Best Music of 2008 – Mates of State

One of my favorite Christmas gifts was Re-Arrange Us, the latest CD from the band Mates of State. Though it’s their fifth full-length album, they are new to me, and I’d like to introduce them to you!
Don’t let their indie-rock posturing fool you, these two are nothing but pop music fun!
I first heard about Mates [...]

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2008, was it great??????

Happy New Year!!
Now that 2009 is in full swing, let us reflect on the year that just ended. I will start by first by mentioning music and television which made for a memorable 2008. Ranking and awarding art is a fun but ultimately silly exercise, but I will try hard to compile a few definitive [...]

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We Are Bad Bloggers!!

The title of this post is in itself an apology and a fairly cool name for a band. If you need a band name of course. We have been busy and therefore not consuming as much popular culture recently.  Aside from 30 Rock, The Office, and of course The Daily Show almost every night during [...]

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Newman & New Dylan

Not much to say that hasn’t already been eloquently stated elsewhere about the passing of Paul Newman. He was a legend in cinema who decided to do something with his fame that impacted people positively beyond his excellent work on screen. Check out the touching tribute below by David Letterman in case you missed it. [...]

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Hello Autumn! ***update: Chabon interview link fixed.

Another round of randomness…..
First music. I have been smitten by yet another band from Austin, TX by the name of Okkervil River. Their latest album is called The Stand Ins and is fantastic! Okkervil River along with Shearwater and Spoon make Austin a veritable indie music mecca. In an interesting promotional move for this album, [...]

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Goodbye Summer…..

I know, I know… I have been downright lazy the last few weeks and have no excuse for my lack of involvement here. I will do better after Labor Day, I promise.
Here are a few items of interest brought to you mostly by readers of this blog. How exciting!

First of all, in light of high [...]

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This Weekend @ the Uptown Theater, Next Weekend @ First Avenue

Man on Wire is a new documentary about a high-wire artist who walked between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. This film is winning award after award on the festival circuit and is a near shoo-in for a “Best Documentary” nomination at this year’s Academy Awards. The subject matter alone seems [...]

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Tom Waits Live

Not everyone’s cup of mud I know, but the eccentric, gravel-throated, mad-genius has just allowed NPR to host a full concert on the All Songs Considered website. Recorded in Atlanta from the last night stateside of his recent 13-city “Glitter and Doom” tour, he pulls out classics, reinterpretations and new material with the signature banter [...]

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Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog!

Joss Whedon, creator of the television shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, has created a one-time internet show for your enjoyment. He has a knack for blending diverse genres into something fresh and new, but I think he may have topped himself this time: a first-person-supervillain-musical-video blog. It may be a bit quirky for [...]

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Music Meme

In the interest of generating some actual activity among the few readers of this blog (I know you are out there!) I am posting this exercise in pure nerdery (sp?) for you all to ponder and partake in (just post your lists in the Comments section at the end of this post).
My good friend Ry [...]

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