4.28.2006
4.24.2006
your treasure map to street cred
Clear your desktops people and put on the good headphones. Chris at CultureBully.com has posted a gazillion links to live shows, mp3s, interviews and other stuff he has collected in his audio archive and favorites list. You'll see stuff from the likes of the Afghan Whigs, Ani Difranco, Elliott Smith, Beck, Ben Lee, Bjork, Hayden, Imperial Teen, Nada Surf, Sleater-Kinney, Superdrag, Wilco and Wolf Parade ... among many, many others. Some of the stuff is downloadable, and others you can only stream. It's like a treasure map!
So you went to Coachella, and it changed your life, right? The merch store on Coachella.com has restocked its virtual shelves with the official 2005 poster, as well as a bunch of other cool stuff to show off to everyone that you were there. I gotta be careful not to spend too much -- I must save for those cool limited-edition posters and T-shirts you can get ONLY at the fest. Oh yeah, I'm oozing street cred.
Betamike, I dedicate this next exciting sentence to you: Cliptip has the The Faint's video for "Desperate Guys"!!! While you're there, check out Metric's "Poster of a Girl" and "Crazy" from Gnarls Barkley.
4.21.2006
jeff buckley at glastonbury
Quick! Go over to YouTube.com and soak up as much Jeff Buckley as you can. It could be gone tomorrow. Here's the Glastonbury performance I mentioned a couple of days ago. It's beautiful, and Jeff is simply gorgeous.
4.20.2006
what the ?????
All good things come to an end, and all beautiful but illegal Jeff Buckley videos are eventually deleted from YouTube.com because of copyright infringement.
*exhale*
*exhale*
4.19.2006
i heard there was a secret chord
I didn't think it was possible to be any more in love with Jeff Buckley than I am already. Then, I entered his name in the search field on YouTube.com. I had tears rolling down my cheeks before I even played any of them. The video below is sincerely one of the most beautiful performances of any song you will ever hear.The performances I found on the site are amazing -- they're incredible because they are the same performances I've downloaded off the Internet during the last five years and listened to on my iPod, only I had never seen them. There's something so surreal about that. It's like remembering a dream you had hours into the next afternoon.
There used to be a cool record store on the corner of International Drive and Sand Lake Road in Orlando that sold tons of bootlegs. Right there in tourist central, amidst the neon and rental cars, there was this tiny place, nearly hidden in the middle of a strip mall. Betamike and I went only a few times between the day we discovered it and the day it quickly closed. But I found a total treasure there -- a bootleg of Jeff Buckley's full performance at the 1995 Glastonbury Festival. I was thrilled because in 1995, I recorded part of the set they broadcast over the radio on my cassette player. Two years later, I had the CD of the entire performance! I found a video of part of that performance on YouTube, and I think I died a little.
I didn't get the chance to see Jeff Buckley play live before he drowned in Memphis in 1997, even though he played two of my favorite clubs -- the Howlin' Wolf in New Orleans and the Sapphire Supper Club (today, it's the Social) in Orlando. Unfortunately, I was in Orlando when he played NOLA and in NOLA when he played Orlando. My timing always stinks -- it's like the x-factor of my bad luck.
I collect as much "stuff" as I can that Jeff has touched -- I have CDs, CD singles, guitar picks, posters, magazine covers, postcards, and even a program from his memorial and a holiday card his mom sent to me. (I'll save that story for another post.)
I can't say enough about Jeff Buckley. When he sings -- or even just speaks -- he's mesmerizing. He's the definition of beauty -- in his voice, his heart, his songwriting, his gentle nature, his sensitivity, his playfulness, and his spontaneity. And of course, the man is simply gorgeous.
I'll post a few more of the videos I found in the next few days. I'll leave you with this video of an interview because it's an excellent introduction to the man behind the angelic voice and all of the reasons why I truly, tragically adore him.
4.18.2006
do atomic kittens have lovely feathers?
I got out of work at a reasonable hour tonight, it's FINALLY raining outside and Thor's watching The Day After Tomorrow on HBO so intently, it makes me laugh. I think he's a fan of Jake Gyllenhall, too. Let's see what's new on the Web ...
The White Stripes' wardrobe matches the product perfectly! The band has a new Coca-Cola commercial out, and it's on Pitchfork, of course.
The Lovely Feathers' new CD Hind Hind Legs is out today, and the first song on the album is one of my favorites. It's called "Pope John Paul," and I heart the part of the song where you hear in an almost whispered voice "Pope John Paul, where you from?" then the quiet eruption of "Kra-kow Poland! Kra-kow Poland!" The Lovely Feathers introduced themselves fine, thank you, at the Social - was it already last year? I can't wait to check out the full album, which includes a few songs from a previous EP. Check out their MySpace page.
In other Pitchfork news, The Twilight Singers have a new album on the way (to be released on May 16), which they recorded in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Apparently, Ani Difranco was there, too, and she contributed to the album. Oh la la! I've had a lusty crush on Greg Dulli of The Twilight Singers -- and of course The Afghan Whigs -- for a long time. The man is sex. Thankfully, I caught The Afghan Whigs at the House of Blues in New Orleans before they broke up. I'd love to see them at the Social, but unfortunately, Orlando is not on their tour schedule ... yet. Be sure to check out their Web site -- the background on the front page is my old hometown!
The Enzian will show A Scanner Darkly, the new film from my favorite director Richard Linklater, in July. If you've seen any of his films -- Before Sunrise , Before Sunset , Dazed and Confused, School of Rock -- then you know the guy just gets it. His animated film, Waking Life, made me want to take notes because the dialogue was so intriguing, and honestly, my mind couldn't keep up with each epiphany.
A Scanner Darkly looks like it may be just as cerebral and definitely as ... well, pretty. Both films were shot in their entirety, and then recreated through drawings of each scene. Hotties Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder and Robert Downey Jr are just as sexy in ink. I really want to catch this one. See the preview here.
How much do I love this T-shirt? It's from glarkware.com. 
I gotta go. It's the wolf scene in the movie, and Thor's attacking the TV. I love him!
The White Stripes' wardrobe matches the product perfectly! The band has a new Coca-Cola commercial out, and it's on Pitchfork, of course.
The Lovely Feathers' new CD Hind Hind Legs is out today, and the first song on the album is one of my favorites. It's called "Pope John Paul," and I heart the part of the song where you hear in an almost whispered voice "Pope John Paul, where you from?" then the quiet eruption of "Kra-kow Poland! Kra-kow Poland!" The Lovely Feathers introduced themselves fine, thank you, at the Social - was it already last year? I can't wait to check out the full album, which includes a few songs from a previous EP. Check out their MySpace page.
In other Pitchfork news, The Twilight Singers have a new album on the way (to be released on May 16), which they recorded in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Apparently, Ani Difranco was there, too, and she contributed to the album. Oh la la! I've had a lusty crush on Greg Dulli of The Twilight Singers -- and of course The Afghan Whigs -- for a long time. The man is sex. Thankfully, I caught The Afghan Whigs at the House of Blues in New Orleans before they broke up. I'd love to see them at the Social, but unfortunately, Orlando is not on their tour schedule ... yet. Be sure to check out their Web site -- the background on the front page is my old hometown!
The Enzian will show A Scanner Darkly, the new film from my favorite director Richard Linklater, in July. If you've seen any of his films -- Before Sunrise , Before Sunset , Dazed and Confused, School of Rock -- then you know the guy just gets it. His animated film, Waking Life, made me want to take notes because the dialogue was so intriguing, and honestly, my mind couldn't keep up with each epiphany. A Scanner Darkly looks like it may be just as cerebral and definitely as ... well, pretty. Both films were shot in their entirety, and then recreated through drawings of each scene. Hotties Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder and Robert Downey Jr are just as sexy in ink. I really want to catch this one. See the preview here.
I gotta go. It's the wolf scene in the movie, and Thor's attacking the TV. I love him!
4.16.2006
happy easter!
Growing up in New Orleans, we celebrated Easter in ways that I naively thought were ... um... normal. I though they were the same traditions everyone followed. As I grew older, I learned that was not the case.
They’re called cascarones, and after some online research, I learned that “it's believed Marco Polo brought them from Asia and eventually made it to Spain, Americas and Mexico… Today many say that the colorful confetti shower brings luck and good fortune to those to whom an egg is broken over their head.”
My family would go through at least a dozen eggs each week, probably more. When making breakfast, my mom would crack the eggs carefully so that the hole was as small as possible. Then, she’d wash the insides, let them dry and store them in our laundry room until spring. Then, the fun began.
A couple weeks before the big day, we’d change into old clothes and cover the kitchen table with newspaper. We dyed dozens and dozens of eggs each year. Once they were dry, we’d sprinkle confetti inside – about one-third full. Then, we’d glue tissue-paper squares on top of each egg to seal them tightly.
On Easter Sunday, we’d join the family at my Grandma’s house and us kids would have to stay inside while the parents hid all of the eggs in the backyard. When we got the signal, we’d run outside and try to gather as many as we could without cracking, dropping or accidentally stepping on any of them. As soon as you could get close to someone, you’d crack one on top of his or her head.
The best strategy was to wait until someone was out of eggs and had to bend over or reach high to collect one, leaving them quite vulnerable.
Then, SMASH! The confetti would get stuck in their hair, fall down their shirt, their pants, and even their shoes. As we my brother, my cousins and I grew older, we all got way more competitive, and we’d come up with ways to use the cascarones for evil.
“Stop throwing them at me!!! Mom, tell him he’s not supposed to throw them!” My whiny screams were immortalized on our beta video camera. But those buggers hurt when your teen-age brother threw them at your arms and legs – seriously, I had welts! But really, it was so much fun. I know, what you're thinking -- it doesn't sound like an appropriate way to celebrate Jesus; but, you know, it definitely brought our family together.
Today, my cousins have children, and my mom still makes cascarones for them. It’s a family tradition that will live on no matter where we all end up.
They’re called cascarones, and after some online research, I learned that “it's believed Marco Polo brought them from Asia and eventually made it to Spain, Americas and Mexico… Today many say that the colorful confetti shower brings luck and good fortune to those to whom an egg is broken over their head.”My family would go through at least a dozen eggs each week, probably more. When making breakfast, my mom would crack the eggs carefully so that the hole was as small as possible. Then, she’d wash the insides, let them dry and store them in our laundry room until spring. Then, the fun began.
A couple weeks before the big day, we’d change into old clothes and cover the kitchen table with newspaper. We dyed dozens and dozens of eggs each year. Once they were dry, we’d sprinkle confetti inside – about one-third full. Then, we’d glue tissue-paper squares on top of each egg to seal them tightly.
On Easter Sunday, we’d join the family at my Grandma’s house and us kids would have to stay inside while the parents hid all of the eggs in the backyard. When we got the signal, we’d run outside and try to gather as many as we could without cracking, dropping or accidentally stepping on any of them. As soon as you could get close to someone, you’d crack one on top of his or her head. The best strategy was to wait until someone was out of eggs and had to bend over or reach high to collect one, leaving them quite vulnerable.
Then, SMASH! The confetti would get stuck in their hair, fall down their shirt, their pants, and even their shoes. As we my brother, my cousins and I grew older, we all got way more competitive, and we’d come up with ways to use the cascarones for evil.
“Stop throwing them at me!!! Mom, tell him he’s not supposed to throw them!” My whiny screams were immortalized on our beta video camera. But those buggers hurt when your teen-age brother threw them at your arms and legs – seriously, I had welts! But really, it was so much fun. I know, what you're thinking -- it doesn't sound like an appropriate way to celebrate Jesus; but, you know, it definitely brought our family together.
Today, my cousins have children, and my mom still makes cascarones for them. It’s a family tradition that will live on no matter where we all end up.
4.13.2006
let me entertain you
Yikes! Thirteen days into April, and this is my first post of the month. I feel bad about that, but not that bad because I was hanging out with my parents. We had a great time, and it makes me wish I lived closer to them. But you don't want to hear about the Ozzie-and-Harriet relationship I have with my parents, you came here to be entertained.
Kurt Halsey. He's an artist I discovered while combing through the ads in the back of my ReadyMade magazine. I love his work; it's very emotional, innocent, and it always reminds me of a guy I dated briefly several years ago. But you don't want to hear about that doomed relationship, you came here to be entertained. Check out Kurt's store on his Web site. He's selling these fun CD-case sets for your mix CDs. Go to kurthalsey.com for all the fun.
Pearl Jam is the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend. Lindsay Lohan is hosting, and even if the sketches are as disappointingly unfunny as they have been all season, I will be glued to the set. I feel like PJ are my childhood friends -- we've been through so much together. They helped me through tough times in college, I stood by Eddie during his nightly bottle-of-red-wine binge, they provided me the chance to see Sleater-Kinney, Sonic Youth, The Ramones and Urge Overkill as opening acts, and I spent a whirlwind weekend following them around Florida (West Palm Beach - Orlando HOB! - Tampa). "Seats just two -- me and Steph!"
If SNL isn't enough, Dave Letterman will host Pearl Jam on Thursday, May 4, just two days after the new self-titled CD drops in stores. Pre-purchase it now and skip the markups at pearljam.com/goods.
Kurt Halsey. He's an artist I discovered while combing through the ads in the back of my ReadyMade magazine. I love his work; it's very emotional, innocent, and it always reminds me of a guy I dated briefly several years ago. But you don't want to hear about that doomed relationship, you came here to be entertained. Check out Kurt's store on his Web site. He's selling these fun CD-case sets for your mix CDs. Go to kurthalsey.com for all the fun.
Pearl Jam is the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend. Lindsay Lohan is hosting, and even if the sketches are as disappointingly unfunny as they have been all season, I will be glued to the set. I feel like PJ are my childhood friends -- we've been through so much together. They helped me through tough times in college, I stood by Eddie during his nightly bottle-of-red-wine binge, they provided me the chance to see Sleater-Kinney, Sonic Youth, The Ramones and Urge Overkill as opening acts, and I spent a whirlwind weekend following them around Florida (West Palm Beach - Orlando HOB! - Tampa). "Seats just two -- me and Steph!"If SNL isn't enough, Dave Letterman will host Pearl Jam on Thursday, May 4, just two days after the new self-titled CD drops in stores. Pre-purchase it now and skip the markups at pearljam.com/goods.
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