Scent Weakly 2.0

San Francisco Pics

2009-04-09T00:04:00.000-07:00

New Vampire Weekend

2009-03-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

VW premiered a new song on Fallon last night.

Rockville, CA

2009-03-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

Josh Schwartz (The OC, Chuck, Gossip Girl) has produced a new web series, Rockville, CA. The show is about about a fictional rock club in Los Angeles. By the look of the preview it doesn't like it will push the characters and story telling beyond the cliche, but the list of real musicians and bands performing on the show looks cool.

It debuts on Tuesday, March 17.

The bands:

* Kaiser Chiefs
* Phantom Planet
* Travis
* The Duke Spirit
* Eagles of Death Metal
* Earlimart
* Frightened Rabbit
* The Kooks
* The Little Ones
* Lykke Li
* Nico Stai
* Passion Pit
* White Lies
* Anya Marina
* Bishop Allen
* The Broken West
* Cass McCombs
* Lights
* Oppenheimer
* The Republic Tigers

Field trip: Dead Confederate

2009-02-25T19:26:00.000-08:00

I went a bit out of my pop/countryish music comfort zone last night when I caught Dead Confederate's show at The BellyUp. DC is a rock band, dense and full of angst. They hale from Athens, Georgia and their music often gets characterized as southern rock. Which is bizarre. Clearly DC's primary source of inspiration is Nirvana, and that presents a problem. DC is not Nirvana and Hardy Morris is not Kurt Cobain. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the show. I did. And, DC's record is one of my favorites from 2008. It's just that when you clearly model your band after a rock legend it's hard not to make the comparison and not come off lacking.

On Radar: Chairlift

2009-02-20T21:03:00.000-08:00

Winners of the Apple Idol sweepstakes Chairlift have caught my attention. Check out their video. The technique is called datamoshing.

SLO Motion

2009-02-16T00:34:00.000-08:00

Carly came home this weekend and on Saturday she let me go with her to watch a few of her friends play in an ultimate frisbee tournament at UCSD.

Michael Phelps Rants

2009-02-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

Bobby McFerrin & McNally Smith Faculty Judi Donaghy - I Can See Clearly Now

2009-02-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

Blogging About How Comfortable I Am

2009-01-29T13:09:00.000-08:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

I Agee

2009-01-28T14:48:00.000-08:00

Nothing to report except that the blog It's Too Sunny Out Here agrees that Sunday's Theresa Andersson set was something special.

Field Trip: Tapes 'N Tapes - Theresa Andersson

2009-01-26T21:22:00.001-08:00

Last night I went to The Casbah to see Tapes 'N Tapes, but the opening act,Theresa Andersson, stole the show. She works solo, but with the help of a couple looping machines she creates a rich multi-layered sound. Actually I'll stop here and let her YouTube video do the explaining.

Note: This vid must have gone viral. Check out the number of hits.

While the technology is cool, it was Andersson's voice and dynamic performance that won over what can be a skeptical Casbah crowd. I'm now a fan.

My Live Music Calendar

2009-01-24T12:38:00.000-08:00

Here are the shows currently on my calendar. Buy some tickets and join me.

Sunday, January 25 - Tapes 'N Tapes - The Casbah
Thursday, February 5 - Todd Snider - The Belly Up
Tuesday, February 24 - Dead Confederate - The Belly Up
Sunday, March 1 - Ra Ra Riot - The Loft - UCSD
Saturday, March 21 - Missy Higgins - The Orpheum Theater - Los Angeles
Friday, April 17 - Calexico - The Belly Up

On Radar: Vast Atlantic & Musikanto

2009-01-21T19:28:00.000-08:00

My favorite music genre resides somewhere near the nexus of rock and country. A musical space inhabited by the likes of Neil Young, Wilco, Ryan Adams, Kathleen Edwards etc. As much as I like those artists it's been awhile since they have recorded something interesting, so recently I went on a search for some new music.

Vast Atlantic the first band I found is almost local (The OC). They describe themselves as the illegitimate child of Wilco, Bright Eyes, and Ryan Adams. They're a relatively new band that will improve, but they're solid now. You can listen here Vast Atlantic

Musikanto hails from Chicago, but plays in the same country/rock territory. You can check him out on his MySpace page.

There's a A Bailout Coming, But It's Not For You

2009-01-13T17:59:00.000-08:00

Grampa rock rules.

An Apartment Tour

2009-01-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

The "Before" tour of A&A's new digs.

Field Trip: San Fracisco Day 2

2009-01-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday I met Will at Four Barrels for coffee and donuts. From there we headed to Golden Gate Park and the Academy of Sciences. The AoS is a brand spanking new museum in the heart of the park. It encompasses several major exhibits that span many different scientific disciplines. Highlights include the four story rain forest enclosure, the aquarium, and the state of art digital planetarium/movie theater. But as good as the exhibits are, the star of the museum is the building itself. It's a stunning achievement in green architecture.

Check out the roof.

After sending Will back to St. Mary's "to do homework" I went over to Annie and Adrian's apartment to make sure they put their oluvfundor together correctly. They had, so we celebrated over sushi and beers at Tokyo Go Go. Delicious.

SW Recommends: The Hype Machine

2009-01-11T20:22:00.001-08:00

The Hype Machineis a music blog and mp3 aggregator that I use often to listen to and discover new music. They have recently put up a very cool new resource, the Music Bog Zeitgest. At the site you can listen to the top 50 albums, artists, and songs based upon traffic statistics at The Hype Machine.

Field Trip: San Francisco Day 1

2009-01-07T23:08:00.000-08:00

I flew up to San Francisco on Tuesday on a nearly empty Virgin Airlines flight. With attendants dressed in black, the cabin bathed in pink lights, and an oh so hip color scheme the plane looked like a scenster night club. Although the 100 empty seats gave it the air of a club whose hipster clientele decided to do their clubbing down the street.

The flight was uneventful and I met up with Annie and Adrian at their new apartment in the Mission district of San Francisco. It's located above a Korean BBQ in a gentrifying neighborhood. The place is a big improvement over their previous digs and my parental side was happy to see a police station across the street. We made a video of the apartment which I posted on YouTube, only to realize after viewing that Annie had revealed a wee bit too much information about the apt's location. I have since taken it down.

The first item on my itinerary was to complete Annie's Xmas present - a trip to Ikea. We spent a hour or so across the bay in Emoryville buying urkenlivers, olovfundors, velovduls.

After hauling everything up to their third floor apartment (no elevator)we walked to Ike's Place for sandwiches. Wow! Next time you're in The City do yourself a favor and head over to Ike's for a Napoleon Complex sandwich on a Dutch crunch roll. Absolutely delicious. I ate the whole thing when half would have easily sufficed.

At this point all I wanted was a nap, so I headed to my deluxe accomodations and let the kids put the olovfundor together by themselves.

Ike's Place

History Lesson: Presidential Portraits

2009-01-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

This is kinda cool.

Time Sponge

2009-01-02T00:27:00.000-08:00

If you feel the need to be productive you probably shouldn't play this game.

Auditorium

Top Gun: A Gay Parable?

2009-01-01T22:37:00.001-08:00

NSFW

A Music Video

2009-01-01T22:18:00.000-08:00

For a lot of reasons music videos are a dying art form. (MTV doesn't even play them anymore.) But, when they're done well they are very compelling.

Here is one of my favorites.

Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog

2008-12-30T17:07:00.000-08:00

Until I can think of something interesting to blog about here's a very good list of blogs to read.

30 Great Blogs

America's Most Eligible Bachelor?

2008-12-26T12:46:00.000-08:00

I think Obama's speechwriter, Jon Favreau, will get a few votes.

Jon Favreau Profile - Esquire

A Cool Picture

2008-12-20T08:22:00.000-08:00

McCartney & Lennon, 1964. Christmas Show Rehearsal, Donmar Hall, London

Top Ten Shows

2008-12-17T18:01:00.001-08:00

This was a tough one. When the shows of The National, Kings of Leon, Kathleen Edwards, KT Tunstall, Ray Lamontagne, and Ra Ra Riot, are left off the list, you know it's been a stellar year for live music.

1. Neil Young with Death Cab at Cox Arena
2. The Hold Steady at The Casbah
3. Bruuuuce at The Honda Center
4. Ryan Adams at Spreckels
5. The Avett Brothers at The BellyUp
6. My Morning Jacket at Open Air Theater
7. Missy Higgins at The BellyUp
8. Radiohead Cricket Ampitheater
9. Blitzen Trapper The Casbah
10. Vampire Weekend The Casbah

Field Trip: Missy Higgins

2008-12-16T17:08:00.001-08:00

Put Missy Higgins on the list of "Mucicians I Want To Follow Around the Country in a VW Van" (Ryan Adams, Wilco, Brandi Carlile, The Avett Brothers, My Morning Jacket, Bruuuce, Neil Young, and The Hold Steady).

MH is a mere wisp of a girl with a strong and lovely voice. She's a good (and improving) song writer who moves easily from ballads to rockers. But, what puts her in the top of my favorites list is that she is a completely engaging performer. She commands the audience's attention with her confidence and sparkle.

Before the show I had pretty much decided on a top ten concert list for 2008. It now must be redone.

Top Ten Songs 2008

2008-12-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

A definitive top song list is impossible because it's a moving target as my preferences change hourly. But tis the season, so here are ten (actually 11) songs I liked a lot in 2008.

1) Furr/Black River Killer -- Blitzen Trapper (I couldn't decide)
2) Murder in the City -- The Avett Brothers
3) Acid Tongue -- Jenny Lewis
4) Right Hand On My Heart -- The Whigs
5) The Modern Leper -- Frightened Rabbit
6) Oxford Comma -- Vampire Weekend
7) Bouncing Ball -- honeyhoney
8) Lord, I'm Discouraged -- The Hold Steady
9) Scared At Night -- Kathleen Edwards
10) Secret -- Missy Higgins

Top Ten Albums of 2008

2008-12-09T17:28:00.000-08:00

Have you been checking SW hourly for my top ten list of albums for '08? No, well here it is anyway.

1. The Midnight Organ Fight -- Frightened Rabbit
2. Furr -- Blitzen Trapper
3. Stay Positive -- The Hold Steady
4. Only By the Night -- Kings of Leon
5. Vampire Weekend -- Vampire Weekend
6. Gleam II -- The Avett Brothers
7. Asking for Flowers -- Kathleen Edwards
8. Mission Control -- The Whigs
9. On A Clear Night -- Missy Higgins
10. Wrecking Ball -- Dead Confederate

Field Trip: Blitzen trapper

2008-12-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

Blitzen Trapper is growing on me. I had seen them a couple of times as an opening act and came away thinking generic neo-classic rock band. Nothing special. In the mean time they have released two really strong records and developed a compelling live show. And, if the response of the sold out Casbah crowd is any indication their future is bright.

Put them on my "Must See" list.

SW Recommends

2008-11-29T15:18:00.000-08:00

Those of us who remember fondly FM radio in the 70s when a Beatles song would be followed by one from Dylan, CSN&Y, the Dead, Neil Young, and so on - will like the new Blitzen Trapper record, Furr. It sounds like a typical hour of FM radio I listened to in 1973. It's all there. Eric Earley, the creative force of the band, is clearly influenced by the music of his parents and does a good job of interpreting it in 2008.

I'll be going to their show at The Casbah tonight.

Twitterfication

2008-11-29T14:55:00.000-08:00

As you can tell my posting rate has declined precipitously here at Scent Weakly lately. The cause which I alluded to in an earlier post is Twitter. Twitter has evolved from a place where you announced to your friends the brand of cereal you had for breakfast into a hub of a communication/publishing system. It's just become much easier to post most of the things (music, pictures, links, etc.) I used to post on Blogspot on Twitter. I still plan to post some longer pieces here, but most of my web scrapbooking will be done on Twitter.

You can follow me on Twitter here.

Blitzen Trapper on Conan

2008-11-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

They'll be at The Casbah on the 29th.

Will Twittering Kill Blogging?

2008-11-15T21:36:00.000-08:00

Probably not, but I sure have been posting more and more on Twitter and less and less on Scent Weakly. It seems that that guys like me (a few fries short of a Happy Meal) can usually make their point with 140 characters or less.

It's a bit of a surprise that as Twitter builds its user base and becomes a platform it hasn't been challenged by Google or Microsoft.

A Music Video

2008-11-11T18:06:00.001-08:00

Road Trip: SLO and SF (part I)

2008-11-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

With a four day holiday on the calendar this past weekend I decided to venture onto California's freeway system. The goal was to hang with daughter Carly in San Luis Obispo and daughter Annie in San Francisco. Mission accomplished. It was great to see them thriving in their new cities of residence. It was also surprisingly therapeutic to drive several hundred miles each day while listening to music. I recommend it.

Since a lot of the hangin' also involved eating here's my food diary.

Lunch at Flame Bay in downtown SLO. It's a build your own stir-fry place. I was told 4th year CE's can stack their bowls with enough food that they can survive off their leftovers for a week. I wasn't skilled, but I had plenty to eat. Tasty eats. If the weather is nice sit outside on the lovely deck by the river.

Dinner at Woodstock's Pizza. We (Carly, Ryan, Cameron, Jake, Sydney, and Morgan) tried another place first, but it was out of bbq. Woodstock's is a chain that specializes serving a good pizza to college kids. They do it well.

The next morning Carly and I went to one of SLO's iconic restaurants for breakfast. Louisa's has been around for a while. It's a no frills diner that serves big portions of good old fashioned dishes. I left stuffed to the gills and and skipped lunch on my drive to San Francisco.

Despite missing an exit I found my daughter's funky digs in the Castro without much problem. Annie and her boyfriend, Adrian, decided on sushi. We walked to Tokyo Go GO and munched on a variety of very tasty hand rolls and washed them down with cold Kirins.

On the way back we stopped at Bi-Rite Creamery for some ice cream. I had a small scoop of salty caramel. Delicious. If I had added a little chocolate sauce it would have been perfection.

The next morning Annie, Adrian, and I went to Four Barrels Coffee before they had to go to work. I was promised they also had the world's greatest donuts, but alas they don't serve donuts on Mondays. Excellent coffee and their buttery croissants were an excellent consolation prize.

After dropping Annie at work I headed back down the road to SLO. I did manage include a stop at In'n Out for a cheeseburger and a shake on my one stop of the drive.

For dinner we (Carly, Sydney, Morgan H, Emily, Erica, Cameron, Ryan, and Jake) made it to JD Boone's for some bbq. (It's surprisingly easy to get a big crowd of college students for dinner when word gets out that a dad is going along.) Carly called this time to make sure they hadn't run out. Excellent pulled pork sandwich. They smoke the meat and serve it sans sauce. The pork was perfectly cooked and they have a variety of tasty sauces.

This morning Carly and her friend Sydney who accompanied me on the SD/SLO legs of the trip brought breakfast burritos from Breakfast Buzz to my hotel. Huge tasty gut bombs. A more mature person would have eaten half and been satisfied. I hate the whole thing and haven't eaten since (it's 5:20 pm).

While it probably sounds like it, I didn't spend all my time eating and driving. But, I'll save that for another post.

David Foster Wallace

2008-11-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

Rolling Stone has a long piece about the writer David Foster Wallace who committed suicide a few months ago. You can read it here. David Foster Wallace

For those of you with iPods and a commute Audio.comhas a free download of Foster's essay Consider the Lobster. You must register and give them a credit card number, but you'll want to do that anyway as audio books are a great way to distract you from traffic.

Field Trip: Ray Lamontagne

2008-11-02T07:31:00.001-08:00

A little hyperbole from John Mayer's Blog:

People ask me all the time what artists I'm listening to, and what I think of certain singers or bands out there. I think Ray LaMontagne is as brilliant as any artist that has ever lived.

Wait, let me think about that again. That came off pretty bold.

Nope, that's still what I want to say. Ray LaMontagne is as brilliant as any artist that has ever lived. And he's getting better; tighter, more focused, more self-assured.

While I like Ray Lamontagne, I think Mayer's effusiveness might have something to do with the fact that he goes to RL's concerts with Jennifer Anniston.

Ray Lamontagne is an unassuming performer who early in his career battled debilitating stage fright. His concerts are all about his music which is more than enough.

Excellent songs well played.

Field Trip: Neil Young & Death Cab and Cutie

2008-10-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

Wow!

Going into the show I had no absolutely no expectations. After all the guy will be 63 in a couple weeks. I do have a almost 40 year history of enjoying his music and was curious to see which Neil we would get. Well, we got all of them. He rocked, went acoustic, rocked some more, and then covered of The Beatles' A Day In the Life which ended with a Hendrix-esque guitar/amplifier melt down. Like Springsteen he pulls it off without a whiff of nostalgia. The guy is just as relevant today as he was 40 years ago. Best show of the year.

I should like Death Cab for Cutie. They're everything I like in a band. They can sing, write, and play. But for some reason they have never resonated with me. It's probably not a good idea for any band to open for NY.

Cardinology

2008-10-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

You can stream RA's new record here Cardinology

After my initial listen I gotta say it's one his weaker efforts. The gold to crap ratio is mighty low for an Adams record.

WAITING FOR THE WAVE, by Tony Nolan

2008-10-19T16:26:00.001-07:00

WAITING FOR THE WAVE, by Tony Nolan
Originally uploaded by Endless Forms Most Beautiful

Holy Crap!!!

Field Trip: Schuyler Fisk

2008-10-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

Schuyler Fisk can play and sing. She's also adorable. I caught her set at The Casbah last night with a relatively small but very appreciative crowd. SF is making the move away from the singer songwriter genre and and moving to KT Tunstall and Brandi Carlile territory by fronting a very good band.

While the set was entertaining I didn't hear a song that I wanted to rush home and download. That may have had more to do with the sound guy than her song writing abilities as the dude couldn't get the mix right all night. I'll reserve judgment until her new record comes out in February.

Field Trip: Hotel Cafe Tour, Girls

2008-10-14T17:27:00.001-07:00

I made it out two nights in a row. (Not bad for an old guy) While Sunday's Kings of Leon show was all about testosterone, last night the BellyUp was all estrogen all the time. I caught the Hotel Cafe tour that featured Anya Marina, Meiko, Jaymay, Molly Jenson, Erin McCarley and Holly Conlan rotating on stage for a few songs each.

Highlights

Meiko is a real talent. She reminds me a little of Missy Higgins and Brandi Carlile who happen to be two of my favorite female singer songwriters.

Jaymay What a treat. I have been listening to Jaymay's music for awhile and imagined her to be shy and retiring little mouse. She's the complete opposite. Jaymay is a bit quirky and an absolute firecracker. I've always liked her rather idiosyncratic songs but the depth of her voice was a very pleasant surprise. If the music business was a meritocracy she'd be a star.

Field Trip: The Kings of Leon

2008-10-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

As the internet has transformed mass markets into 1000s of micromarkets, I can't think of any neo-classic rock band that has grown its audience to the point that it can fill arenas. Judging from last night's show the King of Leons might be the first.

The KOL has all the bells and whistles. They're an excellent band with catchy sing-alongable songs fronted by a rock star. The music brings the guys and Caleb Followill brings the girls (who were well represented last night).

All in all it was an excellent show.

An Assignment: Required

2008-10-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

This week's This American Life podcast is required listening. It explains the current financial mess in terms that even I (whose IQ is near Paris Hilton's) can understand.

Grab it now on iTunes as I think it will be replaced by a new podcast Sunday night.

Podcasts

2008-10-06T19:08:00.001-07:00

In the age of the iPod, I'm not sure how commercial radio survives. I haven't listened to the it in months. I suppose there is an audience for talk shows, traffic updates, and live sports, but I have to believe even that audience is shrinking.

I'm just glad I'm not in the business of selling radio ads.

As I think I mentioned before, I have been listening to a lot of podcasts on my commute and while exercising. Here are a few of my favorites.

Sound Opinions **** A weekly discussion of the music scene.
This American Life **** The NPR show featuring human interest stories
MacBreak Weekly **** Leo Laporte and crew discussing all things Mac
Net@Night **** Leo Laporte and Aber MacArthur talk web 2.0
SModcast **** Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier riff. Hilarious vulgarity
PRI: The Sound of Young Aemrica **** Great interviews. (Chip Kidd, Bill James, The Hold Steady ......)
All Songs Considered **** The NPR show featuring the best of contemporary music.
Filmspotting **** Movie reviews (a bit geeky)
Scene Unseen **** Movie reviews (less geeky)
The BS Report **** Bill Simmons talks sports and pop culture

All these podcasts are available for free on itunes. Radio is screwed.

How an Engineer Folds a T-Shirt

2008-10-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

OK, OK I'll vote for Obama

2008-10-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

Dolphins

2008-09-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

Not much to report, so I give you dolphins playing with bubble rings.

On Radar: Ra Ra Riot

2008-09-29T16:43:00.001-07:00

For an old guy like me there's something rather daunting about leaving the house at 10:30pm on a school night to hit a show. But, after almost bailing I sucked it up and caught Ra Ra Riot's set at The Casbah last night. It was a good call as RRR is a terrific band.

With an electric cello and violin they are often compared to Arcade Fire, but I hear more similarities with Vampire Weekend.

Can You Tell

This is very cool.

2008-09-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

Japanese waterfall printer.

Wordia

2008-09-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

What a great idea for a web site. It's a mashup of YouTube, Wikipedia, and an online dictionary. Members of Wordia can record video definitions that can be accessed by all.

It's a new site so pick a word and get your definition up.

Wordia

Dot Dot Dot Before You Die

2008-09-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

Apparently inspired by the books it seems that authors are using the phrase "... before you die" in lieu of the standard best of lists. I guess the phrase does create a sense of urgency. Anyway, here's a list of 10 hotels you should stay in before you die

Hotels to stay in before you die.

Palin or Fey?

2008-09-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

I can't tell the difference anymore.

Field Trip: My Morning Jacket

2008-09-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

Drawing inspiration from The Who, The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, and other 70s era arena bands My Morning Jacket would have been very successful in 1973. For an old guy whose musical tastes were shaped by the music of that time it's nice to see that MMJ has some traction in 2008.

MMJ is a great live band, but has never really put out a record that captures that magic. They specialize in big crowd pleasing rock anthems with big guitar jams. Played live even some of their more cloying tracks from the latest record (Highly Suspicious, Evil Urges) are transformed into something special.

So, Radiohead gets dropped from my top five concert list of '08

1) The Hold Steady @ The Casbah
2) Bruuuuuuuce @ The Pond (or whatever it's called now)
3) Ryan Adams @ Spreckles
4) My Morning Jacket @ SDSU's Open Air Theater
5) The Avett Brothers @ The BellyUp

Palin or Fey?

2008-09-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

I'm a middle of the road guy. I've voted for Democrats and I've voted for Republicans. (Clinton, Dole, Bush, Kerry in the last 4 presidential elections) But, after watching what Republicans have done the last eight years I think I've voted R for the last time.

It's probably time for Republicans to fold the tent and start over. Vote Whig in '12

Can anybody tell me if this is Sarah Palin or Tina Fey.

This and That

2008-09-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

Ryan Adams has a record coming out on October 28. He posted a song, Fix It, from the album today on MySpace. It sucks. Fix It

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow night's My Morning Jacket show. Their recordings are not very compelling, but what a live show. They easily make my Bands I Want To Follow In a VW Van list. I'm hoping they'll crack my top five shows of the year, but it's going to be tough.

1) The Hold Steady @ The Casbah
2) Bruuuuuuuce @ The Pond (or whatever it's called now)
3) Ryan Adams @ Spreckles
4) The Avett Brothers @ The BellyUp
5) Radiohead @ The Cricket

I've seen Blitzen Trapper a couple time as an opening act. Good band with bland material. Their new album might make me change my mind.

Furr

Hilarious

2008-09-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

Chris Rock followed Bill Clinton on Letterman Monday night and was f bombin' funny,

On Radar: Jolie Holland

2008-09-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

Jolie Holland has a new record coming out on October 7th called The Living And The Dead. The first track floating around the inter-tubes is very good.

Here it is:Palmyra

Holy Cow!

2008-09-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

The quality of this little movie made to demonstrate a new Canon camera is unbelievable.

A Stocking Stuffer

2008-09-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

FitBit looks like a very cool product.

Here's their pitch at TechCrunch 50

Back To The Grindstone

2008-09-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

As you have or haven't noticed Scent Weakly has been on a bit of a hiatus. After having done this for a couple years I have found that every once in a while I need to shut the blog down for a few weeks and not think about it.

Well, it's been a few weeks and it's time wipe the dust off, put some gas in the motor, and get this thing started again.

The Next Apple Idol Is ........

2008-09-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

Chairlift

Song = Bruises

Live Action Simpsons

2008-08-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've seen this before.

Voting for President

2008-08-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

In 2000 Bush and Gore were asked about baseball's designated hitter rule. While Gore gave a long winded answer that never really answered the question, Bush gave a succinct response, "Never liked it never will." I hate to admit this but based primarily on the way they answered the designated hitter question I voted for Bush.

Having learned that having traditional baseball beliefs are inversely correlated to one's ability to lead a democratic superpower, I have changed my criteria for my vote for president. This year I will base my vote on the candidates' bodysurfing form.

Last week Obama demonstrated his form at Sandy Beach on Oahu. I'll wait until after McCain's appearance at The Wedge before I make my final decision.

Scent Weakly Too

2008-08-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

Scent Weakly Too

The Scent Weakly Empire is getting bigger (or I'm just getting lazier). I've created and started posting some stuff on Scent Weakly Too. It's a Tumble log (or whatever they call it) and it's incredibly easy to use.

I'll use it primarily to post music and pictures, but who knows how it will evolve. I'm just having fun.

Twitter Mania

2008-08-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

All the cool kids are doing it. On second thought, if it's just Jeff, Carly, and me perhaps it's a geek thing. If you do decide to take the plunge into the geek pool, you can start by following coachjeff, carlitalolitax, and chipotle.

Roommating

2008-08-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Roommating is yet another short format (< 5 min.) scripted internet series. While the writing and acting isn't exactly topnotch, several episodes are based on clever scenarios. My favorite show is episode 3 (below) in which one of the roommates gets mugged and they use their Wii to create a likeness of the mugger.

Field Trip: The Dark Knight

2008-08-14T09:32:00.001-07:00

Last night we headed up to the IMAX theater in Miramesa to see this summer's must see blockbuster The Dark Knight. To begin I should say I'm not a cape and cowl guy at least I haven't been one since about 1966. Which is a bit of a problem because when you peel back the veneer of the movie - you've got a comic book movie.

The Dark Knight certainly has its pretentions to be bigger than its genre. It sermonizes incessantly about good and evil, and draws parallels with modern terrorism. But, in the end, I thought the movie sank under the weight of trying to be relevant.

I will say sights and sounds of the IMAX experience is well worth the price of admission. It occurred to me last night that going to the movies might be returning to its roots. Originally there would be a few big screen theaters around town. Then for economic reasons theaters became mega plexes with up to 30 much smaller screens per theater. Now that more and more people have large TVs there is less reason for people to pay to see a movie in the theater. IMAX is different. You can't get that experience at home. It might be time for theater operators to reduce the number of their screens so that they can increase their size.

Tennis Tourney '08

2008-08-13T17:13:00.001-07:00

Padre Nation

2008-08-13T09:36:00.001-07:00

The Nickster and I went to Petco last night where I confirmed that watching the Padres is better than oral surgery. I also tested my corollary theory that vicodin improves both experiences. Initial results are positive.

Highlights:

Tin Fish: Possibly the best pre-game spot in all of major league baseball.

Pinkberry: Not really a highlight. Overrated and overpriced.

Prince Fielder: The dude absolutely smoked his homerun,

Self Portraits

2008-08-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

Check out Levi van Veluw's Self Portraits

Valium, Podcasts, Vicodin, and Coffee Ice Cream

2008-08-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday I tested my theory that oral surgery was preferable to watching the Padres this season. To my surprise I discovered that I'd much rather watch Luke Carlin hit into double plays with the bases loaded than having some guy use power tools in my mouth. In fact it's not even close.

I did find a few things that made my Guantanamo experience survivable.

1) Valium - Good for setting the mood
2) iPod - Listening to podcasts worked better than music as I had to focus more.

And, afterwards vicodin and coffee ice cream do wonders for your soul.

Speaking of podcasts I'm relatively new the medium, but have found they're great for making commuting, travel, exercise, and even trips to the dentist slightly more bearable.

A few of my favorites.

Sound Opinions - Siskel and Ebert for indie music
This American Life - The NPR show
The Moth Podcast - Storytelling
ESPN: The BS Report - Bill Simmons and guests talk sports
MacBreak Weekly - Leo Laporte does a ton podcasts each week this is my favorite
NPR: All Songs Considered - Excellent music show

You can subscribe to all these shows on iTunes.

popote

2008-08-09T11:14:00.001-07:00

Annie, SW's favorite graphic designer, and some of her friends have created an Etsy Shop selling handmade cards and other cool stuff. Go buy something!

popote

Obama Rolled

2008-08-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

This is well done.

Twitter Going Mainstream?

2008-08-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

It's been interesting to watch the evolution of how my kids communicate with their friends ouside of using a telephone. It's gone from email to AIM to MySpace comments to amalgam of texting, Facebook comments, and Facebook IM. Now that more and more kids are carrying smart phones I wouldn't be surprised to see Twitter enter the mix as it provides a nice bridge between the internet and mobile phones. If that happens it will also be interesting to see how millions of kids using Twitter affects Twitter.

Lights, Camera, Action

2008-08-08T21:46:00.000-07:00

It's becoming clear that the web is the place to be for anyone aspiring to a film making career, before or behind the camera.

I was really impressed by the internet series Dr. Horrible and also The Guild, so I went searching for more interesting shows on the web. Not surprisingly there are many, here are a few noteworthy ones:

You Suck At Photo Shop Really funny and educational!

The Line The cast of SNL made this series on their summer vacation. It's better than 95% of the stuff on SNL.

Wainy Days The show has great production values reflecting a significant budget. It's a very Woody Allenesque comedy set in Brooklyn.

Tiki Bar TV One of the first series on the web. It's good silly fun and educational for aspiring bartenders

Almost all of the stuff produced for the web doesn't stand up very well to broadcast TV, but I have no doubt it's the best place to get your foot in the door for a movie/TV career.

I think I'm voting for Paris

2008-08-05T16:55:00.001-07:00

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

Cadbury Chocolate

2008-08-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

This is a very popular UK commercial for Cadbury Chocolate. Kinda cool.

Foto Viewer

2008-08-02T16:32:00.000-07:00

Here's yet another way to share your Flickr photos online.

FotoViewr - Create your 3D photo gallery

Field Trip: The Hold Steady

2008-08-02T01:15:00.000-07:00

I just returned from THS Casbah show. It's late so I'll make it short. Holy f bombin' shit. That is all (for now).

Update:

Bob Lefsetz wrote in his blog this week about concerts that transcend music:

I’ve been there, you’ve been there. Deep into the concert experience. When it’s no longer about stars on stage, but the music itself, how it makes you feel.

Music is a participatory sport. When done right, it’s not about watching, BUT BEING INVOLVED! That’s when you truly start to tingle. When the show is YOURS!

Lefetz could have been describing last night's Hold Steady concert.

Going in I knew this was going to be a great show after all THS is one the bands I'd follow around the country in a VW van if I could. But, last night was the perfect storm.

The Hold Steady is a great live band that plays with incredible energy and a joy that is truly infectious. The Casbah is a really small venue (a sign says it has a 132 person limit)so it was packed with passionate Hold Steady fans. Put those elements together and you get an experience that is far greater than the sum of its parts.

Best show of the year by far.

The Guild

2008-08-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

As already noted I like Joss Whedon's web series Dr. Horrible a lot. It turns out that Felicia Day who plays Penny has her own web series called The Guild and it's pretty funny. You can see all ten episodes (they're short) on YouTube.

Here's the first one.

BTW, you can watch Dr. Horrible for free on Hulu. The link Dr. Horrible

John Mayer at Work

2008-08-01T07:12:00.001-07:00

Makin' Music with John Mayerfunny videosFunnyOrDie.com

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Performance Art

2008-07-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

This 80s Estonian commercial for meat doubles as a piece of performance art.

Posting Your Pictures

2008-07-26T22:17:00.001-07:00

Of all the different sites that allow you to create interesting ways to post your vacation pictures, Animoto is my favorite.

My latest music video: Paris Rocks

Zooey Is Getting Better

2008-07-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

After looking kinda like a deer caught looking at headlights in her first live shows, ZD is looking much more confident in a performance on MTV Canada.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

2008-07-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

Joss Whedon (Buffy, Firefly, etc.) is trying to change the rules. The writers' strike motivated Whedon and his team to eliminate the middlemen and take his work directly to the audience via the internet. The result is Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, a super villain musical and it's now available on itunes.

I bought and watched it last night ($6) and I gotta say it's pretty darned good. Certainly better than 95% of the stuff on TV.

Hopefully, selling directly to the consumer will be a success and will provide a path that will enable content creators to be rewarded for their work.

Great Headlines

2008-07-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

Last year I declared the headline Royals To Get A Taste of Angels' Colon the best headline ever written. I may have been premature with that assessment.

On Radar: Schuyler Fisk

2008-07-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

She can write, play and sing, nuff said.

I couldn't find an mp3, so here's her MySpace Page.

PS. Famous Moms for $300. Who's her mother?

Feist/Sesame Street

2008-07-17T14:13:00.001-07:00

Cute

JibJab Does It Again

2008-07-16T09:54:00.001-07:00

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Interesting Venue Choices

2008-07-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

I follow the live local music scene closely enough to have a pretty good handle on the various venues and the bands they book. But, every once in a while I see a booking and have to scratch my head. A couple of examples.

The Hold Steady at The Casbah

Don't get me wrong, I love this booking. The best bar band in America playing the best bar in America's finest city is going to be epic. It's just that The Hold Steady has some serious traction and I thought they would be playing a bigger venue than The Casbah capacity 132. They have a new album coming out today that is getting great reviews, their last album was a critical and popular success, and almost everybody (including me) who sees their live show raves about it.

Anyway, the show is sold out and I'm looking forward to seeing what could be best show of the year.

Jackie Greene at Anthology

This one has me really puzzled. Anthology is a relatively new venue built primarily as a jazz supper club although they have always booked a few boomer centric acts (Poco, Dave Mason etc.). I have never been to Anthology primarily because they haven't booked an act who I have had much interest in seeing, but their tickets prices are very high and they also charge a $15 per person food and/or drink minimum. Truthfully I probably spend about $15 at a show at The Casbah or The BellyUp, but I don't like to be required to do so.

It was a great to surprise to see that one of my favorites, Jackie Greene, is playing Anthology on August 29th. I guess the folks there are trying to widen their customer base. I just question the fact that Greene has enough pull to attract a big enough crowd willing to pay $24 for a ticket and $15 for food and drink. I'll probably be there. I just hope there will be other JG fans there as well.

On Radar: Joshua Jones --- Corey Chisel

2008-07-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of singer songwriters who are worth a listen. I bundled them together because they are currently on tour together. They're playing an early show at the Casbah on Friday, August 8

Joshua James

FM Radio

The New Love Song

Corey Chisel & The Wandering Sons

Lovers and Friends

See It My Way

Urban Version

2008-07-12T08:36:00.001-07:00

Animoto Rocks

2008-07-12T07:12:00.001-07:00

Animoto is a terrific site. It takes your photographs and turns them into high quality music videos. The process is quick and very user friendly.

Videos of 30 seconds are free.

Here's my first attempt. (There will be more.)

Animoto

You Can Hang A Star On That One.

2008-07-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

This is very well done.

On Radar: Locksley

2008-07-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

Fans of the musical genre typified by Vampire Weekend (cute boys singing catchy songs) might want to give a listen to Locksley. The early Beatles (cute boys singing catchy songs era) are an obvious inspiration to this Brooklyn band.

Why Not Me

Let Me Kow

All Over Again

London/Paris Footnotes

2008-07-09T19:52:00.001-07:00

1. Pubs in London now serve Caesar chicken wraps and Chilean sea bass with mango salsa.

2. Funky Parisian apartments come with funky Parisian neighbors. When staying in a funky apartment in Paris expect your neighbors to have heated political discussions and raucous drunken guitar-accompanied sing-alongs between 2:00 and 4:00 a.m.

3. Carly is a map reading savant. When traveling with Carly there is no need to bring a GPS.

Moving On Up

2008-07-09T03:15:00.000-07:00

It looks the days of seeing the Avett Brothers at the BellyUp might be over as they could be making a big step up the popularity ladder in '09. The Avetts just signed with American/Columbia records and will have their next record produced by Rick Rubin (Dixie Chicks, Justin Timberlake, U2, Tom Petty......) Good for them.

Bring It On

2008-07-08T10:23:00.001-07:00