Friday Sundry
Posted on May 27, 2005 at 1:23 pm | No Comments
Greetings from Boston, aka ‘waterworld‘. When will the sunshine arrive and release us from this constant cloud-covered hell? I thought the old addage started ‘April showers…’, not ‘All-of-May showers…’. Yeesh. I mean, I’m a fan of rainy days, but only to a point.
Ok, enough about the weather then…
So we saw the second ‘Serenity‘ preview last night, another early look at Joss Whedon’s big-screen continuation of his too-short-lived ‘Firefly‘ sci-fi tv series. It’s not out until September, so the cut we saw was supposedly rough, using temporary music, although it looked to me like most of the effects were finished. I can only assume that there will be lots of tweaking with color balance and contrast in the months remaining, as the lighting swayed between too dark, just right, and too white, but the story and dialogue were more then enough to overcome any visual shortcomings. It’s like the anti-Episode III… substance holding you when style comes up short (ironic that the movie includes a subtle yet very direct Star Wars homage… look for it). If only Lucas had paid Joss to script-doctor ‘Sith’, because boy did that dialogue need some serious medical attention. But I digress. Don’t get me started on ol’ George.
‘Serenity’ is pure Whedon, all whip-smart words, unexpected emotional punches, and weighty-action bits mixed in together. Unlike the Star Wars prequels, there’s a real sense of danger to the characters… their actions have consequences, the villians are a real threat, and most of the comedy comes as a relief from building tension. There are lots of laughs, but they’re never forced. It’s just a brilliant script, with lines still popping into my head this next morning. And Joss has such a great cast to deliver it all, people who believe in the material, who really connect with one other, parts of an ensemble that has become more shipmates than castmates. Whedon isn’t afraid to pummel them, though… he’s not comfortable with the status quo, with everyone being safe for sequels. He goes for broke, and comes up aces.
I so hope this movie finds a broader audience, if only for the selfish reason that I want to see these characters a whole bunch more. But it might be tricky convincing the mainstream that this world is one they want to visit; you want to build hype, to let people know that there’s a reason this movie exists (i.e. the enthusastic Browncoats that have packed these previews), while at the same time not having them dismiss it as something too genre-bound and clicky (see the declining Star Trek movie audience). Put your average non-sci-fi-geek movie goer in the middle of the crowd last night, and they’d assume they were transported to the middle of a comic convention. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more extensive hive of freaks and nerdery. And I mean that in the most affectionate way, of course. A bit of pot, kettle, etc.
I’ll be seeing it again opening weekend, and pestering my friends to do the same… won’t be the last time it’s mentioned on this site. If there’s another screening between now and Sept. 30th, you should really check it out… they just don’t make ’em like this any more, and it’s a damn shame.
For those who missed Firefly during it’s first and only season (and haven’t picked up the fantastic DVD set), there’s really good news: The Sci-Fi Channel is running the entire series (and unlike Fox, in the right order), airing them every Friday starting July 22nd, before new episodes of the excellent Battlestar Galactica. A perfectly planned build-up towards the movie.
Will my diminished opinion of the Star Wars universe keep me from catching the massive ‘Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination‘ exhibit at Boston’s Museum of Science when it opens in October? Probably not. I mean, if those first two prequels weren’t enough to keep me from seeing number three, then I’m in for whatever they throw at me. Nostalgia is an unstoppable force.
So when Amie and I saw Revenge of the Sith, I was amazing that there was not one. single. commercial. Not one. Couldn’t believe it. But I also couldn’t believe the number of trailers we saw: TEN. Yes, a new record. Ten complete movie previews, which I admit was far easier than suffering through a Fandango promo or a cheesy Diet Coke singalong. Count ’em: The Da Vinci Code (nice cast), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (no thanks), Fantastic Four (sadly, looks terrible), Stealth (urk), The Chronicles of Narnia (promising), The Wedding Crashers (maybe), Batman Begins (yes please), The Pink Panther (why Martin why!?), War of the Worlds (please be good), and Serenity (head buzz, every time). A solid 20 minutes or so. In the days before the internet, before I’d seen most of ’em already, I woulda been pretty into that.
Ok, now this is high-larious. If you’ve seen ROTS (a better acronym, there is not), you know that the (second) most cringe-worthy moment is Darth’s forced-perspective “NOOOOoooOOOOOO!” near the end. An instant classic. Well, you’ve gotta listen to this mini-mash-up that uses Liam Lynch’s ‘United States of Whatever‘ and Vader samples. Just awesome.
Miss Mary’s second solo album is out! ‘Ready 2 Pop‘, the long-in-the-works followup to 2000’s ‘Hey Blue!‘, is now available on Stereorrific Recordings, and you can sample/buy it over at CD Baby. The enhanced disc has 10 new songs, a couple demos versions, and throws in a couple of videos (hang around for a hidden track, too). It’s a more rockin’ affair than Hey Blue!, and it’s better for it.
Mary has also started up her own little web-based handmade-crafty shop called Hollypop, and the site just barely went live. Head over to check out some stylin’ totebags, purses, clothing, and other assorted accessories. Go Mary Go!
Boston comic book (sorry, ‘graphic novel’) fans take note: On Monday, June 13th at 7pm, the Friends of the Brookline Library will be hosting a free talk from author Steve Weiner entitled ‘The Rise of the Graphic Novel‘. From their website…
“Graphic novels are exploding off bookstore and library shelves, and into movies, college courses, The New York Times Book Review, and onto the coffee tables of the cognoscenti. What’s fueling the explosion? Where did all the excitement come from? Steve Weiner, a comics historian and children’s literature specialist, answers these questions in his talk, ‘The Rise of the Graphic Novel‘. From the Bronx tenements of Will Eisner’s ‘A Contract with God‘ to the holocaust vision of Art Spiegelman’s ‘Maus‘ to the teenage angst of Dan Clowes’ ‘Ghostworld‘, you’ll journey into the heart of the graphic novel revolution.
It takes place in Hunneman Hall in the main building of the Brookline Library.
I’ve never read ‘Everything is Illuminated‘ by Jonathan Safran Foer, but I’ve heard it’s a love-it-or-violently-loathe-it type of novel, with little room for the inbetween. Makes me wonder if the upcoming movie adapatation will do the same. I’m a fan of actor Liev Schreiber, who’s directing this time around, and I’m curious to see how Elijah Wood pulls off a lead role post-LOTR (if you don’t count Hooligans, which is playing film fests).
What I’m more interested in, though, is seeing former/fellow Burlington, Vermont dweller Eugene freakin’ Hutz in his first acting role. If his name doesn’t sound familiar, maybe his band, Gogol Bordello, will. I heard he was in the movie and figured it was a small role, maybe with the band playing in one scene. Well, these pictures show it ain’t so. Second billing, baby. He’s the one fingering Frodo right here. Crazy.
Movie poster here. In-progress official site here.
Ten word TV season finale reviews…
Alias: Almost has me back. Cheap crash cliffhanger. More evil Sloan.
Lost: Not enough payoff. A freakin’ ladder? You’re so on probation.
Deadwood: Little less politics. I miss angry Bullock. Swijjin still rules.
I had much, much love for Portastatic, but lost track when Mac went through that little Brazilian fling. This news, however, has me back. A new album in August, and more of a full-bandy affair. I actually like the first couple Portastatic albums more than what Mac’s main act, Superchunk, was doing at the time, so this sounds right up my alley.
I’m thinking about a movie sometime this weekend (shocker). Should it be Layer Cake? Unleashed? Anyone have any thoughts on either of those two films to share? Sell me.
So John Squire wants the Stone Roses to reform, eh? Tell ya what, if it’s just to play the debut album start to finish, maybe as part of the Don’t Look Back series, then I’m there. Otherwise, um, don’t look back.
Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers collaborating on a movie apaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are?! How did I not hear about that?
There’s a new library in Harvard Square, and it’s exclusively for ‘zines. Guess I’ll put the Papercut Zine Library down on my ‘must visit list’.
I’ve been meaning to mention this for a bit, and a recent post over at Chromewaves reminded me… lucky American Analog Set fans (who also happen to be in New York) can stop by a Brooklyn bar called Commonwealth (corner of 5th Ave & 12th st.) to hear their entire finished-yet-unreleased album, ‘Set Free‘. AmAnSet is label-less at the moment thanks to the closing up of Tigerstyle, but won’t be for very long… I’ve heard the whole record, and it is far and away their best collection of songs since 1999’s ‘The Golden Band’ (and to varying degrees, I love everything since). It’s a new peak for them, and labels should be falling at their feet. If it comes out this year, it may just top my best of.
David Gedge of the Wedding Present presents some ‘music you should hear‘ over at Amazon. I’m with him on about half of those.
Thanks to My Mean Magpie, who thanks Lacunae, for pointing out a brand new, completely free, entirely downloadable His Name Is Alive EP entitled ‘Summer Bird‘, available at their site. Says it’s for ‘a limited time’, so get over there.
Stream a new Son Volt song called ‘Bandages & Scars’ from their upcoming ‘Okemah and the Melody of Riot‘ album, due on July 12th.
Allow me to draw your attention to a place I discovered through a comment left here at the ‘Nac: Ryan’s Aural Fixation live music photography site. Some amazing live and still shots of a range of artists, from the well-known to the obscure to the inbetween: Cinerama, Postal Service, Trash Can Sinatras, Lucksmiths… so much fantastic work in there. There’s even a shot of Craig from Summer at Shatter Creek, which leads directly into this next bit…
Would you like a really nice, limited edition Summer at Shatter Creek poster print, signed by Craig & Emmy, courtesy of Fingerprints music in Long Beach, CA? Be the first one to drop me an email (address on the left) with the subject ‘SASC’, and it’s all yours. Congrats to Michael in Louisiana, who won the poster.
Alright, my long weekend looms, time to check out. I hope everyone who’s been listening to the Bradcast (my new random streaming radio station) has been digging it… I get a little thrill every time someone makes a request (via aol im: bradcast), so keep ’em coming. To listen, just open this URL in Winamp or iTunes. If you can’t get on, it’s either full or will be back up soon enough.
So far I’ve been streaming for about three weeks straight, nearly 24 hours a day, and it’s up to track number 8,473 out of a total collection of roughly 23,000 songs. In another five or six weeks I’ll randomize it all again and start over. I can’t imagine the days before I was able to do this… having all my cds wired into my workplace is a revelation. Glad I can share it.
[Live MP3s] Nada Surf & Rilo Kiley in Vermont 2005
Posted on May 23, 2005 at 3:23 pm | No Comments
It was a whirlwind weekend up in Vermont, back and forth in 24 hours to visit family and catch the Rilo Kiley, Nada Surf, & the Brunettes show at Higher Ground in South Burlington. When I found out that Nada Surf was doing just a few East Coast shows, I decided that seeing ’em up there on a Saturday night would be much better than a Sunday night show at Boston’s much-larger Avalon. So worth the extra effort…
We arrived near the end of the Brunnettes, and I liked the couple songs we saw, including the set-closing Olsen Twins number (although the full-band Mary Kate & Ashley masks were truly frightening). I’ll have to check out the audio samples on their site sometime soon, see how their recordings strike me.
Up next was Nada Surf, the main attraction for me, but mostly because I’d just seen Rilo Kiley last fall. I hadn’t seen N.S. in a long time, and I knew they’d be playing a few songs from their next album, which according to singer/guitarist Matthew Caws was finished last week and is due out in September. I was a huge fan of their last one, ‘Let Go‘, so I’ll be grabbing their next on its release date.
They put on a fantastic show, far better than the last time I saw them in Boston (which was a pretty great show to begin with). Matthew’s singing, as always, was dead on; he’s rarely less than note perfect… I just love the guy’s voice and songwriting style. Their set consisted mostly of ‘Let Go‘ songs, along with three new ones and a couple from 1998’s ‘The Proximity Effect‘. Here you go…
live at Higher Ground
South Burlington, Vermont
Saturday, May 21st, 2005
[ download full set in one .zip file ]
Blizzard of ’77
Hi-Speed Soul
Happy Kid
Inside of Love
What Is Your Secret? (new)
80 Windows (fades out)
Killian’s Red
The Way You Wear Your Head
Always Love (new)
Fruit Fly
Imaginary Friends (new)
Blonde on Blonde
Hyperspace
A personal highlight: During their set, just before ‘Inside of Love‘, Matthew namechecked the best (criminally unknown) band to ever come outta Burlington, Guppyboy. I was pretty stunned. You’ll hear it if you download the track… completely cool.
Sadly, it appears that one of the bands (I’m going to guess Rilo Kiley) has adopted a new ‘No Photos, No Video, No Recording’ policy, so in the middle of Nada Surf’s set I was confronted by club security and asked to bring my digital camera to the box office. I’d missed the posted sign, wasn’t searched, and Higher Ground is normally cool with picture taking, so I snapped away without fear (or even a flash). Regardless, I got embarrassingly escorted to the lobby where I had to hand it over (that explains my fade out of ‘80 Windows‘ and the missing mp3 for the amazing ‘Killian’s Red‘… one of my favorite Nada songs, and I missed it. Sigh.).
I don’t blame the venue, they were obviously instructed to do this by the band(s), but it was pretty bizarre… I thought the days of ‘no photos’ were long gone. As understandable as a ‘no audio recording’ policy is, a few non-flash photos shouldn’t be a big deal. Seems it is to RK or their management, though.
I suppose now that tiny electronic devices are so ubiquitous, and are becoming more and more multi-functional, an all-or-nothing choice has to be made… but I wonder if it’s R.K. themselves or their brand new major label ties (they’re on the WB) that has put a stop to the sharing. Either way, it’s unfortunate. Makes me wonder how much longer they’ll keeping letting first-rate fan site RiloKiley.net make full live sets available.
Here’s Rilo Kiley’s excellent set from Saturday night, minus the first song since I was caught off guard (and I hate fading in). As always, if the band or label has a problem with my sharing these with other fans, they can just let me know…
Rilo Kiley
live at Higher Ground
South Burlington, Vermont
Saturday, May 21st, 2005
[ download full set in one .zip file ]
The Execution of All Things
Accidntel Deth
Portions For Foxes
Paint’s Peeling
I Never
Pull Me In Tighter (new)
So Long
More Adventurous
Ripchord
It Just Is
It’s A Hit
Love and War
Hail to Whatever You Found in the Sunlight That Surrounds You
The Good That Won’t Come Out
Does He Love You?
(banter – blake talks phish)
I Love LA (new)
Spectacular Views
It was such a great sounding night, Rilo Kiley also putting on a better show than the last time I’d seen them in Boston. Their soundguy, Robbie, did a beautiful job of balancing everything: Blake Sennett’s great backup vocals, extra-member Michael Runyan’s added guitar parts, Harry from the Brunettes’ trumpet on ‘It’s a Hit‘ and ‘Ripchord‘, all of it was crystal clear… a powerful mix but never too loud. Loved it.
On my way out of the show, as I grabbed my confiscated camera, the Higher Ground staffer who’d taken it handed me a couple fairly cool ltd. edition, hand-numbered, screen-printed Rilo Kiley posters to make up for it… it was a really nice gesture that was very much appreciated. I’d like to offer my extra up to another RK fan, so I’ll send it along to the first person that emails me at the address in the left column with the subject ‘Rilo Kiley poster’. (edited to add: congrats to John in Nebraska, who was the first one to email me)
Stop back in the next couple of days when I’ll be doing the same with a spiffy autographed Summer At Shatter Creek poster from Fingerprints Music in Long Beach, CA.