5.27.2008

coldplay returns to orlando

Coldplay just announced a show at Amway Arena on Nov. 7. No support act or ticket prices have been announced. The band is following up the next day with a show in Miami.

In other toe-tapping concert news for Orlando ...
- Tilly & The Wall are playing an early show at The Social on July 22. Tickets are $15, and doors open at 5 p.m.
- And don't forget about Nada Surf on June 1 at The Social. Tickets are still available.

5.18.2008

get your FRINGE on!

Oh yes, it's that time again in Orlando. The FRINGE Fest is in full swing at Loch Haven Park, and there are a lot of promising shows on the schedule -- everything from one-(wo)man shows, to dancing, to live music, to plays with lots of characters and costumes.

As soon as I realized the performers were posted online at orlandofringe.org, I started looking for my dishpig. Greg Landucci was the star of last year's FRINGE, as least, in my little world. Dishpig was an intense, hysterical and incredibly creative ode to life as the lowly kitchen employee at a restaurant where he's trying to keep up with the insanity of being a dishwasher, dealing with crabby chefs and maybe get some action from the hot hostess.

This year, Landucci (pictured right) is back, and he's musing about his time as a radio-station mascot. I can't wait to see it! His rapid-fire delivery of tongue-twisting philosophies and observations makes you wish you could take home the script. There's genius in there, and you know it, you hear it -- but you want more time to let it seep in and flow through all the convolutions in your brain.

Yesterday, Devan, Beta, James and I caught two performances -- VarieTEASE No. 24 and TJ Dawe's Totem Figures. The latter came highly recommended from Devan, who saw Dawe's (pictured below) performance last year. I guess he's kind of a staple at the fest, much to the delight of everyone who FRINGEs. He co-wrote and directed Dishpig, by the way.

We all loved it and some of us even went home and Googled some of the people Dawe described in his one-man show. Truly amazing writer, observer of patterns and performer, Dawe made me want to go home and make my own Sgt. Pepper's album cover.

VarieTEASE was colorful, musical and full of pretty people. It was odd, intriguing and maybe about 10 minutes too long. Still, it was the definition of FRINGE -- you just never know what you're going to see, sometimes even when you're in the theater.

5.12.2008

get some free goodness

Dunkin' Donuts. Dunkin' keeps me blogging. Try Dunkin' Donuts Coffee For Free. Get a Sample


That's right. Click the box above and you can sign up to receive a free sample of Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

Or, try this. Kashi is offering free samples of its new Mountain Medley granola, described by Kashi like this: "We begin with our heritage Seven Whole Grains, freshly harvested and then gently rolled to preserve their nutty flavors and unique textures. They're mixed with a touch of golden honey and the grains are then baked into perfectly crunchy granola clusters. Finally we added lots of goodies like chewy fruits and crunchy nuts to create granolas that are both tasty and good for you." YUM!


So, you've got a snack and a beverage -- how about some free music? Verbena Selected 3: The Aftershow Party features your favorite bands' selections of their favorite electronic tracks. Here are a few of the tracks in the lineup, and yes, it's a free download. (It came across as one track -- bizarre and annoying, but still free.)

Adventure Kid: "De Lorean Motor Company" [Selected by I'm From Barcelona]
T2: "Heartbroken" [Selected by the Pipettes]
Uffie: "Ready to Uff" [Selected by Sohodolls]
Does It Offend You, Yeah?: "We Are Rockstars" [Selected by Zookeeper]
Autokratz: "Pardon Garçon" [Selected by Kaiser Chiefs]
Björk: "Wanderlust (Ratatat Remix)" [Selected by Tilly & the Wall]
The Bug ft. Killa P & Flow Dan: "Skeng (Kode 9 Remix)" [Selected by Bright Eyes]
Black Moth Super Rainbow: "Sun Llips" [Selected by the Go! Team]
Orange Juice: "Rit It Up" [Selected by Stars]
Gary Numan: "Are Friends Electric (Andy Gray Remix)" [Selected by the New Pornographers]

Notice how much Coachella is included? I love it! Thanks, Pitchfork for the music tip and Hungry Girl for the coffee and granola.

5.05.2008

the slip

God, I love Trent Reznor. Today, he released a new album on his Web site, and everyone and their mom can download it for free. Huh, whaaaa???? That's right, you heard me.

Download the slip. Trent says he'll release it as a CD and on vinyl in July. He also adds on the download site,

"we encourage you to
remix it
share it with your friends,
post it on your blog,
play it on your podcast,
give it to strangers,
etc."


And as if you're not completely wowed and probably stopped reading because you clicked your way to a new soundtrack to tomorrow, THERE'S MORE.

This may not be new, but I just stumbled across it for the first time. Nine Inch Nails fans can access free music to create their own remixes and post them for other fans to stream and download. Trent has made his music available for years as GarageBand files for fans to remix, but here's a little playground (remix.nin.com) with slides, swings AND a merry-go-round!