Why I Love the Internet, #453

So I'm using [NetNewsWire Lite](http://ranchero.com/netnewswire/) to scan through a bunch of weblogs fairly fast, using their RSS feeds. Some fellow mentions that his favorite band right now is [Mermen](http://www.mermen.net/), described as:

90's surf instrumentals, and utterly unique--a mix of Dick Dale-derived staccato picking and reverb with prog-rock touches and hints of punk and psychedelia, the latter a la Jimi Hendrix.

Best of all, these guys buy into the Grateful Dead/Phish ethos of encouraging fans to record concerts and share them with others gratis. So I went to the Internet Archive and grabbed [this concert](http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=5036&from=browsePopular&PHPSESSID=879510484f46f5ef2ee34f1b8ce4ad8f), recorded in January, 2003 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.

I've just about downloaded and converted it all to MP3, a concert exceeding two hours. I've spot-listened to several songs, and they are very fun, reminiscent of Phish in their playful improvisation. I'll probably end up buying an album by these guys before too long...