Orbital Parlor

The Found Footage Festival

2010-05-08T10:25:00.004-05:00

I was lucky enough to find a seat for the Found Footage Fest at the Dundee Theater. Touring since 2004, the Onion sponsored creators of the event, Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett, display dutifully scoured-for VHS clips. Sought out in thrift stores across the U.S., or traded for, the duo compile categories of both funny and odd tapes. Two common categories, they said, are the celebrity hosted exercise tape and the big-hair grooming type.

My favorite involved the commercial tries of the owner of a furniture liquidator. Obviously out of his element, repeatedly he motions to the audience and interjects "all I want to do is save you money" with the word cheese. Commonly strange, he would pitch unnecessary buy-one-get-one-free items like, say, water beds. Is one water bed not enough? To make it better, there were cuts to a lazy-eyed, seemingly drunk, woman (probably his sister or something) who would mumble a paragraph of deals in front a green screen version of the store's facade. Whether it be the camera work or her slumping from consumption, she frequently slides the corner of the screen. This tape is so unprofessional you feel like you should make a pity purchase.

Other highlights included the display of and interview with the founder of the Venus 2, a $13oo male stimulation device that fits into a suitcase and, reportedly, weighs 90 pounds. When the guys went to visit the founder, he was living in a trailer across from a Renaissance Festival. I would have been a little creaped out.

If you want to find what you missed out on, check out their website for loads of clips (look for Corey Haim's Me, Myself and I) or considered buying one of their mix tapes. A movie the guys made about an underground genre of filthy trucker music, Dirty Country, is definitely on my list.

Moving

2010-04-15T09:05:00.002-05:00

Stew, being the great bother that he is, single handedley moved us to orbitalparlor.com

BrewDog's 32% ABV Beer

2010-04-14T13:25:00.002-05:00

Came across an article about a Scottish Brewery called BrewDog that makes a 32% ABV Beer called Tactical Nuclear Penguin. It's £35 for a 330ml bottle, which in American Dollars is about 50 dollars for a 11 Ounce bottle of beer! What's even more nuts, is that I now want to spend 50 dollars on a drink...

ICP on Magnets

2010-04-14T09:29:00.003-05:00

Apparently the Insane Clown Posse came out a few years ago as a Christian Rap Group. I had no idea this had ever happened. As the story goes, their Dark Carnival Mythology was really a ploy to bring all the juggalo fans to God. It doesn't quite come as a surprise that they are born again Christians, what with their history of homophobic lyrics. Well anyway, here is the culmination of all of this Insane Christian Clown Posse business.

Help a Brother Out

2010-04-13T11:33:00.003-05:00

Harlan Muir needs our help getting his first project mastered and pressed! I am counting on the Orbital Community to donate what they can.

These are Truly Amazing Times

2010-04-13T09:55:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy last couple of days! First off I would like to bring up a most excellent beer the Beer Demigods at Brix suggested. The Weyerbacher Simcoe Double IPA; full of flavor and taste, it never over powers you with the hops, goes down in a very refreshing way and leaves you craving more. Worth a try, along with Weyerbacher's Hersey Stout, which is age in Bourbon Oak Barrels, when drinking this you will more than likely have an experience similar to David Bowman Entering the Monolith.

Re watched A Scanner Darkly last night. The first time I had seen this was prior to actually reading anything by Phillip K Dick, and I must say that feeling more familiar with his work really helped in the enjoyment of this movie. Worth a watch, if anything for the craziness that is rotoscope.

I've been listening to a lot of Of Montreal and Caribou lately. I am really enjoying Caribou's new album Swim. Zach's already posted the video for Odessa off that album. I plan on getting my Orbital Playlist up soon that pertains to SPRING!

We are entering the third week of Doctor Who; I really enjoy Matt Smith's take on the Doctor. Next week we see Winston Chruchill and the Daleks! Lost is spinning away into what will be considered a conclusion that will more than likely have fans talking for long after the show is over.

The Sydney Tonight

2010-04-08T13:19:00.006-05:00

Tonight at The Sydney down in Benson will be a free show;Flight Metaphor with Prairies/Valleys, The Half Hearts, & Jettison Never. I've got time with a Canon DSLR and was kindly asked to take photos of the show tonight. Prairies/Valleys main man, David Shreffler, is a friend of mine and I am excited to see his music live. I hope to see you there, its a free show so really you have no excuse.

Listen to Prairies/Valleys album here.

Heat Vision and Jack

2010-04-08T09:44:00.002-05:00

Megan had told me about this wonderful pilot for a television series called Heat Vision and Jack. Once I had found it, I knew what brilliance was. AV Club has a great article up containing clips of the pilot. Read the article, find the pilot on the internet, be entertained.

Here is some good news!

2010-04-06T14:05:00.002-05:00

Just came across an article saying Nebraska State lawmakers passed a bill allowing Bars and Restaurants to stay open past 1 AM serving alcohol. I think this quote from Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh sums up best why Omaha needs this legislation.

"We are the only top 50 city that has a 1 a.m. closing time," he said. "People who come from elsewhere are genuinely surprised."

I look forward to this on weekends, I only fear during the week I will be kept out an extra hour to watch a headliner at any show.

The Eleventh Hour

2010-04-05T14:06:00.004-05:00

The Eleventh Hour was the newest episode of the ever so classic television series Doctor Who. In this episode we were introduced to the newest Doctor, his new companion and a new TARDIS. In all honesty I was kind of expecting this to be a ho-hum episode, as the End of Time felt a little off the mark (especially after The Water of Mars). I was, however, glad to be wrong. David Tennant stepped into the role of the Tenth Doctor and did a great job of updating him for the new era we live in.

Matt Smith manages to take on the Doctor that David Tennant had created and bring him even further into the new digital age. He does a great job with the goofy traits the Doctor has without making him seem more comical than heroic. He also does a great job in not being too broody with the Doctor.

Amy Pond, the new companion, makes me want to marry a Scottish Woman. I know it sounds awfully misogynist, but really, her short skirts are a term I call 'hyperfoxy.' She's also a great companion, kind of reminds me of Romana from the Tom Baker days.

All in all, the episode was a little goofy; a little girl has a crack in her wall that she hears voices from, she prays to Santa to send someone to fix it, and at that same moment the TARDIS comes crashing into her backyard. I loved the idea of the Doctor telling this little girl he needed to fix the phase inhibitors in the TARDIS and he'd be back in 5 minutes, but due to the error of time travel comes back in 12 years. The Voices are a prison in an alternate dimension with a prisoner who's escaped through into Earth, the Doctor, of course, stops the Atarxi from vaporizing the Earth in order to stop the escaped prisoner. But really, how stupid would Doctor Who be if he lost and the world ended?

At the end of the day, I am excited to see more of Matt Smith as he gets more of a chance to grow into the Doctor. I am also excited to see where Steven Moffat takes the series after 5 years of Russell T Davies running things.

Give Me Goemon or Give Me DEATH!

2010-04-05T10:56:00.005-05:00

Every single time I turn on my Nintendo Wii I visit the Wii Shop Channel in the hopes that the codemonkeys there will have finally translated the best N64 title OF ALL TIME into playable form on the Wii. Inevitably, my hopes are dashed as not only are new games only released on Mondays (that's besides the point), but the N64 is THE MOST neglected of the Nintendo systems for transfer to the Virtual Console. What's up with that Nintendo? Why do you hate the N64? I think I speak for all Nintendo loyalists when I say that the 64 was the best last cartridge console to hit the market and deserves as much reverence as its predecessors. With that obvious fact being stated, where, I ask you, WHERE is the Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon? Hmm? I'll wait as long as it takes for a good answer to that one.

Still waiting.

I'm well aware that personal nostalgia has as much place in a public forum as inside jokes, but my love for this game goes back further than rubber baby buggy bumpers. I remember getting awesome in my parents' basement at the age of fourteen with Clark and whoever else, eating sandwiches and frozen pizzas at 1am, and playing the shit out of some Goemon. It was fucking epic. It made Gilgamesh look like a children's book. At the time, regardless of our presence in the desert (which makes everything funnier), the totally badass video game in question had us laughing nonstop and gaping in awe at the mind-blowing 3D graphics and gameplay, which involved controlling the titular spiky blue-haired character who gave Link a more than fair run for his money. The music and Japanese kitsch/humor went above and beyond the fellow console titles of the time, yet the game seems doomed to relative obscurity now as it was after its American release in 1997 (okay, so it sold 50,000 copies).

A prime example of the absurdity and fun is the theme song for the giant robot character Impact which is available thanks to the Tubes. Dash dash dash! You don't even need context to appreciate it.

Did I mention Goemon's weapon of choice is a fucking pipe? That was awesome to me as a combed-out-of-my-beard teenager and I still think it's far more wicked of a weapon than a sword or even a goddamn Panzerschrek. The Wikipedia article describes the humor of the plot as such: "a quest to thwart dancers in a peach-shaped spaceship from using laser weaponry to convert Japan to a giant stage and its citizens to loyal dancers." If that doesn't sound like the game of the century, then you need to get your own kiseru and a new perspective. I need the world with me on this so maybe some Monday soon, Goemon and his magic hookshot-like pipe will be staring back at me from the Wii Shop Channel and I can fork out the five or (god forbid) ten dollars to finally fill the gaping hole in the dark nether region where my life currently lies. I know, pipes can't stare. Also, don't judge me for being cheap. I think Nintendo should give me the game for free at this point since I've put up with much anguish and torment anticipating it's release. I should probably make a formal request.

Here goes:

Dear Nintendo,

Give me the motherfucking Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon or give me an AK-47 so I can end the misery of my existence. I will dye my hair blue and survive solely on dumplings if this will help sway your opinion and finally do what is right. Bring Goemon to the VC or I will continue to tell strangers that this game they've never heard of is the one thing lacking on the Wii. Please.
Thanks.

Love,

Knife :)

This Weekend

2010-04-02T10:22:00.003-05:00

Lots of things planned this weekend!

Yesterday I logged into my battle.net account to learn I got in the Starcraft 2 Multiplayer Beta. Spent the majority of my night being owned by people who've obviously played a lot more Starcraft than myself. I do plan on sinking more hours into this weekend and maybe, hopefully, with the help of Zombie Jesus I will manage to win a game.

Tonight there are two art galleries opening up that I have full intention of exploring. The first is at Polyester on 16th and Harney. It is the Twisted Youth Exhibit, featuring the punk rock images of The Ramones, Plasmatics, Bruce Springsteen and Blondie by Adrian Boot. During his 35 year career, Boot has been the official photographer for Live Aid and is considered one of Britain's best music photographers.

Then to the Beamis Underground for Opening Receptions for Alex Myers, Brion Poloncic and Christine Stormberg. All three sound like interesting exhibits, the one I have the highest level of interest in would be Alex Myers.

Then on Saturday night The Beat Seekers are back in action at the 49'er. I feel rather masturbatory talking about them, being that I know them all personally. Never the less, I enjoy their wall of sound rock and roll and look forward to seeing their revamped stage show.

All this will be topped of with the celebration of Zombie Jesus with my family on Sunday.

Should be a wonderful weekend full of art, music, aliens and zombies; what more can you ask for?

NOTE: I forgot to mention that tomorrow afternoon we see the return of Doctor Who!! All new Doctor, all new adventures!

April Fools!

2010-04-01T10:58:00.004-05:00

I will admit it, I love Holidays like April Fools. Not tied to anything in particular, just a part of our culture. My prank today involved informing my parents/bosses that I would not make it into work due to explosive diarrhea. I managed to go into gruesome detail and basically disgust to the point of realization of the holiday.

Everyone knows a great source for useless information on the internet is Wikipedia. So in honor of April Fools Day I started reading about the history of the Holiday. Apparently the first mention of it was by Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The reference is in the story The Nun's Priest Tale, which is set on the 32nd of March.

So enough with the history, here are some pranks that have already surfaced;

Google is called Topeka.
Blizzard has announced a slew of goofy new products.
Fraxis announced "Extreme Diplomacy" in the new Civilization game.
NASA has shown more proof of Water on the Moon.

Have a fun April First, don't fall for a prank and enjoy the spring weather.

Harlan Muir

2010-03-30T08:34:00.001-05:00

Harlan Muir has his new album up online for streaming. It is very enjoyable and rather nerdy (which is always a good thing). Also, our main man Knife did the drums. Check it out here.

Doctor Who Trailer

2010-03-29T09:10:00.001-05:00

If you are not excited for the new Doctor Who season that starts relatively soon, then uh, ok.

Jamie Lidell - The Ring

2010-03-25T10:21:00.004-05:00

Last week my local hangouts reached an almost ghost town-like status when a lot of friends, musicians, bartenders, regulars headed down to Austin for a few days of amazing music, food, and parties. There was nothing much to report while they were away. Issue #10 of FOUND hit the stands with only a few minor hitches (with nearly the entire staff gone), I caught the Leslie and the Lys show at The Waiting Room with Clark (which must not have made that big of an impact on me since I didn't care enough to write about it here) and not much else happened.

Now, with SXSW behind us, it seems like things have begun to pick up again. I got the chance to see It's True on Tuesday with Steel Train. I could tell the boys were a bit off - having just gotten back from their trip to Austin - but they still delivered a stellar performance. Steel Train was much better than I anticipated, and they did a pretty great cover of Dancin' in the Dark, but I didn't really absorb most of the music that night (blame a three week-long sickness and lack of sleep for that one). Anyway, it seems like things are getting back to normal again. Here's a few highlights for the week: It's True! made the cover of this week's Reader. Both the Reader and The City Weekly feature some pretty solid SXSW reviews/recaps, so be sure to check those out. The newest issue of FOUND hit the stands last night, and there's a new mixtape from Brad Hoshaw featuring his picks from SXSW.

The most important bit of news is that the FOUND in Benson FOUNDraiser/Flea Market/Potluck/Show is this Saturday at the Foundry in Benson. The Flea Market starts at noon. It's ten dollars if you want to rent a table to sell, or you can stop by if you just want to browse. The word on the street is that Brad Hoshaw should have some vinyl for sale (which means I will probably end up spending way too much money, as per usual). The potluck starts at about 5. You can bring something to share if you'd like or just stop by and chow down on whatever people bring. Then, at around 8 (I think) the music starts. There will be a $5 cover if you plan on staying for the music. The FOUND staff is accepting donations for the magazine but the cover goes to the bands playing that night. Make sure you stop by to support a great local publication, enjoy some food, music, and have a good time.

In other news, this is my new thing to be excited about:

I love this video. I love this song. It's so funky. So danceable. So fun. The video perfectly captures Jamie Lidell's totally out there style. I literally cannot WAIT for this album to come out. Hits stores May 18th. You can definitely tell Beck had his hand in the production on this one. And that's a good thing.

A Step Forward for America

2010-03-22T11:45:00.002-05:00

Last night Congress pulled it together and got the votes needed in order to pass legislation leading to Health Care Reform. No longer will Americans need to worry about getting sick. No longer will our country be at the mercy of Insurance companies. No longer will the richest nation on earth allow a citizen to die because they can't afford the care they need.

32 Million Americans can now look forward to a healthy future.
300 Million Americans can now look forward to building a country that will be the envy of the world.

Once again progressive thought has stood up too fear mongering to win in the end. Unfortunately the fight is not over, and we must continue to implore our representatives in this country to help us move forward.

It's True!

2010-03-19T16:52:00.002-05:00

John Campbell put his documentary footage for It's True! up on Vimeo so I thought I'd repost it here in case anyone was interested. You can also check out John's blog here. Enjoy.

It's True! from Visiting Lights on Vimeo.

Yet Another Blog

2010-03-18T22:13:00.005-05:00

This quarter I have to do a blog for my classes so here is a link.

Scientist in the Kitchen

Unlike my posting here, or my list o restaurants this will be updated on a fairly regular basis. Now if Clark gave me grades (ones that mattered I should say) for posting here maybe I would a little more frequently.

Oh I do have one thing to share.

CARIBOU - Odessa from Caribou on Vimeo.

I heard this song for the first time about a month ago and it has been played many many many times since. I loved Andorra but it took a few listens and the proper mood for it to really sink in. This song I was totally thrown off by on first listen and then pretty much loved it from the second time on. I've listened to the album a few times and it hasn't grabbed me yet, I can only hope that it does. Also been listening to a lot (a lot) of Titus Andronicus and thoroughly enjoying their new album.

Covers

2010-03-17T11:41:00.005-05:00

Here's the thing. I am one of those people who almost never enjoys the cover version of the song better than the original. Some songs just shouldn't be covered. So many songs have been ruined for me because of God awful covers that have been done of them. There are, however, a few exceptions to this rule. One exception I want to bring to your attention today is the song Tik Tok.

I don't know if any of the Parlor readers are familiar with the musical stylings of Ke$ha - I certainly wasn't - or her video for this song. Sure, I vaguely remember hearing this song a time or two playing in the background in the bar, or in the car for a few seconds before I changed the station, but I'd never heard the entire thing until a few days ago when Brad Hoshaw decided to cover it (at the suggestion of a friend), when I had to check out the original to compare.

Here are the lyrics:

Wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy
Grab my glasses, I'm out the door, I'm gonna hit this city
Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack
'Cause when I leave for the night, I ain't coming back

I'm talking pedicure on our toes, toes
Trying on all our clothes, clothes
Boys blowing up our phones, phones
Drop-topping, playing our favorite CDs
Pulling up to the parties
Trying to get a little bit tipsy

Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, I'mma fight
'Til we see the sunlight
Tick tock on the clock
But the party don't stop, no

Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, I'mma fight
'Til we see the sunlight
Tick tock, on the clock
But the party don't stop, no

Ain't got a care in world, but got plenty of beer
Ain't got no money in my pocket, but I'm already here
And now, the dudes are lining up cause they hear we got swagger
But we kick em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger

I'm talking about everybody getting crunk, crunk
Boys tryin' to touch my junk, junk
Gonna smack him if he getting too drunk, drunk

Now, now, we go until they kick us out, out
Or the police shut us down, down
Police shut us down, down
Po-po shut us

Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, I'mma fight
'Til we see the sunlight
Tick tock on the clock
But the party don't stop, no

Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, I'mma fight
'Til we see the sunlight
Tick tock on the clock
But the party don't stop, no

DJ, you build me up
You break me down
My heart, it pounds
Yeah, you got me

With my hands up
You got me now
You got that sound
Yeah, you got me

DJ, you build me up
You break me down
My heart, it pounds
Yeah, you got me

With my hands up
Put your hands up
Put your hands up

Now, the party don't start 'til I walk in

Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, I'mma fight
'Til we see the sunlight
Tick tock on the clock
But the party don't stop, no

Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, I'mma fight
'Til we see the sunlight
Tick tock on the clock
But the party don't stop, no

I have to say, I actually think it's kind of good now. I mean, the change is totally drastic. He took the song and made it totally his own. Anyway, I guess I'll let you decide which is the better version in this case. If nothing else, I guess you can appreciate the comedic value of a man with a beard and a guitar singing about getting a pedicure and boys trying to touch his junk. :)

It's True! Whoop-Di-Doo

2010-03-17T08:41:00.005-05:00

Last Sunday I had the chance to stop by the Barley Street Tavern for It's True!'s Big Whoop-Di-Doo. This party was put together by the boys in It's True!, along with The Reader, as a way to celebrate before heading down to Austin for SXSW. It was meant to be a listening party for the new album before it was actually released. Also, John P. Campbell showed some of his work-in-progress footage for the It's True! documentary he's been working on. Finally, the night concluded with a performance by the band. Tickets for the event were $15 (a lot for most of the shows in Benson, BST especially), but that price included the documentary viewing, a preview of the new album, a live performance, and an advanced copy of the new album once it's completed, delivered to a place of your choosing.

Let me just say, the price was well worth it. If all went according to plan, they only sold about 65 tickets to the event. When I arrived around 8:30, the place was already pretty full. People mingled while the new album played in the background. The back room of the Barley was arranged so people could sit and listen and chat and take in the music. Though I thought the album sounded great, I can't wait to get a copy so I can listen to it at home.

Next came John Campbell's documentary. He reminded us that he still had a few kinks to be worked out (since he didn't have the proper video editing software) and that it wasn't really a trailer for the documentary as much as it was a few things he'd cut together to give folks a good idea about what he'd been shooting with the band. Even though what Campbell showed was unfinished I was happy with what I saw. The 'film' included intimate footage of the band on tour; in the van and on the road, inside homes performing after hours shows, in the studio and on stage. Also included were some great interviews from the boys from It's True! - Adam, Kyle, Andrew, Karl, and Matt. There was also some great stuff from the band The Haunted Windchimes, who will be playing at the It's True! CD release next month.

(video by Beck Lowri)

Finally, there was the performance. The band was great, as usual. That being said, I think Kyle said it best when he said that it felt like they were playing a corporate event. Even though the boys put on a great show, the energy in the crowd seemed low. It could have been the fact that it was a Sunday night show, or that they'd already played the entire album, or that the band was preoccupied with the looming prospect of the road and their upcoming SXSW performances, but something seemed a bit off. I'm hoping that once the boys have Austin behind them, and everything has been finished with the album pressing, things should be back to full energy level in time for the CD release at the Waiting Room on April 30th.

If you haven't seen The Haunted Windchimes, I'd say they're reason enough to go out to the show that night. They're a great band with a unique sound. I saw them play Brad Hoshaw's CD release last year and they nearly stole the show.

All in all, it was a great night of music with great friends and a great band. The It's True! boys are headed down to Austin today for a few shows and should be back early next week. If you'd like to check it out, the band was featured on NPR's Austin 100 Mix (out of over 1,500 bands performing) and they're on the list with some pretty heavy-hitters (Sharon Jones, Raphael Saadiq, Broken Social Scene, Spoon, and She & Him, just to name a few). The stream plays the bands in alphabetical order and what I heard of the rest of the list was pretty solid. You should check it out here if you have a chance. I wish It's True! the best of luck in Austin and hope this trip means great things for them in the future.

Compass

2010-03-16T10:09:00.006-05:00

Spring, I welcome you with open arms.

I am so excited for this new album. Compass, from Jamie Lidell, is set to be released May 18th. He's working with the likes of Beck, Feist, and Nikka Costa, just to name a few. The opening track alone on this video gives me half a chub. You can also listen to the single here and read more about the upcoming album, as well as at Jamie's web page. He's got a couple of tour dates scheduled right now (mostly in other countries and NY) but I'm hoping he'll come at least as close as Chicago. I haven't been this excited about an album release since...I don't know when. A long time.

And...just for fun, and because I love JD, here's another video of him on the beach, beat-boxing, and just being generally awesome.

In other news, stay tuned for my review of the It's True listening preview and show.

FOUND in Benson

2010-03-11T14:36:00.008-06:00

The newest issue of FOUND in Benson came out last night and, if you have the means, you should definitely check it out. Content for the zine and the number of copies printed each week solely depends on how many submissions we get and how much people donate. This week was a pretty limited run of 100, but there should be copies in a few places around the Dundee area (Amsterdam, Blue Line Coffee, etc) as well as all of the usual businesses in Benson.

This is the cover of this week's issue.

This zine is something I am really proud of and am happy to be a part of. Also in this issue: an interview with Beck from AYGAMG (who is playing a show tonight at the Pizza Shoppe with Addison Wright and Whipkey Zimmerman), a great fiction piece from Aaron Shipp, poetry from Scott 'Zip' Zimmerman, and a great new mix-tape (which you can stream online at the FOUND in Benson Facebook page). Check it out if you have time.

Werewolves and Lollipops

2010-03-09T14:18:00.002-06:00

I don't think I need to explain this.

Slept On; Half-Life 2

2010-03-09T10:38:00.002-06:00

I just did a recent update on my home computer, well not so much an update but an entire overhaul. And with what impeccable timing, as I had posted earlier Valve has been teasing at a big announcement later this week. Which means as I come back into the fold on my addiction to PC Gaming, who I consider to be the best company out there is preparing to make some big announcements about new games.

In preparation for the big news, I have replayed Half-Life 2 on their hardest difficulty. After playing games like Gears of War or Halo 3 I must contest that both Epic and Bungie need to take a page or two out of Valve's playbook. The action and gameplay is a nonstop thrill ride. With each level getting progressively more intense and hectic, by the end of the game you truly feel like you could lead a revolution to stop some Multidimensional Alien Force occupying the Earth.

The Combine make for excellent enemies, especially when you come charging blindly into a dark room and see two menacing glowing eyes coupled with the inhuman mechanical voice. Along with their 'vehicles' like Striders and Gunships, when you first battle them, and they let out a moan that sounds more alive than machine it will send shivers down you spine.

One of the unique things Half-Life 2 has over most other video games is actual writing, dialog and acting. Not too many games actually get you to care about the characters by the end of the game, but when Dr. Breen has you, Eli Vance and Alyx Vance captured at the top of the Citadel, you want to scream and break free. I've never played a game that so subtly gets you emotionally involved in the story. Which I lend to the fact they never show Gordon Freeman or hear his voice, meaning you feel like the character, you take his roll.

All in all, there is a reason the Half-Life series of video games remain on the top of my list of Greatest Games of All time. From when I was 13 years old and my little brother convinced me to spend our Christmas Money on Half-Life I have been a fan. And hopefully, with the annoucement of Portal 2 confirmed and Valve porting games to OSX the 11th of March will bring the announcement of Episode 3.

Late Friday Afternoon Means...

2010-03-05T15:31:00.002-06:00

A little Tribe Called Quest to get you into the weekend spirit!!

Valve, Portal and ASCII

2010-03-05T09:24:00.003-06:00

Earlier in the week the good people at Valve ran a mysterious update on Portal. Typically an update will run with a message similar to "fixed clipping issue in xx level" or some other things. This week update ran with "Changed radio transmission frequency to comply with federal and state spectrum manage." This caused a bit of a stir right away, and resulted in maybe one of the most interesting viral campaigns I've witnessed.

Following that forum you'll see that quickly people figured out there were new audio files added to the game. And as they explored those audio files they figured out they contained data that was a set of images. And once they decoded all the images they found a phone number that needed to be called with an old school modem. Once connected this video ran.

Needless to say the community is still perplexed as too what this all means. But as I set here, drinking coffee from my Aperture Science mug, I can only hope that we get the conclusion to the Half Life Episodes and hopefully a sequel to Portal. And just for good measure, here is the end song from Portal.

The Tallest Man on Earth

2010-03-03T11:53:00.001-06:00

I recently had a friend turn me onto The Tallest Man on Earth. Which I must say, is one of the few singer/song writers I've really enjoyed. I think it mainly has to do with the fact his voice has a striking resemblance to a Mr. Bob Dylan. So much so, he did a Dylan Cover for his Daytrotter Session. Enjoy.

Hot 8 Brass Band

2010-03-02T13:27:00.002-06:00

Man, how I wish the these guys would come to Omaha (or anywhere close, for that matter).

Hot 8 Brass Band + Marvin Gaye + Sexual Healing = amazing. These guys are really great.

Phoenix on Letterman

2010-03-02T13:09:00.003-06:00

Someone told me about this video a few days ago. We were talking about Joaquin Phoenix and watching Walk the Line in honor of Johnny Cash's birthday, and someone told me about this clip and how he was a huge weirdo. I can't tell if this is genuine or if he and Letterman are just hamming it up, you know, for kicks. If not, what a weirdo.

It's True: Whoop-di-doo!

2010-03-02T09:10:00.003-06:00

Re-posted from It's True's Blog:

Whoop-Di-When?? - Sunday, March 14th at 8pm (sharp!)
Whoop-Di-Where?? - Barley St Tavern (2735 North 62nd Street, Omaha)

It's True!, along with The Reader, would like to invite you to a one-time event called "It's True!'s Big 'Ol Whoop-Di-Doo". We want to get together and celebrate with our friends before we head to Austin for SXSW. We'd like to show you guys what we've been up to by playing you our unreleased album in its entirety...a "listening party", if you will.

Also, for the first time, John P. Campbell will be showing some work-in-progress footage of an upcoming It's True! documentary he's been working on for the past 8 months. You'll see footage featuring live performances from the road, post performance performances from the road, interviews, and moving pictures of the band recording their new album.

The evening will conclude with another mediocre live performance (you can leave early if you like).

This is a LOT of It's True! for one night, but we'd like to do one more thing. By purchasing a ticket for "It's True!'s Big 'Ol Whoop-Di-Doo", you will also be receiving an advance copy of the album to be delivered up to ten days before the release date, April 27th, ( pending completion of duplication ). There are still a lot of things that need to be completed (such as...er, naming the album), so we're not sure exactly when we'll have the actual cds in our hands. Basically, we'll get you one when we get one...some of you on the same day, more likely than not.

Only 65 tickets/slots are going to be sold for "It's True!'s Big 'Ol Whoop-Di-Doo" at a whopping $15 a piece.

Important: PayPal is the easiest way for us to keep track of all this, but if you don't want to mess with PayPal/credit cards, or the interweb, you can also approach us in-person to buy a slot on the entry list and reserve your pre-order copy of the record.

Everyone who buys a ticket will get their name added to a list that will be verified at the door. If you buy two or more tickets, you will need to inform us of your guests names/addresses/etc...so that we are able to mail/hand-deliver them a cd. The rest of the public will be notified Tuesday morning.

Come party with us!!

So that's it. You can buy a ticket from their blog. Go support this great local act and see some cool new footage from JPC. It's sure to be a great night!

Tropics Bar and Grill

2010-03-01T09:50:00.003-06:00

My last couple of weeks have been hectic with my real job and health issues (nothing real serious). I figured I'd put a little blurb up about a new restaurant in Omaha, Tropics Bar and Grill. The head chef is an acquaintance of mine, and he certainly knows how to cook a mean burger.

We went out on their opening night, which may have been a mistake. The big problem right now is an inexperienced wait staff. The slow service was greatly off put by the food. The menu is not all that large, but where is lacks in number of items it makes up for in the burger menu. It has an absurd amount of toppings to choose from along with excellent prices on a single, double or triple burger. The triple by the way is a pound of tasty grilled and seasoned ground beef. Toppings range from a fried egg to black beans. And let us not forget the cheese selection, for maybe the first time in my life I had smoked Gouda on a hamburger, something I wish to happen again.

One of the hidden joys of Tropics is the Jukebox selection. Maybe one of the greatest jukeboxes I have come across in my time. I could easily drop $10 and still have plenty of music that I had missed.

Symphony of Science Movement 4

2010-02-26T11:16:00.002-06:00

I really dig these Symphony of Science videos.

the man

2010-02-23T13:21:00.000-06:00

So, work has really been cracking down on Internet usage lately, which would account for my lack of posts in the past couple of weeks. I'll try to get somewhere with free Internet in the near future and get some updates done so we can keep the Parlor up and running (and Clark doesn't have to do all of the work). Damn the man! Save the Empire!

Love,
Megan

Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record

2010-02-19T17:44:00.002-06:00

Broken Social Scene has announced the title to their new album, Forgiveness Rock Record. Download a free mp3 from the new album.

AYGAMG

2010-02-19T12:53:00.007-06:00

This is a video for the band All Young Girls Are Machine Guns. Beck Lowry IS the band. She played a show last night at the Slowdown with Little Black Stereo and Danielle Ate the Sandwich, other uke player from Colorado. Beck is a pretty great singer and you should check her out. She's got a couple shows coming up next month and also got some recognition it this week's Reader. If you're interested, you can also check out her YouTube channel here. She's got a ton of originals, a bunch of soul covers, and some local covers including It's True, Brad Hoshaw, and Midwest Dilemma.

Here's the blurb posted by Sarah Wengert from The Reader: I’ve been having a series of daydreams where I become a travel writer, or a masseuse, or work in a greenhouse — things I’ve always wanted to do, but just haven’t; less stressful antidotes to the hair-tearing pressures of my current gig managing the content for this fine paper. Another of my reoccurring daydream wishes is to play the ukulele. Local musician Rebecca Lowry is living my daydream. Curious about her act, billed All Young Girls Are Machine Guns, I contacted Lowry for the 411 on the u-k-e. “My act, as it were, is me and a ukulele,” she said. “I’ve been playing for a little over a year, writing songs for just under a year. Lowry said her influences “are largely swing-era jazz singers like Billie Holiday or Anita O’Day,” but she also loves ’50s and ’60s pop and soul. “I started off posting some covers to YouTube as I was learning how to play,” Lowry said. “Then I wrote and posted my first song. I started hanging out at Barley Street Tavern [on Mondays]. You can’t [just] play covers there so I had to start writing more songs.”

She's a pretty solid lady, a good songwriter, and she's got a great voice.

Odd Blood

2010-02-12T09:25:00.002-06:00

I know I've talked about this album before but I didn't quite feel like it was a proper review. Yeasayer hails out of Brooklyn, home of the hipster. I had missed All Hours Cymbals when it had first come out and started listening to it around the same time the Odd Blood had been released. Setting both side by side I find they compliment each other well. One of the things I enjoy a lot more about Odd Blood is the use of vocals. The range is amazing and compliments the music itself very well. Brings a nice swinging melody to it. I highly recommend this album.

Yeasayer is going to be in Omaha on April 25th.

Pale Blue Dot

2010-02-12T08:22:00.003-06:00

Today is the 20th Anniversary of this photo. That tiny dot is our planet taken from a view no human has ever seen. When the Voyager Spacecraft turned around to take the photo, a reflection on the space craft caused what looks like a ray of sunlight to bath the planet. I think Carl Sagan summed it up best.

Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every 'superstar,' every 'supreme leader,' every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there — on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

My Cardboard Life

2010-02-12T08:09:00.005-06:00

This is one of my favorite comics right now. The two main characters are Paper Pauline and Cardboard Colin, with a few minor characters stopping by every once in a while. Hilarity ensues. I dig it, anyway. Thought today's comic was pretty fitting to how I feel about Valentine's Day. Enjoy!

Google's Hyperfast Internet

2010-02-11T16:37:00.001-06:00

I have already submitted Omaha for this. 1Gbps is so insanely fast I can't even begin to wrap my head around it. In fact, this is so amazing, I would consider moving to the location they choose.

Found in Benson

2010-02-11T14:37:00.009-06:00

Last night, I spent my evening sitting in Benson, at the Barley Street Tavern, surrounded by friends and regulars, finishing assembly on the newest issue of Found in Benson. I realized that I'd neglected to mention it here at the Parlor.

Found in Benson is a weekly zine that is released exclusively in Benson (in the bars, music venues, and some other businesses in the area). Each issue is different. The zine is cut and paste style. The cover is up for grabs to whoever submits an idea. The non-profit zine is published every Thursday. Content and number of copies printed relies solely upon donations and volume of submissions. To donate or submit content to be included in future issues, contact any of the staff or look for coffee cans around Benson. The staff includes Jeff Spiehs, Brad Hoshaw, Kyle Harvey, and MarQ Manner.

Here's the editor's note from the first issue:

I find myself sitting alone, after completing the first issue of the new and improved Found in Benson. Despite all of the hard work that was required, I consider myself privileged to have spent the day with good friends, sipping on coffee and discussing the many strengths of our community. The Foundry's motto of local, honest, collaborative, rings true with everyone on staff and has inspired many to support us before ever seeing the first issue.

For example, the map was acquired by actual 'foot on pavement' effort, traveling down every stretch of cement (even the scary ones) in order to piece together a comprehensive map of the downtown Benson Business district. The calendar was a result of scouring countless websites and publications to ensure that we wouldn't leave out any possibilities of being entertained. And then you have the creative elements, which often times demand the most grueling work. Poetry, cartoons, essays, music reviews, photography and more...are all contributions from friends and neighbors of the Benson community. Anyone that has spent much time in the neighborhood knows that Benson consists of some truly original thinkers and we believe that they all deserve to be celebrated and explored.

Every aspect of this publication is tailored to give the ownership to YOU. As you may have noticed we have left this week's cover blank so that YOUR hand can provide the face of Found in Benson for weeks to come. If you turn in your designs to the staff or drop them off at The Foundry, it may be featured as the cover of next week's issue.

I look forward to the next time I walk into the bar and see the regulars with a tall boy in one hand and a FIB in the other. Their eyes dancing across the pages in search of their contribution then moving on to discover the hidden talents of their friends and possibly a revolutionary idea that will change the course of their day.

We would love to hear your suggestions on how this humble 'cut and paste' underground zine can better serve the Benson community. In the coming issues we hope you will be inspired to contribute your very own voice to these pages, and submit regularly.

Best wishes,
Brad Hoshaw

So that's it. I have to say, I am really excited about the new issue. The Valentine's Day issue is new and improved - with all of the kinks from the first issue worked out - AND it's printed on pink paper! There's a new mix tape (with streaming audio on the Facebook page), drawings, poems, short stories, an advice column. It's got something for everyone (including a flash fiction piece by me). I feel like I've been waiting for something like Found in Benson to find ME for some time now. I feel privileged to be a part (albeit a small one) of this publication. So many good things are starting to happen in Benson and I look forward to so many more great things to come. Please, look for the newest FIB the next time you're in Benson and donate if you'd like to support (what I believe) is a great publication.

NASA Scientist Plan to Approach Woman

2010-02-11T13:20:00.001-06:00

NASA Scientists Plan To Approach Girl By 2018

Oh man, this is just too funny.

New Math

2010-02-10T16:32:00.005-06:00

I really like this guy. You can see more of his stuff here.

Super Bowl

2010-02-08T09:13:00.006-06:00

Unless you live under a rock or in a forgein country you should know the Super Bowl was this last Sunday. This is the first one I've watched in about 5 years, and the second football game I've watched this year. I expected it to be like the Rose Bowl, which every other moment was brought to you buy a corporation. That is no joke, it was the Doritos first and ten, and the Meryll-Lynch offense line and so on. The Super Bowl was not plastered with corporate sponsor. To me, this took away from the ability to enjoy the sporting event going on.

This Super Bowl was actually a very enjoyable game to watch. There was a strong back and forth between the Saint and the Colts. I thought the coach for the Saints made some ballsy moves that payed off in the end.

The Half Time Show was one of my all time favorite bands, The Who. Well, not really The Who, but the remaining members. To me, it was more along the lines of two old men and some other guys covering music played by The Who. Now Zak Straksey is a good drummer, better than his father Ringo Starr, but he is no Keith Moon. Pino Paladinno is also a solid bassist, playing along side such legends as Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, he certainly knows how to work that instrument. But at the end of the day, they are not Keith Moon or John Entwhistle. And along those lines, Roger Daltery's voice is shot as is Pete Townsheds. It was a sad boring affair that makes me appreciate Live at Leeds even more.

Sunday Sunday Sunday

2010-02-07T13:02:00.001-06:00

Internet is down for the weekend; which leaves me with my phone as my only connection to the world wide web.

Last night was the It's True/Cowboy Indian Bear split seven inch release. Hurrah for local artist on vinyl.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

How Records are Made

2010-02-05T15:47:00.001-06:00

Gotta Groove Records - "Groove With Us" from Nick Cavalier on Vimeo.

I thought this was very cool.

The Onion and LOST

2010-02-05T15:38:00.001-06:00

Final Season Of 'Lost' Promises To Make Fans More Annoying Than Ever

Notice two of the creators of LOST are on this, making fun of their fans. We are a group of Rapid Dorks with OCD and that's why we love LOST.

Oceanic 815

2010-02-05T13:30:00.001-06:00

Here is a side by side comparison of the first scene in LOST Season 1 to Season 6; spot the difference, debate alternate time lines, have your mind melt.

Slept On; Dirty Harry: The Dead Pool

2010-02-05T12:13:00.004-06:00

Last night I had the place to myself, so what did I do? I drank a bottle of wine, filed my taxes and then watched my first Dirty Harry movie. For those of you unfamiliar with Dirty Harry, it follows a tough San Fransisco Detective Harry Callahan. In The Dead Pool is starts by establishing he's locked up one of San Fransisco's biggest leaders in organized crime. It slowly evolves into a bizarre revenge game being done by a Hollywood Director, Peter Stone (Liam Neeson), stalker.

At its core, The Dead Pool is a perfect mix between 80's camp and Clint Eastwood action. Every moment of the movie is almost the glossed over Hollywood look to it, but at the same time Mr. Eastwood delivers his lines as the professional he is. His partner, who delivers the classic one-liners, gets almost a mocking return from Harry which adds a great sense of levity to the whole affair.

I was pleasantly surprised at this movie, it was more than what I had expected. There is also this great scene with Jim Carrey.

Racing. Not posing.

2010-02-04T16:26:00.002-06:00

This Porsche ad does exactly what it needs to, which is making me need a Porsche.

The People VS George Lucas

2010-02-04T15:29:00.002-06:00

So I read that this movie, The People VS George Lucas will be at the SXSW film festival. Its all about the passion people have for Star Wars. I once had that passion, but after the Special Editions, the Prequels and a slew of shite video games, that passion has faded. In related news, Patton Oswalt is funny and would use a time machine for good.

Yeasayer - Odd Blood

2010-02-03T16:05:00.003-06:00

I've been pretty hooked on Yeasyer's new album Odd Blood. I love the avant garde instrumentals this band puts forward, and with Odd Blood I feel they use the vocals in a more worthwhile fashion. So to my surprise I read today that they've placed the entire album on their MySpace page for streaming, and they have the single O.N.E. for download on their main site. Worth checking out.

Just Curious

2010-02-02T11:08:00.002-06:00

Disaster strikes. Your place is burning down. You have a chance to grab five possessions. What do you take with you?

A Single Man

2010-02-02T08:58:00.004-06:00

A Single Man is first time director Tom Ford's break through film. It the story follows George Falconer 8 months after the death of the love of his life, Jim. The story follows Falconer as he decides to make a sudden and drastic change in his life in order to leave the past behind.

What really sticks out to me in this film is the cinematography. Ford's direction is absolutely top notch in this film. From the opening scene, to the moments of clarity for Falconer, every shot seems to have meticulously chosen to add just that certain amount of depth to the world.

Colin Firth also received a much deserved Oscar Nomination for best leading role. His portrayal of George Falconer is real, strong and moving.

I was blown away by the macabre beauty of this movie. With such a depressing and somber plot, it is amazing at how well it blends humor into it. Firth and Ford together really bring the character of George Falconer to life.

The Wagon

2010-02-01T14:39:00.004-06:00

Zach gives me endless grief on my love of wagons, specifically the BMW M5 Wagon. Jump to about the 5 minute mark on this video and you will quickly learn why the M5 Wagon is fantastic.

Dante Pizzeria Napoletana

2010-02-01T09:21:00.004-06:00

Over the weekend I finally got a chance to go to Dante Pizzeria Napoletana. This may very well be some of the best pizza in the Midwest. Authentic Italian style pizza, the head chef actually flew to Naples where he was certified to create such delicious pizzas.

Now, I have had Pizza on the Mediterranean coast. What I had at Dante was just the same level of quality. They will fly specific ingredients, such as flour or tomatoes from Italy, along with making Mozzarella in house. All of this level of detail goes into something so wonderful you'd be a fool to pass it up.

Malcolm Tucker: The Master of the Swear

2010-02-01T09:12:00.002-06:00

This is a clip showcase of some of the brilliant lines that Peter Capdali's Malcolm Tucker spews during In the Loop.

In the Loop

2010-01-31T22:07:00.004-06:00

In the Loop is a British Political Satire based of the BBC Program The Thick of It. It follows a rather harmless and clueless Minister in the Parliament. After misstating in an interview that he sees war in the middle east as "unforeseeable," he is quickly used as a pawn in international politics.

I have never seen, or even heard of The Thick of It. Thanks to In the Loop I plan on spending some time with the television program. One of the greatest characters is Malcolm Tucker, a raging Scottish Spin Doctor who's profanity filled tirades leave you astonished as the offensiveness of his language. I may have been a bit bias since Peter Capaldi was excellent in this last season of Torchwood and Doctor Who.

This is a hilarious movie that is oozing with wit and charm. It does an excellent job at playing up just how flawed the humans who run this world are.

Obama brings the sass

2010-01-29T16:14:00.001-06:00

If you haven't been able to pick this up yet, I am a political junkie. I read that today the House Republicans ask President Obama to address them at their annual retreat. The reports say that this makes the State of the Union look tame. Found the 20 minute video, I will have to watch it at a better time though.

Bar Stool Drunken Fool

2010-01-29T11:43:00.002-06:00

Brad Hoshaw did this song last night at the Haiti Benefit. This is the only video I can find, but I really like the song.

More on Haiti...

2010-01-29T10:44:00.002-06:00

To finish up the set last night, the boys from It's True left the stage to Adam Hawkins. His last song was a cover of The Dark is Rising by Mercury Rev. It was stellar, and I kind of wish I had video of it. Since I don't, here's the original.

Haiti is a Place

2010-01-29T08:26:00.005-06:00

So last night was the Haiti Benefit show. Packed house, which makes you realize how nice the set up at The Slowdown is, considering my giant frame could easily move through out the crowd and for once they weren't taking 25 years to get your drink. I had never seen Tilly and the Wall and I am a little disappointed they didn't have their tap dancer on stage. Bright Eyes reminded me why I stopped listening to his music, I am no longer an angst ridden suburban teenager. I really enjoyed some of Bear Country's set, and I would like to see them again.

My one big complaint is that never once did I hear an artist on stage urge people to donate to the Red Cross in order to help Haiti. I am not sure if this would of thrown them and most of the crowd into an Emo Overload, but it was the whole reason we were all there, well at least the supposed reason. I also don't understand why no one did the obvious and cover The Arcade Fire's Haiti...

Any way, this photo is a composite of both Tilly and the Wall and Bright Eyes, I love my iPhone...

On the Calendar

2010-01-28T12:48:00.003-06:00

The Slowdown; A Benefit For Haiti w/ Bright Eyes, Tilly And The Wall, It's True, Simon Joyner, The Mynabirds, Bear Country, McCarthy Trenching, Brad Hoshaw - SOLD OUT

O'Leavers Pub; Sarah Benck/Adam Robert Haug/Pennyhawks/Mumfords

I'll be at the Slowdown tonight, promises to be a wonderful show, for a wonderful cause and a mad house.

Contra

2010-01-28T08:43:00.002-06:00

I've been listening to the new Vampire Weekend quite a bit recently. This is a fantastic album full of energy and most definitely fun. I had not listened to anything by Vampire Weekend prior to putting this album on, and I must say I feel like I've been missing something. For those of you who don't have it, Vampire Weekend is kind enough to stream their new album off their webpage.

State of the Union

2010-01-27T09:51:00.005-06:00

Tonight is the State of the Union address! If you are anything like me, it means you do not have a television to watch it on, thankfully the Internet is there to help you out. You can either watch a live streaming video at the White House's Site or listen to it live on NPR.

I think to make it a little more fun it needs to be a drinking game;

1 Drink when the President talks about 'naysayers'
1 Drink when the President says 'Yes We Can'
1 Drink for applause
2 Drinks for Standing Ovation
5 Drinks if a Republican Interrupts
5 Drinks if the President insults the Republicans "Fear Rhetoric"

Anything else to add to the First Annual Orbital Parlor Presidential State of the Union Drinking Game

Slowdown's Benefit for Haiti

2010-01-25T12:14:00.001-06:00

Bright Eyes have been added to the bill; $15 gets you in all night, benefits a worthy cause and means you get a ton of great live music.

Canniversary

2010-01-25T08:45:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was the 75th Anniversary of Canned Beer! Hope you had a happy Canniversary!!

Change is Good

2010-01-23T11:22:00.006-06:00

Last night was the grand opening for the new and improved Waiting Room. I am extremely impressed at what they did with the place. I only stuck around for part of Ground Tyrants (who remind me heavily of moe.) due to the fact the place was so jam packed full of people. Next time I go in, I promise my faithful readers to try and get a few more pictures.

I think Zach summed it up perfectly with "Its going to be weird going to a show with only 40 people here."

Doctor Who Video Game?

2010-01-22T19:02:00.001-06:00

Kotaku reports that the BBC would like to make both Top Gear and Doctor Who video games (two things I love, crazy fast cars and the Doctor!).

I've always pictured a Doctor Who game to be similar to one of my favorite games on the 486, "Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego." You play as the Doctor, point and click adventure, TARDIS crash lands in some point in time and you learn that something is going wrong.

Much like Carmen Sandiego it would be a chance to teach a little history as you use your mind to solve the problems and save the day. I picture each level being a different point in time, and much like the current series there would be themes and clues that would result in some sort of epic final level.

I've honestly wanted nothing more in my life than a Monkey Island/Carmen Sandiego style Doctor Who adventure game

The Onion

2010-01-22T16:51:00.001-06:00

I love The Onion more than you will ever understand.

In The Know: Are Politicians Failing Our Lobbyists?

LOST

2010-01-22T16:00:00.001-06:00

OMG FTW

I am excited to see the final season of LOST; the only TV Show outside of Doctor Who I am excited to see in 2010.

On the Calendar

2010-01-22T15:43:00.002-06:00

Tonight looks to be a full night on the calendar;

The Waiting Room - LITTLE BRAZIL w/ Little Black Stereo, Ground Tyrants, & Kyle Harvey - No Cover

The Slowdown - A BENEFIT FOR EMILY w/ Sail by the Stars, Sarah Benck, Midwest Dilemma, Jeff Koterba and Larry Fredrickson of The Prairie Cats, Shurthing! - $10

The Barley St Tavern - Our Fox Band w/ guests TBA - $5

More than likely I will be spending my time at the new and improved Waiting Room. I am excited to see the new lay out.

In other news, my entire afternoon was spent with a dosey of a computer virus. 3 and a half hours in removal process.

Firefox 3.6

2010-01-21T15:28:00.003-06:00

Mozilla just released Firefox 3.6; one of the biggest new features is 'persona' Which are light weight themes for the Firefox browser. I am personally a fan of Firefox as a web browser, but I have been using Chrome at home and find that to be just as usable. You can read the entire notes of upgrades here.

The Waiting Room Lounge: It's True

2010-01-21T14:29:00.000-06:00

The Waiting Room Lounge: It's True

The secret's out.
It's True. The Waiting Room. Free. 11PM.
Stop by and celebrate the grand (almost) re-opening of the Waiting Room with a great band.

Health Care and our Government

2010-01-21T08:37:00.002-06:00

So if you haven't been paying attention to the news, Ted Kennedy's Senate seat (which he held for 47 years!) has been filled. A debacle of complacency has allowed the Republican Candidate, Scott Brown, to win. In his inauguration speech he promised to knock down Health Care Reform, funny coming from a senator who's state has already in place a health care system far more progressive than anything in the current reform.

Now I consider myself a bleeding heart liberal; I think social programs are highly important to the well far of our country. As a liberal I am frustrated by my fellow liberals, we are a soft spoken bunch. While on the other side, you have the neo-conservatives who are loud, very loud and extremely vocal. I find that we need to match their outspoken-ness with a little of our own. Now I am already an outspoken person (to the point that both Nebraska Senators have my information on file). So I am imploring you to call our representatives and let them know you expect them to fight for progressive health care or you will vote them out of office.

Congressman: Lee Terry - (202) 225-4155
Senators:Ben Nelson - 202-224-6551
Mike Johanns - (202) 224-4224

Kennedy felt his legacy would be national health care reform, let's not let this legacy die.

Updated Calendar

2010-01-20T10:10:00.002-06:00

So I updated the Local Music Calendar; let me know if I should add anything.

Dating

2010-01-20T09:59:00.002-06:00

I didn't really have a reason for posting this, I just thought it was funny. Dating is balls.

The Known Universe

2010-01-20T09:18:00.004-06:00

NASA has this wonderful little blog called Astronomy Picture of the Day. The think the name explains the concept pretty straight forward, every day they feature a new Astronomy Picture. Today's is one that I found particularly interesting.

Ego

2010-01-19T16:12:00.003-06:00

I remember hearing about The Envy Corps when I went to the 80 35 festival last summer. And in figuring out what night they had played I came across this photo on their main page; Zach, myself and a friend Brian Hayward have been Highlighted.

The Envy Corps

2010-01-19T14:02:00.004-06:00

I guess I've been posting a lot about upcoming shows lately, but I can't say it's a bad thing. The Envy Corps are coming to the Waiting Room at the end of the month. They'll be playing on the 29th and tickets are $8. This band is really fun to see in action, and they've got some really great stuff. And they're from Iowa! Go support local music.

Handling the Undead

2010-01-19T12:29:00.006-06:00

So I recently finished Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist; author of Let the Right One In. If are not familiar with Lindqvist work he tends to take traditional horror subjects and places them into a personal setting. My reaction to this style has been one of personal interest into the characters and how they react to new developments.

Handling the Undead is no different, following several families after for unexplained reasons the dead reawaken in Stockholm. The main questioned asked is how does one handle death when there seems to be a cure? And as the story develops, these families learn that the 'reliving' are now a shell of their former selves.

Deeply personal, with very exciting moments. Lindqvist uses Zombies as a way to explore how we handle a death to someone close to us, and how it changes our lives. He also shows how different the reactions are from a death that is personal to one that is distant, as in something you hear on the news.

More Music

2010-01-18T10:57:00.002-06:00

Well, it's going to be a busy week, for sure. There's also a benefit show at the Slowdown on Friday with Sarah Benck and Midwest Dilemma (and others). It's ten bucks, but I'd pay that to see those two acts alone. If you haven't seen Sarah perform before...oh, man. She is AMAZING.

Seriously. Go see her play, if for no other reason than to see her perform this song. SO so good.

Also at the Slowdown this Thursday (and every Thursday, from what I hear) is a free show with Fornight, The Answer Team, and John Klemmensen and the Party. I'm not really familiar with these bands - other than John Klem - but, hey, it's free.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

2010-01-18T10:53:00.001-06:00

So I've got a big bleeding heart when it comes to civil rights. So in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day here are some great speeches from fighters for Civil Rights.

Music News

2010-01-18T10:04:00.006-06:00

I just found out that It's True got accepted to play at SXSW this year! Add this to the list of reasons I wish I had enough money to go. I am so proud of this band.
Also, this Friday will be the grand re-opening of The Waiting Room - since they've been closed for the remodels the past couple of weeks - and there's a free show with Kyle Harvey, Little Black Stereo, and Little Brazil. Yes, free. You should probably go.

Also, this Saturday at the Barley Street Tavern Kyle Harvey, Kick Narl and the Boys (Nick Carl), and All Young Girls Are Machine Guns will be playing. Starts at 9, $5. Should be a solid show. If you haven't seen Nick Carl before, you should definitely come out. Also, you can check out AYGAMG YouTube channel here for her original music as well as some local and classic covers.

Big Fan

2010-01-18T09:44:00.002-06:00

Big Fan is the story about someone who is fanatic about football. Well, not just football, but the New York Giants. Patton Oswalt plays Paul Aufiero, a man living a meager existence as the "World's Biggest New York Giants Fan." Paul spends his days listening to Sports Talk Radio and preparing the speeches he will deliver that day. His life involves working overnight in a parking garage, going home to his mother's house and on game days setting the parking lot of Giants Stadium watching the game on a portable TV.

Despite the fact his existence is meager, Paul seems happy. His friend is impressed with his oratory skills on "The Zone" and he has his beloved Giants. Until the day he has a run in with the Giants Star Player; who ruthlessly beats Paul until he is stuck in a hospital for 3 days. The remainder of the film focuses on Paul being torn by his love for the Giants and his family pushing him to seek justice.

Patton Oswalt delivers a remarkable performance playing the part of a 'lovable loser' who is going through a mental breakdown. Robert D Siegel does a wonderful job with the script and directing, never poking fun at the fanaticism that National Sports teams garner.

Songs of the Civil Rights Movement

2010-01-18T08:35:00.003-06:00

NPR Music has a great play list up consisting of songs from the Civil Rights Movement. This is all in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is January 20th for those that don't know.

I thought this was a great line from the article;

"Jazz speaks for life," King said. "The blues tell the story of life's difficulties — and, if you think for a moment, you realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music."

You can listen and read it here.

Hubble 3D

2010-01-15T12:35:00.002-06:00

Best use of a 3d camera! I am actually pretty excited to see this.

Johnny, a Camel, and a Gun.

2010-01-14T12:03:00.002-06:00

Ok. So, I guess this is really random but I don't care. I have been listening to Midwest Dilemma a lot lately - blame it on their lack of shows in the past few months - and I have decided that 'Omaha' is my favorite song on Timelines and Tragedies. Such great songwriting. So much emotion. It's just a great song. Give it a listen if you have the means. Do you have a favorite Midwest Dilemma song?

In other news, I mentioned the Christmas for Pine Ridge project a few posts ago, and I just found this video of Brad Hoshaw at the River offices doing his Christmas song from Pine Ridge Volume 1. It's called 'Johnny, a Camel, and a Gun' and it's really great. Even though Christmas has passed, it's still a great tune and you can check the video below.

Brad Hoshaw writes a Christmas song like no one else, that's for sure.

Borderline

2010-01-14T09:23:00.001-06:00

This is pretty tasty. You may have seen it, but I thought I'd share just in case.

2009 Flaming Lips & Stardeath and White Dwarfs - Borderline from George Salisbury on Vimeo.

British Invasion

2010-01-14T08:50:00.003-06:00

I am making today British Invasion Day! Here is my list of albums to listen too;

The Beatles - Let it Be...Naked
The Rolling Stones - Beggar's Banquet
The Faces - Best of the Faces
The Kinks - The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society
The Who - Who By Numbers
The Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue
The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
The Who - Who's Next
The Kinks - Lola VS The Powerman and the Money Go Round
The Beatles - Revolver
The Who - Live at Leeds (Deluxe Edition)

Letters of Note

2010-01-13T15:37:00.002-06:00

I stumbled across this great blog called Letters of Note; they post correspondence that are typically from someone of some historical note or influential in pop culture. Two of my favorite so far are Kurt Vonnegut's letter home after surviving the fire bombing of Dresden and John Kricfalusi, creating of Ren and Stimpy answering a letter from a fan.

Moon

2010-01-12T11:11:00.003-06:00

Moon was released on Blu Ray today. This is a great example of where a science fiction idea is turned into something that questions the nature of reality and existence. I won't spoil the twist for those of you who haven't seen it, with that I implore you to seek this movie out. I would put it up as one of the top movies of 2009.

This is Duncan Jones first film, and he nails it. With actual set pieces and miniatures, Moon is considered shoe string budget at five million dollars. Sam Rockwell delivers a spectacular performance as the lone worker on a Moon mining station, his only companion is a robot played by Kevin Spacey.

A surreal masterpiece, Moon is something I look forward to watching time and time again.

High Dynamic Range

2010-01-11T16:00:00.002-06:00

So Stew got a new DSLR for Christmas and coupled with his MacBook Pro has started experimenting with HDR Photos. I think they have a surreal look and are very beautiful.

More Avatar

2010-01-11T08:35:00.001-06:00

So I hear a lot of people complaining about the Story in Avatar; which is all well a good. Its not some new interesting and creative story, but it works. More importantly it brings you into this vast sprawling 3D world that James Cameron and Associates have created. Needless to say, I found this video to be quite hilarious.

Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts.

2010-01-08T10:16:00.002-06:00

I came across this great article published on the Huffington Post about Science Denialism. Steve Newton is a project director at the National Center for Science Education and hits it spot on when he says that deniers tend to ignore the facts and refuse to listen to reason. All a scientist ask for is testable provable evidence to back up your claim, which should not be hard if they are as right as they seem to think.

Missing My Son

2010-01-05T11:25:00.002-06:00

...just because this is probably one of my all-time favorite Tom Waits songs/stories/whatever.

Wait for it. The pay off is totally worth it. Trust me.

Up in the Air

2010-01-05T10:34:00.005-06:00

I did something Sunday night that I rarely do these days. I actually went to the theater and paid to see a movie. The movie was suggested by a friend, and I didn't really know much about it other than that a friend from high school happened to work on the film (read: corral hoards of women swooning after George Clooney) when shooting was being done in Omaha. Anyway, there wasn't much appeal. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised. Clooney continues to get better with each new film. The supporting cast was great as well, with appearances from Zach Galifianakis, Danny McBride, Jason Bateman, and Sam Elliott, to name a few).

George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a man who travels around the country to various workplaces and conducts employee layoffs on behalf of bosses too cowardly to do it themselves. On occasion, he also delivers motivational speeches about the virtue of a relationship-free life, often using a backpack analogy. He relishes the comfort of being anonymous during his perpetual travels. He does not have a personal life and chooses to stay away from his family. He is close to achieving his personal goal of 10 million miles.

One of my favorite things about the film is the opening credit sequence featuring some amazing aerial shots and an outstanding version of This Land is Your Land by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. This isn't really a video, but you get to hear just how amazing their version of the song is.

The other major highlight is that the film includes various shots of Omaha, including the downtown area and the airport. Seeing this movie in Omaha is probably a completely different experience than seeing it anywhere else. You can literally feel how excited people get seeing an Omaha landmark (even though Clooney's character frequently laments the fact that his life is based out of Omaha and refuses to admit that he actually 'lives' here). When it's all said and done, Up in the Air is good movie with a good soundtrack and is, overall, a pretty solid piece of film making.

Christmas for Pine Ridge

2010-01-04T16:50:00.005-06:00

Check out this podcast from World's of Wayne. This one features an interview from Lash LaRue, local musician and driving force behind the toy drive/fundraiser for the Pine Ridge Reservation. This podcast features a preview of a few tracks from the Christmas for Pine Ridge Volume II CD, which you can buy here.
I really dig the first track on the podcast from Big Daddy Ho-slap (AKA Brad Hoshaw). The track is called 'It's Christmas Eve and We've Been Drinkin' Since Noon' and, well...it's not one of your mother's Christmas tunes. One of the best things about this song is the fact that I spent my Christmas night in Benson, at a bar, with Big Daddy Ho-slap, talking about soul music over a glass of bourbon. This guy really means what he sings.
Anyway, as it says on the site for the toy drive, 'there are topics from drinking, loving, breaking up, cheatin' hearts, body snatchers and more.. and a bad word here or there.' I have only heard a few tracks from the CD so far but I plan on picking it up soon.

SCB

2010-01-04T16:30:00.002-06:00

In case you haven't heard, the Saddle Creek Bar has closed it's doors for good. The final night in business was New Years Eve. A few local bands took the stage for a small - though enthusiastic - crowd Thursday night. I'm sad to see it go, but more for nostalgia than anything else. It's always sort of bittersweet when one of your favorite dives/venues closes, and this one was pretty close to home. Apparently, the drive-thru will stay open as its "going out of business" sale continues. Mike Coldewey, the guy behind The Saddle Creek Bar, is moving to Chicago in a few weeks. Who knows what will happen to the building, which holds a unique place in the history of the Omaha music scene. The property is being handled by NP Dodge, and there's a listing online that shows an asking price of $350,000, which includes the property, the 9,164 sq. ft. bar and drive-thru liquor store. Anyway, whatever happens to it, I hope it's something good...preferably something music-related. Here's to Mike Coldewey. Best of luck in Chicago.

porn again

2009-12-31T14:50:00.004-06:00

So, this is what I've been reading at work for the past hour or so, in between answering calls and filing. The Porn Again Christian: A Frank Discussion on Pornography and Masturbation.
Don't ask me how I found it (I do a LOT of random browsing on the Internet, and if something sounds even moderately interesting or funny or even a little distracting, I will probably read it, no matter what) but it's probably one of my favorite reads in recent memory, if for no other reason than because it's from a viewpoint wholly different from my own (read: that of the married, Christian male) and because my knowledge of Christianity and sexual acceptable sexual practices is pretty limited. It's basically a Christian guide to sex, masturbation, and pornography (or - more to the point - why pornography is evil). Chapter 5 includes a Q & A for acceptable masturbatory/sexual practices and Chapter 7 includes a general Q & A, if you want to skip to 'the good stuff.' I am completely fascinated by this book right now.