I’ve seen this poster on the MUNI stop by school for the past couple of weeks, and each time I see it, I gotta say… I wouldn’t be surprised if people who haven’t heard of the movie see this poster and come to the conclusion that it’s gonna be be a monster movie about a giant, marauding stone Jesus.
…which would be pretty sweet, actually.
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Posted by Kirk
Hmm. I just don’t know. I’m usually pretty in touch with pop-culture type stuff, especially when it comes to super-hyped stuff, but I just have no idea about the upcoming movie Avatar. I mean, I know about it – it’s James Cameron’s huge vanity project, he’s been making it for years and years, it has graphics that are so sweet they’ll blow your mind and do your laundry, it’s going to change the way we watch films… etc… etc…
There also seems to be a massive fanboy contingent that has taken a huge interest in the movie, and every time there’s a new trailer, flame wars break out all over the internet. But I still… just… don’t get it? I mean, it looks pretty cool I guess, and I think that Cameron does sympathetic aliens well – I love the Abyss – and I’m all for whiz-bang effects in films, but why, exactly, are we all so excited about this film in particular?
From what I’ve seen so far, from the underwhelming debut trailer to the more recent one that Joe R. rightly points out is pretty much… Fern Gully with better graphics, it just doesn’t seem that amazing.
None of the usual boxes on the fanboy checklist are filled in - sure, it’s sci-fi, but it’s not based on some existing comic franchise, as far as I can tell, and it doesn’t star Nathan Fillion. Joss Whedon has nothing to do with it, either. In fact, the whole thing seems pretty derivative. The video game tie-in looks pretty standard, even though it’s being touted as some kind of big deal – perhaps this is because the central conceit of the film (paraplegic is inserted into 10-foot alien via brain transfer) is videogamey enough to stir interest? I mean, the Far Cry 2 engine is sweet and everything, but the game just sort of looks like Gears of War.
So, what am I missing? Don’t get me wrong, it looks pretty cool, but why is this movie going to be so. effing. great? Is it really just that it has rad special effects? Is that even enough to carry a film anymore?
I dunno. I want more. Please illuminate me as to what I am missing.
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games, movies | 
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Posted by Kirk
…whaddya say?
This weekend, I will be partying like it’s 1997 – The Danimal and I will be heading down to Indio, CA for the three-day-long Phish Festival 8. I am very, very stoked – Phish is a band that I have always really enjoyed, and I own many of their studio records, but I have yet to see them live.
I know, I know. The whole “Phish Experience” is about the live show – well, I guess never really got down with that experience. Which is kinda a good thing, I think – I’m not not a Phish Head or whatever superfans call themselves… I never wore a pookah shell necklace or hackey sacked at a show, I don’t own any bootlegs or Phish merchandise, or {insert stereotype of Phish fan here}. However, I DO know the contents of Junta, Hoist, A Live One, The Story of the Ghost, and Rift inside out. It’s weird.
So, when Dan (an avowed Phish fan) told me that they were doing their eighth giant festival (appropriately titled “Phish Festival 8″) down in Indio, I said Hell yeah. The band has broken up, had a send-off show, had its members embark on solo tours (I saw Trey’s underwhelming performance at the Warfield a couple of years ago), and is now back together. It feels like this might be my only chance to see them live, so why head to their ultimate performance venue?
From the look of things on the festival website, we’re in for a hell of a weekend. Outside of the performances (including a complete-album surprise on Halloween and an acoustic set with doughnuts on Sunday), there looks to be a ton to do, with remixing stations, a mac bar, a farmer’s market (seriously?), and a Ferris Wheel. That’s right. A Ferris Wheel.
So, I’m stoked. Three days is a loooong time to go car camping, and three sets a lot of live music to watch, particularly all from one band, but hey. I’ve never gone to something like this before, and I figured go big or go home, right?
Speaking of go big or go home...
Have a great weekend, catch y’all on the other side!
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Today we enter a new chapter in the ongoing love affair between yours truly and the wonderful Acoustic Guitar Magazine. After doing a few smaller articles for them, I’ve gotten my first “30-minute lesson” published!
It’s a much more in-depth article than the previous “practicing” pieces I’ve written (which are here and here, if you’re interested). I even recorded several examples for the online version of the article – the whole thing is just very cool.
It’s always been fun to try to tailor my instructional style to fit a different instrument (the guitar) and a different kind of student (the adult hobbyist), while imparting some fairly advanced techniques. In this article specifically, I’m trying to demonstrate how to take a lengthy passage and methodically break it down in order to learn it.
That sort of “how to practice” stuff is tough to teach, but is far easier to get across to adults than it is to the younger students I work with. Slowing things down and approching them in a measured manner is something that requires maturity, and it’s much easier to convince adult students that it’s necessary. So, hopefully the article will help some folks!
Last note: it is a bitch editing something that references so many “examples.” It’s even harder when there are various “sections” of those examples that also need to be referenced. One of the most difficult things about writing generalized instructional articles (in any field, really), seems to be getting all of the jargon mashed down to something manageable. Dan Apczynski, (that’s right, the Dan Apczynski) was a fantastic editor, and also wrote the cover story for the issue – a really outstanding interview with Dave Matthews.
Check it out, it’s really good stuff!
You, too, can learn how to play this.
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Posted by Kirk
Armelodica, in effect.
…was totally great! I thought I’d share some thoughts and pictures.
I love the Utah so much, man – such a great vibe, cool stage, and you gotta love the split-level. Alex Kelly’s opening set was a mind-blower… I’ve worked with Alex for a long time, but hearing him do his solo cello thing for the first time was eye-opening. This dude is GOOD. At the CELLO. Seriously. I’m going to have to write some more challenging stuff for him to play the next time we play together.
But, even with the simple parts I had for him, it was so cool to have Alex come join us for my set, and the rest of the band was just amazing, too. Joelle Jaffe was a champ and learned a bunch of vocal parts (and deceptively difficult tambourine parts) in only a few rehearsals and filled in for Lindsay amazingly. The trio of Dans – Apczynski on vocals, Nervo on guitar, and Fabricant on bass, rocked the house as only Dans can. Joel Behrman rocked the hell out of the trumpet (no shocker there), and my god, Margeurite Ostro! On the Violin! Everyone was raging about her after the show, and I gotta say, I agree – what a badass. She plays in a couple of other bands around town – go see her!
The set was the usual tunes – “The Darkened Street” really came together with a full acoustic band behind it, and sounded so much like something you’d hear on Prairie Home Companion that at the end of the song, I wanted to start talking about Powder Milk Biscuits. “Sweet Revenge” came back, this time in acoustic form, and with a couple of much-needed modulations on the choruses, which gave the tune the extra zing that it needed. We also played “Shoshana,” in its final performance before I add some new lyrics. The story behind that is deserving of its own post, so stay tuned. It’s gonna be pretty awesome. Photos after the jump!
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Posted by Kirk
Hello! Thought I’d return from that brief (very relaxing) break from posting with a little bit about Glee – the show that everyone loves, or at least loves to talk about. I just read Joe R’s outstanding TWoP-style recap of last week’s episode (Oh, how I long for the days when I had time to read TWoP every day!), and it got me thinking about the show some more.
Back when the pilot aired in the Spring, I wasn’t entirely sold. To briefly recap my thoughts, I felt like the show was all over the place, and wasn’t clear in what it was going for – “Election”-style black humor, “Bring it On”-style wackiness, or full-on “High School Musical” melodrama and spontaneous singing? What’s more, the pacing felt bananas and the writing was all over the place.
Well, now that we’re seven episodes in (though I haven’t yet seen this week’s episode), and I thought it’d be worth sharing that Glee has utterly won me over. They’ve been steadily upping their game comedically, deciding on and evening out the show’s tone, and figuring out what, exactly, the show is about. I’ve enjoyed each episode a little bit more than the last, and at this point, I find myself looking forward to wednesdays every week. Hooray!
It’s still not perfect – there are still some clunker jokes in there, and the auto-tuning on the musical numbers can get pretty brutal (particularly during the girls’ Halo/Sunshine mash-up last week – Rachel’s last note sounded like a computer shrieking at me. Angrily).
But I’m stoked that Jane Lynch is finally getting the props she deserves. Honestly, I can’t keep track of how many times I’ve heard/read the phrase “The show is hit or miss for me, but I love Jane Lynch so much that I’ll watch regardless.” Though now that the showrunners seem to be aware that she’s a standout, I am a little worried that they’re going to overexpose her, you know?
I haven’t seen this week’s episode (when Sue comes in and co-leads the Glee club), so I can’t speak to it, but I’m hoping that they can begin to develop the character a bit. That’d be great, and I bet Lynch would rock it. I’m not suggesting that the show add a sympathetic backstory or a developmentally-disabled nephew or something, but a little depth would go a long way. If the role is just going to be more takes on the “Terrifying, manly cougar who is hilariously confident” role that Lynch does so well, it could get stale.
Then again, who am I kidding? I’d tune in just to watch her berate cheerleaders while on the treadmill.
So anyway, the show has totally got me. It’s frequently hilarious, and aside from the way they make the vocals sound, the music is really great. That Bon Jovi/Usher mashup was legit, man – super clever way to mix the tunes together. I respect the choice to not go with Livin’ on a Prayer, too (even though it is the exact same song as “It’s My Life”), since the latter tune worked better with Finn’s theme and story.
And more than anything, Glee just has so many moments that crack me up, and jokes that hit home, seeing as how I do spend a good amount of time teaching music to teenagers. Also, last week’s episode may have featured my favorite exchange in a while:
WILL: "Here's the deal: Two teams, Boys vs. Girls. One week from today, you will each perform a 'mash-up' of your choice."
PUCK: "What's a... Mash-up?"
WILL: "A 'Mash-up' is when you take two songs and you mash them together to create an even richer Explosion of Musical Expression."
KIRK: (Falls out of chair laughing)
3 Comments | music, teaching, television | Permalink
Posted by Kirk
So here we are, getting ready to do another large-ensemble show so soon after that last blowout, and with a completely different band, and all-new arrangements. And it’s going to be so much fun. We had a great rehearsal last night, and I can’t believe how burning the musicians in the band are! Dang!
Check it: in addition to band regulars Dan Apczynski and Dan Nervo on vocals and guitar, I’ll be joined by my old buddy Daniel Fabricant on upright bass, the amazing Alex Kelly on cello, and Marguerite Ostro on violin. And you guys. Marguerite? Is a shredder. Woah! She can, like, go toe to toe with Nervo, shred-wise. She plays in a bunch of other bands around town, most notably the amazingly named Kugelplex, as well as Pickpocket Ensemble, and damn. Wait ’till you hear her.
And the hits just keep on coming - Joel Behrman, fellow UM alum who plays ridiculous trombone and trumpet, will be playing the latter horn on the gig, and since Lindsay is on tour with Or, The Whale, the amazing Joelle Jaffe (of BLAMMOS) will be filling in on vocals and percussion.
My cousin Rose came up with an excellent way of describing turning 29. As she put it, “I’m in my 30th year.” Word to that – it feels good. And getting to play this music for everyone is pretty much the best way I can think of to spend my birthday; if you’re in San Francisco, I truly hope you can make it out!
On the menu. Now with more modulations!
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Posted by Kirk
…makes me think of a lot of things:
“Haaaaa” followed by “He’s looking at me, Ray,” then maybe “OMG RUN”
“Democratic Super Majority,” on the other hand? Doesn’t really come to mind.
Also: I hope no one tells Colbert that the bears are now arming themselves with chainsaws.
Geddit? ARMing? Because the… arms… and paws… are…
…sigh.
(pic via)
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Posted by Kirk
Ack! No posts for a little while, and such is life. I’ve been getting ready for next week’s show at the Hotel Utah (Facebook event is here), which is going to be super fun, but has eaten up a ton of my time. We’re doing a totally different show this time around, with an acoustic band featuring cello, violin, upright bass, trumpet and trombone, and, of course, three vocalists. Because of that, I have… an entire set’s worth of music to chart out. Again. Hmm. Might not have thought this through.
The upside is that once we do this show, I’ll have a full set of charts for all the music for both full-on electric band and acoustic band, and I probably won’t have to do this sort of marathon chart-writing again. The downside is… well.. marathon chart-writing. Blurg.
Anyhow. I have a few things I want to write about – some good local music, a fun thing I heard about last week’s Mad Men lawnmower incident, some great iPhone games to try, but I won’t be able to find the time until later this week. Until then, thanks for stopping by, and mark your calendars for next Thursday!
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Posted by Kirk
Yesterday I heard a lady on a cell at Trader Joe’s say it, and she just sounded so pleased with herself…
Sigh. Let’s just accept it and move on. There will be time to grieve later.
4 Comments | politics, rando | Permalink
Posted by Kirk
Are you looking for a really good movie? A movie that will make you feel warm and fuzzy about things, about people, that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you want to believe in true love again? My friend, it is with gusto that I recommend to you Adventureland.
It’s not the film you may think it is – though it was directed by the same guy, (Greg Mottola), it is totally not some goofy Superbad-ish comedy about pervy teenagers. Also, though it features Kristen Stewart, AKA “Girl from Twilight,” it is not some overwrought teen romance movie. What it is is a heartfelt, beautifully shot coming-of-age movie with a killer soundtrack, part Dazed and Confused and part Garden State. I mean both of those comparisons in a good way.
It’s kind of like when the Farrely Brothers made “Outside Providence” – based on the ad campaign, everyone thought it was a goofy gross-out flick when it was actually this really sweet, nostalgic, and personal movie about family and one’s place in the world. Just as with Providence, one gets the sense that Adventureland is a very personal film, based on Greg Mottola’s own experience (it is). It also captures a place and time (Pittsburgh in 1987) in much the same manner as Providence captured Rode Island in the 70’s. And the film is similarly well-written, generous to its large, hilarious cast, and really easy on the eyes.
Plus, Freaks and Geeks fans rejoice, it features the one and only Martin Starr. In a speaking role! That lasts more than a few scenes!
And, as if that weren’t enough, you get to see Bill Hader do this:
And did I mention? Martin Starr!!
So, seriously. Go rent it!
I recently read, and thoroughly enjoyed, Matt Zoller Seitz’s article on IFC, titled “The Mundane Fantastic.” In it, he discusses how even in this age where entire scenes and even films can be composed digitally (with no camera at all), filmmakers still strive to re-create the physical camera. As he points out, they go so far as to add lens flare, camera vibration, simulated hand-held camera jitters, and in one notable case, a speck of dirt on the lens of a camera floating in space. A speck of dirt that never existed, on a camera that was never there.
The question Zoller Seitz has set out to explore is, “why?” As CGI moves further and further along the path towards being able to re-create reality wholesale without the need of any analog camera or audio equipment, why is it that filmmakers are moving away from the clean, fixed-camera work of earlier films and more towards artificially flawed, “real” seeming work? As MZS states:
…with cinema in the final stages of its digital evolution — the production process evolving from one that used to be entirely analog, with component pieces (film, tape) that one could literally hold in one’s hand, to a digital process wherein almost every stage is created electronically, and the bits don’t physically exist in quite the same way — it’s worth asking where this craving for “believability” comes from and how it’s being expressed via the camera. I think it has to do with the subliminal knowledge (on the part of filmmakers more so than the viewers) that reality is imperfect, and that to make a moment seem real, one must present it somewhat imprecisely, to counteract the meticulous, slightly inhuman slickness of CGI.
I think he’s onto something, particularly in how he discusses earlier special-effects-driven films, and how by today’s documentary-style, post-Bourne compositional style, even rock ‘em sock ‘em movies like Back To The Future and Terminator 2 seem staid and evenly composed.
The difference between the “Forbidden Planet” approach and the herky-jerky style of so many current special effects-driven movies is the difference between spending a long, meditative afternoon in front of a foreign landmark and Chevy Chase hustling his family from one highlight to another in “National Lampoon’s European Vacation”: “Hey, look kids! There’s Big Ben! And there’s Parliament!” Even 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” arguably the opening salvo in CGI’s dominance of the modern special effects epic, feels stately and classical compared to “District 9” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” Director James Cameron breaks out the handheld camera for fight scenes, but elsewhere relies on smooth Steadicam and dolly shots (and a fair number of static images and locked-down pans).
The whole thing has me thinking a lot about music production, and about how the exact same questions and trends apply, though on a slightly different timeline. I’ve been listening to a lot of Michael Jackson lately (whether I want to or not), and I can’t help but notice the sparseness, the almost quaint style of his records, particularly Thriller. The instrumentation on Billie Jean is incredibly sparse – just drums, bass, a single keyboard, and strings. The tune works like it does because of the almost ridiculously strong groove from drummer N’dugu Chancellor, and the fact that it was recorded in a way that gives what the recording engineer, Bruce Swedien calls “Sonic Personality.” As he points out, there are very few songs that can be immediately identified by the first few drum beats – the amount of work they put into the mix (detailed in Swedien’s afore-linked-to post) really paid off.
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Posted by Kirk
The summer has come to a close, and with it, I’ve wrapped up several shows I was watching and started several others. Also: is it just me, or has the standard fall/winter/no summer TV schedule ceased to mean anything at all? Here it is late september, and Mad Men is just heating up, 30 Rock doesn’t start for a month, Lost and Chuck aren’t around until 2010, and So You Think You Can Dance is on. Again. Where am I? What time is it? Where are my pants? Anyway.
True Blood: Admiral Cain vs. Frank Sobotka = Everybody Wins
I thought that season 2 of True Blood was flippin’ great, though I was a bit disappointed by some of the later episodes. Mainly the resolution of the Fellowship of the Sun plotline, which felt like it wrapped it up too quickly in order to have a few episodes left to deal with Maryann. I think that perhaps it’s because the show feels forced to revolve around Sookie at all times, so they needed her to be present for both story resolutions?
But check it: the fact of the matter was that, love it or hate it, Maryann’s storyline was really Tara and Sam’s storyline – they were the reason for the season, were the ones caught up in it, and it would have made sense if they had been the ones to resolve it. Having Sookie wander in at the last minute to sit around and be mad about Gran’s house and then sort of weakly push over an idol with some electricity powers seemed weird. And forced.
Don’t get me wrong, it was cool to bring everyone together, and Jason and Andy’s unlikely alliance was great, but it didn’t seem as though the writers were wrapping up the season with a desire to really make the resolution interesting, from a character standpoint. I’m picturing a way better finale with Sam finding a way to rescue Tara from Maryann’s influence and the the two of them leading a scrappy insurrection against her, with Tara being forced to kill Eggs, and Sam almost dying in order to save the day… and all of that playing out at the same time as the resolution in Dallas, so that everything felt bigger and more epic. Maybe even if they found a way to weave the two stories together somehow? I bet there are some interesting drafts on the writers’ room floor, is what I’m saying.
But still, season two was still really good times, and I looked forward to the show every week. Just a bunch of dumb hicks getting wasted and screwing, with lots of blood and Alex Skaarsgard rocking the shit – hard to fault the show too much, you know? Also, damn – I’ve always been a fan, but Anna Paquin just might be the sexiest chick on TV the moment. Good lord.
Nurse Jackie: Is That All There Is?
Hmm. Not so sold on this one. Nurse Jackie seemed like it was gonna be really great, and, as a friend of mine put it, I could watch Edie Falco do her laundry and it’d be pretty cool, but still. Is that really all there is? I think this show fell victim to the half-hour-dramedy syndrome. It’s enough time to get some laughs, if you’re focusing on the “medy,” but it’s not enough time to truly develop any “Dram.”
After a while, it just started to feel as though every episode started with a possible conflict, teased around the conflict, had some funny bits, and then ended with Jackie standing outside of the hospital, giving a mirthful shrug off into the heavens, putting her hands in her pockets and walking on down that lonely ol’ road. And then the next episode would rinse and repeat, and nothing would ever actually go anywhere.
Also, as Sepinwall pointed out, the show did a great disservice to Anna Deavere Smith’s character – she was never really developed beyond being an inconsistent foil, and anytime she walked on camera, that Super-Irritating Plinky Music Of Wackiness started playing. God, do I hate the SIPMOW. It’s such laziness, writer’s shorthand to cue the audience when on-screen events aren’t making things clear.
Anyhow, I thought this show could’ve been good, and the supporting cast is great, but there just wasn’t enough there there for me to want to come back. It was a lot like Weeds, actually, though the premise is stronger, the supporting cast far less irritating, and the leading lady a better actor. Even with all that going for it, it still felt a bit pointless. This about sums it up: I watched the finale and didn’t realize it was the finale, and for weeks was looking for the finale to download, until I finally realized that I’d watched the finale, so I had to go read a recap to remember what had happened. Not a good sign.
In Treatment Season 2: Oh My God, With The Acting Already
JFC. This show stands as, like, a testiment to old-school acting, to everything that the thespianic among us strive for. For character, for consistency, for showing and not telling, for the mystery of the human face. The writers and directors work so, so tirelessly to make it happen, and the camera just unflinchingly shows what these people are going through, and the whole thing is so unbelievably well-done and compulsively enjoyable and engaging… it’s like, the opposite of what people who complain about television’s shallowness describe. The whole thing feels like a grand experiment in programming that is working, and even as I’m watching it, I still can’t believe it exists.
Actors must get their agents to kill people to get them on this show, huh? I thought that everything about season two was even better than season one – the sessions were cleaner, the characters a bit more appealing, the season-long plot (the lawsuit, etc) more engaging. And considering that I effing loved season one, that’s no small thing.
The way in which Paul’s own persona drama (with his dying father) tied into the problems of his patients was more elegantly executed than his failing marriage in season one, and far less painful to watch. And the cast! Holy hell, the cast! To a one, they were perfect, and Gabriel Byrne must be the best dad in the world in real life, because the chemistry he has with kids… gosh. His scenes with Aaron Shaw (who played Oliver) were just heartbreaking, man. The little turtle! Who carried his house on his back!
And do I even need to point out the ridiculous awesomeness of Allison Pill? Woah. After Mia Wasikowska rocked it so hard in season one, it was hard to imagine anyone one-upping her, but I really think that Pill did. And everyone else, too… it was an incredible season, and even though it is longer than an average TV season, it seemed to just fly by. I highly recommend it.
Onward To The Future: You’re Gonna Need A Bigger DVR
YES
And so those three seasons are over, and we have several more to take their places. I think that Mad Men is off to a great start, unsurprisingly, and am really stoked to get to watch the show on my sister’s amazing new LCD HDTV. There’s some sort of irony in the fact that the amazing technology they use to shoot the show serves to make their old-school period details look so incredible, but I don’t want to get sidetracked. Love it. The Office and Dollhouse start up again soon, and given how hard I thought the Dollhouse “Epitaph One” bonus episode rocked, as well as the just-announced fact that frickin’ Ray Wise is also joining the cast (in addition to what appears to be the entire former cast of every Joss show ever, as well as most of Battlestar Galactica), I am pumped for the new season. A lot. Glee continues to worm its way into my heart, if only because I like to talk about the problems I had with a given episode as much as I like to talk about the parts I liked, so the whole thing is a pretty enjoyable experience.
I’m also getting mentally prepared to bust through the two existing seasons of Breaking Bad, which I know is the best show since sliced bread, and that I’ll love it, but have gotten enough “don’t watch this show before you go to bed, it will wreck you” warnings that I’m feeling scared of it. But, time to bunker down and watch, I guess.
And I guess that’s it! Wait, no, there’s also Always Sunny, 30 Rock, and David Simon’s upcoming HBO series about Jazz Musicians in New Orleans, (Yes, you read that right) called “Treme.” Wow, that’s plenty of TV – no worries to Chuck and Lost, or any of the other shows that are delaying their start. You guys go ahead and take your time. There are so many of you, and you’re all so good!
Leave a Comment » | television | Permalink
Posted by Kirk
Thanks to Sonia for showing me Wordle.net, where I input all the text from my blog series on the creation of The Exited Door.
Yeah, I'd say this about sums it up. (Click to enlarge.)
Leave a Comment » | music, the exited door | Permalink
Posted by Kirk
So, yesterday, for some reason, the kind and generous folks at wordpress decided that my post about the video montage I made deserved to be featured as one of eight or so “freshly pressed” posts on their homepage. By the end of the day, I had over 1,500 hits on the page, which, well, is just a little bit more than I get on a usual day.
So, um… Holy Hell! Thank you WordPress! I’m not sure what I did to deserve that, but I’m so glad you decided to share that post, instead of the one from the day before about Patrick Swayze.
More than anything, getting so many hits made me want to share the love, so I thought I’d post a list of some of the blogs I read, with the hope that some of you will click through and give them a read.
Of course, I read the same giant, famous blogs as everyone else (Gawker, HuffPost, Idolator, Sullivan), but what follows is a list of five blogs that are less well-known than those, but no less awesome. All are bookmarkables that you should check out.
I’ll Flip You. Flip You For Real is written by San Francisco culture journo Beth Spotswood, and oh, man, is it a good time. Hers was the first SF scene/culture blog I started reading shortly after I moved out here, and while I don’t actually know Beth (read: “Spots”), I feel like I do, after years of reading about her on-again-off-again one-sided love affair with Gavin, her adventures in SF bars and dives that I had never even heard of, let alone been to, and her stories of the the always-engaging randomania one encounters being a culture journalist in San Francisco. If you live in SF, this blog is a must-read.
Always More to Hear is a music blog by the fantastic Jamie Friedman, a writer and musician in the bay area. Her blog is written from a place of subjective personal experience of music, which I find far preferable to the tendency of so many music blogs to annoit themselves the Arbiters of What Is Good And Hip In Music. Plus, today is her one-year blogiversary!
Low Resolution is written by Joe Reid, who used to write for Television Without Pity back in its heyday. After that site was… changed, yeah, let’s say changed, by Bravo and NBC, Joe has moved on to other things, writing for Soapnet and The Film Experience, among other great blogs. Joe’s opinions on film and television are always funny and interesting, and he has recommended many a great film that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
Tapeworthy is the blog of Vance Hues, a TV and Theatre writer who lives in Canada. Vance write tons of great stuff about broadway, theatre, films, and, of course, So You Think You Can Dance, and contributes to Joe’s awesome post-show round tables at Low Resolution. Vance is really fast about getting tons of video up really quickly after a given night of SYTYCD, and is a highly recommended first stop for post-show analysis.
Heist Jewelry is the blog of Jewlery designer and all-around-cool-chick Tiffany Zadi, who I know from school. I really enjoy her posts, and it’s nice having someone to read who is as aware of the fashion and art worlds as she is. I’m not the most fashionable dude, so it’s cool to see what’s happening in that world.
So there ya have it. Five blogs that I highly recommend checking out, all of whom should be getting thousands of hits not just one random day, but every day. Other great sites that I dearly love include Insult Swordfighting, TheSoniaShow, Tomato Nation, My New Plaid Pants, and The House Next Door.
Also, for all who stopped by yesterday, I feel I should note that I’m not actually that obsessed with Trader Joe’s food and the 6 Parnassus. I do really like Papalote salsa that much, though.
Leave a Comment » | murfins and burgalinks, rando | Permalink
Posted by Kirk
So, after cutting together a bunch of audio and video from the first-ever performance of “The Exited Door,” it became clear that I had too much of both – I couldn’t really imagine finishing, editing, and posting videos of every song, and I also couldn’t imagine everyone out there sitting there and watching that much video.
It was clear that there was only one thing to do. In the words of Trey Parker and Matt Stone:
The day is approaching
to give it your best
and you’ve got to reach your prime
that’s when you need
to put yourself to the test
and show us a passage of time
we’re gonna need a montage
(montage!)
a show-playing montage
(montage!!)
So, without further ado, I give you the official video montage of last week’s show. It is seriously good times.
It, and other fun live videos, can all be found in widescreen on my YouTube Channel. And if the montage-y-ness leaves you wanting to hear more, well… good! Only thing to do is come out to the next one!
7 Comments | music, my shows, the exited door | Permalink
Posted by Kirk
Well, guess I can check that one off.
2 Comments | music, rando, san francisco | Permalink
Posted by Kirk
My name's Kirk; I'm a musician
in San Francisco.
For more about my musical background and pursuits, hit the "about me" tab up top, visit
my website, or find me on Myspace or Facebook.
Want a copy? You got options:
Order the disc from CDBaby.
Download it from iTunes.
Download it from DigStation.
Want to know how I made it?
I wrote all about it here.
