stay classy dallas.

Shalissa turns 29!

2009-03-26T14:19:00.003-05:00

Happy birthday Shane and Meliss - I think this is the best shot we've seen of Shalissa to date.

Tweedy covers Neil Young

2009-02-26T23:36:00.006-06:00

Here's Tweedy covering Neil Young's When Your On The Losing End. This was recorded at the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival in 2006. This song originally appeared on Neil Young's album, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, which is a Stay Classy fav. Great song, enjoy.
Link via Aquarium Drunkard.

Jeff Tweedy - The Losing End (Neil Young Cover)

Phoenix :: 1901

2009-02-26T09:56:00.004-06:00

Phoenix just released a new single that is available as a free download at their website - wearephoenix.com.
I kinda love this song and love the Flash intro on their website even more. Nice work!
Phoenix is kinda great anyway - their new album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix will be out in May.

Animal Collective :: My Girls

2009-02-16T19:05:00.003-06:00

This song has been heavy in the rotation for the past couple weeks. The video is all right too.
Animal Colllective will be playing Granada HoB in June, let's go! I love their Brian Wilson-sque harmonies. Merriweather Post Pavillion is the album's name, available now and worth the 10 bucks on itunes.

FLT @ City Tavern, 2-12-09

2009-02-16T01:39:00.006-06:00

Here are some shot from our show at City Tavern last Thursday, photos by Chad Lemons.

Depeche Mode vs Tron

2009-02-11T01:04:00.002-06:00

This is a pretty sweet mashup, thanks to Everett for the link.
So I haven't been keeping this blog up to date recently... I need some new motivation.

Well Blogger, the jerkstore called and they're running out of you!

2008-12-11T10:33:00.007-06:00

Blogger ripped down my Top 20 review last night due to copyright infringement. There will be a new one up soon.

2008-12-02T13:09:00.003-06:00

We've got another show coming up this Thursday, Dec. 4th @ City Tavern. Music starts up @ 9 00 pm. City Tavern is a cool new place downtown on Main. Great place for live music, come on down and have a time with the Turns.

City Tavern
1402 Main St
Dallas, TX 75202
(214) 745-1402

Bang Camaro Live @ HOB Garage Friday

2008-11-18T09:24:00.003-06:00

Bang Camaro is rolling through Dallas on Friday, playing at the House of Blues Pontiac Garage at 10:30. I saw these guys last time they rolled into town and it was a blast. If you like to rock, get on out to the House of Blues and check out a truely unique spectacle, Bang Camaro. They are also playing a show in Austin at Emo's on Saturday if any of the Austin readers are interested. I will most certainly be at the Dallas show ready to rock. By the way, Bang Camaro just came out with a new album, Bang Camaro II. Actually it came out today. I haven't heard much besides what is on their myspace page, but sounds like more of the same awesome. You can check it out here, Bang Camaro myspace.

Also you may know their song, Pleasure - which was a track on Rock Band.

Band of Horses cover The New Year

2008-11-17T11:18:00.003-06:00

Here is something to help you ease into the work week. This is the great Band of Horses covering The End's Not Near by The New Year.

Band of Horses - The End's Not Near (TNY cover)

Four Left Turns Live @ Adair's

2008-10-31T17:15:00.004-05:00

The Four Left Turns are back next Thursday night at the legendary Dallas live music establishment, Adairs. We are the only band playing, so we will be doing 3 jam-packed sets. Music starts up 10 o'clock sharp. Gonna be a great show and there's no cover, so get your dancing pants on and come on down!

Adair's Saloon
2624 Commerce St
Dallas, TX 75226
(214) 939-9900

2008-10-30T14:20:00.007-05:00

In the spirit of the season, I thought I should post one of my favorite horror films of all time. The original Night of the Living Dead. The undead is definitely my favorite horror theme, and this is the film that set the tone. Directed by George Romero in 1968, Night of the Living Dead was the most graphic, goriest film to date. The film also made way for both the slasher and splatter film sub-genres.
I love the hypothetical situation that a zombie infection presents. What would you do if this happened tomorrow morning? Judging by what I have seen, the best idea is to have a radio close at hand to listen to the emergency broadcast. Hopefully other survivors have barricaded themselves in a base and will be broadcasting their location. If that is not an option, then get your ass down to the mall. If you haven't seen this film, it is definitely worth stopping down for an hour or so and watching it, definitely a cool flick.

2008 State Fair Food Preview

2008-10-08T15:52:00.043-05:00

It's a little late this year, but here you have it: The 2008 State Fair Food Preview. Last year was a pretty monumental one, the advent of the Deep Fried Latte has kinda changed the game for me. It is probably the best food invention that the Sate Fair has seen in years. Hopefully the great folks at the Desperados tent will be doing them again this year, while you are there be sure to grab a chicken fajita, which are also great.This year offers up a nice variety of fried confections, and I will be there this weekend to try them. The game is early this year (11 am) so I will probably try to grab some of these afterwards.
Every year, all the vendors enter their new concoctions in the Big Tex Choice Awards. I think that I could make a pretty good case to be one of the judges. Will try for that one next time.

Here is a recap of some of the entries that sound particularly interesting to me.

Chicken Fried Bacon - Thick-cut pepper bacon dipped in a special batter, then deep fried. The end product has a fried chicken consistency. It is then served with a side of Ranch or Honey Mustard. This one won Best Taste in the competition. When I first heard about this one I thought 1) this is way to simple of a recipe and 2) bacon is already greasy enough. But it seems that everyone has been raving about it, so I am interested. I will give them points for coming out of left field with a simple recipe that the peeps are talking about. I will be trying this one for sure.****
Served at N30 located on Nimitz at MLK

Fernie’s All-American Fried Grilled Cheese Sandwich - Your basic grilled cheese - two pieces of white bread filled with American and Cheddar cheese. Dredged in an egg and milk batter, then coated with panko bread crumbs and deep fried. Served with shoestring potato sticks, a pickle spear some tomato soup dipping sauce (I wonder if they mean warm ketchup?). This one was a Finalist in the competition. Ok, so sans the warm tomato dipping sauce, I am into this one. This is kind of a lay-up though - basically a Monte Cristo without the turkey. Willing to try this one out as well.****
Served in the Dock Restaurant inside the Embarcadero Building.

Fried Banana Split - Oh my this one sounds pretty delicious. A mixture of banana and honey peanut butter is rolled in balls, battered and deep-fried and topped with assorted, delicious fixings, including powdered sugar, caramel and chocolate syrups, chopped peanuts, whipped cream and banana split flavored ice cream bites then fittingly crowned with the traditional cherry. Anything that starts with banana and honey peanut butter rolled into balls is a good start. Fried pastries and ice cream go together nicely. Winner of Most Creative in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition. I am interested in see what this sucker looks like, will be sampling this one as well.***
Served at the Auto Grill inside the Automobile Building.

Texas Fried Jelly Belly Beans - What you've got here is basically Jelly Bellys rolled in funnel cake batter and fried to a crunch. And what an unsatisfying crunch that would be, these sound absolutely terrible. I am not really a big fan of Jelly Beans in the first place, but I am still surprised someone thought these would be good. Can you imagine munching on some deep fried nuggets and as you bite in your mouth fills with warm licorice - disgusting.*
Served at Granny’s Funnel Cake stand C6.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Waffle Balls - Plump, fresh strawberries covered in a thick chocolate shell are dipped in a sweet, waffle batter and deep-fried. Dusted with powdered sugar and served on a stick. This one sounds pretty great, plus I love that they still call it a waffle even though it never touches a waffle iron, oh those crazy State Fair vendors! Maybe they should be called pancake balls? Bravo. Will be trying this one as well. Finalist in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.****
Served at the Belgian Waffle stand G39 located on the NE corner of the Esplanade.

Fire and Ice - A pineapple ring battered then deep fried, then topped with banana-flavored whipped cream that’s been frozen in liquid nitrogen. The smoking concoction is then drizzled with strawberries and syrup. This one sounds delicious, and I applaud their forward-thinking cooking methods. Bonus points for incorporating science. Will most definitely be seeking this one out after the game and am anticipating a delight that rivals the Deep Fried Latte. Finalist in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.****
Fire & Ice is served by Abel Gonzales at the family-run stand on Nimitz Drive.

Deep Fried Smores - Marshmallow cream and chocolate chips are sandwiched between two graham crackers, dipped in a feather-light batter and fried to a golden brown. Hmm this one sounds pretty good as well, but I am kinda wanting a nice big piece of Hershey bar in there. Maybe it works better with the chips? Interested to see how this one turns out. Finalist in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.***
At stand N9 located near the Embarcadero entrance.

Here are a few that failed to impress:

Fried Pop Rocks Fundae Blast - Fried ice cream bomb covered in Hershey’s Syrup and Pop Rocks. The fuse is a Twizzler rolled in Pop Rocks. In the center of this fried ice cream bomb is an atomic fireball. Which is perfect for cracking a molar on as you finish your dessert. Points taken away for using the word "fundae". *
Stand FW-22 located on Fun Way

Fried Snowballs – Snowballs are pretty great - however I think that this dessert would best be served with a scoop of ice-cream, and maybe some strawberry sauce. Would get *** if it is served with ice cream. **
Shirley London and Sons stand M-19 located on The Midway

Apple iPie – A crispy fried apple pie with just a hint of cinnamon, is smothered in vanilla ice cream and topped with an edible iPod “like” mp3 player and whipped cream. It also comes with a pair of working earbuds. Gimme an f-ing break! What pathetic excuse for a State Fair food. First off, there is nothing new or inventive about apple fried pies (you could get one at the snack bar in your middle school) - and dressing it up like an ipod is just insulting to the fair-goer. Oh my, and I just discovered that this is this year's Desperado's booth entry! What a let-down!*
Desperado’s stand N-19 located on Admiral Nimitz Circle.

Here are some Stay Classy Dallas ideas for next year's entries:

Deep Fried Caprese Salad - Fresh buffalo mozzarella balls stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and basil and wrapped with a thin slice of proscuitto. The cheese ball is twice battered in funnel-cake batter then deep fried. It is then served split in halves and served with a garlic aoli.

Deep Fried Buffalo Wing Quesadilla - Chili's boneless buffalo wings are sliced thin, then placed on flour tortilla and covered with monterrey jack cheese and another torilla and seared on the griddle. The Quesadilla is then dredged in funnel-cake batter and deep fried. It is then served on a plate topped with Roquefort cheese crumbles and creamy Ranch dressing.

Thanksgiving Dinner Eggrolls - Start with some cornbread dressing, then add turkey, greenbean casserole, and sweet potatoes. Mix until fully combined. Take a large eggroll wrapper and add your filling, then roll an eggroll that is a bit smaller than a Chipotle burrito. Deep-fry it then garnish with cranberry sauce. Serve with fried pecan pie nuggets.

TV On The Radio :: Halfway Home

2008-10-02T16:04:00.003-05:00

This a new track by the great TV On The Radio called Halfway Home. I just started listening to this album yesterday and this first track is just so good that I can't get past it. The album is called Dear Science, and the small bits that I have heard from the rest of it indicates that the whole thing is consistently better than good. They are playing in Dallas at the House of Blues Garage at the end of the month - October 28th.

TVOTR - Halfway Home

Broken Social Scene :: Pitchfork.tv

2008-10-01T11:17:00.004-05:00

This is quite a treat - Pitchfork just published some videos of Broken Social Scene playing a couple tracks live at Juan's Basement. The sound quality is great and the video is awesome. It is a culled-down version of BSS, which is touring in support of both Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning's new albums. The two tracks they play are "Stars and Sons" (a personal fav) and a "Churches Under the Stairs". Too good - enjoy!

2008-09-26T16:06:00.004-05:00

We went to see Hot Chip last night here in town and it was a killer show. The live show sounds different then their albums, but it really works well. They are playing at ACL this weekend, if you are headed there be sure to check them out. Headed down there myself this evening. Going to see Okkervil at Emo's tomorrow night, tickets are still available I think if anyone wants jump on board.
Here is a clip of one of their live shows - enjoy your weekend!

2008-09-22T09:54:00.009-05:00

It has been a pretty long while since I have posted any original content, so I thought I would bring back the Sampler Series. Once again for those who don't know, this is a selection of cool new songs from bands that are sort of new to the scene. I comb through a bunch of new tracks every week and these are some of the best ones I have come across over the past couple weeks. I haven't checked but I know that most of these albums are available on itunes - so if you like one of the tracks, go get it!

Sparkadia - Animals
The Presets - If I Know You
Arsenal - Estupendo
Music Go Music - Reach Out
Snob Scrilla - Mr. Officer (feat. Del The Funky Homosapien)
Empire of the Sun - Walking On A Dream

Also, we have ACL coming up this week, which means that a bunch of bands will be rolling through the area. Here are the highlights:

Granada:
Del the Funky Homosapien - Thursday, 9/25
The Black Keys - Friday, 9/26
Sunset Rubdown - Monday,9/29
Cut Copy & The Presets - Tuesday, 9/30

Palladium:
Hot Chip - Thursday, 9/25
fyi - Girl Talk - Tuesday, 10/21

The Loft:
Ra Ra Riot - Thursday, 10/2

Wilco and Fleet Foxes :: I Shall Be Released

2008-09-05T12:26:00.002-05:00

Wilco with special guests Fleet Foxes covering Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released".

Taylor Vieger :: Black Caviar

2008-08-27T23:39:00.002-05:00

I filmed this at Taylor's last gig - great unplugged version of Black Caviar. Joining Taylor on the left playing rhythm and singing back-up is Jason Lewis, and on the right, playing lead is Ryan Young. Taylor's album, Whiplash Ballroom is available on itunes.

Zach Galifianakis - "You Bring Me Joy"

2008-08-27T09:45:00.002-05:00

You guys ever seen this guy? hilarious! He is was part of that Comedians of Comedy doc that HBO did last year.

My Morning Jacket Live @ Palladium - Saturday

2008-08-21T16:48:00.004-05:00

My Morning Jacket is in town on Saturday, kinda the highlight of the weekend. Tickets are still available if anyone is late to the party on this one. Will be interesting to see the new tracks live. I kinda really love the new one Touch Me I'M Gonna Scream Part 1, will be looking for that, as well as the crowd fav Dondante. Also tonight is The Ticket's Fight Night. For those of you who don't know anything about Fight Night, it is a basically an event where fans of the station can duke it out in a real boxing match in an real deal octagon. Interested in checking it out, but it's normally pretty crowded - so I doubt I will be making an appearance. I am kinda interested in the Hardline's main event - The Cougar vs. The Cub.

Four Left Turns Battle It Out Tonight!

2008-08-14T12:43:00.004-05:00

Tonight the Turns are playing the Dieste Battle of the Ad Bands. It is going to be a big party, so everyone come on out and rock out with the Turns! We have a pretty solid set lined up and the whole thing is judged on crowd participation, so we need some numbers! The cover is $15, and with that you get food and a drink ticket, so it's really not too bad. The battle starts at 6 pm and the Turns go on at 8 pm sharp. Our set is short, so if you show up late you may miss it. It is at the Lizard Lounge, which is in Deep Ellum on Swiss.

Battle of the Ad Bands
Thursday August 14th
Show starts at 6, Turns on @ 8
Lizard Lounge - $15

2424 Swiss Ave
Dallas, TX 75204
(214) 826-4769

See you guys there.

Taylor Vieger Live! Saturday, Aug. 9th

2008-08-06T16:01:00.002-05:00

The great Taylor Vieger and his merry band of misfits are playing a show at the Crooked Tree Coffee House this Saturday - downbeat @ 9. By the way, Taylor's new album is available on iTunes and it is really fantastic - expect a full blown review soon on Stay Classy. It is basically all we listened to in Puerto Rico. I recommend giving it a listen and making the show on Saturday night - in Uptown!

Gnarls covering Radiohead

2008-08-05T23:26:00.006-05:00

This is all kinds of cool and really great. I saw Gnarls, and they opened with She Blinded Me With Science, which was all kinds of awesome and now they pull this, magnanimous!
And a mighty congrats and best of luck to Sterling and Kris and Phil and Christie.

Weird and Wild Stuff

2008-07-25T13:26:00.001-05:00

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

2008-07-20T20:52:00.004-05:00

Radiohead & Le Tour

2008-07-10T00:45:00.014-05:00

Don't know how I could have missed this from the first time around. Radiohead covering Bjork's Unravel for the the Thumbs Down webcast they did a few months ago, so great. Maybe the best Bjork song covered by Radiohead.

Just when you think it couldn't get any better, here comes the ultimate Joy Division party track, Ceremony covered by Radiohead as well.

Also want to apologize to all those Stay Classy die-hards looking for Tour updates, I haven't really been paying close attention to the race this year. However I did see a very kick-ass individual time trial yesterday that was pretty great. Gotta get over there one of these years and witness this S in person. Yesterday's time trial winner and the current rider in the Maillot Juane is Stefan Schumacher of the Gerolsteiner team. Just found a highlight video of the time trial - check it out.

I missed it, but apparently Alejandro Valverde had a bad fall today, but is going to continue the race. Cadel Evans is probably my favorite rider this year and he is sitting pretty in 4th. He had a nice time trial as well, plus he is a pretty well rounded classic rider - the test will be in the Alps and Pyrenees. However, I don't really know if the Silence-Lotto Team can support him to a Tour victory. Here he is in yesterday's time trial.
Also, Tom Boonen - which is my favorite sprinter, was banned from the Tour a couple weeks ago because he tested positive for cocaine. So that sucks - I think I actually made a point... oh I def. did (eesh), to say in last year's Tour coverage that Tom Boonen was publicly against doping. Guess old Tom is too worried about getting smashed and chasing ladies around Western Europe to worry about an upcoming Tour - kinda disappointing.

New Music Thursday :: The dø

2008-06-24T12:14:00.010-05:00

Here is something completely new and different, The dø! The dø is an indie pop duo from Paris and Helsinki. They just released their first full album, A Mouthful in Europe this month (not available in the US, yet) that completely unique and very great.

They are about as eclectic as it gets - one of best tracks on the album, At Last kinda sounds like a Velvet Underground track, layered with a gorgeous female vocal lead. Which brings me to the best thing about this band, the incredibly mysterious and exotic vocalist, Olivia Merilahti. Give a listen and check out their myspace - she is quite lovely.

That's all I've got for these guys - great album, will be one of the best of 2008... BTW is it just me or has 2008 been somewhat unimpressive as far as music goes?
Here are a couple samples of The dø, enjoy!

The dø Myspace

The dø - At Last
The dø - The Bridge Is Broken

Girl Talk :: Feed The Animals

2008-06-20T14:15:00.004-05:00

I don't think that I have met one person who has not instantly fell in love with the Night Ripper album after their first listen. It kinda turned into the go-to album for latenight parties, tailgates, boat tunes, etc. Lucky for all of us, Greg Gillis aka Girl Talk just released his new album Feed The Animals online. The purchase process is exactly like what Radiohead did with In Rainbows, he gives the option to pick your price and paypal him. Then, you just download it and in a couple minutes you are in! Thus, increasing your weekend fun by 22%.

I have been listening to it all morning and each track is better than the last. It is amazing how many awesome transitions and moments he creates in each song. Such a fun album, every bit as good as Night Ripper. Some of the more interesting samples layered in with gritty hip-hop includes "A Whiter Shade of Pale", Metallica's "One", and "The Weight" by the Band, there is also pretty sweet Paranoid Android mash-up with Jay-Z. If you paypal $10+, they will send you the CD when it is released in September. The album art is pretty great as well.

Download Feed the Animals here: http://illegalart.net

Heres a sample -

Girl Talk - What It's All About

SCD Recommends :: Darkon

2008-06-18T16:37:00.008-05:00

There are few genres of film that I enjoy more than the documentary. Especially documentaries that document mega-nerd subcultures (see American Movie: The Making of Northwestern, and King of Kong). Right there sandwiched in between those two epics docs is the greatness of Darkon. Darkon follows a giant kingdom of LARPers in the Darkon Wargame Club in Maryland. LARP stands for Live Action Role Playing, which is essentially a dressed up, real life Dungeons and Dragons mixed in with some sword-play and combat.
Every Saturday some 2oo adult nerds gather to wage epic battles against each other in a giant struggle for imaginary land in an imaginary world. The battles basically look like a scene from Braveheart, but instead of warriors, the crowds are made up of fat nerds slapping each other with foam bats. It is a light-hearted doc that is a good time for everyone, even if your not interested in this sort of thing at all, it is hilarious and def. worth checking out. Here is the trailer.
I love how address each other - "Lord General Keldar, it has been your hipocracy that has been noose about the neck of the realm for so long!" Are they just making this stuff up on the fly or what? Either way it is pretty impressive. I am kinda interested in putting together a group of LARPing warriors, seems like it would be fun.

David Ford Tonight @ HOB

2008-06-18T15:59:00.005-05:00

UK singer/songwriter David Ford is playing a show at HOB tonight opening for Aimee Mann. His style is kinda similar to Damien Rice or Amos Lee, but he does a lot of looping as well so it seems as if you could also compare him to KT Tunstall. His new album, Songs For the Road came out in April, and there are some really nice moments on it. Enjoy a sample track off his new album below. I am gonna check it out tonight - if anyone is down for seeing some live music tonight, give me a shout. I also secured a photo pass, so I am gonna do some shooting as well.

Lots of music this week, a friend fell into some Deathcab VIP's last night, so we went and did that as well. Rogue Wave opened, I am not too familiar with their music, but they did play the two songs I knew - don't think there is really anything special about those guys. Deathcab was really good though - the mishmash of fans was almost as interesting to see as the show. Half your basic concert-going indie crowd, half adolescents with their parents. The show was great though, great seats! I have seen them a couple times and it was good to see them perform the new material. Ben Gibbard is slimming up these days and looking a lot more rock n roll - his every man appearance which made them so interesting is yesterday's new I guess.

David Ford - And So You Fell

New Music Tuesday :: Fleet Foxes

2008-06-17T15:58:00.004-05:00

It is pretty obvious I have been slacking because I haven't posted about this album yet. It has been spinning in my car non-stop the past couple weeks. I don't really wanna bore you with a bunch of drivel about what makes these guys so good, so I will just leave you with some links to a couple of their tracks. White Winter Hymnal is such a great one, my favorite song of the year so far. The vocals of Robin Pecknold are somewhat similar to that of Jim James and Ben Bridwell, but the band doesn't really sound at all like MMJ or BOH. This may seem kinda weird, but it kinda sounds like an acoustic Animal Collective.

Fleet Foxes are from Seattle, and like a lot of Seattle's best bands, they are with Sub Pop. Wolf Parade, another Sub Pop band, just released their sophmore effort this week - really excited to hear that one as well. Man, music is so great!

Should also throw in there that Jenkins was the one to tell me about this band a few months ago when their EP came out, so I guess a small scoreboard for J-stain.

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
Fleet Foxes - He Doesn't Know Why

The "Burntwist's" Mega Ramp

2008-06-13T15:04:00.002-05:00

I love how the "extreme" sports keep getting more extreme... Clearing 50 ft gaps and doing backflips on motorcross bikes is all too common these days - and it is awesome!

Don't Get Any Big Ideas.

2008-06-09T13:17:00.001-05:00

Big Ideas (don't get any) from James Houston on Vimeo.
Interesting remix of Radiohead's Nude.

I Wanna Make Luv in this Showbiz Pizza.

2008-06-04T15:43:00.000-05:00

New Weezer Video - Kinda Cool?

2008-05-23T12:48:00.000-05:00

New Music Wednesday :: Evil Urges

2008-05-21T16:44:00.005-05:00

So here's a snippet from the oh so controversial new My Morning Jacket's album "Evil Urges". I personally think this song rocks a whole bunch, but some of the rest of the album is a very big departure from their past material. It is pretty good, but I think the previous two have been better. The cover art for this album completely blows by the way. It looks like someone went nuts in photoshop and finally landed on this crap. Which is kinda weird considering the previous two album covers were great -

Check this here sample and prepare to be kinda rocked in a new and different way.

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

Cooking with Kige

2008-05-14T14:11:00.001-05:00

2008-05-08T14:28:00.004-05:00

Just revised my muxtape with some rockin' new tracks - check it out here.
http://mattfraser.muxtape.com/

No one comments anymore - please leave comments.

It's Fun To Do Hoodrat Stuff.

2008-05-08T11:04:00.001-05:00

Five Step - Radiohead and Brubeck

2008-04-22T12:32:00.002-05:00

Thanks to D Dent for sending this one over to Stay Classy. Cool mashup of Dave Brubeck's Take Five and Radiohead's 15 Step.

What?

2008-04-21T12:28:00.003-05:00

There are some really serious homersexual undertones here. I hope these guys are running a bit...

Looks like W. is running with the wrong crowd again.

2008-04-17T14:20:00.002-05:00

2008-04-15T11:49:00.003-05:00

Here is a cool website where you can upload a mix for others to stream - the sound quality is great too. Just register and start uploading songs, super easy to use. Check out my mix, I will be updating it regularly.

www.mattfraser.muxtape.com

Brad at the Improv.

2008-04-14T12:46:00.001-05:00

Ol' buddy Brad from back in the day.

FFFFound.com

2008-04-10T14:58:00.005-05:00

Here is a cool site for all you creative types out there who are always scouring the net for inspiration: FFFFound.com. It is a basically a collection of cool photos and design from all over the world posted by a network of designer I think. Even if you could care less about that sort of thing, it is a cool site to just surf around in and look at interesting stuff. Here are a couple samples of some of the cooler jpegs I have ffffound.

Shalissa turns 28.

2008-03-26T00:01:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday Meliss and Shane. Looks like the past year has been a rough one for ol' Shalissa.

2008-03-19T15:09:00.007-05:00

"Son you know those MIDI files aren't sorted."

Fridays with Kige.

2008-03-12T12:14:00.003-05:00

"And the best book, Tuesdays with Morrie"

2008-02-27T17:17:00.001-06:00

Kiiiiiii

2008-02-27T08:45:00.002-06:00

New Music :: Evangelicals

2008-02-20T16:18:00.004-06:00

Evangelicals are pretty much great times 12. I have found myself slowly listening to this more and more and had a moment of clarity this afternoon when I realized this album may be the best new music out there. Oddly enough, they are apparently from Norman, which I didn't know until just now when I looked them up. That is kinda interesting - here we have Norman, OK, the land full of Sooner douche, and somewhere trapped in that mess is a bastian of indie music greatness, which also produced the Starlight Mints and the Flaming Lips. This is both confusing and intriguing to me. Some of the songs on this album kinda sound like Broken Social Scene and some of it kinda sounds like Clap Your Hands, but different then both. Really, really great music for 2008.
2008 is the first year where when I say it or type it I kinda feel futuristic... 2007 didn't really have that feeling - but 2008 definitely does. Is anybody else with me on this? We are kinda in the future these days I think. Think about it, plasmas are kinda everywhere; I carry all my music in my phone; I can watch episodes of Rob and Big and Mythbusters anytime I choose... the future is upon us.
Here are a couple samples off the new Evangelicals album that is pretty much a must buy to anyone that likes good new music. Party Crashin' is a fav of mine.
Evangelicals - Skeleton Man
Evangelicals - Party Crashin'
Evangelicals - March 11th @ The Cavern

2008-02-15T10:21:00.005-06:00

Sometimes I kinda wanna kill Kanye too, this song is pretty great though. Cool video too.

2008-02-15T10:16:00.000-06:00

New Music :: Holy Fuck

2008-02-06T10:35:00.000-06:00

Here's something new for you to listen to, Holy Fuck. Holy Fuck is an improvisational electronica band from Toronto... apparently they got together to make electronica that can be enjoyed live and not just something that was looped and spliced and stored on a cd. It makes for some pretty solid listening. Holy Fuck is instantly infectious and would be a great soundtrack for a dance party. I saw the Fiery Furnaces and Super Furry Animals on Friday and Holy Fuck opened for them, at that time I wasn't familiar with them and missed the show... what a mistake. Sounds like it would have been the best of the three. Here are a couple samples for your enjoyment, the album is available on iTunes. The Pulse is really great.

Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen
Holy Fuck - The Pulse

Stereophonic Zoology!

2008-02-01T15:19:00.000-06:00

Stay Classy Dallas has a new friend in the blogosphere, her name is Stereophonic Zoology and she is the brainchild of Craig the Great. Craig is a buddy of mine and fellow art director @ TL and his blog is taking on serious steam. Tons of posts and lots of cool vids. Like Stay Classy, Stereophonic Zoology has a vehement interest in music, and the two blogs have very similar taste - so you might see a little overlap. Sprinkled in between are some pop culutre rants and random bits of local events. If you love SCD you will love Stereophonic Zoology.

Stereophonic Zoology

Happy Friday!

2008-02-01T15:02:00.001-06:00

2008-02-01T11:43:00.001-06:00

4 8 15 16 23 42

2008-01-31T15:36:00.000-06:00

Remember we got Lost back tonight @ 8!

2008-01-31T12:23:00.000-06:00

New Music Tuesday!

2008-01-29T11:12:00.000-06:00

Two of our favorite dance 'til you drop bands have leaked new singles off their upcoming albums. Big fan of both tracks - Ghostland has been playing Heavy Heart at the past couple shows I have been to and it stuck out - maybe because of the awesome break down in the middle of the track where the Phantom of the Opera pipe organ is roaring. Enjoy!

Gnarls Barkley - Run
Ghostland Observatory - Heavy Heart
*the Gnarls Barkley mp3 has been pulled, sorry folks!

2008-01-29T10:17:00.000-06:00

There are a ton of great bands strolling through this neck of the woods in the coming months... We've got the great Band of Horses playing this weekend at the Paladium... I am not really a fan of the venue - but it will be nice to see BoH for the first time. Then we've got Bang Camaro, which is a can't miss! Really excited about that one - Cambridge is a super small venue, will be a huge party! Okkervil, Jens, Wilco, and the great Radiohead... the four top artists of 2007 all within a month!

Feb. 2 :: Band of Horses, Paladium Ballroom
Feb. 16 :: Bang Camaro, Cambridge Room (HOB)
Feb. 24 :: Black Lips, The Loft
Mar. 7 :: Wilco, Verizon Wireless Theatre (Houston)
Mar. 8 :: Centromatic, Granada
Mar. 10 :: Phosphorescent, The Cavern
Mar. 14 :: Jens Lekman (with full band!), Granada
Apr. 4 :: Okkervil River, Granada
Apr. 20 :: Rush, Smirnoff
May 9 :: Radiohead, American Airlines Center

Runnin' With The Devil!

2008-01-28T14:15:00.000-06:00

So... this is pretty genius. I am huge fan of old Van Halen, one of my favorite tracks is Runnin' With The Devil. My hometown radio station used this as the lead in music to every high school sports broadcast for years and years, probably still using it today. Somehow, some sound engineer found the multitracks of the song and pulled just David Lee Roth's vocals without the rest of the music. The Ticket played this last week, and I almost had to pull over on the way home I was laughing so hard, you'll love it! Kind of a mean trick to play, but wow this is awesome.

Runnin' With the Devil vocal track!

and here's the original music video for the sake of awesomeness.

2008-01-21T13:56:00.001-06:00

Definitely hitting the show up tonight - if you are in Dallas, you should go.

2008-01-15T15:04:00.001-06:00

M.I.A. :: Paper Planes

2008-01-15T13:35:00.000-06:00

This should have been included in the top tracks of 2007, but I didn't get the album until after the New Year. The whole thing is pretty good, but this track rocks.

M.I.A. - Paper Planes

The biggest ass whip of 2007.

2008-01-10T10:13:00.000-06:00

2007 was a pretty great year for a lot of things - music, movies, etc. However, there were a couple bits of cultura that I had a very strong distaste for, right up there with Soulja Boy was this...

Dr. Pepper Commercial

R A D IO HE A D

2008-01-09T11:36:00.000-06:00

Radiohead just confirmed that they will be including Dallas and Houston dates in their upcoming tour! Don't know those dates or venue info yet but stay tuned!

Update:
Dallas - American Airlines Center, May 9th
Houston - Toyota Center, May 10th

Radiohead :: Scotch Mist

2008-01-03T11:37:00.000-06:00

This was on TV on New Year's Day in case you missed it - every song from the In Rainbows album performed live in studio.

Top Tracks of 2007

2007-12-20T11:28:00.000-06:00

These are tracks off albums that I didn't include the Top 20 of 2007... these were some of my favorite songs of the year, so I figured it was worth posting. I am gonna include the tracks so you can listen to 'em in case there are a couple you haven't heard. That's kinda what I'm doing here, songs that you might not have heard in the past year that were especially good.

10. Momma's Boy - Chromeo
mp3 :: Momma's Boy

9. Collarbone - Fujiya & Miyagi
mp3 :: Collarbone

8. We Used To Vacation - Cold War Kids
mp3 :: We Used To Vacation

7. Ash Wednesday - Elvis Perkins
mp3 :: Ash Wednesday

6. Wolves - Phosphorescent
mp3 :: Wolves

5. Been There All The Time - Dinosaur Jr.
mp3 :: Been There All The Time

4. International Players Anthem - UGK (ft. Outkast)
mp3 :: International Players Anthem

3. Changing Colours - Great Lake Swimmers
mp3 :: Changing Colours

2. Time To Pretend - MGMT
mp3 :: Time To Pretend

1. 2080 - Yeasayer
mp3 :: 2080

2007-12-10T13:49:00.000-06:00

Unlike the previous, this was such a fantastic year in music. The two best touring bands in the world came out with seminal albums, the Wilco album being their best yet. This was also a great year for the sophmore album with Band of Horses, Arcade Fire, and Leslie Feist all producing very strong second efforts, while Bloc Party and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! both greeted us with disappointment. Okkervil River came out with the best album of their catalogue, as well as Jens Lekman. Newcomer and Dallas native, St. Vincent put together a really great collection of songs as well.
The selection process for this was kinda tough - the top three albums are pretty much in a three-way tie for me. The same with 8-12, I enjoyed each of those as much as the other. There was also a band that I just recently heard about called MGMT who's new album Oracular Spectacular is a favorite right now, but it just arrived a little too late to include it in the top 20.
Hope you enjoy the list, these are all fantastic albums that would def. be worth purchasing... Also, I would like to hear what you liked as well as anything you think should have been included.

20. Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
Highlights: Fans, McFearless, Knocked Up

19. Menomena - Friend and Foe
Highlights: Wet and Rusting, My My

18. Battles - Mirrored
Highlights: Tonto, Leyendecker, Atlas

17. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
Highlights: Goodnight Rose, Everybody Knows, Two

16. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Highlights: The Underdog, Don't Make Me A Target

15. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Highlights: Plasticities (a favorite of the year), Scythian Empires, Heretics

14. Caribou - Andorra
HIghlights: Irene, Eli, Melody Day

13. Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight
Highlights: Dreamworld, Dejalo, Close Call, The Moneymaker

12. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Highlights: No Cars Go, Intervention, Keep the Car Running, My Body Is A Cage

11. Son Volt - The Search
Highlights: Methamphetamine (a favorite of the year), Highways and Cigarettes, Circadian Rhythm

10. Iron & Wine - The Shephard's Dog
Highlights: Lovesong of a Buzzard, Boy With a Coin, House by the Sea

9. Feist - The Reminder
Highlights: I Feel It All, Sea Lion Woman, My Moon My Man

8. The National - Boxer
Highlights: Mistaken For Strangers, Squalor Victoria, Fake Empire, Slow Show

7. Rocky Votolato - The Brag And Cuss
Highlights: Red Dragon Wishes, The Wrong Side of Reno, Postcard From Kentucky, Lilly White

6. St. Vincent - Marry Me
Highlights: Now Now, Marry Me, Paris Is Burning, Your Lips Are Red

5. Band Of Horses - Cease to Begin
Highlights: No One's Gonna Love You, Is There A Ghost, The General Specific, Detlef Schrempf

4. Radiohead - In Rainbows
Highlights: Reckoner, House of Cards, Jigsaw Falling Into Place, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, All I Need

3. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Highlights: The Opposite of Hallelujah, Shirin, A Postcard to Nina, Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo, Put Your Arms Me (another favorite of the year)

2. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Highlights: Side With The Seeds, Hate It Here, You Are My Face (favorite on the album), Either Way, The Thanks I Get (bonus disc)

1. Okkervil River - The Stage Names
Highlights: Plus Ones, Unless It's Kicks, Savannah Smiles, John Allyn Smith Sails (amazing), You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock N' Roll Man, Our Life is Not A Movie Or Is It

Be Kind Rewind

2007-12-10T10:37:00.000-06:00

New film by Michel Gondry.

New Music :: Bang Camaro

2007-11-30T13:55:00.000-06:00

If you like awesome 80's arena anthem rock you will love Bang Camaro. Where do I even begin? First off, the band is a collection of musicians from various indie bands in Boston that have come together to play the music they loved growing up... it consists of three guitarists, a bass player, a drummer and about 20 dudes that sing vocals and get ripped on stage. They don't really take themselves too seriously, every 80s metal cliche is played up big time! The content of their songs are pretty great as well, especially - "Swallow The Razor", "Nightlife Commando", and "Push Push Lady Lightning". This band is pure dude rock, and incredibly fun to listen to. Cravens needs to check them out and give me a report, I bet it is quite an experience. I know a lot of you have no interest in something like this, but you have to agree it's always good to see something new and different. Here is a sample song and a clip from one of their shows.

Bang Camaro - Push Push Lady Lightening

Looks like a blast!

Amy Winehouse is no good.

2007-11-27T17:38:00.001-06:00

Insert your rehab joke here.

So exactly how big of a nerd are you?

2007-11-15T15:54:00.000-06:00

Take this Nintendo Quiz and find out! I believe my favorite Nintendo game would be Ghosts and Goblins, followed by Mega Man 2
Nintendo Historian Quiz by Mental Floss

Coolest Day Ever!

2007-11-15T10:25:00.000-06:00

The music accompaniment we are dealing with here is prettty much where it's at.

The name is Leon.

2007-11-09T14:50:00.000-06:00

Whatup Hal! Hahaha! What's going on boy!

Rivers & Tides :: Andy Goldsworthy

2007-11-02T15:21:00.000-05:00

Here's something that I don't think a whole lot of people are familiar with... the works of Andy Goldsworthy. Andy Goldsworthy is a Scottish artist who makes sculptures in nature. The incredible thing about his work is that they only live in time, the sculptures are usually destroyed in a matter of hours by the tide, wind, or sun. The two subjects from which he draws his inspiration are the ocean and the river. Thus the name of his documentary, Rivers and Tides. It came on last night and it is unbelievable. Most of his sculptures consist or rocks, wood, leaves, and ice - he spends hours and hours on them only to watch the wind or the ocean tear to them pieces. It is really interesting to see him work and his sculptures are incredibly inspiring. Here is a clip from the documentary and some photographs of his work.

Happy Halloween to everybody!

2007-10-31T15:55:00.000-05:00

Here are some super awesome clips from some of my favorite horror films to help ring in the holiday season.
Scanners:

Lunch @ Winkie's (technically Mulholland Drive isn't really a horror film, but damn this scared the crap outta me):

Evil Dead 2:

New Music :: The Sword.

2007-10-25T14:02:00.001-05:00

I have said this to a few of you before and for some reason no one believes me -- we are on the verge of the Second Coming of Metal! There are three really big post-metal bands right now that are playing serious shows and festivals and have been getting solid reviews from the indie pubs... Mastadon, Wolfmother, and the newest one - The Sword. The Sword is from Austin and their album is pretty much a continuous hour of slap you in the face, kick-ass rock. I have always been a fan of good hard rock and thank the gods of rock that it is making a comeback. Here is a sample off their album, Age of Winters... Anyone who is a GH2 fan will recognize Freya. The Sword is playing at the Fun Fun Fun Festival in Austin the weekend of Nov. 3rd along with other Stay Classy favorites - Okkervil River, Girl Talk, Battles, Explosions in the Sky, and Final Fantasy.
Check out the line up for the Fun Fun Fun Festival here.
The Sword - Freya

Rocky Votolato @ House of Blues tonight.

2007-10-18T16:01:00.000-05:00

I am gonna try and make this show tonight... been listening to his new album a lot the past couple months and it may be a favorite of '07 for me. It will be a very intimate venue with tickets available at the door if anyone is interested in checking him out. He will probably go on @ 8 or so. Rocky Votolato is a very talented singer-songwriter type from Seattle. His new album "Brag & Cuss" offers a full band and a fuller sound with a definite country-americana influence. This album is defintely worth picking up. Here is a sample for your enjoyment.
Rocky Votolato - Postcard From Kentucky

When you find a stranger in the Alps?

2007-10-18T14:16:00.001-05:00

More 1920's Reporter Guy.

2007-10-16T16:16:00.000-05:00

I figured I would go ahead and post this since the 1920's Reporter Guy has made the national news this week. For those of you non-Dallas folk, 1920's Reporter Guy is Tom Gribble - the producer of BaD radio on the highly-lauded Dallas talk radio station, The Ticket. I am a huge fan of the station and especially the 1920's Reporter Guy bit. The Ticket is absolute greatness all day long, you can stream the broadcast here : 1310 The Ticket. Be careful - it is addictive... I started off as a casual sports fan, and now I listen 5 hours a day. Here is another 1920's Reporter Guy clip with Mac Brown.

Ghostland on Conan tonight.

2007-10-16T15:15:00.000-05:00

For the all Ghostland fans out there in the world today, you will be happy to know that they are making their nationwide television debut tonight on the Conan O'Brien show. Make sure and tune in if your into that sort of thing. For those who don't know much about Ghostland - you should most definitely tune in, it is quite the spectacle. Plus, their music absolutely rocks. While we are on the subject of the Conan O'Brien Show (which I love) - here are some of the show's finer moments.
Vomiting Kermit and the Masterbating Bear:

Tom Hanks Secrets:

New Music :: Radiohead

2007-10-10T11:17:00.000-05:00

As I am sure we all know - today Radiohead dropped their new album available as a free download on their website... I tried to find the album art for the album online, but apparently it doesn't exist, so I have created my own. I recommend that you click on the image then download the hi-res pic and drag it into your album artwork in iTunes. Maybe I will upload it to iTunes that way everyone can get it... When I did a google image search for the album art work a random pic of a hot German girl drinking a dunkel was one of the first pics to pop up... and I kinda like it - here it is:Ok - so I guess I should talk about the new album a bit, I have listened to it twice now and some songs are starting to stick out... specifically Reckoner and House of Cards. Videotape is the only thing on the album that is disappointing. On Hail to the Thief "Wolf at the Door" was such an epic ending, was kind of hoping for another big finish. Anyway, it is def. worth checking out... this evening I will revise this blog and give it a better review, kind of crunched on time right now. Just wanted to get the album art work out there for people to start using.
Here is a sample from the album, remember to go to radiohead.com and get the whole thing - and throw them a few dollars.
Radiohead - House of Cards

Great Lake Swimmers tonight @ The Cavern

2007-10-09T15:56:00.000-05:00

SCD favorite Great Lake Swimmers are playing a show in town tonight at the Cavern... The doors are at 8 - GLS will probably go on around 10 or so. I am gonna try and make it out for the show seeing as this is the second time they have came to Dallas this year and I have yet to see them.

2007-10-08T14:47:00.000-05:00

Who Wants To Get Fat?

2007-09-25T11:43:00.000-05:00

This weekend the legendary State Fair Of Texas rolls into town once again for another month of debaucherous indulgence. Due to the amount of positive feedback from last year's Texas State Fair Food Preview, the Stay Classy staff has decided to make it an annual story. If you'll remember from last year, the new food that was getting so much pub was the Fried Coke, which turned out to look like this (see picture).
I think it left most folks a bit disappointed (unlike the previous year when the Fried Oreos stole the show). I tried the Fried Coke and the Fried Macaroni last year, and was only marginally impressed by each. My "go to" Fair fare has always been, and will always be the Turkey Leg, which is closely followed by the Fletcher's Corn Dog. As far as the rides go, the Pirate Ship is pretty much where it's at. However, last year I rode the ride that drops you from hundred feet in the air (it's adjacent to the Pirate Ship), it is pretty fun as well. I am gonna try and make it out the Fair before TXOU this year, that way I can make sure and try all the new foods and maybe this time I can offer a post-Fair recap.
Also, a new feature included this year is the location of each vendor... which is very important because one year it took me 45 minutes to find the chocolate dipped key lime pie. Alrighty, well here we go with the Stay Classy Dallas Fair Food Preview '07.

This year's new additions -

Deep Fried Latte - This one is the "Fried Coke" of this year's Fair. It has been getting a lot of publicity... Their buzz phrase is "they'll make you fat and keep you awake" and comes from the folks at Desperado's on Greenville, which has the best puffy tacos in town. Here's what you get... a fried pastry topped with cappuccino ice cream, caramel sauce, whipped cream and instant coffee powder. Sans the coffee powder, I think they are on to something here... Fried pastry - check... mocha icecream - check... caramel sauce - check. ****
Location: Nimitz Drive

Fried Cookie Dough - This is the new entry from the Fried Coke camp... when asked about the his new fried-confectionary monstrosity, Able Gonzalez Jr. said, "I'm not sure we have another Fried Coke" "I don't think I be able to beat that type of excitement again," "That was crazy."- so it looks like the Fried Coke folks are shaking in their boots. The cookie dough is chilled, then battered, fried and topped with chocolate syrup and whipped cream... There will be an "everything" cookie dough with chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans... and he's thinking about an oatmeal raisin. I enjoy cookie dough and think this one may pick steam once the Fair opens.****
Location: Nimitz Drive near the Embarcadero

Zesty Fried Guacamole Bites - This is a scoop of guacamole that is breaded, fried, and served with ranch dressing or salsa. I am interested in this one, as these are all things that I enjoy. The quality of the guacamole will be crux of this one.****
Location: Midway in the Thrill Zone

Peach Cobbler on a Stick - What we have here is basically a portion of peach cobbler and dumplings rolled in pastry dough, skewered and fried. It is then dusted with sugar and cinnamon. This one is kind of a stretch, why does it need to be on a stick? ** - for the schtick factor.
Location: Tower Building

Fernie's Fried Chili Frito Burrito - Chili and Fritos wrapped in a flour tortilla and fried. Topped with cheese sauce, grated cheddar cheese, jalapenos, sour cream, hot sauce and onions. Sounds like this is not one that you wanna eat early in the day. I will be eating this one at the fair this year.****
Location: Dock Restaurant inside the Embarcadero Building.

Fried Banana Pudding - This one also harnesses the genius of "tortilla technology"... banana pudding wrapped in a flour tortilla, fried and topped with whipped cream, sugar, and cinnamon. I enjoy banana pudding just as much as the next guy, but I don't know if a fried tortilla oozing banana pudding is what I want to chaw on while getting my picture screen printed on a T-shirt.**
Location: Tower Building

Mama's Fried Sweet Potato Pie - As does this one... Pie filling wrapped in a flour tortilla, fried and topped with sugar and cinnamon. I love sweet potato pie, bet this one will be pretty worth trying out.***
Location: Cotton Bowl Plaza & Midway

Here is a new Stay Classy idea that I would like to see on the Midway next year...

Deep Fried Strait Plate - We start with the Maudie's Strait Plate and dump the whole thing in a giant flour tortilla and carefully fold it up into a kind of big package, then we take the package and batter it in banana pancake batter and deep fry it. It is then sprayed with a maple syrup aerosol gun and served with a tiny American flag stuck on top.

Good Midlake Article.

2007-09-17T11:32:00.000-05:00

I just read this interview by The Onion A.V. Club with Midlake songwriter Tim Smith. It is pretty interesting and addresses a lot of the inquiries I have had about Occupanther. You can read it here: Onion A.V. Club Midlake Interview

Wilco live @ the Paladium tonight!

2007-09-14T10:18:00.000-05:00

Today brings reason for celebration on two fronts. One of my favorite bands and what I believe to be the best touring band in the world is playing a show in Dallas tonight at the Paladium Ballroom. I don't really feel the need to elaborate on this, as I know that most of my Stay Classy readers love Wilco just as much as I do... I haven't seen them do most of their new songs off Sky Blue Sky, so this is going to be really great. It may be my favorite Wilco album, in tough competition with Summerteeth, I really like Ghost is Born too.
Here is a link to a NPR Live Concert Series podcast featuring a set that Wilco did in studio last year, if you wanna listen to it - Wilco NPR Podcast.
The other reason for celebration is that last night, my good friend Sterling and his girlfriend Kristen got engaged. So... a special congrats to both of them.
Here is a sample from the new Wilco album if you are not familiar with them, but are intrigued...
Wilco - The Thanks I Get

First Game of the Year.

2007-09-12T21:39:00.001-05:00

Kige pulls the curtain back on the magic!

2007-08-30T14:42:00.000-05:00

If Kige doesn't put a smile on your face, you seriously need to take a look inward. This may be the best thing on the net. Kige Ramsey, who apparently is employed by Youtube, does a newscast every day from his house covering current events. Here are some of his greatest hits -
Kige's take on sports:

Kige's take on consumerism:

Kige's take on social networking (live from the automotive section of Wal-Mart!):

Ron Mueck @ the Modern Art Museum of Ft. Worth

2007-08-29T14:14:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I went to the Ft. Worth Museum of Modern Art and checked out the featured exhibit - Scupltures by Ron Mueck. Ron Mueck is an Australian born artist who lives in England and creates incredibly realistic sculptures of people complete with silicon skin and human hair. If you have an opportunity to get to Ft. Worth and check it out, I highly recommend it. The sculptures look so fragile and realistic that you think they are gonna come to life, which I am convinced they do in the middle on the night, while the museum is closed. He uses scale to express emotion in his sculptures, some are 2 ft. tall, others are 10 ft. Ron Mueck was creature creator for Jim Henson productions, his more notable works include the awesome film, The Dark Crystal and also The Labrynth.
You can see some of that likeness in his sculptures, here are some of the works you'll find at the exhibit:
This is his self-portrait:

Wow... She is hot.

2007-08-28T16:10:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't been blessed with genius of Miss South Carolina... "South Africa, The Iraq, everywhere like, such as."

Dark Side of Whooville.

2007-08-22T11:55:00.000-05:00

This is Rich Aucoin's debut album, Personal Publication which he made to sync up with the 1966 How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It's really pretty cool, the album sounds pretty solid on it's own as well.

What do Larry the Cable Guy and Bear Grylls have in common?

2007-08-20T16:05:00.001-05:00

Have a look at this... this is Dan Whitney, otherwise known as Larry the Cable Guy before he found his bit.
And look at this:
Bear Grylls from the very popular Man Vs. Wild, apparently his dangerous brushes with death in the wild were probably in a drainage ditch behind a Home Depot somewhere. So who's the bigger asshole? This is Matt Fraser for YouTube News.

Going to see Rush!

2007-08-10T16:33:00.001-05:00

This is a big weekend for me - going to see Rush at Smirnoff. I have been into Rush every since I was 12 and my fascination in this awesome power trio has only grown over time. I have not been this excited about a concert since I was 18 and about to see my first Dave concert. I imagine it's going to be an awesome scene as well... plenty good people watching to do.

2007-08-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

First and only show of the summer! Come early, be loud, stay late. No cover.

Okkervil River :: The Stage Names

2007-08-09T10:42:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite bands is Austin's own Okkervil River. Their new album just came out on Monday, and it has officially bumped the new Wilco album out of the first slot of the CD changer in the Stay Classy wagon. Will Sheff, the uber-talented front man of Okkervil River has a very interesting narrative style of writing lyrics. The songs are all about specific situations, they are not really the kind of songs that are left to your interpretation. They are kind of similar to The Decemberists in that aspect, but Okkervil's music is darker and the stories are more intimate - plus Will's voice is soaked in emotion and has a kind of haunting quality to it.
I am really surpised they haven't yet been shuttled into the spotlight amongst the ranks of The Shins, Wilco, etc. Some of my personal favorite moments on this album are "Unless It Kicks" - which kind of has a jivy Strokes-esque quality to it, and also "John Allyn Smith Sails", which my buddy Shaner pointed out to me earlier today - which starts off a soft finger-picking acoustic kind of pop song and eventually morphs into a pretty awesome cover of a Beach Boys standard, really interesting.
As well as being an incredibly talented musician, Will Sheff is also an amazing artist. A while ago I came across his flickr account and his work is really interesting and disturbingly beautiful. You can check out his work here: Will Sheff's art.
Here are some of my favorites, he does a lot of work on scratchboards which is a very difficult medium to work in. His work inspired my to start painting on scratchboards myself, although I am still trying to ge the hang of it.
This one is mixed media and it was used as the cover to their most recent EP.Here are a couple of his scratchboards -
Will also did the cross-stitch cover of the album above, super talented person. I don't know where the finds the time to do so much art.
Here is a sample off the new album. You'll love it, available on itunes.
Okkervil River :: Unless It Kicks

Superbad has serious potential.

2007-08-08T20:08:00.000-05:00

This is pretty great. Like seeing George Michael finding other avenues to showcase his comic genius.