As you can see, I haven’t posted in a while.  That’s because I’ve been non-stop rocking since the end of April. Here’s the recap: Coachella 2006 happened the last weekend in April, and this was the most hyped year it has ever had (for whatever reason). It even brought out some hater critics who gave the old “it was better back in the day…” line. Whatever! In the words of Factory Records founder Tony Wilson: “Coachella is great for three reasons: 1- being on a polo field, it has remarkably clean grounds (as opposed to all of the European summer mudfests). 2- the VIP golfcarts that transport you around the field backstage are genius, and 3- the main attraction every year, no matter who is performing, is the sun.” All true indeed! So it was on the weekend of April 30 that I trekked out to the California desert to witness tons of bands and lay out in the sun.  Highlights were Franz Ferdinand (who never disappoint), Madonna (For real, she pulled it off), Massive Attack, Gnarls Barkley (all dressed up as characters from "The Wizard of Oz"...ha!), and Daft Punk (aka “Two Guys in Helmets”). Meeting up with people proved almost impossible as I had close to ZERO cell service. But after a while I just gave up trying and just saw who I randomly saw. It was kind of cool, actually, and ran into many friends and associates. Then, there was truly no rest for the wicked as the very next DAY after Coachella, I headed back to LA for the second annual Musexpo Festival.  Once again Sat Bisla, Jim McKeon, Karmen Beck, Mike Savage, and the crew pulled off another amazing seminar, highlighted by great panels and showcases. The highlights were hanging with the aforementioned Tony Wilson (who, if you haven’t seen immortalized in the bio-pic “24 hour Party People”, you must!), seeing many friends old and new, sitting in on some great panels, and seeing some great bands like The Infadels, The Bangkok 5, Fortune Drive, and a special acoustic set from Rob Dickinson of the Catherine Wheel. (Who I got to hang with after, and he’s a cool guy!). All in all a great conference, and one which I fondly look forward to next year… Other things that have been keeping me busy lately: getting some love out there at Alternative radio on The Sloppy Meateaters with spins at WKGB/Binghampton and WBER/Rochester. One of the Loudest Tragedies Ever Heard is on at WRZX/Indianaoplis, WDYL/Richmond, WXRK/Cleveland, WAVF/Charleston, and KDGE/Dallas…nice! Also, seeing some spins for King Elementary at many stations, including WAVF. Also out at radio now is the latest from the Feathermerchants, which, hot off of a great run at college radio, is now attacking the AAA format. Early May also saw the first US tour in 2 years by the UK legends The Fall, and I got to spend some quality time on the road with Mark E Smith, his lovely wife Elena Poulou (who also plays keys in the band), and the rest of the Fall crew. Tour opener, the German visual artist Safi Sniper, put on a great show in which he "scratched" video clips much like a DJ scratches vinyl to provide an audio/visual soundclash. The part where he runs Michael Jackson into Elvis was classic! Got some love in San Diego, where we took Mark E Smith on air at 91x during Marco Collins' afternoon drive slot, and had a great session with Eric J Lawrence at KCRW in Los Angeles. Saw some great showcases in May, like the first few shows by the new group featuring iZLER, called Citizen... great stuff!  Also been setting up promotions like the new “Beavis & Butthead vol 2” DVD at Rock and Alternative, Phil Collins’ Tarzan at Adult Contemporary, and the “Final Destination 3” DVD at Top 40…whew!  Tonight it's off to see NoCal's Hockey, who was recently signed to Epic Records by my buddy Kenny "The Tick" Salcido.  Can't wait! It’s already looking like a great summer.  Please keep in touch! Find my contact info at the left hand side where it says, uh,  "Contact Us". Hope to see you on the road soon...