Safety Break

Slow?

2012-01-28T11:35:00.002-06:00

Are all the YouTube videos I keep posting making Safety Break load slowly for everyone else, or is it just my computer? We switched to from Comcast to CenturyLink and our internet connectivity is so GD slow I'm going to pop a vessel yelling at my computer screen. It's almost not worth the $45/mo we're saving to have our internet crawl this slow.

Big, Big Day For New Releases

2012-01-24T09:14:00.003-06:00

HUGE day today for new releases. Lots of great stuff hitting shelves this week kicking off what should be a strong year for new tunes.

Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes

Craig Finn "Clear Heart Full Eyes" from Helms Workshop on Vimeo.

Rodrigo y Gabriela - Area 52

First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar

Bhi Bhiman - Bhiman

Bhi Bhiman "Guttersnipe" from Bhi Bhiman on Vimeo.

Lazerbeak - Lava Bangers

Moe. - What Happened To The La Las

Grace Woodroofe - Always Want

Grace Woodroofe - I've Handled Myself Wrong from Modular People on Vimeo.

Martin Sexton - Fall Like Rain EP

Laura Gibson - La Grande

Stew & The Negro Problem - Making It

Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy
(Can't find any video for this...sorry)

2012-01-22T08:09:00.002-06:00

I don't know where this picture came from, or what the story behind it is. All I know is it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my entire life.

2012-01-10T08:27:00.000-06:00

Just a dog and her squirrel.

Favorite Movies of 2011

2012-01-05T20:36:00.006-06:00

Favorite Comedies
Paul Rudd was incredible in Idiot Brother and John C Reilly stole the show in Cedar Rapids. The trio of Bateman, Sudekis and Charlie Day was a refreshingly hilarious ensemble in Horrible Bosses. I liked Bridesmaids but I thought it was a tad overrated despite being liked by everyone, unlike 30 Minutes Or Less, which I thought was unfairly hated by everyone. And The Muppets was a great movie, but I wanted it to be funnier; it just needed more jokes, less sweetness and it would have been perfect.

Favorite Comic Book/Superhero Movies
Neither Thor nor Captain America were phenomenal movies, but both were good enough to keep my hopes up for this spring's Avengers movie. Likewise, X-Men wasn't amazing, but it was great to see a mutant movie that wasn't total horseshit. And Harry Potter was a great end to a great series. 'Nuff said.

Best of the Rest
Descendents and Young Adult were both sad but great. Clooney is too dreamy for his own good and Patton Oswalt deserves more recognition for his dramatic roles (especially in '09's Big Fan). I thought Rango's animation was better than Avatar's and the rest were just great, fun movies (except the rape scenes in Dragon Tattoo...nothing fun about that).

Full Disclosure: Still haven't seen Moneyball, The Ides Of March, Midnight In Paris, The Adventures Of Tintin, 50/50, The Sitter, Carnage and probably a dozen others I should have seen, but didn't.

EDIT

2012-01-02T10:29:00.001-06:00

I'm sorry folks. I know it's lame that I don't have reviews for my top 10 up yet, but I can do better than just a straight list. I went back and included videos for each album, so if you're unfamiliar with anyone on the list (or just want to kill 45 minutes) go ahead and brighten your day with some good music.

Top 50 Albums of 2011: 1-10

2012-01-01T19:33:00.006-06:00

(Here we go. The top 10. I'll add small reviews to these later, but it's been a long week, after a long month, after a long, long year. You'll just have to settle for pictures and my good word for now.)

10. The King Is Dead - The Decemberists

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9. El Camino - The Black Keys

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8. Smoke Ring Halo - The Wood Brothers

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7. Are You Going To Eat That? - Hail Mary Mallon

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6. Nine Types Of Light - TV On The Radio

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5. A Creature I Don't Know - Laura Marling

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4. Middle Brother - Middle Brother

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3. No Kings - Doomtree

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2. Ashes & Fire - Ryan Adams

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1. Revelator - Tedeschi Trucks Band

Top 50 Albums of 2011: 11-25

2012-01-01T18:53:00.005-06:00

25. Bright Lights - Dead Man Winter

24. Rocket Science - Bela Fleck & The Flecktones

23. Mondo Amore - Nicole Atkins

22. The Family Sign - Atmosphere

21. American Goldwing - Blitzen Trapper

20. Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes

19. Bad Time Zoo - Sims

18. Nothing Is Wrong - Dawes

17. Circuital - My Morning Jacket

16. Man In Motion - Warren Haynes

15. Megafaun - Megafaun

14. Go-Go Boots - Drive-By Truckers

13. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two - Beastie Boys

12. Here We Rest - Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

11. Rome - Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi

Top 50 Albums of 2011: 26-50

2012-01-01T11:49:00.009-06:00

(from top to bottom, left to right)

The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow, Tommy Guerrero - Lifeboats & Follies, Tab Benoit - Medicine, Whitehorse - Whitehorse, Thomas Dybdahl - Songs, Ryan Driver - Who's Breathing, Tom Waits - Bad As Me, Rich Robinson - Through A Crooked Sun, North Mississippi Allstars - Keys To The Kingdom, The Jayhawks - Mockingbird Time, The Roots - undun, James Vincent McMorrow - Early In The Morning, Grieves - Together/Apart, J Mascis - Several Shades Of Why, James Blake - James Blake, Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean, Cowboy Junkies - The Nomad Series Vol. 2: Demons, Deer Tick - Divine Providence, The Deep Dark Woods - The Place I Left Behind, Diego Garcia - Laura, Cults - Cults, Chris Bathgate - Salt Year, Childish Gambino - Camp, Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Alexander Ebert - Truth

Best of 2011: Ten Honorable Mentions

2012-01-01T11:28:00.004-06:00

Because I'd be remiss if I didn't at least give these albums a shout out in some capacity, here are ten honorable mentions that didn't make my top 50 (in no particular order):

Holcombe Waller - Into The Dark Unknown
Jessica Lea Mayfield - Tell Me
Gregg Allman - Low Country Blues
Bobby Long - A Winter Tale
Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne
Blueprint - Adventures In Counter Culture
Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest
Hayes Carll - KMAG YOYO
William Elliott Whitmore - Field Songs
Lydia Loveless - Indestructible Machine

Top Five EPs of 2011

2012-01-01T10:42:00.005-06:00

(in no particular order)

Alberta Cross - Rolling Thunder EP
Dawes - Suitcase EP
The Decemberists - Long Live The King
Drive-By Truckers - Sometimes Late At Night
Lissie - Covered Up With Flowers

Top Five Live Albums Of 2011

2012-01-01T10:25:00.006-06:00

Todd Snider - Live: The Storyteller
Levon Helm - Ramble At The Ryman
Galactic - The Other Side Of Midnight
Neil Young - A Treasure
Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood - In Case The World Changes It's Mind

Friends Of Safety Break Take Over

2012-01-01T08:33:00.009-06:00

I asked a few friends of mine to list their Top 10 albums of the year, and they graciously accepted. Without further adieu, here they are:

Eli Flasher - Old friend, works at First Ave., music enthusiast, occasionally moustachioed
Blog: elijerome.wordpress.com
Twitter: @EliJerome

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Low - C'Mon
Cass McCombs - Wits End
Peaking Lights - 936
Radiohead - King of Limbs
Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming
Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo
Bill Callahan - Apocalypse
Still Corners - Creatures of an Hour
Moonface - Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I Hoped

Honorable Mentions:

James Blake - James Blake

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

EMA - Past Life Martyrd Saints

Junior Boys - It's All True

Gil Scott-Heron/ Jamie XX - We're New Here

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Randi Weber - Friend-of-a-friend turned friend-friend, 8th-grade English teacher, possible stalker of Tina Fey
Blog: blandi27.wordpress.com
Twitter: @r_ampersand_i

Whew. This was an INSANE year for music, so I’m not putting forth this list with any sense of finality or self-assurance that these are, in fact, my favorites. Also, I am completely guilty of being so enamored with more recent music and forgetting what I was digging hard early in the year. Get over it.

In addition to my list, I made a grooveshark playlist of favorite tracks compiled from my top 10 albums. And THEN, when I was struggling with everything that didn’t make it on my list, I just popped on some nods to other great discs to make myself feel better. The playlist and tracklist are at the bottom.

Here we go! (These are in alphabetical order, by the way)

Adele - 21
This is one that’s a little tricky for me due to timing. Obviously Adele has had a phenomenal year and has seen wonderful success, but I’m a little pissed about it. I’ve been a fan since 19 came out and was so pumped for this disc that an NPR First Listen almost made me soil myself. I definitely knew all the words before it hit iTunes, folks. And now I have a hard time choosing my favorite track from it because several of them have been so PLAYED. Do I hate the player or the game? I always forget. I’m choosing my favorite ("Someone Like You") from back in February, although the 1,700 times I’ve heard it since has definitely had an impact on my appreciation of it.
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
I have to start my review by telling you something very, VERY impressive about me. I dated a guy in college whose brother was in Deyarmond Edison with Justin Vernon. We totally went to see them play and stuff. And then this college beau called me when Deyarmond broke up, told me he was worried about Justin and that he had gone to this cabin in Wisconsin and wasn’t doing well. And then I heard that same story on the radio months later. Ipso facto, I’m famous. (Also, if you haven’t heard Deyarmond Edison, I might have accidentally put one of my fav songs of theirs on the playlist below, even though it didn’t come out in 2011. I’m breaking ALL the rules I’ve made for myself.) I had very low expectations for this disc, but every time I listen to Holocene while I’m driving, I feel like I’m in a movie. That’s top ten worthy, in my book.
The Decemberists – The King is Dead
This one may not have made my official top ten, but it was one of my brother’s favorites of 2011, which has made me give it a few more listens in the past month or so. You know, he’s right.
Dessa – Castor the Twin
I have a full on word crush on this woman. While most artists couldn’t make my top ten in any given year with a disc full of old tunes redone, dude. This is maybe best summed up in a retweet she made shortly after her disc came out. I’m too lazy to look it up and be legitimate, but it basically said, “Dirty Secret: I was not planning on buying Castor the Twin. Then I heard it.” Yep. This got a whole lot of play in my apartment, probably to the point that my neighbors were sick of me rapping with my toothbrush in my mouth morning after morning. Mr. Dahl got me a beautiful signature on the little book that came with a pre-order of this disc, too. AND her show at the Fitzgerald BLEW. MY. MIND. (She started it by imitating Ira Glass in a This American Life nod. I named my cat after Ira Glass. I’m oversharing again.)
Feist – Metals
I fear that my favorite Feist album will always be “Let It Die” from 2005, especially since she said in an interview that it was totally not her style and she disliked putting it out. That made me feel AWESOME. I was okay with “The Reminder” in 2007, but I really dig this one. It’s still no “Mushaboom” or “Gatekeeper,” but “The Bad in Each Other” does it for me.
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
I was fairly certain about 9/10 of these slots, and this won my less certain 10th spot. I had narrowed it down to several discs that appear on the honorable mention section below and then started playing a song or two from each to see if I could go with a guttural reaction. Good news. I could. This disc is beautiful.
Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials
I haven’t started listening to Christmas music because of this disc. I can’t stop playing it. I’m playing it right now. I was playing it last night. I bet I’ll play it tomorrow. If you haven’t had the time yet, screw Christmas music. Literally every time I hear “Shake it Off” come on the radio, I squeal. I embarrass even myself, even alone in my car. So good.
The Head and the Heart – The Head and the Heart
This was an earlier in the year favorite, which has felt a little dirty since this.
Iron and Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean
The first song I heard from this disc was “Tree by the River.” It was almost automatically on my top ten from there. He did a phenomenal Tiny Desk concert this year as well.
Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know
This has gotten a lot of play with me lately. She’s beautiful; it’s beautiful. I’ve had some borderline contentious talks with Matt about the standout track. I’m going to say it here for the first time: I think he’s dumb. “Sophia” is IT. I’m not saying “Salinas” doesn’t have merit, but good god. It’s not even close. Maybe it’s my penchant for songs that build into what sounds like a new song (see also: my pick for best track from The Head and the Heart), but it’s a no brainer for me.

Here is a Grooveshark playlist featuring some of Randi's favorite tracks of the year!

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(l to r) Joel Faatz & Nick Cantello - Target coworkers, aspiring Olympic beach volleyball team

Joel: not-douchey metalhead

1. Machine Head - Unto The Locust
2. Megadeth - Th1rt3en
3. Mastodon - The Hunter
4. Jay Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne
5. Anthrax - Worship Music
6. Adele - 21
7. Chevelle - Hats Off To The Bull
8. Trivium - In Waves
9. Atmosphere - The Family Sign
10. Thomas Giles - Pulse
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Nick: not-douchey hipster
(no specific order)

Adele - 21
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part 2
Bon Iver - Bon Iver
The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
Eddie Vedder - Ukulele Songs
Foster The People - Torches
Group Love - Never Trust A Happy Song
Mason Jennings - Minnesota
Radiohead - The King Of Limbs
Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire

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Annie Dahl - wife, organ transplant nurse, one of Lady Gaga's "Little Monsters"
Blog: Bored Little Blog
Twitter: @aed227

Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Adele - 21
Blitzen Trapper - American Goldwing
Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials
Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know
Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Fiest - Metals
Beyonce - 4
Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong

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Thanks for contributing everyone! You all made my Top 10 Favorite Friends of 2011 list!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T08:17:00.002-06:00

Alright folks, I had hoped to get all my 2011 Top Music stuff out of the way a long time ago, but between work, the holidays and my Grandpa's passing last week, it just didn't happen. So today will be a busy day and hopefully, hopefully I'll get everything I want to say about 2011 out of the way, so we can all focus on what I hope will be a wonderful, prosperous and joyful new year.

It's Been A Bad Day At The Dahl House

2011-12-22T21:54:00.003-06:00

Apparently the cream cheese wonton Annie bit into at work last night fought back.

(She got it fixed already, though it was apparently the most painful experience of her life)

In Memory of Floyd "Grandpa" Dahl

2011-12-22T09:55:00.007-06:00

March 21, 1923 - December 22, 2011

Last night my Grandpa, Floyd Robert Dahl, passed away. It was sudden and unexpected, as he was healthy (or as healthy as 88-year-olds are), and we had just seen him looking well not two weeks ago. We don't know the official cause of death yet, but my Dad suspected it had something to do with his heart.

I always thought of my Grandfather as a bit of a curiosity. He had a keen sense of humor, which he would demonstrate through the toys, gags and puzzles he would craft in his garage (more on those later). But he certainly wasn't an entertainer, at least not in his older years, not around us grandkids. He would tell jokes and stories, but never in a boisterous way. I always saw him as a pretty serious man; a man who was soft-spoken and chose his words deliberately. He wasn't loud and attention-starved, like most of us who make an effort to be funny in public are. He could definitely command a room though. I don't really recall anyone ever interrupting him or trying to talk over him when he spoke - when he talked, you listened.

I suppose I should thank (blame?) him for instilling in me a love for sweets and treats. When he and Grandma would take care of us we could always count on doughnuts at breakfast and ice cream at night. And, like all good Grandparents, they had a candy jar in their kitchen that was always full of hard candy or gumdrops. When I went off to college, stopped swimming and gained a lot of weight, he seemed to delight in ribbing me about the new tire sitting around my midsection. I found it oddly endearing, probably because he was a bigger guy himself, and he never really stopped. Just last month I told him I wouldn't be able to make it to Thanksgiving because I was going to my Mom's side's celebration and then to work. He gave a dry smirk and said "That's alright, it doesn't look like you need two dinners."

But besides doughnuts and Raisin Bran, there was one thing that breakfast at Grandpa's wasn't complete without: Grandpa's Famous Juice. Every morning Grandpa would exclaim that people from all over the world had heard of his juice, that it was a beloved breakfast beverage from nation-to-nation. He would rattle off a list of peoples from all over the world and what they would do to get his juice. I don't remember specifics, but a good example would be "The Russians fly to space for it!" (the basic formula was "The (noun) (verb) for it!" and I distinctly recall Indians and Russians being used often). It was always entertaining, though I had my suspicions that he was exaggerating (why weren't we selling it in grocery stores? We could be making a fortune off this juice!). Turns out, "Grandpa's Famous Juice" was just equal parts orange and cranberry juice mixed together, and if you've never tried those two juices combined, do yourself a favor and mix some together when you wake up tomorrow. It's the most delicious way to start your day.

He might not have actually been famous for his juice, but he was famous for the toys, puzzles and games he would make in his garage. He would craft clever little puns out of wood (all given the prefix "Norwegian"), like the Norwegian Walleye, chainsaw, compass and quarter (a shell from .22 linked together with three pennies). He would make little puzzles or word games and watch coyly as you struggled trying to figure out how to put it together, take it apart or decipher its meaning. I loved all the puzzles, but it was maddening trying to figure them out. If you were ever feeling smart and cocksure, my Grandpa could humble you within minutes with his tricks.

Grandpa was an outdoorsman, and loved hunting and fishing. His trophy room held the heads of animals he took down, including (if my memory serves me correctly) a couple deer and a giant moose. There was also the hide of a black bear, that (again, if my memory is correct) had the bear's head attached. He once told me that while he was growing up he didn't think reading or writing was important, because he wanted to be a trapper and all he would need to spell were words like "beaver" or "rabbit". He had a small fishing boat named "Dahlfin" (get it?), a name which I appropriated for myself when I got my first email account. On a couple of occasions he and my Grandma took me and my cousins Ian and Megan up to a cabin where we would fish (or rather, they would fish, I would just complain about having to touch the bait) and play BINGO for prizes (candy, or the kinds of little toys you might get out of a gumball dispenser at the grocery store for a quarter).

He was also a painter, and would make oil and watercolor paintings, usually of animals - moose, deer, lynx, a mountain goat and various birds. Much of his art adorns the walls in my house, including a portrait of me as a child which hangs in our living room.

He was a decorated WWII veteran and a prisoner of war. He never talked about it when I was younger. The one time he ever mentioned being a prisoner to me was while we were driving in his big red van. He always had Mentos in his van and we would have contests to see who could keep the mints in their mouth the longest. I would always lose; my mint would be long gone and his would look virtually untouched. When I finally accused him of cheating, and he told me that when he was a prisoner he had to conserve his food, and he taught himself how to keep food in his mouth without swallowing it.

When I was a young teen, we sat him and my Grandma down to video tape them talking about their lives and when we got to WWII, things got very serious and he insisted we move on without detailing those years. So I grew up not wanting to broach the subject, despite being very curious to hear his recollections from those times. In recent years he'd begun talking about his experience at high schools. He was reportedly asked back each semester because of his great storytelling. I always wanted to play him the song I posted below, "The War" by Lucero, to see what he thought of it, but he was never much for rock music and I was always paranoid I'd trigger some depressing thoughts by bringing it up. I wonder if any of the classes he spoke at taped what he said; I'd like to hear his version of WWII.

I don't know if I've really processed that he's gone yet. When I woke up to a missed call from my Dad and a text from my brother telling me to call him, I was expecting an update about the upcoming holiday parties or an idea for Christmas presents; a death in the family was the furthest thing from my half-asleep mind. I loved my Grandpa, and I'll miss him forever. I hope wherever he is looks a lot like his old garage with all of his wood-working tools parked next to the Dahlfin, with easy access to a big lake for fishing.

I love you Grandpa. I think I'll head to the store to mix some of your Famous Juice right now.

Lord, Beer Me Strength

2011-12-21T08:55:00.001-06:00

I'm going to try to finish up (start) my Christmas shopping today. *sigh* Wish me luck.

Top 10 Favorite Album Covers

2011-12-14T16:20:00.003-06:00

(click the picture to actually, you know, see the art)

Top 10 Comedy Albums of 2011

2011-12-08T07:20:00.005-06:00

Wyatt had my favorite comedy release this year, but I'll be damned if Norm's bit about the news wasn't the funniest thing I've heard in a very long time. Amy does some incredible "crowd work" (as Marc Maron calls it), and Birbiglia tells some pretty long, but very funny stories from his life. Good year for comedy releases, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that my most hearty laughs of the year came from the Doug Loves Movies podcast hosted by Doug Benson. That podcast, along with Marc Maron's WTF (essential listening for comedy nerds), are both available for free every week. If you like comedy, movies or laughing, you'd be a fool not to check them out.

Top 10 Favorite Comedy Albums of 2011

Comedy Person - Wyatt Cenac
Me Doing Standup - Norm MacDonald
Cutting - Amy Schumer
Sleepwalk With Me - Mike Birbiglia
Hilarious - Louis CK
Finest Hour - Patton Oswalt
Good One - Tig Notaro
Coke Money - Natasha Leggero
This Has To Be Funny - Marc Maron
Potty Mouth - Doug Benson

Honorable Mentions: My Name Is Hannibal - Hannibal Buress, Very Famous - Michael Ian Black

Grammy Talk

2011-11-30T22:28:00.005-06:00

This year's Grammy nominees were announced tonight.

The big news: Tedeschi Trucks Band, Gregg Allman and Warren Haynes are all nominated for Grammys in the Best Blues Album category. While I definitely think Tedeschi Trucks Band had the best album of the three, I A) wouldn't consider it a "blues" record and B) kinda want Gregg to win because...you know...he's old and might not have a lot of Grammy-worthy albums left to make.

Adele is nominated for Album, Record and Song of the year, and at the very least should end up taking home Album. If there's been a more deserving album based on commercial and critical success in recent years, I can't think of one.

Both Mumford & Sons and Bon Iver are nominated in the Record and Song categories for their respective tracks "The Cave" and "Holocene". Bon Iver is also nominated for Best New Artist, which would have made more sense back in 2007 when For Emma, Forever Ago was huge.

Wilco is up for Best Rock Album; My Morning Jacket, Bon Iver, Radiohead, Death Cab For Cutie and Foster The People are all up for Best Alternative Album; The Decemberists are up for Best Rock Performance and Rock Song; Ry Cooder, Levon Helm, Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams are up for Best Americana Album; Alison Krauss, Steve Martin, Del McCoury Band, Ralph Stanley and Chris Thile are up for Best Bluegrass Album; The Civil Wars, Steve Earle, Fleet Foxes, Gillian Welch and Eddie Vedder are all up for Best Folk Album; and Patton Oswalt, Louis CK and 'Weird Al' Yankovic will be fighting for Best Comedy Album.

Of course, I'm only mentioning the albums I'm familiar with, this isn't a comprehensive list. I'm still compiling my Best of for the year, and I'm excited to report that Safety Break will have some friends of the blog write about their favorite albums too. So hopefully that means there will be a lot of music-related content coming this blog's way!

Day Off

2011-11-30T07:15:00.002-06:00

My half-day off yesterday: Rocky Rococo's for lunch, crossword puzzle, and the new (leaked) Black Keys on my headphones. A welcome respite from the post-Thanksgiving retail nightmare that has become Target overnights.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T17:56:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone is having a wonderful turkey day!

2011-11-20T14:34:00.004-06:00

"Another Joker in the White House, said a change was comin' round
But I'm still workin' at The Wal-Mart and Mary Alice, in the ground"

I know I'm a few days late on this, and I know that I won't be saying anything that millions of people around the country haven't already emphatically expressed. But how fucked up is this? This is Lt. John Pike pepper-spraying what looks to be a relatively peaceful and calm group of protesters. Last I read, he was put on paid-suspension while the incident was being investigated.

As I've read about and watched video of all these attacks from the police on protesters, I feel like I'm living in a future dystopia where America has fallen under some bizarre police state. My only consolation is that these feelings must be fairly similar to those of 40 years ago, when the Kent State shootings happened. I keep having to tell myself that if the country lived through that tragedy, it can handle some pepper spray.

"And all them politicians, they all lyin' sacks of shit
They say better days upon us but I'm sucking left hind tit"

I'm trying really hard to give Obama the benefit of the doubt. I want to believe, so very badly, that he's just playing it cool until he wins that second term. But really? He can't get on the horn and just say "Hey guys, the whole hitting war veterans with rubber bullets and pepper-spraying octogenarians thing? Let's not do that." I'm not totally down the whole Occupy Movement, but the reaction to it has been insane.

"And the preacher on the TV says it ain't too late for me
But I bet he drives a Cadillac and I'm broke with hungry mouths to feed"

And how the hell have these assholes not been given similar treatment by the police?

The lyrics quoted are from "Puttin' People On The Moon" by Drive-By Truckers off their 2004 album, The Dirty South. That was released seven years ago. For how long will those words still apply to our current culture? Will I be able to listen to that song fifty years from now and still relate to it?

"Mary Alice got cancer just like everybody here
Seems everyone I know is gettin' cancer every year
And we can't afford no insurance, I been 10 years unemployed
So she didn't get no chemo so our lives was destroyed
And nothin' ever changes, the cemetery gets more full
And now over there in Huntsville, even NASA's shut down too"

Watch This: Live Adele

2011-11-19T10:23:00.004-06:00

Adele has a new concert DVD "Live At The Royal Albert Hall" coming out on November 29. Here's a video from that release, of her covering Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love" in honor of Amy Winehouse.

Just the other day it occurred to me how odd it is that there hasn't been any Adele backlash yet. Usually by now, an artist that has been so ubiquitous for so long (her album came out in Feb) is met with resistance from people who have grown sick of them (and those who never liked them in the first place are that much more compelled to voice their distaste). But that seemingly hasn't happened for Adele yet. I know she gets played almost hourly on local stations like KDWB or KS95, and fairly regularly on Cities 97 and The Current, and yet I've not once heard anyone complain about having to hear "Rolling In The Deep" or "Someone Like You" for the umpteenth time that day. It seems unusual, and it worries me a little that it means the backlash against her will be that much more vicious when it comes.

Also - and I know it's still early to be talking Grammys - album of the year. There's no way it could not win, right?

Daily Quote

2011-11-18T18:42:00.001-06:00

George: What's the deal with Aquaman? Could he go on land, or was he just restricted to water?

Jerry: No, I think I saw him on land a couple times. So how's the job situation goin'?

George: Still lookin'. It's pretty bad out there. What about you?

Jerry: Nothin' much. I slept with Elaine last night.

George: Oxygen! I need some oxygen! This is major.

Jerry: I thought you'd like that.

George: Oh, this is huge!

Jerry: I know.

George: All right, okay. Let's go, details.

Jerry: No, I can't do details.

George: You wha?

Jerry: I can't give details.

George: No details?

Jerry: I'm not in the mood.

George: You ask me to have lunch, tell me you slept with Elaine, and then say you're not in the mood for details. Now you listen to me. I want details and I want them right now. I don't have a job, I have no place to go. You're not in the mood? Well you get in the mood!

Ugggggggghhhhhhhh

2011-11-18T09:07:00.004-06:00

So, my time for blogging lately has been limited, and my motivation for writing has been virtually nonexistent. I feel like I don't have a lot to say, or what I don't have to say isn't worth typing.

Somebody inspire me to write something. Get my ball rolling again.

So...wait, what?

2011-11-09T07:21:00.004-06:00

So, I've been seeing advertisements for this new movie The Descendants. I don't know much about it, except that it appears to be a quirky "dramedy" about a father and his kids confronting the man who the mother of family had an affair with. Now, here's my beef with this movie...it stars George Clooney. You know, this guy:

What are the odds that this guy gets cheated on? This is the hot guy you cheat on your ugly husband with. I don't buy it. Not one bit. I still want to see it, but I'm already kinda skeptical.

Triumphant Return!

2011-11-04T18:10:00.001-05:00

Triumph occupying Wall Street = awesome. This whole Conan in NYC week has been amazing.

Star On The Wall

2011-11-04T16:21:00.004-05:00

Back in March I tweeted to First Ave that Dawes, after a particularly rousing show there, had earned a star on their famous wall.

I'm not saying I had anything to do with it, I'm just glad it happened. Way to go Dawes! You guys have earned it!

I wish I was going to tonight's Dawes and Blitzen Trapper show...

Drive-By Truckers @ First Ave.

2011-10-28T21:15:00.006-05:00

Wow.

Last Tuesday's rock show at First Ave. was the best Drive-By Truckers show I've ever seen (certainly from the post-Isbell era of the band). The setlist was incredible, the rocking was relentless and company I kept that night was awesome. I was joined by my buddies Steven and his girlfriend Nicole, Nick and his girlfriend Shawn, and Joel; all Truckers virgins (save for Nick and Shawn who caught a little bit of their set at Basilica Block Party). I won a V.I.P. upgrade through a Twitter trivia contest and got seated at a table on the balcony (thanks to Eli for the reminder to check Twitter).

Everybody seemed to have a great time during the almost three hour set, even in spite of the never-ending encore (the gang stuck around for four of the eight songs, before realizing that morning - and work- was just a few hours away). It was an all-around incredible show, and I'm pretty confident I helped convert five more disciples to the Church of DBT.

On a sad note, Patterson Hood stepped to the mic to tell us that his Great Uncle George A. had passed away the day before. George A. is the subject of one the Truckers' best songs "The Sands Of Iwo Jima", and before starting that song Patterson gave a brief but touching eulogy. You can watch a fan-made video of the song here. And you can read a longer but equally touching eulogy Patterson wrote here. I suggest you do both.

And here's the setlist:

First Ave., Minneapolis, MN - Oct. 25, 2011
I Do Believe / Marry Me / Sinkhole / Where the Devil Don’t Stay / Go Go Boots / Birthday Boy / Dancin’ Ricky / Righteous Path / Ghost to Most / Sands of Iwo Jima / Paluski / Everybody Needs Love / Love Like This / The Living Bubba / Women Without Whiskey / Used To Be a Cop / Three Dimes Down / Buttholeville ENCORE: Self-Destructive Zones / Mercy Buckets / Zip City / Let There Be Rock / Get Downtown / Hell No I Ain’t Happy / Shut Up & Get on the Plane / People Who Died

2011-10-27T13:14:00.000-05:00

Boy, Felicity seems like a really exciting show.

Autumn Is In The Air...

2011-10-15T21:12:00.001-05:00

Well folks, we're just getting into fall, so I made a new mix that should help everyone ease into that autumnal mood. I expect listening to it will make the changing colors more vibrant, the crunching of leaves more crunchy and the raking a little less sucky. Or at the very least, it'll just be fun to listen to.

Once again, all the music featured is from releases from this year. I had half a dozen songs I wanted to squeeze on this mix but ran out of room, so you can expect a Vol. 2 coming soon.

Download Autumn 2011, Vol. 1 here!: http://www.mediafire.com/?d5v3rh4v85bkdv9

1. Real Slow - Megafaun
2. Dirty Rain - Ryan Adams
3. Salinas - Laura Marling
4. Everything Must Spin - Ryan Driver
5. Bein' Green - Andrew Bird
6. In The City - Chris Bathgate
7. Million Dollar Bill - Middle Brother
8. Until You Remember - Tedeschi Trucks Band
9. Sunrise - Tab Benoit
10. Falani - Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
11. Back Alley Blues - The Deep Dark Woods
12. Setting It Off - Peter Wolf Crier
13. My Home Town - Blitzen Trapper
14. Down Along The Dixie Line - Gillian Welch
15. All Along The Way - Rich Robinson
16. From The Woods - James Vincent McMorrow
17. The Sun Always Reminds Me Of You - Marissa Nadler
18. Hey, All You Hippies! - The Low Anthem

If you missed the Spring and Summer mixes, here they are:
Spring 2011 - http://www.mediafire.com/?36dofewey0ucrkl

Summer Days 2011 - http://www.mediafire.com/?m6cifr4dztsll3x

Summer Nights 2011 - http://www.mediafire.com/?8pu8ed5csw3z48p

New York City: Days Five And Six

2011-10-12T04:10:00.006-05:00

Recovery from the wedding started slowly. Both Annie and I were battling sinus/head colds, so we slept late and arrived at the tail end of clean up at Tibbett house determined to brave the day despite our incessant coughing and nose-blowing. With Tim leading the Soucheray Aunts through the streets on New York, the rest of the Engle family and myself went up to the wedding caterer Grandpa Tony's (formerly called Nonno Tony's) to settle up the previous night's bill.

Carmine, the proprietor, is either incredibly fond of Sarah and Daniel, or simply the nicest restaurant owner I've ever met. He insisted we sit down, plunked down a large bottle of wine on our table and told us he was going to make us a couple of pies "on the house." One of them was a margherita pizza, which was delicious. The other was something that looked...delicious but not to my taste. I can only imagine how great their pepperoni pizza is. The crust alone is worth the trip. And possibly the best part of the meal? Taunting Tim with pictures of the free feast, as he was left to choke down some fishy thing the other group found downtown.

Margherita pizza

Hey Tim, look what you missed out on

After our (free!) lunch, we headed out to meet up with all the others down in Manhattan. We finally ran into some of New York's notorious traffic jams. The 1 Train was closed for the weekend for construction, so we had to ride a shuttle bus to get to the nearest subway. After squeezing into a packed bus, we only made it one mile (or about twenty blocks) after spending an hour on the shuttle. After an hour, we gave up and got off that damn bus, and walked the rest of the way through a part of Harlem until we could catch up with the subway. Of course, after five minutes of walking, we watched our bus zoom right past us.

The only sight-seeing goal I had while in New York City was seeing the exterior of Seinfeld's Monk's Cafe, which is a real place called Tom's Restaurant. I got my picture taken outside of it, and I finally feel like I've accomplished something important in my life.

The happiest moment of my life thus far

I don't remember the name of this Cathedral we visited, only that it's the largest in the world, and has been in the process of being built for over 100 years. Or something like that. It's near Columbia College, and I'm sure figuring out what it was would be easy, but I'm feeling lazy. Anybody want to help me out on this one?

Having never seen Central Park, The Engle clan separated from the Aunts once again so I could at least say I've been there. We briefly walked around the park, not straying too far from the entrance we came in. I know we barely saw a fraction of what the park had to offer, but we witnessed a lot of music and entertainment; I imagine you could get lost in Central Park every day for a month and still not see everything cool about. If I lived near Manhattan, I don't know if I'd ever leave it.

Central Park pics

We went to Times Square again, and it was far more impressive at night than it was when I saw it during the day on Thursday. My one complaint about Times Square? No place to eat that you couldn't eat back home. The hustle and bustle was beginning to stress most of our party out (oddly, I kinda liked it), so we hopped on the subway and made our way back to the Bronx.

Bright lights, big city

Desperate for a burger, we went to the Piper's Kilt, a greasy little Irish pub that was recommended to me by a security guard I had talked to. The Piper's Kilt had, in all seriousness, the greatest french fries I've ever eaten. We think they were batter-fried or something; whatever it was, they were incredible. The burger could have been perked up with a little seasoning, but it was still a solid 1/2 pound of delicious meat.

The Piper's Kilt

My mouth waters just looking at this picture

They should change the sign to "Best Fries In Town"

Monday, our last day, was pretty uneventful. Still feeling sick, Annie and I sought out breakfast alone, ending up at the Riverdale Diner. The menu was huge, food was okay, and the service was awful. Absolutely terrible. I only tipped 10% and I felt like that was being overly generous. After breakfast we laid around our place until Mike and Sarah picked us up and brought us, the Aunts and Megan to the airport.

They didn't have peanut butter. What kind of diner doesn't have peanut butter?

New York - I had more fun than I ever would have imagined, and would love to go back again. My only regrets are that we didn't have more time there and that it took me until 28-years-old to visit. And that we never actually made it to any record stores, which I was hoping to do. Oh well. Next time.

Sarah and Daniel - Your wedding was beautiful and the reception made it, quite possibly, the most fun wedding I've ever attended. I know you two will share a happy and loving lifetime together, and I'm proud to call myself your brother-in-law.

Daniel's father insisted we come down to visit him in New Orleans, so hopefully I'll be able blog about my visit to that city sometime in the near future...

New York City: Day Four, Post-Wedding

2011-10-12T02:18:00.008-05:00

Since I didn't get any pictures during the wedding, you'll have to trust me when I say it was beautiful, sweet and the temperature was under control (which is always nice). The reception at Tibbett house was catered by Nonno Tony's to great acclaim. Never before have I heard so many people say that it was the best food they've ever eaten. I only ate the Italian sausage, but I must say, it was very good sausage (more on Tony's in Day Five).

The Tibbett house was beautifully decorated by a woman named Dade, who is a good friend of Sarah and Daniel's. I was pretty amazed at how she turned what was a relatively uncared for standard backyard into a wonderful dreamland filled with Christmas lights lining the trees, gourds adorning the yard and candles floating everywhere (so it looked like Hogwarts!). Props to her and all of the good people who helped her decorate the house and the yard; it looked incredible.

The night was filled with lots of dancing, drinking, dancing and dancing. I danced a lot. And I usually hate dancing at weddings. Apparently New York City makes me put on my dancing shoes. And Annie captured a lot of the action, so...sorry about that, but it's all I have pics of.

We survived the wedding!

The happy couple!

Dancing by myself!

Dancing with other people!

Spinning Aunt Mary!

Grooving with Ma-In-Law!

Boppin' with Dade the decorator!

Twirling the father of the groom!

Mosh pitting with Brandi, Megan and Ali!

Welcome to the family Daniel!

So happy together!

It was a damn good time. Perhaps one of the best times I've had at any wedding besides my own. Good job Sarah and Daniel and the city of New York; damn good job.

New York City: Day Four, Pre-Wedding

2011-10-12T00:03:00.007-05:00

Annie was feeling under the weather Saturday morning, so I took off to find breakfast and a cleaners to get my clothes pressed (after PC's wonderful ironing job last week, I can't go back to wearing wrinkled wedding clothes). I dropped my clothes off at a cleaners, and as I wandered around I stumbled upon something glorious: the Kingsbridge Donut Shop. I entered expecting nothing but a doughnut, but ended up getting a lip-smacking mound of scrambled eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes and toast. By and far the best meal I had (up to that point) and definitely the best service I received during the entire trip. Kudos to that place, the staff and their cheap, $5 breakfast.

After breakfast I went over to Tibbett house to do the final arrangement of the reception music. Daniel and Sarah had the songs all picked out, but they wanted it put in a certain order (starting out with some quiet jazz, leading into New Orleans dance music and ending in some good 'ol rock & roll). I snuck a few choice picks in there (The Band, Galactic, Queen, Gnarls Barkley). After a long, sweaty trek back to pick up my clothes, I had just enough time to change before meeting the gang for pictures!

Sarah!

Ali and Sarah

The Engle Family (minus the new addition Daniel)

The Soucheray Sisters: Terry, Alison, Judy and Mary

The father of the bride, writing putting the finishing touches on his speech

Tim's senior picture attempt #3

New York City: Day Three

2011-10-11T22:14:00.006-05:00

Rehearsal Day! Time to get the wedding party started!...

...but not before we get a little Goodroad in our lives. My good friend Mr. Chad Goodroad recently moved out to NYC to pursue a career in comedy while moonlighting as an insurance salesman, so he picked us up and brought us down to his neck of the woods in Brooklyn. While we waited for him to come get us, we ran up to the Palombo Bakery for a black & white cookie (which, if you know me at all, you understand what significance this particular cookie would have).

"Your views on race relations are fascinating. You really should do an op-ed piece for the Times." - Elaine Benes

Chad picked us up and we made our way down to Brooklyn, which offered spectacular views of the city skyline. We parked outside of his place, but before checking it out we walked to Chevela's, a little Mexican restaurant in Prospect Heights.

Chavela's

Beef flautas, beans and rice (two of the three I didn't eat...guess which two)

Chad "Empire State" Goodroad

After lunch we checked out Chad's place and then ventured towards Prospect Park where we took a little walk around before Annie and I hooked up with the subway to head back to our place and get ready for the rehearsal dinner.

Like an idiot, I forgot that rehearsal dinners are largely formal affairs, and didn't pack any nice clothes that I wasn't going to wear the next day at the wedding. My attire aside, the rehearsal went well, and we got see the nice little chapel the wedding was to take place in on the Manhattan College campus. Annie got to practice her prayer reading for the next day, which I'm sure she loved.

The beautiful sisters: bride-to-be Sarah, Ali and Annie

Family of the bride: Mike, Al and Tim

Tim's senior picture attempt #2

The dinner was delicious, with chicken, fish and pork options (which was all cooked by a chef who I'm told makes regular appearances on The Food Network, though I didn't catch his name). A lot of nice speeches were given, and it was nice meeting Daniel's siblings and seeing Annie's aunts Mary, Judy, Terry and cousin Megan who all arrived that day.

Annie and I ended the night with a late night snack at Goodfellas.

I miss having a pizza place across the street

New York City: Day Two

2011-10-11T19:27:00.008-05:00

After browsing a small portion of the Bronx the day before, we were ready to brave the subway (or the train? I never figured if there was a difference, and if so, what it was) and visit downtown Manhattan. I was pretty astonished at how easy it was to navigate the subway, although it would have been a lot more difficult without the handy iPhone app we were using.

My inaugural subway ride.

Our first stop was Ground Zero. We didn't have passes to see the actual memorial, but we went down there see what we could. Turns out, it's a pretty freaking busy place to be at noon on a weekday. We couldn't get around very easily, but we were able to see the progress that's been made on the tower.

One World Trade Center

We visited St. Paul's Chapel, which is the oldest church in Manhattan. It's been turned into a 9/11 museum of sorts, with some pretty interesting displays and memorials.

St. Paul's Chapel

We walked around for a bit and stumbled upon the Occupy Wallstreet gang and their drum circle of liberty and justice. It all seemed pretty uneventful, but we didn't stick around too long.

Hippies who are better suited to occupying Bonnaroo

We got pizza at Steve's Pizza, which wasn't anything to write home about.

Don't even bother

We decided to head up to Rockefeller Plaza so I could taunt my friend Randi with photos of our inevitable encounters with Tiny Fey and Alec Baldwin.

Tim's senior photo attempt #1

Rainbow Room

While those encounters didn't happen, I did stumble upon a huge stock of Seinfeld paraphernalia at the NBC store. I wanted to buy it all, and almost took home a "Top Of The Muffin To You!" keychain, but didn't go through with the purchase. I regret it now. Somebody who loves me very much should send me something Seinfeld-related to remedy my mistake.

What I did get however, was a few tickets to see Jimmy Fallon rehearse his monologue, so Ali, Tim, Annie and I waited for about forty-five minutes to get into the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon studio. We were finally taken up a few stories to the studio with about fifty other people where we were given a short introduction by Jimmy himself before he rehearsed his monologue in front of his head writers (including A.D. Miles from Dog Bites Man, among other things). It was very short, but very cool being in the studio and watching a small portion of behind the scenes action.

Lucky number 18 baby

Afterwards we headed back uptown to our place in the Bronx, where we all took a little breather before heading next door to the An Beal Bacht Cafe where we got beers the night before. Daniel's family had arrived that day, so we all met and ended up taking over most the Cafe for dinner. I enjoyed a delicious beef stew, with a perfectly centered helping of mashed potatoes.

Stew is good for the soul

Ma & Pa Engle

New York City: Day One

2011-10-11T00:12:00.006-05:00

Let's get this party started.

Much like San Francisco and Chicago, a lot of these next few blog posts about my time in New York City will revolve around where and what we ate. As my mother-in-law put it, "Matt likes to eat his way through every city he visits." Luckily there will also be plenty of pictures from the wedding with some sight-seeing mixed in for good measure.

Our flight left at 5:00am, so we had my buddy Joel pick us up at 3:30 and bring us to the airport (thanks again man). I got pulled aside at security and had my fingers swabbed for explosives, which was fun. After a very quick flight to Milwaukee, we had a three-hour layover before taking off for New York. Annie generously let me have the window seat both times, so I got to see what it looked like flying over the Great Lakes, and I got to witness the unending majesty of the NYC skyline. Flying into LaGuardia airport was the only time I got to see the Statue of Liberty, which was pretty cool.

Cinnamon rolls and croissants at Alterra at the Milwaukee airport

We were lucky enough to have Annie's parents, Mike and Al, and her brother Tim arrive at LaGuardia shortly after us, so we hooked up with them and their mini-van rental and booked it up to the Bronx to meet up with Sarah and Daniel. We found them, along with Daniel's mom Jane, at the Tibbett house where the wedding reception on Saturday was to take place. They brought us to where Annie and I would be staying, which was a dorm room suite close to the Manhattan College campus (where Daniel resides as a student and resident adviser). Our apartment was on the top floor of the dorms in a two-bedroom, very spacious apartment that formerly housed the vice-president of the college. From our balcony you could see the Empire State building in the far distance, and best part of the apartment? Awesome water-pressure in the showers. That alone made it better than any hotel I've ever stayed in.

After dropping off our stuff in our sweet suite (heh), we walked a couple blocks away to Liebman's Kosher Delicatessen for some lunch. I got a heaping pile of roast beef on rye and Annie and I split some Matzoh Ball soup with a pastrami sandwich. I even tried some tongue that Daniel got! It was all really good, though I'm not partial to cold sandwiches.

Liebman's

Big plate of pickles

Matzoh Ball soup

Roast Beef on rye

Tongue (beef, I assume, though I didn't ask)

Later that night, Annie, Sarah, Daniel and I grabbed a slice of pizza at Goodfellas, a little pizza place right across the street from our apartment. We brought our pizza across the street and sat outside the An Beal Bocht Cafe, a little Irish pub where we got ourselves some Guinness Harp Irish Lager. All in all it was a good first day in the Big Apple, and a great start to our New York City adventure.

The last taste of pizza as a single couple

And We're Back!

2011-10-10T23:49:00.003-05:00

After six wonderful days in the Big Apple celebrating my beautiful sister-in-law Sarah's wedding to her new husband Daniel, I am back and ready to recall my east-coast experiences in great detail...but I did take over 400 pictures, so it's going to take a while to sift through them all. Hopefully I'll get to it before the memories from an awesome trip begin to fade. Until then, congrats to Sarah and Daniel!

Marathon Man

2011-10-04T10:18:00.004-05:00

My dear friend Brian Olson ran his first marathon this weekend, clocking in at four hours and one minute. Awesome. Way to go man!

Chicago & SOB Wedding: Day Two, Part Two

2011-10-04T00:27:00.004-05:00

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, but I will say that the wedding was beautiful, the ceremony was sweet, the reception was fun and the afterparty was sleepy (PC has an astonishing amount of Counting Crows on his iPod).

First kiss!

First walk down the aisle!

First pregnant belly touching! (Congrats Laurel and Brian!)

Handsome fellas

First dance!

Cell phone pic!

The newly engaged Good'r! (Congrats Kate and Will!)

SOBers usually don't dance with their hands...

...though some of us do, very poorly

The SOB wedding party! (Top L to R: Laurel (and baby!), Eric, Matt, PC, Kate; Bottom: Stutz, CJ, Nick)

Matt & Annie photo booth

Best shot

SOB photo booth

Best shot
__________________

The next morning I walked to Mary's Cafe to grab breakfast for Annie and I. I got a huge helping of hash browns with some scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, which was all pretty unnecessary as we ended up also going to a fantastic free brunch for guests of the wedding. That bacon was absolutely amazing. And drinking orange juice out of a champagne flute? I've never felt classier.

Our breakfast special to go, from Mary's Cafe

Chicago was great, although I would have loved an extra day or two to snoop around and explore. The wedding was awesome because CJ and the Shady Oak Beach crew is awesome. I love those guys and I wish we were all still living our glory days on the Big Dock.

Pretty soon we'll be on our way to New York City, and the wedding of my beautiful sister-in-law Sarah. The excitement never ends!

Chicago & SOB Wedding: Day Two, Part One

2011-10-03T23:29:00.006-05:00

Waking up early to get out of the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in was no easy task. Kudos to the Hyatt for making getting to sleep easy and waking up hard. I could have easily been persuaded to sleep a little longer if my buddy Steven hadn't warned me to get to our second destination early. Food trumps sleep any day, so we showered and headed out.

First on our itinerary was Dunkin' Donuts. I know that sounds lame, but we don't have any here in Minneapolis, and I've never been to one. Plus Annie heard that their iced coffee was delicious, so we checked it out.

Not content with just one doughnut, we headed to The Doughnut Vault, where the aforementioned Steven warned us that the line could stretch around the block, and once they sell out for the day, they close. We arrived shortly after they opened and the line was pretty long, but manageable. The wind was pretty fierce, which made for a chilly wait time.

Waiting in line outside The Doughnut Vault

The wait was well worth it. Once you get into the door there's a tiny counter where a very stressed-out woman serves you your doughnuts in a hurry. You never really leave the entryway, and the whole process probably took under a minute, making the wait to get into the building about forty-five times longer than the time you spend in it. We left with one chocolate glazed, one vanilla glazed and one old fashioned. They were all delicious, though so huge we only got through half of each of the glazed.

So big and fluffy, the Titanic should have used them as life preservers

Having waited so long for the doughnuts, we were close to lunchtime, so we stuck around that part of town so we could grab pizza at Gina's East when it opened. I was recommended Gina's East by three different people, so my expectations were fairly high. When we arrived, there was another group of out-of-towners waiting for it to open. I gotta be honest though...I wasn't impressed. Our small pepperoni pizza was a forty-five minute wait (didn't we just wait that long for doughnuts?), so we got pizza bread as an appetizer. I thought the bread was pretty gross, but maybe that's because I had expected something more akin to garlic cheese bread when I ordered it.

Meh

And the pizza itself was definitely good, but the crust was pretty cardboard-y. I loved the cheesiness of the pizza, which is weird because I'm not a cheese guy. But all in all, I didn't get the hype. I definitely didn't think it was worth the price tag.

Double meh

Mike "Stutz" Stutzman, who would be sharing our hotel room with us the second night, was close to arriving to the hotel, so we made our way back there so we could give him his room key. We caught up with Stutz for a little while, where we learned the details of him missing his flight the day before. This would prove to be the first of such calamitous incidents for him over the course of the weekend. The second was using Annie's eye drops, which left red streaks down his face after his shower, giving the appearance of him crying blood like that James Bond villain.

No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die

I texted PC, saying there was an emergency and he needed to come quick. I wasn't lying. My clothes were horribly wrinkled and I needed someone to iron them. Being the oldest and most professional of us, it only seemed natural that he shoulder the responsibility. My clothes have, in all honesty, never looked better. Bravo PC.

And I didn't hear him complain once. Hear that Annie?

Pre-wedding drinking took place in PC's room an hour before the wedding (I've never seen SOBers arrive completely sober to a wedding). We were excitedly surprised to see that Nick Plummer was able to make it, and met with Eric Furlich and his fiance Bonnie who had arrived that morning. With the whole gang in attendance, we made our way to the hotel's Crystal Ballroom for what was surely going to be a terrific wedding...

Chicago & SOB Wedding: Day One

2011-10-03T20:49:00.012-05:00

We're back! Our Chicago trip was a huge success, and the wedding of my good friend and former Shady Oak Beach cohort Christa "CJ" Jacobson to her lover Dave Winikates was positively beautiful.

We left bright and early Friday morning, hoping to reach Chicago by early afternoon. We listened to the new Ryan Adams album (Ashes & Fire) a couple times, as well as the new albums by The Jayhawks (Mockingbird Time), Mason Jennings (Minnesota), Wilco (The Whole Love), Laura Marling (A Creature I Don't Know) and Blitzen Trapper (American Goldwing). It was a long trip, made even longer by the 45mpr speed limit that lasted for about 30 miles prior to hitting the city. Then, once we got into the city, all of our GPS capabilities crapped out on us; our two phones and our TomTom were rendered virtually useless, leaving us to find the Hyatt on our own. Thankfully, we got there without much trouble. We had the valet park our car in the hotel garage, and checked into our nice room with a beautiful view of the city around 1:00pm.

Room with a view

I jumped in the shower before we headed out to eat, and my old mentor PC stopped by to make plans for that night. We agreed to meet him and his friend Adam for happy hour around 5, so Annie and I headed out to find something to eat. I had been given a list of restaurants to check out by my cousin Ian's girlfriend Natalie and my friend Stephanie, so we weren't lacking in suggestions; the tricky part was finding one of those places close to the hotel. Luckily, we were right downtown where there seemed to be a good deal of options for us. We crossed the river and headed northwest, towards Portillo's Hot Dogs, a chain known for serving good Chicago-style hot dogs.

Classier than I had expected

Annie got a Chili dog, I got a plain dog and we split fries and a soda. The hot dog was a thick and meaty sausage, and the fries were crispy and delicious. It was all very good, but nothing spectacular. I guess hot dogs, Chicago-style or otherwise, just aren't the most exciting of foods to eat.

My plain dog wasn't really worth a picture

Apparently Henry Winkler loves Portillo's

After eating we walked around a part of downtown that seemed to be exclusively reserved for shopping. All the major clothing and electronic stores were there, so we used the time we had before meeting PC to grab some socks and underwear for me at Macy's (Annie had coupons, so we basically got the socks for free. Awesome). Around 5:00 we meandered to the John Hancock Center where we were going to meet PC and Adam for drinks on the 96th floor in The Signature Room. We worried we wouldn't be dressed classy enough, as everyone around us was looking quite dapper, but thankfully, they let two scrubs like us in anyway.

Storm a'comin'

The view was a breathtaking 360-degree look over the city and Lake Michigan. We watched a storm roll in over the lake and pass through the city, and most of the clouds seemed to be under us, blocking the view of the buildings below. It was pretty spectacular, and well worth the long, shaky elevator ride up 96-stories. Annie, who is afraid of heights, handled it like a champ (although she didn't go up to the window for a good look).

An $8 beer and a $14 Moscow-something. We may as well have thrown a twenty dollar bill off the 96th floor

Annie wouldn't take a picture of the view, but would take a picture of a picture being taken of the view

Afterwords, we walked around the city trying to figure out what we wanted to do. PC is a slave to Yelp, a social networking tool that allows users to find and rate various bars and restaurants, so we relied on him to guide our way to the hot spots around town. I had only one suggestion, the Billy Goat Tavern, which was the inspiration for the Saturday Night Live Olympia Cafe sketch. It took a couple of attempts to find it, as it's located on the lower-level streets of Chicago (I had no idea that there are virtually two levels to the city in some parts). Luckily, when our phones were telling us we should be standing in it, we realized that we standing over it, and made our way down into what certainly seemed to be a seedier part of the city (the lower level was dubbed "the underbelly" for the duration of our trip).

Billy Goat Tavern

The difference between The Signature Lounge and Billy Goat Tavern is as dramatic as black and white. While The Signature Lounge was a swanky, expensive restaurant with a $20 burger, Billy Goat Tavern was a greasy, grimy diner with a $6 burger. While I certainly felt more comfortable at Billy Goat, it wasn't exactly the greatest place to eat. I definitely wouldn't pay $6 for the double-cheeseburger again. PC "Yelped" that it was overrated, though he didn't actually eat or drink anything there (which frankly, I think means all of his Yelp reviews are a little suspect).

"Overrated" was an appropriate critique

Much of the rest of the night was spent at dive bars where we ate and drank in between looking for classier bars we never found. We stopped at a place called Snickers, a tiny hallway of a bar that housed the most disparate group of people I've ever seen. We were denied entry to a place called the Redhead Piano Bar; apparently our shoes were not "business casual" enough to meet their dress code. We found The Underground, but it was closed while "America's Funniest Muslim" comedian got ready to do a set that night. Finally, we grabbed a slice of pizza at State Street Pizza, which wasn't the Chicago-style deep dish pizza I was hoping for, but was pretty fantastic nonetheless.

Not deep dish, but not bad

After pizza we meandered back to the hotel to charge our phones and meet up in the hotel bar with Kate "Good'r" Goodrich and her fiance Will. After another hour or so of drinking and socializing, I was crashing from a big day and ready to call it a night. We had a busy morning of exploring before the wedding, so I figured we'd benefit from retiring quasi-early.

PC checking out Marilyn Monroe's undergarments

Chicago In 3...2...1

2011-09-29T17:21:00.003-05:00

We're heading off to Chicago tomorrow for a SOB wedding. I've never been to the windy city, so I'm pretty excited. Although I'm a little disappointed that it costs seventeen freaking dollars to check out the Sears Tower Skydeck. That seems really unnecessary.

We're leaving bright and early, so this could be my last post for a couple days. Hopefully I'll have many adventures to reflect on upon my return.

First Listen: Ryan Adams "Ashes & Fire"

2011-09-26T09:30:00.003-05:00

Words can't express how positively giddy I've been in anticipation of this new record. And now we can finally hear it, even though it doesn't hit shelves until Oct. 11. NPR has made it available to stream, probably until it gets released, but possibly not, so listen to it while you can.

Listen to Ashes & Fire here.

And as if my heart needed anymore reason to flutter with excitement, he announced a few more dates via his Facebook page this morning, and Minneapolis is on the list. He'll be at the State Theater on Tuesday, December 13. It'll be amazing finally seeing him A) Not as an opening act, B) In a theater setting, not at the Target Center, and C) Supporting a great new record (I was not a fan of Cardinology).

So, so excited.

10 Best-Used Songs In Coen Bros. Movies

2011-09-25T10:36:00.002-05:00

Paste Magazine made a list of the 10 best-used songs in Coen Brothers movies. It's kinda fun. But they kinda crapped on The Ladykillers, which I still think deserves more credit than it gets and also had a kinda cool soundtrack.

Check it out here.

2011-09-21T19:52:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty sure if Paul Rudd and Zooey Deschanel ever had children, they would absolutely be the most adorable kids ever.

Facebook

2011-09-21T09:35:00.002-05:00

Every single time Facebook has updated their site, I've shrugged it off. It's always annoying, but you get over it, and by the time they change it again, you forget whatever it was that you hated about the previous change and start hating the new one.

But this new change? Holy crap. I don't even know where to start complaining. Why do they continue to insist on fixing things that aren't broken? Ugh.

2011-09-17T20:26:00.000-05:00

Remembering 9/11/2001

2011-09-10T15:25:00.004-05:00

The attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 happened during the second week of my senior year of high school. My morning started out in my world religions class of all places, which was taught by a goofy guy whose name I don't recall. But really, neither the teacher nor the subject concerned me. What did concern me was Meredith H. sitting in front of me and Amanda K. sitting behind me. It took all of my energy every day trying to look cool from both the front and the back (plus Chris T., drummer for Gretna Green, the coolest band in school sat next to me. Every day during first period was a three-front war on needing to look cool).

At some point early in the day, a teacher came into our room to inform us that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I didn't even know what the World Trade Center was (don't get me wrong, I knew it was a building, but that's about it). I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I excitedly hoped our teacher would turn on the TV, for no other reason than it being a distraction from learning. But he was unconcerned. Apparently he was determined to teach us something that day, because declined our requests to turn on the news and seemed wholly disinterested that a plane had crashed somewhere. His lack of interest fed my lack of interest, and I fell under the impression that whatever had happened wasn't at all newsworthy.

Also playing into my lack of concern was the knowledge that just a few weeks earlier there were reports of a plane crashing into a building, and those circumstances were largely laughable. I forget the details (oddly, if you Google "plane crash 2001" this isn't the crash that pops up in search results), but I believe it was in Chicago, and involved a small, one-person plane. The pilot wasn't a terrorist but someone who should have probably won a Darwin Award for his inability to avoid large buildings. Whatever the details were, my teacher's lack of concern combined with knowing something similar (or so I thought at the time) had happened a few weeks earlier, caused me to not really register that anything important was going on.

Once we realized that the TV wasn't going to be turned on and we would have to continue to listen to our teacher drone on, our class went back to normal. Whatever my emotions were at that moment, they weren't fear or concern. Probably just disappointment that we didn't get to watch TV. But then another teacher came in and specifically told our teacher to turn on the TV. He begrudgingly did so, seemingly with the intent to prove that whatever we were missing wasn't as important as whatever he was teaching. This is where things get fuzzy for me.

Regretfully, I have absolutely no recollection of what was happening when we turned on the TV. I don't remember if I saw the second plane hit, I don't know if I saw the first tower fall, I don't remember if I even saw the second tower fall. My perception of what was happening live and what footage was being repeated was all messed up. I definitely don't believe enough time had passed for us to miss the towers falling, so I'm sure I saw that much. But somehow, whatever I saw and whenever I saw it has been virtually erased from my memory. I wish I could detail what I was thinking and feeling as each of the aforementioned events happened, but I simply can't. I just remember being confused and doubtful of what we were seeing.

I say doubtful because I don't ever recall believing that this was an attack, at least not throughout that first class. I suppose it just demonstrates how incredibly naive I was, but I couldn't wrap my head around something like this being intentional. First of all, who would want to attack us? And how could anyone believe they could get away with attacking us? I always assumed that most of the world, whether they liked us or not, viewed the U.S. like a wasp's nest; you might hate that it's there, but you'd be foolish to poke it with a stick. Thinking this was an direct attack on our country, an intentional act of destruction from some outside group, just seemed too bizarre for my small brain to register.

But I think the biggest reason I maintained disbelief that this was an attack, was because I assumed that something this coordinated, something this well thought-out, just wouldn't be possible with the resources our government has. I thought that if something like this was truly an attack and not just a freak accident, some agency out there would have stopped it. The F.B.I. or the C.I.A. would have stepped in this if it had been intentional, right? Certainly they have spies all over the world and moles in every terrorist organization using crazy technology only seen in movies that would have prevented something this huge and world-altering, right?

I suppose this is the result of being raised on late-eighties, early-nineties Saturday morning cartoons. Heroes, whether they be the Ninja Turtles, the Ghostbusters, the X-Men or the G.I. Joes, always knew what the bad guy's plan was before it was executed. There was always a warning or a ultimatum given before the attack, with enough time for the good guys to stop the bad thing from happening. That's how it worked, right?

In hindsight, it's kind of embarrassing (if not depressing) that 9/11 marked the end of my innocence, if only because I stopped believing that events in the real world play out with the same kind of narrative that cartoons do.

Once first period was over I went to health class with Ms. Randolph and she did her best to get us to ask questions and discuss what we were feeling about it all, but we just watched the news, probably in silence. I don't recall much being said, nor tears being shed. I think our school was mostly full of kids like me who didn't fully understand what was happening or the implications behind it. I remember things started getting crazy after second period. Once we got into the hallways people started talking with friends about all kinds of crazy stuff. For some guys I knew, there was a lot of macho bravado being displayed; faux-excitement about the prospect of going to war. There was running around and yelling about getting revenge along with some racial slurs casually being thrown around by people I never would have expected to hear say them.

Once school was out, I don't think I listened to the news once. I had my fill of it. Swim practice was canceled, which was awesome because my buddy Brian was taking his driver's license test that afternoon and we were going to go celebrate. We went to Snuffy's and did our best to make sense of what had happened that day. Like a lot of that day, I don't really remember much of what was said.

I wish I had more emotions attached to that day, but my mind goes blank when reflecting upon it. I think I was just too naive, too unworldly, too young to make sense of it all. I feel like I resisted every emotion that I saw displayed; I didn't want to cry, didn't feel excited, didn't really feel scared or worried or angry. I even resisted the idea of national unity that so many people latched onto (where the hell did that sense of unity go, by the way?). I think I just adopted an attitude of "whatever happens, happens" and assumed that the events of the world would continue to run their course without having anything to do with me, so why bother getting worked up about it. I guess it's also worth mentioning that I don't recall when I heard or how I felt about the attack on the Pentagon or Flight 93 going down.

I did, however, try to diffuse the next day's tension and anxiety by making a big deal about my upcoming birthday. My 18th birthday was taking place that Friday and I tried to squeeze some much needed levity into all the seriousness by requesting that everyone bring me cookies for my birthday. I might thinking a little too highly of myself to believe that helped put anyone's mind at ease, but you can't argue with results: that Friday I received dozens, if not hundreds of cookies. Three paper bags full of them; homemade cookies, store bought cookies, even cookies that were hastily purchased in our school cafeteria. It was glorious. I even got my Spanish teacher Ms. Owen to allow me to play one song off Dave Matthews Band's Listener Supported VHS. I chose "Granny" and made some speech about how we could learn a lot from the song and it's message of love and peace. While I still agree with the sentiment, I'd probably choose a different song today (and dissuade my teenage-self from making an accompanying speech, which was no doubt embarrassing and unnecessary, and, if I recall correctly, related my being a lifeguard to that of a firefighter. Holy shit, was I a stupid kid).

ANYWAY, there you go. My memories from ten years ago, recorded for posterity.

I'll leave you with a nice little interview of Ryan Adams discussing his song "New York, New York" and it's impact after 9/11:

And here's audio of Howard Stern's show on 9/11 (the very first part, you'll have to do some searching for the rest of the day's broadcast):

MN State Fair 2011, Day Six

2011-09-08T03:03:00.005-05:00

Day Six (Monday)

"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." ~ Douglas Adams

The last day of the Fair is always bittersweet. Knowing that the Fair is only around for twelve short days, I always try to pack in as much time there as possible. The rub is, when you're eating fried food and walking around in circles for the majority of twelve days, there's a small part of you that's ready for it to stop, and yet, there's a larger part of me that is not yet ready to say goodbye. But whether you're ready or not, the Fair is going to end; which means for the next several months all you have to look forward to is raking leaves, shoveling snow, and enduring a bitterly long winter.

This time around I was accompanied by Mr. Kent Goodroad, and Australian Battered Potatoes was the first thing we ate. My goal this year was to never eat the same food twice, with the exception of milk shakes and cheese curds. But ABPs were eaten three times, and I think they could very well be taking the place of cheese curds as my favorite Fair food item. They're just so...incredible. Like a flat piece of salty heaven in your mouth. They are truly an amazing food item, and I imagine they'll haunt my dreams more than once until I can have them again next year.

After three helpings, I feel like I successfully conquered Australia

We quickly browsed the barns, which were surprisingly empty of both animals and people. I'm always amazed at how drastically things start to calm down once the livestock starts leaving during the last couple days. Thankfully, I did see a pig spooning his food bowl, an act I regret to say I can completely relate to.

It's like looking in a mirror

We grabbed shakes at the Moo Booth and moseyed over to Sweet Martha's so I could pick up a pail of cookies to send to my sister-in-laws Ali and Sarah, who were unable to attend this year (living in Arizona and New York, respectively). Although I really don't believe they're worth eating if not fresh, I promised to send them cookies, and I am a man of my word (unless I eat them all first. I may be a man of my word, but I am a fat man of my word, and sometimes that creates conflict). Kent and I ate the cookies down just enough to squeeze on the cover of the pail, and continued on our way.

They're a-coming sisters!

Kent grabbed a steak sandwich at the Butcher Boys London Broil. It looked delicious, but it was a rookie mistake. By the end of it, he was feeling the weight of all the food in his gut. I always try to tell people: the State Fair is a marathon, not a sprint. You eat too much too soon and you'll knock yourself out of the race. Take it from a pro, you gotta learn to pace yourself.

My brother Tommy met up with us outside the Food Building, where he grabbed some Nitro Ice Cream, Kent got a freshly-squeezed, all natural Strawberry Lemonade, and I finally snagged the Wild Rice Corndog from Wild Rice Specialties which I had been eying all week. I would have preferred a Wild Rice Burger, but it was more expensive (and I forgot there was a coupon for it in the Blue Ribbon Bargain Book).

The wild rice makes it healthy, right?

We watched the daily parade for a bit before moving on (and then got stuck walking against it, which was foolish of us). Tommy and I got some Big Fat Bacon On-A-Stick before we headed into the DNR building. Once outside I grabbed an ICEE and we watched one of my former music business-related colleagues perform at Cafe Caribe. We explored virtually every building that day, including the Education Building, the DNR Building and the Merchandise Mart; all places I had not yet been this year. We even canvassed most of the Grandstand, where Kent played the piano and Tommy bought a really cool panoramic poster print of the Minneapolis skyline.

Unfortunately Kent had somewhere to be later that night, so we made our way to the gift shop so I could grab this year's poster. A few years back they started printing annul posters. My intention was to buy one every year and amass a collection. But by the second year, the design sucked and I didn't think it was worth buying. Having already put a hole in my collection, I never bothered buying any of the others. But this year the print is awesome, and will look amazing framed and hung in our living room. And as a bonus, the same place that framed all of my concert posters is offering a special deal on framing State Fair posters. So if you bought one and want it framed, bounce into Your Art's Desire in Minnetonka and be sure to mention the special Fair deal for a discount (and tell 'em Matt Dahl sent ya).

This year's incredibly awesome poster, an artistic direction I hope they continue

We headed to the Food Building where the three of us each indulged in our own helping of cheese curds one last time. My father-in-law Mike, an on-duty paramedic, arrived just as we were leaving, so I offered him some of my cheese curds and let him get back to saving lives.

The final, lonely cheese curd on the last day of the Fair

As it is every year, it's been a wonderful State Fair season. Lots of friends seen, lots of food eaten, lots of memories made. Someday I want to make a movie documenting all that our great State Fair has to offer. I don't know if it's possible to capture all the joy the State Fair brings on film, but I'd like to try. I know that the love I have for the Fair has to be shared by others like me. So until year folks, try to keep it together. We can do this. Only 350 more days until the Minnesota State Fair begins again...

...August 23, 2012 cannot come soon enough...

MN State Fair 2011, Day Five

2011-09-08T01:47:00.007-05:00

Day Five (Sunday)

Sunday started out in a quasi-panic. Annie and I were supposed to meet our friend Emily and her new boyfriend Nick at the Fair around 11:30. This was arranged by Nick as a surprise to Emily, who was sad that she hadn't been able to make it to the Fair with us (because we're pretty awesome). We arrived at our normal Park & Ride bus stop at Corpus Christi church in Roseville only to be reminded that the Park & Rides at churches don't open until 1 on Sundays (and there goes religion screwing up yet another thing). So we scrambled to find another close bus stop, landing at Roseville High School and having to park about a mile away. Thankfully, we arrived at the Fair with enough time for me to grab some Tom Thumb Mini Donuts before we had to meet them.

After hooking up with Emily and Nick, we headed straight for the Wahl hair trimmer "Mobile Facial Barbershop" so I could get a quick beard trim. While I waited in line for the next available "master facial hair specialist", the others took off to get Pronto Pups. Unfortunately, Annie (who asked for the "Big Papa", which is not at all the real name for a large Pronto Pup) was given hers in a hurry, as it wasn't fully cooked. So she had to get back in line to get a new one, and missed the spectacle of my trim. I stepped up to get my beard trimmed by a woman who didn't seem to be taking her facial hair sculpting half as seriously as the dude next to her, who was paying close attention to every whisker he touched. I was disappointed to get her, and not 100% satisfied with the results, but I've never had anyone else touch my facial hair before, so that was pretty exciting.

Before and after shots...not too much difference unfortunately.

All of us had made multiple trips to the Fair already, so we just meandered without any specific destination in mind. Nick grabbed a Deep-Fried Cheesecake On-A-Stick at Granny's as we made our way down to the Grandstand which Emily, surprisingly and disappointingly, had never actually been in. And frankly, unless you plan to buy weird and/or cheap crap that you could easily find online, there isn't much of reason to go in there. But I did purchase two chocolate covered marshmallows for Annie and I. They really aren't that special, but I wanted them because A) I remember the first year they debuted when I was little and I was so excited to try them and B) they're only fifty cents, which is probably the cheapest item at the Fair. Annie didn't want hers, so I ate both of ours with joy.

Annie's smile is fake; she refused to eat the marshmallow and mocked me for buying them

Because I'm so popular and, as mentioned already, so totally awesome, there were a few different groups of people who wanted to meet me while I was there. First up was my cousins Ian and Megan, and Ian's girlfriend Natalie. They arrived just as I acquired my Australian Battered Potatoes (they were backed up 52 orders when I arrived, so needless to say the wait was long). This was Natalie's first trip to our great Fair (she's from...a Carolina? Or a Virginia? And currently lives with Ian in Chicago), and I hope the experience was life-changing as it should have been. Next we met with my friend Steph (who had an amazing quote last year at the Fair) and her daughter Sophia, who gives awesomely enthusiastic high-fives, a quality I appreciate. Finally, my good friend James was on site, but we were unable coordinate a meet before we took off. Sorry James.

After a stop for some root beer at the little shack on the corner of Judson Ave. and Nelson St., we headed up to the Dairy Building to check out the butter heads. I believe I've mentioned it before, but I'll say it again: anyone buying their shakes inside the Dairy Building is a blockhead. The lines are insane and they cost a dollar more than they do at the Moo Booth outside the cattle barn. If you're getting a cone or a sundae, fine. But shakes are another story. That said, you always have to stop in the Dairy Building to at least see the butter heads, and pay homage to the new Princess Kay of the Milky Way (kudos to Ms. Mary Zahurones for winning the crown this year).

I hope she makes Pierz, MN proud for years to come

Annie and Emily got their picture taken at the Minnesota Turkey booth. "What am I?" asked Annie, after approaching from behind and sticking her head through a hole without knowing what was on the other side.

Are those yellow chicks really what baby turkeys look like?

As we parted ways and made our way to the bus, Annie and I grabbed some Nitro Ice Cream from the Food Building. It's more cream than ice, since it's frozen using liquid nitrogen so ice crystals don't form. It's thick and heavy, but unarguably delicious. If you've never had it, they're always giving away from samples. Just walk back and forth a few times and get your fill if you just want a taste or are hesitant to spend money on it.

It might be worth it to pay the extra dollar for hot fudge

Tomorrow is the last day. But I promise I won't cry.

Everyone Loves Bacon

2011-09-07T18:43:00.003-05:00

Ophie got into the garbage and got bacon grease all over her head. She's had two baths, with very vigorous scrubbings, and she still has a greasy (and delicious smelling) head. It's hard to tell in this picture, but her fur looks all wet and slicked on the very top of her head. We're thinking about using dish soap next. Anyone have any other suggestions?

2011-09-06T09:57:00.002-05:00

I rented a few movies at the Redboxes this morning, and Your Highness was among them. I'm 35 minutes in and so far I don't think I've laughed even once. Not even a titter. And I'm usually an easy laugh when it comes to these kind of movies. But this movie is almost uncomfortably unfunny. Embarrassingly unfunny. I'm going to turn it off, step away for a few hours, come back and hope it gets at least a little better. Oy.

Other movies rented: Everything Must Go, Paul and Cedar Rapids.

A Break From Fair Talk

2011-09-05T20:05:00.003-05:00

"That's one of the great blessings of him growing up here," Bream says. This live music town, he says, had a mix of sounds when Prince was coming up that included punk, garage rock, funk and R&B. "So he didn't limit himself to R&B music. He listened to everything. He listened to a lot of classic rock and got a lot of influences in his music."

Here's a nice little article NPR wrote about Purple Rain's influence on music in the Twin Cities. Tomorrow I'll bombard you with photos from my last two days at the Fair, so enjoy this little respite.

MN State Fair 2011, Day Four

2011-09-04T00:32:00.006-05:00

Day Four (Saturday)

After a five-day break (far too long to go in-between visits) I finally made it back to the Fair. I was joined by Annie, the incomparable Brian Olson and his wife Ashley. We went late in the afternoon on the most beautiful Fair day anybody could ask for. The sun was out, it wasn't stickily humid but it wasn't chilly either; perfect temperature all evening long.

We packed a lot of food and fun into the short time we were there.I started out with a funnel cake and Brian grabbed a taco from San Felipe Tacos (both from the Food Building). Annie and Ashley grabbed the beer-battered, yellow cheese curds across from the Pet Center.

It's not dandruff on my sweatshirt, it's powdered sugar - I swear

I tried the Texas Tater-Twister for the first time. It was basically a thin-sliced potato spiraling around a long stick. It was good and greasy, but I don't know if I'd be tempted to get it again.

Me, Texas Tater-Twister, and Brian

Annie got roasted Corn-On-The-Cob for the first time ever, and thankfully Ashley showed her the most efficient way to purchase it, otherwise Annie would probably still be waiting in the line to get it.

What a corny picture, amirite?

Annie and Ashley waited in line for Deep Fried Pickles while Brian and I tried to find something else that looked good. I landed at Turkey-To-Go, and despite my desire to not eat the same food twice this year, I was drawn in by the smell of succulent pulled turkey. When the ladies caught up with us, Ashley grabbed her own sandwich (which was good, because I forgot to take a picture of mine).

The architect behind dipping cookies in milkshakes herself, Ashley Olson

We started walking back toward the Leinie Lodge Bandshell because Dr. John, the living legend, was going to be playing. I grabbed some Deep-Fried Oreos along the way.

Best deal at the Fair, $3.50 for 5 cookies

I wanted to make sure I got to Dr. John before he took the stage, so I separated from the group for a bit. I made plans to meet Annie's cousin's husband Jon, a fellow State Fair-lover whose knowledge of the Fair and attendance each year rivals my own. It is as though he too were raised to love the Fair by the same people who raised me: my Aunt Mary and Uncle Mark, who coincidentally also met me before Dr. John's set. After briefly meeting with Jon, he ran to say hello to some other friends, and Mary and Mark went to find seats closer to the stage.

Annie, Brian and Ashley reunited with me, each carrying a different treat. Annie tried some horchata, a beverage she would absolutely not recommend, and also had some pineapple ice cream (I'm not sure where she got those items). Ashley was eating some honey ice cream with sunflower seeds from the Horticulture Building and Brian had a cone of Sweet Martha's Cookies.

Another appropriate Michele Bachmann-inspired work of seed art found in the Agriculture building

Despite Dr. John's immensely funky and danceable*, Mardi Gras-style jams, they didn't stick around, leaving me to take the bus back and blissfully take in all the Fair has to offer; just me and the spirits of my Minnesotan ancestors guiding my way (though there was an anxiety-ridden mishap when I realized Annie had my car keys in her purse. Luckily I was able to catch her just outside the Fairgrounds). After watching Dr. John play for a bit, a meandered around before finally deciding to grab some cheese curds.

There's something fun and exciting about being at the Fair by yourself. Please don't misunderstand, I absolutely love going with people (especially you, dear reader). But there's something freeing when you're there alone. There isn't any debate about what to do or see or eat next (and you're not constantly asking, "So what do people want to do?" like Ashley likes to do**). The Fair is always such a chaotic and crazy place, but when you're all alone it's like you take it all in in your own personal bubble. I don't know why, but I find incredibly peaceful. The Fair becomes my own little island paradise and I can explore and ingest and discover as much or as little as I want.

The Space Tower and the Moon on a peaceful summer's night

I only saw a couple songs by Mojo Roots, the house band that has played at Cafe Caribe every night of the Fair for as long as I can remember, before the fireworks went off, signaling the end of the Grandstand show (Weezer was the headliner). I figured that would be a good time to take off, before all the concert-goers headed for the buses. I passively looked for one more food to get, but then I realized I was going to back at the Fair in the morning, and it would probably be to my benefit to wait until then. I cannot wait until morning...

* Only myself and the over-50 crowd were dancing to Dr. John. And we were all terrible dancers.
** That was a joke. Ashley finds that phrase intolerable.

MN State Fair 2011, Day Three

2011-09-04T00:11:00.004-05:00

Day Three (Monday)

Annie and I ran to the Fair Monday morning after working all night. We were both exhausted, but luckily for us, 5-Hour Energy has a booth where they give out free samples. They only had the grape flavor, and it tasted kind of like crystal light. I don't know how much of my subsequent energy boost should be credited to the drink or the excitement of being at the Fair, but I did get a slight boost. We shot a couple and got amped up for an awesome, albeit brief, Fair day.

Trying 5-Hour Energy for the first time

Annie grabbed a Pronto Pup as we headed up to the Pet Center (which always seems to the first destination of the day for some reason). Speaking of Pronto Pups, my favorite moment of the Fair this year was overhearing a man on his cell phone trying to figure out where out his friend was: "Yeah, we just got in. Where are we? I don't know; we're right by the Pronto Pups." Apparently he didn't realize there are about a thousand Pronto Pup stands.

Pronto Pup, not to be confused with Corn Dog

I snagged a Pizza-On-A-Stick from the Green Mill booth. It was kind of like a calzone; good not great; and probably not worth the $5 price tag. We visited the Eco Experience building and the Fine Arts building, two places I had not yet checked out this year. FYI: free samples of Peace Coffee in the Eco Experience building!

Lots of dough (literally and figuratively)

We grabbed some cheese curds (not pictured) and then went to what has ended up being my favorite Fair food this year: Australian Battered Potatoes. I've enjoyed them ever since they hit the Fair a few years ago, but this batch was particularly delicious. It was a long wait, but well worth it. Eat them with a friend, and don't leave the Fair without trying them.

Crispy, golden, battered deliciousness

Me and Fairweather, Best Friends Forever

Watch This: Adele At The VMAs

2011-08-29T20:48:00.002-05:00

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, Adele

Not that it's even worth getting into at this point, but isn't it refreshing to see someone perform on the VMAs without costumes, dance routines, pyrotechnics, or a really long, unnecessary, monologue wherein you pretend to be an annoying character of the opposite sex for some stupid reason?

Sims - Wildlife EP Free Download

2011-08-29T19:57:00.002-05:00

<a href="http://sims.bandcamp.com/album/wildlife">Wildlife by Sims</a>

Doomtree member Sims has a new EP available for a free download. Click here to get it. And then check out his tour dates and catch him when he comes to your city.

MN State Fair 2011, Day Two

2011-08-28T17:18:00.005-05:00

Day Two (Saturday)

I met some coworkers (Jen, Steph and their respective children) early Saturday morning for my second trip to the Fair, and started out with some Tom Thumb Mini-Donuts. I specify Tom Thumb because the State Fair also has Tiny Tim Mini-Donuts, and you would be fool to believe that there isn't a difference. You know what that difference is? Only suckers eat Tiny Tim. 'Nuff said. As our group got its bearings and the kids figured out what they wanted to eat first, I snagged another breakfast food to compliment my donuts: Big Fat Bacon-On-A-Stick.

The fat-man's breakfast special

With the exception hitting the legendary Midway so the kids could go on rides, we didn't do too much on Saturday that I hadn't done on Thursday. We hit the Pet Center and the barns, and briefly walked through the Agriculture/Horticulture Building to look at the crop art. I was surprised to see a ribbon-winning effigy of our perspicacious congresswoman Michele Bachmann on display and was proud to know that even though we Minnesotans are stupid enough to elect someone like her, we have the pluckiness to mock her using straw and spare clothing (there's a scarecrow analogy in there somewhere, but I'll let you figure it out).

Nutty McGee

There is an old newspaper from 1910 hanging in the Horticulture Building advertising the Fair. "Don't fail to come. It is a pleasure you owe yourself. A duty you owe your state."

Truer words were never spoke.

I grabbed some hot and delicious french fries while the kids were in the Midway, and indulged in some mint chocolate chip Dippin' Dots. After four hours I decided to break away from the group and head home. I only spent an even $20 on food, which I felt pretty good walking away with, but as I made my way towards the bus something compelled me head back to the Food Building and grab cheese curds; it just wouldn't have felt like a Fair trip without them.

Yeah, I know you can get them anywhere, but I only get them at the Fair. So to me, they're Fair food. Lay off.

I just proposed to Annie that we go there after work in the morning, and she seemed pretty receptive to the idea. Hopefully she won't break my heart and decide she's too tired (or hopefully I won't be too tired myself). I'll leave you with a picture of a pig I took, who was sleeping its tongue out, looking exactly like other little animal I know...

Bacon & bacon-eater

And So It Begins: MN State Fair 2011, Day One

2011-08-27T20:38:00.007-05:00

Day One (Thursday)

Words cannot express how happy I am that the Great Minnesota Get-Together has begun again. For those scant few hours I get to spend on the Minnesota State Fair grounds during the twelve days its open, I am the happiest little boy in the world. Like a child on Christmas Eve, I couldn't sleep the night before. I woke Annie up bright and early, so we could catch one of the first buses to the Fair.

We were anticipating beating the crowds by going early on opening day. Unfortunately, everyone else must have had the same plan because it was crazy busy for that day and time. As tradition dictates, we began our journey with the ever important cheese curds. I was asked which is the best place to get curds, and for my money, the only right answer is The Mouth Trap, located inside the Food Building. I have a few friends who like to get the curds up by the Pet Center (they're beer-battered and have yellow cheese), but that ain't my style.

Remember: no matter how terrible life gets, there is always cheese curds.

As I got my cheese curds, Annie waited (and waited, and waited) in line at the Fudge Puppy stand outside the Food Building. She had never had a fudge puppy before, so she went for a regular with strawberry topping. A fudge puppy, for those uninitiated, is a Belgian waffle on a stick, dipped in chocolate sauce and topped with whip cream (with the option to add sauces or nuts).

Fudge Puppy

We made our way up to the Pet Center, hoping to see some Corgi puppies. Unfortunately, no Corgis were in attendance that morning, but we were lucky enough to catch some of the Husky training demonstration. Across the street from the Pet Center is the new "Giant Sing-Along" attraction; a giant karaoke exhibit with microphones all around so you and your friends can attempt to sing along to the songs displayed on a giant screen. In theory, I have no problem with this. In practice, it seemed to only amplify children screaming. And as we passed by, "Hey Jude" by The Beatles was being butchered. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that Beatles songs should not be subject to karaoke, ever (late-night jam sessions in your car is still totally acceptable).

The petition to keep Beatles songs out of karaoke machines will start in the comments section of this blog

We meandered back down Cooper Street, casually taking in all that The North Woods area has to offer. We decided we were hungry enough for what usually constitutes our only "meal" of the Fair: the always succulent Turkey-To-Go. Turkey-To-Go is juicy pulled turkey in what has to be the most delicious bun I've ever eaten. Annie laughs that I like the bun so much, but it makes that sandwich go from good to great. (Turkey-To-Go is located on Clough St., between the DNR building and Cafe Caribe).

We wandered through the cattle barns (Annie loves brown cows, for some reason), and then hit the swine barn to oogle the baby piglets and giant boar. This year's giant boar weighs 1160 lbs, and has a scrotum bigger than my head (don't act like you didn't look).

We decided to scratch off one of the new Fair foods we wanted to try this year, so we headed back over to the Food Building to get the Deep-Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough On-A-Stick from Sonny's Spiral Spuds. It was more expensive than I anticipated ($4.50) but we bought it anyway. Now, there's really no nice way to put this. It was nasty. Like, really gross. It was three huge dough balls filled with sloppy, wet cookie dough. Had the cookie dough been a bit more firm, it might have been kinda good. Alas, this was difficult to eat and not very tasty. We didn't even finish one of the balls before handing the rest off to a group of teenagers enthused to be getting free food.

Fair food sometimes tastes as questionable as it sounds

We wandered down towards the Grandstand where I picked up my Italian Ice from that new candy shop that popped up last year (I forget the name). They had 1/2 price sale on lemon flavor, so I got that instead of the blue raspberry I wanted. Delicious nonetheless. We headed up towards the MPR booth and sat and listened to The Current for a little bit before meeting our friend Randi and her friend Tim. (Side note: Randi, do you realize that it was almost a year to the day that we met at the Fair? We should have celebrated or something!) Tim grabbed a Hotdish-On-A-Stick (which I'm embarrassed to say I have yet to try), and some Deep-Fried Pickle chips, which Annie tried (you couldn't pay me to eat that stuff).

Cream cheese and pickles: two gross things that stay gross together

We went to Heritage Square, where we investigated the current prices of taxidermied animals and watched Kerry Christenson, Master Yodeler for as long as we could tolerate him. Hoping to wrap up the day, we said our goodbyes to Randi and Tim, grabbed a cone of Sweet Martha's Cookies and ran back to the Moo Booth to get milk shakes to dip them in (a trick for which I shall ever be indebted to Ashley for introducing me to). Tip: Milk shakes should be purchased at the Moo Booth by the Cattle Barn, not in the Dairy Building.

We watched a little girl give a demonstration about keeping rabbits as pets as we ate before hopping back on the bus (remember folks, always get your hand stamped. You never know when you might have/want to go back in).

Day One was, as expected, a complete success.

Watch This: Some Good, Recent Videos For Ya

2011-08-23T23:31:00.006-05:00

"Calamity Song" - The Decemberists, directed by Michael Schur

"Holocene" - Bon Iver, directed by Nabil Elderkin

BON IVER "Holocene" from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

"Moves" - New Pornographers, directed by Tom Scharpling

"The Muppet Show Theme Song" - OK Go

And finally, here's a fan-made, animated video put to the Drive-By Truckers' "Zip City" made by Andy Colunga

First Single From Ryan Adams' New Album

2011-08-23T17:51:00.001-05:00

Ryan Adams - Lucky Now by ryanadams

"Lucky Now" from the forthcoming Ashes & Fire.

Approved. Welcome back Mr. Adams.

SoundTown Was Ca-Razy

2011-08-22T18:03:00.003-05:00

In a last-minute decision, I purchased a ticket to last weekend's inaugural SoundTown music festival in Somerset, WI. A full review is forthcoming, but I just wanted to quickly say one word about The Flaming Lips' closing set: Whoa.

The Soda Machine Is Out Of Order

2011-08-18T15:14:00.003-05:00

I went to McDonalds to get a soda, and this was posted on the drive-thru menu.

Roundup

2011-08-15T18:35:00.004-05:00

New News:

NPR just put up a First Listen of the new Muppets tribute album featuring My Morning Jacket, Andrew Bird, OK Go and more. Check it out here.
Ryan Adams announced his first post-retirement U.S. tour. It's only a short run on the west coast, but hopefully the tour will expand once he regains his sea legs. Here is a crappy, minute-long cell phone video of Adams rehearsing the title track from his upcoming release Ashes & Fire:
Dessa announced some news via Doomtree's mailing list today, but mentioned that, "We haven’t shared this info with anyone, though we will soon. As an experiment, would you keep the info to yourselves, until we make the announcement? I’d like to see how badly this ship leaks." Perhaps they're hoping that this bit of anti-publicity will have the reverse effect and pique curiosities more than the news normally would. Regardless, I'll play along. Stay tuned for more info on Dessa's big news.
Speaking of Doomtree, P.O.S. headlined this weekend's annual Pizza Luce Block Party. City Pages' music blog Gimme Noise has some sweet pictures and a review from the day here. And I think I forgot to mention last week that the Doomtree collective has their second full-length dropping in November.
Paste Magazine put out their "Best Of What's Next" issue with a streaming sampler of some up-and-coming bands to look out for. Be sure to check out the new tracks from Nikki Lane, Chris Bathgate and Lydia Loveless.

Shocking

2011-08-12T14:58:00.002-05:00

What's that? Another anti-gay republican politician was involved in a homosexual sex scandal? Weird.

Picture Of Comfort

2011-08-11T16:16:00.002-05:00

Between the sun and the breeze and the comphy chair, I do believe little Ophelia's day couldn't get much better.

Four Years Ago...

2011-08-10T21:32:00.004-05:00

"I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." ~Rita Rudner

To my beautiful wife: thank you for letting me annoy you for four wonderful years. Also: sorry.

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones @ the Zoo

2011-08-07T07:18:00.005-05:00

08/03/11, Weesner Ampitheater at the Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley, MN

After far too long, I finally got to see the incomparable and incredible Bela Fleck & The Flecktones again. I first saw them in high school, and unless I'm forgetting about a festival appearance, I think the last time I saw them was on the Acoustic Planet Tour with Yonder Mountain String Band and Keller Williams (also at the MN Zoo) which was way back in 2004.

To say this band is amazing is the definition of an understatement. One might dislike the music itself (banjo-led jazz isn't for everyone), but no one could ever argue that these guys aren't complete masters of their respective instruments; genius virtuosos who, after being together for almost 25 years, continue to push so many (musical) envelopes they ought open their own Post Office.

Their just released Rocket Science is their first with original member Howard Levy since 1992's UFO Tofu, and all the material they performed was culled from the four Flecktones albums that Levy was a part of. At first I was a little disappointed that they neglected the entire Jeff Coffin-era (saxophone player Coffin replaced Levy in 1997. He recently left the group to pursue solo projects and tour as LeRoi Moore's replacement in the Dave Matthews Band), but I certainly appreciate the unique way they've reintroduced Levy into the group.

I hope these dudes come back around soon; I don't want to go another seven-year stretch before seeing them again.

Bela Fleck (I don't know how to add accents to letters, so just imagine there's an accent over the "e" in "Bela")

Howard Levy, Victor Wooten, Roy "Futureman" Wooten

Victor Wooten (Howard Levy in background)

Watch This: Character Break

2011-08-05T20:09:00.002-05:00

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

If there's one thing I love more than Stephen Colbert, it's when Stephen Colbert breaks character (watch the whole clip from yesterday's episode, but the real funny happens about halfway in).

2011-08-05T19:58:00.001-05:00

Ron effing Swanson

Friday Music Roundup

2011-08-05T19:31:00.003-05:00

Sad you're missing this weekend's Lollapalooza? Want to catch the excitement from the comfort of your own home? Your wish is YouTube's command. Enjoy.

Not interested in anything Lolla has to offer, but still want to kill a couple hours watching music on your computer? Check out a full Drive-By Truckers show from last week:

JJ Grey & MOFRO have a new live album/DVD coming out on September 13. Check out a trailer for the DVD:

You know that new Ryan Adams album I mentioned a couple days ago? It's official.

Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes also has a new album coming out called Through A Crooked Sun. Guests include Warren Haynes and John Medeski. You can check out three tracks on his Facebook page before it drops Oct. 11.

Saving Boo

2011-08-03T09:04:00.003-05:00

This morning I saved a lost dog named Boo, a (what looked like) springer/terrier mix that I saw running across Baker Road in the busy morning traffic. He was walking down the shoulder and then sprinted right in front of the car in ahead of me. I quickly circled through the West Jr. High parking lot and held up traffic as I slowly searched for him. I finally saw him digging in some bushes on the corner of Baker and Orchard. It took a little coaxing to get him to come to me, but he finally did. I finally got the little guy into my car and drove him to his house. His owner was just getting in the car to look for him (apparently his daughter left the gate open).

So...I feel like that good dead deserves an ice cream reward later tonight.

Big Music Day!

2011-08-02T20:33:00.006-05:00

I woke up today to find a veritable feast of awesome music announcements floating around the internet:

First up, Dawes and Blitzen Trapper are heading out on a co-headlining tour that will bring them to First Ave. on Fri, Nov. 4. More information, plus a free, 6-song download (3 tracks from each band) can be found here.

Also coming to First Ave: one of my all-time favorites, the incomparable Drive-By Truckers. They'll be playing on Tue, Oct. 25 (Those Darlings will open the show). Also out today is the Truckers' first "Best of", featuring select tracks from all the albums they released on their old label, New West Records. It's called Ugly Buildings, Whores and Politicians: Greatest Hits 1998-2009. If you're new to the world of the Truckers, it's as good an introduction as any (though I still say The Dirty South is the best way to get initiated).

Just a week after announcing their tour behind their upcoming album Watch The Throne, Jay-Z and Kanye West have scrapped and rescheduled the entire trip, canceling their Minneapolis show at the Target Center. I probably wouldn't have made it anyway (I imagine it would have been an expensive and hard to get ticket), but it's disappointing nonetheless. Watch The Throne drops next Monday (because apparently they're too special to release their albums on Tuesday like everyone else). Here's the first single, "Otis":

Otis feat. Otis Redding by watchthethrone

And finally, Ryan Adams is coming out of "retirement" and putting out a new album on Oct. 11. There hasn't been any official announcement yet, but some sleuths discovered this listing on WXPN's website. It's called Ashes & Fire, and allegedly features Norah Jones and Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers). It'll likely (hopefully) feature some of the tracks he debuted at a recent, unannounced gig opening for Emmylou Harris, including this tearjerkingly beautiful gem "Dirty Rain":

Hopefully all this good news makes up for my slacking lately...

Uggghhhhhh

2011-07-31T16:14:00.000-05:00

I'm bored. Let's talk. Somebody pick a topic so I can rant about it.

R.I.P. Amy Winehouse

2011-07-26T08:39:00.003-05:00

Amy Winehouse's funeral is today. There's not much to say about her death that hasn't been said a thousand times over. Suffice it to say, it's a damn shame. If she had kept a clean head on her shoulders, it would have been amazing watching her and Adele fight it out over the coming years for the prize of being Britain's number one blue-eyed soul queen songstress.

Rest in peace Amy.

Watch This: Live Tedeschi Trucks Band On Conan

2011-07-21T09:47:00.002-05:00

Check out Derek's beard! Holy cow, it ages him about twenty years (and it looks curiously like Gregg Allman's beard). This is from last Tuesday night's Conan. Can't wait until their show at the Zoo in August.

Family Photo!

2011-07-20T21:24:00.001-05:00

Photo courtesy of Julie Dahl

It's sad when the dog has a more photogenic smile than I do.

I Have Huge News

2011-07-19T10:33:00.003-05:00

Big news people. Big, big, big news.

X-Men: The Animated Series has finally hit Netflix streaming. So long productivity, hello mid-90's, early adolescence nostalgia. Fantastic.

(Now if only they'd get Batman: The Animated Series on there too.)

Goodnight Harry

2011-07-14T14:05:00.003-05:00

Well, tonight is the night. As the trailers say: It all ends.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 opens tomorrow (technically tonight, if you're an ambitious fan). To say I'm excited would be an understatement. I started reading the books this December and finished them in January. My involvement with the Harry Potter stories, while intense, has been a very recent and brief affair. Some people read the first book back in 1997. Others still saw the first movie in 2001. Harry Potter has been involved in some people's lives for 10-14 years. I can't even begin to imagine how intense seeing the final installment of the franchise is going to feel for them.

I was challenged by a friend earlier this year to make a Harry Potter-themed mix, and this seems like the appropriate time to share it. Hopefully it'll enhance the excitement of driving to the theater tonight, and ease the pain as you dry your eyes after the viewing.

Click the link below to download the mix, and remember: if you create a playlist in iTunes and then drag the downloaded files into it, it'll keep the track order in place.

http://www.mediafire.com/?1ly269pxws18d

Harry Potter - A Musical Inspiration (I'm awful at naming these mixes, aren't I?)

1. Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles
2. Magick - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
3. The Unicorn - Dr. Dog
4. Serpent Charmer - Iron & Wine
5. The Mermaid Parade - Phosphorescent
6. Witches - Low
7. Love Potion #9 - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
8. Ghost - Phish
9. Charmed - Los Lobos
10. The Magician - Jason Isbell
11. Fortune Teller - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
12. Magic Trick - M. Ward
13. Spell - Robert Walter
14. Willow Tree - G. Love & Special Sauce
15. Cursed Diamond - The Black Crowes
16. The Spell That You Cast - Elvis Costello
17. Ghost Head - O'Death
18. Magic Fingers - Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
19. The Magic Place - Julianna Barwick

Basilica Block Party 2011 - A Timely Review (Day Two)

2011-07-12T11:04:00.008-05:00

Day two of the 2011 Basilica Block Party started off a little cloudier than the day before, but still just as hot and humid. And with what seemed like triple the attendance. I don't know what the actual numbers are, but there was certainly a larger crowd the second night than there was for the first. Adding to those numbers were our friends Brian and Ashley, who joined Annie, Ali, Randi and myself for a day of awesome music.

We started out with 4 On The Floor, a local group that has seemingly infiltrated every Twin Cities music festival or block party this summer. I'm always a little suspicious of new groups who have slipped past my radar and become the latest local "it" band. But they were really good, very fun to watch, and a nice precursor to the heavier, ballsier rock & roll the Drive-By Truckers would be bringing to the same stage later that evening.

Gabriel Douglas, lead singer of 4 On The Floor

After a few songs we headed over to the main stage to see Gomez. Despite owning their new album Whatever's On Your Mind, I haven't spent any time with it, so I was uninitiated when it came to their new material. But they played quite a few old tunes too, including a personal favorite "Get Miles". Seeing them was a nice reminder of how much they can rock, since for the past few years I've only associated them with being background music on crappy network television dramas. They also spent a good portion of their set thinking they were in St. Paul, which was hilarious when the audience finally corrected them.

Gomez

Amos Lee hit the main stage after Gomez, but I admittedly didn't catch a lot of his set. While the rest of my posse squeezed up front to get a good spot for the following act, Ray LaMontagne, I headed back to get something to eat (I got a pulled pork sandwich, which was delicious...ly small, and not really worth the $6 I paid for it). Annie ate with me before braving the crowd to find our companions. As I hung back, I ran into my friend Nick, and we chatted during a good chunk of Amos' set before I left to get a good spot for the Drive-By Truckers on the second stage.

When the lineup was first announced, I knew I was going to have a big problem choosing between Ray LaMontagne, a man who I've long-loved but never seen live, and the Truckers, one of my personal favorites who I've seen a dozen times. Normally I would pick the artist I've never seen before, but I was worried that since this show was being promoted by Cities 97, nobody would bother watching the Truckers. I honestly would put good money on betting that Cities 97 had never played a Truckers song until they were booked for this festival (*then why were they booked in the first place, you might ask? I'll explain my theory at the end of the blog). Not wanting one of my favorite groups to be playing to an empty crowd, and (obviously) not wanting to miss what was sure to be an amazing show, I decided I would hit the Truckers first, and try to pry myself away to see Ray after a few songs.

Catching the first part of their set was definitely the right decision. The Truckers walked out to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way", which I presume was because of the controversy surrounding people not wanting bands to play at the Basilica due to the Catholic church's stance on gay marriage (there was plenty of commentary from all the bands over the weekend about this. Spoiler alert: every band was pro-gay marriage). The Truckers kicked off with a rousing "People On The Moon", which I assume was in tribute to the final Space Shuttle launch this weekend ("...and over there in Huntsville, even N.A.S.A.'s shut down too,").

Patterson Hood and John Neff, Drive-By Truckers

Then Mike Cooley stepped to the microphone and made no concessions about being on Holy ground with a kick ass version of "Gravity's Gone" ("Between the champagne hand jobs and the kissing ass by everyone involved, cocaine rich comes quick and that's why the small dicks have it all"). "Used To Be A Cop" from this year's Go-Go Boots was up next, followed by one of my all-time favorite songs (and a strong contender for best opening track on an album), "Where The Devil Don't Stay". After that I waded away from the front of the stage and met Annie at the back of the crowd, where headed over to finally see Mr. LaMontagne. I read that I missed hearing "Too Much Sex, Too Little Jesus", which was dedicated to the Basilica, and for that, I'm a little disappointed I left early.

Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, Drive-By Truckers

Mike Cooley, Drive-By Truckers

Shonna Tucker, Drive-By Truckers

Hood/Cooley for President 2012. I'd vote for that ticket in a heartbeat.

Getting to Ray was no problem. Getting to see Ray was another matter entirely. The entire gigantic lot was packed with people. We budged up as far as we could, just enough to be able to see him, and stood uncomfortably squished for the next hour while Ray serenaded us under the Minneapolis skyline. It was odd venue to see Ray at, but when Ray wailed into his distortion-drenched harmonica, and his band The Pariah Dogs got a little rowdier, it made for a great show. But the mellower stuff, which would have been absolutely beautiful to hear in a quiet theater, was all but drowned out by the women around us all crying over how each song was "their song" as their d-bag boyfriends tried to get to second base. Ray ended with the plaintive "Like Rock & Roll And The Radio", which was Randi's biggest wish for the weekend. I left his set feeling much like I did for Neko Case's a few weeks earlier; glad I finally got to see him, but I don't feel like I got the full Ray LaMontagne experience. I hope he comes back to town soon, so I can get a second chance.

Ray LaMontagne

I should mention that we found a solution to our expensive water problem: the Designated Driver Program. We stopped at a booth and obtained a wristband which excluded us from getting alcoholic beverages, but we all got tickets for three free, non-alcoholic beverages. Had we known about that the day before we could have saved $20. It's an absolutely great idea, although I still strongly believe they should allow free water refills next year.

It was a pretty great weekend overall. My high expectations for the music were certainly met, and I was pretty surprised at how pleasant the overall experience was. Given the right lineup, I'd definitely go to another Basilica Block Party. And I don't think I could have picked a better crew to go with. I usually go to shows by myself, but in Annie, Ali and Randi, I feel like I found a group as passionate and intense about getting the best musical experience possible as I am. Ladies, it was an honor to partake in the 2011 BBP with you (and to Brian, Ashley and Nick: it was great meeting up with you guys too!).

Annie and me - bright smiles after an awesome Truckers show

Brian and Ashley Olson

Randi and Annie, avoiding being hit by glowsticks during David Gray

Ali, whose picture I didn't get to take this weekend, so here's one of her watching Dawes at last year's Taste Of Minnesota festival

* I'm sure the only reason the Truckers were at this festival was because the promoters pretty much poached the entire lineup from the Dave Matthews Band Caravan festival, which was held this weekend in Chicago. With the exception of the local acts, every band played both festivals this weekend. And I'm sure Cities 97 recognized that they could lure some of 89.3 The Current's listeners to their event with a more indie-minded, obscure band like the Truckers. Regardless, I'm glad it happened! I'll take any opportunity to see the DBTs.

Basilica Block Party 2011 - A Timely Review (Day One)

2011-07-11T11:50:00.007-05:00

The annual Cities 97 Basilica Block Party (BBP), held at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, took place this weekend. It was hot. It was humid. It was also a hell of a lot of fun. Believe it or not, it was actually my first BBP. I've always been slightly turned off by the fact that it's hosted by Cities 97. I knew what kind of demographic that station attracts, and was probably right in avoiding it for so long. If I hadn't been accompanied both nights by three awesome ladies (my wife Annie, her sister Ali and our friend Randi) I imagine being surrounded by so many people whose concert-going behavior so differs from mine would have been a lot less fun.

It was a two day affair, starting at 5:00pm on Friday. As we walked to the second main stage for G. Love's set we passed by the small, local band-only stage where Zoo Animal was playing. They were a loud, power trio that sounded like a heavier Cat Power. The female lead singer/guitarist reminded me a little of Samantha Crain. Had it not been a billion degrees (approximately), I think I might have liked to stay and watch more of their set; but it was hot, so we took our picture in the free Vita.MN photo booth and kept moving.

I am not a creative photo booth picture-taker. Looking up, looking down, and kissing the person next me is apparently as creative as I get.

I've seen G. Love & Special Sauce more than a half-dozen times, but not in the last few years. I wouldn't put money on it, but I think the last time I saw them was at the 2005 10,000 Lakes Festival. Regardless, it was good seeing them again, and even better seeing that they'd gone back to being a trio. Unfortunately, it wasn't the original Special Sauce, since bassist Jimmy "Jazz" Prescott left the group a couple years ago. I didn't particularly care for whoever the new guy was. And drummer Jeff "The Houseman" Clemens seemed like he wasn't his usual funky self. But G. Love himself was as good a showman as ever, and seeing them on Friday reminded me of just how much I love their first couple albums.

Annie and Randi moved on to the main stage to see Lissie; Ali and I stuck around for a few more G. Love songs before joining them. I was fortunate enough to catch Lissie earlier this year at the Cedar Cultural Center (thanks again Eli!), and this show didn't seem too much different. She's got an amazing voice that carried well over the large parking lot where the main stage sat (one of two crappy things about this festival was that the main stage was literally on a giant, flat, concrete lot; no shade, no place to sit, no higher ground to get a nice view from. I'll get to the second crappy thing in a minute). When I last saw her I found her between-song banter a little annoying ("This song is about..." was heard before every tune), but this time around, her playful stage presence was actually pretty endearing.

Lissie, whose cuteness Annie all but ruined for me by pointing out she had very long armpit hair.

After Lissie ended we booked it up front to get as close as possible to our hometown heroes, The Jayhawks. Annie and I were hoping to hear "All The Right Reasons", which was our first dance at our wedding, but alas, they didn't play it for us. We did get a few new tunes from their forthcoming album Mockingbird Time (out Sept. 23), which sounded really great. I was pleasantly impressed with how tight the group was, and how much fun it looked like they were having together. Hopefully this reunion sticks.

Gary Louris, The Jayhawks

Mark Olson, The Jayhawks

Our night ended with David Gray headlining the main stage. Lots of reviews I've read thought he was boring. I was actually surprised at how exciting his set was. I had expected a quiet night of plaintive acoustic music, but his band got appropriately loud and jammy enough for a late night, outdoor festival show. He even whipped the crowd up into a couple sing-alongs during his more popular tunes. He closed the show segueing from one his songs (I forget which) into Van Morrison's "Into The Mystic", which was pretty cool. I never realized just how much he sounded like Van until then.

A blurry David Gray, in front of a beautiful Minneapolis skyline

As day one came to a close, I was a little shocked at how much fun I had. Despite the heat, the less-than-desirable concrete concert setting (although having the Minneapolis skyline as the backdrop to the main stage was a treat), and the thousands of people taking cell phone pictures of themselves...alone...in the dark, it was a really fun day. The worst part about it (remember that second crappy thing I said I was going to mention? Get ready...) was the lack of free water. I've been to a dozen festivals in all parts of the country and not once have I been to one where you couldn't bring an empty water bottle with you, and fill it up for free once inside. Instead, we had to spend three bucks for each bottle of water or pop. On a sunny day that lingered in the mid-nineties, that meant between Annie and I we spent over twenty dollars alone on pop and water (not to mention one six dollar beer Annie got). Didn't these promoters learn anything from Woodstock '99?

Like any good unsatisfied customer, I took to twitter to voice my complaints. I received a prompt response saying they were bringing my suggestion to a meeting they were having that morning, and that they'll take it into consideration for next year. We'll see what happens. If they do allow people to bring their own water bottles next year, I can finally tell my future children that Daddy actually accomplished something.

Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion of Basilica Block Party 2011 - A Timely Review (Day Two)

Rock The Garden 2011 - A Belated Review

2011-07-11T10:42:00.004-05:00

As I was uploading pictures from this weekend's Basilica Block Party I realized I never blogged about last month's Rock The Garden festival. Whoops.

Rock The Garden was a very wet affair. It rained for the first half of the festival, through local indie rockers Tapes 'N Tapes and into Booker T. Jones' set. It took place right outside the Walker Art Center, on a huge hill near the sculpture garden. If the weather had been better it would have been a beautiful setting. I read in the Star Tribune that residents in the area complained about the music being too loud last year, and it was painfully evident the organizers took their requests for quieter music seriously. I definitely could have used a few more decibels from where Annie and I were sitting atop the hill.

Tapes 'N Tapes kicked off the day. I wasn't a fan of theirs before the festival, and the show didn't really change my opinion of them. I can see why they're liked by many, but they just weren't clicking for me. But Booker T. Jones followed them, and he was fun to see; it's not every day you get to watch a living legend in action.

Booker T. Jones

Neko Case was up after Booker, and ugh...what can I say? I love Neko Case. But the show was pretty disappointing. I don't know if it was the rain, the talkative atmosphere from where Annie and I were sitting up on the hill, or the low volume of the music, but her entire set was pretty boring. I guess the songs and playing were fine, but I felt disconnected from her, as if I was watching the show on television or something. It felt like background music. Maybe if I had been in the front row I would have felt differently, but as it was...I think I need to see her again before I can properly judge her. Regardless, the best part of her set was that it stopped raining.

Neko Case

My Morning Jacket however, was pretty awesome. I think it was missing the epicness that many MMJ shows are legendary for, but it was still pretty sweet. And I was surprised to realize I not only knew, but could sing along with, every song they played. My Morning Jacket rarely comes to mind when I'm thinking of my favorite bands, but it occurred to me that I've been a devoted fan of theirs since It Still Moves came out in 2003. Incidentally, their new release, Circuital, is sitting comfortably in my top ten of the year so far. Well worth checking out if you haven't already.

My Morning Jacket

All in all, it was a good day of music, but I think I would have better appreciated seeing all three of those groups in a theater setting, away from the rain with the music turned up loud.

2011-07-10T21:51:00.001-05:00

Summer Days/Summer Nights = Summer Lovin'

2011-07-08T12:05:00.004-05:00

Hey everybody!

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July this week and that you've been able to get out and enjoy the sunshine. The amazing weather won't last long, so I've made you a couple of mixes to maximize your summer enjoyment.

These are all songs from albums released this year, but I've split them up into two categories: Summer Days and Summer Nights. The Days mix is a little more danceable, funky and hotter than the Nights. Nights is meant more for those late night drives with the windows rolled down and a gentle breeze blowing through your hair (which looks great by the way; I love what you've done with it). If you happen to suffer from Synesthesia (look it up), I'd hope that you see the Days mix as reds, oranges and yellows, while the Nights mix as blues, greens and maybe a purple.

Anyhow, the link below should bring you to a single folder that contains both mixes. Hopefully I didn't screw anything up in the uploading process. Hope everyone's summer is going great!

http://www.mediafire.com/?fnwt342e0m93c

Summer Days - 2011

1. Seer - Motopony
2. Make Some Noise - Beastie Boys
3. Radio - Raphael Saadiq
4. First Light - My Morning Jacket
5. Come See About Me - Tedeschi Trucks Band
6. Gossip (feat. Cyril Neville) - Galactic
7. Meter Feeder - Hail Mary Mallon
8. Words I Never Said (feat. Skylar Grey) - Lupe Fiasco
9. Everything Is Everything - Booker T. Jones
10. KMAG YOYO - Hayes Carll
11. Deep Elem Blues - Levon Helm Band
12. You Yes You - Tune-Yards
13. Muscle Relaxants - The Rural Alberta Advantage
14. Caffeinated Consciousness - TV On The Radio
15. Bummer - Jeff The Brotherhood
16. You Make The Sun Fry - Ty Segall
17. This A'Way - North Mississippi Allstars

Summer Nights - 2011

1. Wrong Piano - Cowboy Junkies
2. Black (feat. Norah Jones) - Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi
3. If I Wanted Someone - Dawes
4. Damn These Vampires - The Mountain Goats
5. Glad Man Singing - Iron & Wine
6. Not Fade Away - Florence + The Machine
7. Limit To Your Love - James Blake
8. The Last Maverick - Tommy Guerrero
9. Lovin' You, Baby - Charles Bradley
10. Your Wildest Dreams - Warren Haynes
11. Sugar And Plastic - Thao & Mirah
12. The Shrine/ An Argument - Fleet Foxes
13. Towards The Sun - Alexi Murdoch
14. Alright You Restless - AgesAndAges
15. All The Same (feat. Dave Matthews) - Vieux Farka Toure
16. Witches - Low
17. Swim Good - Frank Ocean

(Be sure you listen to the mixes in the correct track-order; it'll sound terrible if you don't!)

http://www.mediafire.com/?fnwt342e0m93c

Apples To Apples

2011-07-05T20:24:00.002-05:00

This weekend I played Apples To Apples and I was informed that the cards you wind up with at the end of the game are words that are supposed to describe you. So apparently I'm heartless, hostile, handsome, hilarious, fancy, foreign, funky and meek.

I agree with about half of those.

Happy 4th of July (Again)

2011-07-05T08:51:00.001-05:00

My buddies James and Kent made a video in honor of our nation's independence yesterday. It makes me feel like we should really make another "Nuts About" album soon.

Big Pink

2011-07-04T10:51:00.001-05:00

Apparently there was a pimp convention in our neighborhood yesterday and nobody told us. These cars were parked right outside our house all day.

So...This Happened

2011-07-04T10:07:00.004-05:00

Last week at Target, in an effort to raise money for the United Way, I was asked to participate in a dunk tank. The idea was that people could put money in a jar representing an executive, and whichever executive raised the most money would have to sit the dunk tank. Well, the overnight executives convinced them to keep the tank overnight so that we could use it, BUT neither of the overnight executives wanted to actually be the dunkee.

So they asked me.

I was a little apprehensive. In years past, I wouldn't have even hesitated. But now that I'm a little *ahem*...heavier, I wasn't sure if I wanted to put myself on display for all my coworkers to see. It was suggested that I wear my clothes, but that wasn't going to happen. If I was going to do something like this, I wasn't gonna be a douche about it; I was going all-in and wearing as little as possible. So I dug out my old Speedos.

I had to choose between an American flag Speedo or a floral print Speedo. The American flag one looked funnier, but it was the same suit I wore my senior year of high school. That is to say, it was quite snug. The floral one was snug too, but I managed to squeeze into it. I had goggles, but I had to borrow a swim cap from my brother. Now I needed accessories that would at best hide my midsection, at worst distract from it. I wanted some sort of wrap-around inflatable ring, preferably one that was in the shape of an animal. I called Toys 'R' Us to see if they sold anything like that. Naturally, I had to make the conversation as awkward as possible:

Toys 'R' Us Employee: Toys 'R' Us, how can I help you?

Me: Hey there, gotta question for you - um, here's the situation: I've been asked to be in a dunk tank tonight. Problem is, I'm kinda fat, and I want to find something that will hide my fatness. Do you have any sort of inflatable ring or tube that is both funny and can hide my body?

Employee: Uh...I don't think we sell anything like that.

Me: Okay, thank you for your time.

So I ran to Shady Oak Beach and asked if I could search the lost and found for something appropriate. Being that the Beach has only been open a couple weeks, all that was in there were a couple of Frisbees and balls, so I ran to Target to see what I could find. I bought a pink inner tube and really tiny water wings with turtles on them for ten dollars. I wanted to get a snorkel and flippers, but they were just too expensive. I justified spending what money I did by thinking of it as my contribution to the United Way.

Basically, I looked something like this:

It was actually pretty fun. I got dunked a half dozen times, which was an adrenaline rush. It's crazy how fast you drop. I practically lived in the water most of my life and tons of water went up my nose, which never happens. And I was thankfully joined by my bosses, which was nice (though they wore clothes...losers). I would totally do it again (though hopefully by then, I'll be back in a Speedo appropriate body).

Conan O'Brien Can't (Not Be Awesome)

2011-07-04T09:52:00.001-05:00

Last week the new Conan O'Brien documentary came out, and I was beyond giddy. It documented the tour he went on last year after quitting The Tonight Show, which Annie and I saw when he stopped in Minneapolis, and I've been dying to relive that experience in any way possible. It was very funny, and really cool to see the behind-the-scenes goings-on during that tour.

Of course they touch on why and how he left The Tonight Show, which makes him seem pretty whiny and entitled. If you hated O'Brien before, this movie probably won't change your mind. But I love him, and I really think they tried too hard to portray Conan as a kind of tragic, damaged figure, which I don't believe is true. With the exception of Jerry Seinfeld, I think most comedians like to be considered the sad clown; crying on the inside as they make the whole world laugh. They tried to put Conan in that kind of light, cutting to scenes of him mocking his employees or complaining about having to meet his fans. I think it all was a little unnecessary, but I suppose it added a good bit of drama. Regardless, if you like Conan, check this out. If you don't (or don't really know who he is), I can't imagine you would get much of it.

Side note: It's playing at the Lagoon in Uptown, and when I went to see it, the theater was pretty empty but everyone in there looked exactly like me: chubby, bearded, bespectacled, and wearing shorts and a plaid shirt. I'm not kidding. I was the first sitting down and I sat in the back, so I watched all these people walk in. I would have thought I was being punked but I figured there would have to be more than six people involved for that to be true.

Here's the trailer:

FYI: I'm really looking forward to this:
Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest

Happy 4th Of July!

2011-07-04T08:50:00.002-05:00

"America The Beautiful" - Keb' Mo'

Doggie Day 5K

2011-06-29T09:25:00.004-05:00

Annie's cousin's fiance Ashley Van Ort started Coco's Heart Dog Rescue last year (which has amazingly already helped rescue over 250 dogs) and they are having a fundraiser to raise money for the rescue.

A 5K dog walk/run will be held at Lake Phalen in St. Paul on Saturday, July 30, from 9:00am-12:30pm. In addition to the walking, there will be a bunch of dog and family-friendly games and activities, professional photography (never too early to get a Christmas card with the dog taken!), refreshments and a doggie boutique all at the park/picnic shelter too. Plus, prospective puppy parents can check out all the canines currently being fostered by Coco's Heart.

Head over here to register for the 5K ($25 for an individual adult, $15 for a student, $40 for a team of two, $55 for a family). All registrants get a t-shirt and the gift of wearing a smug smile on your face all day due to the satisfaction of helping a good cause.

If you can't make it to the 5K, I urge you to head over to the Coco's Heart website and donate some money anyway. It costs a lot of cash to save these dogs and keep them healthy until they are adopted. Any amount helps!

(Side note: To all my personal friends who are mostly cheap and/or lazy, Coco's Heart founder Ashley is a super hot model who has a bunch of super hot model friends who are bound to be at the 5K also. Now's your opportunity to meet hot chicks while appearing to be sensitive and passionate about something other than beer.)

First Listen(s): Gillian Welch And Buddy Holly Tribute

2011-06-27T16:38:00.005-05:00

After a terribly long 8 years, Gillian Welch is finally back with a new album, The Harrow And The Harvest, which NPR is streaming (for free) right now. Head over here to give it a listen. I'm only a couple songs in, but I already love it as much as I expected to (which is to say, quite a bit). The harmonies between Gillian and her longtime musical partner David Rawlings are beautiful enough to bring a tear to your eye. The album art is also front runner for my favorite cover of the year.

And when you're done with that, check out the new Buddy Holly tribute album that features artists such as My Morning Jacket, The Black Keys, Cee Lo Green, Paul McCartney, Nick Lowe, Justin Townes Earle and many more (including, bizarrely, Kid Rock). I've only heard a handful of tracks off this, but it sounds pretty great so far. Usually tribute albums end up being weak cuts from bands you've either never heard of or don't care about, but this follows last year's great tributes to Shel Silverstein (Twistable Turnable Man) and John Prine (Broken Hearts And Dirty Windows, which came in at #7 on my Top Ten list for last year). Hopefully these notable tribute albums keep coming out, as they not only produce great material, but hopefully help introduce the original artist's music to a new generation. This album art is in the lead for my least favorite album cover of the year.

Rave On Buddy Holly and The Harvest And The Hallow both hit shelves tomorrow, so give them a listen for free, and if you like what you hear, go out and grab them (that Gillian Welch is sure to sound warm and tasty on vinyl).

Tied

2011-06-25T11:56:00.001-05:00

Is it sad that I'm 27 and still need to stop at my parent's house before a wedding so that my father can tie my tie?

Bored? Need A Laugh?

2011-06-23T15:34:00.001-05:00

Head over to www.animalsbeingdicks.com. You won't regret it.

Planks A Lot

2011-06-23T11:51:00.003-05:00

I received an email today from Amazon.com regarding a purchase that had been made on my account. Apparently Annie has been doing a little nail polish shopping, and decided that OPI's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Collection Nail Lacquer - Planks A Lot" was a good choice. I have no idea what color it is, but I hope it somehow compels her to yell "Argh!" while she wears it.

SIDE NOTE: Can nail polish be considered "makeup"? I, very enthusiastically, say yes. Annie however, does not agree. But let's provide some context here: If I said to someone (hypothetically, mind you), "Could you please get your makeup out of the sink so I can wash my hands after going to the bathroom?", would removing nail polish fall under this request? (I've asked this question before while in the company of friends, and the trend seems to be that men agree with me, women disagree.) What say you all?

2011-06-20T10:15:00.002-05:00

July 15 can't come soon enough...

2011-06-15T17:30:00.001-05:00

Anytime, anyplace.

The First Half Of 2011

2011-06-12T02:27:00.004-05:00

Pictured above are 50 of my favorite releases from this year so far. 2011 has had a stronger showing quantitatively than 2010 so far, though fewer albums I'm completely blown away by (last year started out extremely strong, led by Dessa, Dr. Dog and The Black Keys). But this year hasn't been too shabby at all. Some notables:

North Mississippi Allstars' Keys To The Kingdom is their best album in 10 years, and feels like a strong return to form after some bizarre and ill-advised experimentation (2008's Hernando wasn't too weird, but it was pretty boring).
Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes, both guitarists in the Allman Brothers Band and leaders of their own groups (Derek Trucks Band and Gov't Mule, respectively) have put out amazing albums with brand new bands. Warren is joined by some of New Orleans' best, and they've made a funky new soul album with heavy R&B influence. The Tedeschi Trucks Band is a monster of a group that would have been right at home with Delaney & Bonnie or Joe Cocker in the heyday of classic rock.
I think The Decemberists' The King Is Dead is much like Wilco's Sky Blue Sky, in that I love it when an artsy, intellectual indie band goes back to its roots and lets itself get swallowed up with flourishes of country and heavy Americana.
Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell, Atmosphere and The Wood Brothers are all, as expected, amazing (but they're at the top of my favorite artists list, so they'd have to really screw up for me not to love them).
When I last checked, Adele was on track to beat out Lady Gaga for most albums sold this year. This makes me very happy, and it's great to see a true artist with serious talent at the top. Proof that sometimes cream really does rise to the top!
And finally, if I may Retweet the great Michael Ian Black: