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…

 

A music-infused weekend…

So, I haven’t written in a while, so I’m sure this next post will be a relief for my infinite amount of readers out there waiting with anticipation…

 

but all joking aside…I’m so ready for this election to be over with…I feel every time I get into a political discussion, both parties involved are just regurgitating a collection of arguing points gathered from watching too much 24 hour news television…it seems like we all like to sound like experts on our respective candidates’ positions and what their presidency would be like…but do we really know anything at all?..sometimes and probably most of the time we don’t…and sometimes I think about the complete insignificance of it all, especially the un-productive bickering…but anywho…on to a more fun topic…MUSIC

 

So, I saw The Avett Brothers and The Everybodyfields this weekend…that was pretty fun…I also got to see the Andy Warhol portfolio at the Mint Museum…go check it out if you haven’t…

 

The Avett Brothers were awesome as usual…it’s starting to cost a lot more to see these guys…no more playing in small clubs/venues either….these guys are off to bigger and better things, but i’m happy for them and their success…it will only mean their audience will broaden and folks who have never had the privilege of hearing them will soon be able to…just bought tickets to their soon-to-be sold out new year’s eve show at the blumenthal…i couldn’t think of a better way to bring in the new year…

 

 

I also got to see the everybodyfields play at the visulite theatre saturday night…if you haven’t heard them yet, i suggest you click on the convenient youtube video i’ve embedded below…the harmony between jill andrews and sam quinn’s voices is amazing…they also have that summer night mountain sound thing going on (i don’t even know what that means but roll with it) that instantly hooks you; whether it’s a sad song or happy song…and for those of you who don’t know, i’m always a sucker for some pedal steel…this is the type of band that i find myself rooting for…a band that is just on the fringe, but needs that something to get them over the edge into drawing large crowds…maybe my blog post (read by millions) about them can give them the colbert bump they so rightfully need and deserve…

p.s. – this video isn’t the greatest quality, but you get the picture…i strongly suggest you just buy their record!

Correction to the last post

 

My apologies to Oxford American…they actually corrected me in the comments explaining that they are actually located on the University of Central Arkansas campus…I’m sorry for the mistake….now what are you waiting for?…GO GET A SUBSCRIPTION!!!!!!!!

It only won an award for… Best Magazine Ever Made!

This is going to be a post about two of my favorite magazines; one of which I still am receiving in the mail, and one that is recently and unfortunately dearly departed (but maintaining its website thank God). We’ll start with the one that’s still alive, Oxford American. I recently discovered this magazine through a pop culture blog I read at USA Today called Pop Candy. If you haven’t heard of this blog, go there now. Whitney Matheson writes it and it’s where I get a lot of great tips on music, movies and many other pop culture gems. But she’s from the south and happens to be into southern art and culture and that just so happens to be the theme of Oxford American. The magazine is a non-profit project taken on by staff at Ole Miss University in Oxford, MS. The magazine is chock full of great writing, music and art from around the south and really brings out the most redeeming qualities of our great region (and no i’m not talking about nascar and baptist churches). So, if you don’t subscribe, I would HIGHLY suggest you do. It’s really expanded my narrow lens of how i’ve historically viewed the south.

Now onto my all time favorite magazine, which was just replaced by Oxford American at the top spot since it doesn’t technically exist anymore as an actual publication…No Depression. Named after an Uncle Tupelo album and Carter Family tune, it’s the best music magazine ever made in my opinion. It was centered around roots and americana music and introduced me to a whole host of bands I may have never known about. The Everybodyfields, Alejandro Escovedo, Hackensaw Boys, Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch are just a few. I was heartbroken and literally almost cried when I found out the magazine was going under.

R.I.P. No Depression…hopefully your web presence can get me by…

Well…you gonna pull those pistols or whistle dixie?

 

Ok, this next post is a tribute to my favorite American hero, Mr. Clint Eastwood.  I watched ‘The Outlaw Josey Whales’ last night for the first time…I know, shame on me for not having seen it before now…although I don’t feel too much shame…my roommate hasn’t even seen ‘The Godfather’…for which I’m embarassed for him.  The Outlaw Josey Whales definitely made the top 5 westerns I’ve seen so far without a doubt…I don’t know if there has ever been someone to conquer an entire genre of movie like Clint Eastwood has with westerns.  The guy is amazing.  So at the same time this is a tribute, it’s also a top 5 list of westerns I’ve seen so far.  I know some of you will most likely disagree to the point of hitting me next time you see me, but no, ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’ did not make the top 5…sorry Sergio Leone. If you have any disagreements or westerns you suggest I see, leave them in the comments. Here are my top 5:

 

5. Lonesome Dove

OK, I know it’s not a movie, but you can’t mention westerns without mentioning Lonesome Dove.

 

4. 3:10 to Yuma

What do you get when you mix Christian Bale, Russell Crowe and a western remake?  One important train to catch.

 

3. The Outlaw Josey Whales

Tobacco spittin’, mean as a rattlesnake and nothing to live for makes for a memorable Eastwood performance

 

2. Tombstone

It’s everyone’s favorite I know…but it’s one of mine too.

 

1. Unforgiven

Hands down, no one can ever tell me different, the single best western ever made and probably ever will be. Regret, a spencer rifle and a blurred distinction between good and evil make this a truly unbelievable masterpiece.

Childhood Nostalgia

 

I don’t know what it is lately, but I’ve been constantly reminded about memorable events from my childhood that have made me feel all happy inside.  Even as I write this entry, I just happened to land on “Best Songs of the 90’s” on VH1.  I’m serious, they just played ‘No Diggity’.  Anyway, I’m going to talk a little about these little nostalgic nuggets in this next post, and if I leave any out, feel free to share yours in the comments.

 

1. Showbiz Pizza

Okay, my roommate Ryan shared an awesome video with me today.  I’ll be honest, those animals used to scare the crap out of me, and somehow managed to scare every other kid my age in the joint…not sure how those passed through the focus group of ‘fun’ things to do at Showbiz.  The fear of those animals almost single-handedly compromised putting Showbiz on my list, but this place reminds me of everything that is great about your birthday when you combine a ridiculous amount of coke, pizza and video tokens…. 

(Best Song of the 90’s update: Beck’s ‘Loser’ has just come in at #22)

2. Rodeos

I want one person to tell me they didn’t have a life-changing experience when they attended their local rodeo as a kid.  Rodeos almost had more of an effect than the movie ‘8 Seconds‘ on my lifelong dream of becoming a cowboy when I was 10.  I was driving around the other day and I saw a sign advertising the local rodeo in Blacksburg simply named “Ed Brown’s Rodeo“.  And no there isn’t a link for an image here. They can’t compromise their rodeo cred by having a web presence.  What are you thinking?  I’d like to think I had rodeo cred as a child.  I went every year, carried my gun sling on my hip, and lasso’d everything in sight; even other kids just to show them how awesome I was at lassoing.  But, when the bull riding portion of the rodeo arrived, I wasn’t moving out of my seat.  Bull riding is always the last portion of the event because of its excitement and danger.  I even worked with a guy here in Rock Hill who is a bull rider on the local scene; yes, enhancing my rodeo cred even more.   If you’re around the York County area on August 1st or 2nd, you can come hang out with us in Blacksburg where all my childhood rodeo memories will most likely come racing back to me.

(Best Song of the 90’s update: Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Doggy Dog’s ‘Nuthin’ but a “G” Thang’ at #13)

3. Fairs

I think one thing we may all have in common as it relates to childhood nostalgia is the fair.  Although, a friend of mine at work admitted she has never been to the fair.  When I heard her say this I immediately felt pity on her, even as she turns the table and reminds me that I wasn’t able to watch Saturday cartoons because my dad forced me to come hunting with him at 5 a.m. every morning.  Nonetheless, I constantly remind her how deprived she was of never having experienced (at one time mind you) candy apples, elephant ears, petting zoos, snake ladies, cotton candy and carnies and the unsafe rides they tended.  These are all things that quite possibly could have negative developmental impact on you as a child, but sure do make for one hell of a good night of fun.  And if you went with your church group, you were constantly trying to impress Rachel (my church group crush) by proving that you weren’t scared of the haunted house (which I actually was) and by not throwing up on the Pirate Ship (which I almost did).  If you ever shared a ferris wheel ride with a crush, you realize the special powers of the fair with all its lights and magic.  It ranks as the #1 nostalgic moment in my life.

 I realize I left some out: Disney World, Maggie Valley, Myrtle Beach etc.  They are also great in their own right and I could go on and on and on, but for the sake of brevity I narrowed it down to three.  Maybe this post will ignite some of your own memories and remind you of the time in your life when you had nothing to worry about except for which ride to go on first, the Scrambler or the Zipper.

 

And coming in at #1 on VH1’s Best Songs of the 90’s, you probably guessed it, Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’

Country Music: What happened?

My open letter to Nashville:
Dear Nashville,
You are giving country music a bad name! Stop it!

OK, that’s all.

I don’t really know when it started. You know, the slow downward spiral of mainstream country music into a world of greedy record companies that bust out gems like cowboy troy…and let’s not forget about Nashville Star, the tv show that mirrors American Idol but with a twang. American Idol is a whole other issue I won’t even get into right now…

Country music used to be about folks like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline….These were mainstream musicians that were actually GOOD….where is that now?…maybe a few out there…allison krauss, dwight yoakam….Nashville has found a formula and stuck with it and that makes me sad…but it sells records right?..at least that’s their poor excuse…johnny cash, jerry lee lewis and elvis presley (yes i said elvis presley, he will always be considered a country musician in my book) once toured together for Sun Records back in the day….those three have very distinctly different sounds…GOOD sounds….and they shared the same stage…by the way, how would you have liked to been at one of those shows huh?…but you’d be hard pressed to find mainstream nashville musicians with that much diversity across the U.S. on any given night, much less the same stage…it just kills me that this genre of music (the mainstream form anyway) has gotten away from what made it so great…diverse quality music. I’m entertained to a degree when I listen to what’s out there on the radio now…kinda like being entertained by a soap opera…don’t have to really think about it much. This form of music that’s being played on the radio has caused us to devolve…it’s making us dumber every time we have to hear another song…it’s insulting frankly…and I’m not bashing simple lyrics, I think it’s important sometimes for music not to take itself so seriously and just let it ride…but do it in a way that’s original…not settling for the common formulaic rant about how your dog died and your sad cause your ex-girlfriend left you..

Everything’s not all gloomy though…there are still outlets where you can find some good country music It just won’t be on your standard country music radio station (Thank God for technology and iPods). There are some good bands on American Records, Lost Highway Records, Anti- Records, Rounder Records and several others. As a whole, the country music scene isn’t dead, but the direction mainstream country has taken is dreadful and hopefully will make its way back. Not holding my breath for anytime soon though…

Emmylou Harris from her own perspective on the state of country music in a Pitchfork Interview:

“But then, as it (country music) became sort of infected with a kind of virus of mediocrity, I didn’t really have anything to do with it anymore. I wasn’t being played on the radio. It was the kind of thing where– do you try and distance yourself, or do you say “if you want to call me a country artist then Wrecking Ball is a country record?” Just damn the torpedoes [laughs]. In the long run, when people look at my career, I hope they see that this can be country, because that is where she came from, that is where the beginning was. It’s like trying to change the place you were born. It’s always going to be a part of you. But there is some confusion now. I think genres are actually disappearing, more and more. Is there really rhythm & blues, is there really country music? More and more young artists are dipping into the pool of all these various forms of music and coming up with something that’s totally new themselves. Fortunately, we’ll always have the genre in their pure form, to go back to and to learn from and to steal from. To add to our stew.”

Country music is a place that I call home too…but I guarantee you that home ain’t Nashville’s brand, it’s the home that echoes ‘Angels Flying too Close to the Ground’ and ‘Orange Blossom Special’…that’s my home