[Juliana showing the pony who's boss]

Last night the Echoplex in Echo Park was ever so gracious to let us take over the place for six hours of dancing, drinking, Twister and more drinking. With “Sixteen Candles” projected on the wall, DJs Jamal Dauda and Jason Bentley spinning on the decks and a ginormous purple pony pinata, Juliana celebrated her birthday with tons of her closest friends.

Thanks to everyone for coming out and making it an unforgettable night. A big shout out to Bryan from Dewars, Matt from Tito’s Vodka and Heidi Richman for the distilled spirits and wine that kept the booze a flowing. And of course a HUGE thank you to Mitchell and Liz at the Echoplex and their amazing staff. Nic, Scott, Sarah - we couldn’t do it without you.

Here we provide you with sorted scenes from June 24th’s festivities:

[This cake tasted even better than it looked]

[Juliana celebrates with some of her closest friends]

[Ink and Tank toast to another birthday]

[Ana - thanks for everything]

[DJ Jamal Dauda provided the perfect soundtrack for the dance party]

[An awesome gift, DJ Jason Bentley stopped by to spin some jams for Juliana. Big ups to Mr. Gary Richards on the right.]

[Rosie Fuentes, the glamour queen, and Juliana]

[Steve Nice maintains the 12 inches rule at the Echo Park prom]

[Darker My Love's Rob Barbato grew this beard just for the party]

[Puma man Ryan Ayanian gives the birthday girl some love]

Darker My Love’s fantastic new video for “Two Ways Out” made its world premiere on MTV’s college channel mtvU today and if you missed it, never fear, the black and white cubist-esque clip will be airing every hour for a total of 24 times throughout the day.

And if you don’t catch it today, it will run 20-25 times this week. But because we like you, check it out here and you won’t even have to venture on to a college campus: http://www.mtvu.com/video/?id=1589620&vid=251043

The song is the lead single from Darker My Love’s sophomore LP, 2, which will see the light of day August 5 on Dangerbird Records.

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In 1956, Bob Cousy was tearing up the basketball court with his insane ball-handling skills and superior athleticism - he’s now highly regarded as one of the first great point guards in the game. In 2008, Dangerbird Records is shaking up the musical world with their impressive roster and undeniable passion and are on the way to leaving a mark of their own. So it makes sense that the two have combined forces for a unique promotion to help usher in the archival release of the Bob Cousy All-American low top sneaker.

Four bands from Dangerbird Records, Darker My Love, The One AM Radio, Dappled Cities, and Eulogies have recorded songs originally released in 1956, putting their own spin on each track. Check out Darker My Love’s rendition of “The Fool” below and head over to The Modern 56 site to grab the others.

LISTEN TO: DARKER MY LOVE - “THE FOOL”

*CONTEST ALERT*

We have 5 pairs of Bob Cousy All-American sneakers for the taking to the knowledgeable souls who can answer the following question:

PF Flyers are featured prominently in which 1993 film?

Email us at info@ink-tankpr.com with your answer, the first five correct responses wins a pair of Bob Cousy shoes.

Darker My Love’s sophomore LP, 2, is still months away (August 5 on Dangerbird Records) but the fivesome are giving fans a sneak peak into their anticipated new record. This track “Blue Day” was produced by Dave Cooley (Silversun Pickups, J Dilla). It grabs you by the throat from the first note and doesn’t let go. Check it out below and peep out the awesome album art above, created by frontman Tim Presley.

Darker My Love - “Blue Day”

Check out Ed Harcourt on page 44 of the June issue of Esquire. We know what it’s like to be drunk dialed too, Ed. We feel your pain.

Make sure to tune in next Friday, June 6 for Ed’s U.S. television debut when he performs on “The Tonight Show” And if you are in LA or SF, he’ll be playing June 2 at Cafe du Nord (SF) and June 4 at Spaceland (LA) while in town.

Sea Wolf is currently in the midst of their first-ever North American headlining tour and while in Nashville over the weekend, Hard To Find a Friend caught up with them to film an intimate Backstage Session at the Exit In.

It was a hot, miserable day but Sea Wolf quickly made everyone forget about the heat as soon as Alex and co. started playing. Check out “You’re A Wolf” below and head over to Hard To Find a Friend for another exclusive track.

While at SXSW, Ed Harcourt rolled out of bed the morning after a stunning show, walked over to The Tripwire/Levi’s Fort, gobbled down a burrito and then got down to business. Below are smashing renditions of two songs from his forthcoming album, The Beautiful Lie, due June 3 on Dovecote Records. The manner in which Ed pumps out beauty like this so effortlessly is breathtaking.

It’s been a busy week here at the Tank. We’ve been celebrating birthdays – Happy B’day Timmers – and running around town trying to catch some music.

Scenes from a b’day party:

[Timmers and friends: Just some alt bros hanging out.]

[Juliana and Ana Djonovic helping Tim celebrate at the Shortstop.]

[As you can tell, we raged. Thanks Jobrasnake for the photo.]

[Well, Tina and Tim kind of did...]

Caught a great set by The Submarines last night, at a private party hosted by Quiksilver. Saw some familiar faces (shout out to Kat!) and chatted up some very interesting folks. Ran over to Spaceland for Gran Ronde – another fine set and familiar faces. Ronde is in the middle of their month-long residency so I suggest ya’ll get over there and catch a ditty or two…

Meanwhile, accidentally caught a couple songs by Jim Ward’s new band, Sleepercar. Some of you may recognize his name from Sparta and At the Drive-In fame. These songs were not what I expected at all… More Texas than Southern Cali. Well done Jim!

Tonight, I am venturing to my favorite eatery (ok, one of them) - Taylor’s. I don’t know if it’s necessarily the steak but you can’t top the atmosphere! Maybe it’s because it reminds me of my NYC roots… All that dark wood. Needless to say, the need to order a dirty martini consumes me the second I step through the door! Maybe I’ll take some photos tonight…

Welcome to Friday.

We introduce you to our a new section of our indulgences, appropriately titled, “Things We Like.” Every week, we’ll blab about this and that, something or other, that’s making us happy. Don’t worry, we’ll limit it to 3 each.

JULIANA:

1. Rhapsody
um…. Hello?? Where have I BEEN? This is the greatest invention ever! I am about to upload my entire CD collection to an external hard drive and get rid of all my CDs! Anything I don’t have, it’s most likely available here. I am truly obsessed. The office…. My house. A song pops into my head, and POOF! No wonder it’s been taking me so much longer to get out of my house these days….

Playing right now: Catherine Wheel’s “Black Metallic.” I’m a 90’s child, what can I say?

2. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Obsessed may be an understatement. I simply cannot stop listening to this new album! Buy it, download it, listen to it. Saturdays = Youth. What’s even more exciting? They’re playing L.A. On May 20th!!!!! OMG, I am counting seconds.

Listen to the 80s-inspired goodness below

3. The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement
Really, just an amazing sonic collection. The video is pretty damn good too.

TIM:

1. Why? - “These Few Presidents” - I’ve probably listened to this song 50 times in the last couple weeks and have yet to get sick of it. I won’t lie and say I’ve been all that familiar of Why?’s past material but after this song, I instantly became a fan. Sounding a bit like a far less cheesy They Might Be Giants, singer Yoni Wolf’s nasally vocals ride over a bed of clankety instrumentation before this lyric comes in and just kills me: “Even though I haven’t seen you in years/Yours is a funeral I’d fly to from anywhere.”

You can stream the song over at the Hype Machine: http://hypem.com/track/506263

2. The Fail Blog – Some genius has been trolling each and every corner of the Internets looking for the best of the worst and I can’t get enough. This site features everything from failures in design, parenting, fashion and so much more. Below is one of my favorites but that’s just the beginning. Check out the site if you want to kill about 6 hours and make sure to visit frequently as it’s updated daily. Such a simple concept with such hilarious results.

While at SXSW this past March, Tim Williams recorded a Tripwire session and it was just released today. Check him and his band out in the video below. 

If you were watching “One Tree Hill” Monday night…and we know you were… that was indeed Tim’s song “Build and Explode” opening up the new episode. This is the second time in just as many months that the show has used Tim’s music and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Watch the full episode here: http://www.cwtv.com/cw-video/one-tree-hill/full/?play=463-3688