monkey’s Gone to Heaven

todd — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 23:00:39 +0000

Just listening to the free live EP I got from Pixies. Get it.

Cee-Lo’s “Fuck You”

todd — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:26:49 +0000

This is so good. The music and the typographic video.