The Greatest Generation…

 

So…my grandmother (we all call her Mimi) passed away Sunday night; and having had a close relationship with her, I’ve been feeling very sad and also nostalgic.  Growing up just through the woods (I literally walked through the woods down the “path” to get to her house) made for the majority of my memories from childhood.  Summers (and sick days) were filled with mornings at Mimi’s eating cereal and bananas and watching Price is Right at 11 a.m.  By the way, nothing is more medicinal than Mimi, Price is Right and chicken noodle soup when you’re sick.  She gave me unlimited access to the sugar for the breakfast bran flakes, for which I am forever grateful.  Her excuse for over-serving us kids with food was “they’re growing  boys” (even though I was a chubby kid who could use a stint with the Atkins Diet).  

But, as I’ve gotten older, my perception of Mimi has changed from a woman who cooked me some of my most memorable meals and who tolerated the grandkids’ perpetual mischievousness to something more substantive.  Although those are great things and most of what my memory of her from childhood is, it just touched the surface of what kind of person she was.

She believed in values, character, family and tolerance over everything else in life. She was a soft-spoken woman (outside of the family of course!) who didn’t wear her emotions on her sleeve.  She was a strong Christian woman who didn’t talk about her faith much, but she didn’t have to.  She lived it.  That’s more than most of us can say about ourselves.  

Her generation amazes me in their toughness, both emotionally and physically.  I’m embarrassed to admit I come from the MTV generation.  Instead of out plowing the fields, we’re inside watching The Hills.  Hopefully we can turn it around though.  If we have even a fraction of the drive and character this WWII generation did, including Mimi, I think we’d be doing alright.  I hope I make Mimi proud.  I love you always.

Star Trek vs. Star Wars

So, I saw Start Trek the other day with a friend (and it’s awesome by the way)…she will remain nameless…who on the way to the movie said in all seriousness, “I’m glad I’ll finally be able to now tell my friends I’ve seen a Star Wars movie.”  Haha…

This made me think of a video I watched a while back of a girl retelling the Star Wars story based on bits of information she’s gathered about the movies without ever having seen any of them.  Hilariousness ensues.  Here’s the link to the video.  Enjoy.

http://www.vimeo.com/2809991

Another edition of new music you should be listening to….

well…if you want my opinion anyway.

 

So, I haven’t posted on here in a while because I’ve been crazy busy with house stuff, but while I have a lull here goes.

 

The first band I’ll throw out there is Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers.  They just released their first full-length album titled “Songs in the Night”.  Her sound likens itself to this new folk (if you can call it that) movement that’s surfaced, similar to what we’ve seen with The Avett Brothers and Langhorne Slim.  I’m not sure how you would describe that collective sound, but all I know is it’s daggum good.  Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers are signed with Ramseur Records, home to the likes of The Avett Brothers and The Everybodyfields.  On May 22nd, Ramseur will be showcasing many of its great artists at the Visulite Theater in Charlotte including Samantha Crain, Jim Avett, Paleface and Bombadil.  Come out and show some support for this great local record company if you can.  I’ll be there!

 

 

 

Next, I’ll throw out The Lovell Sisters.  If you don’t like bluegrass, you may want to sit this one out.  I first saw The Lovell Sisters at Merlefest (the biggest bluegrass festival in the southeast…i think) last year.  Their new album entitled “Time To Grow” is their latest since 2005!!??  What took yall so long?!!  Anyway, these girls are seriously one song away from becoming the next big thing in country music.  However, the Sisters maintain an uncompromising approach to writing and playing their music.  They won’t be swayed by big label executives who have tried to steer them in a very Nashville direction in the past and failed.  

From thebluegrassblog.com  :

“We were working with a manager who was shopping us to labels in Nashville, and we had met with five of them who were serious about signing us. After a lot of thought and discussion, we decided to sign with Lyric Street Records, which is a division of Disney.

They had paired us up with producer Mark Bright, and everything seemed perfect. Mark had just finished producing Carrie Underwood, so we knew he could work well with female artists, and he had previously produced Mountain Heart, so we knew he was great with bluegrass and acoustic instruments.”

As they got closer to start recording, they started to get nervous about the direction things were taking. It was becoming clear that the label had chosen a path and a sound for the Lovells, and that the artist’s input wasn’t a high priority.

“It really hit me when Mark Bright mentioned one day that when he worked with Rascal Flatts, the biggest problem he had was convincing them not to record any of their original material. That hit me hard, as we wanted to do exactly that!

I don’t mean any disrespect to Mark or Lyric Street. They were great to us and treated us very fairly. It just started to look like we were heading into a place where we would lose control over our music.”

The Lovells consulted with their attorney, who was able to negotiate a release from their contract with Lyric Street in December of 2007, something not many young artists would consider. Turning down a major label and an established producer?

“People were telling us we were crazy! But to me, selling out means doing music you don’t believe in, and we didn’t want to start out like that.”

And this ladies and gentlemen is just one of many reasons I love them.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llIRV-fmlgU

 

 

So, one more ought to be enough huh?

I know I’ve talked about him before on here, but I can never say enough about this guy.  In my humble opinion, he’s the most underrated rock and roll musician out there.  Seriously, why is he not selling out huge venues across the country.  His name is Alejandro Escovedo and he changed my life.  Well, maybe I’m exaggerating, but this guy is good.  And just listening to his albums doesn’t do him justice.  You MUST go see him live if you get the chance.  I’ve had the pleasure of doing that twice now.  I’ve never really connected to songs like I have with Escovedo’s.  It’s something about the man.  He kind of embodies the idea of rock and roll.  He’s been there and he’s lived it….not like a bunch of these hipster indie wanna-be rock and rollers.  He was at the Chelsea Hotel when Sid killed Nancy for crying out loud!!  His latest album is “Real Animal”.  Seriously, go check it out!

 

Here’s him and the Boss singing Escovedo’s “Always A Friend”…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8s-chAgIPU

 

 

So, there it is…I could go on and on, but I’ll hold off for another time…until then….go see some music yo!!

The new place!!

So, I’m closing on my house Monday…exciting and scary all in one emotion.  Definitely the most adult thing I’ve ever done.  Rockin’ the suburbs yo!!

Good Books Alert…

Wow…I haven’t put anything up here since Valentines Day…that’s crazy…I’m sure my vast fan base will be in an uproar soon…

 

But until then, I figured I would share some good books I’ve been reading…

 

I just got through reading John Stott’s “Basic Christianity”.  This book floored me with its simplicity yet uncompromising intellectual description of what it means to be a Christian.   It’s a great book if you are like me, and kind of missed a lot of the more important concepts of Christianity growing up in church.  It really gets back to the “basics” while offering up fresh ideas I had not yet wrapped my mind around as a Christian.  I recommend giving  it a read especially if you are curious about the gospel. Stott really simplifies the gospel, Jesus’ message and what it means to be a believer all in this book;  something the church has tried to over-complicate for years.

 

Next, I just started reading Tim Keller’s “The Reason For God: Belief In An Age of Skepticism”.  As a skeptic sometimes myself, I have really enjoyed this book so far.  Keller started a church in New York City called Redeemer Presbyterian Church.  

Redeemer is a church in Manhattan and continues to grow and influence church planters from around the country.  What’s unique about Redeemer is its location which doesn’t seem to be the best location for growing church membership; especially a church with a very traditional worship service.  Manhattan isn’t necessarily the bible belt, but Keller’s honest and rational take on Christianity provides a general curiosity for  people who may have never given Christianity a second look.  It’s a relief to me that  just by being inviting, tolerant and disciplined to the gospel message can be enough to attract non-believers to church without having to have elaborate aesthetic worship tools to get people interested in coming (not that there’s anything wrong with that).   

 

Back to the book.  It reminds me a lot of C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity.  He’s speaking to skeptics here and counters a lot of the arguments we all here about the reasons why God can’t exist.  He exposes a lot of the hypocrisy that comes with challenging God’s existence and really makes an intellectually credible case for God.  The most popular argument non-believers make seems to be this perceived intellectual sacrifice they feel you must make to believe in God.  Keller does a good job countering this argument throughout the book in a respectable and honest way. Go read it mm’kay..

 

Til next time…

Valentines Day…a holiday invented by a greeting card company

 

So..I’m actually not going to write about Valentines Day…I’ve never celebrated this lame ass holiday anyway…

But, I will talk about the Ryan Adams tickets I scored today…Some good friends and I will be attending one of Ryan Adams’ last shows (or so he says) in Atlanta at the Tabernacle, which is an awesome venue.  Ryan and I just saw Kings of Leon there not too long ago…apparently they are coming to Charlotte soon…will probably catch them while they are in town…here’s a new video from them for your viewing pleasure:

 

Also, I just realized some friends of mine from Eternal Church Niles , Jesse , and Jimmy  have blogs….check them out….

 

Musical advice for the day (not that you care anyway): If you haven’t been listening to okkervil river or bon iver, do it now!!…oh and the new neko case album comes out in a couple of weeks…i’m pretty excited about that too…and subscribe to PASTE for crying out loud!!…

ok i’m done with my random blog post…do not get your girlfriend a rose for valentines day…whatever you do….it’s cliche!!!!

The Hits…

So, this is going to be a post of just things I’ve been interested in lately…

 

Panthers Football

So how awesome are we right now?  2nd place in the NFC. 1st Round Bye.  Home field advantage for at least one game.  And we have an alien kicker from the Awesome Kickers Galaxy drilling game winning field goals for us.  It’s a great time to be a Panthers fan.  But if you mention those two words that refer to the most popular game played in sports, I will be forced to hit you in the face for fear of jinx.

 

Eternal Church

So, I’ve been going to this church for a while now and I am so relieved to find a place of worship so inspiring, honest, and challenging.  Good folks make up the church body here and my small group is no exception.  If anyone has been looking for a good church, I’d hope you consider Eternal.  

 

New Years Eve

So, I’ve posted about the Avett Brothers before, but my body can barely hold my excitement of what is coming tomorrow night.  My roommate and a couple others will be attending the Avett Brothers New Years Eve Party at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte.  They put on this show every year and I hear it’s AWESOME.  And how could you go wrong with the Avett Brothers?  I couldn’t think of a better way to bring in the New Year.  (Picture of Avett Brothers from New Years Eve ‘07)

 

An Awesome Christmas Present

So, my awesome mother gave me the best christmas present ever!…a ticket to the Austin City Limits Music Festival.  My mom is so cool…my roommate and I are going to have our hands full with the lineup that will likely play ACL…I’ve also heard Austin is one of the coolest towns in the country…I hope we have time to check out the city

 

Garden and Gun

This is a new magazine that profiles all things south…It’s always good to find a decent publication covering thought-provoking qualities of our great region.  I would check out this list of “100 Foods You Should Try Before You Die“.  

 

LOST

To say I’ve been “interested” in this show lately would be a very large understatement.  As Ryan and I wrap up season 4 just in time for season 5 to start in january, my “interest” is bordering on obsession.  If you haven’t watched this show, I am sad and happy for you all at the same time.  Happy for you, in that, you don’t waste hours in front of a television and are hopefully doing more productive things with your life.  Sad on the other hand, that you don’t get to experience one of the best written, most demanding and riveting pieces of television every made.  I guess you’ll just have to weigh your options.

 

So, that’s what has my interests peaked as of late…feel free to comment about what you have going on…

Another top 10…

 

This time it’s going to be Movies of 2008…now, I guess I should’ve prefaced the last post by saying I don’t listen to every album that comes out.  In fact, I don’t even come close, so there are probably a lot of albums out there that could make a best-of list for 2008.

The same goes for my best-of list for movies, but I feel I have a pretty good grasp on movies since there are less of them.  Another disclaimer:  I don’t claim to be a movie critic, I just like what I like and don’t like what I don’t like.  So, here they are, my top 10 movies of 2008:

 

10. Tropic Thunder

Funny parody of Hollywood here and a stellar cast.  Robert Downey steals the show in my opinion.  And don’t get fooled by those commercials before the feature presentation if you happen to watch it in theaters.  

9. Wanted

Just a badass movie.  Great special effects.  Angelina Jolie just happens to be attractive and fun to watch in this one, and you can never go wrong with Morgan Freeman.  Great action sequences that will just make you go “What??!!”

8. Pineapple Express

This movie combines comedy and action and boasts some of the most ridiculous fight scenes in the history of cinema.  It’s more than just a stoner movie, adding comedic depth to a seemingly overdone theme.  And Danny Mcbride who plays “Red” in the movie is freakin hilarious…you’ll also find him playing an over-zealous pyrotechnics expert in Tropic Thunder…he has a future ahead of him…

7. The Visitor

This movie totally snuck up on me this year…it was playing down the street from my house at the dollar theater .  Usually the dollar theater will sneak a decent indie flick in its lineup and  it looked interesting so I checked it out.  It’s heartwarming yet totally depressing and reminds us that no matter what kind of people we happen to be or where we’re from,  we typically have more in common than we think we do.  

6. Burn After Reading

This Coen Brothers movie is completely ridiculous and hilarious all at the same time.  Similar to most other Coen Brothers’ movies, characters are what drives the story.  Each character is completely clueless to the world around them.  Even the character that seems to have it together is inevitably ousted as a complete doofus.  This movie is a smart comedy that won’t inspire much at all but is good for a great laugh.

5.  Vicky Christina Barcelona

It seems most people either hate Woody Allen or really like him.  I happen to fall in the really like him category.  ”Vicky” is typical Woody Allen with controversial behavior from his characters infused with romantic dilemmas.  It’s a recipe for a great movie. Factor in the incredible cinematography showcasing the beautiful Spanish landscape and you’ve got yourself a winner.

4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Another success from the Apatow crew.  I really don’t think these guys make bad movies.  This particular story is unique because romantic comedies don’t typically center around the perspective of the guy in the breakup.  Usually it’s the girl who’s completely devastated.  The tables are turned in this one and Jason Segel pulls it off and then some.  A great supporting cast including my future wife, Kristin Bell, really provide the backbone to this great comedy. 

3. In Bruges

Colin Farrell hasn’t had that great of a track record lately.  But this “mob” movie is a breath of fresh air from his usual crap.  Not only is this movie funny as hell, it has the quirky storytelling reminiscent of movies like “Snatch” and “Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”.  One of the great surprises of 2008.

2. Iron Man

It was a great year for Robert Downey Jr.  He makes the list twice and rightfully so.  He dominated this movie and really portrayed Tony Stark better than I think anyone else could.  The special effects were great in this one and jeff bridges played a fantastic villain.  Jon Favreau has always impressed me and I’ll blindly see anything he puts out.  (I totally did not know he directed “Elf” by the way)  I can’t wait to get this one on DVD.

1. The Dark Night

This wouldn’t have been a tough guess.  I’ve had a tough time admitting this was better than the original motion picture version.  But, this is without a doubt the best Batman EVER!  This one had high expectations with everyone, and when I say high, I mean Everest-like.  Dark Night lived up to every one of them and then some.  I’m already looking forward to the next installment.  And if you haven’t seen this yet, well, there’s not much else I can say than I feel sorry for you.  (But don’t worry, they’re re-releasing it in theaters in January…I’ll probably see you there for repeated viewing)

 

So that was it…if you think I missed something, leave it in the comments.  

 

Also, I’ve posted a list below of movies that have been or will be released in 2008 that I heard were awesome and expect to like:

 

Slumdog Millionaire

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Synecdoche, New York

Man on Wire

My own and totally biased top 10 albums of 2008

So, my roommate Ryan posted his top 10 list of albums of ‘08 about a week ago. I felt inspired to produce my own list of musical preferences from 2008; preferences that none of you particularly care that I share… but I’m going to anyway…

 

So here goes…without further delay…my list of favorite albums of 2008

 

“Cardinology” – Ryan Adams and The Cardinals

Not the best of Ryan Adams but someone needed to fill the 10th spot so….

Notable Tracks:

“Fix It” and “Cobwebs”

 

“Little Honey” – Lucinda Williams

Much happier than her last album and she really doesn’t make any bad ones…

Notable Tracks:

“Circles and X’s” and “Honey Bee”

 

“Perfect Symmetry” – Keane

Poppy…catchy…good for a little pick-me-up…

Notable Tracks:

“Better Than This” and “Love Is The End”

 

“Acid Tongue” – Jenny Lewis

My favorite Jenny Lewis album ever…some good raw roots sound..

Notable Tracks:

“The Next Messiah” and “Carpetbaggers”

 

“With Blasphemy So Heartfelt” – Jessica Lea Mayfield

Completely depressing album but an honest and heartfelt one most can relate to…

Notable Tracks:

“Kiss Me Again” and “We’ve Never Lied”

 

“Only By The Night” – Kings of Leon

Super catchy rock and roll and full of sing-alongs…why aren’t they bigger than they are?

Notable Tracks:

“Closer” and “Be Somebody”

 

“Real Animal” – Alejandro Escovedo

Great rock and roll from a legend that hasn’t gotten the credit he has deserved…it’s coming soon though

Notable Tracks:

“Always A Friend” and “Chelsea Hotel ‘78″

 

“Tennessee Pusher” – Old Crow Medicine Show

Truthfully, my favorite album of theirs…so sad I’ll be missing them next weekend…

Notable Tracks:

“The Greatest Hustler of All” and “Motel In Memphis”

 

“Attack And Release” – The Black Keys

Produced by DJ Danger Mouse, and it shows…awesome record and a new sound not heard on previous albums

Notable Tracks:

“Strange Times” and “Psychotic Girl”

 

“Brighter Than Creation’s Dark” – Drive-By Truckers

Nashville needs to take notes…country music done right…and my favorite of the year…a very dark record but definitely reflective of the south and some of its more notorious qualities…

Notable Tracks Include:

“Perfect Timing” and “The Purgatory Line”

It’s all happening…

 

Withrop Basketball starts tomorrow….with a young team, I’m not sure how it’s going to go…my season tickets came in yesterday and i’m pumped…ryan and i get tickets together and our seats are one row from the athletic director which always makes for an interesting dynamic when it comes to rowdiness…we play mighty north greenville college tomorrow night…i’m trying to figure out who’s going to lose by more…north greenville or the gamecocks when they take on the gators in the swamp…speaking of the cocks…i’ll be making the trip down to watch Winthrop try to whoop up on USC on Sunday…should be fun…and if you’re a Winthrop fan…here’s a video to get you ready…