Sound Advice

by Inlander Staff & r & WASL & r & The Washington Assessment of Super-gnarly Licks convenes at the B-Side tonight. That's the nickname we've given the 2005 B-Side Awards, the (hopefully) annual celebration of everything that's awesome musically in the area. Ben Cater and his panel of judges will be giving out awards to local bands, music writers, promoters, scene-friendly local businesses and even you, the super fans. We will be serenaded throughout by the likes of Gorilla and Rabbit, Belt of Vapor, La Cha Cha, Dave G and Brainchild. It's free, you cheap asses, so put on your glad rags and come represent.





December of Our Discontent & r & Hear that? That's the sound of 16-year-olds weeping big ol' tears all over their latest Value Village haul. The oh-so-cute and oh-so-indie girls (and a few effete, darling boys) who packed the Big Easy not two months ago to witness the Decemberists live caught multiple slugs of white-hot reality this week. The Decemberists have signed to major label Capitol Records -- BAM! -- and Colin Meloy's girlfriend is preggers -- POW! Yes, they've sold out. No, he doesn't secretly love you. It's best if you hear it from us. Meloy swears the move up won't mean a change in the band's sensibilities. Hmm... Isn't that what Ben Gibbard was saying around this time last year?





Grammy Watch & r & On Monday, Grammy Nominee Kanye West told MTV News, "If I don't win Album of the Year, I'm gonna really have a problem with that." His competition this year for Best Album honors is Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi, Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B., Paul McCartney's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard and U2's How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Let's see: crap, crap, same crap he's made for 20 years, worst album ever. If West doesn't win among those short-bus finalists, we'll really have a problem with that, too.