2001-08-28 | 6:05 p.m.

cordoroy licorice worked his way through college by the sweat of his brow. he was involved in a medical research study working to understand the pathology of flop sweat. the study's doctors would pay the participants to provide forehead moisture samples on an hourly basis for a nominal fee, but those nominal fees added up to nab corduroy an A.A. in city planning.

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ok. i'm in love with a band. the actual tigers. oh my goodness gracious goodness. i went to see them last night at the knitting factory in l.a. and was blown away. halfway through their first song, i knew i had a made a mistake in not bringing friends along to share the experience.

pure pop heaven. the sunshiney, but heartfelt, melodies. the clever, but thoughtful, lyrics. i've often heard bands being complimented by being told they sound "tight." the term definitely applied here. the musicianship was amazing. throw in a pedal slide guitar and some funky percussion and the obvious enjoyment each of them had in producing such beautiful music. ok, and the guys are cute, too.

i got to the show early, so was positioned directly in front of the lead singer...front row center. i mooned over the fellows and mooned over the music. while tapping my toes and smiling and swaying, i fabricated a lovely fantasy of how the lead singer, tim, and i were going to chat after the show, fall in love and get married. the gorgeous keyboardist, john, could be our best man. never mind that they all live in seattle and probably get groupies hitting on them all the time.

after the show, i got to talk to the bassist, max. he is also a cutie and a sweetie pie to boot. he told me about how they had been nervous during their on-air appearance at kcrw radio that morning. he said that they used to go by the name willis, but they had changed their sound to be more upbeat. i told him that they deserved to be the "next big thing" and he just chuckled shyly.

if you enjoy smart pop at all...run, don't walk, to buy their album "graveled and green." it will be well worth your CD dinero.

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