Album of the Week

From 1989. This artist was in the news lately gettin' busted in LA. Enjoy.

Flaming Lips, September 16, 2006 Arlington, TX

Album of the Week

Disciples of Agriculture: self titled 1995 album
Vintage twang rock from back in the day. Enjoy.

Pic of the Week: Another one of my hot rods

My 1940 Ford, parked in front of the house the other evening.

Pic of the week

Album of the week

from denton, tx
Centro-matic
enjoy

Video of the week

Wolf Parade: Modern World from their kick-assed 2005 album, Apologies to the Queen Mary on Sub Pop. Here's their space. Enjoy.

Here are more videos from some Awesomeometer-recommended Sub Pop bands like Rogue Wave, the Shins, Hot Hot Heat, Iron & Wine, the Album Leaf on the You Tube. Spend some time watching cool videos, but don't forget to feed your kids.

Album of the week (link updated)

Read about it here

Get it here.

Worlds collide as the singer from one of my favorite bands of all times (check the tattoo) teams up with my favorite canadian band and plays some kick-assed old-timey tunes.

Sweet.

pic of the week

Looking west over the SMU campus from work. Click on image for enlarged version.

Strangers With Candy

Saw Strangers With Candy, and it was pretty sweet. My favorite part was when Jerri Blank said and did funny stuff.
Here are some awesomeometer exclusive still shots:




Also looked at Match Point and The Machinist from the Netflix. Both films kept me guessing during, and kept me thinking long after i went to bed. This blogger highly reommends them.
Speaking of recommendations, may i urge you to discover some kick-assed albums at the following locations: California Harmony and Cal's Country Corner. i have been diligently downloading and happily listening to some classic stuff all weekend. Your cool uncle's record collection is at California Harmony and Cal's Country Corner. Enjoy!

Some photos from the last coupla months

Deathray Davies, Starlight Mints, Okkervil River

The Wall of Sound Festival April 9, 2006 in Ft. Worth, TX:
Susan and i checked out the final night of the festival at the Ridglea Theater. The Deathray Davies were rockin' out when we got there. It had been a few years since i saw them and they were as energetic and tight as i remember.
They ripped through their songs with with the ease and beer-soaked confidence of the best veteran rockers around. They were supremely entertaining, and they made me feel sorry i wasn't more familiar with their catalog. Remind me to listen to these guys more often.
Next up were the Starlight Mints. No, not the after-dinner gut settler, the sublimely catchy pop enemble from Oklahoma. After a brief sound check, they dazzled us with their sweet sounds and mesmerizing visuals.
i had seen them in a much smaller venue a coupla years ago, but the projected video was obscured by the band members crowded on a tiny stage, depriving the audience of their full set. This time, the Ridglea Theatre provided the proper aesthetic environment for full enjoyment, but it was the venue people who cut them short. Despite their protests, and the urging of us audience members, they had to stop cuz it was getting late...
..And the headliner had yet to play. Okkervil River, creators of my favorite chill album of 2005 capped off the festival with a superb set of "Folk-Punk Rock" songs they are famous for. i love it when a band is so freakin' good that their live set sounds just like the album. i know many people feel the opposite way - they want to hear more spontenaiety from their favorite artists - but i appreciate the precision and practice it requires to get it "just right." And Will Sheff and company got it exactly right song after song. Truly amazing.
Unfortunately for the dummies who left after the Starlight Mint set, Okkervil River wound up playing for only about 40 people. i guess everyone was tired from the long weekend of shows and went home. But Okkervil River is the kind of band who plays balls-out for however many people care enough to bend an ear. They were as appreciative of us as we were of them. They put everything into their set, then came back on stage and treated us with a couple more songs, and by the time the feedback of the final note rang throughout the nearly empty theatre, they slumped off the stage exhausted and soaked in satisfying sweat.
Can't wait to see them again.

Rhett Miller and the Believers 040106 Dallas, TX

i checked out the Rhett Miller and the Believers show Saturday night at Sons of Hermann Hall on Elm Street in Dallas. Having just moved to Dallas, i was pumped to see RMiller perform in his hometown. Also, i had never heard of - let alone been to - the Sons of Hermann Hall and was very impressed with the venue. The intimate concert area was upstairs (no smoking, no wheelchair access) and they had a small bar downstairs if you wanted a smoke break during the show, or just hang out down there without paying admission. The sound was good, and the atmosphere was friendly. A good time was had by all. There were the standard annoyances that seem to accompany all live shows, however: The oblivious, shoeless hippie chick dancing all up in your personal space; the drunk girl who inevitably falls over; tall people; drunk people stepping on your girlfriend's feet.
Rhett and the Believers played pert near two hours worth of songs from Rhett's two solo albums, plus about a half dozen Old 97's favorites mixed up in there. The Believers were tight, Rhett was loose and everyone invlolved had a killler time.

Keith Olbermann's Countdown beats CNN's Paula Zahn

Photo courtesy Olbermann.org

Keith Olbermann is the man.

As a loyal viewer of Countdown With Keith Olbermann, i am heartened by the news that KO's viewership in the 25-54 demographic is up a whopping 41%. Hooray! Fox News blowhard Bellow Righteously's numbers plummeted 24% in the key demographic. Ha ha! This is testament to the apparent fact that people are tiring of the hate-filled bullshit spewed by the likes of O'Reilly and the sensationalist tabloid coverage of White Women in Trouble by the likes of Nancy Grace. Evidently, those who aren't tuned in to network TV "reality" drivel or stale sitcoms don't want TV hosts' opinions shouted at them. These viewers want real news, and KO is more than happy to provide them with it.
Here are my top reasons to watch Countdown With Keith Olbermann:

• Credibility: Keith is one of the few people on primetime cable news with legit journalism credentials. See bio info here here and here. Olbermann's reporting is thorough, insightful and thought-provoking. "Olbermann is the recipient of numerous distinguished awards in radio and television broadcasting, including the 1995 Cable Ace Award for Best Sportscaster, 11 Golden Mike Awards for excellence in television and radio, and four Sports Emmy Awards. Olbermann also received an Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of the events of 9/11." His credentials and awards are enough for anyone to rest on, but Keith continues to strive for excellence. He is more than happy to give credit where it's due, and is always willing to offer an apology or correction when he makes a mistake.
  
• Context: Sure, Keith covers some the same stories you can see on NBC Nightly News - often using the segments of the 5:30 broadcast - but his approach adds depth and breadth to the story by addressing its relevance to history and the impact it has on us as citizens, on our nation and on the world. He'll often put the original reporter on the air and ask important questions from the "everyman" perspective. The Countdown format affords him the opportunity to probe underlying issues that usually do not get addressed in a two-minute segment on network TV. "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." Keith seems to appreciate this piece of common sense wisdom from George Santayana and apply it to his coverage of the biggest news items of the day.
• Common Sense: I consider Olbermann an umpire of sorts, because he calls it like he sees it. His b.s. detector is as good as any journalist out there, but Keith actually calls the b.s.-ers and hypocrites out on it, regardless of their affiliation or ideology. He has a special contempt for those who say nasty and hateful things, and then proceed to deny they said any such thing. Hello, John Gibson and Bill O! To be sure, he has been particularly vociferous in this regard about the current administration, but they deserve it, especially in light of the Bush Administration's latest "blame the media" crusade for their own failiures in Iraq. Keith continues to point out that Bush's casus belli for the invasion of Iraq has changed several times over the last four years. In the aftermath of Katrina, he took on the "the law and order and terror government" for their failure to protect its citizens from the biological weapon that was standing water. When Bush said that he has never linked 9/11 to Iraq, Keith asked rhetorically, "Who does the president think he is f-ing [pronounced: "effing"] kidding!?" Olbermann has recently taken to ending every broadcast with: "That's COUNTDOWN for this, the _ _ _ _ day since the declaration of mission accomplished in Iraq." Best. Sign off. Ever.
• Cultural Literacy: Olbermann can't help it. He's an embodiment of his past experiences. As a student and an up-and-coming journalist, he immersed himself in history, sports, and popular culture. He'll often introduce a segment with a quote, factoid or bit of trivia that seemingly has no pertinence to the story at hand. But as the story progresses, you have one of those, "ah-hah" moments where it all becomes clear. From the March 20, 2006 show:

  OLBERMANN: Today is the equinox. You remember from science class, sun is directly over the equator, making day and night almost equal, the start of the spring in the north and fall to the south, a tranquil day as you see on the map here. Our number two story, Mother Nature did not get the memo about tranquil. Today’s whether so extreme it looked like scenes right after the “Day After Tomorrow.”

  This provided the segway to stories on a cyclone in Australia, tornadoes and flooding in the States, and the "howling natural phenomena spewing death and destruction," Donald Trump. See? Genius. Keith often shows his grasp of zeitgeist in subtle ways: He uses the term "internets" at every possible opportunity; His theme music choices for the nightly Top Three Newsmakers are impeccable; And - this is my favorite - each broadcast has at least one reference to The Simpsons. Watch the show every night and see if you can spot it. It may be just a Homer-esque, "D'oh!" or a paraphrasing of the Comic Book Guy, "Worst. (insert noun here). Ever." but it's there.

And that is why Keith Olbermann is The Man.

For more info on Keith Olbermann:
Bloggerman
The "Unofficial Keith Olbermann Fan Site"
Countdown Homepage
Wikipedia
Google
UPDATE (03/31/06): A Keith Olbermann blog! Sweet. Thanks to Becky in the comments.

"My Slump"

Crooks and Liars has the "My Humps" parody video that aired Saturday night on Mad TV. In case you missed it over the weekend, here is the link: "My Slump." Take a 1 minute and 46 second break from your day and enjoy, it's high-larious!
Sorta makes me feel bad that i never watch Mad TV (who does?). If they keep bringing this kinda noise, i'll definately start peepin' it. Props!
While you're at Crooks and Liars, go to their home page and browse around for a while. This is the go-to place for the best political sound bites and videos on all of the internets.