HOLY CRAP, CLAY AIKEN’S GAY! September 24, 2008
Posted by Robert Rich in Uncategorized.5 comments
Oh wait, that’s not news.
I Made You All a Mixtape September 23, 2008
Posted by Robert Rich in Music.Tags: amos lee, atomship, back door slam, black keys, blackfield, blue october, colin hay, dr. dog, eddie vedder, electric touch, gus black, jukebox the ghost, my morning jacket, oh no! oh my!, over the rhine, strata, the doors, the hives, the kills, The Parlor Mob, Thrice
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Since I’m bored, and since there’s no way I’m going to actually do work (Espanol es muy dificil, no?), I’ve made you all a mixtape. Please listen to it and enjoy it. You never know, some of the songs may be about you. Of course, maybe they’re not, but nevertheless, take a listen.
Track Listing:
1. Amos Lee – Freedom
Amos Lee channels his best James Taylor with amazing results. Plus, that chorus is just freaking good.
2. Back Door Slam – Takes A Real Man
Would you believe these dudes are in their VERY early 20s? After hearing the song, you may not think so, but there’s no doubt these guys are headed for something big.
3. The Doors – LA Woman (Oakenfold Remix)
I came across this tune when it was played in the Showtime series Californication. Paul Oakenfold has done some awful remixes in his day, and he’s done some great ones. Thankfully, this is one of the latter.
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Rockin’ out with The Parlor Mob September 22, 2008
Posted by Robert Rich in Uncategorized.Tags: austin, Mark Melicia, stubb's, The Parlor Mob
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New Jersey’s The Parlor Mob played a show at Stubb’s indoor on Friday night, but I was lucky enough to snag vocalist Mark Melicia for a 20 minute interview that afternoon. Check it out below, and check my story from the Texan here. If you want the full, unedited version of the story, check after the jump.
EDIT: Having some issues with wordpress and embedding from Google video, so for now, check out the interview here.
Also be sure to check out Chris Yasick’s photos from the show here.
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NBC still bitter about losing Scrubs September 17, 2008
Posted by Robert Rich in Uncategorized.Tags: Scrubs
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So apparently they filmed what will likely be the series finale of Scrubs last week, and there was a scene with all of the former guest stars from the show, folks like Tom Cavanaugh and Nicole Sullivan. However, two of those guest stars – Heroes’ Masi Oka (who played Franklin, a lab tech) and Chuck’s Sarah Lancaste (Lisa the gift shop girl) – were not allowed to particpate since they’re on NBC shows. Stars switch networks all the time for shows, so this just reeks of jealousy and bullshit.
It’s a good thing they have The Office, otherwise I might boycott their asses.
Read the full story here.
The guy from KORN covers Lil Wayne September 17, 2008
Posted by Robert Rich in Uncategorized.Tags: got money, jonathan davis, korn, lil wayne
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I was going to put something funny with this, but seriously, what can be funnier than Jonathan Davis singing Lil Wayne’s “Got Money”? You just can’t beat that. It’s awful, but make sure to listen to it all to get the full experience.
A wonderful tale of bikes and imaginations September 14, 2008
Posted by Robert Rich in Uncategorized.2 comments
Here’s my column from this week’s Palestine Herald-Press. I thought it was entertaining, at the least.
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Imagine this. You’re walking back from the University of Texas campus at sunset. It’s starting to get dark, but not so much that you’re scared of going home by yourself. You’re walking right along the edge of the road because you’re in one of the many neighborhoods in Austin where there’s no sidewalk. Everything’s going fine until you hear something behind you. You cast it aside, attributing it to the growing darkness and your mind playing tricks on you, but then you hear it again. This time it’s louder, and it seems to be coming closer. It’s the steady pop pop pop of hard plastic striking metal, almost like when you’re trying to tighten a stripped screw and every time you start to get it tight, it pops back out of place. You hear this sound barreling at you from behind, and there’s no signs of it stopping. What is it?
In all likelihood it’s me, riding my bicycle. You see, ladies and gentlemen, it’s a piece of junk. That clacking sound comes from who knows what, as I’ve yet to figure it out. Whenever it’s in motion the chain running sounds like a four-year-old choking on hummus. The left brake is the only one that works, as the right one sticks. In fact, the right one is perpetually stuck about one-fifth of the way down, meaning the back wheel always rubs against during its revolution, scrubbing off speed. The amount of rust collected on the various metal pieces could probably be used to build a shelter for the entire homeless population of Austin. And yet, it’s not the worst one I’ve seen being ridden.
I was NOT high enough for Mogwai September 13, 2008
Posted by Robert Rich in Uncategorized.Tags: mogwai
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I was lucky enough to check out the Mogwai show at Stubb’s last night thanks to Reagan, who got me in on Matador’s tab. At first, it was pretty damn entertaining, as post-rock is an interesting genre anyway. No vocals, but a great mixture of ambient noise followed by clean guitar riffing and then exploding into distorted genius. But after a while, it all runs together and before you know it you’re thinking you’ve been listening to the same song for like an hour, only to find out 20 minutes has passed.
That being said, I think post-rock is a genre that needs to be enjoyed in one of two ways:
1) From the comfort of your home
OR
2) In a sit-down venue
Standing up for two hours while everyone around you is stoned out of their minds does not make for the most enjoyable experience. Had I been high myself, maybe that would have been a different story, but alas, I was stone cold sober (aside from maybe a little bit of a buzz from the shot of rum I took before entering) and looking at the guy to my left who wasn’t even moving to the rhythm but instead staring off into space didn’t help. That’s the way it goes though, I suppose.
John was entertaining though.
Your top 10 songs of the Billboard Era September 12, 2008
Posted by Robert Rich in Uncategorized.Tags: billboard, bobby darin, chubby checker, leann rimes, los del rio, macarena, mack the knife, rob thomas, santana, the twist
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Well, like it or not, Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” has been ranked the number one song of the Billboard era thanks to recent resulted posted by Billboard (CNN story). There’s no denying it’s an influential song in the annals of music history, but I’m astonished that the Beatles didn’t even show up on the list until number 8, with “Hey Jude.” Take a listen to your top 5 below.
1. Chubby Checker – “The Twist”
2. Santana featuring Rob Thomas – “Smooth”
3. Bobby Darin – “Mack The Knife”
4. Leann Rimes – “How Do I Live”
5. Los Del Rio – “Macarena”
The rest of the top 10 shapes up like this:
6. Olivia Newton-John – “Physical”
7. Debby Boone – “You Light Up My Life”
8. The Beatles – “Hey Jude”
9. Mariah Carey – “We Belong Together”
10. Toni Braxton – “Un-Break My Heart”
This Dog makes house calls September 12, 2008
Posted by Robert Rich in Uncategorized.Tags: dr. dog
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iTunes 8 excites me in untold ways September 10, 2008
Posted by Robert Rich in Uncategorized.Tags: Apple, coverflow, genius, ipods, iTunes, steve jobs
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Apple had a big day yesterday, releasing their thinnest iPod nano ever, and providing a cheaper version of the touch. But the biggest release, in my humble opinion, was the implementation of the new iTunes software, which contains some pretty damn cool things.
The Genius Feature
This new feature allows you to select a song from your library, and the sidebar at the left gives you recommendations based on what iTunes knows, as well as based on other users who have genius installed and what similarities their libraries to have. You can also take that song and have iTunes create a playlist from your library for you, giving you instant and immediate playlists. It’s still a bit new, so some of the decisions aren’t the smartest thing, but the genius needs to gain IQ points.
Grid View
Apple is all about eye candy, and this new grid view feature is nothing different. I still can’t decide if I like it or coverflow better.
New Visualizer
This is the first visualizer I can actually watch for a bit without getting bored. Although I’m worried that potheads will just get high and watch this all day.
All in all, good job Apple, now just make the thing run faster on my PC!
