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Decatur Social Club, after four years, is ending June 27.

In honor of here's Bran Van 3000 (you forgot about them, didn't you?)

Labels: bran van 3000, dsc, kissatlanta, preston craig, video of the day

earlier today preston at kissatlanta.com posted an entry about ron paul. given the conversations i've had during the last few months about paul, i felt compelled to respond to his post. i've reposted part of it here.

from this post kissatlanta comment:

"love his views and his stance - i even have a t-shirt and button - but his chances are slim at best. great guy, poor politician, and in the end, his message just won't play to the masses ... yet.

it brings me back to a point i've made for a long time: it's time for a viable third party. the number of people who lean socially liberal and fiscally conservative continues to grow. the two major parties in the country are so concerned about playing to five major 5% voting blocks on each side of the aisle that they ignore the 30% of american voters that can't be classified into one simple category. it's easy to spend money to court the unions or the christian conservatives, but not the independent, free thinkers.

so what about libertarians, the green party, etc.? too many of the third parties get classified as appealing only to the margins because of their strong voice on one topic only. the libertarians had a chance a few years ago (paul ran as a libertarian previously) but never could get going. if memory serves me, you only begin to get major federal funding if you get 5% of the vote in a presidential election. (i may be pulling that number way out of my ass, but i don't feel like fact-checking at the moment.)

the internet is, for now, changing the playing field. paul is raising a lot of money, but he still gets less face time as the other candidates on tv/radio. and while seeing him getting booed by the audience for not backing down from his views in a republican debate in florida a month ago may get me going, it doesn't bode well for his chances overall.

where paul is having success is with the margins. that 30% of independent, free thinkers? yeah, a lot of them troll the internet. as we've seen in music - which rolled out a number of blog-hit wonders in the last two years - the internet can make the irrelevant, relevant. (just ask bands like test icicles or man man, who were the hottest thing for about three weeks each in '06.)

but until there is enough motivation from the youth of the country (the under 35 set) to find politicians who fit their viewpoint, regardless of party lines, runs like paul is having will continue to be few and far between.

what's the old saying, something like 'if you aren't a democrat at 20 you don't have a heart and if you aren't a republican at 40 you don't have a brain'? i somewhere in between you talk about it. and that's why, at the least, paul is causing conversation. and that is how change happens."

i have always found presidential campaigns to be riveting. the 2008 election may be the most interesting election the US has seen in decades. who will emerge from the republicans? will mccain make a comeback and win the bid? will huckabee continue his trending? can the democrats shed the "too liberal" label and win the majority vote in a presidential election from the first time since 1976?

time will tell. but at least it will make for a little good tv along the way.

Labels: election 2008, kissatlanta, ron paul

back in the days when i was dj'ing, dj dj dylan would jump on stage for a set or two about once a month. he had more talent in his right arm than i did in my body. probaly times to or three as i think about it. his first project was as le castle vania, which led to a lot of touring and good pub. now, he has combined with blake miller from moving units (one of the best bands in the genre) to form lies in disuise. below is their first single "penis vs. vagina" the single, which hit music blogs today is from our friends at kissatlanta.com. enjoy.

Labels: kissatlanta, le castle vania, lies in disguise, penis vs. vagina

E.D.30 - Elvis Is Dead

Elvis Is Dead! The time is here again! The sixth annual Elvis Is Dead party will hit there year on August 17 at Park Grounds in Atlanta. See the flyer below for more information. Come by at 9PM go hit DSC or Lenny's afterward.

There's a nice article (the cover!) on our good friend Preston Craig in this week's Creative Loafing. I've known Preston for about five years now, and went from a patron of the original *KISS* and DSC to having the pleasure of DJ'ing with him for a couple of years at DSC. He's a good guy and a good friend and I'm proud of the success DSC has had.

Be there this week after Elvis is Dead.

Bands you should check out (new or old):

Winterkids
80's Babies
The Rentals

If you enjoy "traditional" country music check out Take Country Back. An excellent read with lots of great videos. Here's how I define traditional country: country music radio wouldn't play it. If you are looking for an artist to research in the genre, check out Billy Joe Shaver. He wrote outlaw hits in the '70's and has been making amazing music since. He did some work with his son in the '90's as the group Shaver. Enjoy.

Labels: elvis is dead, kissatlanta, preston craig

David Payne from Snowden wrote great recap of SXSW for KissAtlanta which is well worth the read: http://www.kissatlanta.com/blog/?p=553

Speaking of Atlanta, I personally am thrilled to see the success that Atlanta bands are having: Deerhunter, Snowden, All the Saints, Dylan ... continued success to you all.

Labels: all the saints, david payne, deerhunter, dj dylan, kissatlanta, snowden, sxsw