The holidays are a hectic time and the weather's been abysmal, so please excuse me if I miss a day's worth of updates here and there as I did yesterday. Did anyone notice? I didn't have much to say anyway, other than to point out a few fun things:

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For those of you into year-end lists, every year Matador Records posts a doozy. It compiles "favorites" from a variety of bands and personalities that have some connection to their label. The list/blog entry is here. The part I like the most is label exec Gerard Cosloy's submission. And lo and behold (at the very end of the entry) Gerard mentions our very own Box Elders and their album, Alice and Friends. James McNew from Yo La Tengo also included Box Elders on his year-end list.

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In the Mousetrap story that went online Wednesday (and is in the current issue of The Reader) I mentioned that while in Manila in '07, Mousetrap's Patrick Buchanan starred in a couple television commercials. They were for Philippines radio station NU107, and one (titled "Room Service") featured Buchanan in the role of a stereotypical inebriated rock star trashing a hotel room, ending with him trying -- but unable to -- yank a plasma TV off the wall. The commercial's catch phrase: "Times have changed." Buchanan said the taping took place in a real hotel room and he really did trash it. Well, someone forwarded me a link to Buchanan's old blog and there at the bottom of the entry -- dated November 20, 2007 -- is the actual commercial in living color. Take a look. It's awesome.

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Speaking of videos, Little Brazil's video for "Separated" is finally online, in gorgeous hi-def here. How many people do you recognize?

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This weekend is busy for shows, and my suggestion is for you to get in as much live music while you can because the January show schedules look mighty thin. In fact, this might be the slowest January music-wise on record…

Tonight (Friday)

Tim Kasher will be performing solo material tonight at The Sydney under the moniker Edelweiss. Also playing sets are Cursive cohort Ted Stevens and McCarthy Trenching. $7, 8 p.m.

Also tonight, The Dinks are back at O'Leaver's with The Prairies and Watching the Trainwreck. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday

Comme Reel (the same guys in No Blood Orphan) celebrates the release of its new CD Saturday night at O'Leaver's with John Klemmensen and The Party, Ben Brodin, Brad Hoshaw, Eric Baughman and Lincoln Dickison. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Also Saturday night, Underwater Dream Machine plays at The Barley St. Tavern with Traveling Mercies and Manny Coon. $5, 9 p.m.

And Led Zeppelin tribute band The Song Remains the Same plays at The Waiting Room. $7, 9 p.m.

Sunday

Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship plays The Waiting Room Sunday night with The Stay Awake and At Land (ex-Fizzle Like a Flood). $7, 9 p.m.

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