Resting, Reposing

Happy New Year to everyone! The first email that I received in 2009 was concluded with the phrase "upwards and onwards." It made me smile.

I fully intend to start writing more as 2009 progresses. This will of course mean that I will need to pay attention to far more new music than I was able to pay attention to in 2008 while continuing to catch up on classics that I should have fallen hopelessly in love with years ago. Fortunately this is one of the only things I truly love to do. I just hope that 2009finds me ignoring distractions, and lethargic tendencies on a more regular basis.

In the spirit of that, I'll spare any expansion on my comment that after this past New Year's Eve any slight concern/guilt that I've ever experienced about not relating to 95 to 97 of American society has pretty much vanished altogether. That's what you get for going to any bar on New Year's Eve I suppose, and it's really what you get for getting there early when you know in the back of your mind that your friends will probably be at least an hour behind you.

However, I was fortunate enough to run into Jackie and Joey after not too much time spent half heartedly dancing/people watching/feeling uncomfortable. Jackie and Joey put on Anorak City at the Mandrake Bar in Culver City.

- side note I went on Saturday, and it was great. They have exellent taste, played their songs loudly, and are incredibly nice people -

... Anyway needless to say, since I had only met Jackie a few days before when she requested the Primitives from me at Hungry Beat!, I spent a good 10 minutes on NYE hoping that these vaguely familiar looking people were in fact the nice popkids who ran the West Side Club. I was very relieved when they approached me to ask if I DJ-ed at Hungry Beat! Popkids of the world unite!

Of course, from that point on the night was fantastic. It's always fun to listen to Micheal work his version of the "hits" into the mix, and the majority of the rest of the Hungry Beat! team was able to jump on the decks to offer a brief soul set or two. Though a few songs from Yvonne would have made it complete.

I suppose there was not much point to recounting my New Year's Eve story here other than to say just how nice it was to welcome 2009 surrounded by pre-existing friends, and new ones. Upwards, and onwards indeed!

Oh, and I also spent part of the weekend putting the finishing touches on my favorite songs of the year sampler, or whatever it actually is. Not all of my favorite songs were included, and I know that there were plenty of fantastic songs that I missed out on. Nonetheless, I'm pleased with how it came together so instead of writing any sort of qualifying best of on this site, I'll write a few sentences about each song on the tape. Probably five songs or so at a time. This will start tomorrow, approximately 30 to 45 days after everyone officially stops caring about year end lists. Oh well.

How was everyone else's NYE? Anything looking promising for 2009? Discuss!