Hiya kids. Time for another edition of IN SHORT, our monthly hodgepodge selection of stuff --- sometimes music stuff, sometimes not. A team effort this week (thanks for your suggestions).
And um, as they say: Rah-rah ree, kick ‘em in the knee. Rah-rah rass, kick ‘em in the other knee. Go team.

1. The Coolest Soccer Ball Ever



Brilliant and cleverly named. Meet The Soccket, a soccer ball that generates and stores enough energy to power a small LED light for three hours for each 15 minutes of play. Want one? Try e-mailing Team Soccket to see what's what re: retail. Just think. Socckets for everyone you know for Christmas. Those guys better get on it.

2. Facebook Time-Waster of the Week [...]

A Triple-A radio programming veteran, Kate has served as Music Director of the Loft at XM, Midday Host at WYEP, Evening Host at both WNCS and WUIN, as well as Content Supervisor for Pump Audio. Currently, she's the CEO of Outlandos Music, a new-music discovery service for grown-ups. Kate has been nationally recognized for her ardent presentation of music and her ability to champion talented, compelling artists.

Knowing that people make decisions based on connections and caring overwhelmingly above any other factor, you'd think nonprofits would have it in the bag; after all, emotional value is precisely what inspires nonprofit work --- inherent emotional value in spades.

Yet there seems to be a general hesitation to adopt social media within the nonprofit landscape. Perhaps because social media strategy is so "entrepreneurial," so "for-profit." Indeed. Funnily, no one is more masterful at it than those clever, nonprofit rockstars over at NPR.

Case in point. The most listened to time on public radio stations across the country is during a fund-drive. Think about that. They remove what we love (programming) for an entire week or more and we keep listening! What's more is they ask us for money! And because we're fans, we give it to them. Again and again, year after year --- long before Twitter even existed.

Enter Web 2.0. Now, more than any other time in history, accessing fans --- connecting with them in real and meaningful ways, and then using this connection to achieve your goals has never been easier. Not just for NPR... but for anyone. Which is why it's also never been more difficult.

For one, the scale of competition has increased exponentially, dividing all of us into two teams --- broadcasters and fans --- many of us straddling both to the point where literally everyone is vying for attention/fans; from Coca-Cola to suburban mothers to the CIA (yes, really! FB login required). In short, social media is everywhere, and has emerged not just as a way to reconnect with old college buddies but as a defining litmus test of sorts --- a public measure of viability and integrity for both individuals and businesses. To be sure, if you're not involved, you're not relevant.

But it's not enough to simply participate. Because oversaturation is rampant, we all must fight harder to stand out [...]

A Triple-A radio programming veteran, Kate has served as Music Director of the Loft at XM, Midday Host at WYEP, Evening Host at both WNCS and WUIN, as well as Content Supervisor for Pump Audio. Currently, she's the CEO of Outlandos Music, a new-music discovery service for grown-ups. Kate has been nationally recognized for her ardent presentation of music and her ability to champion talented, compelling artists.

Column #4: Monster Hunter Tri, Dead to Rights: Retribution, Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake, Nier

By Aaron Burgess

Game of the Minute:

Monster Hunter Tri

Platform: Wii

Developer / Publisher: Capcom

ESRB Rating: T

Scary monsters, super creeps. In theory (which is to say, right up to the point where you open the box), Monster Hunter Tri offers a promise of simplicity that's attractive to casual gamers. Learn the basics of hunting nonhuman creatures; fight and trap your way up to the gnarliest of said beasts; and collect hero honors as the village sings your praises. In practice, however, things are quite different-because while learning the ropes of monster hunting may be easy, true mastery is a status available only to the hardcore.

If this sounds familiar, it's because the same formula has made Monster Hunter one of the most addictive, if challenging, role-playing franchises ever to hit Japan, where the game dominates on PSP. And while the exclusive move to Wii for Monster Hunter Tri finesses some of the online challenges and controller nuances that have kept the series from breaking bigger in the West, loyalists will be happy to know that neither change comes at the expense of the game's core challenges.

You enter Monster Hunter Tri as a newbie hunter on a mission to take down the Lagiacrus, a loathsome leviathan that's terrorizing your otherwise peaceful seaside village. Reaching that point, however, is a long, intensive process, and though boss battles abound, this is no linear journey. Beyond the monster hunting where the action abounds, you'll spend hours immersed in patience-testing object quests, sometimes even repeating actions to correct a misstep or realize an "a-ha" moment. In other words, there are no easy level-ups here: You're only as well equipped as you build yourself up to be, and to get there, you must scavenge and smash with purpose.

As you grow attuned to the unique strengths and weaknesses of your nonhuman foes, you also get savvy in areas such as what remedies to bring into battle for health; which traps work best on which monsters; and how each weapon type affects your ability to be nimble in battle. (Heavier weapons, for example, slow you down but offer obvious damage bonuses.) Though it's possible to slice, select and swim (underwater combat is a big addition to Tri) your way to victory using a Wii Remote and Nunchuk, you'll spare your thumbs some agony by choosing the Wii Classic Controller Pro pad. Luckily, for you, it comes bundled with one version of the game.

Learning curve notwithstanding, Monster Hunter Tri is an incredibly fun game that offers multiple inroads into its expansive, beautifully rendered world. A robust online element, complete with Wii Speak peripheral compatibility, adds strategic depth to the game when you're playing with friends. Likewise, a split-screen multiplayer mode lets you train for battle alongside a friend, while the game's solo mode finds an AI companion, the customizable (and surprisingly tolerable) Cha-Cha, providing cover when you need it. Online, though, is where the game really shines-not to mention where you'll find the biggest rewards for all that time you're investing.

Rating: 8/10

Dead to Rights: Retribution

Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Developer: Volatile Games / Publisher: Namco Bandai

ESRB Rating: M

Murder was the case. Touted as a complete reinvention of the successful Xbox, PC and PS2 franchise, Dead To Rights: Retribution finds you once again prowling the mean streets of Grant City as officer Jack Slate, with your snarling K-9 companion, Shadow, by your side. You may be wondering, then, where the "reinvention" comes in, as this is exactly where the original Dead To Rights found you. Well, in its shift to next-generation platforms, the third-person shooter has gotten a lot more bloodthirsty-an irony that'll weigh heavily on you if you approach Retribution with anything deeper than an urge to kill.

As before, Jack is using all the firepower at his disposal to stop Grant City's crime wave-but with no subtlety or conscience to his actions, the action ends up feeling a lot like cold-blooded murder. Whether fighting hand to hand or using a weapon (which you acquire through killing), you'll literally have villains begging for mercy before you take them out.

Where the game gets more interesting is in the introduction of Shadow as a playable character. Like his master, the K-9 unit is out for blood, but he also introduces some nuance to Retribution by giving Jack the upper hand in tough situations-whether it's retrieving a hard-to-grasp item, taking down a criminal or assuming the lead while Jack recovers from a fight.

Grant City is a terrible place to visit but a hell of an exciting place to clean up-provided you just want to unload for a few hours. If you're looking for something deeper, though, best take the car to another borough. Preferably one with a lot of replay value.

Rating: 6/10

Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake

Platform: PSP

Developer: Supervillain Studios / Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America

ESRB Rating: T

Hey big woman, you made a bad boy out of me. In its porting to PSP, the PlayStation Network romp Fat Princess hasn't gotten much leaner-and that's a good thing. Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake lets you compete in a frenetic, comically violent game of capture the flag (read: Rescue the Princess) in which you make your prize harder to steal by shoveling cake down her gullet.

Teamwork is the crux of Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake, so while you can have a perfectly good time playing alone, solo mode is primarily a training exercise for the game's more robust multiplayer action. Two teams of up to four players each can join in, allowing for slightly tighter gameplay than in the 32-player-capable PS3 version. Thanks to a number of available character classes, which you assume by donning different hats, you can tweak your powers as needed, while the variety of maps and available items gives you a sizable bag of tricks for surprising and attacking foes.

As in the PS3 version, an intentionally stupid (if occasionally helpful) crew of bots pads out your team-but with the player cap being smaller here, they play a bigger role in the action. And though visuals aren't quite on par with the PS3 version (naturally), Fat Princess' cartoonish element remains-as does the bloody, wanton violence. (Goofiness aside, this ain't no kiddie game.) If there's one glaring drawback, it's the lack of headset compatibility, which prevents you from talking with friends online. Although if you're all in the room on separate PSPs, will you really care?

Rating: 7/10

Nier

Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Developer: cavia / Publisher: Square Enix

ESRB Rating: M

Zelda waves from the backseat. Having already dominated the role-playing landscape with Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, Square Enix kicks off a new RPG franchise with Nier-although calling the game an RPG is a bit of a misnomer. Bridging Zelda-style quests and landscapes with an ultraviolent mix of 2D, top-down and free-roaming action, Nier walks a curious line between deep and dim.

After an introduction designed to help you get your head around Nier's combat system, back-story and M rating, you bizarrely leap over 1,000 years into the future, where, as the game's titular character, you quest to cure your daughter of a pandemic while fighting your way through a landscape that makes Cormac McCarthy's The Road seem like Disneyland. This is oversimplifying things, of course, because as you trek through Nier's wide-open world, side quests, non-playable characters and other distractions find the plot thickening, twisting and dead-ending to a head-scratching degree.

Juxtaposed with all this is the combat, which combines typical hack-and-slash swordplay with far more interesting magical attacks courtesy of Grimoire Weiss, a smart-aleck talking book that eventually becomes your sidekick. Hidden behind Weiss' comic relief, though, are cues that keep you on task (for instance, Weiss will rib you if you're dallying about too much with NPCs) while poking self-referential fun at the video-game tropes that comprise Nier's action.

Ultimately, Weiss' attitude toward Nier proves revealing. Even though the game plays off tradition (thanks again, Zelda) and offers a potentially riveting plotline, the built-in winks, nods and nudges (from the cheeky cheesecake of female characters to a blatant Resident Evil homage) trump any emotional connection to the story. You'll crack a lot of knowing grins, but you probably won't get much deeper.

Rating: 6/10

Our game guru, Aaron Burgess, lives digitally but dreams in analog down in Round Rock, Texas. Contact him at first2letters@gmail.com / AIM: First2Letters.

Here goes with another edition of LETTERS FROM THE ROAD, our guest post series where we invite musicians we genuinely adore to take over and write whatever they like. 2 rules: it has to be in the form of a letter, it has to have something to do with music. Proud to say this week's LETTERS FROM THE ROAD guest author is a friend, a brilliant singer-songwriter, Beatles videographer, baseball biographer and more (words can never really do him justice)... Seth Swirsky.

MEET THE BEATLE!
By Seth Swirsky

Dear Sir Paul,

I thought you might enjoy a story of what it’s like when a very longtime fan of yours has the opportunity to meet you, unexpectedly.

When I saw you running on the treadmill at my gym, it didn’t register for a good, long moment that it was you in the flesh. I couldn’t help but walk over – not to get an autograph or a picture – but to see if the treadmill next to you was taken (it wasn’t!) in hopes that you would allow me a “hello” or something.

Could you ever really know how deeply you affected so many people’s lives like mine? I was born to 18 year-old parents in 1960. They bought Beatles records from the beginning in 1964, so I “got” it all at a very young age.

By 7 years old, in 1967, I was taking guitar lessons already knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up: you! By 8 years old, I was playing “Hey Jude” and “Yesterday” in front of my entire grade school assembly. At that age, I thought John was very cool, I liked George just fine and Ringo sang “With a Little Help From My Friends” and “Yellow Submarine” which both made me feel good as they do to this day. But, you were the coolest.

Inspired by you, I became a staff songwriter with Warner-Chappell Music and EMI Music for over 20 years, writing hits for a number of artists and becoming a recording artist myself. So, to have a chance to even just say “hello” to you would have been a major life thrill.

So, back to the treadmill [...]

A Triple-A radio programming veteran, Kate has served as Music Director of the Loft at XM, Midday Host at WYEP, Evening Host at both WNCS and WUIN, as well as Content Supervisor for Pump Audio. Currently, she's the CEO of Outlandos Music, a new-music discovery service for grown-ups. Kate has been nationally recognized for her ardent presentation of music and her ability to champion talented, compelling artists.

The Washington Post magazine recently printed a brief piece on the 9:30 Club entitled "Rock Legend Misfits, New Wave icons and Giant Rats: A History of D.C.'s 9:30 Club." Writer Freedom Du Lac never really captured why the original (rest in pieces) small venue was so-cool during the punk scene so I felt compelled to add more.

When my friend Ian (MacKaye) of Minor Threat offered my band Government Issue the opportunity to play the club's first hardcore Matinee on a Sunday afternoon, we jumped at that shit! Both G.I. and Scream not only put the  headliners (Discharge U.K.) to shame musically, we played so loud that our angry noise could be heard over a one-man play next door at the historical Ford's Theater. The kind of thing that does a punk proud! I was also lucky enough to see a few of the other daytime shows like the phenomenal Bad Brains and they were stage-dive heaven for me.

The club that originally never wanted to book us young punk rock groups became THE place to be. At the time I thought the owner Dodi Desanto was a bit snobby because she never really welcomed the presence of a bunch of cocky rude punk kids who acted like we owned the place but we were pretty obnoxious towards her. It was many years later when I worked the door of a club that I saw what a pain in the ass that could be. I could only imagine how stressful owning a place could be. I sure wouldn't want to take on that kind of responsibility.

Everyone who's ever spoken about 9:30 always brings up 3 things: 1. The smell! (ciggarette smoke and beer funk seeped into the floor and walls); 2. The Rats! (industrial strength creatures who roamed from the alleys to the inside of the dressing rooms) and 3. That fucking pole in front of the right side of the stage! (I accidentally banged my head into it during slam-dancing and swung upon it on-stage—I loved that pole!) The biggest thing people neglect to mention is that (the old) 9:30 club had a VIBE and that's something the new venue doesn't have. Sure it's much cleaner, nicer, bigger, and serves far better food but it ain't the same, kids. 

After a year or 2 of doing gigs at the club, the doormen started to let me in to many a show for free! Being a Punk Rock star sure has it's perks-ha! And the staff were cool folks just to rap with. One of the most amusing moments happened one night where doorman/Peach of Immortality front-man Jared Henrickson was all kinds of pissed off with an unknown patron in the place for parking his vehicle in the back alley. That area was always used just for the staff and band folks to load in/out. So Jared gets on the D.J.'s mic and says in a really annoyed tone, "Whoever parked your car in the back alley and isn't a band member, if you don't move it now, I'm going to eat it!"

Also I wasn't drinking anything but juice and water back then but you couldn't help but want to hang by the back bar to admire the (as my friend Alice said it so perfectly) "Gorgeous Amazon" that was Alyson Palmer of the group, Betty. Not only awesome to look upon but a real sweetheart of a person. That club was the best!

Man, I sure hope that someone cranks out a book on the old 9:30 club - anyone out there listening?

John Stabb was the frontman for the legendary harDCore punk outfit Government Issue. When not blogging for BLURT, he currently serves as frontman for Sleeper Agent. Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/sleeperagentdc     

Oh, I know... I'm being obnoxious. But he's dead wrong on this one.

And here's how strongly I feel about it.

You can pre-order hard copies of the new Silver Seas album Château Revenge here. If any of you are inspired to buy a CD and you don't like it, I'll buy it back from you.

I'm totally serious.

Why?

Daniel Tashian is by far and away one of the most talented songwriters and performers alive today [...]

A Triple-A radio programming veteran, Kate has served as Music Director of the Loft at XM, Midday Host at WYEP, Evening Host at both WNCS and WUIN, as well as Content Supervisor for Pump Audio. Currently, she's the CEO of Outlandos Music, a new-music discovery service for grown-ups. Kate has been nationally recognized for her ardent presentation of music and her ability to champion talented, compelling artists.

Column #3: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, Wario Ware DIY, Just Cause 2 and the Xbox 360 Splinter Cell Conviction Special Edition Bundle.

By Aaron Burgess

Game of the Minute:

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction

Platforms: Xbox 360, PC

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Publisher: Ubisoft

ESRB Rating: M

Show no mercy. Having a loved one taken from you will do strange things to an action hero (we're looking at you, Jack Bauer), and in Splinter Cell: Conviction, it's the jumping-off point for a completely new Sam Fisher. After learning that the death of his daughter in 2006's Splinter Cell: Double Agent wasn't the accident originally thought, the onetime NSA operative goes rogue in an attempt to track down her killer. Of course, plot twists run deep in the Splinter Cell universe, and so what starts as a solo revenge tale becomes a multi-character race against time as Fisher finds himself navigating a conspiracy involving his former agency, Third Echelon, and an impending terrorist attack on Washington, DC.

Just as Sam's vengeful, single-minded sense of purpose darkens the storyline in Splinter Cell: Conviction, it also informs the game's action. A rush of forward momentum propels you toward the game's climax, with mission goals and flashbacks literally projecting onto environments as a means to keep you moving while ensuring you stay conscious of the events that got you here. While stealth remains a critical tool in snaking your way through levels, you won't spend excessive time hiding in the shadows (where, incidentally, many of Conviction's clever new design elements thrive). Sure, you need to hide to survive-no Splinter Cell game was ever won by playing cowboy-but you'll more likely be sneaking up on your enemies to interrogate and execute them with ferocity never seen until now in a Splinter Cell game. The mark-and-execute feature in particular gives you the opportunity to mark up to four foes and take them all out simultaneously in ways that'll have your bloodlust roiling.

While the single-player campaign is riveting enough, Splinter Cell: Conviction takes on new depth when you team up for co-op action. A different story, complete with five new missions and two new primary characters, adds intrigue and intensity (particularly when you're teaming up for those mark-and-execute kills). Even though the multiplayer challenge modes are a bit simpler-relying mainly on versus-style, kill-or-be-killed directives-variations in map and opponent design keep the action interesting. Consider something like "Last Stand" mode, in which you battle rushing hordes of enemies, a quick fix when you tire of hiding in the shadows.

Ultimately, the multiplayer possibilities are what give Splinter Cell: Conviction legs, but with the darker new storyline and  the intriguing new possibilities in the stealth mechanics, even Splinter Cell vets will get hours' worth of pulse-quickening play out of the game (at the highest difficulty level, of course). Just don't pass up your chance to grab a friend and exercise your Conviction online. Be careful about picking allies, though-Sam's been down that road before.

Rating: 9/10

WarioWare D.I.Y.

Platforms: Nintendo DS/DSi/DSi XL

Developer/Publisher: Nintendo

ESRB Rating: E

My way. The anti-Mario is back, and so are his short-attention-span theatrics. In WarioWare D.I.Y., Wario (with some help from the returning Dr. Crygor) once again hatches a get-rich scheme, this time using a do-it-yourself video-game generator called the Super MakerMatic 21. Not surprisingly, Wario soon ends up over his head, so it's up to you to help him finish the dozens of short, silly microgames he's started while creating some of your own 5- to 10-second gems  in the process.

Feeling very much like a new-school take on the Super NES hit Mario Paint, WarioWare D.I.Y. takes what should be a daunting task-game development-and literally makes child's play of it. Yeah, there's an interface to learn, and okay, you'll spend a chunk of your playing time progressing through the game's deep but user-friendly tutorial mode. (Think of it as "development for dummies.") By making the tutorial integral to the storyline, however, WarioWare D.I.Y. takes a "show, don't tell" approach to getting you up to speed-and it's a ridiculously fun journey.

WarioWare D.I.Y. also takes advantage of the DS' sharing capabilities-a trait that'll be embraced by anyone who ever wanted to go beyond Mario Paint's solo flights-of-fancy. Not only can you upload your own microgames for others to enjoy, but you can also romp through the dozens of community-generated games available for download. Quality varies, of course, but that's to be expected when the idea lab is this big. After all, every video-game genius has to start somewhere.

Rating: 9

Just Cause 2

Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

Developer: Avalanche Studios/Eidos / Publisher: Square Enix

ESRB Rating: M

Gimme danger. How far can you take the action in a wide-open world? All the way over the top, of course, and with Just Cause 2, that's just the experience you get. Playing once again as Rico Rodriguez, this time flung to the other end of the globe from the original Just Cause's locale, you infiltrate a multi-tiered criminal cabal in order to take down a dictator and bring your former boss (now a rogue operative) down with him.

All that said, you can also do whatever the @#$% you want throughout Just Cause 2. The game gives you the option to bypass the storyline altogether and just roam through its ultra-violent, bigger-than-life sandbox. Thanks to a grappling hook and a parachute (two of many tools that'll aid you in the game), Rico can ascend to or leap from just about anywhere in his environment; and with over 100 vehicles at his disposal, our hero also has the means to move horizontally.

There's no shortage of wanton violence in Just Cause 2, but the fact that the chaos is tied to an outcome (causing more mayhem actually takes you further toward your goal) helps to keep the game grounded. Then again, sometimes you just want to take down an Uzi-packing, sword-wielding ninja for the heck of it-in which case Just Cause 2 also has you covered.

Rating: 8

File Under "Extras"

Xbox 360 Splinter Cell Conviction Special Edition Bundle

Splinter Cell: Conviction may be this month's most butt-kicking game, but you'll need an Xbox 360 to experience it. So, in the event you've not yet sprung for one, this bundle gives you a copy of Conviction alongside the gold standard of Xbox 360 consoles: two wireless controllers, a 250GB hard drive, a wired headset, and all the cables you need to plug in and play. That Xbox LIVE membership will still cost you, of course (you'll need it to experience co-op mode, as well as to stream movies from Netflix), so don't leave the checkout counter without it.

Get it for $399 from Amazon.

Our game guru, Aaron Burgess, lives digitally but dreams in analog down in Round Rock, Texas. Contact him at first2letters@gmail.com / AIM: First2Letters.

With the recent passing of Malcolm McClaren and the Runaways biopic now part of the zeitgeist, it got me wondering: who are the rock'n'roll rebels this generation will be making Hollywood biopics about 30 years from now?

Every revolution (sonic or otherwise) has its group of defacto leaders, outcasts, and radicals-and punk rock was no exception. "The Runaways" documents many of then burgeoning 70s West Coast punk scene larger-than-life personalities like manager/full time scumbag Kim Fowley,  influential DJ Rodney Bingenheimer and of course, the teenage members of the all-girl Runaways. As the film illustrates, like any good revolution, its leaders too often become complacent or lured by fame and fortune; in the case of punk rock, the "movement" eventually became hugely profitable and as dangerous as the sneer on Avril Lavigne's lips. So where do some of the movie's cast of characters fit into the current rock'n'roll pantheon of heroes, freaks and yes, rebels?

As the biopic chronicles, the Runaways' members splintered after their implosion in 1979, with Joan Jett having the most chart success. Vocalist Cherie Currie starred in a few movies, penned a book and took up (chainsaw!) woodcarving  while guitarist Lita Ford released a number of solo albums and scored minor radio hits with Ozzy Osbourne ("Close My Eyes Forever") and the ultimate dumb party anthem "Kiss Me Deadly" at the end of the 80s. If you've seen the movie, you might've laughed out loud at the irony of Ford being shocked and offended at the sight of Currie's scantily clad magazine layout, when her entire subsequent solo career was spent in low-cut leather one piece pantsuits (much to the pleasure of horny 15 year old mulletheads). After a long absence spent raising her 2 sons, Ford recently reemerged as a tattooed jingoist in heels, pandering to her wannabe-biker fanbase with "Wicked Wonderland."

After floundering artistically in the late 80s with guitar based AOR, the 90s found Joan Jett rediscovering her punk roots, producing Bikini Kill's "New Radio" Ep in 1994 and serving as a Riot Grrl icon ever since. Clearly its Jett who has emerged as a punk rock matriarch in black eyeliner--continuing to release her own albums--and others, including Cherie Currie-- on her own label Blackheart Records.

The Runaways biopic reminds us all how much things have changed since those halcyon days. The spirit of these icons still inhabits a select few of the artists making music today. Which begs the question, when the smoke clears decades from now, which of our current "rebels" will still be standing? If you're gut is as big as mine, it's probably telling you that not many of the post-Nirvana celebrities still bilking their careers today to the Hot Topic masses (that means you Billy Corgan) will be still be upright.

I have my list, how about you?

Scott Crawford is BLURT's Founder and Editorial Director and was the founder, Editor in Chief and Art Director of Harp. He likes drooling dogs and gummy bears. Email him at scrawford@blurt-online.com

Show him the MONEY: it's Swedish rocker Moneybrother.

By John B. Moore

Old punk rockers don't die they just pick up acoustic guitars and go the singer songwriter route.

Unless you're Swedish and then, apparently,  you finally give in to your R&B jones, rechristen yourself Moneybrother and record a fantastic hybrid of blues, soul and rock-a-billy with a little bit of left over punk rock rebellion.

In 2003, not long after his put his band Monster to sleep, Anders Wendin decided to go it alone under the moniker Moneybrother. He churned out record after record of fantastic white boy soul in Europe while over here in the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, we just had to make do with pirated YouTube clips of the songs that were never being released in the U.S.

That is until Bladen County Records decided to finally take pity and toss a bone to America with the State-side release of Moneybrother's latest "Real Control."

On the eve of his first U.S. tour, Wendin was kind enough to answer a handful of questions over e-mail, discussing his decision to ditch punk rock, entertaining the umpteenth comparison to Joe Strummer (including mine) and slagging Coldplay for good measure.       

So you started out in punk rock bands. Do you ever miss playing that type of music?

Yes. Screaming at the top of your lungs for an hour is good for therapeutic reasons. But, and with big love to all punk bands out there, I decided a live show could be more interesting if you threw a little of everything in there. Like screaming one song, whispering the next. This sounds pretty basic, but think about it; very few artists work that way. To me a good record or a good show should not be like an hour of aerobics.

Is your approach to songwriting different now versus when you write more punk records?

No, basically it is the same way of writing songs. It is pretty much just a matter of using less guitars and maybe slow it down a little from time to time.

You've had a lot of success in Europe. How excited are you that your music is finally being released in the U.S.

Very much. You know, I read the books and saw the movie, now I get to go myself. All my friends that are in Swedish bands have been over here. Me, I stayed at home and did hard work there. Now it is time to get over here and continue working. For me music is a great tool of meeting friends. When people like my stuff, most of the time we got something in common. I'm excited to see how people in the U.S. are gonna react to my music. In my opinion, and I know every single artist says this, I got my own thing going. You might think it sounds like a bunch of other stuff when you are listening to Moneybrother, but if you want to pick up something like it from any other artist that is recording and touring this year it is gonna be a lot harder than if you wanna pick up something that sounds and looks like...hmmm... Coldplay.

So that answers my next question about whether you plan to tour the U.S. when this record comes out.

Yep. Doing a few weeks tour with Against Me! in April, and hoping to keep touring here all year. Will have to do a bunch of festivals in Europe this summer though. 

Are there plans to release your previous records in the States?

No, I think for business reasons it is gonna be hard. My label in Europe was never very interested in releasing in the States, and now they closed down.  

Your vocals sound amazingly like Joe Strummer on some tracks. Were you a fan?

Of course! Who's not? I love him, but he is not the greatest singer I know. If I could choose, I much rather sing like Ray Charles. I heard people comparing me to Strummer for years. It used to bother me a little, but nowadays I'm not bothered.

My apologies then. When Monster broke up, why did you decide to go solo rather than just putting another band together?

If you know exactly what kind of music you wanna play it is a waste of time having some bass player telling you which direction he thinks you should go. A band is a great thing.  You get a dynamic that is bigger than just yourself and you always have the guys there to tell you when you suck, but I decided I'd let myself suck if I wanted to. 

What's next for you?

Oh, this American release is keeping me occupied for the rest of the year. My goal is to make tomorrow a little bit different then today. That is my focus.

Sunday, April18, and we were there.

By Scott Dudelson

Also see Day 1 (here) and Day 2 (here)...

(above) Jonsi

B.O.B.

Big Pink

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Deerhunter

De La Soul

Julian Casablancas

Matt & Kim

Mayer Hawthorne

Mute Math

Pavement

Spoon

Sunny Day Real Estate

Thom Yorke

Yann Tierson

Yo La Tengo

***

Scott Dudelson is a music journalist and concert photographer based in Los Angeles; you can view his Blurt blog here. Scott is also the Chief Operating Officer of Prodege, LLC, the company behind www.swagbucks.com.