Cubsicle

Big Yellow Taxi

2011-02-27T09:02:00.004-05:00

My ignorance of popular music recorded before 1990 has brought me here to apologize to Joni Mitchell. Much like the many years I spent thinking the Black Crowes were actually capable of writing a hit song like Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle," I have for a long time believed that the hit song "Big Yellow Taxi" was a song written and recorded by the Counting Crows and sometimes sung with Vanessa Carlton. Wrong. This song was written by Joni Mitchell in 1970, but has been covered by many artists (including Bob Dylan) in the time since her original recording and did not become a bona fide hit again until the Counting Crows version came out in 2002.

Normally this is where I'd post an audio version of the original song, to pay homage to Joni Mitchell for the many years I've spent not giving her credit, but instead this is where I'll post my favorite cover version of the song since hers is not the best in my opinion. The first time I actually heard "Big Yellow Taxi," it was by Billie Joe Armstrong's other, non-Green Day band called Pinhead Gunpowder. It was recorded in 1994, but I probably didn't hear it until 1999 when Napster made it possible for a 14 year old kid with no money to listen to something other than what the radio or Mtv wanted me to hear.

American Idiot on Broadway

2011-02-25T21:35:00.002-05:00

Ever since I was the one and only blogger in America to break the news that American Idiot would be on Broadway, I felt compelled to see the show and praise the world with my opinion. So here it is.

First and foremost, I want to confirm what most people are probably thinking. There is absolutely no legitimate reason why this show needs to exist. For me, the only true purpose it serves is providing Green Day fans the surreal but awkward moment that occurs when they first realize their hero Billie Joe is actually acting. And I don't just mean acting as in "playing a character," I mean the full fledged over-the-top acting common to musicals. I mean the kind of stage acting that includes having fake background conversations and silly choreographed jumping around. Once this initial jolt wears off, you realize his presence is not so far fetched. In fact, he plays a character called "Jesus of Suburbia," an anarchist drug dealer who appears on stage for maybe 20% of the show and has very little dialogue. You get the impression this was not much of a stretch for a guy who regularly plays 2 hour concerts in sold out stadiums. This spectacle is the 20% of the show I would recommend to anyone. The rest of the show...well, have you seen the film Across the Universe? If so, you know that it was a 2 hour cliche'd farce about some kids having some identity trouble in post-Watergate, Vietnam-era America. Along the way they sing Beatles songs that contain a word or phrase relevant to the manufactured plot, but not at all relevant to the intent of the songwriter. Here's an example: The main character's name was Jude so that it would make sense to sing "Hey Jude." The whole thing begs the question, "am I watching this story because I like the songs? or do I like the songs because they compliment the plot?" If given a chance to think about it, 9 of 10 people would choose option 1. I think I saw this film on opening night though, so my audience is as much a reason for the films existence as the songs themselves. Such is American Idiot.

The non-Bille Joe Armstrong 80% of Broadway's American Idiot is Across the Universe set in post 9/11 America and containing worse music. It is for the hardcore fan of the American Idiot album and fans of stubborn attempts to create a plot out of songs that while written with a common theme in mind, were not written as a cohesive storyline. It is about 3 kids who play in a band together. Then one gets a girl pregnant and has to quit the band, another goes to Iraq and loses his leg, and the third--the primary character--falls into a deep, drug-fueled, depression. Every couple of scenes, Billie Joe's character stops by to be a bad influence and sell some drugs. The story is told by each of the three men through the lyrics of songs from both the American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown albums, and the acting and musicianship is generally very good throughout the show. If the play is not amazing, it is not for lack of decent acting. But the plot... As if the thematic parallels to Across the Universe--which we've established was an awful exploit of good music--were not enough, one scene in the play is a complete ripoff of THIS scene from the film. And that's really all I can say. In 2004 I listened to the American Idiot album exactly one million times and not once did I hear a story about a kid going to Iraq and having his leg blown off. But that's art, right?

Overall, though I'm sure this post has seemed overly negative, my only issue is with the plot. And since I'm convinced American Idiot was not written with Broadway in mind, I can forgive it. This is not high art, nor do I believe it was meant to be. I am not breaking any new ground by criticizing this, and my having gone to see it despite knowing it would lack a story illustrates the very reason it exists. The point is that this show does not NEED to exist on any artistic level, but I am glad that it does if only because I am a fan of Green Day, and I don't know if I would ever have gone to Broadway without its existence. The set is fantastic, the theatre very nice, and the overall atmosphere is very self-aware. It is not as if the producers of the show do not know that the plot rarely makes sense and is not important.

So will you like it? If you liked the album, yes. If you didn't like the album but would pay $75+ to see Billie Joe act, yes. If you are a fan of Broadway musicals like Rent, but have no idea who Green Day is, no.

You Know You're Right

2011-02-14T23:11:00.003-05:00

We can agree that all musicians probably leave behind a veritable trove of unpublished, unpolished recordings. It's in the nature of being a recording artist to try, and eventually scrap, failed attempts at new music. As such, rarely will an artists' work receive a posthumous release, unless said artist is someone whose legacy demands it, or whose legacy includes a crazy bitch-wife trying to make a buck.

The two examples of gigantic posthumous recordings I can best remember were both created as ways to sell larger boxsets or compilations. Those are the Beatles' "Free as a Bird" from the 1995 Anthology release which included the late John Lennon's vocals, and later Nirvana's "You Know Your'e Right" from their 2002 self-titled Best of compilation which included lyrics sung and written by Kurt Cobain.

Of the two, I have to admit I like the Nirvana song much better. But both songs have their own wikipedia pages revealing the story behind how the recordings came to be, and both are worth looking over.

Free as a Bird
You Know You're Right

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The Bens

2011-02-13T16:39:00.004-05:00

In 2003, piano pop stalwart Ben Folds put together an 8 show tour through Australia in which he asked up and comers Ben Kweller and Ben Lee to support. Together as supergroup "The Bens," the trio recorded a 4 song EP to be sold exclusively on the tour, all 3500 pressings of which sold out. The album was later given an internet store release. So were The Bens any good? Critics thought so, but then again the group never recoded together again.

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Who is Harry Nilsson?

2011-01-29T14:10:00.003-05:00

The title of this documentary might imply that the name Harry Nilsson is one that pops up a lot in popular culture but is not widely known. This was exactly my experience with Nilsson prior to watching this documentary. Fun Fact: The only reason I knew the name was because I once googled "The Puppy Song" after watching You've Got Mail. I only became aware of this film when my dad asked me "find it" for him. It's available for free streaming if you've got a Netflix account.

I had no intention of actually watching it too, but I couldn't stop. This isn't a puff piece about some genius musician that was under-appreciated. While it is true Harry Nilsson wrote many hits from the 70s you've heard of and like, this is a vivid portrait of a very complex man with a documented history of alcoholism and self-destructive behavior which is contrasted with his being a loving father, husband, and activist. In other words, my favorite kind of documentary.

Good Will Hunting

2011-01-23T16:44:00.005-05:00

One of the many reasons Good Will Hunting is among my favorite films of all time is the brilliant performance by the otherwise off-the-wall Robin Williams, also known for such films as RV, Old Dogs, and Flubber.

But even Matt Damon and Ben Affleck couldn't fully contain Robin's over-the-top twitch. THIS SCENE starts off innocently enough, but watch Williams as he briefly abandons just about everything we know about his character up until this point and replaces it with his animated schtick.

Beyond the Lighted Stage

2011-01-23T15:24:00.003-05:00

If the mark of a good documentary is its ability to hold one's attention despite a lack of interest in the subject matter, then the Rush documentary Beyond the Lighted Stage deserves a spot in documentary pantheon of any music enthusiast, especially anti-Rush music enthusiasts.

I was never the biggest Rush fan. I've consumed less than a quarter of their entire collection and mostly stick with the hits. I had never been exposed to the geek culture associated with the band and I'd never really done any thoughtful analysis of their literary lyrical content. From afar I've simply admired the sound they can produce with just 3 members. To be honest, I have always assumed that their talent must be accompanied by an obscene amount of Canadian pretentiousness. And yet, every time Palladia runs this film I watch it. I can't help it, these guys are cool.

The truth, as this documentary points out, is far from my assumption and yours. Specifically worthy of your attention is the career arch and mind of Neil Peart, arguably the world's greatest drummer. The guy is absolutely fascinating. Despite his fame he is a fiercely guarded and infinitely neurotic person scared to death of the spotlight and social interactions, a true anti-hero of the rock and roll world you might be used to hearing about.

Hello Again, Old Friends

2010-07-31T13:05:00.004-04:00

Most days I'd like nothing more than to write blog posts with the relative frequency I was once afforded. Because you see there are things, strage things, unimaginable stories, thoughts, and pop culture insights floating around in my brain that I'd love nothing more than to sit down for two free minutes and share with the world. But while I'd sit there for five minutes thinking of how to stop starting blog post sentences with prepositions or using the word 'however' 8 more fucking times, people are moving up in the world. So I've devoted 2010 to "doing it." Doing what? I don't know. Being better, I suppose. Moving up. Moving on. So, where am I?

1. I'm working. A lot. Somehow, an upside of working in the financial industry at this time is that nobody knows what the hell is going on. One minute we couldn't be more busy, the next we're all doomed and heading for a crash. With that in mind, our company took the conservative route by not hiring enough people and letting a lot of people move on to other departments. In turn, the market did well enough for us to become busy, and bam. Overworked. It's okay though, with being overloaded comes unlimited overtime, and with unlimited overtime comes more money. As an outcome, no more credit card debt. Also, company softball.

2. I'm being proactive. I'm learning to cook and to eat more economically and responsibly. I'm working out harder and smarter than I ever have before, seeing a chiropractor once or twice a week to fix the severely incorrect curve of my neck that's troubled me since middle school, and trying out recipes that reinforce all the other good habits I'm trying to keep. I'm finding that doing this all requires discipline and time, two things I'm working on making more of for myself.

3. I've moved! Sort of. I'm at an apartment in "downtown" Marlton, NJ with Ashley, and it's fantastic. Living on my own, I mean. The being so far away from work part has made my daily commute a living hell, but I've tempered that by staying at my parents house twice a week. Once because I need to play hockey near their house, and another just to save on gas,tolls, and sanity. Living on my own again for the first time since college is...just like college, only with way less drinking and much more responsibility. We're in a low rent situation, get-out-of-it-if-we-want-to situation, which is perfect for us. Only occasionally have Ash and I looked at each other with "now what?" look on our faces, and for the most part our living together has been an outrageous success full of shared responsibility and sacrifice for the overall greater good of our relationship.

4. I'm writing and researching. Not for blog posts or livejournal entries, but an honest to God business plan for what will one day be a bakery called Beachy Cakes. The ownership details are still hazy, and the implementation of such a plan is probably years off, but it WILL happen. If I need to own it in order to get Ashley's dreams off the ground, so be it. But I plan to make no money off of this venture until it makes sense that I be making any money other than the money I invested. I certainly am not the talent when it comes to cake making. Instead, and yes this is presumptuous, I consider myself the business and strategy specialist, at least of the two of us. Will it be a proprietorship? Partnership? LLC? All of this has yet to be decided. A store front? If so, where? How about a home-based business? To be decided, as well. The research takes time, but it seems like a worthy and efficient way to launch the career of my best friend, and the one of us who has any tangible marketable talent.

So, there's that. In lieu of long-winded, semi-researched blog postings, your'e most likely to find my ramblings boiled down into tweets and facebook status updates. Unless business slows down, although I think I'd rather it never slow down.

Let's DO IT, everyone. Let's all be better people in 2010 and beyond.

The Dana Carvey Show

2010-06-29T22:30:00.002-04:00

By now we're all well aware that the internet is the only place the following can happen in a 10 minute period:
- Read AV Club's interview with Louie CK, where you learn CK wrote for a sketch show you'd long forgotten, The Dana Carvey Show.
-Immediately Google "Dana Carvey Show"
-Confirm via wikipedia that he was, in fact, lead writer for the show, but also discover that entire first and only season exists for free on Hulu now.
-Halt productivity.

The Dana Carvey Show was a sketch comedy on abc that ran for only 7 tenths of a season in 1996, and it was hilarious. How do I know it was hilarious? I was 11 when it aired and I have fond memories of it. That's enough, right? Also, I specifically remember feeling uncomfortable watching it with my mom around which means that I toughed it out through the awkwardness (because it was funny) and she toughed it out through the jokes that were inappropriate for an 11 year old at 9pm on a Tuesday because she understood that I'd one day have an affinity for inconsequential pop culture.

Though Carvey himself left his stamp on the show with his trademark impressions like the Church Lady and Paul McCartney, the real talent resided in the rest of the credits, where people like CK, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, and Robert Smigel were creating some of the funniest, subversive sketch comedy that couldn't have been seen anywhere else on tv at the time. Possibly too subversive, though, as sponsors began running away from act 1 scene 1 as Carvey's Bill Clinton breast fed babies and animals (hard to explain).

Every episode, including the unaired, are available in full on Hulu. Definitely worth checking out, if only to see the careers of Carrell and Colbert launch.

Dropkick Murphys - Barroom Hero

2010-06-21T21:59:00.001-04:00

"Face down in the gutter won't admit defeat though his clothes are soiled and black, he's a big strong man with a child's mind, DON'T YOU TAKE HIS BOOZE AWAY..."

Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies

2010-06-21T21:55:00.003-04:00

Flogging Molly - Seven Deadly Sins

2010-06-21T21:55:00.001-04:00

Tossers - Siobhan

2010-06-21T21:54:00.001-04:00

Tossers - Goodmorning Da

2010-06-21T21:52:00.000-04:00

The Irony in this Post Will Be Astounding

2010-06-21T21:11:00.004-04:00

You know the guy you grew up with who co-opted his heritage as the bulk of his identity? He had the t-shirts, ate the food, knew some words, knew every player on the national soccer team, and listened to the music, all as if some test was coming where he'd have to prove how loyal to his ancestors he'd been. My Irish buddies were just as guilty as the Italians.

Now, we should all be so lucky on this planet as to have something such as that to make us feel interesting and happy. But if I could go back to high school and college to send one message to the people who fit that description, it would be this: Pick more interesting music. This goes to the Irish punks especially. There are literally a thousand or more punk bands claiming the irish ethos as their own. You don't have to listen to them all! They aren't all good! So, if you must listen to music about drinking and fighting, go for the Jameson, not the Black Velvet. First, if you haven't done so already, check out the Pogues, and then at this point you might as well listen to Dropkick Murphys. Got that? I think you're ready for some other gems too.

Mystery Team

2010-06-17T16:29:00.002-04:00

For my final rental from Blockbuster, I'm enjoying Mystery Team, Derrick's Comedy's 2009 movie about 3 high school seniors who've never outgrown their childhood hobby of solving kiddie mysteries. In attempting to regain their lost favor, they take on a murder case. Hilarity, I assume, ensues. I'm about a quarter of the way through, but so far, so good.

In my opinion, Derrick Comedy is the new Lonely Island, Donald Glover is the new Andy Samberg, and Mystery Team is their Hot Rod.

Also, did you know there was a Betty-White-SNL-esque facebook (and other social network) campaign to get Donald Glover an audition to be the next Spider Man? Well, there is. And I approve. And so does Stan Lee.

Espionage

2010-06-16T21:27:00.007-04:00

According to my iPod I have 8,345 songs available to me at any moment. So I consider it a severe improbability that the Shuffle function would ever play the 3 instrumental tracks out of a possible maybe 20 instrumental tracks I might have in a matter of twenty minutes. And yet it happened today. Okay, okay, I get it. Shuffle works in mysterious ways. But it just so happens all three would be perfect for urgent, aggressive, espionage scenes.

First up, Green Day's "Espionage," complete with surf guitar and just the right amount of horns. This was apparently recorded for one of the Austin Powers' movies, but you can also find it on the B-Side album Shenanigans.

	Green Day - Espionage

	Found at skreemr.org

Then there's MxPx, with "The Theme Fiasco," which I'm positive was written with spies in mind. Heavy on the bass.
(I could only find the live album version, but it's good)

And finally, Everclear's "El Distorto de Melodica," which, I'll admit, was probably not written with spy movies in mind. But, if you imagine Jason Bourne bum rushing a terrorist compound while listening to this track nothing will seem out of place.

RIP Blockbuster

2010-06-16T20:57:00.004-04:00

The Wall Street Journal announced this week that Blockbuster Video is attempting to secure debtor-in-processing financing, which is the final step a company takes before filing for bankruptcy. For some this will come as a surprise, but not to those of us in Philadelphia's outer suburbs where Blockbuster locations have been disappearing seemingly overnight for a while, and especially not for me.

Here in Blockbuster's final days it would seem I represent the only demographic hanging on to hope that the company survives, and here's why: I am a member of Blockbuster Total Access and self-admitted gamer. The advantage BTA has had over Netflix is that it gives members the ability to exchange their mailed movies for in-store movies for free and without it counting as a rental. My particular plan has allowed me to rent and subsequently exchange 3 movies a month PLUS a free video game rental every month. In total, I was getting a game and six movies by only spending $10.59 a month for services that would otherwise have cost me around $35. My costs were covered even if I only watched one movie and rented one video game.

For a while at college it seemed a small price to pay to drive to the next town for my rentals after the local store closed up shop. Then I graduated and moved back home where I had my pick of Blockbuster stores to exchange in and rent games. The first real store closing that affected me at home came more than 2 years later when the Blockbuster near Ashley's house at the Berlin Circle in New Jersey closed. It was a common spot for us to rent movies while at her place. I thought nothing of it. Several months later they came for my local PA Blockbuster in Springfield, a sure sign that I'd soon be migrating to Netflix, but not quite yet. There was still the Blockbuster on Route 3 which was convenient to visit on my commutes to and from work. Until this week, that is. Now my closest option is in an out of the way neighborhood I'd rather not go to, but even that I'm sure is on its way out. So long, Blockbuster!

Is this the last we've seen of Blockbuster? I doubt it. Rumor is they'll be back with a kiosk style business plan similar to the Red Box, but by then Netflix will own the bulk of the market. It's a shame, too, Blockbuster's inability to stay afloat and dynamic in the technologically changing rental market, because regardless of their lack of leadership the name "Blockbuster" will always be seen as a pioneer.

Best Ramones Songs?

2010-06-16T10:45:00.003-04:00

Paste attempts the impossible by listing the 10 Best Ramones Songs of All Time.

To me this is more a list of the most important songs to hear if you're new to the Ramones. Besides, without Dee Dee's "Warthog" it can't be a "Best Of" list. A nice attempt nonetheless.

Rambocky

2010-05-07T20:40:00.001-04:00

Wawa Records and Filmed Entertainment presents Rambocky, starring Philly Boy Roy and Patton Oswalt.

See it HERE.

Rojo Johnson

2010-05-07T20:13:00.005-04:00

Earlier in the week:

"The Round Rock Express have acquired Billy Ray "Rojo" Johnson... Johnson, who was born in East Texas but was raised in Venezuela, recently had his prison sentence commuted. He served time for running a smuggling ring that imported rare and illegal species of reptiles into the United States from South America during the mid-to-late 1990s."

Pitcher Rojo Johnson made his minor league debut for the Round Rock Express last night. Astonishingly, he threw only one pitch before being chased out of the ballpark. Just watch.

'Nem Tasers

2010-05-07T20:01:00.003-04:00

On this week's Best Show on WFMU, "Philly Boy" Roy Ziegler had a chance to react publicly to the week's news about his son running around Citizens Bank Park and eventually being tasered into submission.

TO hear it, click HERE, and skip to 22:15.

WDW Lines

2010-05-03T21:34:00.003-04:00

Another option for wait time application, assuming you think you need one (and I do), is WDW Lines by touringplans.com. This program is different than Ride Hopper because it accepts user-submitted wait times, but encourages people not to use them. Instead, their primary attraction wait time program was built using thousands of statistical data points and models, using over 10 years of park history. This program is specific to Disney World while Ride Hopper is not, and also includes suggestions for parks to avoid on any given day. I assume this will be the more accurate application.

Ride Hopper

2010-05-03T21:16:00.003-04:00

Ride Hopper is an Android app I intend on trying out in Disney World next week. It's a multi-park tool that allows people touring those parks to submit wait times for rides. To prevent anyone from submitting false times from their couch at home, the program uses your phone's GPS to verify that you are in the same zip code as the park you're submitting a time for.

Seems useful, but I'm thinking that user-submitted data may be too small a cross section to really be accurate. We'll see.

Hard to Handle

2010-05-02T16:33:00.005-04:00

I heard Otis Redding's original version of the song "Hard to Handle" on XPN a few days ago and ignorantly thought to myself, "this is such a great cover of the Black Crowes' song." It was an ignorant thing to think for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Redding has been dead since 1967. So to honor the man, let's all listen to the song that sparked this post and make a pact to be music snobs together and point out to anyone listening to the Black Crowes that arguably their biggest and only hit is the one they didn't write.

Runner Runner

2010-04-29T23:30:00.003-04:00

No, that's not the cast of the new show Jersey Shore Emo, it's Runner Runner, the first and only band signed to David Letterman's new Clear Entertainment record label.

On one hand, I'm not surprised Dave has a record label as he's consistently been the late night host who books the best bands and he seems to genuinely care about the music. But, on the other hand, this might be the worst pop-punk band I've ever heard, and the label's signing is an obviously pandering to the Hannah Montana generation where the quality of the music means nothing.

Hear for yourself with Runner Runner's new "single" "So Obvious":

Por Favor Manténgase....

2010-04-27T22:59:00.003-04:00

I've been putting together a list of odd things I want to accomplish for the 6 days I'm in Disney World. I'll still be seeing the typical attractions, but I'm also excited about some of the other random things I can do. I just started the brainstorming, but I like what I have so far.

1. Re-create a photo from past Disney trips. Lots of people do this, but I haven't been to WDW since 1996, so this could be interesting. Here's one, but this one would be hard to re-create (although all of these people will be in attendance)given the state of the castle and I'm sure a family photo will take place in similar proximity anyway simply because that's what people do. I can do better.

2. Shun all of the Disney character attempts to say hello to me, but be really, visibly excited to meet "Bert" the chimney sweep from Mary Poppins. Is it chimney sweep Bert or One-Man-Band Bert? Is it a real brit, or a cheap Van Dykian imposter? I'll find out.

3. Record audio of the monorail's "stand clear of the door" warning, specifically for the awesome spanish translation, "Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas."

...is what I would have made #3 if this hadn't already been done for me by the internets.

See, it was during that last Disney trip in '96 that my family and I (just me and my brother) started to memorize that line, simply because we heard it so often on our monorail trips and the spanish part is admittedly fun to say. But when we came home to 1996 suburban Philadelphia the technology just wasn't there for us to be able to hear it again. No matter how many alta vista searches and web crawls I performed, I just couldn't find a .wav file that didn't take 9 days to download on our very normal dial-up Prodigy connection. Fast forward to 2010, 10+ years since I'd even given the phrase a thought I do a google search and it turns out thousands of people are obsessed with the monorail audio, so much so even that when WDW retired the original voice actor's entire monorail speech, they KEPT the "stand clear of the doors" portion of his speech and replaced the rest with someone new. Not only that, but they sell t-shirts with the popular spanish phrase IN THE PARK (see above).

So until next time, por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas.

End of the Century

2010-04-26T20:24:00.003-04:00

In last week's post about It Might Get Loud, I mentioned it was my second favorite documentary. The first is one I've blogged about before, and that is End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones. I love it simply because it seems surreal. People who hate the band's music would be interested in their story simply because of the multiple personalities involved and the length of their careers. And now I can prove it because it's available in parts on Youtube.

Start with Part 1, here.

Sky Map

2010-04-24T12:05:00.003-04:00

I recently moved into the world of modern cell phone technology by purchasing the HTC Droid Eris which besides allowing me to stay on the Verizon network that I enjoy (as opposed to buying an iPhone), also offers the freedom of Linux-based mobile processing with the Android Operating System, which was developed by Google. Although having so much data available at my fingertips was overwhelming at first, I'm finding that one of the great things about a phone like this is the array of free applications available. There's a thousand ways to make your day easier just by taking a minute to download something new. This is a concept I'm getting used to, so expect some posts about different apps I'm trying, like this one, Google's Sky Map.

I haven't used it yet, but supposedly all I need to do is point my phone at the sky on a clear night and the GPS function on my phone will point out the different constellations I'm looking at or pointing me towards an object I'm looking for (like in the picture above) and showing me how to spot it. The app already gets some rave reviews on the internet, but I'll check back with mine once I try it out.

Tiger Army

2010-04-24T11:21:00.002-04:00

On the heels of their latest album, 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day is going on tour this summer and bringing fellow San Franciscans and 924 Gilman Street alum AFI along as the opening act. The tour will come through Philadelphia by way of Camden's Susquhanna Bank Center, which is a venue I find a little big for my personal tastes, so I'm debating whether or not to go. Of course, the decision would be a lot easier if my dream of adding a third San Francisco based band and Gilman Street alum were added to the bill were to come true. I'm talking about Tiger Army, who unfortunately don't have a new album to promote, so I can forget about this Back to Our Roots Tour (tm) happening.

Tiger Army is great because they combine elements of music not seen often enough in today's cookie cutter era of rock music with bands like Nickelback and faux-punkers like Fall Out Boy. I'm talking, of course, about the upright bass, and the sound known only as "psychobilly," which Tiger Army offer their own twisted take on with only 3 members. A "power psychobilly trio" if you will, and a singer who goes only by the name of "Nick 13." It's intriguing, right? And the upright bass is up there with the moog synthesizer on the list of most underrated instrument. [Side Note: I saw Bob Dylan in Hershey 2 summers ago and of of course the show was great. But I've always wondered, was it great because I saw a two-hour mix of past and present super-hits performed by one of the world's most popular and influential music legends, or was it because Dylan's bassist strummed an upright bass? I may never know.]

Listen to that bass go walking on "Pain" from 2007's Music From Regions Beyond.

#42

2010-04-22T13:13:00.003-04:00

Q: Before MLB retired Jackie Robinson's #42 for the entire league, who was the last Philadelphia Phillie to wear it?

A: Toby Borland

See more fun facts about #42 in baseball over at Craig Robinson's Flip Flip Fly Ball.

Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn

2010-04-20T20:09:00.006-04:00

Ash and I caught the band Hello Goodbye while they opened up for New Found Glory a month or so back. Their use of auto-tune on a few songs was a little much for me to commit to calling what we heard "great," but there was this one song I've since found myself blasting probably a little too often.

*Warning* This song is pretty much for children, but see if it has the same affect on you.

It Might Get Loud

2010-04-19T17:48:00.003-04:00

If I could just start slow with a simple film recommendation, I'd have to say that It Might Get Loud is the second best documentary about music I've ever seen (I haven't seen a lot of music documentaries), and one of the better films I've watched in the last few months for sure.

The basic premise is "what would happen if Jack White, Jimmy Page, and The Edge (U2's guitarist)were hanging out together in a room full of guitars and amplifier equipment?" And even if you aren't a fan of or two of these guys, the answer to that question is "some really incredible guitar sounds, stories, and insight." My personal favorite overall musician is Jack White, so his presence would have been enough for me, but Jimmy Page is fantastic in this too, and outside of allowing himself to be called "The Edge," the dude from U2 does plenty to remove himself from Bono's shadow and portray himself as a pretty cool guy, even if a lesser musician than the other two.

Stick around to watch the "Deleted Scenes," a couple of which show the three learning each others songs. Not surprisingly, these deleted scenes are probably the only scenes of the film that can't seem to stay up on YouTube for very long. But I did find THIS CLIP of Jimmy Page showing the guys how "Kashmir" was born. Pretty cool stuff.

Grade: B

Coming Back

2010-04-18T15:32:00.003-04:00

I've been considering pulling the ol' Irish Goodbye on this blog. I started a new role with more responsibility and less free time with my employer in mid-March (pretty much the same amount of money though), and I've been filling my free time with Ashley, hockey, softball, the gym, itinerizing the family trip to Disney World in May, looking for a new place to live, fantasy baseball, and playing video games. In that order, pretty much.

Yet somehow, though I'm on facebook and twitter, I feel the need to keep this creative outlet going, if only just for archival purposes.

Also, I couldn't let the site end with a post about Night Terrors.

Night Terrors

2010-03-22T22:51:00.006-04:00

I'm sure many a rock hit was penned bedside by an insomniac, frustrated at his inability to sleep with or without the usual battery of drugs or alcohol. No time better than the middle of the night to write down that weird shit that's keeping you up. Here are two songs that incorporate the lyricist's late-night tape recordings into the song:

My Chemical Romance - Sleep
MCR's Black Parade was produced at a mansion in Burbank, CA. Each member recounts a creepy, haunted experience during their stay. Gerard Way recorded his first thoughts about experiencing night terrors and incorporated it into a few parts in this song, including the intro.

"There are these terrors. And it's like, it feels like as if somebody was gripping my...Like last night, they are not like tremors, they are worse than tremors
Like last night, they are not like tremors, they are worse than tremors, there are these terrors. And it's like, it feels like as if somebody was gripping my throat and squeezing.....
"...Sometimes I see flames.
And sometimes I see people that I love dying and... it's always...""

Alkaline Trio - Warbrain
Matt Skiba's late night, insomnia fueled Nietsche reading led him to tape a certain passage he liked at 4am. It later ended up as the intro for this track which was recorded specifically for the first volume of the Rock Against Bush compilation.

Thoughts are the shadows of feelings, always darker, emptier, and simpler. I don't care if they're fake or real. I just thank them for showing up at all. I have black periods. Who does not? But they do not have me, they are not a part of illness, but a part of my being. One might say I have the courage to have them. It's four o clock in the morning. This sucks.

By the way..

2010-03-15T23:53:00.002-04:00

Doesn't Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter look just like Elijah Wood?

Almost Alice

2010-03-15T23:11:00.004-04:00

Saw Alice in Wonderland over the weekend. It was okay, not great. I think it helped that I had completely erased from my mind any preemptive notion of the story left behind from childhood. No expectations for a Tim Burton movie might be the best way to attack one. Visuals are fantastic, though I think I'm completely done with this 3D novelty at this point. It's just not a great value for the money.

Anyway, though the film is worth seeing, when it's all said and done the real triumph for me is the soundtrack. Not the Danny Elfman one (though I'm sure that's great too), but the "alternative music" accompanying soundtrack called Almost Alice, which has some surprisingly great tracks from Robert Smith (the Cure), Wolfmother, Franz Ferdinand, Mark Hoppus (blink 182), Motion City Soundtrack, Shinedown, and most suprisingly Avril Lavigne whose "Alice" I think I might like best of all.

The Stomp

2010-03-15T00:35:00.003-04:00

March Madness is here, and to celebrate let's take a look at my second favorite NCAA tournament moment of all time, HERE. To say this this kind of cheap play didn't inform my own basketball game in the years after this would be a flat out lie.

Rod Argent

2010-03-13T17:26:00.002-05:00

My favorite song of the last 3 years has finally shown up on grooveshark for everyone's free listening pleasure. If I could put together a backyard concert and re-unite one band that might actually show up, it would definitely be the Ergs!

Agent M

2010-03-10T21:26:00.003-05:00

Introducing my favorite female punk vocalist of all time, Emily Whitehurst of Tsunami Bomb. Considering she was the first one I'd really heard and my music collection really doesn't consist of a whole lot of lady vocalists, I'd say I'm still pretty open for a new "favorite," but she's a fine placeholder atop the list for now as someone who sang her ass off and paved the way for the Paramore's and the Eisley's of the world today.

Emily went by "Agent M" in the mid to late 90s when it was fashionable to have some sort of punk rock nickname (was that ever fashionable?).Not sure if she still prefers that name today with her new band The Action Design, but here's the song that won me over in 10th grade.

And last year, Whitehurst provided vocals on MxPx's cover album for "Heaven is a Place on Earth:"

Ruth HBP

2010-03-10T20:46:00.003-05:00

Just in time for spring training, we have an interesting video of Babe Ruth getting hit by a pitch. His reaction is priceless.

The Progressive Girl

2010-03-08T23:02:00.004-05:00

I choose to believe that Stephanie Courtney, the star of those Progressive Insurance commercials, tried really hard not to sell out to corporate America. But in the end, the comedy career just wasn't going anywhere.

Olympics

2010-03-03T17:04:00.005-05:00

View the vancouver2010.com medals' table

Is it only the American "medal trackers" like this one that seemingly base Olympic success on total medals won?

I guess it's a logical way of reporting the scores, but I think I'd rather see reported in a way that gives less credit to the 2nd and 3rd place athletes. In my system, I'd show most gold medals won and only that, because after all, it's about winning, right? "Wrong," you say? It's about competing? Fine. Let's assign a point score to the medals. 1 for bronze, 2 for silver, 3 for gold. See who comes out on top. Using that method it seems the standings stay largely the same, but at least the "total medals" nonsense is taken out of the equation.

USA - 70 pts
GER - 63
CAN - 61
NOR - 49
AUS - 30 (that's AustRIA)
S.K - 32
RUS - 26
CHN - 23
SWE - 23
SWZ - 21

Not much movement, but with this scoring South Korea jumps Russia for 6 (shameful) and the Swiss jump over France for 10th. Regardless, blasphemy or not I think Canada won the Olympics.

Scholastic Book Fairs

2010-03-02T22:07:00.002-05:00

There were two major book events that we looked forward to in elementary school. One we simply called RIF, named after the organization Reading is Fundamental, who would deliver free books of all kinds to the school for us to keep. Usually these were thin books with a lot of pictures, so everyone won. Those of us wanting to learn could learn and everyone else had something shiny and new to look at.

The other event was the school sponsored Scholastic Book Fair fund raising event, during which kid-book giant Scholastic would essentially bring all of their new books and their shiny, illustrated covers and put them up for sale in an attempt to have kids persuade their parents to give them book money. Of course, NOBODY bought books. Not the students, anyway. It may have been that they and their blue collar families couldn't afford the outrageous prices, but it was much more likely that they would have just blown the money on the TOYS, neon bookmarks, and pencils Scholastic always added to their shop each year and that the few who remembered money during their library classes where the fairs were held would buy. I highly doubt I was as cynical about corporate interests and greed infiltrating the youth reading movement as a 4h grader, but just know it's Scholastic I say "for shame" to, not the students buying the shiny pencils. They're kids.

So to conclude, RIF > Scholastic Book Fair

Gorlliaz - Stylo

2010-03-02T00:15:00.005-05:00

Gorillaz have a new album coming out soon (I'm sure the kind Sheriff will let us know the details), and with it comes this outstanding new video for "Stylo."

If, like me, you wonder for a moment about half way through, "is that Bruce Willis?" Why yes, yes it is.

Am told you can preview the entire album for free and with a clear conscience here.

Ghoti Hook - My Bike

2010-03-01T23:29:00.002-05:00

Movie Samples as Song Intros 6

And lastly, my favorite. I'm not sure what kind of marketing Tooth & Nail were doing in the mid 1990s, but Ghoti Hook was another Christian Punk band I found myself listening to back then, discovered entirely via the internet. It's possible that it wasn't the marketing at all, but the film samples like the one in "My Bike" in which we're greeted by one of the hero's famous lines from Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Ghoti Hook was the one Tooth & Nail band using humor along with the punk and christian themes.

Ghoti Hook - My Bike (1997)
Film - Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985)

Slick Shoes - Another Day

2010-03-01T22:54:00.002-05:00

Movie Samples as Song Intros 5

Slick Shoes rounded out an impressive lineup of Christian-inspired punk bands that seemed to find themselves on the Tooth & Nail Label in the mid to late 90s. It wasn't that the label was trying to portray themselves that way, it's just there were a lot of bands like that in the northwest back then. Most of Slick Shoes' songs about Jesus could just as easily have been about a girl. Take for example today's song, "Another Day," with lyrics like In all the time that has gone by,Only you have stayed the same. Could be an ode to a loyal girlfriend. Nope. About Jesus. Fair enough. The song also has a 14 second intro from Young Frankenstein.

Slick Shoes - Another Day (2000)
Film - Young Frankenstein (1974)

Saves the Day - Hot Time in Delaware

2010-02-25T19:32:00.003-05:00

Movie Samples as Song Intros 4
Before Saves the Day found their identity they were just a couple of kids in New Jersey ripping off Lifetime**, trying to figure it all out. Songs all clocked in at under 2 minutes, lyrics were god awful, and musicianship was questionable. But it's what we liked. It wasn't much of a surprise, then, that just like similar artists they went the movie scene intro route on the track "Hot Time in Delaware" which appeared on the 1998 album Can't Slow Down. And even though Saves the Day's lineup has changed significantly over the years and now sound more like the Beatles-meet-grunge than the Ramones (or Lifetime**), it's still nice to hear something from Can't Slow Down at their concerts, which they were nice enough to do last Friday.

I should mention that my girlfriend and I haven't missed an opportunity to see Saves the Day on any of their tours since about 2006, so this one is near and dear to me.

Saves the Day - Hot Time in Delaware (1998)
Movie Sampled - A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

And for comparison's sake, here's what Saves the Day sounds more like now:

**Both Lifetime links lead to a song called "Turnpike Gates" which also used a film sample intro.

New Found Glory - Hit or Miss

2010-02-25T19:00:00.002-05:00

Movie Samples as Song Intros 3
I mentioned last Friday I'd be seeing pop-punk stalwarts New Found Glory in Atlantic City with Saves the Day supporting. It occurs to me now both bands have gone the movie scene intro route in their past.

"Hit or Miss" is by far the most popular song New Found Glory have written in their 13 year career. I doubt they've ever gone an entire set without playing it. In fact, it appears on each of their first two LPs. The first album, Nothing Gold Can Stay which contains the film sample (and others) came out in early 1999 on Eulogy but was re-released later that year on Drive-Thru Records. When the band released their self-titled album the following year on Drive-Thru (but this time with some money from MCA) producers had the band record a more cleaned up version of the song (and remove the 'A' from their name).

A New Found Glory - Hit or Miss (1999)
Movie Sampled - The Outsiders (1983)

Ash - Kung Fu

2010-02-23T23:41:00.003-05:00

Movie Samples as Song Intros 2
Quick! What is the best band to come from Ireland? Here's a hint. It's definitely not U2. Personally, I'm going to say it's Ash. To hear what they sound like, have a listen to "Kung Fu." When you love that, I suggest picking up their version of a greatest hits record called Intergalactic Sonic 7".

Ash - Kung Fu (1995)
Movie Sampled: Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind

Movie Samples

2010-02-23T20:23:00.003-05:00

In the late 90s and early 00s it became common for punk bands that I like to intro some tracks with clips of movie scenes. I was never quite sure why, but I've always found it interesting and enjoyable. I'm trying to research who may have started the practice, but so far the earliest example I've found (I'm sure there are earlier examples) was this:

Guns 'N Roses - Civil War (1991)
Movie:Cool Hand Luke

I'll be posting some of favorite examples as I research this. Feel free to chime in.

Arctic Monkeys on SNL

2010-02-23T19:43:00.003-05:00

Speaking of musical guests, my favorite performance of all time was the Arctic Monkeys performance of "A Certain Romance" on SNL. I had never heard of them or the song, but after seeing them that night I've been a fan since. Unfortunately, NBC has pulled the video. What I remember most about that specific song (they played 2 that night) was that at one point their lead singer (Alex Turner) noticed an audience member yawning and pointed it out mid-song and continued on disgusted. The guitarist broke his guitar as he slammed it in anger after the song. I guess the single yawn justified the band's apprehension to leave the UK for the first time. Anyway, that part of the performance is of course still alive and well here on youtube.

Airborne Toxic Event

2010-02-23T19:18:00.004-05:00

If it's not too late, I'd like to put in a nomination for Best Musical Guest on a Late Show of 2009. It was the January 16th performance of "Sometime Around Midnight" by Airborne Toxic Event on Letterman. Just a great performance of an otherwise still fantastic song made all the better by being performed live. Got it?

Please watch it HERE.

Apple Pie Cowboy Toothpaste

2010-02-21T00:16:00.004-05:00

If you listen closely to "Apple Pie Cowboy Toothpaste" (starting at 2:38) from Fenix TX's self-titled album, the otherwise standard pop-punk song becomes a tribute to this scene from the 1984 smash hit Revenge of the Nerds.

In case you need me...

2010-02-19T15:43:00.002-05:00

I'll be at the House of Blues in AC seeing this tonight:
I've alwayws wanted to see one of my favorite albums played start to finish live (this kind of thing happens maybe once a year), and I'll finally get to. Plus Saves the Day will be there. Can't go wrong.

Small Wonder DVD

2010-02-17T19:38:00.002-05:00

The 1985 tv series Small Wonder,a delightful little show about a robotic daughter brought home form the lab so that it can "mature within a family environment," (hilarity inevitably ensued) was officially brought to DVD this week. This begs the question, "who the hell asked for a DVD of Small Wonder?"

Look, I'll admit as 7 year old watching reruns of the show, VICI's (Vicky) literal interpretation of human speech was unending in its wealth of hilarity. A robot mocking humans is sometimes funny, sometimes not (see:Bicentennial Man). The fact that I even remembered the show when I read about this and decided it was post-worthy is plenty proof that I liked it as some time. But there are just so many shows that need to have official DVDs made before we bestow a show the likes of Small Wonder with that honor. Quick research reveals that even The Wonder Years (the charming television show, not the Philadelphia-based punk rock band) hasn't been made into DVD yet. But there are many more. For example, why isn't every season of SNL on DVD? I'd buy that. I'd spend significant money on that. So I ask, with love, WTF television industry?

The Philadelphia Mafia

2010-02-17T19:25:00.004-05:00

After reading that a recently deceased ex-mob associate was a frequenter of my favorite local bar, I wondered, "hey, what ever happened to the South Philly mob?"

Luckily, Philadelphia Magazine had my back, as THIS ARTICLE answers that question superbly. It's 12 pages, but it's a quick read and if you're at all interested in the mafia, it's worth reading.

Glengarry Glen Ross

2010-02-15T13:24:00.005-05:00

I've not seen the film Glengarry Glen Ross, but I've seen this scene about a dozen times since it was spoofed as "Glengarry Glen Elf" on SNL a few Christmases ago (and every Christmas thereafter in my house). I figure there's really not much else to see after watching the greatest scene in the history of cinema.

Local Olympians - Ben Agosto & Tanith Belbin

2010-02-15T11:22:00.002-05:00

Ice Dancing

Rounding out this disappointing list of local Olympians are the pair of Belbin and Agosto, ice dancers. Though neither are from the area originally (Belbin is Canadian-American but competes as an American, Agosto is from Chicago), the pair have made their home in nearby Aston, PA, whose Ice Works ice rink is apparently some sort of figure skating mecca. Who knew?

Ice Dancing kicks off...sometime this week I'm guessing.

Local Olympian - Allison Baver

2010-02-15T10:57:00.002-05:00

Women's Speed Skating

Speed Skater Allison Baver is from Reading, PA, which isn't exactly local to Philadelphia, but is worth noting here anyway if only because she's one of the few female Olympians you might consider hot. When she's not winning medals in her chosen sport, she can be seen elsewhere modeling...something, probably, and ending up on people's hackneyed "Hottest Olympian" lists. She's also got her own website at AllisonBaver.com, which most Olympians don't have.

Allison starts things off with the 1000m this Thursday at 1pm.

Local Olympian - Eric Bernotas

2010-02-14T11:29:00.005-05:00

Men's Skeleton

Skeleton is the event that is pretty much the luge, but you go race headfirst down the track instead of on your back with your feet out front. So you'd have to be pretty crazy to get into a sport like that. From wikipedia:

A native of West Chester, Pennsylvania, Bernotas has Tourette syndrome and has suffered through alcoholism and depression.

Eric begins his quest for gold Thursday the 18th at 9:30pm EST.

Local Olympian - Johnny Weir

2010-02-13T15:11:00.003-05:00

Johnny Weir - Figure Skating

If figure skating is more your thing, or if you just enjoy career ending face plants, Johnny Weir is your guy. Unlike Bobby Ryan, Johnny has been local for his entire life. From wikipedia:

Weir was born in Coatesville, Chester County, Pennsylvania to parents John and Patti Weir. He has a brother, Brian, who is four years his junior. Weir was raised in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, a town in southern Lancaster County. His family moved to Newark, Delaware soon after Johnny began skating at the age of twelve to be near his training rink and coach. In the summer of 2007, he moved to Lyndhurst, New Jersey and began training in nearby Wayne, New Jersey.

Do your thing, Johnny. Whatever that is.

2/14 Update: It seems Johnny is not without his share of drama, as he's received threats from anti-fur activists about his coats and has scrapped any plans to stay at a hotel while in Vancouver.

Local Olympian - Bobby Ryan

2010-02-13T14:54:00.004-05:00

Bobby Ryan - Ice Hockey

The Anaheim Duck phenom's local connection is that he was born Bobby Stevenson, Roller Hockey Star in Cherry Hill, NJ. Unfortunately, he didn't become known as Bobby Ryan, Olympic Caliber Ice Hockey Player until well after leaving the tri-state area for El Segundo, California on the heels of his father's bail release after attempting to murder his mother in New Jersey. Oddly enough, all three--Bobby, would-be-murderer father, and would-be-murder victim mother, fled to California, apparently on positive terms, and all changed their surname to "Ryan" as an attempt to hide from the law.

The story is fascinating, and you can READ IT HERE.

Team USA Men's Hockey kicks off against the Swiss on Tuesday.

Get to Know a Local Olympian

2010-02-12T22:01:00.004-05:00

The Olympics are a gathering of elite athletes competing in a wide range of sports, most of which none of us pay any attention to between Olympics. And although they are shoved in our collective faces on all of NBCs many networks in place of some of our favorite shows for two weeks, it usually takes a bit of motivation to watch at all, let alone root for anyone, even our home country.

So if you're someone who would rather root for an athlete from within an hour of your house, and you happen, like me, to be from Philadelphia, this is going to be the blog to visit for the next 7 or so posts.

USA Snowboarding

2010-02-12T14:19:00.002-05:00

After careful deliberation I've finally decided that I'm fully on board with Team USA Snowboarding's decision to wear "jeans themed" snowboard pants and a red, white, and blue flannel jackets. Because when I think of America, I think of the blue collar amongst us, and when I think of the blue collar amongst us Shaun White immediately comes to mind as the perfect icon.

And look at that eagle patch! I want one!

Garry Shandling Movie Poster Project

2010-02-09T16:55:00.002-05:00

Re-posted from every single blog on the planet:

Tim & Eric's Tim Heidecker has posted a bunch of movie posters photoshopped to include Garry Shandling on his blog.

Wu-Tang Vs. The Beatles

2010-02-06T22:56:00.003-05:00

If you're snowed in this weekend like I am, why not take the opportunity to give some new music a chance. Even if that new music involves Wu-Tang.

Enter the Magical Mystery Chambers is the best mash-up album since Danger Mouse made the Grey Album six years ago. In it, Wu-Tang lyrics are set to Beatles songs and covers of Beatles songs, with some interludes thrown in which are full of poignant interview snippets.

Appropriately, ODB's (AKA Dirt McGirk) "Got Your Money" is set to "You Never Give Me Your Money."

Great Forgotten Songs

2010-02-05T00:18:00.002-05:00

Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hell

Squirrel Nut Zippers - New Music - More Music Videos

Hands down the best thing to happen in 1997. As a 12 year old lad this video scared the hell out of me. Wish these guys would resurface with some more weird music.

Great Forgotten Songs

2010-02-05T00:10:00.003-05:00

Harvey Danger - Flagpole Sitta

Flagpole Sitta @ Yahoo! Video

What the hell happened to Harvey Danger? "Flagpole Sitta" could possibly be one of the greatest songs of the 1990s. So, let's all take a moment today to remember these guys.

They also did a fantastic version of The English Beat's "Save it For Later."

Situations About to Go Horribly Awry

2010-02-04T12:30:00.003-05:00

Here are 23 situations about to go horribly awry.

Brought to you by the good folks at Cracked.com.

New Team / Old Helmet, Pads

2010-02-03T10:06:00.002-05:00

The only thing in pro hockey rarer than the penalty shot is the awkward game or so in which a recently traded goalie is forced to wear his former team's colors on his pads and facemask until he has time to order new gear.

Above you see new Maple Leaf goalie Jean-Sebastian Giguere clearly wearing a facemask that supports the Anaheim Ducks.

Star Wars Sneakers

2010-02-02T21:41:00.003-05:00

Do I want the new Adidas Lukes? Yep.

Apparently in 2010 Adidas will have an entire catalog of this stuff. See it HERE.

Web Sheriff 2

2010-02-02T20:25:00.005-05:00

Since my musical tastes are officially on Web Sheriff's radar, I thought I should make another statement about it. This is the last time I'll mention it.

This blog does not have a large population of regular readers. It exists only as a cathartic, creative release and a log of things I find particularly awesome and worth sharing with whoever may be out there reading. I don't advertise the blog anywhere or even talk about it or acknowledge its existence amongst anyone other than my girlfriend. My facebook profile lists it as a favorite website but nothing more than that. But while I do not know (or particularly care) who or how many people are reading it, I can guarantee that a person accessing this page will discover something new, however useless that information might be. Mostly this new information comes in the form of me talking about music and then posting a streaming example of the band in question. These are streams that exist for public use on various websites, some more dubious than others. I'm not condoning these websites, nor am I teaching anyone how to download pirated material, but I do find streaming full mp3s to be the only logical way to promote a band I like, and sometimes the only way to accomplish this is through websites like Skreemr or Grooveshark. I think free streaming music is so important that every band should make new albums available for streaming in their entirety before, during, and for a time after the album goes to market. If record companies want us to buy their product, they need to make the product a known quantity. You shouldn't blindly buy Taylor Swift's album because you heard "You Belong to Me" and are keeping your fingers crossed that the rest of her album will be just as good. You should buy it because it's good and therefore you'd like to own it. You get the point. This should include giving fans the ability to share as well as a way to compensate the artist for streams. Right now, literally none of this happens, but Grooveshark sort of gets it, so I'll continue to use their service. The labels still don't get it though.

I mention all of this because while Web Sheriff is being awfully nice in thanking me for "plugging" the artists it represents, make no mistake that his little notes of thanks are in fact thinly veiled threats on behalf of of Columbia records, and I shouldn't have to worry about something like that for being a fan. Specifically, it's lines like this that are confusing:

thanks, also on behalf of the label, management and artists for not posting any pirate links to unreleased (studio) material.

This bit was confusing because as far as I know, Columbia and Monotone do not yet have licensing agreements with Grooveshark, so in essence I WAS posting a pirated link by embedding the song. I have no idea who or what uploaded the Broken Bells song to Grooveshark, so it could very well be an illegal file. My point is that it shouldn't matter. Should I worry because I informed my friends about a band they would not have otherwise known? This type of free promotion can only help Broken Bells or any other band, and so I wish their dogs would be called off. It's a losing battle they are fighting, and the worst part is that I'm sure the members of the band wouldn't stand for it if they had the choice.

If you want to know more about Web Sheriff or just the relationship between labels, fans, and the artists and all else having to do with our rights as consumers in the ditigal age, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has been the absolute best source of information. I suggest you start with this article, which deals with exactly what I've just written about.

Broken Bells

2010-02-01T18:06:00.002-05:00

I heard a great song today during my morning commute that just wouldn't leave my brain. It sounded like The Shins', but when a simple Google search couldn't match "Shins" and the lyrics I had written down I was afraid the song might stay unidentified until, by chance, I'd heard it again.

But a last ditch Google search using the name of the singer (James Mercer) turned up a new band going by "Broken Bells" consisting of just Mercer and Brian Burton AKA Danger Mouse (Gray Album, Gnarles Barkley, Gorillaz). Seems like a formula for success if you ask me.

Here's the song that's making the radio rounds:

#1 - Paul F Tompkins

2010-02-01T00:44:00.001-05:00

I can't lie. The fact that Paul F Tompkins is from Philadelphia brings bias into the equation, but not much. He's certainly been a funny enough stand up in my mind to earn the #1 spot, and he must be doing a lot else right too having landed roles in both The Informant! and There Will Be Blood. Besides that you may have seen him in various roles on VH1s Best Week Ever and before that all over the place writing and acting on HBO's Mr.Show, The Daily Show (pre-Stewart), and Real Time With Bill Maher. Also, if there's a comedy podcast that exists, chances are Paul is a regular on it. Examples include The Best Show on WFMU, Never Not Funny, and Comedy Death-Ray.

The reason I love Tompkins' stand-up is his versatility. Sometimes he relies on his unparalleled ability to make funny that which could not possibly have otherwise been funny, which is to say his delivery and preparation of pre-written material are incredible. But he can also be funny on the spot as can be heard on those podcasts, which I think is an underrated skill.

Here's an example of making funny a story that is, by nature, not. In this set he talks about his mother's last days alive days and her contemplation of religion during that time. Which..obviously doesn't sound funny at all..but is. Just listen.

#2 - Louis CK

2010-01-30T14:07:00.003-05:00

Though he's been credited behind the scenes as a writer for The Late Show, Late Night, and The Dana Carvey Show (which was fantastic), these days most people have heard or seen Louis CK behind a microphone or acting on tv.

And although he comes in at #2 on my personal list (who gives a shit about lists?) CK could quite easily be the best standup on the planet right now if only because he's quite frankly the ballsiest. His formula is to just get in front of an audience and spill his pathetic guts out in the form of jokes, even if it means alienating the people closest to him. He says the things you won't even admit to acknowledging about life.

Here's one of his more famous appearances on Conan in October 2008.

#3 - Patton Oswalt

2010-01-27T14:22:00.003-05:00

Because not all good stand up can be based on politics, religion, and an overall dark world outlook.

Patton Oswalt continues to be comedy's King of the Nerds. Though he does incorporate some atheism into his act, most of his bits are derived by applying his nerdy D&D playing, Star Wars obsessive, english major's perspective to pop culture topics. He earns additional credit in my book for willingly including inside stories about his acting career into his material, which is rare for comedians with lucrative side careers to do. Both of his last two albums, Werewolves and Lollipops (2007) and My Weakness is Strong (2009) have spent time at #1 on the US Comedy chart, though admittedly I have no idea whether or not that's even difficult. Let's assume it is.

Here's Patton explaining the noble thing he'd do if given access to a time machine.

#4 - Marc Maron

2010-01-26T21:53:00.002-05:00

Throughout the entire tenure of Conan O'Brien's Late Night, Marc Maron appeared as a guest 44 times, and I can't think of a time he wasn't funny. Of course, on the east coast that meant you could only have seen him after 1am, or else waited until a few years later when youtube was invented. So you may have missed him, but it's not your fault. Unlike most mainstream comedians, Maron hasn't done any television or movie writing or acting in a very long time. His non late-night guest appearances are limited to a brief stint as host of Comedy Central's Short Attention Span Theater in the early 90s and a 2002 run as host of the VH1 game show Never Mind the Buzzcocks that literally lasted for 1 month. Lately he's been associated with a few podcasts and radio shows in the Air America Radio family.

The reason I think Maron's success as a comedian is limited to stand up appearances and other spoken word formats is that he seems to be funny only as a product of a seriously skewed world view and depression. I don't mean to say he doesn't write jokes, just that the jokes he writes need to be explained and are only funny in the correct contexts, which for him are best explained and explored straight on as stand up comedy instead of re-interpreted as sketches or plots. As a result, you'll hear him say "hear me out" at least once a set, as he strings the audience through his thought process. Like David Cross his topics tend to skew toward the religious or political, but only because he finds a way to see a tongue-in-cheek "conspiracy" in all of the forces that act on his life. He's highly funny and grossly underrated as a comedian, but I understand why. Any one of his 3 CDs is absolutely worth checking out.

Here's a 2001 appearance on Late Night in which Maron is disappointed with modern technology and also somehow offends Adam Sandler fans everywhere.

#5 - David Cross

2010-01-25T20:39:00.002-05:00

David Cross is a master of sarcasm, but what sets him apart from other comedians is his perspective. He grew up in the south, outside of Atlanta. You wouldn't know it by looking at him or listening to him, but his experience there was certainly atypical and often finds its way into his act. He's jewish for one, but only by birth. His religion is actually atheism which is probably the more outlandish of the two given where he grew up. Then there's the open letter to Larry the Cable Guy, and the super liberalism he can't help but bring out in his bits.

Cross would be higher in the Top 5 if he did more stand-up work, but he hasn't recorded any original material since 2004. To his credit, that's mostly because he's being doing more lucrative work, as his writing and acting are both top notch as well. You'll remember him as Tobias in Arrested Development or in various roles on HBOs Mr.Show. His stand up is pretty NSFW, and his topics are mostly political or religious. So when I set out to find an example of his funnier stand up work, I tried to avoid all three. I failed, but this is still funny.

So here's David discussing heaven at his most recent appearance in his hometown of Atlanta.

Top 5 Stand Up

2010-01-25T20:30:00.002-05:00

Last week's post about Aziz Ansari alluded to the fact that I have a specific top 5 favorite stand-up comedians. Let's discuss them here this week.

Daybreakers

2010-01-18T19:25:00.003-05:00

Score a point for the good guys in the battle for a decent vampire movie. Daybreakers is fantastic. If you liked the first two Blade movies, you'll like this.

See the trailer, HERE.

Ellen Page

2010-01-18T16:28:00.003-05:00

....for Cisco

By now you've surely seen Ellen Page shilling for Cisco in a series of television commercials. It begs the simple question, why?

I've got nothing against Cisco, and I've certainly got nothing against Juno, but its not often celebrities whose careers are aimed in the positive trajectory who are the ones selling out, right? Especially not for products which have little or nothing to do with the celebrity's established on-screen personae.

Human Giant

2010-01-18T12:35:00.003-05:00

Speaking of Aziz, you may have also noticed over the weekend that Comedy Central was running a marathon of his sketch comedy show Human Giant, which recently completed its second season on MTV. It was a nice opportunity to catch up on this hilarious and underrated show which may not run for a third season because of Ansari's other commitments.

Human Giant consists primarily of writer/actors Aziz Ansari, Rob Heubel, and Paul Scheer, but always features well known guest comedians like Will Arnett, Patton Oswalt, Tracy Morgan, Bill Hader, David Cross, and Cubsicle favorite Andy Samberg. The show's comedic perspective skews slightly toward the dark and cynical, making it stand out from other, more well known sketch comedy shows.

Check out their YOUTUBE PAGE for a wide variety of their work.

Aziz Ansari

2010-01-18T12:00:00.004-05:00

Parks and Recreation superstar Aziz Ansari has been funny for a long time, but is just now starting to get the attention he deserves.

Over the weekend, Aziz moved into a top 5 spot on my favorite comedian list with his Comedy Central Special Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening, which will air again uncut tonight at 1am or censored this Friday at 8pm. It's definitely worth watching or at least recording. It is 2010, people just record stuff now, right? Anyway, if you're wondering what to expect from an Aziz Ansari stand-up hour, his comedy is basically a dirtier Tommy Haverford.

I can't link his whole performance, but HERE is Aziz performing some of the material on Conan.

Great Music Videos

2010-01-12T23:23:00.003-05:00

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass

In my mind, Ok Go will forever be the champions of the music video league. Case in point, their latest video for "This Too Shall Pass," from their new album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky. This one was supposedly filmed live and features the Notre Dame marching band. Check it out HERE.

For context and further proof see also:
Here it Goes Again

A Million Ways

Irish Goodbye

2010-01-06T00:37:00.003-05:00

I learned a new phrase this week while listening to sports talk radio. "The Irish Goodbye." From urban dictionary:

irish goodbye:
leaving the bar or anywhere for that matter, without closing niceties, like a kiss goodbye to that annoying girl or mentioning something to your friends

So the existence of this phrase must mean it's a completely acceptable form of leaving, right? RIGHT?!?!

Other notes: This blog will probably pull an Irish goodbye if I get the promotion I'm interviewing for tomorrow. Also, if I ever start a band I think you know what I'm going to call it.

Worthy Compilations

2010-01-04T17:26:00.006-05:00

Rarely are compilation albums worthy of having for casual fans of a certain band who aren't avid collectors or just want to hear "the hits." Nobody got into The Beatles by listening to Past Masters. But in rare cases, a compilation can be the perfect starter kit. For example, I present Exhibit A:

Oasis - The Masterplan

1998's The Masterplan contains material that Oasis considered b-side but would have made worthy A material for most other bands. They were just hitting their stride in America at the time and figured they could lucratively put out an album of songs that could previously have only been obtained by import. It ended up going platinum in the UK (no surprise) and reached #51 on US charts. For anyone who enjoyed "Wonderwall" but doesn't know a lot about Oasis, I'd recommend The Masterplan.

	Oasis - The Masterplan

	Found at skreemr.com

B-Side entry:As a 7th grader in 1998 my Music Class was actually pretty cool. Every class we'd listen to snippets of popular music from all time periods and have "bonus quizzes." For an essay we had to write about a band and "tell their story." I chose Oasis having just received The Masterplan for Christmas and having been unable to stop listening to it. I had no idea it was a b-sides album, and I was thrilled that it included a cover of "I Am the Walrus."

The Only Rhyme That Bites

2010-01-03T11:04:00.004-05:00

The Green Day documentary The Only Rhyme That Bites, which sat in my Blockbuster queue for over a year as "unavailable," was finally delivered about a week before Christmas. Up until that point I had no idea what it was. I had no idea what the title was alluding to because it's not a lyric or a Green Day song title, but the dvd was described the same way at a bunch of trusted websites:

Green Day: The Only Rhyme That Bites documents the history of the rock band. Charting their progress from one of the many bands that were part of the San Francisco punk scene of the early nineties, to their breakthrough album Dookie, to their worldwide success with the punk opera American Idiot, the movie offers never before seen footage of the band.

As a fan of Green Day, I thought "hey, why not? It's got never before seen footage." So as I fired up the dvd you can imagine my concern when the first image was that of words saying "This documentary is unauthorized. No licensed Green Day music is contained herein." Fantastic. A Green Day documentary without any Green Day in it. I gave it a chance anyway, for about 15 minutes. At one point the focus shifted to a hard hitting interview with the drummer's mailman, and one of the more lengthy interviews involves a kid in the back seat of a cab who is billed as "US Green Day fan."

Next time I'll do a little more homework. Now I know why it took so long to come. It's probably Blockbuster's only copy.

Top Movies of 2009

2010-01-03T10:47:00.004-05:00

The list has changed ever so slightly since my Summer Movie Roundup, so here they are, best to worst:

1. Inglorious Basterds
2. The Hangover
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox
4. District 9
5. Star Trek

Honorable Mention: Watchmen, Taken, Sherlock Holmes

Top 10 of 2009 - Music

2009-12-31T10:14:00.006-05:00

3. Say Anything ( Self-Titled )

I consider Say Anything's Max Bemis a song writing prodigy. He's barely 25 and already his body of work is so impressive. Think of this band as a much more well read version of the pop-punk outfits you see trotted out and manufacted by big record companies to make a buck, but with actual talent, something important to say, and the means to say it cleverly. Say Anything once canceled out on a tour I had tickets to because Max, a well documented bi-polar, was so filled with anxiety he couldn't get off the tour bus. While I hated them for it at the time, it's that same bi-polar, all-over-the-place sound that makes Say Anything stand out. If you're new to them , check out ...Is a Real Boy instead, but eventually graduate to this.

	Say Anything - Hate Everyone

	Found at skreemr.com

2. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown

...because even their worst material is better than a lot of other music. 21st Century Breakdown was just another confirmation that Green Day has left behind the humor and disorganization of past records on the path to becoming a respected band of rock stars on par with the U2's and Pearl Jam's of the world. Consider this record a sequel to American Idiot or a more narrowed, subjective look at its cast of characters. It's a great listen made even better for Green Day fans with its many allusions to lyrics, characters, and plots from all of the bands past 7 LPs.

	Green Day - East Jesus Nowhere

	Found at skreemr.com

1. Dead Man's Bones ( Self-titled )

There's a new "DMB" in town, and this one doesn't have saxophones. I honestly found my experience discovering, listening to, and seeing Dead Man's Bones to be one of the highlights of 2009. That Ryan Gosseling is a creepy dude! This self-titled record was completely void of the pretensiousness one might attach to the musical endeavors of a famous Hollywood actor. It never feels gimmicky, but is instead a very sincere--charming, even-- and welcome combination of children's choir and songs about the dead and otherwise creepy situations. Whereas horror pop bands are inspired mostly by the shock factor, DMB are out to celebrate the darkness we all have somewhere inside. Best record of the year, by far, even if just for the experimental sound of adding the choir and the self-imposed rule of "no more than 3 takes." The only problem I had with this record is that it seemed like a seasonal listen appropriate mostly during Halloween.

	Dead Man's Bones - My Body's A Zombie For You

	Found at skreemr.com

Julian on Jimmy

2009-12-24T14:09:00.002-05:00

Julian Casablancas recently stopped by the Jimmy Fallon show to sing his version of "I Wish it Was Christmas Today." Also supporting is a much slimmer Horatio Sans.

Julian then stuck around to sing track 1 from Phrazes for the Young called "Out of the Blue." You can see that HERE.

Top 10 of 2009 - Music

2009-12-22T17:40:00.002-05:00

4.Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young

I wrote about this one here, a month or so ago and my feelings haven't changed at all. I'd put the first three tracks of this album up against any first three tracks on any other album ever made.

Also, SPIN put this album in their top 40 (at #30...) and they listen to much better music than I do (and also much more pretensious music too), so that's gotta count for something.

Them Crooked Vultures made Spin's list too, ranked higher than I did at #29.

Here's track 3 from Phrazes for the Young, "11th Dimension," an amazing synth-driven rock song:

	Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension

	Found at skreemr.com

This song contains the best lyrics of the year.

Goldline

2009-12-22T11:26:00.003-05:00

"Do you like apples?"
"Yea. Why?"
"I just bought my gold from Certified Gold Exchange instead of Goldline, how do you like them apples?
-Fin

Actor Scott Winters, for Goldline

Top 10 of 2009 - Music

2009-12-21T10:09:00.005-05:00

5. Brand New - Daisy

Brand New are the opposite of New Found Glory. While NFG still purposely seek out that which made their early work stand out, Brand New reject their past flat out. And it's this rejection of their past work, especially the beloved Your Favorite Weapon, that makes their growth as musicians stand out. There really is no more polarizing band to see live.

Daisy continues down the progressive path they started with Deja Entendu in 2003, using both soft and loud sounds to convey anger, and piano keys juxtaposed with crunching guitars as chaos. While the album as a whole never quite gels the same way as their previous release The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me,this record still has what it takes to be top 5.

Top 10 of 2009 - Music

2009-12-21T09:56:00.005-05:00

6. Weezer - Raditude
2009 marked the first time since 01-02 that Weezer put out records in consecutive years. But more than that, Raditude represents a shift in the band's collective demeanor. Once considered recluses by some, Weezer are now more visible then ever, and whatever it was that caused that changed allowed them to really let loose on their music, writing some of their best to date.

This record is so good that even the poppier songs, such as their collaboration with Lil' Wayne on "Can't Stop Partying" seems like just an ironic way for Rivers' to prove he can write songs better than anyone else.

Let's have a listen:

	Weezer - Can't Stop Partying

	Found at skreemr.com

Top 10 of 2009 - Music

2009-12-19T18:00:00.003-05:00

7. Coconut Records - Davy
I wrote about this record earlier in the year, but what I'd add to that post is that Davy is just a quick half hour of Schwartzman-pop goodness and an improvement on his 2007 debut. Many of the songs would fit well in the next Wes Anderson film.

	Coconut Records - Microphone

	Found at skreemr.com

Top 10 of 2009 - Music

2009-12-19T09:24:00.003-05:00

8. Them Crooked Vultures

As far as I'm concerned, anything Dave Grohl touches turns to gold. But that didn't stop me from being cynical about his new "super group" Them Crooked Vultures, specifically because I'm not a fan of Josh Homme's (Queens of the Stone Age) vocals.

This formula works here, though. Maybe it's John Paul Jones' leadership that keeps the pieces together, but this album makes me appreciate Homme's voice. Overall, the album is the only straight punch-you-in-the-gut rocker I listened to this year. No gimmicks, no pop copouts, and as a result it's been a staple of my collection throughout, and one of my favorite "gym albums."

What do they sound like? A mixture of Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, and John Paul Jones, of course. And that could only be a good thing.

	Them Crooked Vultures - No One Loves Me & Neither Do I

	Found at skreemr.com

Top 10 of 2009 - Music

2009-12-18T16:49:00.004-05:00

9. New Found Glory - Not Without A Fight
...in which the stalwart pop punkers try to stay relevant in the now diluted genre they helped create, and do so with moderate success. Produced by Blink-182 frontman Mark Hoppus, and (shockingly) more mature as a result, though I don't suspect the aging group can justifiably play this kind of music much longer.

In the category of "Best Album Artwork of '09" it comes in 1st.

Here's the albums best song, "Listen to Your Friends:"

Top 10 of 2009 - Music

2009-12-17T17:46:00.005-05:00

10. Cartel - Cycles
Cartel was a slightly above average pop/rock band out of Atlanta who happened to catch on at just the right time with their debut Chroma. At the time, their genre of music was catching on with the kids, so MTV picked them to star in "Band in a Bubble," a genius idea that put Cartel literally in a bubble where they were not allowed to leave until their second album was written. The result, a self-titled album, was an utter disaster.

Cycles ends up tenth on this list as just an honest, decent attempt by Cartel to remove the stigma they attached to themselves by ever signing on to "Band in a Bubble" in the first place. Not quite redeemed, but close.

Here's the opening track, "Let's Go"