Color Me Obsessed

I've got to see this movie!!!!!!!

Thanks to Pop Candy for the find.

Kids and the Ramones

Here are a bunch of different kid bands covering the Ramones classic "Blitzkrieg Bop." I have to admit that my kids have always like the Ramones, but then again how can you not?

Thanks to Pop Candy for the find.

So Someone Thought Doing a Remake of Teen Wolf as a TV Show was a Good Idea?

Well, shockingly, it doesn't look that bad.

Screeching Weasel Implodes

This has been a bad couple of weeks for Ben Weasel. First he got into a fight at SXSW (which was of course captured on video and posted on YouTube; watch the videos...it's amazingly idiotic). Then he apologized for his actions. After that a number of bands dropped out of the upcoming Weasel Fest. If that wasn't enough, the other members of Screeching Weasel all quit the band (not that I can blame them one iota). But wait, there's more. That upcoming Weasel Fest...yeah it's been cancelled.

A few things come to mind looking at this entire fiasco.

1. Punk rockers do really stupid things at shows


2. A middle-aged man, who has a wife and kids, should know better than to even respond to the morons in the crowd


3. Punk rockers do really stupid things at shows.

I love punk rock but I hate the way a lot of people behave at punk shows and this mess with Ben Weasel is a perfect example of the idiocy that goes on at many of these events. Grow up people.

Video of the Day

"Mine Smell Like Honey" by R.E.M.

Some Cities Have All the Luck

PunkNews.org is reporting the the Descendents are going to play Riot Fest in Chicago. Needless to say I'm jealous.

Video of the Day

"Seven" by Sunny Day Real Estate

Okay Is It Just Me or Did Blogger Jack with the Spacing Settings?

The past few days when I’ve done posts, in order to try to get the spacing between paragraphs to look right, I have to go into the Edit HTML tab and stay in that tab when I click Publish Post, otherwise it will take out all of my spaces in-between paragraphs.

Generally I write all of my posts in Microsoft Word and then paste them into the Compose tab in Blogger (unless I’m at the library and there I have to paste into the Edit HTML tab for some reason). But starting a few days ago, when I do that Blogger doesn’t seem to recognize the paragraph breaks and thus I have to go back and add them in Edit HTML, but since I am HTML stupid some of my posts end up looking really goofy (like this one).

Am I the only one that has noticed this? Any ideas on how to fix it so that it works like it used to?

Religious Discrimination in the Workplace

According to this story, a woman in Albany, NY claims that she was fired from her position at the TSA because of her religion: Wicca.

From the story –

Carole A. Smith said she lost her job at Albany International Airport after a series of events that started with a co-worker accusing her of casting a hex. Smith, reportedly one of the best at the airport in finding weapons and drugs, has been trying since June 2009 to get her job back.

Smith filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The case is currently in the appeals process.

Selena Fox, senior minister of Circle Sanctuary church, and one of the country's preeminent Wiccan educators, said the issue here is freedom of religion.

[...]

A proud Wiccan, Smith told MSNBC.com she was advised in March 2009 by a TSA official in Albany that she was being investigated for "workplace violence" after the co-worker, Smith's former mentor, accused her of casting a spell that broke the co-worker's car heater.

"I was dumbfounded," Smith said. "I told him, that's not what Wicca is. We don't cast spells. That's not witchcraft."

[...]

The assistant director of the Albany TSA office recommended Smith enter a mediation session with her accuser, but Smith declined.

"I'm like, 'No.' I refused to do that. It's not up to me to teach her my religion," Smith said.

Insubordination was later listed as one of the reasons for her firing. But before that, Smith said she was subjected to harassment by co-workers as they heard about the complaint.

"Where did you park your broom?" Smith said one co-worker asked her. "Why don't you come to work in your pointy hat?"

[...]

After the initial complaint, Smith said she was written up on a number of minor disciplinary actions. In response, she became a whistleblower, including writing up a supervisor for leaving a gate open.

The TSA argued it had good reason to fire Smith. In a statement to AOL Travel News, the agency said an Administrative Law Judge ruled in Nov. 2010 in TSA's favor, "noting that her termination from TSA was non-discriminatory."

Because the decision is being appealed, the agency declined to comment further.

Fox said the church is providing Smith support as she tries to get her TSA job back.

"Religious discrimination is very much a part of this case; at the heart of it," Fox said. "The TSA has to uphold the constitution just like any other federal agency. We have freedom of religion protected, and it shouldn't get someone fired from their job."

Fox added the Wicca religion is often misunderstood. "It has nothing to do with negative things, with the devil or anything like that," she said.

In a lot of ways it boggles my mind that people can be so ignorant, but then after about 10 minutes at work I’m reminded that oh yeah the American population tends to be extremely ignorant of a lot of things. I know that we all have areas of expertise and we’re all ignorant about something, but this kind of blatant ignorance and bigotry is unsettling. I hope that this woman is able to get her job back, but I wonder what the working environment will be like for her when she returns.

CD Review: Guts n’ Teeth

Title: Guts n’ Teeth (Fat Wreck Chords, Amazon, InterPunk)
Artist: Old Man Markley (Official, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Last.fm, Fat Wreck Chords, Wikipedia)

Old Man Markley is a conglomeration of California punk rockers and bluegrass musicians that have put together a truly excellent traditional bluegrass record that includes all of the must have elements. Fiddle? Check. Banjo? Check. Standup bass? Check. Mandolin? Check. Washboard? Check. Harmonica? Check. And of course there is a guitar and drums. The songs on the band’s debut album Guts n’ Teeth are about love and loss and sound like something that would belong right next to classics by Bill Monroe and Flatts & Scruggs. This is a truly fantastic record, but I love bluegrass, so I have to admit I’m not sure how the traditional punk rock community/scene will react to this. But then again a lot of punk rockers are playing country and roots music these days (see Chuck Raga, Tim Barry, Drag the River, and pretty much everything on Suburban Home Records as examples). But back to the record, there’s honestly not much more to say than this record is really freaking good; easily one of the best to come out so far this year. Hopefully these guys and gals will make a stop in OKC at some point this year.

Currently Listening

1. “Silence” by ALL (from Mass Nerder)
2. “Guilty Girls” by Buffalo Tom (from Skins Disc 1)
3. “The Trench” by Chuck Ragan (from Gold Country)
4. “Flat” by The Copyrights (from Make Sound)
5. “The Diamond Church Street Choir” by The Gaslight Anthem (from American Slang)
6. “Screen Door” by Uncle Tupelo (from No Depression [Bonus Tracks])
7. “Freak Scene” by Dinosaur Jr. (from Fossils)
8. “Country Boy” by Johnny Cash (from Unchained)
9. “Mandy” by Me First & the Gimme Gimmes (from Have a Ball)
10. “Do Me Like You Do” by Old Man Markley (from Guts ‘n Teeth)

Batman to Get Another Big Screen Reboot

According to this story, Warner Bros. is planning a live action Justice League and in doing so plan to reboot the Batman franchise after 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. It seems that they want to make sure that the Dark Knight fits in with Green Lantern, the new Superman, and even new takes on The Flash and Wonder Woman. The good news is that Christopher Nolan will be producing the new project.

Here’s my question – Why can’t the existing Batman franchise be used in the Justice League?

Video of the Day

"Relatin' Dudes to Jazz" by fIREHOSE

CD Review: Skins

Title: Skins (Amazon)
Artist: Buffalo Tom (Official, Facebook, MySpace, Last.fm, AllMusic, Wikipedia)

I’ve been a fan of Buffalo Tom’s work since I saw their video for the song “Taillights Fade” on 120 Minutes nearly 20 years ago. And one thing that I can say about this band is that they are consistent. Sure some albums are better than others (their two best are probably Let Me Come Over and Big Red Letter Day) but the band has never released a bad record and Skins is another solid example of Buffalo Tom’s songwriting prowess.

On my first listen, Skins sounded like a mellow record and after further listens I think that it is a mellow record overall but it is not at all out of character for the band. One thing that does stand out on this record is the sense of maturing and an almost feeling comfortable with middle-age vibe. Song like “Don’t Forget Me” (which includes vocals by Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses and Belly fame) is an ode to aging and not wanting to be forgotten. “Guilty Girls” is a great pop rock number and “Paper Knife” is an honest look at trying to make a living in the music industry. Buffalo Tom was never really a mainstream success. Sure they appeared on My So-Called Life (in one of the most pivotal episodes of the series), contributed to the No Alternative compilation and the School House Rock tribute, opened for bands like The Goo Goo Dolls and Counting Crows, and had a minor hit with the song “Soda Jerk” but they never moved passed the cult status. And they never tried to according to a recent interview they did with the Boston Herald –

… Buffalo Tom never tried to be the next Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd. Instead the band aspired to be the next Replacements or Husker Du, writing loud, fuzzy pop songs to play to friends at a half-full T.T. the Bear’s Place.

“There were times when I felt our career would have progressed if we tried to reinvent the wheel, but it never felt right,” Colbourn said.

This is something that I respect immensely.

For diehard fans of the band Skins will be a welcomed addition to an already excellent discography. If you are new to Buffalo Tom’s music, Skins is as good of a place to start as any, but you may want to consider checking out their best of collection Asides.

Currently Reading: Serpent’s Storm

Title: Serpent’s Storm (Amazon, Google Books)
Author: Amber Benson (Official Blog, Facebook, Twitter, IMDB, Wikipedia)

Amber Benson’s Calliope Reaper-Jones series is one of my favorites and I eagerly await each new entry. In fact there are only a few series that I follow this closely (Terry Brooks’ Shannara series and Michael Scott’s Nicholas Flamel series are two others). And so far Serpent’s Storm is not disappointing. I’m a bit over halfway through the book and while I can’t wait to see what happens, I don’t want to reach the end because I know that I’ll have to wait until next year to get the next book in the series. Once I’m done, I’ll post a proper review.

Currently Listening

1. “Guilty Girls” by Buffalo Tom (from Skins Disc 1)
2. “Living and Learning” by Old Man Markley (from Guts n’ Teeth)
3. “Ah, You Left Me” by David Lowery (from The Palace Guards)
4. “Darlin’” by Austin Lucas (from Common Cold)
5. “Crestfallin’” by Armchair Martin (from Good Guys, Bad Band)
6. “When Is the Moment That You’ll Sing?” by Mike Park (from North Hangook Falling)
7. “This November” by Tim Barry (from Manchester)
8. “Your Voice is Music” by Chad Price (from Smile Sweet Face)
9. “Twenty Nine” by Doug McKean (from Concerto for Second Fiddle)
10. “Start Today” by Gorilla Biscuits (from Start Today)

10 Years Ago Today…

Today is the tenth anniversary of the first ever (in modern times) legal gay marriages. And who was the forward thinking country? Holland. According to the story, the divorce rate for gay male couples in that past 10 years is 5%. That’s pretty impressive.

How About Some Hello Kitty Tombstones?

Not a joke.

Spy vs. Spy

Here is an excellent article by Danniel Parker at The City Sentinel that gives a detailed account of the fallout with 105.3 The Spy.

Thanks to Charles Hill for the find.

Weighing In: Week 2

Weight (3/28/11): 249.0 lbs

Here we are at the beginning of week two. After doing my walk/jog/run combo everyday until Friday last week (I skipped Friday because there was a ton of things that I had to do that morning) and then picking it back up again on Saturday, my knees are killing me. I went out on Friday and got actual running/training shoes and some knee brace things and they helped a bit on my Saturday walk/jog/run but my knees still hurt (especially when I walk down the stairs). So on Sunday I went on a power walk on the same route around my neighborhood (which is about 1.3 miles) and today I worked out to a Billy Banks DVD (Billy’s Boot Camp: Basic Training). My knees don’t hurt near as much as they did after the walk/jog/run and I got my heart rate up (which is what my doctor wants) so I think going forward I’ll work out to those videos and ride one of our bikes around the neighborhood a few times a week (switching off as weather permits). But I haven’t gone down the stairs since my work out…we’ll see what happens then.

Video of the Day

"My Life Would Suck Without You" Kelly Clarkson

It’s Anya’s Worst Nightmare

A giant bunny.

Video of the Day

"Kim The Waitress" by Material Issue

Weighing In: Week 1

Weight (3/21/11): 256.0 lbs

Weighing In is a new column that I’m going to be doing each Monday (okay I know that today is Tuesday but I wasn’t able to finish this yesterday because my daughter was home sick and I had to take her to the doctor) to track my progress in trying to lose weight and get into better shape.

Last week I went to the doctor because of persistent issues with lightheadedness, dizziness, and chest pains. My doctor ran a battery of tests and when I went back later in the week for the results he told me that I have an enlarged left atrial, high cholesterol (specifically the bad kind), and I’m borderline diabetic. The enlarged left atrial is caused by high blood pressure and the rest I’m pretty sure is because I’m a fatty. Before the test results came in, he said that my symptoms were in line with the signs of a nervous breakdown. In other words my body was slowly shutting down from stress. Needless to say this kind of freaked me out. Once we got the results, he put me on some blood pressure medicine and gave me the choice of taking something for the cholesterol or trying to get exercise and lose weight. I opted for the second option. When I asked if he still thought this was stress related he said that it was. So seeing as I’m a stressed out fatty I think that the best thing for me would be to start exercising, cutting back on my food intake, and overall just trying to lose weight. Since then I have been doing a walk/jog/run combo every morning around my neighborhood. Hopefully this will be a good starting point for me.

I decided to track my progress here on my blog for a couple of reasons: 1) I need to keep track of my progress and I will probably lose any paper that I use in that capacity and 2) I figure by making this a semi-public thing that it will help keep me motivated.

My plan is to weigh myself every Monday after my walk/jog/run and post the results here. Wish me luck.

And Our Choices Just Got Even More Limited

AT&T is buying T-Mobile. We’re going to go from four companies with national coverage to two. That is not good for customers or for the business. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.

From the story –

The effect of reduced competition in the cellphone industry is harder to fathom. Public interest group Public Knowledge said that eliminating one of the four national phone carriers would be "unthinkable."

"We know the results of arrangements like this -- higher prices, fewer choices, less innovation," said Public Knowledge president Gigi Sohn, in a statement.

T-Mobile has relatively cheap service plans compared with AT&T, particularly when comparing the kind that don't come with a two-year contract. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said one of the goals of the acquisition would be to move T-Mobile customers to smart phones, which have higher monthly fees. AT&T "will look hard" at keeping T-Mobile's no-contract plans, he said.

The more that these massive companies consolidate, the worse off the American people will be.

Currently Listening

1. “Here We Go Again” by Demi Lovato (from Here We Go Again)
2. “Summer” by Buffalo Tom (from Sleepy Eyed)
3. “Good Enough for Rock and Roll” by Chuck Ragan (from Gold Country)
4. “My Life Would Suck Without You” by Kelly Clarkson (from All I Ever Wanted)
5. “Star 69” by R.E.M. (from Monster)
6. “Cradle of Love” by Billy Idol (from Greatest Hits)
7. “Think I’m in Love” by Eddie Money (from The Best of Eddie Money)
8. “Bastards of the Highway” by John Moreland & the Black Gold Band (from Things I Can’t Control)
9. “This Addiction” by Alkaline Trio (from This Addiction)
10. “She’s My Ex” by ALL (from Allroy’s Revenge)

Video of the Day

"Scary Eyes" by The Pavers

Video of the Day

"Jane" by The Loved Ones

Currently Watching: 30 Rock Season 4

Title: 30 Rock Season 4 (NBC, IMDB, Amazon, Wikipedia)

The fourth season to 30 Rock is, up through the first disc of the three disc set at least, flipping hilarious!!!! If you are a fan of the show then you are already familiar with the shenanigans and tomfoolery that occurs and so far, Season 4 is proving to be the funniest season yet.

CD Review: The People’s Key

Title: The People’s Key (Amazon, iTunes)
Artist: Bright Eyes (Official, Facebook, MySpace, Last.fm, Saddle Creek, AllMusic, Wikipedia)

Until The People’s Key, I’d listened to, nor planned on checking out, anything by Bright Eyes. Then while at a recent trip to Guestroom Records, one of the fantastic gentlemen behind the counter replied with The People’s Key when I asked if there was anything new out that was good and worth checking out. He went on to say that he was generally not a fan of Bright Eyes but he really liked this new CD. A few days later I was in Wal-Mart and I noticed that they had this CD on sale. What struck me about that was the fact that the album was released on Saddle Creek Records (Official, MySpace, YouTube, Wikipedia) which I thought was a pretty small label (but I was apparently wrong on that assumption because it appears that they have a distribution deal with either Warner Bros. or Sony). My curiosity took the better of me and I decided to pick up the record and give it a shot.

I’ve listened to this record off and on since getting it a few weeks ago and my impression that it is a good indie rock album. In a lot of ways this really reminded me of a male-fronted version of Rilo Kiley. I’m honestly not sure how much I’m going to listen to this CD going forward…not that it’s bad mind you but because my head is in a different place musically than this. Again though, this is a very good album.

Currently Listening

1. “Shell Games” by Bright Eyes (from The People’s Key)
2. “Going Away” by Chad Price (from Smile Sweet Face)
3. “Armchair” by Avail (from 4AM Friday [Bonus Tracks])
4. “Dealing With…” by Armchair Martin (from Good Guys, Bad Band)
5. “10 West” by Chuck Ragan (from Gold Country)
6. “Peg O’ My Heart” by Dropkick Murphys (from Going Out In Style)
7. “Asian Prodigy” by Mark Park (from North Hangook Falling)
8. “Talk Me To Sleep” by Red City Radio (from The Dangers of Standing Still)
9. “That Someone is You” by R.E.M. (from Collapse Into Now)
10. “Letterman” by Old Man Markley (from Guts n’ Teeth)

Video of the Day

"The Deep South" by The Promise Ring

Who are the 10 Funniest Women in SNL History?

The folks at TV Squad have actually tried to answer that question with their piece The 10 Funniest Women in 'Saturday Night Live' History. Overall I think this is a pretty good list.

Cover Wars: "Kids in America"

Kim Wilde vs. The Muffs





My Vote: The Muffs

Want to Catch a Good Look at the Moon?

Just look up in the sky tonight and enjoy the Lunar Perigee. The moon will be closer to Earth tonight than it has been in 20 years. Go out and enjoy the view. Just look out for any werewolves…

Thanks to Unreasonable Faith for the heads up.

What the WHAT?!?

I’m just going to let this headline speak for itself…

Courtney Love Toyed With Snorting Kurt Cobain's Ashes

Facts and Faith

People often make statements of faith/religion as if they were statements of fact. Simply put faith and facts are—most often—not one and the same. In most cases religious faith is a matter of opinion and belief, not facts. This is not an attack or a slight on religion or those of faith. We all have our beliefs that are built on the assumptions and presuppositions that are the foundations of our worldview, but what people need to realize is that is exactly what they are—assumptions.

I started mulling over the idea of doing this post after reading this post by Man of the West and specifically in reaction to the following statement –

Sooner or later, you have to stop playing footsie with people and tell them straight up: you are perfectly free to be wrong, but you are wrong, there are not multiple paths to eternal life, there is only one, and if you don't take it, you are going to spend eternity in a superheated condition.

MOTW is making a statement of fact but really what it is, is a statement of belief based on his religious faith. Unlike knowing the fact the two plus two equals four, no one knows for sure that “there are not multiple paths to eternal life, there is only one, and if you don't take it, you are going to spend eternity in a superheated condition.” This is an opinion; in this case a well read and educated one, but an opinion nonetheless.

No one knows if there is a God; let alone what he/she/it wants from us (if anything). People have their opinions and beliefs based on a variety of religious doctrines and texts but none of them are facts. The Bible is no more a book of facts than The Iliad, The Bhagavad Gita, or Grimm’s Fairy Tales. To say otherwise is to not understand the definition of the word.

Album Review: Unpaid Fines

Title: Unpaid Fines (Christophe’s Music Blog)
Artist: Christophe (Music Blog, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, ReverbNation)

Unpaid Fines is a limited collection of material recorded by Christophe Murdock with various projects over the years including demos and live tracks. As Christophe explained in our recent interview, the collection was put together to help payoff some traffic fines –

Between now and Feb. 15th I'm taking orders for an ultra limited edition compilation CD to help pay some fines off... so it's called "Unpaid Fines". I might extend the final date because of the weather. I know mail wasn't running for a few days there. This CD will be full length and include demos and rare tracks from various projects I'm in. You can get the info and view the current track listing here: http://hardcoreokieboy.blogspot.com/2011/01/rare-cd-available-for-limited-time-only.html I'm also thinking about adding a couple live tracks including a Too Live Crew cover and possibly a Social Parasite track.

Because much of this collection is demos and live tracks the production is pretty hit or miss, but overall it’s an enjoyable record. Even though the tracks range from rap covers to acoustic outlaw country to death rock/horror punk, one thing that is consistent is the dark content of the lyrics (Christophe’s love of the horror genre greatly comes through in his music). My personal favorite track is the Mockingbird Lane four-track demo “The Last Man on Earth” (not to be confused with The Staggers’ classic by the same name).

If you are a fan of Christophe’s music, then this CD is definitely something to track down (though it might be a little hard to get because it was available for a limited time).

Video of the Day

"Daylight" by Matt & Kim

I Know that the New Banking Regulations are Costing Banks a lot of Money But…

Stories like this still make me think that we are getting gouged.

Talk About Lowering Your Standards

Madame Tussauds now has a wax figure of Justin Bieber.

The Return of 120 Minutes

MTV2 has resurrected, what IMHO is the best thing that MTV EVER produced, the show 120 Minutes. When I first saw the headline I actually got a little bit excited. Then I read this part –

MTV2 is playing they're own part in bringing back the '90s with the return of MTV's famous alternative rock show "120 Minutes." That's right -- it's back (with new music, of course), and the original host Matt Pinfield is reprising his role as "walking musical encyclopedia." Seriously. How does he know everything ever?

Okay…MTV really needs to hire someone to do some fact checking because Matt Pinfield was NOT the original host of 120 Minutes. When I started watching the show in 1990 it was hosted by Dave Kendall, but even he wasn’t the show’s original host. A quick jaunt over to the Wikipedia entry for 120 Minutes and one will see that the show had been on the air for NINE YEARS before Pinfield joined.

I have to admit that to me, the show started going down hill after Pinfield become the host. I remember seeing his first episode; he interviewed Oasis and was kissing up to them so hard I nearly hurled. It’s not that I dislike Oasis because I don’t, but I certainly don’t take them seriously as an alternative rock band and the way that Pinfield was talking to them you’d have thought that they taught Johnny Marr how to play guitar. After watching that interview, it was really hard for me to take his actually good interview with Rancid seriously. Am I being a bit of a music snob? Probably but oh well. Plus his voice really gets on my nerves.

But all of that aside, it’s good to see 120 Minutes back on the air. Hopefully they will help introduce a lot of kids to some really good music.

Someone Needs to Explain to the Folks at MTV What Indie Means

MTV Buzzworthy Blog is doing Indie Music Month this month, showcasing videos by artists on indie (i.e. independent) record labels. Cool idea right? Well it seems that the might be a little confused on what exactly constitutes an independent record label.

Case in point – Yesterday they featured the new Dropkick Murphys’ video for the song “Memorial Day.” Featuring a DKM video on St. Patrick’s Day makes sense (heck it’s almost cliché at this point) but they aren’t on an independent record label. Born & Bred Records, the band’s label, is what’s called a vanity label and is part of Warner Bros. So I don’t really see how a video produced for a record that is manufactured and distributed by Warner Bros. could be considered “indie.”

CD Review: The Methadones

Title: The Methadones (MySpace, Last.fm, AllMusic, Wikipedia)
Artist: The Methadones (iTunes, Interpunk)

Last June The Methadones announced that they were breaking up and releasing their final album in November. The self-titled album includes five new songs and songs from the split with The Copyrights and some recent 7-inches. Overall this is a good release but it seems to be the kind of release designed for hardcore fans of the band, instead of a final swam-song album. That’s not to say that it’s bad, on the contrary it’s quite good, but it feels like a collection instead of an album (and to be fair that’s exactly what it is). If you’re new to The Methadones but are interested in checking them out, then I’d suggest getting 2007’s This Won’t Hurt, it is one of the best pop punk records ever recorded.

Audra Mae to Perform on the New Chuck Ragan Album

According to an interview Chuck Ragan did with PunkNews.org, Oklahoma City’s very own Audra Mae (Facebook, MySpace, Last.fm, Wikipedia) will be performing on his next record.

From the story –

I understand that you're working on the follow up to Gold Country, which was a great, great album...
Thank you. Yeah, right now we've got a couple-dozen songs and just got to get them down – it's time and we've got songs to put out. Next month, we'll be recording the record with Christopher Thorn, from Blind Melon, and he's a fantastic producer and engineer.

We're just going to hammer it out and have a great time doing it. It'll be the three of us – Jon Gaunt (violin player) and Joe Ginsberg (bass player) – and also a couple of our buddies from Lucero. We're doing it in Silver Lake (Los Angeles) so who knows who'll be in town and who's going to pop in and join in on the record – Audra Mae will be there for sure.

Chuck Ragan, and his band Hot Water Music, is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists. His two albums Feast or Famine and Gold Country (along with the split CD he did with Austin Lucas Bristle Ridge) are excellent and the fact that Audra Mae will be on his next record make me that much more excited about it.

Video of the Day

"Forget You" by Cee Lo Green with Gwyneth Paltrow

I Know That I am Totally Going to Lose Punk Rock Points By Saying This But…

I really like that new Avril Lavigne song “What the Hell.”

Great Band Alert: The Oh Wells

The Oh Wells are an indie pop/folk band from Vancouver that has recently released The EP That We Love. I found that band thanks to YouTube where I found a link to the video for their song “Closure” (see below) and was pretty impressed with what I heard.

For more information on The Oh Wells check out their Official website, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Bandcamp.

Green Day and Husker Du Release Split for Record Store Day. Wait, What?!?

PunkNews.org is reporting that Green Day and Husker Du will be releasing a split 7 inch record for Record Store Day. Now before anyone gets too excited out there, Bob Mould and Grant Hart have not buried the hatchet and Husker Du is not reuniting. This record has on one side the Husker Du classic “Don’t Want to Know if You are Lonely” from their album Candy Apple Grey and Green Day’s cover of the song on the other side.

For Those Who Meditate

Did you ever wonder why meditation is practiced with your eyes open? Here’s the answer.

CD Review: Collapse Into Now

Title: Collapse Into Now (Amazon, Wikipedia)
Artist: R.E.M. (Official, Facebook, MySpace, Last.fm, AllMusic, Wikipedia)

I think it is safe to say that most long time R.E.M. had become resigned to the fact that the band’s best days and music was behind them. Since the departure of drummer Bill Berry in 1997, R.E.M. just wasn’t the same band. Sure there were a handful of good songs on the albums that they released since then, but none of them would be considered great albums. Then the band released Accelerate.

2008’s Accelerate was a surprisingly good album and easily the band’s best work since Berry’s departure. Most conversations that I’ve had with people about Accelerate were pretty similar in that everyone agreed that the album was good but we were all a bit cautious in that proclamation. It was almost like we’ve all been so disappointed by the band for nearly a decade that we’re unsure if we can allow ourselves to actually enjoy an R.E.M. record. I suspect that many long time fans of the band will have this type of reaction to Collapse Into Now.

Collapse Into Now is another surprisingly good record. That is now two in a row for R.E.M. Does this bode well for the future musical prospects of this once beloved band? I certainly hope so. I first heard the album online (thank you NPR) and liked it enough to go and pick it up the day it came out. Since then I haven’t listened to the album non-stop but I have given it a spin enough time to know that it is a good record. Collapse Into Now harkens back to the days of Out of Time and Automatic for the People at times and picks up where Accelerate left off at others. At this point there aren’t any songs that really stand out to me but that probably has more to do with the fact that I am still absorbing the album.

If you are an old school fan of R.E.M. but haven’t gotten one of their albums in years, then at the very least you should listen to the album once, if not just take a chance and spend the $15 or so to get the CD. It’s honestly worth at least listening to, if not adding to your collection.

Currently Listening

1. “Somebody Love You” by Austin Lucas (from Somebody Love You)
2. “Shell Games” by Bright Eyes (from The People’s Keys)
3. “Thankful All the Same” by Mike Park (from For the Love of Music)
4. “Walk It Back” by R.E.M. (from Collapse Into Now)
5. “Tacoma” by Tim Barry (from Manchester)
6. “So Called Friend” by Uncle Tupelo (from No Depression [Bonus Tracks])
7. “Taking the Long Way” by Swingin’ Utters (from Daytrotter Studio 2/24/2011)
8. “Don’t Deconstruct” by Rilo Kiley (from Take Offs and Landings)
9. “Captioned for the Hearing Impared” by Red City Radio (from The Dangers of Standing Still)
10. “Memorial Day” by Dropkick Murphys (from Going Out In Style)

Video of the Day

"Brand New Love" by Lou Barlow

Video of the Day

"Easy" by Faith No More

Video of the Day

"The Ballad of Steve" by Frank Turner & Jon Snodgrass

When Fiction Becomes Reality

Check out the real flying house from Up.

Talk About a Wake-Up Call

The crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery got a treat when their usual wake-up call was changed to a message from the original Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner.

Video of the Day

"Go West" by Austin Lucas

Is It Just Me…

Or does anyone else get the feeling that the world is spiraling apart each time that you listen to/watch/read the news?

Currently Listening

1. “Let’s Call It an Evening” by One Man Army (from BYO Split Series, Vol. 5)
2. “Midnight Mile” by The Bouncing Souls (from The Gold Record)
3. “Simple Life” by Austin Lucas & Chuck Ragan (from Bristle Bridge)
4. “Boys Don’t Cry” by The Cure (from MTV Unplugged)
5. “Sunday Hardcore Matinee” by Dropkick Murphys (from Going Out In Style)
6. “String of Lies” by Goo Goo Dolls (from Superstar Car Wash)
7. “Jersey City” by The Hudson Falcons (from Desperation & Revolution)
8. “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett (from Fit to Be Tied: Greatest Hits by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts [Reissue])
9. “Present Day Memories” by Mike Park (from For the Love of Music)
10. “Molly’s Lips” by Nirvana (from Incesticide)

Will the U.S. Economy Grow Forever?

Economist Tyler Cowen doesn’t think so.

Be Careful When You’re Talking Smack on Twitter…

It could end up costing you a lot of money. Just ask Courtney Love.

Who Makes the Working Class Look Worse?

According to John Lydon (a.k.a. The Sex Pistols’ Johnny Rotten) it’s Ozzy Osbourne.

From the story –

The ex-Sex Pistols singer has laid into the former Black Sabbath frontman for a career of controversial antics that, he claims, have helped negatively stereotype working class people in Britain. "The rumours of biting pigeon heads really haven't impressed me," announced the former Johnny Rotten, according to Contactmusic. "Ozzy acting like a senile delinquent is unimpressive. Ozzy's a working class man like me yet he allows that to happen."

Osbourne grew up the son of two factory workers in the Aston area of Birmingham. Lydon's parents, meanwhile, were poor Irish immigrants to London's Finsbury Park.

"By acting like he does, he implies that we're all stupid, the working classes," Lydon continued. "We're not! We're the proper Britain, us lot."

The fact that this is coming from Johnny Rotten is not only ironic but borderline hypocritical. Mr. Rotten has been well known to partake in the shenanigans and many of said tomfoolery were the kind that would not cast a kind light on the working class on Great Britain. I guess the poor old man is just desperate for attention.

Wisdom Dr. Seuss Style

Beliefnet has put together a piece entitled Inspiring Quotes from Dr. Seuss. You’re never too old for the good doctor.

Idiocy

There is a bill going through the Oklahoma State House (HB 1235) that would require a prescription to buy any medicine that contains pseudoephedrine. Why? Because this drug is used in the production of meth. It’s already a royal pain in the bippy getting anything with pseudoephedrine in it and I can’t see how this bill would honestly make a difference in the meth market. This is nothing more than government, probably with good intentions, encroaching on peoples lives for no good reason. I’m not the only one who thinks so either—both Man of the West and Charles Hill agree.

So what should we do to fix this problem? Simple. Legalize drugs.

Video of the Day

"True Believers" by Hot Water Music & The Bouncing Souls

Public Opinion on Gay Marriage Shifting

According to this story, public opinion on gay marriage is shifting.

From the story –

Gay marriage is continuing to gain acceptance among the public -- the latest survey from the Pew Research Center shows Americans almost evenly split between those who oppose and those who support same-sex marriage.

According to the poll, conducted during the last week of February, 45 percent of Americans say gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry, up from 37 percent in 2009 (and just 27 percent in 1996) while 46 percent oppose same-sex marriage, down from 54 percent two years ago, and down from a 65 percent disapproval rate in 1996.

Partisan differences remain stark, with 57 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of independents backing gay marriage. Only one in four Republicans support the right of gays to marry, but that is up from 15 percent in 1996.

Newly released data from the General Social Surveys (GSS) shows an even more striking shift, with a solid majority of 46 percent supporting gay marriage and just 40 percent in opposition.

Someday gay marriage will be legal and this debate in retrospect will seem silly. Hopefully that day will be sooner rather than later.

CD Review: Going Out In Style

Title: Going Out In Style (Official, iTunes, Amazon, Wikipedia)
Artist: Dropkick Murphys (Official, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, Wikipedia)

Going Out In Style is the Dropkick Murphys’ seventh album and sonically matches the tone and grove that the band perfected on The Warrior’s Code and continued with The Meanest of Times. What’s new this time around is that Going Out In Style is a concept record that surrounds the fictional character Cornelius Larkin. According to the Wikipedia article on the album, it “takes the band's own personal experiences and family folklore and roll them into the story” of Larkin.

I’ve been a fan of DKM since the 1997 Fire & Brimstone 7 inch. I’ve watched them lose a lead singer, gain a new one, lose a guitarist, gain two in his place along with a bag piper and a banjo/mandolin player, lose said bag piper and gain a new one, and develop a musical style that has influenced a score of bands to incorporate bag pipes and banjos into their punk rock. With being such a long time fan, it was fun watching this band develop over the years. Each album had a slightly different sound and feel to it. You could hear the growth in the music each time a record was released. This growth was then perfected on 2005’s The Warrior’s Code, which is the band’s best album in my humble opinion. 2007’s The Meanest of Times essentially picked up where The Warrior’s Code left off and now Going Out In Style basically keeps this same thread going. This is a good and a bad thing. It’s good in that DKM knows what they are doing and does it better than any other band out there in the Celtic punk genre. It’s bad because it sounds to me like the growth has stopped. In a way it’s like they have found their formula and their groove and now they are just riding that out. Gone are the straight up punk rock songs of Do or Die and The Gang’s All Here days. Now each song has a tin whistle, mandolin, banjo, or bag pipe in it. Again this isn’t bad, it’s just more of the same. DKM has never really been a band that found their groove right out of the gate and because of that I tend to look for the little bits of growth and development in their music. Now to be fair, my head is in a different place musically and this type of stuff doesn’t excite me like it used to and I’ve only listened to the record a handful of times from start to finish (and one of those times was at work). As I listen to it now while I write this review, Going Out In Style is growing on me.

If you are a fan of DKM then you should get this album. If you’re new to the band, this is a good a place as any to start listening to their music, but I would suggest checking out the albums in the order that they were released so you can get a good feel for the band and their progression. If you are a casual listener to DKM (in other words you really like “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” but don’t really know much, if any, of their other music) then Going Out In Style won’t disappoint. It is a fun Celtic punk romp with songs that dare you to not sing along and grooves that will make you want to dance a jig.

Currently Listening

1. “Don’t Let’s Start” by They Might Be Giants (from Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants Disc 1)
2. “Out of Control” by U2 (from Boy [Deluxe Edition] Disc 1)
3. “Leaner Days” by Sinkhole (from Groping for Trout)
4. “Good for Gone” by The Go-Go’s (from Return to the Valley of The Go-Go’s Disc 2)
5. “Hit Me Like You Did the First Time” by The Flaming Lips (from Hit to Death in the Future Head)
6. “Going Out In Style” by Dropkick Murphys (from Going Out In Style)
7. “Saints” by The Breeders (from Last Splash)
8. “99 Red Balloons” by 7 Seconds (from Walk Together, Rock Together)
9. “Sink or Swim” by Armstrong (from Dick: The Lion Hearted)
10. “Last Cigarette” by Dramarama (from The Best of Dramarama: 18 Big Ones)

Vinyl Survives

NPR Music’s The Record has a great piece on the continued survival and success of vinyl records, which was also featured on All Things Considered, titled Slow And Steady: Vinyl Survives. It’s a fascinating piece worth reading and listening to.

Guestroom Records Feature in Music Video

Our very own Guestroom Records is pictured (albeit briefly around the 1:03 mark) in The Brunettes’ video for the song “The Record Store.” I’ve never heard The Brunettes before but this song was pretty good and I may just have to see about getting one of their CDs (from Guestroom of course).



Thanks to Oklahoma Rock News Blog for the find.

Video of the Day

"Going Out In Style" by Dropkick Murphys

The Spy Wars are Over

Last night 105.3 FM KINB changed formats from alternative to jazz to become 105.3 The Martini. I was actually in the car with my kids listening to 105.3 around 5:30 or so before heading in to Andy Alligators, and they kept playing R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I feel Fine)” over and over and over. At first we thought that they messed up but when we came out and heard Frank Sinatra’s “Love and Marriage” I knew that the format had changed.

I’ll admit that I’m going to miss having an alternative station to listen to in the car. Granted this one seems to have deserved getting shut down after all of the shenanigans that they pulled. Now I’ve got more reason than ever to get the CD player in my car fixed.

Currently Listening

1. “We’ll Survive” by Hudson Falcons (from Desire to Burn)
2. “Bells” by Austin Lucas & Chuck Ragan (from Bristle Ridge)
3. “Broken Hymns” by Dropkick Murphys (from Going Out in Style)
4. “Challenging Me” by Mike Park (from For the Love of Music)
5. “Talk Me to Sleep” by Red City Radio (from The Dangers of Standing Still)
6. “I’ve Heard” by Dag Nasty (from Dag with Shawn)
7. “On the Clock” by The Methadones (from The Methadones)
8. “Don’t Deconstruct” by Rilo Kiley (from Take Offs and Landings)
9. “Gumshoe Andy” by Tim Barry (from Laurel Street Demos 2005)
10. “Take the Skinheads Bowling” by Camper Van Beethoven (from Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the ‘80s Underground Disc 4)

Is This the End of Traditional Book Publishing?

Stories like this sure make it look that way. Maybe I’m old fashioned but I still love holding a book or a CD. I guess I’m part of a dying breed.

CD Review: The Dangers of Standing Still

Title: The Dangers of Standing Still (iTunes, Paper & Plastick)
Artist: Red City Radio (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Last.fm, PureVolume,)

Red City Radio’s debut album, The Dangers of Standing Still, is pretty much what you’d expect from OKC’s latest punk rock heroes—passionate and catchy songs that take equally from classic post hardcore acts like Hot Water Music and classic pop punk acts like ALL (which isn’t surprising considering the record was produced by ALL/Descendents’ guitarist Stephen Egerton). This record will have your head bouncing and toes taping while you’re driving, doing dishes, or whatever it is that you do when you listen to music.

What is great about Red City Radio, aside from the fact that they write fantastically catch songs with great lyrics, is their unabashed love of the Sooner State. Often it is cool, or at least it was when I was younger, to talk trash about Oklahoma, but these guys obviously love their home state and aren’t afraid to let the world know it. It’s common to hear a band from Boston sing about how great that city is, but how often do you hear people singing the praises of Oklahoma? Not very often and for that I applaud Red City Radio. Plus the flipping name check the Roustabouts in the song “Spinning In Circles Is A Gateway Drug,” how f-ing cool is that?

Red City Radio have put out a debut record that could, and should, garner them a huge following around the country. If you think I’m biased because I’ve known one of the members for years or because they are probably my second favorite band from Oklahoma, then don’t take my word for it, take a look at what the good folks at Alternative Press had to say about this album (and yes I’m breaking my usual rule about quoting other people’s work in its entirety for this one) –

Hurtling out of Oklahoma City in whirlwind of dust and fire, Red City Radio have been making quite a stir since the release of their 2009 EP, To The Sons And Daughters Of Woody Guthrie. Playing socially aware, emotionally driven rock ’n’ roll, the band have followed through on the promise of that EP to produce an incredibly impressive and ambitious debut album. Dominated by raucous, gruff-voiced sing-alongs that are as catchy as they are brash and as anthemic as they are rebellious, this album is the product of four songwriters sharing an undeterred sense of purpose and being. While that four-way dynamic does run risk of diffusing and diluting the power of their songs, Red City Radio have succeeded in channeling their disparate parts into something singular and unified.

From the clattering warning bells of “An Introduction Of Sorts”—which begins with a chugging, slow-motion gang-vocal chant before transforming into a fraught and frenetic brash-punk outburst—to the pummeling rhythms of closing song “Nathaniel Martinez,” The Dangers Of Standing Still brims with an irrepressible spirit and passion for the duration of its near-40 minutes. Listen, for example, as they sing, in unison and with voices that Hot Water Music’s Chuck Ragan would be proud of, “Together we can burn this fucking city to the ground” on “Two For Flinching” and try not to join in. Even on the first listen, it’s pretty difficult.

That’s precisely where the poignancy and power of this album lies—somehow, the band have managed to turn yearning nostalgia into a bombastic outpouring of restless, hopeful exuberance. “Spinning In Circles Is A Gateway Drug” is a metaphysical and metaphorical coming of age tale that destroys the sadness of the past as it speeds away from it, while “Drinking Ourselves Into The Future” raises a glass to making the most of now and embracing the moment before, as so often happen, it slips away into the bottle. Elsewhere, “I'm Well, You're Poison” tumbles with history, turning the political past into the personal present with an urgent and impassioned burst of self-salvation, and the open-road romanticism of “This Day Has Seen Better Bars” drives through the dark American night and its never-ending highways with a desperate desire to escape to someplace else, wherever that might be.

Essentially, this is intelligent, emotive punk rock at its finest that’s not afraid to admit where it’s come from. But while there are shades of others—from Jack Kerouac to William S. Burroughs (whose Dead City Radio album gave this band their name), Bruce Springsteen to Hot Water Music, Jawbreaker to the Gaslight Anthem—the late night cities, the smoke-filled rooms, the dry lungs, the drowning livers and open highways of this record are those of Red City Radio alone. This album is their own journey through their own world, and it’s very much worth joining them.

My only complaint, and believe me it’s a little one, is with the packaging. The liner notes in the CD case are extremely hard to read, which kind of sucks for people like me who love to pour over the liner notes of an album. Other than that, this is a superb record that I highly recommend. If you have never heard Red City Radio but are a fan of bands like Hot Water Music, Dead To Me, The Bouncing Souls, The Gaslight Anthem, ALL, or Fugazi, I cannot recommend this record highly enough. Go out and get it. Now. You’ll thank me later.

Quote of the Day

I was talking about this to my friend Scott this morning and he said something along the lines about it being sad that teachers need a union to represent them in order to get paid a decent wage. I completely agree with Scott. Among all of our country's public employees, teachers are the ones that get screwed over most often and it is very sad that they are constantly getting the bone when it comes to budget cuts.

Teachers? Seriously? You want to take money away from teachers? Aren't they financially screwed enough as it is? These are the people that are shaping our children's future and directly related, our country's future. Are these really the people that you want to take money away from? Ridiculous.

-- Steve Long from the post Sounding Off on the Wisconsin Protests

Amen and amen.

Currently Listening

1. “Talk Me to Sleep” by Red City Radio (from The Dangers of Standing Still)
2. “The Benefits of Motion” by Red City Radio (from The Dangers of Standing Still)
3. “Church of Level Track” by Tim Barry (from Laurel Street Demos 2005)
4. “Will Travel” by Tim Barry (from 28th & Stonewall)
5. “Can I Say” by Dag Nasty (from Dag with Shawn)
6. “Under Your Influence” by Dag Nasty (from Dag with Shawn)
7. “For Goodness Sake” by Chuck Ragan (from Gold Country)
8. “For Broken Ears” by Chuck Ragan (from Feast or Famine)
9. “Last One Standing” by Drag the River (from Bad at Breaking Up)
10. “Until I Say So” by Drag the River (from Chicken Demos)