We’re thinking about hosting a Dingo Vinyl music festival.  Imagine if you will an extremely well organized event where well heeled music aficionados glide past airport security at the airport.  A freshly pressed limo driver is holding a sign above his head with your last name on it.  He exudes a level of devotion and subservience you haven’t seen since Cusack held that boombox in Say Anything , and by the way, his penmanship is flawless.  He appears to have created his own font.  It conveys masculinity, insight and a perhaps even a hint of skepticism.

You are whisked past huddled masses, very attractive and influential huddled masses, to some kind of subterranean VIP check in area.  You are plied with thought provoking, handmade, artisan tchotchkes which you would have actually paid good money for are actually worth finding room for in your carry on, and one of those bar code necklace plastic things which secure your entrance into…. hey, isn’t that the guy from Rolling Stone?  No, not the owner guy.  The other guy.  The one with the glasses and the lumpy hair parted in the middle.  The guy whose personality runs the gamut from completely pretentious to not too much of a dick.

How about a beer Mr. So and So?  The Trappist Monks really enjoyed the Botticelli’s record, so they sent over a keg of Pliny the Younger.

Our festival would be nothing like that.  It would go a little something like this.

You would fly (most likely on Southwest with a connecting flight through Phoenix) into Oakland.  You would either do some kind of mass transit thing, or time permitting, Brian or Mike would pick you up at the airport.

Over the course of a weekend, you would go to several very dirty bars – the kinds of establishments where one must roll up one’s pants before entering the restroom.  You would eat very good, but not very good for you food in neighborhoods best described as “in transition”.  Your appreciation for Jameson on the Rocks would flourish.  By weekend’s end, you would comfortably employ the local vernacular of Jameo Rocks.  You would see several very good, but not very good for you bands and you would have the kind of weekend you would have had in college, if your net worth had been north of about 500 dollars.

Shoot us a note or Tweet us or Uber us or however the kids communicate nowadays if this might be of interest to you.

5 Things to Check Out

The Best Thing I Ever Saw on TV

In the summer of I think 2009, over dinner, on a business trip to what I will charitably describe as Suburban Chattanooga Tennessee; I sheepishly confessed to 2 extremely smart, and reasonably non-judgmental co-workers that my wife and I watched TMZ – not occasionally, not casually, but obsessively watch TMZ .

For those who don’t know, TMZ is a paparazzi show.  Five nights a week, a gaggle of cooler than thou Dodger fans give the latest gossip on the Lindsay’s, Britney’s, and Paris’s of the world to their mean spirited, litigious troll of a boss.

My best estimate is that we’ve seen about 2,085 episodes of what may be the worst show ever, and we’ve missed maybe 15 or 20.

I present this information to you as part confession, and part baseline.  A baseline that establishes the amount of TV – crap TV and otherwise that I’ve consumed over the last few years.  For balance, it’s important to point out the good stuff that I watch and enjoy– Mad Men, True Detective, Breaking Bad, The Wire, Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown and Trailer Park Boys.

For additional balance, there is a load of crap that I absolutely reject. With great pride, I declare that I’ve never gotten through a single entire episode of The Big Bang Theory.  I look for glimmers of greatness in Brooklyn 99, but it eludes me. I’ve seen every episode of Halt and Catch Fire.  I really gave it a shot, and I respected the ambition, but it never really worked for me.

1. Big Build Up.  The best thing I ever saw on TV was….

A few months ago a friend of mind Skyped me.  It was one of those ‘Hey, check this out” entries with a hyperlink, and it was glorious.

“Live on Letterman” scrolls horizontally across the screen.

Kick, snare, kick, snare, kick, snare, kick snare….

“You better toss your bullets…”

Read More…

Welcome to DingoBox Volume 00003

Labor Day is now your cousin.  You have a generally favorable impression of him, but you can’t quite remember what you were doing when you saw him last.  There may have been a pony keg involved, and possibly some ribs.

It is now noticeably darker, quieter and maybe even a little bit lonelier when 7:45 rolls around than it was a few short weeks ago.

Dingo Logo by Artist in Residence Jay Eyits

Your consumption of hot dogs has fallen off dramatically.  Will Smith, Tom Cruise and whoever else that stars in shitty movies that come out on the 4th of July must be in Cabo or Maui, because you haven’t seen any of those fuckers in months.  Coleslaw has apparently ceased to exist. You are back to school – if not literally, at least spiritually.  Things are more serious.  Baseball wins and losses matter at a specific level as opposed to mattering at a macro level, in the same way that a change to the unemployment rate is very different than your manager at Burger King calling you into his office for a conversation about how things just aren’t working out.

To that, I say ha! (in the words of the very underrated John C. Riley in Wreck it Ralph –  2012), and so should you.  You refuse to let the darkness define you.  You will make your own sunshine.  You will have it your way, and you will attend the school of your choice at your earliest convenience.

And now, with no further adieu or positive affirmation, the  Dingo Vinyl September selections.

Click the image below to read the complete reviews and listen to the September selections

Bridge Collapse
“Wilderness” b/w
“Blockbreaker”
Crime on the Moon Records

12″ Selection

Joseph Airport
Stronger and Better
Rockathon Records 2014

Welcome to DingoBox Volume 00002.  We’ve achieved explosive growth since our inaugural offering one short month ago, increasing our confederacy of like minded listeners and aficionados of sound and noise delivered the way Edison himself intended, in increments best expressed in orders of magnitude.

In spite of our meteoric rise, our britches are still snug, so we’d like reaffirm our commitment to a level of humility and a DIY esthetic in these monthly ramblings, which will surely include poor formatting, rudimentary grammar and a let’s rolls the dice and see what happens attitude toward spell check.

When you rip though the packing tape each month, we envision you taking some time for yourself, cracking open a beer like John O in Chicago and reveling in 19 inches of indie goodness.  We spend a lot time seeking out new music, and we get fired up when we find something at the intersection of raw, honest and electric. Sharing these little treasures with people who appreciate them truly and sincerely makes us happy.

Click the link or images below to read the complete reviews and listen to the selections

DingoBox vol 000002 Selections August 2014

August 2014 7″ Selection
Twin Steps
Plague Songs

August 2014 12″ Selection
Botticellis
Old Home Movies

We go out and see music, a shit-ton of music.  We see bands you’ve never heard of, and when we see one we love we buy their vinyl.

These aren’t the bands that you’re going to see headlining the bigger venues or on David Letterman.  These are the true up and comers, pouring their heart and soul into what in many cases will be the defining achievement in their lives.

If you love new music like we love new music, sign up for DingoBox and every month you’ll get your hands on something raw, new, shiny and exciting.

Subscribe by the 15th of the month to receive the following month’s selections.  

Each month you will receive a 12” and 7” vinyl.

• All DingoBox selections will be handpicked based on the quality of the band’s material performed live (review included on website and with the shipment)
• Monthly selections will never include vinyl that could have been purchased directly from major retail outlets at that time (no Amazon prime or Amoeba)
• We support working bands. All purchases are made directly with the band in order for them to get the most dollars for their work
• DingoBox is an independent rock music club.  No techno, no funk, no rap – just rock…heavy on the indie and puck rock
• Initial membership capped at about 10 members for the first 2-3 months. We’re going to ask for your feedback on the service, selections, cost model – etc.