the Foggiest

Outtakes

2011-11-07T14:42:00.002-06:00

Every now and then I make cards for people. These are a lot of times post cards that I've amended for the specific special occasion. Christmas cards, birthday cards, Valentines, etc. These are fun and incredibly liberating to make, an exercise in letting go. It's also very fun and nice to know that between my mailbox and the recipient's hands, who knows how many eyes have been lain upon these little pieces of art.

It is a free traveling art show.

Here is an idea that never felt like following through...

I don't even remember who this was intended for.

Jury Duty

2011-10-13T08:36:00.006-05:00

I was trying to get to a doodle a day a couple weeks ago,
but then I left the country for a week.
Upon my return I was selected to serve on a jury for a murder trial.
Very interesting, and ultimately I feel a justified outcome was reached.

While waiting for the attorneys
to smooth out a problem yesterday,
we had about 20 minutes to ourselves.
I used that opportunity to get a doodlin'.

I had to snap a quick picture
because the bailiff was taking up everyone's notes.
Here's the result:

Interesting metaphor
for our role in the case.

Doodle A Day

2011-09-28T15:06:00.001-05:00

... keeps the doctor away?

It's a fun experiment, so......

So colorful!

Keep Doodling

2011-09-27T12:29:00.004-05:00

Adding to my series of motivational posters...

[not drawn to scale]

In other news... two days, two posts!

Hope your week is going well,

Kyle

2011-09-26T14:52:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been a while.

Some weird and random stuff might start popping up here again soon.

We'll see where this takes us...

Harvesting

2010-11-22T11:06:00.004-06:00

MUSIC MONDAY ANYONE??

How long it has been. It seems like just yesterday I was filling the page with the stuff of regretful blogger, espousing a new mindset of writer. How short lived that was.

To be fair, I feel like I have a good excuse. I'm in a band.

Terrible excuse.

Okay, so it is a terrible excuse. I justify it though, as such... I cannot be creative across multiple platforms. That's just the truth. I wrote somewhat frequently for a long time. For online music magazines, on this blog, in my own time. Then I started drawing. When I started drawing and painting, the writing dwindled. Then I started playing in a near full-time band. That caused drawing to return to doodling and writing to completely fly out the window.

This is somewhat OK with me though, because making music has always been a dream of mine, and thankfully, due to the ease and overall cost effectiveness (to some) of the recording process, I've been able to live out this fantasy/dream/eagerness over the course of the past 6-9 months or so.

What has been taking control over my thought process and in the course, draining every drop of creative juice to the point of wanting to completely break down and quit every other week or so?

How The Ship Goes Down

The fruit of my (and a few others') labors is this: How The Ship Goes Down. A 7-song EP that marks the first "official" release of a band that I, with the help of a longtime friend and collaborator, started. We call ourselves: WHALERS.

You mean, like Bob Marley and the?

No, more of the nautically themed sort. Yes it was annoying for a while to have to correct people on it, and yes it is sort of an uphill battle that we started ourselves out on unnecessarily, but I personally don't mind it anymore, and it's kind of enjoyable to correct people now.

So, the EP... We're really happy with it. We recorded it at my house in Austin, TX. A friend of a friend's cousin is in a band we're all fans of in Kentucky (Wax Fang) and he offered to mix it for us. We were blown away by the results of that session. We then got it mixed at Public HiFi in Austin, a studio owned by Jim Eno of Spoon.

It was a lot of work, and it wasn't fun all of the time. I understand why bands break up and solo projects start. But we're so happy with the result that any stress that arose from the recording process has dissipated and we're now peddling the album wherever we can.

And on that note?

If you'd like to buy/listen to the album, please visit our bandcamp page here:

WHALERSMUSIC.BANDCAMP.COM

Individual songs are available for $1 or the full thing is available for $5 (or more if you feel it is warranted). I ask that you at least visit and give a listen, as this blog has been a venue for any sort of creative output I like to be made public. I feel this is just another chapter for The Foggiest.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far, and I look forward to another Music Monday at some point in the future.

SXSW In Review... Sort of

2010-04-14T09:15:00.003-05:00

SXSW was a little bit nuts this past year. Partly because I've found myself in a sort of apathetic mindset to the hustle and bustle of getting around to see the best new thing before others do. So this year was way more relaxed on that front, which yielded fewer buzz bands but more hair remaining up top.

What has been pretty nice is going back and finding audio from different performances from trusted sources after it's all done with. So here's some audio clips from KUT, our local NPR affiliate, a couple great bands that I caught this year, from sets of theirs I personally did not see, but it's great to hear it anyways.

Brazos

Dawes

I probably talk about Brazos too much, but damn it's enjoyable in a really mellow way. It makes the loud moments all that more poignant. Like only speaking when you have something to say.

Dawes I heard for the first time thanks to a favor from a friend (thanks Desha), after being told I should listen to them by two other friends prior (thanks Anton and Ben).

These links should lead to many other discoveries for you.

Life in Days not Weeks

2010-03-24T10:34:00.002-05:00

Life in a day for some is the same in weeks. Here, though, in my life, days are different than weeks, even different from each other. Each day brings new sights and smells. New colors and tastes fill each new hour. New thoughts bridge gaps between new minutes and a love for all that is life fills each new second. It is now springtime, and never more have I appreciated it than in the autumn of my own spring.

Where once inhabited a fearful awe of howling winds and thunderous cracks there now fills in an inspired appreciation. Steady rainfall is like a mesmerizing pulse, lulling ideas from the deepest, strangest places of thought. All that is needed now is an effort to place these new isms into whatever medium so suits them. Lines on paper, letters on the page, melodies on strings or paint on canvas, these avenues all stem from the same station. The only difference from the past is the sheen of a dusted housing.

Further and further I find fascination on the foggiest days, and come to realize this place I use to settle in and leave musings is an aptly named venue for such pieces of thought. Intellect feeds off inspiration like leave feed off a hazy mist. Rich greens and brown twist and curl, reaching for moisture like lines of thought for a foothold of knowledge. It is a beautiful image.

And to what point does a process such as this strive to, midway through an interpretation of the linguistics of inspiration? Only to once again enter these spaces of confined creativity, to show a presence on a plane of existence long since visited. I want to be here again with renewed vitality and a refreshed sense of purpose. More words, more images, more thoughts, more creativity. More fog.

Current iTunes Library

2010-03-12T11:48:00.003-06:00

So every New Year I take a few moments to back up my musical purchases for the year onto my external hard drive (boy if that baby ever crashes... I'll cry.), then clean them off of my local disk, ready to start anew with a clean slate for the year. The process of backing up is a fun way to look over everything I enjoyed musically in the past year, and an easy way to take stock in the great new finds you come across over 12 months of searching and stumbling. This year so far, I am extremely happy with my "client list"...

[as of 12 Mar 2010]

Mic Check

2010-03-09T15:23:00.000-06:00

*tap* hello? is this thing on? *tap tap*

Returning to Society

2010-01-13T17:23:00.003-06:00

I'm extremely excited at the moment. Today I renewed a subscription that expired about 15 years ago, to become part of the National Geographic Society again.

Really excited.

2009 Enjoyed Part 2: Music

2009-12-30T14:51:00.006-06:00

For some reason I disliked 2008's musical selection, and I have no idea why. The only album I can think of that I really liked was The Walkmen's You & Me. There were undoubtedly other albums that year, but when I try and think back as to which albums really hit me, that's the only one that really did. Right from the start of 2009, however, I felt like good things were afloat, and now, a year later, as I look back I believe that said good things continuously washed over me again and again over the course of the past 365 days.

There are so many good albums to name, Grizzly Bear and Phoenix were among the best, and they both came out on my birthday, which really meant something to me even if just coincidental. It made for one of the best days of aural pleasure in recent memory. It was a great year for Austin-based acts as well, with White Denim continually climbing the UK's hype ladder and newly birthed from the ashes of Sound Team's TV Torso made an immediate impact on my senses. The best new band with the capabilities of sticking around [Brazos] finally put out their first full length album and I haven't been able to take it out of my car long enough to rip it onto my computer.

Now, as is customary for year ends, there are lists that circulate, compromised of bests and filled to the brim with commentary. I myself normally put together lists throughout the year [when I'm of right mind/brain] and so combining the two seemed the perfect way to get across a section of what I really enjoyed about 2009. On top of this, I pooled together the remaining wherewith all I had from my college radio days and produced a little podcast [be gentle, it's the first ever] in order to showcase the aforementioned best of list.

What fun!

Indeed. So, here's the thing. The podcast has about 11 tracks in it and is just a little over 45 minutes long. It has 4 or 5 of my absolute favorite songs of the year and then a handful of others remaining on there to fill it out. I've left out the obvious tracks [I'm looking at you Phoenix] and regrettably so, because Wolfgang Amadeus was start to end a pretty perfect album. So this podcast is full of some of the others that you maybe didn't hear over the course of the year but should have, and those that I couldn't stop singing these past 12 months. The good news here is that if you don't like a song, theoretically you should be able to skip to the next song or "chapter" as defined by podcast law. Hopefully this feature works, if not, I apologize. Let me know. Thank you and Happy New Year!

PLEASE ENJOY!!!

[click the artwork for podcast]

[click the artwork for podcast]

Tracklist

Intro [over Steve Reich's "The Desert Music: III. Part One - Slow"]
Brazos - "The Observer" live @ WOXY.com
Foreign Born - "Vacationing People"
Local Natives - "Airplanes"
Commentary [over Thrillington's "Monkberry Moon Delight"]
The Streets - "Trust Me"
Bad Veins - "Crosseyed"
White Denim - "Paint Yourself"
Commentary [over AIR's "Night Hunter"]
Dappled Cities - "The Price"

The Soft Pack - "Extinction"
Thom Yorke - "All For The Best"
Commentary [over Django Reinhardt's "Django's Castle" and "Nuages"]
TV Torso - "The Days Of Being Wild"

Filling The Dance Card

2009-12-28T16:26:00.005-06:00

My girlfriend has helped me plan my reading schedule for a good amount of time...

Jan Neruda's Prague Tales, Brad Matsen's bio about Jacques Cousteau: The Sea King, Geoffery Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, A Retelling by Peter Ackroyd, and then Making Mischief: A Maurice Sendak Appreciation by Gregory Maguire. 1/3 of the way through the Cousteau bio right now. The man was incredibly cool. That stack is ripe with inspiration. Waiting for the intellectual to come out and play again.

Enjoyment of 2009: part 2 will be coming soon... in the form of a first ever Podcast!! At least I'm trying to do it. Whether or not it gets done in a listenable fashion remains to be seen, or I guess, heard.

- Kyle.

2009 Enjoyed: Part 1

2009-12-15T15:07:00.015-06:00

So my absence from the internet hasn't really been felt, I'm sure. I'm not one that feels he absolutely has to be "present" on the web in order to live a fulfilled life, but I do absolutely feel that I have to be creative to live a fulfilled life. From this past summer to our current winter I've been busy creatively with what most would call a "band" but what I will forever call a part-time managerial position. It's been fun and it's been rewarding creating sounds and melodies with my writing partner, but the flip side has been the sometimes aggravating experience of working with new "creatives" (be they creative or not so). My enjoyment notwithstanding, I fully understand now why many musicians embark upon solo careers after stints with groups, famous or not. It can be exhausting, which is why I've not felt the need to post anything of length here. Until now.

One thing that has been consistent with me has been photography. There should always be a camera laying around your person (I never realized how much I used the camera on my phone until I got a new phone without one), because there is usually always something that will catch your eye interestingly enough to necessitate the taking of a photograph. And as much as I love words, Images have always impressed upon me more.

So I figured, in the first part of a 2009 recap, I'd start with some of my favorite personal photos of 2009. Personal in that I took them personally myself. With my own camera. There are some images I took at concerts, on vacation and just random images I thought were amusing/interesting. Anyway, hopefully you enjoy them, and hopefully they get you thinking of some of your own favorite instances of personal photography.

Away we go!

* * * * *

A joke at the heart of all Father's Day cards

speaking of Fathers. Here's mine lookin all Mormon... at a Carl's Jr.

Friend's cat, Herbie, in the tall grass.

My sweet lil lady

My sweet lil lady's amazing cooking ability

Summing up a summer's eve on the lawn @ Shady Grove

My gf has an awesome panoramic cam on her phone - Kauai

Ray-Ban took a photo of me at the Fort during SXSW

I bought a Motto Guzzi this year

My gf was attacked by crows Halloween night at our Hotel in Fort Worth...

...then again on the street! It was as if she were in The Birds.

Hard at work recording original compositions. That's Dan.

View from my bedroom window. That's Austin

My dad had a tree limb go all John Locke on his eye.

A trip to Scotsdale for sad reasons, but beautiful nonetheless.

Canopies in Kauai

Best show @ SXSW this year - Local Natives

M'lady awaiting a Cut Off Your Hands show @ Waterloo Park

Bad Veins SXSW show @ Dominican Joe's

Central Texas German Love during SXSW @ oldest beer garden in TX, Sholz Garten.

The Spirit of SXSW hard at work.

my loving setup

M'lady dressed as 'Strawberry Fields'

First show of 2009 for me, Brazos' barefooted Martin Crane @ Lambert's

Favorite road in Austin, Laurel Valley to Yaupon Valley Rds

First attempt at dual painting, me/gf. She's pretty AND talented.

Night shot in Kauai

Brit Daniel during SPOONX3 in July

my preoccupation with fog manifest. Downtown Austin

White Denim drummer Josh Block @ Mohawk in late October

my Moto Guzzi. you can see where I gave myself a nasty 2nd degree burn on the pipe

Brit Daniel @ SPOONX3, first time in the photo pit

M'lady

M'lady's pet Great Dane, Ferris. The Gentle Giant.

White Denim Vocals/Guitarist James Petralli @ Mohawk

Some species of plant in my gf's backyard

Dad taking a breather at my Grandpa's 90th Bday

Brit Daniel again, in photo pit, SPOONX3 @ Stubbs.

Hubert Dornak @ 90 years of age. We call him Pops.

War Stories from the South Pacific

Foggy night outside my house

First annual "Tent Pitch 08". Jorts were necessary.

Pops

Sister's Rehearsal dinner on Lake Austin.

TV Torso drummer Jordan Johns @ Mohawk indoors mid August

Pops

Dam on Lake Austin during sister's rehearsal dinner - mid September

Pops in profile

hi hat at home

A new found obsession with Nature's patterns - Tent Pitch 08 @ Krause Springs

A Mother and her Father @ rehearsal dinner cruise, Lake Austin

One of Austin's many cranes. First picture taken on my new camera, July

TV Torso's lead vocalist/guitarist, Matt Oliver @ Mohawk

More Nature patterns @ Krause Springs

First real self-portrait. Embarassing.

Krause Springs in the heart of the Hill Country

The week I ate healthy. Green/Yellow/Red/Purple

Songwriting core, probably not sober @ Fado's Pub

Typical of a snob, I'm skeptical during SXSW.

Finally joining a real football team, Chips & Guacagoalie

And finally... Whalers' first show @ Beerland in early October. I'm back there somewhere near the giant "N"

Working

2009-12-09T16:36:00.002-06:00

Hello, I've been gone and I apologize for that. I am however working on a year-ending post that will sum up my enjoyment of 2009. Ok!

Gentlemen Broncos

2009-11-10T17:18:00.003-06:00

Oh my God. Please, please, please oh please, please, just please would you watch this video...

I watch this over and over again, day after day, and still, for some reason, find it absolutely hilarious. It is related to the new Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) film Gentlemen Broncos. The movie is just as weird as the cartoon. Please see both.

Art, Cowabunga!

2009-11-05T16:24:00.001-06:00

I made a short cartoon. It's about Mondays.

[you can click to make slightly bigger]

Music: Halloween

2009-10-29T15:19:00.005-05:00

Lo how the wind did howl and mist lay, about the forested hillside where Fall found itself as night sprung from day. The tones of the season rang eerily around the space, as Halloween crept up along at an alarming rate. Dark and dreary the season had become, no turning back now for Fall would soon be done.

MWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA

And so from this amateur poet comes another playlist, a list of some of the eeriest songs I know, older tunes and newer tracks, too. All here for you, before Halloween thankfully. Hope it doesn't frighten you... too much, mwaaahahahahaha.

[where's Vincent Price when you need him?]

Music: Eeri e Halloweenie

1. Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood -- off the soundtrack to There Will Be Blood. The man was robbed of an Oscar nomination because of PTA's use of a track off a previous solo work of Greenwood's, and thus that year's best original score never received an award. This thing is haunting and taut, with a touch of humor to its suspense. Just what you want in your horror. Oh yes, there will be blood.

2. Dead Man's Bones - Dead Man's Bones -- off the reduntantly titled debut album, Dead Man's Bones. This album [from actor Ryan Gosling] is half full of immediately catchy tunes, with the other half merely needing a few listens to hit the same mark. It's perfectly timed for the season, it is dark and moody, but the best thing about this track [as well as most of the rest of it] is the fact that it is rumored to have been heavily influenced by Disney's Haunted Mansion experience, which is just amazing. You can hear it here, with the backing vocals, there's a little bit of campiness to it, a lighthearted look at the undead. It makes for a really charming and wonderful tone to the album. It must be all the dancing ghosts and hands popping out of graves.

3. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Red Right Hand -- off of Let Love In. The man is a genius. Screenwriter/Composer/Rock Icon, whatever you want to refer to him as, Nick Cave is pretty much the most badass person you'll find alive today. He always seemed a taboo to me growing up, like I shouldn't be allowed to listen to him. He looked kinda like a vampire, moved about strangely, sang about provocative subjects, and that voice. His voice is probably why I felt like I shouldn't be listening. It sounds dangerous. This track is pretty much the definition of Cave's danger for me. The album on the whole is one of his seminal works, and if you're interested after that, there's a massive catalog to sift through [also check out "Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow"]. Arctic Monkeys are currently covering this song live and have a recorded version of it on itunes, it's pretty good, but ain't nowhere near as scary as this one. Nick Cave scares me.

4. Jennifer Gentle - The Ferryman -- off of The Midnight Room. I once put this up for an old New Ears section. The album at first listen is a little strange, but I saw them perform it live perfectly and it put a whole new spin on it for me. They're an Italian band spearheaded by Marco Fassolo, and one of their main influences is Nino Rota, the Italian maestro behind Fellini's biggest hits [La Dolce Vita anyone? 8 1/2?] You can catch the sound a little bit here, it's whimsical, but at the same time very dark. It reminds me of the ending of Ingrid Bergman's The Seventh Seal when they're all doing the dance of death along the ridge. Great stuff when a song you're listening to in the 2000's reminds you of a Swedish avant garde film from the 50's.

5. Joy Division - Dead Souls -- off of The Best of Joy Division. This is just a pleasure, not quite eerie on the surface except for the title, but when you start to think of the saga of Ian Curtis the song takes on a different vibe. The dead souls that keep calling and eventually get through, ending in suicide. For the longest time I just couldn't get into Joy Division, didn't care for New Order, but about a year and a half ago I saw a doc on the start and end of the band at the AFI Dallas fest and all of a sudden a switch just flipped. I bought Unknown Pleasures the next morning on my drive back to Austin and a new fascination began. God I love music, and I love how different sections of your life change and allow old music to be heard again anew.

6. M83 - Car Chase Terror! -- off of Before The Dawn Heals Us. Probably the scariest song I've ever heard... which is perfect for Halloween. I first heard this about a week before the album was released, I was working for KTCU as a Senior at TCU. As the Modern Rock director for the station it was my duty to check out all the new music that was coming in, sift through all the shit and make playlists for the shifts. So one night I'm home alone, it's cold outside so i cuddle up in bed, put on the ear-muff-style headphones, throw this album on and [light up a joint]... Let's just go over the things not to do when listening to this song:

- Don't listen alone
- Don't listen at night
- Don't listen while under the influence of drugs

This song scared the living daylights out of me. I had to turn the album off as soon as it was over, sitting up in bed and saying outloud, "shit that was terrifying." Literally the scariest song I've ever heard. So enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

Music Again

2009-10-14T14:49:00.003-05:00

And here we find ourselves again at the head of another playlist I've decided to haphazardly paste together in an effort to showcase taste, something that even when done correctly still comes off more and more as a sort of egotistical flaunt. Then again, I'm probably just being modest and paranoid.

It's funny that I've managed this playlist, because just the other day I found a quote that describes perfectly my state of mind with regards to music. Indulge me if you will:

"Where once was a wide window of musical appreciation, there sits now a shuttered pane of essential favoritism." - Me, 2009

So in an effort to prove myself wrong, I went out of my way to find some new songs that have perked my ear of late. Ironic though, is the fact that two (2) of the artists are certified and have up to around 6 [at least] studio albums to their name. Two (2) also have some serious indie street cred and one (1) is the daughter of a couple pretty/talented people, [I've featured her work here before]. Regardless, here it is...

Music: Leaves Are A Changin'

1. Cale Parks - Breathe In Tact -- off of I don't know what. I know next to nothing about Cale Parks. I downloaded this track somewhere, have no idea where he comes from, no idea where this track originates, no idea what he is up to now. The one thing solid I do know about this song is that it ends a night perfectly. It's 3 am, you're rolling down a wet main street green and red halos light your path near straight as you can, and reflected off the cool asphalt is some other eerie second reality you're pretty sure is beginning to blur into your own. You need to breathe in tact, or keep your breathe intact... whichever applies to your situation.

2. Radiohead - Down Is The New Up -- off of In Rainbows disc 2. When this album came out I didn't give the second bonus disc a real listen, the main album was enough to fill my brain, and the concentrated enjoyment had no room to stretch to another album. Earlier this week this track came across on shuffle and I began my fantastic trip of consumption of this lovely bonus disc. Down Is The New Up became a climb into the foggy beginning of Autumn in Austin. Drizzle and haze, puddled chills. Radiohead will remain my generation's premeire musical group of auteurs.

3. Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM -- from the upcoming album of the same name. For her new album, Charlotte has teamed up with Beck Hanson to create a new set of hauntingly hypnotic tracks for the fall. Her last album, 5:55, was a wonderful little record of nighttime electronics done in collaboration with those suave Frenchies, AIR, and if this new track is any indication, she'll be moving her focus towards hypno-dance. How wonderful it is. Thanks for the help Beck.

4. AIR - You Can Tell It To Everybody -- off the new album Love 2. Pitchfork hates the album, but those that have fallen in love with AIR can't take it as anything less than perfect. The duo of Godin & Dunckel have always been masters of the lovable electro-lounge thing, and here they display it well. I just love that little harp melody's rhythm that starts this track off. I want to relax in a hazy mauve lounge, lit by Chinese lanterns through hookah smoke. There can be leopard skins on the floor, too.

5. The Love Language - Equinox -- off the Paste Music Sampler #52. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only place to find this track, that celebrates the loving reunion of friends/lovers in the fall of whatever year it may be. It is a little repetitive in it's melody, but is entirely comfortable with that. How can one not be, when you've a melody running through your head like the marathon man. These keys just kill my conscious mind, and may very well drive me crazy with catchiness. Please ignore any urge you may have to write The Love Language off right away because of their name, it sounds sappy, but damn it is more pleasurable than anything.

Here's to more frequency in the coming months...

ACL Fest

2009-10-03T08:54:00.002-05:00

Went to day one and saw:

The Walkmen: wish I was in this band
Phoenix: currently taking over the world
Thievery Corporation: relaxing electro-fusion
Them Crooked Vultures: meh
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs: better at a club
Kings of Leon: need to stop making songs like "Use Somebody"

Can't make it there the rest of the weekend, but that's cool thanks to Hulu:

1985 - 2009

2009-09-29T15:47:00.003-05:00

Dear Broken Friend,

I knew you in the days of strapping on proton packs and rolling around in the grass wearing Halloween masks. Enjoying the freedom that only youth could provide, we cavorted about our earliest days with impassioned exuberance for the imagined. We romanticized adventure and played out our endless dreams in the fields of childhood and hoped that one day we might live through to see such impossibilities with our own eyes. A man flying caped through the sky, a dinosaur hidden in the trees, a radioactive spider and a mutated strand of DNA; these were our realities, however fantastic they were.

Living through childhood with you was the most thrilling experience I can now imagine, and only now have I been able to tug at some of those memories I'd thought forgotten. So often did it seem that days of my life, nearly every day in fact, revolved around getting home as quickly as possible so that I may find myself at your front door in an effort to pick up where the previous outing left off. We would start stories for ourselves that lasted for days, unfolding in ridiculously epic fashion, oftentimes ending right where we started in an effort to replay the joy again. In these days that now find worrisome thoughts about the so-called tangibles that make modern adulthood possible, it is easy to lose sight of those things that made those days as joyful as they were. I now know that there will always be a place in my heart for those times and that imagination.

We were brothers, Jonathan, though not in the traditional sense. We shared siblings and parents, possessions and rooms, everything that made up our young lives. You were always there for me, and I was there for you. You had a family that loved and admired you for yourself. You had your mother's laugh and your fathers looks; you had your brothers' attention and admiration, and you had your imagination. That is what I will always remember you for. During the Spring of our lives we dreamt up the greatest childhood anyone could have had through the seasons of youth and I'm now only sad that we'll not be able to dream up an Autumn together as well.

We'll always love you and miss you.

Your friend,

Kyle

End of Summer

2009-09-21T15:42:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I think, Thank God for Summer. Everything seems much more relaxed during the few months that call the season their home, there's usually a vacation involved and the sun, oh the glorious sun. This Summer however, the prevailing phrase emblazoned on my frontal lobe has been Damn Summer. At this point, on this last day of the season I feel like it's okay to say, because here in Austin it's been too long and too hot.

Now the beginning of the season was great, don't get me wrong.

One of the more productive things to have come from the Summer of 09 hasn't been been musically related ["popular music" is driving me crazy right now -- lo-fi, wtf?] or creatively driven [about three things really to be proud of]. No, more than anything this Summer's joy has been derived from the resurgence of Summer Reading, and this year I think I've had the most productive stretch of reading since High School. Granted, there've been a few fluffs in there, but for someone that has always had an incredibly difficult time finishing a book, oftentimes starting a whole new one before I'm halfway through the first, this has been fun.

Let's review shall we?

Michael Crichton - Travels -- wonderfully exciting true tales from the only non-fiction book Crichton wrote [to my knowledge]. It starts with his journey through medical school and into his life travelling the world. You can see how his real life experiences provided fodder for his great life's work as a novelist. Incidentally, the only book I didn't finish this summer, but will end the season trying my damnedest.

Jules Verne - The Mysterious Island -- coming off reading of some of Crichton's adventures, I picked up a book I had started a year ago on a family vacation to Oahu. During the first go through, I got about 100 pages in. At this second attempt, all 629 pages went down in a blaze of glory. I felt like I was in 5th grade again reading Verne. The love of adventure and nature and science combined tugs at those strings attached to your heart, the ones in control of youthful exuberance and naive optimism. This novel wouldn't last a day if it had come out in our current decade, which is why it was a joy to read. There's hope for the world in Verne's Universe.

Ok trying to piece these all together is a little harder than I thought. I think we next move onto:

Jean-Dominique Bauby - The Diving Bell and The Butterfly -- what an unbelievably uplifting book, especially when compared to the tragic situation the man had to live through in the short time the book was written. It has stuck with me, this odd idea of feeling completely consciously liberated in your mind, yet trapped in your body. This is "locked in syndrome", and rather than go mad, Bauby wrote a book. You've probably seen the movie, and if you have before reading the book, like me, you'll undoubtedly find it impressing on you even more. After reading this book you'll want to craft your life into the best work of art possible.

Steve Martin - Born Standing Up -- I've always thought of Steve Martin as a total goober. Sure I enjoyed his movies like Three Amigos, and The Jerk, but I enjoyed them as a kid. I had no idea what Martin was ever trying to get at with his humor [ok so Three Amigos might not have the deepest underlying current]. Needless to say, the man is hilarious and he is probably one of the smarter entertainers around. The book chronicles his attempt at StandUp comedy fame, from his childhood in Waco, Tx to his formidable years in LA, jobs at Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm, to his inevitable celebrity. There's really not much more to say than, the book will make you fall in love with Steve Martin's genius [if you aren't already], watch all of his films [if you haven't already, and yes, you can skip most of this decade's work, save Shopgirl], and buy all of his comedy albums [if you haven't already... btw, he's got some of the best punchlines I've ever heard].

I might be missing one in here, but I'm pretty sure from here it's:

J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone -- My girlfriend convinced me to start reading this after we'd gone to see Half-Blood Prince in the theaters. I was kind of surprised at my enjoyment of it. I've seen all the films to date and have really loved everything about them so far. The world is one that is easy to find yourself lost in, and that's all you really need. The anglophile in me loves the thought of Britain's popculture seen through the eyes of a wizard, and I won't lie: the scenery of snow in my mind, while lying in bed on a Texas summer night does wonders. So the fluff took over and I blew this out in a few days and moved onto...

J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets -- again, not much to be said about these other than, once you finish one, you gotta move on. That said, this was a great one, liked it more than the first, and from all I've heard, they just keep getting better. So, after two books in a matter of 2-3 weeks I had to move on for a bit. Nothing against Harry & Co., but I needed a break from witchcraft for a while, which led me to the start of the summer.

Michael Crichton - Jurassic Park -- ever since picking up Crichton's travelogue there's been a nagging urge to pick up one of his books again and just eat it up. So I did, and for my choice I went with Jurassic Park, a book that my 7th grade teacher is pretty sure I read based on the spotty book report I put together after listening to the abridged book on tape back in Junior High. So I picked it up and finished it a couple days ago, and I must say, I enjoyed it more now than I sort of did then. Funny that I read The Lost World [Crichton's sequel, not Doyle's adventure] in 6th grade and finished it in two days, without reading the first. But I'm glad I did. And now, still enthralled by Crichton's style, I'm headed back to where the summer started, on this last day of summer, to try and get through a few more of his travels before the beginning of Fall.

How was your summer?

iNudge

2009-09-16T14:37:00.003-05:00

holy s. I can now finally make that electronic album I've always wanted. Thanks to the glorious/terrible creation that is iNudge, I will now never get any work done.

I call this one, "Green + Wood" -- hit play in the bottom right corner please

Random Act of Art: Journal Edition

2009-09-08T16:48:00.003-05:00

from the doodled journals of myself...

* * *

As a P.S. - - I love planning Halloween costumes 2 months in advance.
I've got this years completed save for one rare and possibly costly prop.

What I Need

2009-09-08T13:24:00.002-05:00

Found a new blog, by Jonathan Burton, an illustrator.

The post titled Rain just hit me with a serious laugh, and it's got me seriously planning out my activity during the next rain here in Austin [whenever it may come]

Check out: A Break From The Heatwave...

I want to start doodling even more now

Too Hot

2009-08-24T21:24:00.002-05:00

It is too hot to blog, too hot to think. I haven't done anything on this bloody page since 30 July and the time spent since has been sweaty, miserable and hot. This is the hottest summer ever recorded in Austin and the last time I checked we eclipsed the 50-day record for consecutive triple digit days. That was almost a week ago, and it has definitely been in the low 100's the past two days.

When it rains it pours, so they say. This summer, when it rains it sprinkles, for about 5 minutes, then it bakes you, steams you, and spits you out onto the asphalt. These sayings are also telling for my want of creativity. There've been maybe two things started and finished that I'm proud of, a half dozen more experiments in amateur literature that have been started and dropped - not for lack of quality, but merely for lack of motivation.

Sorry, I should have warned that this post might be a beat down.

Is there such a thing as the Summer Blues?

* * *

On another note: who wants to help me get the ball really rolling on a high-speed rail system connecting the Texas triangle? If I won the lottery, that's what I'd put the money towards, an eco(friendly)nomical transportation system from here across the major thoroughfares of Texas.

As long as we have better lobbyists than Southwest Airlines.

Folks....

2009-07-30T15:07:00.001-05:00

There's a new blog in town. One that myself and a few friends are contributing to. So I expect all three of you to visit it.

Here ya go

Le Sigh...

2009-07-14T09:39:00.003-05:00

Aint It Cool News just posted a story about a REMAKE OF LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, an amazing little Scandinavian film about coming of age and vampyrism that is vastly superior in my opinion, even without seeing or reading, any Twilight related nonsense. There's now a poster for the film, and it looks like Matt Reeves (dir. Cloverfield) is working in the right direction, but I've seen a shitload of terrible films that had awesome posters. So yeah. Probably a bad idea to remake this one.

The story

Still More Random Acts of Art

2009-07-13T15:08:00.004-05:00

Last week I decided to use one afternoon to creating again and happened upon another random act of art (as I've called it in the past). Still the octopus seems to haunt my brush so to speak, as the only thing I've really been able to draw, doodle or sketch for the past six months tends to have at least one of the odd figures floating around somewhere. This description is no different for today's random act of art,

Encounter #63: Octopus
[click to bigify]

* * *

Also of note, I recently attended Spoon's three day stint at Stubb's in Austin as an official member of the photo crew and took some neat pictures. TheTripwire.com will be running 10 or so of them, but there are loads more where that came from, so after they sift through them, I'll post some more I thought were worth it. I feel special.

Newsy

2009-07-01T16:45:00.004-05:00

I've been going news crazy lately it seems. And for a while there I thought I didn't have a writing outlet anymore. Good news is I do, and I've returned with more fervor than before.

AIR news
Spoon Haiku
Spoon news

Thanks Tripwire

Album Review

2009-06-29T13:47:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago my regular freelance writing gig was in jeopardy and looked like might be over. I had this review already written with no sign from anybody there that they would want it. I sent it in to a few other venues, websites, a newspaper, but no one got back to me. Now, my freelancing gig has resurfaced, but there's no room for the review for an album that came out last week. So here it is, for my blog friends. The album is Person To Person by Foreign Born. I'll let the review speak the

Foreign Born // Person To Person

Few things can beat the beginning of summer. That first heat wave of sunshine belting its way across the lawn mixing with wafts of BBQ, beer and sunscreen. It’s a melding of sensation, met and mingling with social enjoyment amongst the masses of sunbathers and swimmers, reveling in relaxation. There must be a soundtrack to this movement, something that seeps into the subconscious by way of association. Such is the case with the aptly named Person To Person, an album capable of spreading like wildfire over the coming summer months. There’s the possibility it’ll make some serious waves amongst the big boys, because while Grizzly Bear can at times be a bit too melancholy and slow, where Animal Collective can sometimes seem off the wall and finicky, Foreign Born’s easy indie-folk style fills the high profile void somewhere in the middle ground.

Fitting amongst Band of Horses, My Morning Jacket and The Shins (not just alphabetically) the second LP from this troupe of Californians is a study in aural pleasure. Taking pages from all that is enjoyed in modern music and stapling them into their own playbook of audibly friendly folk rock, the album unfolds easily and is one that can be thrown on to soften the background for the summer. On the whole it can be taken as 40 minutes of similar sounding, sunshine evoking joy. Separately, there are a few really notable tracks, in particular “Lion’s Share” and “Wait In This Chair” to fulfill the slower “ballad” tracks, and “Winter Games”, a song that starts off feeling like Bowie’s “Suffragette City” to me for some reason then quickly morphs into a hootenanny complete with pot & pan percussion and harmonized vocals that sounds one blown bell jar short of the Country Bear Jamboree (ooh, video idea anyone?). Big standouts of the album are definitely “Early Warnings” and “Vacationing People”. The former sounds like an island romp with an African lead trickling throughout. The latter unfolds like a road trip in your dingy camper filled with grinning eyes peeking from behind your most colorful ray-bans. The song was virtually constructed for 16mm home video footage.

It’ll remain to be seen if Person To Person’s charm will outlast the summer months, but during that time, it’s sure to please more than just the ears at the neighborhood pool.

Do This

2009-06-11T11:43:00.002-05:00

New Fanfarlo album. I once included them on a Music Monday. They're really nice people [once met them at sxsw] and make lovely noises. And now you can buy their new album for $1 !!!

Fanfarlo

Definitely Promising

2009-06-11T00:47:00.004-05:00

Matt Oliver/Jordan Johns (formerly of Sound Team) and A. Leonard Jones have formed a new band named TV Torso (where once they tread as The Minotaurs), which is either cool, or kinda lame depending on how you take naming a new band after an old band's song. Like I said, it depends. Personally I'm really excited about this new musical endeavor. Seen them a couple times live, could use a little more polish, but these recordings sound awesome. I want them now.

TV Torso // music

Good little pop gem oddities.

Vacation 09

2009-06-03T09:05:00.003-05:00

Leaving today for Kauai until next Wednesday. Pretty excited.

[where's kyle?]

Music Tuesday: A Golden Birthday

2009-05-26T00:13:00.005-05:00

Twenty-six years ago today, John Wayne was celebrating his 75th birthday; a 7.7 magnitude earthquake rumbled in the Sea of Japan causing a tsunami that resulted in at least 104 people dead; and 28 year old woman woke up to the early signs of childbirth, got dressed, packed, swept and vacuumed her house before waking up her husband to take her to the hospital. Roughly 12 hours later, I was born.

I've said before that birthdays seem more appropriate for looking forward and back, reminiscing on past enjoyments and making new year resolutions, because this is the day when your year really does end. Sure there's an actual end to a calendar year, there's an end to a fiscal year, but these restrictions have been imposed on us from the moment our real chronology began. So on my birthday I like to look back and forward on my life, if only for a little while, to see what I can improve. The one thing I want to improve about this upcoming golden year? Anything to make it the best year of my life. Travel, work, create, love, nothing short of everything at a ten.

So with this day comes another playlist. Last year's Quarter Century list has continued to be a source of great joy for me. Whenever it's played, enjoyment ensues. It'll be tough to top for me, as I hold it as probably the most enjoyable list I've put together on this foggy blog, but here's a go, in the name of John Wayne's 101st...

Music Tuesday: Golden Year

01. Garden Walk - J. Spaceman -- off the soundtrack to the film Mister Lonely. Never ended up catching this quirky film, but it's director was cited as the source of inspiration for Mr. Spaceman (aka Jason Pierce of Spiritualized) to finally finish his latest album Songs In A & E after a tumultuous recording period which saw him actually die as a result of complications from pneumonia (his heart stopped), only to come back to the land of the living. It made for great album fodder.

02. Silent Sigh - Badly Drawn Boy -- off the soundtrack to the film About A Boy. Sensing a pattern here... The film from Nick Hornby's book continues to surprise me whenever I catch it on TV. It's funny, heavy and light, and it's got a great soundtrack provided by a man that goes by the name of Badly Drawn Boy (aka Damon Gough). Here's a lovely tune that's ripe for a morning stroll/ride.

03. Sunny Goodge Street - Donovan -- off the album Fairy Tale. It's a repeat, and not even a repeat from long ago, this song was on the last list I put up here. To be fair, I don't really care. If I were to do a list sometime in the future of my top 5 songs of all time, this would make a third appearance on the blog. I don't know what it is about this song that tugs at me. I first heard it on a compilation cd in which the tracklist was chosen by one of my favorite songwriters of all time (read: the greatest) Paul McCartney, the first time I spent time out of the country. I was studying one summer in London, the second day I picked up the Mojo magazine that contained the album and I've been in love since. It's sweet, it's haunting, it's love. I wish to find this street one day.

04. Le Poinçonneur Des Lilas - Serge Gainsbourg -- off the album The Originals. This album hooked me on Monsieur Gainsbourg and the resulting buying spree of music is soon to leave a large dent on my financial situation. Here's one of the first that hooked onto me. No idea what he's saying, just like it.

05. Ram On - Paul (and Linda) McCartney -- off the album Ram. This album within the past year or so has apparently gained a ton of popularity in the indie circles of Los Angelos, which is absolutely awesome. I picked up this album in the amazingness known as the Half Priced Books used record collection. HPB has what I consider the best collection of used stuff I've seen in a record store. I'm always in love with what I pick up there, and it's usually a quirkier find than any "true" record store. This album is the true definition of quirky pop, and could be considered one of the first "indie" albums, by way of its DIY nature. The song is pure bliss.

06. Musicbox Underwater - J. Spaceman -- off the soundtrack to the film Mister Lonely. I'll again end with an instrumental from the same man that started us off. This really out to trail off into Our glorious May 26th, as you wake, watch the sun rise, get ready for work, drive, walk, run, bike, eat, love, work and sleep.

Happy Birthday guys.

Ooooooo

2009-05-14T08:09:00.003-05:00

I generally dislike musicals, but this one looks right up my alley. Day Lewis as Mastroianni? Lovely. Let's hope it doesn't tarnish 8 1/2's good name, or is that film untouchable in our history?

Regardless, this looks real interesting.

While Claudia Cardinale is irreplaceable in my mind, Day Lewis bull-whipping the manifested loves of his life will do. Let's hope this thing is zany.

Great Shuffle

2009-05-13T14:07:00.006-05:00

Here's a Shuffle of a post...

Ever have one of those days were your ipod just shuffles up the perfect list of songs. It's only happened to me a total of three times, where I get a good helping on songs on a drive without skipping to the next track. It happened to me yesterday, and it put me in such a good mood. I'd like to share the tracklist:

Beirut - In The Mausoluem
TV On The Radio - Staring At the Sun
The Soft Pack - Call It A Day
Bob Dylan - Down The Highway
Paul McCartney - Follow Me
Jennifer Gentle - Quarter To Three
Cut Off Your Hands - Still Fond
The Walkmen - New Country
Letters - Interlude
Nilsson - Down By The Sea
Rolling Stones - Street Fighting Man
Spiritualized - All Of My Thoughts

I'd love nothing more than to share this as a playlist for you, but I'm going to right now. You should probably check out all of these artists if you haven't already. Ok, maybe there'll be a playlist at some point.

Also -- I now have a motorcycle.

[See?]

Well, I've had it for a while, about 2 months now. It's a 1980 Moto Guzzi V50 II, and it's really fun. I got it in terrific shape from the Vespa dealership here in town. For a used bike of that year, it looks and performs wonderfully. It's my first motorcycle, and it is just begging for a cross-state trip replete with Springsteen blasting along the way. Let it be known that riding a motorcycle makes me want to cruise around and listen to music even more. Let it also be known that I never do that, because it is incredibly dangerous. But man do I want to.

here's another pic:

Yes, it is dangerous, and yes I know what I'm doing. And yes, it is incredibly fun.

Also also -- this last photo was taken with a new camera I bought for myself. It's my first step up into non-commercial based photography [i.e., coolpix cams]. It's a Nikon D60 that I got on the cheap from a Wolf Camera that was going out of business. Look out graphic world, Kyle's on the ups.

Here's one of the first pics taken with it, of my girlfriend's family's Great Dane, Ferris the Lover:

[Ferr-ocious]

Music Monday: The Trip

2009-05-04T14:52:00.004-05:00

It's really just a big ol' mash up of about 6 different ideas I had for lists, all half-complete, but hey who cares. Here it is anyway... and on a MONDAY!

I wanted to get this done because my friend, Anton, is headed out of the country for a month or so and I want him to listen to good music while he's gone. He's got great taste, so I'm sure he will anyways, but this is just a little extra bump of something new. Or maybe it's not new to him, who even knows these days, what with the ready supply of knowledge at everyone's fingertips. I had a friend once give me a mix CD before a two month trip overseas, and while about half of the songs were repeats for me, the pleasure of the whole of the album played together far outweighed the fact that I had doubles on my ipod. It was about the Playlist.

This little edition features 29 songs total [I'm pretty sure] and runs pretty close to all styles of music to be enjoyed. If you decide to download it, and it'll only be up for about a week I'd say, you'll find 8 folders, each containing anywhere from one to seven songs, depending upon how far along in the completion process I have found myself at this moment. The a couple lists have a point, a couple just comprise themselves of new music, and one is just a single 26 minute track from the film Jules Et Jim (I know you been digging it recently, Anton).

So here we go... I started out writing about each of these and man, it was a lot to write. I have about a paragraph for each of these tracks about why you should listen, sometimes more than a paragraph. If you really need to know why you should listen to these songs and feel like asking, feel free, I'll post any of my thoughts on any of these songs. For now though, just take a look at the track list I guess...

Music Monday: The Trip

After Beatles:: was supposed to be a quick 4 track sampling of each of the Beatles best song (as determined by me, at this current point in time) after their break up. I only got two songs in.
1. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) - George Harrison
2. Photograph - Ringo Starr

Austin's:: this started out as an Austin's Best list, but quickly became just a list of songs by Austin artists new and old that I really like.
1. Empty Rooms - Sound Team
2. Culver City - Yellow Fever
3. Let Me Go - The Early Tapes
4. Poem Party - The Strange Boys
5. Mean Mad Margaret - Spoon

New:: pretty self-explanatory. Full of new/newish tracks that you might not have heard. If you have, then you can pride yourself on it.
1. Inside Job - The Muslims (aka The Soft Pack)
2. La Llorona - Beirut
3. Kim & Jessie - M83
4. Video Tapez - Amplive (ft. Del tha Funky Homosapien)
5. Sleep All Day (demo) - Silverchair
6. The Lie - Bad Veins
7. Vacationing People - Foreign Born
8. Tree Bones - Port O'Brien
9. Airplanes - Local Natives

Old Warm:: an older selection of jazz and country cuts. The warmth exuded from these three songs is immeasurable. Even if the country songs are lonely. Wish I had more for this one.
1. Django Castle - Django Reinhardt
2. Amelia Earhart's Last Flight - The Greenbriar Boys
3. He's Solid Gone - Maybelle Carter

WA Film:: this was a list I was pretty excited about, but I never finished. Comprised of songs I thought Wes Anderson should have in his films it only totalled out to 3 songs. Two of them are here because the other one, Bob Dylan's "Fourth Time Around" wouldn't convert to an mp3 for me. This is another list I wish I had taken more time for and really finished. Maybe sometime down the line. It also is a little disappointing to not talk about these because they are definitely two of my favorite songs of all time.
1. Teddy Boy - Paul McCartney
2. Sunny Goodge Street - Donovan

Walkmen:: A list I talked about a few times already, this was supposed to show a track from every Walkmen album to date just to emphasize how awesome they are. Their latest, You & Me was my favorite album of 2008.
1. Mucho Mongo - The Walkmen
2. There Goes My Baby - The Walkmen
3. Canadian Girl - The Walkmen

Wave:: filled with four songs of late 70's/early 80's acts that have creeped into my heart over the past 3 years or so. The Smiths in particular. I love The Smiths. Glad that I can acutally appreciate their music at this point in my life.
1. Disorder - Joy Division
2. Venus - Television
3. This Charming Man - The Smiths
4. Seven Seas - Echo & The Bunnymen

Jules Et Jim:: one 26 minute track called Suite Symphonique from the 1961 film Jules Et Jim by Francois Truffaut. It was a glorious tale of drama, intrigue, passion and relationship, and this suite emphasizes each bit of it. Anton, you're in the mood to make a little love story in NZ, here's a bit of soundtrack to help you out.
1. Suite Symphonique (Jules Et Jim) - Georges Delerue

* * *

Alright so that was a long post.

Please enjoy this if you'd like. It'll be up for a week or so. If it's down when you try to get it, let me know and I'll put it together again for you. And again, if you'd really like more on any of these artists, ask me I won't say no, how could I? (Thanks Morrissey.)

Good Luck on your trip Anton.

Quinnstorm

2009-04-30T17:45:00.002-05:00

I've talked about him a couple times here on my little brog, but my High School friend and old partner in crime Quinn Donahue has a great job. He works for C3 Presents (ACL Fest, Lolla to name a couple), he books bands at Emo's and for the smaller, newer fests that company is building up. He has parlayed that sweet gig into another more journalistic endeavor via Quinnstorm.com, a blog that features an occasional interview with someone you should know about.

Quinn knows what he's talking about. Really, he does. And while his little blog isn't updated near as often as it should be (and what blog really is?), the times when it is, you're definitely going to enjoy the output.

He's just put up a vid from Philly's Dr. Dog, a band that snags a new fan with each play. I've casually shown these guys to about ten people to date now, and each time at about 3 songs of foot-tapping in, they ask, "Who are these guys? They're f***ing awesome."

And that's really the truth. Their latest album, Fate, was top 3 of '09 for me and the back catalogue ain't much less enjoyable.

Check out Quinn's interview with vocal/guitarist for the band, Scott McMicken, probably one of the best interviews I've seen/heard/read in a long time. (I'd post it here, but you really should go to his site and check out the rest of his stuff, I will put up a Dr. Dog track though, for enticements sake, my favorite off of 08's Fate.. "The Ark")

wow, two posts in one day? and both about interviews? i'm on a trip

Awesome Interview w/ Awesome Director

2009-04-30T13:12:00.004-05:00

Rian Johnson's Brick was probably my favorite film of the past 4 or so years. And after having recently read The Maltese Falcon, revisiting the high school noir has been a tremendous amount of fun.

Johnson's follow-up is the con-man flick The Brothers Bloom, and it looks like 2 hours of joy. The con-man film, when done right, is such good entertainment and the fact that this one's got the cast it does (Brody, Ruffalo, Weisz), the writer/director it does (Johnson) and the locations it does (PRAGUE - fav city in the world, Romania) we're pretty much looking at a recipe for smiles.

If you've been following Johnson's Bloom blog you might be familiar with the troubles he's had with this studio. The good news is, this film is finally coming out, and we're finally going to get to have a good bit of fun in the process.

Today this showed up on the blog, an interview /Film has with Johnson. It's great. I wish I could write/direct films like this. Check it out. [you can download it there as well]

* * *

Also:

~ LOST is destroying my life. I can't think about anything else hardly.
~ I want to put up a huge Music Monday playlist that combines every MM I've wanted to put up for the past two months, in celebration of Anton leaving the continent on a mission.
~ I've decided I hate these ~ things, whatever they're called.
~ Dave Eggers gets a lot of praise and a lot of shit, but I think his prose is dreamy.
~ Why am I still using these ~ ?
~ I want to put up the huge playlist by tomorrow, but I'm too busy hating the latest LOST happening. WHY FARADAY, WHY?

In Case You Don't Know, Trust Me

2009-04-27T14:01:00.002-05:00

Mike Skinner, aka the Streets, has been posted almost three songs a week for the past couple of them. They're sounding awesome. Closer to Original Pirate Material - era stuff.

Pretty much, start following Skinner... via twitter @SkinnerMike .. that's where the links to the free downloads are.

Here's my favorite thus far... The Streets - Trust Me

DAMN YOU HAPPY VACATIONS

2009-04-20T17:25:00.000-05:00

I might've just gotten duped... Happy my ass.

Oh Man Wow

2009-04-19T21:28:00.002-05:00

So I haven't been writing about anything I usually do, nothing about music or mondays, or anything like that. This is mostly because... of this... well not really because I just found this thing [via Aint It Cool News]. It. Is. Awesome.... and really creepy. I mean, look at it!!

Go get one for yourself. It is so weird and awesome.

Kevin Drew Shows Off His Arts

2009-04-15T17:02:00.005-05:00

[took down video because it's no longer available]

Long, silent, artsy, pretentious? Who cares, Feist is in it.

Careful this thing really is like 15 minutes long.

Found this via GvB & Pitchfork

Finding Old Notes For New Posts

2009-04-10T14:13:00.006-05:00

A few days ago I finally made good on a note to myself written back in the summer of 2004. I had made my first trip over to Europe at the age of 21 and was loving every minute of wide-eyed intake. It was something wholly different from my world up until that point and I made note of nearly every detail in a small moleskin journal. There were many things that can be reminicsed about that summer, but this first one in particular gives me a nostalgic feeling for time enjoyed unlike any I've felt in the almost 5 years (unbelievable) since.

I was visiting the Louvre in Paris with my friend Clint, the day after seeing Paul McCartney live in the Stade de Paris, and had written down the names of a few paintings that had really caught my eye right away. One was by a man called Antonio Campi... "Les Mystéres de la Passion du Christ"

[unfortunately this is the best image I can find]

It amazed me at the time, and still does. The scope of this painting is massive. There are things going on at every point in this image. The thing that intrigues me most though, is Campi's vision of what I'm assuming is Heaven (in the top right corner). The skies opening upon a giant reflective golden orb. It is all at once beautiful, breathtaking and ominous.

I was again reminded of this painting when I recently saw Knowing, a film that at first starts off with a great sci-fi premise and in the end finds itself lost in an amalgamized realm of Creationism and Scientology. I won't say the film was terrible, I will just say that it fuels the Creationist fodder a little bit. But here is not the place to discuss matters of Religion and Nicholas Cage.

The second painting was by a man called Hubert Robert titled, "Le Pont du Gard". This is the painting that brings back joyous memories of brand newness and love and language and walking and art and beauty. There is nothing spectacular in the way of religious spectacle as in Campi's work or much in the way of flashiness at all, but I think that's why I've fallen in love with it. Before a few days ago, I hadn't seen this painting in almost 5 years (saying it twice doesn't make it any less weird), and now having finally seen it again, I am transported back to that exact day, sitting on a bench across from the pyramid entrance to the Louvre. The lovliness of that day sticks with me forever. It was the day after first seeing a Beatle live, the first day of seeing art that truly struck a personal chord with me, and the second time I'd seen the Olympic torch run by. What a strange and wonderful day.

Here's Robert's "Le Pont du Gard" (1787)...

[click for biggerness]

ps - I've jumped aboard Twitter -->

coffee = caffeine = elation

2009-04-03T18:41:00.002-05:00

Well I've had a really relaxing day of work here for what feels like the first time in a while, and what do you know, it comes with the triumphant return of the afternoon trip to the coffeehouse.

This used to be an almost daily routine of mine when I lived just a couple blocks from the wonderful Cafe Medici here in town (the beautiful neighborhood of Clarksville, specifically), and turned out to be a useful and very productive time of the day for me. Besides, since I work from home, my laptop/phone/steno pad is my job, and being that these objects are very portable said trip to the coffeehouse seems like a no brainer.

I'd like to comment on the atmosphere of these places with regard to the stereotypes that associate themselves to the patrons. Maybe it's just me, but when I walk into these dens (and most places here in town do feel just that, a den, a nook, a homely place) I get the feeling that I'm being eyed. Now maybe it's just my own ego that can't help but feel eyes upon me when I walk into a room, and sometimes this is just the case, but oftentimes when I see these people I get the feeling that they're here just to be seen doing things. Reading, writing, studying, I mean how can you actually get anything done in a place where birds are chirping, feet are shuffling, trees rustling? The funny thing is that all this noise helps, and so does the caffeine. There's a reason coffeehouses have this old stereotype, where artists and writers go to have a moody time, where cigarettes are welcome and hip cats are bound to breakthrough the next barrier of their intellectual boundaries. This environment breeds thought and damn if it's not contagious the minute you step inside.

Sorry for the unnecessary rant, or verbal expulsion rather. It's just really motivating to burn through four hours of tedious work and be rewarded with another four hours of personally gratifying brain stimulation.

ps - start reading Bob Dylan's Chronicles: Volume One. It is consuming my thoughts.

Updates

2009-03-30T15:58:00.002-05:00

Man some stuff has happened. And I want to talk about it all, I really do, but I can't motivate myself to gather pictures and songs and things that really make reading a blog fun, so that I can actually put them up here and make this thing even slightly entertaining for a Monday afternoon. One thing I really do want to gloss over because it's oh so sad and depressing, is that film composer Maurice Jarre has passed away.

It's sad because this man has created some of the most epic and beautiful film score work you've ever heard or will ever hear. The list is filled with greatness but one stands out for me and makes his passing so odd for me. Lawrence of Arabia is a godsend of a film. Long, gorgeous and still pertinent today as far as middle east relations go, it has been a favorite of mine for some years now and has been the source of multiple points of inspiration for me as well. Jarre's score for the film is a character, an aesthetic, a plot unto itself and it is something that I've recently been obsessing over, let's say for the past couple of weeks. This is why Jarre's passing is so odd for me and why it hurts just a little bit more than something like this normally would. The man was a true artist and the week, nay month should be spent listening to his vast catalogue of work.

Maurice Jarre - 84 years old.

SXSW

2009-03-24T15:25:00.003-05:00

I did a whole lot of stuff at SxSW this year, and it will shortly come out at this space [photos and stuff].

In the meantime, go watch the two videos my friend Quinn has on his space... Quinnstorm.com.

I love this man.

Stepping Back Into The Modern Age

2009-03-02T16:12:00.003-06:00

I've just found the appropriate equipment to rig my record player up to my computer and thus share some of my favorite music with you!

My record collection is no where near vast, but it holds a large sentimental value with me. I love films just as much as I love music, and when you combine the two you get great music from great films. And when I buy vinyl, I don't often buy new stuff, obviously, you go for the old cheap used vinyl. But rather than pick through the legions of records stacked in the A-Z's, I've found it much more rewarding to pick through the used vinyl soundtrack sections. There's something very loving about the fuzzy warmth that exudes from my moderately sized speakers when they are playing an old score from a classic film from the 60's or 70's in the evening as the sun goes down.. or even better in the morning when the sun comes up. All is usually quiet and the gorgeous Texas sky offers up a blissfully clear sunrise/set that oftentimes feels can't be topped, yet is so by the the following day's offer.

This is why music is integral to daily life.

For my first foray into evolution by way of vinyl comes from two absolutely f**king brilliant films, that have two of the best soundtracks around...

Stepping Back Into The Modern Age, Vol. 1

1. Via Veneto e i nobili - Nino Rota -- La Dolce Vita. Loveliness.
2. Blues/La dolce vita dei nobili - Nino Rota -- La Dolce Vita. Godliness.
3. The Singleman Party Foxtrot - David Grusin -- The Graduate. Cleanliness?

Both of these films are exsquisite in their own way and their soundtracks/scores deserve a place in the annuls of art history. Hope you enjoy. More choice transitions from vinyl to digital will come once a week [or more if I'm feeling frisky].

Maximo Park can do a podcast

2009-03-02T11:15:00.002-06:00

I feel so inferior to this podcast that the UK band, Maxïmo Park put out back in December. I absolutely adored their first album, A Certain Trigger. It was like The Smiths on speed and energy drinks. Really lovely stuff. Their 2nd album, Our Earthly Pleasures was a disappointment for me, to say the least. That is probably because I loved the first one so much. Anyways, I had kind of pushed them to the wayside until today when I got an email from them about a new album. I followed it to their site to catch up and found a podcast they'd put together for a 5 day drive through the West of the USA. It is so good. Hit me right where I needed it today.

Here's the page.

Here's the direct link to the podcast on itunes

You can listen at either link.

I'll have some more personal stuff up later sometime. In the meantime, this'll do just nice.

PS - their album artwork is so damned good.

Awesome New Band

2009-02-26T13:51:00.004-06:00

Hehehe... well let's not go so far as to say awesome, but...

Way back when I mentioned that my friend Dan and I were in a band of sorts and that we'd been working on material. Well that's sort of steadily been going on for about a year or so and we're finally feeling happy about some of the songs we've got, and we're slowly recording them on our own. We finished one last night called "There's A Light" and here it is! Hopefully you'll at least find it entertaining, and if not well, you know what they say... those who can't play, critique.

We call ourselves Chris & Doug [there is a story there, but trust me, it ain't that intriguing].

Chris & Doug - There's A Light [mp3]

Enjoyment on the Brazos

2009-02-20T09:02:00.002-06:00

I feel like I'm starting to become a fanboy here but, I saw these guys again last night and they're really great. I hope their album comes out REALLY soon.

Here's a track off a compilation I got from a magazine called Esopus. Not very evocative of the band's current incarnation, but it's hard not to be wooed by the obvious talent of the stripped down track.

Brazos - Passenger

I'm On A Soccer Team

2009-02-18T09:02:00.004-06:00

For the past 5 or so years I've been infatuated with International Football (soccer). This comes as a result of becoming bored with all the American sports I grew up playing. Now I'm finally on a team... even if it is in the MGD 64 [miller genuine draft] sponsored Super Social League here in Austin.

I give you...

Happy V-Day from The Tripwire

2009-02-13T16:28:00.003-06:00

Last night the editor for The Tripwire sent out an email asking us contributors if we wanted to put together a little something for Valentine's Day for the site. I went along with it and chose a couple songs.... Black Joe Lewis's "Bitch, I Love You" and one of my top five favorite songs of all time, James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World"

Check it out... it's pretty cool.

Favorite Record At The Moment

2009-02-13T10:12:00.009-06:00

So these are some of my records,

And this is my record player,

And this is my favorite record at the moment,

The lovely resurgence of vinyl as a mass produced and bought product again has blessed me with a soft, classy and used album from a quirky musician. Unfortunately this same resurgence has disallowed me to find a track to offer up to you, as I don't want to spend the money on purchasing an electronic copy for myself. Love lost. However you can now search it out if you want to... A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night.

Taking Cues

2009-02-05T14:38:00.006-06:00

In July of 2008 I spent 2 unbelievably comfortable weeks in Oahu, Hawaii. I was with my family in a house we rented on the North Shore, and in the 14 days we were residents we learned to live the lifestyle. There were a few days of tourist activity at the start - Pearl Harbor, the flea market, surf lessons, etc - but then remarkably, we just did nothing. It was as if we really were from there. One night, my brother and I even drove into the city to catch a Vampire Weekend show with the locals. All in all, great experience. If you've ever got the chance to live in Hawaii, I'm sure I don't have to tell you to take it.

Anyways, the point here is that I took a cue from my great friend, Anton, and filmed as much as I could while I was there. Unfortunately, when you assimilate to the island life, you don't want to pick up the camera and film. I tried though, and here is the minute-long intro to the whole affair. Now I know what Anton is talking about when he refers to the difficulty in getting projects done. Here we are, nearly 6 and a half months later and this is finally done. I'm not even thinking about when the actual content will be done with. Let's not. Let's just enjoy this for a little bit...

I don't know that much about the export/sharing process
so this could probably be clearer and work better.

New Ears: JAWS

2009-02-04T14:57:00.004-06:00

New Ears for the New Year.

Even though it's February.

For the new year I'd like to broaden the scope of New Ears toward the medium of film. An HBO showing of Steven Spielberg's 1975 classic JAWS being the catalyst for this latest urge to write, I figured that over the next few weeks I'd take the time to have my own little Spielberg Retrospective. This is as a result of a) having the time in the evenings to do such a thing, b) having not seen his classics in quite some time begs the question of how they've withstood the test of time, and c) I recently acquired a brand new Sony 46'' HDTV and really want to watch the hell out of it. [and d) I just moved into a new place, and the debt acquired from new house purchases is sure to curb my weekend spending.]

So here it is...

JAWS was Spielberg's big breakout onto the film scene and as such has been probably one of, if not the, highest grossing films of his career. It's a tight and suspenseful flick and one that has struck so many people where it hurts... with a fear of water. I, to this day, cannot swim comfortably in the ocean. I spent two weeks in Hawaii this past summer and while I enjoyed myself in the water playing about in the clearest of seas with crustaceans and fish and squid, there was not 5 minutes that went by where I wasn't checking my back.

We all know that Spielberg was a wunderkind of filmmaking. We all know he had technical prowess, we all know that the man knew how to work with kids. What I love about JAWS is that now, at 25 years old, after more than 100 viewings of this thing [I'm sure], there are still things I catch in it that make me more frightened than ever, that make me laugh harder, and that make me still wonder like a little boy.

First of these: probably the scariest scene in the film for me, when Brody's son Michael [played by Chris Rebello] is stuck in the water after the man in the red row boat is attacked [leg bitten off no-less]. The look on the kid's face is one of utter shock and terror. He is literally in awe of the massive beast as it swims past, undoubtedly with the lifeless body of the row boater hanging out. Also worthy of mention, this is the first time we see glimpses of the shark and it's nearly halfway through the film. This has long been considered the greatest tactic in creating suspenseful cinema... keep the audience waiting and play on their emotions, their imagination. Spielberg does it to perfection here. Plus, when we just barely see the jaws of the beast open under about a foot of water, it is absolutely frightening. It looks real. And it makes me want to cry.

Second: one of the funniest moments of the film that I haven't caught before. While the boys are all sharing war stories [literally sometimes], and Quint and Hooper are showcasing their wounds, laughing it up with drunken fervor and bravado, Brody [played perfectly by Roy Scheider] is come over with a look of yearning to be included, lifts his shirt and feels across a scar from what can be said is probably an appendix removal, then drops his shirt again in puny defeat. I had never caught this moment before, but this last time it got me giggling for a good few minutes.

Third: an effect I've wondered about ever since the beginning. When Brody decides not to fire at the beast as it swims away we're left with a close-up looking up from the decks into his face. In the background a shooting star is seen flying from right to left of the screen. I've always wondered if it was SFX or if the moment was just one of pure magical luck. That's what I want to believe. I've searched the internets all day and can honestly say that no one knows for sure. On HBO's version it looks animated. On my DVD it looks real. Spielberg has claimed it both ways, and fans across the net have noted it as a 'berg trait in many of his classic films.

I suppose we'll never know for sure, but I'll keep hoping that it was just happenstance. It's more enjoyable that way.

So that's it for JAWS. Next up on the agenda will be E.T. The Extraterrestrial. I've been wanting to watch that for weeks now.

Feel free to watch it sometime this weekend as well...
Next week we can all comment on it.

Funny Cartoon, Serious Commentary

2009-02-03T09:02:00.004-06:00

I opened up the Life & Arts section today to find a great F-Minus. It's a great little piece of satire, yet also a great bit of commentary on what I'm sure is the state of much of these USA.

[click, it gets bigger]

p.s., getting off a treadmill is quite possibly the weirdest experience ever.
It feels like you're walking 3-4x faster than normal.

Inadvertent Forgetfulness

2009-01-30T09:46:00.002-06:00

You ever think about something so hard you forget it in the process?

Been happening to me all morning, dammit.

Music Monday: More of a Hodgepodge

2009-01-29T17:52:00.004-06:00

There is no rhyme or reason to this post, other than within the past month or two I've been slowly accumulating works from these artists. I wish I could put it all together with more of a theme than that, but it cannot be done at the moment. [no album art this time]

Music Monday: Hodgepodge

Rodriguez - Sugar Man -- off the album Cold Fact. Sixto Rodriguez's story is amazing and sad and uplifting all at once. I'll refer you this info page, and this All Things Considered story. The long and the short of it is this... Rodriguez put out Cold Fact back in 69/70 to mediocre reviews. Played only one showcase to industry folks (with his back to the audience no less, a big deal way before Maynard James Keenan started doing it with TOOL), put out one more album a year or so later to even more mediocre reviews and called it quits. Meanwhile, Cold Fact began receiving acclaim in Australia and South Africa, where to this day his name is synonymous with Elvis. He's that big there. You really should read that article and listen to the NPR audio clip. This album is finally getting a proper release as a result of it's comeback in the popular ear. Great stuff... Dylan/Cream, great folk/psychedelia.

Honey Claws - Shout Out -- off of the self-titled LP. This is so bizarre for me. Honey Claws are an experimental/electronic/hip-hop act from Austin. The lead vocalist, Jon Von Letscher, I've known since middle school. Well I should say, I knew in middle school. In seventh and eighth grade he and I (along with two other friends) would make comic books about ninja stick men wreaking havoc on the unsuspecting villains of imaginary cities, he would teach us how to draw manga, we would tower over him (he was a short chubby kid, now he's an average height marathon runner) and we would laugh day and night about the stupidest things and play RISK. So it blows my mind that after, jeez, twelve years I find out he's got a pretty amazing little band going. I ran into him about a year ago and he was telling me about it, but i never really followed up. Wish I had now. Keep an ear out.

Cut Off Your Hands - Happy As Can Be -- off of You & I. I was listening to The Tripwire Podcast and came across this track from the New Zealand quartet, Cut Off Your Hands (nee Shaky Hands, but now COYH thanks to the Oregon band of the same name and a lawsuit. Clever retitled name). I immediately left for the record store and bought the album, which had luckily just come out that day. It is New Wave joy. I wrote a review for the album this past week, and in it you can read why I liked it... THE REVIEW. The Smiths, U2, Joy Division, The Beatles and all the best parts of the insane post-punk revival of about 3 years ago.

Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream -- off of Walking On A Dream. This band makes me feel like a hypocrite, because I don't really like bands like this. But I can't help it. Don't know too much about these guys, but the band's name is EMPIRE OF THE SUN, as in the awesome 1984 novel by JG Ballard (and subsequent awesome 1987 film by Steven Spielberg with a young Christian Bale). Also LOOK at the album artwork. How can you not like that? There's a tiger. Just listen.

Coconot - Conservad El Rayo -- off of Cosa Astral. Also don't know too much about this band, but they're awesome in an experimental, islandy way. Also makes me feel a little bit of a hypocrite, as these guys have been referred to once or twice as a Spanish Animal Collective, and call me crazy but I ain't really that big a fan of Animal Collective. These guys however, sounds like boatloads of fun. Maybe it's because they're from Barcelona.

Cornelius - Toner -- off of Sensuous. I recently rediscovered this album. I reviewed it when it came out back in April of 2007. I love this guy Cornelius (Keigo Oyamada) and I'm on the search for a shirt to prove it. Read THIS REVIEW I wrote for everything I feel about it. This song is made from samples of a PRINTER. He's also got one of the coolest versions of Brazil I've ever heard (for another Music Monday).

Department of Eagles - Teenagers -- off of In Ear Park. I had heard about these guys once before but never paid attention to them. Then let's flashback to about a month and a half ago when I'm in Starbucks waiting for coffee on a cold day, there's a free download card there for a track from this album. I go home, dload it and it's great. About two weeks later I'm listening to KUT and John Aielli's, Aielli Unleashed (pronounced A-Lee), and he offers up another track from the album. I took it as a sign and bought the whole album, In Ear Park. It's great. There's a little bit of Midlake in there, which is what immediately drew me in I think, but there's more rock to it too. More weirdness. It's dark and eerie, and it's fun and light too. One of the more overlooked albums of 2008.

yum

2009-01-28T09:58:00.003-06:00

thanks gorilla vs bear.

Feist & Grizzly Bear

* * *

Looking to get another Music Monday soon, I know I say that a lot and never get it done, but this time... OOOHHH this time... it might happen. Thankfully there's a lot of new stuff invading my senses this early new year, and I am pretty happy about it. See ya when I see ya.

I refer to a post dated 31 January 2008

2009-01-21T22:01:00.002-06:00

Because Shit Just Got Real, Again.

Season 5 has begun.

In other news, this blog has just reached 4,000 views

New PB&J

2009-01-09T14:17:00.003-06:00

2009 is already starting to sound better than 2008. Peter Bjorn & John have a new album out in the spring and here's two songs for free!

A little different sounding than their last effort, but still reverb-tinged Swedish pop. That's why it's lovable. I feel like I'm back on the train to Malmo.

find it here through FADER . com

new stuff

2009-01-06T16:31:00.005-06:00

i am going to post a new hodgepodge of a music monday sometime this week before i have to go to my cousin's wedding this weekend (i get to be a bartender. which is a weird thing to have a family member included as in your wedding, but hopefully i get to drink on the job).

point is, i want to post something and here it is... went and saw my favorite band in austin play this past weekend. Brazos started off the year musically for me in the exact fashion i wanted.

i even took some pictures. [click it for the link please]

Winter Beard

2008-12-31T09:08:00.007-06:00

So I've been growing a Winter beard for no reason really. I've just sort of been alright with not shaving for the past month or so and it has resulted in what is probably the longest beard I've been able to grow.
I'm not usually a person that likes a lot of facial hair because it's so dang itchy. I like it if I'm travelling and I like it if it's cold outside. It makes me feel like a man. HA.

quick little Ming the Merciless

So since I've proven to myself that I can once again grow a certain amount of facial hair I am going to shave it into a celebratory New Year's Eve mustache. This will be a fun New Year's as a result.

voil-la

My girlfriend is going to hate me.

Berry Krimble To All

2008-12-25T14:08:00.002-06:00

Hope yours is Happy

Merry Krimble

2008-12-24T20:20:00.006-06:00

I'm probably going to regret this....

but I recorded a version of "Little Drummer Boy" for Christmas.

The Foggiest - "Little Drummer Boy"

Enjoy with laughter.

It's pretty mellow.

Oh boy.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

dream time

2008-12-18T16:48:00.000-06:00

Now I know that hearing, or in this case reading, another person's dreams is oftentimes terribly boring. In fact, there is nothing I hate more than an awful dream story, and really when you think about it, most of them are. I think this is mostly because dreams affect people on personal levels. It means absolutely nothing to me that you formulated some dream about your childhood dog that died when you were in 3rd grade, and about how it flew through your wall while you were drawing a picture of an elephant swinging from Tarzan's leg. To me that just sounds awful.

Okay, THAT dream sounds kinda cool, but you get my meaning.

Anyways, I was looking through a journal today and found a description of a dream I had back on 23 April. I just think it has a pretty good punchline, and it has nothing to do with me personally, it's universally enjoyed. I promise.

Okay.. here it is... try not to be bored.

23 April ::: Where I've Never Written Before (note* I always title my entries, mostly they don't have any particular meaning concerning the entry)

I had a pretty bizarre dream last night. It was raining outside and I was the boom operator for a television news crew. The interview we were conducting was of a donkey that could talk.

At first [the donkey talking] wasn't anything special, nothing more than the regular hee-haw in response to our questions. But as the storm overhead began to get worse and the rain fell harder and the flash of lightning accompanied by that clap of thunder got closer, the donkey actually began answer our questions. The answers were nothing complex, nothing really in the way of formulated sentences, just one to two word answers.

The woman reporter and I began to laugh hysterically and just as she began her second question a bolt of lightning struck the boom mic I was holding. I dropped it immediately, but not before I watched the lightning jump from the mic to my right calf.

I freaked out and the reporter screamed. We looked down at my leg after I collapsed and watched as my muscle began to seize. Then, as she freaked again running to call an ambulance and I lay there in shock from being struck by lightning, the donkey leaned over and looked at my leg. Then he looked back to me and said, "That was by far the strangest thing I've ever seen."

And that was a dream I once had.

Music Monday: Gypsy Hibernation

2008-12-11T16:42:00.001-06:00

When was the last time one of these was actually on a Monday?

I'm continuing with the Hibernation lists because technically we should all be taking the time during the holidays, a time of reflection and poor musical output, to catch up on some stuff that we haven't heard before. Today's list follows with this theme, and a little bit of joyous celebration for the cold weather, too. This list hopefully will have you ready to cozy up in your nearest neighborhood pub, in sweaters and mustaches (ladies may be clean-shaven), toasting mugs of your best thick brew (my recent favorite has been Schneider Aventinus, so dark, so tasty) - but most importantly, smiling. You'll probably be laughing harder than you ever thought possible, too, with a skinny mustached man who will most likely have a gold tooth (thinking an incisor). There will be festive gypsy hats aplenty and your drunkeness will continue into the wee hours of the morning.

I've slowly transitioned this from hopeful suggestion to stern instruction.

I am not familiar with Gypsy music other than what I've heard from genius/nutjob Eugene Hütz, or seen in film, so this list will pretty much reflect that, but there have been branches off on my own and hopefully there will be further branching from everyone after today. I get the feeling that while there is a tremendous amount of respect and honor to the traditions of Gypsy and Romany music there is always room for evolution, be that from new members, new ears, new stylistic forms, or new bellies that need be filled with brew. Let me know what you think... and if you've got any other suggestions for additions to the playlist, feel free to add to it on your own. Just let me know so I can join in on the afterparty.

Naj pala soste!

Music Monday: Eastern Bloc

1. As Munci La Plug Si La Coasa (Romica Puceanu) - Toni Iordache -- from Sounds From A Bygone Age Vol. 4. I heard this one morning a little over a year ago I think, as I walked into the local record store here (thanks for more impulse buys than anywhere else Waterloo Records staff) and I was instantly smitten. As far as I know, Toni Iordache is a ţambal maestro (a ţambal is sort of a xylophone-esque instrument). He was imprisoned in Romania for three years (sorry for the vague info here) sometime between 65 and 80 for owning foreign currency. Apparently, say these liner notes, it was illegal to own a single foreign dollar until 1980. He was so talented (and had enough cash) that while in prison, fellow inmates took on his workload so that he was able to actually play upon his release. Gotta love the love for the ţambal.

2. 24.000 Baci (feat. Eugene Hütz from Gogol Bordello) - Acquaragia Drom -- from Rom Kaffe. I don't know too much about Acquaragia Drom, I just found them by their association with Eugene Hütz. From what I know, Hütz put together a little gypsy music festival not too long ago and invited this Italian group to perform. They are quite good as far as I can tell. Plus, they state on their website that they are formed from "a little of Gypsy blood and lots of traditional weddings and feasts all around Italy." I see absolutely nothing wrong with that. It makes me want to load up on Italian carbs and kick my knees up in celebration.

3. Dikiy Muzhchina - Ленинград -- off of the Everything Is Illuminated soundtrack. The band's name is actually Leningrad, but my itunes gave it that cool Russian name instead, so I've kept it that way. From what I've noticed on itunes, Leningrad used to have a more traditional gypsy folk sound, but have recently "ghetto'd" up their outfit. The result is this charming sound of the eastern world. It's probably what it sounds like more and more over there, rather than the old softer folky stuff. But you can see the similarities. I love this song, and I thank the EII soundtrack for turning me on to a number of artists I continue to listen to and look for in record stores.

4. Amari Szi Amari - Csókolom -- again, off of the Everything Is Illuminated soundtrack. I chose to put two tracks from this album up because they are different sounds. Leningrad is a little more trumpety and ska-like, this track from Csókolom is a little more set in the traditional sound. There's a fiddle that runs throughout the track that pretty much sells your heart on love for life. I don't know too much about Csókolom, but they've got a couple albums on itunes and this track is included in one of them. I'd say it might be my next purchase during the winter music break. God I love new old music.

5. Madagaskar-Roumania (Tu Jésty Fáta) - Gogol Bordello -- off of the EP East Infection. I built this playlist around this song.. my favorite Gogol song. While I like what Gogol does with Gypsy music and the way they infuse punk and ska and all that into it, I think that when they do it on such a simple and minimalist scale as they do here, they are untouchable in terms of pure enjoyment. What Hütz's raw vocals bring to the table is unbelievable. This song sounds like a traditional Romany song but it's not, it's a Gogol Bordello song. If you're really looking to find where the heart of Gogol Bordello lies, I'd say look for the early EPs. This one, and Voila Intruder (which I'm still on the lookout for in physical form) are the two that I think really express what Gogol was formed upon and what they strive for. I don't want to bash them, but with their last two releases I feel like just a smidgen too much was placed in certain areas. It's good, it's great, but sometimes only in small doses. This track however, feels timeless.

That's it. Enjoy please with a pint or litre of thick beer.

Texas Weather

2008-12-10T08:01:00.000-06:00

It was almost 80 degrees yesterday afternoon. Last night we got snow for a little bit. Texas, you're weird.

More Random Acts of Art

2008-12-02T22:41:00.000-06:00

Over the Thanksgiving holiday my friend Pat and I came up with a few new designs for some t-shirts we've been making. The goal is to make them with enough creativity, oddness and quality that people will be envious enough of those already wearing them to buy one or more for themselves. These designs lent themselves well to a comic strip format, and thus another random act of art was birthed. This time it came in the form of A Couple of Cavemen.

It looks crudely done, but I think that adds to the charm... please click to make much bigger

Music Monday: Hibernation

2008-12-01T22:38:00.004-06:00

So it looks like Winter is officially upon us here, with December finally rolling in. So what better way to celebrate this period of eating, sleeping and hibernating with a series of cozy play lists from The Foggiest? I wanted to do a little audio intro to this list, relive my college radio days, but in the end my ears couldn't stand the sound of my jazz hour voice and the idea was scrapped.

In any case, please enjoy the first installment of this Winter's Hibernation List...

Music Mondays: Hibernation

1. Requiem Por Un Con - Serge Gainsbourg -- from The Originals. I've just recently (within the past year or so) gotten into Monsier Gainsbourg and this is one of the first tracks that grabbed me (technically I think it's the second, but really does this sort of thing matter enough to mention? ... apparently). I've featured his daughter here before, and now with the father it's easy to see where she gets her talent from. Mr. Gainsbourg is a tremendous influence to modern music. Everyone from AIR to Seu Jorge counts him as a leading influence and from this compilation it is easy to see why. The man was at the same time sleazy and seductive all while managing to compose some of the most beautiful, relaxed and technically well-rounded material in the modern era, and he's shaped and redefined what we know of the pop landscape forever. If you're looking for a great introduction musically, look into The Originals. If you're looking for a good intro into what his lifestyle was probably like, check out the cult film Slogan. It's where he met Jane Birkin - Charlotte Gainsbourg's mom - and one hot little number. The two (Serge & Jane) put out some steamy material and were one of the first really taboo couples around (he was well into his 50's when he met the under 20 Birkin). French & Scandalous!

2. Satt Att Se - Dungen -- from 4. This Swedish Psych outfit is led by Gustav Ejstes. He is a genius. I could stop there. The first album I heard of theirs was Ta Det Lung back in 05 I think. It blew my mind. Ever since I have been hooked to everything he's put out. This latest release sees him involve the band a bit more in the writing process and the outcome has benefited immensely. There is more of a jazzy vibe to it, which is readily apparent here on "Satt Att Se" Sure, you don't understand him (unless you speak Swedish), but that incomprehension allows the vocals to become just another instrument of melody. The album is great, I have nothing more to say about it. Get it.

3. Walkin' Back To Happiness - Helen Shapiro -- from some 60's compilation. This might've been one of those 'One Hit Wonders' from the 50's/60's for all I know. I know absolutely nothing about Ms. Shapiro other than I saw her daughter play last weekend and she covered this song. She is a dead ringer for her mother vocally speaking. She ain't too bad on the eyes either. It's a happy song.
**note of retraction: Helen Shapiro is not Binki Shapiro's mother... just found this out. whoops**

4. Shoulder To Shoulder - Little Joy -- from Little Joy. The aforementioned Shapiro, Binki is her first name. She and apparent boyfriend Fabrizio Moretti (The Strokes' drummer) have joined forces with a Brazilian crooner by the name of Rodrigo Amarante (of Los Hermanos fame). Saw them last weekend, pure joy. More than just a little joy. They embody that almost naive happiness from the late 50's/early 60's. They're looking to influence a good time, and they succeed almost every time. This debut album is great throughout and is a solid recommendation. It came out Nov. 4th, which makes me count it as the one thing to come out of this Fall in the way of Modern Music that has actually surprised me enough to hold onto.

5. Until Tomorrow Then - Ed Harcourt -- from The Beautiful Lie. If ever a song were meant for the end of a night, the end of a date, or the end of a touching montage in a romantic comedy when the two main characters are on the brink of love until the man/woman does something to incite the final plot point... this would be that song. It absolutely exudes suave charm. Like Sinatra almost. The strings help out a lot, but Harcourt's voice is also heartwarming to the point of laughter. It's a solid charm of a song, which makes the first hand account I've heard of this guy's drunken field day during one night of this past SXSW even more charming. Harcourt has been a solid songwriter for the past at least 6 years since I've known his work. "Until Tomorrow Then" is proof that he seems bent on continuing such output.

Hope Your Thanksgiving Was Peaceful And Tasty.

Nicht/Neü

2008-11-18T17:20:00.000-06:00

I have nothing new to write about. No new Music Mondays. Nothing that feels new to my ears. Everything I listen to sounds bland and rehashed.

This second half (and year in general) have kind of been a disappointment for me on the topic of new music. There have only been a small handful of albums that have really stuck with me for more than a week (if that long at all). So that's one reason Music Monday lists have been really sparse. There haven't even been that many situations in which I find good mixes among my library. There was The Walkmen (which I do have a MM list for, just waiting to be finished), but that is the most recent album I've been infatuated with at all. I think I've entered into my yearly cleansing phase.

Every year, around the time of Texas' Fall (the rest of the country's winter) I enter into this phase where nothing is fun anymore regarding music. Or Modern music I should say. Every tone and chord is more stale and greasy than an El Arroyo tortilla chip. I put away my iPod for the winter, bundle up to my record player and let some seriously old favorites guide me through my hibernation. This usually means a lot of Beatles, old film scores and Classical music. The Beatles because no matter what they own my thoughts, and the film scores and Classical music because I've found that nothing sounds better piped over the speakers of a nice system and LP player than strings and piano. This fall/winter is proving no different because I'm finding new compositions and lush arrangements left and right, and I'm not even trying.

*this is actually proving to be a great idea for a series of Music Mondays for the season...hmm*

This isn't one of those pity party posts that a lot of bloggers are good at (although I am very good at that, and try though as I might, I'm sure I'll have sooner or later), but rather a post of updates, and something to shed some light on the ever-evolving shape of this space. Also, I feel that if I write it here, there's a better chance of it happening than if I just kept it in the ol' noggin.

So there's something to look forward to... Hibernation Lists, more Octopus-themed Random Acts of Art, and maybe a little mock-NPR type audio production numbers (though I won't promise anything on that, just a little hint at stupid experiments in The Foggiest World).

and now a photo from Hawaiian flea market...

WE HAVE TO GO BACK

2008-11-09T08:47:00.000-06:00

Ok, and the most exciting news this week, LOST has a start date finally.

Looks like a few friends and I will be looking forward to Wednesday January 21.

Phew, dang, starting to get goosebumps a little bit already just thinking about it. I can't wait for my life to spiral into that obsessive tailspin of fanatical devotion and that cynical hatred of frustration as I reach for answers that may or may not ever be answered.

Addiction, thy name be LOST.

PS - Anton recently directed me to this... Eugene Hütz, everyone's favorite Gypsy chatting it up on Fresh Air. You're right Anton, I could listen to this guy talk for days.

Sorry I posted this before you, if you were planning on doing so.

The New Auteur

2008-10-07T22:41:00.000-05:00

Based on the couple of people that I personally know reading this thing, Charlie Kaufman is kind of the smartest/coolest/weirdest in a good way/overall god of modern cinema. I wish I could claim this interview as conducted by myself because it is absolutely fantastic, but alas, I cannot, for I found it through Ain't It Cool News, who directed me to this page at WIRED.com.

Throughout the 2.5 hour (yeah, I thought he was media shy too, but don't worry that's talked about), Kaufman divulges great insight into his creative process, his theories on why some of the masses of critical media out there suck, what exactly was going on behind the scripting process of all of his films and sheds some light on a few bits from his early days in television writing (really funny). I've been listening to this thing for the past week, a few times through it now, and I am absolutely loving picking up and holding onto certain aspects of his take on the creative process and turning a critical eye towards the outcome of that process.

Overall, the questions were well posed and formed in a way that Charlie Kaufman is seemingly comfortable answering. After listening to this, you'll want to be his friend, if you didn't already.

The interview was part of a pretty big profile WIRED was doing on Kaufman prior to the upcoming release of his new film Synecdoche, New York (one day I'm sure I'll know how to pronounce that). Here's the trailer for that film...

Looks awfully interesting, as does most of his work. I would comment more about the expectations, but since I know next to nothing other than what I've heard straight from the man's mouth himself, it's probably better to let him tell you. That way nothing gets lost in translation.

Here's The Charlie Kaufman interview.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!?!

2008-09-30T10:46:00.000-05:00

God help us all if THIS is true. God help us.

Austin City Limits Music Festival

2008-09-29T14:40:00.000-05:00

So my sinuses were strung along so tight this weekend that Saturday night my nose nearly fell off as I watched The Black Keys. This year the dust was absolutely awful. There were some great acts to catch in between snot-sessions though, and here are two of them...

white denim

Success in rocking my body down to the core. Made Austin VERY proud to claim them as one of it's own. Get some free tracks courtesy of RCRD LBL.

spiritualized

Been waiting to see J. Spaceman and is intergalactic outfit for years now, ever since his masterpiece, Ladies and Gentlemen We're Floating In Space guided me through a year of living. I was fortunate to be close enough to let the bass take over the beating of my heart for me. Best show of the fest.

I'd write more, but first I have to finish my coverage for The Tripwire. Stay tuned...

photos by kyle rother @ ACL Fest

Up Yours, I Was On The Local News

2008-09-23T15:03:00.000-05:00

The media man, always spinning my words, putting a slant on my message, what I want to say. Ok maybe they didn't, maybe they actually took words I was saying (that even in context probably didn't make a whole lot of sense) and used it exactly as they should have... Or maybe the snake of a reporter totally goaded me into saying what he wanted. FOUL PLAY!

Okay, none of that happened. But I was on the news last night, much to my family, friends and girlfriend's pleasure. I've never heard so many oohs and aahs and outright fits of laughter in one 2-minute span. Come on. Although they do have a point. I look like a goober. And what's going on with my hair? Boy, nothing like a 5-second cameo on the local news to mess with your insecurities. In my defense, they did ambush me at about 11am as I walked into Waterloo Records for a look at some new music. Sneaky bastards. All they wanted was some general info on the upcoming ACL weekend, little did they know they were dealing with a man who's soul is mostly made up of a love for music. They wanted general info and... that's exactly what I gave them. Take that you snake in the grass!

Kyle on the 6 o'clock news: Are you having a laugh?

Music Monday: New Wave

2008-09-15T15:13:00.000-05:00

There hasn't been a Music Monday from The Foggiest in a while (my birthday list was the last actually, hope you enjoyed it), that's mostly because there hasn't been much music lately that's felt important enough to push upon you (except for The Walkmen's new album, which has prompted a considerable amount of logtime on my speakers - there'll be a MM specifically for that band in the near future).

This morning however I woke up and randomly happened upon two old favorite composers of mine and have been happy all day, so here's a little bit more Music Mondays.

Music Monday: New Wave

1. David Byrne & Brian Eno - Strange Overtones - off the new album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. This was the song that hit me this morning nearly after waking up. I was searching the festival lineup for next week's ACL and here was a free download. I'm smitten. Brian Eno has been a small presence in my musical life, his Music For Films was the actual soundtrack to my life a few winters ago, but I am more familiar with his production work. He has worked with Bowie and U2 and many others. This is only is second collaboration with Byrne, the new wave god/lead man from Talking Heads. There's a very good chance you've found yourself humming one of his tunes, even if you don't know who he is. He's a weird guy, but he's a damn fine artist. Also of note, this song is quite obviously about writing a song. That just tickles my fancy.

2. David Bowie - Sound And Vision - off of the first of Low. The album artwork from this one is enough to make you love it. Add to that now the fact that this is also a song about writing a song. "I will sit right down waiting for the gift of sound and vision." Anyone that's ever created something knows exactly what the Thin Duke is talking about here. Again, it makes me giggle with glee. Plus the composition is just perfectly happy. This was the beginning of the Berlin Trilogy that saw Bowie collaborate with Brian Eno in recreating himself another time and creating some of his best known work to date. I always felt strange about David Bowie until one fall about 3 or 4 years ago when I bought an album on a whim. Ever since that day I've fallen in love with this man and his musical genius. He is one of the most romantic songwriters around, but in a way that almost makes you feel uncomfortable as it simultaneously wraps your heart in a warm blanket, shielding it from the cold bitterness of the lonely world. Well, that's what I thought at the time. But I still do believe in the romanticism of David Bowie. The weird androginous romanticism.

3. Coldplay - Strawberry Swing - off the latest offering, Viva La Vida or Death And All Of His Friends. I hate typing that whole title. Funny that this is the third offering in a joyful playlist and it is the third offering that Brian Eno has had his hand in. The man is pretty awesome. On this you can actually feel his footprint. Say what you want about Coldplay, or their new album (personally I like about 3/4 of it) but this song is absolutely beautiful in a Peter Gabriel "Solsbury Hill" sort of way *wink*. Again, Eno mixes with a band in need of a change, and he helps to no end as "Strawberry Swing" samples new ground for the Brit foursome in the way of percussive pounding and overall atmosphere, but still manages to keep that optomistic cloud of grinning. I want to frolic to this song. With polaroids snapping about, holding hands, in a grassy field. I want to Love to this song.

4. Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill - off of Shaking The Tree. I fell in love with this song as early as I could, my freshman year of college. It was before the song was used in pretty much every trailer for a movie vying for Oscar attention. It was before I fell in love for the first time. It was before I got cynical about some things (which is also before I am now, which is not so cynical... most of the time). This is the vintage version of Coldplay's track above. This is the first track I can remember wanting to play as I walked out of a building, breaking into sunlit green patches and picnic tables. The first song I wanted to play as my dreamgirl slo-mo tracked in my direction, smiling just past me. This was the first song I wanted to Love to. Now while this wasn't influenced in any way by Brian Eno, it still feels the same as the above tracks, so I felt it's inclusion justified. Peter Gabriel is a production genius in his own right.

New Ears: The Beatles

2008-09-10T00:45:00.000-05:00

The Beatles.

I know it’s an easy choice. They’re so many people’s favorite. They cover nearly every genre of the aural spectrum. They’re so adorable.

Why is that so?

This answer makes them perfect for New Ears.

In the spirit of things, and after an entirely coincidental weekly trip to the pub, I thumbed the iPod into shuffle. This is essential to New Ears. Without the shuffle, New Ears is hardly possible. On this certain occasion all it took was a simple move to All Albums, first album, first song. This song happened to be “Come Together,” the first track to side A, Abbey Road.

Now, whether the ensuing words be as a result of the preceding trip to a night at the pub or a well researched, yet quickly arranged diatribe on one of the best groups of all time we’ll never know. Regardless, “Come Together” is an incredible recording.

Imagine starting off the final chapter in a saga so epic that it has drawn together what is nearly the entirety of the world. What might seem like a daunting task to most, “Come Together” accomplishes in the blink of 4:21. It perfectly starts off what will be the end of a group with a description of not just who they are, but what they represent to such a wide range of people, asking, nay, pleading with the listener, whoever they may be, to join in on the last moments of a dying act; the last moments of a group of minds that revolutionized an art form. I Like The Beatles.

Compositionally the song is absolutely heart/brain/body-meltingly pretty. Paul McCartney, in one of his more unselfish moments, smoothly ushers the rest of the band through the entirety of the track as Ringo adds footholds along the way. And Lennon’s exasperated yet somehow pitch perfect voice mingled with his and George Harrison’s fuzz, cuts through this all like a knife. At the risk of sounding too fan boy/conspiracy theory nut about this, it sounds like an out and out jab at the whole of the group.

It’s no secret that The Beatles ended in turmoil. Hell, it’s been well documented on film and recording that there were squabbles in the last few years, to the extent that major players walked out midway through recording. John hated/envied Paul, Paul hated/envied John. George hated/envied John and Paul. Ringo wanted Peace. That was the story for every album from The White Album on. This, however, isn’t why they are as interesting as they are. Actually, maybe it is, because despite the conflict and stress, despite the despise, despite the environment of the times, The Beatles still got together and made Abbey Road. In fact, they didn’t just record Abbey Road, they recorded Abbey Road and Let It Be.

A fun fact about the two albums is that even though Let It Be was released last it was Abbey Road that was recorded last. This is only deceiving to those interested in chronological accounts though, because if you listen to both albums together they sound like sisters. I beg you, play “Don’t Let Me Down” just after “Come Together.” You don’t have an accepted homogony between albums like that anymore. Nowadays a band sounds the same from album to album, they are crucified for redundancy. The Beatles did it in the early 70’s and managed to put out at least one of the technically and commercially great albums ever.

At the mention of redundancy: I feel like I’m slowly straying from the point (again, pub night).

Point: “Come Together” is capable of reigniting love. It may not be love for another (we’ll leave that more to track two from Abbey Road), but it is definitely love for The Beatles that lay buried under the surface of my skin. But isn’t this why The Beatles are who they are? Their span across the vast landscape of everything Music is such that this feeling is possible. They will always be there, no matter the circumstance. This New Ears could’ve happened (and probably will again) at any moment because these words could essentially be written about any song from the short lived-yet well-filled catalog from these scousers. I could have fallen again from “When I Get Home” or “Fixing A Hole” (which I’m libel to do, just wait). It could have been any song. This time though, it was “Come Together.”

Give it a shot with New Ears:

The Beatles – Come Together – mp3

isn't music fun?

MTV and their grip on 'Reality'

2008-09-07T22:51:00.000-05:00

Just finished a bit of late weekend television and decided another bit of written-on-a-whim blogging would feel satisfying. Here's another New Ears...

So the nice thing about having a significant other again is that I'm introduced to new things. Sometimes I'm even re-introduced to old things I've managed to let slip from everyday life. This is entirely the case for MTV and their "awards show," the VMA's.

I know it's become incredibly cliché to rip on MTV, but it's not like they've made it easy on themselves. Actually, wait a minute, maybe they have. After all, how hard is it to produce the same television show over and over again, each with a new name, every three months? How hard is it to put aside actually seeking out new and exciting music and just push whichever label-produced PR dream is new this quarter because, well, they're part of the corporate family? Do you remember the day's (though few they may have been) when you actually felt compelled to watch MTV? Remember when they actually had cult programming? Beavis & Butthead wasn't exactly Shakespeare, but at least there was a story behind (some of) it, at least there was a creative process behind it. Nowadays, all you've got is a show literally about 20 guys & gals competing on an island where getting completely obliterated and hooking up with each other is actually encouraged. The commercial for MTV's new reality contest, The Island, actually dumbs it down enough for you midway through, when they actually say, "Oh yeah, and there'll be plenty of hooking up." It's prostitution for the new age.

And how about the actual VMA's? They used to have acts perform before and during the show, remember? Now it's the winner's of their reality dance competition show and a bunch of actors miming to a virtual orchestra of backing tracks. How long have I not been paying attention to the Top 20? When did popular music for the masses become a series of blips and screeches, flashes noise and crotch fondling? When did the complete absence of melody and tune become popular? Why are the nominees for best rock video a bunch of faces? And Rap, Hip-Hop, R&B? Guys, you're declining as well.

It's not that I don't like the genres, but you can do better. You all can. There were two performers tonight that weren't main highlights at all. They had no dose of spectacle, other than letting music speak for itself. Thank you Lupe Fiasco. Thank you Ting Tings. You two were the two best performers of the night, yet you were reduced to ushering in & out the commercial breaks.

And Britney Spears? Look, I'm with South Park on this one, leave her alone and everything will be fine. Forget about all the stupid shit that has happened in the past and lets just move on already. Instead, MTV makes the grandest apologetic gesture of all time, and one that completely solidifies it's place in the corporate marketplace, by giving Britney Spears three awards for a song & video that is literally her standing in one place shaking her hips. The awards it seems have been given as a "really sorry we made you out to look like a complete fool last year" type stunt. You know what though? Who cares right? It was the 25th anniversary of the VMA's, I say let them go out with a flutter.

I think I may be ranting. But that'll happening when you're listening to something again with new ears.

MTV, please go away. Take a breather. Come back in 5 years and let's see if we can't start this over again, on better terms. Right now I think the world can do without you.

On another note though, Brit-host Russell Brand was actually quite funny. I think he was perfectly offensive and nobody saw it coming. Well done, Russ. You were the best part of the night.

Jesus, I just blogged about an MTV awards show.

Random Act of Art

2008-09-03T16:18:00.000-05:00

every now and then we all have random acts of art. You might just accidentally doodle something, or you might happen upon a rhyme that tickles your fancy. Maybe you take a photo you're exceptionally proud of or hum a tune completely original. Today I had a random act of art all my own. Here it is:

just a package of crayola watercolors and a calligraphy pen I bought a couple weeks ago. You never know when it'll happen, but when it does, you feel pretty good.

The Following Was Written On A Whim

2008-09-02T23:31:00.000-05:00

but it might turn out to be a somewhat regular thing...

To those times when you feel like you’ve heard a song for the first time, but when it turns out you’ve actually heard it before, here’s New Ears:

Driving will often give insight into renewed vigor for something that was once somewhat to possibly meaningful. It happens with a personal regard to people, places, ideas and recommendations. It also happens with music. With this case in particular it happens within music with Jennifer Gentle.

An Italian band that I once reviewed after the release of their second full-length album, The Midnight Room, I’ve happened upon them once again and am smitten. It is absolutely lovely… for those that enjoy the oddness and twist a group of people will put on tradition. The Midnight Room feels like every new story you’ve ever heard that grabs at your imagination. That first story you heard as a kid that tied you to it’s hand and toted you around. The first campfire tale that gave you chills, or maybe that first film you saw that nearly literally brought you into another world.

That’s what it is for me. Another world. Every track off The Midnight Room is a brand new adventure into a strange new atmosphere, where your breath is light and your body is just slightly heavy. It’s a world of washed out gray scale, yet it’s as sharp as a The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. I hate to be one for self-reference (hey this is a column of second chances), but in my original review I mentioned relating to music by way of film. This is still, sadly or interestingly (you be the judge), the way I think. Which is why this album continues to at least grab at me.

The first few rotations left me with the impression that these Italians were a bit cheeky if not nerdy, bandying about a quick bit of quirk. I slung up a few words and laid them down with little mind paid after the review’s posting. Then I saw them play live about a month afterward. They were indeed quirky and nerdy and cheeky. They were also precise and technical and they didn’t seem right for this world. Finally, during my recent drive home they transformed the night into their own. I was transposing myself out onto the lamppost-tinted streets of downtown with Marcelo Mastroianni (hat and whip in tow). I was toasting to the grand lunacy of life. I was swimming in the Fontana di Trevi. I was an Italian living the post neo-realist life. I was possibly insane?

Or was it New Ears? Immediately I recounted my initial blasé reaction to the album and sent my inner monologue on an impressive tear down the road called Hypocrisy. Of course I like this album, what’s not there to like: melodic reference to one of cinema’s most influential periods and a blatant tip of the hat to Nina Rota, Fellini’s orchestral partner in crime. This album is the soundtrack to my sophomore year of college, yet it has no actual, literal connection to the time period. It just sounds like it.

So, as I find myself again ranting with absolutely no point or end in sight, the logical side of my brain will step in and put a period down. The main point to this session of New Ears is that Jennifer Gentle’s The Midnight Room is an album that may not at first be your cup of espresso, but if you’re at all a fan of the spirit and flavor of anything Frederico Fellini ever put his stamp on, that Nino Rota ever composed, maybe a bit of British Psychedilia and Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, then you’ll probably grow to love this album. And if it is that bit of mind-altering substance that spreads colorfully across your brain then you don’t need to be reading this.

point of reference:
Jennifer Gentle - The Ferryman - mp3

A Story

2008-08-21T15:19:00.000-05:00

Here's a very short story I've cooked up in the past month or so.

The Wall

Even with all the anxious stress, the unending torment, the psychological weight that burdened his steps as he inched closer to that self-constructed barrier, he was glad to finally be approaching the wall again. Its brickwork of awkward sadness and painful memories brought a single tear to his eye in remembrance of the jilted, sorry eve from whence they'd last parted paths, nearly three years before. The wall was still strong and its grout work still lay as intricately as the day it was built. Neither wind nor rain had eroded away the brightness of the heated rock, no outside influence damaging enough to scar its strong face.

He pressed his hand to the last brick he could remember placing into the wall and whispered to it. I hope all is well.

Moments later, after his amorous breath floated over the roughness, an unexpected crack worked its way across the wall and opened a slit of light shining through from the other side. It was the first time since he’d erected this wall that he had seen this sun, and it warmed his heart. It shown as bright as he’d remembered onto the field bristling with softness he’d forgotten amongst a tree whose fruitfulness seemed too ripe to disturb.

Suddenly filled with a happiness long since vacant and content with the sunlight that had been shown upon him, he parted ways from the wall onto his path of daily chore. Milling and grinding, reaping and sowing, bailing and hauling, no chore of his day could tire the energy afforded by his reacquired sun, and at the end of the day, when no more work could be done he returned home, still satisfied.

The next morning, upon returning to the wall for another blessing of sunlight for the next day’s chores, he found the wall intact. A new stitch of cement where his crack had been, his tiny sunlit hole patched up. The wall had been repaired overnight, reinforced by some other bricklayer. He was again left unknowing of the other sun’s brightness, the other field’s softness and the other tree’s fruitfulness. He was left to live out the rest of his life in exactly the same manner as before, only he himself able to recall the slight glimpse of what life was under that sun. And the wall remained intact.

Where?

2008-08-14T15:04:00.000-05:00

Two and a half months sound okay?

I agree. Where the hell have I been? Answer: pretty much right here. There is absolutely no reason there has been no posting on The Foggiest, no new Music Monday, no update, no anything other than the fact that every time blogger is opened this sense of dread comes over me and there I don't want to even think about one typed word towards a new post. Why? No reason.

Have you lost your nerve?

I don't think so.

But there's been nothing, largely due to your inability to construct actual sentences.

Ah-HA, that's where you're wrong. Check out some new album reviews I've done for:
Princeton's Bloomsbury EP
Dr. Dog's Fate
and Vampire Weekend's show @ Pipeline Café in Honolulu

HONOLULU?

Oh yeah, that might explain a bit of absence. I've recently returned from a two-week stay on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Family vacation. A lot of fun. Here's a couple collage pics from the stay: click to make 'em bigger!

Oooh, pretty.

Thanks.

Anything else?

Not really. Just felt like a post.

Well done.

Music Monday: Quarter Century

2008-05-26T12:46:00.001-05:00

Today on this sunny 26th day of May in the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Eight, I turn 25 years old. What an occasion. I've never been one for much external emotion on my Birthday, I've only ever really written anything down a couple of times, but I've always felt the need to reflect on this day. I never reflect at the New Year. It doesn't make sense. Why would I reflect on an odd day in my personal history? It only seems right to reflect on the most personally historic day of your life. And what is more personally historic to you than the day you were born. It keeps things even and symmetrical, and Lord knows I love me a bit of symmetry. So here today as I sit and think about the past 25 years, I thought I'd treat myself and you to something special. A little aural treat that is comprised of exactly the type of stimulus my ears love on such a personally special day. There are a lot of bits here that make me happy, so hopefully they'll make you happy as well. And remember to wish John Wayne, Miles Davis, Levon Helm and Luca Toni a happy one as well.

Music Monday: Quarter Century

1. Jean Constantin - Prologue and The Police Van -- from the film The 400 Blows. One of my favorite film scores of all time for one of my favorite film director's most personal film. You may have heard this playing right before the emotional climax in last year's The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, but what you may not have known is that it was first from François Truffaut's masterpiece. One of my favorite birthdays thus far was when I spent my 23rd in Monaco, enjoying the ocean, the beach, the food, the people, the culture (and forming an exclusive Oceanographic Society). It was a joyfully relaxing day and this track perfectly encapsulates every emotion I felt on that very emotional day. Constantin captured the tender playfulness and heavy emotion of what it is like to age physically yet remain young at heart, a trait that I hope to carry on with me throughout the rest of my time.

2. Mellow - Instant Love -- from the 2001 release Another Mellow Spring. I first heard Mellow when they soundtracked what is one of my favorite films of all time, CQ (which I'll be posting about in the near future). Since that day, they have managed to become one of those bands that remains in the back of my mind for whenever I head into a record shop, so that I may remember their names in my quest to acquire every bit of audio recording they put their name to. This album is just as its and their name implies, just nice and mellow. It is one of the sweetest songs I've ever heard and continues to imbue in my life nothing but happiness.

3. Seu Jorge - Tive Razao -- from the 2004 album Cru. You probably better know Seu Jorge as Pelé dos Santos, the red-beanied, Bowie-covering, weapons expert, Brazilian aboard Steve Zissou's ship. Or you may know him as Knockout Ned from the disturbingly brilliant City of God. Either way, you should also know him as an unbelievably talented solo musician. He is one of the pioneers in the renewal of samba as a commercially and critically acclaimed movement in Brazil. This album is great, though I hear his first (titled Samba Esporte Fino or Carolina) is supposed to be great. I think you can find that on iTunes.

4. The Mountaineers - UK Theatre -- from the 2003 album Messy Century. I mentioned in one of my last Music Mondays that this song was one of my all time favorites and that I would soon include it. Well why not on my birthday list? I don't know why I find this song to be one of my favorites. I randomly found it about two or three months before I first visited the UK, and while I was there it became my theme for walking around London, to and from my classes, out and about. I must've listened to this song on repeat a hundred times, and it has yet to get old. That's how I know it'll stay a favorite.

5. Jean Constantin - Trinity and Finale -- again, from The 400 Blows. I can't say enough about this score, so I figured I'd round it out with a perfect ending. Truffaut and Constantin just hit it completely right with their collaboration and it's something that I'll never forget no matter how many birthdays go by.

An Eventful Week No Doubt

2008-05-23T16:43:00.000-05:00

There are moments in everyone's life where it turns out there are no words to sum up what you're feeling, just words to describe what that feeling is like.

This is one of those times. Well, technically this is two of those times.

Dan snapped this one from the pit. Great job Dan.

Radiohead.

Three friends and I had the distinct pleasure of standing mere feet away from five of the greatest musicians of our time that collectively make up the English group Radiohead.

I was smiling the entire time I was in the pit, looking back and sharing glowing stares of disbelief at the fact that Radiohead was right there in front of us. Right there in front of us playing music. Radiohead is one of those (very) few bands that have continued to astound with each new release and nowhere is this more clearly stated than right in your face, live. Lighting packages aside, the show was phenomenal. Colin Greenwood makes you smile with his giddy jumping and his brother Johnny is just downright capable. More than capable really. I'd say he actually verges on tear-inducing. And what a joy it is to see Thom Yorke completely embracing the status of a front man, completely comfortable now (seemingly) with taking the reigns and guiding the beastly stallion that is Radiohead through an entire show. He just looks happy now. The Boomers had the Beatles and the Stones, we've got Radiohead.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

I wanted so desperately to like this movie. Imagine my surprise then when I came out of it absolutely loving it. This isn't because I am a complete fanboy, although that really helps, but it is because while it sometimes doesn't look completely like an Indiana Jones movie, it feels like one right from the start. Harrison is back. He's no longer phoning in performances in third rate buddy cop flicks and terrible romantic dramas. He is Indiana Jones. Good grief I feel like I am in 5th grade again. The movie is everything you want it to be, funny, exciting, action packed and filled with sci-fi fun. It is sentimental when it needs to be and it is frightening when it needs to be.

You might hear terrible things about this movie, but I think that the reason you might is because the people saying these terrible things aren't looking at this movie for what it is. Indiana Jones movies aren't supposed to be based in a complete reality. The Ark of the Covenant being found to melt faces off? The Kali Ma ripping still beating hearts out of still breathing human sacrifices? The impostor Holy Grail speeding up the aging process resulting in a corpse drying more and more by the second? NONE OF THIS STUFF REALLY HAPPENS. Somewhere along the line people must have started thinking these movies were supposed to be Schlinder's List because Spielberg was at the helm.

And Shia LaBeouf. As much as I don't want to give this guy a chance sometimes (mostly because he's just getting some amazing roles and I get snobbishly cynical about films) he keeps on delivering exactly what he needs to. The kid's got talent.

There are so many things in this film that will appease the fanboys like me, inside jokes, nods, whatever you want to call them. But there are also genuine moments that will make you smile no matter how old, young, jaded, or fresh you are in this world. It's got a serious heart and a charm that has had me hook, line and sinker since I was a kid.

Show me a world without an enjoyment of Indiana Jones and I'll show you a world I don't want to live in.

Music Monday: In A Very Simple Way

2008-04-24T15:28:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure. It's Thursday. I know, but that's nitpicking isn't it?

This week's (and for all you know the next couple of weeks) comes from the past month of furiously trying to seek out new music, which is such a damn time consuming chore. The result is some new stuff, some slightly old stuff (by a month or so) but overall a great companion to the oncoming beauty of summer.

Music Monday: In A Very Simple Way

1. Port O'Brien - I Woke Up Today -- off the upcoming All We Could Do Was Sing. I heard this song on a Cornerstone Promotions sampler I got at SXSW. A little research tells me (and subsequently you) that this is about the third incarnation of this song... and it is so stinking catchy that I once spent an entire 30 minute car ride with it on repeat. In one month is has yet to get old. That speaks volumes for it's crafting. Port O'Brien is from out West (let's generally say NorCal), and have a release called The Wind and The Swell which I have not heard, but soon will (you should go ahead and go for it, too). All We Could Do Was Sing is out May 13th and is their first studio album. Something to look forward to in May (besides Iron Man, Indiana Jones and My Birthday).

2. Ruby Suns - Kenya Dig It? -- off recent release Sea Lion. Up for not only song of the year for me, but also title of the year. I recently had the pleasure of seeing them live twice, once at SXSW then on a tour they were supporting. As you can tell from the title, they are quirky and charming, and watching them live you find it hard not to fall for both characteristics. Not to mention they're a three piece! What sound they manage to create! Lead man Ryan McPhun is the genious that creates most of the tunes, Amee Robinson wears sparkly dresses and Imogen Taylor has an awesome name (and plays the flute). They're all multi-instrumentalists and they're all enviable in their own way. The whole album is pleasant on the ears, and hailing from New Zealand, they've managed to combine every possible sound you can imagine to create what I will forever hope the tiny nation sounds like. (note: if in fact, NZ does sound like Ruby Suns I want to live there)

3. Rademacher - If You Got Some Magic -- off of their first full length, Stunts. I heard this randomly somewhere, I don't even remember where, but it caught my ear and managed to stick around for the ensuing month and a half until I finally gathered the consciousness to look them up and find the track. I can't speak for the full album (soon I will though, you can order it here), but this song sounds about as timeless as a trip to the Grand Canyon (which hopefully stays timeless). They hail from Fresno, CA and have produced some EPs before Stunts (all by themselves). As soon as I get the full length in the mail, I'll let you know. Unless of course you want to go ahead and see for yourself (again, here).

4. The Boticellis - Up Against The Glass -- off of the upcoming Home Movies (I think). I know absolutely nothing about this band other than that they're from California. They sound like they're from England, and I love that. I also love this song, can't. stop. listening.

5. Fanfarlo - Fire Escape -- off of a single called Fire Escape/We Live By The Lake. These guys should become massive amongst the Arcade Fire-loving individuals in the States. I saw them at SXSW and, besides having a very cute violinist, they were almost too talented. They're from the UK and play tight, sophisticated pop. It's all happy. I almost can't say much more. Here's a little acoustic performance they did for the Tripwire during SXSW:

6. White Shoes & The Couples Company - Brother John -- off their self-titled album out on Minty Fresh. This band was THE surprise for me at this year's SXSW. I know they are a little gimmicky, what with the heavy 70's Indonesian film/lounge influence, but listen to this and tell me that it ain't catchy and fun to listen to. Seeing them live, which is a treat here in the States (they hardly ever come over as they're from Jakarta), is something else; and drummer John Navid is a freaking madman on those jazzy drums of his. Not to mention the overall sexiness of lead singer Aprilla Apsari. There are many tracks on the album worthy of your time this summer, while in the tropics, on the lake, at the local swimming hole, or just driving with the top down. You'll be smiling that's for sure.

Ahh, that felt good.

Right In The Hole

2008-04-13T16:46:00.000-05:00

Screw the Masters this weekend, here's the all-time best hole-in-one courtesy of my friend Dan.

Job well done, Dan.

Everybody Seems To Think I'm Lazy...

2008-04-11T10:42:00.000-05:00

... I don't mind, I think they're crazy.

Two new reviews for things you should check out at your earliest convenience.

1. Joy Division - dir. Grant Gee -- the review pretty much speaks for itself. The film was amazing, and I wasn't really that much of a Joy Division fan before going to see it. It's just a genuinely great story to be told. I've heard rumors of it being packaged with the DVD release of the biopic on Ian Curtis, Control. Not sure though. Either way, check it out.

2. Bright Blue Dream - by {{{Sunset}}} -- I've already written a bit about the album on here, but here's a full review I wrote this week. It's a great piece of work and I think you should probably listen to it all the way through this weekend. {{{Sunset}}} @ The Tripwire.

* * *

Also, I'll get to another music playlist next week. Got some pretty good tunes in the ol' quiver just waiting to pierce your heart.

I've Got Nothing To Say But It's O.K.

2008-04-10T09:54:00.000-05:00

Today is marks a heartbreaking day in music history. 38 years ago today The Beatles officially announced their break up. Sure each had their own successes with solo careers (personally I think George did it best), but no one ever quite reached that fevered success that all four collectively did in their mere ten years of existence.

The Beatles are a lot of things to a lot of people. I wasn't alive during their time, but they were what got me into music. I taught myself how to play guitar from their songs, I met the first person I ever loved while on a Beatles pilgrimage, and I've reconnected with people I was once friends with and made whole new friends through their beautiful melodies. They are my favorite band of all time, and I've spent many a day trying to learn exactly what they did every hour of every day they were together, hoping to somehow channel that into my own life. They've guided my creativity for years. Thank you Ringo, George, Paul & John.

I can't remember what book it was in, I think it was High Fidelity, that stated most clearly what The Beatles are to a lot of people. They are a constant, and despite the individuality and ownership within the band, the fans now own them. No matter what happens, you can always go home and be with The Beatles. No matter what anyone takes away from me, they'll never take The Beatles, they are mine. And they're yours, too. So take the time today to give at least one full album a listen. And remember to Smile. Wait, that would be The Beach Boys... how about - And remember to Love? Why don't you just Smile AND Love.

Gordon Street? Ah yes, Gordon Street.

2008-04-06T11:04:00.000-05:00

I once knew a girl who lived on Gordon Street, a long time ago when I was a young man. Not a day passes I don't think of her and the promise that I made which I will always keep. That one perfect day on Gordon Street. That's uh, five blocks up, two over.

Oh, how unfortunate it is that Charlton Heston has died. He was an actor that was true to himself, and gave us as the audience one of the most distinctive voices of all time. I've not seen anywhere near his entire body of work, 126 performances in both television and film, but from what I have seen has always made a lasting impression on me.

Growing up Catholic, going to Catholic schools, The Ten Commandments was required annual viewing, and despite what you may think about a bunch of Elementary school kids watching a film that's nearly three hours long, we all loved it. Heston's booming voice and lion's mane of a 'do in that film gave me the feeling that Moses could pretty much take on anyone or anything that came his way.

Of course the other film to be named here is Planet of the Apes. Of all his films this one was truly the one that got me geeked. Of course many will say that, and it's not like I'm a total nerd over the series, I've only seen the first two, but I think the circumstances in which you see certain films influences how you will react to the medium for the rest of your life. Planet of the Apes was one of those films that I saw as a kid really late one weekend night. You know those nights where you would just stay up and have the TV running while you continued to play with your Lego's, building a vast empire of red and yellow and green bricks. It'd be midnight and you'd be so tired because you never stay up that late. Then just as your interest in designing the space fleet for your moonbase begins to wane, on comes something that just pulls you in. Heston in space, crash landing in the middle of a desert, finding dead bodies. Oh yeah, and Apes that can talk. Damn dirty ones at that.

For a kid of 10 or 11, that is absolutely amazing, and I think because of that I have always had a certain predisposition to sci-fi. I still haven't become a sci-fi series reading, Star Trek quoting, card-carrying nerd about the genre, but damn if I don't get a kick out of most everything that comes my way. I'll always thank Chuck Heston and Planet of the Apes for that.

Of course there's many others to name. Ben-Hur was tremendous, Touch of Evil (the first "film school" film of Heston's I saw), The Omega Man, Soylent Green. Should I go on? It feels like I should, but there are so many. I would love to mention his cameo in Wayne's World 2. I know it's not Shakespeare or anything, but it definitely ranks up there in the top 5 film cameos of all time for me (a close 3rd to Bruce Willis in Loaded Weapon 1, with Peter O'Toole's cameo in the first Casino Royale beating the lot). Well that's the rambling for today. Just sad that Heston's gone now, up to that big maaaaaadhouse in the sky.

A Post of Laughter and Forgetting

2008-04-04T16:01:00.000-05:00

So I've been just busy enough lately to not want to even log in here and complete a post with no links or pictures or video. There's been some events going on that's made me quite excited though, so let's at least get to those.

Stuff:

Went to AFI Dallas to check out a doc on Joy Division. I wrote a review of it for The Tripwire, it hasn't been posted yet, so if it does, I'll link to it. If it doesn't, I'll post it here. It was awesome.

Music:

{{{Sunset}}} - from the former bassist of Sound Team, Bill Baird. The new album released last week, Bright Blue Dream. It really stinking good. It also turns out to be one of those albums thats very influencial on your life. In the way that it makes you want to also create.

Which leads me to this...

My band.

There's a tentative title to it... Chris and Doug. That's mostly a joke, but it's the best thing we've got right now, and we needed a name so... there it is. Chris and Doug.

So far we've got three songs recorded as demos. Two of them are posted on a MySpace page, which you can find if you want. I don't want to link to it until we've gotten some better takes done. But the good news is, the bandmate, Dan, just got a job in Austin, so he'll be moving down here in the next couple of weeks. So there will be some serious happenings in the next month or so. Get ready. Well don't get too ready, because we don't want you to be an inappropriate amount of ready for when the time comes to actually show you the songs, for they may not require you to be quite THAT ready. So maybe just look forward to it a little. Sort of like a nice surprise that might spring up on you like a beautiful day. Not that we really sound like a beautiful day. That would be nice. I would say we probably sound like rambling. Rambling Pop Music. Neurotic Rambling Pop. Neurotically Unsure but Rambling Pop Music. That'll do for now. Thanks everyone.

Proper Journalism

2008-03-21T13:45:00.000-05:00

Finally one of the pieces I did about last week's SXSW has been completed and posted, well it's really the only thing I did on my own. There were a lot of bands to cover, and about three people actually trying to cover them amidst the chaos, me being one of them.

So first off, here's my interview with the coolest band to fly under the radar last year, Alamo Race Track (posted today on The Tripwire). I met them at a Seattle's Best Coffee shop that turned out to be closed on a Saturday (whaa?). Despite that tragic misstep on my part, they were some of the coolest guys and were great about letting me interview them. I want to move to Holland.

On The Steps Of A Closed Coffee Shop with Alamo Race Track

Next, here's some links to what all went down at the Levis/FADER Fort that I worked at ...

Tripwire Acoustic Sessions - This will keep getting updated as the weeks go on, we had a boatload of artists come in and record stripped down versions of their best tracks. It was awesome.
Photo Recap #1 - Some photos taken throughout the days, photos taken by myself, Chip Adams and Erin Chandler.
The Stills @ The Fort - A piece I wrote and photos I took from The Stills' set ... I can't wait for their new album this summer.
Langhorne Slim @ The Fort - Another piece on the band, Langhorne Slim, great hippy, folk-rock.
Lou Reed Tribute Gallery - There was a massive tribute to the work of Lou Reed at the Fort this year. I was lucky enough to be front and center to snap pics of the two hour ordeal. This is just a smattering, I am trying to get ahold of the rest of them that I took. I was a foot away from the man himself! Not to mention Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth, people) took a stage dive right ontop of me and my camera (ouch).
Photo Recap of day two - Snapped a few from Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong.
Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong - More info in a piece about them.
Photo Recap of day one - Snapped a few from the Chikita Violenta set.
Chikita Violenta - More info in a piece about them.

So I think that's about it really... there's much more that went on at the Fort than what I've linked to... for more of it check this update page out. It was pretty insane.

The Queen of Shiva wore falsies.

Looks Like There's A Storm A-Brewin'

2008-03-19T16:58:00.000-05:00

Hey everone, my good friend Quinn has a blog now... I never thought I'd see the day.

I've known Quinn since my Sophomore year in High School, the guy is a whirling ball of crazy. And if you don't watch out, he'll Batman yer ass for sure!

Quinn works for C3 Presents, they are probably the best concert promotions/artist management/all around music afficianados in the biz, winning concert promoter of the year awards left and right. That said, he's got some awesome access to bands and locales and has decided to use that to give us all random interviews with some pretty cool people (he's already sat down with Mason Jennings and What Made Milwaukee Famous @ SXSW, as well as a little snippet of The Black Keys live).

Here's a little intro into what and who Quinnstorm is all about ... then head on over to Quinnstorm yourself.

I am trying my best to get everything together to give you all a little recap of SXSW from myself. A lot was seen and a lot was taken care of and a lot was photographed. Gimme A Break.

Who, and Why Would Anyone Do That... Ever?

2008-03-18T11:37:00.000-05:00

Last night I had the great opportunity to get a further glimpse into the inspirational and maddening genius of Gogol Bordello front man, Eugene Hütz. Thanks in large part to The Alamo Drafthouse, a buddy of mine and I headed to the Ritz Downtown to check out this week's installment of "Music Mondays" (okay so I may have inadvertently lifted that title) - The Pied Piper of Hützovina.

The film is a documentary by Czech filmmaker Pavla Fleischer (cine./assistant dir. on the apparently haunting doc Blues by the Beach) and follows what started out as a project to reunite her and Hütz and to rekindle a flame that once burned between them. After actually reuniting it was painfully apparent that this was not the film that would be made. Instead, Hütz's vision took to the forefront as he guided Fleischer on a trip through the slums of East Europe/Siberia. Hütz's goal - reunite with his own heritage via Gypsy music.

Having lived in a small part of Kiev for the beginning of his life and them emigrating to the United States, it was great fun and very touching to see him head back home and try to find where he came from. Along the way he meets his hero (Sasha Kolpakov), is told by a very influential Romany Gypsy artist that his music is destructive, and attempts to connect the dots between different clans of Gypsies while experiencing their culture firsthand through music, using the time to cultivate his own understanding of the culture and how it relates to his art.

It was insightful and, like I said, inspirational. Hütz is very comfortable in front of the camera (if you'll remember his debut in Everything Is Illuminated) and he's very funny.

Hütz was even there to introduce the film to us all (Gogol was playing a show down the street at Stubbs later that night), and to hear what he had to say firsthand about the film was great. Unfortunately, Fleischer I don't think was there, but to see Eugene firsthand in his random neo-gypsy duds was perfect enough for us all.

I'd love to recommend this film to anyone who enjoys music and the idea of reconnecting with something you've only a vague notion of, to anyone who feels a slight connection to another part of the world and has always had the indescribable urge to flesh out exactly why.

The Pied Piper of Hützovina is out now on DVD. You can buy or rent it from the site.

Oh, My Stars and Garters!

2008-03-17T09:54:00.000-05:00

I was checking my regular websites this morning when I came upon a perfect piece of info for a Monday morning (besides Music Mondays, of course). Ain't It Cool News tells us that... There's a Ricky Gervais film in the works... Written and directed by him with Matt Robinson.

This is great news. The premise will undoubtedly follow in line with Gervais' past satirical work (especially of note, that last episode of Extras... amazing).

Basic premise: It is a world where lying has never happened, everyone in the history of time has told the truth and has no concept of what a lie is... until Gervais accidentally invents it.

Going to be Gold.

Here's Gervais' new blog for the film, This Side of the Truth. Follow it.

Hitting the Fan

2008-03-10T14:38:00.000-05:00

This week is about to get crazy. My normal work schedule is fairly laid back, nothing too stressful, which is what I really love about it. Not to toot my own horn here (gross?) but I am consistently one of the most laid back people I know. Nothing really ruffles my feathers. This is a trait I like. It does get a little drab sometimes though, which is why I love to have a few times out of the year when I put myself in stressful situations, partly to keep my senses up and partly to see how well I handle it. That time of the year has once again come and it's time to test my stress reflexes at this year's SXSW Music Fest.

There's plenty of resources to fill you in on what exactly the SXSW experience is, so I'll let you help yourself on your own time if you don't know anything about it. What I will say is this, it's going to be a lot of music crammed into four days and my ears will be subjected to some great stuff, and some very bad stuff. I will look upon it all with wide eyes as urban hipsters with skinny jeans intermingle with industry hobknobbers and famous musicians. Last year was awesome as I met Aziz Ansari, the guys from Youth Group, a couple of the comedians that used to be bit players on Conan, Har Mar Superstar, the guys from White Rabbits, Brian Posehn, and others, not to mention all the hottie band chicks everywhere (I'm looking at you The Pipettes).

This year will no doubt be as entertaining as I help cover the event going down at the FADER/Levi's party (called The Fort). If you're around, and I know you, let me know and I'll try to help you get in. Here's the recently released schedule of events... courtesy of The Tripwire.

WEDNESDAY 03.12.08
1:30 - 1:55 - The Mae Shi
2:15 - 2:40 - The Whip
3:00 - 3:25 - Jeremy Jay
3:45 - 4:10 - The Kills
4:30 - 4:55 - The Ruby Suns
LEVI'S 501 HAPPY HOUR
5:15 - 5:40 - Chikita Violenta
6:00 - 6:25 - Does It Offend You, Yeah?
6:45 - 7:15 - Yacht
DJS: Price Klasson, Rezound and Pandemoniom Jones (Caps n' Jones)

THURSDAY 03.13.08
1:30 - 1:45 - Ben's Brother (acoustic)
2:00 - 2:25 - The Ting Tings
2:45 - 3:10 - Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong
3:30 - 3:55 - Grand Ole Party
4:15 - 4:40 - Birdmonster
LEVI'S 501 HAPPY HOUR
5:00 - 5:25 - Saul Williams
5:45 - 7:00 - Lou Reed Tribute (feat. What Laura Says Thinks, And Feels, Paper Route, Oh No! Oh My!, Ezra Furman, Joseph Arthur, Dr. Dog, Mark Zokelek, Yo La Tengo, My Morning Jacket, Moby, Thurston Moore & The New Wave Bandits)
7:30 - 8:30 - N.E.R.D.
DJS: Queen Majesty, Tittsworth and Dave Nada and the Fluo Kids

FRIDAY 03.14.08 (Curated by thetripwire.com)
1:00 - 1:25 - The Knux
1:45 - 2:10 - The Fashion
2:30 - 2:55 - The Lemonheads
3:15 - 3:40 - These New Puritans
4:00 - 4:25 - Langhorne Slim
4:45 - 5:10 - Fanfarlo
RAY BAN HAPPY HOUR W/ PUNK IS DEAD BOOK SIGNING
5:30 - 5:55 - Working For A Nuclear Free City
6:15 - 6:40 - The Stills
7:00 - 7:30 - Duffy
DJS: Fourcolourzack and Pretty Titty, Ghislain Porier, Disjokke and Bjorn Torske

SATURDAY 03.15.08
1:30 - 1:55 - Dri
2:15 - 2:40 - David Banner
3:00 - 3:25 - Lykke Li
3:45 - 4:10 - Hood Headlinaz
4:30 - 4:55 - Telepathe
LEVI'S 501 HAPPY HOUR
5:15 - 5:40 - BLK JKS
6:00 - 6:25 - Santogold
6:45 - 7:15 - Spankrock
7:35 - 8:20 - 2 Live Crew
DJS: Bloody Beetroots and the Fools Gold DJs, A-Track, LA Riots, Nick Catchdubs, Jokers of the Scene & Friends

Damn that's a lot of stuff. I also just found out that I'll get a chance to interview my favorite band from '07... Alamo Race Track. I've featured them on a couple Music Mondays. They're from Amsterdam and never come to the States. I'm getting giddy. Alright, now on to preparation. Adieu.

Black Cab Sessions

2008-03-04T14:20:00.000-06:00

Damn these guys have a good idea. I've checked their site out a few times. They've got some good artists and interesting takes on some songs you know and love. The St. Vincent take on "Dig A Pony" is gorgeous. And The Tripwire has pointed out that Austin's beloved Spoon have recently filmed a take on their sublime, "I Summon You."

I've always gotten a weird vibe from front man Britt Daniel, I've seen him around clubs in town a lot and he's always seemed like one of the creepiest people, chilling out in the shadows of bars, smoking a cigarette, dressed in black and watching crowds of people. I said hi to him once and he sort of curled his upper lip as if some odious stench were singeing his nose hairs. But you have to hand it to him this... he writes some catchy tunes. Really catchy. Almost too catchy. He's like a modern day Buddy Holly.

Anywho, here's the Black Cab Sessions: Chapter 31: Spoon

F-MINUS

2008-02-29T14:26:00.000-06:00

About a year and a half ago I began to read the newspaper again. Well not so much read the paper as do the crossword every morning. This has resulted in a new appreciation for the comics section (where the crossword lives in the The Statesman). Among the favorites are Non Sequitur and Bizarro, but one that always catches my eye (well it is directly under the crossword) is F-MINUS. Creator Tony Carrillo is rarely off in his ability to give me a great chuckle in the morning and I'd like to share one of my recent favorites with you from a few days ago... Feb. 27th to be exact. For all the writers out there who, like me, make too much use of the comma....

[insert chuckle here]