Good Lord...

I’m not really sure what to say about this.

Thanks to Unreasonable Faith for the find.

Video of the Day

"City Lights" by The GC5

Top 5 Albums of 2010

As we put a cap on the empty bottle of 2010 it’s time to look back on the best things that the year had to offer. In other words it is time for the end-of-the-year-best-of lists!

Much to the chagrin of those who think that all of the great music comes from the past, 2010 was an excellent year for new music. The hardest part for me in compiling this list wasn’t knowing which records were going to be on the list but knowing that there were records that I wasn’t able to get and thus not consider. This year saw new releases by Kevin Seconds, Street Dogs, Superchunk, and The Riversales, none of which I got to hear and thus couldn’t consider for this list (come tax time though I plan a major shopping spree down at Guestroom Records in Norman so those albums may end up on my new-to-me-best-of 2011 list). That all having been said, creating this list was fairly easy—especially the record that I consider the best of the year—the top four records have been pretty secure in my mind for a few months now, the only one that took some extra thought was number five but in the end I’m pretty confident in that selection and this list in general.

Music is something that is exceptionally important to me. Outside of my family, music has had more of an impact on my life than anything else in the world. I don’t just listen to music. I absorb it. It becomes a part of me and my person. I, almost neurotically, follow the exploits of my favorite bands and their side projects. I read their interviews and devour the liner notes on their CDs. I guess you could call me a musical junkie, hence all of the posts that I devote to the topic. Music has defined so many different aspects of my life and these records, especially the first four, are really what, for me, 2010 was all about.

1. Title: The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton (Paper & Plastic, Amazon, InterPunk, iTunes)
Artist: Stephen Egerton (Official, MySpace, Facebook, Wikipedia)

More than anything The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton defined 2010 for me. Top to bottom this is a stellar album. I hesitate to call it a pop punk record because I don’t want to pigeonhole it into one little genre. Yes overall this is a pop punk record—it’s Stephen Egerton for Pete’s sake—but it’s more than that. These are songs that are classics. Fans of everything from alt country to emo to post hardcore to pop punk will find something to love on this record. But beyond that, these are songs that—if there was musical justice in the world—would be gigantic hits. There is no reason at all why songs like “Cut Me Down to Size” or “She’s Got Everything” shouldn’t have been played all summer right next to “California Gurls” on nearly every radio station across the country. These songs are catchy, fun, and full of heart and soul and deserve to be played and played loud. For those of you who missed out, I can’t recommend this album highly enough. For those who didn’t, you know what I’m talking about. 2010 will always be the year of Stephen Egerton to me. You can read my original review here.


2. Title: Things I Can’t Control (BandCamp, Amazon)
Artist: John Moreland & the Black Gold Band (MySpace, Facebook, BandCamp, Last.fm)

I first heard John Moreland on the Stephen Egerton record and was blown away by his voice. Then I tracked down a copy of his CD Endless Oklahoma Sky and was hooked. Then I heard “Bastards of the Highway” on The Spy and all I can say is wow. I rushed out and downloaded the entire Things I Can’t Control album and was blown away. This Tulsa native knows how to write and sing some truly great rock ‘n’ roll music. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next! You can read my original review here.

3. Title: I’m Having Fun Now (Amazon)
Artist: Jenny & Johnny (Official, MySpace, Facebook, Last.fm, Wikipedia)

I first heard Jenny Lewis when I got a copy of her debut solo album Rabbit Fur Coat and have been a fan ever since. I’m Having Fun Now is the debut for the project that Lewis has put together with her boyfriend Johnathan Rice. The songs collected herein are indie pop gems that are as witty and intelligent as they are catchy. This is a great record for fans of Lewis’ previous work and bands like She & Him. You can read my original review here.

4. Title: This Addiction (Epitaph, Amazon)
Artist: Alkaline Trio (Official, MySpace, Last.fm, Wikipedia)

This Addiction is probably the best Alkaline Trio album that I have ever heard. I first heard the band years ago when I received one of their early EPs to review for my zine Caught Off Guard. I liked what I heard at the time but for whatever reason failed to follow the band after that. A few years ago I found a few of their CDs at the library and decided to give them a whirl. Some of it I like and some I didn’t. But I did like it enough to check out their latest record when it came out earlier this year and boy am I glad that I did. Top to bottom This Addiction is an excellent pop punk / emo album. The songs are super catchy and a little dark, but not so dark to induce thoughts of suicide in those who may be prone to such things. With this album, Alkaline Trio has hit their stride and found that perfect balance in their music. I can’t wait to see what comes next. You can read my original review here.

5. Title: American Slang (Amazon, Interpunk, Wikipedia)
Artist: The Gaslight Anthem (Official, MySpace, Wikipedia)

The Gaslight Anthem have done something seemingly impossible in modern music, they have created a sound that is familiar and unique all at the same time. You can hear hints of everything from Otis Redding to Hot Water Music to Bruce Springsteen in American Slang creating a melting pot of sounds that dares you to nail it down to one genre. You can read my original review here.


Honorable Mentions –
Personal Life by The Thermals
Spinning In Circles Is A Gateway Drug by Red City Radio
White Crosses by Against Me!
Untitled 21: A Juvenile Tribute to Swingin’ Utters by Various Artists

Comics Review: Justice League: The Tornado’s Path

Title: Justice League: The Tornado’s Path (DC Comics, Amazon)
Author: Brad Meltzer (Official, What I Believe: Official Blog, Wikipedia)

Justice League: The Tornado’s Path is the story of the re-forming of the Justice League, which fell apart after the events of Identity Crisis (also by Meltzer) and Infinite Crisis. The story starts with the big three (i.e. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) discussing who they think should be in the JLA. The story then follows the exploits of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Black Canary, Arsenal, Black Lightening, Vixen, and the Red Tornado as they eventually coalesce into the new Justice League. Much of the story deals with Red Tornado’s search for humanity and Roy Harper’s coming of age (and shedding the mantle of Arsenal for that of Red Arrow) also with the interpersonal relationships of the big three and Hal Jordan and Green Arrow.

Meltzer is a masterful writer who is able to craft these characters into heart wrenching stories that make you care more about them as people than as superheroes. In a lot of ways Meltzer has been allowed to book end two eras of the JLA and in some respect, the entire DC Universe, in Identity Crisis and The Tornado’s Path. Much of the post Crisis on Infinite Earths DCU was about breaking from the past. The JLA was full of new and different faces. Many of the classic heroes died and were replaced by newer, younger versions (see Green Lantern and Green Arrow for examples) and much of the tone seemed to try and separate that era from the Silver Age. Since Infinite Crisis the DCU has seemed to be returning to its pre-COIE roots. Heroes have been returned (see Green Arrow, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Aquaman), the Multiverse is back, and the JLA has taken on a look that resembles the classic lineup. Now this is not to say that DC is just rehashing the Silver Age because it is not. These characters are older and wiser and in many ways the writing is much more complex. In a way I get the feeling that the folks at DC wanted to bring back a lot of the things that were great about the Silver Age while at the same time forging a new path for these characters and this medium. It’s little touches like making the JLA’s new base of operations, the Hall of Justice, resemble the Hall from the Super Friends cartoon that is a nod to the past while at the same time including characters new to the JLA (Black Lightening and Red Arrow) the help keep things fresh. I’m not sure if the comics gurus have decided that this is a new era but I can’t help but think of the DCU now in not only a pre-/post-COIE way but also a pre-/post-Infinite Crisis way (the latter being the new, modern era). And The Tornado’s Path is an excellent way to bring the Justice League into this new, modern era.

Currently Listening

1. “Print on Paper” by Stephen Egerton & Chris DeMakes (from The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton)
2. “Falling Out” by Stephen Egerton & Frank Daily (from The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton)
3. “Bastards of the Highway” by John Moreland & the Black Gold Band (from Things I Can’t Control)
4. “Small Town Boy” by John Moreland & the Black Gold Band (from Things I Can’t Control)
5. “Committed” by Jenny & Johnny (from I’m Having Fun Now)
6. “Scissor Runner” by Jenny & Johnny (from I’m Having Fun Now)
7. “This Addiction” by Alkaline Trio (from This Addiction)
8. “Lead Poisoning” by Alkaline Trio (from This Addiction)
9. “Boxer” by The Gaslight Anthem (from American Slang)
10. “The Diamond Church Street Choir” by The Gaslight Anthem (from American Slang)

Video of the Day

"Girl Power" by Showcase Showdown

My Favorite Records of the Year That Were Not Released in 2010

Each year I discover music that is new to me, but not new and 2010 was no different. Here are the albums/releases that I discovered this year that weren’t released in 2010 but blew me away nonetheless.


Artist: Scott Reynolds & the Steaming Beast (Official, MySpace, Last.fm, Wikipedia)
Title: Adventure Boy (Amazon, CD Universe)

Scott Reynolds will always be known for his time as ALL’s second lead singer and while that’s not really a bad thing, Adventure Boy showcases the multitude of talent he has as a songwriter in and out of the pop punk genre. The song “Jesus, Satan, Gene Beeman, His Car, & Pizza Hut” alone is worth the price of admission.


Artist: Re-Volts (MySpace, Wikipedia)
Title: Re-Volts (InterPunk, Wikipedia)

This Swingin’ Utters side project is lead by bassist (and Me First & the Gimme Gimmes crooner) Spike Slawson and includes six killer pop punk numbers that make me wish this band had some more CDs available because it really is that freaking good.


Artist: Red City Radio (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, PureVolume, PunkNews.org)
Title: To the Sons and Daughters of Woody Guthrie (Amazon)

Red City Radio completely blew me away with this EP. Here’s a band that’s members have been around the OKC scene for years and produced the best release by an Oklahoma band since the Roustabouts’ The Only One. Fans of Hot Water Music, Dead To Me, and The Bouncing Souls NEED to get this CD (and the band’s full length that I believe is coming out next year). You can read my review of To the Sons… here.


Artist: Doug McKean (Official, MySpace)
Title: Concerto for Second Fiddle (Amazon, CD Universe)

Doug McKean was the bass player and co-vocalist for the outstanding Cleveland, OH band The GC5. The GC5 was a punk band that mixed intensity with soul and was well on the way to becoming The Replacements of the 21st century before calling it quits. Since then Doug McKean has continued playing music solo and with his band The Stuntmen. Concerto for Second Fiddle was released in 2008 and is an amazing collection of soulful rock numbers that are catchy and heartfelt all at the same time. I can’t wait to see what else Mr. McKean has in store for us!


Artist: Drag the River (Official, MySpace, Facebook, Suburban Home, Last.fm, Wikipedia)
Title: Primer (Suburban Home, Amazon, CD Universe)

This CD probably spent more time in my CD player than anything else this year. Primer is a best of collection that is an outstanding release. I’d known of Drag the River for years but had never been able to get any of their records until the Stephen Egerton CD release show. These songs are heartfelt and dark and personal and the music goes from soulful ballad to rockin’.

Comics Review: Booster Gold: 52 Pick Up

Title: Booster Gold: 52 Pick Up (DC Comics, DC Comics Database, Amazon, Wikipedia)
Author: Geoff Johns (Official, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia)

Booster Gold is a B list superhero who first appeared at the dawning of the modern (i.e. post-Crisis on Infinite Earths) DC era. With no ties to the Silver Age, Booster Gold was born completely out of the world of the 1980s. He was a hero with a publicist who seemed to be as concerned with making headlines as saving people. In a lot of ways he wasn’t a very likeable character and was honestly a bit of a joke. That was before Geoff Johns got his hands on him.

Booster Gold’s turnaround started in during the build up to, and in, Infinite Crisis and continued through 52 (the latter I have actually yet to read). But in Booster Gold: 52 Pick Up, Johns takes Booster from a bumbling goof that shows hints of potential and transforms him into a truly excellent superhero. In this story, Booster Gold takes on a new role of Time Master. He joins Rip Hunter in the journey to save history from those who want to travel through time and change it.

This story is not only a blast to read, it is also surprising. Who ever thought Booster Gold could be so cool?!? Not only did Johns make Booster heroic, he made him a human character that the reader can sympathize with, and that is not an easy feat especially for a character born of the consumerism of the Reagan era. At this point I’m not sure that Geoff Johns can write a bad story. He has been elevated to my favorite writer in comics and I am determined to read anything that he writes that falls into my hands (or hand and a half in my case).

Gut Reaction

Story Teaser: Latest Obama Move May Draw Fire
My Gut Reaction: What Obama move DOESN’T draw fire?

While online this morning I saw the “story teaser” (i.e. the name on a link to get you to click on the story, but as it turns out isn’t the actual headline of the story) listed above and without even clicking on the link I had the subsequent gut reaction. It doesn’t matter what this mans says or does because no matter how good or bad the idea, no matter how nefarious or noble the intention, someone out there is going to burn him in effigy for it.

Currently Listening

1. “Until the Next Cliffhanger” by Doug McKean (from Concerto for Second Fiddle)
2. “Eating Me Alive” by Alkaline Trio (from This Addiction)
3. “Committed” by Jenny & Johnny (from I’m Having Fun Now)
4. “I Don’t Believe You” by The Thermals (from Personal Life)
5. “Funny Face” by Stephen Egerton & Chad Price (from The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton)
6. “Small Town Boy” by John Moreland & the Black Gold Band (from Things I Can’t Control)
7. “Boxer” by The Gaslight Anthem (from American Slang)
8. “Spinning In Circles Is A Gateway Drug” by Red City Radio (from Spinning In Circles Is A Gateway Drug)
9. “Pills & Smoke” by Johnny Two Bags (from Untitled 21: A Juvenile Tribute to Swingin’ Utters)
10. “Oxes & Horses” by Drag the River (from Primer)

Mythical Creature or Hairless Coyote?

You decide.

Currently Listening

1. “Sing” by Armstrong (from Dick: the Lion Hearted)
2. “Giver” by Hot Water Music (from The New What Next)
3. “The Finger and the Moon” by Ben Lee (from Breathing Tornados)
4. “Pennyroyal Tea” by Nirvana (from Nirvana)
5. “Summer Boys” by Same Day Service (from If You’re Lucky)
6. “This Mess” by Euclid Crash (from F.M.O.)
7. “Kick It Over” by Re-Volts (from Re-Volts)
8. “Spinning In Circles Is A Gateway Drug” by Red City Radio (from Spinning In Circles Is A Gateway Drug)
9. “Jesus, Satan, Gene Beeman, His Car, & Pizza Hut” by Scott Reynolds & the Steaming Beast)
10. “Fall Down Easy” by Uncle Tupelo (from Still Feel Gone)

Sorry for the Lack of Blogging…

I’m sorry about my lack on blogging lately. There’s been a combination of factors that has led to my absence from online activities lately that include the end of the fall semester, preparations for the holidays, a desire/need to get some more sleep (most of my blogging tends to be done in the wee hours of the morning before the rest of the family is awake), and a nasty bit of depression. I did write a couple of things by hand while at work (one about losing my empathy and one about something that I can’t remember at the moment) and I may type them up at some point but then again I may not, which leads me to another reason for not blogging…lack of desire. Lately when I do sit down to the computer I tend to not type. Heck I haven’t even been keeping up with the stuff in my Google Reader (there’s been over 1000+ unread posts for weeks). I guess I’ve got a bad case of lethargy.

I just wanted to let my handful of readers know that I hadn’t dropped off the face of the Earth or anything. I hope you all had a great Christmas and I wish you all the best in this New Year!

Who Should Get Coal?

In his latest column, Bill O’Reilly lists those people who he thinks should get coal in their stockings from Santa. It’s a pretty funny list that attacks people on both sides of the political spectrum and is well worth reading for a good chuckle.

Money Quote –

That preacher nut in Florida who threatened to burn the Koran deserves to be trapped in a coal mine, never mind the stocking. That's all these crazy jihadists need to kill more Americans--a Koran burning on the worldwide net.

The Westboro Baptist Church crew (no affiliation with the Baptist church) who demonstrate at military funerals should have coal thrown at them. These religious fanatics believe God is punishing the American military because this country does not persecute gays. The Taliban is actively recruiting Fred Phelps and his vile gang.

Currently Listening

1. “Boys Don’t Cry” by The Cure (from MTV Unplugged)
2. “Everything Counts” by Depeche Mode (from The Singles 81>85)
3. “Just Like Heaven” by Dinosaur Jr. (from Fossils)
4. “All-N-All” by Drag the River (from Hobo’s Demo’s)
5. “Get the Message” by Electronic (from Electronic)
6. “June” by Gameface (from Three to Get Ready)
7. “Makes No Sense at All” by Husker Du (from Eight Miles High/Makes No Sense at All)
8. “Don’t Change” by INXS (from Shine Like It Does: The Anthology (1979-1997) Disc 1)
9. “Bastards of the Highway” by John Moreland & the Black Gold Band (from Things I Can’t Control)
10. “She’s Got Everything” by Stephen Egerton & Milo Aukerman (from The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton)

The Death of the Oklahoma Democrat

Jen at Are You There God? It’s Me Generation X has an excellent post on the apparent death of the Democratic Party in Oklahoma entitled Are Democrats an alien, dying brand in Oklahoma?.

Money Quote –

Gaddie says Democrats are an "alien, dying breed in Oklahoma." That's enough to depress the most conservative Democrat, but the fact that one-third of the people in this state actually believe Obama is a Muslim makes me wish I lived someplace else.

For all of the great things Oklahoma has going for it, and especially Oklahoma City, at some point, these uninformed positions, which lean toward total bigotry, are going to rise up and bite this state right in the ass. Eventually, Oklahoma City will lose a major gig to another city because some study characterizes us as bigoted and backward. When this happens, look for a public relations campaign on behalf of Oklahoma that features every liberal stereotype you can imagine. How disingenuous.

Beautiful

Here are some amazing pictures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope this year.

Movie Review: It’s Kind of a Funny Story

Title: It’s Kind of a Funny Story (Official, IMDB, Wikipedia)

It’s Kind of a Funny Story is the story of 16 year-old boy who has himself admitted to a psychiatric ward after he gives some extremely serious consideration to killing himself. Once admitted he realizes that maybe this isn’t the place for him but discovers that he is stuck there for at least five days. Without giving away too much of the plot, this is a story about enjoying life and not taking things so seriously, which is definitely a theme that I needed considering that I’ve been depressed out of my mind lately.

Overall this is a pretty good movie, but I got the sense that with all of the talent involved that it could have been an amazing movie. It’s certainly worth seeing though so head on down to the dollar movies and check it out.

The Day the Water Stopped

The day Niagara Falls ran dry

Movie Review: Easy A

Title: Easy A (Official, IMDB, Wikipedia)

Easy A is a high school comedy that deals with lies, rumors, and reputations and is loosely inspired by The Scarlet Letter and a smattering of John Hughes ‘80s films.

Overall this movie is pretty good but it could have been terrible. What saved it was leading lady Emma Stone (IMDB, Wikipedia). This isn’t something that I would run out and buy at new DVD price or go see in the regular theater but it is good for a dollar movie, a rental, or a used DVD purchase.

Currently Listening

1. “Ask” by Avail (from Over the James)
2. “She Don’t Care” by Descendents (from Cool To Be You)
3. “Anniversary Song” by Hagfish (from Hagfish)
4. “End of the Road” by Me First & the Gimme Gimmes (from Take a Break)
5. “Brand New Love” by Sebadoh (from Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock)
6. “Half of You” by Wakeland (from Magnetic)
7. “Disbelieve” by Drag the River (from Hobo’s Demo’s)
8. “High Pressure Low” by Against Me! (from White Crosses)
9. “We’ve Had Enough” by Alkaline Trio (from Good Mourning)
10. “One More Time” by Hot Water Music (from A Flight and a Crash)

Comic Review: Green Lantern / Green Arrow Volume 1

Title: Green Lantern / Green Arrow Volume 1 (DC Comics, Amazon, Wikipedia)

In the early 1970s Green Lantern and Green Arrow were paired together in a series that in many ways changed the world of comic books. Author Dennis O’Neil brought social commentary into the crime fighting and helped to mold the character of Green Arrow into the wise-talking, working class crusading, liberal that we know and love today. This graphic novel chronicles the adventures of Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen as they drive cross country (at times with one of the Guardians of the Universe in tow) looking for the truth about America. Each issue is a stand-alone story but they follow an overall arc that shows the growth of Green Lantern from someone who never questions authority to someone who looks for justice, whether those in authority agree with him or not. Not only is GA defined in this series, but the seeds of the character that GL would later become are panted in this series. And while these specific stories are most likely no longer canon, the cross country road trip is still a major part of the GL and GA mythos.

While these aren’t the best comic stories that I have ever read, they are intriguing for what they accomplished in moving the medium forward. And while much of the commentary comes from 1960s America, many of these issues are still going on today, making their tone that much more stark than it must have been 40 years ago.

Movie Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Title: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Official, Walden Media, IMBD, Wikipedia)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the third in the Narnia film series by Walden Media and the first to be produced/distributed by 20th Century Fox. Besides the seventh Harry Potter film, this is the movie that I have been looking forward to the most this year. And…well…it was okay.

Overall this was a very entertaining film adventure. I started reading the book a few months ago in hopes to finish it before seeing the film, but honestly the book has been a slow read and thus I haven’t finished it yet. The film jumps right into the action (like the book) and like its predecessors looks fantastic. That having been said the pacing seemed a bit off and the film ended quite abruptly. I will probably need to see it again to fully absorb it and while I’m a little disappointed, I do hope that Walden Media is able to make more film adaptations for the other books in the series.

Video of the Day

"My Glass House" by Swingin' Utters

Quote of the Day

It amazes me that in the age of information so many people are ill informed. That more people haven't figured out that the game is rigged, neither side is the "good guys". I can show people articles, videos, graphs, pie charts galore and I can sit and watch their eyes glaze over, their brain refuses to accept the information, sometimes they even react violently. *shakes head* God help us all, this is gonna get real fucking ugly before all is said and done.

-- The Red Dirt Gorilla from the post THE INFORMATION AGE

Currently Listening

1. “Brookfield” by Drag the River (from Primer)
2. “Bleeder” by Hot Water Music (from Alkaline Trio/Hot Water Music [Split CD])
3. “Watch Me Fall” by Uncle Tupelo (from Still Feel Gone)
4. “A Reflection” by The Thermals (from Personal Life)
5. “If I Can’t Change Your Mine (Solo Mix)” by Sugar (from Helpless)
6. “The Truth Teller’s Soul” by Scott Reynolds & the Steaming Beast (from Adventure Boy)
7. “Here Comes a Regular” by The Replacements (from Tim [Expanded Edition])
8. “I Believe” by The Methadones (from This Won’t Hurt)
9. “Melt Your Heart” by Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins (from Rabbit Fur Coat)
10. “Closer to Fine” by Indigo Girls (from Indigo Girls)

Oh Selena...

You know that you can do better than Bieber.

Video of the Day

"Magnet's Coil" and "Believe What You're Saying" by Bob Mould & Lou Barlow

Mental Health Break

Video of the Day

"Maybeing" by Armchair Martian

Which Spy is the Real Spy?

According to this story, 105.3 The Spy is not The Spy. It seems that the deal to sell the station fell through at the last minute and starting on Saturday morning there were two Spies.

From the story –

The next morning, listeners could tune in to two competing Spies. One could be heard over The Spy's radio frequency, playing music and station identifications that The Spy's station manager, Ferris O'Brien, identified as archives from the station's 2002-04 years with Citadel Communications. The other was a live programming feed through www.thespyfm.com.

The station is one of several former Citadel holdings currently owned by Last Bastion Trust LLC, a privately owned trust operating as a clearing house for stations Citadel sold to comply with Federal Communications Commission regulations after the company bought ABC Radio in 2007. O'Brien, an on-air personality at Citadel's version of The Spy in the early 2000s, had been operating this incarnation of the station through a local marketing agreement with Last Bastion Trust pending a final purchase.

According to O'Brien, the purchase fell through when the station did not appraise for Last Bastion Trust's asking price.

"When it comes back at nowhere near that number, it just doesn't make sense," O'Brien said.

[...]

O'Brien said he will continue to operate The Spy as an online station, and is not closing the door on future FM broadcasts. He said that the most recent ratings indicated that between 87 percent and 91 percent of the station's listeners were receiving The Spy through Web-based or mobile streams.

As for the on-air station operating at 105.3 FM, O'Brien said it is likely to cause confusion among listeners, and that he feels traumatized by the turn of events.

"It's like my twin brother," O'Brien said of the station. "And it feels like my twin brother stole my bride the night before my wedding."

While it is no secret that I have been critical of The Spy, I loved their support of local independent business and I loved the fact that this was a venture of pure heart and soul, so to see it end—on FM at least—in this way is very disappointing. Hopefully Ferris O’Brien and co. will find a new home on the FM dial and will bring The Spy pumping back out of our car stereos.

I wish The Spy, the real one, the best of luck!

Thanks to Oklahoma Rock Newsblog for the find.

R.I.P. Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards passed away yesterday at the age of 61 after a long battle with cancer. Rest well Elizabeth.

Currently Listening

1. “Until Now” by One Man Army (from Last Word Spoken)
2. “Trying My Best to Love You” by Jenny Lewis (from Acid Tongue)
3. “Strange” by R.E.M. (from Document)
4. “Pop Star Queen” by Same Day Service (from If You’re Lucky)
5. “True to Life” by Uncle Tupelo (from Still Feel Gone)
6. “Like Wilkins McCaber” by Doug McKean (from Concerto for Second Fiddle)
7. “Frogs” by The Flaming Lips (from Hit to Death in the Future Head)
8. “Flat Top” by Goo Goo Dolls (from A boy Named Goo)
9. “Tomorrow’s Over” by Armchair Martin (from Hang on Ted)
10. “Anniversary Song” by Hagfish (from Hagfish)

Video of the Day

"I Left My Wallet In El Segundo" by A Tribe Called Quest

Mental Health Break

Currently Watching: Glee Season 1

Title: Glee Season 1 (Fox, Facebook, IMDB, Amazon, Wikipedia)

There has been a lot of hype around the show Glee so I finally decided to check it out and rented the first disc of the first season DVD set from Movies, Etc this weekend. So far I’m only one episode in but I like it. I’m not blown away by the show yet but it certainly has potential. And if nothing else the show made me actually enjoy a song by Journey and that is quiet a feat.

I’m looking forward to watching the rest of this season.

Video of the Day

"Baby I'm a King" by The Devil Dogs

Facebook Page of the Day

"umm can i have a coke?" "is pepsi ok?" "I dont know is monopoly money ok?"

This made me laugh.

The Sequel of Fate

It seems that the Manos sequel is moving forward. In fact, according to Satellite News, the film will include the actor who originally played The Master. To the right you’ll see the teaser poster for the film.

I’m still amazed that this is actually happening.

Here’s a scene from the original brought to you by the brilliant folks at Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Mental Health Break

Thanks to Classically Liberal for the find.

Blog Post of the Day

Brought to us today from the one and only Dr. Frank --

Headline: Songs that can be embarrassing when someone hears you unintentionally singing them to yourself in public

Why Do I Often Hear Better Music on The Brew than on The Spy?

Wile on my lunch break last night I was in my car and heard two really good songs in a row on 94.7 The Brew—“Dancing with Myself” by Billy Idol and “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash. I honestly can’t remember the last time that I heard two good songs in a row on 105.3 The Spy and that frustrates me to no end. You see the CD player in my car is broken so I spend a lot of time listening to the radio while driving. I’d like nothing more than to listen to The Spy all of the time but far too often they are playing…well crap to be honest. I like the fact that they play bands that I’ve never heard before, but do the vast majority of those bands have to suck? It’s sad that whatever satellite radio is played in Applebee’s and circle K often plays better stuff than The Spy (I heard a song by The Replacements played in Applebee’s once and a song by The Farm played in Circle K once).

Here are some of the things that bother me about The Spy –

1. I have only heard The Replacements played once while The Smiths are played ad nauseam.
2. I have only heard them play “Punk Rock Girl” by the Dead Milkmen once. While I don’t want that song played to death, that is a cult classic that should get more airplay than it has.
3. The only Dropkick Murphys’ song that I have heard on The Spy was “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” (and that was only once). This is a band that has been around for well over a decade, has played Oklahoma tons of times, has a huge cult following, and has released six full-length albums. There is no reason why more of their songs aren’t in regular rotation.
4. The only time that I’ve heard them play the Descendents was on the punk rock show The Void.
5. I have yet to hear The Spy play anything by the following artists – Hot Water Music, Stiff Little Fingers, Ben Lee, Sebadoh, Husker Du, ALL, Dinosaur Jr., Superchunk, The Thermals, Archers of Loaf, Dead To Me, Teenage Fanclub, Swingin’ Utters, Teenage Bottlerocket, Cock Sparrer, KMFDM, Jenny & Johnny, Ministry, Fugazi, Lard, Camper Van Beethoven, Minor Threat, The Farm, Black Flag, Happy Mondays, J Church, Dramarama, The Farm, Me First & the Gimme Gimmes, The Smithereens, Sugar, The Donnas, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Gorilla Biscuits, Concrete Blonde, Screeching Weasel, Filthy Thieving Bastards, Bad Religion, Mojo Nixon, NOFX, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Avail, Jawbreaker, Sonic Youth, Afghan Whigs, Dag Nasty, The Epoxies, The Briefs, The Specials, Street Dogs, Madness, Alkaline Trio, Fishbone, The Promise Ring, The Eyeliners, Big Drill Car, Pegboy, Faith No More, Naked Raygun, The Gaslight Anthem, Drag the River, Buffalo Tom, The Riverdales, Uncle Tupelo, Against Me!, Urge Overkill, Operation Ivy, Guided By Voices, Rancid, Youth Brigade, Green Day, The Minutemen, Shonen Knife, fIREHOSE, Seaweed, The Rentals, Paul Westerberg, Pavement, The Mr. T Experience, The Watson Twins, the Goo Goo Dolls, 7 Seconds, The Bouncing Souls, The Tight Bros. From Way Back When, The Bronx, CIV, The Devil Dogs, The Figgs, Flogging Molly, Hagfish, The Independents, The Lemonheads, Matthew Sweet, Nirvana, Man or Astro-Man?, The Damned, Nada Surf, Misfits, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Roustabouts, The Pogues, Urban Dance Squad, Pinhead Gunpowder, Scott Reynolds & the Steaming Beast, Jawbox, Redd Kross, Stephen Egerton, Tinted Windows, U.S. Bombs, Shudder To Think, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Wilco, X, The Get Up Kids, Wretch Like Me, The Chemical People, Lagwagon, Bad Brains, Suicidal Tendencies, Teen Idols, Sinkhole, Soul Asylum, Bob Mould, The Smugglers, Sham 69, XTC, Billy Bragg, Rites of Spring, Sleater-Kinney, Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians, Wire, Buzzcocks, The Undertones, Dead Boys, The Moldy Peaches, the Backbeat Band, The Jesus Lizard, Girls Against Boys, Season to Risk, Bishop Allen, We Are Scientists, The Like, The Psychedelic Furs, Mother Love Bone, Mudhoney, Bikini Kill, Shelter, Cracker, 10,000 Maniacs, Cowboy Junkies, The La’s, The Jesus & Mary Chain, John Wesley Harding, Meat Puppets, Beck, Sunny Day Real Estate, The Fastbacks, L7, Babes in Toyland, Liz Phair, Primal Scream, Manic Street Preachers, Bratmobile…

Now to be fair I only get to listen to The Spy when I’m in my car, but I seem to find myself stopping on The Brew more often during my scans of stations than I do The Spy. There have been a handful of times that The Spy has surprised me and played some amazing stuff—the other day for example they played “Planes, Trains, and Brains” by The Flaming Lips, this blew me away so much that I had to pull over and post a status update about it on Facebook from my phone. Other times that I have gotten excited about what The Spy was playing include the times that I heard John Moreland, Red City Radio, and The Pipettes, but sadly these times are the exceptions and not the rule.

I applaud Ferris O’Brien and what he is trying to do with The Spy and I hope that it stays on the air for years to come. I just wish that they played a better variety of alternative music.

Vote for the Best Music of 2010

NPR’s All Songs Considered has a poll up where you can vote for your favorite music of 2010. I haven’t voted yet because the application on the page won’t load so I’m going to have to do it later.

I’ve been planning on doing a list of my favorite records of 2010, but there are still some new releases that I want to hear and review before I make up my list. Sadly I don’t have the cash on hand to go and pick them up from Guestroom Records. Up to this point though my favorite album of 2010 is definitely Stephen Egerton’s The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton followed by John Moreland & the Black Gold Band’s Things I Can’t Control and Jenny & Johnny’s I’m Having Fun Now.

Quote of the Day

This is a long one but man oh man is it worth it.

In the real world, all political parties, especially the big ones, and most especially the main two, the Republicans and the Democrats, are simply coalitions of people with widely--widely!--disparate interests. They band together to promote candidates and policies, and all those candidates and policies are, at best, compromises between those disparate interests, with the end result being that the candidates each party runs are often only mildly less repugnant to any given party member than the candidates the opposition runs.

No Republican represents the thinking or behavior of all Republicans. It can't be done.

No Democrat represents the thinking or behavior of all Democrats. It can't be done.

What do you do with the guy who's into Far Eastern martial disciplines and is moving steadily toward growing more vegetables, learning about canning, drying, and preserving nutrient-dense whole, traditional foods--and is simultaneously a Southern Baptist, free-market, anti-free-trade, Constitutional constructionist?

What do you do with a different guy, another one who's into Far Eastern martial disciplines, likes guns, thinks his oncologist son-in-law deserves to make potloads of money, and favors universal health care?

What do you do with the conservatives that are anti-war, America-firsters?

What do you do with the liberals and neocons that are agitating for war--or at least a show of force--vis-a-vis North Korea?

What about the pro-free-market, pro-choice Republicans?

What about the Pink Pistols?

What about the Log Cabin Republicans?

What about the anti-illegal-immigration union members?

What about the--admittedly rare--pro-life Democrats? What about pro-life, pro-universal-health-care Democrats?

What about the big agribusinesses that actually welcome increased regulatory burdens because they have the effect of killing off smaller competitors--competitors that, incidentally, are often responsible for a lot of the locally-grown, naturally-raised foods that--allegedly--more liberal types favor? Lord have mercy, there are people in this world simple enough to believe that a vote against more government regulation of the food business is necessarily a vote against food safety.

What about the likes of Monsanto? Have you heard or read about them and soybeans? If not, google it--and then ask yourself whether being against that sort of thing is being anti-big-business or pro-free-market-competition.

Have you ever heard of veggie libel laws? If not, google that--and then ask yourself whether such things are anti-libel or anti-First Amendment.

What about homeschoolers? Are they Christian zealots or are they just trying to avoid being indoctrinated by "the man?"

God knows--only God knows--what the modern Democratic Party would do with the likes of Andrew Jackson. Only God knows what the modern Republican Party would do with the likes of Abraham Lincoln.

It is a darn weird world when Blacks persistently vote against the party that was anti-slavery, and when the party that tolerated "Sheets" Byrd for decades lambasts its opposition as "racist."

There are conservatives who think they're libertarians, libertarians who claim to be conservatives, FDR-style-big-government Republicans who publicly profess an attachment to small government, socially-conservative union activists, and so forth. The reality is that the political world is one heckuva lot more complex than Democrats good, Republicans bad (or vice versa), and to my mind, one of the hallmarks, one of the distinguishing characteristics, of the true Dumb Mass is the persistent attempt to paint it more simply than it really is.

-- Man of the West from the post Listen, Dumb Mass...

Currently Listening

Today we’re doing musical guilty pleasures. You’ll probably notice that a lot of these songs are by folks that get a lot of airplay on Radio Disney. What can I say…some of the stuff my kids like isn’t bad. Also I’m not really all that guilty about liking Meat Loaf.

1. “It’s Alright, It’s Ok” by Ashley Tisdale (from Guilty Pleasure)
2. “Here We Go Again” by Demi Lovato (from Here We Go Again)
3. “Think I’m in Love” by Eddie Money (from The Best of Eddie Money)
4. “Rock Star” by Miley Cyrus (from Hannah Montana, Vol. 2: Meet Miley Cyrus Disc 1)
5. “California Gurls” by Katy Perry (from Teenage Dream)
6. “I Do Not Hook Up” by Kelly Clarkson (from All I Ever Wanted)
7. “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” by Meat Loaf (from Bat Out of Hell [Special Edition] Disc 1)
8. “How Bizarre” by OMC (from How Bizarre)*
9. “Fallen Angel” by Poison (from Poison’s Greatest Hits 1986-1996)
10. “One and the Same” by Selena Gomez & Demi Lovato (from Disney Channel Playlist)

* This song is so bad that it has come back around to being ironically good.

Mental Health Break

Blast from the Past: Pummel

Title: Pummel (Amazon, Last.fm, AllMusic, Wikipedia)
Artist: ALL (AllMusic, Wikipedia)

Like many other long running punk bands in the mid-90s, pop punk legends ALL were signed to a major label, Interscope Records, and released their one and only record for the label, Pummel, in 1995.

When Pummel was released, I was still relatively new to the ALL part of this band. I’d known the Descendents for a while but it wasn’t until I was a freshman at OU that a friend in a class told me that ALL was coming to town—which I totally regret missing that show—and that they were the Descendents. Shortly after that I procured a copy of Breaking Things, the band’s current release at the time, and was completely blown away. So when I was in a record store in 1995 and saw a new ALL cassette on the shelf I was totally stoked and picked up it right then and there.

Since that time I’ve had this love-hate relationship with the album. On the one hand Pummel has some truly classic songs on it (“Miranda,” “Long Distance,” “Breakin’ Up,” and “Million Bucks” for example) the record as a whole, when listened to start-to-finish just doesn’t flow very well. Listening to Pummel is almost like driving on a bumpy road that has some very nice smooth areas but is overall still bumpy.

Pummel had two major problems as I see it. First it was the follow up to the brilliant Breaking Things. When a band or artist releases an incredibly great album, the follow up has some big shoes to fill and often just doesn’t hold up in comparison (obviously this isn’t always the case but it fits here and on more than a few occasions with bands like U2 and R.E.M. who have released truly classic records only to follow them up with mediocre albums). If Pummel had been an album consisting entirely of songs along the caliber of “Miranda” or “Long Distance” then it would have been heralded as a classic, but it didn’t, which brings us to the album's second major problem: the songs that didn’t work. Rarely is there an album that is complete with great songs top to bottom but often the stinkers are few enough in number to keep from ruining the entire record. Sadly that is not the case with Pummel. Of the 15 songs on the record I would count five as classics (“Million Bucks,” “Miranda,” “Long Distance,” “Button In,” and “Breakin’ Up”), three as pretty good (“Self-Righteous,” “Not Easy,” and “Getting’ There”), five as okay (“Stalker,” “This World,” “On Foot,” “Broken,” and “Black Sky”), and two as absolutely horrible (“Uncle Critic” and “Hetero”). It is those last two on top of the fact that the okay songs are just that, that make this record so weak in my humble opinion. I’ve heard theories that the song “Hetero” is meant as ironic (kind of like Minor Threat’s “Guilty of Being White”) but it is so hateful in its tenor and delivery that I have a hard time seeing the irony in it. Granted at the time that this song was written, drummer and band leader Bill Stevenson was a pretty angry guy (I base this assessment on various different interviews that I have read at the time and in years since the song was written) and I think that this song and “Uncle Critic” were him venting his frustrations. What also bothers me about those two songs is that if someone’s only exposure to this band was this record, then the listener would probably leave with a not-so-flattering opinion of the band and their views on homosexuals. Since I am a connoisseur of everything ALLular I know that these guys aren’t homophobes or hate mongers of any kind. In fact I think that they are quite the opposite, but that’s not the impression one gets from these songs.

Just to make sure that my opinion of Pummel wasn’t misguided, I listened to the album again start-to-finish yesterday for the first time in a long time and still went away feeling like I’d just gone on an overall bumpy road trip with a few very wonderfully smooth spots along the way.

Finally, I think the best thing to come from Pummel and ALL’s short-lived venture into major label-land was that they were able to build their recording studio, The Blasting Room, which has served as their home and the place that many classic record have been produced. The other great thing about this album was that I got to see ALL and meet Bill Stevenson and Stephen Egerton when they played OKC on the Pummel tour (the first thing that Bill said to me was “Do you know where I can get some milk for my coffee?”…it was awesome!). The show truly knocked my socks off and was pretty much a religious experience. And even though this is not one of my favorite ALL records, if/when it gets reissued (which they have been promising for years now) I will be all over that action. What can I say…I’m a diehard fan.

Comics Review: Green Arrow: Quiver & Sounds of Violence

Titles: Green Arrow: Quiver (DC Comics, DC Comics Database, Amazon, Wikipedia) and Green Arrow: Sounds of Violence (DC Comics, Amazon)

Green Arrow: Quiver and Sounds of Violence are two graphic novels that collect the first two story arcs of the current Green Arrow series, both written by Kevin Smith (View Askew Productions, Twitter, MySpace, IMDB, Wikipedia) and penciled by Phil Hester (Wikipedia). I had originally planned on reviewing Quiver yesterday but I ran out of time in the morning and the proceeded to plow through Sounds of Violence at work last night, hence the double review.

Quiver is the story of Green Arrow’s, i.e. Oliver Queen, return from the dead and search for answers to why the world is different than he remembers, why people keep thinking he is dead, and what exactly happened to him (I could say more but I don’t want to give away too many details). Sounds of Violence picks up where Quiver leaves off and delves into Queen’s relationship with his son, his ex, and his would-be new partner.

What makes these graphic novels so incredible is the outstanding writing by Kevin Smith and the top notch artwork by Phil Hester. Smith’s knowledge of the DC Universe and these characters is so extensive that it borders on scary but combine that and his skills with a pen and you have some of the best comic book stories that I have ever read. And while I am relatively new to the character of Green Arrow, I think it is safe to say that he has knocked Captain Marvel out of the # 2 slot on my list of favorite all-time superheroes. He is witty, smart, and an honest to goodness classical liberal (and yes the fact that many of the character’s political view mirror my own does make me like him that much more). The other thing that makes Oliver Queen such a great character is his flaws. He makes very real and very human mistakes and often has a very hard time dealing with them. Why is this appealing? Because often in the costumed world of villains and heroes one expects things to be clack and white, good and evil, right and wrong, and to see a character like Queen struggle with the day-to-day relationships of life while at the same time relentlessly fighting evil and standing up for the little guy, makes his character that much more real and to some extent, admirable.