MN Rollergirls Last Bout of the Season!
Saturday April 14th
Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul
Doors 6:30pm/Bout 7:30pm
Half-time entertainment by Safety Last

There's a pre bout BBQ from 5-7pm in Rice Park. Post bout party at Station 4 here in St. Paul. And yes, it's actually at Station 4, I'm not lying this time.

If you've never seen the MN Rollergirls in action, this is your last chance until next season. I'll be there along with The Current. You can celebrate the fact that this year you can put off your taxes until Monday. Not that anyone reading this did...

Have a "Good" Friday! (Thanks Wheat, ha!).

Seems as though Coachella is right around the corner. Probably because it is! I'm getting more and more pumped everyday. Assistant Music Director Melanie Walker and I are traveling out to California for the festival at the end of this month. There are so many bands I want to see, but there just won't be enough time in the day. Plus the fact that I would have to be in two places at once. Check out the lineup and see what I mean. Either way, I know we're going to have a blast.

http://www.coachella.com

On a lame note I'm depressed because I HAVE to get new brakes. I've put it off and now I'm regretting it. I swear the gods of the savings account know exactly when to act up. "Hey Jill, new brakes won't be that bad." Of course not, but the fact that I can now hear how damaged the rotors are as well... ya, that hurts. Ouch. Moral of the story: Don't put off car maintenance. What starts as an easy fix can turn into a pocket drainer.

But- how can I be blue with this gorgeous weather lately?

I'm so glad it's Friday.

I'm thinking about seeing the movie The Benchwarmers tonight. It's got Jon Heder in it (aka Napolean Dynamite). Looks like my kind of humor. And thankfully I have a sense of humor. Not that she doesn't have a sense of humor, but I'm sure the Movie Maven would be disappointed with my choices in movies.

I keep meeting people around here who have never seen License to Drive. Are you kidding me? The dynamic Corey Haim/Cory Feldman duo!
"An innocent girl, a harmless driver. What could possibly go wrong?"

Movie quotes are my specialty. I should have included that in my resume'.

This is what I did today...

I met Mates of State. I met Ben Harper. I met Maria Taylor.

Sweet.

Rainy Sundays used to be my favorite. I used to spend them wrapped up in a blanket on my recliner. Only thing is now I enjoy rainy Mondays. While all you folks are at work on the dreaded Monday, I'm sleeping in and catching up on talk shows.

I'm liking the new Flaming Lips album At War With the Mystics. And yes, I now fully love the new Mates of State. It just took me a little while. Anyone going to the Mates of State show on Wednesday night?

No, it's not a cool new band or anything. It's what I dread every springtime.

I'm filling in for Bill DeVille this weekend during the 9am-3pm slot. Don't worry, Bill will be back next weekend.

Don't forget, we lose an hour this weekend. Daylight savings time and such.

It's so nice to see the snow going bye bye.

I can't wait till the first big thunderstorm of the season. I love storms.

Minnesota Rollergirls bout tonight at Roy Wilkins Auditorium here in St. Paul.

Info you may want to know:
PRETTY IN PUNK
Friday, March 24, 2006
6:30pm doors, 7:30pm bout

Dagger Dolls vs. Garda Belts
Atomic Bombshells vs. Rockits

The half-time entertainment will be provided by local band The Cardinal Sin.

They're expecting a large crowd tonight, so don't come strolling in late. Last bout was almost a full house! If you want to hang with the MN Rollergirls after the bout, they always have a post-bout party at Station 4 here in St. Paul.

I'll see you there. I'll be the one yelling outrageous claims into the microphone at half time.

I ran out and bought the new Mates of State CD yesterday. I happened to be in the Electric Fetus in St. Cloud, so I figured, what the heck. Might as well make some purchases. I'd been anticipating the new Mates of State release, Bring it Back, for some time now. I adored Team Boo and the last EP All Day. So, when I asked the dude working if he'd listened to the new Mates of State yet, he said "Ya"... but with a troubled look on his face. So, I said, "Is it typical Mates of State, or is it bad?" So he says, "Well, since you like Mates of State, you shouldn't hate it." So, I continued with my purchase. Put it straight into my CD player in the car. Well, needless to say, the album might have to grow on me.

It's OK though... I said the same thing about the last White Stripes album, and it turned to be one of my favorites from last year.

My favorite, so far, of the new Mates of State is "Like U Crazy". Give me time, I'll be raving about the rest soon enough.

Don't get me wrong though, I love them. I hope they do an instudio when they come to town in April. April 5th to be exact, with Maria Taylor at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. Sounds like it could be a cool show. I gotta work though... maybe next time (long winded sigh). It's an earlier show, so who knows.

I was having a discussion with someone on whether or not an indie band/artist "sells out" when you hear their song in a commercial. For example, Iron and Wine's version of "Such Great Heights" in the M&M commercial. Or I've been hearing a Louis XIV song in a shoe commerical or some similar product.

Is it a new way for lesser knowns to get their music heard, or is it selling out? Is it comparable to having your song on The O.C. or some other TV show?

PS- I hate The O.C.

I've had heartburn every day for the past month. I don't understand, it's not like I'm eating italian sausage and gravy every day.

Does this just mean I'm an adult now?

Just what we needed in mid-March. More snow. It's supposed to snow about 4 to 5 more inches tonight into tomorrow morning. Wonderful. Now I want to put my Christmas tree back up. Or launch snowballs at Mary and Seel. I might just do both. I was thinking about introducing my kitty cat to the snow, but I don't know how she'd feel about that.

I took advantage of Monday's snow day by watching a couple movies I had neglected to rent in the past year. First of all, I finally rented Walk the Line. I loved it so much I watched it twice in a row. And- I might just watch it again when I get home. North Country on the other hand was so-so. That's all I gotta say.

I've decided I want to take a trip to Savanna, Georgia. Why? Just so I can visit Paula Deen's restaurant. I love butter. But- since I love music, I'm pretty sure I'm going out to California first to Coachella. I can't wait. I've never traveled west before.

The band Caesars does an excellent cover of "Don't Fear the Reaper". Who's gonna crack the first cowbell joke first? All though, there's not much cowbell in the Caesars version.

Friday night... what can I say? I had the most fun I've had in a long time. And believe me, I needed it. I headed to The Rox in St. Cloud for Mark Mallman. It's always the same faces in the crowd when he comes to town. The St. Cloud kids love to dance, and well, we danced our butts off to Mark Mallman. He played a new song, which I totally loved. I can't remember what it was called, but I DO remember that it was wonderful.

Saturday night was the Tracy Bonham and Martha Wainwright show at The Fitzgerald here in St. Paul. First of all, thanks to everyone who came out. It was a great show, nice and relaxing, chilled out environment. All though, I have a hard time behaving myself at shows that are more laid back. I want to stand up and cheer and shake it. Anyway, before the show I was able to chat a little with Tracy Bonham. She remembered me from the last time she was in town, and I felt all special. I must say, I loved Martha Wainwright's personality. Very cool, very comfortable in her skin and not afraid to just say what was going on in her head. Martha Wainright will be back in April at First Ave with Neko Case. I would recommend that show to anyone.

I'm hooked on a band called Eagles of Death Metal at the moment. They're just pure, crazy fun. Speaking of which, Mark Mallman will be playing with them at South By Southwest down in Texas. I would like to write an open letter to all my co-workers who will be down there for the festival. "Dear friends, I am jealous of you. From, Jill"

Happy Monday. It's my goal to ruin my diet today.

Whatcha doing Saturday night? I have an idea for you.

I'm hosting the Martha Wainwright and Tracy Bonham show at the Fitzgerald Theater Saturday night here in St. Paul. It's all part of Minnesota Public Radio's Singer-Songwriter's Concert Series. Come on out. Showtime is at 8pm. I don't know about you, but I'm pumped. I never thought I'd be hangin' with Tracy Bonham twice in one year. Call the Fitzgerald Theater Box Office and get your tickets.

Hmmm, that means I actually have a weekend full of plans. How exciting. Tonight I'm headed to my old stomping grounds in St. Cloud. Mark Mallman is playing at The Rox in downtown St. Cloud. You must all think I'm some Mallman groupie. Really though, I'll be able to visit my old roomie while I'm in town. I always tell her the only reason I miss her is because of her cat, Boo Boo and the fact that I was able to split bills with someone. That's not true though. I miss how much trouble we used to cause together.

FYI- Sunday I'm working the overnight in lieu of the afternoon. Ellen's got a hot date for the Belle and Sebastian and New Pornographers show Sunday night. I can't believe I just used the expression "in lieu of" in a sentence. I'm not writing an obituary, am I? This is still a blog, right?

By the way, it's my mama's birthday today. Happy birthday Ma Riley! Without you, I'd be... uh, who knows, but it wouldn't be good.

So, I've been neglecting my blog. So I figured I better come up with something before Micheal Wells cracks the whip on me. In a bad way.

I basically like to laugh at everything around me. A lot of my late night phone calls come from guys telling me they like when I giggle. Ah-hem. Well, at least someone is enjoying it. My old station manager, the lovely Jo, used to tell me I have the best giggle. On the other hand a friend of mine used to tell me I sounded like Betty Rubble when I laughed really hard.

The way I look at it, this is live radio. I'm bound to fumble and stumble over my words now and again. So, the only thing I can do is laugh at myself. It's what I do best. The best thing is laughing at other people's expense though. You may think I'm really friendly with as much as I laugh. But, I just want to laugh at you. Try watching reality TV with me sometime. It's the same as people watching. We all do it, right?

The ability to laugh at oneself comes from a life filled with sarcasm, pessimism and rejection. One of these days I'm going to write my monologue for my debut at the Acme Comedy Club amateur night. You won't catch me doing any amateur nights at any other kind of clubs... so comedy would be the most appropriate kind of club to try my skillz.

I love Fridays. Need I say more?

Do you ever hear a song and completely fall in love with it? Kind of like love at first sight, but more light love at first listen?

I'm going to tell what song I have a crush on. Don't tell anyone now...

OK, Tortoise and Bonnie "Prince" Billy have a new album out together called The Brave and the Bold. Basically, it's a bunch of covers... but done well for the most part. They cover Springsteen, The Minutemen and Lungfish to name a few. BUT- the song they got me with was Elton John's "Daniel". You hear it, it's familiar, but yet Tortoise and Bonnie "Prince" Billy made me love the cover of it, more than the original I think... which is rare for me.

I know, it's NOT quite rock and roll.... but I like it.

Every year during Lent I still don't eat meat on Fridays or on Ash Wednesday. I just can't do it. I'm afraid. I might even go to Mass tonight. Not because I'm afraid, but because I love tradition.

I'm thinking about having a fish fry tonight. Of course that will involve setting off my fire alarm. I'm not a bad cook. The alarm is just really sensitive... I think.

Speaking of guilt...ah, nevermind. I'm not real sure where I was going to go with that one.

So I decided to head to The Turf Club last night for The Vets, Hockey Night and Malachi Constant. I kind of hid downstairs for The Vets, but came back up for Hockey Night and ended up leaving about two songs into Malachi Constant. It was so packed with people. And- I can't help but wonder if the sound system could be any worse in the Turf Club? Good God. Unless you're standing right in front, it's the most horrible sonic experience ever. But I wouldn't blame the sound system for how The Vets sounded. Sorry guys. Hockey Night was, in my opinion, the best sounding of the night. Malachi Constant didn't even go on until about 1:15am and by then I was feeling impatient and my beer was wearing off. I like their new album, but they didn't sound as well live. I had a good time, but slightly disappointed I didn't go to Halloween, Alaska. Just slightly.

My original plan was to head to Minneapolis for Halloween, Alaska. But- there's nothing wrong with changing up my plans! That's the joy of being unmarried and childless. Being spontanious! Of course the downside is utter loneliness and despair. ha! Just kidding. I'm not ready to turn square yet.

I'll be at The Triple Rock Social Club tonight in Minneapolis for Halloween, Alaska. See you there! That's if I make it past Friday happy hour. Just kidding... I hope.

Happy Friday.

Blogging reminds me of how I used to keep a diary. I had this totally sweet Lisa Simpson diary. Unfortunately for me, my nosy mother read it and made me throw it away because of how many curse words were in it. ha! When she demanded where I learned all those bad words I should have reminded her that my father was a construction worker.

There's a new song from the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs I really like. It's called "Gold Lion."

So, lately I can't get enough Hole into my musical diet. I loved Hole back in the day and then I hated Hole and now it's like I'm having a Hole revival. I used to have the CD Live Through This, but I can't find it anywhere. I read somewhere that Kurt Cobain wrote a lot of the lyrics for that album. He must've cause it's better than the other Hole albums. I think I would like Courtney Love more if she didn't fight with the other members of Nirvana so much. Just let them have rights to the music! Just because you were the wife of Kurt Cobain doesn't mean you were part of the band! I better stop before I let you all what I really think of Yoko Ono.

I was in band. I know. I just felt like I needed to get that off my chest.

I feel as though I was a cool person in band. I played the drums. That's kind of cool, though. OK, I don't know who I'm trying to convince... you or me.

I used to get band people into trouble with their parents. I was a bad influence. hehehe.

If I would ever win the lottery... I would scream for at least a minute. Remember in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off when Cameron sees the mileage on his dad's car, and his screams were heard throughout the city of Chicago. That would be me. Except I wouldn't be in Chicago and the scream would be much girlier.

I don't even want to hear anyone tell me, "having millions wouldn't make you any happier." Umm, whatever dude. Of course I probably wouldn't have much left after I gave all my family and "real" friends their fair share. I can't wait to see how many socialite fake friends I would have after being new money.

I told Thorn on Friday that I have too many of my own teeth to win though. ha!

Doesn't it feel warm today? It looks warm outside. It's always tricky when you look outside and there's not a cloud in the sky. But-then you go out and freeze your buns.

If you need to warm up...Mallman at The Turf Club tonight in St. Paul.

Happy Saturday.

-Jill

I'm excited about where I am in life. Career-wise anyway. I didn't expect to be sitting in a large market, Twin Cities radio station for many years. According to the folks at Brown Institute (during my college visit when I was 17), I should be in a small town radio station somewhere in New Mexico making less than minimum wage and living in my car. That didn't discourage me from radio. I just decided I wouldn't go to school there. I still haven't written my "Ha! I showed you! letter" to Alix Kendall (Fox 9 Morning anchor), who was the guest speaker the day I visited the school I had heard so much about. They used to play the Brown Institute commercials more than National American University ("one day, one night"...) I can't remember the title of her speech to the prospective students that day. But- it should have been called something like "None of You Will Succeed". After that I was even more determined to be on the radio, I wanted it even more because no one believed that I could succeed... except I always felt like my dad never lost the faith. So I found myself at SCSU, confused about life, goals, the future... until I walked into a basement and found a station called KVSC, where I found musical taste other than my classic rock collection. A whole new world of tunes.

I re-found my determination and landed myself somewhere where I couldn't be happier. I heard about this "new music station" from Minnesota Public Radio. I submitted my resume' and crossed my fingers. And a year later... they've decided to keep me around! I work with music I love. Good music. Real music. How did I get here? I look around the room at meetings sometimes and think, how did I end up working with a staff this good? It's like being in a room with a "supergroup" of the Twin Cities. The Damn Yankees of Twin Cities radio if you will! ha! (Damn Yankees is the first "supergroup" that comes to mind. Where else can you find Tommy Shaw and Ted Nugent singing ballads? Isn't that way Tommy Shaw left Styx, cause he wanted to rock and roll? I guess he just wanted to take us high enough.) OK so my co-workers rock more than Damn Yankees. That's a given.

I was never real sure what I wanted to do if I wasn't involved with radio or music for that matter, in some way. But I was just recently reminded of what I don't want to do if for some reason I can't do radio anymore. Lloyd Dobler said it best in the movie Say Anything:
"I don't want to sell anything, buy anything or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed... or buy anything sold or processed... or process anything sold, bought or processed... or repair anything sold, bought or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that."

Thanks for a great year everyone. And many more for that matter. Now what are you waiting for... become a member before Friday!

-Jill

I don't want to watch it, yet I do cause I feel as though I'll be missing out on something. Like current events or something... but actually I enjoy awards shows. There's usually "nothing on" anyway. It gives me a chance to watch the celebrities do their thing.

Anyone else watching?

I'm going to keep a pail next to me all night cause I have a feeling I'll have to use it every time Mariah Carey wins.

Flogging Molly was in the live in the studio today. I was so pleased and so excited the entire time! Check out the audio on The Current in studio archive when you get a chance.

They all signed my vinyl copy of "Within a Mile of Home." That rules.

When I was five I had to be in "speech" class. I guess my "lsssp" was to much for the teacher to take. The school didn't even tell my parents they were putting my in speech class. For years I was mad my parents for making me an outcast kindergardener who was made fun of for going to "special classes." Of course it's real easy to have a "lssp" in kindergarden when you have no front teeth! I used to pull and tug on my baby teeth till they'd come out so I could get my quarters. So I lost all my front teeth at once. Anyway, my parents didn't even know I was in speech class for my alleged speech disorder. Funny. When my teeth grew in I was just fine.

February 3rd, 1959 is the morning Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens were killed in the plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa.

47 years ago. I guess they took off at 1am and weren't in the air more than 5 minutes.

My brother was just in Clear Lake, Iowa and drove by the crash site. The only time I've ever been to Iowa was a church trip was my grandma to visit The Grotto. Us cat-lics enjoy that kind of thing I guess.

Saturday night. Roy Wilkins Auditorium here in St. Paul.
MN Rollergirls bout starts at 7:30pm. Be there or be square. Or hip. Or is it hip to be square? Why am I thinking about Huey Lewis?
What ever happened to The News? If Huey Lewis and the News were playing Saturday night... I'd probably still go to MN Rollergirls.

Maybe Huey Lewis and the News would be a lovely act for Taste of MN. Can't be any worse then Asia. All though... I was down at Taste of MN to see Donovan and when I was walking to the shuttle bus I heard "Heat of the Moment." And it was rad. Not as rad as the cheese curds I ate.

I'm going to stop now. Why? Because I crave fried food. I haven't had a french fry in quite some time. I feel like I'm a recovering addict. When I pass a fast food joint and crave french fries, I think to myself..."God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, Courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference." Kind of like FF instead of AA. French fries are beautiful, but I found the strength to quit them. When I find a balance in my life, I can maybe have the occasional fry. But I'm not ready yet. It takes time. And support. And an understanding that if I fall off the french fry wagon, I'm still OK.

It's scary to read the thoughts in my head, isn't it?

Am I the only one who hates this term?

Bah-humbug.

I've adopted a new kitty. And some people say you can't buy friends...

Will I be seeing you Saturday night? It's the first ever listener and member appreciation party at First Ave! Enjoy some live music and Current DJ's spinning some tunes. I heard there's pizza and beer too.

See you Saturday night.

-Jill

Last night people must've been in great moods. I had so many nice calls and some sweet emails. Someone even emailed and said they were listening online in Vietnam! And then came an email from someone in Thailand. How cool is that? Sometimes I forget just how international The Current is. God bless the internet.

If you're listening online, where do you listen from?

Are you superstitious? Will Jason Voorhees be paying you a visit tonight? Mwahhhhahahaha!

Did you know the phobia word for fear of Friday the 13th is "Paraskevidekatriaphobia"? (pair-uh-skee-vee-dek-uh-tree-uh). I heard if you can pronouce the word, your phobia of Friday the 13th will be cured. Maybe that's just a superstition...

If the Timberwolves lose to Denver Nuggets tonight I might have to get upset.

I was checking out a lot of different blogs last night. I can't believe how many times I laughed out loud. I don't really read a whole lot of blogs online, but I think I should start. I almost busted a gut a few times last night.

What other blogs do you read besides The Current Cue?

Bill DeVille reminded me it was Elvis Presley's birthday today. The King would be 71. Can you believe that? Wow.

I've never really dabbled in nasal sprays. I always associate nasal spray with Ricky Smith from the movie Better Off Dead. But- since I'm stuffy... today is the day I will experiment with snorting something up my nose. I had some lovely nasal spray suggestions from listeners today. Thanks.

Thank you Ellen, she filled in on the Wednesday overnight so I could recover from a very evil sinus infection. Wow, it really slapped me right across the face too! Sinus Infections are weird. They start as a little cold and then they hit you. You can't breathe, you can't think and if anything touches your face it's way painful. As if that wasn't enough the sore throat and ear ache was mixed in too.

Whoa is me.

Reticence – Catharsis

Morning Zephyr Empire Builder – Voltaic

Molly Maher – All of the Secrets (LIVE)

Gini Dodds – Extraordinary You

The Great Depression – Mangy Pony

Patrick Harrison – Rosebud Tonic

Molly Maher – 3200 Miles (LIVE)

Frankie Lee – Trading Lies

Bethany – Tendencies

Molly Maher – I Hope they Find You (LIVE)

Mandrew – Monica Faust

Ghost Band – I Can’t Jazz

My favorites for 2005. Enjoy. If you think you have my taste, then add these to your collection!

The Go! Team "Thunder Lightning Strike"
Dressy Bessy "Electrified"
The Raveonettes "Pretty in Black"
Diamond Nights "Popsicle"
Sleater-Kinney "The Woods"
The White Stripes "Get Behind Me Satan"
The Redwalls "De Nova"
Beck "Guero"
The Hold Steady "Separation Sunday"
Tracy Bonham "Blink the Brightest"
The Soviettes "LP III"
Jamiroquai "Dynamite"
30 Seconds to Mars "A Beautiful Lie"
Maximo Park "A Certain Trigger"
Langhorne Slim "When the Sun's Gone Done"
Low "The Great Destroyer"
My Morning Jacket "Z"
The Sights "The Sights"
Spoon "Gimme Fiction"
Inara George "All Rise"

The snow is perfect for making a snowman...err.. snowperson? Or for me I'd like to make a few snowballs and throw them at whatever neighbor left a note on my car telling me I don't know how to park. Ya, like I don't all ready know that.

How a safe New Year's celebration my friends! I'll be posting my top 20 favorite albums before 2005 ends. If I procrastinate anymore, I might just have to start working on my top 20 of 2006!

Every year I make resolutions and every year I seem to never follow through. So this year I'm going to make ones that are very easy to keep.

-Incorporate even more red meat into my diet.
-Take advice from Paula's Home Cooking and vow to add a stick of butter to all of my food.

Happy Festivus. Air your grievances, engage in feats of strength and make a donation to the human fund in the name of someone you love. And don't forget the aluminum pole.

"I have a lot of problems with you people." -Frank Costanza

She was my instudio guest Saturday afternoon. She really got me groovin'. She's a vocalist from New York, and I don't even know if I can name all the folks she's recorded with...cause i don't have room. Needless to say, her credentials are quite impressive. She's in town to play at The Entry Sunday night. Groovin dance music, check her out if that's your flavor.

I'm excited. Flogging Molly is coming to First Ave in Feb.!

No I'm not talking about a Jerry Springer episode.

Don't forget tonight at 7:30 at the Fitz in St. Paul. A Trashy Little Christmas with local favorites, Trailer Trash. Bring the kids out for some more family entertainment. Even if you hung out at the Children's Theatre for Rock the Cradle, you can stick in a little more family time tonight.

By the way, we've been getting calls at the station all day from folks who really enjoyed Rock the Cradle. Thanks for supporting your community and The Current today! Hope the kids had fun. I'm kind of jealous. I've never been to an instrument petting zoo! Sounded like fun, without the goat hair to rattle the allergies.

Today I had the urge to recite "The Wrestling Dog" from John Lennon's book In His Own Write.

Oddly my neighbor's dog started barking moments later.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Wow, I might be getting out of the house 3 nights in a row this weekend! Last night I went to see a metal band, I can't hear today by the way. They were so-so. I think they relied on the notion if the volume is pumped up to the max, they might sound better. It didn't work, it just left me annoyed. And that's pretty bad. Cause I like it loud.

Tonight should be better though. A road trip to my old stomping grounds in St. Cloud is never really a disappointment for me. Mark Mallman is at The Rox in downtown St. Cloud. Good times are always to be had with Mallman. I even noticed a Current bumper sticker on the wall, near the stage at The Rox... and it wasn't me who put it there. Hope this snow quits though, I'd hate to get out the ol' chains for the tires (little farm humor for the city folk).

Sunday night make sure to catch the MN Rollergirls bout at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul. The action is at 7:30pm and I'll be hanging out, but for pete's sake go for the Rollergirl action, not the Riley action... haha. The gals are taking a break for a bit in the winter, so catch em' now! Atomic Bombshells vs. Dagger Dolls and The Garda Belts vs. The Rockits. Two sporting events get me on my feet and cheering. MN Timberwolves and MN Rollergirls. Speaking of the Wolves, did anyone see the game last night at LA? Holy cow. What a comeback! 113-108. The Dream, Wally Szcerbiak scored 34 points. If I wrote a fan letter to Szcerbiak it would go something like this. Dear Wally, Be mine. Love, Jill. :)

I might even be a non loser next weekend too. Low Friday night and Mason Jennings Saturday night at First Ave. Oofta.

-Jill

My goal is to buy an ice scraper today. The CD case isn't doing the trick for me anymore.

I've been thinking about what some of my favorite releases were this past year. Our forum friends have been discussing some "best of 2005" picks, so that got me thinking. It's strange to think 2006 is right around the corner. I can't wait to see what the new year brings us musically.

What were your favorite albums of 2005? I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours....

The Turducken.

Who invented this idea anyway? I've only just discovered the idea of layering 3 different kinds of birds together making it look like one mutated bird, the Turducken. Are we that undecided on what bird to eat? I saw my first Turducken on Paula's Home Cooking show.

What if this leads to cross breeding the duck, chicken and turkey? Then it would be less work to prepare.

Or what if it doesn't stop at food?? "Hey kids, I can't decide what pet to buy you for Christmas. Little Billy, I know you want a dog and little Suzy I know you want a cat and can't forget you little Wendy, you want a hampster. I know, I'll just go out and get you kids one of those cogsters I saw on Animal Planet the other day!"

Deck the Halls.

I just played a Golden Smog song. It made me think of how folks in the entertainment world come up with a fake name. I know a guy in radio land who took the name of his pet for his first name and his mother's maiden name for his last name. Isn't that how some "adult entertainers" pick their screen name? I don't know how I know that. And no I wasn't at the Minneapolis Convention Center this weekend...yet. Would a picture of me with Ron Jeremy be an inappropriate Christmas card? Picture above my fireplace mantle?

The name formula to find out your "Golden Smog" alias is take your middle name as your first name and the street you grew up on as your last name. What's yours?

When I was a little Jill I listened to a lot of music from the 50's and 60's. A lot of my tastes were driven by what my parents were listening to (until I discovered hair bands thanks to my older sister). As a youngster I sat and listened to my mom's records and my dad's 8-tracks. My dad's hobby is restoring hot rods, so I found myself listening to a lot of cruisin' music at classic 50's car shows. I could probably sum it up with the American Graffiti soundtrack, with a little heavier dose of The Beach Boys.

My favorite part about 50's music is trying to guess what the backup singers were saying. My brother and I use to giggle and make up our our words. For example from 1956, a song by The Five Satins "In the Still of the Night." To my brother and I, the backing vocals sounded something like this... "Shut up, poopy loo." I have so many more, but I'm sure some would be quite inapppropriate...

I know everyone makes up their own words to songs they don't exactly know. Or maybe you know the song, but like to add a little humor. You can admit it here.

Last night had me confused. Tornadoes in Iowa, winter storms in northern MN and a tornado watch in the Twin Cities. The whole atmosphere had me scratching my head... And now, a winter storm watch for Tuesday? I can understand the snow being on the way, but tornadoes in mid November? And then The Vikings winning again? I think I'm dizzy.

I used to watch a lot of pro wrestling with my brother. When we lived at home we wouldn't even take calls on Monday nights. Then a little later on in life I found a man with a "great passion" for WWE wrestling. It was a match made in Heaven! haha! Anyway, I was kind of bummed to find out pro wrestler Eddie Guerrero bit the dust while in town this weekend. So far the cause is unknown. My understanding was that in "real life" he had just celebrated 4 years of sobriety from substance abuse. It's not like he's the first WWE wrestler to die. I have a feeling the "wrestler lifestyle" is not so great for the body, ya know? Of course the amount of french fries I consume in a year is not very good either...

If you know a veteran, or meet one today, make sure to shake their hand. Some of my favorite stories from my grandparents have to do with World War II and The Great Depression. My grandparents were sweethearts in the 40's and they were married the day before my gramps went off the fight in World War II. He was a tank driver. I've noticed with his age has come more and more stories about the war. I'm fortunate to be able to still talk with him in his ripe old age of 88. He really is a gruff and stubborn old man, but I must have some kind of affect on him that brings a smile to his face. Everytime I see him he has the same question for me. "Why aren't you married yet?" I'm his only unmarried grandchild. And I remind him that I'm also his youngest grandchild... My grandmother always rolls her eyes at that question and makes me promise I won't get married until I'm 40. I think she knows something he doesn't! :)

The food channel inspired me to do some cookin' before I came into work. Rachel Ray whipped up hot turkey sandwiches on 30 Minute Meals today. To a rural Minnesota girl like me, I call it a "turkey commercial." I've noticed a lot of city slickers I've met look at me funny when I talk about the "commerical." There are a number of varities- beef commerical, pork commercial, but the turkey commercial remains my favorite. A few folks have even cringed when I explain the ingredients. I think they get gravy shock. Basically, assemble a turkey sandwich. Cut it in half, plop a pile of mashed potatoes in the middle, and then top it off with a ridiculous amount of gravy. For the turkey commercial I like to add some stuffing and cranberry sauce. It's a good meal to get rid of all those Thanksgiving leftovers as well. It's not a good meal to rid the holiday pounds though. Or heartburn.

The little cafe in my hometown, where I also worked in high school, is famous for the "commercial." It makes my aorta hurt when I think about how much gravy I consumed there.

What are your favorite winter comfort foods?

I am hyper tonight. Lots of yellow colored soda has been consumed, so that's probably why. I'm not much of a coffee person. I drank coffee on the last day of the membership drive and it gave me the shakes. Yes, I said the shakes... not the other one.

So I see my colleages have been discussing band names. My childhood friend and I had a fictionous band for awhile called "The Bloated Muskrats." It was pretty heavy... I think I was 11 or 12 maybe. We came up with the name when we were walking her dog and came across a dead animal on the road... and it was a very bloated muskrat. Plus, I was pretty into Stone Temple Pilots at the time and they had a song called Dead and Bloated. So maybe it was a bit of a rip off? I don't think so, maybe more of an influence. I'm starting to think I was a demented child. Wait, I still am.

The MN Rollergirls have let me choose a Rollergirl name. I've been blessed with the duty of announcing the half time bands at the bouts. Let me introduce you to "Jill Jaw Jacker." All though I've never really hit anyone in the jaw, I thought the alliteration was nice. The next bout is Friday, November 18th at Roy Wilkins. See you there! I've become a big fan of The Rockits.
-Jill

I've caught myself smacking my lips together a lot today when talking. Sorry. I hate that sound and I don't know why I felt the need to torture others.

Hello!

Seems to me I've been slacking on my bloggin'. What can I say? I'm forgetful. I was just reading a Festivus article. I want to have a Festivus party just so I can air my grievances with my guests.

This past Wednesday I attended the Paul McCartney concert at the Xcel. Holy cow. It was great, I'd been looking forward to it for a long time. He played close to 40 songs. Incredible. His new album is quite good. "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard" is the name of the new album. I wanted to get a shirt, but I think Sir Paul could bring his merch prices down just a tad.... that's coming from someone who spent $9 on a cocktail at the Xcel. Holy smokes! I know it was a double, but sheesh. To Jill Riley it looked like a single though.

Went to The Go! Team last night at First Ave. Wow, talk about high energy. They were really fun. I like bands that actually have a stage presence and actually put on a show. They were a lot younger than I pictured them. It was really fun for me to hear my favorite songs by them live. Junior Kickstart, Ladyflash and Bottle Rocket are some of my faves, but they all sounded great. Except... well, one of the drummers sang and it hurt my ears, but it was all apart of the fun I suppose. Plus, I felt old, and I am no where near aging. I don't know what it is about all ages shows sometimes. I mean, they are great so that everyone has a chance to hear some music, but sheesh. I never got to go to a show by myself when I was 12... or maybe that dude just looked 12.

I just had an embarrassing moment on the air. I was in a production studio pushing a couple buttons and realized I needed to be back on the air pronto. Well, I ran, made in time, but was totally out of breath. I must've sounded real great. I make it a point not to run in daily life, so I was a little winded. I bet I sounded like the creepy guy that calls in the middle of the night and just breathes into the phone. Or- remember what the Fatty McGee character sounded like on Adam Sandler's first CD? Yup. No more stairs for me.

I'm going to a costume party tonight. Yes. Not only does everyone look ridiculous, but it's a good excuse to act ridiculous as well.

I better go find my oxygen tank.

Happy Halloween. By the way, I'm convinced my apartment is haunted.

-Riley

Well my friends, we surpassed our goal of 1.8 million membership dollars! Thanks so much to everyone, new and renewing members, for the wonderful support. The Current is YOUR station and you showed how much you need it around by showing your financial support.

I had so much fun listening to Seel and Wheat last night as they pitched membership to the final hours of the drive. They were quite cooky by the end!

I carved a pumpkin last night. It was a quiet night at the Riley residence.

Tonight make sure to go down to The Fitzgerald Theatre tonight for Polara! They have a number of guests and if you're a member, you get 2 tickets for the price of one. It should be a great time, doors are at 6:30pm. Enjoy some appetizers before the show and mingle with some Current DJ's. See you there! Don't forget the wrap up of Guest Session Sundays next week with music from The Hopefuls. The only excuse I will accept for you not being there is The Hold Steady that night at First Ave.
-Jill

Hey Night Owl listeners of The Current....

Where are you? Night time is the right time to renew or become a NEW member of Minnesota Public Radio. Where would you be without The Current to get you through the night? I know, I know you're waiting one more night. But- remember, we're wrapping up the Minnesota Public Radio fund drive on Saturday! Thanks to everyone who's thrown their hard earned cash our way! The Current is getting better and better every day and it wouldn't be possible without your support. Thanks!

On another note, I just noticed my fingernails are finally long enough to be considered feminine. That only means one thing- I haven't been playing my guitar lately.

Don't forget to contribute!

-Jill

Is anyone going to a costume party this year? Last Halloween I went to TWO costume parties and they are always my favorite kind of party. I was a devil one night and a nun the next...

I'm trying to decide what costume to go with this year. I love Halloween. I don't think I've ever had a bad time at a costume party. I'm thinking about recycling the evil doctor costume, but then I saw a very large and ridiculous banana costume in a shop the other day. The problem with me is that I like to add some blood and guts to my costumes. An evil, killer banana? hmmm. Food for thought.

What's the best costume you've ever had? Most original?

Have you ever openly wept at a show because it was that good, or because it was a singer/band you'd been waiting to see all your life?

Today is wonderful... I think we've worked out all the bugs in our computers at the time, so my stress level is basically non-existant today.

I'm off to the Fitzgerald for Guest Session Sundays. This week it's Boiled in Lead, hosted by Dale Connelly.

My contacts have been in for way too long and I can't see. I hope I make it home. I'm always afraid of what people will think of me if I ask them for eye drops. Don't be on the roads tonight after about 11:30pm cause you might be sharing the road with a half blinded DJ.

-Jill

Do you ever go outside, suck in a big lung-full of air, look around and just love the outdoors? I love Fall weather and it makes me all warm hearted and excited for the holiday season.... for a few reasons. I love eating non stop and having a good excuse for it and hanging out with family is cool too. Loving the outdoors is so different now that I'm in "the city". I just realized that I think I might be manic right now.

I'm counting down the days until The Go! Team is at First Ave. I've been waiting for a long time now, but it always seems the closer a show that you want to see comes, the further away it seems. I'm impatient, but maybe that comes from being the youngest child.

I was weirded out by the new Sinead O'Connor CD. It's reggae. Reggae is not weird, but Sinead O'Connor doing reggae is weird.

I'm just waiting patiently and anticipating tonight's edition of Guest Session Sundays at the Fitzgerald. The Honeydogs are performing with a number of guests including Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum), Laurie Lindeen (Zuzu's Petals) and John Munson (Semisonic). See you tonight at The Fitzgerald!

-Jill

Well, I'm back at work and I think I shall be able to kick this cold or bug or whatever is wrong with me. I knew once the weather changed that I would get sick and it happened! The stuffy head symptoms transformed into a chest cold and that has now transformed to flu-like symptoms. Ewe. I can feel myself getting better everyday though. There was no time for sickness today though!!!

Shawn Hewitt and the National Strike stopped by the studio today, two computers crashed. I'm pretty sure my hands touching the computers is what make them crash. Our system is happy with us lately. Refer to Steve Seel's last post for the explaining of that one. I love computers, seriously, but they don't like me. The scary thing is, I have anxiety dreams about dead air while I'm hosting and I don't like when they come true. It makes me nervous and I think my left kidney hurts because of it!

I need a nap,
Jill

Good morning/evening,

I thought I had rid my eyes of dark circles, but they should be back in no time! I'm making the adjustment back to nights! Last week I filled in during Seel's shift and had taken some vay-cay before that. Sleeping at night was a weird change.

I'm a bit sleepy right now so I can't think of anything fun and interesting to reflect on, so I should really save my brain power for the rest of the morning. It's supposed to be rainy this morning, according to the "weather man". Good for sleep. All though there is a science experiment I'm working on right now at home in my kitchen. What I call a science experiment is what normal folks who clean up after themselves call dirty dishes. Ewe.

-Jill

Good afternoon on yet another cloudy Minnesota day. The transition into Fall seemed to be instant. Bill DeVille is broadcasting live, again, from the Austin City Limits Music Festival down in Texas as I write this. He says the high temperature is supposed to be 103 degrees down there today. Pretty hot compared to our mild mid 60's here in the Twin Cities! I can hear a lot of great music in the background and Bill's keeping us up to date on what's happening at the festival.

The National is here for a live instudio performance, hosted by Danny. It's set to air at 4PM this afternoon.

I love Fall, but this weather is making me want to settle into my recliner with a blanket and veg out. I think I just made a date with the recliner for this evening!

I'm back on the overnights this week. Hope ya'll didn't miss me too much!

-Jill R.

Hello all,

Well, a very dreary day... but Bill Deville told us from his live broadcast from the Austin City Limits Festival that's it's about 98 degrees down there this afternoon. Don't mess with Texas.

Tomorrow we'll hear from Bill once again from noon to 3pm. Lots of good music at The Austin City Limits Festival this weekend. But-- it's Austin, Texas... so I would only expect a great festival experience.

Also tomorrow is a live in studio performance from the band The National. Danny is set to host and you can hear it right around 4pm.

I'm off to St. Cloud tonight for the Mark Mallman / Melismatics show. Later!

-Jill R.

Greetings from my first blog entry! I love this weather, I hate being overly warm. Idlewild is here in the studio today. As soon as they're set up we should be ready to roll at any time now. Hopefully I have everything together for some "intriguing" conversation.

I love Fridays.

-Jill