TGIF's Tenacious Defense

Thank God it's Friday. I'm looking forward to hitting the bars tonight or tomorrow with KRS-One, although I don't think we're going to have as much fun as these two girls.

Having finally recovered from the Pearl Jam/Rolling Stones concert/drive to Pittsburgh and Altoona and back, I can also relax and watch a little sports this weekend. Or I could do all the reading I was supposed to have done during the week; but when it comes to choosing between Milton's Paradise Lost or the Yanks-Sox series, whad'ya gonna do.

Big game this weekend for #17 Wisconsin (3-0) as they welcome the surprising 3-0 Indiana Hoosiers to Madison. I don't think Wisconsin will fall to Indiana having come off a huge win versus Michigan last week, much to Ryan's dissapointment. Last time I saw the Badgers play the Hoosiers, Indiana had Randle-El; this time, not so much.

I finally got around to updating the Music Blogger fantasy football standings. Kevin and Ryan are still in the lead, but Kevin's got a tough matchup this week, and Nice Piece and I are clipping at their heels. Considering half of Chris' team is playing Tampa Bay this weekend, I should win fairly easily.

Friday Linkage

Michael Berube takes a look at the Bo Sox baseball history and how they don't suck, unlike disco.

And from NPR, baseball players who are making a name for themselves off the field and in the studio (with songs you can stream).

Also from NPR: an audio interview with the brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman on his upcoming film, Capote.

Follwing Ryan's Walken lead, McSweeney's has Christopher Walken attempting to convince a Harlem T-shirt vendor that Scarface can be a religion.

Featured Artist: Tenacious D

In honor of the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's tenacious defense, which will secure me a fantasy win this weekend (fingers crossed), VLM presents the coolest musician-turned-actors who moonlight as musicians, Tenacious D.

Tenacious D is flipping awesome. You have to agree. Sure, they're not Led Zepplin, but man do these guys love music. I saw Tenacious D open up for the Foo Fighters and Weezer in 2003 in Madison and they put on a raucous, hilarious show.

Rightfully hailed as "the greatest band on Earth," the super-sized acoustic metal/comedy duo Tenacious D was an unlikely success story. Actually, Tenacious D was probably so successful precisely because they were so unlikely: few people would imagine that two chunky guys bashing on acoustic guitars, singing songs like a tribute to the greatest song in the world (because they forgot how the greatest song in the world went after conquering the Devil with it) became one of the biggest cult bands of the late '90s and 2000s. But the sheer charisma, humor, and energy -- not to mention inspired songwriting -- of singers/guitarists/actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass (aka JB, Jables, KG, and Kage, among other aliases) took them from L.A.'s underground comedy scene to their own series on HBO and a major-label album deal.

The crazed, wide-ranging sense of humor and intensity that Black brought to Tenacious D also made him a sought-after character actor, appearing in films like Bob Roberts, The Cable Guy, and Saving Silverman; Gass' film career includes supporting roles in Jacob's Ladder, Idle Hands, and Evolution. Similarly, the D's act showcased Black's theatrical, versatile vocals and Gass' deft support on the guitar in seemingly stream-of-consciousness songs about smoking pot, the duo's musical and sexual prowess, and subjects straight out of Dungeons & Dragons, as well as in equally absurd and inventive sketches.

The duo met at an acting class and began playing together in 1994, making their live debut later that year at Al's Bar, playing just one number, the aforementioned homage to the world's greatest song, "Tribute." In the audience that night was comedian/actor David Cross, who invited Black and Gass to appear with him and other like-minded performers such as Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo in a series of alternative comedy shows. The D soon headlined shows at venues like Pedro's and Largo, planting the seeds of a die-hard cult following; not even their inauspicious film debut in 1996's Bio-Dome slowed their momentum....(read the rest of the bio)

Tenacious D - "Tribute"
Tenacious D - "Lee"
Tenacious D - "Cock Pushups"
Tenacious D - "F@!# her Gently"
Tenacious D - "One Note Song"

Bonus: George W. Bush - "White Lines" from Join the Party Party

Pearl Jam/Rolling Stones concert review

Last night the girlfriend and I went and saw Pearl Jam and The Rolling Stones at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and man what a show. Never mind that at least 60% of the crowd was over 40, and that some of them could care less about an opening band named Pearl something. The show was spec-f'ing-tacular.

As the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review said, "The North Shore swelled Wednesday afternoon with thousands of Rolling Stones fans of varying ages and social classes. New BMWs and rusted vans packed parking lots, where parties began mid-afternoon. Sidewalks teemed with teenagers and people who looked old enough to be Keith Richards."

A drawback was parking. It was utterly ridiculous the prices they were charging. To park on one of the concert venue lots it cost you $50, or $25 for a few blocks away. We ended up parking across the river and walking across the Clemente Bridge, and that still cost us $15. I missed out on the Pittsburgh Parking Authority garage just across the Clemente Bridge at Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Sixth Street, Downtown, which only charged $5 for the night. Damn.


Pearl Jam came on around 7 pm and played a solid hour of basically their greatest hits. They opened with "Go," went on to one of my favorite songs, "Corduroy," then went through "Animal," "Even Flow," "Gimme Some Truth," "Given To Fly," "Daughter," "Black, Betterman/(Save It For Later)," "Jeremy," "Last Kiss" (which Eddie introduced as "another teen death song"), "Alive," "Save You," and the finale, "Rockin' In The Free World."

It was a great set with a lot of classics, an incredibly emotional hour. Eddie was running from one end of the stage to the other with a bottle of wine saluting the crowd and "baptizing" them with some of the wine. My girlfriend cried during "Betterman"; it was that good.


After about an hour of us walking around trying to find a line of less than 50 people for an ATM, The Rolling Stones came out with a bang.

They opened with "Start Me Up" and there was fire shooting from the stage (we could feel the heat from where we were sitting) and fireworks. "They stayed in trashy rock mode for the first few songs -- "You Got Me Rocking," "She's So Cold" and "Tumbling Dice" -- as Mick Jagger worked the crowd in gold lame, looking sharp and moving like a frontman half his age -- assuming any frontman half his age could hope to move that way," said the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

Every woman wanted to sleep with this man last night

"Rough Justice" was next, followed by a beautiful duet with Eddie Vedder on "Wild Horses." What came next was "A suitably raucous performance of "Rocks Off" and spirited takes on such overplayed staples as "Sympathy for the Devil," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "It's Only Rock and Roll (But I Like It)," "Jumpin Jack Flash" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." Midway through the set, they rolled a portion of the stage out to the middle of the crowd for "Miss You," another great new rocker called "Oh No Not You Again," "Get Off My Cloud" and "Honky Tonk Women" as a giant inflatable tongue with flowers on it stood in for the band on stage," said the Post-Gazette.

Keith on guitar

This being a stadium show, they brought along a huge production, including two metallic columns of balconies flanking the stage where fans could pay a premium to look down on the show from a really strange angle. It looked awesome, and I heard it took 36 hrs to build just for tonight's show.

A view of the stage from about where our seats were

The Stones weren't perfect, and the two songs Mick left for Keith Richards to sing kind of lulled the crowd to sleep, but it was definently worth seeing and experiencing, even for $130. As for me, the "Wild Horses" duet will always be one of the best concert experiences I've ever seen. Surprisingly enough we even got out of the city pretty easily, which usually never happens after a huge concert. I have to admit I was more excited to see Pearl Jam than the Stones, but I wouldn't have wanted to spend the night any other way.

Pearl Jam - Smile video from East Troy, Wisconsin
Pearl Jam - "Wishlist" Bridge School Benefit 1999
Pearl Jam - "Lukin" Seattle 1998
Pearl Jam - "Courderoy" Seattle 1998

The Rolling Stones - "Tumbling Dice"
The Rolling Stones - "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
The Rolling Stones - "Not Fade Away"

Let's Spend the Night Together

Well, I'm off to see Pearl Jam and The Rolling Stones in Pittsburgh tonight. Tickets still available...get em' while they're hot.

I'll be back tomorrow with a review, but alas, probably not any pictures since they aren't allowing cameras in and I'm not sure I want to risk it.

The Rolling Stones - "Let's Spend the Night Together"
Pearl Jam - "Man of the Hour"

Badger Fans Beer Bong Better Than You

Now that's what I call a beer bong

Veritas Lux Mea opens with a great picture, borrowed from my friend Mike, of the pre-Badger game activites from last weekend. The high rise bong is a classic before the game.

News

Testical cancer public service announcement + lightly dressed Rachel Stevens = the best thing you can do for yourself today.

Apparently Everybody Doesn't Hate Chris. On a side note, I think I officially have a man crush on Jason Lee's mustache.

Sports

Game clock error aids Patriots in fourth quarter versus Steelers. I'm sure a lot of Steel City fans are going to bitch about this, but let's face it; it wasn't the game clock that beat you, it was your lack of being able to step up on defense and stupid offensive line holding penalities. On a side note, the Patriots are screwed without Harrison.

With Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler both out, the New York Jets are putting the ball in the hands of No. 3 QB, ex-Wisconsin quarterback Brooks Bollinger. Yeah baby. Roethlesburger '04 who?

Not Music

Dane Cook is hi-freakin'-larious. An inventive comedian and electric performer who has developed a worldwide following, Dane Cook is poised to firmly establish his unique brand of humor with upcoming projects in film and television.

Cook will next be seen on the big screen in Lions Gate Film's "Waiting."

Written and directed by Rob McKittrick and co-starring Ryan Reynolds and Anna Faris, the film follows the efforts of a group of young employees of a restaurant called Shenanigan's as they try to stave off boredom and adulthood as long as they possibly can. The film is due for release October 7th. In addition, he will be seen in Hunter Richards' "London" which stars Jessica Biel and Chris Evans.

Cook is currently enjoying the successful release of his sophomore CD/DVD, "Retaliation" which debuted at Number Four on the Billboard 200 making him the highest charting comedian in twenty-five years. "Retaliation" has been officially certified gold. This follows the success of Cook's debut release, "Harmful If Swallowed" which sold 230,000 copies in less than two years, garnering appearances on 5 different Billboard charts on numerous occasions since its release....
Read more here

Sept. 30th you can see Dane Cook on Comedy Central at 9:30 pm.

Some Dane Cook off the Harmful if Swallowed disc...

Dane Cook - "Dude, I Just Wanna Dance"
Dane Cook - "Do Not Tickle Me"
Dane Cook - "Tire in the Face"
Dane Cook - "Head"

MusicNPR to broadcast The Shins/White Stripes concert tonight on their website. The Shins can be heard at 8 pm ET and the White Stripes at about 9:10 pm ET. M. Ward opens the show at 7 pm ET.

My friend Nate's older brother's interview with OK GO for IGN.com. Whew, that was a mouthful. Also, check out his interview with Death Cab for Cutie.

The Stooges - "Down on the Street"
Neil Young - "Dance Dance Dance"
Weezer - "Hold Me"

Dude! Sweet!

Still up in Bellwood, so I want to make this short and sweet.

My friend Mike's review of the Madison, WI Sigur Ros concert, which I put on this site a few days ago, was featured in The Daily Page of the Isthmus. Sweet.

Wisconsin burst into the Top 25 in the AP Poll, landing at #17 after crushing the hearts of Michigan fans everywhere. Double sweet.

Foucault and Political Spirituality. Only read if you're a dork like me. Sweet?

Lucero - "Sweet Little Thing"

Kristin from Laguna Beach. Uber-sweet (even though she's a beyotch)

Any Given Sunday

I'm leaving after (er, when Philly is up by 20) the Philly-Oakland game today to head up to my girlfriend's house to watch the Steelers game, so I won't have an update Monday.

I've got a big matchup against Ryan of Muzzle of Bees this week in fantasy...hoping my boys can pull together a good win.

I'll be back Tuesday sometime to post and then Wednesday we're off to Pittsburgh to see The Rolling Stones and Pearl Jam in concert. Our seats: right behind the stage. Cha-ching.

Nirvana - "Love Buzz"
Cypress Hill - "When the Shit Goes Down"
Muse - "Unintended"

Badgers Win!

Wisconsin 23, #14 Michigan 20.

FUCK yeah!

Wisconsin Marching Band - "On Wisconsin"

Live blogging the Wisconsin-Michigan game

Back in tha' day

1st Quarter
Michigan. 4th and 1 on the Wisconsin 1 yard line. Michigan gets cocky, decides to go for it....
STUFFED.
2nd Quarter
12:48 Damn, Michigan's defensive line is eating up the Badgers. Stocco needs to get something going. He looks liable to pull a David Carr if the line doesn't start blocking somebody.
9: 55 After Michigan drives down the field, Sanders comes up huge with a sack on third down. Intentional grounding by Henne to boot.
9: 44 Rivas misses the field goal, but dipshit #17 hits kicker. 5-yard penalty, Rivas' second try...good. Michigan goes up 3-0.
4:27 Michigan scores with a 4 yrd td pass to Avant after slowly grinding their way down the field. Things aren't looking good. Wisconsin has been stalling on offense because Stocco can't get anything going with the pass, so the Michigan D has been able to key on the run and keep that locked down. The defense has played pretty good, a little bend-but-don't break...but all the time on the field is wearing them down. Wisconsin needs to get something on the board before half.
1:38 Stocco puts together a couple of throws and the Badgers are back in buisness on the Michigan 22 after Orr makes a great sideline grab.
1:17 Badgers passing game comes up short, forces a Melhoff field goal. Score: Michigan 10, Badgers 3.
0: 18 Henne throws a punt basically to Manningham all the way down to the 5 yrd line. Ridiculous. Turn around and look for the ball dback!
0: 09 Rivas tacks on another field goal for Big Blue. Michigan goes up 13-3.
Halftime

Well, that's that for the first half. I'm gonna give up on live blogging the rest of the game because a) it's too much work and b) The Badgers need my full attention. Check back for the final score, or better yet, watch the damn game.

Badgers fans, just gotta have faith!

George Michaels - "Faith"

Sigur Ros concert review

Diane Lane wants a mustache ride

So Thursday I got accepted to the Ph.D program at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania for their Literature program. Go me. Next up: UW-Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Duquesne. Let's hope someone other than IUP takes the bait on my chump ass.

That being said, I'm going to spend today reading Milton and being studious (ie. watching college football).

Wisconsin-Michigan 6 p.m. ET ESPN2

Kirk Herbstreit on College Gameday five minutes ago: "I say Wisconsin beats Michigan...somehow." You heard it here first.

ACL

The Austin American Statesman reviews Day One of the Austin City Limits festival.

An excerpt:

The day was full with cancellations and last-minute replacements.

Kathleen Edwards dropped out, which meant only one chance to hear Lucinda Williams. Mindy Smith, so charming at last year's fest, couldn't make it, so the Texiles, an aggregate of New Orleans players including four-fifths of the Iguanas and a top-flight horn section, were tapped for fill-in duty.
When they did a bittersweet "When I Get Home," after thanking their new home of Austin for some serious hospitality, the crowd responded with warmth. But the band never really lifted the throngs into the stratosphere where they were begging to be taken. Too much trumpet and not enough second line beat.

The stages seemed to bleed into each other more than in recent fests, with the mid-field Austin Ventures stage especially vulnerable. Too bad for Nic Armstrong & the Thieves, a four-piece from Nottingham, England, who have taken the Austin club scene by storm the past two months. Their set did not validate fevered new fans who've called the band the second coming of Saturday's headliners Oasis. They kinda sounded like the Waterboys in leather jackets. -- Michael Corcoran



Sigur Ros concert review

My friend Mike went to the Sigur Ros concert last night in Madison, WI and posted a review of the show on our message board:

Sigur Ros kicked ass last night. I was sitting front row balcony so i could see everything quite well. The opener was Amina, Sigur Ros's backing string quartet, and they had a nice set. One chick played the saw during two songs. The first time she picked it up someone yelled "be careful!"
Sigur Ros opened with a curtain over the stage so all you could see were their shadows. Since I was sitting on a side I could kind of see around it. They started with the first real track on the new album, rocked it hard and towards the end of the song they pulled the curtain back so you could really see the stage. The set list was something like 5 from the new album, 4 from Agaetis Byrjun, 2 from () and two I did not know and they played for over 2 hours. One of the songs I didn't know had the main guitarist hitting the strings with a drumstick. I think they may have played that at the Barrymore last time too and it's a great track.

The guitarist and the drummer end up in this competition over who can play their part fastest, producing some of the loudest music I've ever heard. They closed with track 8 from () and the room exploded. The drummer is a god during that song, he's just going ape shit on the drums for like 5 minutes straight. As the last song played the curtain came back over the stage which was too bad because they really bust their asses on that track. amina was ripping the shit out of their violins or whatever, the drummer is just insane and Jonsi's voice pierces through everything. After that they got a ten minute (at least) standing ovation and came out for three curtain calls.

Beastie Boys CD Release

Via Punknews.org - Beastie Boys are set to release Solid Gold Hits, a retrospective of the most successful songs over the band's genre-twisting career and includes material which spans more than two decades. The album is the second compilation from the band, the other being The Sounds of Science which collected a variety of remixes and b-sides as well as singles into a double CD release.

The group released To the 5 Boroughs last year and the compilation is due out November 8th. While the official track listing has not been announced yet, a tentative list was released on the band's message board, along with the artwork.

Featured Artist: The Stance


The Stance (Rudy, Matthew, Pete & Ronnie) play music that is equal parts sneering garage punk and Motown-inspired rhythm & blues. Citing such groups as the Small Faces, the Who, and the Sonics as influences, The Stance are poised to ignite the Halifax music scene, bringing back the days of the non-stop dance party.

The Stance - "Somebody Call the Law"

Cha-cha-cha-changes...

My Mom told me over the phone tonight that I need a little color in my life. I have a dirty mind, so I laughed first. Then I realized she was talking about my closet at home, which is full of a lot of greys, blacks and browns.

In response, I gave my blog a much needed color overhaul, just in time for autumn and Packers season.

So I hope you like and that it doesn't make you throw up in your mouth a little.

Coldplay - Yellow

Death of the Packalope

Did anyone catch The Daily Show last night? They had Rob interviewing The Packalope. Great stuff. For those of you who don't bleed green and gold, The Packalope is a grown man, Larry Primeau, who wears antlers on a Packers helmet to the games. Recently, his costume was banned by Lambeau Field authorities because it posed a "threat" to other spectators.

History of the Packalope
Packalope Cookbook

News Sports

Wow. Big game tomorrow folks. # 14 Michigan (2-1) stops by Camp Randall to take on the Wisconsin Badgers (3-0) in what is probably going to be a heart-wrenching game for me to watch.

A preview of the matchup can be found here.

I might be the only person I know not counting the Badgers out of this one, because the Badgers notoriously play well against "better" teams. Last year, undefeated # 5 Purdue and Heisman hopeful Kyle Orton were derailed when safety Robert Brooks forced Orton to fumble with just three minutes left in the game, allowing Scott Starks to pick it up and run for the touchdown.

This year, the Badgers are down four defensive linemen to the NFL draft, but have upstart running back Brian Calhoun (whom I featured in a previous post), who has 8 TD's and is averaging 157 yards per game, third best in the nation.

Upset pick: Wisconsin 17, Michigan 14

As for Oregon stopping USC, I just don't see that happening.

Music

A Radiohead blog? Schwing.

Featured Artist: Institute

Institute is the new band featuring famed Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale.

Institute finds Rossdale flanked by guitarist Chris Traynor (Bush, Helmet), bassist Cache Tolman (Rival Schools) and drummer Charlie Walker (Split Lip, Chamberlain), although session drummer extraordinaire Josh Freese plays on "Distort Yourself." Helmet leader Page Hamilton produced the album and had a major impact on its sound. Songs like "Information Age" and "Come on Over" are heavy on the massive, detuned riffs that were Helmet's calling card, while "Boombox" concludes with a dexterous, tempo-shifting jam that sounds unlike anything Rossdale ever recorded with Bush.

"I think people are going to be excited and surprised when they hear it," Hamilton told Billboard.com last summer. "To take nothing away from Bush -- they did what they did -- but they weren't the tightest band in the world. It was pretty much about Gavin's voice, so that's what we focused on. I tried to strip the arrangements down, cut the fat and make things exciting. I really think we succeeded." The band tones things down toward the end of the album, specifically on the ballad "Ambulances" and the mid-tempo "Mountains" and "Save the Robots."


Institute - Bullet Proof Skin
Institute - The Heat of Your Love
Institute - Come on Over

More Music

Samantha became my newest Myspace friend last night. If you haven't been checking out her blog daily, you're missing out, holmes.

And it looks like Peter is sticking around this weekend instead of heading down to ACL like everyone else, so make sure you stop by his place to see what he's got this weekend.

Anthony liked the m83 yesterday and Pingle liked the vids, so I have another track back today as well as a few videos. The others are just too good not to post.

Two new blogs I just became aware of thanks to our new Myspace music group (that shit is exclusive to the mp3 blogosphere, so no 14 yr old Myspace wanna-be-porn starts need apply): Razorblade Runner and Julseas. Make sure you drop by and check them out.

M83 - "Don't Save Us From the Flames"
Billy Idol - "Flesh for Fantasy"
Coldplay - "Everythings Not Lost"

More Music Videos

The Shins - "So Says I" (with penguins!)
Fatboy Slim - "Wonderful Night" (with werewolves!)

Myspace presents: Girls, Guns, and Anti-Flag

Well it looks like the kids are all off to Austin, but never fear, VLM will be sticking around this weekend.

Now normally, I don't advocate Myspace for much of anything other than finding pictures like this once in a while:The Carle brothers getting down right nasty.

Or this:

But one great feature it has (other than the two obvious ones above, both with firearms for some reason?) is a band search that allows you to look up bands. With that...

Featured Artist: Anti-Flag
In an effort to promote some bands near where I am currently situated, VLM presents Pittsburgh's own Anti-Flag, a peace-punk fushion of rock, punk, and alternative that brings a political message straight to your asses via the rock.

Lead Singer Justin Sane on Anti-Flag:
For the real story on Anti-Flag you have to go way back to 1988. At that time, Pat could hardly play drums and I was even worse at guitar. But the fact remained that we were the only punk rockers in Glenshaw, Pennsylvania (the town where we grew up) and when faced with either hanging out at the mall, getting fucked out of our minds on drugs, or attempting to play punk rock, we went straight for the punk rock! By 1989 we were playing just well enough to have a band, which we named Anti-Flag. However that band didn't look anything like the Anti-Flag of today.

At that time my sister, Lucy Fester, held down the lead vocals, and a number of stray guitarists and bass players sifted in and out of the mix. After playing only one show at a church hall we rented the band fell apart and as far as we were concerned was laid to rest forever! Jump ahead to 1993. After playing in a number of forgettable bands Pat and I drove across the country to fuck around on the west coast for a while. Pat went back to Pittsburgh a week or two after our arrival in San Francisco and I hung out there for about eight months to check out the scenery. Once back in Pittsburgh we were more determined than ever to start a serious band. All we needed was a good bass player.
That's where Andy Flag entered the picture. I had met him a year or two earlier at church. Both of us had been forced to attend church by our moms and Andy was the only other punky kid in the youth group, so naturally, we automatically attracted to each other. As it turned out Andy played bass and he, Pat, and I, got together and played a number of times. But then Pat and I left for the west coast, which gave us no chance to really get anything going. So when I got back from San Francisco we called him up and asked him to join the new band we were forming. He accepted...

(Read the rest of the bio here)

Upcoming Shows: Sat. Nov 26 in Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre 6:00 w/ Rise Against / Anti-Flag / Bane /
Sun. Nov 27 in Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre 7:00 w/ Rise Against / Anti-Flag / Bane /

Anti-Flag is also touring with Bad Religion this fall in Cananda.

Anti-Flag - "Antithetic to the Cure"
Anti Flag - "Protest Song"
Anti-Flag - "Angry Poor and Young"
Anti-Flag - "Watch the Right"

Music Videos
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Can't Stop"
Fiona Apple - "Criminal"

Music
Death from Above 1979 - "Sexy Results"
Death from Above 1979 - "Blood on our Hands"
Mates of State - "Fluke"
Modest Mouse - "Bukowski"
m83 - "Teen Angst"

Jessica Alba Reads Paul Coelho

Alba perusing Coelho's Veronika Decides to Die

Happy Hump Day once again folks. This week, VLM Hump Day Poster Girl Jessica Alba is seen reading Paul Coelho's Veronika Decides to Die on the beach.

Coelho is best know for the other book he published in 1998, The Alchemist. According to Coelho's website, In Veronika Decides to Die, "Veronika seems to have everything she could wish for. She goes to popular night spots, she meets and dates attractive young men and yet she's not happy. Something is lacking in her life. That's why, in the morning of 11th November 1997, Veronika decides to die. After taking an overdose, Veronika is told she has only a few days to live.

This story follows Veronika through these intense days as to her surprise, she finds herself drawn into the enclosed world of the local hospital she is staying in. In this heightened state she discovers things she has never really allowed herself to feel before: hatred, fear, curiosity, love - even sexual awakening. Her experiences lead her gradually to realise that every second of her existence is a choice between living and dying. Paulo Coelho's new book is about those who do not fit into patterns considered normal by society. It is about madness and the need to find an alternative way of living for people who frequently have to face other people's prejudices because they think in a different way.

Apparently, Alba is more than just looks, but actually has a brain. Unfortunately, that brain does not look at good as her other assets:


Non-Alba news

Quote of the day: "The moral of The March of the Penguins is that we’d all be much better off if the religious right lived in Antarctica. Discuss." - Michael Berube

Just when gas prices seemed to stabalize, here comes Rita. America responds by dropping a collective f-bomb.

Via Largehearted Boy: The Onion's review of Kurt Vonnegut's A Man Without a Country (which is on my bday wishlist, hint hint girlfriend)

Sports

This picture basically explains where the Packers are as a team right now. Oh well, at least they're not the Philadelphia Phillies.

Featured Artist: Pretty Girls Make Graves

PGMG's "Speakers Push the Air" has always been one of my favorite songs to kick loud on a Saturday afternoon, so it's about damn time I mention them. Hell, Pitchfork gave their 2002 release of Good Health a 9.2.

From Pitchfork: Though not as epic and cinematic as the Trail of Dead's galvanizing Source Tags & Codes, Pretty Girls Make Graves act as yet another healthy pulse sign for indie-rock outside of M2's adopted garage-rock revivalist spectrum. While it's true that everything contained herein has been done before in some form or another, Good Health succeeds on its own merits due to its impassioned delivery and inexorable performances. More than just a faithful document to the group's incendiary live prowess, the record somehow approximates the environs of a good indie-rock show. That, in itself, is always worth the price of admission.

From Insoud: PGMG are equal parts style, sound and emotion. Their music and live show exemplify the kind of experimentation, humanity, honesty and intensity that make the punk rock underground continually vital. PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES defy the limiting definitions of emo, hardcore and street-punk to present a sound all their own. The songs are incredible bursts of joy, pain, energy and true emotion set to a visceral and dynamic punk soundscape.

Tour
September
20th. Chicago @ Aragon Ballroom w/FF
21st. Minneapolis @ Target Center w/FF
22nd. Kansas City @ Uptown Theatre w/ FF
23rd. St. Louis @ The Pageant w/ FF
24th. Louisville @ Bulldog Cafe
25th.
26th. Omaha @ Sokol Underground
27th. Denver @ Fillmore Auditorium w/ FF
28th. SLC @ Great Salt Air w/FF
29th.
30th. Orangevale @ The Boardwalk

Oct.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1st. Eugene @ Eugene Fest

25th SF @ Bottom of the Hill
26th Bakersfield @ Montgomery World Plaza
27th San Diego @ The Casbah
28th LA @ The Troubadour
29th Anaheim @ Chain Reaction

Some tracks:
Speakers Push the Air
Liquid Courage
All Medicated Genuises
3 Away

Trent Green: The Biggest Loser?

Maybe you should stick to throwing TD's Trent

So I managed to lose in the Music Blogger League last night thanks to a subpar performance from Portis and Trent Green. I was all panicky this morning when I realize Green hasn't thrown a TD in his first two games, until I remembered last year when he didn't throw a TD in his first two games, and then went on to throw for 4591 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Continuing with the Tuesday night television posts, I hate to admit it but I'm a big fan of NBC's The Biggest Loser. Not only does it motivate me to get in the gym and make me feel good about myself by watching fat people sweat on national television, but it's also pretty damn interesting once in a while.

I'm sold this year because one of the fatties they have is a former University of Iowa college wrestler. My homeboy this year is the 28-year old Matt, a former NCAA Iowa State wrestling champ who had his glory days. Unfortunately, he's a big cry baby.


Until recently, Matt has never seen himself as "the fat guy." As a top-notch wrestler, Matt was the perfect athlete. He competed in the world championships and even beat a contender who won gold in the Athens Summer Olympic Games.

He was torn from his Olympic dreams by an injury - then gained so much weight that he pushed himself outside the realm of competitive sports.

As a former wrestler myself, I can imagine getting some kind of eating thing going on since wrestling forces you to be strict for so long, but c'mon man, 330 lbs?! What the hell did you eat, a small village?

Fat guys aside, I'll tell you what: that Jillian Michaels can get me to sweat anyday.


Some non-workout music

Radiohead - "Lucky" KROQ Acoustic
Iron and Wine - "Jezebel"
Thursday - "Understanding in a Car Crash"
Tom Waits - "Ice Cream Man"

PS. Make sure you all check out "My Name Is Earl" after "The Office" tonight. Jason Lee is also my homeboy. Big ups, looks hilarious.

The Schrutes produce very thirsty babies

"The purse girl hits everything on my checklist: creamy skin, straight teeth, curly hair, amazing breasts. Not for me... for my children. The Schrutes produce very thirsty babies."-Dwight Schrute

One of my favorite shows, The Office, premiers its second season tonight at 9:30 pm ET.

News and what not

InsideHigherEd takes a look at the fallout of the Kanye West Bush-blast in college newspapers.

Michael Berube (er, John McGowan on Berube's site) tells us how to Tell a Liberal from a Conservative.

For NASCRAP fans like Ryan's brother Kyle, how Earnhardt's No. 3 still lives on. And with that, the first and only NASCAR post that will ever be on Veritas Lux Mea.

Six Feet Under ST

It seems an easy task to put together a CD for a series about a funeral home...pick some songs about death and make people smirk on topic for a moment before they toss it into the soundtrack graveyard. But this is not a disc to be tossed away. Six Feet Under: Everything Ends is a collection of music that feels exactly like the series: a floaty-bordering-on-surreal batch of greatness.

The disc starts off with an underrated track from Nina Simone, the sultry "Feeling Good." Fans of Coldplay and Radiohead will certainly be familiar with their previously-released tunes ("A Rush of Blood to the Head" and "Lucky" respectively) but the best element of this disc is that it gives lesser-known, musically-similar artists a push. After all, finding Death Cab For Cutie's "Transatlanticism" and Sia's fragile "Breathe Me" on pop radio is, well...let's stick to the theme and use the "snowball's chance in hell" analogy. There are a host of great, previously unreleased and exclusive tracks on this CD: Jem's Dido-esque "Amazing Life," the Caesars' "Don't Fear The Reaper" cover, Interpol's discordant and dark "Direction" and Arcade Fire's wonderful "Cold Wind"--a whispered, frail, and beautiful soundscape, perfect to watch hearses off drive into sunsets by. --Amazon.com

Interpol - "Direction"
Jem - "Amazing Life"
Phoenix - "Everything is Everything"
Sia - "Breathe Me"

You can find the rest of the album here

New Kicks

Got some new kicks this weekend. I know you care.Adidas Supernova Trail 2005

and wtf? Evangeline? One of the Hobbits? Shame on you.

She's still hot.

Pony Up

Welcome back, kiddies. I took yesterday off to spend the day with the lady and watch the Steelers' game sans distractions. I'm back today with even more football. (sidenote: I know this is supposed to be a music blog, but like Ryan, I try and give you a little news and sports once in a while, so bear with the sports posts if that's not your cup of tea...or just scroll down to the music, holmes).

Weekend Football Review
Ahhh shit. Another weekend in which my fantasy hopes come down to the wire. I need a huge game from both Portis and Jones tonight. Pacman Jonze is 9 up on me in the Music Blogger League, but I've got Clinton Portis playing tonight against an improved Dallas defense. Here's hoping he rumbles for 100 and a touch at least. In my pay league, I'm down by 3, with former Fightin' Irish RB Julius Jones set to roll with the rock tonight for Dallas. If he scores, I win, and I'm Jonesin' he will.

Veritas Lux Mea Fantasy Poll
Who's going to put up the better numbers this season, Moss or T.O.? Vote now on the poll in the sidebar. The tale of the tape so far: Randy Moss 10 receptions 257 yards 2 TD Terrel Owens 12 receptions 255 yards 2 TD

Fuck Steve Heiden. I had him on my fantasy team last year when he was supposed to be a "sleeper pick." Didn't do shit. Sunday he rumbled for a 62-yard TD against the Pack. What the shit, Packers? Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press Gazette asks a similar, if less offensive, question of his area team.

It’s the first time the Packers have started 0-2 since 2000, which was Mike Sherman’s first season as coach, and also the last time the Packers failed to qualify for the playoffs. Their last 0-2 start before that was 1992, in former coach Mike Holmgren’s first season, when they also finished out of the playoff race.

So now, the 2-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town this week. They’ll have watched videotape of an opponent with an aging quarterback (35-year-old Brett Favre) who’s missing his best big-play receiver (injured Javon Walker). They’ll see a defense that lacks an outstanding player and hasn’t forced a turnover in two games. They’ll see a team that’s lost to two of the league’s lesser lights, Detroit and Cleveland, and is 4-6 in its last 10 home games, including playoffs...

Hmm, looks like it's time to become a Steelers fan. At least Kornheiser is still hanging on.

Not only does Notre Dame manage to lose to Michigan State this weekend, but apparently they love to hate the gays. Notre Dame ranked No. 2 on the 2006 Princeton Review's List of Colleges w/the Lowest Acceptance of Gays. Way to go, Irish (sorry to kick 'em while they are down UWRyan).
Update: link is down, take me for my word.

Monday Night Music Mix
Alice in Chains - "Man in the Box"
Rollins Band - "Fool"
Radiohead - "Idioteque"
The Bravery - "Swollen Summer"
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - "Weight of the World"
Sublime - "40 oz/freedom" (Live)

Touchdown Jesus?

Michigan Sate 44, Notre Dame 41. Charlie Weis who?

Devendra Banhart -- "Michigan State"

The Post that Never Was

Well I was trying to stay away from the laptop this weekend but since the lady is still alseep (yeah, at 2:30 p.m.) I might as well do a little posting.

Big weekend for me fantasy football wise. I suffered a demoralizing loss in my $50 buy-in league which is uber competitive with 14 teams, so I need a win this week so that I don't start out 0-2. I swept my Yahoo Leagues 4-0 and I've got a nice matchup with MikeJonze this weekend in the Music Blogger League. Unfortunately for MikeJonze, Carson Palmer's squad just isn't going to get it done against my stud backs, Portis and Alexander.

In my pay league, I'm hoping my three-headed monster backfield of Julius Jones, Jamal Lewis and Willie Parker take me to the promised land.

News

In for some heavy reading? Check out this post-humanist interpretation on the Theology of Tidal Waves. Politically speaking, how Katrina gave the Clinton's more political sway than ever.

McSweeney's Lists: I Can Never Recall the Name of Brooklyn's New Hip Band.
and Methods Other Than Song by which One Can Be Killed Softly.

Music
I recieved Chris' Gorilla vs. Bear Best of 2005 (so far) in the mail a few days ago. The CD art is great, I loved it. Some amazing tracks on there too, like Animal Collective, Surfjan, new Sigur Ros, and many more. Kudos to me for being lucky. Kudos to Chris for sending me such a sweet CD.

Dodge has some live Arcade Fire "Rebellion" for you to enjoy today.

Entertainment

Goldenfiddle has the uncut "Penis Song" (no circumcision pun intended) from the Fight Club trailer you never saw. (MOV format).

Kate Moss got caught snorting coke the other day. Go figure. Maybe she should hang out her brother from another mother who also loves las drogas.

Feature Artist: Bad Brains

My buddy KRS-one had a pretty crappy fantasy performance last week so I thought I'd cheer him up with a little post on a band he loves that I don't really know much about.

Back in Washington D.C. in 1977, four black guys formed a jazz/funk outfit called Mind Power. "All the while we was jazz, we wanted to innovate," HR says. "We wanted to be part of something new and different and real. We was continually seeking. And then I saw the Sex Pistols album, and I said, 'BOOM! This is it!" The credit for introducing safety pins and punk rock goes to Sid McCray, an early vocalist for the band. Influenced by the Pistols, Eater and the Clash, as well as Led Zeppelin, Mind Power changed their name after six months to the Bad Brains and dove head first into punk rock. It was the Clash's version of "Police and Thieves" that introduced the band to reggae. The foursome bought a house in suburban Maryland. They went to jobs and school during the day, and rehearsed furiously at night to build stamina and speed...

Read more about the band here...

Bad Brains - "Pay to Cum"
Bad Brains - "Stay Close to Me"'

Leaving on a Jetplane

I'm off for the weekend to visit my lovely girlfriend and to pay attention to her rather than this, so I might be without updates for a couple days. Until then, I invite you to check out all the quality links on my sidebar for your music, news, and sports til I get back on Monday.

See you on the fantasy football field this weekend folks.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LIBERAL CRAP I NEVER WANT TO HEAR AGAIN
by Kurt Vonnegut (via the Daily Show)

Give us this day our daily bread. Oh sure.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those wh trespass against us.
Nobody better trespass against me. I'll tell you that.

Blessed are the meek.

Blessed are the merciful. You mean we can't use torture?

Blessed are the peacemakers. Jane Fonda?

Love your enemies - Arabs?

Ye cannot serve God and Mammon. The hell I can't! Look at the Reverand Pat Robertson. And He is as happy as a pig in s**t.

Newsweek profiles rock's big bounce: In the 10 years since Kurt Cobain died, a once thrilling genre has struggled. Now a new community of bands is emerging and finally making it safe to go back into the mosh pit.

After a grim decade, the rock scene is once again producing music—lots of it—that's worth getting on a plane to hear. And better still, people are buying it. Last month, Seattle bizarro-rockers Modest Mouse turned heads when their new CD debuted at No. 19 on Billboard's album chart, selling 80,000 copies in a week. Gibbard has become such an indie rainmaker that his side project, the electronic-pop duo the Postal Service, has sold 250,000 copies of its first CD, "Give Up." "Five years ago, a record that sold 50,000 copies was a huge success in our world," says Rich Egan, president of Vagrant Records, home of punk pinups Dashboard Confessional. "The standard has totally changed." File-sharing, once thought to be the death knell for the music industry, has actually helped trigger a spending spree. Even MTV and big radio are starting to notice, playing artists they wouldn't have touched three years ago. Does the current scene have a Nirvana, an R.E.M., a U2? Not yet. "But I've talked about this with friends a lot lately: something amazing is about to happen," says Gibbard, 27. "I don't want to guess what it'll be, but you can just feel it coming..."

Read the rest of the article here...

Weezer - "Hold Me"
Bloc Party - "Banquet" (Phones Disco Mix)
Calexico - "Scout"
The Roots - "Break You Off"

Hump People for Heart

I own this shirt (but not this body)

Well I had a nice little post written up for you this morning, but then Blogger went f'ing haywire and trashed an hour's worth of work (insert mad smiley face here).

So, dispensing with the pleasantries and b.s., some music:

Spoon - "Turn my Camera On"
Bruce Springsteen -- "Youngstown"
The Killers -- "Under the Gun"
The Promise Ring -- "Electric Pink"

...and your obligatory Hump Day Hot Girl picture:

Vick-tory!

Well we capped off the first week of the inaugural Music Blogger Fantasy Football League last night with the Philidelphia Eagles sucking it big time against Vick and the Falcons. Thankfully, David Akers (after he blew two field goals) and the Eagles defense (sans Trotter) scored enough points to leapfrog me past Big City Story.

Other Week 1 winners: Peter, Chris, Ryan, and Nice Piece. Updated league standings can be found in the sidebar.

Dodge gives a nice little rundown on his blog today.

News in Review

Kurt Vonnegut has given up on people. "Look," he says by phone from his home in Manhattan, his voice robust but rheumy, as befits someone who has smoked for 70 years. "I think we're a very bad idea. Look at the 20th century. You've got the Holocaust, two world wars, Hiroshima. Let's just call it off."

His new book, A Man Without a Country, is Kurt Vonnegut’s hilariously funny and razor-sharp look at life (“If I die—God forbid—I would like to go to heaven to ask somebody in charge up there, ‘Hey, what was the good news and what was the bad news?”), art (“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.”), politics (“I asked former Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton what he thought of our great victory over Iraq and he said, ‘Mohammed Ali versus Mr. Rogers.’”), and the condition of the soul of America today (“What has happened to us?”).

Conservatives are turning the March of the Penguins into political fodder, saying that it "passionately affirms traditional norms like monogamy, sacrifice and child rearing." Furthermore, conservatives are saying it pushes advocacy for Intelligent Design.

Music

Ryan turned me on to this article from Rolling Stone which essentially says something like DCFC is the next-best-thing out of Seattle since the Grudge Era 90's. Peter Griffin voice: "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa"...you get the idea. Apparently, RS doesn't take into account the 6.5 Pitchfork gave DCFC's new album Plans. Personally, I don't even like DCFC. That's right, you heard it here.

For a much needed history lesson, check out Wikipedia's rundown on the history of grunge music.

You Ain't No Picasso has a vid of Ted Leo covering the Boss's "Dancing in the Dark."

Nirvana -- "Love Buzz"
R.E.M. -- "Nightswimming"
R.E.M. -- "Everybody Hurts"
Autumn to Ashes -- "Where Do You Draw The Line"

Hate to say I told you so

Texas 25, Ohio State 22. Want to say I told you so but...oh wait...I did.

Sorry, not a lot of time to post today. Trying to catch up from taking the weekend off from schoolwork.

A buddy and I went to Pittsburgh Saturday to see that comedian Bill Burr (aka the white guy from The Chapelle Show) and he was f'ing hilarious. The guy who opened for him was great also. Chapelle is playing in Pittsburgh next weekend but tickets are a little too pricey for my blood.

We had dinner seats and were really close to the stage but I wasn't allowed to take my camera in, so I don't have any pics from the show. I did take a couple of pics of our day and night in the Burg though:

City view overlooking bridge and Heinz Field

Mural on the southside

John and Diana chillin' at Ryan's Pub

Pittsburgh Skyline

Monday Music Mix

Beck -- "Alameda" (Elliot Smith tribute album) Weezer -- "This is Such a Pity" Violent Femmes -- "Kiss Off"
Hepcat -- "I Can't Wait"
AFI -- "Greetings and Goodbyes"

Big Eagles game tonight. Root on Donovan and the boys, because Michael Vick is (sic) O-VER-RATE-ED.

See you tomorrow boys and girls.

Texass two step

#2 Texas travels to #4 Ohio State tonight in what is undoubtably the biggest game of the year so far. I'm currently watching Notre Dame beat up on #3 Michigan despite the fact that I'd never thought I'd see it. Is Charlie Weis that much of a difference, Lloyd? C'mon. Big Ten pride.

Big Ten pride aside, I hope THE Ohio State gets their ass beat, despite their uber-hottie fans.

Hawthorn Heights -- "Ohio is for Lovers"

That's right, HOOK 'EM HORNS!

The Promise Ring -- "East Texas Ave"

Whatever the outcome, I'm sure it will have a movie script ending.

Death Cab for Cutie -- "Movie Script Ending"

I'm off to Pittsburgh in a few to catch a dinner show at the Improv featuring comedian Bill Burr.

Over the last ten years, bill has established himself as one of the finest working comedians in the country. Be he appearing on Conan O'Brien or Showtime at the Apollo, his style of comedy is able to connect with the audience.

Burr grew up in a large family outside of Boston, getting his first laughs imitating his lunatic father. Always putting laughter before his studies, Bill's dreams of pursuing any sort of respectable profession died in the sixth grade. He now performs over three hundred shows annually, has two movies to be released in the up coming year, as well as a performance on David Letterman.

Stream some Bill Burr at his website.

Got Longoria?

A picture of Eva Longoria, for no reason at all.

Appropriate accompanying music: MC Hammer -- "You Can't Touch This"

Today in Indiana, PA students are lining up on the streets to collect donations for Hurricane Katrina relief. This is just one of the small ways people have opened their hearts to those affected. Unfortunately, these people are not only working against time, disease, and fate, but now also against the media.

People like Steven E. Landsburg and Jack Shafer of Slate Magazine are arguing that we shouldn't aid Katrina victims too much, and that it's pointless to rebuild New Orleans.

Landsburg questions, "First came the hurricane, then came the torrent. We're awash in accusations that the government has done too little to help Katrina's victims. Is it impertinent to ask how much would be enough? What's the right amount of federal assistance for disaster victims?"

Shafer posits that "New Orleans puts the "D" into dysfunctional. Only a sadist would insist on resurrecting this concentration of poverty, crime, and deplorable schools. Yet that's what New Orleans' cheerleaders—both natives and beignet-eating tourists—are advocating. They predict that once they drain the water and scrub the city clean, they'll restore New Orleans to its former "glory.""

Of course, I whole-heartedly disagree with both Landsburg and Shafer. However, I feel it is important to understand that while there are millions opening their arms to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, there are others who are questioning whether or not we should even bother. That, ladies and gentleman, is what you call a split in ideology.

Elsewhere...

McSweeney's offers up Abercrombie: A Journey into the Heart of Toolness.

Super Size Me's Morgan Spurlock's new film will be called Class Act and will focus on diminishing arts education in the US.

If the Colts-Ravens game turns into a Peytonfest Sunday night, you can head over to NPR and check out a live Sigur Ros concert at about 9 p.m. Eastern time. And something I never knew: Sigur Ros translates into "Victory Rose."

Friday Mix

Came across this surfin' today. Pleasant little surprise: World Without Sundays -- "Colorblind"

Nirvana -- "Heart Shaped Box"

Tori Amos covering Radiohead's "Karma Police" live August, 28th via At Ease

Tom Brady is a lucky bastard

Tonight's the night, bitches. The NFL football season kickes off with the smokin' Oaklin' Raiders versus the New England Unbeatables.

Seriously, is Tom Brady not the sickest guy ever? Three Superbowls in four years as a starter. 27 years old. "Most clutch QB ever" was my buddy's arguement last night.

"Luckies bastard ever" is a better label thanks to his recent arm candy Bridget Moynahan.

ESPN wonders how NE will contend with Randy Moss (or Maas) as those Minnesotans say it.

I have an answer: Rodney Harrison.

Hayden

I've always loved Hayden. Back in the day I can remember sitting on my couch after school watching the "Bad As They Seem" video on MTV and thinking, "yeah man, I can relate to this." Insert teenage drama and angst memory here.

From Pitchfork's review of 2002's Skyscraper National Park, which sums up nicely Hayden's evolving career:

In terms of population, Canada (31 million) has New York (8 million) beat by a long shot. But in an ode to the capitalist spirit of efficiency, New Yorkers have accomplished a stunning feat of people-packing; while Canadians bogart a whopping 3.8 million square miles of the continent, New Yorkers shoehorn themselves into a mere 320. That's 25,000 New Yorkers per square mile versus a lonely 8 per square mile in the Great White North. For New Yorkers, this means doubling-up, living in closets, and moving to Hoboken. For Canadians, it means just the opposite: solitude. And a plethora of moose (one of which stars on Hayden's album cover).

Canadian Hayden Desser's sounds of solitude have captured the ears of sad-core indie-folk fans ever since his debut LP, Everything I Long For, was released in 1996. The album, recorded on a four-track at his parent's house, was notable for its contrast of wistful tenderness and snarling anger, and of course, Hayden's striking baritone. On its follow-up, The Closer I Get, Hayden had less to growl about, but just as much to long for, finding its high points with "Two Doors" and "Between Us to Hold."

Now, after a three-year hiatus, Hayden has returned with his third LP, Skyscraper National Park. The album casts Hayden as older, wiser and more reflective. Hayden is still a man steeped in his own sensitivity, but he's changed a bit with age. Youthful, idealistic romance has grown into love, hopefulness into doubt, and anger into distance. Accompanying his maturity is a newfound and uncanny sense of restraint that both binds the disc and renders his passion haunting and compelling. Not once does Hayden burst into a growl. Instead, the album is marked by frequent reliance on a simple falsetto...(the rest of the review)


(some Hayden from Dodge, way back)
Hayden -- Home by Saturday Hayden --Bad As They Seem
Hayden -- Dynamite Walls
(some Hayden via Insound) Hayden -- I'm to Blame (live)
Hayden -- Hollywood Ending

Discography
Elk Lake Serenade 2004 (Pitchfork review)
Skyscraper National Park 2001 (Pitchfork review)
The Closer I Get 1998 (Pitchfork review)
Moving Careful EP 1996
Everything I Long For 1995 (Pitchfork review)
In September 1994

One of the things I've always loved about Hayden is his minimalist-approach to music, and it shows through his dreamingly simple and honest music videos.

Home by Saturday music video Hollywood Ending music video Bad As They Seem music video (a classic)
Trees Lounge video (highly recommended, from the soundtrack to Steve Buscemi's film "Trees Lounge")

Many more Hayden videos

Extra:

Sigur Ros -- Glósóli music video More Sigur Ros videos

You all should add Hello Gina to your blogroll if you haven't already (and yea, my blogroll is definitely lacking, I should work on that). Gina is a fan of Wallace Stevens, which is weird because I am a HUGE fan as well. Maybe that makes me a dork. Maybe not. Anyways, add her.

If you're heading out in Philly this weekend, check out the what's on tap in the concert and bar scene at Philebrity.

Hump Day for Cutie

Today's Wednesday. Wednesday used to mean Wing Ding Wednesday for at Brother's Bar in La Crosse, Wisconsin. 10 cent wings. 50 cent domestic drafts. Can't beat that with a drumstick.

Nowadays, Wednesday means a class on Medieval Women's writing (a painful three hours), followed by pizza and pitchers at Culpepper's with the Literature and Criticism crew. We're not exactly Frat Party USA, but we're a good time. Not as fun as these two, however:

Before there was Plans, before Transatlanticism, there was Something About Airplanes. The disc, the first album debuted by Death Cab for Cutie way back in 1998, was given rave reviews by Audiogalaxy:

"It's no exaggeration to say something about airplanes is the future of music. Part of me hopes no one will listen to Death Cab for Cutie, but Sesame Street's Big Bird taught me I shouldn't be selfish, and a bigger part of me knows they're due at least household name status. Already playing to rabid audiences in their corner of the country, as well as this year's North by Northwest, they've shared stages with Harvey Danger, Built to Spill and Imperial Teen to name but a few."
Listen for yourself and decide if you think that Something About Airplanes, which Pitchfork gave an 8.6, was their first, and best*, album.

Death Cab for Cutie off Something About Airplanes:
Bend to Squares
Champagne from a Paper
Pictures in an Exhibit
Sleep Spent


*Pitchfork gave DCFC the following rating on albums:

Death Cab for Cutie: Something About Airplanes
[Elsinor; 1998] Rating: 8.6 - Review by: Jason Josephes

Death Cab for Cutie: Forbidden Love EP
[Barsuk; 2000] Rating: 7.5 - Review by: Camilo Arturo Leslie

Death Cab for Cutie: We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes
[Barsuk; 2000] Rating: 7.5 - Review by: Brent DiCrescenzo

Death Cab for Cutie: The Photo Album
[Barsuk; 2001] Rating: 7.1 - Review by: Joe Tangari

Death Cab for Cutie: The Stability EP
[Barsuk; 2002] Rating: 6.9 - Review by: Joe Tangari

Death Cab for Cutie: You Can Play These Songs with Chords
[Barsuk; 2002] Rating: 6.4 - Review by: Rob Mitchum

Death Cab for Cutie: Transatlanticism
[Barsuk; 2003] Rating: 6.4 - Review by: William Morris

Death Cab for Cutie: The John Byrd EP
[Barsuk; 2005] Rating: 6.5 - Review by: Amanda Petrusich

Death Cab for Cutie: Plans
[Atlantic; 2005] Rating: 6.5 - Review by: Joe Tangari

I'm not a statistics major, but it looks like Pitchfork (and myself) think DCFC has slowly declined the longer they are around. Thoughts?

News

I try not to get too news heavy on your asses, but since I'm in such a politically and academically focused environment here at grad school it's hard to let stuff pass by without mention. My opinion is if you want to check out what I give you, go ahead, and you're free to believe what you want. I just hope you all don't hate me for including a little social enlightenment once in a while. That being said...

America's anti-Reagen isn't Hillary Clinton, it's Rick Santorum.

san-TOR-um (noun): 1. The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex. 2. Rick Santorum. (via Savage Love)

George Lakoff frames the Post-Katrina Era, and in doing so, says John Roberts as Chief Justice "would be a danger to our democracy and possibly our lives."

Arcade Fire is hot; Miami is not

I took this picture of a spider outside my apartment today, but I can't figure out what kind it is. If you can, let me know.

Everyone by this point knows Arcade Fire and has the entire Funeral disc uploaded to their iPod, but not everyone has heard Arcade Fire's Demo EP (aka Us Kids Know) released a year earlier. And since I've been slacking on my love for Funeral I have to give some love to the earlier version of Arcade Fire, namely, Us Kids Know.

(Via Pitchfork): If you're an Arcade Fire fan, chances are you've already acquainted yourself with their debut EP. Without taking into account its fertile propagation via file-sharing networks, this new "official" edition of the record essentially marks its third release: The band recorded and released it themselves pre-hype in 2003, selling it at shows and through their website. The next year, Merge Records began offering that same homemade EP through their website, in an attempt to sate the demand of an audience that had quickly grown obsessed with the group's full-length debut, Funeral. Now, in 2005, Merge is doing the inevitable: releasing a remastered and repackaged version of these seven songs, and finally putting it in stores, where it arguably ought to have been all along.

Read the rest of the review here...

Arcade Fire -- "No Kids Go"
Arcade Fire -- "Headlights Look Like Diamonds"
Arcade Fire -- "Vampire/Forest Fire"
(Update: links are down, hope you got 'em while they were up)

Mike Jonze made the jump to The Camera as Pen.

News

Michael Berube takes a look at the White House blame game surrounding Hurricane Katrina.

Dsylexia a myth? I sure epoh not.

Hurriance Katrina has had a devastating effect on a lot of things, but will it affect the music scene as well? The Observer wonders if jazz will survive without it's natural habitat.

Sports

We're two days away from the kickoff of the NFL season, which means we're two days away from the start of the Music Blogger Fantasy Football League. My Week 1 opponent is fellow Wisconsinite Nick from Big City Story. Yahoo is projecting a 62-57 win on my behalf. Let's hope that stands.

Did anyone see the Miami - FSU game last night? What a crazy game. If Miami's kicking game didn't totally lose the game for them, their offensive line sure tried. But you have to admit, FSU's defense looked unstoppable at times.I wish I could say the same about either team's offense.


Bonus song:
Motion City Soundtrack -- "Capital H"

Lauren Jackson is hot

ESPN Page 2's Bill Simmons has had enough of the WNBA. Seriously, so have I. Despite former WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson's, super hotness I would rather watch women's tennis or even beach volleyball rather than the WNBA. Not that I'm a skin to win kind of guy, but they're just more exciting to watch.


I want to take today to profile a band from my hometown of Wausau, Wisconsin. Hell, I even went to school with some of the guys, so it's an obvious homer-post.

Big Big Furnace was hatched in the fall of 1999. At the time, former bandmates and life-long pals Matt and Dan were both attending school at the UW- Madison and University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, respectively. They had previously given up on the idea of trying to form a band while so far apart, and this led to both Dan and Matt compiling a stockpile of songs to hopefully use at a later date. Meanwhile, Dan and Sean, both old high school chums, began trading their home-recorded songs over the internet through the then-new technological breakthrough of the mp3.

After various trips back home to Wausau, the three boys decided it might be a good idea to get a few of these various song ideas recorded. Started as a recording project and “fake band” of sorts, Big, Big Furnace scrapped together 6 songs over a few drunken weekends to release as a demo entitled “Too Hip For Quality”. Matt played all guitar parts and sang, Sean played bass, and Dan played drums.

As the idea of playing out live got tossed around, it became apparent that a 4th member would be necessary. Sean decided he would rather play guitar, and Dan decided he’d take a crack at the bass. The boys contacted their drum instructor from high school, Tim Benn, to see if he would help them out with a few gigs here and there.

Tim had just started a family and had left his previous band, Mad Trucker Gone Mad, for that reason. He was in a self-imposed “retirement” from the local music scene when Sean played him the demo. Tim liked the songs so much he agreed to join the band full-time. Through his connections from years in the local scene, Tim managed to land B2F a label, a few gigs, and recording dates within days of their first full band practice. The “fake band” was suddenly real.

B2F played their first show to a crowd of about 10 at an open mic at a Stevens Point bar. They stunk. They played 6 songs, half of them were covers. All of them were done badly.

Luckily, and thanks to lots of practice and lots of Mrs. Loos’ beer, the band got better and recorded their debut EP in January of 2000 down at Coney Island Studio in Madison. The band’s following was beginning to grow quite fast, thanks to regular gigs at the Rockwater in Wausau and the Mission Coffee House in Stevens Point.

By next January, the band was recording again at Coney Island, this time for a full length CD. “Soundtrack to a Midwestern Winter” was released in the Spring of 2001 to rave reviews. One particularly good review sparked interest in an A&R rep from TVT Records, home of fellow emo legends Sevendust and Snoop Dogg’s Eastsidaz. Nothing much came of that, but it’s fun to brag about.

Matt and Dan of Big Big Furnace reformed in 2004 under the title Divebar, with some new additions. The result was was a a Ryan Adams-like sound reminiscent of Cold Roses.

Unfortunately, in July lead singer/guitarist Matt Loos got in a car accident. Pretty bad. Broken legs, arms, pelvis. Doctors expect a complete recovery, but it will take some time.

Til he heals, enjoy some Divebar tracks:

Crazy for You
My Soul Needs Saving
Don't Say I Love You

And some old Big Big Furnace tracks:

The Ghost of Sweetness
George Lassos the Moon
Cheer Up Emo Boy

Bonus songs:

Jimmy Eat World -- "Praise Chorus"
Pogues -- "Tuesday Morning"
Thursday -- "War All the Time"
Muse -- "Apocolypse Please"
Mars Volta -- "Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus"

Weekend Review

Katrina update

I hope that when you turn to the media for the coverage on Hurricane Katrina's devastation that you aren't turning to CNN or ABC news thinking you're getting the whole picture. If you're looking for a less-filtered newscast, you might want to turn to the BBC or something of that nature, becuase as the news proves, there's a big difference in what's told to the public and what's really happening.

That being said, BBC News has a devastating story on what's occuring inside the Superdome.

Said one National Guardsman: "We found a young girl raped and killed in the bathroom. Then the crowd got the man and they beat him to death."

Horror author Anne Rice gives her take on why we need to save New Orleans in yesterday's New York Times:

"But to my country I want to say this: During this crisis you failed us. You looked down on us; you dismissed our victims; you dismissed us. You want our Jazz Fest, you want our Mardi Gras, you want our cooking and our music. Then when you saw us in real trouble, when you saw a tiny minority preying on the weak among us, you called us "Sin City," and turned your backs."

And finally, InsideHigherEd looks at the role of the University in building world peace.

Monday Mix

Ryan Adams -- "New Years Day" (live)
Prince -- "Darling Nikki"
Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies -- "I Sing the Body Electric"
The Appleseed Cast -- "Marigold and Patchwork"


Bands on TV this week (via Punknews.org)
9/5 - Relient K on Kimmel
9/5 - Duran Duran on Carson
9/6 - the Used on Steven's Untitled Rock Show
9/6 - the Dillinger Escape Plan on Steven's Untitled Rock Show
9/6 - 30 Seconds To Mars on Conan
9/7 - Green Day on Carson
9/8 - OK Go on Leno
9/9 - Fall Out Boy on TRL
9/9 - the Bled on Steven's Untitled Rock Show
9/9 - Elkland on Ferguson

GO BIG RED

Wisconsin 56, Bowling Green 42

MADISON, WI -- The Badgers brought out the throwback 'W' helmets and produced a big 'W' in the win column as a result. Bowling Green jumped out to a 13-0 lead on Wisconsin before junior tailback Brian Calhoun, a homegrown product and ex-Colorado U. starting runningback, rolled off 248 yards on 48 carries with 5 touchdowns to lead Wisconsin to the win. Wisconsin backup running back Booker Stanley chipped in 103 yards rushing on 14 carries, while quarterback John Stocco added a workman-like 8-10 passing for 116 yards and a TD.

Heisman hopeful quarterback Omar Jacobs of Bowling Green passed for 440 yards and 4 TD's while three different Bowling Green recievers racked up 160, 127, and 116 yards recieving against a pourous Badger pass defense.

Good to see my Badgers putting up the numbers on the scoreboard this early in the season, and the emergence of Calhoun seems like Wisconsin is on their way to another NCAA leading rusher following the loss of Anthony Davis to the NFL. Calhoun comes from Wisconsin powerhouse Oak Creek (who lost to my team in the 1998 D1 State Championsip, suckers).

Calhoun at Oak Creek High School

Green Day -- "Letterbomb"
American Analog Set -- "Born on the Cusp"
Badly Drawn Boy -- "Once Around the Block"

Pennsylvania Punk Friday

Joking, of course.

The Loved Ones (Philadelphia, PA)

It's a family affair....The Loved Ones are a three piece punk rock n roll outfit based loosely out of Philadelphia. The band formed in late 2003 after the demise of singer/guitar player Dave Hause's band The Curse. Hause had roadied for Philadelphia's Kid Dynamite years ago and kept in contact with Michael "Spider" Cotterman, who played bass in KD. Sneeringer was a familiar face to both Spider and Hause given his stint playing drums in DC's Trial by Fire. The three began playing together and the sparks flew instantly, and they decided to form The Loved Ones. The Loved Ones are definitely a departure from the members' past bands, but the punk sensibilities and organic approach to playing certainly informs their aesthetic. Owing as much to Bruce Springsteen as they do to Dillinger Four, the band mixes rock riffs, punk attitude and raspy vocals to explosive ends.

The Loved Ones -- "100 K"
The Loved Ones -- "Arsenic"

Upcoming shows

9/27/05 GOTHIC THEATRE Englewood, CO
9/28/05 IN THE VENUE SLC, UT
9/29/05 SLIM’S San Francisco, CA
9/30/05 HOUSE OF BLUES ANAHEIM Anaheim, CA Street Dogs,
10/1/05 CLUB SLO BREW San Luis Obispo, CA
10/2/05 EL REY THEATRE LA, CA

Split Fifty (Tannersville, PA)

Split Fifty’s very own Concept Rock, Punk, Hardcore, and Rock and Roll wrapped up in a sea of thick distortion utter chaos and a twist of lemon. Beware pop punk radio slimers, the Prime ministers of anti pop fucking destruction riot slam aggression have arrived. Using a blend of 3 parts fucking rock and 2 parts roll the members of Split Fifty: Zach, Josh, Ted, and Mike bring forth a representation of independent rock and cultural influences ranging from Vintage rock to punk and modern hardcore. Split Fifty has a good sense of melody with a strong hardcore influence kind of like going to an Andy Gibb concert on crack and then getting beaten and skull crushed by Black Sabbath and Nirvana. Sometimes its fast sometimes its slow but its always full of passion. Pick up their Debut full length cd “WE LIVE FOREVER” On Hellbent Records November 16th in stores nationwide and become a believer, fit in with your peers, join the cult and kill everyone.

Split Fifty -- "Dead by Dawn"
Split Fifty -- "Pop Culture isn't worth the money it's printed on"

Upcoming shows

09/09/2005 The Ottobar Baltimore, MD
09/18/2005 Providence Rec Center Falls Church, VA

Detroit steps up

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said Thursday afternoon that the city would open its doors for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Detroit is offering to airlift 500 refugee families from New Orleans and feed, clothe, and house them.

The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau and local hotel owners have also been meeting with city officials and have determined that about 2,000 to 3,000 rooms would be available for hurricane victims, according to the mayor.

This coming just days after Detroit was named the Poorest Big City in the United States, with 33% of the population living at or below the poverty line.

Yet, this city, unlike a big money city like New York, is opening it's doors to help these people.

What's your reaction?

Local H

For years now I have been a huge fan of Local H. It's about damn time I post about them.

(via MTV.com) -- Best-known for their unorthodox two-man lineup, hard rock act Local H has made a career out of straddling the fine line between indie and classic rock, cleverly framing their sardonic lyrics with a generous helping of power chords and feedback.

Scott Lucas (vocals/guitar) and Joe Daniels (drums) began playing together in high school in their native Zion, IL. Finding a suitable bassist proved an insurmountable challenge, so the industrious Lucas eventually devised a way to install bass pick-ups into his six-string. Armed with this intriguing novelty setup, the duo signed with Island Records and made their recording debut on 1995's Ham Fisted, a rather unoriginal disc which had some detractors tagging them as Nirvana wannabes. Its follow-up, 1996's much improved As Good As Dead, was another story, however, considerably expanding the band's sonic palette and firmly establishing their identity as Midwestern ironists supreme.

Led by well-crafted power pop radio singles like "Bound for the Floor" and "Eddie Vedder," the album was eventually certified gold and helped earn the duo their alt-rock cred, while simultaneously validating their contradictory ties to classic hard rock. Though less-focused and not quite as immediate, 1998's still solid Pack Up the Cats seemed set to maintain the band's rising momentum. But record company woes (Island's parent company Polygram was in the process of being absorbed by Universal Music) effectively clipped the band at the knees, the album became lost in the shuffle, and Local H went on a near three-year hiatus. In the interim, Daniels left the band under amicable circumstances and was replaced by former Triple Fast Action drummer (and Bun E. Carlos drum tech) Brian St. Clair.

Lucas and St. Clair returned in 2000 with a new album and a new label. Here Comes the Zoo (Palm Pictures) featured more of the Midwestern angst and cutting satire that had always defined Lucas' hard rock, but added the busier drumming style of St.Clair. Incessant touring followed; in 2003, the duo returned once again with the No Fun EP for the Chicago punk imprint Thick. The band's fifth album, Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles? arrived in spring 2004.

The new album Alive '05 will be in your hands September 13th with 18 live tracks and bonus features including videos for "Cooler Heads" and "No Fun."

Local H will be playing the Flower 15 show in Metro Chicago November 8-13 with Jimmy Eat World, The Promise Ring, American Analog Set and the Smoking Popes, plus many more.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

Friday, Sep 16 Dekalb, IL
Sunday, Sep 18 Mokena, IL
Tuesday, Sep 20 Sauget, IL
Wednesday, Sep 21 Kansas City, MO
Thursday, Sep 22 Denver, CO
Friday, Sep 23 Salt Lake City, UT
Saturday, Sep 24 Missoula, MT
Monday, Sep 26 Seattle, WA
Tuesday, Sep 27 Portland, OR
Saturday, Oct 1 San Diego, CA
Sunday, Oct 2 Los Angeles, CA
Monday, Oct. 3 Tucson, AZ

If nothing else, stuff like this happens at Local H shows. Can't beat that goodness.

Some live Local H from the Mercury Lounge in NYC July July 23, 2004 (all files savefile - follow links)

Local H -- "Eddie Vedder"
Local H -- "PJ Soles"
Local H -- "Hands on the Bible"
Local H -- "All the Kids are Alright" (Who cover)
Local H -- "Dead Flowers" (Rolling Stones cover)
Local H -- "High Fivin Motherfucker" (9 minute long version)

P.S. And oh yea, that picture of the Buffalo licking the pole that I am now using as my header was taken by me in Niagra Falls last week at Marineland. In case you were wondering.
P.S.S. Buffalo tongues are gross.

You're out of your element, Donny

My blog contest winning streak came to an end today as I lost out on the South of Mainstream mixtape drawing. Oh well. As The Stranger says in The Big Lebowski, "Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes, well, he eats you."

Sports


Last night was the inaugural draft of the 2005 Veritas Lux Mea Blogger Fantasy Football League. Introducing the team that will lead me to the promised land:

QB: Trent Green
RB: Shaun Alexander, Clinton Portis, Warrick Dunn
WR: Darrell Jackson, Drew Bennett, Donald Driver, Rod Smith
TE: Randy McMichael
K: David Akers
D: Philadelphia Eagles

I'm pretty stoked about my team considering I wasn't there to draft it. Damn graduate school night classes. I'm a little concerned about Trent's foot injury which came out of nowhere, but my backfield is good enough to carry me to a win virtually every week.

The Veritas Lux Mea football team theme song: AC/DC -- "Thunderstruck"

Around the League

Fellow fantasy-football competitor TMWSIY* has his August mixtape up for you with some great tracks that you should all enjoy.

You Ain't No Picasso has Ted Leo's cover of the Beatles "Looking Through You" available today.