Midwestern Roundup!

• I tried to post some "Top 2007" local bands from around the midwest, then quickly realized that barely any papers actually do this. I saw a few, from the better critics. But there were not enough to do a whole "Midwest" post. Are you kidding me, people?
But you can bet your ass that there are 300 different top 10 lists in the newspapers and blogs talking about Radiohead.
BOOOORRIINNGG!!!!
I hope that in 2008 more music journalists start realizing that reporting about your own town can be more interesting than reporting about the same five national bands that people can read about in every goddam publication from here to the end of the earth. Let's try to branch out next year, shall we? Who gives a shit about Kanye West? He's paid a butt-load of money to make rubbish. Can we have more about bands that work their asses off to make music? I'd like to see more respect paid to actual bands, who are out there hitting the pavement, dying to be heard - yet end up being completely ignored every year, so some writer can talk about how much they paid for the Radiohead CD. Fuck that.
• That said, Cincinnati's City Beat asked local musicians to weigh in on their favorite moments of 2007, and other stuff HERE I thought that was the most interesting take I've seen on the Year End List.
• On Sunday it went from 58 degrees outside to 28. Someone please remind me why we all live in the Midwest?
• I guess Lou Reed lives in Chicago? (If he doesn't, please someone let me know). If he does, that means I can start writing about him. Which leads me to tell you, as most of you already know, that he will be the keynote speaker for SXSW.
• Columbus/Cincy band Paper Airplane recently wrapped up it's John Lennon tour at Oregon Express Saturday. If you missed it, it looks like it was the last time they are going to be doing it. Here's an unrelated link to a recent interview with the band conducted by the Columbus Dispatch HERE
• The Rock Potluck I wrote about before, was rescheduled for Jan. 12 in Columbus, same location.
• Pat Radio's recent show featured (Columbus) The Lab Rats. Check out the show link to the right. I don't know if I mentioned it yet, but Pat Radio can now be heard on regular radio too.