One of the days I look most forward to every year is the release of the Austin City Limits Festival line-up, and like last year, and the year before that, and the, well, you get the idea, they have never disappointed. 2006 is definitely no exception with 100+ bands like Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Ben Harper, The Flaming Lips, The Shins, Gnarles Barkley, Explosions in the Sky, Cat Power and the Memphis Rhythm Band scheduled to perform! Seeing this massive list of quality bands put a huge smile on my face and got me even more excited about the upcoming Festival, September 15-17 in Austin, TX. Oh, and if you hadn’t yet, now is probably a good time to get your tickets, they do sell out!

I received a lot of feedback and questions regarding the Adidas roller skates I mentioned I saw earlier this week in Daikanyama. I was a little bit off on the price, they’re actually only 41,000 Yen or about $375. I was in the neighborhood again today and was able to swing into the Adidas Styles shop to take a peak again and snap this quick photo. By the looks of them they’ve got to be custom made– an older adidas runner bolted down to a skate base. Even the wheels and old-school front break match the blue Adidas stripes though– what a tempting collectors item!

We recently posted about the limited edition skateboard decks Mekanism produced in their collaboration with French artist, Zevs. The art work on the deck was awesome but left us wanting to know more about Zev’s inspiration and work. Well, right now on Mekanism’s site, you can watch a video of Zevs performance in Paris. It’s really amazing to see the lights interact with the music, making you feel almost as if the sound were eminating from them. I also really enjoyed the flashes of illustration in the background. Everything is black and white–except for Zevs yellow rain suit which pops out at you with every strobe flash! Check it out. If you still want to see more, there are some great photos on Flickr.

We had to give mad props to Zach Slow for his clever celebrity dating tactics! Spawning from his interest, ok, downright obsession, for Lady Sovereign, Zach has started a website, help me get random with lady sovereign, to help earn himself a date with the lovely MC. The site includes hilarious videos and daily journal entries that document his efforts to score enough loot to treat the Lady to an evening of luxury. Zach has thus far scored tickets to her show and even been in contact with Lady Sovereign herself– so now he’s just watching the clock count down and hoping the money will rack up from our donations towards a date. The site is well done and full of witty commentary, so donate a nickel or more, if you feel generous. Good luck Zack, we hope you get random!