Scene & Heard

Battle for Late Night: It wasn't Leno Vs Coco; it was Us Vs Them

2010-03-03T11:24:00.003-05:00

I wrote this piece for my mp3 blog about how the Late Night bloodbath that ensued earlier this year was more of a generational battle than a choice between Coco or The Chin. They won, we lost. Give it a read: http://tinyurl.com/ya4myda

Doing their part - Haiti Benefit this Thursday at Chaplins

2010-02-02T10:45:00.003-05:00

Rad local show that you should attend alert!

A number of incredible local musicians, including guitar wizard Trevor Gordon Hall and the Carolynn Cott Band are all slated to perform at Chaplins The Music Cafe in Spring City this Thursday.

Click the link for details.

Time Capsule: The Definitive Music of The 00's, according to Scene & Heard

2010-01-03T14:57:00.013-05:00

iPod, iPhone, MacBook, Blackberry, Blue Tooth, BluRay, Myspace, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, Xbox, and etc. These clever little gadgets and social networking outlets are, no doubt, a part of how future generations will look back on the 00's.

But aside from living it (or reading Wikipedia!), music continues to be the purest way to get a read on the history of the world. Because while technology defines the times (whether we're talking gun powder, electricity, 8-tracks, or rocket ships), it's the times that define the music - and to me that makes it a more personal, and real, account of what the world was like. What the people were like.

For example - look at the breadth of music these past 10 years. It's easy to grasp the decade without watching a single news reel (err, YouTube clip): wildly fragmented, at times apocalyptic, and often aimless or lost. There was definitely a lot going on beneath the surface, a lot of soul searching, a lot of growing up. It seemed every single genre suffered a damaging identity crisis - pop, hip-hop, rock & roll, alternative, hardcore, metal, punk, even country, all struggled to find new voice, new ground and new listeners.

Surely, it all had something to do with the internet tanking the record business, and the social state of the world as it recovered from culturally damaging terror attacks while marching into war and conflict. But it all felt like part of something bigger to me, as if this was truly the last gasp of one era and the ignition of another, crossing streams (which The Ghostbusters always warned us against doing!). The past (or age of 'The Boomers,' if you will) was ending, the future was struggling to get started.

And so, I am writing this for the future in hopes that they listen to this music and hear what the winds of change that blew through our trees and shook us to our roots sounded like. Perhaps this isn't how everyone remembers the 00's, but this is exactly how the 00's sounded here at the Scene & Heard bunker while we lived it. And because this was the decade where I "became of age," as they say (young love, high school, college, went to Europe, drove across the country, got a job with benefits, all that jazz), I think that makes me a qualified statesman to put forth this time capsule of music. These certainly aren't all my favorite records from the time, but after much deliberation and thought, these are what I find to be the most reflective and definitive of the time and my time in the 00's.

Children of the future, I give you the first decade of the 21st century...

N*Sync - No Strings Attached
Released March 21, 2000
Even if it makes your stomach crawl, you can't talk about the 00's without talking about how it started - which was ridiculously. This boy band album was inescapable, selling more than 2.4 million copies in just it's FIRST WEEK on store shelves. It spawned the same craze that Beatlemania wreaked on the young and impressionable of the 1960s by filling the world with more silly love songs. Except these five dudes didn't go on to make a White Album or Sgt. Peppers. Nevertheless, this album remains significant because this is where the music business peaked. As far as the industry is concerned, it was all downhill from here. As far as the rest of us were concerned (the ones who wanted better, less manufactured music - and not for $20 per CD), the music world was about to get a lot better, a lot more varied, and a lot more interesting. It was all uphill from here.

Glassjaw - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence
Released May 9, 2000
Often imitated, never replicated (see also: the entire "screamo" genre, ugh). This is what emo once meant, before it mutated into the ignorant, hosed-down excuse for guitar-flavored power pop it later became. While EYEWTKAS' abrasive hardcore edge can gut a stomach or two, it's the lyrical beauty and immeasurably intense delivery by frontman Daryl Palumbo that makes this, truly, one of the heaviest modern masterpieces of music. No other album in this time capsule blisters over with more fire or emotion than what you'll find here.

Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
Released May 22, 2000
Easily one of the most profound records of the time. An artist like Eminem was a total paradox. A white rapper, that wasn't a joke? Wait, what? This album - his second - was unmercifully confrontational, taking on the music business, pop stars, movie stars, paparazzi, parents, teachers, and the government. Not to mention, his own demons. But more appropriately, it verbalized all the boredom and angst of pre 9-11 America, word for word. Amusing, socially aware, emotional, dark, and outright foul. It was all these things and more, which is why it didn't matter what race you were or what type of music you liked. This album was the voice of the generation, and it said, "This is what we are like, and if you don't like that, just remember you're the sh*theads who raised us." It wasn't Bob Dylan, but that was kind of the point.

Radiohead - Kid A
Released October 2, 2000
No one had heard anything like this when it first came out. It. Blew. Minds. And still, more than 9 years later, it sounds as if it's a future masterpiece, beamed in from light years ahead of us, like a 'Pet Sounds' made by robots from Mars. I confess, the songs aren't my favorite Radiohead set, but like Sgt. Pepper was to The Beatles - Kid A was a definitive moment for the band, and for the future of music. A moment that will not be overlooked when future generations talk about Radiohead, who are to our generation what The Beatles were to "the boomers."

Coldplay - Parachutes
Released November 7, 2000
Speaking of Radiohead and The Beatles, Coldplay's pristine debut sounds at times like the well-mannered offspring of both musical giants, with a dash of U2 (circa Joshua Tree) for good measure. But this album remains their most basic, most poignant, and best. Particularly at a time when the musical landscape was cracking and shifting between soulless boy bands, Britney Spears, anger-fueled rap-rock and tough boy gangsta rap, four charming lads from England with guitars and pianos was more than a breath of fresh air - it was the first real moment of clarity and soul we'd gotten on the radio since Nirvana gave us that raunchy whiff of teen spirit in 1991.

Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
Released July 18, 2001
By 2001, the hyper-passionate "emo" scene was gaining steam and young listeners by the cartload, and all it took was a little nudge from a catchy song called "The Middle" to push this burgeoning scene over in to the mainstream consciousnesses - even if this record was more an upbeat rock n' roller than Jimmy's 1999's "emo" masterpiece, Clarity. Suddenly Jimmy Eat World, and fellow groups like Saves The Day, The Juliana Theory, The Get-Up Kids, and Death Cab For Cutie all had the immediate ears of record label execs as they scrambled to find "the next big thing" in a business that was about to break. The album's title is still frighteningly prophetic of the terror attack that was about to rock our country to it's core (9/11) a few short months later. But Bleed American is so hopefully thunderous, and masterfully crafted with a hunger to be heard, that it provided us with affectionate relief from the wound.

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Global a Go-Go
Released July 24, 2001
The world was about to get a lot more complicated, not to mention fragmented, but this late career masterpiece by the late great Joe Strummer (former frontman of The Clash) took the precious time to embrace the world and it's rich supply of culture, ideas, sights and sounds. From the rollicking "Johnny Appleseed" through the hypnotic 17-minute opus, "Minstrel Boy", Strummer and his band of musical gypsies stir up a brighter view of the world, one that's wholesome, simple, fascinating, and ripe for the picking. We weren't prepared for the storms ahead, but this was most certainly the beautiful, peaceful calm before.

The Strokes - Is This It
Released July 30, 2001
Jack White often gets the due credit for the 21st century resuscitation of rock n' roll - and rightfully so - but it was this landmark album by some young, greasy-haired New Yorkers that really reminded us how good rock n' roll made us feel. The White Stripes brought back bone-saw blues and a Led Zeppelin-like mysticism, but it was The Strokes who brought back the swagger, the cool, and the booze-soaked nights of being, young, lost and in love. A sound reminder that the heart of rock n' roll still has plenty of blood left to pump.

Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
Released July 30, 2002
As the tale goes, shortly after the attack on 9-11, Bruce Springsteen was spotted by a stranger in Asbury Park - and the stranger said to him, "We need you." The Boss knew what he had to do - get the ol' band back together. Sure enough, the "the heart stopping, pants dropping, earth shattering, hard rocking, hips shaking, earth quaking, nerve breaking, history making, legendary E-Street Band" returned months later with their first blast of new music in 18 years. And for all that had fallen, this album rose magnificently to the occasion - and who better? For Bruce and the E-Street gang, it was the comeback of a lifetime - for the rest of us, it was the candle we needed to light such a dark hour.

Bright Eyes - Lifted or the Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground
Released August 13, 2002
As the pop world continued to shift and buckle beneath us, new voices continued to sprout up through the cracks. But none showed as much generational promise as young Conor Oberst did on this breakthrough album. And with such captivating honesty and lyrical mastery, it was hard to resist branding him the next Dylan, particularly now that we were at war overseas and mired in political unrest. But unlike most "next Dylans," Oberst has made good on his promise, delivering classic album after classic album throughout this decade (recording as both Bright Eyes and Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band), and he has done so without pause or ever once looking back. If this was a decade of growth and new voice, there isn't a finer example - or one to be prouder of - than Oberst.

Brand New - Deja Entendu
Released June 17, 2003
For the young and restless of this decade's new breed of emo, this is the album that raised the bar. To fans of the band's straightforward buzz-sawed debut, Your Favorite Weapon, Deja Entendu was a radical reinvention, with entirely new song structures and a much more sophisticated and varied approach to song structure, flow and lyrics. Seems like a little leap now, considering how much the band continued to morph on later recordings, but this is one of the emo scene's proudest moments of growth this decade, not unlike when Radiohead jumped grunge for U2, taking the leap from Pablo Honey to The Bends.

Over It - Timing Is Everything
Released November 18, 2003
Emo might have been riding high, but pop-punk was riding higher. Bands like New Found Glory, Yellowcard, Good Charlotte, and Simple Plan had all found their true calling on MTV's popular after-school music video countdown, TRL (Total Request Live), waving around catchy anthems about being young, and/or in love. This album didn't register as even a blip on any mainstream radar, but it was a run away freight train, packing way more lyrical and breakdown punch than any of the bubblegum parading as punk on TRL. It wasn't a vein that other punk and emo bands hadn't already bled, but it's a treasure - and a rarity - to find such a record hammered out with such heart at such volume.

TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Released March 9, 2004
If you could imagine what it would sound like if Radiohead kicked Thom Yorke to the curb and got Otis Redding and Sam Cooke to fill in on vocals, than you can see why music geeks wet their proverbial pants at first listen to this album. Aside from Radiohead's Kid A, this was the first sign that music was really starting to move into a new, and beautifully hypnotic, direction.

The Killers - Hot Fuss
Released June 15, 2004
Unless you read up on them, chances are you thought The Killers were Britain's next big thing. But these Bowie-esque Joy Division lovers were, quite the contrary, born and bred Americans from Las Vegas. Achieving immediate success with hit singles like "Somebody Told Me" and "Mr. Brightside," The Killers quickly established themselves as one of the decade's best, and brightest, new groups.

Green Day - American Idiot
Released September 21, 2004
As the presidential election drew near, there were a number of artists who stood up to cry foul on George W. Bush and his Cabinet's continuing wars on terror and the middle east in response to 9-11. But none of these artists left as big a mark as Green Day did with this album, their first Who-inspired "rock-opera". And it was a welcome surprise indeed, coming from a band who had all but lost inspiration by the dawn of the decade. Just like the fire that made them hot in the first place, Green Day found rejuvenation by creating an outlet for a world they were disgusted with. Except, this time their disgust was with the grown up world, not the world of growing up - as on 1994's Dookie. It wasn't just a return to form, it marked a bold new direction that made the Bay Area trio one of the biggest bands in the world.

Nada Surf - The Weight Is A Gift
Released September 20, 2005
By now, the mainstream music business was in free fall. And because of it, better artists from smaller "indie" labels were on the rise - thanks in part to TV shows like The OC who brilliantly licensed and plugged these smaller bands. Groups like Arcade Fire, The Shins, and Spoon were all doing just fine without any major label muscle, thanks. Nada Surf, however, had already been up to the majors and been knocked down by the end of the 90's. There were lots of great indie records from this time, but none feel more accomplished or as instantly rewarding as this one. And few lyrics sum up this time better than "I watched life turn into a TV show" (from "Blankest Year"), partially due to the explosion of reality TV that was then in (disgusting) full bloom.

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Released March 3, 2007
The Arcade Fire's previous album, Funeral, is often cited as one of the decade's finest pieces of music - but I think this darker, denser set of songs is much more focused and reflective of the time it comes from. No, it wasn't the dark ages, or even The Cold War, but 2007 was a very claustrophobic, and hopeless, time. Britney Spears had lost her mind (homegirl shaved her head and attacked a pap car with an umbrella!). We were still at war in the Middle East and were still led by a president who had little - if any - respect around the globe. The whole world was a drag. The Arcade Fire sucked that in, and breathed out this anthemic, Joshua Tree-like hymn of hope for the times. It was moody on the edges, but if you got to the core, it sparkled light - and that wasn't easy to find at the time.

Radiohead - In Rainbows
Released October 10, 2007
The times, they were-a-changing. When Radiohead unveiled their latest album without a record label and with a "pay-us-whatever-the-heck-you-want-for-it-even-if-that-means-you-don't-pay-anything" model, there were those who said this was the future of the music business. It's hard to say it actually changed a thing, really, but it did prove that the record business was going to have to get much more creative if music was going to remain relevant in this brave new century of media overdose. Thankfully, there was much more to In Rainbows than how it was released. This delicate set of seared soul, breakneck guitars, and heart-wrenching love songs is Radiohead's most beautiful collection yet. Leave it to Radiohead to craft a record this gorgeous out of both hope, and apocolypse.

Girls - Album
Released September 22, 2009
This decade was hard on us. Growing pains, if you will. But the decade was exceptionally rougher for Girls frontman Christopher Owens who was raised in a cult that forced his mother to prostitute herself and watched his brother die because they didn't believe in modern medical methods. But salvation found him when he ran away and was taken in by a millionaire and moved to San Francisco where he met Chet White to form their band, Girls. Of course, running away doesn't clean out your closet - but building honest pop songs out of the pieces of your own broken heart helps. Musically, Album is vintage sun-soaked Happy Days garage rock, harkening back to a simpler time when things seemed warmer, happier, stronger. That's what this record is all about, and that's what the 00's were about: Building a better, brighter future out of the pieces of a broken past, to get back to where we once belonged. Couldn't end this decade on a more appropriate note if we wanted to. Here's hoping this decade treats us better than the last.

The greats who passed away this decade

2009-12-30T13:07:00.007-05:00

As the minutes on the decade grow short, I'd like to take a moment of silence for some of the many entertainment greats who passed away these past 10 years. Through music, film and beyond, the following all helped shape the world we now live in.

*listed in loose chronological order of death

Big Pun / thanks for "I'm not a playa, I just crush a lot"

Jim Varney / Hey Vern, thanks for Ernest

Charles Schulz / thanks for Peanuts, Charlie Brown

Sir Alec Guiness / thanks for being our only hope, Obi Wan Kenobi

Walter Matthau / Thanks for The Odd Couple, and you played a perfect Mr. Wilson in Dennis the Menace, btw.

Robert Ludlum / thanks for Jason Bourne

Joey Ramone / thanks for being a punk rock icon

Perry Como / thanks for an awesomely classic Christmas album

John Lee Hooker / thanks for "Boom, Boom, Boom" and those talking-style blues

Chet Atkins / thanks for real country music

Aaliyah / thanks for "If Your Girl Only Knew"

George Harrison / thanks for "Here Comes The Sun" - not to mention everything else you did with The Beatles.

Layne Staley / thanks for "Man In A Box"

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes / thanks for "Waterfalls"

Dee Dee Ramone / same sentiments as Johnny Ramone, thanks for being a Ramone

Johanthan Harris / thanks for being the dastardly Dr. Smith on Lost In Space

Joe Strummer / You were, and still are, one of my greatest inspirations as a person. Thanks for The Clash, The Mescaleros, and your hunger for life. "The future is unwritten"

Nina Simone / thanks for "My Baby Just Cares For Me"

June Carter Cash / thanks for being Johnny's greatest love and inspiration

Johnny Cash / thanks for walking the line

Barry White / thanks for that sultry voice

Bob Hope / thanks for making our military laugh in times of war

Sam Phillips / thanks for discovering Elvis, Johnny, and helping raise rock & roll from it's infancy

Gregory Hines / thanks for your tap dancing and acting

Charles Bronson / thanks for Death Wish

Warren Zevon / thanks for "Werewolves of London"

John Ritter / thanks for Three's Company

Robert Palmer / thanks for "Addicted To Love," wouldn't have been the 80's without it.

Elliott Smith / thanks for "Figure 8"

Rod Roddy / Come on down, we'd like to thank you for your announcing on The Price Is Right!

ODB / thanks for "Baby I Got Your Money," not to mention your work with the Wu.

John Peel / thanks for your uncanny love and ear for good music, and sharing it with us on the Beeb

Christopher Reeve / thanks for being Superman, both in movies - and in real life

Rodney Dangerfield / thanks for the shtick, and let me tell ya, you got our respect

Johnny Ramone / Three Ramones too many to pass away in a decade, thanks for punk rock

Ernie Ball / thanks for "slinky" guitar strings

Rick James / thanks for "Super-Freak" and not to mention, the most memorably caricatured character on the Chapelle Show

Marlon Brando / thanks for Don Vito Corleone

Ray Charles / thanks for "What'd I Say"

John Entwistle / thanks for being part of the rhythm powerhouse that fueled The Who, alongside the late great Keith Moon on the skins

Will Eisner / Thanks for The Spirit

Ronald Reagan / Thanks for being president, and inspiring a great deal of great rock music (REM, Sprinsteen, etc) in the 80s while at it.

Johnny Carson / thanks for creating a late-night tradition, The Tonight Show, that will never be quite the same without you

Pope John Paul II / God bless, and thanks for being our Pope!

Luther Vandross / thanks for "A House Is Not A Home"

James Doohan / thanks for beaming us up, Scotty

Rosa Parks / thanks for not giving up your seat

Pat Morita / thanks for teaching Danny-son how to wax on, wax off, and kick some butt!

Richard Pryor / thanks for the outrageous comedy, you certainly helped change the face of your trade

Peter Jennings / thanks for World News Tonight, you were one of the greats

Lou Rawls / thanks for "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine"

Wilson Pickett / thanks for "Mustang Sally"

Hunter S. Thompson / With "Fear and Loathing" you got to the heart of what so many journalists are schooled to write about, but don't - the truth. Thanks for that wild, manic beast of drug-addled ink, blood and paper you helped foster. Gonzo journalism.

Coretta Scott King / thanks for your husband and everything you did after he passed. Wish you could have been in Washington DC last January to watch history unfold.

Paul Gleason / thanks for giving up your Saturdays to hang out with Bender in the Breakfast Club, I think I'd have done the same. "Next time I come in here, I'm cracking skulls."

Don Knotts / thanks for Barney Fife

Billy Preston / thanks for that killer solo on "Get Back," fifth Beatle

Syd Barrett / Thanks for your work early on with Pink Floyd - expanded the possibilities of music. Wish you were still here, Madcap.

Steve Irwin / Blimey, thanks for being the only person with enough balls to stick his head into a croc's mouth and make a tv series out of it.

Ahmet Ertegun / The history of rock & roll would hardly be the same without the stamp you put on it. Zeppelin, The Stones, the rest is history. Thanks.

James Brown / thanks for being one of the most intense and passionate men in show business. Live music, soul, funk and even punk wouldn't be the same without the benchmark you set.

Gerald Ford / thanks for stepping in for Nixon

Anna Nicole Smith / thanks for that bizarre reality TV show, and sure the Playboy spreads too

Max Roach / thanks for your fiery genius on the drums. You have the rest of the world beat.

Luciano Pavarotti / thanks for your unforgettable tenor

Ike Turner / thanks for "Rocket 88" and raising rock from infancy - you're one of the founding fathers for sure.

Kurt Vonnegut / thanks for Slaughterhouse Five

Lee Hazelwood / thanks for your cowboy psychedelia, not to mention "These Boots Are Made For Walkin"

Merv Griffin / thanks for Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy

Robert Goulet / thanks for being the Chevy Chase of suave. Seemed there wasn't anything you couldn't do.

Evel Knievel / thanks for being certifiably nuts in the most awesome way - you set a world record with 37 broken bones to prove it. Also thanks for one of greatest quotes ever: "I beat the hell out of death."

Heath Ledger / I should thank you for your remarkably iconic turn as The Joker, but gotta be straight - you were pure gold in 10 Things I Hate About You. Thanks for that.

Charlton Heston / thanks for discovering that "SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE" and that we're already ON the Planet of the Apes.

George Carlin / thanks for your foul, unwavering honesty, and saying the things we didn't have the marbles to say - like the seven words you can't say on television. Easily one of the most brilliant minds of the past century - and he used it for good, not just by making people laugh, but also making them think.

Isaac Hayes / thanks for the hot buttered soul, Chef

Paul Newman / thanks for the salad dressing

Bo Diddley / they call you the Originator for good reason. You built your own guitar, and helped build rock n' roll in the process.

Bernie Mac / thanks for brightening up every movie you popped up in, Friday, Ocean's Eleven, Transformers, and even (God help me) Charlies Angel's: Full Throttle

Jerry Wexler / you were there with Ahmet as music history happened. Thanks for everyone from Bob Dylan to Dusty Springfield. Makes me wonder what happened to the music industry after guys like you?

Michael Crichton / thanks for Jurassic Park

John Updike / thanks for your brilliantly imaginative writing and poetry, AND for giving Berks County something intelligent to brag about

Dom Deluise / thanks for all the classic roles in Mel Brooks and Burt Reynolds movies

David Carradine / thanks for being the most deadly samurai with a lisp in Kill Bill

Farrah Fawcett / thanks for being Charlie's best Angel, Jill Munroe

Michael Jackson / thanks for the moonwalk, "Man In The Mirror" and the most 'thrilling' music video ever

Walter Cronkite / thanks for breaking the news to our old folks when news broke, your voice and your words are how they all remember JFK's assassination, Vietnam, WW2, Watergate, the landing of the Moon, etc.

John Hughes / thanks for making movies like The Breakfast club that showed kids do actually have brains, and even more heart

Les Paul / thanks for the sick guitar!

Patrick Swayze / thanks for keeping baby out of the corner, Roadhouse, and Point Break! (and of course, that SNL Chippendales skit with Chris Farley)

Ed McMachon / If The Tonight Show was the night sky, always full of (Hollywood) stars, you were the moon, baby - always around Johnny, always there to support him. Thanks.

Brittany Murphy / Liked ya in 8-Mile, but gotta thank you for your part in Clueless even more - that's a truly definitive movie of the times of the 90s.

The 00's - The decade that took us back to zero

2009-12-29T13:38:00.006-05:00

Y2k - what a joke that was.

Remember all that techno glitch jazz about how computers would think it was 1900 instead of 2000, wiping out power grids, bank accounts, satellites, and the internet in the process? That of course didn't happen, but when taking stock on this past decade, it does in some ways feel like someone hit the reset button and took us back to zero anyway.

From the terror attacks of 9/11, to the music industry & the global economy, to the rocky mental state of our beloved Britney Spears & Branjelina, these years have showered us with collapse.

Not to mention, the conflict in Darfur, the Iraq War and America's "War on Terror." Even Mother Nature joined in on the act, spurring cataclysmic events like the Indonesian Tsumami of 2004 and Hurricane Katrina which caused unfathomable havoc.

And let's not forget about Octo-Mom or Balloon Boy, or the alarming number of VH1 reality shows that featured Flava Flav making out with Bridgette Nielson. Or the Dustin Diamond (Screech from Saved By Bell) sex tape?

Also, I graduated college, grew a beard and got a job with health insurance. The world would never be the same.

But despite this 21st century turbulence, there is little doubt that we are living in the future, and it's a future that glows promise (see also, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope). Even if we aren't very well content with the job Obama is doing in office, there is something to be said about a United States of America that elected it's first black president in such a time of uncertainty and political unrest. Especially after the decade's two previous presidential elections were controversially split down the middle.

My favorite example to illustrate though, quite naturally, is the music industry.

Just look at how the decade started. Two of the biggest selling albums of 2000 were N*Sync's No Strings Attached and Radiohead's Kid A. Nearly a decade later, one of them is now regarded as a mere novelty, while the other still sounds like a masterpiece beamed in from the future. Kid A is regarded by many professional and amateur critics alike as "the" album of the decade - to which I cannot argue. These two albums are as symbolic as you can get, marking the peak of an era, and kicking down the future's door at the very same time.

The business free-falled from there. If you are the one person left on earth weeping for the music industry, look at who was turning the hefty profits before the business had it's spine ripped out, Mortal Kombat style, by the file-sharing internet world a few years ago. Limp Bizkit? Creed? Lip-syncing boy bands? Gangsta rap that had nothing to do with music or anything legitimate to say and everything to do with making money and living large? The record execs who fostered these "artists"? Trust me, it is not a BAD thing that these people are not shepherding the industry anymore. The music business, as it stood at the dawn of the decade, DESERVED to have the rug swept out from under it. And then kicked. And then spit on. And then rolled up in a cashmere rug and rolled down a steep embankment into oncoming traffic. And then nuked. It should be thankful to still have any pulse at all.

The artists left standing, now that the dust is beginning to settle, are making smarter music with more creativity, more hunger and more heart. And that's the only currency that stands to be tendered in a world where music is as fundamental to the passing generations as water is to life. (What? You don't think your heart beat is a song, or that birds, crickets, and whales all sing songs in search of peace, love and understanding?)

Don't get me wrong, we're not yet in any age of musical renaissance, but there is more out there than ever before and it's more accessible than ever before. To sum it all up in a word- CHOICE. Thanks to acts like Radiohead and computer programs like GarageBand and the ease of devices like the iPod - music is about as democratic and boundless as it can get. Music can be made by just about anyone and accessed and shared by even more. That creates infinite possibilities. If that's what it takes to keep Limp Bizkit out of the recording studio, I do believe that's a win for the human race.

And that's essentially what this past decade can be characterized by. Some of the biggest pieces of the world have crumbled beneath us, consumed by a weight of greed, power, politics, and just plain crap these past 10 years. But from the ashes, we are helping to build a whole new world from scratch, together. A world of more choices, more possibilities, more ways to share our hopes, joys and sorrow with one another. That of course, still leads to heinously bad movies, music, YouTube videos and motives - but I still call it a win for humanity.

This future we're building doesn't yet have flying cars, space colonies, or hover boards on the way any time soon - but it also feels like we, the little people, are more in control of what the future holds than we've ever been. And that's exciting. That's shelter from the storm.

That's why I've chosen to refer to this decade as "the zeros", as opposed to "the noughties" or "the ohs" or the "two-thousands." When you're at zero, there is no way, but up.

What about YOU? What did you love/loathe about the decade? Music? Reality TV? W. Bush impressions? FiOS? iPhones? Ex-girlfriends? Etc? Leave a comment about your 21st century break down!

I'm back, and with Christmas music!

2009-12-23T16:27:00.003-05:00

I could make excuses about why this blog has gone so unloved by me this past half year. And you could say things, and I could say things, and it could get really ugly pretty quickly about how awful we've been to one another. But the point is this: I'm blogging now for the first time in months and I come with 3-jam packed mixes of excellent holiday music. Oh, stop, it's the least I could do.

Truth be told though, I make these holiday mixes each year for my family and friends. I figure you deserve 'em too. Go ahead, dig in! You can download the full mix at each link as a zip file. Check the comments for tracklistings!

Merry Little Chrismakkuh Mixacle 2009

Merry Little Chrismakkuh Mixacle 2008

Merry Little Chrismakkuh Mixacle 2007

And lemme tell ya, my head is whirring with all types of 'the decade is coming to end - quick, let's reflect on it all through the eyes of music, movies, and Paris Hilton.' Let's get through Christmas first, but expect some entertaining diatribing from this blog next week. I'm back!

Don't stop reading, streetlight people. We're giving away Journey tickets tomorrow.

2009-09-01T10:08:00.007-04:00

You may have seen us advertising that we're giving away some tickets to see Journey & Heart in tomorrow's print edition of The Mercury.

So if you're a lonely girl living in a lonely world, or a city boy riding on the midnight train to anywhere, a singer in a smokey room, or just a stranger waiting on the boulevard... this post is for you.

Some of the songs in the following videos will be hidden in tomorrow's paper (a Journey through The Mercury, if you will), and you'll have to find them to win the tickets. More details and more Journey in tomorrow's copy of the paper.

"I will name my son Batman if this page gets to 500,000"

2009-08-31T00:39:00.009-04:00

Bands and celebrities often promise tidbits of info for scoring a set amount of Twitter followers or Facebook friends, but I just stumbled across my favorite social networking experiment yet...

I will name my son Batman if this page gets to 500,000.

Holy caped kid crusader! If this group gets more than 500,000 fans on Facebook, the guy will name his son Batman, which will either be really incredibly awesome in grade school or really awfully bad in high school. Or both. Apparently the guy's wife is completely on board with this too. I don't know who these people are, but what an amazing social experiment. Seriously.

He's currently at about 130,000, so the future Batman needs your help! Become a fan and become part of history. Take back Gotham!

The best part? This dad to be is dead serious.

Just think of the one liners that will be obnoxiously over-used in this future kid's life:
"Where does he get those wonderful toys?"
"Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?"
and of course...
"I'm Batman!"

Rob Zombie prepares re-make of The Blob; Phoenixville may want to start running out of theatre now

2009-08-30T22:53:00.016-04:00

It's indescribable! It's indestructible! (It's inevitable!) Nothing can stop it!

No, it's not The Blob; it's a re-make of The Blob!

If you haven't already read in the rags, director/musician Rob Zombie plans to re-make Phoenixville's biggest claim to movie fame, The Blob. Why? Because Hollywood has mostly forgotten how to hatch new, exciting ideas for movies. That's why.

Though this hardened cult classic was already re-made once before (in 1988, by director Chuck Russell), the well, apparently, has a few drops left at the bottom yet. And most people like to pretend that remake never happened. But maybe, just maybe, third time is the charm?

This article from Variety indicates Zombie plans on putting a new twist on the tale, but doesn't offer much in details other than production is chalked to begin next spring.

"My intention is not to have a big red blobby thing -- that's the first thing I want to change," Zombie said. "That gigantic Jello-looking thing might have been scary to audiences in the 1950s, but people would laugh now." - Rob Zombie

I see your point, Rob, but how can you make THE BLOB without A BLOB? Maybe you should try going in a more Ghostbusters type direction with sci-fi comedy, opposed to sci-fi horror blood, guts, and bones. Just a thought. (Not that I want to see a re-make of Flubber of course.)

Of course, if Zombie can give it new life and properly update this story for the 21st century, that is something to get excited about. Isn't it?

But the real question is; what do you think about this, Phoenixville? This is YOUR movie, after all. Much of the magic of the original Blob is the various locations it was filmed in (all around our area, from Phoenixville to Chester Springs and Valley Forge), including your own Colonial Theater, which you triumphantly honor each and every summer with Blobfest, as you dart out of the Colonial's entrance hollering yourself hoarse alongside other Blob fanatics from around the country in glorious re-enactment style. What does this mean to you?? Is this upsetting? Expected? Awesome?!

Would you be more offended if this 're-make' was filmed in the area - including The Colonial - or if Zombie shunned the classic's roots and filmed the whole thing in Nova Scotia, or something? (The 1988 remake was filmed in Louisiana.)

And if it's gotta be re-made, is it at least interesting to you that Rob Zombie is providing the vision for it? He won some acclaim for his own films (House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects), but his remakes of John Carpenter's untouchable Halloween and Halloween II seem to have upset more fans than not. (To be fair, no one could put their own stamp on those movies and do a better, more horrifying job than Carpenter.)

Whaddaya think? Good idea/bad idea? What's next? A re-make of Gone With The Wind, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson? Now THAT would be scary.

Best album cover of the summer? Oh, baby.

2009-07-07T14:04:00.003-04:00

Uh, YES! I'd say this wins my "Best Album Cover o' the Summer" award. I'm still deciding on how I feel about this new remix of the best hip-hop song of all time (don't even try to argue with me, it is), but Dan The Automator remains one of the slickest, hippest dj's in hip hop. As far as this indie lovin, gangsta rap-hatin white boy is concerned, at least.

Of course, the one thing that may be better than this cover is the accompanying Evian commercial. What roller-skatin' babies has to do with spring water is still out for jury.

I never learned it in any marketing classes, but I think it's been proven pretty obvious over the years that few things get attention as much as babies.

Whatever, though. Sweet campaign here with some sweet music.

What I find flabbergastingly remarkable, however, is that these babies in 2009 know how to use a tried-and-true old school boombox. No iPods here yo!

YouTube Mondays: Pottstown's Fireworks in 2 minutes

2009-07-06T10:16:00.003-04:00

Just For Fun; Where's Snow White Now?

2009-07-06T09:39:00.005-04:00

The only thing worse than Mondays are Mondays after holiday weekends, so here's a little something for those blues.

Ever wonder what happened to Snow White after she lived happily ever after?

The best part is that Prince Charming is watching horse races.

"Snowy" by Dina Golden
Source: The Fallen Princesses by JPG Magazine (check out for some other fallen princesses)

Music Notes: What's been hot this summer?

2009-07-05T15:25:00.005-04:00

Rancid! The nineties continue to come back in full force, and the East Bay's party punkers are still the best at what they do.

Although Let The Dominoes Fall - their first effort since 2003's Indestructible - doesn't light the same fireball as the group's match-in-the-gas-can early days did, this is by far the best good times record of the year (I beg of you; get this Flo-Rida junk off the radio). It's not dense, direction changing, or career defining; just 19 roaring party starters to help you forget America is in a not-so-great depression. Or rather, a romping reminder you don't have to be a sucker just because everyone else is.

If summer music is supposed to be about good times with good friends, good family and shooting the crap about the good times, Rancid are swinging - and connecting - with the jaw on this one. "Up To No Good" and the title track are personal favs.

On the other hand, there's that other East Bay group of punk rockers from the 90's - Green Day - who put out a new record this summer.

I have more love in my heart for Green Day than any other, but 21st Century Breakdown is just too jarring and too dense for the summer of 2009.

While Rancid's record is a rejuvinating reminder that you can still have good times during the tough times, Green Day's record dives into the hole the world is in, wallows in it, and never truly gives us the rally cry it promises to explode us out of it. They swung for the stands and wiffed.

Though it's cleverly themed and has an admirable poetry about it, the Day has made the mistake of taking themselves too seriously here. That's what Radiohead is for. You can stick to a theme (Springsteen's Born In The USA, for example), but you don't need to be The Who when you're Green Day. For Townsend's sake!

They even ape Coldplay a little here. Coldplay! Listen to the opening and closing of the record. Sounds like the opening and closing of Viva La Vida to me. Not to mention a song titled "Viva La Gloria!"

Still, 21st Century Breakdown has a handful of outstanding songs. "21 Guns" and "See The Light" are instant classics. But the size of this record's stick isn't as big as it would like to think it is, and Rancid's much simpler outing outshines because of it.

But in terms of artistry, the best all-around rock album so far this summer is Jets Overhead's No Nations which borrows thematically from Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown with much less grandeur.

And it pays off beautifully. It's a day-dreamy, lazy Sunday afternoon listen, ripe with indie rock of the highest order for the pickings. "Weathervanes (In The Way)" says everything Green Day were trying to say on Breakdown in just 4 minutes and 37 seconds.

It has some shining care free moments on "Headed For Nowhere" and "Always A First Time." It's the type of the album to let your hair down to, even if you don't have long hair.

Definitely check this record out. It's a keeper, and I'm sure it will be cropping up on plenty year-end lists.

What about you? What have your summer listenings been like this year? What's hot in your juke box?

Scene & Heard's Star Spangled Mix

2009-07-04T13:03:00.005-04:00

A friend of mine recently asked me if my blog had filed for a court injunction against me.

Not the case; just been working in overdrive on other things at The Merc. But don't worry, it's not like me and Scene & Heard are fighting. We're just seeing some other people right now, ya know? We're not getting a divorce, because we love each other, and we don't want you to think that any of this is your fault.

Good? Good. Now that we got the "no, we're not getting divorced" talk out of the way...

Happy Fourth of July! It's one of my favorite times of the year to crank up the speakers and pump the world full of snarling, sparkling rock and roll, in all it's explosive goodness. Speaking of which, if you're in the Pottstown area today, head down to Memorial Park for all the Fourth festivities. It's the place to be. Meaning, you should not be reading this blog today! Get outside and dance and eat hot dogs! But if you must, here's what we're listening to:

Scene & Heard's Star Spangled Mix
1. John Lennon - "Power to the People"
2. Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Star Spangled Banner" (Live at Woodstock)
3. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - "American Girl"
4. Foo Fighters - "I Feel Free" (Cream cover)
5. John Fogerty - "Born on the Bayou"
6. Elvis Costello & the Attractions - "(What's so Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding?"
7. David Bowie - "Young Americans"
8. Howard Huntsberry - "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher" (Jackie Wilson cover)
9. U2 - "Pride (In the Name of Love)"
10. Elton John - "Philadelphia Freedom"
11. Neil Young - "Rockin' in the Free World"
12. Green Day - "21 Guns"
13. Rancid - "Civilian Ways"
14. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - "Johnny Appleseed"
15. Bob Dylan - "I Shall Be Free"
16. Bright Eyes - "Easy/Lucky/Free"
17. Bruce Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band - "American Land"
18. Ray Charles - "America The Beautiful"

When I'm Dad ... and The Infinite Light Cycle

2009-06-09T22:23:00.008-04:00

Not that I'm in any hurry to grow up (wearing ties to work on a daily basis is enough, thanks), but I kinda can't wait for the day I have a son. Because I want him to ask me things like 'where do stars come from.' And then I can put my imagination to exhilarating use and tell him things like:

"The stars? Don't you know? Oh, c'mon, guy! What kind of sheltered runt are you? Well I guess it's time we filled you in then, innit? You know those little orange sparks that pop and crackle up out of the campfires at night? Well, when someone wishes something good for someone else, one of those sparks floats up to the sky, higher than usual, and it gets stuck up there and turns white because it's so cold up there. And then it hangs there, shining like a diamond, as a vivid reminder that someone, somewhere cares about you. Of course, this trick only works if these are goodwill wishes. When you make them, they can't be mean-spirited or about you at all. And then when you see a shooting star, that means someone somewhere just had a wish come true. It's even possible that that wish could have been made for you. But here's the best part. After you see a shooting star, that means a wish has returned to earth, and now you are the one who gets to re-use it. The next time you're sitting around a fire, you can make a wish of your own for someone you love or care about. So it's the shooting stars that are really important. Keep your eyes open for them so you can help make this world a better place. Pretty nifty, huh?"

And then when he gets older and calls me on it, I'll be like "Don't let them make you grow up! Didn't you learn in school about the water cycle? Well, that's real, right? The wish cycle is the same exact thing. Wishes go up, wishes go down, and we cycle it all around. What's so hard to believe about it? I'm your dad, and I'm telling you that wishing good for others is a very real thing."

None of this post has anything to do with entertainment, really. But I did recently finish reading Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, which comes with my highest recommendation. It's probably one of the most moving father/son stories I've ever encountered, in writing or film. Aside from Return of the Jedi, of course.

Music Notes: Death Cab's 'Open Door' is at bottom of 'Narrow Stairs'

2009-05-11T13:23:00.004-04:00

Death Cab For Cutie - The Open Door EP

It's not that special, but the sessions which birthed these five, quick songs sure were.

Death Cab For Cutie's Open Door EP is hardly a companion piece to the group's masterwork--Narrow Stairs--released a year ago. These leftovers from that fine album are just a hit and run hiccup.

If you're a Death Cab fanatic, go ahead--dive in. You won't not like it. But your time could be more economically spent chewing on Narrow Stairs than popping this sugar pill down your throat.

But I'm not complaining. "Little Bribes" is the most rollicking Death Cab song ever. Ever! And the demo of "Talking Bird" is even more gorgeously pensive than the cut that ended up on Narrow Stairs. And the tracks in between are top quality too. These are good Death Cab songs.

But after an album as strong as Stairs was, these songs are just a tickle. Hardly enough to tide anyone over until indie pop's prime princes put out their next long player--which I'm feverishly awaiting.

In the mean time, I must say I prefer Plans' companion release--Directions--more. It was a DVD of of art-house music videos for each song off Plans...and each by a different indie director.

For a taste...Here's "Little Brides" live from Philly's World Cafe Live a month ago.

Music Notes: Bob Dylan still the best at what he does, but new album not his best

2009-05-05T09:21:00.014-04:00

Bob Dylan - Together Through Life

In comics, Wolverine is known as "the best there is at what he does." In music, that's Bob Dylan. He's our self-regenerating, feral-raged, uncaged animal, who has withstood every chaos he's faced. And he pretty much does what he wants.

So there's no such thing as 'bad' when it comes to a new Dylan album, but Together Through Life doesn't nearly hit the marks his recent batch of acclaimed hits have (Time Out of Mind, Love & Theft, Modern Times).

But since it's Dylan, it ain't stale either. It's just a decidedly more sobering affair, particularly thanks to the Los Lobos guy (David Hidalgo) steaming all 10 songs up with his accordion. And sure, the accordian is a fitting accessory to these songs, but it's Dylan's warped, soul-stained crackle that keeps these songs breathing.

The album has a few bright moments, like the bluesy dirge "My Wife's Home Town." But in the end, this isn't a must-have Dylan album. And considering how many must-have albums this ol' coot has coughed up, time and time again, you'd be a snot to tell him to hang it up.

But seriously, Bob. Let's forget the tunes a while and get to that next edition of your autobiography, Chronicles II. That's where you've really switched on your brightest later life lights.

Music Notes: Swooning for 'Swoon'

2009-05-04T09:39:00.006-04:00

Silversun Pickups - Swoon

Swoon sounds like it could be the best record of 1995.

And that's a really cool thing to say about a record released in 2009.

Forget these gnarred-out alternarock acts of the nineties struggling to resurrect themselves from their peed on ashes (see reunions of: Jane's Addiction, Creed, Blink182, Limp Bizkit, Smashing Pumpkins, No Doubt). The Silversun Pickups got the right idea--beat those old fogies at their own game.

Like their debut Carnavas, this album is the sonic result of what happens when you rub silk and rust together. The crunch of My Bloody Valentine and the neo-psychadelia of The Verve has never been so neatly and sweetly entangled. But the Pickups sound tighter, more refined, this time--resulting in something as 1995 as it is a brave new world.

I also learned, the hard way, that this album is PERFECT to jam to while walking drenched through Manhatten's East Side without an umbrella.

For a taste, here's the video to lead single, "Panic Switch."

And you thought the swine flu was bad? Creed is back.

2009-04-28T09:57:00.007-04:00

Swine flu ain't the worst of it; Creed is reforming for a tour and a new album this summer.

And if that wasn't enough to make you cough up your lunch, singer Scott Stapp calls this special occasion a "renewing and a rebirth."

However, while this is a most unfortunate announcement and a giant setback for humanity ... I, for one, am quite excited.

Yes--excited. Why? Let me tell you why. There was so much DREADFUL music dominating the charts in the late nineties (e.g. Creed), that all that swill (see also: Limp Bizkit, boy bands, Masta P, etc) spurred on some of the best music as a reaction to the big load of crap on the airwaves. So a return from the schmoes of Creed could spur some kids to get together and write some incredible new reactionairy stuff. And if you ask me, that's what the music world needs right now--someone to hate, some awful bands to loathe. Who better than the grand-daddy of 'em all.

Creed, welcome back.

Of course, it's possible the rest of the world has picked up on the fact that Creed and it's fantasticly self-righteous music is a joke, and will treat this "rebirth" as such. Could be duller than when Guns N Roses put out Chinese Democracy. But my hope is that America eats it up so young America can chew it up, swallow it, and spit something new, exciting, and wild back in their faces.

Music Notes: Razorlight's Slipway Fires most boring thing ever

2009-04-24T11:43:00.008-04:00

One of this blog's original motivations was to review new music, because (duh) I listen to it more than the average human being. It's my super power. I should do that more. But instead of reviewing with strong arguments and reasons, I'll just fly off the handle with first impressions, and leave it at that. Should be quite entertaining, actually.

So on that note (you know by now that puns are always intended here);

Slipway Fires, the new (and third) Razorlight album is the most boring thing I've heard all year. And my God, look at the cover art. What is that--Hollywood Squares? And why does Johnny (frontman) look like a porn actor from the eighties? What happened to the band that was so exciting on their debut Up All Night? They went from sounding like a rambunctious Kinks/Sex Pistols hybrid to sounding like an opening act for Celine Dion in just 3 albums. Lame. Lame. Lame.

However, "In The City" (from their debut) remains one of the best songs ever written.

Yup, that's Obama on a unicorn

2009-04-24T10:05:00.003-04:00

Well, uh... that's the sweetest thing I've seen in a while. It's called "Barack Obama Nude On A Unicorn" by artist Dan Lacey. Way to rep the unicorns, Dan. Oddly, it reminds me Paul Revere.
"The Republicans are coming! The Republicans are coming!"

The irresistable force paradox!

2009-04-24T09:25:00.004-04:00

Though there are many, one of the most memorable lines from last summer's The Dark Knight is "this is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object."

It's such a great line and was perfectly used in the context of the movie. But recently, I've heard it pop up in a number of other places from the past too.

First, I heard it in a Wrestlemania clip, when the announcer referred to the Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant match as the same thing. "This is the unstoppable force versus the immovable object!" or something to that length.

And then, I was listening to Pulp's classic This Is Hardcore album yesterday and the song "Seductive Barry" included this (hilarious) verse:

I've wanted you for years. I only needed the balls to admit it. When the unbelievable object meets the unstoppable force, there's nothing you can do about it.

I guess the unstoppable force here is, oh you know, lust. And the unbelievable object would be some vivacious lady. But it works to the same effect.

And a quick search around the internets would indicate that this line has been used as a tease riddle for quite some time. "What happens when an unstoppable object meets an unstoppable force?" Turns out this hypothetical phenomenon is called the "irresistable force paradox.

So now I must wonder... where did the Nolan brothers (who wrote the Dark Knight) crib that line from? Are they Hulkamania fans? Pulp fans? Did they come across it as a riddle in a newspaper in 1980s? Physics class?

Or perhaps, the better question is what DOES happen when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Do they shake hands? Does unstoppable buy immovable a beer? A cranberry juice? Does unstoppable bodyslam immovable to the mat and drop the atomic big leg on his big hairy chest? Does he string him up and let the police cart him off to Arkham Asylum? Does the universe collapse on itself? Do elephants fly? Do I suddenly become well-paid and really cool?

It's a question that raises countless more questions, but I think pop culture has taught us that unstoppable force often is the victor.

The Best Things That Temporaily Matter (and I know I need to write more)

2009-04-14T11:05:00.007-04:00

You probably hate me. By now, you've probably given up all hope on looking to me to write my treasured thoughts on a regular basis here. If the fresh content of this blog was a carton of milk, it would be well past the expiration date and curdling.

But rest assured, my lack of writing has nothing to do with lack of things to write about. So instead of this tired charade of writing more about how I haven't been writing, I'll just use this post to list and link some of the past few weeks' finer things, in no particular order:

Where The Wild Things Are
Finally, the ultimate children's book has a live action movie trailer. Watch that, my friend, and become an overjoyed person. The movie, slated for wide theatrical release October 16, 2009 was adapted from Maurice Sendak's original by Spike Jonze (score!) and author Dave Eggers (more score!). The movie has been in the works for a while, and based on this trailer, it'll be more than worth the wait. The Stoke Meter is high on this one.

Death Cab For Cutie - The Open Door EP
This small collection of leftover tracks from last year's brilliant, beautiful "Narrow Stairs" is a winner. At this stage in their career, I think Death Cab continues to be one of the most exciting and genuine bands still kicking and breathing right now.

The Gaslight Anthem
I toot this band's horn quite a bit too, but pick up this month's copy of Alternative Press magazine and read the cover story on them. If you don't already appreciate what they're doing for rock n' roll, you will.

I Love You, Man
See this movie. Best comedy I've seen in a while, and not because it's hilarious as a buddy movie and a date movie at the same time. Because it humorously maps out and pokes at the entire male psyche. Basically, if you don't understand guys; this movie does.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine / Star Trek / Terminator: Salvation / Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
These are all things I am, abnormally, nerding out over right now. All four will probably be the big 4 movies of the blockbuster season, kicking off with the sniktedy Wolvie on May 1.

Lost is the best thing on TV right now
Trouble is, if you haven't seen every episode of every season (or the prerequisite patience to put up with that), you are--frankly--lost. But seriously, every new episode blows another piece of my brain clean out of my skull. The show practically re-invents itself and it's story, tone, and concept every half-season. And with the grand end looming, it's really starting to gain some momentum. If you need an excuse to Netflix all the seasons leading up to this one and catch up in time for next winter's final season, now is as good a time as any.

Iron Man 2 started filming
And if you've been following as nerdiously as I have, you know Mickey Rourke is playing some bad guy, Scarlett Johanson and her notoriously bovine set of lips will be decked out in latex for the role of Black Widow, Sam Rockwell as rival industrialist Justin Hammer.

Speaking of Rourke...
He showed up at Wrestlemania 25, only to punch Chris Jericho in the face? FAIL.

Speaking of wrestling, and the WWE...
Why the (explicit) am I watching Monday Night Raw again?? It's worse than when I stopped watching it about 5 years ago for crap sake. Actually, I'm watching it to spite Heroes, which has taken the biggest nose dive in the history of serialized tv story telling. Not even Sylar is cool on that show anymore, and that's just sad. Seriously Heroes, you went from Spiderman 2 good to Elektra bad.

The Mercury's Build A Phil
We printed a wallsize poster of Cole Hamels in The Mercury. And I want you to take a picture of yourself with it and enter this contest.

The Mercury's Extreme Makeover
You got until 5 pm today to win a free makeover for the summer from us! Hurry!

Pottstown's Bark For Life Top Dog Contest and Canine Relay
Vote for the top dog, AND join in the fight against cancer at the same time. That, if you ask me, is the right tree to bark up. AND don't miss the Canine Relay Saturday morning at Sunnybrook. Bring your dogs out to walk, and bark, and fight cancer, and have a good time.

The Healthy Lifestyles Expo
Come out to Montgomery County Community College this Friday, 9:30 am-1:30 pm. You can engage in a good ol' fashioned q-and-a session with our famed political columnist Tony Phyrillas, get yourself caricatured for free by the inker of Skippy and Dot (and hundreds of our classic editorial cartoons), Alan MacBain, get a free lunch, win $100 cash and other door prizes, get all kinds of free health screenings from participating vendors, meet State Rep Thomas Quigley, learn more about healthy lifestyles and better living from more than 70 vendors, and etc, etc, etc. Seriously, it's a great time every year. Don't miss it dude!

Do you read The Mercury?
Tell us about it.

A Springsteen song for Susan

2009-04-07T10:16:00.014-04:00

I didn't know Susan Dames that well.

Sure, I knew the basics, like:

She is easily one of Bruce Springsteen's top ten biggest fans, ever. (I'm fairly certain she's seen the E-Street boys perform in at least five dozen different venues.)
She traveled widely around the world as a model in her younger years.
Along with her husband, she is responsible for the area's annual Bandanna Blues Festival.
She was as gracious and unabashedly joyful as they come.

And maybe that's plenty to know about a person, but she wouldn't have settled on knowing only four things about any person. From the day she met me nearly two years ago, she went out of her way to know me better. She asked me what new albums I was spinning, asked me how the novel I always blab about writing is coming, asked about my travels through Europe, about my weekends, etc. She wanted to hear everything I had to say about whatever (and listened!). But the special thing is she was this way with every person she met, whether they showed interest in her or not.

For years, her beloved Springsteen has sung "everybody's got a hungry heart," but when the Boss wrote those lyrics down decades ago, he obviously didn't know Sue Dames. No heart was hungrier for life, love or music than hers. The song should go "everybody needs a Sue Dames heart."

So in memory of Sue on this day, I'd like to dedicate this song by the Boss to her. From all of us here at The Mercury, we'll miss you, SuSu.

Bruce Springsteen - "Waitin' On A Sunny Day"
(click song title link to download mp3, or read lyrics here)

Yo bands, let's cure some cancer (yes, I want YOU for Songs For Relay II)

2009-04-01T10:26:00.006-04:00

Last year, I literally gave myself a mere three frickin' days to conceive and produce Songs For Relay, my self-made charity compilation for last year's Relay for Life in Pottstown.

Not to be selfish, but I was thinking of getting some sleep while working on the sequel this year. So I'm starting now, instead of--you know--the week of.

The gist is this: cancer sucks. And music is how I deal with things that suck. Just ask any of my ex-girlfriends. So, I put songs that I feel carry weight for people who are dealing with something heavy, like cancer, on a mix CD and sell it for $5 in tandem with The Pottstown Relay For Life.

All 500 pennies from each sold comp go to Pottstown's Relay For Life, who give all the money to the American Cancer Society (we raised over a milly two years ago). Artists who lend me their songs get nothing, and I get nothing. But we all sleep soundly at night knowing we used music to help someone through something, man. Bono would be proud.

So, it's time for some more songs for Relay. I don't need songs about cancer or dealing with it specifically. For instance, the song that gave me the idea to do this whole thing was a beautiful live cut of My Morning Jacket's "Bermuda Highway" (from the Acoustic Citsuoca EP). Listening to it filled me with strength. It's not a song about dealing with a difficult disease, but about not giving up on your hopes, dreams, and passions. Those are the songs I want: strong songs.

I'll approach artists/managers both big and local to get some songs on this year's comp, but don't be shy if you got the perfect song for this and are willing to help out. I'll do more to promote the bands I use this year too, because you know, I'm giving myself more than 3 days to pull the whole thing together. So send me some submissions, whether you're U2 or a local solo guy that's never played a live show.

Last year, I sold 100 copies (remember, I sequenced, burned, pasted, taped, and distributed totally on my own), raising $500. The goal this year is to double that.

Send your band's submissions to c.march@hotmail.com
or
The Mercury ATTN: Chris March 24 N. Hanover Street Pottstown, PA 19464

Look forward to hearing from you.

Major Sheetz FAIL

2009-03-25T11:16:00.004-04:00

Photo credit: Dana Voigt

How do you get people to pay for the more premium gas?

Easy. Raise the price of your cheap unleaded gas so that it's twice as expensive as your premium gas. Problem solved.

A friend of mine from college snapped this photo from her cellphone this morning in Clearfield. Proving once again why WaWa's rule and Sheetz's drool! Major Sheetz FAIL.

Can you do better than ZOMBIES AHEAD??

2009-03-24T10:20:00.007-04:00

Yeah, I know I haven't been blogging... But, you see, my desk at work disappeared. It just VANISHED! What do you want me to do about it??! (It could be under this mountain of work I have to do...but I'm too scared to start looking there.) Hopefully it turns up soon.

Of course, there is the off chance my desk-gone-MIA has been nabbed by those zombies that have been lurking around the country, according to those big orange construction signs. Because, you know, zombies do have a blood-snarling urge for, ugh, desks.

What am I talking about? Well, hacked construction signs around the country have been warning drivers of "Zombies Ahead" instead of "Construction Ahead" or "Slow Down" or "Turn your wipers on" or "Click It Or Ticket" the past month, or so.

Obviously, authority types and the PennDOT folks don't think too highly of this grade-A shenanigan spreading around the country like a virus. But now that the invading undead have made their way to our neck of the woods, I want to know why. Why zombies? Are the zombies fighting back? Is this a futile attempt to take back the fantasy monster throne from the Twilight franchise and it's vegetarian vampires? It's possible. Zombies need love too. They can't stand by as the world falls in love with a romance novel series about vegetarian vampires. It's bad enough that they're talking about making a Lost Boys threequel.

Of course, there aren't REALLY any zombies. It's just some misled brilliant kids wielding their uncanny brilliance to scare old people instead of using it to save the world.

But if you think about it, it's like bathroom stall writing. You want to write something that people will instinctively read, and laugh at. So if you were as smart as these kids, and could and would hack into one of these highway road signs for one hour tonight, what would YOU say? Would you confess your love, or propose marriage? Could you say something to better the world? Or are the gloves off? What would you put on a blinking road sign?

"THE BRITISH ARE COMING!"
"WHERE'S WALDO??"
"UNICORNS ARE REAL"
"THIS IS SKYNET. I AM SELF AWARE"
"TURN AROUND! MAULING BEARS! AH!"
"THE MOONINITES HAVE LANDED"
"U R BEING RICK ROLLED"
"NEWSPAPERS RULE!"
"WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN?"
"BIN LADEN AHEAD"
"YOU CANT DRIVE 55"
"HONK NOW OR DIE"
"NAKED HASSELHOFF AHEAD"
"BUSH RE-ELECTED"
"TAG YOU'RE IT"
"TWO FACE LIVES"

Killer Klowns From Outer Space--who remembers it??!

2009-03-13T12:25:00.004-04:00

"In space, no one can eat ice cream."

It's Friday, so instead of blabbing about whatever, I just want to lob a tried-and-true classic out there and see who remembers it.

Killer Klowns From Outer Space.

Seriously.

Who remembers it? Was that not the most RIDICULOUS movie ever conceived?

I remember it, and I suffered the most gruesome nightmares a 6 year old can endure for the majority of my childhood because of it.

Which songs should be in The Beatles: Rock Band game? We can't let it be.

2009-03-11T11:56:00.008-04:00

It's easy to talk trash about playing (or pretending to play) some of the greatest songs ever written on fake, plastic guitars plugged into a video game system.

But us un-elitists here at the Scene & Heard headquarters, are woefully below the hip standard when it comes to The Beatles: Rock Band game slated for release on PS3, Xbox360, and Wii September 9.

Do you really care if it's silly to play simulated music in front of a TV set? Shut up, because playing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" as a pixelated George Harrison will be the coolest thing to happen to video games since a stick figure jumped over alligators in Pitfall on the Atari. Besides, if you say you don't want to play Beatles music as a Beatle in a Beatles video game, you are lying to yourself (or you don't like their music, thus making you too weird to analyze anyway).

Though it's been announced that the game's developers, Apple Corps, Harmonix and MTV Games, have secured rights to at least 45 Beatles songs to use in the game, we haven't seen anything resembling a tracklist yet. But they have said the game will be a "visual and musical history" of the band. [source: Variety] And as Apple Corps CEO Jeff Jones put it: “It will span samples of the whole catalog all the way through.”

Sounds to me like the game will take some cues from cover acts like Beatlemania Now who dress up and act out all the different phases of the group's storied career. From Liverpool, to Beatlemania's Invasion, to the costumes and drugs, to their greatest songs, to their demise.

That in mind, it's easy to come up with 45 songs that are LIKELY to be in the game. But bare in mind, this is only a wish list--nothing official. But if I were a master schemer in the MTV Games office, my tracklist would start by shaping up something like this for the game:

Period I/Mania (settings: Liverpool, Ed Sullivan show)
1. I Saw Her Standing There (big mistake if you don't start with this song)
2. I Feel Fine
3. Love Me Do
4. She Loves You (this will be such a great one to sing)
5. I Want To Hold Your Hand
6. Hard Day's Night
7. Eight Days A Week
8. Ticket To Ride
9. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
10. Help!

Period II/Getting Better (setting: America)
11. I've Just Seen A Face
12. Drive My Car (beep-beep! beep-beep! beep-beep!)
13. Taxman
14. I'm Only Sleeping
15. Doctor Robert
16. Got To Get You Into My Life
17. Paperback Writer
18. Day Tripper
19. We Can Work It Out
20. Yellow Submarine

Period III/We're On Drugs (settings: in respective movies, and trippy dream sequences)
21. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
22. With A Little Help From My Friends
23. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
24. It's Getting Better
25. Within You, Without You
26. I Am The Walrus
27. Hello, Goodbye
28. Strawberry Fields, Forever
29. Baby You're A Rich Man
30. All You Need Is Love (can we get some plastic violins and trumpets for this song?)

Period IV/Love & Revolution (settings: Abbey Road, more trippy sequences?)
31. Back In The USSR
32. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
33. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
34. Why Don't We Do It In The Road?
35. Helter Skelter
36. Revolution 9
37. I Want You (She's So Heavy)
38. Here Comes The Sun
39. Two Of Us
40. For You Blue

The End (setting: the record label rooftop show, obvy)
41. Get Back
42. Come Together
43. Hey Jude
44. Yes, the full on Abbey Road Medley (from "You Never Give Me Your Money" to "The End")
45. Let It be

...So whaddaya think? There are certainly some gems like "I Will," "Rocky Raccoon" "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yesterday" notably missing, but would they translate as well into a stand up and play with plastic controllers party game? Who am I to judge? You tell me, what classic Beatles tracks do you want to play in this upcoming game?

Who will save the newspaper? Meet our new hero.

2009-03-09T13:22:00.009-04:00

There's no need to fear! The Mercury is here!

It's not easy being the promotions and marketing guy for a newspaper in the age of 'dieing newspapers.'

People look to you to be the hero. But dudes like me--standing 5'4, and weighing in at 130 pounds--aren't exactly hero material. (A radioactive spider bite might help.)

Funny thing is, that's why people turned to newspapers in the first place--for a hero. The people wanted the uncanny truth, unfloundering democracy... and crossword puzzles. Think about it; why did Clark Kent and Peter Parker work for their city's newspaper when they weren't fighting baddies? Because newspapers fight for the truth, for the people, for a better community and for a better tomorrow.

So I figured if what the people want is a hero, it's time we gave 'em one, darn it. And last week, that's exactly what we did. We had our resident (and awesomely talented) cartoonist Alan MacBain bring The Mercury to life--as a full on super hero with Dr. Manhattan's glowing blue skin, a shiney chrome Jay Garrick helmet, and a faithful (not to mention feisty) floating sidekick named "Dot." Besides, after all these years of elegantly posing next to The Mercury logo, it's the least we could do for our pal Skippy.

If you missed Sunday's Mercury, you missed this introduction panel. (Give it a click for full resolution.)

But now that Pottstown's hero is here, how do you see his crusading story unfolding in the future? What evil villains might await him? What are his weaknesses? Will Marvel Comics hate us for creating a superhero cooler than The Mighty Thor? And does anyone else have Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For A Hero" stuck in their head?

But more importantly... who will play Skippy in the movie adaption? Def not Christian Bale!

Hey bub, x-actly which mutants are in this Wolverine movie? (and fun with "ex" words)

2009-03-05T10:43:00.013-05:00

I'm X-tremely X-cited. Heck, I'm X-static! And you should know X-actly what I'm talking about.

Even though I've given up on bothering with any of the television MTV is responsible for these days, I've become a habitual reader of their well-informed and lovingly written entertainment blogs. Particularly the Movies Blog and the Splash Page.

But today, they really upped their stock in the nerd hearts of us entertainment fiends by unveiling the premiere of the final trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

I thought it would be just another 30-second commercial short with recycled footage--but holy f-bomb! This sucker looks more and more like it's finally the X-men movie the world has so long craved. Take a gander at those Gambit and Deadpool scenes! They look x-ceedingly x-cellent. And...a guy with 'radiant' eyes?! Cyclops?! Is that you??? What are you doing in Wolverine's trailer?!

Sure, it's looked awesome in the previous trailers we've seen (and we've seen quite a few)--but this new behemoth of a sneak-peak has sent our heads rolling. Frankly, it seems we got more mutants and X-men in this sucker than we saw in the original X-Men trilogy! And it's all those rad mutants that weren't in those first round of compromised X-Men movies.

Let's do the roll call based on what we've seen in trailers so far. Here are the mutants who appear to be in this Wolvie movie.

Wolverine--um, duh.

Victor Creed/Sabertooth--And he doesn't look like a blumbering idiot for once. I'm impressed.

Gambit--sure to be a screen stealer, particularly since he never showed up in the original X-Men flicks.

Deadpool (and/or Weapon XI)--another sure-to-be scene stealer. And if that fugly looking red dude in this trailer is Deadpool after he gets all nastied up, well, this movie is gonna be The Dark Knight of X-men movies, no doubt. (Or maybe the nasty looking foe is not Deadpool, but the mysterious Weapon XI. OR! Perhaps...Weapon XI IS Deadpool???)

Cyclops...wait, what did you just say?--That's right. I don't know many other dudes who wear red shades to cover up a set of shiny, nuked out pupils. A pleasant surprise, though I'm guessing he doesn't run into Wolvie (just S-Tooth).

Charlie from Lost!--Well, I don't think I've seen him in the trailers or in any pictures, but Dominic Monaghan (see also, the hobbit I look most like) has been confirmed to play some muto-chump named Barnell Bohusk.

The Blob--Speaking of Lost, you remember that a-hole Keamy who shot our beloved Alex dead? Well he's gone Eddie Murphy and become a mutant now--a big, disgusting, blubbering one who seems to have a fancy for boxing. Yeah, that big guy in the previously seen trailers is actually the same actor.

Emma Frost--w00t!

Will.I.Am.--never thought I'd see a Black Eyed Pea in an X-men movie, but stranger things have happened. Here he's Kestral, which makes him like Nightcrawler--but without the ugly blue face and tail.

Storm?--we've seen a toddler Storm in the first trailer, but it sounds as if her scene was pulled from the final cut.

More?--And with all the mutants that Wolvie seems to be freeing in this movie, I'd say we can expect a few more morsels of cameos & fan favs here and there. Is it too much of a stretch to think we'll even see a Captain America appearence in one of these wars that Logan fights in?

For pictures of some of these jokers--cheers.

X-Men: Wolverine hits theaters May 1. Get X-cited.

And while we're on the subject, any other good "ex" words where we can sub in an "x" while talking about this movie? x-ceptional? x-animate? x-orsism? x-cept?

You know how I know it's cold? (and the arm-mauling bear beasts and soul-melting music that comes along with it)

2009-03-03T10:16:00.018-05:00

You know how I know when it's ridiculously, disgustingly, insidiuosly, stunningly, god-forsakenly cold?

One rather 'duh' system of measurement would be to pull out your trusty ol' thermometer. If you see no red (I worked REALLY hard to avoid any Mercury pun there) in the thermometer and you're standing outside, and you can't feel your arms... then you have frost bite, it's cold, and you should stop doing whatever it is you're doing outside in the cold. However there is a bright side. At this point, you could let a bear maul your arm off, and you wouldn't feel a thing. You can't buy toughness of that magnitude, pal. Of course, you can't buy another natural left arm either, so don't go having TOO much fun with your new frostbitten limb.

Another option is to check the 5-day forecast at (ready for it? here comes the daily cheap plug!) pottsmerc.com, which can prove quite insightful. However, because Bob Dylan said "you don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows" and the simple fact that boring people check the weather (see also: people who use weather for small talk/elevator talk with colleagues and peers), I don't take this route.

Or (as brilliantly showcased in Dumb & Dumber and A Christmas Story) you could employ a brainless friend of yours and kindly ask him or her to stick their tongue to the nearest flag pole. If it sticks like rubber and the tongue needs to be hacked off, then yes, it is ridiculously, disgustingly, insidiuosly, stunningly, god-forsakenly cold out, and you should get in doors, make cocoa, and call your friend to leave him a voicemail where you can now say things like, "How come you're not answering? Pole got your tongue? I never thought you'd give me the cold shoulder like this."

But if you're like me, you're all out of friends with tongues left to stick to poles. So I've been forced to find other creative ways to find out how cold it is outside.

Today, dear readers, is ridiculously, disgustingly, insidiuosly, stunningly, god-forsakenly cold.

And do you know how I know? Because, when I went to get in my car this morning--the seats and floor were STILL COVERED IN SNOW FROM YESTERDAY'S SNOW STORM. And it's not like I didn't use the heater when I drove home last night. This, is landmark cold. This is colder than the black hearts of those folks out there who will rick-roll trick you into believing a Batman 3 trailer has surfaced. That is cold.

So now that we've established that it's cold, what now? We don't donate our frostbitten limbs to would-be mauling bears, no sir. We dig out those lonely, desolate records of warmth that only resonate when you feel lifeless, numb, and bitterly frozen in time. Days like today, these soft, soulful records set my soul afire:

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago and Blook Bank EP

The entire catalogue of Margot & The Nuclear So & Sos (I prefer the set of acoustic demos I uncovered on the internet somewhere)

Eddie Veddar - Into The Wild Soundtrack (If you don't want to hear "Hard Sun" after a snow day, you are soulless. SOULLESS.)

Meredith Bragg & The Terminals - Silver Sonya

Brand New - The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me

Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs (particularly the last song)

Elliott Smith - New Moon ("Angel In The Snow" and "Thirteen" get me every time)

Coldplay - Parachutes (with a name like Coldplay, they deserve to be on the cold fighters list, right?)

Nick Drake - Pink Moon (better for those quiet summer nights under the stars, but fits remarkably well in this category too)

What about you? Any records that you only listen to this time of year that just melt all those icicles growing off ya? And did you know that it was cold today?

Why Blink's reunion doesn't matter, but we're stoked anyway

2009-02-13T09:58:00.008-05:00

It's funny. Blink182 were not even broken up four years before pop-punk's most beloved sons announced they were "back" this past Sunday at the Grams. Yet, their return has irrationally fired up all us young grunts and rock writes who grew up weened on the trashy pop of Dude Ranch and Enema of the State.

But... why?

Every level-headed Blink fan will tell you there was NOTHING brilliant about anything they ever did. But there was something insanely special about their formula. One voice was snotty (guitarist, Tom Delonge), one voice was goofy (bassist, Mark Hoppus), and the songs were all about pranks, young love, fun with dirty words, and light-hearted rebellion. The only thing remotely impressive was Travis Barker's fantastically intense drumming.

But every note of those old albums reeks of my old high school hallways and locker rooms. They remind me of my first girlfriend and all the stupid little fights and obnoxious fun we had. They remind me of jumping off rooftops, fart jokes, and the endless list of goofball pranks me and my friends all pulled. It was a time when everyone else in school listened to either rap, Limp Bizkit or N*Sync. It was hardly rebellious, but consequences, responsibilities, and fear were the farthest thing from any of our minds then. We were young, in love, and untouchable. And every generation deserves a band like that to grow up with. Even if they technically, suck.

Not-so-coincidentally, it was growing up, and the complicating intricacies of life that tore Blink182 in half (actually a split in 1/3 and 2/3, if you want to get technical). The breakup was nasty and went against everything their earlier albums heralded. It took a tragic plane crash last autumn involving Barker to make them friends again. After Barker's brush with the Reaper, Mark had this to say, "The events of the past two months supersede everything that happened before. Life is too short."

Indeed it is, Mark. That's what your music used to be about--life is short, don't be so wound up about all the trite crap people try to smear on you. Just make some noise and have some fun doing it. Who cares who you impress? Life and music always go stale when you follow that gauge.

"Stay together for the kids."

Don't get me wrong. I don't disagree with anything this Aversion article has to say (it's called "Why the Blink182 Reunion doesn't matter") because the reunion probably doesn't matter to the world of music. But for those of us who lived Blink the first time, it does matter, and it means the world to us--even if it is just ol' nostalgia creeping up on us now-grown-ups aching for that invincible feeling of stupid youth again. Some pranks, some dumb fun, and some dirty words are exactly what this world needs right now and so I am overjoyed to welcome back Tom, Mark, and Travis. And it's because they used to sing things like "No one should take themselves so seriously. With so many years ahead to fall in line, why would you wish that on me? I never want to act my age, what's my age again?"

Here's the best music videos from their past which showcase everything we all loved (and hated) about them in the first place.

Blink182 - What's My Age Again
This is the penultimate Blink vid, as far as I'm concerned.

Blink182 - Dammit
Old school.

Blink182 - First Date
Tom's 'stache in this one should be a national monument.

Blink182 - Always
This was their last real video before the breakup, and I just love the concept. Simple, but groundbreaking camera work.

Blink182 - All The Small Things
I just love the irony of this one, because it's a full on pop song, and yet the video is a total diss of the boybands of the late 90's. Good times.

Check back later today for some Blink mp3s.

Sunday's Best Grammy Moment (and then some)

2009-02-09T12:46:00.000-05:00

Normally, I don't think much of award shows. They're just ego snacks, with flat live performances. But, the 51st annual Grammy Awards on Sunday were STEAMING with some of the sweetest 'Grammy Moments' we've had in a long, long time, and gave us in the music world a bit to get jolted about. It's tough to pick the best moment of the night though. Let's recount the night, shall we?

Blink182 announced their bid to return to the rock music world after a bitter cold war-like breakup a few years back. Try and tell me seeing Mark Hoppus' devilishly goofy smile lighting up a stage doesn't make you happy. Cool moment, but Tom was so awkward, and it's not like they performed a song or anything. It was a bigger deal when The Police made a return at the Grammys two years ago.

Green Day handed off the album of the year award to Robert Plant & Allison Krause...though Coldplay and/or Radiohead most certainly deserved that award more in my book (GD also recently announced their followup to American Idiot will hit shelves this May and be called 21st Century Breakdown. Nice.)

Despite being due to deliver a KID Sunday, a ridiculously pregnant M.I.A. performed the soon-to-be-classic "Swagga Like Us" on stage alongside "The Rap Pack" (Jay-Z, Kanye, TI, and Lil Wayne). And it was awesome.

Speaking of awesome, I'm in love with Kate Beckinsale. Paul McCartney couldn't have gotten a sweeter lady to introduce his tight performance of the classic "I Saw Her Standing There." Wish he would have played something else though. Like a song of his he doesn't have to pay Michael Jackson to play.

Kid Rock's medley was startlingly good, especially the opening with "Amen."

That new U2 song, "Get On Your Boots," was a lot better than the first single from their last album. You know, the one where the chorus was: "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Stevie Wonder. Al Green. Fantastic night for soul.

And who doesn't love when Neil Diamond shows up and busts out "Sweet Caroline"?

But the finest moment of the night goes to... Radiohead.

Seriously. Ho. Ly. Crap! That performance of "15 Steps" with a full drum line was too good. If you've seen them live, you know you can always count on caliber like that, but it's rare that it translates with such electricity onto an award show. They definitely delivered here. I think this performance is one of the most definitive moments that shows what makes Radiohead so special. Notice the attitude ala The Sex Pistols, the anthemic quality and beauty ala U2, the extraordinary sense of fluid experimentation ala Pink Floyd, that swagger ala The Rap Pack, and especially that vigorous soul ala vintage Al Green.

Painted Blue and Mason Porter tomorrow night

2009-02-06T10:01:00.004-05:00

I got a local show for all you ratty tatty jam band and bluegrass fans to scope out tomorrow night. Be sure to swing on into Newtown's Burlap and Bean at 8 pm to catch Painted Blue and Mason Porter. And tickets are only 5 bucks too. Not a bad way to spend your evening. Check the comments for more info.

Painted Blue

What was Sunday's Best Super Bowl Commercial?

2009-02-03T16:39:00.004-05:00

Frankly, I thought the majority of this year's Super Bowl commercials were weak. WEAK! And considering our birds--The Eagles--failed to make it yet again, I'd say a weak line up of commercials was rather fitting for a weak Super Bowl. And I don't want to hear it from you Steelers fans about your little dynasty or how entertaining a game it was. A few years ago, one of you jaw-rocked my college roommate for starting an E-A-G-L-E-S chant (the amusing twist being that the Steelers fan was my OTHER college roommate).

But there were a few bright spots for the commercials, and this one had me bawling. Commercial of the year. Hey, Dummy.

And was it just me or was Bruce Springsteen out of his MIND? "I'm going to Disneyland!" he yelled. Seriously, Boss? Disneyland? That's in...California, right? But I know what he was trying to do. Kinda cool, actually. But still, the guy was nuts. And I was surprised to hear "Tenth Avenue Freezeout." Sweet stuff.

I do not apologize, YOU'RE the one who got rick-roll'd

2009-02-03T15:18:00.005-05:00

If you sent me a death threat email over the past week, I admit, I deserved it (oh yes, I did receive a few). Perhaps I struck a nerve?

Sure, that last post was pretty low. But I found it while digging around YouTube and it was absolutely too irresistible. As soon as I saw it, I knew what I had to do, and you know you would have done the same to me. But the real reason I posted that is because I cannot load up any entertainment buzz blog or site these days without reading about all these people bugging Christopher Nolan and everyone else associated with the Batman franchise about the next movie. That's expected, I'm anxious too. But these things take time, and the people of the franchise keep asking us hawks to just give them some time. So, maybe we should just let it be. If you don't more rick-rolling will ensue, and nobody will be safe.

Breaking: Batman 3 Trailer!!!!

2009-01-26T22:11:00.003-05:00

Since The Dark Knight slapped up on the Silver Screen, there has been one thing the people have wanted.

The next Batman movie.

That's right; let's forget that it should feasibly take another 2 years--maybe 3--before anyone could respectfully write, film, produce and release another ridiculously high-caliber Batman movie to follow up. Forget how mind-explodingly good The Dark Knight was, let's get to the next movie already! Who will the villains be!? OMG!

This is all any self-respecting entertainment journalist with a microphone, keyboard, and/or mouth has asked of anyone within a 100 mile radius of anyone involved with the monstrously revamped Batman movie franchise. (What would YOU ask Christopher Nolan if you had him for 26 seconds and tape recorder??? Ed. Note: please no lewd comments) And all those people told all those entertainment journalists: (to paraphrase) There is no new Batman movie currently in the works. Please just let us digest having finished The Dark Knight before we even start thinking about what's next for the caped crusader.

Looks like the joke (hope you pun fans are keeping score; I just chalked up a fat one there) is on us. This newly released trailer from Warner Brothers reveals that Christopher Nolan's third installment in the Batman series is not only underway, but well on it's way to hit theaters this summer. And let me tell you; if you thought Ledger's Joker was phenomenal--then hold on to your butts. Who's the villain you say? Well riddle me this, riddle me that, Harvey Dent's back with a big black cat.

Working on a dream (caution! a rare serious post!)

2009-01-19T10:28:00.004-05:00

We don't do this much here at the Scene & Heard factory, but given the circumstance(s) of this week, we're taking a turn for the serious (gasp!) with today's YouTube Monday. Seriously, take a look around. See that? There is way too much going on in the serious world to focus on something sensational in the music, film, or pop culture realms. So serious we are; escapism can wait. (Can't take serious? I understand. Tune back in tomorrow when I'll surely be acting ridiculous as per usual again!)

Most obviously, today is Martin Luther King Day. Always an important day to remember and observe, certainly; but it takes remarkable precedence this year.

The Doc's dream that he spoke of and fought so valiantly for long ago marches across a new milestone this week with the inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama.

But not because he will be our first black president.

Though you can argue some cast their vote for Obama solely because he is black (and not from Texas), I believe Obama was voted into office not because of his skin color, but because of the hope he represents, the fact that people don't think "ugh, another politician" when they watch him or listen to him. I'd like to think Obama won the vote on Nov. 4 because the majority of us believe in him--regardless of his experience or what he looks like. And that was the dream the Doc spoke of in front of the Lincoln Memorial all those years ago. Not about blacks winning equal opportunities from whites, but that no dream is out of reach for any man or woman. Heck, that's not even the Doc's dream. That is THE AMERICAN DREAM--although it was disgustingly unbalanced for a loooooong time, and Obama is an appropriate distinction to show how far that dream has come.

I've been in an argument or two (or thirty-seven) over the past few months where I've been told that all this hope and dream talk is ridiculously hokey and has noooooo credence or place in politics, especially given the current economic climate. Well, I continue to differ. Look around. 2009 looks bleak. People are losing jobs. Wars 'round the globe continue to rage. The economy continues in it's coma. Plus we got all that global warming business. And the Eagles lose, again.

And the flying cars! Where are the flying cars we were promised in the 21st century?

It seems we're losing everything, including belief in ourselves and the people that we love. Even my parents are in a disheartening tangle of not talking to one another. Everything is falling apart. Hokey hope and dreams right now are EXACTLY what we need; a beacon that continues to glow while the rest of the world's lights shut off around it. And if you listen to Obama talk about hope...he isn't asking us to believe in him, but to believe in ourselves and the change that we can make ourselves. That's inspiring, and that's what we need.

Obviously, I expect Obama to eventually walk the walk and will call him on it if he doesn't. But right now, his journey to the White House is enough to keep me going, hoping, and working to change myself for the better in this awfully depressing climate of affairs. 2009 is at once, the most exciting time to be a 24-year old homeboy in America, and the most depressing. It is a dark, cold hour.

Frankly, all that someone like me has right now is a dream.

Barack Obama's speech before last year's Martin Luther King Day at Doc's old church

That's what I'm thinking about this Martin Luther King day.

But let's not forget today is also the last day of George W. Bush's presidency. The most unpopular president since Nixon, totally, but I think some people will ease up on his legacy in the coming decades. He was a often a bumbling goon, often stubborn, and often went about certain things the wrong way (not to mention, in an un-American way). Buuuuut, was it really that bad of a thing that he knocked Sadam from power in the Middle East? He played dirty no doubt, but Sadam was no angel either. Bush always meant well for us, that I am sure.

And I'm sorry, but his megaphone address to September 11 rescue workers in the middle of the clean up carnage, is one of the most uplifting moments I've seen from a politician--no cue cards, no footing around what he's trying to say--just "I hear you. The world hears you. We are America." That was a message of hope--our president in the dirt with us, talking in a megaphone.

Remember, we consoled in Bush when we came under attack that year. Bush was the light of hope we needed then. Barack is the light of hope we need now.

"Brothers and sisters, we cannot walk alone. In the struggle for peace and justice, we cannot walk alone. In the struggle to heal this nation and repair this world, we cannot walk alone. So I ask you to walk with me, and march with me, and join your voice with mine, and together we will sing the song that tears down the walls that divide us, and lift up an America that is truly indivisible, with liberty, and justice, for all. May God bless the memory of the great pastor of this church, and may God bless the United States of America." - Barack Obama

Pottstown's Got The Trashcan Blues

2009-01-16T10:23:00.001-05:00

You may or may not have noticed our esteemed editor talked some major trash earlier this week.

I never thought I'd see the day when the trash takes US out. If you live or have driven through Pottstown these past few weeks, you've no doubt noticed these monstrous, fierce looking blue beasts--errrr, municipal trashcans that make recycling sooooo easy, all you gotta do is toss it all into one can without any of that pesky sorting and separating. Captain Planet would be proud. Of course, as you can see in our editorial cartoonist's color toon in the paper earlier this week, it's not that easy. The cans have taken over! And we all have the most heinous blues this town has ever, ever seen (nevermind the current economic meltdown, we're being eaten alive by mouth-watering trashcans!).

So here at the Scene & Heard laboratory, we're willing to help the only way we know how. We know it isn't much. But here's some music to help you cope with these awful, nasty blues.

MP3: Eric Clapton - Groaning The Blues
Web / Purchase / Myspace / eMusic / wiki / more

MP3: Bob Dylan - Tangled Up In Blue
Web / Purchase / Myspace / wiki / more

MP3: Muddy Waters - No Escape From The Blues
Web / Purchase / Myspace / eMusic / wiki / more

MP3: John Mayer - Every Day I Have The Blues
Web / Purchase / Myspace / wiki / more

MP3: Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels - Devil With A Blue Dress On
Web / Purchase / Myspace / eMusic / wiki / more

MP3: Marvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
Purchase / Myspace / eMusic / wiki / more

Mp3: Carbon Silicon - Really The Blues
Web / Purchase / Myspace / eMusic / wiki / more

InnerPartySystem Don't Stop, AGAIN

2009-01-12T10:26:00.002-05:00

Our hometown home boys in InnerPartySystem are back with yet ANOTHER video for their first single "Don't Stop." If you saw the first version, this new version prods the same veins (see: melting lipstick, zombified couple foaming of the mouth while watching TV, human Barbie & Ken dolls), but with a lot more band and a lot more performance, and thus a lot better. Cool video; check it out!

And since it's Monday, why not a bonus?! I stumbled across this short of them remaking a scene from The Big Lebowski, ala Spin Magazine. The System abides.

Michael Jackson wills Beatles songbook back to McCartney; can't buy him love (and some fun digging at Heather Mills)

2009-01-09T10:40:00.016-05:00

So the swirling rumor of the moment is that our ol' pal Michael Jackson is finally ready to patch things up with his once-pal Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney (remember that "Girl Is Mine" duet? Those were the days! Jacko had a jheri curl and Macca had that sick Uncle Joey Mullet of his).

But how does Jacko plan to make nice with the Beatle he outbid rights to for his own Beatle songs? Jacko has apparently altered his will to give back the rights to the 200 or so hits from the Fab Four's rich catalog when he dies.

Think about that for a moment. That's like saying:
"Hey Paul, don't you worry. We can be pals again... after I die. But until that day when I inevitably croke and don't need to ape money off the music you wrote--Allah knows I need all I can scrounge these days--you're STILL going to have to pay Sony and I royalty $$$ to play 'Hey, Jude' or 'Elenor Rigby.' And I'm still going to get money when someone plays "Let It Be" on the jukebox or radio. But don't you worry, Pauly ol' pal! When I'm gone, you can have what's yours. Hee heeeeeeeeee! Doesn't matter to me after that!

But that's not even the worst of it. If there is truth to this claim, it's just an ignorant--if not arrogant--charade. Few people seem to realize that per copyright law, control of publishing rights over all songs written before 1978 (in which, all Beatles tunes were) revert back to the original author after 50 years of first publish. Thus, come 2012, "Love Me Do" will be Paul and Yoko's again ANYWAY. Meaning, if Jacko is still ticking come that time, this whole "will" thing is absolutely pointless. And those close to him say Jacko is healthy again and looking to jumpstart his music career, so it's not crazy to say he'll outlive the copyright law...unless you're reading the National Enquirer who says his 'days are numbered')

But I'd say the damage is done to Paul already anyway. Sorry, Mike. You can sit with Heather Mills in the sandbox for greedy punks who stole and then cheated Big Macca's heart. Speaking of which; have you SEEN who she's been dating?! Naturally, he's a rich, old codger. Although, turns out he actually SANG in the "LA LA" chorus of "Hey Jude"...so now, let's bring this whole discussion full circle and connect ALL these dots. When Marc Sinden hears the part he sang on "Hey Jude"--a song written predominantly by his gold-diggin' girlfriend's ex-husband (McCartney), Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop (and weird)", gets a cut of royalty money from the publishing rights to that song. Is it just me, or is "Hey, Jude" the central thread that binds this entire world together? No offense to Kevin Bacon.

More of the backstory on this whole fiasco.
An explanation of what owning the publishing rights of The Beatles catalog means.

The mustache stops here

2009-01-02T11:10:00.018-05:00

Alright, pop culture, I have a bone to pick with you. Or rather, a hair to pluck with you. The mustache.

Why do you keep saying "it's back" year after year after year after year? Sure, it's a bold (if not regrettable) retro fashion trend rarely seen around the Hollywood symposium that's absolutely worthy of exploiting, I get that--especially when we're talking about the shorn-shaven porno 'stache. But c'mon! Something can only come "back" so many times before it's just plain old HERE. Did it really ever go away to begin with? In recent pop-memory, there has been the always popular 'got milk' stache, Ron Burgundy, Borat, The Killers, Super Mario, dozens of Cohen Brothers movies, anyone who wants to ape Tom Selleck, etc.

Seriously, not a year goes by--not a YEAR!--where I don't read somewhere on the internet about how [insert your favorite year in the 21st century here] is the year that the ol' stache made it's triumphant return to mal-fashion, for better or worse. How can it be the return of a fashion trend in 2008 if it already returned in 2007... and 2006... and 2005???!!!!

I think this started when John Oates and Alex Trebek shaved off their monumentally hip staches. Is there no one keeping a better record of where and when these mustaches are growing! Something needs to be done about this. The mustache is way out of control, and I think analysts writing about fashion trends at the end of the year don't have anything to really write about besides our most beloved and sensational staches. It must stop now.

And quite frankly, I've seen more beards this year in music and Hollywood than staches. Prince William anyone? Makes a better story than "Robert Downey Jr. grew a stache for his new role in Sherlock Holmes, and now it's everywhere."

When homeboys start growing Salvador Dali staches again, THAT will be something to write about. Until then, stop lathering up something that's already been growing for years.

Don't worry about the world ending today; it's already next year in New Zealand

2008-12-31T12:53:00.006-05:00

I'm always down for a lousy excuse to party (like, "They had a sale at the beer store so we got a keg!" Or the ol "I don't know anyone who's birthday is today, but SOMEONE is celebrating a birthday today, so drag out the kazoos and fireworks fellas and party!" Or the always entertaining, the economy sucks, let's wear bandannas, stay in and get blitzed and play Guitar Hero!" party, those are a blast), but I have the worst time getting into celebrating New Year's Eve. It's like going to a World Series baseball game for a $10 hot dog that tastes like gym shoes instead of going to the grocery store, buying a dozen dogs and firing them up on the grill at home with some friends.

Although it's not the drunken bafooning, girls in obnoxiously stupid boots, awful music, and balls with blinking lights that necessarily scrooge me out. It's all the careful planning, and money, and worry about cops and/or drunk drivers. And the resolutions, oh, the resolutions! Seriously. Don't ask me what my resolutions for next year are, because I will throw my beer on you and tell you that my first resolution is to not get you a towel to clean up the mess I just made. Resolute THAT, Charlie Brown.

But I'm not bitter. You say "Party with us, Chris!" and I'll show up with a paper hat on. I just find more enjoyment in celebrating real stupid things...a reason to go out and buy a new calendar is not something I'm willing to party over. Unless, we're talking about a REALLY cool calendar.

But if you're with me and dread celebrating anything on New Years, think about this. The world isn't ending this New Year's because it's already next year in Australia. Now, there's a reason to toss back some pints and make bear noises with your friends. W00t!

100 Best Songs Scene & Heard in 2008

2008-12-30T12:18:00.006-05:00

Some people look back on past years with newspapers, photographs, Super Bowls, trophies, and bank statements. But songs are my memories; and this best-of playlist is how I will refer to 2008 (minus all those Katy Perry hits...). It was a dreadful time to make money off selling music, but a profoundly exciting time to be a fan of music. Look around, there are lots of lights shining if you look down the right alleyways. Here are 100 signs of proof, all of which I am particularly sure will glow on in my head for years more to come. If these songs are any indication, the future is a bright one. Hope you got sunglasses for it.

1. The Gaslight Anthem - '59 Sound
2. Ben Sollee - A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke cover)
3. The Fireman - Sing The Changes
4. Bon Iver - Flume (Daytrotter Sessions version)
5. Radiohead - Reckoner
6. AC/DC - Runaway Train
7. Death Cab For Cutie - Grapevine Fires
8. Coldplay - Lost!
9. Bob Dylan - Someday Baby (Alt version from Bootleg Series Vol. 8)
10. M83 - Kim & Jessie
11. JJ Grey & Mofro - Everything Good Is Bad
12. Glassjaw - You Think You're F!cking John Lennon
13. Sam Sparro - Black & Gold
14. Republic Tigers - Buildings & Mountains
15. My Morning Jacket - Touch Me Or I'm Going To Scream Part II
16. Oasis - Shock of the Lightning
17. Kings of Leon - Sex On Fire
18. Dustin Kensrue - Fairytale of New York (The Pogues cover)
19. Wilco & Fleet Foxes - I Shall Be Released (The Band cover, live performance)
20. John Mayer - Freefallin' (Tom Petty cover, live acoustic performance)
21. Bon Iver - Re: Stacks
22. Weezer - Pork & Beans
23. Conor Oberst - Moab
24. Guns 'N Roses - If The World
25. Fleet Foxes - Oliver James
26. Kanye West - Love Lockdown
27. Ryan Adams - Times Like These (Foo Fighters cover, live acoustic performance)
28. Thrice - Come All You Weary
29. The Heavy - Dignity
30. Kaiser Chiefs - Never Miss A Beat
31. The Roots feat. Wale & Chrisette Michele - Rising Up
32. Rise Against - Hero Of War
33. Good Old War - Tell Me
34. Pop Levi - Dita Dimone
35. Northstar - Chesterfield King (Jawbreaker cover)
36. One Day As A Lion - One Day As A Lion
37. Colour Revolt - What Will Come Of Us
38. Ben Sollee & Jim James - Only A Song
39. Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
40. Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
41. Cold War Kids - Something Is Not Right With Me
42. David Byrne & Brian Eno - I Feel My Stuff
43. The Decemberists - Raincoat Song
44. Dead Confederates - The Rat
45. Sun Kil Moon - Lost Verses
46. Nada Surf - Beautiful Beat
47. Butch Walker - Going Back/Going Home
48. Blitzen Trapper - Furr
49. Cat Power - It Ain't Fair (Aretha Franklin cover)
50. The Airbourne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight
51. The Killers - This Is Your Life
52. She & Him - You Really Got A Hold On Me (The Miracles cover)
53. Kings Of Leon - Cold Desert
54. The Raconteurs - Salute Your Salution
55. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cobwebs
56. LCD Soundsystem - Big Ideas
57. Busta Rhymes - Don't Touch Me (Throw Da Water On 'Em)
58. Magnetic Fields - Drive On, Driver
59. Mugison - Jesus Is A Good Name To Moan
60. War On Drugs - Arms Like Boulders
61. Coldplay - Death Will Never Conquer (Live from Brixton Academy)
62. The Academy Is... - About A Girl
63. Miniature Tigers - Cannibal Queen
64. Mobius Band - I'll Keep It With Mine (Bob Dylan cover)
65. Monahans - I Run To You
66. Fratellis - A Heady Tale
67. Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
68. Santogold - L.E.S. Artist
69. Otis Redding - I've Been Loving You Too Long (Live in Paris)
70. The Black Keys - Lies
71. The Postelles - Stella
72. Santogold & Diplo - Icarus
73. Colour Revolt - Moses of the South (Daytrotter Session)
74. Cat Power - New York (cover)
75. John Mayer - Gravity (Live from Where The Light Is)
76. Rihanna - Disturbia
77. The Raveonettes - Aly, Walk With Me
78. Mercury Rev - Senses On Fire
79. The Rapture - No Sex For Ben
80. Twin Cats - The River
81. Tom Gabel - Random Hearts
82. Ben Folds - The Bitch Went Nuts (fake leak version)
83. Black Diamond Heavies - Smoothe It Out
84. Elliott Brood - Miss You Now
85. Fall Out Boy - What A Catch, Donnie
86. United Nations - Say Goodbye To General Figment Of The USS Imagination
87. Jenny Lewis - The Next Messiah
88. Estelle feat. Kanye West - American Boy
89. Jakob Dylan - Evil Is Alive And Well
90. Panic At The Disco - Nine In The Afternoon
91. Air Traffic - Come On
92. REM - Living Well Is The Best Revenge
93. Murder By Death - Fuego!
94. The Subways - Alright
95. The Ting Tings - Shut Up And Let Me Go
96. Story Of The Year - Welcome to Our New War
97. The Kooks - One Last Time
98. Minus The Bear - Ice Monster (acoustic)
99. InnerPartySystem - Last Night In Brooklyn
100. Shiny Toy Guns - Richochet

You can find many of these songs for sampling or purchasing at:
Hype Machine / eMusic / Amazon

Thanks For Not Talking During Movie FAIL

2008-12-29T16:21:00.008-05:00

You know how you can't sit in a packed movie theater without some chucklehead blabbing through the feature in the seat next to you? Well, you may not have to worry about that anymore thanks to this "enraged" Philly movie goer who took this matter into his own hands, flinging popcorn at a noisy kid and shooting noisy kid's dad right in the middle of the theater (might I add that this story is soooo Philly).

You know what the best part about this is? He sits back down to watch the movie after shooting the guy. Let me type that again. He shoots a man in the arm... everyone runs out of the theater screaming for dear life... our hero sits back down in his seat, shovels some more popcorn into his mouth, and enjoys the remainder of the movie in peace and quiet... until the police show up to apply some cuffs.

I'd say this guy was either ENTHRALLED in the plot of The Curious Case of Benny Button, OR this was just his misplaced way of giving the flick a thumbs down. As for theater talkers of the world, let this be your reminder to shut up.

Best Music Videos We Scene & Heard in 2008

2008-12-29T10:38:00.004-05:00

Remember the days when video killed the radio star? Well 2008 was the year that Real World killed the video star. The last place to catch music videos on MTV was TRL, which, oops got canceled this year. And then earlier this month, the music video grave was further cemented (lol! i love the headline of the link's story) over when MTV announced that it would adding even MORE reality television programming to it's already unwatchable listings. Time's is tough!

However, music videos are fighting to live long and prosper via YouTube and quite a few slick ones turned up this year. (MTV, you are the weakest link...goodbye!) So here's some of the best music videos from 2008. But first, let's bow our heads in remembrance for MTV and all the great years of music television it gave us, because that MTV is long since dead (tho, I am a regular frequenter and enjoyer of MTV.com and it's blogs for entertainment blabble). Fire up some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy.

Radiohead - House of Cards
Last year, Radiohead released a record called "In Rainbows" without rules or a record label. This year, they made a music video without using video cameras for one of the most haunting, tormented love songs from that album. I love this band.

Weezer - Pork & Beans

A music video for the YouTubers? One of 2008's more brilliant shimmers of light.

Arcade Fire - Black Mirror
These guys & gals gave up on MTV a good while ago (oddly enough, I didn't discover this band until I caught a video of their's on MTV2 a few years back when I was in college), and did something totally nuts for their Black Mirror video. They made it a hypnotic and interactive flash website where you are in charge of how the song sounds while the video plays. Your move, Radiohead.

Vampire Weekend - A-Punk

This is another one of those fun single shot camera timing-trick flicks that are always, ALWAYS a blast to watch. Especially with the Vamps spinning around, moving like robots, changing their bright wardrobes over and over, and all kinds of other fun little tricks. Dig when the guy on the keys spins around in the fake snow round the one minute mark! Electrifying!

M83 - Kim & Jessie

Sure, I was obviously won over by that steamy, sultry half minute mark. But it helps that the rest of the video is ridiculously playful, and the song itself is one of the greatest things 2008 is responsible for.

All American Rejects - Gives You Hell
I grew tired of the 'Jects 3 minutes into what I thought was their 5 minutes of fame (I gotta hand it to them for still ticking on after all this time), and this song hasn't changed my opinion. BUT! This video rules! I can't wait for summer to roll around again so that I can get up on the lawn tractor and rock out like that. Simply brilliant.

Miniature Tigers - Cannibal Queen

This is like the Vampire Weekend video, but with a cinematic story going on too! In which a dude cuts off his limbs to make a lover out of scratch who then cheats on him with a guy who looks like Jesse Ventura that she meets on the internet. Lost? Who cares? It's sick! And speaking of sick, dig the Jesse Ventura dude shredding up the barb-wire on that guitar solo! Nasty! And what's a miniature tiger anyway? A kitten???

Top 5 Movies We Scene & Heard in 2008

2008-12-26T10:19:00.003-05:00

All in all, not a bad year for movies, was it? Whether you were digging for some monster summer blockbusters, some fresh comedy, some surprising (and incredible) acting performances, or even some snappy underground art-house flicks no one else heard of, you were bound to find something to fall in love with this year. Of course, there were reel (sic!) duds too (COUGH! crystal skulls COUGH! speed racer COUGH! day the earth stood still COUGH! prince caspian COUGH!), which provided just as much film-going fodder for us all to gather round and snark about.

So what was the best of the best of it all? You've come to the right place, because we don't discriminate here at S&H. We like pulpy underground noir. We like theater-packing, block- busting, money-raking franchise sequels (that measure up anyway). We like explosions, we like monsters, we like laughing so hard we barf our Snocaps into our popcorn. It doesn't matter what kind of movie or what kind of reviews it's getting, as long as it's a film with real, undiscriminating soul. Here at S&H, a good movie is a good movie.

And so, to join me for Scene & Heard's Best of 2008 in Film is the Ebert to my Roeper; The Mercury's own Kim Toth, who is renowned 'round these parts for her TV blog, On The Set, where she rakes her claws through the world of television, movies, and everything in between.

Lights, camera, action!

Kim Toth's Top 5 Flicks of 2008

5. WALL-E:

When I first saw the preview for this one, I thought it looked like all those cute, animated kids’ movies and immediately put it in the "rental" category. It wasn’t until it started making all the critics end-of-year lists that I finally sat down, watched it, and totally loved it! The story of a lonely Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class (WALL-E), who’s only friend is a cockroach, left behind to clean up the Earth after the humans packed up and left their wasted planet, is compelling and very well done. Appealing to both children and adults alike.

4. Cloverfield:

Yes, I’m prepared to take the heat for this choice. You either love or hate this monster flick from last January. And I loved it! I loved it so much that after watching it for free on the Internet, I actually paid with a bunch of coworkers to see it in the theater. Shot with a hand-held camera, a la Blair Witch Project, this film followed four friends trying to escape New York City after some sort of monster attack. Think 2000’s Godzilla, only much, much better! It was edge-of-your-seat entertainment from beginning to end.

3. Tropic Thunder:

In a word, Hilarious! I saw the preview ahead of Iron Man back in May and couldn’t wait for August to arrive so I could see the rest of the film. And it didn’t disappoint. Depicting the behind-the-scenes making of a "true story" of Vietnam soldiers, Tropic Thunder was by far the funniest flick of the year. Any film that puts Robert Downey Jr. in black-face and Tom Cruise in a skull cap and fat suit is OK with me. Not to mention the hilarious fake movie trailers at the beginning … I’m still hoping they make full versions of Satan’s Alley, The Fatties: Fart 2, Scorcher I-VI and, of course, Simple Jack!

2. Iron Man:

I had never heard of Tony Stark before seeing this fine flick, but the trailer was enough to hook me. The first bonafide hit of the summer, Iron Man brought back to life the career on one of my all-time fave actors. Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man along with Jon Favreau’s directing was enough to rocket this film to the top of the box office in early May. Needlesstosay I was very impressed. I highly recommend it!

1. The Dark Knight:

While this film has made just about every critic’s Best Of list, none of them have the nerve to make it No. 1, opting instead for the obligatory serious films, i.e. Slumdog Millionaire, Gran Torino or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (all of which, to be fair, I haven’t seen yet). But in the words of this flick’s villain The Joker, I ask, "Why So Serious?" The second of director Chris Nolan’s Batman movies, The Dark Knight was more than just a comic book film. It was easily the most anticipated movie of the year and featured a great story, spot on special effects and some of the best performances of the year. It’s made nearly a billion dollars worldwide and tops the Box Office for 2008, with barely any competition. And, of course, it features what is possibly the best performance of the late Heath Ledger’s career. I would never have thought that anyone could best Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman, but he more than managed. If you see one film this year, make it The Dark Knight.

And the Best of the Worst:
Speed Racer! I was sooo looking forward to this film, being a huge fan of the popular TV cartoon. And I was sooooo disappointed!! Wachowski Bros, what happened? How could you take such a great premise and turn it into an explosion of purple and pink computer generated effects, ruining my cherished memories of Speed, Trixie, Spridle, Chim Chim and Pops. Not to mention giving Sparky the Queer Eye! Awful, just awful! Be warned …

Chris March's Top 5 Films of 2008

5. Wall-E

I have to echo Kim's sentiments on this Disney/Pixar number. Could I be as so bold as to say this movie is the greatest love story of the 21st century? It is. Not only does our little metal trash compacting hero win over the heart of fellow robot EVE, but also the hearts of the humans he encounters stranded in space, and the hearts of us watching at home, in a truly captivating way. This little lovable pixelated robot is undoubtedly the most inspiring character of 2008, urging everyone to get back to where they once belonged. It's as political as it is comedic as it entertaining as it is brilliant as it is original.

4. Iron Man

Funny how we can sit here in this decrepit state of American economy and say that 2008 was the year for billionaire superheros, and that we spent a lot of cash on films about them. The Dark Knight's Bruce Wayne easily took the upper hand at the box office, but Downey Jr.'s entertaining turn as Tony Stark instantly made him one of our favorite new characters to cheer on in one of the year's funnest films to watch. Batman may have won this round, but if the end of Iron Man is any indication, Stark hasn't even rolled his sleeves up yet, and the future of Marvel films (Iron Man 2, Captain America, Thor, The Avengers) is brighter than it is 'dark'.

3. Be Kind, Rewind

I'll admit, it was a little weird to watch a movie about a VHS tape rental store in 2008. But this cute little Michel Gondry comedy is more than just an ode to analog culture (and some great films from the 80s and 90s like Ghostbusters, Back To The Future, etc); it's a reminder that any ol' body can do any ol' thing. It's also a sharp thumbing of the nose to the many people out there who are full of crap, armed with contracts, guidelines, and laws who will tell you that you can't do something. My kind of movie.

2. Zack & Miri Make A Porno

The reason Kevin Smith movies (particularly ones that include a word like "porno" in the title) get a bad rep, is because people generally have trouble looking past the skin and bones (pun soooo intended here) of what he's doing. On the surface, this romantic comedy is a romping raunch-fest of smut that reaaaaaally pushes the bounds of what a "R" rating stands for these days. While I haven't laughed so hard (or seen THAT many naughty parts) in a movie in a long time, it's also the sweetest movie I may have ever seen. And this is very typical of Smith's direction with his movies, not all that far from the George Carlin vein. He envelopes the greatest love stories this side of The Notebook with guys and gals who talk dirtier than your drunk uncle on Christmas. It is the perfect balance of OMGZROFLWTF! and awwwww! While Smith ditches his regular Jay & Silent Bob franchise characters, a handful of his regular actors and actresses are still here (including our fav Jason Mewes) to trade the same blend of dirty small-talk banter we're used to. Kevin Smith fans will feel right at home, and everyone else will be absolutely appalled that someone could think of crap this sick and twisted. But if you look around, the real world and it's love stories are hardly ever pretty. And with the way the economy is these days, maybe you should start thinking about making your own porno to make ends meet too. Kevin Smith's best yet, and the romantic comedy of the year (in the worst way).

1. The Dark Knight

You're fooling yourself if you think this movie is the number 2 grossing film of all time for just a reason or two. It's not just a movie, it's a symphony. There is so much meat packed into this thing, that there is just too much for anyone to devour in one sitting. You can read into the philosophy and real-world political undertones of terrorism, corruption, and politics; you can ogle at some of the slickest and sickest action sequences ever shot; or you can sit back and watch the unfolding of some of this year's most mesmerizing performances. The late Ledger's Joker is the obvious heavy-weight, but Aaron Eckhart's maddening descent from Harvey Dent into Two-Face is the central lynch pin that holds this entire movie together, in plot and performance. And thanks to the sharp writing and execution of these performances, realism in a fantasy movie doesn't get more menacing than this. A movie this intricate and bloated could EASILY go completely down the toilet. But in the visionary hands of director Christopher Nolan, it is undoubtedly the definitive movie, not just of 2008, but of the times we live in. Watch Dent's press conference when he promises "the dawn is coming." In these somewhat dark times where we all have something negative to say about the world around us, Dent's words are more than the promise of hope that we need, but the hope we deserve.

Honorable Mention: Cloverfield, The Incredible Hulk, In Bruges, Tropic Thunder.

The Movies That Look Like They Could Stand A Shot At This List If I Had Seen Them, But I Didn't
That title should be explanatory enough.

Choke--The gloriously twisted novel by Chuck Palahniuk was fantastic, so why wouldn't a movie adaption starring Sam Rockwell be awesome?
The Wrestler--Mickey Rourke as a washed up wrestler still holding onto his lifelong dream of becoming a star? I am SO sold. I was close to putting it on the best of list without even seeing it.
Cadillac Records--Well, you know me and music movies. Plus Mos Def as Chuck Berry? Oh, that's glorious.
Gran Torino--When Clint Eastwood plays a car-loving badass, it usually makes for an instant classic. So really, it's just simple math. When he says "Get off my lawn" holding a shotgun in the trailer, a chill shoots right up my little ol' spine.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button--Well the premise is pretty sweet. David Fincher directs a Forest Gump-like film about a man who ages backwards. Actually, I was supposed to see this last night, but our car sprung a flat on the way, so fate kept this from making or not making the best of 2008 list.

The Twelth Song of Christmas (Merry Christmas!)

2008-12-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

Hoping you have yourself a merry little Christmas. Cheers, and thanks for reading.

MP3: Coldplay - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
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The Eleventh Song of Christmas

2008-12-24T11:55:00.004-05:00

It's just about here! This is my favorite Christmas Eve song. Every time I hear it, I feel like I'm in church, it's dark, I'm holding a candle, and we're all swaying back and forth singing this classic, wistful carol in unison. When it's performed right--as Scene & Heard favs As Tall As Lions do here--the melody and mood bares this heavy, ancient feel to it that just sails through you. It's chilling, and like sitting by a fireplace, all at the same time. A magnificent feat for any piece of music. Merry Christmas, everyone.

MP3: As Tall As Lions - O Holy Night
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Top 5 Lists That List The Best Music Albums 0f 2008 (wait, what?)

2008-12-23T14:25:00.005-05:00

Tis' the season. And I ain't talking bout yuletides and elves. I'm talking about all those end of year lists that anyone with a "professional" opinion feels is necessary to cough up come December, year after year after year. Truth be told, we even feel entitled to get on this great golden soapbox ourselves here at Scene & Heard HQ, and we will soon enough before the year expires on us. But before we get to the top batch of records and movies that 2008 gave birth to, I thought it'd be fun--perhaps even, educational--to give you our TOP 5 BEST OF LISTS that we've seen so far on this year in music. What a concept, huh? And believe me, I went through quite a gamut of lists to come up with this list of lists, so do trust that this is the best of what 2008's 'best of' was.

The comforting thing is that no list really resembles what my list is shaping up like. Most rock music magazines tend to have the same a-la-cart lists, most indie blogs tend to have the same top 5, but this was an interesting year in which lots of lists seemed to veer off after newer artists and some daring, brilliant records. My list will probably be something of a conglomerate of all these lists here, although I don't really get this critical salivating for Fleet Foxes. Decent record, but it's like the number one album to make Number One on these year-end lists? No way, they're just doing what My Morning Jacket did 6 or 7 years ago. Anyway, here's the lists!

Scene & Heard's Top 5 Lists That List The Best Music Albums 0f 2008

5. NME Top 50 Albums of 2008
This British rock magazine gets a spot just because their list, expectedly, has a lot more lively records ripe with trumpets, grooves, and angular guitars than all the lo-fi and northwest folk that swept the American music underground this year (COUGH! Fleet Foxes... COUGH!). The whole of these records, from Santogold (one of Philly's own!) to Kings of Leon to TV On The Radio to number one MGMT, are all about making sound statements and living through these disastrous economic times. Although they scored The Verve's and Oasis' letdowns higher than Coldplay? Ugh...

4. Stereogum's Best Albums of 2008
Honestly, could have made the number 2 spot of this list if they DIDN'T GIVE FLEET FOXES THE NUMBER ONE SPOT! It's a great and expansive list that gives lots of proper tips of the hat to a lot of the right artists--big and small--who deserve the name check. Also, Stereogum just posts artwork and links to purchase the music...no blurbs about why they chose what they chose. Though it's cool to 'let the music do the talking,' I like to read about why something deserves more props than another on these year end lists. So, foul on the ol' Gum there too. But still, a pretty tight list.

3. Paste Magazine's Signs of Life: Best of 2008
I like Paste Magazine, and I really like their theme for this year's best of list: "Signs of Life." Kinda poetic and something to think about as the CD industry continues to die the ugliest death in the history of long, painful, squirming, gasping, economic deaths. But I dig this list for other reasons too. Like TV On The Radio gets their due, but at a much more reasonable #50, instead of #1 (see Rolling Stone, see Spin, see countless other etcs). But they also give due to Colour Revolt (#35), the brilliant Death Cab record (#18) which lots of lists seemed to develop amnesia for, Mugison, and a huge surprise of a number 1--She & Him. Not exactly something I would put at Number 1, but a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

2. Can You See The Sunset's 50 Favorite Albums of 2008
I look to a crap ton of music blogs for all the latest songs and artists circulating the ol' net, but Can You See The Sunset is the only music blog I read on a regular basis. Mainly because his taste in music is the closest I've found to mine in that he is a lover of most all music, but has the biggest weak spot for a good, jolting dose of punk rock. As long as the music has soul and/or an unwavering lifeforce, he unearths it, loves it, and shares it on his blog, and that's a kind of person that I can undeniably get behind and respect. So don't look to his year end list if you're looking for the stuff you'd expect to find on Spin or Rolling Stone, or Pitchfork for that matter. But his list is right on the money, and runs the gamut from grindstone folk (a surprising number one pick) to soul to punk to some decent mainstream indie. It's probably one of the least predictable and yet, most honest lists you will find this end of the year. Not to mention, he takes year ends lists really seriously. He even re-did his best of 2007 after spending an extra year with all those records, after those songs revealed their true colors.

1. eMusic's 88 Best Albums of 2008
Well, for starters, they give The Gaslight Anthem's "59 Sound" the Number One badge of approval, and that's awesome in my book. But also, the write up for the list riffs off the idea that this was the year of discovery--and I couldn't say it any better myself. And if that sentiment rings true, there is no better place to discover new music than eMusic. Their finely crafted list is limited in what it can list because there is a majority of recording artists signed to major labels who don't distribute downloads on eMusic--but eMusic gives you miracles with what they do have to work with. Paul McCartney's new Fireman record gets due. A live (and phenomenal) Otis Redding gem released this year gets due. Bon Iver, Raveonettes, and She & Him all get big props here, as well as a whole treasure trove of other surprises you never ever heard of before.

In short, 2008 was the sound of us all looking for something new. A new chord to ride, a new melody to hum, a new horizon to walk off towards.

The Tenth Song of Christmas

2008-12-23T10:12:00.003-05:00

Well, the ground is frozen, the wind is chilled, the stockings are hung, the presents are wrapped, the cocoa is steaming, the logs are stacked by the fireplace, the tree lots are emptying out, and the procrastinators are out there whipping around for last minute gifts. Christmastime, is inevitably here, once again. But what is Christmastime without this classic, stirring staple? Vince Guaraldi's soft, steamy soundtrack to the Peanuts gang's holiday masterfully wraps up all the joy, zaniness, romance, frustration, and goodwill of the season under one big gleaming red bow. And this classic song in particular, isn't just a song for the season. It's what Christmas sounds like. Merry Christmas Eve Eve, from me and my favorite Christmas songs to you. Only two more days, and two more songs left!

MP3: Vince Guaraldi Trio - Christmastime Is Here (With Vocal)
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The Ninth Song Of Christmas

2008-12-22T10:52:00.003-05:00

It's hard to find a more definitive Christmas song of modern times than John Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War is Over)." It's even harder to find an artist who can take the song on and do something special with it. Believe me, I have heard barrels and barrels of covers of this song, but only one has impressed me, and it's this cut from the Irish soul-wrenching songwriter, Damien Rice. I'm not saying he one-ups Lennon, but he does something sort of lonely and soulful with it, kicking it into a whole other range of emotion. Rice gets the spirit out of this song, just as Lennon did, and that is no easy task. And if you really spend some time with this song this holiday season, you'll find Rice's version has a lot of potency for the times we're living in and immersed in. A fantastic holiday listen for 2009.

MP3: Damien Rice - Happy Christmas (War Is Over) [John Lennon Cover]
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The Eighth Song Of Christmas (Not to be confused with Flava Flav's New York)

2008-12-21T10:29:00.002-05:00

Not only is this one of my favorite Christmas songs, I also feel it's one of the greatest love songs ever written. The Pogues masterfully wove a gigantic love story into a sweet, snarling Irish romp of a four-and-a-half-minute song. It's framed by old men sitting around the fire, looking back on life at Christmas time and then it dives into a sweeping tale of young love's fire and brimstone in the middle of New York City. On this cut from Dustin Kensrue (frontman for heavy art rockers Thrice), he rips the classic up from it's roots and turns it into his own animal. He drains the Irish snot from the verses as well as the call the response male/female dynamic, but he carries the weight of the song's sweeter side.

MP3: Dustin Kensrue - Fairytale of New York (Pogues cover)
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The Seventh Song of Christmas

2008-12-20T10:00:00.003-05:00

Some of the best Christmas music is soul music. And this little gemstone by gospel soulsters The Staple Singers (song was originally performed by Deanie Parker, but whatevs) will melt any icicles you got hanging off your heart this holiday. Of course, if you listen to the lyrics, it's about putting the MARY back in Christmas, which in turn, brings the "merry." Great soulful gospel number for your Christmas tunes. You might also know one of the Staples from cranking out that awesome theme song from the movie Christmas Vacation--Mavis Staples.

Clark: Tis the season to be Merry.
Mary: "Well, that's my name!"

MP3: The Staple Singers - Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas
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The Sixth Song of Christmas

2008-12-19T14:30:00.005-05:00

The Pretenders wrote a great Christmas song when they wrote "2000 Miles." But Coldplay's wistful version on the piano takes it to a whole other level that really opens up the emotion of Chrissie Hynde's original. One of the best Christmas love songs I've ever heard. Because of how many people come together and get close with one another, Christmas is a time of the year when people really think about the distance between themselves and their loved ones. That's what makes the imagery and soul of this Christmas song so pertinent, and special.

MP3: Coldplay - 2000 Miles (Pretenders cover)
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The Fifth Song Of Christmas

2008-12-18T16:42:00.005-05:00

Just cause you're on Santa's naughty list doesn't mean you can't have a Christmas song. And this one is it, where Swedish rockers The Hives square off with Cyndi Lauper for a Christmas duel! In it, singer Pelle Almqvist and Lauper are married and confess all the awful things they did to each other this year, like getting married, sleeping with each other's family members, and burning each other's record collections (oh so, so low). But amidst it all, they realize all the filth and fury and naughty they wrought this year means nothing, because it's Christmas and it's time to love and share and be merry. A brilliant Christmas song if you ask me. It'll shoot your eye out!

MP3: The Hives Vs. Cyndi Lauper - A Christmas Duel
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The Fourth Song Of Christmas

2008-12-17T10:25:00.005-05:00

Some gifts take a bit more time to bear their fruit. Wham's "Last Christmas," for instance. When Jimmy Eat World polished this tune off with a more jarring and heartfelt (and danceable!) delivery a few years back, it became an instant favorite for anyone who wanted to hear something new for the holidays besides the same ol' Bing, Mathis, Frank, and The King. But it also reached out to those of us reeling from a bad breakup at the time of year when everyone is together and giving and loving and caroling, which is typically where scrooges and grinches come from. While most Christmas songs say "give, give, give, be merry, and love," this one says "take back what's yours." Then wrap it up for someone else. That's pretty much what Jimmy Eat World did with this song. And just think--eco friendly fanatics will dig your recycling habits too! Everyone wins.

MP3: Jimmy Eat World - Last Christmas
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The Third Song Of Christmas

2008-12-16T16:26:00.004-05:00

There's lots of fantastic versions of this gem in circulation, but I think Charles Brown and Bonnie Raitt are the ones who got it right--bluesy and mellow. I particularly dig this track for the "I got good music on my radioooO" line, which is usually the case when I'm picking the Christmas tunes. And besides, what simpler holiday sentiment can you express than "Merry Christmas, baby." That's all anyone needs to hear this time of year.

MP3: Charles Brown & Bonnie Raitt - Merry Christmas, Baby
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The Second Song Of Christmas

2008-12-15T17:34:00.004-05:00

What I really want for Christmas is the voice of Jim James, but I'll settle for this My Morning Jacket cover of The King's "Santa Claus Is Back In Town." It's my favorite "Christmas is coming boys and girls" song of the season. And like I said, there ain't no voice with more gift than Mr. James', so download it and revel in it.

MP3: My Morning Jacket - Santa Claus Is Back In Town (Live radio show performance from 2001)
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Wolverine Begins (and is Storm in the movie?!)

2008-12-15T15:29:00.007-05:00

Keeping in theme with geeking out over all the sweet trailers popping up on the net for some of next year's most anticipated movies, here's the first trailer for the first X-Men spinoff movie--X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD

Between brief glimpses of Gambit, Deadpool, The Blob, a whole lot of adamantium claws, crying babies, explosions, seemingly more wild mutant madness than in the original X-Men trilogy and Wolvie threatening to cut off Sabretooth's head, this movie is looking pretty darn excellent.

Hold up. Did you hear that? Sounded like Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins just cried "rip off!" Weird. (And let's face it, that last X-Men movie wasn't THAT far off from the bat-nippled Batman & Robin. So, what's next? The Dark Logan?) But we're not complaining, because it looks like we're getting all the best stuff that the first 3 X-Men movies were too shy to include. 2009 is gonna be the year of getting what we deserve.

Step aside, Bat bub. It's my turn to begin. (photo from Memories Documented)

And is it just me, or did I see a lil' Storm still in diapers somewhere in there?

A bullet in your WHAT?!

2008-12-15T10:16:00.000-05:00

I know I posted this last Christmas, but Santa is coming to town, and The Killers want to remind you that your life is on the line. Our fav jolly ol' elf isn't afraid to lay the smack down on all the bad boys and girls. I fancy this video so much, that watching it has become like listening to Bing Crosby by the fireplace on Christmas Eve.

And keep checking back for more songs of Christmas, because I got another Christmas dual to share with you. Song 2 will be posted later today.

The First Song of Christmas

2008-12-14T21:33:00.003-05:00

I don't want to be visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future this holiday, so for the next 12 days (ending on good ol' December 25), I'll post one holiday mp3 for your downloading pleasure to make up Scene & Heard's 12 songs of Christmas mix. The holidays and music are my 2 favorite things in the world, so Christmas music is where I truly get to shine. I hope you enjoy and share some of these songs with your friends and family this holiday season. Stay tuned for more merry tunes each day.

Let's kick it off right with Daniel Johnson's "Christmas Music" -- a song about why Christmas music has it's own special little corner in the musical galaxy. Beautiful song, and highly recommended.

MP3: Daniel Johnson - Christmas Music

And now that we're talking about it, what are some of your fav. Christmas songs? Chat it up in the replies enough and it might make the 12 songs of Christmas.

Check Out The New Look!

2008-12-12T14:25:00.002-05:00

Ok, ok, so the look is the same. But we got a fancy new header to top Scene & Heard off every single day! W00t! And yeah, I know... there aren't any subways in Pottstown, Phoenixville, Royersford, Reading, or anywhere around here. But I'm the blog from the underground in these parts, so it fits. Right? Plus, it looks too cool to not argue for the strong case it makes.

And stay tuned, that's not all that's been under construction here. Starting this Sunday, I'll post one Christmas song a day until Dec. 25 in a little something I'd like to call the 12 Songs of Christmas mix.

PLUS! With the 2008's curtain coming to a close, I'm getting help from some fellow Mercury staff for our favorite movies and music of the year to share with you. Expect lots of mp3s and YouTube clips to come.

This is not the future my mother warned me about

2008-12-12T10:39:00.008-05:00

It's been a busy few days here at Scene & Heard HQ where we've been going back and thinking about what the year's brightest moments on the big screen and in our stereos were. We're also culling some excellent Christmas songs to share with you for the 12 days of Christmas. But in the mean time, I ask you to look to the future.

I'm, of course, talking about the new Terminator flick, Terminator Salvation, which now has a full trailer that's hit the web.

Holy metal heads! Not bad, huh? I mean, I'm more of a Johnny Five guy when it comes to war machines ("Hey laser lips! Your momma was a snowblower!"), but we'll take an Ahnuld-less Terminator with a po-ed John Conner anyday. And this is probably the coolest poster I've ever seen for a movie.

Between this and Transformers 2, and Star Trek, and Watchmen, and Wolverine, and Obama, consider us here at Scene & Heard on the official stoked wagon for 2009.

If this doesn't say 2008, I don't know what does

2008-12-11T23:12:00.003-05:00

There is a lot I could blog right now. I could write about the Golden Globe nominations announced this morning (go Heath!), or start recapping the year with all those 'best of' lists, or I could share some Christmas music with ya...

...but I'd really rather just watch this animation over and over and over.

Talk about a victory lap! And WHY must Hillary ALWAYS have her mouth open? Always!

Good Time To Be A Trevor Fan

2008-12-09T13:49:00.006-05:00

Local guitar wizard, Trevor Gordon Hall, is wheeling out wheelbarrows of rad news about his new record label, his upcoming album, and his Christmas show this Saturday at Chaplins. How could he not be the most stoked person in the area right now? Check the comments for a letter from the guitar hero himself. And don't miss the show either!

The Scene & Heard Xmas Wishlist: Part 2

2008-12-09T11:37:00.004-05:00

So, in retrospect, last week's Xmas Wishlist was kinda crummy. Or lazy might be a more appropriate word. But I'm better prepared this week. What say we give this another shot? If you have friends or family like me (God help you if you do) here's some ideas of what to wrap up and slap a bow on for them this holiday season.

5. The Steel City Coffee House VIP card
This is a must-give to anyone who is a regular frequenter of Phoenixville's sweetest spot for music and caffeine. And rare, so hurry! As of yesterday, there was only 5 still available. This gets you reserved seating, advanced ticket prices on all shows, 10% off all food and drink, $25 extra on the card, AND 2 free tickets good for any show. Plus no BYO fees for VIP members and guests (when tickets purchased using the VIP Card. VIP CARD is initiated with a one time purchase of $500.00 and are reloadable in any amount. More information on the VIP card at http://steelcitycoffee.stores.yahoo.net/vipgica5.html.

4. Steel City Coffee House Gift Card
And for all those cheap skates out there not willing to shell out the $500 for that golden ticket, you could just give out a borin' ol' Steel City gift card. They are good for show tickets and can be bought at www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com and will be delivered with free shipping. Just don't tell the person you're giving this to about the VIP card. They will hate you.

3. Guitar Hero World Tour.
"A guy can dream right?" That's why they made Guitar Hero--so everyone can rock out. This is where the party is at.

2. www.urbanoutfitters.com
Go there and go crazy. I promise, you'll find something, because if it's cool, they make it.

1. DO NOT GIVE iTUNES GIFT CARDS!
I mean it! Sure, they are good for office friends or stocking stuffers, but if you're REALLY shopping for a music head, you get yourself in a record store, buster. A REAL record store--I'm not talking FYE here. Or you can browse online too. But the gift of vinyl is the way to go. The artwork is large and beautiful and a record has more thought and care wrapped up in it. It makes a much sweeter gift than a plastic card with numbers on it.

Jesus gives the low down on Prop 8

2008-12-08T11:15:00.003-05:00

As with any viral clip that the former Doogie Howser can weasel himself into, the Prop 8 musical (featuring an awesome Jack Black Jesus, mind you) has been all the rage on the nets lately. So it certainly has a home here on Youtube (even though it's from FunnyOrDie) Mondays.

"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... by Jack Black

The Scene & Heard Xmas Wish List

2008-12-02T08:24:00.002-05:00

Don't know what to get your entertainment junky (see also: nerd) for Christmas? Well, take a load off pal, you've come to the right place. I present to you the 2008 Scene & Heard Wish List. Although, keep checking back here this month for our year end lists of music, movies, and etc, which will all make great stocking stuffers too.

5. Death Cab For Cutie Holiday Package
If your little music fan (or big music fan, we don't discriminate) just got into Death Cab after this year's brilliant "Narrow Stairs," they're missing out on a whole lotta good warm-hearted indie rock. This package includes all 7 releases the band put out on Barsuk, before stepping up to a major label. Does not include "Plans" or "Narrow Stairs," but is a golden deal for Death Cab beginners.

4. The Limited Edition Beatles iPod Box Set
Want to go overboard? Sure you do. I see that look in your eyes. Show the economy that you don't need to cut back! Nothing says overboard like this baby, which you can only get from Bloomingdales for the special low price of $795 (or on eBay for a lot lot more). It's all here, the treasure trove. You get all the apples--Apple's classic iPod with a Beatles logo and 120gb of storage, and all the CD's from the Apple label's discography (including "Love"). And you get a guitar pick too, for some reason. All tidied up in a sleek wooden box. Plus, there is only 2500 copies in existence. Owning one makes you super special! In all seriousness, it's the coolest box set and iPod you'll find, but only for the biggest Beatlemaniacs. Now's also a good time to mention that The Beatles remain one of the last remaining bands not available on iTunes, though it's apparently going to happen some day. But not bad, right?

3. Of course, you could just shell out for a regular ol' iPod or iPhone, which I promise won't upset any person willing to live amongst the technology of the 21st century. Always a safe bet.

2. The Dark Knight on Blu-Ray
The biggest, boldest, movie of the year that crossed over from comic books into the mainstream this year in a huge way. And yes, it MUST be on Blu-Ray, not DVD, because it's the best looking movie ever, and the action scenes are all shot in hi-def. Since it hits stores on Dec 9, there are going to be a lot of Bat fans looking for this under the tree. Do. Not. Disappoint. Them. (Yes, that is a threat.) There's also a special edition available that comes with a statuette Batpod, but...that could be a bit overboard.

1. DIY mix
That's right, the way to really impress them is to do it yourself. And you know what? You spend a nickel on a CD-R (or cassette if you really want to impress them). That's it! Just put some excellent music together and they'll love you forever. Because they'll know you care, and that you put the time in. Of course, mixmaking is quite an artform, so be careful of what you're getting yourself into and be wise and selective in your song choices. Don't think you got what it takes? That's ok, you can bake them some warm cookies. That works too.

And just for fun...
Let's go old school and bring back the full-on pajamas look. www.thecatspjs.com. May I recommend the crossword puzzle pjs?

G4 brought Star Trek back before JJ Abrams did...

2008-12-01T11:07:00.006-05:00

Well, the new Star Trek trailer hit the web last week... and while I've never been any kind of Trekkie, this new trailer has me as nerded up for the new movie the way The Dark Knight trailers geeked me out a year ago.

But what's even better than a new Star Trek movie with Spocks and Kirks and Scottys?

How bout' some Star Trek 2.0? Beam that up, baby.

Glassjaw is back

2008-11-28T19:08:00.005-05:00

Forget about Chinese Democracy. Glassjaw is back!

Listen closely, be patient (General surgeon's warning: not for faint of heart!)

Hot Seats coming to Steel City Coffeehouse

2008-11-28T13:14:00.003-05:00

Screw Santa, Richmond VA's finest absurdists are coming to town.

The Hot Seats (formerly Special Ed & The Shortbus) recently returned from a month in Scotland and England, bringing their snazzy melding of bluegrass/old time/rag time/and bizarre Vaudevillian antics to the old world.

Now that they're back, they're planning to quest out on a new US tour, which will include a stop in Phoenixville Dec. 27 at the good ol' Steel City Coffeehouse.

Check the comments for further details.

Review: Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak

2008-11-26T12:42:00.004-05:00

There can be trillions of visionary and innovative musicians, but a songwriter will never write a great song unless he or she has felt what it's like to lose everything. Kinda the way a girl scout can't whip up a good glass of lemonade without lemons.

If anyone's rapped with unabashed heart in the hip-hop genre these past few years, it's Kanye West. After three impressive and well-received albums, there is no arguing that he is a visionary not just in his genre but in today's dry popular music climate. But has he written any GREAT songs? Not really, not Sam Cooke or Stevie Wonder great.

But things change quickly. Since last year's "Graduation," Kanye's been through a tumultuous break up with his ex-fiance, and also lost his beloved mother, whom died abruptly a year ago. And thus, his latest musical outing isn't informed by his heart, but by all this heartbreak he's lived in this short burst of time. And as sad as that all is, it's truly made for Kanye's greatest work yet.

Steeped in digital auto tune crooning and icy beats (it's got some glowing dance beats too which fit right into the mix), 808's & Heartbreak is as far away from hip-hop as hip-hop can get. It's more like Daft Punk covering Nina Simone's "Lady In Satin," and that is no exaggeration. The melding of techno, soul, and hip hop here is as smooth and exciting as when Ray Charles first married the sounds of gospel and blues to the world of rock n' roll, thus creating R&B.

I'm not saying Kanye's created anything super new with this album. Nor am I saying it's the album of the year. But Kanye's done something different, something raw, something honest, and something from the soul. More importantly, it's something that no one else in hip hop would ever have the guts to do. In that respect, Kanye is quite possibly this age's finest musical pioneer.

Chances are that Kanye's next album will be back to business with more straight forward hip hop, and that's why this album is all the more great. It's not just a glimpse into Kanye's darkest hour, it's also his finest, truest bid to be great. Every song he writes from now on will be coming from a whole other place.

Top 5 Reasons Chinese Democracy Sucks (and 5 more reasons why it's brilliant)

2008-11-25T10:20:00.007-05:00

Guns N' Roses are one of those bands that you either:
A: HATE.
B: Love AND hate. (Considering their name, not all that ironic)

And since Axl finally (FINALLY!) ponied up his 14 years-in-the-making magnum opus, Chinese Democracy, there's all kinds of love and hate beaming around the Scene & Heard offices this week. So what say we shine the ol' Top Five Tuesday light on the new album in proper Guns N' Roses fashion, shall we?

Top 5 reasons why Chinese Democracy sucks
5. Axl Rose.
4. As grandiose as this album tries to be, the long-standing jokes about the album are bigger. You're not buying an album anymore, you're buying a hyper-marketed piece of the pop culture mountain, which Dr. Pepper, Guitar Hero and Best Buy have been more than happy to fan the flames of.
3. Remember when you had your hopes so impossibly high for The Matrix sequels, and then were completely let down? Multiply that feeling times 743. Industrial Rock Axl=Flying Superman Neo.
2. This record would have blown the world away 10 years ago. Now it just blows.
1. Okay, it's not that bad of a record, but Axl... really? You spent 14 years on this? Sorry bucko, too much, too late.

Keeping that in mind, here's..
The Top 5 reasons why Chinese Democracy is a (dare I say) brilliant record.
5. Axl Rose.
4. Doing just fine without Slash & Straddlin, thank you very much.
3. The scathing title track is already banned in China. Now that's rock n' roll.
2. "If The World" is one of the sweetest songs I've ever heard. Industrial funk blues? Who knew Axl had that in him? The song alone is worth the album.
1. Listening to a Guns N' Roses album used to be like staring at the sun through sunglasses. Listening to this is like staring at the sun through a telescope.

You know what the trick is? Forget the love and hate. Pull yourself away from everything you think you know about this album. Forget how much money it cost to make, how long it took to make, how many jokes VH1 and Rolling Stone mag made about it over the years. Forget that it's "Chinese Democracy." Forget that it's a Guns N' Roses album, because it isn't. Just crank the volume up and let it be what it is.

It's a special record. Not because of it's pop culture significance, but because with it, Axl is attempting to do the same thing with heavy rock that Mozart did with classical music. Of course, Mozart was ridiculously and brilliantly prolific, while Rose spent 1/3 of Mozart's lifespan writing this grandiose record, so screw Axl. He's just a pompous metal head with a terrible dread job. (Like I said, folks. Love and hate.)

Denim acrobatics

2008-11-24T11:49:00.004-05:00

And you thought the X-Games were off the wall? Check out today's YouTube clip. It will knock your pants off.

Hall Announces "Finding My Way"

2008-11-18T15:59:00.004-05:00

You won't find many words in Trevor Gordon Hall's esoteric guitar scapes, but there is a lot to say right now about his upcoming record, "Finding My Way."

For the past 2 years or so, Trev's been beaming at shows and in person about all the new music coming out of him and over the excitement of working with Grammy Award winners Joe and Phil Nicolo on the album (they've worked with a laundry list of greats, from the Stones to James Taylor to The Police to Bob Dylan).

And now you can see why. Get your first taste of the new album at his Myspace, where he's posted 4 new songs, including his stirring take on The Beatles' "Come Together."

Hall has also announced that he's signed with Revel Music to release the effort, and they've been shopping it around for proper distribution. National touring is likely, but stay tuned for details on the local CD release party in the coming months, as it will surely be a must-go-to.

More info at Trev's Myspace.

A Mixtape For Obama

2008-11-05T10:12:00.010-05:00

Yesterday's election has significance for you--no matter what type of American you are. If you are old enough to have lived through civil rights--or had parents who lived through the Civil War--you see firsthand the cultural significance of what's happened here. But us, the younger and more naive (we had it sooo easy, right? The internet and didn't have to walk uphill to school) generation, we see this as the first person in politics to stand up and make us believe in our country. In the end, maybe he'll make a few messes like Bush, but for now, he's brought us together--not pried us apart.

And so for that, we're giving you some free music to celebrate freedom. These are songs in celebration of what's happened here. If any of the following songs run for president some day, I'll vote for 'em.

Mixtape For Obama (click on song title link for MP3)

1. Ben Sollee - A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke cover)
-Last night Obama totally and appropriately quoted this. No better song for the moment.
Buy / Myspace

2. U2 - Pride (In The Name of Love)
-This one's for Martin Luther King Jr. , who is no doubt smiling where he is right now. And as for U2, this was the song that marked a change for them.
Buy / Myspace

3. Arcade Fire - Keep The Car Running
-This song from early 2007 is a call for the sort of thing that happened yesterday.
Buy / Myspace

4. The Beatles - I've Got A Feeling
-The band that celebrated this type of thing best deserves a spot, right? I think Lennon would be proud.
Buy / Myspace

5. Howard Huntsberry - Your Love Keeps Lifting Me (Higher & Higher)
-This Jackie Wilson cover comes from Ghostbusters 2--that being the movie where the Statue of Liberty marches through New York City to thwart the evil domination plot of a demon ghost. Relevant? You decide.
Buy

6. Eva Cassidy - People Get Ready (Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions cover)
-A beautiful cover of one of my all time favorite songs, and now it has context. All aboard the Obama train!
Buy / Myspace

7. Oasis - Keep The Dream Alive
-They might be from Britain, but they write great music for this sort of event.
Buy / Myspace

8. Kelly Clarkson with Jeff Beck - Up To The Mountain (Patty Griffin cover)
-I swear, I have just one Kelly Clarkson song in my iTunes...and this is it. Beck's guitar and her voice are so excellent together. As you can see with this Patty Griffin cover, lots of great music has been written about the dream of Martin Luther King, and now Obama is bringing these songs to life.
Myspace

9. Bruce Springsteen & The Sessions Band - We Shall Overcome
-After all the support Bruce voiced for Barack, it'd be sacrilege to not include him on this mix.
Buy / Myspace

10. Kevin Michael - We All Want The Same Thing (feat Lupe Fiasco)
-This young neo soul hip hopper from Philly has a bright future. And this song is about everything that's just happened.
Buy / Myspace

11. Robbie Robb - In Time
-I posted this song when The Phils won the World Series too. It's the perfect song for a hopeful future, for celebrating, for believing. And yes, it IS from the Bill & Ted Soundtrack.
Buy

Got any favorite America songs yourself? Share 'em in the comments.

About Scene & Heard's Mixtape For Obama
Sure, you can argue for or against the messy messes made during W. Bush's 8 year residency of the White House--the wars, the economy, the policies, gas prices, foreign relations, America's financial future, yadda yadda yadda.

Here at Scene & Heard HQ, we're too occupied with pictures of Natalie Portman and the new Kings of Leon album to really get bogged down with that.

But now that the age of Obama has dawned, I realized W. is why I had become so complacent in politics and faith in my country. John Mayer's "Waiting on the World To Change" sums that idea up better, but whether you believe W's work in the White House was good or bad, you must see the canyon he created between young America and old America. Idealistic and realistic. Proud and scared. Bottom and top. White and black. We were the un-united States of America for so long now--and I think a movie like The Dark Knight illustrates that rather poetically (and comic-bookly, if there's such a word).

And that's why Obama is special--because he got us paying attention again (like Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight!). Not because of what he says he will do or can do. But because he got us to put down the beer pong for a moment to hear what he had to say on the television. He got us out to the polls--in remarkable numbers. He inspired us to think about the America that we learned about in elementary school--the Lincolns, the Jeffersons, the Roosevelts, the Kennedys--and to believe that that America can still exist.

He saw that rift and said--let's bridge it.

But more importantly, he's illustrated that any building in democracy and America begins with us, the people--not a president.

That is what I want in a leader. I don't care if he's pro-life or pro-choice. I don't care if he's Republican or Democrat. I don't care if he's experienced or unexperienced. Black or white. None of that crossed my mind when I voted yesterday. I just want to be inspired to be better. I want to hear someone ring liberty's bell, even if it's cracked down the side.

Burning Bridget Cleary announce "Everything Is Alright"

2008-11-03T15:34:00.004-05:00

There's lots of so exciting I think I wanna jig around the office news coming out of the Burning Bridget Cleary camp today.

Namely, they've finally laid the pipes for their highly anticipated new CD--Everything is Alright. And after 9 months of writing & recording it--it's safe to say it's their baby. The album, which is sure to be ripe with cheer, will be out just in time for the holidays. They also announced a fresh batch of upcoming holiday shows including their CD Release Party & Holiday Show Extravaganza on Dec 13 at the ol' Steel City Coffeehouse.

Check the comments to see their full-on statement and slate of upcoming shows for the full deal.

Obama And McCain Finally Square Off...ON THE DANCE FLOOR!

2008-11-03T08:33:00.001-05:00

Well here we are, election eve. The respective campaigns would have you believe this is the most important choice America has had to make since democracy's inception. Which means you got a lot riding on your back when you are forced to choose Obama or McCain at the polls tomorrow. So for those who are split down the middle, there is only one fair way to settle this.

A dual!

But we can't have them handle this the way Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton did. We have to do this right.

A break dance dual! Who's the better man? You decide.

What is the perfect song?

2008-11-02T13:35:00.007-05:00

As promised, I began writing my novel yesterday to kick off NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month), and the overarching theme of it is about the quest for "the perfect song." I have an idea of what I'm going to play around with, but I'm curious--what makes up YOUR perfect song. What are the ingredients? What does a song need to have? What does it need to do to people? Should it bang and crash, or be soft and lucid? Are lyrics as important as melody and music? Does it need lyrics? What emotions should it stir up in you? Lonliness? Togetherness? Love? Hurt? Soul? Pain? Struggle? Success?

And with that in mind, do you think it's remotely possible for one song to affect every single person? Is there something primal than can be written into a song that can blow any mind, blast open any barrier? Or are people too different and polarized at this point in history to ever possibly be brought together on the same sonic plain, if only for 2 minutes and thirty-eight seconds by a song?

Sound off in the comments about your favorite songs, or what a song needs to be perfect.

Long Time Coming--Phillies Capture Crown

2008-10-30T00:01:00.008-04:00

After 25 years of blown dreams, close calls, not quites, and disastrous hopes. After 25 years of never winning (except in fictional Sylvester Stallone movies), Philadelphia is the center of the world.

TWENTY
FIVE
YEARS.

This year's Phillies didn't just bring home a championship, they brought home hope. If presidential campaigns haven't convinced you that 2008 is the year for "change" and "hope," perhaps these ballplayers from the city that liberty built are an even better example.

How's that Sam Cooke song go? "It's been a long time coming, oh-whoa, but I know a change is gonna come." Of course it would be ignorant to even compare the magnitude of African-American oppression and the civil rights movement--which "A Change Is Gonna Come" is about--to the past quarter century struggle of Philadelphia sports teams, but the uplifting theme of the song carries to any burden that felt too heavy to bare at one point or another. And every Philadelphia athlete and fan has felt that way these past few years, until today. It's been a long, long time coming. But boy does it make the victory taste sweet.

And for a personal added bonus, I used to love a girl who lives in Tampa. This makes us even!

MP3 Ben Sollee - A Change Is Gonna Come (a most excellent Sam Cooke cover)
BUY ALBUM / Myspace

MP3 Robbie Robb - In Time
BUY ALBUM

AND! For readers who loathe when I get all cheery-eyed over these things, here's a more realistic read of what this championship means for Philly.

Pictures from Battle of the Bands

2008-10-29T16:44:00.005-04:00

Here's some pictures from the Battle of the Bands Saturday. All photos snapped by Jamie Ducary.

Come Together: Above, all 10 groups gather before the crowd and judges for one last round of applause. From left to right: NinetyNineNorth, HarpHaven, Dave Spencer (hidden, but I know he was there), Patrick Walsh, Furious Waffle Party, The Final Touch, Rocket 88, Woodland Avenue, Evolv, and My Ebenezer.

NinetyNineNorth: That guitarist on the right? He held it down.

Woodland Avenue: The Wood was good. Scored 3rd place in judge's voting.

HarpHaven: "Alright guys, this is the blues riff in B. Watch me for the changes and try to keep up, okay?"

Evolv: The Philly group's singer took a walk on the wild side, singing from the floor instead of the stage where his band pummeled out something furious.

My Ebenezer: Praising Jesus and earning their own praise from the receptive crowd with uplifting tunage.

Rocket 88: aka Battle of the Bands champs.

Furious Waffle Party: Undisputed crowd favs. And if Redbull needs a new spokesman, look no further than this singer.

NOT PICTURED: Dave Spencer, Patrick Walsh, The Final Touch

The End Of The "One Day, I'm Gonna Write a Novel" Writer

2008-10-29T10:16:00.007-04:00

I have been wanting to write a novel for a while now.

I've had the whole story in my head since before I started working here at The Mercury. But I've built it up so ambitiously at this point, that I feel I need a year in the wilderness, living off wild berries and rain water, to work it all out. But a homey's got bills to pay (and stacks of records to keep buying. It's a vicious and endless circle).

That's why NANOWRIMO was started in 1999. And no, nanowrimo is not a palm-size super blender made in Japan, though it sounds like it could be. It stands for NAtional NOvel WRiting MOnth. Catchy, ain't it? And that month is about to dawn come November 1.

A pal of mine has conned me into giving up the next month of my life to take up this mammoth challenge headfirst. (My goal is to be less the writer I was in college, where I would spew out 50 pages of word trash in the last 12 hours before deadline.)

And now I'm spreading the disease. If you got a story in you, the only way it may ever get out is if you just binge and purge it all right now. If you need to take it seriously, you can edit and cut and add and edit some more and ship off to a publisher afterwards. But for now, forget about overthinking--you have until midnight Nov 30 to create a 175-page (50,000-word) novel. Think you can do it? I dare you.

Last year, 101,767 writers participated in 2007, yielding 15,335 reported winners. Participants wrote 1,187,931,929 words in 2007, according to the project's website.

Check out the NANOWRIMO site to sign up and for more info. Boy am I ever going to sleep good come December!

The Verdict Is In for Battle of Bands

2008-10-28T11:49:00.000-04:00

From the bright lights of Philly to it's little rustle-n-bustle suburbs, Saturday night was excitedly electric. Sure, south-eastern Pa was awash in torrential downpours, a Who concert, a Flyers game, and--oh yes, a late night MONUMENTAL WORLD SERIES GAME.

But some of the brightest noise to spill forth that night came from a little corner of the 422 Business Center in Oaks.

The first Roctoberfest Battle of the Bands held at Sports Extreme's Cisco Arena was a sure success; a fine display of showmanship, respect--and of course--music. The 10 bands amassed a wide variety of sound and style, bringing together a collection of about 100 fans from Reading to Downingtown to Philly. There was a song for everyone there, from Dave Spencer's coffeehouse blues to the uncanny Philly funk of The Final Touch to the classic rock finesse of Rocket 88 to the emo punk of NinetyNineNorth.

Stan Huskey (editor of The Times Herald), Samori (Lil Drumma Boy Recordings) and I got to be Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul to the battling bands (rest assured, none of us owned up to being the Paula of the group.)

Hometown heroes-Rocket 88-took home the crown, but it couldn't have been closer. Furious Waffle Party put up a close and valiant fight, bringing their rabid fanbase in full tow. Woodland Avenue's impressive guitar solos and funky style scored well with us judges. Evolv gave the most impassioned performance of the night--also bringing a drove of fans. Dave Spencer, who looked the most comfortable on stage, also came close to claiming the crown.

Battle of Bands Champions, Rocket 88

But in the end it was the shockingly talented and tight performance from Rocket 88 that won us all over. Though the high schoolers were probably the youngest guys to take the stage and still raw eggs in the pan, they totally cooked. How often do you find guys their age that even know "Rocket 88" is arguably the first rock n' roll songs written? Or how often do you find a drummer that young who can also provide lead vocals?

Rocket 88's stage energy was surely upstaged by a handful of the other groups, but they were also the only group to really take anyone out of the moment and out of their seats.

The drummer/singer performed with Jagger-swagger and a strong sense of confidence. With his denim sleeves rolled up Boss style, enormous Blues Brother shades and a Ray Charles head bob from behind the kit, he had the most personality of anyone to take the stage. When the foursome launched into their closer--a cover of The Allman Brothers' "One Way Out"--jaws dropped from anyone there who knew the original. The music was nearly note for note and their center staged guitarist (I haven't caught their names) took over on vocals bearing a haunting resemblance to Gregg Allman's pipes. Stunning.

But what about other show highlights?

Well, the night's ultimate rad moment goes to Pottstown's HarpHaven for their swamped up and totally sick cover of Johnny B. Good. Heck, the drummer even kicked it off Back To The Future style--"Alright guys, this is the blues riff in B. Watch me for the changes and try to keep up, okay?" Frankly, if the singer had gone feedback ape nuts during the song, and then finished saying "Guess you guys aren't ready for that yet...but your kids are gonna love it," I would have given them perfect marks across the board. Their original tunes showed promise, but have a ways to go before they can match their Johnny B. Good cover.

While NinetyNineNorth didn't offer anything new from the teen-emo scene (which is the general repeating problem with the teen-emo scene) I did enjoy watching them blow up with Rise Against's "Injection" and Brand New's "Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows." Their lead guitarist wielded some fancy moves, but they seemed a little disjointed. If they take the time to find their voice, I think they have a future.

Last minute additions to the battle, The Final Touch came from Philly to sub in for From The Balcony who bowed out at the last minute. And boy did they bring a fantastic set to kick off the show; very Philly-funkified. Their drummer--wow. Sickest skin pounding I've ever seen from 15 feet away, if not ever. It's amazing those drums still stood when he was done. Their bassist--laid some of the funkiest funk down. The lady singers and key player--stunning and talented and rode the beat well. It's comforting to see Philly still turns fiery soul groups like this.

All in all though, it was a great night all around. Every band should be proud of what they produced that night. It never got boring and it really was hard to say some groups were better than others. It's remarkable that talent this good is tucked into the area here and so many of us aren't hearing them. Check out all these bands at www.rockaroundphilly.com.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2008-10-28T10:16:00.005-04:00

Thanks Daryl Hall, you made my blog a liar! But Phillie fans should have seen the wet and muddy mess ahead when our resident soul machine bowed out of the national anthem due to being "under the weather." Frankly, Daryl, everyone that did show up in Philly last night was under a LOT of weather themselves. So... you better put up an awesome new collaboration on Live From Daryl's Hous e soon to make up for it. Or else!

So now we sit indoors until the rain washes away, waiting to get back to Game 5. Aw, but it's not that gloom. This is just a lull that gives you the perfect opportunity to spin some tunes and forget about ! Here's the wax I'm spinning today.

BJ Thomas - Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head
Blind Melon - No Rain
Slayer - The whole "Reign In Blood" album
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks
Bob Dylan - The Levee's Gonna Break
Modest Mouse - Float On
Guns N' Roses - November Rain (eh, it's close enough)
Daryl Hall - Starting All Over Again

And if you have no idea what's going on with Game 5--here's some light on the matter.