A Musician's Growth: The Coheed Backstory

This last week I finally did a Coheed shuffle with their four albums (and some live stuff mixed in there too). It was the first shuffle I've done since their last album came out and it may be the first one that included their third album too. I've done Coheed days where I just listen to all four albums in a row or whatever, but the reason why I bother bringing this up is that it changed the way I feel about their progression as musicians.
Brief backstory: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (Coheed's 2nd album) was the first Coheed album I ever heard (and as a fun side note, it is the only times that I purchased an album without ever having heard a single song from the artist. It was recommended to me by someone I didn't even really know, but who I knew had pretty good taste in music. It turned out beautifully, but I probably won't ever do that again), and I immediately grew obsessed. It not only introduced me to the idea of concept albums (or bands as they have turned out), but it is an amazing amazing album. Next, I went backwards and listened to Second Stage Turbine Blade (theier 1st album). Again, I was absolutely blown away by this band. Some time went by between this point and the release of their third album Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. I: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. I loved this album when it came out, but I would be lying if I said I thought it was as extraordinary as their first two. If the first two both receive perfect 10s, then this one gets 9-9.5. Then, last year their 4th album--Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. II: No World for Tomorrow--came out and I'll be honest, I didn't really like it at first. I'll go into why in the next post, but I found myself with mixed feelings about a band that I had not only been in love with but was also heavily influenced by. It was very discouraging to say the least.
For the sake of space (and hopefully breaking up the monotony) I will just end here by saying that this recent shuffly lasted a few days and was excellent. It allowed me to put all of the albums into perspective in a way that I hadn't been able to just by listening to them all in a row.
More on this to come.

Random Video Day!!!

Today is a day of random videos. First of all, I am sure that most everyone is familiar with the "Rick-rolled" phenomenon. This is where someone pretends to give you a link to a website, but instead it goes to a youtube video of Rick Astley's 80s hit "Never Gonna Give You Up." Well, someone decided to let Barack Obama into the fun. I think they are calling it getting "Barack-Rolled." Anyway, here you get to see the two videos side-by-side:


Next, for all of you fans Guitar Hero and the wonderful Homestar Runner (which, sadly, I haven't watched in years), check this video out:


That's it. Enjoy your day.

Give Me Someone to HATE!

I freely admit that I have been greatly enjoying these Olympic games. Michael Phelps is turning in one amazing performance after another in a sport that doesn't interest me at all (swimming), and I am enthralled by it. Not only has he won the Gold Medal in every even in which he has performed, he has also broken every World Record relating to those events in the process. He has also become the winningest Olympian in history; he currently has won 11 Gold Medals, surpassing the previous tie that a few athletes (including Carl Lewis) held at 9 Golds. He may also win more Golds in a single Olympics than anyone else in history if he can get 8. He already has 5 for this Olympics. Anyway, you get what I'm saying about this being a pretty special Olympics.

However, I have come to realize that there is something missing from these Olympics--someone to hate. France talked a ton of trash coming into the Olympics in regards to swimming, and it made our relay victory over them (and it was amazingly close, and without a doubt THE highlight reel of the games) that much sweeter, but I'll be honest... it's France. I don't take them seriously. They are no threat to us. They are the annoying kid down the street that tries to be cool and look tough but always ends up looking like a fool. They aren't a REAL opponent. China is as close as we can get at the moment. They are beating us in both the overall medal count 35-34, and in the Gold medal count 22-10. The women's team gymnastics final was heartbreaking--to see our girls buckle under the pressure and lose to the supposedly 16-year-old (they look 8) Chinese girls was terribly disappointing. It would seem like China is the country to hate in these Olympics, but, if I am honest, it's just not there for me.

Perhaps what I'm trying to say can better be illustrated with an example of what we are lacking. Think back to those "fairytale" days (they seem that way to my generation for the most part at least) of the Cold War. Did we have a clear enemy? YES. The USSR was the enemy, and they were evil. There was only one thing worse than the US not getting Gold in an event, and that was if the USSR got Gold in that event. I don't feel that way with China. So I guess what I am really saying is that what would make these games more exciting would be to not just have the US to root for, but to also have a nation to really root against. We need someone to hate.

After all of that, the idea behind the Olympics is to promote understanding and world peace through athletic competition, so maybe they can consider this a very successful games.

This video may give you a hint of what I mean.

Burn Notice Revisited

I had a top-secret conversation with Ryan yesterday about TV shows. Amongst other things, we discussed the two shows that I am currently in the midst of, how you say, "catching up on." I am watching the first season of Prison Break and just finished the first season of Burn Notice last night and am greatly enjoying both. Ryan asked me if Burn Notice was as good as 24 or Lost. I didn't know how to answer that question. The reason? These shows are going for very different feels. 24 and Lost are all about the cliffhanger. They are designed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats, craving to immediately move onto the next episode when the one before it ends. They also provide a puzzle-solving factor that keeps you glued, wondering what twists and turns will be thrown at you.
Burn Notice definitely has tension and some of that edge of your seat power, but it isn't inherently designed for that. Additionally, for as intelligent as the show is (and believe me, it is an intelligent show), there isn't the "rush" of trying to solve things before they happen or the wonderment of how this or that is possible. So, when asked if the show is as good as 24 or Lost, then I have to sit back and wonder if the "addiction factor" of 24 and Lost are required for other shows to be just as good. In the end, I still don't have an answer. The best I can say is that it is too hard to compare 24 to The Office, because both shows offer very different experiences. Similarly, Burn Notice offers a very different experience than 24, Lost, Prison Break, The Office, or Arrested Development. It is almost like a hybrid between the action oriented, espionage show and good old fashioned situational comedies. It is very smart, very funny, and just plain fun. It's not overly intense or dramatic (usually, although there are plenty of intense moments that come as the season develops), but does combine action, big explosions and all those special ingredients that make a show exciting. Also, it brings a sense of learning and enlightenment, because man is it cool (we're talking above MacGyver level cool) when the main character Michael Westen makes some awesome little gadget out of household supplies or explains how best to break into something.
The idea of an ex-spy having to take on odd-jobs around Miami to make money, using his skills in espionage but having to do so without the funds to buy the nice equipment is so appealing to me.

The Olympics Are Here!

They officially don't start until tomorrow, but the group games for women's soccer began yesterday and men's soccer began today. I am sad to say that the US women's team lost their first group game to Norway 2-0. Both goals were scored in the first six minutes. Ouch. All hope is not lost though, because these are the groups games, and the top two from each group advance. So the US women's team can still pull through if they turn it around and start wining.
On a much happier note, the US Men's team (which is technically the US Under-23 Team with three overage players mixed in--Brian McBride, Michael Parkhurst, and Brad Guzan) beat Japan in their group games opener 1-0. The lone goal was scored by Stuart Holden (who plays for the Houston Dynamo).
NBC is doing an excellent job covering the Olympics, and, from what I can tell, they will be providing video footage of all the events online. Until the games officially begin, I won't know for sure, but it looks promising. That website is www.nbcolympics.com.

Congrats to a good start from the US Men's Team in what is a very tough group.

We Thank Thee for Japan...

There is no other nation whose culture both commands my respect and desire to mock as Japan. Think about it for a second; the same nation produced the samurai warrior and anime (sorry to all the anime lovers out there, but that stuff is ridiculous and should be mocked). Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to the powers that be for making Japan. It sure keeps me in a constant state of bewildered awe.

Here is an excellent video of a Japanese prank show that Matt sent me. Enjoy!

Pasadena

I have finally seen the light; Ozma's third album--Pasadena--is excellent. When it first came out I was incredibly bugged by the fact that they redid two songs (from previous discs) on this album. I wasn't angry with the band per se (mostly I blame the label for a stupid move like that), but I was put off by that. I think I felt cheated. With those two remakes as the first and third tracks, and the second and fourth tracks being ones that I didn't like, I sort of shut down and stopped caring to discover the rest of the album. Well, here is what I must say now. The rest of the album is wonderful. Heartache Vs. Heartbreak is a beautiful song that does some incredible things with chords and dissonance and is almost chilling (while maintaining its pop feel). Lunchbreak has one of my favorite little vocal hooks ("Your classmates don't respect you/Asi es la vida") and it has been running through my head almost constantly for the past week or so. In fact, I've even come around on Barriers now too.
So, I have changed the way I think about the album. I still don't really enjoy listening to the two remakes (because I feel like the songs were better captured the first times around), so I have decided to pretend like those songs aren't really a part of this album. Whalah! The album is great! The only song that I will still need more time with is Fight the Darkness, which I still think is a stupid song (at least lyrically, and so far it hasn't done too much for me musically either).
I highly recommend this album though. If you were already an Ozma fan then just pretend like the two remakes never happened, and if you aren't already a fan then it won't matter anyway.
The video below is of the song Heartache Vs. Heartbreak. I apologize for it, because it most certainly isn't the music video. It looks like some fan just made a photo collage background for the song. Ah well. The point was the song anyway.

This one is for Alex. I saw it on youtube and immediately remembered your cover of this song. It is Daniel, Star, and Kenn covering New World Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle." Have atchya.

Born of Hope

Well, in my perusing of The Hunt for Gollum, I came across a link for another fanfilm that is being made about Arathorn (the father of Aragorn). I guess these two little indie films were/are getting made at the same time in Wales and England and they have been collaborating with props and what not. That is kind of cool. Anyway, here is the trailer for that one. It is called Born of Hope.

The Hunt for Gollum

Now, obviously I can't vouch for this film (because it hasn't come out yet and won't until December), but some independent filmmakers are taking a stab at The Lord of the Rings story. Writer/Director Chris Bouchard (an entry of this name exists in imdb, but I currently have no way of knowing if it is the same person) is behind the project. Most of the footage of scenery was shot in Wales, and it is basically just a low-budget higher quality fanfilm. It is based off of the appendices of LOTR that explain Aragorn's hunt for Gollum. Not much more to say about it until it comes out, but here are the two trailers that have been released (trailers below) and also a link to the site if you want to check it out.

Harry Potter 6 Trailer!!!!

Alright boys and girls. I am happy-go-crap-in-the-pants right now cause I just watched the trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince (which my wife Sierra is currently reading for the first time and that also makes my giddy like school girl). Holy Hannah. Man. I am so stinking excited about this film. I am hesitant to be too specific about my next comment (because I hate spoilers), but I was so pleased to see that one of the characters is growing into young adulthood well. This character is an important character and needs to look the part (a thing of which I had my fears after reading HP6 and seeing who had been cast in that role in the films--I just didn't know how growing up would treat this person). Anyway, cryptic speak aside, I am definitely going to be there opening night, even if it means I go alone.

Here is a link to see the trailer (just scroll down and choose your option).

Arrested Development

I realize that I am really behind the times with this, but I LOVE Arrested Development. Sierra tried to show it to me a long time ago (when I was down with un-diagnosed mono) and I couldn't get into it back then. I am guessing that it was either that I was too tired and sick to appreciate the brilliant humor, or that I was too into The Office at the time (and the humor types are very so different that it takes some adjustment to swap from one to the other). Oh, or it could be that I was sexually frustrated (she wouldn't kiss me. I was going crazy...)

Anyway, I just finished watching the final episode (after going through them from beginning to end) and I am so sad that this show was canceled. It is an outrage. A crime against nature. We must do something about getting a film made (and by "we" of course I mean "Mitchell Hurwitz, Ron Howard, and the cast).

Just for fun, here is someone's Top-Ten list of inside jokes that they feel should be included in the film without any explanation at all as to why they are there (in the film of course, as all of them refer back to jokes from the show). Go and enjoy.

Update: I found a petition that any who desire and are willing can sign to show support for the film and/or the return of the show (fat chance people). Who knows if it will help or not, but it can't hurt can it? Maybe...

Steven-Inspired Top-Ten Desert-Island Album-List With-Hyphens-. Extra-Hyphens.

Oh man. Steven went and did it; he posted his list of the ten albums that he'd take with him to a desert island (his motive was that he may audition for the BlueMan Group band--which would be freakin rad--and they ask that question in the application. My motive is that terrorists called and said, "hey, John. How are you? Oh, we're sorry to hear your car got towed, that sucks. Anyway, we're gonna be over there in about twenty minutes to kidnap you and take you to a desert island. You have twenty minutes to choose ten albums to bring with you, cause space is VERY limited. Oh, and you'll want a cute bathing suit.")
Here they are:

1. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
2. Weezer - Pinkerton
3. Damien Rice - O
4. Thrice - Vheissu
5. Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
6. The LOTR Soundtrack (Fellowship if I have to limit it to one)
7. Braveheart Soundtrack
8. Radiohead - OK Computer
9. Nelly Furtado - Whoa, Nelly!
10. Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen

This was incredibly hard to make this list (what with so many great albums out there to choose from). Some alternates that I feel deserve mention are--in no particular order:

- Incubus - Morning View
- Dredg - Catch Without Arms
- Saves The Day - In Reverie
- Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3
- The Format - Dog Problems
- The Get Up Kids - Something To Write Home About
- New Amsterdams - Killed Or Cured

Whiplash!

It has been a while since I've seen something as funny, yet cute, as this. Here is a little monkey named Whiplash who rides a dog in rodeo. I'll give you a news report on him, his commercial (his acting debut I guess), and then some raw footage of him in the rodeo. Enjoy.

Joss Whedon is up to his old tricks again...

Well, Joss Whedon (the creator of Alias, Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show, Firefly, and Serenity) has a new project that he is working on called Dr. Horrible. It stars Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, M.D.), Nathan Fillion (Firefly/Serenity), and Felicia Day (who was in some episodes of Buffy, but I haven't ever heard of her before). To be honest, I don't really know how to describe it other than to say it is quirky and funny. Think: Superhero Musical. My guess is that a lot of people wouldn't really get into it, but I enjoyed it. What I don't know is whether this is a potential TV show, film, or just a fun little project for him and some friends to do on the side. Your guess is as good as mine.

Update:
So, I guess this project is actually a strange little experiment for Joss. It began during the WGA strike, and the idea was to basically circumvent the studios in the creative and productive process of making a show.
The mini-TV series will only have three parts (at least initially--I wouldn't be surprised if Joss decided to do something more with it int he future) and only made available online from now until July 20th. The second part will be released tomorrow, and the third (and final) chapter will be released on the 19th.

I Just Can't Get Enough...

I saw this video posted on Alex's website (buy a young woman that could possibly be in cahoots with our man Alex; my team is looking into this), and I can't stop watching it. It cracks me up every time. Whoever made it: thank you and bless you.

Re-Formatting

Well, once again my hard drive crashed and I lost many of the song/story projects that I had been working on. This marks the third time in less than a year the a depository of my creative juices has been stolen or erased. Man, some people just don't take a hint.

Anyway, I am excited to focus in on two creative projects now, and let others sit by the wayside. One is a story and will most likely come out in screen play form by the time it is done. The other is just working with GarageBand to record acoustic demos of songs (old and new) that I have never gotten around to. I will have to wait until I get a new mic to really do the guitar and vocal stuff, but I can begin in other areas for now. My main focus will be on Wishing Well songs (for any who are confused by that--Wishing Well is the name of a full length album that I began writing a few years ago. It became some of the fruit of Twenty Mule Team (My Little Reminder was originally the Prologue-and may still find its way back onto the album-The Ambush, Goodbye Eden, and Sweet Spot in the Spine were all from the album also) and is a massive project that will take me years and years to ever fully develop into the finished product that I desire it to become. It is the first part of a story that will eventually be told over the course of three albums. When all of that musical work is finished I will focus on writing it in story format. My hope would be for it to someday be made into movies, also. I would desire to be involved in the sound-tracking for the films (which would not be a function of just putting in the songs from the albums, but in writing a whole new soundtrack that just borrows themes from the albums).

I'll keep you updated (and don't hold your breath for this to get accomplished anytime too soon).

UNLV's Cruz Gets Call Up

Daniel Cruz, a forward for UNLV's Men's Soccer Team got a call up to play in an Under-20 friendly game in Texas. They play today. Congrats, sir. I'll post the results later.

Update:
The U.S. Under-20's beat Mexico 3-0 last Friday in Texas. Cruz started and played until the 80th minute.


And in other soccer news:
I really enjoyed reading this article from the Laredo Morning Times about youth soccer development in our nation. It chronicles the rapid and unexpected rise in our Men's national Team (which has since balanced out to a more accurate level), and talks about what is currently going on with developing American soccer talent. Good stuff.

Jay-Z vs. Noel Gallagher

I saw this on The Original Winger, and thought you'd enjoy it, Matt. Jay-Z headlined the Glastonbury Festival this past weekend and got a little retaliation against Noel Gallagher (of Oasis), who had stated that rappers shouldn't be allowed to headline the festival. What did he do? He covered Wonderwall. Ha. Well done, sir Z.

I also stole this little nugget from the same site. Enjoy (for scientific and medical reasons...).

Please Let Us See Kenny Cooper

I need to thank The Offside Rules for posting this Mixtape of Kenny Cooper's goals. Not only is it a fantastic compilation of footage of Cooper, but it is also set to an excellent song (as opposed to the usual crap that people put behind the mixtapes they make).

My question is, why on earth are we not giving this kid a chance on the big stage? We have a real lack of quality at this position, and with Dempsey reportedly burnt out from Fulham's relegation battle (and seemingly in need of some rest) and Jozy's injury, we need some help. Wolff has been terrible, Johnson has shown some improvement but that improvement hasn't brought a single goal. Ching could be the man to bring the finishing that we need, but why not let Cooper have a chance to show us what he's got? Everything else aside, consistently playing Wolff over Cooper seems like such an incredibly stupid move to me. It makes no sense. I would love to see Cooper up top with Donovan running the right side and Beasley on the left. Get Adu in that attacking mid role with Mastroeni behind him, and let's see what these guys can do. When Dempsey gets some rest, then let's get him up top with Cooper and see what these guys can do.

Anyway, here is the Mixtape.

Captain Burnsworth: Quirathean Fields

Here we go on the next installment of this little story. For some reason I feel like I should clarify what is going on here; I don't know. I'm not bothering to plan too far into the future with this story. The purpose is to get into the habit of writing close to everyday, even if it is just a little bit. So, I apologize if anyone starts to read this story and then gets disappointed by its "little snippet" format, or that it isn't more cohesive, but cohesiveness isn't the point. My guess is that we'll have a little bit of the Water World effect, where the story starts without an ending and that ending has the potential of being a little disappointing. Oh well. :)

Also, formatting is a problem here on Blogger. It auto corrects "errors" (which are actually what I like to call "indentations") so the dialogue won't necessarily be the standard format you encounter in books. I'm sure you'll get it though.


“What am I looking at here, Harmes?” Captain Burnsworth's eyes never shifted to his navigator as he asked this question. Everyone on board Burnsworth’s ship, the Lucidia, was staring forward at the planet Quirath: their destination.
“To be honest sir, I’m not sure,” Harmes slowly replied. “The planet seems to be encased in some sort of energy field. I’ve never seen anything like this before, Captain. The sensors are going off the charts.”
The Captain leaned forward in his chair slightly and studied the faint blue hue surrounding Quirath. The comparatively small planet was completely surrounded by this field of energy. He was familiar with energy shields; all ships used them for deep space travel. But this field was large enough to engulf a planet. How could this even be possible? What could possibly be powerful enough to produce that large of a field? More importantly, would it even be safe to attempt to pass through it? Was it radioactive? He began to wonder whether or not their trip would be cut short.
“Get me connected to the Quirathean port authority, and let’s get some answers.” Vindler, the communications expert on board the Lucidia, busied himself with his equipment, but it soon became apparent that there would be no communicating with the planet.
“Sir,” Vindler responded, “I can’t get through. We’re getting some massive interference with the signal, almost total communication breakdown.”
The Captain sat silently, thinking of how imperative it was that they get onto that planet to sell those crystals. He had accrued massive gambling debts recently and was running out of time to pay it back, and if Morgan “Titus” Andronicus, could be counted on for anything, it was his punctuality in recovering debts. As strong and fast a ship as the Lucidia was, there was nowhere that it could hide from Titus. He needed to get down to that planet, but would it be worth risking death in the process?
“Thorpe,” Captain Burnsworth yelled, deciding that as risky as passing through that energy field would be, death was certain if he didn't get Titus that money.
“Yes, sir!”
“Prepare one of the recon droids for deployment. We need to get an idea of how safely we can pass through that field. Vindler,”
“Yes sir.”
“You’re my eyes and ears. Bring that droid up on screen one. We’ve got a few minutes to learn as much as we can about that field before we attempt a pass of our own.”