Friday, June 27, 2008

Eddie Vedder--Cant Keep on Burn to Shine

This is so great that they had to burn the house down afterward.

A New Band Of Horses Song Without a Name

Mitch did they play this song at one of the 17 Band of Horses shows you have been to?

Band Of Horses - New Song (Live @ Accelerator 2008) from Daniel Jordahl on Vimeo.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The Summer of 2008 is Brought To You By....


Budweiser has done an amazing thing. They took a beer like Bud Light, which is pretty much great all the time...smooth and delicious...except for those occasions when you have been drinking for a couple days strong and your body won't let you enjoy a fantastic beer like Bud Light...and added some delicious lime flavor and made a beer you can drink anytime. Bud Light Lime...You can drink it on a hot Saturday afternoon in June, or an evening in the middle of the week while you eat a hot dog on your front porch, or when you wake up at 2 in the morning searching for something to drink that will quench your thirst, or after a road race as you sprint through the finish line. It's delicious and its a smart move by the biggest brewery in the world. If this beer is a sissy beer then I don't mind being a sissy...not today.

The summer of 2008 is being sponsored by Bud Light Lime.

Past Sponsors
2002 Busch Light
2003 Kettle One
2004 Kettle One
2005 Kettle One
2006 Kettle One
2007 Kettle One
2008 Bud Light Lime

THE 8 MOST ANNOYING THINGS FANS DO AT ROCK CONCERTS


I found My Morning Jackets 3 hour Bonnaroo performance on the internet yesterday and have given it a good solid purusing. It's pretty great. They play a bunch of covers and also a lot of songs from their last three albums. Listening to a live album makes me think about all the rediculous things fans do at concerts. I have comprised a list of the most annoying things concert goers do during a show (in no particular order at all...they are all annoying)

MOST ANNOYING THINGS FANS DO AT ROCK CONCERTS
1. When the singer mentions the state or city the concert is in with one of his lyrics. The concert goer cheers..."wooooooooooo!!!!"
example:
Color in your Cheeks-Mountain Goats
They came in by the dozens, walking or crawling
Some were bright eyed, some were dead on their feet
And they came from Zimbabwe or from Soviet Georgia,
East St. Louis, or from Paris, or they lived across the street
But they came, and when they finally made it here,
it was the least that we could do to make our welcome clear

For fuck sake East St. Louis is in a completely different state.

2. When a singer adds an "F bomb" to a line. Once again the concert goer screams "woooooo"
It should be noted that I enjoy when a singer throws in a timely "Fuck" or "Fuckin" to a song... But I dont yell "wooooo!"
example:
Is there a Ghost-Band of Horses
"Is there a ghost in my house, my Fucking house"--AWESOME!

3. When girls or stupid hippy "men" decide that you can dance at any concert just like you would dance at a Phish show.
First, that is not dancing. Second, people that dance like this only do so because they don't know what the hell else they should do...they also want people to know they are having a great time...
example:
We were at a Radiohead show and these girls who were with my friends girlfriend were dancing like gypsys to Idioteque or some other great song that does not warrant stupid ass hippy dancing. They also believe because they like Dave Mathews they have good taste in music. Oh how people can be so wrong...

4. When a fan feels it necessary to prove to everyone they are the "Number 1 Fan" by yelling in an approving manner after the first note in a song is played that they know what song they are playing. They are basically saying "Yeah I know their stuff...after one note...I like them that much...woooooo! I love My Morning Jacket more than you....I discovered them...I have been listening to them for like 8 years...back when they were playing small dives in Louisville."
NO ONE GIVES A SHIT.

5. At an Iron and Wine show last month some asshole decided to stand up in the balcony and yell something to Sam Beam. This is more like a paragraph-monologue of gibberish than one single statement. He then takes his shirt off and lassos it around, throwing it into the crowd. "Look at me look at me" What a fuck face. The only funny part was when the bouncers grabbed him and threw him into the womans bathroom.
As usual St. Louisans don't necessarily know how to react in these situations. First people started cheering and encouraging and then as they look around in uncertainty they realize that some people are booing...then they decide to boo. Quite a weird bunch.
When Renteria came back in a Red Sox uniform it was hilarious to watch the Cardinals fans try to figure out what they were supposed to do. They booed and then they cheered and then they just sat down.... Kind of rediculous.

6. My friends and I were at a Pearl Jam show in Nashville a few years ago and we were jumping up and down...because it was a Rock n Roll show and that is what you do...you jump up and down.
Some dipshit in front of us turned to us and asked if we could calm down a little bit. Mind you, we were not making any contact with this asshole in his polo shirt and khakis. He just simply said, "come on man I am with my girlfriend here can you guys relax a little"
"no man, we can not relax...this is a rock show....but that is quite noble of you to defend your girlfriend like that (mumbled---Fuckface)"

7. I really don't like the cell phone as lighters encore display. There is someone out there taking credit for this. What they don't realize is that they are basically admitting to inventing the "thunder sticks" at basketball games. Not something to be proud for.

8. People that yell out requests in the middle of a show.
What do you think is going to happen...
Fan in a Clash T-Shirt (even though they don't know why they like this band)-- "Play Immortality!!!!!"
Eddie Vedder- "Excuse me, young man in the Clash T Shirt. What would you like to hear tonight?"
Relax fan in the Clash shirt you might as well yell "Play Freebird"--If you have yelled this at a concert you should stay at home and listen to music on your headphones. Never go to another concert again.

I realize that I hate most people. I hate them until I have a conversation with them and realize that they aren't that bad of a person. I hate people that do these things at shows. All the conversation in the world will not change that.


My Morning Jacket [mp3] Aluminum Park (live at Bonnaroo)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Tilly and the Wall- Falling Without Knowing


I once played Tilly and the Wall drinking beer in the backyard of my friends house. He said, "What is this Sesame Street shit?!". Nothing wrong with a good pop song to get you going in the morning.
Tilly and the Wall [mp3] Falling Without Knowing

Saturday, June 21, 2008

A Sportsman's Guide To Enjoying the Hot Days of Hell (whisper...The Midwest)


Now that we have just snuck into the tunnel that is a long and fiercely suffocating summer it is important to put some things in place...not only to bear the heat and the similarity of every single day, but to enjoy yourself through the months of July and August.
A steady combination of yard games, good summer music, beer, and friends is a good start, but we need specifics. There is a certain kind of song that fits neatly between a 95 degree summer day and a grill layered with bratwursts...there is a certain kind of yard game that fits in between the swatting of vampire mosquitos and "glory day" conversations... and there is a certain kind of beer that works best with the fire burning sun to completely dehydrate your body in all this summer fun.

Music
I think everyone understands the concept of music following the mood of the season. Winter is riddled with The Decemberists (for less obvious reasons), Interpol, Modest Mouse and the Weakerthans. During the Autumn season we listen to The Red House Painters and the Beatles and John Vanderslice and Neutral Milk Hotel.
Summer you listen to Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty and Iron and Wine and Pearl Jam and My Morning Jacket and Blue Sky by The Allman Bros over and over again. Anything with a good "middle america" feel to it will do just fine.

Beer
Something a little lighter. Busch Light has been a favorite, but has given way to Bud Light and now there is a new beer that is taking over and that is Bud Light Lime. At first I was apprehensive... kind of thought it was a sissy beer... and maybe it is, but its so fucking good that I don't care. I mean its not like we are drinking Zimas with watermelon jolly ranchers sitting on the bottom. Its just a beer with a gentle lime taste in a bottle with neon green writing. If thats not masculine enough for you, I don't know what is.

Yard Games
Washers is a no brainer.
Cornhole has become a new back yard favorite. ( I like it because of the high success rate, I can really get those bean bags on that board)
But the yard game of the 2008 summer is Portuguese Horseshoes or Wang. That is the entire title. You don't get to chose between the two names...that is the title.
Now let me briefly explain.
You need two waste high wooden poles sticking in the ground about 10 yards apart. You need an Ultimate Frisbee. And you need two beer bottles. The bottles go on the poles.
Instead of being on opposite sides with your partner you are on the same side.
I am not going to explain much more
You take turns throwing the frisbee trying to knock over the beer bottle. If the frisbee comes at you you must catch it. If your opponent hits the pole and knocks over your bottle you can dive and catch the bottle.
A great game for sure.

Or you can just sit inside and rewatch your favorite television series on DVD while sneaking peaks as everything die from outside your living room window.
Have a great summer!

The Hold Steady [mp3] Constructive Summer

Fleet Foxes on Black Cab Sessions

Not my new favorite band but I like them a lot. I have heard some say that it is the My Morning Jacket album they wish My Morning Jacket made... but its not My Morning Jacket (I am starting to slowly absorb Evil Urges...its really not that bad) its Fleet Foxes and they are good.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Wolf Parade At Mount Zoomer


I love new music. The new Wolf Parade cd called At Mount Zoomer is really a good cd. I have bought a string of really good albums. Titus Adrondicus and Fleet Foxes and now Wolf Parade. Here is a song off the new album. Quite good I think

Wolf Parade [mp3] California Dreamer

The Happening is as Entertaining as Watching the Wind Blow


When a person decides to make a movie...a shitty movie that lasts upwards of 2 hours...and expects you to sit and watch it because he has come up with some pretty entertaining movies in the past...that is just arrogance. And that is not the worst of it. The Happening by M. Night Whatever is maybe one of the three worst movies I have seen in my life (Lady in the Water and Made In America, which isn't a terrible movie, but thats what we always say is the worst movie ever...maybe because it stars Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg...or maybe because Gary says its the worst). The movie is simply a 2 hour public service announcement for preserving the Earth...and you know what it makes me want to do...it makes me want to drive SUVs and light chemical fires in my back yard...it makes me want to spill oil into the Atlantic Ocean and melt a dozen or so icebergs. I paid 8 dollars to be entertained not to be told, in so many, many, many, words that if we don't do something a scary wind will pick up and make us all kill ourselves. That last sentence I just wrote just told you the entire theme of the movie and I don't feel bad about spoiling it for you...I actually did you a favor and you all owe me one because I just prevented you from wasting two hours of your life.
Marky Mark is the worst actor of our time and the entire movie seemed like a competition to see who could act the shittiest. This is not an exaggeration. This movie was abysmal.
I do enjoy Zooey Deschenel and honestly she was the only redeeming part of the film. But she was in the competition with the rest of the actors. She did not win, but really who did?
If M. Night Shamalamadingdong wants to ruin his life by making terrible movies he should just leave them in his head and not subject the rest of the world to his dumbshit nightmares.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Friday the 13th is only bad luck if something terrible happens to you


In honor of Friday the 13th I am going to stand under a ladder on a crack in the sidewalk and toss a black cat over my left shoulder into a large full length mirror breaking it into several pieces.

Titus Andronicus Sounds Like Good

This Song Is Called Titus Andronicus and it is by Titus Andronicus

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt 2-Black Cab Sessions

The second half of this album is really pretty great. This is one of the songs I enjoy... now you enjoy it.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Evil Urges-My Morning Jacket


Evil Urges was one album I couldn't wait to hear. I have it and have been listening to it since I became owner. I can't say that I'm not a little confused by the whole thing. Thats not to say I don't like it, because I kind of do. It's just that it seems all over the place to me. Musically I love track I Evil Urges, but I don't know why they fucked with Jim James vocals so much on the song...its not that pronounced reverb that they usually have...it actually sounds more like me trying to imitate Jim James and that may sound great to me, but not to anyone else.
Highly Suspicious might be the worst song I have ever heard in my life. But then again maybe I don't get it. I am pretty sure that is Prince singing there...and I don't like it one bit.
I'm Amazed is awesome and I have listened to it 17 times already. It's a great song and not so coincidentally is Jim James best singing effort besides Smokin From Shootin (my favorite so far).
Sec Walkin and Librarian would be typical songs written by Jim Croce if he was still alive today. I like Librarian a lot, but its hardly the rock out kind of My Morning Jacket song I usually enjoy.
Smokin From Shootin might be my favorite song on the album after the first couple listens. I don't know if it's just me but I think this song could have been written by Bon Jovi in late 80's. The song is pretty badass.
I usually like albums that feel like albums. This one doesn't at all to me. At Dawn and It Still Moves felt like albums. Z felt like 2 albums and it was great. Evil Urges feels like an experiment with some huge successes and a couple busts.

Greg's Review B
The Sun Sets On Indiana Review- A good solid...Seven and a Half

My Morning Jacket [mp3] Smokin From Shootin

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA!


There is 7 minutes left in game two and Leon Powe has 21 points while the Celtics have put themselves up by 22 points. The Lakers are a better team than they looked tonight, but not that much better. Kobe will never be Jordan. Jordan would never let his team get out played and out hearted in two games on the road.
You know that your team is in trouble when your sports writers (Bill Plashke) goes on ridiculous rants about Paul Pierce faking a knee injury. Bill Plashke is a douche bag and his incessant whining and complaining fits right in with the ass pounding his team is taking. Tomorrow he will surely complain about the free throw differential between the teams. If you don't take the ball to the basket you will not draw fouls.
The NBA will never be how it used to be. Bird and Magic and clothes lines by McHale and the Garden chanting Chieeeeeeeef!!!!
But you still hear Beat LA! chanted, not at the Garden, but at the Fleet Center or the New Garden or whatever they are calling it and the Celtics still play great basketball at home.
I have never been to LA and I never plan on making the trip into that make believe city. But no matter what anyone does or says, you will not find true sports fans in Los Angeles. All the movie stars wanting to be seen, talking on their cell phones, becoming bored with the game half way through the second quarter...thats not sports... that is a bad scene from a movie.
Its nice to have a reason to hate LA again. It's been a while
Leon Powe is a bad ass.

So in the amount of time it took me to write this there is 1:03 left in the game and we have somehow squandered our lead to 4 points. Shit...two points!!!!!! How do you let this happen. Holy Shit am I nervous...
I was too arrogant...too cocky...too soon
Pierce just hit two big ones...
four point lead...time out
some stupid bitch behind the bench is laughing it up, having a good time. She obviously has no idea what is going on.
Oh shit don't go in
Blocked! Blocked! Blocked!
if that shot was not blocked by Pierce it was definitely going in
Whewwwwwwwww
see you in LA bitches
(Answering Michelle Tafoyas stupid ass questions with tact has to be an art form)


If this commercial doesn't give you chills you are either dead or were born in the 90s

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Fleet Foxes-Fleet Foxes


I went to Vintage Vinyl to buy the Fleet Foxes cd that came out this week. They were out of the disc and I was angry but kept it to myself...so I went home and bought it on Itunes. I hate buying music off of Itunes. I like to hold the music in my hand instead of buying something that floats in the air invisibly. I like the record a lot so far. It seems like an album that would have come out in the 70s. Lot of vocal harmonies. Reminds me a little of the Panda Bear album but I don't know if real music writers would think so...
Any time you hear vocal harmonies you automatically think about the Beach Boys. It doesn't sound like the Beach Boys though.
If you like this song you should probably buy the entire album

Fleet Foxes [mp3] White Winter Hymnal
...the scarfs of red tied around their throats, to keep their little heads from falling in the snow

Friday, June 6, 2008

This Is Either Sad or Funny...I Choose To Find It Funny Because I Don't Want To Feel Guilty About People With Psychological Issues




and the remix

I Think There Is A Little Holden Caulfield in All Of Us


There are only a couple of books out there that I have read more than once. I reread these books the same reason I watch Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore and High Fidelity and The Natural over and over again; because of the characters and the feeling you get when you read about them or watch them on the screen.
Catcher in the Rye is my favorite book...maybe ever (Ramona Quimby Age 8 and any book by John Bellairs are up on the list from my younger days). I believe that everyone can see a little bit of themselves in Holden Caulfield. That's what makes a good book great...the characters and the readers ability to relate to him. He is funny and cynical and has a great inner monologue...and a good inner monologue is necessary for any person to get through a day full of phonies.
Holden Caulfield hates all people, but he doesn't really hate them completely. He hates them while they are around and then when they are not he kind of misses them and feels bad he was a dick to them...
He is smart as shit but doesn't do shit in school. You can almost assume that Holden Caulfield was the inspiration of Max Fischer.
He dreams about being in a huge field on a cliff and saving all the kids from flying off the edge. I used to think the best way to die would be jumping on a grenade that was thrown into a group of my friends. I thought it would be noble...but as I look back on that it was just pretty arrogant.
If you haven't read this book you should read it today...or start it today. If you have read this book you should read it again because it is that good.