Pup Tent

After splitting with the influential indie-rock trio Galaxie 500, native New Zealander-turned-resident New Yorker Dean Wareham devoted himself to honing the gentle, melodic, Velvet Underground-circa-"Candy Says" sound of his old band in the increasingly sterile and perfectionist twin-guitar outings of his new group, Luna. Guitar buffs may have been impressed by the occasional E-bowed solo, the spooky layers of feedback, or the cool chorused tones offered up by Wareham and Sean Eden. But 1992's Lunapark, '94's Bewitched, and '95's Penthouse didn't have much beyond that to keep you coming back, and it seemed as if the band's career peaked when snippets from the last album were used in a TV commercial for Calvin Klein's CK-1. It's surprising, then, that Pup Tent boasts the most memorable tunes that Wareham has written since Galaxie 500's This Is Our Music back in 1990. Lyrics have always been an afterthought for Wareham, who sings a bit like Neil Young with an adenoid problem, and tunes such as the title track and the opening "IHOP" are no exception. Among my favorite lyrical toss-offs: "Is there a doctor in the house / In the House of Pancakes?" and "You stand accused of smoking English cigarettes / That's a provocation if ever one was." Thankfully, these lines are paired with indelible guitar hooks and inventive six-string soundscapes. Propelled by new drummer Lee Wall (who replaces the rather rigid former Feelie, Stanley Demeski), Luna sounds looser, grittier, and more stoked-up than it ever has. --Jim Derogatis
Customer Review: This is a perfect album.
This is an "album" in the truest sense. Complete in and of itself. Perfect start to finish
Customer Review: We'll Miss You, Luna
For some crazy ass reason, many Luna fans think Pup Tent sub-par, but it is actually a melodic and introspective album that deserves the highest praise. Beautiful View, Beggar's Bliss, Pup Tent, and Ihop are among the highlights of a CD that you will not regret buying!

You may not think that setting up your tent is all that important, but I can tell you form first hand experience that I've had more then one camping trip ruined by not setting up my tent the right way.

Here are some tips for setting up your tent for a more enjoyable camping experience.

Location, Location, Location:

One of the first things you need to take a look at before you set up your tent is the location where you will be setting up. Just because a campground has a spot designated for your tent doesn't mean that it is the best place to set up.

I have woken up in the middle of the night more than once with water in my tent after setting up in the campgrounds designated spot.

If at all possible, set up in a spot where the ground slopes away from the back of the tent. This will allow water to run off away form your tent should it happen to rain.

Tarps Are Your Friend:

Be sure to place a tarp on the ground before setting up your tent. Having a tarp under your tent will prevent ground moisture from seeping up through the bottom of the tent and getting your sleeping bag and other camping gear wet.

Most tent come with a rain fly, but if there should be a period of heavy or prolonged rain, even the best of rain flies will not hold back the water. This is why I always put a tarp over my tent when I set up.

The best way to do this is to use a tarp that is about 4 or 5 feet larger than your tent so it extends beyond the foot print of your tent. This will protect your tent better and also allow you to place some chairs outside the tent.

If at all possible, use rope or twine and tie the tarp off to any trees that are around your tent and be sure that one of the back corners of the tarp is lower then the other three corners so if it rains, the water will run off away from your tent.

Use these tips for setting up your tent for a better camping experience.

Happy Camping :-)

Mark Neustedt is the webmaster of ForeverCamping.com and uses his blog to provide campers with Camping Reviews and other helpful camping information.