bleu cheese!
hey since no one actually cares about music, does anyone have any suggestions about the next blog post? I will not talk football, it is over as far as I'm concerned.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
10 Albums/Songs/Artists you NEED to hear!
Hmmmm... I get the feeling that absolutely no one is reading this or cares, but whatever. I love hearing myself... type?
5. Midlake (artist) Trials of Van Occupanther (album) - This album is so great that I just can't stop listening to it. I mean it's probably been out 8 months and yet I continually listen to it. It's just a great American folk rock album. I mean, you could slip this in a mix with The Band and Neil Young and you'd barely even notice. I say barely because their are some contemporary indie influences, but for this most part this is a honest to goodness throwback album. It might be a little mellow for some, and in complete honesty I try not to listen to it if I'm already falling asleep or depressed, BUT it's still a great great beautiful album. Probably the most popular song on the album is "Roscoe" which I love because it's a funny name and a good song. I love the line "IWhenever I was a child I wondered what if my name had changed into something more productive like Roscoe. Been born in 1891..." Yeah I don't know what it means exactly but whatever, I like it. Anyways, this album has a lot of great sounds and instruments making it a very in depth full sounding album. I highly recommend, Trials of Van Occupanther by Midlake.
...to be continued?
5. Midlake (artist) Trials of Van Occupanther (album) - This album is so great that I just can't stop listening to it. I mean it's probably been out 8 months and yet I continually listen to it. It's just a great American folk rock album. I mean, you could slip this in a mix with The Band and Neil Young and you'd barely even notice. I say barely because their are some contemporary indie influences, but for this most part this is a honest to goodness throwback album. It might be a little mellow for some, and in complete honesty I try not to listen to it if I'm already falling asleep or depressed, BUT it's still a great great beautiful album. Probably the most popular song on the album is "Roscoe" which I love because it's a funny name and a good song. I love the line "IWhenever I was a child I wondered what if my name had changed into something more productive like Roscoe. Been born in 1891..." Yeah I don't know what it means exactly but whatever, I like it. Anyways, this album has a lot of great sounds and instruments making it a very in depth full sounding album. I highly recommend, Trials of Van Occupanther by Midlake.
...to be continued?
10 Albums/Songs/Artists you NEED to hear!
4. Mew (artist) Frengers / And the Glass Handed Kites (albums) - I've talked about these guys in other blogs and notes before, and still no one has commented or talked to me about how they've come to love them based on my suggestion. However, I'm gonna keep beating the drum. They're an awesome band that sounds like an electronic, rock, fairy tale. Their music is both epic and beautiful without being sleepy or too high brow. Some of the best songs are "Zookeeper's Boy", "She Came Home for Christmas", "156" and "Chinaberry Tree". But honestly all of their songs offer something unique, cool and beautiful. If you have to pick one album, go with Frengers it's a little better, plus the explanation of the name is funny. Not quite friends, not quite strangers = Frengers. Haha. See! These guys are good. Check it out!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
10 Albums/Songs/Artists you NEED to hear!
3. Feist (artist) The Reminder (album) - You've probably heard a song or two from this album on iTunes/iPod commercials. If you didn't go and buy any of the songs then you're either crazy or lazy, because this is some seriously good stuff. It's for the most part a mellow, chill album but does pick up in some of the tracks. This is a very eclectic album with sounds that range from country to jazz to pop, and most people should be able to find something they like on this one. There are some great lyrics in songs like "Intuition" and the popular "My moon, my man". A lot of the themes in this album center around female independence and love. Pick it up and I promise you'll be humming along eventually.
to be continued...
to be continued...
10 Albums/Songs/Artists you NEED to hear!
2. Aesop Rock (artist) None Shall Pass (album & song) - None Shall Pass is the title track on this album and good enough to make me buy the whole album. There's a great , driving beat or sound effect that's just awesome. The whole song puts off a really great vibe . The rap is creative and delivered with ultra coolness. The rest of the album follows suit pretty much with an intelligent approach to hip hop, however I find it just a little too dark to put on heavy rotation. I would only suggest it if you love this song and are open-minded. But this track is a must hear.
to be continued...
to be continued...
10 Albums/Songs/Artists you NEED to hear!
In the next few days I will fill you in on 10 artists and/ or songs and / or albums that I've been grooving to lately and that you absolutely, definitely need to listen to and give a chance.
1. Amy Winehouse (artist) Back to Black (album) - Now I know you may not like the first single "Rehab", in fact I was a little hesitant of it myself, but please don't let it hinder you from hearing the rest of this amazing album. Amy Winehouse is a great throwback bluesy soul singer who makes you re-appreciate everything you love about Motown. What is so brilliant about this album and Amy herself is that she delivers each song with this punk rock attitude and sensibility that not only builds upon the doo-wop genre of the 60s, but makes you realize that a lot of this material and sentiment was probably there all along. It's just that it was either so heavily sensored to be recognized or you were just to unhip to know what they were talking about. It's kinda like if Ray Charles had sung about all the seedy stuff that was really going on in his life (heroin addiction, affairs, etc.).
to be continued....
1. Amy Winehouse (artist) Back to Black (album) - Now I know you may not like the first single "Rehab", in fact I was a little hesitant of it myself, but please don't let it hinder you from hearing the rest of this amazing album. Amy Winehouse is a great throwback bluesy soul singer who makes you re-appreciate everything you love about Motown. What is so brilliant about this album and Amy herself is that she delivers each song with this punk rock attitude and sensibility that not only builds upon the doo-wop genre of the 60s, but makes you realize that a lot of this material and sentiment was probably there all along. It's just that it was either so heavily sensored to be recognized or you were just to unhip to know what they were talking about. It's kinda like if Ray Charles had sung about all the seedy stuff that was really going on in his life (heroin addiction, affairs, etc.).
to be continued....
Friday, November 16, 2007
Christmas come early
As I was walking into work (downtown) today, I saw the most amazing thing. A hawk flew about 20 feet in front of me with a pigeon in it's talons. It was awesome!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
College Football Celebrity Deathmatch
So Herschel* Walker challenged Steve Spurrier to a fight after som questionable comments by the Old Ball Coach. A. I would love to see this. B. I wouldn't count the coach out. I mean, yeah Walker's a super athlete, but there's just something about Spurrier. I have a sneaking suspicion that he's not completely human. My guess is some sort of mythical jokester god like Loki from Norse mythology, and then maybe mixed with like a raccoon or something. I dunno, the guy is just crazy and funny and ornery. Admit it, unless you hate Florida for some rivalry reason, you're at least amused by Spurrier. I just imagine him fighting in this totally goofy but effective manner, and maybe even biting Herschel a couple times. Oh man I can't wait for the video game. Some super nerd please make this. Maybe like a college football legends mortal kombat. I'm pretty sure Bear Bryant would bite off Lou Holtz's head all Ozzy Osbourne style. Oh man, and maybe there's like a tag team option. I would totally put Ricky Williams and Earl Campbell against anyone. Hook'em!
Randomness and Imagination are wonderful!
Randomness and Imagination are wonderful!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Teetering on the edge
Observation: Old people are un-funny.
Have you ever been in a group of 40 somethings and someone tells a joke? What happens? Everyone laughs. Is this because after the age of 30 everyone gains some kind of comedic enlightenment? NO! The jokes being told are extremely un-funny and often are barely even an attempt. And yet everyone laughs. I've even caught myself doing it. I've politely chuckled at something, then shortly after thought "wait a second, that wasn't funny at all. was that even a joke?". What follows is an ashamed, disgusting, slimy feeling. I have a few theories on why this phenominon occurs, such as: A. people find it socially beneficial to be polite no matter how unworthy of politeness a lame joke may be. B. The older people get, the more they mellow and lose their edge. Edge is usually essential to actually being funny. C. Life sucks, and they take every opportunity to laugh and distract themselves from that fact, hence appreciation of bad and barely-jokes. However, I'm far less interested in why this happens to other people as I am scared to friggin' death of becoming these people. I don't know if my peers realize, but we are on the cusp of "oldness" and therefore becoming un-funny! In fact, I've seen some surveys where people in jr. high already think we're "old"! We are teetering dangerously on the edge of the young -hip / old-boring precipice. On the other side is an abyss of non-hilarity and polite smiles. Those of us who actually remain funny face a lonely existence. Therefore, in an effort to slow or reverse the process I have 2 tips on how to maintain your understanding of funny and stay somewhat young:
1. DO NOT laugh unless something is actually, really funny. In fact, you may want to not laugh unless something is absolutely hilarious just to challenge yourself and stay in funny shape. Smiling is fine for being kind to people telling "jokes".
2. NEVER eat pizza with a fork. It's just lame.
- notable exception - first couple of bites of a Chicago-style deep dish pizza. Those jokers are thick!
Have you ever been in a group of 40 somethings and someone tells a joke? What happens? Everyone laughs. Is this because after the age of 30 everyone gains some kind of comedic enlightenment? NO! The jokes being told are extremely un-funny and often are barely even an attempt. And yet everyone laughs. I've even caught myself doing it. I've politely chuckled at something, then shortly after thought "wait a second, that wasn't funny at all. was that even a joke?". What follows is an ashamed, disgusting, slimy feeling. I have a few theories on why this phenominon occurs, such as: A. people find it socially beneficial to be polite no matter how unworthy of politeness a lame joke may be. B. The older people get, the more they mellow and lose their edge. Edge is usually essential to actually being funny. C. Life sucks, and they take every opportunity to laugh and distract themselves from that fact, hence appreciation of bad and barely-jokes. However, I'm far less interested in why this happens to other people as I am scared to friggin' death of becoming these people. I don't know if my peers realize, but we are on the cusp of "oldness" and therefore becoming un-funny! In fact, I've seen some surveys where people in jr. high already think we're "old"! We are teetering dangerously on the edge of the young -hip / old-boring precipice. On the other side is an abyss of non-hilarity and polite smiles. Those of us who actually remain funny face a lonely existence. Therefore, in an effort to slow or reverse the process I have 2 tips on how to maintain your understanding of funny and stay somewhat young:
1. DO NOT laugh unless something is actually, really funny. In fact, you may want to not laugh unless something is absolutely hilarious just to challenge yourself and stay in funny shape. Smiling is fine for being kind to people telling "jokes".
2. NEVER eat pizza with a fork. It's just lame.
- notable exception - first couple of bites of a Chicago-style deep dish pizza. Those jokers are thick!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
For All SEC Snobs and those interested in Austin
http://sports.espn.go.com/travel/news/story?id=3088263
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
Concert Review
bThere was a reason I bought a ticket to a concert 3 months away on the day I found out about it. There is a reason I sent out multiple messages and created an event page on Facebook .There is a reason I burned cds for friends. That reason was Saturday night.
Saturday night Mute Math put on one of the best shows I have ever seen in my life. A passionate, creative, experimental band, Mute Math is incapable of having an ordinary show. As a huge fan, I knew this going in. Yet what is so remarkable about this band is that they continue to exceed your expectations no matter how high they may be.
I was fortunate enough to persuade a couple of newbies and non-listeners to go to the show along with a couple of other hard core fans and what we witnessed was nothing short of brilliant. I wanted the new people to fully appreciate Mute Math and to be somewhat familiar with their work because it always makes a show better, but I can tell you in all sincerity that Mute Math is one of the few bands that you can appreciate without having heard a sing note of their songs before. So if you're reading this and have the opportunity to go to a show but haven't really heard Mute Math, go anyway. In fact, I wasn't a huge fan of Mute Math after hearing their work until I saw them live. I enjoyed their music, but it didn't elicit the passion I have now.
Here is a brief synopsis of what went down:
We arrived fairly early in order to get decent seats and save some for other er people coming. This was my first show at the Tabernacle, but I was told that sitting in the first balcony, towards the middle is the best place to enjoy the show. Luckily we found those seats even though there were plenty of people there already and we didn't get to sit at the front of the section. Consequently there were some visual issues, all of us had trouble seeing one particular area of the stage because of the column in the way. It wasn't a huge problem though.
Eisley was the opening band and they were pretty good. I have a lot of love for them because they're A. Pretty Good, B. From East Texas (Tyler, which is about 1hr from my hometown)C. Named after a Star Wars reference. (Eisley = Mos Eisley = City on Tattoine where Luke meets Han and Chewie) That being said, they're just not one of those bands that translates well to a big live show. They're pretty mellow, so playing live makes them a little less sleepy but still not completely rocking and you can't pick out all the subtle beauty of their sound. So I enjoyed it alright but most people didn't.
While we were waiting in between sets we witnessed some pretty entertaining couples making out behind us. Who spanks someone else in public? Seriously?
After a break that probably seemed longer than it was because of anticipation the band came out under cover of darkness. Haha, was that literary enough for you? Honestly I don't remember the set list or what song they sang first, but I know it was one of the more energetic ones and that their crazy cool light displays were going off as they were rocking. Halfway through the first song a friend of mine who was pretty much a newbie said "yeah you were right man, these guys are awesome". And even though he's pretty much a pop country fan, he immediately asked me where he could get a cd.
The bands sound and performance were tight, with no mistakes as far as I could tell. They played pretty much every song you would want to hear if you're a fan and even gave us a new one, that sounded pretty good. If you've ever seen Mute Math live or seen them on n tv (youtube their performance on Conan), you have some idea of the kind of crazy performance antics they do. They do somersaults and jump everywhere and switch instruments and destroy stuff and experiment with sound right in front of your eyes. However, they do it with such a passion and creativity that it seems new and unexpected every time. In fact, you feel like they need to do those things because that's how you express that much feeling and love of your craft.
The craziest "antic" of the night would have to be when Matt, the drummer stood on top of his base drum while being held up by the crowd, and then jumped from the drum back onto the stage! That guy is crazy! If you wanna know what passion is watch this guy drum. He often bloodies himself and breaks things just because he plays so hard and crazy.
Mute Math ended the night with a rousing rendition of "Reset" the title track off of their debut album. It was everything I loved about Mute Math and a fitting end to the night, although no one wanted to leave.
I don't know what else to say about these guys, it's one of those bands that you can't always explain, you just have to see. Hearing their cd or even watching a performance on tv isn't enough, you have to be there. Every time I go to a Mute Math concert I am moved. I'm moved because it's truly awesome when someone is so passionate about something that they put their entire self into it. You may think being in a band is just kinda fun, but the dedication and heart put into being in this band is truly inspiring. It's amazing to witness someone doing exactly what they were called by God to do, and doing it without any doubt or timidness. That is Mute Math and that was what I witnessed Saturday night.
p.s.- for those who hate typos and grammar errors, I'm sorry. the display is weird on this thing. sometimes I can't see what I'm typing. sorry.
Saturday night Mute Math put on one of the best shows I have ever seen in my life. A passionate, creative, experimental band, Mute Math is incapable of having an ordinary show. As a huge fan, I knew this going in. Yet what is so remarkable about this band is that they continue to exceed your expectations no matter how high they may be.
I was fortunate enough to persuade a couple of newbies and non-listeners to go to the show along with a couple of other hard core fans and what we witnessed was nothing short of brilliant. I wanted the new people to fully appreciate Mute Math and to be somewhat familiar with their work because it always makes a show better, but I can tell you in all sincerity that Mute Math is one of the few bands that you can appreciate without having heard a sing note of their songs before. So if you're reading this and have the opportunity to go to a show but haven't really heard Mute Math, go anyway. In fact, I wasn't a huge fan of Mute Math after hearing their work until I saw them live. I enjoyed their music, but it didn't elicit the passion I have now.
Here is a brief synopsis of what went down:
We arrived fairly early in order to get decent seats and save some for other er people coming. This was my first show at the Tabernacle, but I was told that sitting in the first balcony, towards the middle is the best place to enjoy the show. Luckily we found those seats even though there were plenty of people there already and we didn't get to sit at the front of the section. Consequently there were some visual issues, all of us had trouble seeing one particular area of the stage because of the column in the way. It wasn't a huge problem though.
Eisley was the opening band and they were pretty good. I have a lot of love for them because they're A. Pretty Good, B. From East Texas (Tyler, which is about 1hr from my hometown)C. Named after a Star Wars reference. (Eisley = Mos Eisley = City on Tattoine where Luke meets Han and Chewie) That being said, they're just not one of those bands that translates well to a big live show. They're pretty mellow, so playing live makes them a little less sleepy but still not completely rocking and you can't pick out all the subtle beauty of their sound. So I enjoyed it alright but most people didn't.
While we were waiting in between sets we witnessed some pretty entertaining couples making out behind us. Who spanks someone else in public? Seriously?
After a break that probably seemed longer than it was because of anticipation the band came out under cover of darkness. Haha, was that literary enough for you? Honestly I don't remember the set list or what song they sang first, but I know it was one of the more energetic ones and that their crazy cool light displays were going off as they were rocking. Halfway through the first song a friend of mine who was pretty much a newbie said "yeah you were right man, these guys are awesome". And even though he's pretty much a pop country fan, he immediately asked me where he could get a cd.
The bands sound and performance were tight, with no mistakes as far as I could tell. They played pretty much every song you would want to hear if you're a fan and even gave us a new one, that sounded pretty good. If you've ever seen Mute Math live or seen them on n tv (youtube their performance on Conan), you have some idea of the kind of crazy performance antics they do. They do somersaults and jump everywhere and switch instruments and destroy stuff and experiment with sound right in front of your eyes. However, they do it with such a passion and creativity that it seems new and unexpected every time. In fact, you feel like they need to do those things because that's how you express that much feeling and love of your craft.
The craziest "antic" of the night would have to be when Matt, the drummer stood on top of his base drum while being held up by the crowd, and then jumped from the drum back onto the stage! That guy is crazy! If you wanna know what passion is watch this guy drum. He often bloodies himself and breaks things just because he plays so hard and crazy.
Mute Math ended the night with a rousing rendition of "Reset" the title track off of their debut album. It was everything I loved about Mute Math and a fitting end to the night, although no one wanted to leave.
I don't know what else to say about these guys, it's one of those bands that you can't always explain, you just have to see. Hearing their cd or even watching a performance on tv isn't enough, you have to be there. Every time I go to a Mute Math concert I am moved. I'm moved because it's truly awesome when someone is so passionate about something that they put their entire self into it. You may think being in a band is just kinda fun, but the dedication and heart put into being in this band is truly inspiring. It's amazing to witness someone doing exactly what they were called by God to do, and doing it without any doubt or timidness. That is Mute Math and that was what I witnessed Saturday night.
p.s.- for those who hate typos and grammar errors, I'm sorry. the display is weird on this thing. sometimes I can't see what I'm typing. sorry.
Friday, November 2, 2007
MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE MAAAAAAAAAATH
Ok, a quickie about the most awesome band in da world .Saturday night at the Tabernacle they'll be playing (Mute Math) and I believe tickets are still available. But Saturday afternoon they're having an instore appearance at Criminal Records in Little 5 points at 3pm. It's free. Check it!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Welcome
Hey this my new blog. I lost the other one. I hope someone actually reads this one. I don't have a set agenda for this one yet, so anything's up for discussion. If you fit any of these descriptions you might enjoy my blog:
You're passionate about good music
You enjoy art
you're a christian
you're a thinker and love to analyze life
you like sports
you enjoy cheese
you like graphic design
you have ever dreamed of being a rock star
you're poor
you just realized poor without the "r" is poo and giggled.
you think Pepsi is for bustas!
you breathe on a daily basis
you think inconsistent punctuation is totally fine,
you're a fan of flip flops
you wish you were related to Conan O'brien as long as it didn't make you pale and redheaded (no offense gingers)
you just got that ginger reference
you hate all things Oklahoma
you wanna travel and maybe have done some
you have a crush on Kerri Russell
you enjoy stuff
You're passionate about good music
You enjoy art
you're a christian
you're a thinker and love to analyze life
you like sports
you enjoy cheese
you like graphic design
you have ever dreamed of being a rock star
you're poor
you just realized poor without the "r" is poo and giggled.
you think Pepsi is for bustas!
you breathe on a daily basis
you think inconsistent punctuation is totally fine,
you're a fan of flip flops
you wish you were related to Conan O'brien as long as it didn't make you pale and redheaded (no offense gingers)
you just got that ginger reference
you hate all things Oklahoma
you wanna travel and maybe have done some
you have a crush on Kerri Russell
you enjoy stuff
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