Critics Are Cynics And Cynics Are Critical

Young Widows Saturday September 4 at 31st Street Pub!

2010-09-02T08:34:00.000-04:00

Young Widows are playing here in Pittsburgh this Saturday with Helms Alee and local openers Girlfight. The shit is going to hit the fan at 31st Street Pub. To say I'm excited wouldn't do my feelings justice. Watch this video, get stoked for the show, and come to the show Saturday.

We Have Signal: Young Widows from We Have Signal on Vimeo.

15 Albums In 15 Minutes Or Less

2010-08-30T10:27:00.000-04:00

I stole this from my Facebook. It was fun to do and think about. I thought that I would post it on here just incase I have people that read my blog who aren't my friends on Facebook.

The rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen albums you've heard that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes. Tag fifteen friends, including me, because I'm interested in seeing what albums my friends choose. To do this, go to your Notes tab on your profile page, paste rules in a new note, cast your fifteen picks, and tag people in the note.

Check out my pics and a brief explanation after the jump...

1.) Stars of The Lid-...And Their Refinement of The Decline

2.) Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys-Jumping From 6 To 6

3.) Alkaline Trio-Goddamnit

4.) Dodos-Visiter

5.) Murder By Death-Who Will Survive And What Will Be Left of Them?

6.) Radiohead-Kid A

7.) Slim Cessna's Auto Club-The Bloody Tenent Truth And Peace

8.) New Order-Power, Corruption, & Lies

9.) Brian Eno-Ambient 1:Music For Airports

10.) Skinny Puppy-Too Dark Park

11.) Beck-Sea Change

12.) Against Me!-As The Eternal Cowboy

13.) TV On The Radio-Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

14.) Junior Boys-So This Is Goodbye

15.) Q And Not U-Soft Pyramids

I thought that this would be a fairly easy thing to do. I've come to realize that it isn't. To me, this list of 15 albums may not be the "coolest" or most obscure or most grown up, but every one of them served as a gateway for me to whole worlds of music. Some of them are albums that I still listen to on a very regular basis and others are albums that hold a special place in my heart and always will regardless of how often I listen to them. All 15 of these albums either introduced me to a whole new genre of music or they showed me how good genres I already knew about could sound. Some of them changed my idea of what music was. They took the whole idea of melody and song structure and turned it upside down for me, forever changing the way that I listen to music. And the ones that may not have been earth shatteringly different might have just come into my life at the right place and right time. They got in my gut and will always be there.

When you're a music obsessed dude like myself, 15 albums is nowhere near enough to sum up a lifetime worth of listening, but the 15 listed above are a good jumping off point if you're trying to figure me out.

Under The Covers Volume 1

2010-08-28T18:50:00.000-04:00

"Under The Covers" is a recurring series comparing, contrasting, and talking about cover songs and the originals of these cover songs.

I can't recall the very first time I ever heard "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", but I know it was somewhere around 1991 or 1992. I was in second or third grade and had excitedly rented the movie "Cool As Ice" which starred the one and only Vanilla Ice. The version of the song that was featured in the film was Saint Etienne's. I immediately fell in love with it. To me, even though it sounds incredibly early 90s, it also has a very timeless feel to it. Maybe that is just because of how much I like the song, I'm not too sure. Soon after hearing the song in this flick, my favorite radio station at the time (Power 106 in Southern California) started playing the song. As history would have it, I was practicing to be a back up dancer for my elementary school hip hop group and recording songs off of Power 106 onto a memorex cassette. I was lucky enough to catch "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and commit it to magnetic tape. To this day, that tape of recorded radio is in somewhat regular rotation, thanks in large part to me craving this Saint Etienne track.

That brings us to the original version of this song which was written and recorded by Neil Young. Somewhere between 1991 and now, I came to realize that the song was a cover. And somewhere between finding that out and now, I learned that Neil Young was the writer and original performer of the song. And up until a few months ago, I never listened to the original. I think part of me was afraid that if I heard the original and didn't like it, that it would forever change my opinion of Saint Etienne's version. Thankfully, I love the original too. The best part about it is that the two versions of the song are about as different as they can be while still being the same song.

I'll leave my words at that and let you listen to the two versions and form your own opinions. Does anyone remember that movie "Cool As Ice"? Which version of the song do you like better and why?

Do you play baseball?

2010-08-28T18:12:00.000-04:00

Books: Check Em Out

2010-06-23T07:34:00.000-04:00

You may have heard of Neil Strauss before. He has helped write the biographies of such icons as Marilyn Manson, Jenna Jameson, Motley Crue, and Dave Navarro. Previous to this book, I had never read anything he has written. Admittedly, I was skeptical. I was going into this book thinking it was a comical look at the dangerous situations life throws at you and how to survive them. I was only partially right.

Neil Strauss has written a memoir about his descent into the sometimes frightening world of survivalism. Spurred by the eye opening events of September 11 and Hurricane Katrina, Strauss decided he needed a plan for "when the shit hit the fan (WTSHTF)". Having been raised in a high rise building in Chicago, his survival skills were lacking to say the least. This wasn't going to stop Strauss. What begins as a conquest for a second citizenship and some nature survival training turns into a life changing journey.

Initially, I was drawn to this book because I thought it would be a fun and easy read. The whole book definitely has a comedic feel to it. But somewhere along the line, the journey becomes less about making a joke out of the whole thing and more about the self fulfillment that comes along with being able to not only survive the most dangerous and dire of situations, but to also be able to help others WTSHTF. I found this book to be extremely inspiring. When I wasn't reading, I was usually daydreaming about how I would react to the scenarios posed within the pages. This book makes me want to push myself to the limits and know that I'm prepared. Which, I'm sure I'm not. Are you ready for WTSHTF?

Purchase "Emergency" Here

Coliseum-Blind In One Eye Video!!

2010-06-18T08:37:00.001-04:00

Hey all! Sorry I've been missing for a while. I guess I just haven't felt too inspired. I've got some good stuff in the works though. And this video is one of the coolest things I've run across lately. Coliseum's new record, House With A Curse, is out June 22. I'm sure I'll be posting more about that later. In the meantime, enjoy this great video from these great guys!

BrooklynVegan Presents: Coliseum - "Blind In One Eye" from BVBBG on Vimeo.

No Big Hair!

2010-05-26T08:16:00.002-04:00

Motion City Soundtrack covers Pavement

Where Are They Now?: Nevermind Baby Edition

2010-05-08T12:26:00.000-04:00

Have you ever wondered what happened to this baby?

Well, here he is now, all grown up. No more baby wiener.

Nirvana Baby, Spencer Elden from Barry O Donnell on Vimeo.

One Small Step For Man, One Giant Leap For Mankind

2010-05-01T18:58:00.000-04:00

What happens when you mix a MicroKorg synthesizer and "a 1980s futuristic sci fi vision of the United States under communist rule"? Chances are, you'll end up with some cold war influenced, dance floor packing songs by young Pittsburgh band Comrade Kangaroo. Comrade Kangaroo is composed of C.A.P.A. classmates George Cessna and Hunter Blackwell. As far as who does what in the band, George had this to say when I recently spoke to him: "When we play live we just blast the backing tracks while I sing and Hunter plays synth."

The band recently self released their five song self titled demo on March 5. The songs on the demo show similarities to bands like The Postal Service, Junior Boys, and O.M.D. There is a harmonious marriage between predominantly synthetic sounds and subtle doses of analog instrumentation, all the while, having a sense of humor and not being too serious. "Even though Comrade Kangaroo is all about the science fiction and communism thing, it's safe to say that most of the songs are pretty goofy and suffer from some major teenage drama. If it's not about girls, it's about robots." Regardless of any teenage drama, George has pretty grown up tastes, claiming that the main inspirations on Comrade Kangaroo are Kraftwerk, New Order, Julian Casablancas, and David Bowie. You'd be hard pressed to find many 18 year olds who have even heard of Kraftwerk.

Following graduation from C.A.P.A., George will be heading to MICA Art School in Baltimore in the fall. He didn't comment on the impact this may or may not have on Comrade Kangaroo. But it is safe to say that people should go see the band while they can. After playing to nearly 200 people at a C.A.P.A. battle of the bands, Comrade knows how to rock a crowd. This Friday, May 7, Comrade Kangaroo will be playing a show at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. See the flyer after the jump. While you wait in anticipation of the show, go check out Comrade Kangaroo's Myspace and listen to some songs. And remember..." if it's not about robots, it's not Comrade Kangaroo."

Visit Comrade Kangaroo's Myspace HERE

Who wore/wears it better: The Pompadour?

2010-04-30T08:28:00.000-04:00

Morrisey

Brian Setzer

Tom Waits

Johnny Cash

Quiff, Quaff, D.A., bad ass bitchin pompadour. The hair style has many names and many variations, but it's up to you to decide who wore it best. These are just a few examples. Please leave your choice in the comments section. If you feel that the best pomp isn't represented here, let me know who I'm missing out on.

As of right now, I think my money is on Tom Waits.

One more very special pompadour after the jump...

The Brandon and Charlie pomp.

Books: Check 'Em Out!

2010-04-18T08:52:00.000-04:00

As a 26 year old, I can still remember April 20, 1999, very clearly. This is the day that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered their Colorado high school and killed 13 people before finally killing themselves. Immediately rumors spread about the "trench coat mafia" and how the killings were inspired by video games and Marilyn Manson. Everybody needed an answer as to why these seemingly troubled young boys would commit such a heinous act.

In Dave Cullen's simply but chillingly titled "Columbine", we get an exhaustive look into the lives of these young killers as well as those involved in and affected by the Columbine shootings. Cullen was a young reporter covering the Columbine shootings in 1999 and has extensively researched these events over the past ten years. This story is told from a gripping third person point of view. The actual events of April 20, 1999, are replayed minute by minute very early on in the book. This retelling is horrific, graphic, and hard to get through at times. Initially, it leaves you thinking what monsters these two teenagers must have been to mindlessly kill so many innocent people. But after Cullen shocks you with the actual account of events, he begins to attempt to answer the questions as to why. The result is a harrowing read that anybody who has ever been a teenager should be able to relate to. It will rehash what it feels like to be young and confused and naive. However, by the end of the book, Cullen is able to make some sense of the senseless.

If you go into this book with hopes of reading about how horrible these two individuals were, you may want to skip this one. But if you want a true, accurate, and sympathetic look into this sad downward spiral, this book is not to be missed.

To understand a monster, you must first be able to sympathize with it.

Who's The Boss?

2010-04-14T08:13:00.002-04:00

Justin%20Townes%20Earle%20covers%20Bruce%20Springsteen

The Stuff Dreams Are Made of...

2010-04-05T22:10:00.002-04:00

The Awesomeness Continues...

2010-03-31T08:05:00.000-04:00

Alkaline Trio covers Archers Of Loaf

Don't Call It A Comeback...

2010-03-27T09:09:00.000-04:00

For those of you that are still with me, I'm still around. I'll be back with a vengeance. Some of the best stuff yet. Just be patient. As Ferris Bueler says, life moves pretty fast.

Moodles of Movies...

2010-03-16T17:36:00.000-04:00

Last night Lori and I went to see "Shutter Island". I'd heard mixed things about this movie from a few different people. But as I get older, I'm trying not to give any value to other people's opinions about anything. Well, let me rephrase that. While I enjoy very much to hear other people's opinions, I'm trying to keep them from swaying my own opinion at all. This is especially true with movies. Even if somebody tells me that a movie is awful, if it is something that I think I might enjoy, I'm going to go see it anyway.

In the case of "Shutter Island", I couldn't be happier that I ignored the "mehs" and "it was okays" because I give it two meaty, too short for my body, thumbs up! I won't say too much as to not ruin the movie for people who haven't seen it. But while some may say that it is a predictable movie, I think it is really more of a movie for thinkers. There are plenty of scenarios to contemplate and this movie will probably be one of my favorites of 2010.

Last weekend I had the joy of seeing the George Romero produced "The Crazies". It is a movie that will certainly appeal to zombie movie lovers, but doesn't completely fall into that category. Once again, it is a movie that makes you think. Many of your thoughts will be on conspiracy theories, but I think that is always a good thing. Trust no one.

And this morning I had the pleasure of walking in the room while Lori was watching "Enemy of The State". Yes, I mean that Will Smith movie from 1998 that is also about conspiracy theories. I missed the first ten minutes or so, but I think I remember seeing the first portion of this movie back when it was released, so I was able to figure out what was going on pretty quickly. Yes it was cheesy. But damn if I couldn't help but get sucked in. Pretty cool movie and Gene Hackman not only has an awesome cat in the movie, but he also has some super stylish glasses.

All this rambling brings me to the here and now. Tonight at Melwood Screening Room in Oakland, Lori and I are going to see "Breaking Upwards". I'm including the trailer below, although, I am not going to watch the trailer until after I see the movie. I'm really getting into the spirit of going into movies knowing very little about them. The director who is the male lead actor and the woman who plays the lead female role are supposed to being doing a Q&A session following the screening. It should be cool.

Breaking Upwards Movie Trailer from Breaking Upwards on Vimeo.

A little while back, Me, Lori, and Ben Kenny started a movie club. That version of the movie club dissolved after a little while. Well good news, movie club is making a come back. I've discussed with Ben and Lori that rather than watching movies at home that have already been released, we'd like to venture out to the theatre once every week or maybe every other week to see a movie together. We could do fun stuff like go out after the movie for Shamrock Shakes and discuss what we experienced in the theater. Or, if Shamrock Shakes aren't your thing, maybe we could do some Grilled Stickies a la mode. If you are reading this and are interested in being a part of something like this, let me know. MOVIE CLUB MOVIE CLUB MOVIE CLUB MOVIE CLUB MOVIE CLUB MOVIE CLUB!!!!!!!

Undercover...

2010-03-16T14:03:00.002-04:00

As of right now, "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" is one of my top five favorite songs ever. And Ted Leo's version below isn't so bad either.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists cover Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"

2010-03-13T19:51:00.002-05:00

MP3: Harry Belafonte-Jump In The Line

2010-03-13T19:39:00.001-05:00

Thank you Murray's Pomade for making it possible for me to slick my hair back and have it not just be all poofy. Now I just need to figure out a way to get it out of my hair without 7-8 washes.

Life Moves Pretty Fast

2010-03-08T19:50:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks have been fairly overwhelming at times. Two close family members passing away in two weeks has seemed to intensify all emotion, however big or small it would be under "normal" circumstances. I feel like I've hidden away some of my emotions when I should be having them. As a result, they've been manifesting in strange ways and sneaking themselves out over seemingly insignificant occurrences. Example: There is no way that the Oscars should've made me cry more than a few times. Or maybe the awards show was just especially good this year. I doubt that is the case.

To: Whoever has control over my remains after I die.
Please treat my funeral as a party. As little sadness as possible and certainly no dress code. People may wear whatever they'd like. Good music is a must.

Something kind of like Weekend At Bernie's would be perfect.

2010-03-02T20:42:00.001-05:00

I apologize for the lack of posting lately. Much like this photograph, things have been intense, chaotic, confusing, sad, hilarious, exhilarating, silly, stupid, and (Insert adjective here). After the jump is a song with the lyrics included that somewhat describe all of these feelings.

MP3: Against Me!-8 Full Hours of Sleep
Reinventing Axl Rose(No Idea, 2002)

When you sleep
no one is homeless
when you sleep
you can't feel the hunger
when you sleep
no one is lonely in a dream
without classes
without nations
when you sleep
she's standing there with open arms and one night could last forever
and if you asked her
she'd never let go
and you'd stay forever
and the sun's always rising in the sky somewhere
and if young hearts should explode from all the lies they've been told
let the new night bring you peace
and the promise of tomorrow
where we can wake to a new beginning
tomorrow
i'll all but have lost their faces
my friends and family
memories of all we had and the times we should have lived
and tomorrow america just might fall apart
tomorrow
tell me where will you wake up
beyond title
beyond lease
careers and laws
something more than borders on a map
and the sun's always falling in the sky somewhere
and if young hearts should explode
from all the lies they've been told
to live through one night like this
...
i would trade it for the silence.

Upcoming Pittsburgh Events

2010-02-23T20:31:00.001-05:00

Tuesday February 23, 2010
New Wave 80s with DJ Ez Lou @ Jekyl & Hyde (140 S. 18th St.)
Open Mic Comedy @ Smiling Moose (1306 East Carson)
Thursday February 25, 2010
I <3 Techno with Shawn Rudiman & Jwan Allen @ Brillobox(4104 Penn Ave.)
Friday February 26, 2010
Voice In The Wire w/ None More Black, American Armada, & Allies @ Garfield Artworks(4931 Penn Ave.)
Saturday February 27, 2010
Blacklist Royals w/ German Shepherd and Red Team Blue Team @ Smiling Moose(1306 East Carson)
Thursday March 4, 2010
Lazercrunk w/ Lazersword(NYC) @ Brillobox(4104 Penn Ave.)
Gabriel Iglesias @ Byham Theatre(101 6th St.)
Friday March 5, 2010
Restless! Soul Night-6 Year Anniversary@ Smiling Moose (1306 East Carson)
Saturday March 6, 2010
Slim & George Cessna w/ The Inseams and The Whips @ Brillobox(4104 Penn Ave.)
The Tossers w/ Outernational @ Club Cafe(56 S. 12th St.)

2010-02-23T19:39:00.001-05:00

Just a reminder. This show happens Friday. I'll be there and you should be there too. Be a part of Pittsburgh history.

The Blacklist Royals

2010-02-17T10:26:00.002-05:00

(L to R: Jamie/guitar&vocals, Nat/vocals&guitar, Rob/drums&vocals, Eric/bass&vocals, Alex/keys&vocals)Photo by Joshua Black Wilkins

With so much nostalgia for the past these days, it's hard to separate the people who are doing things for the right reasons and the people who are just faking it. I can whole heartedly say that The Blacklist Royals are some of the realest dudes out there. They are a "punk 'n roll" band from Nashville, TN who plays their own unique style of blue collar, southern tinged punk rock. This spring, the band will be releasing their debut long player for Paper & Plastick Records entitled "Semper Liberi".

On Saturday February 27, The Blacklist Royals will be playing The Smiling Moose(1306 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203) here in Pittsburgh. If you're in town, check out this show. With hundreds of shows under their belts, these guys will not disappoint.

And since they are coming to Pittsburgh, I sent Rob Rufus(drums) some Pittsburgh trivia so that he could seem like a real Burgher once they get here. See what he had to say, check out the correct answers and a couple videos after the jump.

1) What Pittsburgh produced television show has been public television's longest running children's program?

a)Sesame Street

b)Barney

c)Captain Kangaroo

d)Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

Rob: a)Sesame Street for sure

2)What is Wholey's in the Pittsburgh Strip District known for?

a)All night dancing

b)Burgh beer

c)Fresh Seafood

d)Perogies

Rob: c)Fresh Seafood

Even though everyone in Pittsburgh eats Perogies 24/7, I think I saw that place when I was out record shopping before the show. Maybe I am wrong though because I was too busy mentally jerking off to this sealed copy of "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" I found for cheap as shit haha

3)How many bridges (approximately) exist within the city limits of Pittsburgh (including highway, pedestrian, and railway bridges over 8 ft. long)?

a)20

b)75

c)120

d)375

Rob: d)375 (fuck it it sounds impressive)

4)What hardcore punk band from Pittsburgh was made up of members from The Pist, Aus-Rotten, and Behind Enemy Lines?

a)Voice In The Wire

b)Whatever It Takes

c)Anti Flag

d)Caustic Christ

Rob: b)Whatever It Takes (I know this is the wrong answer, but I thought Whatever it Takes was fucking awesome and that "green light, yellow light..." song was cool as shit! Their drummer was totally all over the place trying to showboat and shit so they never sounded that great, but the songs were cool none the less.

5)What Pittsburgh band that could possibly be described as the real life version of Eddie And The Cruisers are friends and sometimes collaborators with Bruce Springsteen?

a)The Iron City Houserockers

b)Donnie Iris And The Cruisers

c)The Jaggerz

d)Rusted Root

Rob: b)Donnie Iris And The Cruisers (This is just a guess. I always thought Donnie Iris was in the Jaggerz though so I donno.)

6)Which actor who portrayed Batman on the big screen is a Pittsburgher?

a)Val Kilmer

b)Michael Keaton

c)George Clooney

d)Christian Bale

Rob: b)Michael Keaton (he just seems like he'd say Yee'nz)

7)What world famous fast food sandwich was invented near Pittsburgh in 1967?

a)The Whopper

b)The Quarter Pounder with Cheese

c)The Beef N' Cheddar

d)The Big Mac

Rob: c)The Beef N' Cheddar ( I have no idea what the fuck this is, so it must be right!)

8)The Pittsburgh sandwich shop famous for putting fries and coleslaw directly on their sandwiches is?

a)Mad Mex

b)Primanti Brothers

c)Peppis

d)Square Cafe

Rob: b)Primanti Brothers

9)What Pittsburgh Steeler legend who was immortalized by "The Immaculate Reception" lives about a block away from me and I see around the neighborhood sometimes?

a)Lynn Swann

b)Terry Bradshaw

c)Franco Harris

d)Kordell Stewart

Rob: b)Terry Bradshaw ( I think thats right even though I never watch sports because I am still jaded that jocks could get laid in High School when I never ever could, fucking asshole!)

10)What famous actress left a bad taste in the mouth of Pittsburghers everywhere when while filming a movie in the Burgh in 2006 referred to the city as "Shitsburgh"?

a)Chloe Sevigny

b)Drew Berrymore

c)Christina Ricci

d)Sienna Miller

Rob: b)Drew Berrymore (just a guess because she seems like a fucking moron)

3 out of 10. We'll school you once you get here Rob...haha.

Correct Answers:1)d 2)c 3)c 4)d 5)a 6)b 7)d 8)b 9)c 10)d

Blacklist Royals - "Jolie Blonde" from TCSG on Vimeo.

Blacklist Royals website: HERE

What Cheer? Brigade

2010-02-16T09:11:00.003-05:00

This morning I had a newsletter in my inbox from the Anchor Brain website. Among other things, the newsletter was announcing the signing of a Providence, Rhode Island band named "What Cheer? Brigade". Here is Anchor Brain's description of the band. "The WHAT CHEER? BRIGADE is a rowdy 19-piece brass band that combines punk rock ethos with the mobility of a marching band. They play loud, fast music that reclaims public space and requires no electricity. Their sound incorporates elements of musical traditions found in Bollywood, Balkan, New Orleans Jazz, Samba, and Punk music; and that’s just the short list. " Does that peak your curiosity? It certainly peaked mine as it appeals to my love of brass marching bands and loud, fast music. Check out the videos below and decide if you are as excited as I am to have been introduced to this band.

Green Eyes from wcb on Vimeo.

Dum Maro Dum from wcb on Vimeo.

www.whatcheerbrigade.com

My undying love for cassettes

2010-02-14T07:42:00.002-05:00

A couple of days ago, I posted a link on facebook to an article in the Pittsburgh City Paper which discussed the emergence of two new exclusively cassette labels in the Burgh. It got a lot of response. Some people are pro-tapes and some people are against them. I think any die hard music fan born between 1975 and 1985 probably gets that warm feeling when they reminisce about their cassette listening days. I certainly do. And my cassette listening days still aren't fully over. I still prefer making a mixtape over making a mix cd. Back in April of 2008, Aquarium Drunkard writer J. Neas wrote an excellent article in two parts entitled "A Cassette Valediction". Anyone who loves tapes should check it out to reaffirm why we love them. And anyone who thinks tapes are dumb or impractical or just a hipster thing, should read the article to find out why we love our tapes so much. Follow the links below to the article.

A Cassette Valediction Part 1

A Cassette Valediction Part 2

Fist Fight In The Parking Lot!!

2010-02-10T12:02:00.003-05:00

This is probably one of the funniest things I've seen in quite some time. I'll leave it at that. Just watch the video.

Cold Cave show is cancelled. Boo.

2010-02-09T14:58:00.006-05:00

Monday February 22, 2010 at Garfield Artworks(4931 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15224):

Cold Cave

Dark New Wave/ish Post Punk from Philadelphia, PA on Matador Records

Hair Police

Expirimental/Noise from Ypsilanti, MI/Lexington, KY

Lookbook

Indie Electronic Pop from Minneapolis, MN

I'm pretty stoked for this show. It should be a good one. If you're in the Pittsburgh area, treat your ears and come out.

What A Weekend...

2010-02-08T16:31:00.002-05:00

Friday night at about 11:30, our power went out. It was out until Sunday at about 4:30am. The temperature outside was zero degrees when the power came back on. Inside our apartment, it was somewhere around 45 degrees. Considering we normally keep it at 70 degrees, 45 is pretty cold. But, we're back in business. Despite the 20-25 inches of snow outside, things are kind of getting back to normal.

Now that the car is dug out and all the necessary pathways are shoveled, I'm looking super forward to watching "The Buried Life" and "My Life As Liz" tonight. If you haven't caught either of these shows yet, you should probably check them out. They both have a definite cheese factor to them. But I can't help but love them both. The fun starts tonight(Monday) at 10pm on MTV.

Here is a taste of what you've been missing if you still haven't seen "My Life As Liz".

Speaking of U2

2010-02-05T08:21:00.002-05:00

Speaking of U2...Follow this link to the NPR All Songs Considered Blog. It is a really cool recurring series...

From the NPR blog:

"Note: This is a recurring series in which we ask our unimaginably young interns to review classic albums they've never heard before. Our current intern at All Songs Considered is Will Butler."

NPR intern Will Butler gives his take on U2's "The Joshua Tree" which he claims to have never heard before.

Read the article HERE.

An excerpt from "Eating The Dinosaur"

2010-02-04T08:00:00.003-05:00

Here is another excerpt from Chuck Klosterman's "Eating The Dinosaur"...

"Sometimes it's hard to tell if things that happened in your life only happened to you or if they happened to everyone. Every formative incident feels normal to the child who expiriences it, so sometimes it takes twenty five or thirty years to realize a particular event was singularly bizzare. For example, it took me a long time recognize that being institutionally taught to dislike disco in my second grade social studies class was deeply weird-unless, of course, this was a totally normal thing that happened to everybody in America who was born in 1972 and attended a public elementary school. I still can't tell."

What is everyone's moment like this? I'm still thinking about what mine may be. I'll post it when I think of it. In the meantime, post yours in the comments section.

Matt Skiba stops a fight.

2010-02-03T20:18:00.001-05:00

And to make up for my previous long, rambling, boring post, here is a really cool video.

State of The Union

2010-02-03T19:37:00.003-05:00

On January 22 I declared that I would go one full month without buying any new music. So far, I've been successful. At times though, I've been weak. I really want to buy the new Vampire Weekend but I'm forcing myself to wait. Chances are that even if I did allow myself to buy it now, it would be at least a few weeks before I really sunk my ears into it.

Since I've begun my self imposed ban on buying new tunes, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my motivation for doing so. Originally, I felt like it was the amount of music I was consuming that was keeping me from listening to entire albums by artists. And while this is partially true, I've come to realize that many of these full albums I was trying to listen to just aren't that strong the whole way through. It makes perfect sense that anything that has come out in the last few years is more focused on the strength of single songs rather than complete albums. This is how most people buy music now. They buy the song that they know they like. I, on the other-hand, still look at the complete album as an art form. When done well, listening to an entire album covers the entire spectrum of emotions. In my opinion, it's good for an album to have a beginning, middle, and end. But I also realize that some bands just aren't going to be able to live up to my expectations and that is okay.

While I've missed the excitement of buying new music, it has been really nice to finally listen to some stuff I already have. One album in particular that I've been listening to the whole way through a lot has been U2's "War". I bought this album when I was about 18. At the time, I wanted the songs "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "New Year's Day", and "Two Hearts Beat As One". And at 18, I listened to the whole album and thought it was okay, but tended to skip directly to one of these three tracks. Well, a few weeks ago, right around the time I decided to make an effort to listen to full albums, Ben Kenny mentioned on his facebook status that this was his favorite U2 album. I immediately pulled it off of the shelf and threw it on. And now, at age 26, I absolutely love this album. There is only one track that isn't completely awesome. It's in the middle of the album and called "The Refugee". And even though it's the weakest track, it is still listenable because it's sandwiched in between nothing but awesomeness. Now I know that in the year 2010, Bono is pretty cheesy. His efforts to save the world are admirable, but I don't think he has removed his sunglasses in at least ten years. But in 1983, when "War" was released, the dudes in U2 were not cheesy in the least bit. The songs on this album are super anthematic but in a great way. Anyhow, point being, I've been rocking some old U2 in a serious way in the last few weeks.

Monday night Lori, Cory, and I went to see "Until The Light Takes Us" at Melwood Screening Room. Last night was it's last night of screening there but I would imagine it will see a dvd release. Anyone who thinks they might be interested in it should check it out. It was really good in some ways. It had really powerful themes that can be applied to much more than the Norwegian black metal scene. Check out the trailer here on the blog.

The new/last season of Lost started last night. I was pretty annoyed by the amount of commercial breaks. And as much as I like the show, it actually moves pretty slowly. Lori and I were late comers to the show, so we had to catch up on seasons 1-4 on dvd. As it turns out, I enjoy watching the show with no commercial interruptions and one episode after another more than I like seeing it once a week full of interruptions. But, I'll suck it up and watch every week because after all, I do love me some Lost.

Well, I guess that is enough rambling for one blog entry. In a nutshell, I'm digging on U2, excited about watching more Lost, and I'm over watching the Real World. I don't relate to anybody on that show. I think that is what I hope for at the start of every new season is that there will be somebody really cool to actually shake things up and break up the cycle of slutty guys and girls who drink a lot and don't do anything interesting. Instead, "My Life As Liz" is one of my favorite new shows on the air. I'm realizing right now that I watch way too much tv. But hey, it's cheap entertainment.

I apologize for the boring and lengthy blog entry. This is my blog not yours. Thank you for reading.

This Weekend At Melwood Screening Room!

2010-01-29T08:57:00.001-05:00

This documentary is playing this weekend at The Melwood Screening Room in Oakland. Anyone in the Pittsburgh area who is interested should check it out.

Working For The Weekend.

2010-01-29T08:36:00.002-05:00

Is Indie Dead?

2010-01-28T15:46:00.002-05:00

Paste Magazine has a MUST READ article on the state of "indie" in 2010. Whatever "indie" may be now. Thanks to Rawkblog for the heads up on the article.

Read the article HERE.

New Radiohead song!!

2010-01-27T08:52:00.004-05:00

Here is a video from Radiohead's recent Haiti benefit performance at The Henry Fonda theatre in L.A. The song is titled "Lotus Flowers". I think Radiohead may be one of the only bands who says that they're about to play a new song and the crowd erupts in cheers.

The Guiltiest Pleasure of Them All!!

2010-01-26T10:55:00.003-05:00

This is my new most guilty pleasure. Who needs Jersey Shore when you've got this?!?!

My Life as Liz - MTV Shows

My quest to regain old listening habits.

2010-01-20T09:51:00.005-05:00

Modern technology is allowing me to become a hoarder of music. As of late, I'm spending more time seeking out new music than I am enjoying the music I already own. I sorely miss the days from when I was younger and only had enough money to buy one or two albums every few months. This forced me to totally immerse myself in those couple albums. I would learn every word to every song. Spend time looking through the liner notes and the thank yous. Each song would take on a life of it's own. Usually, the more time I spent listening to an album, the more I loved it.

Unfortunately(kind of), now I can carry around my entire music collection on one little ipod. At first, I feel like, wow, how awesome. But the reality of it is that there are just too many options. It is pretty rare anymore that I spend nearly as much time with an artist or an album as I used to. With any little change in mood, I can change what I'm listening to. Or, if I am tending to really spend time with a particular album, I have a hard time not feeling like I'm missing out on some other album that is on my ipod. I guess to put it very simply, it is bittersweet.

And this doesn't even take into account the amount of music blogs that I frequent. If I don't check at least 5-6 blogs every couple of days, I start to worry that I'm going to miss some gem that I'll never discover any other way. It is a sad life that I lead...haha.

This brings me to the point of this post. I am going to try an experiment. For the next month, starting today January 22, 2010, I am not going to buy or download any new music. This means, I'm going to be forced to listen to only music that I already have. And rather than allow myself to be ADD with my ipod, I'm going to make a genuine effort to enjoy full albums instead of changing what I'm listening to every couple of tracks. A month may not seem like a very long time to most people, but I seriously buy new music A LOT. So for me to go a month without buying anything is quite a test.

I'll keep you, my readers, posted. What I am hoping is going to happen, is that I'll get back into my old listening habits. Totally loving full albums. Almost all technology is working against me, but we'll see what happens.

And in honor of full albums, here are a couple tracks from one of the first albums I ever bought for myself. R.E.M.-Out of Time. I bought this cassette tape when I was about seven years old in 1991. I listened to it start to finish a ridiculous amount of times. It remains to this day one of my favorite albums of all time. Let's hope I can find this connection again over the next month.

R.E.M.-Near Wild Heaven

Out of Time (Warner Brothers, 1991)

R.E.M.-Me In Honey

Out of Time (Warner Brothers, 1991)

Deep Thoughts

2010-01-18T10:25:00.003-05:00

So the new year is in full swing. And much like in 2009 and every year previous to that, I'm realizing that the world is still full of people that are total douche bags. I encounter them everywhere I go. From the grocery store to work, from the bus to the dive bars I enjoy, they are everywhere. Here are a few examples of particular types of douche bags:

1) Party girls who refuse to wear a coat in the winter time-We've all seen this girl. It is a freezing cold Friday night in January. You are on your way out for an evening of drinks and good times. You decide that you don't want your nice coat to smell like cigarette smoke from the bar, but it is still cold enough that you should at the very least wear your old coat until you are safely inside and away from the elements. And then it happens. While you're walking the three blocks from where you had to park to your bar of choice, you spot them a block away. It is nothing else than a bergaggle of party girls clad head to toe in sequined tank tops, way too short skirts, glowing orange tans, and surprise surprise, no coats anywhere in sight. As you pass this gaggle of party girls on the sidewalk, you get great pleasure in knowing that you are cozy and warm while this group of girls glowing as bright as the sun is complaining in unison about how cold it is. And I suppose I should say that this isn't exclusive to girls, but the guys that do it would never dream of admitting to being cold. These are the same guys that wear shorts year round and claim that their legs don't get cold.

2) The people who rave about great service at a restaurant and then tip 10% or less-

By trade, I'm currently a server. What this means to those who aren't "in the know" is that I MAKE $2.83 PER HOUR PLUS TIPS. If I don't get any tips on a given day, then my wages for that day are $2.83 per hour. I'm pretty certain that this is the same everywhere you go, although it may be a little higher in some places where the cost of living is higher. Another thing that I know is considered to be standard is that when you get okay to good service you tip 15%. When you get great to outstanding service you tip 20% or higher. Here my friends is where it gets a little ironic. I would say that 17 out of 20 times that a table tells me what a great job I did and that I gave them the best service they've had in such a long time I can expect a 10% or less tip. Usually when a table raves about how great everything was, it is like receiving the kiss of death. And let's not discriminate. It's not only the white trash overweight family who ate more food than I thought humanly possible that sends the kiss of death, but it's also the yuppie get together for grandpa's 147th birthday that can result in the Mortal Kombat fatality. When gramps insists you bring him the check, you know a couple things. First is that the rest of the family is relieved that they won't have to pay for 7 year old Cole's insistence to order the most expensive thing off of the dinner menu. Second, and more importantly, is that grandpa is still living life and tipping weight staff like the great depression began yesterday. To him, a $5.00 tip on a $130.00 check is more than reasonable. I expect very little out of people, but please, if you can't afford to tip properly, don't go out to eat.

3)People who walk into oncoming traffic and get upset at drivers for honking at them and almost hitting them-I live on the north side of Pittsburgh, PA. It's certainly not the worst area in the world, but it is just bad enough that you've got lots of unemployed people who loiter on main thoroughfares during the busiest parts of the day. And for whatever reason, these people decide that instead of walking thirty feet down the sidewalk to the cross walk and waiting for the walk signal to walk, they're going to stride out into the street just as you're coming towards them. You think, what in the hell is this person doing and obviously lay on your horn. That's when the person crossing the street throws you the look of death and slows their pace to a crawl while they continue on their path in front of your moving vehicle. When you show no signs of backing down or slowing down the person stops moving at all right in front of your vehicle as if you're playing a lopsided game of chicken. Since we live in a country with harsh consequences for hitting pedestrians with your car, you have to choice but to stop. The douche bag wins. Until the one day when they come across an even bigger douche bag who doesn't care about hitting pedestrians with their car.

A few years ago, I saw a band play in Detroit called "The Black Halos". The singer, Billy Hopeless, said something in between songs that I've never forgotten and Lori and I actually tell each other all the time to this day. He said "Some people get it, some people don't. Some people will, some people won't." When I find myself in a douche bag induced rage, I have to calm myself down by remembering this. Sometimes, no matter what I say to a person, they are never going to get it. It's a lost cause. No use in getting so upset over it. I just try and steer clear of douche bags, literally and figuratively.

Here is a pic of Billy Hopeless. Obviously, he gets it.

Love Is A Mixtape

2010-01-12T09:02:00.002-05:00

This is a book review I wrote for The Allegheny View (CCAC School paper) in September 2007. I still feel the same about the book as I did then. I've actually been thinking about rereading it soon. If you haven't read it, give it a shot.

I’m not really an expert of anything. Unlike myself, Rob Sheffield is an expert writer. He is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone magazine and has been a rock critic and pop culture journalist for fifteen years. With the 2007 publication of Rob Sheffield’s first book, “Love Is A Mixtape,” I feel like almost every emotional connection I’ve ever felt between love and music was put into words. Sheffield shows a mixtape track listing at the beginning of each chapter. The track lists are from different mixtapes he has either made himself or acquired over the years. He uses the songs listed to tell the story of his own life. Sheffield’s story isn’t one of amazing stardom or wild uniqueness, but this is where the real greatness of the book lies. It’s the story of a lanky music nerd falling in love, losing his wife, and dealing with this “life and loss one song at a time”. This book is part love story, part pop culture commentary, and part eulogy. At any given moment in the book I could see myself in Rob’s shoes dealing with these real life dilemmas. This book might not be for everybody. Although, if you’ve ever fallen in love, with another person or a mixtape, I think it’s for you. I think Rob Sheffield sums it up pretty well when he says, “Every mixtape tells a story. Put them together, and they add up to the story of a life.”

Wokka Wokka!

2010-01-06T09:25:00.006-05:00

Last night, for only the second time in my life, I tried stand up comedy. It went much better than the first time. But if you were unfortunate enough to have witnessed the first time, that's not saying much. I decided basically on a whim to do it. My friend Ben is an on again off again comic and he occasionally performs at a Tuesday Open Mic Night for comedians at The Smiling Moose here in Pittsburgh. I planned on going to see him perform last night and got to thinking, I should give it another shot. Food isn't served at the Smiling Moose, just drinks. So I wouldn't have to worry about tomatoes being thrown at me Fozzie Bear style.

I didn't really spend any time writing jokes. I came up with nearly my entire 2-3 minute set on the car ride to the Moose. I've never really been one to get stage fright, but when I was being introduced, I felt a wave of heat come over my face and my stomach turned upside down. That went away after a second though and I was fine. I didn't get a huge rush from actually being on stage performing, but I have a feeling that if I was funnier, I'd feel differently about that. To me, the anticipation was pretty exciting. It's weird, but I feel like even if I would've bombed even worse than I did, I still would've been okay with that. Not that I'm into being humiliated, but just knowing that I've got the balls to get up on a stage and try to make people laugh is liberating in a few different ways.

I think I might do stand up again in the near future. I'll spend a little more time preparing and hopefully be funny. Funny is pretty relative though. But I look at is like this: if I enjoy it, who cares about the audience. Wokka Wokka.

If laughing at me or with me is something you think you'd like to do, let me know in the comments section. It will fuel my comedic fire. I'll keep you guys posted on when and where my comic in-genius will strike again.

Less Rock, More Talk

2010-01-05T15:27:00.003-05:00

When I started this blog, I intended to use it as a creative outlet. Somewhere I could allow myself to write things that I would want to read. Something to keep my brain from idling and keep moving. What it has turned into is another arena for me to use to obsess over music. As I'm sure you all may have noticed, I'm quite music obsessed. I don't think that there is all that much wrong with this, but it was not my original vision for my blog to be so music heavy. From this point forward, I'm going to make an attempt to do more writing and critical thinking on my blog and less mixtape posting. Hopefully this doesn't upset anyone too much. I'll still be posting music, just not nearly as much. Besides, I think people are much more interested in reading an interesting thought or story than listening to the mixtapes that I spend far too much time creating. Look out future, here we come!

That being said, here is a video that I think everyone should see. This is one of my favorite scenes from a film ever.

Monday Mixtape Volume 5 (The Tuesday Version)

2010-01-05T14:11:00.003-05:00

So, unless I have a massive change of heart, this is going to be the last Monday Mixtape for at least a few weeks. I need a break, and you my loyal readers need some time to enjoy the mixes that have already been posted. But since this will be the last one for a while, it's a Big-Un. Side A consists of some classic "darker" 80s jams. They aren't all super dark, but they fit well together. And Side B are some newer "dark" bands that all have obvious 80s influences in their sound. Do yourself a favor, download these songs, dub them to a cassette, and don't fast forward through any of it. As always, please support the creation of music by purchasing it.

SIDE A:

1) Depeche Mode-Fly On The Windscreen

Black Celebration (Reprise, 1986)

2) The Smiths-How Soon Is Now?

Meat Is Murder (Sire, 1985)

3) U2-I Will Follow

Boy (Island, 1980)

4) New Order-Blue Monday

Power, Corruption, & Lies (Qwest, 1983)

5) The Church-Under The Milky Way

Starfish (Arista, 1988)

6) Joy Division-Love Will Tear Us Apart

Substance (Qwest, 1988)

7) Echo & The Bunnymen-The Killing Moon

Ocean Rain (Warner Brothers, 1984)

8) The Cure-Fascination Street[Extended]

Mixed Up (Elektra, 1990)

SIDE B:

1) Junior Boys-Birthday [Daytrotter Live Version]

Last Exit (Domino, 2004)

2) Cold Cave-Love Comes Close

Love Comes Close (Matador, 2009)

3) A Place To Bury Strangers-I Know I'll See You

A Place To Bury Strangers (Killer Pimp, 2007)

4) Blaqk Audio-Stiff Kittens [JNRSNCHZ Blaqkout Remix]

Underworld: Rise of The Lycans Soundtrack (Lakeshore, 2009)

5) The Horrors-Who Can Say

Primary Colours (Beggars/XL, 2009)

6) Bloc Party-Helicopter

Silent Alarm (Vice, 2005)

7) Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Y Control

Fever To Tell (Interscope, 2003)

8) Ceremony-Someday

Someday/Cracked Sun 7" (Killer Pimp, 2010)

9) Midnight Juggernauts-Nine Lives

Dystopia (Astralwerks, 2008)

10) The Killers-Midnight Show

Hot Fuss (Island, 2004)

11) She Wants Revenge-Out of Control

She Wants Revenge (Geffen, 2006)

An Education

2010-01-05T08:58:00.003-05:00

Sunday night Lori and I went to see "An Education". Watch the trailer and decide for yourself if it seems like something you should see. I will say, the performances in the movie were excellent. It also has a pretty awesome soundtrack. I recommend the movie, but you can decide for yourselves..

I wish it was 1985 instead of 2010.

2010-01-02T10:44:00.002-05:00

Since Lori and I stayed in on New Year's Eve, we decided to venture out last night. Lori was feeling a good martini so we went to the Lava Lounge. When we walked in, this song was playing. It made for a really good start to the night.

The Replacements-Bastards of Young

Tim (Sire, 1985)

2009-12-29T13:53:00.003-05:00

This show is going to be one to remember. If you live in Pittsburgh, be there. If you don't live in Pittsburgh, find a way to be there.

Voice In The Wire-Steel Town Fight Song

Signals In Transmission (Eyeball, 2004)

None More Black-We Dance On The Ruins of The Stupid Stage

This Is Satire (Fat Wreck Chords, 2006)

Allies-Hydra

S/T (Hope, 2007ish)

Monday Mixtape Volume 4 (The Late Edition)

2009-12-29T13:07:00.002-05:00

During our travels this weekend, Lori and I both agreed that I listen to a lot of "snoozer" music. I'm totally okay with this. "Snoozer" is just a term Lori made up to give me a hard time anyway. She says most of the music I listen to anymore is boring and could be classified as adult contemporary. And while a lot of the music I listen to these days may seem to be mellow, it's anything but boring. BUT, just to prove to myself and my wife that not everything I listen to is "snoozer", this weeks mixtape is dedicated to Lori and doesn't contain anything even remotely close to what she calls "snoozer". Enjoy and as always, please support the artists by buying music.

1) Leftover Crack-Clear Channel(Fuck Off!)

Fuck World Trade (Alternative Tentacles, 2004)

2) No Choice-The Prize

Dry River Fishing (No Idea, 2004)

3) Refused-Refused Party Program

The Shape of Punk To Come (Burning Heart, 1998)

4) Death By Stereo-Wasted Words

Into The Valley of The Death (Epitaph, 2003)

5) A.F.I.-The Despair Factor

The Art of Drowning (Nitro, 2000)

6) Strike Anywhere-Sunset On 32nd Street

Change Is A Sound (Jade Tree, 2001)

7) Descendents-Cool To Be You

Cool To Be You (Fat Wreck Chords, 2004)

8) Much The Same-Wish

Quitters Never Win (A-F, 2003)

9) A Wilhelm Scream-Famous Friends And Fashion Drunks

Mute Print (Nitro, 2004)

10) Tiger Army-Never Die

Tiger Army (Hellcat, 1999)

A Roni Size Christmas Drive

2009-12-28T09:19:00.007-05:00

Lori and I did quite a bit of driving over this Christmas Holiday weekend. This means that we got a chance to listen to a good amount of music. While browsing through my ipod, I turned on "New Forms" by Roni Size and Reprazent. The first track on this album is called "Railing". As soon as this track started, I was reminded of what a Banger it was. In no time at all, Lori and I were bobbing our heads and just totally feeling it. Almost instantly, we were able to forget about the monotonous drive home to Pittsburgh from dreary and dreadful Detroit. So, for you my loyal readers, here is not just "Railing" but also "Railing Pt. 2". I dare you not to bob your head and fall in love with these tracks.

Roni Size & Reprazent-Railing

New Forms (Fontana Island, 1997)

Roni Size & Reprazent-Railing Pt. 2

In The Mode (Fontana Island, 2000)

Monday Mixtape Volume 3

2009-12-21T09:46:00.003-05:00

Sorry about the lack of posting. With the holidays and two kittens, things can get a little crazy. But fear not, here is this week's installment of "Monday Mixtape". It is a short one since I'm a little short on time. But don't be fooled by it's brevity, it still carries a lot of weight. These are just some jams I've been really enjoying this week. If I can find some more time this week, I'll do some more posts. Until then, enjoy the mix. As always, please support the artists by buying their music.

1) Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse-Dark Night of The Soul(Ft. David Lynch)

Dark Night of The Soul (2009)

2) A Place To Bury Strangers-Deadbeat

Exploding Head (Mute, 2009)

3) Blakroc-Coochie(Ft. Ludacris and Ol' Dirty Bastard)

Blakroc (BlakRoc LLC, 2009)

4) The Blow-True Affection

Paper Television (K Records, 2006)

5) Kid Cudi-Pursuit of Happiness(Ft. Mgmt and Ratatat)

Man On The Moon: The End of The Day (Motown, 2009)

6) Talking Heads-Girlfriend Is Better

Speaking In Tongues (Sire, 1983)

Monday Mixtape Volume 2

2009-12-14T10:29:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Volume 2 of the Monday Mixtape Series. Over the past couple of weeks I've been working on my "Best Songs of 2009" list. And of course there are a ton of songs that I've been listening to and loving this year that didn't come out in 2009. So this mixtape is dedicated to a handful of the songs that I've been loving in 2009 even though they weren't released in 2009. Enjoy, and as always, please support the artists by buying their music.

1) Stars of The Lid-A Meaningful Moment Through A Meaningless Process

...and Their Refinement of The Decline (Kranky, 2007)

2) Skinny Puppy-VX Gas Attack

VIVIsect VI (Nettwerk, 1988)

3) Air-Playground Love

The Virgin Suicides (Astralwerks, 2000)

4) Them-It's All Over Now Baby Blue

Them Again (Deram/Polygram, 1966)

5) King Khan & The Shrines-Welfare Bread

The Supreme Genius of... (Vice, 2008)

6) The Stone Roses-I Wanna Be Adored

The Stone Roses (Jive, 1989)

7) The Clash-Armagideon Time

The Story of The Clash Volume 1 (Epic, 2000)

8) Astronautalis-The Wondersmith And His Sons

Pomegranate (Eyeball, 2008)

9) Thom Yorke-Harrowdown Hill(The Bug Remix)

The Eraser Remixes (Beggars XL, 2008)

10) Vincent Gallo-When

When (Warp, 2001)

11) The Replacements-Can't Hardly Wait(Unreleased Tim Version)

Tim (Sire, 1985)

12) Chris Murray Combo-Why So Rude

Why So Rude (Unstrictly Roots, 2008)

13) LCD Soundsystem-New York, I Love You But You're Brining Me Down

Sound of Silver (Capitol, 2007)

14) Murder By Death-That Crown Don't Make You A Prince

Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left of Them (Eyeball, 2003)

15) Roxy Music-More Than This

Avalon (Virgin, 1982)

Charlie and Screech, my new best friends!

2009-12-09T09:42:00.003-05:00

This post is dedicated to mine and Lori's new kittens. They are pictured above. Charlie is the gray cat and Screech is the black cat. They are brothers from the same litter and are about 3 months old. They are awesome!

In honor of my new kitties, here are some songs with the word cat or kitten in the title. Enjoy, and as always, please support the artist by buying their music.

Stanislaw Moniuszko-The Kitten

(1819-1872)

The Cure-Love Cats

(Sire, 1983)

Blqck Audio-Stiff Kittens

(Interscope, 2007)

The Honorary Title-Cats In Heat

(Doghouse, 2004)

Des Ark-No More Fighting Cats, Ok?

(Bifocal Media, 2005)

Monday Mix Tape Vol. 1

2009-12-07T12:11:00.005-05:00

Here is the first in what may become a recurring series of posts. This is the introduction of the "Crytics Are Cynics Monday Mixtape" series. I think the title pretty much tells you all you need to know. What specifically is on the mixes will depend on how I feel that Monday.

Today's mix, Volume 1, is made up of some country/countryish tracks that I've been listening to a lot so far this fall/winter. These songs have been great for me on my bus rides during the dreary Pittsburgh days. I hope you all enjoy.

Please let me know what you think of the mix in the comments section and feel free to suggest mix themes for the future.

If you like what you hear, please support the artists by purchasing their music.

1)Slim Cessna's Auto Club-He, Roger Williams

(Alternative Tentacles, 2004)

2)Hank Williams-Lost Highway

3)Wilco-Sunken Treasure

(Reprise, 1996)

4)Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys-The Night Is For Dreamers

(Yep Roc, 2003)

5)The Haints-If You Need Me

(Green Door, 2007)

6)Beck-Already Dead

(Interscope, 2002)

7)Murder By Death-The Big Sleep

(Tent Show, 2006)

For All Mankind

2009-11-09T12:45:00.005-05:00

As a kid, I was mildly interested in space. I was much more interested in time travel. And Doc Emmett Brown and Marty McFly and flying Deloreans. After watching Al Reinert's 1989 film "For All Mankind", I'm rethinking all of this.

This is an 80 minute documentary consisting of footage culled from all of the Apollo space missions. The film is sequenced as if the audience is witnessing a trip to the moon from start to finish. The film begins with the astronauts boarding the ship and ends with them returning to earth. The footage captured of and by these Apollo space missions is the only thing used in the film. The dialogue is a mix of interview clips with the people involved in these missions and audio taken directly from the missions as they were happening. There are no talking heads and the narrators remain anonymous. Just stunning visuals with very interesting and very relevant narration.

I was totally entranced by this documentary. It makes you realize as a human living on earth, just how small you are in the bigger scheme of an entire galaxy. Not only is the footage from space absolutely beautiful, but the accompanying music is perfect. Brian Eno is responsible for the breathtaking score and I've been on a huge Brain Eno/ambient kick lately, so it was the right film/music at the right time for me.

I won't continue to attempt to put into words the feelings this film gave me. I'll simply say, if this sounds at all like something you might be into, check it out. I told my wife after watching this documentary that I wanted to go to the moon. This film had that kind of impact on me.

Buy the film HERE

Aquarium Drunkard comments on Charles Manson

2009-11-05T16:29:00.004-05:00

Over at one of my favorite blogs, Aquarium Drunkard, Marty Garner has reviewed/commented on Charles Manson's record "Lie". It is a pretty excellent piece of journalism and has sparked quite an interesting debate in the comments section of the page. Whether or not you choose to listen to the music that accompanies the article, it is worth a read. Check it out.

Click Here to see the article.

Fantasies of Time Travel

2009-11-02T17:41:00.002-05:00

Ever since I was very young and became obsessed with the "Back To The Future" Movies, I've been fascinated by time travel. I've spent plenty of time day dreaming about where and more importantly WHEN I would go if I could travel through time. Unfortunately, I have yet to build a flux capacitor. Hence, I'm still in the present, whenever that is.

I'm currently reading Chuck Klosterman's new book "Eating The Dinosaur". He has some pretty interesting things to say about time travel and I thought I would share a little excerpt:

"Here's a question I like to ask people when I'm 5/8 drunk: Let's say you had the ability to make a very brief phone call into your own past. You are (somehow) given the opportunity to phone yourself as a teenager; in short, you will be able to communicate with the fifteen-year-old version of you. However, you will only get to talk to your former self for fifteen seconds. As such, there's no way you will be able to explain who you are, where or when you're calling from, or what any of this lunacy is supposed to signify. You will only be able to give the younger version of yourself a fleeting, abstract message of unclear origin.

What should you say to yourself during these fifteen seconds?"

I read this earlier today and have been thinking about it pretty much non stop all day. I still don't have a definite answer to this question.

What would you use your fifteen seconds to say??

Buy "Eating The Dinosaur" HERE

Ryan Patterson(Coliseum) Interview!!

2009-10-17T10:41:00.005-04:00

Pic by Kacendre

Ryan Patterson is one busy dude. He is the vocalist/guitar player for the Louisville, KY hardcore punk band Coliseum, he runs Auxiliary Records and Auxiliary Design, and his "dayjob" is running www.shirtkiller.com , a place to find some of the coolest merch by some of the best bands around today.

I met Ryan in 2004 on one of the first tours Coliseum did. Since then, I've seen Coliseum perform a handful of times and gotten to know Ryan a little better. His tough as nails appearance may be a little intimidating at first, but he is one of the nicest guys around. I recently sent him some questions via e mail and his responses are below.

This fall, Coliseum, which also consists of bass player Mike Pascal and new drummer Carter Wilson, will be hitting the road with Young Widows(Ryan's brother Evan's band) and Russian Circles. Check out a show near you!!

Brandon Emerick: Methods of musical distribution seem to be changing drastically and rapidly. How do you prefer to obtain music for your own pleasure and what is your preferred method for putting out music by Coliseum?

Ryan Patterson: As far as my personal music buying goes, I still buy music, but not as often as even just a few years ago. I think this is partially because of my tastes in music and partially because of what’s coming out... I think there’s just less that speaks to me than there was in the past. This frightens me a bit, but there are still a lot of records coming out that I dig. I buy vinyl and CDs, I have only purchased two records on iTunes, one of which I couldn’t find elsewhere and the other I knew the artwork / packaging was going to be uninteresting. Obviously I put a lot of effort into the visual presentation of all Coliseum releases as well as the lyrics and want people to have an actual physical item to hold in their hands. Whether that’s a CD or an LP, it doesn’t really matter. That said, I certainly have the MP3 version of a number of records that I don’t actually own physically that I still love and listen to often. I think you can still become attached to music without holding its packaging in your hands, although the combination of imagery and music has always been very important in rock music since the 60s.

BE: With these new methods of distribution, do you feel the "the album" is a thing of the past? Do you prefer whole albums or singles?

RP: I don’t believe the album is or will ever be a thing of the past, at least not for anything outside of the radio singles world. I absolutely prefer whole albums. I do love a great EP, especially a two or four song seven inch, but albums have always meant more to me.

BE: Do you have any certain medium you prefer to use to listen to music?

RP: I listen to iTunes and iPod almost exclusively these days, nearly my entire CD and LP collection is in my iTunes and if I buy a new LP I usually download it as well. I listen to CDs a bit when I first buy them, before putting them in the computer, and I listen to LPs at various times at home.

BE: You've designed many records for many bands. If you could design a record for any band, still together or not, who would it be?

RP: Hard to say, most bands I really love already have great layouts... If anything, I would love to put together collections for some of my favorite bands with tons of photos, liner notes, and images. There are a lot of records that come out these days that drop the ball in terms of imagery and packaging, which shocks me. It seems that now, more than ever, people need to put care and effort into physical music products to make them worth buying. So, I can’t name any names, but any time I buy something new with a boring, empty package, I wish I could’ve done something to make it at least a little more interesting.

BE: Is there a particular album or a few albums that contain your favorite artwork of all time?

RP: I really love all the Swiz and Bluetip records by Jason Farrell, all the Misfits records, the later Fugazi records, Bill Widener’s Laughing Hyenas covers, Ignition’s Machination, Soul Side’s Trigger, Gray Matter’s Food For Thought, honestly mostly every Dischord or Dischord related record from the mid 80s to mid 90s.

BE: In your design work, you often use the fleur-de-lis, what is the significance of this?

RP: The image of three fleur-de-lis over the two solid bars was a nod to DC’s stars and bars and later the Dischord three X’s and bars mixed with Louisville’s city symbol which is three staggered fleur-de-lis inside circular text, because Louisville was a French settled city. We used this on some Black Cross, Coliseum and Breather Resist records, but eventually it just kind of faded out of use.

BE: While growing up in the Louisville area, who were some of your favorite bands?

RP: My favorite Louisville bands are Squirrel Bait, Bastro, The For Carnation, Shipping News, Endpoint, Falling Forward, Guilt, Crain, Bonnie Prince Billy, Wolverine Brass, Prideswallower and Young Widows.

BE: What were some of the first shows you ever went to?

RP: My first show was seeing Jawbox at a venue in Louisville called The Machine, I think it was in 92 or 93. From there it was seeing tons of local Louisville hardcore bands and whoever else was touring at the time. Seeing Lincoln in 93 or so was a really influential early show for me as well.

BE: You and your brother Evan(Young Widows) are serious musicians. Do you guys come from a very musical family/background?

RP: Not particularly, but I imagine it must be in our blood in some way, because our cousin Matt Jaha was Coliseum’s original drummer and also Lords’ bass player for a while, and he’s a virtuoso guitarist. Supposedly we had a great, great grandfather who played guitar, my Dad’s father told us that his father’s father’s thumb had been halfway cut off on his picking hand, but the nail still grew out... So he used it as his pick for acoustic guitar. I don’t know if that’s a tall tale or truth, but it’s a good story. We did grow up completely immersed in rock music, our Dad saw all the 60s and 70s greats and we grew up playing his LPs and 45s. I think just about anyone can learn to play an instrument if they put the time in, but some levels of creativity and rhythm can’t be taught... It has to be inside you somewhere.

BE: Can you play any instruments besides guitar?

RP: I can obviously also play the bass guitar, I’ve played bass in a few bands years ago and I always fancied myself as good or better at bass as I am at guitar. I’ve been taking piano lessons for the past few months, it’s something I’ve wanted to do for many years and it’s been very rewarding. It’s changing my musical perspective quite a bit and giving me a new way to write and express ideas. But I’ll always be primarily in love with guitars and amps.

BE: What is your dream guitar/amp setup?

RP: I’m generally a Marshall/Gibson man, so I would say an early 70s Les Paul Custom with a couple of Marshall JMPs or early 800s. At this point I have pretty much my dream gear though, some great vintage equipment and incredible custom made guitars and amps.

BE: What musical achievement are you most proud of?

RP: In general, I’m most proud of Coliseum, the records we’ve put out and the touring we’ve done. Specifically, I suppose my favorite records from my discography are Coliseum’s No Salvation and Goddamage, and Black Cross’ Art Offensive. I always seem to love whatever I’ve done recently the most, then quickly move on from it.

BE: Who were/are some people in the independent music scene that you really look up to?

RP: My heroes are mostly DC people, my prime influences – Ian MacKaye, Jason Farrell, J Robbins, Henry Rollins, probably a ton of others... Some of whom have become friends of mine over the years, some of whom I’ll probably never meet. Over the years, I’ve also been really lucky to know some people that I really love and respect as peers behind the scenes in music, like Gordon Conrad at Relapse, Kelley Cox my partner in Shirt Killer, Jeremy DeVine at Temporary Residence, Dan Sandshaw at Equal Vision, Greg Drudy at Level Plane, Andy Rich at Initial, a lot of great people that I’ve been lucky to work with.

BE: What are some of your favorite places, venues or cities, in the U.S. to play?

RP: My number one favorite place to play in North America is Toronto, outside of that, Chicago, New York, Gainesville, Austin, San Francisco... The biggest music cities are usually obviously the best places to play. Every place has its good and bad nights, we just take it as it comes.

BE: This past year, Coliseum put out a skateboard deck. Where did the idea for this come from?

RP: We all grew up as skateboarders, for me it was my entrance to punk and hardcore via Thrasher magazine and the music on skate videos. So making skateboards for our bands is one of those things that feels like completing the circle for us.

BE: What does the future hold for Coliseum, Auxiliary Records, and Shirtkiller.com?

RP: Coliseum is working on our next album, writing a lot and following a lot of new ideas. We’re turning down tours now and focusing solely on the record, once it’s completed we’ll start to get back out on the road. Auxiliary is putting out a reissue of Young Widows’ Settle Down City LP and might be reissuing Goddamage on 12” as well, but other than that no major plans. Shirt Killer is busy and doing great, selling awesome shirts for awesome bands, and we’ll continue to do that.

BE: What is your current top 40 guilty pleasure??

RP: Top 40 music? Honestly, I am completely out of the loop when it comes to any current popular music, I don’t have cable and the only radio I listen to is NPR... But, on a long trip recently we were scanning the radio and I heard about a minute of a Miley Cyrus song, “Party In The USA” I think, and it was pretty tough with a really heavy synth bassline. I can’t say it’s a guilty pleasure because I only heard a bit of it once, but I dug what I heard.

COLISEUM Tour Dates:

10/28/09 - Covington, KY @ Mad Hatter w/ Russian Circles, Young Widows

10/29/09 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl w/ Russian Circles, Young Widows

10/30/09 - Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds / The Fest w/ Coalesce, Torche, Russian Circles, Young Widows and more

10/31/09 - Orlando, FL @ Backbooth w/ Russian Circles, Young Widows

11/02/09 - Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree Café w/ Russian Circles, Young Widows

11/03/09 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon w/ Russian Circles, Young Widows

11/04/09 - Little Rock, AR @ Juanita's w/ Russian Circles, Young Widows

11/05/09 - Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves w/ Russian Circles, Young Widows

11/06/09 - Houston, TX @ Rudyard's Pub w/ Russian Circles, Young Widows

11/07/09 - Austin, TX @ Waterloo Park / Fun Fun Fun Fest w/ Jesus Lizard, Melt Banana, Flipper, Russian Circles, Young Widows and more!

www.coliseumsoundsystem.com

www.auxiliaryrecords.com

www.auxiliarydesign.com

www.shirtkiller.com

Millions of Brazilians on Tour!!

2009-10-08T21:59:00.002-04:00

So, to be completely honest with myself and my few readers, I have a very hard time thinking of the best thing to write about this band. I happen to be close friends with vocalist/guitarist Nick Cicchetti and I know that a relationship like this can sometimes influence one's opinion of a band. But I can genuinely say, Millions of Brazilians have the drive, skill, and sincerity that many bands lack! Nick is supported by guitarist Derek Dorey and drummer Zozzy Gruse. All three members have payed their dues and honed their chops playing in local Detroit bands since they learned how to strum a guitar and beat a drum. They formed their current project, Millions of Brazilians, about two years ago and haven't looked back. In February 2009, the band released a 7 song EP entitled "Half Horse/ Half Horse" on vinyl and via digital download from Itunes, Amazon, and Emusic. And very recently, MOB released a split 7 inch with The Gay Blades. I feel that the music is diverse but fits nicely under the umbrella of "dance punk" or "post punk". Lots of jagged guitars and fun as hell high hat beats accompany Nick's witty tongue in cheek lyrics. When watching the band live, you may feel the urge to dance, but also the urge to later look into just what Nick is singing about.

This fall, the boys are hitting the road with Detroit's Electric Six. The tour marks the first nationwide trek for the band and is a coming out party of sorts. They have conquered Detroit and are now ready to take on the nation. I recently had a chance to exchange e mails with vocalist and guitarist Nick Cicchetti. Here is what he had to say...

MP3's and tour dates following the interview.

Brandon Emerick: Where did you come up with the name Millions of Brazilians?

Nick Cicchetti:George W. Bush thought that there was such a thing as " A Brazilian", as in currency. We thought that was funny, hence the name.

BE: Do you feel like not having a bass player limits your sound?

NC: Actually, no. Not having a bass player has opened a lot of doors in terms of creativity. Meaning we constantly are problem solving and/or trying new tones, pedals, ect. Often times it just comes down to raw cohesiveness; Is the composition strong? Does it translate? So in a sense, not having a bass player has forced us into becoming better musicians.

BE: What are some advantages and disadvantages of not having a bass player?

NC: Well, I guess an advantage would be just having more room on stage and less gear, haha. A disadvantage is that there are only three of us so there is no margin for error. Sometimes having that extra member gives you a bit of "cushion", we unfortunately do not have that luxury.

BE: Do you feel like being from and living in the city of Detroit influences your sound?

NC: Honestly, Detroit is a new city. It's not the garage band mecca it once was. It's diverse and up for grabs. So much good music has come out of the hardship that musically, the city has a heartbeat again, only this time it's sincere. Detroit has influenced anyone that makes art and lived there....even if they don't realize it yet. That is art in its most honest form and what everyone should strive to make.

BE: As a band, what has been your personal favorite show played so far and why?

NC: I can't really pick one show. Foals, Avett brothers, Von Bondies, and French Kicks are the shows that come to mind. Those were a blast.

BE: When you're not playing music, what are some of you favorite things to be doing?

NC: I'm really into history podcasts as of late. Also, playing hockey or softball with my friends when I get the chance.

BE: If you could tour with any band, still together or not, who would it be and why?

NC: Man, It'd be great to tour with DFA 1979, I think we would have went great together. Suicide, The Stooges, and Arthur Brown are all on the dream team list. Rock and Roll + Theatrics + Sexual Ambiguity = A Good Time! HA!

BE: If money was not an object, what would your amp/instrument setup be?

NC: Probably pretty close to what I have, with some minor upgrades. Fender combos, Telecasters, and tons of boutique pedals. Please and Thank You.

BE: Where do you draw most of your inspiration for writing music from?

NC: Lately, it's been from my experiences living in Detroit and seeing first hand what the city is all about, the good and bad. Along with other random personal experiences. Sometimes I end up writing random songs that are just made up stories. I feel like I don't have control of what inspires me, It really could be anything.

BE: (In the voice of Arnold Schwartzanager) Who is your daddy and what does he do?

NC: Papa C just opened a biker bar in Detroit. He's really a bad ass now, just ask him.

Millions of Brazilians-Hammer Hammer Carrot MP3

Millions of Brazilians-Only Think You're In Love MP3

Millions of Brazilians-Vermont MP3

All dates with The Electric Six

10.14
Brillo Box
Pittsburgh, PA

10.15
Penny Arcade
Rochester, NY

10.16
Hiro Ballroom
New York, NY

10.17
Middle East - Downstairs
Cambridge, MA

10.18
Southpaw
Brooklyn, NY

10.20
Johnny Brenda's
Philadelphia, PA

10.21
Black Cat
Washington, DC

10.23
V Club
Huntington, WV

10.24
Cat's Cradle
Carrboro, NC

10.25
TBD
Charlotte, NC

10.26
The Earl
Atlanta, GA

10.27
Jack Rabbits
Jacksonville, FL

10.28
The Engine Room
Tallahassee, FL

10.29
Culture Room
Fort Lauderdale, FL

10.30
The Social
Orlando, FL

10.31
Exit/In
Nashville, TN

11.03
Bottle Tree
Birmingham, AL

Another comic book for grown ups...

2009-10-08T08:23:00.003-04:00

I guess you could say that I've been on a comic book kick lately. After reading "The Living And The Dead" by Jason, I checked the library catalog to see what other Jason comic books they had. Apparently his stuff is pretty sought after because almost everything of his that the library has was checked out or on the holdshelf. I put a hold on a few of his books for myself, and now I'm writing to tell you about the first one that became available to me.

The title of the book is "I Killed Adolf Hitler". I chose not to use a picture of the cover of the book because there is a swastika prominently displayed. While the story does obviously involve Adolf Hitler, I feel that the use of the swastika front and center on the cover was unnecessary and in kind of poor taste. My complaints about the book stop there. The only other thing I have for it is praise.

This is a story set in a reality where hit-man is as common a profession as doctor or lawyer. Our main character is a hit-man who is propositioned with a job to kill Adolf Hitler, as the title suggests. The catch is, the story is set in modern times. Therefore, the hit-man must travel back in time 70 years to accomplish his mission. Things get challenging when Hitler sneaks into the hit-man's time machine and travels into the future 70 years, entering modern day reality while leaving the hit-man in the past. This simple setup may lead you to believe you have an idea of what happens. You don't. The story is wildly creative and surprisingly awesome.

Overall, this story is satire and dark humor, much like "The Living And The Dead". I found myself laughing out loud pretty often during this comic book. The main difference between this book and "The Living And The Dead" is the use of color and dialogue. The characters are still human bodies with animal heads. But in this book, they're talking. The best thing about the dialogue though is it's brevity. Jason managed to say a whole lot without saying too much. Since there isn't too much dialogue, I whizzed through the comic, but did find myself going back and further inspecting the artwork. As you can see above, it is simple but effective artwork. Nothing too fancy, but the story isn't very fancy. Simple comedy is one of the hardest styles of comedy to use. Jason has nailed it here. And although the book on the surface is simple, there is still room to read between the lines and take away something unique depending on your personality.

Do yourself a favor and check this comic and this artist out. It will only take a few minutes to read, but will leave you thinking about it for days to come. I'm sure I'll be writing about more Jason comics as they become available to me through the library. If you'd like to buy Jason's comics, you can find them here. If you don't want to spend the money, check your local library. It's worth it.

Comic Books For Grown Ups

2009-09-29T16:56:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, during the cloudy afternoon here in Pittsburgh, I ventured out to the nearly brand new branch of the Allegheny Library which is only a few blocks from my house. This is a brand new building on Federal Street, which for those of you familiar with the North Side of Pittsburgh, is undergoing somewhat of a rebirth. It was erected to replace the old North Side branch which was damaged by flooding a few years ago. The new building has nowhere near as much character as the old building, but then again, a library should be judged by it's contents, not it's appearance. But clicking on the links below will allow you to see that the old building was so much easier on the eyes. The new one isn't bad, but not as nice as the old one.

New Library

Old Library

So, with my Walking Dead post from yesterday still fresh in my mind, I decided to take a look at the graphic novel section. I'm not a huge fan of comic books. I probably know more and care more about them than the average joe, but I'd be put to shame by a true fanboy. I collected superhero comics as a kid and have always kept an eye open for something interesting. And something interesting is exactly what I found yesterday at the library.

The first graphic novel that piqued my curiosity was "The Living and The Dead" by Jason. Everything I've seen just has him listed by the single name Jason. I think I picked this one up based solely on the title but was surprised to see that it wasn't quite a zombie comic like I expected. The characters in the book all seem to have human bodies with different animal heads. They walk and work and act like humans, but certainly don't look like humans. The thing I found most interesting about this comic is the lack of dialogue. It is set up almost like a silent movie. There is only minimal narration in boxes all of it's own. It looks as if it is a silent movie on paper. As for the story, it is somewhat of a slapstick zombie love story. Buster Keaton wouldn't have been out of place in this comic. Except for the fact that we get to see a zombie eat a baby. Not quite what was acceptable in Keaton's day. But the artwork in the comic is very surreal and makes what is happening more like comedy than shocking. The humor and the artwork is dark. It is drawn completely in black and white, but is very stylish. I whizzed through the comic in a few minutes since there is no dialogue, but have found myself going back and examining the artwork all day long. If you like your dark comedy and your love stories, then this is certainly a comic for you.

The second comic I picked up was "Sleepwalk And Other Stories" by Adrian Tomine. This comic couldn't be any more different than "The Living and The Dead". This comic is 16 short stories that are as real as they come. Some of them left me wanting more. Some of them left me sad. Some of them made me laugh. But they all deal with deep human emotion. Most of the content is fairly "adult", more so in an adult emotion kind of way than a dirty way. Some are only a single page in length, others a bit longer. But what these stories lack in length, they make up for with the feelings they conjure up. This comic is also drawn in black and white but is much more realistic looking. The artwork is very good. The emotions shown on people are very real. I checked out Adrian Tomine's website and he has very good artwork for sale, including an awesome drawing of TV On The Radio. It is all way out of my price range though. He has many other comics that I look forward to reading in the future. I'll let all one or two of you that read this know what I think of them. If they are even a fraction as good as this comic, I'm going to be a true fan. Good storytelling is good storytelling no matter what medium is being used.

Music For Another (perfect) Dreary Day

2009-09-29T16:01:00.002-04:00

It's another cold, rainy, awesome day in Pittsburgh. My wife says I'll be sick of days like this in a month or so, but I don't think I will be. Here are some songs that have been the soundtrack to my day. I think they are really good songs for this kind of weather...

Lymbyc System-Narita MP3

Aughra-Et In Arcadia Ego MP3

Arcade Fire-Keep The Car Running MP3

Now It's Overhead-Wonderful Scar MP3

The Chinese Stars on Tour!!

2009-09-29T10:28:00.003-04:00

That's right kids, The Chinese Stars are releasing a new album and setting out on tour. The record is titled "Heaven On Speed Dial" and will be available through most digital retailers on October 13th.The vinyl and "poster records" (poster of album art, insert, and download code) will begin selling on the Anchor Brain website shortly after. Both options will be available through the band on tour. Check out the dates below, and if you're near one, go to the show. You will not be dissapointed. MP3 After the dates below.

Thursday Oct 22nd in Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa w/ Six Finger Satellite + Sensitive Hearts
Friday Oct 23rd in Toronto, ON @ The Garrison w/ Six Finger Satellite + Sensitive Hearts
Saturday Oct 24th in Columbus, OH @ The Summit w/ Six Finger Satellite + Sensitive Hearts
Sunday Oct 25th in Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle w/ Six Finger Satellite + Sensitive Hearts
Monday Oct 26th in St Paul, MN @ Turf Club w/ Sensitive Hearts
Tuesday Oct 27th in Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room w/ Sensitive Hearts
Wednesday Oct 28th in Denver, CO @ Rhinoceropolis w/ Hot White + Sensitive Hearts
Thursday Oct 29th- OFF
Friday Oct 30th -Off
Saturday Oct 31st in Vancouver, BC @ TBA + Sensitive Hearts
Sunday Nov 1st in Seattle, WA @ The Black Lodge w/ All Leather, Past Lives + Sensitive Hearts
Monday Nov 2nd in Portland, OR @ Satyricon w/ All Leather + Sensitive Hearts
Tuesday Nov 3rd in San Fransisco, CA @ Thee Parkside w/ All Leather+ Sensitive Hearts
Wednesday Nov 4th in Sacramento, CA @ TBA w/ Sensitive Hearts
Thursday Nov 5th @ in Los Angeles, CA @ The Smell w/ Sensitive Hearts
Friday Nov 6th in Mexicali, MX@ Zaiko Bar
Saturday Nov 7th @ in San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar w/ The Dabbers
Sunday Nov 8th in La Jolla, CA @ Che Cafe
Monday Nov 9th in Palm Springs, CA @ J Dee's Landing w/ Sensitive Hearts
Tuesday Nov 10th in Phoenix, AZ @ The Rhythm Room w/ Health + All Leather
Wednesday Nov 11th in El Paso, TX @ Zen Meister w/ Sensitive Hearts
Thursday Nov 12th in Austin, TX @ Beerland w/ Sensitive Hearts
Friday Nov 13th in Dallas, TX @ The Cavern w/ Sensitive Hearts
Saturday Nov 14th in Little Rock, AR @ Vino's w/ Church Of The Snake + Sensitive Hearts
Sunday Nov 15th in Hot Springs, AR @ The Exchange w/ Church Of The Snake + Sensitive Hearts
Monday Nov 16th in Kansas City, MO @ Czar Bar w/ Sensitive Hearts
Tuesday Nov 17th in Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird w/ Sensitive Hearts
Wednesday Nov 18th in Cincinnati, Oh @ Parkland Theatre w/ Sensitive Heart
Thursday Nov 19th in Cleveland, OH @ Now Thats Class w/ Sensitive Hearts

The Chinese Stars-Rabbit Face MP3

Anchor Brain Website

Music For A Dreary Day

2009-09-28T17:23:00.003-04:00

Today in Pittsburgh, it is windy, overcast, and getting colder. What a perfect fall day. I don't have to work so it's even better. Here are some tunes that are soothing my ears today.

Eluvium-Prelude For Time Feelers MP3

Eluvium-Miniature#3 MP3

Labradford-Wien MP3

Cloudland Canyon-Dambala MP3

2009-09-28T15:56:00.002-04:00

The Walking Dead

"How many hours are in a day when you don't spend half of them watching television? When is the last time any of us REALLY worked to get something that we wanted? How long has it been since any of us really NEEDED something that we WANTED? The world we knew is gone. The world of commerce and frivolous necessity has been replaced by a world of survival and responsibility. An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months society has crumbled, no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable tv. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally start living."

Zombies. This word usually brings to mind an image we have all seen in George Romero films of the dead brainlessly roaming around, mumbling incoherent grunts and attempting to survive by feeding on the living. Scary? Of course. Also a little bit funny? Sometimes. But for anyone who has ever given the ideas of zombies roaming the earth more than just a passing thought, The Walking Dead is the comic book for you.

I personally hadn't thought too much about zombies, nor am I much of a zombie fanatic. That is until I started reading The Walking Dead. Upon the recommendation of a close friend I started my descent into the apocalyptic world of Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. Writer Kirkman, along with artists Charlie Adlar, Cliff Rathburn, and Tony Moore follow the story of our main character Rick Grimes.

The story begins with Rick, a small town Kentucky police officer, being shot during an altercation with an unruly man. The story then picks up with Rick waking up from a coma which we don't know how long he has been in. The world in which Rick awakes is the not one that he remembers living in prior to being shot. The hospital has been overrun by zombies. When Rick makes an attempt to return home, he encounters more zombies, as well as strangers living in his house. His family is gone and doesn't know where to.

This may all sound similar to many zombie stories that have already been told. But what sets The Walking Dead apart from it's predecessors is it's focus on the people going through the zombie induced trauma. Of course there is gore aplenty. If you're into seeing humans ripped apart and eaten like a gourmet meal, it's here. And it looks pretty good too. The artwork is nothing revolutionary. But while the zombies may resemble many zombies you've seen before, it's still no less shocking to see in black and white, humans, or some sort of living dead for that matter, eating other humans. But as I said before, the main focus is on the emotion this type of setting causes.

The character development in this comic is excellent. It takes a little time to get to know the main characters. But there is someone for everyone to like. Although, during the course of trying to survive, the pressure may prove to be too much for some of your favorite characters. But that is the beauty of the story. People go crazy. Others rise to the occasion and take control of situations. Some just follow the lead. Much like real life, some people react extraordinarily in extraordinary situations and some don't. The people in this story is real. Their emotions and actions are real. And this comic is what happens when people stop being polite and starting getting real about zombies.

Give it a read. It will make you start wondering what you would do if all of a sudden the dead started feasting on the living.

Official Walking Dead Site: The Walking Dead