As seen on Reddit or here.

The Melvins are playing at the Spanish Moon tonight. Tickets are $17 on ticketweb.com and probably somewhere in that range at the door. Show starts at 9 p.m. Check ‘em out here.

If that doesn’t tickle your pickle, the Dexateens are playing at Chelsea’s Cafe tonight with American Aquarium and The Last Chalaron. Show starts at 10 p.m. For more on the Dexateens, check this out or this or this.

And finally, Sky Chief will hit up Northgate Tavern tonight. Show starts at 10 p.m. For more on Sky Chief, check this out or this.

by Rafaella Cuff

The recession has been causing many towns and villages to struggle with budget cuts and other diminished sources of income. Those of power in cities have to find means to survive with less money, and this means choosing where cuts can be made.

As reported by USA today, some towns and cities are dealing with these budgetary issues by turning off streetlights at night. Of course, not all street lights are turned off, just a fraction of them. However, if we are to be making cuts, I would hope that it would not be in areas that promote the public’s safety. Cities promoting these streetlight cuts are proudly speaking about their role in reducing their carbon footprint, but I would think there would be better alternatives.

I, for one, do not like walking or driving at night in an area that is not well lit. I firmly clutch my mace or lock my doors, and I feel a little anxious when I am in a stretch that is dark. Not only is light important for public safety, but it helps to control crime, keeping it at least in part off the streets. Drug transactions and other illegal activities occur whether or not an area is lit, but at least when the streets are lit, it is more likely to occur behind closed doors and be less of a threat to the public.

Perhaps we could decrease the intensity of the air conditioning in so many of these government paid facilities. I always feel like I am entering a refridgerator when I enter a public building after having spent a little time outside, especially in the summer. What I am trying to say is that cuts in areas that help to protect citizen’s safety should be a last resort.

There have been odd pictures of poodles circling the internet lately. I am all for animal love, but there is a very fine line between animal love and animal cruelty. There is also a fine line between owners wanting to make their pets look nice and owners making their pets into repulsive dolled-up fantasies.

Poodle pandas, poodle buffalos, and poodle Jack Sparrows are not natural, and it cannot be nice for a poodle to go through hours of fur dye and horn attachments just to look this ridiculous. What happened to the good old days when a poodle can just be a poodle? And where is PETA when you need it?

Name: Rory Ventress
Band: Man Plus Building
Instrument: Guitar

TW: How did you guys come up with a name for the band?

RV: Our other guitarist, Jesse [Kees], thought up the name of the band. It’s a long story, but the idea originally stemmed from him thinking about a particularly strange movie, which he enjoys very much.

TW: What is your favorite song to play live?

RV: My favorite song to play live would probably be the first song we wrote named “Diversions.â€� It’s our longest song, around 7 or 8 minutes I think, and it feels like watching The Land Before Time on fast-forward while having a Starburst eating contest.

TW: What are some of your favorite local bands?

RV: I personally think Caddywhompus is the best band in Louisiana at the moment. They are from New Orleans though, so my favorite Baton Rouge band would be what I feel is the obvious choice, LoveSexy. They are a Prince tribute band, but some might call them legends. I also think everyone should check out our friends in Panthalassa and Living Room. Great bands.

TW: Does your band have any pre-show rituals?

RV: We only get ritualistic on tour. And that’s always a great time for all parties involved.

TW: What is your favorite music venue to play at?

RV: We will never get tired of playing at people’s houses or at the Spanish Moon. Our first two shows were back-to-back – the first at a house on State Street and the next night at the Spanish Moon – and we’ve always had great experiences there since.

TW: If you weren’t pursuing music, what else would you be doing?

RV: I don’t know that we are actively “pursuing” music. We are creating music. We don’t have delusions that we are going to be doing this band as a career, though it would be nice. I don’t think any of us are on any kind of set path, and I honestly can’t say what we’ll all do next.

TW: What’s your favorite album(s) of all time?

RV: Everything the Beatles put out, followed by a list far too long to fit on this page. Love’s Forever Changes and Television’s Marquee Moon would be towards the top though.

TW: What’s your favorite band(s) of all time?

RV: Again, I think the Beatles are in a league of their own that no one really can measure up to, but some other bands/artists that I think have done tons for popular music would be Talking Heads, Fela Kuti, The Smiths, and Radiohead.

TW: Do you have any other hidden talents in addition to playing music?

RV: I am pretty badass on the Nintendo 64. I can also pretend to be nicer than I really am for long periods of time when I have to. Does that count?

TW: Where’s the best place to eat before/after a gig?

RV: That changes from town to town. I think my favorites would be BBQ places and taco stands.

TW: What/who is the biggest influence over your music?

RV: That’s an impossible question. We all have very different musical backgrounds, so when we collaborate, it’s like that spot out West where you can stand in four states at the same time – exactly like that, but in your ear.

TW: How would you describe your live performances?

RV: I think we are meant to be a live band. I like that we have our songs recorded and that people can have them, but I feel like our music is much more affecting when it’s played loudly right in front of you. It’s a much bigger experience than listening to the CD.

TW: Does your band have any albums? If so, where can people get one?

RV: We have two albums out, both of which can be bought at any show we play, or at The Compact Disc Store on Jefferson Hwy. Or, if you are afraid to go out in public, you can order them at manplusbuilding.com.

TW: How do you find new music to listen to?

RV: I find new music by working at The Compact Disc Store on Jefferson Hwy. Plug! But the best is when you go to a show and get blown away by the opening act you’ve never heard of. That’s always refreshing.

TW: What would you tell people to get them out to one of your shows?

RV: Anything they want to hear.

TW: When’s Man Plus Building’s next show?

RV: The show no one should miss will be September 23 at the Spanish Moon. We will be opening for Mono, who are mind-blowing. They are coming all the way from Japan, so it’s an honor to be able to play with them. The show starts at 9 p.m. and is sure to be very, very loud.

Photo by Jamie Hopper

Like what you’ve read here? Check out Man Plus Building at manplusbuilding.com or you can read another interview with band members Mitch Wells, Jesse Kees, and Josh Nee here. Or better yet come out to see the band live at its upcoming show at the Spanish Moon on September 23.

Welcome back to school all you students out there. This year is slated to be a pretty decent year for LSU athletics with what looks to be a promising young football team returning as well as strong women’s teams in both Volleyball and Soccer who are looking to add to their combined six straight SEC Western Division Championships.

The sport I can’t help but to look forward to is basketball though. Coach Trent Johnson is looking to make his sophomore year at LSU just as successful as his freshman campaign and all signs are pointed to good things ahead for the team.

This is a make or break year for 5th year senior Tasmin Mitchell. Mitchell tested the waters in the NBA draft over the summer before withdrawing his name and will need a very good VERSATILE year in order for an NBA team to take a chance on him next summer.

Mitchell is already 23 years old and will be 24 around the time of next years draft. His age may hurt his draft stock for potential suiters. If Johnson can show teams that he can be a true small forward and elevate that already improved jump shot, he will be in good hands. Hopefully Mitchell plays an injury free season and leads the Tigers past the second round of the NCAA Tourney. This year the team is all his and it will be up to him to take on the leadership role on a team full of fresh faces.

Overall, I think the year will be a success. I trust Coach Johnson will prepare this team like no other coach in the SEC could and will have the team compete for the SEC West title and possibly another SEC.

The season doesn’t start until sometime in November, so we’ll be treated with a steady diet of football before then.

This will be my first sports blog of the semester and I hope to add between 3-5 posts each week that will range from my opinion on current topics or some insight on rumors around the sports world.

Let me first start off by introducing myself. I am J Dub. I’m likely the biggest Los Angeles Lakers fan outside of Jack Nicholson and I bleed purple and gold for not only the Lakers but for our beloved LSU Tigers as well.

This has been a strange summer. There have been your usually storylines to gain attention in the media like the Vick and Favre signings, the Plaxico jail sentence and who can forget the Tiger baseball team winning the College World Series?

Other than a select few stories, though, the summer has been dry when it comes to sports and has made each of us even more excited about the upcoming football season.

Which brings me to my next point. Brett Favre is a silly attention whore who should have hung it up two years ago and never looked back. Instead, He has strategically planned it so that he is constantly in the news and always the topic of discussion. This, in a nut shell, has been the story of the summer, aside from the aforementioned topics and a few failed steroids tests in baseball.

Vick should have never spent a day in jail. This one might upset a few of you and if it does, go pet your dog and grow up. What Vick did was wrong, but two years in jail? No. I don’t think so. When there are other football players that have gotten away with MURDER like OJ and Ray Lewis, you can’t seriously tell me Vick deserved to spend two years in prison.

Neither should former Giants receiver Plaxico Burress. Bringing a firearm into a bar is wrong and illegal, but like his lawyer said, the bouncers new he had a gun, only the people right by him new it went off and no one was hurt, other than Burress. He should have got paroled and 1000 hours of community service.

What is taking place with the judicial system is them trying to make up for all the mistakes they have made towards celebrities in the past and are trying to make an example of a few guys now that would necessarily not have gotten such treatment say fifteen years ago. What’s bad is I’m not a fan of any of these guys but I just think what is happening to all of them is wrong.

Until next time, this is J Dub signing off.

by Rafaella Cuff

Fitting for my first blog of the semester since it concerns both my nationalities, I am writing about the two British law graduates who are sentenced to community service in Rio de Janeiro over insurance fraud. For those of you who have not heard the story, I will briefly summarize it for you:

• Two British law graduates traveled to Brazil as part of their vacation, and during their travels, they claimed approximately $1,500 worth of property stolen in order to make an insurance claim. The police discovered they were lying (or highly exaggerating their claim), and they were sentenced to over a year of jail time in Brazil. However, there was an appeal, and now, they are only sentenced to community service in a slum in Rio de Janeiro and a hefty fine of over $4,500. Although they claim that they are relieved not to be going to jail, they are still appealing this decision.

I, personally, hope they do not get an appeal and serve their time. Although some sympathists to the students may argue that Brazil has been setting an example through these two students, I feel it is about time that this example is made. A person cannot travel to another country, lie to the police, and abuse the system and not expect to pay a hefty price for the lies, time wasting, and the scam. It would also be nice for these girls to work in a slum and see how the people, that they lied about stealing from them, actually live. Maybe then, they would be less selfish and, even, less stupid. I am proud of Brazil for making an example of them. It is good to know that a country that most of the West consider to be a poor, developing country can exercise intelligence and authority when it needs to be made.

Of course, Brazilian law does have much bigger criminals to deal with, but an average Brazilian citizen would not get away without punishment for what those British students did, why should it be any different for them?

Hello LSU and welcome to TW’s Sports Blog. This fall semester, you can keep up with all the sports news and tidbits happening around LSU and Baton Rouge right here with Tiger Weekly.

Hello LSU and welcome to TW’s News Blog. This fall semester, you can keep up with all the news and tidbits affecting the LSU and Baton Rouge community right here with Tiger Weekly.